Chapter 33

And so the twin brothers erupted into conflict. Just like Enkidu and Gilgamesh, the twins fought with all their might. The difference was that during the battle, neither side truly "understood" the other. In the end, Romulus won and survived, while Remus lost and died.

"No, Romulus, I will never allow your Rome to be born into this world. Its birth should never have happened!"

"Why do you say that?" Romulus asked at the time.

"On that day, I saw the Child of Dawn who would fall to the earth. Why, why, bright star, son of the morning, did you fall from the sky—"

This was Remus's reply, his voice devoid of emotion, as if a cold yet lava-like, terrifying pulse lay deep within.

"You have won, but you are also finished. Your Rome, my people, will eventually be dragged into an eternal hell after the changes of the era. The love of the Child of Dawn cannot be conveyed, for it will only be a consuming flame, and ultimately, it will never become the star it once was. The end of desire will only bring ruin, Romulus. You are the true sinner of everything that has arisen from your 'Rome'..."

Thus, upon seeing his brother take his last breath, the one who represented humanity's potential came to understand—

Remus was actually like himself, viewing everything as his own child, the people of Rome.

From then on, Romulus's mental state became somewhat unstable, and his words sounded strange.

Later, members of the Senate plotted against Romulus. During a military review, they made Romulus drink poisoned wine. Due to a strong gust of wind, they brought him into the inner hall to shelter from the wind. Just as they were about to grab daggers and kill Romulus, cutting him into pieces—

"You all want to kill me, but you are all my beloved children, embodiments of glory and shadow."

Blood trickled from Romulus's lips, but he was smiling. To his opponents, he was a terrifying figure.

"I pursue, I yearn, hoping these hands are not for destruction, but to open the darkness of ignorance, to touch the unknown, to exist for the love of humanity."

"Your desires are an arrogant manifestation that dominates all creation, and also the brilliance of humanity dreaming of continuous progress. Precisely because of this... I cannot help but love you."

The man's words remained incomprehensible to everyone, just as they had been for many years since he personally killed his brother, Remus.

Perhaps their assassination attempt was fueled by a desire for power, as well as the perpetual difficulty in understanding Romulus's words.

"As you wish, Remus would have expected this too. From this day forward, I will no longer be human, but will become an Overgod.

However, this is not out of divine pity for humanity, but because I will abandon my human identity and transform into the stars in the sky to bless you, to bless the world, to bless Rome, and to bless everything that loves you."

"Naturally, there will be darkness beneath glory. After experiencing temperance, betrayal, and decline, beyond the waves rising from the sea of blood, O terrifying Babylon, the rebuilding of the Holy City, the acceptance of the kingdom, the seven crowns of the Great Red Dragon, the ten crowns of the Beast from the Sea, the seven heads of red, the ten royal crowns, that woman who is an adulteress and an abomination, it is from the return of affectation and decadence, O Trinity, O unified Beast of three Threes, Seven Heads, and Ten Horns, O Trinity, how terrifying! But so what! That is also Rome! It is equivalent to my sister!"

Romulus, clad in blue, spread his arms and walked into the gale, his entire body instantly radiating golden glory.

"The world is filled with Rome, indeed, O embodiment of glory and shadow, Child of Dawn, your birth is my sin, but it is still Rome. I believe, even if only I think so, it doesn't matter.

I believe that the love of a consuming flame can be conveyed. Therefore, you will surely see, amidst countless defilements, something dazzling enough to shine. My children—Rome."

The golden majesty disappeared into the gale, leaving only the man's laughter echoing for a long time. All that remained was humanity's potential.

"...This is the story of Romulus's life."

The Sibylline Oracle unfolded the distant past in Novia's mind, events of yesteryear.

It happened suddenly on this land of the Apocalypse, as recorded in the Book of Revelation.

Through this oracle and the Book of Revelation, combining the prophecies of both, it is not difficult to see that in the distant past, before Rome was even established, Remus foresaw that the Child of Dawn, born with the sin and evil of Rome, would devour everything, unable to become a star. This was why he engaged in a life-or-death battle with Romulus, ultimately losing and dying.

Afterward, Romulus, due to the Senate's assassination attempt, abandoned his human identity and became an Overgod to protect 'Rome,' but with an opposing attitude to his brother.

Although his words were cryptic, for Novia, these were quite clear. Since Satan and Lucifer in the Type-Moon world were the same being, these twins naturally referred to Nero.

However, Novia was greatly puzzled by the concept of "unreachable love." Hadn't she and Nero been getting along well all these years? They had even kissed. The only thing was, she hadn't told Nero about Melusine yet... Could that be the reason?

