Chapter 317

Actually, she was just wondering how Novia would be living elsewhere. After all, as soon as she entered Rome, the current emperor sent someone to take her to the palace, which left Ritsuka a little confused and wondering why this was happening.

To be honest, Ritsuka really wanted to go out for a stroll, but she also knew that wandering around the palace in this era would likely result in punishment if discovered.

That being said, the Orange-Haired Girl still couldn't resist running out in a flash. And since there was no one guarding the entrance, she was able to wander around the Rome palace without any trouble. Then, quite by chance, she saw a blonde girl running hurriedly in a certain direction.

Having nothing better to do and unable to find Novia's residence Ritsuka subconsciously followed the footsteps of the unknown girl.

Afterwards, Ritsuka saw that the place the blonde girl arrived at was Locusta, who had led them into the palace. The blonde girl seemed to be of high status, and Locusta behaved rather politely...

For some reason, Ritsuka also felt a strong urge to go in and take a look, even though she thought it was not a good thing to break into someone else's room without permission, but she couldn't help herself.

Thinking about Locusta's fondness for mushrooms during lunch, she gently tossed the mushrooms she had picked up on the way to Rome onto the ground, enticing the green-haired girl to pick them up... This made Ritsuka feel like she was repeating a Tom and Jerry storyline, but it was obvious that the trick was very effective.

After Locusta had mostly left, the Orange-Haired Girl dashed inside, only to discover it was actually a bathhouse. She noticed that although it was dimly lit, someone was indeed taking a bath. But just as she was about to sneak out, someone called out to her—

"Trespassing in the palace is a capital offense."

"... Huh?"

This made Ritsuka subconsciously turn her head. For some reason, she felt that the previous blurriness had become fainter, and she could make out the figures inside more clearly.

It seems to be a large... small?

The Orange-Haired Girl also heard a soft "Huh?" in addition to the word "death sentence," as if it was a sound of disbelief at the situation before her.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back..."

"Hahaha, no problem, no problem. Chaldea, I... I am accompanied by the Emperor of the Roman Empire, the Second Pope of the Holy Church, His Emperor Nero. We already knew your intentions long ago, so there's no need to worry about it."

"That's right."

Now Ritsuka understood the source of the voices. The one speaking in a long sentence seemed to be Nero's subordinate, the smaller figure, while the larger one was Emperor Nero... the disciple of the Pope Novia.

"Chaldea will be eternally grateful for this..."

Having racked her brains but not knowing what to say, Ritsuka could only utter this sentence before falling into a long-lost silence.

"Ugh? Ugh, ugh... Wait, don't go yet, Ritsuka Fujimaru, aren't you curious about my identity as someone who's by Emperor Nero's side?"

The words spoken again broke through the Orange-Haired Girl's composure as she prepared to leave, causing her to instinctively raise her head, ignoring the faint panting in her voice, and fall into deep thought.

The person who could bathe with both the Rome and the Second Pope, and whose voice sounded like a little girl... could she be a younger sister or something?

Did Emperor Nero have a sister? This is clearly a troublesome question for Ritsuka, a high school senior who doesn't take history classes very seriously.

However, this doubt was quickly resolved, as the voice hidden in the haze continued.

"Actually, I'm an illegitimate child~ Nero and Teacher's illegitimate child, so this is my father? Who is he, and what's his name? I'm really curious..."

Ah?!

Upon hearing the news, Ritsuka didn't know how she got back to the room that had been assigned to her; she felt as if she had returned in a daze.

Although she understood that historical figures were not simply black and white, this news still ignited her gossip-loving spirit.

Nero's Teacher was the First Pope, wasn't he? The fact that these two had this kind of relationship is truly astonishing... And such a thing would be forbidden between people of their status, whether in modern or ancient times... I never imagined these two Pope would actually...

"Fortunately, the Novia Consultant is just someone with the same name; she won't do anything reckless..."

But for some reason, Ritsuka, lying on the bed, sighed.

Then, belatedly, she realized that the voices of the two women in the bath seemed a little strange, but she assumed it was just from taking a bath and then fell into a deep sleep.

In the Main Hall of Alexandria, the Roman Empire of Egypt Province, where the Banner of 'Osiris' had been raised in rebellion, three people were seated.

The three were summoned Servant: the young King of Conquerors Alexander, Alexander the Lord El-Melloi II who had received the power of Zhuge Liang from China, and Pharaoh Ptolemy.

"Our Master is probably using me to do something for His Highness's sake."

"Your Highness... Ptolemy, are you referring to my Future son, the last king of the Argead Dynasty?"

Hearing Ptolemy's murmurs, Alexander Lily asked with great interest.

"Forgive my trepidation, Your Majesty..."

"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. What's the Future to me is the past to you and the present, just like—"

Alexander smiled, glancing at the Lord El-Melloi II, who was smoking in an inappropriate place, his long hair still blowing in the wind. "My Teacher now is this Lord Zhuge, not Aristotle."

The red-haired boy continued.

So let's continue.

