Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

"Lord Novia, Her Majesty the Queen has given an order—"

“Bruce, who gave you permission to bring the Imperial Guard into the palace without authorization?”

Novia's gaze fell on the Roman Praetorian Guard stationed at the palace gate, and then she asked Bruce, the leader of the Praetorian Guard.

Generally speaking, the Roman Praetorian Guard was usually stationed in the suburbs outside the city of Rome and could only be commanded by the emperor. However, Claudius was seriously ill at the moment, so it was impossible for him to summon him. Moreover, the previous emperor, Caligula, was assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard.

However, Novia knew very well who had sent Bruce. It was none other than the current Empress Agrippina, who had made a sexual deal with him long ago, and was just waiting for Claudius to die so that the person she designated would become the next emperor of Rome.

Ultimately, Agrippina only intended for her son Nero to become emperor, just as Novia had envisioned. It seemed all she had to do was obey this order and wait patiently.

However, Novia did not feel the need to back down, nor did he feel the need to save face for them.

“Bruce, I already know about your affair with Agrippina.”

Novia, with a serious expression, walked past the man and headed straight for the room where Emperor Claudius was inside the palace. None of the palace guards dared to stand up and stop her, because in their eyes, Novia was a living messenger of the gods. Although they were all in the guards for their own benefit, they had no intention of risking their lives.

Undoubtedly, Augustus established the Praetorian Guard and rewarded it with three times the amount of ordinary soldiers to prevent a repeat of Caesar's assassination attempt, but the decadent lifestyle had already transformed this army into a 'vanguard for slaughtering emperors'.

Take the original history as an example. In 69 AD, Galba, one of the four emperors, was killed by the Praetorian Guard after only half a year because he tried to rectify military discipline. The most despicable thing was the auction of emperors that happened in 193 AD, which was unprecedented in human history.

After yet another instance of the emperor attempting to exploit him, the Imperial Guards, as usual, killed him and then auctioned off the throne for profit.

"Novia...."

The sixty-four-year-old Emperor Claudius seemed to wake from a dream, muttering something in a hoarse voice as if he had just woken up.

In the quiet room, he gazed at Novia by the bedside as if looking at a long-lost friend, a solemn expression on his aged face.

His eyes, as blue as the ocean, and his hair, as white as snow, matched people's imagination of divine messengers.

Although he was only twenty-one years old, he was already quite composed. The aura he exuded made people want to get closer to him and strike up a conversation.

The room where Claudie was alone was as quiet as a funeral, but as Novia slowly opened the door, the sounds of nature entered the room.

Birdsong, and the sound of wind rustling through the flowers and grass.

"Yes, Your Majesty, I am here. Please speak."

Novia held the old man's hand without showing the slightest impatience.

This old man suffered discrimination and humiliation from birth due to congenital polio, even after becoming emperor. However, it is undeniable that he contributed to the stability of the ancient Roman Empire.

Furthermore, he has always been very good to Novia. Although there was an ulterior motive involved, without Claudie's support, Novia might not have been able to get to where she is today.

“...Octavia, Britannicus..."

Claudie called out her child's name, her eyes filled with worry.

"Your Majesty, please do not worry, I am still here, I am their teacher."

Novia seemed to understand his concerns and softened her tone, but what Claudie said next made him pause slightly.

“Baptize me…please…” Claudie met Novia’s gaze indifferently, his soft voice like falling snowflakes, “Wait a moment, help me out…I need to announce…that thing you’ve always wanted…”

Claudius's meaning was clear: in exchange, he would now be baptized by Novia and become a Christian despite his ailing body, and declare Christianity to be the state religion of the Roman Empire from now on. The phrase "please" was a plea, because Claudius knew that even if he didn't do it, Nero, who was most likely to become the next emperor, would make the same announcement.

Claudius understood this and still humbled himself because even though Novia earnestly said she would protect his children after his death, for someone born into the Roman court, such support felt too unreal; he still had to offer something in exchange.

In this respect, the old emperor and Nero were people with the same mindset.

“Your Majesty, do you remember what you said when we first met? ‘Don’t look at the moon, it’s not a friendly thing.’” Novia nodded and smiled. “I’ve always remembered it, and I’m grateful for it.”

