Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Throughout the year, Lucius would sometimes act as Novia's spear instructor, teaching her combat techniques, though Novia had never seen him draw the Spear of Longinus.

“I’ve heard that gladiator duels are a sacred ceremony dedicated to the Roman gods, but that takes place in the arena, and you’re using a gun.”

A metallic clang, like ice shattering, rang out, accompanied by Novia's voice.

The silver-haired youth raised his longsword high, stood with it horizontally, and smiled as he looked at Longinus, whose expression was more like a grimace.

"Aren't you progressing too fast? Do I still need to keep up with you?"

The spear, which had been spinning nimbly in the air, fell back down in front of Novia. Just before it hit the ground, he caught it and threw it back at Longinus's feet with lightning speed.

"What are you saying? I promised you I would get rid of the pain from the biting."

Novia sheathed her longsword, a smile still on her face.

In Novia's vision, Lucius was the essential candidate to take over the Roman Praetorian Guard. As for the forty-five provinces outside, once he successfully replaced polytheism with Christianity, there would naturally be plenty of opportunities for political integration and religious unification.

"I hope so... but are you really sure you can get there now if we go into Rome?"

Lucius slowly picked up the spear and planted it in the ground not far away.

The two fought with complete focus and dedication. Lucius had fought many times over the past year, but he hadn't grown much. Instead, he was deeply impressed by the terrifying growth of the fifteen-year-old boy in front of him, and he had to think twice before making a move.

Lucius understood that Novia's combat skills and strength were now on par with, or even superior to, his own. If the mysticism had been more prevalent, Novia could have grown into a mythical hero. But alas, times had changed.

"I heard that the Roman expeditionary force, blessed by a miracle, decisively defeated the British allied forces. Did you do it?" Lucius's eyes gleamed with a mischievous light, then he suddenly reverted to the cold expression a soldier always had. "I never imagined you could deceive tens of thousands of magicians."

"A miracle, a cover-up? Haha, that's impossible. Every kind of magic will have fluctuations in magical power."

Novia chuckled twice, then lazily turned and walked towards Rome.

"For the moment, it is truly a miracle."

In the first century AD, to create a fiery red phantom in the sky, due to the lack of later technology, some special methods had to be used.

Novia's method was to create and use hot air balloons or similar aircraft to create a fiery red phantom in the air by releasing fiery red levitation.

To be fair, this method requires skill and experience, and the current technology and equipment are relatively rudimentary, so the results may not be as good as expected.

In terms of results, Novia thought he had done a pretty good job. No flying magical beasts came to investigate, and nothing else happened. Even if the magicians standing on the ground looked over, they would probably mistake his hot air balloon for a red star.

Therefore, it is true that Novia called it a miracle, although it should be qualified with the word "man-made".

Moreover, according to Novia's speculation, the conquest of Britain by the ancient Roman Empire was an inevitable event in human history, just like the inevitable demise of Britain after five hundred years. It was something that could not be rewritten, meaning that even without a miracle, Rome was capable of victory.

So when he saw that the Roman expeditionary force was at a disadvantage, he acted according to his original plan. Otherwise, if they had performed a 'miracle' and still failed, wouldn't it have been a huge embarrassment?

Before long, Novia and Lucius arrived at the heart of the Empire, at the gates of Rome.

"You must be Novia, sir."

Novia was already mentally prepared for the possibility that he would be imprisoned as soon as he arrived in Rome.

A dozen or so menacing people, plus some soldiers, looked like they were waiting there on purpose, after all, Novia's silver hair was quite eye-catching.

“I am Novia from the province of Anatolia.”

The silver-haired boy's natural and sincere words, along with his lack of resistance, made Lucius's eyes widen. He was ready to fight immediately, otherwise he wouldn't have put on the equipment he hadn't worn in years.

But before being taken away, Novia gave Lucius a look, signaling him to wait.

.......

It must be said that prisons, regardless of the era or country, are extremely unfriendly places for survival.

Take Novia's cell as an example. It was built underground, poorly ventilated, lacking natural light and fresh air, and was simple, dark, and damp.

They only had some simple facilities, such as haystacks and wooden plank beds, and the quantity and quality of food and water were likely inadequate.

Novia, however, didn't care. It was just a little worse environment and a little spoiled food; it wasn't a big deal.

Novia has been here for almost three days, waiting for Emperor Claudius to return from Britain so he can come and find her.

After all, in the emperor's mind, success was achieved through miracles, so it was only a matter of reason and emotion that he had to meet the emperor. It was just a matter of how he viewed the emperor. Moreover, according to records, Claudius I was an emperor who was extremely afraid of losing power, and for this reason, he expanded the scope of executions.

Just like Constantine, who established Christianity as the state religion three hundred years later, he only accepted baptism and became a Christian on his deathbed. The initial reason was that he was worried that Christianity would affect the stability of the Roman monarchy.