"... His Highness the Fourth Prince bears a resemblance to you, Your Majesty. He is a language genius who can understand anything without needing anyone to teach him to read and write, just like you. Therefore, in my—"

The aged Ptolemy seemed hesitant to speak, as if he couldn't bring himself to say what the red-haired boy from Alexander would say next.

"I remember you Ptolemy, were famous during the Wars of the Diadochi for stealing Iskandar's body, which was one of the reasons the wars went so far as to drag on. Ptolemy took Iskandar's body, which was supposed to be sent to Macedon, and buried him in Alexander, which he ruled."

Suddenly, the Lord El-Melloi II, who had been smoking to the side, walked over and said this.

No wonder you look like this, Ptolemy.

Alexander looked like he'd just realized something. "But it doesn't matter, there's a reason for it after all."

"... As this Zhuge said, after I seized your remains, I buried them here and organized my own priesthood, regarding you as the son of Amun, the chief god of Egypt. I merged the Greek God and Egypt pantheons, placing you at the center, making you both the son of Zeus and the son of Ra, the center of mythology."

"Ah?"

Alexander was bewildered.

This is not as simple as deifying oneself.

To do this while the Age of Gods existed—in a sense, isn't this tantamount to creating a completely new mythology centered on oneself?

"Wait, wait a minute, Teacher, did Ptolemy really do that kind of thing?"

"He actually did it."

The Lord El-Melloi II said calmly, "In later generations, although Ptolemy had many great achievements, it was this fusion of culture and religion that left a decisive influence on posterity. Iskandar's conquests initiated the fusion of Greek and Eastern cultures, the so-called Greece. Ptolemy left an indelible mark on history. I can even assert that without him, the world we live in today would be completely different."

These words slid through Alexander's ears.

He already knew that his Future, the conquest of Iskandar, would become the catalyst connecting Western and Eastern mythology, leading to the corruption of many gods.

However, the achievements of this now-friend and Future subordinate, Ptolemy, far exceeded his own expectations.

"That's too kind, Zhuge. I only acted for my own purposes."

Ptolemy looked up at the blue sky and said with emotion, "The Atlas Institute, the Mountain Court, and the Lostbelt Sea, together with me, used the Human World and mythology itself to prepare a grand Ritual Magecraft of the highest level. Although our experiments were conducted together, some key points were kept secret from each other. After all, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to describe us as having ulterior motives. At that time, I was no longer the Ptolemy who followed you, King, to the End of the Sea. Only Eumenes remained true to himself."

"... So it is said that no one dared to call Eumenes king during his lifetime, but after his death, he was surrounded by disloyal and unjust people, right?"

Eumenes the secretary to the King of Conquerors and continued to support the legitimate Royal Family after his death. At that time, no one dared to claim the title of king, but because he was not Macedon, he was despised by his subordinates and generals. Thus, this man who devoted himself to the continuation of Alexander's empire was ultimately defeated by the defection of his own soldiers.

After his betrayal and death, all the governors of Alexander's empire who had previously claimed to uphold the throne of Alexander's son in the name of the nation and the king abandoned their Banner without exception, openly revealing their true intentions and declaring themselves kings.

"Hehe, I don't deny it."

As Servant, one is essentially a 'part' of the original. If the young Ptolemy Independent Manifestation, he would surely berate his older self in front of Alexander for being so disloyal and unjust, and would also call the young Alexander a 'brat' without any restraint. However, time changes a person. If facing the grown-up King of Conquerors, Pharaoh Ptolemy would also call him a 'brat,' but he could not do so to the young Alexander.

This is probably why, despite being able to appear in both states, he only Present World as the elderly Pharaoh to face the young Alexander.

Ptolemy, during the reign of the Pharaoh, was undoubtedly the most powerful myth-maker in Human History. He seized the body of the King of Conquerors for political purposes, while the seizure of Alexander IV's body was entirely for personal gain. Both father and son Ptolemy possessed their own bodies, so why choose Alexander IV as the subject of their experiment?

Since the King of Conquerors had already become a god etched into the Planet, he could only settle for using Alexander IV, who was a 'blank' figure to the Planet, as a model to create a myth from scratch.

That was a true Age of Gods, and his actions were truly influential. The three Magecraft from the East and West also needed Alexander IV's cultural influence.

"Just like Toyotomi Hideyoshi in Japan."

The Lord El-Melloi II continued calmly, "Ptolemy's work undoubtedly forms the basis for the later widely circulated Alexander Romance, which describes Iskandar's underwater voyage and the Alexander poetic style, which, according to the description, is close to the existence of Chief God. And the Library in this city called Alexander is said to be the place where all the wisdom and stories of the world are gathered."

"So, the Master summoned me only to leverage the historical and cultural influence I created?"

"If it were the King of Conquerors, he probably wouldn't approve of the Master's actions."

Lord El-Melloi II gently shook his head. "But you are different. You are the embodiment of possibility itself, Alexander."

"I also understand that the end of Human History means that my own potential will be blocked, so logically I should refuse the Master."

Alexander laughed and said, "But Master's actions remind me of Socrates when I first went to war. Of course, he was already insane back then. How interesting, both Master and Socrates."

"... I don't know how our Master learned of our plan, but it seems that everything that was supposed to succeed in this grand Magecraft has been taken away."

