Unlike the magisterial elections, the vigintisexviri race was decided the very day candidates announced themselves.
In other words, once a man announced his candidacy officially in the Forum, the voting began immediately.
I headed to the Forum with Felix and countless other supporters.
Perhaps because the election was imminent, the streets felt more tense and feverish than usual.
"Still no news from the Metelli?"
"They're scrambling just to keep the rumors from spreading."
Felix said, adjusting his cap.
"It seems they're having a hard time because of the flyers."
"Naturally. They poured so much money into this election."
They had flooded tens of thousands of Roman citizens with cheap bread.
Of course, they didn't give bread to everyone. It was strictly limited to male citizens eligible to vote.
But even that must have been an enormous expense.
Could the Metelli really stomach losing this election?
"Anyone watching would think this was a consular election."
"Even a consular election would probably be easier than this. I'm just glad election day is here."
Felix let out a sigh.
As we approached the Forum, the mass of voters came into view.
A group among them spotted us and approached.
I realized they were people who had come from Ostia.
"Sir Caesar! Did you hear the news?!"
One of them ran up to me, breathing hard.
"The news? What do you mean?"
Did Metellus pull another stunt?
Felix and I exchanged glances.
We did have a few scenarios prepared just in case.
But as the Romans would say, victory often comes down to luck and quick wit.
Preparing for every situation was impossible from the start.
"Please calm down and tell me slowly."
"The Metelli... the Metelli..."
The man finally caught his breath and raised his head.
"They have dropped out of the election!"
"The Metelli dropped out of the election?"
The man only nodded repeatedly.
Felix and I looked at each other.
Hmm, that was certainly not what I'd expected.
***
"Well, this ended much more anticlimactically than I thought."
"Indeed. I thought it would be much more heated than this."
I sat in a chair placed on the Rostra and looked ahead.
Countless citizens bustled about as they cast their votes.
The election to choose magistrates and the lower-ranking vigintisexviri.
Given that everyone had expected a head-on clash between Metellus and me, the atmosphere was surprisingly calm.
"I can't believe they raised the white flag this quickly."
I muttered.
The Metellus family had been competing for the office overseeing the suburb streets as me.
But today, on the actual day of voting, they announced they would run for the office overseeing the prisons instead of street.
That left me, for all practical purposes, the sole candidate.
"They could have easily fought for it; why do you think they gave up?"
At Felix's question, I shrugged.
"Losing in the vigintisexviri would have been too great a risk for a prestigious family like the Metelli."
The vigintisexviri was ultimately a lower administrative office.
It was merely a stepping stone to becoming a Senator, and furthermore, a magistrate.
If they lost in such a position, it was highly likely the Metellus family would become a laughingstock of Rome.
Instead, they chose to secure victory in a lower office.
"But even so, an uncontested race. Isn't this practically unprecedented in Rome?"
Since the Metellus family gave up, anyone could run for the street management position now.
But as Felix said, I was the only one sitting on the Rostra platform.
While the elections for other magistrates proceeded, I sat in my seat and waited my turn.
Hours passed, and finally, my turn arrived.
An official who came up to the Rostra looked around with a surprised expression.
"Um, excuse me... is there no one else besides you, sir Caesar?"
"It seems that way."
I stood up from my seat.
It seems there was no reason to be so nervous today.
If there were no other candidates, my victory was essentially assured.
Thinking about how much I suffered the past few days, it was quite a peaceful result.
"So, will the election still proceed?"
"Yes, although something like this is almost unprecedented..."
The official scratched his head with his stylus.
"According to sacred law, the election must proceed even if there is only one candidate."
"Then let's finish it quickly."
I stood up and brushed off my toga.
I guess I can go home early today and hold a celebration banquet.
Since I'm the only candidate anyway, the election will probably proceed as a formality.
It shouldn't take too long.
That expectation proved wrong soon enough.
"Is this the right polling place?"
"Yes, please come this way!"
As time passed, more and more people gathered in the Forum. It wasn't just Roman citizens—citizens from Ostia had come as well.
The Forum, which had been relatively quiet when electing other vigintisexviri, was suddenly burst into life with a crowd.
Felix and I stared at the scene before us with our mouths hanging open.
"My election is practically guaranteed anyway... why did so many people show up?"
"They came to show their support for you, Young Master."
Felix muttered beside me.
"Even if your victory is guaranteed, they can still show their support for you through their votes."
"Then it's practically a vote of confidence."
I let out a chuckle before I realized it.
A vote of confidence is usually something a politician in crisis calls for, risking their political career to seek renewed approval from the public.
To think I'd face a vote of confidence even before getting elected.
But an approval rating of 100% is a figure you'd only see in North Korea or Russia, isn't it?
No, Russia would need around 140% to make it a real contest.
Even as I was lost in thought, people continued to flock to the Forum.
As the voting continued, four men came up onto the Rostra.
Dressed in togas, they were the Aediles who had been elected in this election.
They were the magistrates responsible for Rome's streets, festivals, and the oversight of grain and water.
At the same time, they were the men to whom my office would answer.
"Lucius Julius Caesar. First of all, congratulations on your election to the vigintisexviri."
"The votes have not yet been tallied, but thank you."
I answered with a smile.
They were all looking at me with an unreadable look.
"I have a feeling you gentlemen didn't come here simply to congratulate me."
"Exactly."
Another Aedile replied with a deep sigh.
"As you probably already know, the one who drew the most attention in this election was none other than you. To be precise, you and that tower scheme of yours."
"To build towers connecting Ostia and Rome. Do you really intend to build them?"
