By the afternoon, after assigning the tasks of housing the personnel and organizing security patrols to Boudica and Brynhildr respectively, Samael left the secluded private residence on the outskirts and headed toward the bustling city of Rome, where the Festival of Pan was in full swing.
Along the way, as the procession of priests passed through the streets, groups of young nobles dressed like shepherds gathered together. They swung sheepskin whips through the air with sharp cracking sounds while their attendants scattered flower petals mixed with copper coins, pushing the festive atmosphere to a fever pitch.
Even Samael was bumped several times by the tightly packed crowd. At one point he casually caught a copper coin tossed into the air, unintentionally sharing a bit of the festival's good fortune.
The Festival of Pan was a grand celebration that had originated in ancient Rome and continued to be observed to this day.
Legend said that after the Trojan War, the Trojans fled their homeland and settled elsewhere, multiplying their descendants. In doing so, they inherited two legacies.
One was royal authority.
The other was the gold and silver treasure brought from Troy.
Two princes inherited these legacies. The elder brother, Numitor, chose the kingdom, while the younger brother, Amulius, took the wealth.
However, the younger brother used his riches to grow more powerful than his elder sibling and easily seized the throne.
Numitor's sons were all killed, and only his daughter Silvia survived, spared after Amulius's own daughter pleaded for her life.
After taking power, the new king forced Silvia into the Temple of Vesta, the sanctuary of the hearth goddess corresponding to the Greek Hestia. She was made a virgin priestess so that she could not marry or bear children who might challenge the throne.
Yet the god of war Mars, corresponding to Ares, took notice of Silvia and united with her, and she gave birth to twin sons.
Fearing that the truth would be discovered and lead to her execution, Silvia placed the infants in the Tiber River and let the current carry them away.
The twins drifted downstream and eventually reached the land that would later become Rome. There they were nursed by a she-wolf who had lost her own cubs. Later, a shepherd found them, adopted them, and named them Romulus and Remus.
Thus began the continuation of Rome.
Originally, the Festival of Pan commemorated the she-wolf and the shepherd who raised the divine ancestor Romulus, celebrating the birth of Rome itself.
Over time, the festival also took on the meaning of offering prayers to Pan, the god of shepherds.
In a sense, the Festival of Pan functioned as Rome's national celebration, so naturally it was held with great pomp and would likely last several days.
As Samael moved through the crowd, recalling the story, he could not help but complain inwardly with some amusement.
No wonder that in later ages the phrase "Roman citizen" became an even luckier joke than "European."
Three hundred sixty-five days in a year, and since the era of the Roman kings more than one hundred seventy days were spent celebrating festivals. Holidays every few days. That life really was too comfortable.
What are you laughing at, idiot? From now on, you're Roman too.
After briefly indulging in envy and self-mockery, the Ancient Serpent slipped through the packed streets and headed deeper into the city.
Soon the seven hills came into view.
From their bases to their summits stood lavish architectural complexes. These layered palaces and courtyards were the domains of the six great clans and the imperial palace.
On one of the hills, a courtyard flew a banner embroidered with a rose and enshrined a statue of Venus, the goddess of love corresponding to Aphrodite.
That was the territory of the Claudius family.
Speaking of which, the imperial system of the Roman Empire had a curious connection to the number seven.
During the ancient Roman monarchy, aside from the divine ancestor Romulus, six additional kings had ruled in succession.
But those Roman kings who once held imperial authority had long since turned to dust through the endless expansion of the kingdom and the erosion of time.
The rise of the six great clans happened to correspond to the six imperial authorities left vacant by those kings. With the divine ancestor Romulus at the center, they became the new "seven hills" guarding the city of Rome.
Such a coincidence was unlikely to be accidental. It was most likely the deliberate guidance and arrangement of Rome's divine founder.
Whether Nero could inherit the imperial authority of the Claudius family and take control of the Seventh Province would ultimately depend on whether Romulus approved.
As he walked along the road, Samael let his thoughts wander idly while the Pantheon grew closer and closer.
That was precisely the reason he had come out today.
Who knew when the Festival of Pan would finally end? Instead of waiting around for Romulus to summon him, it would be better to investigate the situation himself. Perhaps through the Olympian gods he could find some clues about the whereabouts of his acquaintances from Mount Ares.
Just as Samael was walking along a busy commercial street, a shopkeeper's helpless muttering drifted from the entrance of a candy and pastry shop not far away.
"Hey, little miss, you've been standing there staring for half the day. Are you buying this last box or not?"
"The last box... which means…
Uh, the last box means…
Mm... let me look a little longer..."
Standing at the entrance, the silver-haired girl stared at the final box of colorful candy on display behind the counter. After wrestling with the decision for quite a while, she frowned and said something that left the shopkeeper speechless.
"Forget it, little miss. Go get your family to come over. I still have business to do."
The shopkeeper waved his hand impatiently. The intent to shoo her away could not have been clearer.
A faint ripple finally appeared in the silver-haired girl's indifferent eyes. Somewhat reluctant, she turned her head and prepared to leave.
"Shopkeeper, we'll take that box of candy. Please wrap it up first. Also, what flavors sell best here? Give us a few recommendations so my friend can pick some more."
At that moment, a clear voice came from behind the silver-haired girl.
Smiling, Samael stepped into the shop, tossed down a silver coin of Hera, and winked at Altera beside him.
The middle-aged shopkeeper in an apron picked up the Hera silver coin from the counter, weighed it in his hand, and examined it again and again to confirm it was genuine. His face immediately lit up, and he began enthusiastically promoting the shop's candy.
An old silver coin from Greece.
If he sold this on the black market, or if some noble lord took a liking to it, there was real money to be made.
At Samael's prompting, Altera moved up to the counter and, now fully interested, picked out seven or eight boxes of candy she liked. Taking the overstuffed bag into her arms, the frost on her face seemed to soften slightly, and a faint trace of pleasure appeared.
The Ancient Serpent followed his mood and picked out a few things for himself as casual snacks. A short while later, the two left the shop carrying quite a haul.
But the moment they stepped out the door, Altera's upward glance caught on a fluffy golden lamb plush hanging by the entrance and would not move away from it.
The King of the Huns turned and looked at the shopkeeper with burning intensity.
"Ahem... you two, that's just a decorative piece to attract customers. It's not for sale."
The shopkeeper explained awkwardly and shook his head slightly.
Hearing that, Altera looked a little disappointed. The desire in her eyes gradually faded as her usual clarity returned and she suppressed her longing for the item.
Then Samael walked over with a genial smile and gave the shopkeeper a friendly handshake.
By the time the Ancient Serpent came back out, there was already a golden lamb plush in his hand.
Meanwhile, the shopkeeper looked at the gold of Zeus in his palm, forcibly suppressing the joy in his heart as he watched the man leaving the store with a touch of reverence.
Samael stuffed the plush doll into Altera's arms and glanced back at the shop with a satisfied look.
What "not for sale" really meant was simply that the price had not been high enough.
Of course, throwing money around would only make them look like easy marks. The real reason the shopkeeper wisely took the deal and stopped there was the Claudius insignia in Samael's hand.
Perhaps the status of one of the six great clans had indeed done the trick. Before they left, the shopkeeper enthusiastically recommended the Roman Forum as the next place they should visit.
So Samael took Altera by the hand and, like a proper host, led this expressionless girl, now temporarily free of her identity, into the lively crowd to enjoy the festival to the fullest.
Yet in the instant the Ancient Serpent turned slightly toward Altera, a trace of darkness and gravity flickered through his half-lidded snake eyes.
Strange.
How did she end up in Rome?