"Novia, I..."
Shiyali raised her head again and gazed up at the sky. Warm sunlight fell upon her cheeks, its inorganic radiance gleaming gold. It was just like the day she had first met him, when Novia had stood beneath such light and said such strange things.
The girl recalled their first meeting in Alexandria. Come to think of it, today was just like that day—nothing had changed...
She thought idly.
"Sorry, Lucius. Could you go back inside first? I'll give it to you later."
"Okay."
Lucius did not think much of it. He nodded and went back inside.
Afterward, Shiyali took out the gift she had originally intended to give Novia: a stone. It was something she had spent a long time deciding to give him, something she had developed that could record sounds within it.
Although Atlas Institute rules explicitly forbade publicly sharing one's research, the old dean had acted as though he had not noticed Shiyali taking it out to give someone.
Although she could have had Lucius pass on her words, the purple-haired girl still felt it would be better for Novia to hear them directly.
A cold gust suddenly blew past, and her back shivered for no apparent reason. In that instant, she remembered the well-preserved unfinished food she had saved. She had originally planned to return it to him this time...
Her cold fingers rubbed the stone as Shiyali could not stop complaining inwardly. It would have been nice if Novia were here.
Just how long was he planning to stay away? She truly could not understand. Ever since meeting him, the girl felt as though her head had been filled with question marks.
Come to think of it, it was not just now. It would have been nice if Novia were around every minute and every second.
So what she had always felt was that she wanted him to join the Atlas Institute. Indeed, his design philosophy and such suited her tastes very well. But unfortunately, that was probably impossible, since he had already joined another organization.
"Should I really say it..."
The girl held the stone to her lips and spoke in a brief voice, as though talking to herself.
What she wanted to say had already risen to her throat, only to be swallowed back down with her saliva by some nameless emotion.
But the purple-haired girl took a deep breath, ignored the heat on her body, and recorded the words in her heart within it.
"Novia, there's something I want to tell you. Even if you might say you don't need to hear it, I still want to tell you... Congratulations on achieving your goal. You're amazing. And also, I'm really looking forward to seeing you again next time."
I Am Nero's Teacher, and That Alone Is Reason Enough
"Shiyali gave me a gift?"
After returning to Rome from Armageddon, Novia naturally received Shiyali's gift from Lucius before long. He was now turning the stone over in his hand and rubbing it constantly.
Unlike on their way there, Melusine had insisted on returning by ship. Novia understood her thoughts, so he indulged her.
"Shiyali? That purple-haired human?"
Melusine remembered that name well. At first, she had seen Novia carrying this weak person on his back, and that had slightly eased her dissatisfaction over her head being refined into a weapon. After all, she liked people who cared for those weaker than themselves.
But her mindset had now undergone a complete reversal from back then. There was only one thing she cared about—
"Could it be that she likes you too?"
"Don't worry. She and I are just friends."
Novia answered matter-of-factly, reaching out to pinch her cheek.
"Mm, I believe you."
Novia would never lie. He might hide things, but he would never speak falsehoods. Melusine was certain of that.
"By the way, what does this stone do?" Melusine continued. "There's some mana attached to it, but it's extremely faint. Could there be some principle behind it that I don't understand?"
"I don't know either. But no matter what, it's a gift. The thought alone is enough, and I'll keep it safe."
Although Novia knew it was a gift from Shiyali, no matter how he looked at it, it was merely a stone with a trace of mana... Perhaps it carried some kind of blessing from Shiyali.
What he did not know was that although Shiyali had asked Lucius to deliver the stone containing her words, she had not told him how to use it. Whether she had forgotten out of embarrassment or assumed everyone should know such a thing, no one knew.
In any case, Novia did not hear Shiyali's words at this moment.
"It's getting late today, so it's about time—"
Before Novia could finish, Melusine, who had been pressing against his face, immediately climbed into his arms and spread her arms wide. Her golden eyes blinked as if she had seen something novel, and she half-opened her mouth foolishly, seemingly yearning for something.
