Chapter 7
Chapter 7
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 7
Chapter Title: Julius Caesar Premiere
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"Sorry. Did I keep you waiting long?"
Rosalyn-senpai apologized with a bashful look on her face.
She flashed a bright smile while fanning herself with her noble lady's folding fan.
"At least I'm not late. Let's head in and grab our seats."
Her complexion had brightened considerably ever since her father's situation was resolved.
Thanks to that, even I felt a bit uplifted, having contributed to it.
No matter how you sliced it, one scenario I'd penned had essentially saved someone's life.
"It's too bad Morris couldn't make it. It would've been more fun watching as a trio."
"Let him be. He'll probably go later with his girlfriend all lovey-dovey."
Morris, that rascal, had a girlfriend he'd been dating for ages. The nerve of him.
Her name was Julian, I think?
A bold girl with faint freckles that made her awfully cute.
I'd heard she'd watched both Admiral Li plays cozied up with him on dates.
Damn punk. Meanwhile, I'd been in this world forever and hadn't even dreamed of romance, and here he was rubbing it in my face.
"Speaking of which, senpai, you sure it's okay coming with me? Plenty of highborn lads must be dying to escort you. Won't they get jealous?"
I asked, suppressing a twinge of annoyance, and Rosalyn put on a haughty expression before snapping back.
"Hmph. Let them be jealous if they want. From now on, I'm only watching Phantom's plays with you, Balthazar."
She's pissed. And rightfully so.
Those who'd joined in bullying her before were suddenly swarming now that she was a duke's daughter overnight.
Even I nearly hurled when I first saw the students cozying up to her out of the blue.
Even selling your conscience for scraps had its limits.
Acting like they'd never ignored her the day before? The gall.
Good thing senpai was kind and wouldn't say anything harsh to their faces.
If it were me, I'd have unleashed every curse in the book and chased them off.
"Ahem."
That's when Rosalyn-senpai pretended to sniff the air and smiled.
She patted my shoulder familiarly and spoke up.
"Balthazar, you're wearing fig perfume? Guys don't usually go for floral or fruity scents. How unique."
"Oh, this? Nothing special. My mother picked it out for me."
Whether in my past life or this one, I'd never cared much for grooming my appearance.
I wasn't into cosmetics either, and staying clean was enough to avoid any hassle.
The Arture family had been a martial house thriving on swordsmanship since its founder.
Everyone was built sturdy with tall frames, sharp features—a family of fighters through and through.
I took after my mother enough to look softly handsome, but I still carried thick Arture blood.
So naturally, fussing over looks was even further from my mind.
Hell, even my grooming was handled by my mother and the maids nagging me daily.
"Doesn't suit me, huh? A rough guy like me using fig perfume?"
I tossed it out as a joke, and Rosalyn-senpai shook her head vigorously.
She slipped her arm through mine and added,
"It suits you perfectly. And where are you rough? The Balthazar Arture I know is sensitive and warmhearted."
Sensitive and warmhearted, huh.
The praise felt overly generous, and my face heated up without me realizing.
In reality, I was just your average laid-back, lazy Korean guy.
She tugged my arm lightly and said,
"The show's about to start. Let's go in. Even His Imperial Majesty is gracing us with his presence."
The imperial family had probably already entered the theater.
In modern terms, it was the VIP box prepared with top-tier service for the utmost VIPs.
Best view in the house, with staff attending to their every whim.
"Phantom the playwright is incredible. Captivating not just academy cadets but the whole capital, including His Majesty? The title 'God-sent talent' fits perfectly. Right, Balthazar?"
"Haha, yeah. Sure..."
Of course. Who else but him?
I could only flash a subtle smile watching my admiring senpai, oblivious that she was arm-in-arm with the man himself.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Caesar, the head of a declining noble house, steps into history.
Though his beginnings were humble, his end would be glorious.
This ultimate ambitious man was a young dreamer yearning to one day rule Rome as consul.
To that end, he first built his career on foreign battlefields as a legionary.
Displaying all-rounder talent, he climbed steadily through roles like quaestor and aedile.
Finally, in 59 BC, at just 41, he ascended to the long-coveted consulship.
Positioning himself as mediator between two political titans, he became a pillar of the famed First Triumvirate.
Backed by Crassus, Rome's richest man who controlled its coffers.
And allied through marriage with Pompey, Rome's greatest general revered by all.
"[Cheers! Haha!]" "[May our alliance last forever!]" "[All for one! One for all!]" A line borrowed from Alexandre Dumas's The Three Musketeers.
The actors playing Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey toasting while shouting it was Act 1's climax.
Of course, the Roman Senate saw the ambitious politician Caesar as a threat and checked him relentlessly.
As his consul term neared its end, they tried exiling him to a provincial governorship.
But Caesar, foreseeing their scheme, boldly played his trump card to turn the tide.
He chose the uncharted land of Gaul (modern France and Belgium) as his posting.
His plan: rack up military achievements crushing the rising Celtic tribes there, paving his return to politics.
