[FMMIKA] Chapter 326: Unhappy and Indignant

A few minutes later, Nero, who seemed to have accepted Artorius's explanation, left looking somewhat disheartened.

Watching her retreating figure was disheartening, and she couldn't muster any 'Umu'.

"That kid looks really sad. How about going to comfort her?" Scathach's voice came from behind Artorius.

"Not for now." Artorius replied calmly. "If I go to comfort her now, it might have the opposite effect. Let her cool down for a bit. I've already explained everything to her anyway."

"So, Artorius, why did you tell her those things?" Scathach asked next. "If you didn't say those words, wouldn't it be less troublesome?"

"Because of the New Human History." Artorius's eyes shimmered with ambitious light. "I need to advance the evolution of the New Human History more deeply."

"Why?"

"The intervention of the gods." Artorius responded plainly, and Scathach understood completely.

Due to the gods' intervention, he felt uneasy. Therefore, he needed even more powerful forces. In that case, he hoped to incorporate the human history of hundreds or even thousands of years before his birth into the 'New Human History' after the gods had gone.

This way, his power would significantly increase. Faced with the possible intervention of the gods, he would have more cards to play.

"I see... you plan to advance the era of those reforms to Nero's time." Scathach nodded. "But that kid looks a bit unreliable. Can she succeed?"

"I will help her as much as possible."

Artorius didn't answer whether she could succeed or what the probability of success was. The implication of this answer was clear—even if Nero failed, it wouldn't be a problem. As long as these theoretical reforms could occur, it would be rare progress for the New Human History.

"That kid clearly likes you, Artorius..." Scathach couldn't help but sigh.

"I like her too." Artorius said matter-of-factly. "But business is business, and personal matters should be kept separate, Teacher."

"True, that's the way it is..." Scathach was convinced by his words. She was about to leave when he stopped her with a raised hand, causing her to look at him strangely.

"It's not just Nero who's been hurt in this matter, Teacher..." Artorius said while holding Scathach's hand. "Clearly, we could have happily gotten married and all that. But it didn't work out, and it makes me quite unhappy..."

"..."

"I get it."

Scathach said somewhat helplessly, giving up her intention to leave. She turned around and hugged Artorius gently.

"Poor boy, it must be hard for you."

With those comforting and gentle words, Scathach consoled Artorius like her own child, who sacrificed his own happiness.

===

After that came the second day.

When Nero saw Artorius again, she still appeared cheerful and as arrogantly self-assured as the Roman Emperor. It seemed like she had completely forgotten everything that happened yesterday—until he tried to reach for her hand as before, only to be smoothly avoided by her.

He realized then that her heart was still hurting.

'In the future, I'll make it up to you...' Artorius thought to himself.

As long as the New Human History covered Nero's era, the 'Throne of Empire' would undoubtedly record Nero in its annals.

After death, one could do whatever they pleased, as many times as they wanted.

As for her current slight moodiness, it was no big deal.

Artorius thought happily and refrained from being overly affectionate with Nero during their campaign.

It didn't hurt to wait a little longer, right?

They set out from Rome, marched north to Marseille, and then sailed to Spain.

During this journey, the Imperial Navy and the Gallic Allied Forces constantly attempted to attack, engaging the last batch of the United Roman Empire's troops in Spain. Their goal was to secure naval dominance for the Roman Empire.

In this process, the last batch of the United Roman troops fought remarkably tenaciously, surprising many.

It made sense if the United Romans still held Germania, Gaul, and Britain. They could compete with the Numidian Romans on equal terms.

But now, those regions were under the control of the Numidian Romans, leaving only Spain. It couldn't compare to the might of the Numidian Romans.

At this point, the morale of the United Roman troops should be low, with many surrendering or fleeing. Even the die-hard soldiers shouldn't be able to maintain high spirits.

So why were they fighting so fiercely?

'Is it because of Romulus?' Artorius couldn't help but wonder. 'Is that legendary figure so powerful on Roman soil? Powerful to the point of being nearly unbeatable?'

'Thinking about the original plot, the reason the Numidians could defeat the enemy was also because of Romulus's recognition, not because of their innate strength surpassing Romulus.'

Thinking this way, Artorius felt neither fear nor worry. Instead, a sense of eagerness and joyous fighting spirit surged within him.

—If Romulus became the 'Strongest Roman' due to ancestral blood and high status, then Artorius Pendragon would naturally want to challenge him. He would want to defeat him honorably, face the strongest Romulus, and prove that he himself was the strongest and the most 'Roman' of Romans.

Just thinking about it was enough to excite Artorius. He became momentarily enthusiastic and confident.

However, seeing him look so excited, joyful, and eager, Nero, who was already feeling a bit uneasy, became even more upset.

'You just rejected my love, making me lose face. And now, it's like nothing happened, and you even look happier than before.'

'Is war really that enjoyable?'

'Or are women other than me so appealing?'

Nero felt quite displeased as she thought like that.

She wasn't a fool. It was impossible not to understand the situation in such a society.

She could clearly see the various relationships Artorius had with the surrounding women—excluding Ritsuka, of course.

That was one of the reasons she was annoyed.

'Those women are fine, but I'm not? Clearly, I'm more outstanding than those women.'

Nero complained inwardly and became even more indignant.

With this indignant feeling, she led a fleet carrying a hundred thousand soldiers, departed from Marseille, and landed in Barcelona.

The final battle of this Singularity was about to erupt.