Right now, the senators who had personally lived through that dark age were all trying to deceive themselves, telling themselves that the man standing in front of them wasn't the one they remembered, not someone that young, at least.
Maybe it really was just someone with the same name, someone else entirely?
However——
What happened next would shatter the senators' hopeful delusions, leaving them completely unguarded.
Among the senators, perhaps only Lucius Caesar had been prepared.
When he saw Night enter, he showed no particular reaction.
In fact, he was somewhat confused about why those old-timers were acting so disgracefully.
Had Lista Night already visited these old geezers beforehand?
Though Lucius Caesar belonged to the same era as Marius and the others, when Night had been active, he had been stationed in a provincial colony, serving as a governor.
He'd only heard some rumors about what had happened in the capital, never truly grasping the full story.
That's why, when hearing the name "Lista Night," Lucius Caesar didn't react strongly.
On the contrary, he was more interested in the possible connection between Lista and the Julius family, since they were both families of divine descent.
At this moment, Lucius Caesar stepped forward, cleared his throat, and suddenly began to speak, attracting the eyes of the entire Senate.
He launched into a lengthy, eloquent speech, which further confused the still-dazed senators, leading them into a mental maze.
But when he finally revealed his true intentions—
His main point was this: Since Lista Night had returned as a noble, he ought to inherit his family's former legacy and glory.
And as the man once called "Rome's Last Hero," it would be most appropriate for him to pursue a military path.
However, seeing as Night had just returned and his military aptitude was still untested, Lucius Caesar proposed that he should first be allowed to recruit a personal army for training, and that the vast heritage of the Lista family would need protection.
Instantly——
The other senators understood the subtext.
What army recruitment?
These troops clearly wouldn't be for Rome—they'd be his private army!
Many of the old noble families had secret personal troops, but never dared to bring them into the open.
If this absurd proposal was passed, then Lista Night could openly assemble an army under Rome's nose, establishing his own private military in full daylight.
Lista Night, a man with nothing but an empty noble title, was about to be handed military authority the moment he reentered Rome?
The senators felt Lucius Caesar had lost his mind.
Even he never received this kind of special privilege, and now he was advocating for an outsider?
This was like a new hire joining a company and immediately demanding 30% of the shares, along with a private air-conditioned room, barbecue, and premium tea, while the boss personally checks in to ask if he's comfortable.
Were they insane, or was Lucius Caesar insane?
Rome never had a formal system for private armies.
If this actually passed, then wouldn't Lista Night essentially create a mini-Rome inside Rome—a nation within a nation?
"Even if that Lord Lista were still alive——" one of the senators finally couldn't hold back and prepared to rebuke Lucius Caesar's shameless bootlicking.
But just then—
Night, who had been silently watching the show ever since he entered the grand hall, finally opened his mouth:
"I think this proposal sounds pretty good, too.
So——who's in favor, and who's opposed?!
Lord Strabo Pompey, why don't you set the example and start us off?"
Lucius Caesar's outrageous proposal was, of course, instructed by Night beforehand.
Although the idea went against both law and precedent, they would simply make it reasonable and rational.
As long as the Senate passed it unanimously, Night could then freely roam Rome with his personal troops.
And when the time came to summon the 43 Warriors like the Gracchi Brothers, it would be perfectly legitimate to slot them into his army.
And with that army, he would truly gain a foothold in Rome.
Afterward, whether he wanted to become Rome's true ruler or venture into other mythical nations of this world, he'd be ready.
Like Denmark in the Norse lands, or nearby Gaul (France) and the British Isles—none of these countries were far from Rome.
Of course——
When Night said "go take a look," it obviously didn't mean sightseeing.
What he meant was:
To lead an army and conquer those lands, and become the true hegemon of the world.
And on those lands were embedded the mythologies of Norse, Celtic, and Christian traditions.
Since he could detect and simulate the Roman universe here in Rome, then in other regions, could the next simulation also begin from within those mythological systems?
Or should he simply play the role of the shadowy capital behind the scenes, secretly controlling all of Rome, manipulating everything for his own benefit?
Whichever path he chose, military power in his hands was more real than anything else.
Even if one were to become a Roman Consul, one could never act like an emperor in Rome.
But if you held command over millions of Roman soldiers, and ordered them to press their spears against the noses of the nobles, forcing them to kneel and lick your ass—ahem—toe…
Would they dare disobey?
Of course, personal power was still a priority, but that didn't stop one from using influence to crush others.
After all, if a true king had to personally act in every situation, that would be far too lowly.
Look at Alexander the Great: he appeared with a Noble Phantasm-like heroic spirit army. Who wouldn't marvel at his imperial might?
King Arthur would fall silent at the sight.
Even the Oldest King of Babylon would shut his mouth and, out of awe, unleash his ultimate treasure, Ea, in admiration.
Night had already planned to build a powerful personal army in Rome, but now, with the power of the 43 warriors, his desire only grew stronger.
After all, who knows if the next simulation world would be something like the battlefield of the Trojan War?
If he could become familiar with commanding troops in advance, it would greatly aid him in the future.
And if the great feats he accomplished became legendary, maybe next time it wouldn't just be 43 heroic spirits, but an entire mythological army that he could bring out.
A myth-era army, not to mention distant ones like the 300 Spartans, which weren't just made up of mortals, but often of pure-blooded heroes.
If hundreds or thousands of heroes were to charge at an enemy, even slaying dragons or gods would not be impossible.
Because of this, even though Night had already grown powerful, he never underestimated the value of an army.
Those Spartans with faint bloodlines of Zeus that he had previously domesticated were, in fact, preparation for building his future military force.
And through them, his army could also scour the world for relics and treasures left behind from the age of gods.
Not to mention——Night was still in dire need of a true divine spear in the real world.
He had long relied on a conceptual divine spear, but it was far too inconvenient.
Ordinary spears simply couldn't endure prolonged combat.
In fact, Night was quite interested in that legendary spear that supposedly killed a Christian saint— the Spear of Longinus.
And if he couldn't snatch that one, then maybe he could just head to Britannia and seize the Holy Sword in advance?
If Night remembered correctly.
.
.
.