Xingyue, is Xiaokai also considered Kai?

Novia paused, then continued to the two, "However, you should stop calling me by that name from now on. After all, this era is still somewhat special, and we want to avoid causing any unnecessary disturbance."

"That's true. I remember the history books saying that the first pope, the founder of the church, disappeared mysteriously the year before."

Ritsuka nodded thoughtfully. "Speaking of which, I remember that in the supplementary historical records, there was a story from the medieval Renaissance period where someone wrote, in order to mock the Church, that this Pope was actually killed by the second Pope, who seized power and so on..."

"Senior, it's best to be careful with your words and actions in this era."

Novia didn't react much to Ritsuka's words, but Mash kept giving her warnings.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, sorry, sorry..."

The orange-haired girl smiled somewhat shyly, and then continued to ask.

"So what should we call our advisor, Novia?"

"Just call me—"

Novia looked up and saw a clear blue sky without a single cloud.

“Mingvia”.

……

Before long, after passing through idyllic scenery and witnessing the shadows of villagers filling the fields, the three of them arrived at the gates of Rome. In fact, the place where they appeared was not far from Rome; it would only take an hour or two to walk there.

However, just as Novia, Ritsuka, and Mash, disguised as humans, arrived at the gates of Rome, the heart of the empire...

Seemingly eyeing Ritsuka and Mashu's strangely dressed green-haired girl, he led the Roman soldiers forward with an arrogant air. Although he was much shorter than the two of them, his imposing manner was in no way diminished.

Well, this gave Novia a sense of déjà vu. When she and Lucius first came here, their fame led to them being imprisoned by Roman polytheistic nobles, who then waited three days for Claudius, the victorious emperor of Britain, to come looking for them.

It was as if everything was still vivid in my mind.

"You must be from that Chaldea thing."

Locusta asked this question.

To be honest, Locusta was unaware that a few days ago, His Majesty, far away in New Rome, had sent a message saying that two girls dressed in very strange clothes would arrive near Rome in a few days and that he should bring them into the palace. She had just returned.

Locusta couldn't understand how Nero could remain so calm in the face of the Osiris rebellion in Egypt, simply sending Lucius to deal with it while continuing his construction work in New Rome. But Locusta was certain that Nero, upon hearing this news, must have been in an extremely good mood, a mood he hadn't felt since Lord Novia left...

"...What is your name?"

Upon realizing this, Locusta suddenly felt a strange sense of familiarity with the person standing next to the two Chaldea members, who was wearing a mask and hat and had some silver hair showing. Fortunately, Novia had already prepared a falsetto, but just as she was about to answer in a slightly rough voice, Ritsuka stepped forward and answered her.

“This person is named Mikkia, an advisor to Chaldea. I am Fujimaru Ritsuka, and that is Mash. Now that we have introduced ourselves, you should introduce yourself as well.”

"Tsk."

Locusta glanced at Ritsuka with slight displeasure, but remembering that these people were His Majesty Nero's distinguished guests, he remained obedient. "I am Locusta, a subordinate of the great His Majesty Nero, in charge of the palace's food security. I am here on His Majesty's orders to bring you into the palace. His Majesty will be seeing you soon, so be prepared."

After saying that, the green-haired girl turned and left without looking back, leaving Ritsuka and the others with no choice but to follow her into the city of Rome.

The scene unfolded before Novia's eyes: from the bustling semi-circular amphitheater to the vibrant colonnaded square, from the port market teeming with merchant ships to the pilgrimage avenue teeming with carriages and horses, from the wide, open cobblestone streets where merchants and travelers crisscrossed, to the rows of apartment buildings where citizens laughed and played.

Everything seemed so familiar, and the rebellion in the Egyptian provinces that I had heard from others felt like a distant memory. Come to think of it, it made sense. After all, it was the capital of a country. If even this place was in turmoil, the country would probably be facing destruction.

Soon, under Locusta's guidance, Novia and the others were separated and arranged to stay in the palace. However, just before nightfall, Locusta knocked on the door of Novia's room.

"Your Excellency, His Majesty has something to discuss with you..."

"Are they back already?"

"Yes... but according to the situation, it should take several more hours."

For some reason, Locusta's tone became subconsciously reserved, probably because his previous guesses were confirmed by Nero's attitude.

"It won't matter, take me there, Locusta."

"Yes!"

