Staring at nothing in particular with a conflicted look in his eyes, Legate Aulus Flavius–no, that's not right, he was now Emperor Aulus Flavius–kept sighing to himself. Never once had he imagined that he would be artificially lifted up to such an esteemed position.
But, before he had even truly understood what was happening, he had become the hero of the Iulian Empire, and the old puppet emperor had abdicated to let him rise to prominence. All of it had occurred so quickly!
With Conrad's support, every malignant force and person within the empire had been restrained without even a single issue cropping up. And Aulus had been selected to be the one to publicly proclaim the crimes of those who had been determined to be cleanse-worthy.
Foolishly, he had thought that he was simply a messenger, a general of the old regime that was about to be replaced. Sure, he had anticipated that he would end up with some sort of reward, and that he would likely have it easier from now on. But becoming the emperor himself? That had never once been what he had aimed for!
Yet, even if he wasn't too enthused about having this role and the accompanying responsibilities practically forced upon him, he hadn't resisted. On the one hand, he knew that it would almost be impossible for him to do a worse job than his predecessor. And on the other, he was aware that him taking up the mantle of emperor was Conrad's, and by extension the Winter Saint's, intention.
'In their eyes, I'm obedient and have already collaborated with them before. Who else could be better suited to rule over a freshly conquered civilization like mine... than the one person whom the public idolizes as their hero and protector? Well played. Truly, well played. I knew that Conrad was an extraordinary figure, but he manipulated me so easily... it's a bit terrifying, to be honest. I'm glad that I'm not his enemy.'
Shaking his head and continuing to sigh, he let his eyes wander over to the one person who had effortlessly managed to turn his entire life upside down. Conrad stood next to him, awaiting the arrival of his Master–the Winter Saint that Aulus had been looking forward to meeting for weeks upon weeks now.
Ever since all those who would be cleansed had been determined, major upheavals had taken place in the Iulian Empire. For one, an entire world of theirs had been assigned to house all of the detected evildoers, with the regular populace getting moved to other corners of the empire. Perhaps it was because of that incomprehensibly powerful Compound Array all around them, but all of the to-be-cleansed did not offer up even the slightest resistance. In fact, they appeared to be little more than dead men and women walking, with no thoughts of their own.
'If these irresistible means were used against the entire populace... I shudder at the thought!'
Shivering slightly, Aulus paled momentarily, before calming down once again. Still, he knew that his distraught state had not escaped the man next to him. But before the corners of Conrad's lips could fully rise, he suddenly widened his eyes and stood up perfectly straight, his usually nonchalant and calm air replaced by a solemn, professional and loyal one.
'Huh? What's going on? I've never seen him like this. Could it be...?'
Noticing Aulus' inquiring gaze, Conrad shot him a quick, stern look.
"My Master is almost here. Focus on the Teleportation Array and be on your best behaviour!"
Quickly nodding, Aulus did as he was told, putting on his most respectable appearance. And but moments later, the complicated Array in front of him flashed with a white light, soon giving way to two young men.
One of them had poisonous green eyes and black hair, being clad in a strange cloak made out of tiny, black scales. But the other one–the one with the short, white hair and icy blue eyes–was the one who stole the spotlight. Not only were his looks simply out of all worlds that Aulus could even conceive, but the invisible air around him lent him the aura of a truly godlike being.
Everyone else began to pale in his presence, and all mighty, imposing demeanour melted away as if it was inconsequential. Instinctively, Aulus understood: This man was practically a god amongst gods amongst men. Never before had he so deeply felt his on insignificance!
"Aulus, right? Not too shabby. Make sure to listen to Conrad's advice, it'll be your life's greatest blessing."
Scrutinizing him from head to toe for a moment, the Winter Saint soon nodded with a gentle, warm smile. His words were like a spring breeze, breathing new life into a civilization that had long since succumbed to decay. Although he hadn't said anything special, to Aulus, at this very point in time, it felt like a revelation from the highest of divinities!
'Truly, worthy of being called a saint!'
Falling to a knee and saluting this god with utmost respect, the new Emperor of the Iulians decided then and there that he would cling to this great power for the rest of his days! Suddenly, in his mind, Conrad, who he had feared a little until not long ago, had transformed into his greatest benefactor.
Moving past Aulus without bothering to give him another glance, the Winter Saint soon focused his attention upon the countless people crowded together in this prison world, his smile turning ever more radiant.
"You did well, Conrad. After this cleansing and the one in Tzyion earlier, I'm on the cusp of having accumulated enough to potentially give you all a huge benefit! And considering there's still the Illyrian Union and even the Tetrachroma Palace left... I'll definitely get enough!"
Sharing a look of excitement, both Conrad and his Master knew that another massive change was on the horizon–one that had been in the works for almost a century.
