"What?"
Ian looked at Nero, who came to him after the Senate meeting, and couldn't believe what he had just heard.
A Christian ceremony?
She had never said she had such a belief before.
No, to be precise, Nero didn't have any beliefs at all—after all, as the Roman emperor, she was already at the pinnacle of power.
"Nero, are you serious?"
"You... want to participate in a Christian ceremony?"
"Hmm~" The young woman tilted her head slightly, and her green eyes were now filled with a mischievous look.
"Teacher, you're wrong—it's not me who's participating in a Christian ceremony; it's both me and Teacher."
"No, this..."
Before Ian could finish his sentence, the young woman put her hand over his mouth.
The latter began to "order" her lover in an unquestionable tone.
"Seneca—!"
"I am now telling you, as the Roman emperor, that you must come with me to this ceremony tomorrow no matter what, or else..."
"No, there is no 'or else'!"
"I will not accept a second possibility! Hmm, that's it!"
[Nero didn't give you any possibility of refusing her.]
[You realized that this ceremony was a very important thing to her.]
[You suddenly thought that this might be inextricably linked to your condition.]
[She was saying this for your own good.]
[So—]
[Although you didn't know what you were going to do next, you were still very willing to go to that Christian ceremony with Nero.]
As a manifestation of the Roman Empire's might, Rome's religion had developed at an unimaginable rate under Nero's many policies that benefited the people.
After all, when people were not worried about food and clothing, they were naturally willing to spend time believing in something to satisfy their spiritual needs.
Among them, the relatively prominent and well-developed sect was the one called "Christianity."
It was said that in the Roman imperial capital, one in every five people believed in Christianity, and at least half of every twenty people had heard of this sect before.
Of course, Ian had never verified this seemingly shocking thing.
The reason for doing so was also very simple—Nero didn't really care about religious matters and didn't restrict the people from having to believe in a certain religion.
And there was a reason for her having such a policy.
"If I can't even compare to those ethereal things, how can I be recognized as a one-of-a-kind emperor?"
"I will absolutely not restrict the Roman citizens from believing in what they wish to see!"
"Because I will be more charming than them!"
Yes.
The young woman's pride even made her feel that she could be compared to those religious figures who only existed in legends.
But Ian didn't think there was anything wrong with that.
As an emperor, one should have this kind of courage and confidence, or else, how could they have the guts to deal with those difficult matters?
And—
Nero's performance was completely worthy of this confidence.
After all, during her reign, Rome's national power could be said to have reached a new height, and this influence was even reflected in Greece.
It was no exaggeration to say that Nero's performance had far surpassed her father's, and she was a Roman emperor in her own right.
But the key to the problem was here.
Since Nero believed that her charm was completely comparable to Christianity itself, she shouldn't care about this religion at all.
On this basis, how could she go to the so-called ceremony with him?
Ian, in his palace room, couldn't figure out this problem at all. It was like a dark cloud hanging over the man's heart, making it hard for him to let go.
The whirlpool of thought was not broken until Nero arrived.
"Hmm~ Teacher, why are you standing there motionless? Are you thinking about me?"
"..."
The familiar voice interrupted Ian's thoughts about the problem.
He was brought back to reality, and just as he was about to respond, he froze.
Nero was not wearing her usual bright red dress, which she called "The Blooming Rose."
Instead, she was wearing a white wedding dress.
No, it shouldn't be called a wedding dress, but a design similar to a wedding dress. However, it was more suitable for public occasions and was a relatively noble dress.
Nero was so beautiful in this outfit that Ian couldn't help but look at her a few more times.
The young woman herself noticed the change in her teacher's gaze. With a slight blush, she spun around and then asked:
"Teacher, do I look good?"
"You do," Ian answered without hesitation. "But Nero, why are you wearing clothes like this—you've never worn them before, have you?"
"Hmm~" Nero puffed out her proud chest and then introduced it with a look of pride.
"Of course, Teacher has never seen it before."
"This is an outfit that I designed myself. I just had it made a few days ago."
"This..."
Ian immediately realized that this was something Nero had specially prepared for today.
But before he could ask anything else, the young woman's next question floated over.
"Teacher, since you think I'm pretty, that means you must like this dress, right?"
"Y-yes..."
"Hmm~" Nero raised an eyebrow, looking like she had gotten the answer she wanted.
She licked her lips, then leaned close to the man's ear and spoke like a succubus:
"Then tonight, what if I use this outfit to serve Teacher's flute?"
"Hmm~ I'm sure Teacher will be exhausted, won't he?"
"..."
Ian took a deep breath.
"Nero, if you keep this up, Teacher won't be able to hold back."
"Then don't hold back—" The young woman gently kissed the man's lips. "But for now, you have to go and complete that ceremony with me first."
"After that, I will satisfy all of Teacher's needs."
"...Okay."
[You and Nero set off together.]
[Of course, you were quite restrained on the outside—everyone thought you were just an ordinary ruler and minister.]
[And no one dared to question Nero's outfit.]
[Whatever the Roman emperor does is right—this had seemingly become a universal belief among the common citizens.]
[You arrived at the great cathedral.]
[This was a place that symbolized the ultimate blessing for Christians. Every devout Christian would come here to worship the "Lord" who held a very high position in their hearts.]
[But you could clearly feel that Nero's intentions were different from these people's.]
Inside the great cathedral.
"Your Majesty, this way please."
A nun led Nero and Ian through the dense crowd and into the depths of the cathedral.
