Chapter 91

While the festival was going great, Me and Shuna were getting a bit tired of hearing the many congratulatory remarks. And I appreciate them, but it gets tiring after hearing so many people say it over and over again. At first, it was nice, but now it's become one of those things where it's people feel obligated to say it. I guess this is how people who have served in the military feel when people keep telling them "thank you for your service" whenever they go out in uniform or something. Oh well. 

Anyway, after training Masayuki for some time, so that I can purposely lose when I have to fight him and use myself as an excuse, I finally let him go. I'm not going to win it, because if I do, there will be a bunch of problems with the persona. Training them was kind of fun, and when they were reading me those essays, I'll be honest, I wasn't even paying attention to what they said. That was more for them, not me. Anyway, besides the fight that will start soon, I also have to keep in mind the casino, specifically the poker tournament. I'm going to play in it since it's my casino and my casino is also putting up all the award money, but that's for later.

Shooting competition is also going fine. If they don't want to compete, they just casually use the shooting range or other shooting galleries nearby, but it's not like they have access to everything. They only get the more old-fashioned things.

Anyway, things are going fine, except for the occasional attempt by Luminous to try and flirt with me. How she still doesn't understand after my continuous refusal is beyond me. At this point, I'm considering trying to convince Hinata to get into a relationship with Luminous.

Anyway, back to the main event. The start of the fighting tournament. I was ready. I did a quick color swap and readied the replica of Nero's sword. The only one who knows that it's actually me is Shuna, and she's going to be helping keep my identity hidden. During the fights, she'll use some of her illusions to make it look like I'm next to her watching the fights, and she'll also use illusions to hide me as I move around the area. The only thing anyone knows is that a fighter called Nero Claudius is going to be fighting. Or if you want the full name, Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus. And if you really care a lot about Roman history, then you'd also know the name Lucius Domitius Ahenobarbus. 

When my name gets announced, the otherworlders in the audience will know something is up, and when they see me appear, everyone, otherworlder or not, will immediately start saying things. It's going to be great. In fact, I know how I will appear. You always need a good entrance. And what better way to go into the arena than by following a famous legend about Nero and also a famous saying?

/\\//\\//\

Rimuru was making his way to the Coliseum. It was the start of the fights, and he was excited.

'Is this how the Romans felt whenever they went to go see gladiator fights?'

[Yes. It was entertainment for them.]

'Oh yeah, you're right. But it was still kind of brutal, no? They would fight to the death and stuff, right? It makes them see kind of barbaric.'

[Times were different back then and think about what people watch in your world. It may be fake, but there are a lot of violent depictions in many forms of media. And Gladiators didn't fight to the death. Gladiators brought in money and some were famous to the Roman people. They would fight until it was called off since they didn't want them to die and lose the money the gladiators brought in. But that's not to say it didn't happen. Sometimes gladiators would die. As for fights to the death, most of the time it was criminals and prisoners that did that as a form of execution. It's not so bad when you know the people are criminals and getting what many would think they deserve.]

'Huh, I didn't know that. I guess from the view at the time it was normal. It seems it's one of those things where things change with the times. I wonder how people in the future would view our time. Would they view us as barbaric and violent?'

[It is guaranteed. You can look at more recent history instead of the Romans. Think of the Vikings or the many torture methods during the Middle Ages in Europe.]

'Like what?'

[Let me explain the blood eagle that the Vikings would perform.]

.

.

.

'I don't need that image in my mind, Raphael.' Rimuru was disturbed by what Raphael told him, but he couldn't stop listening. 

[But you seemed morbidly curious about it.]

'Is that bad?'

[No, it's normal. It's common for humans, or in your case, your human mind from your world.]

'This took an interesting turn.' Thoughts like this went through his mind as he finally made his way to his private viewing booth. It was perhaps a tad bit too overly luxurious, but when he looked over and saw Artoria and Shuna's booth, maybe it wasn't too bad. But the view was really good.

