Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"The age of God is over."

"Use magic? But don't forget, there were tens of thousands of Roman magicians who participated in the British Expedition. Even the slightest fluctuation of magic would be detected."

"Who told you I was going to use magic? It's a genuine miracle."

........

In central Britain lies an oak forest shrouded in fog, a kingdom that, even into the twentieth century, rejected by humans and animals alike.

In one corner of this island, there exist many mysterious entities, ancient life forms that have continued for countless generations.

At this moment, Novia was standing on a mountaintop here, and not far below him was the British expeditionary force led by the current Roman Emperor Claudius I.

The silver-haired boy looked at the hastily made hot air balloon and the silver powder and other items that had been prepared for a long time with a slightly nervous expression.

Novia's idea stemmed from the legend of Constantine. Three hundred years later, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity after seeing four enormous, fiery red crosses suddenly appear in the vast sky the night before a battle, accompanied by the following words:

With this, you will achieve great success.

Thus, Christianity officially began its journey to become the state religion of the Roman Empire.

"Success or failure depends on this one move."

Despite saying that, Novia's expression remained calm. Of course.

Because it's just a very common question: do people regret what they did, or do they regret what they didn't do?

Ultimately, even Novia herself couldn't say whether she could succeed, because the more ancient and mysterious the Type-Moon civilization was, the stronger its scientific and futuristic aspects became. And the "present" of the first century AD was just in a period of decline. Moreover, the Type-Moon Age of Gods was a more advanced civilization than two thousand years later, which made things very complicated.

However, Novia also had a backup plan: if she failed, she would immediately dig up the corpse of Albion's dragon and look for any useful treasures to save her life.

"rush!"

Thus, at dusk, the Roman expeditionary force and the allied forces of the twelve British kings witnessed together—

004: A New God Descends!

As the last rays of the setting sun slowly disappeared below the horizon, the new moon hung high in the dim, yellowish sky.

The Roman expeditionary force, arriving by sea, is about to engage in a decisive battle with the British allied forces the following day.

The Roman expeditionary force consisted of 50,000 men, divided into five legions, plus an equal number of supply corps.

"This is what you call a great situation? These barbarians are practically attacking us! What kind of commander are you, letting the enemy get so close?!"

At this moment, in the Roman camp, Emperor Claudius I was cursing at the silent commander before him.

Judging from his appearance, Claudius I, who unexpectedly became emperor at the age of fifty, did indeed have a noticeable illness. He could only walk by supporting his legs with his hands because one of his legs was bent and deformed.

From a later medical perspective, it was most likely a sequela caused by improper treatment of polio, but in the first century AD, most people would simply think that this person was punished by heaven.

"Your Majesty, tomorrow is the decisive battle. We hope Your Majesty will step forward and, in the name of Ares, the God of War, inspire morale..."

As the Roman commander Proutti watched the expressionless Emperor Claudius speak, he became increasingly hesitant. After all, his emperor could barely walk properly; how could he be expected to fight on the battlefield? It would be a miracle if he could even shout a few times.

But Proudy had his own grievances. A year and a half ago, he had followed the emperor's orders to launch an expedition to Britain. At first, the situation was indeed very favorable. It did not take long to occupy most of the coastal areas and quickly penetrate into the inland areas, sweeping through most of the plains and forests of the British Isles in a short period of time.

Logically speaking, such a smooth process should be like—

Monsters from the south landed on the British coast.

An unspeakable murderous tyrant is closing in on Colchester.

The despicable Roman barbarians entered Southampton.

Roman general Plauti conquered southern Britain.

With everything looking very promising, only the final step remains—

His Majesty the Supreme Emperor has arrived today on his faithful island of Britain.

Unfortunately, the Roman expeditionary force encountered great trouble in the final step and was surrounded by the enemy.

Although Emperor Claudius did indeed have the idea of ​​reaping the rewards, which was normal, after all, it was to consolidate his rule. However, he also knew that he was not capable of commanding the battlefield, so he did not strip Proudy of his command authority, but waited for the supreme military merit to fall on his head.

However, as expected, something unexpected happened.

According to today's scouts, the British Allied forces, who had been routed, somehow managed to recruit Picts, who possessed strong physiques and were sometimes even referred to as giants, as well as some large magical beasts that retained a strong sense of mystery.

Now, the 50,000-strong Roman expeditionary force is being driven to the brink of defeat by the combined forces of the twelve British kings, numbering approximately 90,000. The Roman army is unable to advance, and retreating risks a rout, with the possibility of total annihilation.

“Prouty, you should understand better than me what the consequences will be for you and me if we lose tomorrow’s decisive battle.”