The dragon was asking for a kiss. She had made it a habit during their return voyage to demand a kiss from Novia before bed every night, the kind where he held her tightly against his body. If Novia could gently bite her long tongue, that would be even better.
Because she had yet to successfully obtain a physical body, after they kissed, Melusine would cling to Novia and sleep with him until dawn, then demand another kiss.
Naturally, today was no exception.
The next day, since Nero was still on the Greek peninsula and would not be returning anytime soon, Novia, having learned the contents of the Sibylline Oracles, went to see Nero's mother, Agrippina, first.
"Lady Agrippina, it has been a long time."
"It's you, Novia."
The last time Novia had seen her was at Nero's coronation ceremony. Other than that, they had barely met, and Nero did not allow her to take part in political affairs.
Sunlight streaming through the windows of Agrippina's residence was swallowed by the boundless darkness within, unable to stir even the slightest ripple upon the snow-white walls. The place was like a coffin sitting in this secluded corner, filled with oppression.
"No matter how I look at it, Novia, you're truly pitiful."
Silence passed. Rather than ignoring her, Novia was waiting to see what this woman would say next.
"Ahahaha, because that child, that doll-like child, is already the master of this great empire. Such a cute child, my child." Agrippina held her face in her hands, revealing a sickly smile as though speaking to herself. "I truly love her."
"Ever since I returned from exile, I decided that I would make dear Nero emperor. For that, I could do anything, I would do anything, I could persist forever. To have possessed a desire to swallow everything since childhood... What a truly adorable doll..."
Novia watched her expression shift endlessly between tenderness, madness, and terror.
"No matter what, you are still her mother."
"Yes, I am her mother. She has my blood in her veins, Agrippina the Elder's blood, and Julia's blood as well. That is why you are the most pitiful one, Novia."
Agrippina the Younger burst into hysterical laughter.
"An emperor is one who rules all things in place of the one in heaven, who has everything in her grasp, who is granted everything and permitted to do anything—the god upon the earth!"
Then Agrippina looked at Novia with mocking eyes.
"Nero cannot possibly be changed. Look, prosperity reflects upon the empire and has ultimately summoned her. Right now, she has merely mistaken her madness and desires because of what you did. She only likes you.
"And because I understand that, you are the most pitiful one, Novia. When the time comes, either she will kill you, or you will kill her. Hahahaha, I have always, always been waiting for that day to arrive."
Julia, Octavian's daughter, had been exiled by Octavian for promiscuity and adultery.
Agrippina the Elder, Julia's daughter, had been exiled for treason and sexual misconduct until she starved to death.
Agrippina the Younger, after her husband died, failed to seduce her brother Caligula and then attempted to assassinate him. After the plot was exposed, she was exiled. Later, after returning to Rome, she bewitched the richest man in Rome and had him marry her. Before long, he died. Finally, she seduced Emperor Claudius.
Judging from the experiences of those three, every one of them had lived in extreme debauchery. It could even be said that each was worse than the last.
Therefore, ordinarily speaking, Nero now should have—
"You must be thinking of something that makes you happy, aren't you?"
Novia suddenly spoke with a smile in his voice.
"Agrippina, actually, that was only a very small fact, perhaps one anyone might overlook. Nero did indeed lose her smile once. That was all."
"For a moment, your words gave me the illusion that Nero was bound to be this way because she was your child. But she is not. She is not Julia, not Agrippina the Elder, and certainly not you. She is Nero. That is all."
"She will choose her own life. Even if her past cannot be changed, I will accept it. I will bear all of it. That is all."
"I am her teacher, and that alone is reason enough."
Teacher, Please, Don't Abandon Me
Six days before Nero was to return to Rome, after the canal through the Isthmus of Corinth had been completed.
That day was cold and overcast, the kind of gloomy day where darkness seemed mixed with white clouds from the very morning.
"It's raining, Locusta."
"Ah... yes, Your Majesty."
Nero drank the mushroom soup Locusta had prepared while watching with interest as rain began to patter into puddles reflecting the gloomy sky. The ripples that spread out collided with one another, then soon vanished as though melting away.
"I wonder whether it's raining in Rome too. Rain at this level should not cause the rivers to flood, but even if it does, it won't be a problem at all."
