Chapter 21

"I just said what I've had in my heart for a long time, I apologize."

Novia didn't retract his hand, and then continued to wear a gentle smile.

"But as the strongest dragon, it's only natural for you to be so proud. I've always thought so, so this shouldn't be used to restrain you."

Then—

The silver-haired youth now held a contract he had somehow acquired.

The Dragon of Albion certainly knew that it was a necessity for human mages to reach agreements or cooperate with others of their kind or other beings. To prevent either party from violating the agreement, it was one of the most widely used ceremonial artifacts.

However, this was only for the weak. For the strongest being, it was a completely unnecessary process.

"My friend, for my sake, incorporated this into your body during the creation process. Please forgive Shiyali for this action."

Novia winked at Shiyali, who was beside him.

There was no such step in the creation process at all. Rather, who would sign a contract with a weapon when forging one?

Although he was thinking this in his mind, the purple-haired girl nodded hurriedly.

"Ah… yes, yes, I'm sorry, please forgive me…"

"In my eyes, you are as noble as the countless stars illuminating the world, and a unique brilliance." Novia tore apart the 'contract' in his hand. "To me, you are the most cherished starlight. Your permission holds great significance for me, and losing you would be an absolute tragedy. Dragon of Albion, you are my only light."

…Does this human really admire me this much?

The Dragon of Albion looked at Novia's gentle smile and accepted his gaze with a troubled expression. This was clearly a heartfelt reaction that couldn't be faked.

"You…"

Just as it was about to say something, the Dragon of Albion looked into his eyes, and its answer was delayed.

Although, in the Dragon of Albion's opinion, no contract could bind it because it was the strongest. Whether it existed or not made no difference. However, the meaningless actions and words of this human made it feel a surge of excitement deep in its chest for the first time.

Excitement, joy—neither felt right.

How should it describe this strong, vivid feeling in its heart?

Surprise, no.

Moved, no.

Happy, still no.

But it couldn't refuse this weak human, and a sense of indescribable awkwardness arose.

"May I ask again, Dragon of Albion, please allow this weak me to wander with you, think with you, worry with you, and agonize with you."

Merely a weak human body, merely a naive mage far inferior to gods, yet it dared to pry into the strongest dragon. Not only did it fail to realize its own naivete, but its audacity only increased. It was truly audacious.

However, however, however, no matter how weak it considered him to be.

The words of this human, the gaze of this human.

The Dragon of Albion truly took everything into its heart.

Although it sounded like utter nonsense, it felt that his feelings had truly reached its heart.

"Hmph, you're lucky. I am the strongest!"

"You are right. You are the undisputed strongest."

The 'Spear's' hilt clasped firmly with Novia's hand.

As he clasped it, he caressed the entire 'Spear' with his hand, and the silver-haired youth said with a smile:

"Then, the contract is established."

Gentle, warm. It had been held by him from the beginning, yet it felt as if it was only truly held now.

Although it might be because the weapon itself was naturally cool and cold, it felt as if its soul experienced the same sensation.

However, the Dragon of Albion once again proudly explained:

"Let me be clear, so you don't misunderstand. I am doing this by my own thought, by my own will, not because you, a weak human, easily persuaded me. To me, you are just a weakling that can be found anywhere."

In its view, this should have been the most concise and clear answer. And it expected that receiving the strongest being would make a weak human absolutely grateful. Yet, for a moment, the Dragon of Albion saw sadness flicker across the human's face.

"…Yes, you are right."

"Hmph, just don't get too arrogant."

Although this weak human's expression made it feel an indescribable sensation,—

It was the natural order of things for a weak human to absolutely obey the strongest being.

The strongest dragon thought so proudly.

035: I'll bear the infamy

In a garden within the Roman palace.

"Little Novia, you… you managed to excavate Lake Fucinus in just three days… You did wonderfully…"

The old emperor Claudius's surprised voice echoed before Novia, who was reporting the situation.

"Your Majesty, please don't praise me like that. This is what I should be doing for the Empire."

The silver-haired youth's gentle voice created an atmosphere brimming with affection, and this was precisely his area of expertise.

Recently, Claudius had begun planning a public works project: excavating Lake Fucinus on the Apennine Mountains and diverting its water into Rome via an aqueduct. He had inquired with the Court Mages, who stated it would take at least a year to complete.

At this point, Novia volunteered, offering to handle the project.

The result surprised everyone. They hadn't expected Novia to complete the three-mile-long drainage channel in just two days.

"Terrifying magical skill," was the common assessment among mages within the Roman Empire.