Not understanding what they were talking about, Aulus didn't dare to ask to be clued in. Instead, he was determined to be an obedient follower–silent until he was being prompted to speak.
All of a sudden, completely unceremoniously, the Winter Saint waved his hand, following which all of the malignant tumours of the Iulian Empire found themselves encased in a layer of Eternal Ice. And almost instantly after that, they shattered into pieces and disappeared from this world, vanishing into pure Energy. It was a quiet, merciless, and efficient execution.
Staring wide-eyed at what he had just witnessed, Aulus' breath hitched and his thoughts stalled. He had seen death before, countless times. But this... it was different. It was like a god had swept across the world, instantly and completely solving the troubles that had plagued him and his people for ages.
When he came to again a minute or so later, Conrad and the Winter Saint were discussing a matter with the green-eyed youngster that had come along.
"Understood, I will be setting off shortly! Please give me a few minutes, Kjartan."
Accepting his Master's arrangements, Conrad gave his companion an apologetic smile, then walked back over to Aulus. As he did so, the Winter Saint and Kjartan disappeared once more via the Teleportation Array.
"In the coming weeks, or even months, I'll be quite busy. I have to support my Master and the others in expanding the Lesser Void Guarding Array so that it can encapsulate all of the territories that were conquered this time. Only once this place has been turned into an impenetrable bulwark can I rest easy again. Until then, you can ask Satoru for help if any matters crop up–he will keep being stationed near the Iulian Empire for the time being."
Nodding in understanding despite not having a full grasp of what Conrad was talking about, Aulus put on a confident look. With all of his troubles already taken care of, he was certain that he could manage this empire well for a few decades, at the very least. As for asking Satoru for his support? He never once considered it. That guy was simply too weird...
"That aside, a large number of civilians will soon be transferred over to the Iulian Empire from what was once the Pontifical State of Tzyion. The vast majority of their population had to be cleansed, and so my Master has decided to assign all of the worlds that they originally inhabited to Kjartan, so that he might continue the Fly Slave Breeding Project over there. However, that means that the rest of the populace has to be brought elsewhere–and it was decided that the Iulian Empire would be their destination."
Immediately losing a huge chunk of his confidence at the thought of having to integrate so many newcomers from another society into his own civilization, Aulus nodded again with difficulty. He didn't even bother to ask about the strange project that had been mentioned, as he knew that it was probably above his pay grade–or that he absolutely didn't want to know more about it!
"Leave it to me. I'll handle it."
With these words of reassurance from himself, he bade a temporary farewell to Conrad, who had been watching over his actions for a considerable while now. Once that familiar silhouette had disappeared, it felt like a burden had been lifted from his shoulders... but then, he recalled what he had just agreed to do, and the pressure mounting on him suddenly doubled!
'... this isn't going to be easy, is it?'
Smiling wryly, he sent for his trusted men and for the two Senators that had survived the cleansing, sharing the news of a massive incoming migration to their lands with them. With their support, even if they couldn't perfectly deal with what was to come, doing so should at least be a little bit easier.
-----
Returning to the Voidfaring Vessel he had teleported away from not long ago, Theodore led his main body to the cabin in which the rest of his bodies were currently busying themselves with creating Compound Array Disks by the tens of thousands.
With access to resources from many more civilizations in his hands, and constantly getting supplied with them via the Teleportation Arrays that had been set up, it wouldn't take all too long for him to finish the production of all of the Disks that would be necessary to shield his entire territory.
Only then could he fully focus on strengthening himself and those around him... as well as on having a few lengthy conversations and encounters with Cheong Suhyeon, Cadi, and the others. That was also why he had put off visiting the Illyrian Union until the very end: Cheong Suhyeon deserved his full attention, and a proper explanation of all that had happened.
'That aside for the moment, though, I'm glad that Conrad finally found a potential Subordinate for himself. He's been not too pleased with everyone he stumbled across over the course of the last century, but this Aulus clearly is almost the ideal minion in his eyes... My, they grow up so fast!'
Internally heaving a theatrical sigh, his main body joined the others in crafting Compound Array Disks as if there was no tomorrow.
Whenever he even considered the possibility of facing off against the Naxsir, the instinctive threat and danger that he felt had never diminished, no matter how many more powerful allies he had recruited, or how much stronger he had become.
With that in mind, he chose to first protect his people and Students, ensuring that his ticket to the next round was perfectly secured. He definitely would have a battle with the Naxsir, sooner or later–but who he would take with him to that showdown, that was yet to be decided. It all depended on just how deadly of a clash it would turn out to be. Fortunately, his surplus bodies also made excellent scouts!
Shaking his head, he dispelled these contemplations, focusing once more on a far more crucial and imminent matter.
'I hope Yeonnie won't be pissed...'