Although Sword Emperor Lucius remained as arrogant as ever in his ambitions to conquer Britain, he did not look down on Arthur.
On the contrary, he believed Arthur was the only opponent in this era who could stand on equal footing with him.
For this reason, the expeditionary force included nearly all members of the Senate. Only three senators were left behind in Rome. Though these three possessed considerable prestige, they were senators in title alone. In the emperor's absence, their role was merely to maintain the empire's day-to-day operations.
But the situation at hand had grown beyond the elders' capacity for decision-making.
They didn't know what to do about the mob.
In truth, the wealth gap in Rome had become extreme. The noble villas bore no resemblance to the slums where the poor scraped by. The money a rich man spent on a single dinner party could support a poor family for an entire year.
With such a vast disparity, uprisings were inevitable.
The oppressed poor, along with the conquered peoples and subjugated territories of the empire, would always seize upon any opportunity to revolt.
Yet despite the many rebellions in its long history, Rome's status as a superpower had never truly been shaken.
This time, with the emperor off on his campaign, Rome had made preparations to suppress any uprisings that might occur.
But this time was different.
Because in essence, it wasn't truly an uprising—or even a rebellion. Although the crowd had clearly violated Roman law, their rallying cry was "Long live the Empire! Rome is supreme!"
At a glance, they appeared to be genuine patriots.
This left the three elders at a complete loss.
If it were only a handful of agitators, they could be arrested and tried according to law. A few executions would be enough to scare others into submission.
But this riot involved a massive number of participants—many of them bona fide Roman citizens. Regardless of whatever benefits these so-called patriots may have gained from the chaos, the damage they'd inflicted on Rome was more than enough to merit death a dozen times over.
But there were simply too many of them.
To suppress them with iron-fisted methods would be to drive potential pacification into full-blown rebellion.
And worse, it would chill the hearts of Rome's true patriots.
As the saying goes, "The law does not punish the multitude." The principle holds true everywhere.
Yet if no action is taken, the spirit of defiance will only grow, spreading like wildfire until it consumes the great Roman Empire itself.
The three elders pondered the matter over and over, and in the end, they decided to pass this unsolvable dilemma to the emperor.
Taking the communication crystal from the magician, they soon saw the emperor's face.
"Your Majesty, the great Sword Emperor Lucius—we greet you."
Lucius frowned slightly in the projection. "What's happened that even the three elders cannot resolve?"
The senators exchanged bitter glances, then explained Rome's current predicament in dry, reluctant voices.
Only the emperor could render judgment now.
Sure enough, Lucius laughed heartily upon hearing the news, replying with an air of amused contempt:
"Haha! Isn't this great? Once I conquer Britain, the Red Dragon Coin's production will fall into Roman hands. Then Roman paper currency can finally be promoted. The Red Dragon Coin was destined for destruction anyway. Since the people are willing to do it for me, I'll give them a little help."
"Your Majesty—what do you mean?"
"It's simple. Make an official proclamation abolishing the Red Dragon Coin. Then dispatch soldiers to destroy every coin, door to door."
"You're... justifying the actions of the mob?" one of the elders blurted out, eyes wide.
This was not the wise decision he'd expected.
He had assumed Lucius would order a harsh suppression of the riots or use his imperial prestige to restore temporary order. But never in his wildest thoughts did he imagine the emperor would applaud the mob and casually exempt them of all wrongdoing.
With this, the law would no longer be law—and Rome no longer a nation of order.
The three elders stared at one another in stunned silence. But when they noticed that the other senators behind Lucius appeared to agree with him, they hesitated—and ultimately chose not to protest.
"Then... Your Majesty, will the Empire compensate for the loss of the destroyed Red Dragon Coins?"
After all, the Red Dragon Coin was private property. Destroying it by imperial decree without offering restitution would surely breed resentment. Even those who obeyed Rome's orders would feel betrayed. Another riot—or even a rebellion—could erupt.
"Huh? Did I tell them to exchange their money for Red Dragon Coins? Did I ever officially recognize that coin as legal Roman currency?" Lucius scoffed, his meaning crystal clear.
You bear the consequences of your own foolish decisions.
From the start, the Red Dragon Coin was a foreign currency. Its adoption had been entirely voluntary—people had chosen to exchange and use it of their own accord.
In that case, what did it have to do with Rome?
"Anyone found secretly hoarding Red Dragon Coins will be charged with treason. Spread the word. That's my order. As long as they are my subjects, no one will disobey."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
And thus, the resolution to Rome's crisis was made.
The elder returned the communication crystal to the magician, still wearing an expression of disbelief. After further discussion, the three elders ultimately agreed to carry out Lucius's orders.
As long as the British campaign went smoothly, any troubles at home could be resolved once the Sword Emperor returned.
—
On the other side of the sea, Lucius stared at the crystal ball as the projection faded, his expression twisted with irritation and contempt.
Unbelievable!
"You three old fools—are you even sane? You come to me over a minor discrepancy in tax revenue? You can't even handle that? And you call yourselves Roman senators?"
Lucius spat the words impatiently.
In facing the British Dynasty, Lucius intended to leave no room for compromise.
That was his true enemy—and one he would not underestimate.
That's why he had summoned nearly the entire Senate to join his overseas campaign. Only the three oldest members had remained behind to manage domestic affairs, given their frail health. They were highly respected, and Lucius had trusted they could handle minor issues in his absence.
But now, they had come groveling to him over some trifling matter.
At this moment, Lucius regretted leaving those three senile relics behind.
"Maybe it would've been better if they had just died on the battlefield."
"Your Majesty, you're absolutely right," a voice replied from behind him.
—
At that same moment, in the Roman Magicians' Group stationed in Britain, Merry twirled her wand cheerfully as she worked, a mischievous smile on her face.
"Oh my~ The Romans really do love their dreams, don't they? Everything's going so smoothly~ Big Sister is very happy~☆!"
With her task complete, she turned to her adorable disciple.
"Alright, Arturia, everything has gone exactly as my King planned. The foundation is laid. Now it's your turn. You haven't forgotten your swordsmanship, have you?"
-End Chapter-
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