Domitius had heard Novia mention Judaism before. Put simply, while Judaism had some good things, not many of them were in Jerusalem. Jerusalem was full of damned things.
"Get lost!"
"Sir, do you intend to become a sinner before the Lord? If you continue to obstruct us, you and that Novia will sooner or later be nailed to Jerusalem's shame. He has reached this point, and there is no need to say more—you should know why. Only by joining us can you cleanse your sins and receive God's grace."
Through the door, Domitius could practically see the speaker's smug expression. Hearing someone insult a person she respected so deeply, the blonde girl could not help gritting her teeth.
"The child I raised is not some disgrace before God. He is someone even the teacher would praise if he appeared. You don't merely lack faith—you don't even believe in disbelief." The old man's stubborn tone carried the resolve never to yield another step. "What is wrong with reaching this point? It is still better than you heartless people drowning yourselves in pleasure and dreams. Nothing is spotless. We all breathe in dust, but that does not stop him from doing better. No one can withstand others picking at their faults."
"I know what you people are thinking, but the one thing you should not do is slander others. Just like sixteen years ago, how did you treat my teacher, Jesus Christ?"
The blonde girl glanced again at Novia beside her. The boy looked as he always did, with no emotion visible on his face.
Domitius blinked and lowered her voice slightly. "Teacher, should I put in a little effort later?"
"There is no need. I will deal with it myself—"
However, just as Novia was about to push open the door, it flew open from within. An unconscious mage, stripped down to nothing but his trousers, was thrown outside and hit the ground, followed by an equally elderly voice—
"Paul, with people like this, just use your hands! If I were not so old, I would have punched him myself. Why waste so many words..." The purple-haired old woman who stepped through the door held a staff taller than she was. Then she immediately spotted Novia and Domitius, who had used magecraft. "Eh? You are... little Novia?"
At that moment, Domitius saw the smile on her teacher's face rise to an indescribable degree for the first time, as though he had met a long-separated motherly elder again.
"It is me, Martha... big sister."
'That Person'
"I think little Domitius can become the new Saintess!"
The space behind the church was large, so they usually ate here at night. The furniture and interior decorations were extremely simple, perfectly matching the shabby little church.
"R-Really? Can I really do it?"
Perhaps Paul's declaration had been too shocking. The blonde girl clenched her hands into fists, looking extremely nervous.
"Yes, absolutely. Rather, you could have done so long ago."
The old man who had prepared dinner nodded seriously, his voice warm and affectionate.
"Umu, but Teacher Novia still needs to agree first..."
Domitius stubbornly folded her arms and shook her head firmly.
Novia looked at the old man and young girl chatting so happily. The future Emperor Nero and a Christian missionary getting along so harmoniously was astonishing no matter how he thought about it.
After all, in the original history, Christianity was a religion heavily discriminated against and oppressed in Rome at this time. After Nero accused Christians of causing the Great Fire of Rome in AD 64, open persecution and slaughter of believers began throughout the Roman Empire. Thus, Nero had once been regarded as the Antichrist, and Paul had also died by her hand.
Now, it could only be said that Novia truly was a senior wage slave. Only by accomplishing several centuries' worth of work alone could he create the current situation.
Even the Pigeon Prince would probably approve.
Since the two were engrossed in their own conversation, the silver-haired boy could only silently eat dinner. Like Martha beside him, he had become a spectator.
Martha was a first-century Saintess who had tamed the evil dragon Tarasque. Together with her siblings, she had hosted Jesus the Savior, personally witnessed the Savior's miracles, been appointed a Saintess by him, and gained faith under the Savior's guidance. She had been a beautiful and dazzling holy maiden—
However, that had been in her youth. Martha was now over fifty. Her expression was calm and gentle, unlike the lively vividness of her younger days. This was because age had reduced the tension and flexibility of her facial muscles.
Novia had once been cared for by her and had been forced to learn Iron Fist.
"Big Sister Martha, is Tarasque still with you?"
Novia asked casually.
"It is, but it is resting, so it cannot come see you right away."
Martha looked at Novia with a smile like that of an elder at home, carrying a warm and affectionate feeling. It brought to mind gentleness tempered through countless hardships—reliable, yet approachable.
After Jesus Christ passed away, the young Martha set out on a journey. She arrived in the village of Nerluc in southern France and completely subdued Tarasque, which had plagued the village, through the famous Iron Fist and sermons of her homeland.
Though it was a harmful beast that had committed evil, Martha could not simply abandon this Dragon Kind, which had been cast aside by its mother and whose mind was still that of a child.
