There was no reason for Jae-hoon to compete with Caesar, even if he changed his mind just a little bit.
This was because Sulla, who was 38 years older than Caesar, died before Caesar became active in politics.
The age difference between Caesar and Marcus was less than twenty. So He can't wait for Caesar to die of old age, but Jae-hoon knew that Caesar would be assassinated.
Caesar was 56 when he was assassinated. And by that time, Marcus will be just about to open his political heyday.
According to history, after Caesar's death, the dispute over the successor was narrowed down to a two-sided structure between Antony and Octavian. And at the end, Caesar's adopted son, Octavian, won and became the one who will later be called Augustus. The Emperor of Rome.
Historians say that from this time on, Rome was transformed from a republic to an empire.
It was here when Jae-hoon would dig in.
'Isn't it enough to grow in power under Caesar and take over Rome after he dies? '
Even thinking about it, it wasn't a story that made no sense. It made sense a lot of it too and was practically possible.
Jae-hoon would have a lot of time to raise to the peak of Rome, while everyone focused on grief.
If all of this was under Caesar, it could be easily solved.
Caesar's tremendous greed, which strengthens his power and wins, will help Jae-hoon to gain all the nobles' checks. So that Caesar could bring reform which he broth in history. Then, if needed Jae-hoon could comfortably call forces under the shade too.
If he built enough power, it was also possible to prevent Caesar's assassination and become his true right-hand man. But that was not his main goal.
'The big picture is enough. The important thing is to fine-tune... How can I do this? '
He took Western history as a liberal arts subject and read related books, so he knew the main stem of history. But this alone was probably not enough.
Knowing the big events ahead was a huge advantage, but it was not completely absolute.
If he knew all the details, the story would be different, but Jae-hoon was not major in Roman history to that extent.
There was a high possibility that he would suffer a great loss if he acted hastily, relying only on fragmentary knowledge.
"I need more knowledge to create the perfect plan... This is giving me a headache. "
Even if he had a rough direction, weaving the details always required time and effort. Jae-hoon tossed and turned in bed and fell asleep without realizing it.
"How many hours have I been asleep?"
Jaehoon woke up and said.
"No, maybe I just fell asleep."
Jae-hoon opened his eyes and saw the familiar scenery of the library spread out in front of him.
It was very similar to the library of his past life, which boasted the best number of books in domestic universities.
The only difference was that no one except Jae-hoon was there.
He had no memory of seeing the library this empty without a single fly.
"What is this again? Did I come back to where I came from?"
He tried to go out of the library, but strangely, He couldn't see the entrance.
Suddenly, Jae-hoon saw lots of books, there were so many books from different streams. Initially, Jae-hoon guessed that he was in the dream but he could not possibly remember so many book titles, right?
He quickly searched for books and picked up the largest and thickest book on Roman history at the end of the republic.
Since the pages are so large and extensive, He read only the necessary parts.
Unfortunately, not much data had been left about Crassus ii, who Jae-hoon possessed.
Even after the death of his father and brother, he remained pro-caesar, and his son joined Augustus.
Even though he had his sought he thought,
'Okay. For now, as soon as possible, let's put in my head only the important figures of the republic.'
Knowledge of the people around him was much more urgent than data about himself.
Jae-hoon decided to carefully read the list of people in power that he must know about.
**
Jae-hoon woke up from his dream and returned to his bedroom.
When his hazy consciousness returned, the contents of the book he had read in his dream came to his mind vividly.
Convinced that it wasn't just dreaming of his, Jae-hoon forced himself to laugh.
"What's the reason? Is it because I choose to change? Or is there something else?"
'There is nothing to be afraid of if the consciousness in the dream was still connected to the library over there.'
'If I can find the necessary knowledge whenever I want, what can you not do?'
'It would be possible to obtain the power of Rome, as well as to bring about technological revolutions hundreds of years ahead of time.'
'To put it a little exaggeratedly, I could become a divine being in this world.'
But his excitement was short. Jaehoon's heart, which had been swollen to the fullest, cooled down in less than a day.
Somehow he fell asleep again and entered the world of dreams, but this time something was strange.