Claudius hates the moon because his nephew Caligula is driven mad by gazing at it.

However, Novia understood perfectly well that Caligula's madness in the Type-Moon universe was due to seeing the Roman moon goddess Diana, which is the Greek moon goddess Artemis, or more precisely, to the gradually decaying main cannon of her mecha still hanging outside the planet in this era.

The Greek gods in the Type-Moon universe are alien gods. Their true forms were destroyed when the alien vanguard invaded Earth, leaving only their personified divine bodies. However, destruction is not irreparable, and the Greek gods used human faith to try to repair them, but unfortunately, they failed before the Age of Gods passed away.

Therefore, there are the remains of the Ares mech that drifted to Japan, and the Luna mech that somehow ended up in Japan as well...

Novia's meaning was something Claudi couldn't understand even when he was healthy, but the old man knew from the silver-haired boy's nod that his opinion had been accepted.

"Then... let Fuyu go..."

On October 12, 54 AD, Roman Emperor Claudius I declared—

Roman emperors no longer served as high priests of the Roman temples and prohibited their subjects from offering sacrifices to the Roman temples.

He then issued an order prohibiting the activities of all religions other than Christianity, requiring all subjects of the Roman Empire to "obey the faith that Novia gave to the Romans" and "close all places of pagan activity."

This decree made Christianity the sole legal religion of the Roman Empire, thus officially establishing it as the state religion.

On October 13 of the same year, Claudius was baptized by Novia and officially became a Christian, becoming the first Roman emperor to convert to Christianity.

That evening, Emperor Claudius, who had been baptized, died after returning to the Roman palace.

Subsequently, under undisputed circumstances, the seventeen-year-old Nero successfully became the fifth emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.

053: The Day of Nero's Coronation

Pantheon——

It's no longer called the Pantheon, because only Christian symbols remain there; nothing else.

Because within the Roman Empire at that time, the only legitimate religion was Christianity; all others were considered pagan.

At this moment, Novia is to bless Nero, who is holding his coronation ceremony, with Christ. Although Nero's intention is to build a new one directly, there is simply not enough time, so they can only use this place for the time being.

Therefore, the place was decorated with flowers and seasonal ornaments for all four seasons in advance. The overall style was pure white, and from the windows, one could see people in Rome participating in the ceremony. After all, this was the final venue, and Novia had to wait patiently for Nero's arrival.

"That human is so smug, acting all high and mighty."

Albion, now a young girl, rested her chin on her hand and looked out the window, pouting with dissatisfaction. She said that she only came out when she was alone with Novia, and would run back if there were any outsiders around.

"This is a big day for Nero, so it's normal for him to be happy."

"Hey, did I give you permission to say your apprentice's name without my consent?"

After turning her head towards Novia, the silver-haired girl returned her gaze to the window.

"...When did we ever make such an agreement?"

"No, I was just thinking that I shouldn't have thought of you as just a weak human magician; I should have just killed and eaten you—"

Albion turned his head again, looking down at Novia with a meaningful gaze, a hint of bloodlust in his eyes.

"How about you talk to me in a different way? Otherwise, I feel a bit uneasy."

Novia, who had approached Albion, bent down and looked into the dragon girl's eyes.

The human's face was too close, but Albion did not flinch, his bright golden eyes staring straight back.

Novia extended her fingertip menacingly from between her golden eyes and brow.

"...What was that just now? Seriously, it's making me increasingly angry."

Just being poked by a finger made Albion feel an indescribable embarrassment. The thought of the blond human below walking up alone, and that the two of them would be alone again while she could only watch from the sidelines, made the silver-haired girl even angrier.

Before Novia could say anything, Albion jumped up, tilted his head slightly, buried his face in the young man's neck, and bit him several times with his fangs, but only lightly. Then he said, "That girl is here. I don't want to see her. She's disgusting." After that, he disappeared.

Being bitten by Albion is a daily occurrence for Novia. Whenever Albion is in a bad mood, he bites Novia, but unlike the initial tearing, there is no biting off flesh or spurting blood. Now it's more like a caress.

Novia glanced outside the Pantheon, where Nero, a young girl in red dressed as an emperor, was walking up the steps one by one. This was the final part of the coronation ceremony.

