A few weeks after Lucius Caesar had borrowed the funds, Pollio asked his master.
"Master, why did you lend a staggering 100,000 sestertii to that kid? It's not a huge sum, I grant you, but his father hasn't even repaid half of what he owes you, has he?"
"It's not just that he hasn't repaid it."
Crassus replied with an expressionless face.
"Just this time, the creditors were in an uproar saying they couldn't let Caesar flee to Hispania, so didn't I have to step in and act as his guarantor?"
Beside Crassus, another slave was carefully shaving his beard.
"That makes it even harder to understand, Master. Is the Caesar family really worth that much?"
"Pollio, my friend. You've worked by my side for so long, and yet you still don't see it? That's enough."
Crassus gestured for the shaving to stop.
"The money lent to the Caesar father and son is an investment. An investment. And it's also a shackle I've placed on them."
He stood up and continued.
"As long as he owes me money, Caesar cannot go against me. And now, the same goes for his son. How would a boy not even twenty years old know how to grow 100,000 sestertii?"
"You're right, Master."
"He'll probably come crawling back next month, crying and begging for more money. I never expected to get that money back in the first place."
"So, by indebting the son, you gain another lever to pressure Caesar."
"That is exactly why I happily lent the boy the money. Do you understand now?"
Crassus nodded.
"If you hold his precious cub hostage, even a mad dog won't bite its master."
"I am always in awe of your exquisite insight, Master."
"I'm not raising your wages for flattery, Pollio. Still, that boy's spirit—wanting to start a business at seventeen—is quite impressive."
Crassus sighed as he continued.
"While my eldest son spends his days hanging around the gladiator arenas."
"Excessive passion can be poison. An excited young lion like Lucius fails to notice the trap right in front of his eyes."
"In this case, let's call him an excited puppy."
Crassus clapped his hands together.
"If his mother has any brains, she'll tell him to return the money to me immediately."
Crassus fell silent for a moment.
Something felt off.
The expression on Lucius's face when he boldly came to demand money.
Was that really just youthful spirit, as Pollio said?
If not...
"Something bothers me. Assign a slave to find out what Lucius is up to."
"Understood, Master."
"Don't interfere, just observe and report back to me regularly."
Crassus pushed Lucius out of his mind.
Right now, he had more important issues than a mere greenhorn.
"By the way, how is Pompey doing these days?"
Self-proclaimed 'The Great', Pompey Magnus.
Crassus scowled, recalling the arrogant expression of the man who thought he owned the world.
It was none other than Pompey who had stolen the credit for suppressing the Spartacus revolt twelve years ago.
"If I could have my way, I'd bury him right now, but there are still too many pigs in Rome who worship him as a great general."
"He hasn't shown his face since the bill he submitted to the Senate was rejected last time."
"Good. Even that dullard must have realized by now how many forces in Rome find him distasteful."
Crassus walked away with a satisfied smile.
"That's enough chitchat. Let's go to the meeting room. I need to check the new ledgers."
***
"You did what?"
"I borrowed money to start a business."
"Lucius, please tell me you're joking right now."
"I'm not, Mother."
After weeks of preparation, I told my mother about my plan.
Including the part that I had borrowed money from Crassus for a business.
"Why are you doing this as soon as your father left?"
Mother looked at Felix and continued.
"Felix! You know very well that I assigned you to Lucius to prevent things like this!"
"I apologize, Mistress. It is all my fault."
"Felix didn't do anything wrong. I did this entirely on my own."
"Lucius, I really don't understand you sometimes. To do something like this without consulting me."
Cornelia.
She was the daughter of Lucius Cinna, who had been a subordinate of the Roman hero Gaius Marius decades ago.
And now, she was my mother.
I was living my second life after reincarnation, but to me, Cornelia was my only true mother.
In my previous life, I had never received love at home.
I was beaten just because they didn't like the way I looked at them, and starving was a daily occurrence.
My so-called parents were demons who even took the money I earned from part-time jobs.
The first thing I did after saving money was leave home and become independent.
Compared to them, Caesar and Cornelia were my real parents.
They raised me with utmost love and care.
Although I had memories of my past life, I was Lucius Julius Caesar now.
Because of that, I looked her in the eye—no lies, no hesitation.
"With Father gone to Hispania, the Caesar family is in a more precarious situation than ever."
"Precarious? What on earth does that..."
"Father hasn't secured a firm foothold in the Senate yet. We lack the connections to support our family."
At my words, Mother's expression turned serious.