All of the books that had been piled up were gone, leaving only one.
The one remaining was the same book that Jae-hoon took out in his dream yesterday.
He was overwhelmed with the thought of creating a technological revolution by reading all kinds of books, but it was futile.
Still, it was fortunate that he could continue reading even the first book he took out.
'Should I say it's fortunate?'
"Couldn't it be that I could only read one book? "
'If I think about it rationally, there was no way I could use such ridiculous abilities indefinitely.'
'I should have considered the possibility of a limit on the number of books or times I can use before making a one-shot of kimchi soup.'
'But that's why there's only one restriction... That's ridiculous.'
'Of course, the one who could know all the details of the future history was a boss-level cheat item. This alone was enough to climb to the top of Rome.'
'Still, I would have been much more careful while choosing the first book, if I knew that there was only one chance.'
'No. There's no way I can get only one out. There must be some conditions.'
'I reviewed the number of cases, but I couldn't do anything right now because I couldn't verify it.'
Jae-hoon, who woke up from his dream again and returned to reality, naturally smiled bitterly.
He felt bad for giving it away, but what could he do?
Even in the current situation, it did not change the fact that he stands on an overwhelming advantage over anyone else.
What's left now is entirely up to him.
'If I jump in with a clumsy resolution, I won't be able to do anything. I have to have a firm belief that I will change this era.'
'It seemed like everything could be done, but in fact, nothing had to be done.'There was nothing that could serve as a guidepost on which path to take in a future that was open to infinite freedom. So, Jae-hoon moved to check the result of what change he had done for the first time in this world.
"Septimus, where is the child I brought? "
"She was so exhausted, so she washed first and now she is resting. "
"Nice job. When can I see her for a second? "
"I think you'd better do that. The child seems uneasy because she doesn't know why she came here. Other people are confused because they don't know why too. There are no guidelines on how to treat her in the future, so this is necessary."
Jaehoon calmly nodded his head.
"I'm still trying to figure it out. "
Saying that Jae-hoon went to see the girl alone.
The girl stood up on the bed with a dazed expression as if she had just woken up.
Even though she was just washed clean, Jae-hoon couldn't recognize her.
Perhaps thanks to the faithful supply of nutrients, even the skin that looked like a corpse started looking weakly colored.
What She was wearing was a long, ankle-length white tunic.
"The bruises on your body will go away with time, so don't worry. Can you understand what I'm saying? "
When Jae-hoon said this, that girl suddenly got up from her seat and knelt on her knees.
"I'm not feeling well, so I was just lying down. I'm not that kind of a clogged person."
"No need to worry, I did not mean to surprise you."
"Thank you, merciful master."
"I'm done with the merciful master, just call me, young master. "
The girl spoke Latin with an acceptable, albeit somewhat crude, accent.
Eyes filled with fear, gratitude, and anxiety gazed at Jae-hoon.
Clasping her trembling hands tightly, she summoned the courage to speak.
"Well, I'm good at cleaning and I listen to what I'm told. Please don't hit me. I'll do everything as you tell me."
After the girl finished speaking, she reflexively shrank.
'Did she think she would get beaten up for presumptuously asking for a favor?'
Jaehoon, who did not know everything she had been through, could not guess. So he spoke softly as if reassuring.
"No one here will hit you. As the eldest son of this family, I guarantee it. Most of my family's slaves are professionals. They are treated differently than anywhere else. "
In the girl's eyes, instead of fear, now a hint of expectation appeared.
The dead brown eyes finally looked like the eyes of a living person.
"Really... Thank you..."
"What's your name? By the way."
"I used the name Danae in my hometown. Here..."
"Then I'll just call you Danae. It is a Greek name, is your hometown in the west of Thrace? "
"Yes. It was an area almost bordering Greece. I was captured as a slave there and until now..."
Tears welled up in Danae's eyes. Cases of being freed and then being enslaved are so common that they hardly even talk about it. However, from the point of view of the person concerned, it was not something that could be passed over even if it is not a big deal.
"Your family? Do you have any desire to find them again? "
"My parents passed away, and the younger brother who was captured with me... Is probably dead by now. He was a very weak child."