In the ancient Roman Empire, the coronation ceremony typically involved the new emperor leading an army in a military parade to demonstrate his powerful military strength and the support of the army.

After gaining the approval of the Senate and the army, he issued a declaration announcing his accession to the throne, outlining his ruling philosophy and goals.

This was accompanied by large-scale celebrations, including banquets, athletic competitions, and the distribution of rewards, all designed to demonstrate the emperor's generosity and power, as well as to win the support and loyalty of the people.

Finally, they would go to the temple to offer sacrifices in exchange for blessings, and now Christianity has become the state religion of Rome.

So Emperor Nero would naturally come here to receive divine blessings from Novia.

But Novia couldn't see Nero holding any of the symbols of power and rule that Nero usually displayed, such as a crown, scepter, or cloak. These items were typically used by the new emperor to demonstrate his power, but Nero was holding the 'Primordial Fire' that Novia had once given him.

However, this is not a big problem, because it is just an unwritten rule and it is normal not to use it.

Novia then sat quietly in the "Eye of the Dome" of the Pantheon, waiting for Nero's arrival, the midday sun shining precisely on the entrance of the archway.

When Nero entered the temple at this moment, the dazzling sunlight shone directly on her, making her the center of attention.

Novia hadn't thought much about this at first; it was Nero who said that this was the right way, that it was in line with the sense of art, so Novia just went along with her.

"Teacher, due to certain circumstances, could you please close your eyes for a moment?"

"Ah."

The blonde girl's voice came from behind the archway, and Novia closed her eyes as she wished.

"Mmm, teacher, you can open your eyes now."

About ten seconds later, Nero's voice rang out again. During this time, Novia sensed the presence of magic, probably because Nero was using some kind of magic.

What then came into Novia's view was the archway illuminated by the dazzling sunlight—

Golden strands of hair swayed gently beneath a white hat adorned with a golden laurel wreath. On the girl's fair face, her emerald green eyes shimmered like a rippling, icy lake.

The girl's boots landed with a clatter as she approached him step by step.

"How about it? I spent a long, long time thinking about this outfit. I'm only showing it to you, teacher. And because you like white, I only used white."

Every time the blonde girl spoke with a smile, her rose earrings swayed.

"very good."

"Really?"

"real."

"Is it really true?"

"Yes, without a doubt, I like it very much."

"No, a simple compliment isn't enough. I want a reward, a really, really good reward, or I'll get angry."

After saying that, Nero, who had already come up in front of Novia, puffed out his cheeks and pouted as if he was being difficult.

"Nero, you are now the emperor—"

"I don't care what kind of emperor it is, I just want a reward."

Nero stood on tiptoe, placed his hands on Novia's shoulders, and stared at Novia with eyes as fierce as flames.

Looking at the girl's slightly flushed face, Novia kissed her.

"That's it."

"Hmm, teacher, you can continue, but it's fine this way too, hehe..."

Nero's gaze was like flames, and beneath those flames lay eyes as black as mud, ready to devour everything.

054: Please, don't hate me.

As the new emperor's coronation ceremony concluded, night officially fell.

Novia, having soothed Nero with a kiss, declined the girl's invitation to go to the palace and returned to her home outside Rome, where she had lived for several years.

However, the moment she opened the door, Novia saw Albion, in disguise, staring at her with a deep, unsettling gaze.

"Human, you..."

Albion's voice was devoid of any warmth. It was so deep and chilling that, for a moment, Novia even had the illusion that her body temperature had plummeted.

She, who usually seemed lifeless, was now surrounded by an even stranger atmosphere.

This was exactly what Novia had expected, because when he kissed Nero, he sensed that the magic inside the 'spear' he had taken to the Pantheon was about to explode.

Novia had long suspected that Albion was interested in her, but she had only ever used the strongest dragon. It wasn't until Albion genuinely did things for her in Jerusalem that she came to regard him as a friend and someone she could trust.

In terms of feelings and affection, he is naturally not as fond of her as Nero, after all, they have been together for so many years, and this strongest dragon is also a 'tsundere'.

It seemed the only option was to strike first. Having made her decision, Novia, with the same cold expression, addressed Albion:

"Don't be so willful, Albion."

In the tense atmosphere, Novia broke the deadlock.

"Human, what did you say...?"