Yes, she would understand what I was saying.
She, too, must have experienced Sulla's dictatorship firsthand.
In Rome, you cannot survive without power.
"What does that have to do with you borrowing money from Crassus to start a business?"
"The business I'm about to start is something that has never existed before. It's a business that will generate enormous profits while also elevating the status of the Caesar family."
Without the pillar that was Caesar, our family was in danger.
To prevent that danger, I had to act.
"Visiting Crassus to borrow money wasn't just for the business, but to build a relationship with him. And also to show it to others."
"That Crassus is supporting you?"
Instead of answering, I nodded.
Now it was time for the real explanation.
Insurance.
Insurance was a service that anyone living in the 21st century took for granted.
[You pay a certain amount to an insurance company in preparation for an accident or event, and if an accident occurs, you receive the promised amount.]
Primitive forms of insurance were known to exist since 2000 BC.
Even now in Rome, there were rough mutual aid societies.
Members would pool dues to pay for funeral expenses when a member died.
However, the concept of modern insurance existed for no one.
Except for me, of course.
Listening to my explanation until the end, Mother tilted her head with interest.
"So, according to your explanation, it's a kind of gambling on whether an accident will happen or not?"
"Gambling?"
Hearing our voices, Julia trotted out into the living room.
"You could see it as a kind of gambling."
Insurance as gambling.
That wasn't entirely wrong.
"But if no accident happens by the end of the payment period, they just lose the money, right?"
Mother crossed her arms and said.
"Unless they're fools, who would sign up for something like that?"
"Anyone with even a little worry about the future would sign up."
"Then what exactly are you planning to include in this 'insurance' of yours? Ships? Carriages?"
"Neither."
I shook my head from side to side.
Of course, marine insurance or transport insurance were possibilities, but the risks were too high in Rome right now, not the 21st century.
It had been only six years since Pompey had massively wiped out the Mediterranean pirates.
And considering Rome's sanitary conditions, life insurance wasn't very attractive either.
If I started a business like that, I might go bankrupt paying out claims instead of making money.
The 100,000 sestertii I borrowed from Crassus was a large sum, but not enough to splurge recklessly.
Therefore, what I chose was a more stable and popular item.
Something that could improve the city—and still turn a profit.
"Insurance against house fires?"
"To be precise, 'Fire Insurance'."
I nodded.
Currently, there were no professional firefighters in Rome.
Volunteer fire brigades formed by neighbors or private fire brigades operated by some aristocrats were all there was.
In particular, Crassus, who lent me the money, was famous for operating a fire brigade made up of hundreds of slaves.
But he didn't create the fire brigade for the citizens.
They would rush to the scene of a fire and force the owner to sell the house at a bargain price.
If the owner refused, they wouldn't put out the fire.
Eventually, most owners had no choice but to sell their homes to Crassus for pennies on the dollar.
The first official fire brigade in Rome would not be established for another forty years.
"I'm scared of fire too!"
Julia, listening to our conversation, shouted with bright, round eyes.
Did she only understand the word 'fire'?
"It certainly sounds safer than other types of insurances. Although the problem is how much compensation to pay when a fire occurs."
Mother smiled, looking at Julia sandwiched between us.
"But the more customers you sign up, the higher the risk of fire, right? Wouldn't the potential for loss increase?"
"The more customers sign up, the more capital we can mobilize. And we don't need to just keep that money in a safe."
Saying that, I recalled the insurance companies of the 21st century.
No company does business to lose money.
Insurance companies set premiums based on sophisticated statistics.
Furthermore, like banks, insurance companies can invest the premiums paid by customers elsewhere to continuously generate greater profits.
The problem was securing fire data in Rome right now.
I needed to figure out how many fires had occurred over the past few years and the average cost of building repairs.
If it were any other country in this era, it would have been impossible.
The Roman Republic was special.
A nation obsessed with records, enough to build a massive central archive.
It wasn't just for administration.
Names of past consuls, victories and defeats in war, history, epidemics, and even records of solar eclipses.
Temples recorded everything happening in Rome as part of their religious duties.
That was where the data I needed lay.
"Father donated enormous funds to the temples to ascend to the position of Pontifex Maximus."
*Pontifex Maximus* meant the highest-ranking priest in the Roman Republic.
A position Caesar had obtained by pouring in astronomical funds.
Then wouldn't it be okay for me to use Father's authority a little?
They would have no reason to refuse me access to past records.
"The temples will be the keys to my business."