"Is that so..."
At those words, Locusta slowly turned her head, only to see a gentle face suddenly enter her sight.
No one knew what Nero had thought of, but the corners of her lips had curved upward, and her expression was incomparably gentle and calm.
"Locusta." Nero spoke with a smile. "Can you guess why?"
"Mm... Is it because of Lord Novia?"
"That's right, that's right." The Rose Emperor replied with a smile. "Teacher is like a sea of stars amid endless dark mud. He is incredibly, incredibly important—not only to the empire, but to me as well. In any case, he is important."
Locusta did not understand what the emperor was saying for a moment, but she figured Nero was probably praising Lord Novia, she thought.
As they spoke, mist-like rain continued to fall quietly from the sky. Locusta and Nero both fell silent for a while, gazing at the world before them. Beyond the faintly trembling drizzle, the dark city stretched endlessly, and not a single figure could be seen from here.
"Locusta, this is for you."
After a while, Nero called to her again and handed her a bottle from her person containing only a few drops of something that looked like water.
"This is..."
Locusta looked puzzled. At that moment, Nero suddenly spoke clearly.
"This is poison. You must use it as a basis to make a poison that is stronger and easier to use for controlling people."
"...Your Majesty, isn't this..."
Although Locusta knew she should not refuse, since the person before her was the emperor, she could not think of any appropriate words.
Unsure whether it would displease Her Majesty, Locusta became anxious and glanced at Nero's expression. The blonde girl, however, continued to give her a cheerful smile.
"This is an order, not a request."
Such terrifying eyes. This was the first time Locusta had seen the ever-cheerful and lively Nero possess such frightening eyes, as if they could swallow everything, eyes like black mud.
When she was watched by that gaze, even though Nero was smiling, Locusta felt as though she had instantly begun floating within some vast whirlpool, as if invisible tides had risen around her.
Thus, in her fear, Locusta could only nod silently.
"Wonderful. I have always wanted to do this, and doing it now is still not too late." Nero tilted her head with a smile. "Though this should only have been enjoyed by me alone, you need to use it to make better poison, Locusta, so I permit you to have a taste."
Upon hearing that, Locusta's first thought was, No. But another thought immediately sprang up in her mind: Her Majesty has become so strange, so unfamiliar.
Yet despite that, Locusta, who had long since been scared out of her wits by Nero, still obeyed. She lightly dripped a drop of water from the bottle onto her hand and put it into her mouth, intending to analyze the poison. For some reason, it felt subtly familiar... But genuine confusion arose within her as well.
Locusta did not know how to answer. Was Her Majesty deliberately toying with her, or did she truly not know?
So she fell silent. Beneath the faint lamplight in the room, Nero could be seen still wearing a smile, as though liveliness were her true nature.
But because Nero's gaze was too terrifying, Locusta finally resolved herself to speak.
"Your Majesty, I find this very strange."
"What is it? Could it be that even you cannot do it?" Nero looked confused.
"No, it's because this has no poison in it at all..."
The atmosphere around them fell silent in an instant. Only the indistinct misty rain continued drifting down quietly from the gray sky, while the darkness brought by the overcast weather stretched endlessly and spread outward through the drizzle.
No one knew how much more time passed.
At last, Locusta secretly raised her head and glanced at Nero. Her heart nearly stopped beating, because tears fell from Nero's black-mud-like eyes like pearls from a broken string. She was crying soundlessly.
I want to help Her Majesty. No matter what, I want to stop her from being like this. Locusta racked her brains over what she could do now, and concluded that she should let Nero cry alone to her heart's content. Perhaps she had said something wrong.
"...Hehe."
Nero suddenly gave a small laugh, then moved her lips slightly. It looked as though she had said, "Sorry, thank you," but Locusta had no proof.
"You may leave. I'm a little tired..."
The sobs she was desperately suppressing showed no sign of stopping.
"Mm, all right..."
After Locusta left, the girl's sobbing instantly grew louder, passing through the dense clouds, reaching the distant horizon, and dispersing into the atmosphere.
Before you continue