Ptolemy narrowed his eyes slightly.

A hero who gathers all the Wisdom of the world and even recreates mythology.

Perhaps he is worthy of being called the "King of Stories".

Creating a design from scratch that blends Greece and Egypt, including the Persia sphere and surrounding regions, with a fusion of myths and customs, would, if successful, create a vast void that needs to be filled by someone with a 'blank' mind. But like memory saturation, the sheer volume of information could overwhelm a person's life. And what form would this enormous void between the real and the imagined take?

Whether the being who inherited this power was a 'story' or the real person at that time, no one can say for sure.

And the Master summoned them to appear on this land now desires to become that kind of being.

The Divine Body Osiris, Set, Typhon, Ōkuninushi Sun Wukong's fragments, and Divine Body Set, among others, encompass parts of the divine world in a sense. However, such a chaotic collection greatly increases the likelihood of failure.

Therefore, Ptolemy believed that his Master was truly decisive, abandoning many foreign Faith and choosing Egypt, an ancient pantheon that, under his influence Divine Body, had become aligned with the Gods of Greece and Roman Gods on this land.

So what if the Age of Gods has ended? The foundation has already been laid.

So what if he himself had no historical Faith? The young Alexander had already been summoned as a medium, and could even be considered a better vessel than Alexander IV.

So what if the historical culture hasn't yet begun to influence other regions? Those things have already been decisively abandoned.

So what if Alexander Romance weren't widely known? In Egypt, they didn't need to be.

Therefore, Ptolemy was confident that his newly compiled mythology would be born in the first century after the end of the Age of Gods.

The summoned self, the young king, and the Master of Zhuge Liang will soon become a being that encompasses all of Egypt as one, a being that transcends the mythical existence of the Greek God Zeus and the Egypt god Ra, under the unified vision of Egypt and Greece.

The dragon and the bull are one, Unity of All Gods, mythology is one, meaning it encompasses the existence of the entire pantheon.

Osiris, the Egypt pantheon.

In fact, Ptolemy was also puzzled. According to the positioning, "Osiris" or "Zeus" would be better, but this Master was so obsessed with the title "Osiris" that he didn't care much.

However, Ptolemy still remembered being summoned in the square in front of the Submarine Alexandria Library—

The purple-haired girl, whose entire body felt saturated with inorganic matter and who was completely devoid of human emotional fluctuations, spoke to the raindrops dripping from the sea surface:

"Isis... I am no longer the Bird of the Underworld, but have abandoned my duty as Protection of humanity, serving only as that person's final Memorial Stele."

Chapter 363 concerns the fact that the object of his secret crush has Saint and Rome Royal Family lineage.

"And then, as expected, you came."

The following day, in the Rome palace located on the Palatine Hill, where expensive tapestries adorn the walls and Bronze or gold statues decorate the room, the current Rome Nero sits on the central throne, with a huge fresco behind him depicting a triumphant scene, symbolizing the emperor's Supreme Being status.

My teacher told me, "Rome exists in human history and will lay the foundation for children of the Future."

At this point, Nero revealed a sunny smile, "Then, as the Emperor of Rome and the Pope of the Church, I should also Protection you from Chaldea, shouldn't I?"

"I see..."

Mash's conversation with Nero made her understand why, even before they had met, the Rome Nero had sent people to wait for Chaldea outside Rome. It was because the Pope Novia, who mysteriously disappeared in history, told Nero one day that people from the Future would arrive, and that he should go and assist them.

Of course, most people would be confused: how would someone from the past know such things? Could they possibly predict the Future?

Mash readily agreed that the First Pope must have had eyes like Clairvoyance, after all, he single-handedly propelled the Church's development, transforming it from a suppressed state into the state religion of the empire, and making it a major organization that could rival the Mage's Association for thousands of years, Holy Church that still has many members and Faith even two thousand years later.

"..."

However, for Ritsuka, who had heard Nero's voice in the hazy bath last night and was now officially meeting Ritsuka, only one question remained in her mind:

Why does Nero look somewhat like Xiao Xiang's mother?

Ritsuka vaguely remembered the blonde beauty at the Coffee shop at the beginning of the year, who was also the wife of Novia's Consultant. How to put it, compared to Nero in front of her, it felt like she had grown out of her shell. Her blonde hair had grown longer, her thighs seemed to have grown longer, and even her private parts seemed to be... like an enlarged version in every way. However, there were still some differences, such as her face shape, but upon closer inspection, she felt that they were actually quite similar.

Therefore, Ritsuka suddenly had a bold guess—

Could it be that Xiao Xiang's mother has Rome Royal Family blood?

Ritsuka, because ever since meeting Xiao Xiang's parents, she feels that the only thing her junior seems to have inherited is their personality; she doesn't seem to have inherited anything like their hair color or anything else.

"What's wrong, Ritsuka? Why are you staring at me like that?"

Ritsuka's gaze, fixed intently on Nero, was naturally noticed by the Emperor himself.

"Because Your Majesty Emperor Nero, you remind me somewhat of someone I know..."

Ritsuka looked apologetic and said so.