The next day, the rain stopped, the wind died down, and the sky cleared.
With their supplies replenished, the convoy slowly departed the fortress under the farewell of the commander and the Roman soldiers.
On the gentle slope, Boudica glanced back at the towering wall. The slightly plump middle-aged commander stood atop it, smiling broadly as he waved them off from afar.
She turned to the calm man beside her.
"So in the end, whoever wins is the one he follows?"
"What else?" Samael replied with a faint smile, eyes half-lidded. "Should the commander of the Seventh Legion publicly switch allegiance after being captured in front of everyone? If he did that, the Pantheon would hold him accountable. He wouldn't remain commander for long. Taking a step back on both sides works better for everyone."
Boudica thought about it for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
"That said, there are other reasons."
Samael spoke slowly.
"First, the fact that he can hold that defensive line already proves he's capable. Rome's situation hasn't been good lately. Replacing a commander in the middle of a conflict might not be a wise move.
"Second, he originally leaned toward Agrippina the Younger. Now that he keeps the Seventh Legion neutral, that alone benefits us.
"And third, he owes me a personal favor. I already told him that if the Hunnic wolf riders increase their infiltration, he should coordinate militarily with the Celts. That kind of distant cooperation will help stabilize the entire front and remove our worries about the rear."
As he spoke, the Ancient Serpent exchanged a glance with the commander still standing atop the wall. The two men nodded faintly at each other, sharing a silent understanding.
The commander was a clever man. That was why he had not attacked them outright earlier and had always left himself some room to maneuver.
And when he fell into Samael's hands, the latter had not pushed him to the brink either.
Whether to keep stability in his own sector or repay the favor of being shown a way out, cooperation between the Seventh Legion and the Celts would naturally proceed.
In a sense, it was also a form of damage control.
After all, only the Emperor had the authority to appoint or remove a legion commander.
Unfortunately for him, Agrippina the Younger would never become Emperor.
Sometimes, refusing to take sides is itself a kind of choice.
"Honestly, you people who play politics all have filthy minds."
Leaning against Boudica, the eldest daughter had been eavesdropping on her teacher's careful breakdown of the situation. The complicated layers gave her a headache, and she rubbed her temples while grumbling.
Unfortunately, the carefree girl did not notice that the two adults beside her had both gone silent.
Their expressions darkened simultaneously.
That sweeping criticism had unintentionally included both of them.
The First Princess suddenly felt a heavy weight on her shoulders.
Two hands had landed there at the same time, one from each side.
A chilling pressure spread through the air as her teacher and her mother both looked down at her with terrifyingly "kind" expressions.
Tch. Saying the truth out loud like that.
Nero lifted the carriage curtain and waved them over with a look of barely concealed glee, generously offering the enclosed space as the perfect place to carry out the punishment.
Moments later, miserable whimpers and cries echoed from inside the carriage.
The entire convoy suddenly felt much livelier.
Along the journey, thanks to the divine seal from the Pantheon and the written proof issued by the Seventh Legion, every province they passed through carefully checked their documents and then allowed the convoy to continue without exception.
At this point, the careful planning by Samael and the others had quietly begun to show results.
Before their departure, the Ancient Serpent had strongly opposed the idea of forcibly breaking through the Seventh Province.
Instead, he argued that the convoy should move openly rather than in secrecy and advance toward the City of Seven Hills in a dignified and legitimate manner.
The reasoning was simple.
There was no way he could escort Nero while smashing through seven or eight provinces along the way, fighting all the way to the Pantheon and forcing the divine ancestor Romulus to grant this girl imperial authority.
If he were going to go that far, he might as well stage a coup, kill Romulus himself, and place Nero on the throne directly. That would be much simpler.
What truly mattered for returning to Rome with proper legitimacy was obtaining a summons bearing the divine seal of the Pantheon.
According to Samael's calculations, Rome was already beginning to struggle.
The divine ancestor Romulus would certainly not reject the integration of the Celtic tribes.
So as long as they transmitted the news of victory to the Pantheon through the Temple of Mars, everything would fall into place naturally.
Moreover, both Nero and Boudica were now registered within the Pantheon's records.
The great figures in Rome had already turned their attention toward them.
At this point, whether it was other noble houses with ambitions for Britannia or the poisonous woman within House Claudius, trying to employ underhanded schemes would no longer be so easy.
