Chapter 68: Talk of Cruelty

Trudging through the Imperial Palace of Solis Luxuria, Marius with an utterly deflated figure headed towards his private quarters, before turning around and saying in a weak tone "I'm sorry Felix, but would you mind informing the staff not to disturb me for the next few hours, I would like to rest for a while."

"Understood, my lord." Felix emotionlessly replied, as usual.

"Thank you Felix." Marius said with a grateful smile.

"...My lord, shall I call the Imperial doctor." Felix asked cautiously, in a rare show of hesitation.

Pausing for a moment, Marius seemed to consider the possibility, before ultimately saying "No, it's fine. But a cup of my favorite tea and a dash of honey, doesn't sound so bad right about now, does it?"

"Right away, my lord." Felix replied, before quickly turning in the opposite direction, just as they reached Marius' private quarters, which included his personal office as well as living quarters.

Closing the doors behind him, Marius released a massive sigh as he recalled the exhausting event that was his meeting with the master of the Mercenary Kingdom, especially the nearly two dozen games of chess he had to accompany Maximillian in playing for the last six hours.

Marius might not have been bothered as much by this ordeal, if he had won even a single time, but like a plain glass window, Maximillian saw through his every strategy effortlessly, causing him to fruitlessly flop around on the board like a struggling fish.

But Marius managed to comfort himself by reasoning that despite everything, he still managed to achieve his objective, and further the empire's interests.

"You seem tired Marius," It was then that a voice rang out from behind the distracted Marius, jolting him out of his thoughts, as he turned around to see a man with golden hair and piercing golden eyes sitting in front of his desk staring at him.

"Your imperial majesty." Marius quickly said as he lowered his withered body in a respectful bow.

"You took longer in the negotiations than I anticipated. I was beginning to worry." Octavian said as he gestured for him to sit down.

Taking the seat opposite his emperor, Marius replied "My apologies, sire. Lord Maximillian wished to partake in a couple rounds of chess after our discussion ended."

Widening his eyes in realization Octavian muttered, while recalling the unpleasant memories the last time he discussed something with him personally "So that maniac hasn't changed one bit in all these years."

"Apparently not, sire." Marius replied with a weary smile.

"So did he agree to our terms?" Octavian finally got down to business.

"He did..." Marius paused for a moment "But he did mention some requests as well."

Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, Octavian asked "What sort of requests?"

"Well my liege, they were more of suggestions than requests." Hearing this only piqued Octavian's curiosity even more, as Marius continued "He proposed that we replace Lord Georgios in the south with Lord Paladear, while withdrawing Lord Heraclius from the west to the capital to remain on standby."

After the disastrous defeat of the Luminous Empire in the last war, Octavian, in fear of the other powers capitalizing on this opportunity to invade as well, decided to mobilize his other two tenth rank monsters that have remained hidden for a millennium to the edges of the empire, with further reinforcements.

Gesturing for him to sit down next to him, Octavian began to sip the tea that Felix had poured them.

A few minutes passed in this manner with all of them quietly enjoying their beverages, except for Octavian who at some point stopped, and began fixatedly staring out the window in a seeming daze, until he suddenly asked "Tell me Aurelius, what do you see when you look out that window?"

Realizing that this is one of his father's surprise classes, Aurelius looked to where he gestured and thought for a few seconds before confidently replying "Prosperity."

"Nothing else?" Octavian urged his son.

Frowning at this, Aurelias began to intensely peer out the window to a sight he has seen innumerable times since his birth for minutes on end, until his tea grew cold before saying dejectedly "I see nothing else father."

"Softness." Octavian answered.

"Softness?" Aurelius echoed confusedly.

"Indeed, softness. A glaring softness, born out of indulgence in peace and forgetfulness of hardship. What I see son, is a nation not ready for the struggles ahead.

What I see is a nation of sheep not ready for the wolves at it's doors." Octavian declared gravely, with a subtle crack in his voice, as he finally vocalized his worst fears.

A silence more dreadful than a blizzard's chill engulfed the room and began haunting their minds with the ghosts of a distant future, before Octavian's words once again cut through it like a knife "You understand what must be done Marius, correct?"

Awakening from his stupor, Marius' brain began working faster than it ever has, weighing every possibility and expense, before resolutely saying "I will immediately send a missive to Georgy in the south to have him be prepared to lead his armies against the Eclipse Empire at a moments notice.

I will also send him another twenty thousand men as reinforcements, while also levying an additional fifty thousand from the provinces, and we'll also issue a new decree to recruit an additional five thousand every year from now on.

Although that would prove to be a significant strain on the treasury, we have more than enough reserves to last us five decades with no issues."

Nodding his head in agreement, Octavian began thinking of other ways to quickly raise their national strength, when he suddenly said with reluctance "Much like a ship can only be steered by it's helmsman, if he doesn't suffer the same conditions as his men, he won't be able to truly change it's course."

"My liege, you mean?!" Marius uttered in disbelief.

"I will begin preparation to open my fifth gate." Octavian responded softly, but it sounded like a thunder blast in the ears of who heard it.

After all, non here were under the impression that unlocking the gates was easy, especially the fifth, the gate that's been called by the demi gods since time immemorial as the Great Barrier, who more often than not caused the death of those who attempted to open it, due to the sheer torture it would inflict upon those foolish enough to attempt it's trials, that were pure, undiluted sadism.

But before they could wrap their heads around the gargantuan announcement they just heard from their emperor, that could make or break their nation, Octavian turned to his son and said "But that is of course only after I help unlock your first gate." Much to the glee of the young boy.

***

But far away from the dark chambers of political intrigue of Eklepsus and Solis Luxuria, a tidal wave of death and ruin, a monster of steal and men starved for war and conquest, has just emerged from the Broken Gate.