A white-haired priest was holding a cross and standing in front of the lectern, looking at the two people who had arrived with a serious and solemn expression.
That feeling was like facing a ceremony that, once it started, could never be stopped.
Ian was still thinking about what it could be, but the priest had already raised his hand, gesturing for the nun to leave immediately.
After the whole room only had three people, his throat moved slightly, and he spoke in a trembling voice.
"Your Majesty, are you... sure you want to use your own destiny as an offering for prayer, so that the Lord will bestow a healing blessing upon Mr. Seneca?"
Ian's eyes widened.
He never expected that the ceremony Nero was talking about would be this.
But before the man could stop her, the young Roman emperor directly nodded:
"Yes, I agree to this exchange."
"Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus hereby vows."
"I will completely intertwine my destiny with Rome to let your Lord heal this land."
"The gospel of you in Rome will surely come, and I hope He can respond to this prayer quickly."
"I understand."
The priest wiped the sweat from his forehead with his wide sleeve.
It was clear that even he, as a priest, was in charge of delivering such a request for the first time.
Due to his status, the priest didn't dare to say any extra words and could only silently pray, seriously conveying Nero's wish to the Lord of Christianity.
"How troublesome."
Nero pouted.
"Not only do I have to change my clothes, but I also have to read these strange words to another person. It's so uncomfortable."
"If that guy called 'the Lord' can't fulfill my wish later, I will absolutely not let Him off!"
"No!" Ian said, getting anxious. "Nero, do you know what those words you just said mean?"
"What do you mean, 'intertwine your destiny with Rome'?! Are you crazy?!!!"
"I am not crazy."
Nero turned her head and looked at her teacher. Her green eyes were already full of an unspeakable profound meaning, but at the same time, they also had a firmness that belonged only to the young woman.
"Teacher, this is my most urgent need."
"I can't stand to see Teacher being tormented like this—so even if I have to suffer a loss, I have to let that guy called 'the Lord' heal you."
"Of course, as for those so-called prices, I don't care at all."
"After all—"
Nero tilted her head slightly and then showed a cheerful smile.
"My reason has always been telling me one thing."
"That is, Rome with Teacher in it is Rome."
"If Teacher isn't here... then for me, it's just a few handfuls of yellow dirt."
[Nero, in a way you never imagined, forcefully requested healing from the Lord of Christianity.]
[But unfortunately, the other party seemed to not want to respond to Nero at all.]
[Your condition further worsened in the following month.]
[You realized that you might not be able to hold on until spring.]
Late at night.
Cough—cough—
Ian, who was sitting on the bed, clutched his chest and then spat out a pool of black blood.
His condition had gotten more and more serious these past few days—and because of this, Ian didn't dare to sleep with Nero anymore.
He was afraid of her seeing him like this.
He didn't want to die... he really didn't want to die.
But was there really no other way?
Ian struggled in his pain and finally accepted his fate.
It's over... there's no possibility of living anymore.
Then at least—
Let Nero enjoy one last time.
She was his wife, wasn't she?
[You found Locusta.]
[You had something you wanted to ask of her.]
"What? Lord Seneca, you want that lion-transforming potion that His Majesty asked me to prepare before?"
"I can give it to you—but what do you need it for, Lord Seneca?"
"Don't ask? Just give it to you? Okay, okay—seeing as you are the person His Majesty trusts the most, I will give it to you now."
"Huh? You also want some mushrooms to block out the pain? I have them... but they have very big side effects, you know?"
"You don't care, just give them to you?
"What? You also want a poisonous mushroom?"
"I'm telling you beforehand! If you have any problems after eating it, don't blame me!"
[This should be the last time you would be intimate with Nero.]
[You ate all the powders and mushrooms that Locusta had given you.]
[This made your performance in front of Nero much more terrifying than usual.]
"Teacher, what's wrong with you today?"
Nero, with a flushed face, looked at the person she loved in front of her. She seemed a little confused.
"It's like you want to eat me."
"Then Nero, don't you like this?" Ian asked back.
"Of course, I do," the young woman said, grabbing the man's hand. "What I love the most is Teacher's brave performance, like a lion."
"Is that so? That's great."
Ian smiled slightly.
"Then Nero, you will definitely remember this time too, won't you—the experience of Teacher eating you like a lion."
"Teacher, I remember every single time," Nero said with a proud look on her face. "But today is the most you've ever had."
"I feel like you're trying to make every second count—but I love Teacher like this the most."
Saying this, Nero pulled the man's hand down a little further.
"Teacher, you're so amazing. I love you so much."
"Hmm... I love you too," Ian said, gently playing with Nero's loose hair. "It's my life's honor to be able to do this with the good emperor of Rome."
"Teacher, your tone..."
"Don't worry about it."
Ian once again felt the young woman's body temperature deeply.
"Nero, you must be a good Roman emperor in the future too."
"But tonight, just relax and enjoy yourself."
[This was the most insane night you had since you married Nero.]
[With the help of Locusta, you knocked her out in the most primal and violent way.]
[This was also the night she was most full and most satisfied—you had finally conquered her completely this one time.]
[But you actually didn't care if she would really remember this night.]
[You just hoped that she could have what other people could.]
[A few days later, you went to a hillside full of roses and took the poisonous mushroom that Locusta had prepared for you.]
["Rome without Teacher is still Rome."]
["Nero, you have to work hard."]
[You quietly died there with beautiful expectations for the future.]
[However, what you didn't know was—]
[The true madness only officially began the moment you closed your eyes.]
[Rome was about to fall into a collapse unlike anything before.]