"This was yours to establish. Having taken this path, I was merely safeguarding it."
"...I understand."
Novia listened solemnly to Peter's words, then bent down as Peter placed upon him the 'Keys of Heaven' once bestowed upon him by Jesus the Savior.
Just like the 'staff' Martha had given him, Novia had never considered accepting these things, for their significance to them was immeasurable. Yet Peter looked at him with the same sincere gaze Martha had worn that day—
Trusting him, and proud of him.
There was not a trace of falsehood in it. It was the most natural expression in the world.
It always left Novia's throat a little dry, leaving him unable to find any reason to refuse.
The silent applause of everyone present brought the discussion to an end. They would first compile the New Testament Novia had proposed, then head to their chosen provinces to oversee the development of Christianity there.
This edited New Testament was completed roughly a century earlier than in the original history, though its contents did not differ much: four Gospels, one historical book, and twenty-one epistles.
The only difference was probably that Paul's epistles among those twenty-one contained an additional line: "Titus of Rome is the Saintess after Martha of Bethany," and that it lacked the prophetic book written by the apostle John on the Island of Patmos in 90 AD—the Book of Revelation.
However, during the compilation of the New Testament, Locusta, whom Novia had entrusted Narubareck to find, was finally located.
After learning why he had failed to find this mushroom girl for so long, Novia found it both laughable and heartening. A few years ago, Locusta had learned that becoming a Christian meant getting food and no longer being shunned, so she had directly joined a church in the city and even deliberately changed her name for the occasion.
Saints of the First Century and an Old Man Nearing His End
That day was undoubtedly an unforgettable one for Locusta.
The green-haired girl, who could only live quietly in the forest because she was somewhat mentally unstable, heard that some religion had opened in the city, and that anyone who joined could receive food other than mushrooms.
People in the city always seemed angry and never seemed to have enough to eat. Honestly, Locusta did not like entering the city.
When she was seven, after her parents said those things, she followed someone she did not know.
They had said, "Go with him. We can get money."
So she went with that person, because her parents' angry expressions had been far too frightening. Yet when she left, they seemed to be smiling.
In the end, Locusta had been sold. But she escaped after only a few days, and when she returned home, she found it completely empty.
With nowhere to go, she could only wander along the roads. When hungry, she ate food others had discarded by the roadside, or simply grass and mushrooms. When thirsty, she drank water directly.
In summer, she walked barefoot over scorching roads. In winter, she wore ragged clothes, shivering as she passed through long corridors.
She had thought that as long as she could get money, nothing else mattered. But people in the city were always angry, and they always sneered at the mushroom soup—the one thing she was good at making.
They called her crazy, said she stank, and said she was disgusting. That was why she did not like entering the city.
Though she thought that way, by the time she came back to herself, she had already arrived in the city. The people around her kept looking at her with the same disgusted expressions as always, making her lower her head involuntarily. The embarrassment of being barefoot and the awkwardness of being covered in grime once more filled her heart.
"My friends," said the old man seated at the front of the church, "I know what makes you feel ashamed. But you are wandering down the wrong path, stumbling and making mistakes. You should still strive to be upright people. As Lord Novia said, do everything you can to help those who suffer. When a person's heart is filled with darkness, sin grows there."
"But she's an irrational madwoman! You can't reason with her!"
"Perhaps God wishes for me to be this child's shepherd?"
"She might kill you."
"Kill an old man? What would she gain from that? And what sort of claim is that? Do not speak baseless things in that tone." The old man continued, "Like a doctor, I have patients. I have patients whom others call sick, and then I have patients whom I call unfortunate. That is why the doors of the church should always remain open."
The elderly Christian gently but solemnly tapped Locusta's lowered shoulder and said to her:
"Please come in and sit by the fire. We will have dinner shortly, and while you eat, your bed will be prepared."
As the old man spoke, Locusta unconsciously walked into the church and waited quietly. After some time, as the sky darkened, the old man entered.
"Aren't you going to take a bath?"
"..." Locusta timidly raised her head. "If I don't behave, I'll be scolded."
A trace of sorrow lodged in the old man's throat. He could only sigh and stroke Locusta's head.
"...I'm not an irrational madwoman. I'm not that disgusting..."
The words spilled from her mouth without her control. Locusta began to cry—not silent sobs, but loud, wailing cries like she had when she was little.