However, his baptism before his death precisely demonstrates Constantine's serious fear that "sins are unforgivable," and is also sufficient proof of his firm and unwavering faith in Christianity.

Novia did not believe that a miracle would be enough to convert Emperor Claudius to Christianity immediately, unless the aftereffects of his polio could be cured, but no magician in the entire Roman Empire could do that, and Novia did not think he could.

The reason why Novia kept Claudius in prison before he returned to Rome was also a deliberate plan.

The mental pressure is terrifying. The 'miracle' has given Claudius an anxiety that a god is watching him. So when he learns that Novia, who is very likely the messenger of the new god, has been imprisoned, his mental defenses are very likely to crumble.

After all, the Age of Gods was less than fifty years ago.

"..."

Novia, looking out through the only window in her cell, admired the beautiful moon.

"Don't look at the moon; it's not a friendly thing."

Just then, the cell door opened, and Novia looked in the direction of the sound. The newcomer was a man of about fifty years old with a sallow complexion. He clearly had an illness, as he could only walk by holding onto his legs with his hands, and one of his legs was bent and deformed.

"Oh?"

Seeing this, the silver-haired youth already had a good idea of ​​what was going on.

“Ignatius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was the emperor of Rome.”

"Greetings, Your Majesty. I am Novia."

"Your Excellency, as a messenger of God, what do you desire?"

"Having no desires, yet having no desires whatsoever."

— Roman Chronicles, Book XVII, Chapter 1

006: We're all sensible people, let's just get straight to the point, what benefits can we offer?

"Having no desires, yet having no desires whatsoever."

To Claudie, the silver-haired boy's answer sounded completely genuine.

The cold night was not enough to chill Claudie's body. In the starless sky, only the moon shone. Novia, reflected in the emperor's eyes, was bathed in moonlight. The sincerity of her words, and the repulsive moonlight, must have been a strange sight to him.

Claudius I disliked Diana not because of his incurable illness, but because of Caligula, the previous Roman emperor, his nephew, a cruel tyrant.

Initially, Claudius considered Caligula an excellent emperor, but after Caligula fell seriously ill from gazing at the moon, he completely changed and ruled the ancient Roman Empire with unfounded fear.

Therefore, it is said that Rome has lost the protection of the gods.

Claudius's expedition to Britain was also intended to reassure the people.

“I have heard that Christianity originated from Judaism, yet your leaders died in Jerusalem. Why does your God allow you to kill one another?”

Claudius was extremely vigilant about the emergence of a new god unlike the Roman gods, and he was incredibly obsessed with power, having ascended the throne in middle age.

Before coming, Claudius specifically researched detailed information about Christianity and discovered that in 34 there was a punishment in Jerusalem that could be described as "absurd," namely, the death of Jesus Christ at the hands of his own people, that is, the Jews, which Novia had been spreading.

This also puzzled him. Did the god they worshipped enjoy killing each other?

"The Jews claim to be God's apostles, but they betrayed the covenant early on and are heretics."

Noviak was eager to extricate his Christianity from Judaism as soon as possible, otherwise it would be bad if it replaced polytheism and was taken advantage of. He would find an opportunity to thoroughly cleanse Jerusalem sooner or later.

After all, those guys in Jerusalem forced Jesus to die, which would be considered heresy in the Type-Moon universe, right?

Moreover, Christianity and Judaism are fundamentally in conflict. Jews aspire to be superior beings, while Christians preach that everyone is the chosen people.

Therefore, Novia had to deal with Judaism before he could replace Roman polytheism with Christianity.

"The Son Jesus voluntarily died and voluntarily accepted the sins of mankind to go to heaven. Thus, God and mankind have a new covenant, namely the 'New Covenant'."

"But the age of God has been over for almost fifty years. What difference is there between your God and us Roman gods? And what use is he to Rome?"

Claudie's reaction was indifferent as he observed Novia's performance. In the end, he didn't care about the messy things between Christ and Judaism at all, because the miracle had indeed been performed, and that was enough.

Upon hearing this, Novia smiled inwardly. All that Emperor Claudius had said was essentially asking, "What benefits can this god you speak of bring to the Roman Empire at present?"

Novia also admired him, after all, in theory the Roman gods were the ancestors of Rome, and the gods had only disappeared not long ago. It seemed that this Claudius was not as cowardly as recorded. But then again, if he were really cowardly, how could he have dared to go on a expedition against the Roman army in Britain?

"Your Majesty, you became emperor because of the Senate's instructions."

Novia stepped forward, looking directly at the emperor, whose face was grim.

"...Divine messenger, you jest! My becoming emperor is the will of the gods, and after my death, I will surely become—"

To some extent, Claudius was right, since the Egyptian pharaohs would go to the realm of the gods after their deaths.

but--

“Your Majesty, the age of the gods has ended, but my god is different; He still watches over the earth.”

Novia revealed a gentle smile that seemed out of place with the atmosphere, and looked at the expressionless emperor with her azure eyes.