Claudius said quietly, "If the expedition to Britain fails, not only Proutti, but he himself will also be held responsible. Forget about the throne, whether he can even survive is unknown. The casualties of 50,000 people will be enough to cripple the ancient Roman Empire, which has just experienced Caligula's madness. The hidden factors of unrest in various places will start to emerge again, and magic, sorcery, and mysteries beyond human intelligence will bare their fangs of destruction at the ancient empire that has continued to this day."

Therefore, although Claudius can now escape with the help of magicians, it will still be difficult to keep this news hidden, because there are also magicians in the British allied forces. The Roman army may still think that the emperor is still alive and there is still hope for victory, but once they know that even the emperor has run away, their morale will probably collapse instantly.

".....clear....."

Then, Claudie ignored Proudy and returned to his residence.

"O Roman gods, may you bless your children to victory! Ares, god of war, let your glory shine upon Rome once more!"

Claudie closed his eyes and prayed. Although he didn't particularly like God, he desperately hoped that God would actually appear.

For some unknown reason, the mysteries of various places have been disappearing rapidly since more than forty years ago. The gods who walked on the earth a hundred years ago have also stopped appearing, as if all the previous deeds were illusions. It is as if in an instant, the planet has entered the human era from the age of gods.

"Report, Your Majesty, news has arrived from Rome that the strange creature from the province of Anatolia—"

"Enough, don't spread their backstabbing and scumbag affairs here."

Claudie waved for the magician who had brought the message to leave, indicating that he didn't want to hear any more of this boring, rubbish news.

Claudius practically knew the news by heart; it was the same old story of Christianity spreading everywhere, donating grain here one day, building churches there the next—all that miscellaneous stuff. He didn't want to hear anymore, because the most pressing issue was the menacing 90,000-strong British army...

"What's that noise? Could it be those barbarians launching a night attack?"

Claudie, who was resting his chin on his hand, suddenly heard a sound outside the camp, but it quickly subsided.

This made the emperor incredibly curious, wondering what had happened. So much so that he didn't even ask the magician who was delivering the information, and just walked out on his own. Then, following the gaze of the crowd, Claudius subconsciously looked up at the sky. In fact, because of his nephew Caligula, he disliked the moon goddess Diana very much, so he rarely looked at the moon at night.

However, upon looking up with everyone, the emperor finally understood why, despite the surging crowds, the tightly packed baggage train, and the sounds of the unknown, which should have created a bustling and noisy atmosphere, no one uttered a single word; they simply watched silently.

A ray of sunset was slowly disappearing below the horizon, and the new moon hung high in the dim, yellowish sky. Under the sky where the sunset and moonlight met, a huge, clearly visible, fiery red object appeared.

"Hmph, is this some kind of barbarian magic trick? They actually want to use it to influence us."

Emperor Claudius, quickly regaining his senses, asked the magician beside him. As the Roman emperor, he naturally understood that only magic could create such a scene at that time.

However, the court magician's trembling voice revealed to Claudius an unbelievable truth.

"No, no, Your Majesty, there is no fluctuation of magic there, it's just a pure, untouched scene..."

"What!? Look again, are there any unfamiliar magical beasts in the sky?"

"Your Majesty, no, there really is nothing there, just the same scenery as always, it's like pure..."

The magician swallowed hard, a sound he hadn't heard in a long time, and didn't utter the last few words.

But Claudius knew very well that the last few words he couldn't utter were 'miracle,' so he remained silent. Presumably, the Roman army and the British allies were silent for the same reason—

Is this a re-enactment of the glory of Romulus, the supreme god of Rome?

Or does it originate from the great power of the ancient British islands themselves?

Both sides remained silent, silently praying that this long-awaited 'miracle' belonged to their side.

The evening breeze, carrying a hint of chill, brushed against the face of the Roman Emperor Claudius, causing him to shiver involuntarily. He continued to gaze at the strange object slowly forming on the horizon. In truth, he already felt that this could not possibly be a miracle of the Roman gods, because although it was not yet fully manifested, it was completely different from the symbols of the Roman gods he was familiar with... so it could only be the one opposite.

Claudius was extremely disappointed, as were the Roman soldiers, because it was not the symbol of Ares, the god of war they believed in. If things continued like this, it seemed that the Roman army might be on the verge of collapse.

Just as Proutti was about to make one last desperate attempt, the colossal thing in the sky was finally fully revealed—

The power born outside of common sense is dazzling, but it has no power to destroy the world; it is simply blinding.

"what is that?"

Claudius murmured the question, for the five fiery red crosses faced the Roman army, and these words appeared before them:

With this, you will achieve great success.

"Your Majesty, the only religion in Rome that uses the cross as its symbol is Christianity."

The court magician explained to the emperor from the side.