'Man, the Roman Coliseum must've been really popular if this is what people saw. It's also big.'

[The Roman Coliseum, or Flavian Amphitheater was not the biggest or most popular arena in Rome. The Circus Maximus was more popular and bigger than the Coliseum, and it also pre-dated the Coliseum by hundreds of years.]

'When did this turn into a history lesson? It's like I'm back in school or something.'

[It fits the theme. And there is nothing wrong with learning.]

'I guess. Anyway, let's see who's fighting.' Rimuru picked up the list and looked through the names. This was his first time seeing it, and while he could've already known all the information, he preferred seeing it on the day of the fights. It built up a little suspense.

"Huh? What's this lion guy? Oh, look, Masayuki. That's that hero guy Artoria was training. She even told me he's an otherworlder. Let's see who else is fight-" Rimuru's words stopped as read the last name on this list. And almost as if he was in a cartoon or in a comical fashion, he rubbed his eyes to make sure he was seeing things right.

"Raphael, am I seeing this correctly? I'm not under some kind of illusion or something, right?"

[You are not under an illusion, but I do detect that there is some illusion-]

"That is not important. This has to be some kind of massive coincidence. Raphael, are you sure I'm seeing things right?"

[Yes, you are seeing it correctly.]

"Nero Claudius? And it's the whole name too! Isn't this the guy that burned down Rome?!" Rimuru still couldn't believe it. There's no way it's actually the Roman emperor, right? But would this imply that people from the past could potentially have reincarnated in this world as well? Maybe it wouldn't be so far-fetched that a Roman could potentially have been reincarnated. Or was he thinking too deeply about it?

[Nero Claudius did not burn down Rome, but you can argue that he didn't help the situation after the fire, since he built the Domus Aurea, or Golden House in the place where the fire did most of the damage in the city. And he did not play the fiddle when Rome was burning. The violin was not invented at the time. That is mostly legend.]

"Ok, that's interesting and whatnot, Raphael, but it says Nero Claudius! You're telling me that all this talk about the Roman Empire and its history and all of a sudden someone with the name of a Roman emperor is fighting in the Coliseum?! There are too many coincidences! Something isn't right!"

[Or maybe it is the simplest solution., that this is all a coincidence. Have you heard of Occam's razor? The simplest explanation is usually the correct one.]

"What? I-I-"

[Just wait and see what happens.]

Rimuru sighed as he let it go. "Alright." Rimuru sat down and waited for the emcee to start things off.

/\\//\\//\

A dragonewt descended from the top of the Coliseum as he jumped off. The dragonewt did multiple front flips before landing flawlessly as he kicked up dust with his wings as he flapped them. The dragonewt stood up with his arms wide open as he basked in the audience's presence. Extra effects and light beams were added as he did so. That's right, there's only one dragonewt that could do such a flashy entrance.

"Greetings, audience! I am Gabiru, and I will be your host for these fights!" Gabiru spoke loudly using a magic device that amplified his voice throughout the entire arena. "If you're not excited right now, then you better get that blood pumping, 'cause you're going to need it when you see these fights! But I'm not going to keep you waiting!" Gabiru flew into the air and hovered in the middle of the arena. The light beams followed him, and even in the daylight, they were noticeable. "Let's get ready to rumble!" 

The audience started roaring in excitement and anticipation. Gabiru was satisfied on the outside as this meant he was doing a good job so far. But why was Gabiru the emcee? Well, Artoria had Souka running security for her casino. Was it a bit overkill? Maybe, but she didn't want anyone cheating or trying to use magic. And given Gabiru's behavior and personality, he was a good choice to be an emcee. After all, being the emcee made him get a lot of attention, and while he may not be like he was before, some things never change.

"For our first competitor, some may not know her, but don't let that fool you! These people are here for a reason! Coming into the arena, everybody welcome Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus!" Gabiru introduced "Nero" very enthusiastically with energy that infected the entire audience despite not having heard of this person.

