Chapter 297
Crassus was a power broker whose wealth and fame were so vast that absolutely everyone in Rome knew his name.
Though he seemed to fade into the background as his son, Marcus, rose to prominence, his influence remained substantial.
Had he set his mind to coveting power, he could easily have built a faction on par with Caesar's.
In fact, everyone was convinced he would do exactly that.
After all, this was Crassus—a man who had displayed an obsessive attachment to wealth and power since his youth.
No matter how much he loved his son, people did not believe he would yield everything to someone else and simply step down.
Wasn't the Parthian expedition itself something he had pushed forward out of a sense of crisis over Caesar and Pompey's ever-growing fame?
On top of that, his greatest rival, Pompey, had died first.
At the time, it was a natural progression for the aristocratic faction to rally around Crassus and scheme to keep the rapidly rising Caesar in check.
Yet, whatever had come over him, Crassus rarely attended the Senate, citing illness as an excuse. He merely watched as Caesar and Marcus ascended to the center of power.
Even so, he could not use his health as an excuse forever.
Since he had claimed to be unwell, he needed to be careful with his actions and could not move about as he pleased.
The moment Crassus declared his recovery complete, he bought a villa in a quiet region and moved there with his entire household.
This event came as quite a shock to the people of Rome.
Everyone knew about it because Crassus had thrown a massive banquet for the citizens before leaving the city.
It was a grand festival that lasted ten full days.
The senators of the aristocratic faction desperately begged him not to retire, but Crassus only answered with a hollow, relaxed laugh.
"Just take it easy and come out this way when you're ready. I'll welcome you anytime."
Seeing him actually urge other senators to retire, the aristocratic faction realized that Crassus had completely lost interest in politics.
After leaving Rome, Crassus never returned, not even when major upheavals shook the republic.
When the assassination plot against Caesar broke out, the aristocratic faction begged for his help, but he pretended not to hear.
He did not chase his guests away, but his intention to stay out of political affairs was so firm that there was no room for persuasion.
It was exactly the same during the Mugunghwa Crisis.
For someone who had once been so sensitive to wealth, he displayed an unbelievably indifferent attitude.
From that point on, the senior figures of the Senate considered Crassus completely retired.
As things unfolded this way, voices actually began to praise his decision.
It was no easy feat for a man at the absolute pinnacle of wealth and power to step down and enjoy a life of leisure.
Furthermore, his son, Marcus, was establishing himself as the most exalted figure in Roman history.
If Crassus had put his mind to it, he could have doubled his family's fortune, yet he did not even attempt it.
Instead, he gifted agricultural tools to the villagers near his villa and even installed an irrigation system so they could draw water comfortably.
When Marcus heard all these reports, the emotion he felt was sheer bewilderment.
"Father changed that much?"
He already knew his father was living like an immortal sage in a quiet area.
But the more detailed the accounts became, the more he wondered if this was really the Crassus he knew.
As a son, he could not argue if someone criticized him for being too indifferent.
He felt another wave of gratitude toward Julia, who had regularly visited the villa to meticulously care for his parents in his stead while he was away in the East.
"If we go this way, we'll see it soon."
Crassus's local reputation was astonishingly strong.
Even though it was a small, peripheral village, people's eyes lit up whenever someone asked about Crassus.
The vast majority were eager to explain just how incredible the old master was.
Marcus felt a refreshing sensation he had not experienced in a long time from the reactions of people who did not recognize his face.
"Was his change of heart really that drastic...?"
Come to think of it, the signs had been there since Pompey passed away.
Given his age, it would not be particularly strange if he had felt the transience of life.
Of course, growing old like a wise sage was infinitely better to see than an old man displaying unseemly greed.
"It wouldn't be so bad if I lived like this later on."
Marcus muttered the words as they passed through a path just wide enough for a single carriage.
Hearing that, Julia chuckled and wagged her finger as if to say it was impossible.
"You've already come too far for that. Even if you genuinely wanted to step down, the people around you wouldn't let you go, would they? Maybe if you fled in the dead of night... No, even then, you'd be dragged right back and told to just handle this one last thing before retiring."
"And the next day, I'd hear the exact same thing."
It was a future that naturally drew a bitter smile.
Truthfully, what he had just said had not really been sincere either.
He had known this was inevitable from the moment he seized all the power in Rome.
He had to keep supporting the changing Rome until the very moment he could no longer work.
It was a task no one but Marcus, who knew the future, could do.
Laying down his power and stepping back would amount to nothing more than abandoning his responsibilities.
He could not live like this.
Etching that clear reality into his heart once more, Marcus stepped out of the carriage and entered the garden.
"It's not as massive as I thought."
Crassus's villa gave off a peculiar atmosphere where antique elegance and rustic simplicity coexisted.
As he leisurely gazed at the flowers in a corner of the garden, a dignified old man's voice rang out.
"You've arrived."
Though he had aged considerably, he did not give off the impression of being decrepit just yet.
Marcus offered a polite greeting to the slowly approaching old man.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit often. I'm glad you look so healthy."
"I already know you don't spend much time in Rome, so I'm not that disappointed. Besides, I much prefer having my sweet little girl treat me affectionately rather than a son reeking of middle age."
"Julia is a grown woman now. What do you mean, little girl..."
