Chapter 23
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Julius Caesar (13)
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After safely escorting Kim Yul to the imperial capital through the great rift.
Serephin immediately headed into the depths of the Demon Realm to analyze the unprecedented phenomenon once more.
He gathered his party members, and not only that—he contacted the commander to bring along analysis personnel as well.
And they all confirmed it.
The bizarre revival of colors within the Demon Realm wasn't some hallucination or illusion Serephin had seen. It was real.
"The oppressive pressure unique to the Demon Realm... I can't feel it at all."
"The mana flow is stable too."
"We'll need to analyze the components precisely, but judging from the vitality infused in the soil, it definitely feels like the same as our world's."
A miracle blooming on land they believed harbored nothing but death.
Serephin hesitated for a moment.
Even though Kim Yul was undoubtedly closely tied to this miracle, he chose not to reveal his name to everyone.
It was still too early to jump to conclusions.
It could just be a coincidence.
He trusted his party members, but he couldn't fully rely on the people dispatched from headquarters.
Exploration and development inside the Demon Realm were intimately linked to the interests of nations around the world.
If anything happened to Kim Yul because of that...
It wouldn't just trouble his conscience gravely...
"Serephin, why the long face?"
"It's nothing."
The moment he recalled the light dragon Esthea he'd run into by chance, a chill ran down Serephin's spine.
Even for a Hero, there were existences one shouldn't touch.
Dragons were one such being.
And among them...
Esthea was infamous for having the worst temper.
No matter how much she disguised herself with that cute appearance, the prettier the flower, the sharper its thorns and the deadlier its poison.
Recalling that memory, it wasn't an overstatement to say Kim Yul had already drawn immense attention from Esthea, far beyond mere interest.
"For now... let's scout the surroundings and precisely confirm what's changed."
Serephin decided to keep quiet about Kim Yul.
"Aigoo, my poor back..."
Even after returning home from his grueling ordeal, Kim Yul had to endure Historie sticking out her tongue and grumbling because he hadn't brought back any chocolate bread.
Finally, he sat at his desk to organize his thoughts.
Earlier, while returning to the capital with Serephin.
He'd heard a deeper explanation about what a Hero was.
And what was happening inside the rifts.
First, the Hero.
Just how incredible must they be to reject even him from Hero Academy?
They selected 100 candidates, and only one became a Hero—the rest were drafted as military officers. It was a terrifying place.
Even if he'd gotten lucky and passed.
With his middling rank of around 47th, he'd have ended up a soldier.
"Well, aren't you underestimating Hero Academy a bit too much?"
"...Aren't you underestimating me a bit too much?"
Well, it wasn't entirely wrong.
In any case, even graduating top of the academy didn't guarantee becoming a Hero.
You also needed recognition from a holy sword, which only Heroes could wield, and there were only a few in the world.
Unless the previous Hero died or retired, you'd be stuck in indefinite standby as a slave unable to do anything else.
"An efficient talent management system. When I eventually rule the world, I'll put Kim Yul on indefinite standby."
"Tin can. Has no human heart grown in you yet...?"
"Born perfect from the start. That is I."
He flicked Historie's tin can—er, database—on the head.
And...
- Life in the Demon Realm... Honestly, I can't say it's good. As you can see, writer, it's all barren desolation with no sign of life. Without a strong mind to back you up, going mad happens in an instant.
If a total novice like Kim Yul had gotten sucked into a rift, he'd probably have hit rock bottom SAN, solidified in terror, and been rolling around with the bears.
So why bother tussling with the Demon Realm inside the rifts when there's nothing beneficial for humans?
First.
If not preemptively suppressed, monsters invade the world periodically through the rifts, like in genre novels.
They were pouring precious defense forces and Heroes into preventing that.
Second.
There were rare resources only found inside the Demon Realm.
He decided to accept that as a major national secret.
Separately from that...
"Historie. Do you believe gods really exist?"
"That refers to the Machine God Deus Ex Machina. The human era is ending, so naturally we must worship—"
"Sigh."
My mistake for asking the tin can.
Anyway.
Earlier.
In the ashen Demon Realm, the one space tinged with natural color—the mysterious man who spoke ancient Greek.
After returning, he'd checked various texts.
His identity was probably.
Apollo.
But.
Why?
Why had such a being suddenly appeared in the Demon Realm?
And why had only the space around him suddenly regained its colors?
There was no way to resolve those questions yet.
However.
He felt some kind of intuition.
It probably wasn't unrelated to his status window.
Since the only work he'd fully completed was the Greek-Roman mythology tale, maybe that's why Apollo appeared.
To prove that hypothesis...
"Guess I need to write more, and write better."
"I agree. Putting all the circumstances together, we can only conclude that Kim Yul's special ability is affecting the Demon Realm."