Or was it her mother, Agrippina, who was the problem?

Regardless of the reason, Novia intended to find a solution.

062: The Teacher Is Everything, Nothing Else Matters

Drip, drip, drip. Countless drops flowed down from the isthmus, the river gradually seeping into the earth.

Nero looked at her hands and the newly completed canal, letting out a soft sigh.

The moment the canal through the Isthmus of Corinth was opened, the entire scene was filled with solemnity and joy. Sunlight spilled onto the shimmering water, the golden light reflecting the winding curves of the canal. Citizens on both banks rushed to the river's edge, their faces beaming with excitement and happiness.

This canal, planned since the time of Caesar, was successfully opened shortly after Nero's enthronement. It represented a further strengthening of the Roman Empire's central control over Greek commerce.

"Rome!"

"Rome!"

Voices praising the Rose Emperor, this bright, energetic, and cheerful blonde girl, echoed all around.

Nero joyfully raised her hand to acknowledge them. The citizens' approval gave her a sense of reassurance, as it meant her Teacher would surely think the same. Although she was happy, she felt a slight pang of disappointment...

If only her Teacher were here too.

Trying to imagine it was not difficult for Nero.

The sounds, smells, colors, and movements, the words of that person echoed in her ears. It was in a quiet place somewhere, a forest lush with flowers and trees of various colors, with only the two of them. Her heart fluttered wildly, feeling as if she were floating on air, as if she could accomplish anything...

No, perhaps she should stop for now; her Teacher would likely not approve of this.

Novia was undoubtedly the person she loved most in this world, but the gap between them was too vast, which troubled her greatly. Therefore, she always wanted to become someone worthy of his hopes. Then, she wanted to stay by Novia's side as much as possible. However, after learning from her mother that she was actually being controlled, this worry was eliminated.

That was great. It meant she was truly important to Novia. The Teacher's kindness towards her was based on something, which made her feel incredibly fulfilled.

When she was very young, when both her parents were still around, Nero would often have the thought:

I wish I had never been born.

Although she never spoke the words aloud, they were deeply imprinted within the young girl's very being, impossible to shake.

"Hey! Did you go find another man again!?"

Her father's furious shouting, her mother's impatient, dismissive voice.

Memories surfaced of her father sitting drunkenly on the bed, swigging liquor, and her mother standing by with a look of disdain.

From the moment Nero could remember, her home was always filled with anger and volatility.

"And this one too, she's not even mine at all, heh."

Eyes filled with contempt swept over the child Nero like a whip, from head to toe, her tone utterly without mercy or sympathy.

Childhood Nero blinked slowly, breathing quietly, trying to make as little noise as possible.

Her father, reeking of alcohol, clicked his tongue and threw out, "Seeing you annoys me."

"Whatever, get out, get out. Don't let me see the faces of you and your mother, they make me uncomfortable. I wish you were never born."

The man declared in anger, then waved his hand in front of his child as if shooing away a stray dog. Though the corridor leading to the room at the end was lit, it somehow seemed incredibly dark; this home always appeared to be shrouded in gloom.

Even after he died, her mother was exiled, and the young child was cast out onto the streets only to be taken in by relatives, she still lived a life mired in filth.

Living as a guest in someone else's home, the contemptuous gazes, brought on by her mother's debauchery, were like whips, day after day, year after year. Whenever she felt uncomfortable, she would lash out with curses, just venting and relieving stress… She felt this world should never see a resurrection; she always felt it would have been best if she had never been born from the beginning.

I wish I had never been born.

This sentence was like a curse, binding the young girl tightly and forever echoing in her ears.

Many years later, after being traded by her mother to someone she had only heard of as Novia, she didn't hold out much hope, though he seemed like a decent person. After all, these people were all disgusting in private.

This world was a sandbox where disgusting filth existed everywhere she went; it would be best to burn them all to death.

She believed this and prepared to throw herself into the countless amounts of filth this world contained.

However, Novia was overwhelmingly different from what she had imagined and from those she had encountered before.

His gaze, his words, were completely different from anyone the young girl had interacted with previously.

His gaze was always gentle and all-encompassing, without a shred of negativity.

His words were all positive affirmations directed at her, as if spoken solely for her to hear.

He genuinely considered her matters, conveying them to her as much as possible.

Yet, as the girl spent time with him, she found him terrifying. What was his motive?

Moreover, she was terrified of herself, who had grown accustomed to Novia's presence, accustomed to being with Novia.

Because this person wouldn't always be by her side, wouldn't always spend every moment with her. If she developed the false sense of entitlement, and he were to abandon her one day, she was certain she would feel an unbearable emptiness without him by her side.

