Chapter 310
Achilles was the son of Marcus and Danae, and the disciple of Spartacus.
From a young age, his strength far surpassed that of his peers, and he showed more interest in martial arts than in academics.
Spartacus recognized this talent early on and took it upon himself to teach the boy personally.
As the years passed, Achilles grew stronger.
Now, he had absolutely no equal among boys his age.
Eager to test his strength, he even hid his identity to compete in gladiatorial matches.
He won with such overwhelming skill that he gained considerable fame as a mysterious gladiator.
He quit the arena after his secret was discovered and Spartacus thoroughly scolded him, but by then, everyone around him knew his true prowess.
Some even began to say that Achilles would make a name for himself, just like the hero of Greece's mythology from whom he took his name.
Still, in the eyes of his master, Spartacus, he was merely a high-maintenance disciple with much left to learn.
"Hah... hah... phew..."
Having finished his daily training regimen, Achilles lay spread-eagled on the floor.
It was a breach of etiquette, but he had exhausted every ounce of his stamina and couldn't even fathom getting up.
"Master... you are still strong... even at your age."
"It's not that I'm strong; it's that you're inexperienced. With this old body of mine, the moment I'm pushed back even once, I'll end up rolling on the floor without being able to mount a proper counterattack."
"But I couldn't even land a proper hit. Even though we were just sparring with Wooden Swords."
"You did hit me. Look here. You grazed me."
Spartacus plopped down next to the exhausted Achilles and held out his left arm.
Achilles looked over with sudden delight, but soon asked in an unimpressed tone.
"What do you mean, grazed? The skin isn't even scraped."
"If you look closely, there's a faint mark. You've definitely improved compared to last time. Back then, you didn't even manage to graze me. Well... that might also be because I'm growing weaker by the day."
"..."
Achilles couldn't say a word.
Certainly, in the past, Spartacus was at a level where Achilles wouldn't even dare think of fighting him.
Of course, that was partially because he had merely been a child back then.
But even taking that into account, the Spartacus of those days had been far stronger than he was now.
And since even that was supposedly a weakened state compared to his prime, Achilles couldn't begin to guess just how strong his master must have been at his absolute peak.
Guessing what was going through his disciple's mind, the master chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Don't be so impatient. You are growing more than strong enough. If we compared ourselves at the same age, you'd probably be better than I was."
"Really?"
"Of course. Furthermore, unlike me, you are studying strategy and tactics. Looking at it comprehensively, you'll be able to climb far higher than I ever did."
"When it comes to formulating strategies, I'm no match for my older brother."
"Trajan's only real talent lies in that area. If you were better than him at that too, what would happen to his pride? You have to at least let him win in that regard."
Since childhood, Achilles had maintained a good relationship with his half-brother, Trajan.
Both of them were more interested in martial affairs than in academics, preferring military treatises over philosophical texts.
However, unlike the younger brother, whose physical talents were outstanding enough to make Spartacus covet him as a disciple, the older brother had little aptitude for physical exertion.
"Even so, the one who possesses abilities befitting a child of the great Augustus is my brother, not me. After all, Father rarely picks up a sword to fight in person either."
"A supreme commander rarely has any reason to charge into the middle of enemy lines."
"In that sense, you could say my brother is similar to Father. And then there is my older sister, who is said to resemble Father the most."
"Parents naturally feel pleased when they see children who take after them. But they feel just as proud when they see a child displaying talents they themselves lack. At first, I was wholly dissatisfied with my son for only ever burying his nose in books. But when I saw him genuinely achieving success in that field, I started to see him in a different light. I couldn't help but marvel, wondering how such a smart child could come from someone like me. Lord Marcus likely thinks the same way when he looks at you."
Spartacus suddenly snapped his fingers and raised his voice.
"Ah, now that I think about it, there was someone who fought phenomenally well and also possessed outstanding strategic acumen. You might actually be closer to that type."
"Who? Was there someone like that in Rome?"
"No, he wasn't Roman. Instead, he was a great adversary who drove Rome into an unprecedented crisis."
"Ah... Don't tell me, from the Xiongnu?"
"Yes. The Grand Chanyu of the Xiongnu. Was his name Baghatur? He was an absolutely terrifying bastard. If I had fought him in my prime, I think I would have had a slight upper hand, but my skills were already slowly starting to decline back then, so even I sweat bullets fighting him."
Achilles was already well aware of the stories regarding the Xiongnu.
And it wasn't just Achilles.
There wasn't a single youth in Rome who didn't know that name.
The greatest enemy in history, who had burned down Germania and Gaul and inflicted massive casualties upon Rome in Greece.
Though the situation was different from Hannibal actually setting foot on the Italian mainland, many people described the threat of the Xiongnu as far greater.
That was the only way the achievements of Marcus and Caesar, who had smashed the Xiongnu, could shine even brighter.
"He may have been a formidable enemy, but in the end, wasn't he defeated by Father?"
"That was also because the Roman army was vastly superior to the Xiongnu forces. Don't misunderstand, I'm not saying Baghatur was better than Lord Marcus. But his ability to command that massive army at will, while possessing personal martial prowess comparable to my own, is more than worthy of respect. That's how he managed to unite all those nomadic tribes and push right up to Rome's doorstep."