"...Sob... sob... sob, sob..."
"You must be suffering. You are hungry and thirsty now, so just stay here at ease."
The old man sat beside her and gently held her hand.
From then on, Locusta lived here with the old man and several children who had already been staying there.
There was a plot of land behind the church, so the children here grew vegetables. Locusta also grew mushrooms to eat.
The old man who had taken her in would often stroll through the countryside or the city, frequently entering broken-down homes to offer blessings, and receiving blessings in return.
The people here always pointed out his residence to anyone in need.
Because he had worn his clothes for too long and did not want others to notice, he always had no choice but to wear a padded robe, even during the scorching summer.
A month in the old man's year was no different from an ordinary hour.
But to Locusta, there was nothing bad about that. It was already wonderful.
Such days continued for several years, until—
"May I disturb you?"
A knock sounded at the church doors.
"Please come in."
The old man calmly watched the person who pushed the door open and entered.
"Greetings, Sir Luke. I am Narubareck. By Lord Novia's order, I have come to take Locusta, whom you have taken in here, to Rome."
Narubareck behaved with impeccable propriety, because in his eyes, the old man before him was a believer worthy of admiration.
Luke, whose original profession had been that of a doctor, was humble and self-sacrificing. He did not flaunt his knowledge or deliberately seek attention. In truth, as a doctor, he could have built a worldly career for himself, yet he had chosen to use his talents to advance the work of preaching.
Luke frowned and looked at him. "But there is no one here called Locusta."
"...Um... that's me..."
Locusta gathered her courage and raised her hand. In her eyes, if it was Lord Novia, whom everyone loved to talk about, then he had to be a good person. There was no need to keep hiding for no reason. Causing trouble for everyone would not do.
"Tuscol? Oh, you reversed your name."
After joining this place, Locusta had somehow decided to change her name. But because she had little education, she simply reversed it.
"All right," Luke said. "It's getting late. You should sleep well tonight and set out tomorrow morning. Oh, Sir Narubareck, I would like to ask something. Paul of Antioch should be in Rome, correct? He sent me a letter not long ago."
"Yes. Sir Paul, Saintess Martha, and the eleven apostles have all been invited by Lord Novia to Rome to compile the new covenant."
"No wonder." Luke moved his lips solemnly, like a man praying or speaking to himself. Then he took two books from his bag and handed them to Narubareck. "Paul asked me to pass these on to him. Since you have come, Sir, you can take them with you."
"Very well."
Narubareck held the two books in his right hand. Their worn condition was obvious from the outside alone. They had likely taken more than a decade to write. As a devout believer, Narubareck naturally understood why this old man had not gone to Rome himself to enjoy such glory. He probably could not bear to leave the local people and the children in the church behind.
At dawn the next day, Narubareck returned to Rome with Locusta and the two books Luke had given him.
After learning about Locusta's circumstances, Novia naturally also learned of Luke from Narubareck.
In the original history, Luke had been the author of the Gospel of Luke and Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament. He was revered as the patron saint of medical workers and hospitals, and because legend claimed that he had painted a portrait of the Virgin Mary, he was also revered as the patron saint of art and artists.
He had once traveled to distant Jerusalem to investigate records of Jesus's lineage. Many accounts of Jesus Christ's life and preaching experiences were recorded only in the Gospel of Luke. The Gospel of Luke contained as many as eighty-two accounts concerning Jesus, as well as some parables spoken by Jesus that did not appear in the other Gospels.
Luke might have learned of John's birth from Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. He might also have learned the details of Jesus's birth and early life from Mary, Jesus's mother. Perhaps the apostle Peter, the apostle James, or the apostle John had told Luke about the miraculous catch of fish.
But perhaps because Novia had rewritten so much history, Luke had not remained by Paul's side as he originally would have. Instead, he had gone alone from Antioch to a city in the province of Gaul, opened a small church, and unexpectedly taken in Locusta, who should have wandered the forest until Agrippina recruited her to poison Emperor Claudius.
"Hello, Locusta. Actually, I only sought you out because I hope you can help me with something."
Novia spoke to Locusta with a warm smile. He did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point. In his eyes, although this child was not in the best mental state, she was still fundamentally a good child.
"O-okay... I'll do my best. It's what I should do..."