This change, this unfamiliar emotion, made the girl deeply uneasy. She felt a genuine fear from the bottom of her heart, so she deliberately tried to probe him.

"I'm going to become someone like you, Teacher!"

"Is that what you think?" Novia squinted and smiled slightly at that time. "Though this is just my personal opinion..."

The silver-haired youth began with these words, looking at the girl with incredibly sincere eyes.

"My student, if you need help, please tell me, Domitius."

Hearing Novia's firm tone, the girl, who had been ready to retort, found herself unable to do so for some reason.

"I hope you will remember this."

That person smiled, speaking as if in prayer, as if pleading.

In her life up to this point, no one had ever treated her like this, spoken to her this way.

Although Nero didn't know what he truly wanted from her, she knew that Novia was saying these words for her sake.

Therefore, Nero felt that moment was the new beginning of her life, after having lived through countless amounts of filth.

As naturally as breathing, it bloomed within her entire being—

I love Novia. Teacher is everything. I don't need anything else.

063: The True Loser of the First Century

"Eh, he's already left?"

"Yes, but I don't know where he went."

Time returned to the day after Novia was taken to Armageddon by Melusine.

On the outskirts of Rome, at the Praetorian Guard's encampment, Lucius, who had recently become the leader of the Praetorian Guard, was, as Novia intended, remolding these soldiers to have faith, rather than spending their days indulging in the debauchery brought by their high treatment.

Thanks to Novia's current prestige, coupled with Lucius's announcement that anyone who had issues with him could challenge him to a one-on-one fight, over time, most of the Praetorian Guard were naturally subdued and began to follow him willingly.

However, Novia also knew deeply that even if the Roman Empire would later form an effective management system based on Christianity, and his preached doctrines would solidify the spiritual faith of the Romans, it would only delay the inevitable demise. No matter how much it expanded, the fundamental problems would still exist and cause Rome's downfall; this was something unavoidable.

"Lady Shiyali, you can take a look around the city. As soon as Novia, ah no, His Holiness the Pope returns, I'll let you know."

Lucius moved his feet and walked to the entrance of the Praetorian Guard's encampment, speaking to Shiyali, who had arrived there.

For the purple-haired girl who had lived within the Atlas Institute for many years, she basically knew nothing about what was happening within the Roman Empire. After all, the Atlas Institute paid little attention to these matters, being busy with their own research.

Nagi Shiyali was no exception. If her adoptive father, the Dean, hadn't personally told her that Novia had established an organization called the Holy Church, she would probably still be at the Atlas Institute. Although she was initially confused as to why the Dean was telling her such a bizarre thing, which seemed to have no use for her research.

But then she thought that since Novia was a friend she had finally made, she should at least show her face, so she came. As it turned out, she missed him.

"No need. Since that's the case, I must leave now. I'm still busy with my research..."

Upon hearing this news, Shiyali felt her mind go blank. She stared blankly at the unchanging sky, feeling quite uncomfortable. It was probably because she felt she had spent precious time only to miss him, and this gave her a bad feeling.

However, it was also possible that she was simply anxious and impatient because she couldn't meet the person she wanted to see.

"Is there anything you want to say to him before you go? I'll pass it on for you."

"No, I don't have any—"

"Really?"

Lucius grinned.

After all, he had once been in love with a Druid Priestess who was nearly a hundred years old. Although they were essentially using each other on the battlefield, the Druid had scarred his face before her execution. This scar ultimately caused Lucius to suddenly go blind during a battle, leading to its failure.

He had languished in darkness, living like a walking dead man, until he met Jesus. Finally, he was saved and saw the light again.

More than a decade later, he met Novia and personally witnessed him build Christianity into what it is today, even renaming it the Holy Church.

As for Shiyali, whom Novia had once invited to Britain to research the Dragon of Albion, Lucius had seen through it long ago. Despite the purple-haired girl's outwardly cold demeanor, she actually had feelings for Novia but was simply poor at expressing them, as if suppressed by something.

Therefore, Lucius believed he could still play matchmaker for the two of them. After all, he hadn't seen any other women around Novia. If Novia hadn't refused, he would have introduced some female Druids to Novia in Britain long ago.

"..."

In Shiyali's opinion, Lucius was forcing her to say something to Novia, who wasn't even present. She had already said she had nothing to say, yet he insisted she speak.

The girl didn't understand what this meant; she just felt people were truly strange. Countless people meant countless strange points. If she hadn't resolved, after meeting Novia, to stop using Aether Lines to steal others' perceptions and instead rely on her own feelings, she would have used Aether Lines on Lucius long ago given her previous personality.