However, in this era when the Age of Gods had already ended, there was no longer any place for Phantasmal Species to live. Phantasmal Species such as Tarasque should have gone to the Reverse Side of the World after the Age of Gods ended, but it was still unable to go there on its own.
Martha's proposed method was to separate Tarasque's soul from its body. Its soul would travel with Martha, while its body would be buried underground.
Novia knew well that the woman and dragon had embarked on a journey aimed at the Reverse Side of the World, but the odds were not great. The end of the era and the traces of passing years upon Martha ultimately showed that they would only slowly fade away.
"Little Novia, after dinner, I would like to speak with you. Is that all right?"
Novia answered with a nod, and Martha showed her usual smile.
Not long after dinner ended and everything had been cleaned up, the two came to the steps outside the church. It was already night. The late-night dew was cold, and the sky was broad and beautiful. Perhaps because the air here was fresh and the surroundings were dark, the stars shone far brighter.
"Come to think of it, neither of you said anything, but little Novia, you must have heard what Paul said, right? Actually, everyone feels the same way, so you can rest easy."
Martha spoke gently.
Novia understood that as well. Judaism, entrenched in Jerusalem, had likely seen Christianity's believers rapidly growing throughout the Roman Empire under his efforts. Therefore, they wanted to approach the few apparent leaders of Christianity aside from him and make Christianity submit beneath Judaism.
However, their slander of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem in AD 34 had made the surviving elders hate them beyond measure.
Furthermore, their own people had achieved so much that they would never allow it to go to waste. They likely all thought that way. That was why, faced with others' provocative words, they could speak so strongly in Novia's support: 'Nothing is spotless. People all breathe in dust, but that does not stop him from doing better. No one can withstand others picking at their faults.'
"Little Novia, you have only been away for three years, and you are only seventeen now, yet you have already done so wonderfully. Although Paul, Peter, and John have not expressed agreement with the things you have realized..." Martha quietly closed her eyes. "They actually recognize you quite a lot. Over the past few years, everyone who heard of what you preached and came back to discuss it with them—they all spread it according to your meaning. They have also secretly been learning the things you said. So have I. And in my view, even if that person were still here, he would surely recognize everything little Novia has done."
Speaking as though reminiscing about the past, Martha described her feelings from these past years. Unlike Paul and the others, she did not merely travel through this region and its surroundings, but throughout the entire Roman Empire. That was why she had personally witnessed Christianity's development and treatment in recent years. Though she did not understand some of the new doctrines, that did not stop her from being happy about them.
After all, Martha was the Saintess who had never abandoned her faith after the Savior was executed. Even after being exiled by the governor of the time, she had not died, but had drifted toward southern France under God's grace.
Novia knew who Martha meant by that person. He was one of the Saviors in the Type-Moon worldview, Jesus Christ, the man who bore humanity's sins and evils and ascended to heaven. He had wandered around the Sea of Galilee, encountering everyone from saints to evildoers. During the final week before his death, he had even dropped by Martha's home for a meal and a chat.
"So, after thinking it over, I decided to give this to you. After all, you are very busy, and I do not know when you will return next."
Martha slowly opened her eyes and handed the staff, now taller than she was, into Novia's hands.
The staff looked like a cross, but Novia knew clearly that Martha had modified it. It was likely because he used the cross as his symbol.
Because what she had given him was the staff Jesus Christ had owned during his lifetime.
As Everyone Knows, the Longer the Title, the Better!
To be honest, Martha's words and the item she gave Novia left a look of astonishment on the silver-haired boy's face.
A walking stick Jesus had owned in life—this was undoubtedly a genuine Holy Relic. Perhaps it fell slightly short of the bloodstained Spear of Longinus and the Holy Grail containing blood in terms of power, but in terms of symbolic meaning, it was not inferior in the slightest.
Over the years, Novia had only ever entertained thoughts about the Spear of Longinus and the Holy Grail. He had never thought that way about the staff Martha possessed.
After all, he knew the important meaning this staff held for the 'Iron Fist Saintess.'
"Is that so strange?" Martha smiled and covered her mouth, waving her other hand. "It is something deeply meaningful, but that does not mean it belongs only to me forever. I have always thought that way. I have carried it for decades since the Lazarus incident, and it is about time. You can have it from now on. You can make its worth shine again. After all, that person said this to me back then—"
"Somewhere in this world, there exists a me who affirms your meaning. So please, do not forget that."
This was not a lie told for the sake of explanation. It was the genuine truth. With Martha's added words, Novia could not help smiling, and so he nodded.