At Gabiru's introduction, there was a momentary silence as everyone waited for this fighter to come out. Not just the audience, but Rimuru was very attentive. Specifically, he focused on the word "her". 

There was a small silence before it was broken by the sound of a violin playing. It was fast-paced and upbeat, something that made people want to dance. The playing got louder as the fighter approached before finally revealing herself. Her blonde hair, green eyes, her red, imperial dress, red sword, and greaves. It was an instant reaction by everyone, even Gabiru.

"Huh?! Goddess?!" Gabiru was quick in thinking as he shut off the device that amplified his voice.

"Is that Lady Pendragon?"

"Our goddess is fighting?"

"No, that can't be! Our goddess is right there in her booth next to her wife! They just look…very similar! Too similar."

Various murmurs and reactions were made through the audience.

/\\//\\//\

In his booth, Rimuru, in a comical manner, quickly looked between "Nero" and Artoria. 'No, this has to be an illusion! I'm seeing something completely different! Or the same?'

[There does seem to be a faint pulse around Shuna and Artoria next to her, I suspect that the Artoria you see is-]

'Real? They look the same! Nero looks like Artoria except she's…red? Does Artoria have some long-lost family member in this world? Are they twin sisters? Is Nero a daughter of hers? Maybe. I mean, I don't know how old Arotria is, so maybe it's not unusual for her to have had a daughter in the past. Wait, but she loves women! How is this possible? Ahhhh, help me!'

[Well, it's not that big of a deal anyway. But there is your answer, Rimuru. That's Nero…as you can see.]

'Why is she a woman?! Isn't Nero supposed to be an emperor and not an empress? What's with these gender-bent historical and legendary figures? First, there's Artoria who is a female King Arthur, then she tells me Oda Nobunaga was a woman as well, then there's this Nero in the Arena. What's next? Okita Soji? Miyamoto Musashi?'

[This is interesting to see]

/\\//\\//\

(Luminous)

"Hinata, Hinata, look! Look at Nero! She looks just like Artoria! And just as beautiful as well! It's like I'm looking at the same face and being charmed by the same person. If I can't get Artoria, then I'll go after this Nero person." Luminous was lovestruck at first sight. Poor Luminous. It's almost tragic to see.

"Lady Luminous, it's not going to be the same for you. You're approaching her with feelings for Artoira, not Nero, and though they may have an uncanny resemblance, they are different people on the inside." Hinata, for her part, tried to reel in Luminous, but even Hinata was slightly wrong. Her advice, which might have normally been good in most other situations, was wrong in this case. 

Luminous clutched the railings of her viewing booth as she looked at Nero. She looked at where Artoria and Shuna were, and still couldn't get rid of that feeling in her heart. But all of a sudden, an idea parked in her mind. She looked at Shuna. If she couldn't convince Artoria, maybe she could convince Shuna and get her to convince Artoria for her? Shuna seemed like someone who could very easily influence Artoria, someone who had Artoria wrapped around her finger.

"Lady Luminous, I don't know what you're thinking, but I can feel it from here. Whatever it is, please reconsider." Hinata had a foreboding feeling. As if a big mistake would be made by Luminous.

"It's nothing, Hinata. It's nothing."

/\\//\\//\

While various thoughts and reactions from the crowd were still ongoing, some listened to the music being played by "Nero" on the violin. It wasn't something classical, but it sounded like something that would be played at a party. Eventually, "Nero" stopped playing and did a graceful bow. 

There was some clapping before the initial shock of "Nero's" reveal wore off, and then everyone started clapping.

"Umu. This is a nice place to fight and perform. It's not like my own circus, that had an obelisk, but it's nice. So, who am I fighting?" "Nero" threw aside the violin and pulled out her sword with an arrogant expression on her face. One thing was for sure, "Nero" was very confident.