Chapter 316
Novia paused, then continued to the two, "However, from now on, please don't call me by that name. After all, this era is somewhat special, and we want to avoid causing any unnecessary disturbance."
"That's true. I remember the history books saying that the First Pope, the founder of the Church, mysteriously disappeared the year before."
Ritsuka nodded thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, I remember some historical supplements mentioning that during the Middle Ages Renaissance, someone wrote something to mock the Church, saying that this Pope was actually killed by the Second Pope, who seized power or something..."
"Senior, it's best to be careful with your words and actions in this day and age."
Novia didn't react much to Ritsuka's words, but Mash kept giving her warnings.
"Oh, right, I almost forgot, sorry, sorry..."
The Orange-Haired Girl smiled somewhat shyly, then continued to ask.
"So what should we call our Consultant Novia?"
Just call me--
Novia looked up and saw a clear blue sky without a single cloud.
"Ming Weiya."
Before long, after traversing idyllic scenery and witnessing the shadows of villagers filling the fields, the three arrived at the gates of Rome. The place where they appeared wasn't far from Rome; it only took an hour or two to walk there.
However, just as Novia, Mash, and Ritsuka, disguised as humans, arrived at the gates of Rome, Great Gate heart of the Rome...
Seemingly eyeing Ritsuka and Mash's strangely dressed green-haired girl, he led the Rome soldiers forward with an arrogant air. Although he was much shorter than the two of them, his imposing manner was in no way diminished.
Well, this gave Novia a sense of déjà vu. When she and Lucius first came here, their fame led to them being imprisoned by Rome Polytheism nobles, who then waited three days for Claudius, the Britain British emperor, to come looking for them.
It was as if everything was still vivid in my mind.
"You're from that Chaldea thing, aren't you?"
Locusta asked this question.
To be honest, Locusta was unaware that a few days ago, His Majesty, far away in New Rome, had sent a message saying that two girls dressed in very strange clothes would arrive near Rome in a few days and that he should bring them into the palace. She had just returned.
Locusta couldn't understand how Nero could remain so calm in the face of the Osiris rebellion in Egypt Province, simply sending Lucius to deal with it while continuing his construction work in New Rome. Locusta was certain that Nero, upon hearing this news, must have been in an exceptionally high mood, a mood he hadn't felt since Lord Novia's departure...
"... What is your name?"
Upon realizing this, Locusta suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity with the person standing next to the two Chaldea members, who was wearing a mask and hat and had some silver hair showing. Fortunately, Novia had already prepared a falsetto, but just as she was about to answer in a slightly rough voice, Ritsuka stepped forward and answered her.
"This person is named Ming Weiya, Consultant to Chaldea. I am Ritsuka Fujimaru, and that is Mash. Now that we've introduced ourselves, you should too."
"Tsk."
Locusta glanced at Ritsuka with slight displeasure, but remembering that these people were His Emperor Nero's distinguished guests, he remained obedient. "I am Locusta, a subordinate of the great His Emperor Nero, in charge of the palace's food security. I am here on His Majesty's orders to bring you into the palace. His Majesty will be seeing you soon, so be prepared."
After saying that, the green-haired girl turned and left without looking back, leaving Ritsuka and the others with no choice but to follow her into Rome.
The scene unfolded before Novia's eyes: from the bustling semi-circular Theater to the vibrant colonnaded square, from the port market teeming with merchant ships to the pilgrimage avenue teeming with carriages and horses, from the wide, open cobblestone streets where merchants and travelers crisscrossed, to the rows of apartment buildings where citizens laughed and played.
Everything seemed so familiar, and the rebellion in the Egypt Province that I had heard from others felt like a distant memory. Come to think of it, it made sense; after all, it was the capital of a country. If even this place was in turmoil, the country would probably be facing destruction.
Soon, under Locusta's guidance, Novia and the others were separated and assigned to their residences in the palace. However, just before nightfall, Locusta knocked on the Great Gate of Novia's room.
"Your Excellency, His Majesty has something to discuss with you..."
"Are they back already?"
"Yes... but judging from the situation, it should still be a few Tokiomi away."
For some reason, Locusta's tone became subconsciously reserved, probably because his previous guesses were confirmed by Nero's attitude.
"It won't matter, take me there, Locusta."
"Yes!"
A short while later, Novia, who had been led by Locusta to a certain part of the palace, frowned slightly as she looked at the building in front of her.
