Chapter 142: Let's Take Rome
"Why are you staring at that Sword Emperor? Didn't you just say you don't get along with kings, emperors, and the like?"
Although Noah knew the identity of the person beside him, he didn't expose it at this moment, simply turning to look at Lucius beside him.
Lucius, after a momentary daze, finally turned his head toward Noah.
Noah had thought that upon seeing another version of himself, Lucius might be shocked, surprised, or even angry... But the expression on this monkey's face now—
Clearly, it was an expression of uncontrollable laughter!
Thinking of this, Noah recalled what Lucius had said along the journey...
It seemed this guy truly had no intention of deceiving anyone; if given the chance, she really wanted to toss the imperial throne directly to someone else.
"No, I'm just happy watching!"
That was Lucius's sentiment.
As for seeing another version of herself—she understood clearly that escaping that cage required some sacrifice. If all it took was a change of appearance, discarding the name "Lucius" that she disliked to break free and become a liberated person, then she was willing to make that sacrifice!
Noah's Observation Haki sensed the utterly genuine emotions emanating from Lucius, and as he pulled her away from the scene, she even began humming an unfamiliar tune.
Seeing her so joyful, Noah couldn't help but make a wry comment internally to Mary.
"Mary, isn't she at all afraid of what atrocities another version of herself might commit after taking the throne? Or has she simply not considered it at all?"
Hearing Noah's words, Mary fell silent for a moment before responding in a tone Noah occasionally used, offering an answer to the question.
"Well, is it possible... that you have no idea how this person beside you performed while on the throne?"
"Huh?"
Noah was taken aback but quickly replied.
"Looking at her childish demeanor, I can imagine some things, but she probably still handled her duties, right? And she should at least have listened to the Senate.
Although I haven't examined Rome's situation in detail, every time intelligence agents report, they say Rome's national power is flourishing... So even though she's now out here incognito as a mercenary, her capability as an emperor should be decent, right?
"See, she saw through Morgan's plan at a glance earlier."
Hearing Noah's response, Mary sighed.
"You clearly have no idea—when you began investigating Rome, the current assistant, Manaka Sajyou, had already arrived."
"Before Manaka Sajyou came, all of Rome was on the verge of collapse. It was only after Manaka Sajyou's arrival that it was saved."
"The one beside you fought with the Senate daily while on the throne. And because she possessed the emperor's protection, no one in the Senate was a match for her, so whenever she proposed outrageous policies, the Senate had to say one thing and do another to prevent major disasters..."
Noah didn't react much upon hearing that Lucius, as emperor, fought with the Senate every day—after all, it was perfectly normal for an emperor to clash with the council of ministers. In fact, it seemed that his own relationship with Morgan and Mary was the more unusual one.
However, when he learned that Lucius's "fights" with the Senate meant actual physical brawls, Noah couldn't hold back his disbelief.
Then Mary went on to describe some of Lucius's typical proposed policies—such as requiring all citizens to eat bananas, cultivate bananas, or mandating that everyone must learn to climb trees to enhance the people's physical fitness and restore Rome to its former glory. She even mentioned how Lucius would impulsively try to reform long-standing systems...
This led the senators to utter a classic phrase they normally wouldn't have dared to say: "The laws of our ancestors must not be changed!"—using it as a tug-of-war tactic against Lucius.
Finally, Mary concluded:
"I'm not sure about the other Lucius for now, but this Lucius by your side really isn't a good emperor—her only redeeming quality is that she's merely foolish, not malicious. After taking concrete action, she would leave the palace to observe the people's conditions, and upon realizing she was wrong, she would relent and admit her mistakes."
"Once Manaka Sajyou arrived, I suspect she couldn't even win in a fight anymore. After being disciplined by Manaka Sajyou a few times, she completely became what she is now... constantly running off on adventures and leaving almost all state affairs to the Senate and Manaka Sajyou."
"I can only say, though I don't know why Manaka Sajyou serves as an advisor in Rome or why she helps Rome, based on my limited understanding of her, Rome under Lucius's rule is like this. Even if you replaced Lucius with a more capable emperor, Rome would still remain the same."
"After Manaka Sajyou's arrival, Rome was no longer ruled by the emperor or the Senate. Instead, nothing could be implemented without Manaka Sajyou's approval."
"This monkey probably knows this, which is why she doesn't care at all about the consequences."
Hearing Mary's words, Noah seemed to understand.
But as he watched Lucius looking left and right on the street, completely relaxed and joyful, as if she had forgotten she was Lucius...
Well... he'd just take Mary's word for it.
"What! You say you saw His Majesty the Sword Emperor at the Pantheon!?"
Marcus looked at Noah, then at Lucius beside him... For a moment, he was utterly confused.
First, he was certain that the person beside Noah was undoubtedly His Majesty the Sword Emperor!
Because the mystic code [Narrated] worn by the Sword Emperor—a treasure passed down since the Roman Kingdom era, crafted by all the Magi of Rome at the time along with some unique entities—was something he had personally handed to Lucius...
Moreover, Lucius's monkey-like... ahem, His Majesty the Sword Emperor's extraordinary demeanor was absolutely impossible for anyone else to imitate!
So this one had to be real!
Which meant the other one was fake!
At this thought, Marcus grew anxious.
Yet seeing Lucius himself showing no urgency at all only made him fret even more.
But before he could sort out his thoughts, he suddenly heard Noah, Scáthach, and Lucius speak up directly like this.
"Meeting that Sword Emperor Lucius today truly gave me much to reflect on—when you think about it, the throne of Rome should have been mine.
"So now, it's time to take back everything that belongs to me!"
Huh!?
Marcus was clearly taken aback.
Scáthach glanced at Noah.
"You didn't originally think this way, did you... Was it because the two of you saw the Sword Emperor today?"
Both Scáthach and Noah knew Lucius's identity, so by specifically mentioning Lucius, she was clearly addressing this issue.
Upon hearing Scáthach's question, Noah shook his head slightly.
"I wouldn't make such a decision based on something so simple... But if I had to say, you're not entirely wrong either."
As Noah spoke, his gaze fell upon Lucius.
He suddenly made this decision not only because Rome now had two Sword Emperors, but also because he had heard Lucius's own confession and witnessed Lucius's reaction upon meeting another version of himself.
Originally, he had no intention of competing with Lucius for Rome at this time.
After all, conquering is easier than ruling.
With the Titans and even the Umbral Star pressing down, he had no spare energy to clash with Rome over such matters.
That's why his previous strategy had been what it was.
Rather than directly seizing Rome, it was better to first intimidate Rome, then handle the Titan situation himself. If they succeeded, he could use the front he had opened to crush Rome at any time.
Even if they failed, without him and his allies holding back the Titans, Rome would still have to face them. As long as they prepared properly, they could advance to attack or retreat to defend.
But this scenario was only a possibility.
After all, Noah planned to wait until winter passed before probing the Huns. By then, his Simulation System would have updated, allowing him to begin the second volume of simulations.
For Noah, this strategy was clear and its objective extremely precise.
Moreover, Rome simply lacked the capability to cooperate with the Titans and attack Britain from both sides.
That's why the previous strategy had been finalized.
But now that Rome had two Luciuses, coupled with Lucius himself not wanting to be emperor... his identity as Romulus held certain operational potential.
So...
Under Scáthach's understanding gaze, Marcus's stunned expression, and Lucius's delighted eyes, he spoke his answer.
"Let's take Rome first!"
"Although I hadn't thought of it before today, starting now, reclaiming what was originally mine isn't such a bad idea."