That evening, at the dinner table-

  "An entire legion was destroyed?! Mass Mobilization to the south?! A Co-Emperor will take the lead!?" I asked, feeling shocked.

  "All my worst fears are becoming a reality?!" I excimed in my mind.

  "That's how it is. In around four months, our 17th legion will set out." Primanus shrugged.

  "Dear, are you going?" Sidonia, Primanus's wife, worriedly asked.

  "I'm staying, of course. Someone needs to stay to defend this pce, and age and old injuries are getting to me. I am just not suited for long marches anymore." Primanus said matter-of-factly.

  "What about me?" I asked, pointing at myself.

  "Eager for merit and promotion, are we?" Primanus pyfully asked, curling his lips.

  "Eh..." I dumbly uttered.

  "Yes?" I thought.

  "Then don't go there. Trust me, you will get more action here during the 1st year than you will ever get there in five years! By the time the others return, with the merit you will accumute here, I can promise you that you will qualify to be at least a Senior Centurion of the 1st Cohort, if not a Primus Pilus." Primanus said with certainty.

  "We will have that much fighting here?!" I excimed in shock.

  "Much more than you will get in the south, that is for certain," Primanus said and didn't eborate.

  "Will we be okay?" I worriedly asked.

  "Don't worry... those tribals won't unch a full invasion immediately. However, the longer we stay with a reduced garrison, the more confident they will feel, and the more pressure they will put on us. Other changes in their environment, such as overpopution, a ck of food, or the migration of a more northern tribe, might also slowly force some tribes to fight with us for food and arable nd. But anyway, by the time a full-scale war happens, our legion should be back." Primanus expined.

  "I see..." I muttered.

  "By the way... I decided to give you the 2nd part of the Direwolf Breathing Technique ahead of time." Primanus suddenly said.

  "Eh? Really?!" My eyes immediately lit up in pleasant surprise.

  Primanus nodded.

  "Hm. I initially wanted to let you earn it yourself... but considering the circumstances, giving you the next part is fine. Having another Epic Warrior in the camp would bring me peace of mind. So consider it an advance payment for what you deserve."

  "Then I humbly accept it," I replied.

  Primanus sighed and then changed the subject.

  "When spring comes, the 9th and 10th cohorts will abandon their forts and will garrison the fortress... Along with any auxiliaries they might have. This will, of course, thin out our defenses, and while other legions that were not mobilized will spread their forces to cover more ground, the northern tribes will surely notice our weakened presence and use the opportunity to raid us. To handle this, we will need to recruit more auxiliaries. Also..."

  Primanus then looked at me.

  "In addition to helping train the auxiliaries in the morning and afternoon, I want you to take some time off and study history, specifically war history. Many ignore history, but it has proved time and again that it repeats itself. Knowing what transpired in the past can provide you with invaluable lessons, which can help you learn new tactics, anticipate your enemy, and avoid camity. If I studied history before, I might have prevented some casualties..."

  As he said this, Primanus's eyes had a hint of sadness, as if reliving a bad memory.

  "Yes, father-in-w!" I readily replied.

  Since the seasoned veteran said so himself, I wouldn't say no. I was interested in learning new things, including history, so it was a bonus.

  I then saw Primanus gnce at Antia, who was calmly eating.

  "Also, you will continue studying magic under Antia in the evening as usual."

  "Really?!" My eyes lit up, pleasantly surprised.

  "If you were unsuitable to learn magic, my daughter would already stop you. If you can really become a magician, it would be a good trump card that might save your life." Primanus said.

  "I won't let you down." I solemnly said.

  Around four months have passed since I started learning magic. After Prestige reached the maximum, it only took me an average of one week to learn one of the 18 scrolls. So far, I have already managed to study 16, and I am now studying the 17th. In other words, in less than two weeks, I would complete Antia's Pre-Magic Student course.

  Additionally, I acquired the Optio Css, which gave me the Commanding ability. However, I still didn't unlock the next css after Elite Legionary. This is due to my Tempered Bloodlust being insufficient. Although it is passively leveling up, it is slow. I reckoned it would take another two or three years... if I didn't kill anyone, that is.

  "But according to father-in-w, I will have the chance to kill soon."

  .

  .

  .

  Just beyond Roman borders, to the north of the river-

  It was te autumn, and the chilly winter wind almost penetrated the bones.

  There, only a mile away from the river that separated the 17th Legion's fortress from the northern nds, was a rge Aldericu vilge with 300 people.

  The people there were hardy and gritty, having endured the hardships of the cold north. Every man and woman who came of age and was not a sve was expected to practice breathing techniques and become a warrior. Due to their harsh conditions, their realm was not inferior to any Roman legionary. However, they were scattered into many small settlements and rarely gathered as an army. Most of the time, they even fought amongst themselves, producing a tough warrior culture where the strongest survive.

  Every winter was a challenge for them, but recent winters were getting slightly harsher. This was the result of a combination of colder weather, overpopution, and northern tribes moving south, forcing them closer and closer to Roman borders.

  They knew that they needed new nd. They needed warmer, fertile soil to herd cows and grow food. Naturally, like hungry winter wolves, they eyed the New Roman Empire that was just across the river, as if seeing fat sheep to gobble.

