052: The First Roman Emperor to Believe in Christianity
The cold wind howled, making Rome feel colder and more desolate than ever before.
"Lord Novia, Her Majesty the Empress has ordered—"
"Bruce, who gave you permission to lead the Praetorian Guard into the palace without authorization?"
Novia's gaze fell upon the Roman Praetorian Guard stationed at the palace gates, then shifted to their commander, Bruce.
Generally, the Roman Praetorian Guard was stationed in the outskirts outside Rome and could only be commanded by the emperor. However, Claudius was currently gravely ill and naturally unable to summon them. Moreover, the previous emperor, Caligula, had been assassinated by members of the Praetorian Guard.
But Novia understood perfectly well who had sent Bruce: none other than the current Empress Agrippina, who had long ago struck a physical bargain with him, waiting for Claudius to die so she could appoint her chosen successor as the next emperor of Rome.
Ultimately, Agrippina only wanted her own son, Nero, to become emperor, which aligned with Novia's own plans. It seemed all he had to do was obey this command and wait patiently.
However, Novia saw no need to retreat nor any reason to spare her dignity.
"Bruce, I am already aware of your dealings with Agrippina."
With a stern expression, Novia bypassed the man and strode directly toward the room within the palace where Emperor Claudius lay. Not a single member of the Praetorian Guard inside dared to step forward and obstruct him, for in their eyes, Novia was a living divine emissary. Though they served the Praetorian Guard for personal gain, they had no intention of sacrificing their lives.
Undoubtedly, Augustus had established the Praetorian Guard and rewarded them three times more than ordinary soldiers to prevent a recurrence of Caesar's assassination. However, a life of luxury and decadence had transformed this army into the "vanguard of emperor-slaying."
Take original history, for instance. In 69 AD, Galba, one of the Four Emperors, attempted to enforce military discipline, inciting discontent. He was killed by the Praetorian Guard within just six months. Even more infamous was the unprecedented auction of the Roman emperorship in 193 AD.
Once again, after an emperor attempted to "exploit" them, the Praetorian Guard followed their old routine: they killed him and then publicly auctioned the throne as a means of profit.
"Novia..."
The sixty-four-year-old Emperor Claudius seemed to awaken from a dream, murmuring something in a hoarse, sleep-filled voice.
In the quiet room, he gazed at Novia by his bedside as if looking at a long-lost friend, a grave expression on his aged face.
Sapphire-blue eyes like the sea and silver hair like snow matched people's image of a divine emissary.
Though only twenty-one years old, he carried an air of remarkable composure. The aura this young man exuded made one want to draw near and speak with him.
The room, occupied solely by Claudius, had been as silent as a funeral, but as Novia slowly opened the great door, the sounds of nature flowed inside.
Bird songs, and the rustling of wind through flowers and grass.
"Yes, Your Majesty, I am here. Please speak."
Novia took the old man's hand, showing not the slightest hint of impatience.
Since birth, this old man had suffered discrimination and constant humiliation due to congenital polio, a condition that persisted even after he became emperor. Yet, it was undeniable that he had contributed to the stability of the ancient Roman Empire.
Moreover, he had always treated Novia with great kindness. Though there were ulterior motives involved, without Claudius's support, Novia might not have reached this point today.
"... Octavia, Britannicus..."
Claudius called the names of his children, his eyes filled with worry.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry. I am still here. I am their teacher."
Novia seemed to understand his concern, his tone softening slightly. But Claudius's next words made him pause for a moment.
"Perform... baptism for me... I beg you..." Claudius calmly endured Novia's gaze, his faint voice like falling snowflakes. "Wait a moment, help me up... I will go out... to announce... that matter you have always wanted..."
Claudius's meaning was clear: as an exchange, he, in his seriously ill state, would receive baptism from Novia to become a Christian and declare that henceforth Christianity would be the state religion of the Roman Empire. The "I beg you" was a plea, for Claudius knew that even if he did not do it, Nero, the most likely successor, would announce it anyway.
But the reason Claudius understood this and still humbled himself was that, despite Novia sincerely promising to protect his children after his death, for someone born into the Roman court, empty promises felt too intangible. Something concrete had to be offered in exchange.
In this regard, this old emperor shared a mindset with Nero.
"Your Majesty, do you remember what you said when we first met? 'Do not look at the moon, for it is not a friendly thing.'" Novia nodded and smiled. "I have always remembered that and am grateful for it."
Claudius resented the moon because his nephew Caligula had gone mad after gazing at it.
However, Novia understood perfectly well that in the world of Type-Moon, the true reason for Caligula's madness was seeing the Roman moon goddess Diana—also the Greek moon goddess Artemis. More precisely, it was due to her gradually decaying main cannon, which was still hanging outside the planet during this era.
In the Type-Moon world, the Greek gods were alien mecha gods. Their true mechanical bodies were destroyed during the invasion of Earth by the Alien God's vanguard, leaving only their personified divine forms. But destruction did not mean irreparable; the Greek gods attempted repairs using human faith. Unfortunately, by the time the Age of Gods passed, they had not succeeded.
Thus, there were fragments of Ares's mecha body that drifted to Japan, and the moon goddess's mechanical body that fell to Japan at some unknown time...
Even if Claudius had been in good health, he could not have comprehended Novia's meaning. But the old man understood from the silver-haired youth's nod that his wish had been accepted.
"Then... help me up and out..."
On October 12th, 54 AD, Emperor Claudius I of the Roman Empire declared—
The Roman emperor would no longer serve as the Pontifex Maximus of the Roman temples, and citizens were forbidden from making sacrifices to Roman temples.
He further decreed the prohibition of all religious activities except Christianity. All subjects of the Roman Empire were to "follow the faith delivered to the Romans by Novia," and "all pagan places of worship are to be closed."
This decree made Christianity the sole legitimate religion of the Roman Empire, formally establishing it as the state religion.
On October 13th of the same year, Claudius was baptized by Novia, officially becoming a Christian and the first Christian emperor of the Roman Empire.
That evening, after returning to the Roman palace following his baptism, Emperor Claudius passed away.
Subsequently, with no dispute, the seventeen-year-old Nero successfully became the fifth emperor of the Julio-Claudian dynasty.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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