"Sir, please slow down a bit. These amphoras are heavier than they look."
Babu shouted urgently as he followed me.
"Sorry, Babu. I was lost in thought for a bit."
Feeling sheepish, I scratched my head and slowed my pace.
Normally, Felix would have accompanied me, but he was currently tied up with promoting Palmolive.
Though promoting just meant going around laundries and public bathhouses.
The person attending me in Felix's place was Babu, an employee from Egypt.
"Are you even selling the goods yourself now, sir?"
"Fortunately, I'm not that desperate yet, Babu."
"Then why are you taking these with you?"
"You'll find out soon. Just follow me for now."
We pushed through the crowd.
"I've been learning architecture from Vitruvius lately. He readily agreed to teach me, saying he owed me."
Babu spoke incessantly.
"He seems to think my spreading rumors about the new numbers in the taverns was a favor to him."
"From Vitruvius's perspective, it certainly was a favor."
Since he got to learn numbers incomparable in efficiency to existing Roman numerals.
Though for me, who has to conduct classes every week, it was quite a pain.
"New numbers, insurance, and now even this Palmolive. How on earth do you whip up such amazing things, sir?"
"Shall I tell you the truth, just for you?"
I looked at Babu with a rather serious expression.
Startled by my sudden attitude change, he gulped.
"Yes?"
"Of course, I'd have to dispose of you after telling you the truth."
"...."
Seeing the look on Babu's face, I couldn't help laughing.
"Your jokes are really mischievous."
Babu sighed.
"Stop chattering and let's just go. It's almost time for people to flock to the Forum."
Gesturing to him, I quickened my pace.
Lost in thought, we arrived at the Roman Forum before we knew it.
The Forum was bustling with wagons loaded with grain and fruit, and citizens hurrying to their workplaces.
"So where do we go now, sir?"
Putting the amphoras down on the ground for a moment, Babu stretched long and asked.
His skin and the amphoras gleamed in the sunlight.
I raised a finger and pointed to one side of the Forum.
"There."
"The Temple of Vesta?"
Babu asked, surprised.
Where I pointed stood a massive temple.
Dozens of tall stone pillars supported a single enormous circular building.
The entrance to the temple faced east, symbolizing the undying flame of the goddess Vesta.
"Yes, let's go to the Temple of Vesta."
I walked toward the temple without hesitation.
Babu, who was standing blankly, hurriedly followed behind me.
Vesta.
Also known as Hestia in Greek mythology, this goddess was one of Rome's representative guardian deities.
She'd been worshiped since the founding of Rome and the festival celebrating her, the Vestalia, was the most important holiday in Rome.
The symbol of the goddess was a sacred hearth, and in the Temple of Vesta, this hearth burned day and night, year-round.
If the temple fire were ever extinguished, Romans considered it an omen of disaster.
"Did you come to offer a sacrifice to Goddess Vesta?"
"Well, something similar."
I shrugged in response to Babu's question.
As we got closer to the temple, the smell of burning oil spread gently.
It was a subtly calming scent.
I felt like I've smelled this somewhere before.
Just as I tilted my head at that unique scent, a young priestess standing in front of the temple approached me.
The priestess with a youthful face looked like the youngest among the Vestal Virgins.
"Are you here to offer a sacrifice?"
"No, I am Lucius Caesar, son of Gaius Caesar."
Hearing my answer, the young priestess was surprised.
"Ah, you are the son of the Pontifex Maximus. Welcome to our temple."
She greeted me, bowing her head hurriedly.
I also bowed my head in response.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Priestess."
My father held the title of Pontifex Maximus—roughly the closest thing Rome had to a pope.
Although the actual power wasn't very strong, the symbolism of the Pontifex Maximus was immense.
For such a person's son to suddenly visit without an appointment.
It was natural to be surprised like this.
"I will inform the Chief Priestess of your arrival. Could you wait a moment?"
"Yes, thank you, Priestess."
After bowing once more, the young priestess trotted into the temple.
Her clumsy demeanor naturally brought a fatherly smile to my face.
Babu also smiled and muttered.
"She's a cute priestess."
"Watch your words, Babu. You could be stoned to death for that."
"I... I didn't mean it that way, sir!"
"I was just joking."
At Babu's urgent excuse, I poked him in the ribs and said.
For a Vestal Virgin, the most important things were protecting the hearth and her chastity.
But since priestesses are human too, dating scandals occasionally broke out, in which case guilt or innocence was determined through trial.
If found guilty, the man identified as the partner was buried alive and stoned by citizens until death.
