[This was your complete strategy.]
[To have Nero, the emperor, feign a retreat and lure Boudica into the pre-arranged encirclement of magicians.]
[In this way, the basic magic that you had created would be able to play its biggest role.]
[Of course, it was not an easy thing to get Nero to agree to such a retreat that would be a loss of the emperor's dignity.]
[After promising her, "After this is done, we'll act out another play together," you successfully got the young empress to agree to your request.]
[And so—]
[The current scene came to be.]
"You!"
Boudica, driving the two-horse chariot, looked at the magical halos that appeared in the sky and immediately realized what had happened.
She... had fallen for it!
This was a trap set just for her!
"You despicable Romans!" Boudica roared. "Is this the only dirty trick you can use?!"
"Hmm~" Nero looked at Boudica in the chariot, her tone also quite displeased. "Is this what they call 'fuming with rage'?"
"I've finally seen it today."
"..."
Boudica tightened her grip on the sword in her hand, but her expression was no longer as spirited as before. This was probably because she knew that she had been completely defeated by Nero in strategy.
However, her tone was still firm, like that of a true queen.
"Forget it. Saying even one more word to a despicable person like you is an insult to Britannia!"
"Kill me here!"
Boudica was very decisive, and it was clear that she was already prepared to die.
"You have courage."
Nero's gaze softened a little—she more or less understood that this method of feigned defeat did not fit the noble status of a Roman emperor, so she did not consider this battle to be her true achievement.
She raised her Aestus Estus (Original Fire), which was made from a meteorite, and was about to give the command to give Boudica a quick death.
But at this moment, a person appeared next to Nero.
It was Ian.
The man rode his horse next to the young empress and said softly:
"Nero, don't kill her yet—there are some things I want to figure out."
"..."
[Although she did not like this arrogant Queen of Britannia who spoke disrespectfully to her, Nero still respected your opinion very much.]
[She put away her Aestus Estus (Original Fire) and canceled the action of using fire magic to eliminate Boudica.]
[In its place, you personally tied up the defeated Boudica and then escorted her back to Verulamium.]
A few hours later, inside the city of Verulamium.
After Queen Boudica was captured, the remaining Iceni people who had followed her became a scattered mess.
The Roman army, which had been trained for many years, was already superior to them, so a powerful counterattack was not difficult at all.
So in just a few hours, Nero led her army and counterattacked into the third city that had been occupied by the Iceni.
The people cheered. They came to the streets to welcome the arrival of the Roman emperor and sincerely offered her their blessings.
But in stark contrast to the celebratory situation in the city, Ian not only voluntarily avoided the crowd but also came to the prison of Verulamium.
He came to the cell where Boudica was being held and then opened the door.
At this moment, the queen, who had just been leading the Britannia army in resistance, had her hands and feet tied up and could only lean against a haystack, barely maintaining a sitting posture.
But even so, she still looked very disheveled.
Seeing Ian's arrival, a hint of fear appeared in Boudica's emerald green eyes.
"Don't come any closer! Go away!"
However, Boudica's words had no effect at all. Under her gaze, the man still came to her side and then sat down.
The hand with the ring on it reached out.
"No, don't do this!"
Boudica cried out in despair.
As a queen, she would accept a tragic death as a warrior, but she absolutely could not accept this terrible and unstoppable humiliation.
It was a complete destruction of her dignity, even more painful than being killed.
She began to pray in her heart.
Goddess Andraste... if you can hear this call, please kill me right now!
However—
Boudica's call was not answered by a god;
And things did not continue as she had imagined.
Ian did indeed reach out his hand, but he did not make any moves to humiliate Boudica. Instead, he untied her ropes.
"I'm sorry, Queen Boudica. There were too many people just now, so I couldn't untie you."
"I could only do it now, when we're alone."
"..."
Boudica was stunned for a moment.
She remembered that this man named Seneca was clearly the Roman emperor's confidant. So why would he come to untie her?
That's not right.
This was not the time to think about such things.
This was a great opportunity... if it was just him alone, it would be much easier to deal with.
How should she kill him?
But as if he could see into Boudica's heart, Ian quickly continued:
"Your Majesty, I know you would love to kill me right now."
"But I want to tell you this—if you kill me now, I swear that His Majesty will make you experience things much more terrifying than what's happening right now."
"So if you have that thought, I suggest you give it up immediately."
"Of course, if you don't, that's even better."
Ian smiled slightly.
"In that case, I think we can sit here and talk for a while."
"..."
Boudica was not foolish. She quickly heard the threat in his words.
"Seneca, do you think this kind of scare tactic works on a dying person like me?"
"I don't know if it works or not," Ian said, throwing the two ropes in his hand to the side. "But at least I've untied them for you, haven't I?"
"..."
Boudica was silent for a while before she threw a sentence back.
"I have nothing to say to you—you're a running dog of the emperor, a minion of a demon."
Facing the insult from her, Ian was not angry at all.
Or rather, what he noticed was the situation hidden behind these words.
"You seem to dislike His Majesty a lot."
"Queen Boudica, can you tell me why?"
"..."
Boudica turned her head back and stared at Ian with anger.
But she soon saw the ropes at the side, and her temper subsided a little.
