Chapter 6: The Sun God
Chapter 6: The Sun God
The plan to stay in Syria and secure our safety
Grandmother had granted permission, but right then the emperor’s delegation paid a visit.
A general in ornate armor appeared, along with a man who looked like a senator.
After saluting Julia Maesa, the general spoke.
“Lady Julia Maesa, I have come to deliver an urgent order from His Majesty the Emperor.”
In his hand was an official document stamped with the emperor’s seal.
“His Majesty orders that the entire Julia clan, including High Priest Varius, must accompany us to Rome immediately. No exceptions. No delays.”
The senator added, “This is an urgent matter tied to the empire’s security. Please make haste.”
My chest dropped.
So it was unavoidable after all.
[This… really is out of our hands. We have no choice but to go to Rome.]
Julia Maesa accepted the emperor’s document, her expression stiffening for a moment.
Even on her face, I could see unease mixed with confusion.
Up to now, how much political power had she exercised to support Emperor Caracalla?
And yet—was this his paranoia swelling to the point that he wanted all members of our clan beside him so he could watch them?
“…Understood. If it is His Majesty’s order, we must comply.”
In the end, we couldn’t avoid going to Rome.
But thinking about what would happen later…I couldn’t be sure we would come back alive.
[Isn’t this a complete trap? It feels like they’re bringing us to Rome to keep us under surveillance.]
I thought the same.
It looked like Caracalla intended to check our clan.
The problem was… we couldn’t refuse. If we refused the emperor’s order, we could be branded traitors.
[What do we do? Do we really have to go to Rome?]
“We have to trust Grandmother. She’s politically brilliant. She’ll find a way.”
After thinking a moment, Julia Maesa spoke.
“However… I have one proposal. Before sending Varius to Rome, how about we hold a special rite to the sun god for a safe journey? Without the god’s blessing, we cannot undertake such a dangerous, long voyage.”
[That’s Grandmother for you. She’s buying time.]
The general looked briefly flustered.
She was asking for time on religious grounds, and it would be hard to refuse that.
“Th-that is a good idea, but… it won’t take too long, will it?”
“Of course not. One week will be sufficient.”
At Julia Maesa’s answer, I felt relieved.
One week… maybe we could come up with something in that time.
But the root problem wasn’t solved. We still had to go to Rome, and live under Caracalla’s watch there.
And the bigger problem…Once Caracalla died in 217, we had no idea what would happen to all of us.
**
“General, what exactly is going on? Why did an order come down that our entire clan must go to Rome?” Julia Maesa met the general privately, in a quiet place.
Understanding intent mattered most.
“I apologize. Truthfully, it seems because of those prophecies circulating lately… His Majesty is unsettled.”
“And yet bringing even Varius is excessive, is it not? A child who only just recovered from fever—if he takes a long journey, you can easily imagine he may not endure it physically.”
“I agree, but… Lady Julia Maesa, I’ll be frank. After seeing him perform the High Priest’s duties, I judged he is no ordinary child. It is only a matter of time before his influence expands greatly in the East.”
“So you’re saying that such a frail child could become some kind of counterweight to Emperor Caracalla? Of all people, doesn’t His Majesty know this old woman’s loyalty best?”
“That goes without saying. But you know His Majesty’s paranoia has worsened lately. It is because of that, and no other intention.”
Given our relationship so far, he might have been willing to accommodate us…but the general clearly had no intention of backing down.
Did that mean Caracalla’s resolve was that firm?
“Very well. We will soon make preparations to depart for Rome.”
“I apologize. We will, however, ensure your long journey is safely escorted.”
**
“Varius, I understand your religious fervor, but this time it can’t be helped. It pains me to say this to someone as young as you, but it seems Emperor Caracalla’s paranoia has flared. Prepare to leave for Rome.”
Grandmother, with her exceptional political power.
So she failed to persuade the delegation.
Did that mean Caracalla’s paranoia had grown that severe?
If so… then fine. I’d go to Rome and watch how it unfolded.
Even if something sudden happened, we could only trust the fate of being driven back to Syria again…
“Understood, Grandmother. Thank you for your efforts. I will prepare.”
Opinions of Caracalla were split.
He was known as a tyrant comparable to Nero or Commodus, but he was also reassessed as the man who granted Roman citizenship to all provincials.
But no matter how anyone tried to excuse him, the guilt of personally murdering Geta—his co-emperor and younger brother—surely strangled him until the day he died.
And beyond that, he ruthlessly murdered his father-in-law and his wife, purged all of his brother’s friends and supporters, and committed every kind of atrocity.
“Varius, you’ve heard a lot about Caracalla’s evil deeds up to now too, haven’t you?”
[Of course. It’s beyond what words can capture. It’s just that because of Grandmother’s achievements, our clan suffered no harm at all—and instead kept rising—so my personal feelings aren’t that bad.]
