The next day, after the event that happened at the bathhouse, Julian went ahead and looked for Klea. Alas, his efforts were in vain. The girl was nowhere to be seen as she had left the city already.
"I was so stupid," the Roman muttered to himself. "Why did I do that?"
Julian could only blame himself for confessing his desires to her. Now the girl had disappeared without telling him where she was going, he could only hope that she would return as soon as possible.
That way, he could give her an explanation and apology. Even though, if he were to be honest, he wasn't sure what explanation he could give that would be accepted by her.
Recalling the last memory he had at the bath house, Julian could only let out a deep sigh of helplessness. He deeply regretted his actions.
Time flew by as life went on.
At this point, a month had passed since the girl had disappeared without a word, yet she still had not returned. On the other hand, a piece of good news came to him when a maid reported to him that his first wife was about to give birth.
He was very anxious waiting for the news of his first child, hoping the process would go smoothly. It was only when the next day came that he finally got to see his flesh and blood: it was a baby boy. It had always been a blessing for any man to have their first son, Julian was no different, but there was something that held him back to feel really proud of the baby boy.
Another month passed and still no news from Klea. In the meantime, another batch of students arrived at the Rome Academy. The tributes that came from numerous figures all across the continent.
Just like before, Julian stepped in directly and monitored their arrival.
"These ones are Thracians," said Mark, who received the report about the group.
Julian exhaled a sigh when he heard that. As far as they were concerned, and proven by his friend Thrax who always gave him a headache, the Thracians had taught their descendants to hate Romans from childhood. Julian knew from experience that orienting this group of new students would be a bit difficult.
Previously, when such a group arrived at the academy, it was Klea with her charm who was able to tame them. Now that she wasn't currently in Rome, Julian was forced to think of another way.
"Welcome to the Roman Academy!"
Thanks to the symbol on his palm, Julian managed to surprise the Thracian children by speaking in a language they could understand.
After startling them with his 'knowledge', Julian summoned one of the academy's current students â€" someone their age who had been reformed. The boy wearing the uniform of the Roman Academy stepped forward with a wooden sword, then Julian told the newcomers that they were free to challenge him.
As descendants of the Thracians, such provocations naturally did not go unanswered. It didn't take long for them to challenge the boy. However, the results were beyond what they expected.
These sons of warriors, some with the build almost like a full-grown Roman, all lost against the boy, who was half their size. With each and every shocking defeat they suffered, Julian told them that simply being a warrior was not enough anymore.
Gesturing to the reformed boy, he promised these Thracian children that when they finished their education and graduated from the academy, they could return to their home as more than a warrior â€" as conquerors.
Those words combined with the showcase succeeded in convincing the proud Thracian children, despite the prejudices taught to them from childhood. Some were still hesitant, but they all accepted the conditions and were willing to give their efforts to learn.
With that, they were ready to start their education. Before they started however, the dozen of them would be taken to a special room.
It was a circular hall that could fit a hundred people at most. The statues on the walls and the tiled mosaics on the ceiling gave off some eerie impressions, but what caught their attention the most was the object right in the middle of the room. A glass sphere that was placed on a stone pedestal.
"Now that you have agreed to join the academy, each of you will come up one by one and touch the sphere."
None of them moved and the situation lasted for quite a while. Julian could see that they were all hesitating, because they didn't know what the sphere was. Eventually, one brave Thracian kid stepped forward and went to the pedestal.
All pairs of eyes, some curious and some apprehensive, focused on the boy as he stretched out his hand to touch the sphere. All of them, especially the brave boy, flinched and became terrified when a crimson light suddenly shone from the sphere.
They quickly recovered when they saw nothing else had happened. They started curiously inspecting the crimson light, or rather, the words written within it.
[Battle power: 6]
[Spirit power: 8]
[Spirit Aptitude: Rank D]
"Next one, come forward!"
The sphere was the item Julian had asked Klea to buy in Golden City .After knowing Julian's plan, she decided to bring it out to use at the Roman Academy. This gathering of youth from around the world was the best place for such items.
While the children were mesmerized by the magical construct they were witnessing for the first time, Julian wore an impassive expression on his face. He was disappointed that none of this batch had managed to impress him, as the best aptitude among them was only D rank.
In fact, out of the two thousand plus students that the Roman Academy had gathered since its founding, there were only a few C rank talents and only two B rank talents. Once again, he sighed at how hard it was to find talented people on Earth.
After they all finished going through the appraisal, they were sent to their respective classes to begin their study. Julian remained at the academy as he still had other important things waiting for him â€" one that worried his mind more than going to battle.
Before long, a group of people entered the appraisal hall in the academy. Among them was a beautiful woman holding a newborn in her embrace. They were none other than Julian's first wife and his first child.
Julian could feel his heart beating fast as his wife brought the baby in front of the sphere, placing his small hand on its surface. Alas, what appeared next could not help but disappoint him.
[Spirit Aptitude: Rank C]
He approached his wife and, when he saw a face that resembled him, he stroked his small head smilingly as he said, "You're a good boy."
Julain was ready to leave, before his wife called him.
"Husband, you haven't named our boy yet..."
Those words stopped him in his tracks. He turned his head and said, "I'm happy to let you name him." He tried his best to smile, not letting others know about the nagging feeling of disappointment in his heart.
As he walked across the academy grounds, Julian once again thought of Klea.
"You really are the perfect partner for me."
Another month passed, yet still no news from her. At the same time, his second wife finally gave birth to his second son. Alas, this time was also another C rank aptitude.
Desperate that his plan didn't seem to be going his way, he came to the acceptance that he needed to break through to the magus realm, before he could start thinking about descendants.
He made a decision and called on Mark.
"We need to expedite our plans, call on the council"
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