"Public bathhouse?"
"No, no, no, this is His Majesty's private space. It's said to have been built using the techniques of that Magecraft from the Atlas Institute. Perhaps His Majesty was too tired, after all, to see Your Majesty..."
Halfway through his sentence, Locusta suddenly changed his tone, "Your Emperor Nero, how could you possibly meet me in such a setting? It's hardly proper behavior. Please allow me to go in and fetch Your Majesty—"
Locusta probably said that because he saw Novia frowning, so he said it to make things a little more harmonious between the two who were about to 'meet'.
"It's alright, I'll go in."
Novia went straight into the bathhouse, and Locusta dutifully stood guard at the door.
The night is long. What will happen between Lord Novia and His Majesty Emperor Nero in the bathhouse? Damn it, I should have put more nutritious ingredients in the dishes I made for her today. If only His Majesty had told me sooner...
At first, Locusta was also curious as to why Novia didn't just tell him her real name and instead used a pseudonym.
She quickly concluded that it was probably to avoid causing Nero any trouble. After all, His Majesty was both Pope and Emperor because of Novia's disappearance a year ago. If he had revealed his real name then, the soldiers probably wouldn't have been able to stop him, and soon the entire empire would have known that Novia had returned and would have been thrown into a frenzy.
So, Lord Novia is still a good person as always...
"Locusta!"
"Yes!"
Just as Locusta was lost in thought, Nero's voice suddenly came from the side. She had been shouting into the bathhouse, but then realized it was coming from the other side. Turning around, she found a panting Nero standing in front of her.
"Is he inside?"
Nero's tone left no room for argument, which made Locusta nod subconsciously.
"That bastard of mine..."
The blonde girl then ran inside.
At the same time, Locusta was puzzled: This is His Majesty, but who is the His Majesty inside?
Earlier, after Novia stepped into the bathhouse, she immediately sensed an Od, natural circulation and the atmosphere created by the internal environment.
Steam filled the air, like a light veil enveloping the entire space, making everything appear soft and blurred, as if each breath carried a hint of dampness.
As Novia continued forward, she could see that the water in the bathing pool was obscured by a thin, upright curtain, all shrouded in a layer of mist, with water droplets slowly sliding down it, forming tiny trails.
"Why don't you kneel before the emperor?"
Nero's voice emanated from within the bathhouse. In Novia's view, the light slowly spilled down from within, perfectly outlining every detail, and the emperor's figure was thus vaguely reflected in the misty steam.
Do you need to wear clothes when taking a bath?
Novia did not step forward, but simply asked the question calmly.
"Hmm, because I'm still the Pope, I have to dress appropriately for all occasions..."
Inside the bathhouse, Nero, with her back to Novia, stood up, swirled a handful of water in her hands, and poured it directly over her head while gently shaking it. With each shake, certain parts of her body would sway along with it, and her voice was full of provocative tones.
"Where's your robe, Teacher? And for our meeting today, I even specially altered certain parts? Teacher, would you like to guess what they are? They're some of my most precious parts from before I was emperor, before I was Pope, before I was a student, before I was Saintess?"
Novia simply shook his head at the temptation, but just as he was about to speak, a voice came from behind him that was exactly the same as Nero's in the bathhouse.
"Teacher!"
Upon hearing this, before Novia Future speak after turning around, Nero rushed up and hugged her, then quickly and gently licked Novia lips.
"Heh, wasn't I being a bit too hasty? It was just a few words from me and you're already so agitated?"
Nero emerged from inside the bathhouse, his body still dripping with water, deliberately posing as if pressing down on his protruding parts.
"Shut up, I don't think you're like me, cutting Divinity clothes into this shameless shape..."
"Look at what you're saying. I know what kind of person I was back then. You're just suppressing yourself now."
Looking at the two identical Nero, Novia understood: one was the Nero of the present day, and the other was Draco, whom she had reunited with before the Human Order Incineration, whom she had arranged. And the one who had just seduced her with a hazy allure was Draco.
This also explains why Singularity that originally existed in another era reappeared in Rome after the events in France. It was probably Draco's doing, since it would have been quite easy for her, as First-Rank Planetary Class, to steal the Holy Grail.
"Oh dear, Teacher? Did I do something wrong?"
Perhaps sensing the man's meaning from Novia's eyes, Draco continued with a seductive smile.
