[Your efforts were rewarded.]
[Nero finally agreed to your suggestion to take Boudica on a tour of Rome.]
[But the young emperor's possessiveness over you had reached a point of near-addiction.]
[Even at this very moment of agreeing, she was still "on guard."]
["I absolutely cannot let Teacher be taken away by any other woman besides me."]
[This was the bottom line Nero had set in her heart.]
On the streets of Rome, bustling crowds walked through the wide streets. The noise, the cries of vendors, and the laughter intertwined, creating a scene of prosperity.
The aroma of various foods wafted through the air in every corner, making people's mouths water.
However—
This scene of prosperity had absolutely nothing to do with Nero at this moment.
Because the young woman's mind was not on this at all—she only wanted to see if her teacher was doing anything that would violate their relationship with that defeated queen of Britannia.
As for the best way to carry out this reconnaissance... that would naturally be to follow them!
That's right.
The emperor of Rome was one of the best when it came to disguises.
Nero, who had changed her clothes and put on a veil to hide her face, was certain that she could not be discovered by the Roman citizens.
This way... she could keep her teacher firmly in her grasp!
As for the political matters that would be neglected because of this, she would find a way to make up for them later. After all, her teacher's chastity was more important!
After "arranging" everything in her mind, Nero immediately began to carry out her following plan.
[You had no idea about Nero's explosively possessive plan.]
[At this moment, you only had one thing on your mind: to properly represent Nero's Roman Empire and show Boudica, who was from Britannia, its might and greatness.]
[Of course, before that, you had to make some preparations first.]
[You removed the chains that symbolized a prisoner from Boudica.]
[You brought her new clothes to replace the Britannia outfit that looked full of battle spirit.]
[You told her that you would treat her as a true guest today, not as an enemy.]
[After hearing this, her expression became a little complex, but she temporarily agreed with this view.]
[Your tour began with Nero's "following," completely unbeknownst to you.]
On the streets of Rome.
Ian walked in front, proudly introducing the market, which had a large number of vendors, to Boudica.
"Boudica, this is our Roman market."
"We trade all kinds of fruits, food, drinks, fabrics, and everything else here. It is the foundation on which our citizens' lives depend."
"..."
Boudica scanned her surroundings and then responded with a slight frown.
"This is nothing special—we also have our own markets in Britannia, and they look pretty much the same as this one."
"No," Ian said, shaking his finger. "If that's what you think, then you're completely wrong."
The man took out a small booklet from his clothes and continued to introduce it to her.
"Boudica, I know the name of every single person here, what they are selling, and where they live in Rome."
"What...?"
Boudica was a little surprised this time. Her attention quickly fell on the booklet that Ian had just taken out.
"Seneca, did you record all of them on this?"
"Yes," Ian nodded. "If you want to set up a stall in the market, you must first register this information. Once there is any quality problem, we will immediately investigate and hold them accountable."
"This way, we can greatly reduce disputes caused by damaged goods."
Hearing this, Boudica thought for a moment and continued to ask the questions in her heart.
"But if that's the case, wouldn't the people who sell things choose to give up on this market—isn't the pressure too great?"
"It's actually the opposite," Ian said with a confident smile.
"Because there is a system of accountability here, the citizens of Rome are all willing to come and buy things here, which indirectly makes the flow of people here far greater than in other markets."
"And those who are already running a legitimate business naturally don't mind guaranteeing the quality of their goods—the only ones who are eliminated are those unscrupulous merchants who want to pass off inferior goods as good ones and make a quick buck."
"In addition, on this basis, the taxes that His Majesty collects on the transactions here will be further reduced."
"I think... people who make an honest living wouldn't refuse something like this, would they?"
"..."
Boudica was silent.
At this moment, she felt an extremely complete and mature set of laws—it rectified the foundation of Rome and, in the process, built a perfect trading system that was in the best interests of the people.
This was an atmosphere that had never existed in Britannia.
Even a month before the expedition, Boudica had heard of several disputes from the market.
The queen's breathing quickened a little. She felt that she was touching something unprecedented and incredibly superior.
"Then—"
"Who came up with a system like this? Seneca, was it you?" Boudica asked.
"I don't have the ability to push for a system like this. At most, I just gave some irrelevant suggestions," Ian answered honestly. "The one who truly turned all of this into a reality was our empress."
"That tyrant?"
"Please don't refer to our empress as a tyrant. If she were a tyrant, I think it would be absolutely impossible for you, Boudica, to be standing here right now."
"..."
Boudica couldn't deny this.
After all, the prosperous scene in front of her could not possibly have been faked in a short amount of time.
And the fact that she was able to stand here was certainly with Nero's permission.
"I see."
"Then... I take back my previous evaluation of her and apologize for it—at least she is very good at pacifying her people."
Just as her words fell, a burst of laughter came from an unknown corner and entered Boudica's ears.
"Hmm~ My policy is naturally flawless~"
"..."
Boudica followed the sound and saw a figure that looked a little familiar but couldn't be clearly identified.
"Boudica, what's wrong?" Ian asked. "What are you looking at over there?"
"..."
