Does a Minor Cheat Count as a Cheat?

"Lord Novia, Her Majesty the Empress has given an order—"

"Brutus, who allowed you to lead the Praetorian Guard into the palace without authorization?"

Novia's gaze fell upon the Roman Praetorian Guard stationed at the entrance to the imperial palace before he addressed their commander, Brutus.

Ordinarily, the Roman Praetorian Guard was stationed in the outskirts beyond Rome and could only be commanded by the emperor. But Claudius was gravely ill now, so naturally no one could go ask him. Besides, the previous emperor, Caligula, had been assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard.

However, Novia knew very well who had sent Brutus. It was naturally the current empress, Agrippina, who had long since made a fleshly bargain with him. She was merely waiting for Claudius to die so that the person she chose could become Rome's next emperor.

In the end, Agrippina would only allow her own child, Nero, to become emperor. This aligned with Novia's plans, and it seemed he only needed to obey this order and wait patiently.

However, Novia did not believe there was any need for him to back down, nor did he need to spare her any face.

"Brutus, I already know about that little affair between you and Agrippina."

With a stern expression, Novia passed the man and headed straight toward the room within the palace where Emperor Claudius was staying. Not a single guard in the palace dared step forward to stop him. In their eyes, Novia was a living Divine Envoy. Though they had joined the guard for profit above all else, they had no intention of throwing away their lives.

There was no doubt that Augustus had established the guard and granted them rewards three times those of ordinary soldiers in order to prevent another Caesar assassination. Yet a life of extravagance had turned this army into the vanguard for slaughtering emperors.

Take the original history, for example. In 69 AD, Galba, one of the Four Emperors, incurred resentment by attempting to reform military discipline and was killed by the Praetorian Guard after only half a year. More disgraceful still was the emperor auction of 193 AD, unprecedented in human history.

After yet another emperor attempted to "exploit" them, the Praetorian Guard followed their usual custom and killed him, then publicly auctioned off the imperial throne as a means of profit.

"Novia..."

The sixty-four-year-old Emperor Claudius seemed to awaken from a dream, murmuring something in a hoarse voice still rough from sleep.

In the quiet room, he looked at Novia beside the bed as though he were seeing a long-lost friend. A solemn expression appeared on his aged face.

His sea-blue eyes and snow-white hair matched people's image of a Divine Envoy.

Though he was only twenty-one, he was already remarkably composed. The air this young man gave off made people want to approach him and speak with him.

Claudius's room had originally been as quiet as a funeral, but when Novia slowly opened the door, the sounds of nature entered with him.

Birdsong, and the sound of wind rustling through flowers and grass.

"Yes, Your Majesty. I am here. Please, speak."

Novia held the old man's hand without showing even the slightest impatience.

This old man had suffered discrimination and humiliation since birth because of congenital polio. Even after becoming emperor, that had never changed. Yet it could not be denied that he had contributed to the stability of the ancient Roman Empire.

Moreover, he had always treated Novia very well. Though there had been an element of seeking profit in it, without Claudius's support, Novia might not have come this far today.

"...Octavia, Britannicus..."

Claudius called out the names of his children, worry showing in his eyes.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry. I am still here. I am their teacher."

Novia seemed to understand his concern, and his tone softened slightly. Yet what Claudius said next made him pause.

"Baptize me... please..." Claudius calmly endured Novia's gaze, his faint voice like falling snow. "In a moment, help me out... I want to announce... that thing... you have always wanted..."

Claudius's meaning was clear. In exchange, he would endure his severe illness and accept baptism from Novia to become a Christian, then announce that Christianity would henceforth be the state religion of the Roman Empire. His "please" was a plea, because Claudius knew that even if he did not do it, Nero, the person most likely to become the next emperor, would announce it anyway.

But although Novia had earnestly promised to protect his children after his death, Claudius, who had been born into the Roman court, found empty promises far too unreal. He still needed something tangible to exchange for them.

In that respect, this old emperor and Nero shared the same mindset.

"Your Majesty, do you remember what you said when we first met? 'Do not look at the moon. It is not something friendly.'" Novia nodded and smiled. "I have always remembered it, and I am grateful for it."

Claudius hated the moon because his nephew Caligula had gazed upon it and gone mad.

