The blonde girl still feels the anxiety of the day she was abandoned by her parents when she was young.
027: The Arrival of the Twenty-Seventh Ancestor "Is this... a dead apostle?" The sun had risen, and the scene revealed in the sunlight made Domitius mutter to himself unconsciously. After living in Antioch for three days, Novia prepared to return to Rome with her. However, in a forest not far from a port, she witnessed this scene with her own eyes: The unknown village was filled with blood, with hundreds of corpses scattered around, the ground was red and black, and there were humanoid creatures that were thirsty for blood and making beast-like growls. Ordinary humans seemed too powerless among them. The malice, the brutal violence that was forced upon her, all of this was eating away at her body, making her emotionally unstable. Domitius had heard from Novia that Dead Apostles were basically humans that had undergone some transformation, and were emergency food prepared by beings called 'True Ancestors'. While for True Ancestors, sucking blood was for the purpose of seeking "mental stability", for Dead Apostles, sucking blood was necessary for the "preservation of the body". In other words, the True Ancestor's was entertainment, while the Dead Apostles' was synonymous with breathing, which was essential for survival. That was it.
The Dead Apostles who have become able to suck the blood of others have begun to feel superior to the act of blood-sucking at some point, strengthening their abilities and strengthening their own will. The Dead Apostles who have escaped the control of the "True Ancestor" repeatedly suck blood in order to escape into the human world and save themselves. This was the beginning of the Dead Apostles, the beginning of the human race of vampires, and the Dead Apostles who escaped from the control of the 'True Ancestors' in the oldest period were called the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostles Ancestors. Among the Dead Apostles, there are also some who have nothing to do with the True Ancestors. They evolved into immortals in their quest for the end of the magical path. They joined the society built by the Dead Apostles, and although their origins are different, they are also considered to be vampires. The people who slaughtered this village were only the lowest level dead among the dead apostles. It can be said that anyone who knew a little magic could easily kill them. In the nearly two million square kilometers of the Roman Empire, such incidents happened from time to time. However, since there were more or less magicians guarding the cities, there was no problem. However, in remote and poor areas, people could only watch everyone being ruthlessly slaughtered. "Five dead bodies, and sixty-seven families who unfortunately passed away. I have contacted the nearest magician to prevent a second corpse transformation." Domitius stopped thinking, her eyes still looking at the dead apostle on the ground, her thin eyebrows did not waver. There was cold hatred in her pupils, and Novia, who appeared in front of her after quickly destroying the dead, placed a silver cross on the ground and silently released magic into it. The current situation is completely different from that of later generations. The magic base, which is hailed as the largest foundation of mankind, has not yet been fully established. People who do not know magic can only pray for the sun to appear quickly or for kind-hearted magicians when facing ordinary dead apostles, but they cannot use only religious purification rituals to defend themselves. "Degenerate people who think they are superior... I suddenly feel a little pity for them..." The small village that was ruthlessly slaughtered by the dead apostles was somewhat similar to the fighting Roman court, or in other words, it was a place with some prototypes. This gave Domitius a sense of reality, so she was sad because of the innocent deaths of her beloved people, but she was secretly happy about such minor details. In life, the winners take it all. If you want to be treated well and live a better life, you have to step on others at all costs. This is the iron rule of the Roman court. Such a huge empire exists because of successful people. It is not a fairy tale where everyone is gentle and kind. People’s kindness is mostly given to others who do not pose a danger to themselves. She can do whatever she wants and whatever she thinks is right. It seems that only in this way can the blonde girl feel that the anxiety she has had since childhood will be slightly alleviated. "There must be something hateful about a pitiful person, and recognition is different from forgiveness." The silver hair swayed gently with the flames of the burning body, and the blue eyes on Novia's face gleamed like a sparkling ice lake. "Domitius, you should understand that the dead apostles who attempt to harm humans are evil and should be dealt with. Such hostility does not require a reason, whether it is out of your dignity as a human being or out of your honor as a member of the royal family." "You are right, teacher." The blonde girl's originally expressionless face relaxed a little at this moment, and she lowered her brows in the quiet and gloomy air. Despite this, Novia just looked at her indifferently and continued to throw the bodies of the people killed by the Dead Apostles into the fire. There was a popping sound, and no other noise. And also, suddenly, there was an undisguised surge of magical energy coming straight towards this side.
