Ultimately, the root cause was that Rome had no legally established succession rules, leaving the right of interpretation uncertain. The first dynasty itself relied too heavily on Augustus's prestige, and all of this combined to create Claudius's immensely awkward position.
This was largely why the old emperor had hoped that the Christianity brought by Novia could replace polytheism. Unfortunately, he could not control his unfaithful wife, nor could he possibly control Agrippina, who was so adept at exploiting her own advantages.
"After today's lessons are over, there will also be a study session on the Christian doctrine I mentioned. It is time to begin the next stage. In a few days, I will send you somewhere nearby to try it alone. This is a necessary benchmark. Do your best, Domitius."
"I understand, Teacher Novia."
The blonde girl studied earnestly. At his words, her gaze fell upon the book Novia had written, then shifted toward the adjacent room. Aside from a bed, a square whitewood table, and four straw-cushioned chairs, there was no other furniture. Above them, where a mirror would usually hang, was a silver bronze cross nailed to a black cord and set in a dull golden wooden frame.
There was nothing luxurious here. Its simplicity made it an even more solemn space.
"Sir, do you have a moment?"
Another person's voice came from outside the room. Domitius guessed that it was once again someone who had come to ask her teacher about doctrine.
Hearing the voice, Novia glanced at the blonde girl and found her eyes wide open as she recited the contents of the book word for word. Seemingly noticing his gaze, she looked over at him questioningly.
"Study by yourself for now. I'll be back soon."
With that, Novia walked out. Once she was sure there was not the slightest fluctuation of magical power in the room, Domitius set down her book and ran to the second-floor window. She could not peer directly outside through the window, but through the lattice, she could barely look down at the scene before the front gate.
Sure enough, it was the common people whom Domitius dearly loved from the bottom of her heart. Perhaps because of her childhood experiences, the blonde girl preferred these nameless commoners to nobles and officials. That was precisely why she deeply respected Novia, who was only two years older than her yet dutiful and beloved by the people.
Ever since Domitius understood that Novia was sincerely loved by the people, she had sworn to become someone like him. Someone who could make tens of thousands smile from the bottom of their hearts simply by looking at them. To achieve that small yet lofty goal, she had to keep striving.
A few days earlier, after drinking the water Novia had given her, perhaps because her headaches had been gone for so long, or perhaps because she was too young to keep her words bottled up, she had told Novia that declaration exactly as it was.
"So that is what you think."
At the time, Novia had narrowed his eyes and smiled faintly. His voice seemed to blend into nature itself, giving the girl the feeling that he had known all along.
The girl, who had been preparing to say more, could only nod wordlessly at his question.
"I see."
The girl in the room blankly watched the light leaking in through the window. The bright room was filled with vividly colored radiance, and she was immersed in that light.
After that, there had only been one sentence. He spoke it softly, and reflected in the depths of the girl's green eyes was the sincerity in his blue pupils.
"My student, if you need help, please tell me, Domitius."
The girl's eyes reflected the figure of the boy who had always treated her gently. The second-floor room where she currently was sat quite high above the ground, so she thought her gaze would go unnoticed and stared without restraint. Yet Domitius discovered that Novia lightly glanced in her direction.
"..."
In an instant, it was as though she had stopped breathing. Having her gaze noticed was frightening, but more than that, she feared that, as a student, she would be punished by her teacher.
The blonde girl immediately ran back down from the second floor to where she had been and silently began reading the book she was supposed to study earlier. Studying alone was tedious, but she knew it was a necessary sacrifice for gaining knowledge. That said, she could not truly spend all her time studying, because Domitius was an all-purpose genius.
So, after thinking for a moment, she flipped through the doctrine Novia had written and pondered its meaning. To her, it all seemed harder to understand than the contents of her textbooks, as did those things said during baptism. Though she did not understand their meaning, the blonde girl felt they were very important and that she had to understand them.
In short, Domitius pondered the doctrine Novia had taught while waiting for him to return and clear up her doubts.
"...Hm?"
When Novia returned and pushed open the door, he found that Domitius, who would later rename herself Nero, truly was the little jewel that shone with spirit as Seneca had described in his monologue. Unfortunately, she was an uncontrollable variable.