A short while later, Novia, who was being led by Locusta to a certain part of the palace, frowned slightly as she looked at the building in front of her.

"Public bathhouse?"

"No, no, no, this is a private space for His Majesty. It's said to have been created using the magician's technique from the Atlas Academy. Perhaps His Majesty was too tired, after all, he was just trying to see Your Majesty..."

Halfway through his sentence, Locusta suddenly changed his tone, "Your Majesty Nero, how could you possibly meet me in such a setting? It's hardly proper behavior. Please allow me to go in and fetch Your Majesty—"

Locusta probably said that because he saw Novia frowning, so he said it to make things more harmonious between the two who were about to 'meet'.

"It's alright, I'll go in."

After Novia walked straight into the bathhouse, Locusta dutifully stood guard at the door.

The night is long. What will happen between Lord Novia and His Majesty Nero in the bathhouse? Damn it, I should have put extra nutrients in the dishes I made for him today. If only His Majesty had told me sooner…

At first, Locusta was also curious as to why Novia didn't just tell him her real name, but instead used a pseudonym.

She quickly concluded that it was probably to avoid causing Nero any trouble. After all, the reason His Majesty was both Pope and Emperor was because Novia had disappeared a year ago. If he had revealed his real name then, the soldiers probably wouldn't have been able to stop him, and soon the entire empire would have known that Novia had returned and would have been excited.

So, Lord Novia is still a good person as always...

"Locusta!"

"Yes!"

Just as Locusta was lost in thought, Nero's voice suddenly came from the side. She had been shouting into the bathhouse, but then realized it was coming from the other side. She turned around and found Nero, panting, standing in front of her.

Is it inside?

Nero's tone was unquestionable, which made Locusta nod subconsciously.

“That bastard of mine…”

The blonde girl then ran inside.

At the same time, Locusta was puzzled: This is His Majesty, but who is the His Majesty inside?

……

Earlier, after Novia stepped into the bathhouse, she immediately sensed a magical, natural circulation and the atmosphere created by the internal environment.

Steam filled the air, like a light veil enveloping the entire space, making everything appear soft and blurry, as if each breath carried a hint of dampness.

As Novia continued forward, she could see that the water in the bathing pool was obscured by a thin, upright curtain, with a layer of mist covering it. Water droplets slid slowly down the curtain, creating tiny trails.

"Why don't you kneel before the emperor?"

Nero's voice emanated from inside the bathhouse. In Novia's view, the light slowly spilled down from within, perfectly outlining every detail, and the emperor's figure was vaguely reflected in the misty steam.

Do you need to wear clothes when taking a bath?

Novia did not step forward, but simply asked the question calmly.

"Hmm, because I am still the Pope, I have to dress appropriately for all occasions..."

Inside the bathhouse, Nero, with her back to Novia, stood up, swirled a handful of water in her hands, and poured it directly over her head while gently shaking it. With each shake, certain parts of her body would sway along with it, and her voice was full of provocative tones.

"Where's this, teacher's robe? And for our meeting today, I even specially tailored certain parts. Teacher, would you like to guess what they are? They're some of my most precious parts from before I was emperor, before I was pope, before I was a student, before I was a saint?"

Novia simply shook his head at the temptation, but just as he was about to speak, a voice came from behind him that was exactly the same as Nero's in the bathhouse.

"teacher!"

Upon hearing this, before Novia could even speak after turning around, Nero rushed up and hugged her, then quickly and gently licked her lips.

"Hehe, I was being far too hasty. It was just a few words from me and it's already like this?"

Nero emerged from inside the bathhouse, his body still dripping with water, deliberately posing as if pressing down on his protruding parts.

“Shut up, I don’t think you’re me, cutting sacred clothes into this shameless shape…”

"Look at what you're saying. I know what kind of person I was back then. You're just suppressing yourself now."

Looking at the two identical Neros, Novia understood: one was the Nero of the present day in history, and the other was Draco, whom she had reunited with before the burning of humanity. The one who had just seduced her with a hazy allure was Draco.

At the same time, it became clear why the singularity, which originally existed in another era, reappeared in Rome after the end of the France event. It was probably Draco's doing, since it would have been quite easy for her, as a first-class planetary, to steal the Holy Grail.

"Oh dear, teacher? Did I do something wrong?"