"Such an aura... Is it Zu? If it's an ambush, it would be too easy to see through." The silver-haired boy looked straight towards the place where the ominous magic was emanating. It was an aura far beyond that of ordinary Dead Apostles, but compared to the divine body Osiris, there was still a big gap. "Fellow church member, you have misunderstood. It is just a coincidence. I did not create this." The words that rang out seemed vague as if they were far away. “…Hey hey hey!” At this moment, Domitius, who had prepared himself after hearing his teacher's words, opened his eyes wide in surprise at the word "ancestor" mentioned by Novia. The main reason for this was the appearance of the person who appeared. It's not a person at all! It's a talking lock! "Haha, this little girl seems surprised by my behavior. After all, it took her a long time to change her attitude. By the way, is this the disciple you accepted?" For some reason, 'Suo' seemed very happy and continued, "By the way, let me introduce myself first. I am——" "No need, I know you because God has told me." Before Lock could finish his self-introduction, he was interrupted by Novia. The silver-haired boy said with a half-smile. "After failing to challenge Zhuyue a little before the Age of Gods, he was given a pure-blooded believer by Zhuyue. He was too ashamed to face his former companions and hid in the underground labyrinth, right, Koback Alcatraz?" 028: Use your later sword to cut your present self) Before Domitius heard Novia's next words, he heard the ancestor of the "lock" named Koback laugh softly. It sounded more like he was just exhaling air from his lungs than laughing, just like the sound of wind blowing through a dry cave. The girl immediately had this impression. "Fellow Novia, I heard that you were invited by the Atlas Institute to come to the headquarters, right?" Koback showed no surprise or astonishment when Novia directly told him his past, but simply made another brief comment. “That’s right.” Novia probably understood why Koback was calm. He might think that he got the information with the help of the three-pointed Hermes, so he felt that he was making a big fuss. After all, hundreds of years ago, Coback was a disciple of King Solomon together with Mr. Gem and the Dean of the Clock Tower. King Solomon was a man who was truly blessed by God. He used the grace bestowed by God to perform a one-time miracle and established magic - phenomenon manipulation, which was later called magic. Before that, magic was the domain of God and it was difficult for ordinary people to learn it. His death accelerated the loss of mystery and the end of the Age of Gods. In fact, when Novia was faking the "miracle" in Britain, he had been wondering whether Solomon's disciples like Baoshuo would come to expose it. After all, they had witnessed the miracles created by Solomon with their own eyes, so the possibility of being discovered was still very high. However, three years have passed and Novia hasn't seen anyone yet, so it seems that these people are either too lazy to care or just don't see through it. However, for Koback, Novia still has a way to convince him like Lucius did - "Well, Koback Alcatraz." The silver-haired boy turned cold. "You are a disciple of King Solomon, but you have been secluded from the world for so many years just because you became a dead apostle. It's amazing that you still have the nerve to show up in front of me now... Are you worthy of calling me a fellow disciple?" "Novia, fellow believers, you and I are companions who believe in God together, so there is no need for us to—" Just as Cobaik was still speaking in a gentle tone in the face of Novia's aggressive tone, the next second the silver-haired boy pulled out something from his back and smashed it directly into Cobaik's body in a 'lock' shape. Originally, with Kobak's strength, he could easily dodge simple physical attacks, but when he clearly sensed the aura of the "cross", he froze. There was a sound of metal rubbing against each other. "This, this... has the same aura as the teacher's ring... This is... bestowed by God himself... How is it possible? The Age of Gods has clearly ended, how could God——"
