Chapter 179 : Mandate of Heaven

"The Italian cities are plotting something, you say?"

"They secretly approached us, the optimates, with a proposal."

Cicero let out a sigh as he looked from Father to me and back again.

"Their plan is to drive the new organization you’re building, Lucius, out of the allied cities, leaving the field to the optimates and their local allies."

"So they want to kick out the Foedus Civium. And at the same time, render the temple reforms effectively meaningless."

I exchanged a glance with Father.

I had a rough idea of what was going on.

"Then that explains the warning Clodius gave," Father said, his voice hardening. "There have certainly been some local priests harboring grievances since the temple reforms began. But to think they would ally themselves with Clodius and now hatch a conspiracy like this... Thank you for warning us, Senator."

"You and I had an agreement, did we not?"

Cicero cleared his throat with an awkward expression on his face.

"I assumed leadership of the optimates to protect the Republic, not to fan the flames of chaos."

"I feel the same way."

I watched as Father and Cicero conversed.

To think that two men who clashed more fiercely than anyone in the Senate could speak so amicably in private.

Not many would believe it even if I told them.

I cleared my throat and cut in.

"Then how exactly are they planning to obstruct my father?"

"It’s simple. After arriving in Rome under the pretext of attending the festival, they will collectively submit a petition to the Senate."

"A petition...?"

"They will publicly protest that the Pontifex Maximus does not have the authority to impose such sweeping reforms. They will portray it as an act of oppression against the Italian temples."

"And then the optimates in the Senate would use that as justification to launch an attack," I finished. It was a simpler plan than I thought.

But that was exactly why it was so powerful.

If Cicero hadn’t been on our side, we would have been in deep trouble.

"To be completely frank, they aren’t entirely wrong," Father said, leaning back in his chair. "The Pontifex Maximus is the chief authority overseeing Rome’s state cults and priesthoods; he is not a monarch who can directly command the temples and priests of every city in Italy. That is why I have proceeded cautiously until now."

"But the reforms can never succeed unless they extend to the temples throughout Italy." I pointed out. The provincial temples were already raking in massive profits through advertisements, just like the temples in Rome.

Yet they were not subjected to a single financial audit.

Leaving them unchecked would inevitably cause far bigger problems down the line.

The citizens’ discontent could explode.

If that happened, Father, as the Pontifex Maximus, would undoubtedly be forced to shoulder all the blame.

We needed to respect local autonomy to a certain extent while still subjecting the temples to at least basic financial auditing and oversight.

In other words, a certain degree of centralization was required.

A brief silence fell before Cicero looked at Father and spoke.

"You have pushed these reforms far too recklessly. You have essentially pushed through both the One-Year Plan and the temple reforms unilaterally without the approval of either the Senate or the popular assemblies."

"It was all for Rome. Countless senators cooperated as well. Surely you know that better than anyone else, Senator?"

At Father’s words, Cicero coughed awkwardly.

"But the reforms were carried out haphazardly, with no clear legal basis. No matter how much power the Pontifex Maximus holds, establishing that many committees and reorganizing temple administration on such a scale..."

I quietly listened to the conversation between the two.

The leading families of the Italian cities were terrified that the power they held would vanish.

Conversely, the optimates were terrified that Father and I would monopolize political power in Rome.

In other words, the two factions had a very clear reason to join hands to protect their respective interests.

"The senator actually has a point."

"What did you say?"

Both Father and Cicero stared at me with blank expressions.

A moment later, a triumphant smile spread across Cicero’s face.

"I didn’t expect your son to be this honest. I had thought you, of all people, Lucius, would have the courage to face the truth."

Just as Father was about to retort, I raised a hand to stop him.

"I was the one who proposed these reforms to my father."

I added with a smile.

And the reason I made that proposal was simple.

From the very beginning, the Senate had neither the intention to govern Rome properly nor the will to reform it.

They were only desperate to protect their own interests.

Rome needed reform.

And the idea of using the authority of the Pontifex Maximus to expand the public roles of the Roman temples was entirely mine.

But Cicero was also right.

It had been carried out without a clear legal basis.

What would happen if Father died?

What if someone else became the Pontifex Maximus?

There was a massive risk that the reforms we had painstakingly put in place could collapse overnight or, worse, produce the opposite of what we intended.

Father and I had simply rolled the dice and accepted that risk.

"Just as Father said, the Pontifex Maximus is not a monarch, but a magistrate of religion charged with overseeing Rome’s temples and priests. At least, that had been the tradition until now."

"Meaning..."

"If we lack the legal authority, then we simply need to establish that authority by law."

At that, Father and Cicero exchanged bewildered glances.

"We convene Rome’s first religious council. We gather delegations from every Italian city and agree on a legal framework for the temples. Instead of allowing a single Pontifex Maximus to decide everything, we bring the cities together and reach a consensus."

"...Are you being serious right now?"

Cicero muttered.

"There is absolutely no precedent for such a thing. It goes against the sacred traditions of the Republic. And it will never succeed. There is no way the various cities will willingly cooperate with such a council."

"I disagree. If anything, it perfectly aligns with the traditions of the Republic. And it could prevent another Social War."

With that, I looked at Father. He was already deep in thought.

Father finally opened his mouth and said.

"Tens of thousands of citizens from the allied cities will gather for the Nova Troia festival. If I announce plan for the Religious Council before them... we could win broad support. Though that alone won’t guarantee success."

"It would serve as a declaration that you respect the opinions of the allied cities, Father. The local nobles would lose any justification for attacking you as well," I added with a nod.