  However, they knew that, while the average Roman settlement was indeed full of fat sheep, they had many shepherds and vicious shepherd dogs. They could try snatching a sheep or two, and in the process, lose some of their pack, providing them with food while whittling the weak. That was their way for hundreds of years.

  Inside the rgest house, which was only slightly bigger than the rest, a family sat to eat. At the head was the War Leader of their settlement, who was also a proud Elite Warrior, Fredilli, son of Acimiro.

  Fredilli had two wives, one from an arranged marriage, and the other was a woman kidnapped from Roman soil. She was originally a sve woman of northern origins, so, in a way, this life was actually better than being a sve. Hence, she accepted her new life and even adores her husband.

  Fredilli also had ten surviving children, with the youngest only 3 years old and the oldest being 19. This was already satisfactory, considering that his first wife birthed seven children, and his second wife birthed six. One died from disease, a second from hunger, and a third due to a fight gone wrong.

  There were thankfully no birth complications, which might be attributed to his wives bearing children in their te teens, unlike some Roman elite women who married as early as they menstruated for reasons he couldn't fathom. Sometimes, he even asked himself if the Romans were a bunch of pedophiles... which would make sense, considering some of the rumors about how they treated some sve boys...

  Anyways...

  Being the strongest warrior in his settlement, Fredilli was also the wealthiest and could afford the most food. Both men and women were considered adults only when they officially became adults, at 16-17 years old, so two of his eldest children were already out of the house. That meant he still had 11 mouths to feed if he included himself, but he could still manage it since his wives and children also helped farm and look after the herd while he hunted.

  But even then, that didn't mean he enjoyed a full stomach. He had to ration food, or some of them would starve. Although they got some Roman goods through trade, and could trade for some staples in an emergency, it wasn't a solution to their problem.

  Looking at the limited amount of food on the table, Fredilli grimaced in dissatisfaction.

  "It seems like we will need to raid the Romans more in the next year," Fredilli said.

  Fredilli's first wife, Sisiverta, frowned.

  "My husband, if we attack them, then we must be careful, or we will suffer heavy losses. I suggest we first observe their movements, starting next spring."

  Frogeva, the 2nd wife, also added her thoughts.

  "I agree with sister Sisiverta. The Romans are vengeful and relentless, and it is suicide to attack their defended settlements. However, they are a rge empire with much nd to defend, and their standing army is few in comparison to their vast popution. The eastern steppe tribes also suffer from food shortages, and they would likely raid them during spring or summer. We can use the chaos as a distraction to sneak in and raid their vilges, carrying a worthy haul, before returning."

  Hearing his wives, Fredilli found it reasonable. In their culture, women were valued, and many served as trusted advisors and spiritual pilrs.

  "Okay. Then, as soon as the ice thaws, we will send some of the boys to observe. If there are rge movements... We will take a bite from the undefended sheep."

  .

  .

  .

  Two weeks ter-

  Despite it starting to snow a bit, we trained as usual. As Legionaries, we needed to endure extreme weather conditions, and I was already used to it.

  Of course, this time, I had a change in my schedule. For starters, I continue to practice the Direwolf Breathing Technique, having received the 2nd part. As of now, the upper limit has increased from lvl 250 to lvl 400! That is, when I reach lvl 400, I will advance to the Epic Warrior Realm!

  However, it is several times harder to raise the level from 250 to 400 compared to raising the level from 1 to 250. In two weeks, I raised the level by 13, but I knew that it would be slower with each level. By the time I reached lvl 399, it would take over a week to raise even 1 level.

  It was little wonder why there are so few Epic Warriors. However, I reckoned that, for me at least, it would only take 2 years. It might be even less if I can increase my multiplier more, or if improving my Magic Realm in real life can bring a change.

  After morning practice, I studied history at noon. While we didn't have the extensive archives that the capital had, we had our own archives and copies.

  This also gave me a surprisingly good css, the Historian css, which gave me the Historical Analysis ability. The css was literally that, a historian. Leveling it allowed me to remember and learn history better.

  However, the ability was interesting and complementary.

  Historical Analysis:

  Through analyzing history, you can glean subtle yet important details and apply them to predicting future events while avoiding falsehoods.

  Bonus to the Historian Css.

  Hint: Failing to learn from historical mistakes leads to their repetition.

  At first gnce, this ability wasn't impressive. But that hint meant that the system evaluated it highly. Hence, I decided to learn more from history.

  And honestly? What I found from history... was disturbing, to say the least. This is because I found that the main killer during campaigns was none other than disease, infection, or even simple diarrhea. Even worse, some diseases were more resistant to Fighting Spirit and Magic. Some of the notes briefly hinted at major pgues in foreign nds, even ciming the lives of generals, kings, and emperors.

  Perhaps due to Historical Analysis, arm bells rang in my mind. I honestly feared for my life! What would happen if the returning army brought back a pgue that killed me?!

  However, I also knew that I couldn't run away from the pgue, and I was still in the army. That meant I had to deal with it myself. Or, at the very least, find a way to defend myself.

  And so, that evening at the dinner table, I made a completely unexpected decision that shocked everyone at the table.

  Cng*

  Primanus dropped his bronze cup, spilling his wine, jaw sck. Even Antia and my mother-in-w looked at me in shock.

  "Lad, repeat what you just said? I think I heard wrong." Primanus looked at me with skeptical eyes.

  And so, I repeated my request.

  "I said, I want to become a doctor."