Even though it had been a long time since they last met, there was no awkwardness between them at all.
That was simply how a strong father-son relationship worked.
While they exchanged silly jokes, the attendants who had followed Marcus set up a spot in the garden.
"Do you drink coffee? If it doesn't suit your taste, I can have them prepare tea or diluted wine."
"Coffee is one of the very few things I still buy from Rome. Drinking it is the joy of my life these days; I can't do without it. Brew it the way you drink it. It'll be different, so I'm sure it'll be excellent."
A previously unseen cheerfulness and relaxation naturally radiated from Crassus's words and actions.
It did not feel forced; it was clearly a disposition that had naturally settled into him over a long period of time.
"Then I'll have them prepare it right away."
"We have some time before lunch, so tell me a few of your heroic tales. I'd like to hear how that rascal Publius is doing, too."
"He's doing well. He and his wife are still on great terms. If you tell me how much you've heard from Julia, I'll explain everything that happened after that."
"Just tell me everything from the beginning. There's a different kind of charm in hearing it straight from my son's mouth."
Crassus leisurely raised his cup and savored the aroma of the coffee.
Julia steered the conversation to other topics so her mother, Teutoria, wouldn't get bored.
Marcus explained his achievements thus far until the sun hung high in the middle of the sky.
Crassus sometimes laughed out loud, and occasionally his eyes would sparkle with interest as he tossed out a few questions.
"Cicero managed to climb his way up to consul despite all those hardships. His tenacity is certainly something. Now that he's reached that level, he really ought to just retire, write those texts he loves so much, and take a rest."
"He actually mentioned that he'll gradually reduce his activities after this term as consul ends."
"And you told him to go ahead?"
"I asked him to continue his work on the Legal Advisory Council even if he steps down. When I told him I'd create a special position for him if necessary, he was absolutely delighted."
Crassus clicked his tongue and laughed.
"That fellow hasn't changed a bit. In a way, I suppose that's a good thing. Same goes for Cato."
"There are many senators who are astonished by how much you've changed, Father. What caused such a massive shift in your heart? Was it really because Lord Pompey passed away like that?"
"Well..."
Crassus fell silent for a moment.
He wordlessly watched the steam rising from his hot coffee cup before shifting his gaze to the flowers blooming in the garden.
"That was probably the biggest reason. Who would have thought a man who had achieved everything would vanish so senselessly? He might have claimed to have lived a life without regrets, but it was quite a shock to me. It gave me a chance to seriously reflect on my own life."
"It seems you felt disillusioned with a life spent accumulating wealth and power."
"It's detachment rather than disillusionment. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to walk away from everything so cleanly. But with you already enjoying success far beyond my own, and Publius firmly established, there was no burden holding me back. I did want to stay close and see just how high you would climb, but then again, I can follow all of that perfectly well from here."
"My father-in-law is also marveling at your transformation. Perhaps he'll settle down here later as well?"
Caesar, too, had complained several times that his body was starting to creak now that he was getting older.
"Caesar..."
Having listened to Marcus's stories, Crassus shook his head with a peculiar smile.
"That fellow probably won't accept this kind of life until the day he dies. He might not have told you, but he actually sent me a letter recently. He went out of his way to brag in a roundabout fashion that he is now the sole Imperator."
"Is that so?"
"So I sent a reply congratulating him."
"You'll be getting a grandiose title yourself, Father. If our family is deified, you'll naturally become a living god. In future generations, your name will be passed down as the god of wealth."
At that, Crassus burst into uproarious laughter.
Tears even pricked his eyes; he really could not hold back his amusement.
"It seems I'm going to be treated as a god all because I raised a good son. Then again, you've become the king of Rome... No, an entity far greater than a king, so calling you a god would be perfectly fine."
"So you knew?"
Even though he had washed his hands of politics, his innate insight had not completely died out.
Just by listening to Marcus's explanation, Crassus had already deduced that the Senate-led republican system was entirely finished.
"But to govern such a vast country, even two bodies wouldn't be enough. Are you sure it's alright for you to be here? Your workload must be piled as high as Mount Olympus."
"Actually, a massive incident broke out just before I came here. But I've set up a system where I don't have to manage things directly for a while as long as I leave instructions. I figured this would be my last vacation before things get too busy."
"Right, then get some good rest while you're here. Let's drop the complicated political talk and discuss something else. How are our little darlings, Sophia and Trajan, doing lately?"
"I actually told them to come here with Julia soon. Both of them have been wanting to see their grandfather and grandmother."
Until now, whenever Marcus rested, he had always been surrounded by politics in some form.
Even during their downtime, Julia and Cleopatra loved discussing politics and international affairs, and Marcus enjoyed indulging them.
Sophia wasn't much different after growing up, and if Octavian joined in, their resting spot would turn into a debate floor in no time.
Unlike those usual breaks, Crassus and Teutoria asked the kind of questions ordinary parents would ask: 'Are you eating a healthy diet?' and 'Do you have any worries?'
Whether the international situation underwent a cataclysm or not, this place had absolutely nothing to do with it.
For the first time in a very long while, Marcus laid down all his anxieties as a politician and enjoyed an honest, heartfelt conversation with his family.
The tension that had always been drawn tight within him was washing away cleanly.