"—Absolutely no problem!" Lucius Caesar spoke with reverence.
At this moment, time can fast-forward to the point after Night's awakening, after he had obtained the pass to the highest peak of the Empire.
He already had the capital to stand completely at the top of Rome and make all Romans serve him.
If he had been an outsider, no matter how strong he was, due to Rome's inherent xenophobia and mythological pride, Romans would never easily accept an outsider ruling over them.
But—
Do you even understand the weight of the title "Rome's Last Hero"?
When Night visited the Caesar family for the second time and met Lucius—
He merely showed a bit of his newly learned magic power release.
On this land where myths and legends still lingered, but people had yet to access true mysteries, the crimson thunder he unleashed stunned Lucius Caesar beyond words, shattering his worldview and making him feel that his very common sense had been utterly overturned!
At that moment, Lucius Caesar was just like the young Scipio who once saw the great red dragon soar into the sky for the first time.
Lucius even recalled the legends he'd heard from young Scipio many years ago—
—The crimson dragon that soared out from Carthage, and the red lightning that flashed in the sky.
This lightning looked exactly like that myth...
A fantastical being from an epic tale had appeared in reality?!
His expression was completely dazed.
Even a man who had served as governor and consul, who had faced countless wars without flinching, lost all his composure in that moment, unable to understand.
As for what Night had just told him,
About the deep connection between the Lista family and the Julius family—he didn't dare to doubt it at all.
The general scene of their conversation roughly went like this—
Night: Bro, I heard your family is the Family of the Gods?
Lucius Caesar, proudly: Of course!
Night: I say I am the one. (Rubs hands together to conjure crimson thunder, releases innate dragonkind pressure, and at the same time, displays the Lista family identification.)
Lucius Caesar felt immense pressure, a complicated and shocked expression on his face, and finally opened his mouth with difficulty: I say... you are too——!
Can't even conjure up a dog poop miracle, and you dare call yourselves the Family of the Gods?
At this moment, Lucius truly doubted whether the title of "Family of the Gods" his family had been carrying was fake, and the other party was the real deal.
He even blushed with shame, feeling like his family's prestige had been nothing but inflated bravado, while the other was the real powerhouse.
Thunder and lightning—wasn't that something only Jupiter, the King of the Gods, was said to command in the legends?
Although the color of this thunder was a little off, after all, it was crimson.
But for a human to wield the might of heaven and earth, to harness natural disasters as their own power with effortless control, just this alone was enough for Lucius Caesar to not dare utter a single word of protest.
Instead, he could only marvel sincerely at the beauty and overwhelming power of the crimson lightning before him.
Having served as a Roman consul for so many years, it wasn't as if he had never encountered inhumanly strong, monstrous individuals. But never had he met one who could command supernatural phenomena like thunder and lightning, with such terrifying might, and with a pressure unlike any creature he had ever known.
This was also why Lucius Caesar started to really believe Night.
To possess this level of miraculous power, whatever the other party wanted, he would inevitably obtain it sooner or later.
Even if this was all a deception, even if Night intended to use him, Lucius would accept it.
However, he didn't know what exactly Night had come for this time...
Could it be to reclaim the title of the Family of the Gods?
This thought made Lucius Caesar a little uneasy.
Faced with such strange and overwhelming power, he didn't want to anger the other party—but if they were to lose the family title that had been their pride and honor for generations, it would be hard for anyone to accept.
Not to mention, the Family of the Gods name had brought their family more than just honor, it had also granted them many intangible privileges.
However, Lucius Caesar soon breathed a sigh of relief.
After all, Night showed no intention of taking the title.
He merely hoped that, as brother families, the Julius family, specifically the Caesar branch—would serve under him in the future.
As for the other families under the Julius line, Night had little interest in personally subjugating them.
After all, in this era, there were only a handful of people, like young Caesar, who could catch his eye.
So, Night looked at the guy in front of him and spoke. "What do you think of merging the Caesar family into the Lista family?"
Lucius Caesar's face turned grim and troubled: "...
If that is your wish...
I'll need to discuss it with the rest of the family."
...
"Heh—just kidding.
One day, Lista will become the main house of Caesar, and even the entire Julius family, but not now...
Lucius... I will soon head to the Senate to restore my name.
And I need you for that…"
As Night's words continued to fall, Lucius Caesar accepted the command.
In fact, Night hadn't truly intended to have the entire Julius family merged under his name, he had only said that to test how far Lucius's bottom line extended.
The simulated journey to Carthage in the cosmic sandbox, and the divine power he sensed from the statue in the central plaza when he first arrived in this world, had already told Night that this world was far from simple.
Tall trees attract the wind—!
Just revealing the many identities he already held was powerful and noble enough.
To further expose himself to danger for the mere title of "Family of the Gods" would be pointless and unrewarding.
Anyway, being able to use the Caesar family for his purposes was enough.
Looking at Lucius, whose face didn't look too good at the moment, Night knew that the man hadn't fully submitted yet.
Anyone who'd been "the dad" of others for years, suddenly being asked to be someone's dog, to willingly lower themselves, it's hard for anyone to take.
For someone already at the top of Roman society in this era, who would willingly accept someone being parachuted in above them?
However, Night didn't care about any of that.
The corners of his mouth curled slightly as he said. "You've made the right choice, Lucius—
Follow me, and you will witness a far broader world. Even growing into an existence akin to the legendary heroes of ancient myths is not an impossibility in the future.
When an individual's power becomes strong enough to conquer an army alone, destroy a nation, and their lifespan grows with their physical strength, approaching divinity—
Then tell me, at that point, would that human be called a hero, or the god of this era?"
As Night left behind those final words, he cast a light glance at Lucius.
That look seemed to pierce through Lucius's heart, but completely ignored the defiance within him—
No, not ignored, but rather absolute contempt.
A gaze that didn't consider him a threat at all.
Night left in the end, but before leaving, he silently mouthed something that made Lucius's pupils shrank.
He understood what Night was saying in that final silent phrase—
You're welcome to bring people and challenge my authority anytime, if you're feeling unwilling,
But be prepared to taste the consequences of failure!
Do you have that kind of courage, Lord Lucius? Let's wait and see.
Bang—!!
After Night left, Lucius clenched his fist and slammed it down hard on the table beside him.
His face flickered between emotions—anger, confusion, frustration.
Eventually, he gradually calmed down and recalled Night's earlier words, seductive like the devil himself.
To become a hero, or a god of this era?
Gods—can also be what humans become?
.
.
.