After a moment of hesitation, Boudica shook her head.
"It's nothing. I haven't been resting well lately, so I must be hearing things."
"Okay, it seems our hospitality should have started earlier." Ian apologized instead.
"...Perhaps."
[You didn't doubt Boudica's words.]
[After all, at this moment, you only had one thing on your mind: to clear Nero's name and make her image in Boudica's mind no longer that of a terrifying tyrant.]
[In a sense, this was also a way of fighting back against the future that a man named Lev had told you about.]
["It is absolutely impossible for Nero to become a tyrant!"]
[You had set this as your bottom line in your heart.]
[With this thought in mind, you continued to show Boudica the might of Rome.]
[You took her to the plaza.]
[At this moment, a lot of performers had gathered here, presenting their unique art to the passersby.]
"Please play me your best piece."
"Yes, Mr. Seneca."
After receiving the wise man's invitation, the musician unhesitatingly picked up his tuba and began to play—this was a rare invitation from a big person. He had to seize this opportunity to make a name for himself.
A passionate sound soon filled the plaza.
Soon, the idle citizens began to gather, starting to enjoy the wonderful sound together. The atmosphere around them became much livelier because of this.
Meanwhile, Ian took Boudica to the other side.
Thinking about what just happened, he quickly changed his way of asking.
"Boudica, I assume you have music like this in Britannia too, right?"
"We do..."
Boudica looked up at the crowds that had gathered on the side.
"But our songs aren't as relaxing as yours, nor do they sound as good as yours, and we certainly don't have... an environment as free as yours to enjoy them."
This was not Boudica trying to please Ian.
This was simply the reality of the situation in Britannia.
She never thought that Rome, which was supposedly in a tense battle with her, would be so relaxed within its imperial capital, as if it wasn't affected at all.
"Of course," Ian said, continuing his proud tone.
"You have to understand that our empress is not a tyrant but a person who knows what art is."
"Just like this plaza that's full of music now, Boudica, guess how it came to be?"
"..."
Connecting this to the market from before, the Queen of Britannia quickly had an answer.
"Nero also organized this, didn't she?"
"That's right," Ian said with a slight smile.
"This is a measure that our empress created. The purpose is to allow people with musical talent to have a chance to show themselves and not be drowned out by work that doesn't belong to them."
"Just like that person just now—"
Ian looked at the person who was now surrounded by the crowd.
"He came from a poor background, but his talent in music is like that of a giant."
"If you force him to work, you will only get some worthless defective products; but if you let him compose music, he can make every chapter deeply moving."
"Boudica, this is His Majesty's Rome—it will never let down any talented person."
"..."
Listening to the songs that entered her ears and looking at the musician in front of her, who was surrounded by the crowd and had a look of happiness on his face, Boudica felt that something deep inside her heart had been deeply touched.
She began to think about why she had rebelled in the first place.
That's right.
It was to let the people of Britannia live a life free from tyranny, right?
The life where they had to pay taxes for everything and use up most of their land's production to support the Roman army was simply terrifying.
That was not a life for a human.
But—
It had now been confirmed that it was a misunderstanding, right?
The young empress of Rome had never intended to harm the people of Britannia from the beginning. All the disaster came from her wicked mother.
So—
Was there really any need for her to pursue so-called independence anymore?
Wasn't the good life that she was pursuing for the people of Britannia right in front of her now?
This is great... I finally don't have to fight anymore.
I can rest now.
Just as Boudica was thinking this, that voice came into her ears again.
But this time, it was full of pride.
"Hmph, you big-chested woman, do you know how amazing my Rome is now?"
"Hmm, hurry up and surrender, and stop sticking to my husband!"
"Huh?"
Boudica looked around but found nothing—this time, the person seemed to be hiding better than before.
"Boudica, what's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing," Boudica said, turning her head back.
"Seneca, no, Mr. Seneca—if you don't mind, please let me visit more places."
"..."
A satisfied smile appeared on Ian's face.
What he wanted was this genuine state from Boudica, a desire to understand Rome.
This was a fated thing—no one could refuse to become a glorious Roman unless they were already dead.
"No problem, Boudica."
"Let me show you the might of Rome even more."
[Boudica's heart was opened.]
[She truly began to tour Nero's Rome as a guest.]
[And you also didn't hesitate to show her the Roman army, the baths, and even the magic that should have been hidden.]
[Soon, the Queen of Britannia realized what a powerful enemy she had been facing.]
["This is a country blessed by Mars."]
[Boudica expressed this sentiment.]
[You knew that your plan had been a great success—after seeing how mighty Rome was, it was absolutely impossible for her to rebel again.]
[This was the best way to bring peace to Britannia.]
[You just didn't understand why Boudica kept looking back, but it didn't seem to matter anymore.]
However—
Ian didn't expect Boudica to suddenly get close to him after touring the Roman army.
Just as the man was wondering what she wanted, the Queen of Britannia asked a very strange question.
"I say, has your empress not chosen a husband yet?"
"Huh?" Ian became nervous. "Boudica, why are you asking that?"
"It's nothing."
Boudica smiled slightly.
"I just think you look a lot like her lover~"