“Yeah. And that’s part of why I don’t want to warn Caracalla or his inner circle about the assassination attempt. He’s your maternal relative… but honestly, because of his atrocities and obsession, it’s no different from tens of thousands of innocent people being slaughtered.”
[That’s true. After he killed Emperor Geta, there were even rumors he butchered more than twenty thousand Roman citizens who supported Geta.]
“Let’s focus only on how we survive Macrinus, and later how we avoid being assassinated while sitting on the throne. For that, there’s a lot we need to prepare starting now.”
[Fine, but what do we need to prepare?]
“I’ve been thinking hard about what matters most… and I think we need to change your perspective on religion.”
[What? My perspective on religion? Are you saying I should abandon the sun god and step down as High Priest?]
“No, I’m not going to force you to abandon the sun god. But later, the biggest problem starts with religion—”
[Huh? Is that really true? Why?]
“What shocked the Romans was… the massive cone-shaped black stone that entered Rome in the imperial procession. The black meteorite symbolizing the sun god Elagabal. Even for Romans who’d encountered many cultures for centuries, it felt too unfamiliar and excessively grotesque.”
[The black stone is the very symbol of our sun god. Shouldn’t we bring it with us? If anything, the Romans’ reaction is the problem.]
“That’s exactly the perspective we need to change. The problem is you didn’t care at all about people’s eyes—you sanctified that stone and enshrined it in a temple on the Palatine Hill.”
[Hmm… I’d think it’s only natural to enshrine the black meteorite in the Pantheon, where the Temple of Apollo and the Temple of Victoria—Rome’s most revered—stand. And that caused backlash?]
“Right. And even after enshrining it… there were musicians pounding drums and clashing cymbals to Eastern music, and Syrian women’s songs no Roman had ever heard echoed nonstop. Of course Romans would push back.”
[But worship of the sun increased across the empire since Emperor Severus’s era, didn’t it?]
“That’s Mithraism. Different religion from the sun god Elagabal. Mithra was revered as Ahura Mazda’s son, a sun god, and a creator deity.”
[True. Soldiers worshiped Mithra as a war god.]
“If people who worship Mithra feel you deliberately forced them to worship Elagabal instead, how do you think they’d react?”
[Thinking about it now, the backlash would be huge.]
“And if you proclaim Elagabal as ‘the greatest among the unconquered gods, the sun god Elagabal,’ and proclaim yourself the supreme priest and shaman who represents that unconquered sun god—could they still accept you as the true Roman emperor?”
[That is the problem. They’d think their emperor is obsessed with a grotesque eastern heresy.]
“Exactly. Rome is fundamentally a polytheistic empire. But the way you ended up acting was like forcing a single god on them—so they received it as religious oppression.”
[Christianity is also monotheistic like our sun god Elagabal. Why single out the sun god?]
“That’s why Christians are being persecuted right now. The empire isn’t ready to accept it yet. In that situation, if the Roman emperor forces monotheism on citizens—can they accept him as the empire’s true ruler? This isn’t some small theocratic city-state from ancient times. It’s a massive empire.”
[I understand.]
“And on top of that, your religion worships Baal too—Canaan’s chief god.”
[Baal is a god of fertility. So what?]
“The problem is the Romans couldn’t accept it. Christianity’s influence matters too—because in Christianity, Baal means a demon. Romans considered it grotesque.”
[So if I’m careful about what you said when I enter as emperor, that’s enough, right? It’s not like I can switch my faith to Mithraism.]
“Right. I’m not telling you to convert to Mithraism. But if you become Roman emperor later, you also must remember this: you cannot keep performing your High Priest duties in Rome.”
[That’s not something I can concede. I am someone who is born with the duty to serve as High Priest!]
“Then you should’ve never wanted the throne in the first place! If you ascend, then don’t force monotheism on a polytheistic empire!”
[No, that… does it really work like that?]
“Aren’t you logical? Think. After becoming emperor, you host festivals for Elagabal as a ‘new Roman religion,’ place Elagabal at the very peak of the Pantheon, and—trying to highlight your piety and morality as the High Priest—have yourself circumcised and swear off pork.”
[Hmm… that would provoke backlash.]
“You know what’s an even bigger shock? While holding those bizarre, incomprehensible events, imagine the Roman emperor—you—dancing around Elagabal’s altar to drums, pipes, and cymbals… and forcing senators to watch. If they see their emperor’s bizarre and obscene sexual acts, dance, and circumcision rites right in front of the Senate—wouldn’t they be horrified?”
[Ha… it feels like I’m getting scolded over a future I haven’t even committed.]
That was exactly it.
If I didn’t change your perspective now,vhow could the two of us—two consciousnesses—ever truly merge into one?