Locusta had originally been dejected, afraid that some important person had discovered she had only entered the church for food and that she would bring punishment upon everyone. But after hearing Novia call to her, she suddenly raised her head, her face filled with conviction, though she still lacked confidence.
"This is a poison formula. Can you make an antidote for it?"
Novia took out the poison formula Agrippina had previously given him and placed it in Locusta's hands.
"P-poison... Let me see..."
Locusta was inevitably shocked upon hearing that, but when she learned that Novia wanted to make an antidote, she relaxed somewhat.
Lord Novia must be trying to save someone, she thought.
But the more she studied the poison formula, the more terrifying she found it.
Once made, this poison would be colorless and odorless. It was also a slow-acting poison. When symptoms appeared, drinking it again could temporarily suppress them, but the price was that the condition would worsen more and more...
Still, though it was troublesome, for Locusta—who had taught herself before receiving Luke's guidance, and often liked to cook poisonous mushrooms into soup and eat them by herself—it could be resolved with enough time.
"Lord Novia, I-I should be able to do it in about half a year."
"Half a year? Actually, Locusta, the person I want to detoxify has been drinking this poison for more than ten years. That is the situation."
Locusta's eyes widened instantly.
More than ten years?
It had already seeped into the marrow... What a pitiful person. Who had poisoned them? For so many years? How terrifying.
"Then... then... three years."
After thinking for a moment, Locusta recovered from her shock. In the end, it was simply poison that had accumulated too heavily. As long as she spent more time researching it and the person stopped taking the poison afterward, it would not be that troublesome.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Locusta."
After receiving Locusta's promise, and because the mushroom girl repeatedly asked what else she could do, Novia arranged for her to oversee food safety in the palace. After all, she was an expert in that area.
Now, everything was developing according to Novia's original plans. The spread of Christianity had already undeniably swept across the entire Roman Empire. Only the final steps remained: seize control of the Praetorian Guard, have the Roman Emperor declare Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire, then establish the Holy Church in the world ahead of time and gradually perfect it.
Novia did not hold much hope that the old Emperor Claudius would publicly declare Christianity the state religion. He intended to wait a few years and have Nero announce it instead.
Time gradually passed, and in the blink of an eye, October of 54 AD arrived. Although Novia repeatedly assured everyone that poisoning was impossible within the palace, the old emperor suddenly fell ill in early October and could die at any moment.
It seemed that whether or not he had been poisoned, Claudius's death during this period was inevitable.
Then, on October 12, the gravely ill Emperor Claudius—perhaps experiencing a final burst of vitality—wished for Novia to enter the palace and discuss what would come next.
Thoughts on Going Premium
Ahem. After a month, this book was finally about to go premium.
To be honest, this book's early performance had not been very good. I remember that on the first Monday after the trial period began, I asked my editor, and there were only a little over four hundred readers following it. I thought there was no hope of advancing. The more I looked at it, the worse I felt my writing was. But thanks to all of you readers liking it, the bookmarks gradually rose to second place, and it successfully advanced.
The following readers increased by over a thousand on the second Monday. On the third Monday, which was this Monday, I asked and learned there were over three thousand two hundred. Although that is merely average on CiMao, it is already very good for me.
Let me talk about the upcoming plot. The Rome arc should end at around two hundred thousand words. As for how the protagonist would become the 'Holy Spirit' of the Trinity, you should be able to infer it from the introduction... Christianity in the story currently promotes only a duality.)
As for Beast Nero, she would not be born before the protagonist died. I also think Beast Nero with the Dragon of Albion is incredibly cool. (Nero Obito face.jpg)
As for the modern era, the Root Princess with a chest as flat as her back would naturally appear in Romania.
After that, it should be a choice between the Hun and Japan timelines.
The Hun heroines include Attila and Kriemhild—not someone else's wife—and finally, one of Amor, the Roman god of love, and Black Princess.
For Japan, the heroines are Amaterasu and Yamata no Orochi.
But when all is said and done, I still like that twisted, bloody flavor!
After saying so much, please, I'm begging you, give me a first-day subscription!
This is really important to me!
I do not think I will ever forget this request for the rest of my life. I really will do anything.
The First Roman Emperor to Believe in Christianity
The cold wind howled. For the first time, Rome was so cold and desolate that day.
Before you continue