Chapter 183 Choice

Valentinian III and his legions, who were in a desperate situation, did not listen to Litorius's advice, probably because they trusted me. But in the end, I just wanted to take him out, and I had no intention of persecuting them at all.

"Okay, let's go!"

How could the thousands of soldiers behind him not follow the emperor's order? They all stood up and packed their equipment. But they were not in a hurry to leave, which I didn't quite understand. I turned around and looked at them. They were also looking at me, with eyes that I couldn't understand. I saw a soldier holding my armor and handing it to me.

Oh, I was so anxious just now that I forgot that I was still naked! Blushing, I grabbed the clothes and armor and put them on in no time. When I was about to put on the chain mail, I heard the guard behind me shout "Stop!"

What? Are you not allowed to wear armor? I turned around curiously, but when I turned around, I saw a guard handing me a set of golden muscle breastplate and purple cloak. Isn't this Valentinian's equipment? I thought to myself.

How considerate! He even gave me Valentinian's golden crown. Looking from behind the guard, I saw that Valentinian III had changed into a soldier's uniform, which allowed him to hide in the crowd without being discovered. As for me, the guide, I looked down at this priceless armor, but I had no interest in putting it on. It was not just a flashy armor, but a death certificate in case of an attack! Looking at Andrew again, he shook his head at me with a sad face, indicating that he could do nothing at this time.

Damn it! I swallowed and looked at the purple robe and golden muscle breastplate in my hand. After all, although they said they believed in me, they had to ensure Caesar's safety before anything else, so I, an outsider, became a perfect substitute.

"Sir, it's getting late!"

The guard who delivered the armor was talking without any hesitation. His face was gloomy and he could not see any expression at all. Were all the emperor's guards like this? The tone of his words was so cold and his words revealed a decisiveness that could not be refused.

Andrew was released, but he was given the same set of armor he had worn when he arrived. According to them, there were at least two guides, and if one died, there was still a second one.

Unable to withstand their repeated urging, I gave in and put on the armor and cloak that only the emperor was qualified to wear. This armor was not much lighter or more protective than the chain mail, but it seemed extremely heavy to me because in addition to the weight of the armor itself, there was something called death that was pressing down on me invisibly, making it hard for me to breathe.

"Okay!" The guard looked me up and down, nodding his head from time to time. It seemed that he was satisfied with my current appearance. At least from a certain distance, if there were any sneak attacks from the Bagoda, they would not recognize that I was not the emperor. At that time, I would become the emperor's thief.

"Sir, are you ready?" The guard saw that I was ready, so he asked directly.

"I, oh, oh, I'm ready." There was no other choice but to bite the bullet and start the action.

I remembered the general direction of the map, so I followed the bumpy and muddy bush path. I was sweating profusely every step I took. I had never walked on this road before. I could find the specific route on the map, but when I actually walked on it, I was still so scared, afraid that I would take a wrong step and then make mistakes step by step, and then I would walk into a dead end. If I didn't get out, I wouldn't even need to meet the Bagaudas. Valentinian would kill me himself.

Although I was in the front, Caesar's guards were still on my left and right according to the formation to protect Valentinian, just like protecting a real emperor, while Valentinian hid in the infantry squares at the back and was protected by the centurions of each infantry square. I was in the middle, just like a real emperor, and the feeling of being high above and having enough security almost made me lose my mind.

"Let's get going!" The leading guard shouted behind me, and that voice brought me back to my senses. I quickly calmed myself down and tried to calm myself down a little. Facing the "road" full of bushes in front of me, I took a deep breath, gritted my teeth, and started walking.

Really, I never thought I would have such a heavy burden. Suppose there are more than 3,000 to 5,000 lives behind you, and their life and death depends on your choice. At that time, the burden on your shoulders was even greater than the life and death of an individual. It is hard to imagine that this 18-year-old child would not feel a little touched and scared when carrying such a heavy burden.

I had only walked a few steps but was already sweating profusely. The guard beside me saw that I looked pale and asked me with concern, "What's wrong? Are you feeling uncomfortable?"

"No, I haven't."

I turned around, smiled at him, and whispered in his ear, "I'm afraid I'll point you in the wrong direction and ruin your life!"

When the guard heard this, he swallowed his saliva and his face turned pale. I guess he was particularly afraid that I would give him the wrong directions.

My steps were heavy at this time. There were no signs ahead at all, so I could only grope forward based on some features Aresio told me.

We spent the entire afternoon groping in the jungle. Behind me was a legion of nearly 5,000 people, so we could not be careless.

Finally, my efforts paid off. At sunset, I pushed aside the last bush. Finally, there were no other trees or bushes blocking the way. There was only a winding path. I was the first one to walk out of the forest. The moment I walked out, I almost lost all my strength and fell to the ground. If it weren't for the guard beside me who helped me to the ground in time, I would have really fallen to the ground.

"I never expected that we would actually get out!" At this time, Valentinian came behind me without knowing when. He looked down at me. Although he was still deliberately maintaining his majesty as an emperor, it was not difficult to hear his inner excitement when he spoke. Even his voice began to tremble. "I originally thought that you were a spy sent by the Bagoda elements, but I want to apologize to you, Luca, really!"

I didn't expect that even the emperor would apologize to me. I was really flattered. Andrew was also released. He had already woken up and crawled behind me, also very surprised. "Oh, yes, Luca, I knew you could do it!"

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"So, Orius Luca!" Valentinian looked at me seriously again and asked, "What I don't understand is, did you really come here on your own initiative, or was someone instructing you?"

"Tell him, Luca, that it was Aresio's idea, and then we can go home!" Andrew whispered in my ear from behind. Indeed, it was time to make a choice.

"That's right, Caesar!" I smiled, but my heart was already in turmoil. Two personalities instantly appeared in my head, and we were arguing fiercely about this matter.

"I did all this, not for anything else, simply because I wanted to save you!" I don't know why I said that. Maybe I was already fed up with this kind of life being manipulated by others. That's right, I want freedom, I want to break through!

"My God, Luca, what did you say?" Andrew's horrified expression contrasted with Valentinian's satisfied smile. Perhaps his inner vanity was greatly satisfied. Andrew was completely speechless when I said something I shouldn't have said. He didn't dare to speak in front of the emperor, so he didn't have the courage to expose me. And I, from the face of Caesar Valentinian III, had already drawn the answer. The ultimate beneficiary of this farce was me, Orius Luca, and all the rewards that followed belonged to me, belonged to me!!!

(End of this chapter)