"...I understand."
The night sky was high and distant. Under the moonlight, Novia relaxed and took a deep breath, unconsciously touching the staff Martha had placed in his hand.
The Lazarus incident referred to when Martha's brother had died of illness, and Jesus personally resurrected him before her.
After that, Jesus bestowed his own staff upon Martha and hoped she would conduct herself in a manner befitting a Saintess.
To Martha, this was everything from her days as a girl. It was something she had firmly believed would exist forever.
Yet now, Martha had not only transformed it into the shape of a cross symbolizing that departed person, but had personally given it to Novia as a gift.
This was the Savior's recognition and trust. If he held the staff used by Type-Moon's Savior Jesus, did that not mean he had completely become the real deal? Could he add it to weapon crafting? No, he should forget that. There was not really any need...
In the end, this was something Martha had used for many years. Novia felt that he should make proper use of it. Carrying it on his back as an ornament in the future would not be bad either. Besides, this was a Holy Relic steeped in the Pigeon Prince's aura. There were simply too many ways to make use of it.
Once Christianity was successfully made the state religion of Rome, he could use this Holy Relic as a starting point to establish the Eighth Sacrament Society, which would collect and manage Holy Relics.
From what Novia had learned over the years, in the current Mediterranean religious world, since they had not yet united to establish the Holy Church as they would later, most religious institutions consisted of only one thing: monasteries.
As for the Burial Agency, it seemed to have connections with Judaism in Jerusalem, but it only dealt with creatures called Dead Apostles, which had begun appearing frequently in the magecraft world since AD 20. Beyond that, it did nothing else.
"In the blink of an eye, that person has been gone for seventeen years, and little Novia, you are seventeen too. Time really flies. Come to think of it, all of us think you are remarkably capable for someone so young."
Martha raised her head to gaze at the stars as though reminiscing about the past, speaking with feeling.
"Is that so? Then that is wonderful."
Novia smiled sincerely. His face usually wore a smile, and no one knew what he was happy about, but this one was undoubtedly genuine rather than a disguise.
Seventeen years had passed since Jesus's Passion, and Novia's age in ancient Rome was seventeen. Perhaps the timing of Novia's transmigration here had been too perfect. On some day in AD 33, at three in the afternoon on Golgotha in Jerusalem, the Savior had borne humanity's sins and evils and ascended to heaven through suffering.
Paul, who witnessed Jesus's execution, had found the transmigrated Novia in infant form while descending the mountain. He had brought him home and raised him. For Novia, who needed to accomplish his goals, it could be said that he had been extremely fortunate.
Historically, Paul had been devoted to the law in his early years and had even persecuted Christians. But after witnessing what Jesus had done, he repented. To spread the teachings of his teacher, he abandoned the privileges and lofty social standing of a Roman citizen and devoted himself wholeheartedly to preaching Christianity.
Though he was not one of Jesus's direct twelve disciples, through his preaching and writing, he established churches everywhere and spread the gospel throughout the Mediterranean coast. This ultimately changed the religious beliefs and philosophy around the Mediterranean basin, earning him the title Apostle to the Gentiles.
However, Martha's casual words reminded Novia of something. He could make use of this coincidence in the future. After all, this was the Type-Moon worldview, and he had come to ancient Rome to gain enough power to protect himself from the danger that might arrive two thousand years later.
Once he settled the major obstacles—the Senate, Agrippina, Claudius, Jerusalem, Judaism, and the rest—could he not spread word throughout the Roman Empire that he actually had a deep connection to the Lord? Perhaps as an incarnation or shadow?
Later, he could come up with titles such as Jesus Christ's successor, the one who correctly understood the Lord's will, first among all servants of God, leader of the heavenly kingdom on earth, mediator of strife, guide of the mortal world, counter of all things, one whose faith in the Lord was inexhaustible...
"It is getting late. I should rest too. Little Novia, you should rest early as well."
As Martha slowly departed, her voice remained gentle despite her being fifty years old. In the night, rather than the coldness of the climate, it was that gentleness which seeped more deeply into every inch of Novia's body.
Thus, the silver-haired boy nodded once more at her advice.
Because of the unexpected delight Martha had given him, Novia had already figured out how his new 'miracle' would occur in Jerusalem one year later. And this time, the Burial Agency would never interfere. After all, the name of 'heretic' had been bestowed by 'God'...
Martha in her youth.jpg
The Unease Still Lingering in Her Heart
Life in Antioch was vastly different from life in Rome. For Domitius, who had lived in Rome since childhood, the greatest difference was the passing of time.
