"I know the volunteers keep coming, but I really need to set out soon soon."
"You have only yourself to blame, Young Master," Felix replied with a casual shrug.
"You were the one who established the Veterans' Fund. Is it any wonder these men are eager to serve under your command?"
"I suppose I can't deny that."
Ever since I accepted the Senate's suggestion, a constant stream of men had been showing up at my door, offering their swords for my journey.
"I previously served in Crassus's legions! Please, allow me to escort you!"
"If you just take me with you, I'll do whatever it takes..."
But I didn't have the imperium required to raise a full legion, nor did I have any intention of doing so.
All I needed was a small but well-trained escort to ensure my safety on the road.
Dragging thousands of men across Italy would only result in a logistical nightmare and a massive drain on my treasury.
Antony had already agreed to join me, and Pompey had assigned Aquilius and a number of his best veterans to round out the guard.
There was absolutely no reason to take on a bunch of unseasoned volunteers.
More likely than not, they would just slow me down.
I politely but firmly turned away the volunteers. And finally, the day of my departure from Rome arrived.
***
The Appian Way lay just outside the city gates.
"The weather is perfect today. The augurs even declared it a day of auspicious omens."
"I'm just relieved I didn't have to stand around watching them slice open animal guts," I replied.
I shared a warm embrace with my mother. It had been quite a while since I last left Rome.
And this was the first time I was leaving without my family.
Well, strictly speaking, I wasn't alone; I had a well-armed escort with me, but the sentiment remained.
"Please be careful out there, Lucius."
"I'll do my best, mother."
Just then, Julia approached me, her face clouded with worry.
She opened her mouth as if to say something, but quickly closed it again.
"I brought you this," she said instead.
"Ah. Your kite."
She handed me the kite made from thin wooden splints and the paper I had invented.
"I made this one myself. I thought you might grow bored on the road."
"Thank you, Julia. When I get back, I'll build an even better one for you."
I smiled and accepted the kite.
The image of an eagle was painted across the paper sail.
"Did you paint this yourself?"
Julia nodded proudly.
"It's a beautiful piece of work."
I handed the kite off to a servant and adjusted my armor, throwing a heavy crimson cloak over my shoulders.
It was a parting gift I had received from Pompey a few days ago.
When he gave it to me, Pompey claimed it was spoils of war he had stripped from King Mithridates, and that rumor had it the cloak originally belonged to Alexander the Great himself.
I had no idea if that was historically accurate, but wearing it definitely made me feel strangely powerful.
No wonder a cloak like this made a man feel larger than life.
Naturally, my thoughts drifted to Pompeia.
We had shared a brief, private farewell before I left.
It was a shame; I had really wanted to spend more time with her.
Just as I was thinking about her, I heard the heavy footfalls approaching from the side.
I assumed it was Antony.
"Is everyone ready for departure?"
But when I turned my head, I was greeted by a completely unexpected face.
A man with a refined, scholarly demeanor that sat oddly with the heavy armor he was wearing stood before me.
"So this is where you were. I have been searching everywhere for you, Lucius Caesar."
Brutus approached me, flashing a bright smile.
"Brutus? What brings you out here?"
"I desperately wish to accompany you on your journey. I'll do my best to help you. Will you not accept my assistance?"
Brutus looked at me with a firm expression.
"I truly wish to help you."
"..."
Hmm. I didn't expect this to happen today.
Marcus Junius Brutus was suddenly begging to join my expedition.
"I apologize, but the roster for the escort is already finalized. If you had informed me earlier..."
"I heard that you had turned away all other volunteers. But I simply could not let you depart without offering my sword and my counsel," Brutus insisted.
"That is why I came directly to the gates on the very day of your departure."
"I see."
I glanced around.
Hundreds of citizens and soldiers were already staring at me.
If I rejected him outright here in front of everyone, it could spark some ugly political rumors.
And dismissing a patrician of his standing who was earnestly offering his help would be a plain violation of Roman custom.
Holding back a sigh, I looked back at Brutus.
"Very well. Since you are offering so graciously, Brutus, I would be honored to have you join us."
"Thank you, my friend!" Brutus shouted, his face lighting up with genuine joy.
"I swear to you, I will dedicate everything I have to the success of your journey!"