"..." Emperor Claudius paused for a moment, not replying to the magician, but quickly summoning a messenger. "Quickly, have Proutti mark all the great shields with identical crosses! This is the power of a god; five crosses symbolize our army! Rome will surely triumph!"

As soon as the order was passed from Claudius to Proutti, everything in the Roman army that could be marked was marked with a cross. The effect was obvious: every soldier in the Roman expeditionary force believed that Rome was under God's protection and would be invincible!

"Christianity, the cross...a new god?"

This was not a question seeking an answer; it was the Roman Emperor Claudius speaking to himself, as if asking a question under the dark night sky.

"Your Majesty, should we inform you immediately—"

"...There's no need."

Claudie waved his hand, interrupting the court magician.

“I will meet Novia, the messenger of the new god, from the province of Anatolia, in person.”

The following day, the Roman expeditionary force and the British allied forces fought a decisive battle. The British allied forces suffered a major defeat, and regions including Cornwall in Wales fell completely.

Thus, in 48 AD, the whole of Britain became one of the forty-five provinces of the Roman Empire.

005: Plan Valid √

For nearly a century, from 55 BC to 48 AD, Rome finally made Britain its own territory.

From this point on, the Roman Empire's control over northern France and Belgium was completely consolidated, it controlled the English Channel, and it broke Britain's trade monopoly over the European continent.

Most importantly, it strengthened the position of the ancient Roman Empire in Europe. This ancient empire, which has continued since the Age of Gods, remains the undisputed hegemon of Europe even after the mystery has faded.

However, even though Emperor Claudius tried to control the discussion about the 'miracle' on the eve of the decisive battle, it was to no avail. Starting in central Britain, the news that the 'miracle' had reappeared after many years and brought Rome victory was spreading rapidly.

However, apart from the British and Roman expeditionary forces who witnessed it firsthand, few people knew that the symbol of that 'miracle' was the cross.

At this moment, in the suburbs not far from the city of Rome.

Novia walked along the forest path, and at the end of her line of sight, she could already see sunlight filtering through the gaps in the forest.

He had run all the way back from Britain; there was no other way, the time was too tight. Although the Roman army would take a long time to return, Claudius might not have to take that long. Novia had to return before Emperor Claudius, otherwise, it would seem too coincidental no matter how you looked at it.

The miracle is the cross, and in the past year, someone has been spreading the word about the cross everywhere. The miracle happened during a war... It feels like it was all premeditated.

But Novia was also helpless. If he didn't use the cross, how would anyone know that the miracle was Christian? The reason he used crosses everywhere as a symbol throughout the year was because Christianity in the first century AD did not have a universal symbol at all!

Early Christianity had not yet separated itself from Judaism, and apart from spreading the story of Jesus, it did not have much figurative expression of faith.

Simply put, according to the original historical development, the cross became a universal symbol of Christianity three hundred years later, after it became the state religion of Rome.

Theoretically, the universal hallmark of Christianity is solely the words of Jesus: "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another."

In Jesus' eyes, the mark of a Christian is loving one another, not anything else tangible.

However, in Novia's view, who wanted Christianity to replace polytheism, it would be too difficult to replace polytheism in advance if they continued to simply promote the deeds of Jesus.

The doctrine of salvation, which is well-known in later generations, is now largely ignored, and the focus of discussion among various sects is still mainly on the doctrine of predestination.

However, Novia focused on soteriology that year, strengthening the image of the cross of Christ's suffering. Centering on salvation and the Son's sinful ascension to heaven, she widely promoted and launched discussions on the Fall, original sin, Christology, ecclesialism, sacraments, and the end times, which are related to the universal human condition, ideal way of life, and the picture of world history, thereby providing universal concern for all people.

This is where its propaganda breaks through theoretical barriers and attracts others: it emphasizes both organization and ideology.

Novia quickly walked out of the forest and finally saw Lucius, whom he had told to wait for him there.

"Novia, you're back."

On the river where flowers float, petals gather and drift leisurely. Lucius stands on a small boat with its bottom facing up.

"Why are you dressed so formally after just a few days?"

"Does this look strange? I am a Roman soldier, after all."

The crimson coat fluttering on Lucius's back was his own color, codenamed Crimson—'The Crimson Call to Arms'.

That "red" is the "red" of Rome, the color that symbolizes Mars, the god of war, and is the color that Roman soldiers are most proud of.

"Anyone who didn't know better would think you were sent to kill me."

Novia said jokingly, while taking out a longsword that was hanging from her waist belt.

"Hey, hey, hey, I'm teaching you spear techniques, what are you doing with a sword?"

Lucius mumbled, but his iron spear was already thrusting towards the silver-haired boy.