"[I, Caesar, will return!]"
Renua, playing Caesar, bellowed solemnly as he departed for his governorship.
"[Don't forget the name Julius Caesar, Rome! Until I return triumphant from conquering Gaul!]"
"Whoa, cool! That's a real man for you!" "Defying the corrupt Senate's pressure with that spirit! That guts to face the storm head-on! So manly!" "Father, Caesar became consul at 41. What have you done?" "You little shit?" Male audience members endlessly praising Caesar's early exploits. Climbing to power's peak in his prime, turning life's greatest crisis into opportunity—it struck a chord with men's fantasies. 'Hope the emperor and prince feel the same.' I glanced toward the imperial box up top, reserved solely for the royal family, thinking that. Caesar's sharp judgment and bold disregard for convention. Exactly what a nation's ruler should emulate endlessly. Brapa-bam~♪ The protagonist and his legionaries slowly exited the stage amid trumpets. Act 2 of Julius Caesar, the Gallic campaign, kicked off in earnest. Fortunately, the campaign's early days went smoothly as Caesar planned. Helvetii, Suebi, Belgae, Eburones, and more. He steadily piled up victories against the resisting tribes. But around year seven, a sudden halt to Caesar's one-sided conquest. Vercingetorix, young chieftain of the Arverni and still France's national hero today. He rallied Gaul against Rome.
"[Proud Gallic brothers! Hear my voice!]"
The war cry from Bokio, the rookie actor playing Vercingetorix. His voice boomed resonantly into the audience's hearts.
"[Caesar slaughters our brothers and enslaves their families in shame! Since Rome's legions marched in, our homeland echoes only with dirges for the dead!]"
'...That guy's a natural actor.' Thought as I watched Bokio's performance from my seat. I hadn't expected much from an orc, but the dude was the real deal. Not just the nobles who'd grumbled about an orc appearing. Even Rosalyn-senpai was munching popcorn intently, holding her breath.
"[Brothers, take up arms and rise! Let's show Caesar what we're made of!]"
A massive bonfire blazed before a sacred altar. Gathered with other chieftains, Bokio blood-swore and shouted.
"[They can take our lives, but never our freedom and spirit! Remember this oath, brothers! Caesar will regret invading Gaul forever!]"
"[Forward! Fight!]"
"[Vercingetorix! Vercingetorix! Vercingetorix!]"
"[Woooaaargh-!!]"
The showdown between Caesar and Vercingetorix begins amid the orc extras' fervent cheers. The war, seemingly all but over, flips instantly with the hero's emergence. The young hero unleashed guerrillas and scorched-earth tactics relentlessly. Caesar's army accumulated losses, cornered bit by bit. Yet victory's goddess didn't smile on the young Celt leader. The Battle of Gergovia, where he rashly clashed head-on with Romans. And the Siege of Alesia, Gaul's last stand. Consecutive defeats forced him to raise the white flag. "[I yield, Caesar.]"
Renua, as Caesar in his eye-catching red cloak. Bokio, chained, knelt before him and pleaded. "[Kill me if you must, but spare my brothers' lives. My final request as the warrior who clashed with you till now.]"
"Oh my..." "What now..." The audience sighed at the defeated warrior. Surprisingly, female spectators vied to express their pity. For some reason, their gazes on the orc actor were exceptionally misty. ...What the hell? I laced it with allure, but no need to get that emotional. 'Is that women's empathy or whatever?' I furrowed my brow in mild disbelief as the theater lights came up and the curtain fell with a swish. Intermission time for the play. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Intermission was time to quickly handle what you couldn't during the long show.
Grab snacks if hungry, dash to the restroom if needed.
But this intermission buzzed mainly with lively chatter among female spectators.
"Did you see that orc actor playing Vercingetorix earlier?"
A noblewoman's question, fan hiding her face.
The others giggled and chimed in.
While protagonist Caesar captivated the men at once, women's attention unexpectedly went to the antagonist Vercingetorix.
"I was a bit miffed hearing an orc was cast, but Phantom's eye is spot-on. My eyes feasted the whole time."
"I learned today. Thought orcs were just dumb brutes, but they have such... manly sides."
"Firm muscles, massive build, deep voice—makes you curious about their 'biology' or something?"
"Ohoho, tell me about it! I'd love to be held by a man with that beastly charm..."
They weren't the only ones chattering on the topic.
Ladies everywhere buzzed with similar talk.
Growing bored of high society's pretentious, stuffy daily life.
Expressing basic human desires like lust, even obliquely, was exhausting.
To such women, Vercingetorix's direct, primal wildness was a fresh, thrilling jolt.
Though not Phantom's intent, this play quietly seeded a very dangerous taste in the empire's underbelly.
— Kill her! I'll avenge the tribe! Bear as many as you killed! — Nngh♥ How dare a mere savage...! [Orc ravishment doujin, exemplified by knightess rape in the original world.] Consumer demand for that taste would soon surge suspiciously.