"I see. So, how do you want to live in the future? "
"Yes? Of course, as a slave to my master... I, I never harbored any disrespectful thoughts. I have no desire to return to being a freedman or to escape! "
Danae's face turned white, wondering if he had tested her loyalty.
She had seen many times, and suffered firsthand, how wretchedly a slave who wanted freedom was broken.
"Calm down. I asked because I wanted to know who you want to be. "
"What kind of question... What do I want to be? "
"In this world, a slave is nothing more than the owner's property. But you must have been a human in the past. Now you call yourself a tool."
"Because we are the tools... Right?"
Jae-hoon looked into her eyes. She wasn't forced to make it up, but it was the expression she thought of.
That was the law of this world, even those who cursed slavery could not deny the law that entangled them.
The strong one gets drunk and the weak one gets eaten.
It is natural for Rome, the hegemon in the Mediterranean, to rule over weaker countries and peoples.
If the superiority of power had been reversed, the people now suffering would have done the same thing calmly.
"Do you want to live like that? I'm giving you a chance to choose now. Do you want to become a slave who gives up your thoughts and lives only as you are told? Or do you want to be a person who can seriously question the world? "
"Are you saying that if I want to be freed, I will be freed?..."
"It's a little different from that. To tell you the truth, You are at the crossroads of a choice right now. Your answer will determine the direction, you will go."
Danae, who did not understand Jae-hoon's words, tilted her head.
But he didn't mean to make her understand him, so it was a natural reaction.
What he wanted to gain was confidence in his own choice.
He wanted to see that people of this era were even ready for reforms he was thinking of making. The world he was thinking of creating.
Because there was no need to attempt reform if those who had fallen into slavery are yielding to a fear that was ingrained in their bones.
'What you wanted to do? It doesn't matter if it's being slave or whatever, as long as it warms your back and keeps you full.'
"If you want, I will give you the same education as men. If you prove your worth, you can be freed. But no matter what, you are a freed slave from Thrace and you are a woman. Your knowledge will increase and your eyes to see the world will increase. The more it spreads, the deeper the frustration. You might think it was better to just grow up to be an ignorant, full-bodied slave. "
"..."
"I don't want to go out of the way for people who just stand still, like a tree waiting for rain from the sky. But if you still want to become someone who is not an object... "
A declaration that could not be picked up again flowed from Jaehoon's mouth.
"I'll change this Rome. "
"I'm not just talking about freeing slaves."
He did not think that complete emancipation is possible, and he didn't even have the heart to do it. It was enough just to make them at least be treated like human beings.
Treating people like human beings is only one aspect of Rome that Jae-hoon wanted to change.
It was an undeniable truth that Western civilization is holding the initiative in world civilization in modern times. And Rome was also the root of Western civilization.
Economy, politics, and society. Either way, if Rome changes, the world will change too.
"I-I am... "
Danae's voice trembled. Jaehun's words shook the entire world she had walked through.
It wasn't the bravado of a nobleman.
The light returned to her eyes, which had been weighed down by the cruel reality. And her lips quivered.
Soon, tears welled up in her brown eyes and ran down her face. And sobbed as if the blockage of the dam had burst. She was a cry with many meanings.
Resentment towards the fate of being enslaved and those around her who made her that way.
The relief of having regained hope and the earnest desire to live like a human being.
Jae-hoon reached out and patted her on the back lightly.
"I understand your answer."
"I'm sorry... And thank you very much. "
"I'll tell you what to do as soon as you feel better. Learn hard and broaden your horizons. "
Danae hiccuped a few times and then barely stopped crying.
"Hey... I haven't heard the name of the young master yet. Others just called him the young master..."
"My name? "
Jae-hoon slowly pulled away and stood upright.
The blinding sunlight coming through the courtyard illuminated him.
Lee Jae-hoon put his new name in his mouth as if he had decided for himself.
Yes. He was no longer Lee Jae-hoon.
"Marcus Licinius Crassus. That is my name. "
He abanded the name Lee Jae-hoon and accepted the name Marcus for himself.
With a firm resolve, he turned and left the room. Leaving only burning heat deep in Danae's heart.
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