"Hello, Teacher."
"Oh."
"Teacher Novia, I wanted to ask what this sentence means..."
News of the Dragon of Albion
In the ancient land across the sea from the English Channel, gray-white snowflakes drifted gently down from the sky. The initially sparse flakes soon gathered together and took command of the entire island.
The year had formally entered AD 49. Londinium, the settlement built by the ancient Roman Empire on the island of Britain, had continued developing throughout this year following its conquest as a "bridge across the Thames." Given time, this settlement would surely become the island's "heart."
The predawn wind was bitterly cold as it blew against the face of Lucius, governor of Britain. He could not help sneezing as he stopped within the tunnel he had dug himself.
"Why is there so much of this damn stuff here?"
The man pointed the weapon in his hand at the countless dots of green light in the tunnel. They drifted and gathered in the dirt-scented cavern, as though a layer of frost had been scattered over it.
Yet these were all corpses, and Lucius felt not the slightest sorrow.
She? He?
Their genders could not be clearly identified. They had insect-like bodies, eyes slightly larger in proportion than a human's, graceful limbs that overall evoked the image of human girls, and soft hair that continued to flutter even without wind. Yet upon close inspection, one could see a seam on their faces. Once it split open, their faces would tear vertically apart, their entire heads becoming mouths lined with sharp teeth as they lunged at people.
Disgusting as they were, they were absolutely not Phantasmal Species. They were more like maggots born from some utterly dead mysterious creature.
Ever since Lucius had been appointed governor of Britain a year ago, he had followed Novia's instructions and diligently excavated what lay beneath Londinium. Although he did not know exactly what Novia wanted to find, Lucius had chosen to dig alone for safety's sake. Fortunately, he was no ordinary man. Sleeping only three hours a day for an entire year was more than enough for him, and this had led the soldiers stationed in Britain and the local residents alike to regard him as a trustworthy governor.
Naturally. Lucius was not someone who cared about money. He did not deliberately exploit the natives, possessed formidable personal strength, and often led the legions in training by example. Of course the soldiers stationed in Britain trusted him.
After standing still for a moment, he shifted his gaze from the green lights toward the depths of the cavern and continued digging alone. Suddenly, an aching pain flooded his lower back. He frowned slightly and, as always, endured the Biting Pain that had tormented him for years.
However, after Lucius received a drop of water from Novia, the pain had eased greatly. If it had once been a ten, it was now a one.
Naturally, Lucius was filled with gratitude toward Novia. He had originally wanted to give Novia the spear stained with the Son of God's blood, because he believed Novia was far more important than himself. Yet Novia had refused, saying Lucius should keep it for self-defense.
Since things were like this, he could only properly complete the task Novia had entrusted to him to express his thanks. Besides, Novia had accomplished so much at such a young age. He might be old, but he could not hold him back.
With such thoughts in mind, Lucius had no interest whatsoever in admiring the island of Britain. He only hoped to find what Novia had mentioned. After digging for two hours, the man took out the waterskin at his waist, already soaked through with sweat, and drank deeply.
After finishing, Lucius intended to continue digging, but—
At the instant he touched what lay ahead, he stopped. He sensed something powerful and rotten just beyond a layer of earth, and it was unimaginably huge.
This must be what Novia was searching for, the man thought. It was probably a creature that had once flourished upon this land and even wantonly occupied the peak of the ecosystem.
After confirming the location, Lucius no longer hesitated. He returned along the original route and used the Spear of Longinus to seal the place, transforming it into an endless wilderness adorned with weeds and dead trees, impenetrable even to Mystic Eyes.
A light breeze passed by, and the rustling leaves concealed the movement in the grass. When the wind stopped and the leaves fell silent, everything returned to tranquility. Lucius, who had appeared out of nowhere, stood like a statue of Mars, vigilantly surveying his surroundings with eyes restored by holy blood as he observed everything around him.
Only after a full half hour did he leave that wilderness without looking back, immediately sending the news to Novia in Rome.