"The Xiongnu... Baghatur. Could you tell me more about him in detail?"
"Oh? Weren't you totally uninterested when I told you about him before?"
"You didn't tell the story like this back then."
A fighting style of darting freely across enemy lines while simultaneously commanding allied troops.
This was undoubtedly a tactic that strayed far from Rome's standard doctrine.
However, Achilles had already been thinking that he needed to study this exact sort of warfare if he wanted to maximize his own strengths.
And right at that moment, he heard the story of Baghatur.
Perhaps this was the guidance of the heavens.
The Xiongnu and the Grand Chanyu who led them.
Whether by chance or by fate, that name became deeply etched into the heart of the growing boy.
*
After finishing his training, Achilles washed himself thoroughly and got dressed.
He would have loved to stay and listen to Spartacus's stories until dinner, but he couldn't do that today.
He couldn't afford to keep his older brother and sister waiting.
"You're right on time."
"Ah, I got caught up talking with Master for a bit."
Trajan handed a cup of coffee to Achilles as he hurriedly took a seat.
"I brewed it myself. I tried aiming for a slightly more acidic flavor; how is it?"
"It's not bad. But where's Sis?"
"She said she was going to see Father for a moment. She should be here soon."
"Sorry! I'm a bit late, aren't I?"
As soon as the words were spoken, the eldest daughter, Sophia, burst into the room with a flurry of energy.
She naturally sat down in the middle, between Trajan and Achilles, who were facing each other.
Following closely behind as always, Octavian did not take a seat but instead positioned himself behind Sophia.
"What did Father say?"
"Just the usual trivial matters."
"Really? He called you aside separately just for that?"
"We talked about other things too, of course. Though it was mostly a repetition of what he mentioned last time. I told you, didn't I? This is what Father wants."
Trajan asked again with a doubtful expression.
"Are you sure it's really okay for us to discuss something like this amongst ourselves? If it causes a problem, are you going to take responsibility?"
"I'm telling you, it's fine. Honestly, you can be so indecisive sometimes. You really need to change that attitude of yours where you hate taking charge."
"Well... I've been criticized for that a lot, but that's not the point right now. Even if we're discussing this, is Achilles supposed to join in too?"
"Why not? He's our younger brother, officially registered in our family. Of course, since he'll be heading to the East soon, it'll be impossible for him to keep participating long-term."
Sophia turned to look at Achilles with a gentle gaze and continued.
"But why insist on going to the East? If it's a military academy you want, you could just go to the one here in Rome. Like Trajan."
"Master has been reassigned there, so I figured it would be best for me to follow him."
"Still, wouldn't it be better to stay in Rome? I think it would be better for your education, so should I ask Father to just give Uncle Spartacus a post here in Rome?"
"You don't need to do that. To be honest, Master seems to prefer the East over Rome. And I kind of want to go back and see it again after so long, too."
"If that's what you think, I won't press the matter."
Sophia left it at that and dropped the subject.
Even though they were half-siblings, the two of them never treated Achilles any differently.
The fact that Achilles was able to establish his place as a member of the House of Julius-Licinius was largely thanks to their help.
Usually, half-siblings born to a supreme ruler were far more likely to be on bad terms, but these three were an exception.
This was likely because Sophia and Trajan's positions were already so secure.
Nevertheless, feeling a slight sense of distance was purely Achilles's own issue.
After all, he couldn't help but be mindful of his situation—being brought into the family as an adopted son despite actually being a biological child.
He had once voiced this aloud in the past and received a tremendous scolding from Sophia for it.
Ever since then, he had been trying his best not to let those feelings show.
As a brief, awkward silence settled over them, Trajan spoke up in a bright voice to shift the mood.
"Well then, let's start our discussion. What was the first topic? Was it the issue of Satavahana's line of succession?"
"That's right. Our long-term internal sabotage has borne fruit, and now they are on the verge of a civil war over the succession. The faction that believes the prince who caused Satavahana's downfall must not become king is growing larger by the day."
"But isn't this a matter for Father to decide? Telling us to discuss something so important is a bit..."
"It's not like he told us to handle it however we please. He just wants us to put forth some plausible opinions. Simply put, Father is trying to gauge our capabilities. We're getting to that age, after all."
A clear look of tension spread across Trajan's face.
Octavian, who had remained silent until now, chimed in to support Sophia's assessment.
"The Augustus wants all of you to prove your qualifications."
"Exactly. And he probably wants to see how we handle ourselves when given a lot of authority. We shouldn't act too timid, but we also can't go around trying to do whatever we want as if we're already kings. Keep in mind that this is, through and through, a test."
"Understood. Then what do you want to do, Sis? Whose hand are you going to raise? We should probably aim to oust Swati, who was rebellious against Rome, right?"
"Well..."
Sophia, who had been smiling brightly, narrowed her eyes and closed her mouth.
His older sister, who used to be nothing but sweet and gentle, was changing as she grew older—slowly, but surely.
Looking at his strangely unfamiliar sister's face, Achilles couldn't help but feel that she somehow reminded him of their father.