"That must’ve been tough for you!" Tierks said flatteringly.
Acronis glanced at him and teased, "You’ve been reassigned to the Fifth Hundred-man Team as a centurion leading new recruits. How does it feel?"
"Not bad," Tierks replied with a modest smile.
"Seems like you’re doing a pretty good job." Acronis grinned and stretched out his hand. "Enough chit-chat; hand over your pottery jar."
Tierks quickly handed over the two pottery jars in his hands, and Acronis took them, passing them to someone on the wagon.
A while later, Acronis carefully retrieved the pottery jars handed out from the wagon.
"Careful, they’re a bit hot," Acronis warned.
"What goodies do we have for dinner tonight?" Tierks asked curiously as he received the two hefty jars.
"Salted meat, broad-bean porridge, and lamb soup," Acronis replied.
Tierks quickly looked into the jars and visibly lit up. "It’s really lamb soup, and there’s plenty of meat! (Normally the kitchen mostly serves oily soup, which is just hot water with a bit of olive oil tossed in—barely offering some fat and mainly replenishing water.) And the porridge is pretty thick this week, with lots of minced meat in it! Why is dinner so good today?!"
"Don’t rush. There’s more." Acronis handed him a warm, large loaf of bread, the soldiers’ staple food.
With his hands already full, Tierks resorted to biting into the bread.
Immediately after, Acronis handed him a chunk of egg-sized, milky gelatin. "And this too."
Tierks’s eyes widened in shock. He quickly tucked the bread under his arm and asked, "Where did this cheese come from?"
Seeing the surprise in his eyes, Acronis smugly replied, "Of course, it’s homemade by our kitchen using goat’s milk. We experimented many times before getting it right. Only over the past few days did we start making it in larger batches. If not for Leader Maximus saying, ’The dinner tonight should be lavish to celebrate the addition of so many new recruits,’ I wouldn’t even bother letting you guys eat this cheese."
"So, we’re benefitting from the new recruits?"
Tierks couldn’t contain himself. Holding the jars tightly in his right hand, sandwiching the bread under his arm, and balancing the cheese in his left hand, he carefully shuffled toward his quarters. Behind him, the new recruits overheard their conversation. For those who had been living on slop day after day, even soft, fragrant bread was a rare treat. Now, with cheese to taste, lamb soup to drink, and salted meat to chew, they were all ecstatic.
After collecting their food, the small teams of fresh recruits sat together in groups, devouring their dinner.
Suddenly, commotion erupted near the camp gate, and the new recruits couldn’t help but stand up curiously to peek toward the source.
"No need to look. That’s Leader Maximus finishing up and returning to camp to eat with everyone," Tierks said.
"Does this Leader Maximus not eat alone?" Tini Bazus asked incredulously. In his experience, Pontus leaders always dined solo on lavish meals, never mingling with ordinary soldiers.
Tierks shot him a sidelong glance and proudly said, "Leader Maximus has said before: In our humble team, there are no lofty nobles—only brothers united by shared struggles and hardship. There’s no hierarchy among us. We must share suffering and blessings alike. Only with this belief can we unite and defeat the Romans!"
Tini Bazus seemed deep in thought.
The commotion on the south side of the camp didn’t settle; instead, it grew louder. Maximus’s shifting figure around the camp puzzled Tierks. Typically, the youthful leader would choose any one squad from the three centurion groups to eat and chat with the soldiers, but today was clearly unusual.
"Tierks!" a familiar voice called out, prompting Tierks to stand instinctively and salute. "Present!"
"It’s dinner time, not training. What’s gotten into you, you fool!" Maximus strode over with a grin, playfully slapping down the salute-encased fist he’d raised to his chest.
Tierks chuckled, a bit flustered, and eagerly asked, "Leader, are you eating with us tonight?"
"Tonight, with so many brothers joining the Supply Camp, I’m going around to check in with everyone one by one," Maximus said, sweeping his gaze warmly over the nearby recruits. "How are you all feeling about joining the Supply Camp?"
Because Tierks had spoken highly of Maximus multiple times in front of the recruits earlier, his influence left them a bit stiff and hesitant now that their leader had appeared before them. For a moment, no one responded.
"The Supply Camp is great! We get to eat well, and the food is delicious!" someone suddenly blurted out like a rumble of thunder.
Maximus saw the speaker—a dark-skinned, burly man with a simple and kind face—and his smile deepened. "Eating well and enjoying it? That’s the spirit! We’re risking our lives to fight the Romans just so we can fill our bellies and live like real humans. Am I right?"
"Leader’s absolutely right!"
The soldiers responded enthusiastically.
"Next, there’s something even tastier!" Pleased by their reactions, Maximus turned and shouted, "Akegu."
A boy trailing behind him immediately handed over a bulging waterskin.
"I originally planned to host a small celebration to welcome you all into the Supply Camp. However, our main troops are out attacking the Romans while we’re stuck behind guarding the camp, so we must remain cautious against enemy ambush." Maximus explained, holding up the bovine-hide waterskin. "But to show how much we value you new recruits, I still convinced others to let each team have a portion of wine. This is Falernia wine—the finest in Italy! Tierks, you’re in charge of ensuring every brother gets a sip, but no one is to drink too much."
Tierks took the waterskin as the recruits’ fervent gazes shifted to him. He glanced around at them and said, "Tini Bazus, you go first."
Tierks chose Tini Bazus because, despite his chatterbox nature, he was experienced and clever enough to set a responsible example for the others.
Tierks’s judgment was sound. Facing Maximus, Tini Bazus resisted the urge to gulp greedily, taking a measured sip before returning the waterskin to Tierks.
Tierks passed the waterskin to another selected recruit.
All nine recruits drank in turn without shouting or struggling, observing restraint. The waterskin still held plenty of wine by the time Tierks had his turn, taking only a small sip.
Maximus watched this unfold, impressed: Tierks was doing remarkably well leading troops after just one day. His leadership showed potential.
"Was the wine good?" he asked, smiling at everyone.
"Delicious!" they replied in unison.
"You’ve only had a taste this time. After our Supply Camp goes out to battle and defeats the enemy, then we’ll celebrate victory with plenty of wine, alright?"
Following this, Maximus had Tierks introduce each recruit to him, taking care to greet them warmly and exchange a few friendly words with each. The atmosphere was harmonious.
As Maximus prepared to head toward the next squad, Tini Bazus finally mustered the courage to speak up. "Ma... Maximus, Leader, I’ve heard that in the Supply Camp, you can learn reading and arithmetic. Can I join?"
Maximus was pleasantly surprised. He hadn’t expected a recruit to bring this up on his own. Smiling, he replied, "Of course you can! Just ask your centurion to apply to Clerk Vorenus. We’ll arrange it for you." As he said this, he looked around and added firmly, "I hope everyone follows Tini Bazus’s example and actively seeks to enroll in learning! But if you’re just curious to look around, don’t sign up—the training requires commitment, and learning does too. Why do the Romans dominate the Mediterranean? Not only because of their military strength but also their vast knowledge and advanced technology. If we want to defeat them and build a good home afterward, we need military training and training here—"
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