Once the target stood openly under the sun, darkness had nowhere left to hide.
And the provincial armies would never dare openly obstruct an imperial heir returning to report. Because of that, their journey was actually safer.
As for the few groups of petty bandits who happened to cross their path, whether intentionally or by accident, they had already been filtered through several layers of scrutiny. They were nothing more than small fry with neither strength nor backing. Brynhildr did not even need to act. The Celtic guards accompanying the convoy cleared them out with ease.
More than ten days passed in steady, uneventful travel.
By the time the City of Rome, standing upon its seven hills, finally appeared in the distance, even the usually idle and indulgent Nero had gained a few pounds.
Rome stood across seven hills: the Palatine, Capitoline, Esquiline, Viminal, Quirinal, Caelian, and Aventine, giving it the name City of Seven Hills. The city stretched slightly longer from north to south than east to west. Its walls followed the curves of the river and hills, rising and falling in an irregular outline that resembled a crouching lion.
The city was meticulously planned, grand and imposing. Towering walls lined the streets, and every brick and stone bore divine runes for defense and restriction.
Several main avenues ran across the city in a grid pattern, intersecting like the strokes of a character, dividing Rome into multiple districts.
The roads were straight and level, nearly ten meters wide, paved entirely with blue stone slabs. Water channels ran throughout the city, with hidden drainage beneath the streets. Lead and ceramic pipes carried rainwater away from the roads.
Fountains flowed freely, statues were scattered throughout the city, and the entire place carried an air of refined luxury.
Within the gaps between the stone slabs were embedded luminous minerals mined from the seabed of the Bay of Naples. Along the streets stood charged magic crystals. Even on moonless nights, travelers could rely on the glow of the minerals and crystals to see the road clearly.
Within the city itself, three landmarks stood as the most magnificent and solemn.
The first was the Roman Forum, located in the valley between the Palatine, Capitoline, and Esquiline hills. Temples, assembly halls, statues, fountains, memorial columns, and numerous other structures filled the area. Rome's largest gladiatorial arena also stood there.
The second was the Roman Imperial Palace on the Palatine Hill. It contained countless halls, baths, chariot racing tracks, and theaters. This was the place where the seven emperors, including the divine ancestor, worked and resided.
The third was the Pantheon, standing beside the imperial palace. From afar it appeared as a grand temple crowned with a vast dome. A classical colonnade stood at its entrance. The dome was constructed from volcanic ash stone. Within it stood statues of the twelve principal gods, and above them twelve strands of divine radiance intertwined in the air, faintly appearing and fading.
Beyond those landmarks, the city contained everything one could expect in the capital of an empire. Taverns, public baths, bakeries, dye shops, inns, theaters, and many other establishments filled its streets.
As the capital of the empire, its prosperity even surpassed the Uruk that Samael remembered.
The convoy presented its travel authorization and passed smoothly through the entry barrier into the city.
However, not long after entering, they were forced to slow down as the streets became clogged with crowds and waves of cheering.
On the blue stone streets, two processions of priests and temple attendants moved forward under the protection of soldiers. They carried statues depicting a she-wolf protecting a pair of human infants, along with a statue of Pan, scattering flower petals along the road.
The leading priest cracked a shepherd's whip sharply in the air. Young women dressed in festive clothing gathered along both sides of the street. Whenever one of them was struck by the sheepskin whip, the crowd burst into cheers and lively chatter.
"Umu. It seems today is the Festival of Pan. Everyone is celebrating. Looks like we can't go directly to see the divine ancestor today. Why don't we join them?"
Hearing the commotion, Nero poked her head out of the carriage and looked at the lively crowd with sparkling curiosity.
"Join what? Out of 365 days in a year, Rome has more than 175 festival days. More than half the year is spent celebrating! Sit down and behave. We settle our people first."
Samael grabbed Nero by the collar without hesitation and shoved the future tyrant, who loved festivities far too much, back into the carriage.
Left with no choice, Nero stayed obediently inside and began directing the route.
"My father once left me a private residence. It's quiet, secluded, and large enough. I rarely used it before, so everyone can stay there for now. Once things settle down, we can decide what to do next."
Samael, Brynhildr, and Boudica exchanged glances and nodded.
Then the group gathered their formation and headed toward their temporary residence.