Staring at Brutus's excited face, I felt a deep knot of unease form in my stomach.
He's not planning to sneak into my tent and stab me with a dagger in the middle of the night, is he?
Caesar and Brutus had never been a good combination in the history books.
***
"Are you truly that worried about him?"
Pompey asked, adjusting his toga with the help of a slave.
Pompeia simply nodded in response.
"I am not that anxious, father. But the roads of Italy are not exactly renowned for their safety."
"The boy is traveling with a heavily armed, elite escort. Unless a war breaks out, you have nothing to fear."
Pompey brushed a speck of dust from his pristine toga.
"The real question is whether he can complete his mission before his father returns from Hispania. Even if everything goes flawlessly, it's going to be a dangerously tight schedule."
"..."
Pompeia stared at her father, lost in thought.
Lucius's father, Gaius Julius Caesar, was aiming for the consulship.
Caesar, Crassus, and Pompey—three great men with wildly different ambitions—had forged a secret alliance to achieve their respective goals.
And the one quietly guiding the alliance from behind the scenes was Lucius.
Her betrothal to him was, in the grand scheme of things, a mere political seal on this alliance.
What exactly was Lucius thinking? No, what was he feeling?
He was an incredibly peculiar man in many ways.
He didn't drown himself in wine, gamble his fortune away, or chase after every woman in Rome like the other young patricians.
And he had never once treated her with the arrogance expected of Roman men of rank.
Yes, it was a political marriage arranged for the sake of an alliance.
But despite that, he had stubbornly insisted on meeting her frequently to build a genuine connection before the wedding.
Lucius Caesar was different in some essential way from every other man in Rome.
But why is he different?
"It seems you've grown quite fond of the boy," Pompey boomed with a hearty laugh.
"There is no need to worry. I have already sent missives to the allied cities where I hold influence. He will be treated like royalty and return to us safe and sound."
"I certainly hope so," Pompeia said, sitting down in a carved wooden chair.
"Actually, when Lucius visited the other day, I made a specific request of him."
"A request?"
"I asked him to send me a letter from every city he visits."
"Even if you are smitten with the man, it is not wise to appear so openly attached to him, Pompeia," Pompey chided gently, walking over to his daughter.
"Men are like slippery fish. The tighter you try to squeeze them, the faster they slip through your fingers. Sometimes, you must let them yearn for you from afar."
"I didn't ask him just out of personal worry, Father," Pompeia replied with a sigh.
"If Lucius send me detailed accounts of what happens in each city... I can send that news to all the other allied cities from here in Rome."
"Sending news to the other cities?" Pompey tilted his head in confusion.
"Why in the world would you do that?"
"Because I have a strong suspicion that Lucius won't be merely 'inspecting the roads' on this journey."
With that, Pompeia stood up and stepped closer to her father.
She reached out and straightened a crooked fold on his toga.
"Courtship always grows fiercer when there are multiple eager suitors. Until now, Lucius has masterfully fanned the flames of competition between the allied cities."
Pompeia's eyes sparkled as she spoke.
"I believe we can assist him in pouring a little more oil on that fire."
***
Lucius Caesar's very first destination was Tarracina, a bustling port city lying southeast of Rome along the Appian Way.
While the city's ruling class scrambled in haste to prepare a lavish welcoming banquet, the common people's reaction was split in two.
"If we secure a tower, our merchants will make enormous fortunes! We'll know exactly what goods Rome needs and what the market prices are before the shipments even leave our docks!"
"And that's not all! We won't have to live in terror of pirate raids anymore, and the roads will finally be secure."
The merchants and craftsmen were salivating over the prospect of a tower.
They had all watched Ostia—the first city connected to Rome via towers—explode with unprecedented commercial opportunities, and they desperately wanted a share in it.
The local politicians, however, coveted the tower for an entirely different reason.
"If we have a direct line to the political heart of Rome, we can finally make timely decisions."
"We could even gather our men and get to Rome in time to participate in the votes. If we vote as one, those arrogant senators will have no choice but to acknowledge us."
Following the bloody Social War, countless Italians had been granted Roman citizenship, in theory allowing them to participate in Roman politics.
However, because political news traveled so painfully slowly, by the time the magistrates of Tarracina heard about a crucial vote in Rome, it was already over.