"This fellow believer is truly cautious, Lucius Longinus. But those eyes and that spear..." A voice rang out as though space itself were speaking, then slowly returned to silence. "If the man in Jerusalem sixteen years ago was real, then I should find a way to leave Alcatraz for a while as well. I should meet this fellow believer who has brought a new faith, Novia."
On this star-filled night, something whose body had become a vampire and who was too ashamed to face old friends spoke thus.
Novia learned Lucius's news in Rome during the morning.
At that moment, the silver-haired boy was taking Domitius around the outskirts of Rome to preach his reformed Christian doctrine.
The morning mist over the wilderness slowly dispersed. Sunlight poured through the sparse shadows of the birch branches onto Novia's shoulders at the center of the crowd, like a woodland painting filled with natural scenery.
"The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was born into the human world, became flesh, suffered, and was resurrected. Yet the Holy Father also participated throughout; the difference is that only the Son was revealed. The Holy Father and the Son are completely equal, with no distinction of before or after, high or low. The Son is also fully the Lord. His distinct nature is that He is eternally begotten of the Holy Father."
"Those who believe, though they may differ in faith, hope, and love, likewise enjoy the benefits of this world or suffer evil."
"The best life is goodness, and attaining that best life itself—whether you are in Rome, Gaul, or Anatolia—so long as you believe, believe devoutly, relieve the poor as much as possible, love one another, and care for the weak, your soul will ultimately be saved."
"All natures are good, because the Lord of all natures is supreme goodness. Yet natures are not, like the Lord, supremely good and eternally unchanging..."
The blonde girl Domitius watched the distant horizon become clear. Listening to birdsong rise and fall through the woods alongside her teacher's voice, she too felt faintly intoxicated and slowly gave her entire body over to the embrace of sunlight.
But next, though Novia's hesitation lasted only an instant, Domitius still noticed it. By the time she realized what was happening, her teacher had handed the rest over to her. He himself appeared to have business to attend to and left first.
When dusk arrived and she returned to Rome, she learned that her teacher Novia had already been sent by His Majesty the Emperor to Britain to deal with the local Druid religion.
The Dragon Crown Who Died of Exhaustion
Colorful flowers bloomed across the tranquil plains. Only the forest visible in the distance blocked one's view. Even if one turned in a circle to survey the entire sky, all that met the eye was evenly divided earth and blue heavens.
This was the scene Shiyali saw after crossing the English Channel.
A few days earlier, after receiving Novia's invitation, she had immediately left the Atlas Institute and headed to the Britain he had mentioned, intending to fulfill the condition she had agreed to when they signed their contract—to help him once within the limits of what she could do.
"If my calculations are correct, the mystery in Britain will probably endure for centuries."
The instant Shiyali set foot on this island, she knew this place was extraordinary. The decline of mystery here was far slower than on the continent. Though she knew that the more isolated a land was from the continent, the more easily mystery remained there, she was still surprised.
"Hahaha, perhaps it will last five hundred years. In some places, mystery will remain even a thousand years from now."
"How could it possibly last that long... Enough idle chatter. Tell me quickly, what do you need me to do?"
The purple-haired girl narrowed her eyes and calmly, steadily looked at the smiling Novia approaching her, along with the man beside him whose face bore a cross. According to her information, that man should be Lucius Longinus, governor of Britain.
Ever since parting with Novia at the Atlas Institute last time, she had remained inside conducting research. Only after receiving Novia's message a few days ago had she emerged. On the way here, Shiyali had also gathered information on Novia's recent activities.
At sixteen, he held a position in the Roman Empire beneath only one person and above tens of thousands. But when she was ten, she had already become a candidate for the next head of the Atlas Institute.
The Roman Empire had roughly over a hundred thousand magi in total. Although the Atlas Institute did not have that many people, its strength naturally far surpassed those magi with their amateurish magecraft. An equation could barely be established.
Shiyali did not know why she was making such a comparison, but she instinctively calculated it that way.
"You arrived in three days. Don't you need to rest?"
"There's no need."
There was not the slightest fatigue in the girl's tone as she answered decisively, her violet eyes full of competitiveness fixed on Novia.
