In a garden within the Roman Imperial Palace.
"Little Novia, you... managed to drain Lake Fucinus in just three days... You've done an excellent job…"
The elderly Emperor Claudius exclaimed in a tone full of surprise as he listened to the report from Novia.
"There is no need for such praise, Your Majesty. This is simply my duty to the Empire," the silver-haired youth replied, his voice soft, radiating warmth and affection, a tone he was adept at using.
Recently, Emperor Claudius had been planning a public works project—to drain Lake Fucinus on the Apennine Mountains and redirect the water into the city of Rome via aqueducts. He had consulted the court magicians, who estimated the project would take at least a year to complete.
At this moment, Novia had volunteered to take charge of the project.
To everyone's surprise, Novia had completed the 3-mile-long drainage system in just two days.
The magicians within the Roman Empire all shared the same evaluation: a terrifying level of magical skill.
For Claudius, the swift construction of such a beneficial public work was a tremendous joy. Novia, of course, was more than willing to take on any task that benefited the people. He had accomplished this feat by leveraging his new weapon, the "spear," though he had to spend a fair amount of time convincing Albion the Dragon to assist him. After all, Novia knew that the dragon, despite being the most powerful, had a deep affinity for offering assistance to the weak.
"Then, Your Majesty, please allow me to take my leave so as not to disturb your rest," Novia said, his tone polite and considerate.
"Not at all, not at all. Since you've completed the task so swiftly, you should indeed go and rest," the emperor replied, his tone appreciative.
In truth, Novia's daily visits to the palace weren't just to offer advice to the emperor. He also used the opportunity to keep an eye on any new developments within the palace that he could not immediately control. After all, ensuring the emperor's well-being was a key element in maintaining stability until Novia's plans were fully in motion.
For instance, when it came to food, Novia took extra care to assess it, ensuring that Agrippina, now the empress, wouldn't go mad and order poison to be slipped in, just like the history of emperors past.
"Hey!"
As Novia turned the corner, he heard the lively and cheerful shout of a young girl and felt a small figure leap toward his abdomen.
"Teacher, I'm going to the Senate today to give a speech. Do you want to come with me?"
The golden-haired girl pressed her forehead against Novia's abdomen before looking up at him.
"Another speech? Of course, I can come." Novia bent down slightly, locking eyes with her, his deep blue pupils meeting Nero's. "But you're no longer a child, so it's better that you face it on your own."
"But, teacher, you said the same thing last time, and every time..."
Nero pouted playfully, cheeks puffed out, but soon returned to her usual cheerful and energetic demeanor. "Well, never mind. When you have time, you can come later. It's getting late, and it's about to start. I'll go ahead, teacher."
With those words, the golden-haired girl quickly dashed toward the Senate. In no time, her figure disappeared into the distance. But after she was sure she had vanished from Novia's view, she slowed to a stop and began walking.
Upon closer inspection, one could notice that the brightness in her eyes had dimmed slightly, a trace of shadow creeping over her normally lively demeanor.
"Tch… forget it, I'll take it slow," she muttered to herself.
Later, when Nero entered the Senate, she pushed open the doors.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, everyone. I am Nero Claudius Drusus Germanicus, and today's speech is…"
Her performance was just as expected—bright, cheerful, and undoubtedly just.
...
With the weapon crafted from Albion the Dragon's head in hand, Novia's long-anticipated cleansing of the Jewish province of Jerusalem could now officially begin.
Historically, the First Jewish War began in 66 AD, but Novia was not going to wait that long. He had already started planning nearly a decade earlier.
In fact, this wasn't particularly difficult. The Roman Empire had always levied heavy taxes in the Jewish province. Moreover, the previous emperor, Caligula, had ordered the Jews to replace their sacred statues with his own image, prompting a near-rebellion that was only quelled by his assassination.
Currently, Judaism was in a period of intense ethnic and social conflict. With foreign rule and cultural encroachment, Judaism had fractured into several factions. The two largest were the Sadducees, who emphasized strict adherence to the Old Testament laws, and the Pharisees, who supported reforms. At their core, their religious conflicts were over the leadership of the entire Jewish nation.
A smaller group, the Zealots, supported the Pharisees' religious views but vehemently opposed Roman subjugation, advocating for armed resistance. Within the Zealot faction, even more radical members, who viewed Jews collaborating with Romans as traitors, formed the "Dagger Men," known for assassinating Roman officials with concealed daggers.
All Novia needed to do was subtly stir the flames of rebellion with the "Dagger Men," escalating their actions until it provided a legitimate pretext for a cleansing. In fact, he had already started pushing this agenda a year ago...
For Novia, the plan was clear: not a single Jew in Jerusalem should survive to honor the memory of the Christ, who had died in 33 AD. All Jews in the province must be expelled, and any who refused to accept Christ as the Messiah would meet their end without question.
In the end, most of these people were radicals, who considered themselves superior to others. In 115 AD, during the Kitos War, the Jews launched a second rebellion. After defeating the local Roman garrison and occupying the city, they began a massacre of innocent civilians from other ethnic groups.
The Roman historian Dio Cassius once described it like this in The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire:
"They even ate the flesh of their victims, stretched their tendons, covered their bodies with their blood, and wore clothes made of their skin; many were sawn in half from head to foot. Others were thrown to wild beasts or forced to fight each other like gladiators. In total, 220,000 people were killed."
Although Novia didn't deny that some of the Jews might be good people and that some of the slain might have previously wronged them, he still found the doctrine of Judaism to be too radical. It was better to end it here, at his hands.
Of course, Novia knew that this would undoubtedly earn him a terrible reputation. But so what? If the Jews had to suffer, he would bear the blame.
After all, two thousand years later, no one had seen anyone from the Khazar Khaganate step forward seeking sympathy…