They wielded little real influence over Rome.
The Ostia towers offered them the power to change that.
But not everyone in Tarracina was thrilled about Lucius's arrival.
"Why are we wasting tax money to throw a massive banquet just because some youth from Rome is showing up?"
"Exactly. He isn't even a senator! He's just a junior magistrate of the vigintisexviri."
"And I heard he isn't even twenty years old yet. What can he do anyway? He'll probably just pretend to inspect a few paving stones and hurry back to Rome."
In the past, politicians dispatched from Rome only ever showed up to bask in lavish hospitality, rarely offering any real help in return.
Even when they did 'help,' the benefits almost always flowed into the pockets of the local patricians and wealthy merchants.
The ordinary plebeian couldn't afford to leave their work to travel to Rome and vote anyway, so they couldn't care less about the towers.
"Using our tax money for a pointless welcome. What an absolute waste."
"They say the tower lets you send money to Rome instantly. But why would we ever need to send money to Rome?"
"I'd rather they take the money they're spending on this banquet and give us an extra ration of bread."
Amid all this clashing hope and resentment, Lucius Caesar and his cavalry escort finally arrived at the gates of Tarracina.
***
"Is that him? Is that Lucius Caesar? He looks way younger than I expected."
Lucia stood on her tiptoes, craning her neck to see over the crowd.
The area just inside the city gates was already packed with people.
The city magistrates and wealthy merchants were standing at the front, greeting Lucius Caesar, while the common citizens had gathered simply out of curiosity.
"That crimson cloak looks really good on him, though."
"Yeah, it does. But wait... what's that weird metal thing dangling from his horse?"
"Huh. You're right."
Lucia squinted at the horses ridden by Caesar and his escort.
Beneath every saddle was a strange iron loop they had never seen before. It looked almost like a place to rest their feet.
"And look at that, they put sandals on horses."
Dismounting smoothly, Lucius Caesar exchanged formal greetings with the local magistrates one by one.
"Well, it doesn't look like there's much else to see. Let's just go."
"Yeah, I still have a mountain of laundry to wash."
Just as Lucia turned to leave, Lucius Caesar's voice boomed over the crowd, stopping her in her tracks.
"Citizens of Tarracina! I thank you from the bottom of my heart for this magnificent welcome! Rome has always considered the people of Tarracina not merely as allies, but as our dearest family and brother..."
Lucia listened to the first few sentences before rolling her eyes and turning away again.
It was the same stale drivel every Roman politician spewed.
The unbreakable brotherhood between Rome and the Italian cities. Devotion to the Republic. The sanctity of order and tradition. Blah, blah, blah.
Nothing he said meant anything to her daily life.
But then...
"Therefore, to honor that sacred bond, I wish to make a solemn vow to the citizens of Tarracina today!"
Caesar's voice echoed with undeniable authority.
"The lifeblood of Tarracina is your great port and the road connected to the Appian Way. Yet, due to years of neglect by those in charge, both have been left to decay!"
"Wait, what is he getting at?"
"I... I have no idea."
With the eyes of every single citizen now fixed on him, Caesar shouted.
"I hereby pledge four million sesterces from my own personal fortune to the city of Tarracina! This capital will be used to create work for the common citizens, fix your roads, docks, and the city's works!"
"Four... four million sesterces?!"
A wave of disbelief ripped through the massive crowd.
An astronomical fortune of four million sesterces—donated purely for the benefit of Tarracina?
"Is he serious?!"
"Caesar! All hail Caesar!"
As deafening cheers and thunderous applause erupted across the streets, countless citizens frantically turned to one another with the exact same question.
"I knew Caesar was running so many enterprises in Rome, but... does he really have enough money to just casually hand out four million sesterces?"
"I haven't the faintest idea."
"Wait! I heard his father is the governor of Hispania! They say he just recently slaughtered the barbarian tribes and conquered the whole region. Maybe he's distributing the spoils of war?"
"Even if he conquered the barbarians... could he have possibly looted enough gold to just hand it out to us like this?"
The citizens' wild speculations were partially correct.
It was indeed the spoils of Hispania.
But those immense spoils hadn't merely come from subjugating barbarian tribes.