For Claudius, being able to have such a beneficial public facility built so quickly was naturally a cause for great joy. Novia, for his part, would never refuse anything that benefited the populace. He had, in fact, accomplished this feat so rapidly by using his new weapon, the 'Spear'. However, it had taken considerable effort to persuade the Dragon of Albion, as Novia knew it genuinely enjoyed lending a hand to the weak.

"Then, Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave. I shall not disturb your rest."

"Not at all, not at all. Young Novia, you finished so quickly. You should rest soon."

In reality, Novia visited the imperial palace daily not only to offer advice to the old emperor but also to check if there were any new factors within the palace that he couldn't immediately control. After all, before his plan was implemented, the old emperor's continued well-being was crucial for maintaining stability.

For example, Novia would meticulously inspect the food, thus preventing Agrippina, who had become Empress, from suddenly going mad and ordering poison to be administered—

"Hey!"

The moment he rounded the corner, Novia heard a joyful and cheerful shout from a young girl, who then lunged at his abdomen.

"Teacher, I'm giving a speech at the Senate today. Want to come along?"

The blonde girl pressed her forehead against Novia's abdomen and then looked up at him.

"Giving a speech again? Of course, that's fine," Novia lowered his head, making eye contact. his azure pupils fixed on Nero. "But you're not a child anymore, so facing it alone is best."

"But you said the same thing last time, Teacher. Actually, you say it every time..." Nero puffed out her cheeks in a sulk and pouted, but quickly reverted to her initial cheerful and lively demeanor. "Well, umph, forget it. Then, Teacher, you can come next time you have free time. It's getting late, and it's about to start. So, I'll be going now, Teacher."

As soon as the blonde girl finished speaking, she quickly ran off towards the Senate, soon leaving only her retreating figure in Novia's sight. After running for a while and confirming that she had disappeared from her teacher's view, Nero finally stopped running.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that a hint of gloom had, at some point, clouded the bright eyes of the blonde girl.

"Tsk... Forget it, I'll take it slow."

Later, Nero arrived at the Senate and pushed open the grand doors:

"Thank you for waiting, everyone. I am Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus. Today's speech will be about..."

Her demeanor was exactly as everyone remembered: joyful and cheerful, and undoubtedly... a just person.

After obtaining the weapon crafted from the head of Albion, Novia's envisioned large-scale purge of the devout Jews in Jerusalem, within the Judea Province, could officially begin.

In the original timeline, the First Jewish-Roman War began in 66 AD. Novia naturally couldn't wait that long and had to begin his plans more than a decade in advance.

However, it wasn't particularly troublesome. After all, the ancient Roman Empire had imposed heavy and burdensome taxes on the Judea Province. Moreover, the previous emperor, Caligula, had demanded that the Jews replace their God with his statue, which had nearly sparked an armed rebellion at the time. Fortunately, Caligula's assassination prevented the uprising.

Furthermore, Judaism was currently in a period of intense national and social conflict. Facing foreign rule and the impact of foreign cultures, Judaism had split into several factions. The most prominent were the Sadducees, who emphasized adherence to the laws of the Old Testament, and the Pharisees, who supported adapting to local conditions and innovation. The religious conflict between these two factions was essentially a struggle for leadership over the entire nation.

The smaller Zealot faction supported the religious views of the Pharisees but opposed their submission to Rome. The Zealots were a radical group that advocated for armed resistance against Roman rule.

Even more radical members of the Zealot faction viewed Jews who collaborated with the Romans as enemies. They concealed daggers beneath their clothing and specialized in assassinating Roman officials, thus earning the name "Sicarii."

Therefore, if Novia were to subtly fan the flames of the "Sicarii" movement and incite increasingly aggressive actions, it would provide a justifiable reason for a purge. In fact, he had already begun facilitating this a year ago...

Ultimately, for Novia, all Jews in Jerusalem had to be killed without exception, to commemorate the Savior, Jesus Christ, who he had widely publicized as having died in 33 AD. All Jews in the Judea Province had to be expelled from the province. And if they did not acknowledge Jesus Christ as the Messiah before being expelled, then they wouldn't need to leave; they could just lie down and atone.

After all, most of these people were radicals, many of whom believed they were superior to others. In the Kitos War of 115 AD, these Jews, who initiated the second war, after narrowly defeating the local Roman garrison and occupying the cities, immediately began massacring innocent civilians of other ethnicities.

The "History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire" quoted the Roman Empire-era historian Cassius Dio, describing:

"They even ate the flesh of their victims, drew out their sinews, smeared their bodies with blood, and wore their skin as clothing; many were sawn in half from head to foot. Others were thrown to wild beasts or forced to fight each other like gladiators, with a total of 220,000 killed."

