"That’s right!!" Nearly half of the women shouted in unison, laughing cheerfully.
"Then let’s find our own seats and eat." Anfel said, ushering the other women to push and pull the shy and reserved newcomers into the resting area, immediately triggering cheers from the soldiers.
"Tini Bazus, you’re hopeless. You can’t even keep your own woman in check—why not hand her over to me?" said a Centurion, jesting.
The other Centurions laughed uproariously.
But Tini Bazus remained unfazed. His youthful days of performing for a living had thickened his skin. He reminded them, "Brothers, stop laughing like fools and get over there to help!"
After the boisterous commotion, the women all found places to sit down. The ones who already had a partner naturally paired up, while the seating for the single women was mostly arranged by Anfel.
After she was done, she sat down beside Tini Bazus, observing his expression before asking, "You’re not upset, are you?"
"Upset about what? I’m thrilled." Tini Bazus grinned and motioned toward the back, whispering, "You assigned a few extra girls to my squad!"
"It’s because you’ve been nagging incessantly in my ear these past few days. If I didn’t do something, you’d have annoyed me to death!" Anfel pouted in mock complaint.
"Oh, come on, as the captain of a Centurion, I have to do something nice for my brothers. And who could blame me when my woman is the best cook we’ve got!" Tini Bazus said ingratiatingly.
"Nonsense. The best cook is, of course, our leader." Anfel chided him, though a smile flickered across her face.
"But—" Tini Bazus pointed to the side, speaking cautiously, "the girl you assigned to my good brother... isn’t she a bit..."
Anfel showed no ire, instead responding with a question, "You think my pick is no good? Then tell me, who’s better?"
Tini Bazus scanned the area and stealthily pointed not far away. "Her! That girl looks pretty decent—" He suddenly caught himself and added hastily, "Of course, nothing compared to you! But Samoras has saved my life on the battlefield many times; he’s a true brother. If I’m going to set him up with a wife, it has to be a beautiful one, or people might say I’m ungrateful!"
"I get what you’re saying." Anfel replied. "But do you know who that woman is?"
Tini Bazus shook his head. "How would I know?"
"She’s from Segestica, and she’s been married before. Her husband was a petty noble from that nearby village. Not long after their wedding, he died in the first battle between the Segestica people and us—"
"Don’t be fooled by her delicate and frail demeanor. She’s crafty and always finds excuses to shirk work. We can’t really manage her well... Your brother is naive and simple. If he marries her, she’ll manipulate him however she pleases. What will you do then?"
Anfel spoke earnestly, "The girl I chose for Samoras is from the Skodisqi people. While she may not be very pretty, she grew up under the oppression of the Segestica people. She shares a similar background with your brother. Plus, she’s honest, hardworking, and a good match for him. If they live together, they’ll surely have a good life."
"But if both of them are too honest, won’t that make it easier for others to take advantage of them?" Tini Bazus still felt a touch of concern.
"With you around, if anyone manages to take advantage of the two of them, they’d really have justification to call you ungrateful!" Anfel reminded him.
Tini Bazus suddenly understood. "You’re right—your arrangement is better!"
"Yet someone was complaining about my choices just earlier." Anfel pretended to pout and turned her head away in mock irritation.
"It’s all my fault. I shouldn’t have doubted your arrangements so carelessly. I deserve to be punished!" Tini Bazus sincerely apologized, slapping his own cheeks with audible, crisp smacks.
Anfel hurriedly grabbed his hand, scolding, "You and your silly antics! People might think I’m bullying you! I’m starving now!"
"I’ll fetch food for you right away." Tini Bazus immediately picked up the pottery jar and wooden bowl Anfel had brought and ran off to the front of the line with a cheerful gait.
Meanwhile, Samoras had already returned with food for the woman seated beside him.
Due to the promise she made to Tini Bazus, Anfel couldn’t just sit back and watch for amusement—especially since those two couldn’t communicate with each other. She had to act as translator and do some matchmaking herself.
The rebel army led by Maximus, before retreating into the mountains, had a composition where about half were Illyrians, with the rest hailing from various parts of the Mediterranean. Because most of them had been in Italy for years, they could more or less speak Latin, so daily communication was largely in Latin.
However, after entering the mountains, whether Aldeans, Pannonians, or Skodisqi people, all could speak Illyrian. This gave Illyrian soldiers within the rebel army a significant advantage during this matchmaking dinner since there were no language barriers.
This also spurred soldiers from other regions to begin painstakingly learning Illyrian, for they had gradually realized: if they wanted to find a wife, have children, and build a good life here, they first had to overcome the language hurdle.
The soldiers’ resting area often featured a peculiar scene: couples would sit together during the meal, whispering quietly and sharing intimate gestures;
single soldiers, meanwhile, would gather in groups of six or seven around a single woman, eagerly competing to serve her and talk to her—even if they’d just started learning Illyrian and could only speak it haltingly, they would still strive to demonstrate their best;
and a rare few like Samoras, who had the backing of both his superior and the head chef, enjoyed one-on-one privileges...
Just as the dinner and matchmaking event was in full swing, someone suddenly noticed the Legion Commander Torrelugo striding toward them with another individual, prompting a stir among the crowd.
For the person accompanying him was none other than Valgius, a subordinate of Military Judge Sedonius, whose arrival usually signaled that someone had broken military law and was about to face punishment.
Lufus was just about to get up to greet them when Torrelugo waved him down. He brought Valgius to the center of the First Battalion’s resting area and stood firmly, declaring in a loud voice, "Brothers, you can keep eating, but perk up your ears and listen carefully, because what’s about to be announced is extremely important!"
"Legion Commander, no matter how important it is, can’t we wait until after we’ve finished eating?" someone grumbled from the crowd.
"We have to make announcements battalion by battalion. There’s no time to wait for you all to finish eating." Torrelugo, hands on his hips, retorted loudly, "You have good food here to eat and women to chat with—life’s plenty comfortable for you! But I’ve been in the command tent discussing strategy with the leader all day, and I haven’t even had a sip of water yet, so stop complaining!"
"But we’ve also spent the whole day chopping wood in the mountains. We’re all tired," someone else murmured.
Torrelugo lost his temper. "Those who don’t want to listen can take their food and leave the camp to eat outside—it’s quiet there, no one will bother you. But don’t regret it later!"
Instantly, the resting area fell silent.
Torrelugo then gestured invitingly to Valgius and stepped aside.
Valgius, a Roman veteran, had joined the rebel army back in Apulia. Since he hailed from the Illyria Province, he was literate, fluent in Illyrian, possessed an excellent memory, and had a booming voice. This led to his selection by Legal Officer Sedonius and his promotion—with Maximus’s approval—just recently to Law Deputy Officer. He had now been explicitly tasked with announcing the decrees.
"In recent days, for the betterment of our entire army, the leader has formulated several significant decrees. After extensive discussions with various department chiefs, these have officially been finalized as of today. I have been appointed to communicate these new decrees to every brother here. I believe that after hearing them, you’ll all be as thrilled as I am!"