[This was an unexpected rebellion.]
[After all, Britannia had only recently submitted to Rome.]
[A rebellion like this was clearly against common sense.]
[The news quickly spread through the streets and alleys of Rome.]
[As Nero's one and only trusted person, she quickly sought you out to discuss the issue of Britannia's rebellion.]
Inside the Roman Senate.
After the court session, Nero kept Ian behind.
This was no longer a strange thing—after all, everyone in the Senate knew that the sage named Seneca was already Nero's first minister.
The young woman went straight to the point:
"Teacher, you must have heard about the Britannia rebellion, right?"
"Yes." Ian nodded. "I know—it seems the people there are quite unhappy with your rule."
This wasn't the man talking nonsense or exaggerating.
Even before Nero came to him, Ian, who was concerned about Rome, had already started gathering intelligence in the city.
It was certain that this information was highly credible.
In order to prove their determination to revolt, the Iceni people of Britannia had not only dyed the nearby rivers red with the blood of Roman soldiers but also toppled the statue of the Roman goddess of victory that had been erected there.
Clearly, these were actions that could only be taken if they were prepared to fight Rome to the death.
"These people are so strange!" Nero's face was filled with unhappiness, showing that she was very displeased with Britannia's rebellion.
"Lowering taxes, exempting nobles from privileges outside the law, and even providing military support—where have my actions failed Britannia?"
"Shouldn't these people be grateful to me?"
Nero's words were also not false.
There was a very deep historical connection between Rome and Britannia.
Even during the reign of Nero's father, Claudius, who was completely infatuated with Agrippina, Rome had extended a helping hand to Britannia.
It was an unimaginable amount of wealth, the purpose of which was to help Britannia get through its economic crisis at the time.
It was precisely for this reason that after the crisis was successfully resolved, the then ruler of Britannia, Prasutagus, had instructed his successor in his will that half of the land must be converted into gold coins to be repaid to Rome, which had shown kindness to Britannia.
And the beneficiary of that will was the current Roman emperor, Nero.
However—
Considering the actual situation and the series of problems that would be caused by a forced transfer of land ownership, Nero ultimately did not follow the will completely. Instead, she adopted a more flexible approach.
That was to directly bring the entire Britannia under her rule, but at the same time, give it enough administrative authority and send the Roman army to provide the highest level of protection.
This way, it was both a fulfillment of her father's will and an expansion of Rome's borders, while also protecting Britannia.
No matter how you looked at it, this should have been a win-win situation.
But now... the other side had rebelled.
Not to mention Nero, even Ian himself couldn't understand why this had happened—this was clearly a thankless task.
"Nero, don't get angry yet."
The man calmed the young woman down and then gave his opinion.
"No matter what, this is definitely a rebellion."
"I think we should act as soon as possible—otherwise, the cities around Britannia are likely to be forced to join the rebellion. If we have to deal with it then, it will be a large-scale problem."
"That's the sentence I was waiting for, Teacher!" Nero showed her smile. "Teacher, I have already assembled the army and am ready to go and crush them at any time."
"It's been a long time since I've used Aestus Estus (Original Fire)—it's time for it to dance in the flames."
"Yes." Ian nodded, indicating that he agreed with Nero's approach.
But he quickly added another sentence.
"However, Nero, to be on the safe side, I think we should also bring the magic unit with us this time."
"After all, we have never actually had contact with the people of Britannia, so it's better to be prepared."
"Teacher, you have a point." Nero pursed her lips and thought seriously. "Then let's take half—the other half will be with Locusta. I still need someone to guard Rome for me."
"Nero, you seem to trust her a lot," Ian said.
"No." The young woman shook her head. "The only person I trust in this life is Teacher."
"As for Locusta... it's just because she's a madwoman who is willing to follow me."
"Using someone like that is much safer than using an ordinary person."
"I see."
[You and Nero finally confirmed the strategy to suppress the rebellion.]
[That was to organize an expeditionary force that was mainly infantry, supplemented by cavalry, and also mixed with a large number of magicians.]
[Frankly speaking, you were sure that this was the most powerful legion that Rome had ever been able to organize.]
[After all, the miracle called "magic" was not something that an ordinary army could touch.]
[Of course, in order to ensure maximum safety, you advised Nero not to publicize the fact that the magicians were mixed into the army.]
[The latter also understood that you were doing this to keep your advantage, so she agreed without hesitation.]
[With everything ready, you set off from the Roman capital and marched toward the front lines.]
Unlike the skeleton army that Agrippina had organized, the actions of the Britannia rebels were clearly much faster.
In less than a week, the news of the fall of the frontline city of Camulodunum quickly reached Ian's and Nero's ears.
But before this news could be fully digested, the rumor of the failure of Londinium floated over like the wind.
"Damn it!" Nero, on her horse, pulled the reins tightly.
"How could my border army be so vulnerable?!"
This thought was not strange—after all, after the Agrippina incident, Nero had thoroughly reorganized her army.
"..."
Knowing that Nero was in a bad mood, Ian quickly spoke up:
"Nero."
"I think it might not be that our army isn't strong enough—but just that the people of Britannia are too powerful."
"Teacher, how did you come to that conclusion?" Nero was puzzled.
"It's the speed of their advance, of course."
Ian looked at the endless plains in front of him.
"Think about it... we've only been on our way for a short time, and we've already heard that they've captured two cities in a row."