"Do you want to punish me? But I won't be punished so easily, after all, I am both the emperor and the Pope, how can I be easily punished~ right, my Pope?"
Chapter 362 The Egypt God.
So the Holy Grail is with you?
Ignoring Draco's seductive voice, Novia answered in such a rational tone.
"I haven't touched the Holy Grail..."
Draco's lips, as if painted with bright red lipstick, naturally pressed against Novia's neck. "Or rather, Teacher, you abandoned us and suddenly headed to Chaldea in Antarctica... were you playing some kind of nurturing game? That Kisshouin girl is also quite unhappy, saying she's Savior too~"
"Hello!"
Nero's voice came through, "Uh, 'I'—stop it!"
Meanwhile, Nero, not to be outdone, moved closer to Novia's nape, meeting Draco's provocative gaze with a look full of displeasure.
Although Draco could easily transform into other forms, why does he still prefer to meet his original self in this form?
It's probably just that I find it very exciting. Even though it's supposed to be me, my past self, I feel that making my past self Jealousy is a wonderful thing.
"But we don't need to worry about whether that brat saves the Savior or not."
Draco slowly leaned forward, a pleased smile on his face, his lips pressed tightly together. "Since I'm here now, I'll accept the Teacher's compensation."
"... Okay then."
And so Nero witnessed firsthand how his future self kissed his Teacher, whom he hadn't seen in so long.
This immediately made Nero was holding Novia, very, very unhappy. He subconsciously gripped Novia's waist tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Wrath surged into his heart, and he could not tolerate this, even if it was him. He had an impulse to kill Draco.
"The feeling it brought was truly wonderful; my chest felt as clear and comfortable as if the sky were blue, and my body was dominated by this long-lost numbing pleasure. These two sensations combined to give me an intense pleasure."
Draco's smile was direct, an emotion Nero had long understood: the willingness to give up everything for his Teacher.
So, in order to counter Draco, Nero began to move her slender fingers, grabbing the hem of Novia's clothes. Novia initially wanted to stop her, but considering Nero's situation, she acquiesced.
Nero looked at Draco with a smug smile. As his clothes were undone from bottom to top, his ideal body was revealed, along with Desire that Nero could not resist. Just touching him made the emperor feel a sense of satisfaction and happiness.
Suddenly, Nero understood why Draco that way... He really did want to... It's true, he was meant to be...
"We should stop now, someone's coming."
Just as Nero was about to make his next move, Novia's voice rang out, causing Nero and Draco to stop what they were doing.
"That must be Ritsuka Fujimaru."
Draco smiled slightly. "Looks like a student like me, a student of the Teacher, someone with the same traits as Kisshouin, right?"
"So how do you explain having two versions of yourself?"
Nero, barely maintaining his composure as both emperor and Pope, asked this question.
"This is up to you, after all, you are now the Rome here."
After speaking in such a provocative tone, Draco pulled Novia into the bath, leaving Nero veins bulging, on the shore. At this moment, she felt not only annoyance towards Draco but also towards Novia; after all, in her view, given her Teacher's abilities, how could Draco have pulled her in unless it was voluntary...?
Dissatisfaction overcame reason, and Nero chose to jump directly into the bath.
She doesn't care about any of that! She shouldn't think she's so easily fooled!
Earlier, in Ritsuka's room.
Thousands of rays of light right beneath your eyes are vying for attention with the Twilight.
Streetlights, traffic lights, the Od lights in the Theater provided by Court Mage. Lanterns held by people, or the Lake in the park, the shops on the road, the jewelry on people's bodies.
And, somewhere in the Rome palace, perched atop one of the many buildings that stand like testaments to vanity.
The girl looked down at the street from one of the windows, her sunset-colored hair tied to one side slightly touching the windowpane.
"It's very beautiful."
Rome —I'd heard of this city and country more than once. For Mash, who had never left Chaldea and therefore wasn't particularly impressed by modern architecture, Ritsuka found this night view, even though it was a scene from thousands of years ago, to be full of vitality and energy.
It is as if the place where people live has never changed, a place of ever-expanding dreams and hopes, an endlessly growing vortex of desire and karma.
More than two thousand years ago, this was one of the world's largest cities, the most dazzling, bustling, magnificent, and also the most terrifying City in the country.
Ritsuka continued to look out the window.