For the Glory of Rome: Chronicles of an Isekai'd Legion-Chapter 48B3 : Recruitment Drive

B3 Chapter 48: Recruitment Drive

Tiberius and Claude left behind the mages in training for a more private conversation about Claude’s future relationship with the Legion. They soon came to a set of large oaken doors at the top floor of the building. They swung open at the group's approach, revealing a large office submerged in a deluge of scattered notes and various implements of glass and crystal.

Who the office had belonged to before, Tiberius wasn't sure. But Claude had certainly made himself at home.

Claude led Tiberius inside. A pile of papers and rather fragile looking lenses levitated to reveal a pair of chairs buried amidst the mess. The pair settled down and made themselves comfortable as a pair of glasses and a rather ornate bottle of amber liquid that seemed to almost glow appeared.

As the drinks were poured, Tiberius mulled over his options. He was indeed recruiting for the Legion among the recently-conquered Novarans. However, he’d honestly forgotten the mage’s initial request to join the Legion for the sake of his research. But now that he mentioned it… did he have much reason to reject the man?

Tiberius sipped his drink, the liquid warming his entire body as though he sat by a fire. “The matter of citizenship still remains. The recruits we are seeking out now will have the opportunity to earn theirs by serving as auxiliaries for a time.”

The Grand Mage waved him off. “Bah. Sounds like pointless hoops for me to jump through.”

“Hoops that are meant to weed out those unworthy of the Legionnaire legacy. And ensure that the men we recruit are capable of following orders,” he finished with a pointed look.

As far as he understood, Tiberius could simply have Claude added to the first Legion right now. All he needed was to make a single decree. Yet he had absolutely no intention of doing so, not without at least a bit of vetting.

Initially, the matter of Claude's true allegiances had come into question. But he had already helped the Romans immeasurably. Between his tutelage of their mages, the spells he had already provided them, and the benefits they'd gained from the man's research, his usefulness and value could not be denied. Which in itself was part of the problem.

Claude was too powerful. Enough that he may well throw the entire power structure of the Legion into disarray. Why should a man many times Tiberius’s own age, a pinnacle master of his field, see any reason to follow orders from some young upstart? Worse, Tiberius wasn't certain they'd be able to stop him if he decided to go rogue, beyond ousting him from the force.

Would he retain his power upon joining the Legion? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Based on how the auxiliaries seemed to function so far, Tiberius suspected the answer skewed more towards the latter. But either way, Tiberius was not willing to risk it. Not without additional assurances.

Claude met Tiberius's gaze and sighed. “I suppose it's only to be expected. A small price to pay for knowledge. Although, didn't you say that the emperor’s word is law?”

“It is. But I am not so foolish to completely overlook the place of old traditions.”

The emperor leaned back in his chair, mulling over the decision. On one hand, he needed to ensure that Claude could actually be a Legionnaire, not just a powerful mage attached to their resources like a tick to a cow. On the other hand, he had thus far refused to use his magic for combat and warfare. If adding him as a Legionnaire meant they'd be able to leverage his abilities directly…

“If you were to join the Legion, then you would be obligated to follow orders,” Tiberius studied the old mage intently. “Whatever they may be.”

“Again, a small price to pay.”

“Even if those orders include going into battle? Fighting alongside the others in a shield wall? Cleaning the latrines?” Tiberius pressed.

Claude fell silent for a moment, honestly considering his words. Then the old man shrugged. “So long as I am not made to abandon my research. Although I would argue that such uses of my skills would be a waste.”

Tiberius silently agreed, at least regarding the latter two options. Still, he did not intend to carve out exemptions for the mage. Not initially. If the man wanted to be a Legionnaire in truth, he would have to earn it. Just as Tiberius had.

“Why are you so set on becoming one of us?” Tiberius couldn't help but ask. “You have far more freedom as you currently are. If your goal is to further your research…”

Claude was already shaking his head. “Not quite. Do you know how much I could learn by having direct access to your men's mana pool? Their skills? How many additional experiments I can run without having to coerce one of your men into cooperation? And that's without even mentioning the fascinating phenomenon of even joining your men! How will that work? Will my level be lowered to meet their own? Will I be stripped of my skills? Will my joining merge our mana pools? I simply must know what will happen!”

The Grand Mage's eyes shone with unrestrained enthusiasm. He was practically giddy by the time he’d finished speaking, and it quickly became obvious that Tiberius wouldn’t be able to dissuade the man. Not that he entirely wanted to.

Claude had become something of a friend, as much as an emperor could have friends. He was an eccentric man who didn't care one whit for political power or propriety. Combined with his obvious personal power, it made him feel like more of an equal than most could claim, even above Tiberius in raw ability.

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Were he to join the Legion, that would almost certainly change. Yet such a concern was minor compared to the gains they’d get. It was the right decision—provided the man’s ego would be no object.

Finally, Tiberius nodded. “All right. Considering your contributions to Rome and her people, I will consider bestowing upon you some form of citizenship and granting you the opportunity to become a Legionnaire. However,” He forestalled Claude’s next words by raising a hand. “Your actual joining will be contingent on your performance. I will require you to undergo the same training that all new recruits will be put through. Should you prove yourself able to not just keep up, but impress my commanders… then we shall consider allowing you to join the Legion.

