"..."
"..."
"..."
[The guard's report made the atmosphere fall into silence.]
[You never expected to hear the name Britannicus again after so many years.]
[He was Claudius's true son and also the biggest enemy Nero had for the throne, according to Agrippina before they fell out.]
[Now he could actually cause trouble on the border of Rome.]
[Could it be—]
[Was this a pre-arranged rebellion from the start?]
[You didn't know what the truth was.]
[But you realized that you might have to discuss it further with Nero.]
[And she realized this too.]
"I understand," Nero waved her hand. "You may leave now."
"Also, take it easy on your way back. Don't be as flustered as you were just now—it tarnishes the great name of Rome."
"Y-yes, Your Majesty."
"Good, now go."
After getting Nero's permission, the guard who had reported the issue finally left everyone's sight.
And the young emperor, after meeting Ian's eyes, knew it was time to leave this place.
"Locusta, your performance was excellent. I am very satisfied," Nero praised the short magician.
"But I have some things to deal with now—I hope you can continue to maintain this state. I will definitely reward you."
"Also."
Nero glanced at Ian beside her and coughed lightly.
"Please produce that medicine you promised earlier as soon as possible, understand?"
"Yes, yes!" Locusta, who was praised by Nero, nodded repeatedly, looking just like a real child.
"Please rest assured, Your Majesty—I will definitely produce that medicine!"
"Good," Nero nodded.
"I believe you."
---
[You and Nero left the academy where you trained the mages.]
[You went to the streets of Rome.]
[Generally, you knew you wouldn't discuss things with Nero in a place like this.]
[But this situation was too special.]
[You wanted to start the discussion right away.]
On the streets of Rome.
Nero and Ian walked side by side. From time to time, Roman citizens would greet them, and the two would respond in a very kind manner.
After feeling that the nearby environment had become relatively stable, Ian finally spoke:
"Nero, did you hear that name just now?"
"I did," Nero nodded. "Britannicus, my adopted brother, who fell for my teacher's trick and left the city of Rome overnight a few years ago, right?"
"You still remember," Ian said, and his eyes gradually became serious.
"Then Nero... what do you think he's raising an army for?"
"I don't know," Nero replied. "But no matter the reason, I will completely crush anyone who dares to offend the land of Rome."
"I mean what I say."
"But—"
The young woman looked at the man beside her.
"If we have to discuss it, I actually have some guesses in my heart."
"As expected." Ian met Nero's gaze.
"I think so too."
"Nero, how about we reveal it together when I count to one?"
"Okay," the young woman accepted the condition.
"Three."
"Two."
"One."
"Your mother/My mother."
"..."
"..."
[Your and Nero's thoughts were in agreement at this moment.]
[This wasn't difficult to understand—after all, Britannicus's rebellion happened at the same time as Agrippina's disappearance from the city of Rome.]
[It was hard for you not to suspect that it was related to her.]
[How could the wife who could kill her three husbands be the kind of person who would live with her tail between her legs after her failure?]
[However—]
[Even so, there were still many doubts that you needed to think about carefully.]
"Teacher," Nero frowned slightly. "Could Britannicus really be united with my mother?"
"I remember you used my mother's name to make him leave Rome in the first place, didn't you?"
"Yes, you're right," Ian nodded.
"I did indeed make him leave that way—according to this logic, there shouldn't be any possibility of them uniting."
"But Nero, this is only the appearance that we can observe. It is uncertain if there are any unknown things behind the scenes."
"For example... if both of them have an absolute hostility towards you, it might be possible for them to unite, right?"
"..."
Nero nodded, seemingly agreeing with Ian's statement.
"It's alright!"
"Let them unite! I am the only emperor of Rome—whether it's my adopted brother or my mother, I will deal with all of them."
"For now, let's send troops to fight them."
"If the situation gets worse, I'll lead the troops myself!"
"..."
"Teacher, what kind of look is that? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"I'm just a little emotional," Ian answered with a smile. "Nero, you have grown into a good enough emperor without even realizing it."
"Of course—!"
Nero put her hands on her hips, looking very proud.
"Teacher said that I am the chosen one, the destined emperor of Rome, didn't you?"
"But on another note—"
The young woman licked her lips.
"Teacher, you don't have any dates tonight, do you? Can I... can I find you?"
"..."
Ian completely understood the true meaning of Nero's words.
"Of course, you can."
"You are the emperor of Rome—of course I will be at your beck and call."
"Hmm, that's good!"
The young woman laughed from the bottom of her heart, like a blooming rose.
---
[Nero gave the order for reinforcements.]
[The Roman troops set out on the same day.]
[This was a larger army than expected, and it should have played a great role in normal circumstances.]
[Late at night, you and Nero met again in secret.]
[But this time, the location you chose was your room.]
It was a night with a new moon.
The half-cool light fell from the starry sky, passing through the curtains and sprinkling on the floor of the room, staining large patches of snow white.
On the bed, the young woman was making soft sounds, expressing the happiness in her heart in the most direct way.
Her skin, as white as snow, and her movements gradually became as fiery as a flame.
*Gurgle gurgle—*
As the love permeated, everything gradually calmed down.
"Hmm, I'm so happy."
