Chapter 302
Palatine Hill, said to be home only to Rome's absolute wealthiest.
Overlooking the grand arena of Rome, this famous locale had also seen sweeping changes over the past few years.
After buying up the estates of several nobles, Marcus had begun laying the foundation for an imperial palace. Now, those efforts were bearing fruit as a magnificent palace took shape.
It was not yet grand enough to truly feel like an Emperor's residence, but its scale would surely expand over the coming generations.
Deep within this palace lay a small room that only Marcus and Caesar were permitted to enter.
Ahead of the monumental event of Caesar's retirement, the two had spent the preceding days coordinating the details.
But now that the day had actually arrived, a heavy silence hung in the room.
After sipping his drink in silence for a long time, Marcus finally spoke.
"Are you truly all right with this?"
"With what?"
"You do not have to step down right now. Staying in your position for a few more years would not disrupt the schedule."
"My grand design is already mostly complete. And you know as well as I do that my stepping down is the final piece of the puzzle. All that remains is taking that final step; there is no reason to drag it out for years."
Caesar's face looked a little different than usual.
No matter how bold and stoic he usually was, even he couldn't entirely mask his emotions ahead of such an epoch-making event.
The two men currently held power akin to being the kings of Rome.
And the king of Rome was, for all intents and purposes, the Emperor of the world.
He was surrendering that absolute power and authority to someone else.
Moreover, the heir was neither his blood relative nor his adopted son, but his son-in-law.
It could not have been an easy decision.
No, an ordinary man, even after deciding to pass the torch, would have clung to power until his dying breath.
Throughout history, it was rare for a king to abdicate while still alive.
This was not necessarily because the powerful were greedy for their thrones, but simply because it went against human nature.
However, the two of them had agreed on this course of action a long time ago.
Still, out of consideration for Caesar's feelings, Marcus was prepared to wait until the man's health naturally declined if need be.
"Once this happens, there is no turning back. You are different from Cicero. Even after Cicero retired, we could give him an advisory role, but you will have to live completely detached from politics. Just like my father."
"We already discussed this. Do not worry; it won't be a problem at all. I am thinking of taking my time traveling to every corner of Rome, and perhaps writing a book."
The sheer weight of Caesar's name and influence was on an entirely different level from ordinary men.
If he showed even the slightest hint of interfering in politics after retiring, it could become a massive obstacle to Marcus's centralization of power.
Therefore, Caesar had to keep his distance from politics completely.
This might be a cruel fate for Caesar, a man who possessed some of the greatest political acumen in all of Rome.
Perhaps the life that awaited him would be even harder than the decision to let go of power.
"I spoke with my father some time ago. He said you would never be able to live a life like his."
"Then I will just have to show him personally that his prediction was wrong. Now that I think about it, it might be fun to visit your father's villa and rest for a few days. I heard he has changed quite a bit?"
"Yes. You will be surprised when you talk to him."
"I am looking forward to it."
Caesar laughed heartily and took a sip of his tea.
Shifting his gaze to a large map hanging on one side of the room, he continued.
"There are an infinite number of things I can do with the time I have left. Stepping down now, while my body still moves as it should, is the right choice."
"But you will have to endure the itch to get back to work. When I took a few months off last time, I found that having no work was quite difficult in its own way."
"I will just have to find a new hobby and throw myself into it. Regardless, the thought of living a life I have never experienced before is quite exciting."
It was true.
Until now, Caesar's life had been a continuous series of struggles.
Traveling to other regions had always been for war, and even when in Rome, he had never been able to truly rest.
Unlike Marcus, Caesar had many political enemies.
Frankly speaking, if Caesar hadn't drawn so much attention to himself at the forefront, Marcus wouldn't have been able to reach his current position so smoothly.
In a way, this would be the first truly peaceful life Caesar had ever enjoyed.
Whether this would turn into days of sheer boredom or a new journey of recovery, he would only know once he lived it.
"If it becomes so boring you can no longer stand it, tell me. I will secretly bring you some work to do."
"I will do my best to enjoy my old age so I won't have to borrow your hands. It should be about time now. Shall we get up?"
They had spent months preparing for this retirement ceremony.
The schedule itself wasn't even limited to a single day.
The retirement events alone would continue for three days, followed by a ten-day thanksgiving festival to bless the future.
Caesar's exit had a tremendous impact on Roman politics.
His concluding speech in the Senate chamber went as follows:
"Rome must now advance toward a new era. It is only natural for the coming tide to push the older waves forward. But if that flow is forcefully blocked and allowed to stagnate, the pooling waters will eventually overflow or rot. Of course, I remain confident that I can still achieve much more. However, precisely because of that, I wish to take a step back and witness the dawn of this new era."
The Senate was thrown into massive shock.