But this wasn’t enough.

More importantly, there was one thing we still had to do.

"For this to succeed... Father, you must lay down the power you have wielded as the Pontifex Maximus up until now."

***

After Cicero left the domus, still wearing a dazed expression, Father and I took a walk through the streets together.

With lictors guarding us nearby, we strolled beneath the streetlights.

"Rome’s second king, Numa brought order to the religious rites and customs that had differed among Rome’s various peoples." Father said as we walked.

"I suppose every Roman knows the story of how he received guidance from a goddess, the nymph Egeria."

"There’s also the story of Jupiter himself delivering a revelation."

Hearing my answer, Father suddenly burst into laughter.

"I suppose I have you instead, Lucius. A Religious Council. It’s a proposal I could never have imagined."

While I hesitated to respond, Father muttered softly.

"To think that laying down power is the only way to maintain it. Quite the irony, isn’t it?"

I nodded quietly.

The reason I had told Father to relinquish some of his authority as Pontifex Maximus was simple.

"If the powers and responsibilities of the temples, the priests, and the Pontifex Maximus are clearly defined by law, it will be difficult for you to act as freely as you do now."

It was a very simple fact.

Until now, Father had been able to push through the temple reforms by taking advantage of the fact that no relevant laws existed.

No one had ever expected a Pontifex Maximus to act in such a manner.

But if a law were passed defining the roles and duties, the power of the Pontifex Maximus would naturally be restricted.

"But the reforms will survive. Even if someone else holds this office after me, the reforms will remain in place." Father said.

"A new structure of authority, new rules, and even new traditions will take shape."

"Perhaps it will be even more than that."

"More than that?"

"Perhaps we are about to create a new Twelve Tables of our own."

The temples were already deeply involved in the daily lives of Roman citizens.

From education and healthcare to commerce and charity.

If their powers and operating rules were firmly codified in law...

It would essentially be a constitution.

First a political party, and now a Religious Council.

This Nova Troia festival was shaping up to be one hell of an event.

"Perhaps it truly will be."

Father chuckled softly.

"It would be nice if the gods sent us another revelation this time around."

"I haven’t received any revelations yet. But there is one thing I’ve been preparing for this festival."

It was originally just meant to be a spectacle for the citizens to enjoy.

But if things went well, it could lend tremendous credibility to the proposed Religious Council.

"Oh? You’ve been preparing something? Now I’m curious."

"It’s a secret."

"Surely a little hint wouldn’t hurt?"

A hint... What would be a clever way to put it?

This Nova Troia festival was an event celebrating the fall of Troy and the chain of events that ultimately led to the founding of Rome.

The theme was rising again from the ashes of destruction.

A phoenix reborn from fire and ash, so to speak.

My staff at the technical school and I had been preparing an event that perfectly captured that theme.

"Father, have you ever wished you could fly?"

"Fly? Like an eagle?" Father asked, his tone laced with confusion. "That’s your hint?"

"I was thinking of giving the Romans a chance to do just that."

"Give them a chance to fly? You always did have a great sense of humor."

Father let out a roar of laughter.

When I didn’t offer a response, he smile slowly faded from his face.

Beneath the faint glow of the streetlights, Father stared at me, his brow furrowing deeply.

"You are joking, right?"

***

When the day of the Nova Troia festival finally arrived, countless citizens flocked to the Campus Martius.

A grand procession was scheduled to set out from the Campus Martius and proceed all the way to Nova Troia.

A vast crowd waited for the consuls to arrive, holding kites in their hands.

Kites of every imaginable color filled the sky above the Campus Martius.

"By the way, did you all hear that rumor?"

"What rumor?"

"They say something strange has been flying over the Campus Martius for the past few days."

"Flying around? You mean a bird?"

"No, not a bird. Apparently, it was a huge, strangely shaped object."

"An object with a bizarre shape. Wasn’t it just some kind of kite?"

"Word is it looked far too big to be a kite."

With each retelling, the rumors grew more elaborate.

"I heard a monster with gigantic wings flew overhead, letting out a deafening roar."

"Are you sure someone wasn’t just seeing things?"

Just then, Caesar and Luceius finally made their appearance.

The two consuls stood together on the podium and waved to the cheering citizens.

"My dear fellow citizens! I hereby declare the Nova Troia Festival open!"

At the declaration, a deafening cheer swept across the Campus Martius. The crowd included not only residents of Rome but citizens from across Italy.

Tens of thousands of people were gathered on the Campus Martius.

"Nova Troia awaits us!"

As the roar of the crowd echoed across the Campus Martius, Caesar gestured toward the sky.

The moment every eye turned upward, an unbelievable sight unfolded before them.

A massive object unlike anything they had ever seen began to rise into the sky.

"What on earth is that..."

"That’s no kite!"

As the citizens murmured in shocked awe, several objects rose higher and higher into the sky.

They were rounded at the top and bulged outward through the middle.

It looked exactly like a teardrop suspended upside down.

"Oh, Gods above!"

As the citizens let out gasps and groans of disbelief, four enormous letters emblazoned across their sides came into view.

Four crimson letters had been painted across their sides.

SPQR.

The abbreviation for Senatus Populusque Romanus—The Senate and People of Rome.

They were hot-air balloons, tethered to the ground by long ropes as they rose into the sky.

At that moment, Gaius Caesar’s voice rang out across the Campus Martius.

"Behold! The great gods above bestow their blessing upon our Republic—and upon you, its citizens!"