At this moment, Kobek suddenly recalled his guess. The man who was executed by Jerusalem seventeen years ago...could it be the real Son of God! Then, hasn't the old religion entrenched in Jerusalem completely degenerated into a "heresy" that is comparable to the "devil"? But if he was really the Son of God, how could he die so easily? ! "Cobaike, what you did has already tarnished the King Solomon who was blessed by God." Novia took the 'cross' cane that Martha gave her from Cobaike and stuck it into the ground. "See? This is the cane that the Son of God used. Now it has become the cross on which He suffered. Do you know why?" "Yes, forgive my ignorance, please explain it to me." Although Koback looked like a lock, Domitius beside him could sense that the ancestor of the Dead Apostles was emitting an unusual tension. "Make no mistake, Koback Alcatraz, if you are still like this after all, you are not worthy of being a believer in God!" The silver-haired boy's brow never trembled, and his blue pupils were like the echo of the deep sea. "I have admitted my sins. Even though I have my reasons, I beg for your forgiveness." "Kobek, the world was created by the Lord's thought. The composition of human beings, soul, body, and spirit, is the same. The reason we are alive is the embodiment of God's love. No matter how much suffering the world is filled with, it is also a kind of God's love." Novia replied grimly, though it sounded like a confusing answer to Domitius. But Kobak understood something from it. The 'devil' and the 'God' are the inner and outer existences of each other. Hunting these 'heretics' that did not exist in the original doctrine meant acknowledging the existence of heresy. Even if he became a 'heretic', it was suffering for him, but in fact it was also a kind of love. However, he... blamed himself for many years just for the sake of his face, which eventually led to the suffering of the Son of God. Because this world was created by the Lord and the earth is enveloped by the Lord’s love, humans are completely unable to estimate the form of God’s love. “Christ Jesus, as the Son of God, naturally knew the evil of the old religion, but for the sake of the people living in the world, He would rather bear the sins and evils of mankind and go to heaven.” "So that's how it is. The Lord's love cannot be measured by humans. The world is created by the Lord's thoughts, and so are the souls, bodies, and spirits of people. I understand, I understand..." Kobek kept repeating what Novia had just said, and after more than ten seconds, he spoke sincerely in a tone of sudden enlightenment. "Thank you for clearing up my confusion. I understand now. You were trying to save me. ... Don't worry. They have become heretics and are no longer worthy of occupying my mentor's Jerusalem. I will go there later..." "No need, Koback. Cleansing the heretics entrenched in Jerusalem is the mission entrusted to me by God. I will contact you if I need anything." In fact, the main reason why Novia was able to fool Cobain so smoothly, besides using the cane used by Jesus and his mysterious and incomplete explanation, was that most of what the silver-haired boy said was actually thought up by Cobain himself later. According to Novia's memory, Kobek completed the Holy Trinity around 1000 AD. "The world was created by the Lord's thoughts. If I study the composition of human beings, soul, body, and spirit, and write a book with all my heart, wouldn't I be able to get a clear hint of the Lord's love?" It was after thinking this that Kobak originally began to record everything, create templates, and explore the forms of all things in the universe. As a result, he created a model of the universe, the Holy Trinity. Novia's current "revelation" would undoubtedly allow him to create the Holy Scripture of Tredin hundreds of years earlier, but in fact the problem is not big, because Kobak is a person who would rather stay in the maze to protect the Holy Scripture. Moreover, he is not afraid of being used for bad purposes, but simply afraid of being stolen... So, as for the possibility of the story of the Magician's Box being opened ahead of time, it would be zero. That's why the silver-haired boy acted this way. "Yes, I will obey God's will." Kobbek replied respectfully and then left. In Domitius's opinion, this inexplicable debate ended with an overwhelming victory for his master Novia. Although she had many doubts in her mind, she also knew what to ask and what not to ask.
Then, the two of them returned to Rome smoothly. For Novia, at this stage, everything has been arranged. They just need to wait for a few months for the weapons made from the head of the Albion Dragon to come out. Four months after Novia returned to Rome, as he had expected, Agrippina persuaded the old Emperor Claudius to make her queen. At the same time, Domitius will be adopted by Claudius and from now on he will be named—— Nero.