While Novia did not deny that there might indeed be some good people among the Jews, and that some of those killed might have wronged them in the past, he considered the doctrines of Judaism to be somewhat extreme. It would be better to end it here.

Of course, Novia was also fully aware that these Jews were truly defiant and would not yield easily, especially regarding their religious beliefs. The option to acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah would undoubtedly be a death blow to them, and it was likely that the Judea Province would literally flow with blood.

However, Novia was also well aware that this would undoubtedly earn him a notorious reputation. But so what? He would bear the hardship of the Jews and endure the infamy.

Moreover, as long as he saw it through to the end, after all, two thousand years later, no one from a certain Khaganate had come forward seeking sympathy...

Another Grand Nero.jpg

036: You Messiah, how much is your worth?

Doro Bar Kochba was a leader of the Zealot faction in the Judean region and, naturally, a fervent Jew. He had secretly and extensively propagated the idea that "as for those called Christians, we demand that they deny Jesus as the Messiah upon encountering them. If they refuse, we will first severely punish them, and then torture them to death."

With such a leader, the "Sicarii," who specialized in assassinating Romans and their supporters before fleeing into the crowds, emerged as perhaps the world's earliest assassination group, and it was not surprising.

Although the Zealot faction was currently small in scale, due to their consistent advocacy for armed resistance against the Roman Empire, they had numerous supporters in secret. Because of this support, Simeon had been continuously constructing underground complexes in the Judean mountains, stockpiling weapons and awaiting any opportunity to launch a large-scale rebellion.

Previously, regarding the joint agreement by the Sadducees and Pharisees to make every effort to absorb Christianity, which was gradually developing within the Roman Empire, Doro had been the most vocal opponent. After the people he dispatched were so humiliated by the other side, he dared not retaliate, causing both factions to lose face.

At that time, the Sicarii, led by Simeon, spontaneously went to the nearest place to capture and kill Christians, thereby gaining significant support... However, in reality, Doro was merely putting on a show. What he presented was merely what he considered to be 'Christians' in the local area. After all, in his view, with so many poor people, this was an unavoidable action for the salvation of Jerusalem.

Setting aside the fact that the Judea Province had been firmly controlled by Judaism for so many years, and that over a decade ago, they had deliberately 'executed' Jesus Christ, thus oppressing early Christianity. Although Christianity had risen within the empire in recent years, the magical abilities of the surviving apostles were increasingly potent, and he naturally would not allow his faction to sacrifice themselves in vain.

Moreover, in his view, all places outside the Judea Province were sinful lands, and all those people were inferior beings.

Although the Romans had oppressed them for decades, Simeon was also well aware that his plan required an appropriate timing. This was because the radicalism in the Judea Province was not uniform. For instance, the oppression was most severe in Jerusalem and Alexandria, making the Jews there more radical, while the scattered Jews in other regions were considerably more moderate, as the oppression had not reached them.

Therefore, Doro had been waiting for an opportunity, a moment that could collectively stir the discontent of all Jews—

And today, he had finally waited.

The Roman governor was invited to Jerusalem by the Sadducees and Pharisees to discuss resolving the long-standing conflict between the local Jews and the Greeks...

Idiots! What Greeks! They're nothing but a bunch of unbridled savages! Do they even deserve to live on the same land as us?

It's them who defiled our sacred land!

What happened a few days ago, wasn't it that damned Roman governor attempting to forcibly seize the Temple's gold, and two traitors planning to hand it over directly?

What we must do is kill them!

This is what Doro had told his Sicarii members a few days prior. Doro wasn't worried about information leaks because the requirement to join the Sicarii was that each member must cut off a finger, as a symbol of their hatred for the enemy.

It was already five o'clock. The last rays of the setting sun illuminated everything in the holy city of Jerusalem. This sacred land, which had existed since the Age of Gods, was shrouded in multiple layers of barriers. The Saint Realm, supported by immense magical power, was a protective shield strong enough to deceive natural forces, almost like the world inhabited by the legendary fairies.

It had been this way for thousands of years, and this prosperity would continue forever. The Jews, who considered themselves the chosen people, believed this with all their hearts.

However, this confidence lasted only until 63 BC, when they were conquered by the Romans.

But Doro was supremely confident, because starting today, he would erase this humiliation.

"Oh? And who is this?"

"Your Excellency Governor, this is Lord Doro, who has been elected by all of us to jointly discuss—"

The welcoming party stopped at the entrance. Doro, alone, rushed forward at an extremely fast pace and decapitated the still-smiling Roman governor with a short sword.

"Doro, you, what are you...?"

"Madman! What are you doing!"

"Don't get me wrong, you two running dogs of the Romans!"

With hatred burning in his pupils, Doro lifted the severed head of the Roman governor with one hand.