Anyone in the world with even a basic understanding of mystery knows that the Age of Gods has ended, and the gods no longer roam the earth. Yet, at this time, a miracle by a god has occurred. A little thought leads one to wonder: could this god be even more powerful than the gods of old...?

It was because of the 'miracle' that occurred in Britain that no one dared to gamble on whether this god would act a second time.

Novia understood that without any benefit, no matter how much she pleaded or threatened, Claudius wouldn't agree to her idea. If he suddenly became impulsive, how could she possibly withstand the army of the ancient Roman Empire?

Therefore, the silver-haired boy continued, “Your Majesty, the gods of Rome have many other duties. For example, those who govern industry, those who govern commerce, those who govern love, those who govern wisdom, and those who govern war. The power of the Senate arises precisely from the dispersion of the gods and the uncertainty of succession.”

"But for the great Augustus, one god, one emperor, one empire was the most correct."

Novia spoke frankly because he had seen that Emperor Claudius was only interested in power, which naturally made him at odds with the Senate, which was supposed to have a division of power.

"...Enough! Stop joking. The faith in the gods must never be changed."

Just as Novia had predicted, Claudius was indeed tempted. Most people who have taken this position want to transfer imperial power to private property. The emperor is no longer a public servant, and imperial power must be passed on to blood relatives like private property.

For Claudius, succession to the throne was synonymous with political intrigue and cunning, and his Roman bloodline, his obsession with power, and his ruthless methods had been fully displayed throughout his life up to the present.

But the current emperor Claudius is in a state of flux, with a mixture of fear of the Roman gods and a desire to control the imperial power.

Seeing this, Novia knew he should reassure the wavering emperor and do something concrete to convince him that he could rewrite the polytheistic beliefs that had persisted in the ancient Roman Empire to this day.

The Senate's authorization, which is granted by man, can be completely changed to the divine mandate of Christianity.

“I have heard that there are frequent bloody conflicts between the Greeks and Jews in Alexandria, and I am willing to go there to resolve them and show the glory of the great emperor.”

“…Alas, I had intended to keep you a few more days to see if any of my children were capable of receiving God’s glory.” Claudius showed a reluctant expression, placing his hands on Novia’s shoulders, making them appear like old acquaintances. “But since this is God’s request to you, it is also God’s request, and I naturally cannot keep you here. So, little Novia, you shall depart tomorrow, and do not keep God waiting.”

You old... emperor, you won't even let me have a decent meal, you just rushed me away like that, and you even added the word "little" to my name.

Novia almost couldn't control her expression, but ultimately spoke sincerely:

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

You can't catch a wolf without risking your life. Novia is working so hard now so that they can successfully achieve their goal in the future.

It's important to understand that, from the perspective of religious history, there is no such thing as a monotheistic religion defeating a polytheistic one. Take the Mediterranean world as an example: the religions that competed with Christianity were Manichaeism, Mithraism, Isis, Judaism, Neoplatonism, and so on. These rivals were also highly monotheistic and philosophical in their beliefs, not the primitive polytheistic worship that one might imagine.

Monotheism is nothing new, nor does it necessarily represent progress.

The monotheistic worship of Yahweh in ancient Judaism did not give it a clear advantage in competition with neighboring Near Eastern beliefs, as well as later Hellenistic beliefs.

Furthermore, the religions of ancient Greece and Rome were not strictly "polytheistic," and in the classical era there was already a tendency to regard Zeus as the absolute origin of existence.

Claudio probably understood how terrifying the religious power of a unified empire would be, but having never experienced it, he probably would only think that it was at most in a standoff with the current Senate, and that the imperial power could be inherited, so wouldn't that be a win?

However, the Christianity reformed by Novia was incomparable to modern polytheism. Many of the sacrificial activities in polytheism were only affordable to the upper class, and were beyond the means of the lower class, which eventually led to resentment. The equality that Novia brought to reformed Christianity was undoubtedly a new hope, enough to sweep across the European continent in the first century AD.

Monotheistic religions present only one supreme God, implying that everyone is just an ordinary person. They elevate mortals and emperors to the same level, peddling the most precious thing: equality.

If you believe in it, you will immediately be on equal footing with the emperor in terms of soul, because no one is omniscient and omnipotent except God.

Organizations that can provide equality are always particularly powerful.

Moreover, Novia's specific choice of Alexandria was not due to the long-standing bloodshed of religious conflicts in that city.

Rather, it was for—

Atlas Court!

007: Governor of Britain, it's you I choose!

The ancient Roman Empire, which conquered Britain in 48 AD, was a superpower with strong economic and military strength, establishing its status as a true hegemon of land and sea.

Ostia, a port city 25 kilometers from Rome, was the most prosperous port since Rome conquered the Mediterranean.

The warm morning breeze blew across the flags fluttering in the harbor. Under the clear sky, ships thronged and people thronged. The sounds of waves crashing against the embankment, sailors loading cargo into the holds, and merchants and passersby moving back and forth on the shore mingled together, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.