However, Novia understood very well that Caligula's true reason for going mad in the Type-Moon world was that he had seen Diana, Rome's moon goddess and Greece's Artemis. More precisely, he had seen the gradually decaying main cannon of her machine body, which still hung beyond the planet in this era.

The Greek gods in the Type-Moon world were alien mechanical gods. Their true machine bodies had all been destroyed when the Harvest Star Vanguard invaded Earth, leaving behind only their personified divine bodies. Yet destruction was not irreparable, and the Greek gods had used human faith in an attempt to restore themselves. Unfortunately, they had not succeeded before the Age of Gods ended.

Thus, there were the wreckage of Ares's machine god body that had drifted to Japan, as well as the Moon God Machine that had somehow fallen into Japan at some unknown time...

Novia's meaning would have been impossible for Claudius to understand even when he was healthy, but the old man could tell from the silver-haired youth's nod that his request had been accepted.

"Then... help me out..."

On October 12, 54 AD, Claudius I, Emperor of the Roman Empire, announced—

The Roman emperor would no longer serve as the highest priest of the Roman temples, and his subjects were forbidden from making sacrifices to the Roman temples.

He further ordered that all religious activities other than Christianity were forbidden. All subjects of the Roman Empire were to "observe the faith Novia had delivered to the Romans" and "close all sites of pagan worship."

This order made Christianity the Roman Empire's sole legal religion, and Christianity thereby officially became the state religion of the Roman Empire.

On October 13 of that same year, Claudius received baptism from Novia and officially became a Christian, becoming the first emperor of the Roman Empire to believe in Christianity.

That evening, Emperor Claudius, having received baptism, returned to the Roman imperial palace and passed away.

Afterward, without any dispute, seventeen-year-old Nero successfully became the fifth emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

The Day of Nero's Coronation

The Pantheon—

It could no longer be called the Pantheon, because only Christian symbols now stood within it. Nothing else remained.

For in the Roman Empire at present, Christianity was the sole legal religion. All others were pagan faiths.

At this moment, Novia was going to bestow Christ's blessing upon Nero during her coronation ceremony. Nero had wanted to build an entirely new place, but there simply had not been enough time, so they could only use this location for now.

To that end, it had long been decorated with flowers from all four seasons and seasonal ornaments. The overall style was white, and through the windows, one could see the people of Rome participating in the ceremony. This was the final stop, so Novia had to wait slowly for Nero's arrival.

"That human is really full of herself, acting so high and mighty."

Albion, transformed into a young girl, rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window, pouting in dissatisfaction. These days, she generally only appeared when she was alone with Novia. The moment outsiders appeared, she would run back inside.

"This is a big day for Nero. It is only natural that she is happy."

"Hey, did I permit you to say your disciple's name without my consent?"

After turning her head toward Novia, the silver-haired girl shifted her gaze back outside the window.

"...When did we ever make an agreement like that?"

"No, I was merely thinking that I should not have dismissed you as nothing more than a weak human magus back then. I should have killed you and eaten you outright—"

Albion turned back again, looking Novia up and down as though the gesture carried some deeper meaning. A faint trace of bloodlust hid in her eyes.

"How about you take a different form before saying that to me? Otherwise, it feels a little strange."

Novia approached Albion, bent down, and looked into the dragon girl's eyes.

The human's face was too close, yet Albion did not retreat at all. Her bright golden eyes stared straight back at him.

Novia aggressively extended a finger and poked the spot between those golden eyes.

"...What was that just now? Seriously, why does it make me even angrier for no reason?"

Merely being poked by a finger made Albion feel an indescribable embarrassment rise within her. And when she thought of the blonde human below climbing up alone, then of how those two would soon be alone together while she could only watch from the side, the silver-haired girl grew even angrier.

So before Novia could say anything, Albion directly sprang up, tilted her head slightly, buried her face against the young man's neck, and bit him several more times with her sharp teeth. Yet she only bit lightly. Afterward, she tossed out, "That girl is here. I do not want to see her. She makes me sick," before vanishing.

Being nibbled a few times by Albion had become part of Novia's daily life. Whenever she was in a bad mood, she would bite him once. Yet unlike her initial tearing bites, she no longer tore off flesh or drew blood. It was more like a caress now.

Novia looked outside the Pantheon. Nero, the red-clad girl dressed in imperial robes, was walking up the steps one by one. This was the final part of the coronation ceremony.