Perhaps because she felt that during their previous expedition into the Submarine Alexandria Library, she had played a far smaller role than Novia, she desperately wanted to display her true abilities before him as the current instructor of the Atlas Institute and a candidate for its next head.
"Though speaking of which, you're traveling light."
The meaning behind the girl's words differed slightly from their literal sense. The white clothes Novia wore were suitable even for winter in Britain and could be worn on formal occasions.
What Shiyali actually meant was the equipment of a magus. Someone in such a position would always prepare multiple Mystic Codes to protect themselves from spiritual and physical dangers. After all, a high-ranking magus could be attacked by anyone at any time without it being surprising. Some magi carried so many powerful Mystic Codes that they were considered capable of rivaling a bounded field alone.
"Haha, because in the face of an absolute gap, displaying little tricks would be useless."
At this, Shiyali's brows furrowed slightly. From the information she had obtained through the Aether Lines, the Roman court was a nest of conspiracies, filled at all times with tangled schemes and political stratagems. Everyone had clearly been eagerly waiting to see such a fool fall into a trap... Yet the result had not turned out as imagined.
"Whatever. Do as you please. So what exactly do you need me to do?"
"Please come with me. No matter what, you are the only one I can ask to handle this."
Novia sincerely lowered his head. After arriving on the island of Britain, he had estimated from the tunnel Lucius dug that the Dragon of Albion had indeed been completely dead, but its body had not yet been split apart by geological movements. In other words, it was a two-thousand-meter-long corpse. Even after its body broke apart, its head had continued burrowing downward. Though separated from its body, the head had still traveled so far, and the place where it lay would later become the Clock Tower's observatory.
"I'll do my best, then. If it's what you want."
Shiyali replied as though it were nothing, turning her face away. The fact that she had not immediately used the Aether Lines made it clear how happy she was.
The three of them then headed to a place near Londinium on the Thames.
In truth, at the moment she received the news, though only for an instant, the purple-haired girl had the illusion that this exploration would be very interesting.
The bells of the ship returning rang out. The sun sank beyond the horizon, the mountains at dusk were dyed red by the setting sun, and the evening wind carried a faint chill while remaining so peaceful.
The three followed a road that twisted and coiled like a serpent, arriving beneath the endless wilderness adorned with weeds and dead trees.
Her eyes sensed faint magical power seeping through cracks in the earth, and the girl's entire body trembled instinctively. If she walked, magical power would dissipate. If she spoke, magecraft would fail. That was because of something not far ahead. For humans to seek it was simply too insignificant, too meaningless.
"Novia, what... is this?"
Fifty years after the end of the Age of Gods, humanity became the primates of all creation. Physical laws no longer suited the survival of creatures from myth and fantasy. The Phantasmal Species that understood and accepted this left. Nature with personality became mere natural phenomena, aether in the atmosphere dissipated, mystery diminished, and magecraft from the Age of Mythology was lost. Truly ancient magecraft vanished from the world, leaving only insignificant remnants on the earth.
According to what circulated within the Institute, compared to the original magecraft, modern magecraft was like an empty shell. The two eras had an absolute disparity and could not be compared.
And buried behind this earth was—
Unlike gods made manifest through human recognition or faith, it was a primordial super-existence.
Far beyond even Divine Body Osiris she had seen before, overwhelming magical power had visibly gathered here.
"..."
Novia fell silent for a long while.
He doesn't know either? Shiyali thought. Not long after, the silver-haired boy slowly spoke.
"Long ago, there existed an enormous Dragon Kind. It was said that its majestic body was even larger than mountains, yet for some reason, this Dragon Kind remained on this side long after fantasy vanished."
"When the Dragon Kind finally chose to leave, mystery had already become thin, and the passage to the 'Reverse Side of the World' could not be opened. Even so, it did not despair, nor did it give up. Since it could not transfer through mystery, it changed to physical movement instead. It drilled with its enormous body toward the underground, where mystery still remained even now."
"...What?"
As it was her first time hearing this, the purple-haired girl could not help blinking several times. There were no related records within the Institute.
"However, the Dragon Kind died of exhaustion while burrowing underground."
"A Pureblood Dragon, its name was—"
"The Dragon of Albion."
Before you continue