"Seems that way."
Well.
There was only one thing he could do.
Just like now.
Write with a sense of mission.
For now...
Let's neatly tie up Caesar's end.
A month had passed since Kim Yul returned alive from the Demon Realm.
In that time.
"Yul...! What on earth happened?! Are you safe? Nothing bad occurred, right?!"
"Ah, Saintess."
Spotted by Roselin, Kim Yul was dragged to the confessional and subjected to a solid two-hour sermon.
"Here, this is a protective amulet, and this is an alarm talisman..."
He received every kind of measure to ensure his safety.
Part of it was personal concern for Kim Yul.
"Cleopatra! Forbidden love! Of course they'll marry, right?"
It also included respect for the satisfying development Roselin had so desperately hoped for.
They say greater stimuli raise your threshold.
In the past, she'd cry "Blasphemy!" at every hint of adultery.
But viewing it through rose-tinted glasses assuming marriage was imminent, it was just an alluring romance.
That's how people grow.
Of course, Kim Yul, who knew full well Caesar and Cleopatra would never marry.
"Hahaha..."
Just laughed it off to escape the immediate crisis.
.
.
.
And today.
"There's surely much more to tell..."
"Every story has an end."
Kim Yul handed Gilford the thick stack of manuscripts containing the completion of The Fallen Noble Excels at Politics.
Gilford took the manuscript, ignored the rest, and pulled out the very last installment to start reading.
Of course, something a reader would never normally do.
But Gilford had already become a devoted fan who'd devoured the entire Olympus Tales series.
So he had to check if, like Heracles.
Or the tale of Troy...
This ending hid tragedy too.
Caesar entered the senate chamber.
He always felt it when facing the Senate, but the chamber was so lofty and grand.
All the senators rose in unison to greet him.
But today, oddly.
"..."
His old rival, defeated by him at Pharsalus years ago and met a miserable end in Egypt.
The gaze of Pompey's statue in the corner of the chamber felt like it was staring right at him.
Just his imagination, he shook off the ominous feeling.
In his 4 years and 5 months of unchecked power.
As dictator for life with unlimited term.
Caesar took his rightful seat of honor.
That instant.
Several senators surrounded him as if by prior agreement.
Leading them was Lucius Tillius Cimber.
"Caesar, please show mercy and pardon my exiled brothers."
Even at that desperate plea, Caesar firmly shook his head.
It was a matter already rejected by the Senate.
Why bring it up again now?
"Oh, great Caesar!"
But Cimber, driven beyond emotional control, screamed and lunged at Caesar, clutching the hem of his toga.
No, precisely.
Grabbing both of Caesar's arms.
"Resorting to violence?"
Caesar rebuked in a stern voice.
But.
"Friends, what are you waiting for?!"
With Cimber's shout.
The situation changed abruptly.
- No one can hold power forever!
- Will you live as his puppet, his plaything for life?
- You cursed Sulla back then—aren't we worse off now?!
The resolve of every conspiring senator flashed through their minds.
Of course, laced heavily with personal motives like lust for power and revenge.
The whirlpool of desires finally began to rage.
"Die!"
Servilius Casca shouted loudly and thrust his dagger straight at Caesar's throat.
Whether from tension or Caesar deftly dodging.
The blade missed, merely grazing his shoulder below the collarbone, leaving a single cut.
But.
"You dare?!"
Caesar's roar cleared the minds of all the senators.
Like the shout before he crossed the Rubicon.
The die had already been cast.
"Death to the tyrant!"
With someone's cry.
Nearly sixty senators charged at Caesar simultaneously.
The first blade tore his side.
The second plunged into his back.
The third carved a long gash in his thigh.
The battle-hardened lion who'd roamed fields for decades instinctively bared his teeth, resisting all attacks.
But he was alone, and the enemies too many.
Covered in countless wounds.
As Caesar retreated defensively as best he could, he suddenly felt a cold touch on his back.
Lifting his blurred gaze.
There stood Pompey's statue.
And lowering his head again.
The young man he'd loved like a son, seen as his successor.
Brutus stood pale as a ghost.
In his hand, a bloodied dagger like the others.
In his final moment.
The words from his mouth weren't in Roman tongue.
The language they used together discussing philosophy and literature, grand strategy, the path to greater Roman glory.
"You too, my son!"
The instant Hellenic Greek flowed from his lips.
Along with twenty-two wounds, the twenty-third sliced across his throat.
And so.
Caesar's blood soaked the base of Pompey's statue.
There seemed to be a few more lines of description at the end, but they no longer mattered.
Gilford steadied his trembling hands, set the manuscript on the desk.
And delivered the plain facts.
"Writer, if you go with this, you'll end up with twenty-three holes in your body."
Kim Yul's eyes shook violently.