In the ancient Roman Empire, a coronation ceremony generally involved the new emperor leading the army in a military parade, displaying military strength and the army's support.

Then, after receiving recognition from the Senate and the army, the emperor would deliver a proclamation announcing the accession, explaining the ideals and goals of the reign.

This would be accompanied by grand celebrations, including banquets, contests, and the distribution of rewards. These activities were intended to display the emperor's generosity and power, while also winning the people's support and loyalty.

Finally, the emperor would enter a temple to offer sacrifices in exchange for blessings. But now, Christianity had become Rome's state religion.

Therefore, Emperor Nero naturally had to come here and receive God's blessing from Novia.

Yet no matter how Novia looked, he could not see Nero carrying anything like a crown, scepter, or cloak—symbols of authority and rule. New emperors generally displayed such items to demonstrate their imperial power. Nero was only carrying the Primal Fire Novia had once given her.

However, this was not really a major problem. It was merely an unwritten convention, so not using them was normal as well.

Novia then sat beneath the light streaming through the Pantheon's "oculus" and quietly waited for Nero's arrival. At noon, the sunlight fell perfectly upon the entrance beneath the archway.

When Nero entered the temple at that moment, the dazzling sunlight gathered precisely upon her, ensuring that she would draw every eye.

Novia had not initially thought much about it. Nero had simply said it would look better and better suit her sense of art, so Novia went along with her.

"Teacher, because of something, could you please close your eyes for a moment?"

"Mm."

The blonde girl's voice came from beyond the archway, and Novia closed his eyes as she wished.

"Umu umu, Teacher, you may open your eyes now."

About ten seconds later, Nero's voice rang out again. During that time, Novia had sensed the presence of magical energy. Nero was probably using some kind of magecraft.

Then what appeared before Novia's eyes, bathed in dazzling sunlight beneath the archway, was—

Golden hair swayed gently beneath a white hat, crowned with a Golden Laurel wreath. On the girl's fair face, her emerald-green eyes gleamed faintly like a rippling frozen lake.

Her boots struck the floor with a sharp clack as she approached him step by step.

"Well? Well? I spent so, so long designing this outfit. I am only letting you see it, Teacher. And because you like white, I only used white."

Whenever the blonde girl smiled and spoke, the rose earrings on both her ears swayed along with her.

"It is very good."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Really really?"

"Yes. Without a doubt, I like it very much."

"No, one compliment is not enough. I want a reward, a reward. It has to be a very, very good reward, or I will get angry."

After saying that, Nero, who had already reached Novia, puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips in a pout.

"Nero, you are already the emperor—"

"I do not care about being emperor. I want a reward."

Nero stood on tiptoe, placed both hands on Novia's shoulders, and stared directly at him with eyes like flames.

Looking at the faint blush on the girl's face, Novia kissed her.

"This should be enough, right?"

"Umu, Teacher, you could have continued, but this is very good too, hehe..."

Nero's gaze was like fire, but beneath those flames lay eyes like black mud, ready to devour everything.

Please, Do Not Hate Me

With the end of the new emperor's coronation ceremony, night officially arrived.

After soothing Nero with a kiss, Novia declined the girl's invitation to return to the palace and went back to the home outside Rome where he had lived for several years.

However, the moment he opened the door, Novia saw the silver-haired girl Albion had transformed into staring at him with dark, gloomy eyes.

"Human, you..."

There was not the slightest warmth in Albion's voice. It was so low and piercingly cold that Novia even had the illusion that his body temperature had suddenly dropped.

She usually looked lifeless, but now an even stranger atmosphere surrounded her.

This did not surprise Novia. When he had kissed Nero, he had sensed that the magical energy inside the "spear" he had brought to the Pantheon was about to explode.

Novia had long guessed that Albion was interested in him, but he had previously regarded this Strongest Dragon only as someone to use. It was not until Albion had sincerely done those things for him in Jerusalem that he began to see her as a friend and someone worthy of trust.

As for liking someone and the depth of such feelings, it was naturally not comparable to Nero. After all, he had spent many years with Nero, while this Strongest Dragon was also a tsundere.

It looked like he could only strike first. After making his decision, Novia faced Albion with the same cold expression and said:

"Do not be so willful, Albion."

In the air as tense as walking on thin ice, Novia broke the deadlock.

"Human, what... did you say..."