Nero, who was in the bed, looked at the man in front of her with a slight blush on her face. Her green eyes were filled with endless love.
She had gradually gotten used to this position below him—after all, it would make him more excited.
"Teacher, you are in a very good mood tonight."
In line with the young woman's words, she did not dare to move lightly at this moment. Otherwise, the trophies that she had worked so hard to collect from him would spill out in an instant.
"You don't like it?" Ian replied. "If you don't like it—I won't do it again."
"That's not true at all!"
Nero hooked his neck and gave him a light kiss, leaving her own rose mark.
"I love... it when Teacher is as wild as a lion."
"Promise me, you'll never show this side to any other woman for the rest of your life, okay?"
"..."
Ian reached out and gently stroked Nero's golden hair, which had become a little messy from her pleasure, and left a shallow kiss on her forehead.
"Isn't that obvious?"
"Nero, isn't my behavior enough to make you feel at ease?"
"Or... did any of my actions make you misunderstand?"
"No," Nero shook her head happily. "All of Teacher's actions so far are things that I love."
"I... just don't want to share Teacher with anyone else."
"Hmm, that's right—!"
Nero reached out and gently wrote her name on the man's chest.
This was a way for her to declare her sovereignty and a common method used by emperors to prove that something belonged to them.
"How about Teacher marries me?"
"That way... I can enjoy my status with Teacher in a proper way."
"..."
Nero's voice sounded very gentle and even had a touch of a young woman's flirtation with her lover.
But Ian did not lose his mind because of it.
He looked at her and quickly shook his head.
"Nero, I really want to marry you, but I can't do that."
"Why?" the young emperor asked in return. "Is it because I'm not attractive enough to you? Or is it that I'm not worthy of being a wife?"
"How could you not be attractive to me?"
Ian lowered his head and gently sniffed the young woman's proud curves—it was a scent like a rose, delicate and charming.
"Every time I see you, I can't wait to turn you into a puddle of mush and watch you only call my name over and over again until you fall into a deep sleep."
"But—"
"You are the emperor of Rome," the man's tone became much calmer. "If we were to make our relationship public, there would be many problems."
This was not an exaggeration on Ian's part.
You have to know that the meaning of some things is completely different before and after they are made public.
Not to mention that their relationship itself was something that absolutely could not cross the line. Once rumors spread, it would inevitably affect the implementation of policies.
As a man, how could Ian not want to tame Nero's young and moving body into acting so lewdly toward him?
But for the sake of her Rome, no matter how much he loved her, there had to be a limit.
"I'm the emperor..." Nero's voice was full of helplessness.
If it were her usual willful self, she would have probably said something like, "It's precisely because I'm the emperor that I can cross the line as I please."
But now, she knew that doing so would hurt her teacher's heart.
So, it was not an option.
"Then Teacher can't marry any other woman besides me for the rest of your life—you belong to me alone!"
"In return, I won't have any contact with anyone other than Teacher!"
"Nero, are you trying to tie our fates together?"
"Hmm! What do you mean 'tie together'? I'm already one with Teacher! Aren't we just proving how well we fit together right now?"
"Nero, don't say things like that. I won't be able to hold back."
"Then don't—my insides can accommodate all of Rome!"
In the new moon, their bodies were once again intertwined.
Ian knew that he was doomed to be completely taken by Nero for the rest of his life.
But—
Was there anything wrong with not being able to pull himself out of it?
---
[Your and Nero's relationship had reached a very deep point.]
[Although you were not married, you had actually reached that shore of happiness.]
[And Nero also regarded her dates with you as her most enjoyable form of entertainment.]
[This encouraged her to constantly strive for perfection in her politics so that she could get more praise from you.]
[You felt that there was nothing wrong with this kind of life.]
[But things are often not as smooth as they seem.]
[A little more than a month after the Roman army set out for reinforcements, the news of their defeat came back.]
[Britannicus's combat ability, which he led, was beyond your and Nero's imagination.]
["I must lead the army myself immediately!"]
[Nero made this decision very decisively.]
[Of course, she did not leave you alone. Instead, she took you with her to the front lines.]
[Just as she had thought from the beginning—as long as you were with her, Nero felt that she could do anything.]
[But you were still very worried about how Britannicus could have gathered enough combat power to defeat the Roman army in this situation.]
[You have to know that his appeal had completely disappeared the day he left the Roman capital.]
[At the same time, the unit that Nero sent out was not just a ragtag army either.]
[You felt that the matter was probably far more serious than you had imagined.]
[This premonition quickly became a reality.]
---
Uliorum, the city where Nero was born and Agrippina's hometown.
This was the location of Britannicus's rebellion and also where the Roman army was defeated.
However—
When Nero's army and chariots arrived at this place, they were shocked by the sight.
The entire Uliorum had been completely plunged into an ineffable darkness. Everything you could see had an unclear outline.
In this terrifying environment, countless skeletal corpses with disfigured faces kept crawling up from the ground and slowly pushing the front lines forward.
Looking at this chilling sight, the soldiers did not dare to take another step forward.
Even Nero herself gasped.
"What is this..."
But Ian, who was the one who had enlightened Rome on magic, noticed something completely different.
It was the aura of magic, and it was very dense.
Someone... had set up a barrier here that could drive the dead to rise again!