This small city stood in the northeast of the Mediterranean. It was an impoverished place one could see anywhere, without beautiful gardens, elegant halls, or inns with doormen. There was only the fragrance of the day's food drifting through the neighborhood, fed animals lazily yawning, the distant barking of a house dog from somewhere unknown, and young children loudly laughing and playing. Everything seemed close enough to touch.
Although she had only stayed for two days, Domitius somehow felt that time passed extremely quickly here. The blonde girl had also gradually learned that aside from her teacher Novia, Grandmaster Paul, and Saintess Martha, there were another eleven apostles.
The eleven apostles were the direct disciples of Jesus, the Son of God whom Teacher Novia preached about, but they all seemed to hold Paul in high regard.
Domitius thought this because Paul had shown her a letter written to him by someone called Peter.
She had also asked her teacher where those people were now, but Novia had answered somewhat perfunctorily that she would have the chance to meet them in the future.
Since Novia had said so, Domitius naturally said nothing further. To her, Novia's current status was far above hers. She was his disciple, and he had relieved her headaches. Both emotionally and logically, she should obey him.
Ever since her mother Agrippina had entrusted her to Novia to be baptized and become his disciple, Domitius had rarely seen Agrippina. This was not because her freedom to meet her mother had been restricted, but because her mother was busy sharing court affairs with Emperor Claudius.
Domitius could say that she accepted what her mother wanted to do and the fact that she had become a bargaining chip.
Her father had come from an aristocratic family, but he had been infamous for cruelty and debauchery. Her mother, Agrippina the Younger, was also a member of the imperial family and naturally skilled at intrigue.
When she was three, her father died from excessive indulgence. The Roman emperor Caligula then ordered her inheritance rights stripped away and exiled Agrippina, who had failed to seduce him and then attempted to assassinate him. This left the young girl penniless for a time...
Fortunately, she had been adopted by her aunt and avoided ending up on the streets. Still, one could imagine her circumstances. Not being killed was already a blessing, and the hardships of survival went without saying.
A year later, the tyrannical Caligula was assassinated. The blonde girl's circumstances instantly reversed. Emperor Claudius, Caligula's uncle and the new ruler, decisively ordered all her confiscated inheritance returned. Her mother Agrippina also successfully returned to Rome and had her reputation restored.
But Agrippina was no harmless woman. Not long after returning, she completely ensnared Rome's richest man and held a grand, lavish wedding with him. Then, through pillow talk, she made the wealthy man agree to bring her child over to be raised with them.
The result was only natural. Within a few years, Agrippina the Younger had schemed away the wealthy man's entire fortune, and a vast amount of property was transferred into Domitius's name. Naturally, the richest man also died.
Domitius knew perfectly well that her mother was absolutely not a good person. She could more or less guess why her mother had entered the imperial palace and what she herself would need to do.
Over the years, there had been people who helped her and greeted her kindly, as well as those who kicked her while she was down and only wanted to rise through the ranks. The entire Roman court had always been filled with rivalry and competition. Whenever interests were involved, open and hidden conflicts were as common as birdsong in the morning.
Therefore, when she learned that her mother had arranged for Novia to baptize her, Domitius had not been surprised. To Rome, this was nothing unusual.
A child of twelve was already of marriageable age in the Roman Empire, and the person involved had no right to choose. They could only passively accept the arrangement. Thus, she had initially thought that baptism was a euphemism for a physical transaction, only to discover the next day that she had misunderstood.
Still, Domitius found it strange. Other than her body, she had no value to Novia, so why had he agreed to such an unfavorable transaction with her mother? Was he foolish? Impossible. Someone who had obtained such status from nothing at such a young age could not be some careless fool...
She had never figured this out. Even if he truly wanted disciples, Novia was young enough to simply adopt an infant and raise it from childhood, rather than choose someone like her who could already think independently. No matter how she considered it, this was extremely unprofitable, especially since her mother was no harmless woman.
Although Domitius had always been puzzled, it did not stop the blonde girl from feeling reverence toward her teacher.
Perhaps this was because, when she had wandered the streets as a child, she had received help from ordinary people and ultimately survived until relatives adopted her. Thus, she sincerely loved the nameless common folk. Because of that, she felt reverence for Novia, who was respected by the people, as well as for the ordinary days she had spent with him.
However, although the girl did not particularly mind any of this, she still felt uneasy in her heart.
In the Roman court, everyone filled that place with intricate schemes and political calculations.
For example, marriages between children could not happen unless there were sufficient benefits between their parents.
Before you continue