Who could have ever imagined this?
The overwhelming consensus among both the citizens and the senators was that Caesar should hold his position for life.
It was true that there had been men in the past who voluntarily stepped down from the position of dictator.
Sulla was a prime example.
But the cases of Caesar and Sulla were clearly different, and their political convictions were miles apart.
Cato, who had been absolutely certain that Caesar would cling to his seat until his dying day, was left in an awkward position.
Furthermore, with a titan like Caesar stepping down, the other senior figures felt self-conscious about holding onto their own positions.
With men like Cicero and Piso having already retired, that pressure felt even heavier.
Naturally, many declared that they would retire alongside the great Imperator Caesar.
These senators earned the opportunity to stand behind Caesar during the retirement ceremony.
Many reasoned that since they had to retire eventually, this was the perfect opportunity to share the spotlight and step down in a blaze of glory.
Of course, Caesar wasn't suddenly relinquishing power because he wanted to rest or because he had lost his desire for it.
It was to bring about the perfect culmination of Rome he had been envisioning all this time.
Looking back at Marcus walking behind him, he said,
"With my exit, you become the sole supreme authority in Rome. Just as the name Augustus implies, you are the one and only peerless sovereign who cannot be compared to anyone else."
This was something he had thought about ever since the days of old, when he had declared that the Senate-led Republic had already lost its power.
For Rome to advance further, a fundamental reform of its very constitution was necessary.
Not the subtle half-measures of turning a blind eye and deceiving the masses as they had done until now.
This was the undeniable dawn of the imperial era.
"As I told you before, Father-in-Law, this system will not last forever either. I am merely laying the foundation to welcome the great transformation that will one day arrive."
"Where in the world is there a perfect system? Such a thing cannot exist. The present is better than the outdated Republic, and in the future, something even better than the present will emerge. Just as I have laid the groundwork for you, I trust you will do what you must for the future."
A hundred years, a thousand years—they would compound, inevitably paving the way to a better future.
Caesar didn't think of this as him stepping down, contrary to what everyone else believed.
In fact, it was the opposite.
'I have finished everything that I could do.'
With each step he took forward, roars of cheers capable of shaking the whole world could be heard.
'Until the end of this world, my name and Rome shall remain immortal.'
With every step he took, the faces of countless people flashed through his mind.
His departed mother and first wife, his good comrade Pompey, and his worthy rival Baghatur.
Countless names that had now faded into the distant recesses of his memory.
Overwhelmed with emotion, Caesar gave himself over to the blinding light and the cheers enveloping him.
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Caesar's retirement was no simple ceremony.
To witness this occasion, countless dignitaries and citizens had flocked not just from the Italian peninsula, but from Gaul, Britannia, Germania, Africa, and the East.
Even with the Colosseum packed to the brim and viewing platforms densely installed, they could not accommodate everyone.
Before the eyes of all these people, Caesar honorably laid down everything he had.
When one lays such a burden down, another must step up to lift it.
The grand finale of the ceremony was marked by Marcus succeeding all of Caesar's authority.
The sovereign who had unified the Western world was passing everything on to the master of the East.
To the myriad of people gathered here, it looked as though the world was being forged into one.
Caesar placed the Laurel Crown he wore upon Marcus's head and declared firmly:
"I, Imperator Caesar, wish to pass on this glorious title bestowed upon me by the Senate and the citizens of Rome to Marcus Augustus. Henceforth, he shall be the greatest among the great in this Rome, the sword wielded to protect all citizens, and the shield to defend Rome itself. Imperator Marcus Augustus! The greatest name in the history of Rome—no, the greatest in all of history since the age of the gods!"
Marcus gladly accepted the name.
The weight of the newly received Laurel Crown was heavier than he had anticipated.
It was not because of the thin layer of gold.
It was different from the days when he had an outstanding comrade and bulwark in Caesar.
From now on, he alone would bear the weight of this vast empire.
But he was not afraid.
He would gladly endure this burden.
"Imperator Marcus Augustus!"
Octavian shouted his name aloud and embraced him vigorously.
Following suit, the senators and the spectators rose to their feet, delivering thunderous applause and cheering at the top of their lungs.
Marcus embraced his supporters, took his family's hands, and slowly turned around.
Above his raised hands, countless petals showered down by the crowd fluttered through the air.
The end of the old era and the dawn of the new.
As Imperator and as Augustus, Marcus would go on to leave behind countless legends.
As the great monarch guiding Rome, and as the revolutionary reformer destined to change the world.
His ascension as Emperor was not the curtain call, but merely the prologue.
'I will continue to move forward. Forever, to whatever end.'
Wherever his footsteps led would become a turning point in history.
A new myth was beginning.
- End of Main Story -
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