I clenched my fists. Weakness. That's what it was. Weakness would get me killed. Weakness would doom the ducatum. Weakness had no place on a throne of iron and blood.
I exhaled. Then. I pressed confirm.
[WARNING: This augmentation will permanently alter neurological structure. Proceed?]
"Yes."
A sharp sting erupted at the base of my skull.
Then, It spread. Like white hot electricity burning through my nerves, searing my consciousness, rewriting my very brain, reshaping the way I thought, the way I felt, the way I processed reality itself.
The headache? Gone. The exhaustion? Gone. The guilt? Gone. In its place. A cold, unyielding clarity. Everything felt sharper. More precise. The negative emotions that had weighed me down moments ago were now meaningless echoes. I inhaled and exhaled.
Then, I leaned back, staring at the glowing interface, and for the first time since my coronation… I felt nothing. No remorse. No regret. Only focus. Only purpose.
I turned my gaze to the fire, my expression unreadable, and muttered to myself...
"So this Is how It feels to loose youre humanity..."
I leaned back into the ancient, luxurious armchair, crossing my legs, one boot resting lazily over the other.
"... I think I like It."
My fingers started drumming rhythmically against the armrest as I confirmed another order In my system and started scrolling through the newest addition to my arsenal of cheats only for the annoying of ERC increase to sound In my mind to which I just glanced at It and dismissed the notification.
And focused back on a fully integrated government interface, modeled after HOI4. Because, let's be honest, running an empire was a logistical nightmare, and if I was going to survive the next two centuries, I needed absolute control over every aspect of the soon to be Imperium.
And so, with a single thought, I had bought it. Now, before my eyes, an interactive window expanded across my vision, displaying.
The Imperium's current manpower pool. The nation's industrial capacity. The production rate of essential goods. The stability levels of each province. The political factions and their influences. Foreign relations and their ever changing opinions
It was just like a game. I could see the supply chains, the troop distribution, the ongoing political movements, even the black market dealings that had been quietly festering under the previous government.
A world of information laid bare before me. And with a few thoughts and selections, I could shift entire policies, enact reforms, declare war, or purge opposition with cold efficiency ofcourse just like the provided Information which was based on the ducatums current capabilities i still had to order people to execute my orders.
As I scrolled through the endless data and statistics, a knock reverberated through the room. I didn't react.
One of my paratroopers immediately turned, his footwork precise to the letter, raising his assault rifle sideways and switching off the safety.
Another moved to the massive, reinforced double doors, cracking them open slightly to assess the visitor. The death squad member was silent for a few moments before finally speaking.
"Imperator, it's your grandfather."
Still, I didn't move. I didn't even glance away from my interface. Instead, I simply spoke. My voice coming out emotioneless and neutral almost that of a machine.
"Let him in."
The door opened further, allowing Augustus the former Emperor, to step inside. The ex emperor's gaze swept across the room, taking in the wreckage from the night before, the empty bottles, the discarded silks, the lingering scent of alcohol and sweat.
But what his hawk like eyes truly focused on was me. Not the broken, devastated and scared boy ruler he might have expected. Not a man drowning in guilt or weakness. But instead.
A cold blooded Imperator, exuding confidence, his body draped in the aura of absolute dominion. From the corner of my vision, I saw it. The faintest satisfied smirk tugging at the edges of his lips.
As if he had been waiting for this. Anticipating it. Approving of it. He took a slow, deliberate step forward before finally speaking.
"The maids have been force fed contraceptives and they have also been given generous early retirement pensions and deeds of faraway lands, If you want to f*ck then find yourself an Imperatoress and as many concubines as you want preferably from patrician households and nobility"
His tone was matter of fact, an observation rather than a suggestion. I barely acknowledged it.
"Understood."
I replied simply, my voice emotionless, my attention still fixed on the glowing interface before me. Silence stretched between us. Neither of us in a rush to speak. He studied me. I continued working. Then, finally he spoke again.
"So… what are your next plans?"
His voice was calm, measured, but I noticed something different this time. He didn't offer advice. He didn't criticize. He didn't question my authority. Instead, he simply waited. Waited for my answer.
For the first time in his life, Augustus was speaking not as an Emperor. But as a former ruler addressing his successor. I finally looked up from my interface. My crimson eyes met his light crimson ones. And I gave my answer.
"Simple."
A pause. Then, with cold finality, I spoke the words that would change the political landscape of the ducatum forever.
"It's the Senate's turn."
Augustus's gaze sharpened, a glint of intrigue flashing across his face.
"Ah. I see."
He leaned back in his chair, folding his hands together as he watched me closely.
"And how do you intend to… deal with them?"
I smirked, leaning back into my seat, crossing my arms.
"Like you said, grandfather. This isn't going to end with just that."
I said as I grabbed a pack of ciggarettes on the table, took one out, put It Into my mouth and lit It up with a zip lighter..
"The Senate Is a f*cking cancer that needs to be removed"
I glanced at my system, flicking through the detailed breakdown of the Senate's structure. It was a mess. Corruption, bribery, inefficiency.
The old noble families clung to power like parasites, each faction playing their own game, each resisting reform to maintain their own interests.
During the rain of MCs first reincarnation In the new timeline the senate had no real power It was basically a beuocracy Institution full of yes men whose sole purpose was to help the MC rule his Imperium.
And now It was an obsticle that I had to remove completely, but since I was runing short of time for the sake of political stability I would keep them just as I wrote In the book, but of course I would basically castrate It first. I turned back to Augustus.
"By tomorrow, I want every senator who refuses to follow my policies whole heartedly stripped of their senator title."
My voice was calm, cold, as if I were simply discussing the weather.
"And if they resist?"
Augustus asked, already knowing the answer.
I shrugged.
"Then they'll serve as a lesson to the rest."
Silence. Then, the ex-Emperor chuckled. A deep, rumbling sound, filled with something between amusement and approval.
"Hah."
He reached for the wine decanter resting on the ornate table between us, pouring himself a glass. He took a slow sip before speaking again.
"To think you the most useless and hopeless of my bunch of failure of grandchildren be the one to become the new Imperator"
Augustus leaned forward slightly, swirling the wine in his glass, watching me with the quiet scrutiny of a predator assessing its own kin.
"Tell me,"
He said, his voice measured, probing.
"When did you decide to become a monster?"
I chuckled, exhaling a slow stream of smoke.
"The moment I realized monsters don't lose."
A ghost of a smirk touched his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Hah,"
He scoffed, taking a slow sip from his glass before placing it down with deliberate ease.
"You say that now. But even monsters have limits, boy. Power without control is destruction. And control without understanding is suicide."
I met his gaze, my expression unreadable.
"Then it's a good thing I have both."
Augustus studied me for a long moment.
"You think you do,"
He corrected, his tone carrying the weight of decades of rule.
"Tell me, do you feel it? The weight of the throne pressing down on you yet?"
I exhaled another puff of smoke, my fingers tightening slightly around the armrest.
"I did. Then I made it irrelevant."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"And how, exactly, did you manage that?"
I took another drag of my cigarette, letting the silence stretch between us for a moment before replying,
"I killed my humanity."
Augustus let out a soft chuckle, but there was no humor in it.
"You sound like a man who's trying to convince himself of something."
I tapped the ashes into a tray, my smirk unfaltering.
"And you sound like a man who expected me to crumble."
"Not crumble,"
Augustus corrected, sitting back, his sharp eyes never leaving me.