Tiberius wanted to ensure that Claude underwent proper training and evaluation. Who knew what the System would think but he had a feeling that it wouldn’t allow the man to be a Legionnaire in name only, even if Tiberius was willing to let him be one. But he also knew that, should the mage prove capable, then expediting his training would be in both of their best interests.

His allegiances were no longer under question, which was not something that could be said about the Novarans, and Claude seemed to have learned much about Roman culture through his interactions with the Legionnaires. Though Tiberius was already going to have to lower the service requirement for auxiliaries to earn citizenship quite dramatically as well.

“Fine, fine,” Claude waved off the caveats as though they were mere formalities. “I could use some exercise, anyway. It’s been a while since these old bones have done more than fly around and take notes.”

The casual attitude made Tiberius frown internally. He suspected that the Grand Mage was underestimating the grueling requirements of Legionnaire training. Then again, the man was quite the monster. Perhaps he really would be able to breeze through.

“In the meantime, you may continue your research,” Tiberius continued. “But do not harry the men too much. They need their rest as well.”

“Less than anyone else,” Claude chuckled, then snapped his fingers. “Ah! Speaking of anomalies… I have more questions about your class, since I have you here.”

Tiberius glanced out the window at the darkened sky and grimaced. “I will only have time for a few. Then I, too, will need to rest.”

He required far less sleep nowadays than ever before. But if he didn’t set boundaries, the curious mage would keep him up all night. And the last thing Tiberius wanted was a hangover for his morning meetings.

“If you insist. Have you had any luck in earning experience for your class?”

Tiberius suppressed a grimace. “No. Unfortunately.”

Ever since taking over Novara, Tiberius’s [Emperor] class hadn’t gained so much as a single new point of experience. This was despite being constantly busy with the demands of his budding empire and executing all of the duties that one would expect of his station. He’d even had a contubernium bring forth an appropriately leveled monster for him to kill, and still nothing.

The perplexing situation had pushed him to seek out Claude’s advice on the matter. Given the knowledge the Grand Mage had already exhibited, Tiberius felt as though that was the best chance of finding a solution—and avoiding an information leak. The man already knew much about his class as a condition for lending Tiberius an item to confound [Appraisal] skills.

The old man stroked his considerable beard. “Hmmm. Well, I’m honestly not surprised. The mythical classes I’ve heard of seemed fairly peculiar, though their owners have always been understandably cagey about the details. One crafter apparently had to make pristine masterwork pieces to level. Another had to kill dragons only. They took him down pretty quick, let me tell you. There was even one poor mage who only got experience from inventing new spells. Boy, that was a problem. They got pretty impractical pretty quick. I remember he even made one for spreading butter on toast—-butter specifically! There was a different one for jam! I wonder what happened to that guy…”

Tiberius cleared his throat. “So. You’ve met other mythical class holders?”

“Eh, just a couple. The System sends out a notification whenever one gets snapped up, just like it did with yours, but actually finding the person is another matter. Most try to hide it, since there’s such thing as being too unique. Last one I saw announced must have been… what, three hundred years ago maybe? Give or take? So I wouldn’t be surprised if these young whippersnappers don’t remember.” He paused. “Then again, I honestly haven’t had much interest in strange classes and the like. That’s more in the realm of System nonsense, not magic. The elves might have someone who’s kept tabs on it better.”

Three hundred years… That was quite a long time. But considering what Iladrien had said about the race’s lifespans, there should be plenty of elves who had lived even longer than that. Perhaps Tiberius would need to move up his trip to visit the elves.

“If that’s the case, then [Emperor] may only earn experience by conquering new territory,” Tiberius mused aloud.

“Seems to be the case.”

Tiberius swirled the last of his drink. It wasn't the worst requirement to be saddled with. After all, it did align with Rome's ultimate goals. However, that also meant that Tiberius needed additional Legions even more urgently. If he wanted to continue his personal growth.

The revelation would shift about some of his priorities in the coming months. While consolidating the territory they had would still be paramount, perhaps he could move the timeline up…

“Anyway! Next question.” Claude grinned. “You mentioned that you couldn't assign points to physical stats. Well, I just so happen to have an item or two that offer stat increases… What do you say to testing them out, hmmm?”

Tiberius indulged the mage’s curiosity for a while longer. Longer than he'd honestly intended. Being able to learn more about his own class proved too tempting an opportunity to pass up. By the time they were finished, it was well past midnight.

Tiberius stood, leaving his empty glass on the desk. “An enlightening conversation. However, I must take my leave.”

“All right, all right. I suppose you've sated my curiosity enough for one night.” Claude said as he continued scribbling down notes. “Good night, Tiberius. Don't hesitate to reach out should you experience any more interesting developments!”

The emperor nodded and turned to his guards, who were managing to hide their own tiredness quite well. As one, they left the grand office, leaving the mage inside muttering to himself.

Tomorrow, he would see to the matter of the new recruits. Tonight, however… It was finally time to rest.