Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire-Chapter 435 - 430 -

The vault behind them was a hard thing to leave behind, even more so when you consider he left the vault with the door wide open.

The two had after hours being underground finally emerged seeing the sun’s position in the sky had changed completly with much more time passing than they expected.

Evening was well underway and before to long night would fall.

seeing that Serena agreed with Julius on leaving though was left stunned as to why he would leave the door open for the world itself.

As the two made their way further away returning to where their horses remained tied up impatiently waiting for their riders, all while longingly looking at the grass off in the distance they all wished they could graze upon while waiting for their riders to return.

Serena couldnt resist asking the question lingering in her mind.

Why leave the vault open?

To which he could only respond with the truth, he had decided to share everything about himself with her, he had already revealed his system to her, and trusted her with his life, and his growing feelings for her made him not even care if she decided to betray him some time in the future.

So he began to explain, even going so far as to send a mental message to herself.

A form of telepathy, that was the simplest way for her to think of it, even though that power was merely the stuff of childrens stories.

But she very plainly heard Julius’s words in her mind even though she couldnt see his mouth moving.

Then he explained that even while they were still exploring the vault he had already issued orders back to the legion within the Eternal City, and by this time a caravan of wagons and carts would already be partway here to recover the discovery.

That mixed with the truth that they werent truly alone on this vacation.

That in the distance there were Praetorians watching over them, unwilling to lose their emperor and empress.

So for now they didnt need to be here.

Sticking around would only mean getting further involved in things.

Instead he’d rather carry on their vacation, leaving guarding the vault to the Praetorians and once the legion arrived the guard duty could be transfered over to them.

The shipping of the tomes, scrolls, and various artwork would then fall to the legion, with this heavily guarded caravan bringing everything back to the Eternal City.

~

They traveled light and unhurried, angling west and north along the broken ridgelines rather than descending back into the valleys.

Julius guided them through terrain that was getting more and more ’wild’ in nature, leaving all signs of civilization behind.

climbing with their horses up the foothills into the mountains themselves.

Stopping to rest when the mood struck them, or when Julius caught sight of game in the distance.

Their nights filled with stargazing and flame grilled meats or stews consisting of dried meats.

A simple life, but one that Serena who was living this way for the first time found greatly satisfying.

Wondering in her heart why humans couldnt all live this way.

Why so many covetted land, gems, gold, and blood more than the simple comfort of simply living as one should.

She could feel in her heart that the feelings she had developed all those years ago back in Carthage for the young man with her were getting even stronger.

If it meant saving his life she was willing to jump infront of a loosed arrow for him.

and she knew deep within that he would likely do the very same for her, just like how he had gone and conquered a kingdom for Yuri.

His deep care for the two of them made her feel like she was a true princess in those heroic novels she used to read as a child long before she was traded off as a political barginning chip by her father and named queen of a kingdom, as the only suitable choice for the aging king who had yet to sire any offspring and yet, was incapable of doing so by that point in his life any way.

Thinking on her current life now Serena much prefered the current one.

And thousands of times over did she prefer her current bethrothed to her previous one.

~

More days passed and yet no furhter signs of any hidden vaults were found even though they had traversed the entire outside of the mountain range seperating what was northern roserun, from the Kingdom of Bridget.

Instead of worrying about it Julius instead instructed their horses to head further north, leaving the mountains behind and a return to the flat grassy plains, and rolling hills.

Their entrance back to habitable lands allowed for them to stop by a village or town, purchasing new supplies to restock their rations or even their arrows.

Then the two began riding off into the lands previously known as southern Lunan.

A land that had fallen twice.

The first time when Visigoth invaded and south lunan fell to Queen Hayna who ruled as a dictator vowing revenge on Julius and the Visigoth Emperor for pushing her so far as to become what she did.

The second time was mere months after its first, when Hayna hellbent on her desire for vengeance invaded his lands seeking to restore all of Lunan under her rule.

Only to fail entirely and have her own lands conquered instead.

Now for the last few years Lunanese people had almost all but forgotten their time under the kingdom, and the rebel Hayna, fully embracing their new identity as citizens of the Romanus Empire.

Their lots in life being far grander than they ever were under the previous two ruling monarchs.

Their lord actually cared for them.

Only took enough tax to maintain the realm not line his own pocket.

And his soliders properly did their jobs patrolling the streets, the lands, and beyond.

Never had a drunken brawl occured where a legionnaire was the one at fault.

Public order was the highest it had ever been in these lands, and banditry was at an all time low, if not entirely erradicated.