Perhaps sensing the man's meaning from Novia's eyes, Draco continued with a seductive smile.

"Do you want to punish me? But I won't be punished so easily, after all, I am both the emperor and the pope, how can I be easily punished~ right, my pope?"

Chapter 362 The Egyptian God.

"So the Holy Grail is with you?"

Ignoring Draco's seductive voice, Novia answered in such a rational tone.

"I haven't touched the Holy Grail..."

Draco's lips, as if painted with bright red lipstick, naturally pressed against Novia's neck. "Or rather, Sensei, when you abandoned us and suddenly headed to Chaldea in Antarctica, were you playing some kind of nurturing game? Kichijouin is also saying, quite disgruntled, that she's a savior too~"

"Hey!"

Nero's voice came through, "Uh, 'I' should stop right there!"

Meanwhile, Nero, not to be outdone, moved closer to the back of Novia's neck, meeting Draco's provocative gaze with a look full of displeasure.

Although Draco could transform into other forms, why does he still prefer to meet his original self in this form?

It's probably just that I find it very exciting. Even though it's supposed to be me, my past self, I feel that making my past self jealous is a wonderful thing.

"But we don't need to worry about whether that brat will save the Lord or not."

Draco slowly leaned forward, a pleased smile on his face, his lips pursed. "Now that I'm here, I'll accept my teacher's compensation."

"……Fine."

And so Nero witnessed firsthand how his future self kissed his teacher, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.

This immediately made Nero, who was holding Novia, very, very unhappy. He subconsciously grabbed Novia's waist tightly, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. Anger surged into his heart, and he could not tolerate this, even if it was him. He had an impulse to kill Draco.

"The feeling it brings is truly wonderful. My chest feels as clear and comfortable as if the sky were blue, and then my body is dominated by this long-lost numbing pleasure. These two sensations combined give me an intense pleasure."

Draco's smile was direct, an emotion Nero had long understood—the willingness to give up everything for his teacher.

So, in order to counter Draco, Nero began to move her slender fingers and grabbed the hem of Novia's clothes. Novia originally wanted to stop her, but considering Nero's situation, she acquiesced.

Nero looked at Draco with a smug smile. As his clothes were undone from bottom to top, his ideal body was revealed, along with the desire that Nero could not resist. Just touching him made the emperor feel a sense of satisfaction and happiness.

Suddenly, Nero understood why Draco was acting that way... He really did want to... It's true, he was meant to be...

"We should stop now, someone's coming."

Just as Nero was about to make his next move, Novia's voice rang out, causing Nero and Draco to stop what they were doing.

"That must be Fujimaru Ritsuka."

Draco smiled slightly. "Looks like a student like me, a student of the teacher, someone with the same traits as Kichijoin, right?"

"So how do you explain having two versions of yourself?"

Nero, barely maintaining his rationality as both emperor and pope, asked this question.

"This is up to you, after all, you are now the Roman Emperor here."

After speaking in such a provocative tone, Draco pulled Novia into the bath, leaving Nero, her veins bulging, on the shore. At this moment, she felt not only annoyed with Draco but also with Novia. After all, in her opinion, given her teacher's abilities, how could Draco have pulled her in unless she was willing...

Dissatisfaction overcame reason, and Nero chose to jump directly into the bath.

She doesn't care about any of that! Don't think you're so easily fooled!

……

A little earlier, in Ritsuka's room.

Thousands of rays of light, right beneath your eyelids, are vying with the twilight for beauty.

Streetlights, traffic lights, the magical lights in the theater provided by a court magician. Lanterns held by people, or the lake in the park, the shops on the road, the jewelry on people's bodies.

And, located atop one of the many buildings that stand like testaments to vanity—a window in the Roman palace.

The girl looked down at the street from one of the windows, her sunset-colored hair tied to one side slightly touching the windowpane.

"It's very beautiful."

Rome—I've heard of this city and country more than once. For Mashu, who has never left Chaldea, modern architecture doesn't impress her much. But for Ritsuka, this night view, even though it's a scene from thousands of years ago, is full of vitality and energy.

It is as if the place where people live has never changed, a place of ever-expanding dreams and hopes, an endlessly growing vortex of desire and karma.

More than two thousand years ago, this was one of the world's largest cities, the most dazzling, bustling, magnificent, and also the most terrifying metropolis in the country.

Ritsuka continued to look out the window.