"Think about it from this perspective. If you were the commander of the second city, what would you do when you heard that the first city had fallen in less than a week?"
"I would, of course, make full preparations—how could I just surrender?"
As soon as she said this, Nero froze.
She suddenly understood the hidden message in Ian's words.
"Teacher, are you trying to say that they captured Londinium even when the army there was fully prepared?"
"Not necessarily," Ian replied. "But in this situation, I think it's very likely, isn't it?"
"..."
Nero was silent for a long time. It was clear that she didn't like this hypothesis.
"Then—"
"This time, I'm afraid we'll have to face an enemy many times more powerful than my mother."
"Yes." Ian rubbed Nero's head. "But you should be more excited now, right?"
"Of course."
The young empress raised her Aestus Estus (Original Fire) and pointed it at the sky.
"I am the emperor of Rome. I will sweep away all enemies who dare to stand in my way!"
[You and Nero continued to advance.]
[You were getting closer and closer to the Britannia rebels.]
[Some rumors also reached your ears on the way.]
"What?" Ian looked at the fleeing civilians in front of him. "You're saying that the person leading the rebels is a woman?"
"Yes, Sir Seneca!"
The refugees, with panicked faces, described what they had seen with their hands and feet.
"She's so powerful—the chariot she drives is as invincible as if it had been blessed by a god. If you're not careful, you'll be directly run over!"
"This..."
Upon hearing the unexpected news, Ian's expression became a little complicated.
A woman driving a chariot?
This didn't sound like an easy enemy to deal with...
But even with all sorts of worries in his heart, Ian knew that he absolutely couldn't show a worried side in front of the people—that would completely destroy their morale.
"It's alright."
"Whether it's riding a horse or a chariot, our Emperor Nero will definitely take care of her. Please don't worry!"
"Also—"
Ian took a few gold coins from his clothes. It was his limited savings.
"Here." He put them into the hands of the refugees.
"Sir Seneca, this... isn't right, is it?"
"There's nothing wrong with it—your lives are a hundred times more important than gold coins. Get away from the battlefield as fast as you can. Be careful on the road."
"Yes!"
[After watching the refugees leave, you returned to Nero's side and told her the information you had gathered.]
[The latter showed a reaction similar to yours—after all, a chariot blessed by a god was quite a rare thing.]
[You further realized how powerful the enemy was.]
"Teacher, it seems we can't use ordinary methods." Nero frowned slightly.
"Yes."
Ian nodded.
"Although we can't confirm whether the other side has really been blessed by a god—since there are such rumors, we have to prepare for the worst."
"Teacher, are you saying we should use the magicians?"
"Not just that—"
A wise light flashed in Ian's eyes. It was a look that only appeared when he was facing someone who had offended Nero.
"I think we have to be a little more adventurous."
[You and Nero settled on a certain strategy.]
[Two days later, you arrived near Verulamium—this was the third city that the Britannia rebels had captured in two weeks.]
[Here, you saw the woman from the rumors.]
A cold wind blew across the land of the plains, causing the flames that should have been extinguished to burn again.
Nero looked ahead and saw the enemy from the rumors.
She was a mature woman with a crown on her head and a white battle robe. Her smooth red hair fluttered in the wind like waves.
Holding a sword and a shield, she was standing on a chariot pulled by two horses, her expression serious and solemn.
She looked at Nero and spoke coldly:
"The day has finally come."
"Tyrant of Rome—I, Boudica, Queen of Britannia, swear to the goddess Andraste that I will crush you beneath my chariot wheels."
"Oh—?"
Nero gave a cold laugh.
"An interesting thought—but whether you are qualified to do something like that to me is another question."
"You will know if I'm qualified right now!"
Boudica raised her sword and pointed it at Nero.
"Warriors of Britannia—! Follow me and fight bravely! The tyrant who has been oppressing us is right in front of us!"
"Wah, wah, wah!!!!!"
Boudica's command was like a stimulant that excited all her soldiers.
And driving the chariot, she led the highly motivated army and charged toward the Roman army like a tide.
Soon, this attack was effective. The Roman army began to retreat steadily, like a pile of sand being washed away—everything looked exactly the same as when they had consecutively captured three cities before.
But Boudica didn't pay any attention to this. In her eyes, there was only Nero, who was dressed in an incredibly luxurious manner even on the battlefield.
A chase began.
"You're nothing more than this!"
Boudica, who was driving the chariot and following closely behind Nero, said this. "Die, you tyrant who has been exploiting Britannia!"
"How ridiculous."
"Being called a tyrant to my face makes me very unhappy," Nero said while turning her horse around and taking out the strangely shaped sword.
"Burn, my Aestus Estus (Original Fire)!"
"What?!"
As soon as Nero's words fell, a huge fire slash rushed toward Boudica.
Fortunately, she was already a battle-hardened warrior and was able to react very quickly to this sudden situation.
Boudica pulled the reins hard, making her chariot just barely scrape past the fire slash.
"You're quite powerful."
Nero stopped her horse and spoke as if she was praising her.
"But, I don't like being chased."
The young woman pointed Aestus Estus (Original Fire) in the direction of the sun.
"Come out!"
"My magicians!"
In an instant, dozens of figures appeared from nearby. Then, a number of complex patterns appeared in the sky, all aimed directly at Boudica.
It was a prelude to the descent of fire magic.
"Hmm~ You've fallen for it—Queen of Britannia."