And in the case of the priestess, since no one could touch her sacred body, she was confined in a solitary cell and starved to death.
Looking only up to here, it might seem there was no reason to choose to be a priestess, but as priestesses serving Vesta, the guardian goddess of Rome, they enjoyed various privileges.
They could pardon condemned prisoners unconditionally and received noble treatment at various festivals and events.
"Your jokes aren't jokes, sir."
Just as Babu was grumbling, woman walked down the temple stairs and spoke to us.
"Lucius Julius Caesar, this is truly a welcome visit."
She looked to be in her late thirties, wearing a long white stola.
She was the Vestalis Maxima, the head of the priestesses guarding the Temple of Vesta.
She approached me and bowed in greeting.
"I am Miria, the Chief Priestess serving Goddess Vesta."
"Thank you for your hospitality, Priestess. I am Lucius Julius Caesar."
After receiving my reply, she spoke with a gentle smile.
"Welcome to our temple, Young Caesar. Please, come inside."
I entered the building with Babu.
Babu exclaimed as he looked inside the temple.
"Wow."
The massive hearth, and the statues of Goddess Vesta carved in white.
The interior of the temple gave a grander feeling than the exterior.
"Please sit comfortably."
Priestess Miria said, pointing to a chair in the center of the temple.
Seating myself on the wooden chair, I carefully observed the woman sitting opposite me.
Vestal Virgins had to dedicate themselves as priestesses for a total of 30 years, from the age of ten until they turned forty.
Being the Chief Priestess meant she was the oldest and most experienced among the priestesses.
"Is he really the son of the Pontifex Maximus?"
"His impression is completely opposite?"
Several priestesses were whispering, hiding behind pillars.
Priestess Miria sighed and said.
"I apologize. They are still immature children."
"It's fine."
I replied with a smile.
"I have heard many times about the insurance business you are running. You are doing a very excellent business for the citizens."
"It's nothing much."
"Actually, I was planning to ask soon if our temple could also sign up for your insurance."
I blinked. "My insurance?"
She nodded and continued.
"Since the hearth is always burning, it's easy for fires to break out. Although it's not widely known, a small fire broke out recently and scorched one of the sacred statues."
Miria pointed to a statue behind me.
Turning my head, I saw a slave carefully applying plaster to the leg of the statue.
"If the Vestal Virgins sign up for my insurance, there would be no greater honor than that."
I continued with a smile.
"Since it is a sacred temple, I will drastically lower the insurance cost. For the priestesses serving for the peace of Rome, I should do at least that much."
"Those are grateful words."
Priestess Miria nodded and said.
"But you didn't visit our temple today to talk about insurance, did you?"
"Actually, the reason I came to this temple today is none other than..."
I signaled to Babu.
A moment later, Babu placed two amphoras on the table.
"This is?"
Priestess Miria asked, eyeing the amphoras curiously.
"Vestalis Maxima."
Saying that, I leaned forward.
At my sudden attitude, she flinched slightly.
"Yes?"
In fact, the purpose of my visit today wasn't insurance.
I looked at her and smiled.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
***
"You want us to take charge of promoting Palmolive?"
Miria looked troubled.
"But as you know, we priestesses cannot engage in commercial activities. We are priestesses serving the Goddess, after all."
"Of course, I know that too. But aren't there various ways to serve the Goddess?"
I leaned forward.
"You mentioned the insurance business I started, Priestess. You must also know that temples are fighting over the revelation."
Which god gave Caesar the revelation to create insurance?
A fierce fight was taking place over this.
I never received such a revelation, but I could use the temples' competition.
"You received a revelation about insurance from Goddess Vesta. Is that what you want to say?"
Priestess Miria said with an intrigued expression.
A priestess with as much experience as Miria would have noticed what proposal I was making.
"But even so, we cannot offer our priestesses for Palmolive promotion."
She said, firmly.
"If it becomes known that Vestal Virgins stepped forward for promotion, a huge commotion will occur. Not only the believers visiting our temple but also the Senate will surely talk about it."
"I don't need such blatant promotion. What I want to ask of the Vestal Virgins is something else."
I replied.
Obvious promotion would rather have adverse effects.
What I wanted was something else.
There was a marketing technique widely spread in the 21st century.
A method mainly used for cosmetics.
Palmolive was also a kind of cosmetic in a way.
Then what marketing would be most effective?
Influencer marketing.
Recruiting influential influencers on social media to use the company's products and asking them to promote them.
And in this Rome, the Vestal Virgins were exactly that: women everyone watched.
"All you have to do is use Palmolive."