One of the aediles, a man in his mid-to-late thirties, asked.
"What exactly are you planning, young Caesar?"
"I will tell you once the votes are counted."
I said as I stood up from my seat.
It felt as though our roles had somehow been reversed.
The vigintisexviri was an office that assisted the aediles in overseeing the streets.
Yet the Aediles came looking for me first to ask about my plans.
"If my plan is carried out successfully..."
Saying that, I looked at the people still voting in the Forum.
Those countless faces filled with hope and expectation.
"You aediles would gain greatly in honor and reputation as well."
***
The voting result was, unsurprisingly, my victory.
Since there were no other candidates, I'm not sure if it could be called a victory, but I succeeded in getting elected in my first election.
There was still some time left before my inauguration, but there was much to do.
One of them was to express my gratitude to those who had helped me.
"I'm glad I could be of even a little help to you, Caesar."
"My mother told me it was you who first proposed the flyer."
I walked through the streets of the Subura with Pompeia, Mother, and Julia.
After the election, I found myself seeing Pompeia often.
Of course, in Rome at this time, it was impossible for an unmarried man and woman to go about alone.
It was itself considered inappropriate behavior.
But that didn't mean there was no way.
Mother frequently invited Pompeia over, and the three of them would spend time together.
And I would naturally join in, which naturally gave the two of us chances to talk.
"My father is helping you. If you are elected, it is a good thing for my father and family as well."
"Sir Pompey will continue to achieve great things. It would be wonderful if I could be of even a little help to him."
I replied, nodding.
It was foolish of Metellus to announce the expulsion of non-citizens from Rome.
But seizing that opening so precisely would have been impossible without political acumen.
Is Pompeia also very interested in politics, like my mother?
"It was proven again this time, but flyers hold great power."
I said.
"Perhaps they will play an even bigger role in Roman politics in the future."
"Bigger role?"
At Pompeia's question, I nodded.
Putting up flyers for election campaigns or policy promotion was not an unfamiliar thing in Rome of this era.
But compared to the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, it had not yet reached the same level.
There were many reasons, but the biggest was mass production.
In Rome, all text and pictures were written by hand.
Even the flyers we used this time had to be produced one by one, with the help of many hired scribes.
A few dozen was manageable, but producing hundreds or thousands that way was hopelessly inadequate.
And I had a way to solve that problem.
As I was lost in thought, Pompeia let out a laugh.
"It's exactly as my father said."
"Pardon?"
"You always seem to be thinking up bizarre ideas, and time and again you accomplish things others could not even imagine."
"Perhaps the gods truly are whispering inspiration into my ear."
I really wish that were true.
No matter how much future knowledge I have, surviving in Rome of this era wasn't easy.
Pompeia laughed for a moment before returning to a serious expression.
"The Metellus family won't just sit still. They suffered a huge financial loss from this, and in the end, they had to run for a lower position. They probably consider it a humiliation."
"They probably do. Even though I didn't do anything to them."
It was Metellus himself who showerd the Roman citizens with bread and pushed to expel non-citizens from the city.
But as Pompeia said, they would definitely hold a grudge against me.
"Then what will you do?"
"Shouldn't I just let them have their revenge? Then perhaps it will ease some of their resentment."
"You're going to let them get their revenge on you?"
Pompeia tilted her head.
"Are you being serious?"
"When is revenge not revenge?"
Saying that, I fell into thought.
Even to me, it sounded too much like a riddle.
I think I understand why Felix often complains that I can be so frustrating.
I walked down the street with a thoughtful Pompeia, my mother, and Julia.
Speaking of Felix, he must be getting some good rest since he finally got a vacation after so long.
***
"Honey, I'm home."
Felix said, setting down the luggage he was holding.
As soon as he opened the door and entered the house, an appetizing smell drifted toward him.
Tilia was in the middle of cooking something in the kitchen.
Feeling his stomach rumble, Felix smiled.
"You said your vacation started today?"
"It's my last chance to rest before the storm hits."
Felix replied with a sigh.
"Now that the Young Master has been elected to the vigintisexviri, nothing but busy days lay ahead. We have to build those strange towers and keep the Palmolive and insurance businesses running…"
He looked around the living room once before lying down on the bed.
Lucius Caesar had provided this insula in Subura for Felix, who had married and become independent.
It was essentially a building they used entirely to themselves, as spacious and comfortable as any noble's house.
He stretched out fully while lying on the bed.
It felt as though years of exhaustion were melting away.
After stretching out for a bit, he shouted toward the kitchen.
"Smells good. What are you cooking?"
"It's moray eel! They just happened to be selling some at the market."
"Moray eel? You bought something that expensive?"
Felix asked, lying back down on the bed.
Moray eel was a delicacy favored by many Roman nobles.
An expensive delicacy as delicious as it was costly.
"Today is a special day."
"That's true."
Just as Felix was about to close his eyes, overcome by sleepiness, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
There was usually only one reason a Roman wife bought moray eel for her husband.
He climbed off the bed again and cautiously approached the kitchen.
"It'll be done soon, so sit down and wait."
"Listen, honey."
Felix looked at Tilia as he sat in a dining chair.
"I'm sorry, but could we just lie down quietly tonight? I'm so tired from working so much lately, you know..."
"You always say you're tired. And your days off start today. Weren't you the one who said you wanted to have a baby in the first place?"
Tilia smiled brightly as she brought over a dish containing the moray eel.
"Here, eat it quickly while it's hot."
"..."
Felix stared blankly at the dish before finally picking up his spoon.
While his wife watched with a smile, Felix had no choice but to finish every bite.
"How's the taste?"