029: Dedicated to my teacher’s heroic deeds "Little Novia, do you think Nero is too outstanding..." In the Roman Palace, Novia sat facing Emperor Claudius, and white petals fell from the tree beside her, covering the entire ground. Since Agrippina became queen, Claudius adopted Domitius under her instigation and changed the name of the clan to "Nero". Although Claudius was confused for a moment, he quickly realized that his deal with Agrippina was in big trouble. The reason why he insisted on making Agrippina the queen was that he needed Agrippina the Younger's bloodline and origin as a tool to consolidate his legitimate rule. But this approach was obviously a temporary solution, because once he admitted that his marriage to Agrippina the Younger was the most legal, it would be equivalent to admitting that he himself was indeed not legal. Then his son Britannicus with "Messalina of bad morals" would be even less legal than Agrippina's child Nero, because Nero was older than Britannicus and should be ranked first in the order of succession. In addition, he was the descendant of Germanicus, Augustus, and Antony, and his status in terms of bloodline was more prominent. This is somewhat similar to the situation that Tiberius faced when he faced Germanicus, but Claudius was more unfortunate than Tiberius in that he had not yet succeeded to the throne legally with the approval of the founder of the dynasty. When facing Agrippina, who was very good at taking advantage of this advantage, he had no logical chance of winning at all. Moreover, Nero himself used his talents after that and was very popular as a talented magistrate. He gave speeches in Latin and Greek in the Senate several times. Because of his fairness and ability, he was repeatedly brought into important lawsuits. Even though Emperor Claudius repeatedly banned her from being brought into important lawsuits on the grounds of her young age, he could not prevent her from gradually gaining great popularity, not to mention that she was previously famous among the Roman people as a disciple of Novia. "Your Majesty, I have already advised you that Agrippina needs more time to be observed. It is you who insists on having your own way and would rather change the law than do so." The biggest trouble with Claudius' marriage to Agrippina was their uncle-niece relationship. Once it was made public, it would violate the incest crime under Roman marriage law. So, what to do? Finally, Claudius came up with a solution and issued an order to amend the marriage law. So the Senate drafted a decree according to the emperor's wishes, allowing the emperor to marry his close relatives. Although some people in the Senate disagreed with this marriage, in order not to offend the emperor, everyone turned a blind eye and did not interfere too much. It can only be said that Claudius could not control the former queen Messalina, so it was impossible for him to control the more scheming Agrippina. "Well, as their teacher, you need to help them more..." "That's natural, Your Majesty. Please go to bed early." However, Claudius probably still believed that the Guards, led by his confidant Bruce, would still support his children. But what the old emperor didn't know was that in a few months, Agrippina would repeat her old tricks and use her beauty to win over Bruce, the commander-in-chief of the Guards, and would reach a bedside agreement with Bruce, whereby Bruce would obey Agrippina's command in the future. After leaving the palace, Novia first went home to get his things and then walked towards the Colosseum. He had accepted Nero as his apprentice for about a year and a half, and this was the first time she invited him, so he accepted it, but also declined her invitation to pick him up in person. The sky was clear and sunny. Although the sun was shining in the afternoon, the cold wind was still blowing. When people walking on the cobblestone road saw the silver-haired boy, they would more or less salute him, and Novia would smile in return as usual. The Colosseum is located on the outskirts of Rome, facing the sea. The huge stadium exudes a strong presence, making the surrounding buildings look much smaller in comparison. Arches as tall as buildings are stacked in three or four layers to form a thick oval wall, surrounding the wide arena inside. This space was created simply to allow humans to compete with each other. In ancient Rome, this "entertainment activity" was a legitimate right given to citizens. Ancient Roman poets once said that this was "bread and circuses", and the Colosseum was the most representative symbol.
Theoretically, there should have been a huge crowd of Romans going to watch the game. In Novia's impression, whenever there was a similar event in recent years, the Colosseum would be packed with people. Even though there were several entrances, there would still be long queues and crowds at each one. For some reason, it was as if the place was reserved by him now, with only him, or it could be said that the place was reserved by Nero. As soon as Novia sat down in the designated seat, the volume of the music in the venue suddenly increased, and the music played was exciting.