"I refuse to answer that question."
"..."
Realizing that Boudica's attitude would be difficult to change for a while, Ian was not in a hurry.
"I understand."
"Then, Queen Boudica, I'll see you next time."
"As for the ropes, please don't think I'm late to the party."
Clank.
The cell door closed.
Only Boudica was left sitting on the haystack, but at this moment, she was much freer than before.
"What is this guy thinking..." the queen mumbled.
[You did not seek out Boudica for no reason.]
[You could feel that there might be some kind of very serious misunderstanding between her and Nero—it even affected the Queen of Britannia's attitude toward you.]
[But at the same time, you found that you couldn't resolve this misunderstanding alone.]
[After all, many things involved Nero herself.]
[You decided to take the opportunity to "act out a play" with her at night and convey your thoughts to her.]
Late at night, in the palace of Verulamium.
As the emperor, Nero naturally stayed here.
And at this moment, she was enjoying the pre-arranged play with Ian.
On the bed, Ian was sitting there, and Nero was sitting on his lap, looking like a soldier who had been captured on the battlefield.
The young woman's hands were bound in front of her chest, and her eyes were tightly covered with a black cloth.
Ian leaned in close to the young woman's ear and whispered, "Miss Nero... it's time to show what a lecherous person you are."
"No—don't do this!" The young woman kept begging, but it was no use.
The man gently blew into her ear and then said with a hint of teasing.
"Miss Nero, you say no, but your body isn't resisting at all—does that mean you actually like this more than you let on?"
"That's not true!"
"Just denying it with your mouth isn't enough—let's test it out and see if what you're saying is right, or what I'm saying is right?"
The man began to take action.
And the young woman also began to act more and more like a soldier who had completely lost the ability to resist.
But at the most crucial moment, the man stopped and then said with a hint of playfulness in her ear, "It seems my idea was indeed groundless, so let's stop here."
"Huh?!" The young woman raised her head. Even with her eyes covered, you could feel her anxiety.
"How can you do this?! I was just about to..."
"Hmm? Just about to what?"
"I couldn't stand it anymore..."
"It's too quiet. I can't hear you."
"I can't stand it anymore—! You bastard, you've already teased me to this point, so don't stop here!"
As soon as she said this, the young woman felt that the man had actually been waiting for her to say this. Already excited, she couldn't control herself now.
Pfft—!
In the room, the scent of rose-flavored wine filled the air.
A few minutes later.
Nero, who was nestled in Ian's arms, began to act spoiled:
"Teacher, you're so naughty—it was supposed to be a straightforward script from the beginning, right? Why did you add more parts for me?"
"Because you performed so well, Nero," Ian gently pinched the young woman's nose. "So I accidentally added a few more parts."
"Besides... you handled it quite well, didn't you?"
"That's because those were my true feelings," Nero held onto the man's arm. "That power of mine is truly in Teacher's hands now."
"By the way, you're the only one in all of Rome who has this power. No one else can get it from me."
"..."
Hearing this, Ian was both happy and a little sad, but he still forced a smile and replied.
"I see—no wonder you didn't resist at all, Nero. Is it because you've already handed yourself over to me?"
"Just as long as you know, Teacher~"
Nero looked up at her favorite man, her expression both shy and bold.
"I will gradually give more power to Teacher in the future—hmm~ Teacher must be about to burst from hearing this, right?"
"But it's okay."
Nero shifted her body slightly, wrapping herself around her favorite man like a little pixie.
"Tonight's feast has just begun—"
Nero's acting talent was too strong. Even though Ian had no intention of continuing, she still managed to use her own efforts to bring out the lion side of the man, not giving him any room for error.
Without any other choice, an impromptu musical performance began in the emperor's room.
Soon, in the Roman treasury, there were some more commands from Ian himself.
"Hmm~ It seems that some of Teacher's powers have also been confiscated by me," Nero happily announced her new discovery.
"In the future, I must continue to confiscate other parts until Teacher belongs completely to me."
Hearing the young empress say this with great joy, Ian realized that this might be an opportunity to interject.
He maintained his current position and then spoke: "Speaking of which—Nero, what do you think of Boudica?"
"Hmm?!"
Nero, whose hands were being held by the man on both sides, turned her head back and said with a look of confusion.
"Why bring her up?"
"Just asking." The man quickly replied. "After all... this is part of your achievement, right?"
"It's not an achievement at all! What's there to be proud of in capturing a big-chested queen by feigning a retreat? I don't feel happy about it at all."
"..."
Ian realized something from Nero's answer.
"In other words—you actually don't like using this method to capture Boudica, right?"
"Of course not!" Nero replied almost instantly. "It's not like I don't have the strength to fight her."
"I'm the greatest emperor of Rome!"
"Then, Nero, can I understand your words as this—if there was a chance, you would be very willing to face Boudica head-on, right?"
"..."
Nero was not stupid. She quickly heard the hidden meaning in Ian's words.
The young woman turned her head and looked at the man who was the only one in all of Rome who had the right to be on the same bed as her.
"Teacher, what do you mean by this?"
"Nothing."
Ian gently kissed Nero on the forehead.
"I just want to ask you—"
"Do you dare to let Boudica go this one time?"