/
Chapter 36  Gaius Julius Caesar 2
────────────────
How far can you see?
It was a simple question, but also a difficult one to answer, considering the implications behind it.
Marcus smiled lightly and opened his mouth.
“That’s what I want to ask you. How far can you see through everything?”
“Answering a question with a question
 That means you don’t want to answer. Well, it doesn’t matter. I got the answer I needed from your reaction.”
“Coincidentally, I feel the same way. I think I learned everything I needed to know from this conversation.”
“Oh, like what?”
“Your political orientation, for example.”
Marcus’ words made a flash of light pass through Caesar’s eyes.
It was a half-truth mixed with some bluff.
Marcus was satisfied as he sipped his wine and avoided Caesar’s probing gaze.
He didn’t like being the only one on the receiving end.
He had to make the other side feel confused as well, to balance the scales.
Of course, it was impossible to guess Caesar’s political leanings from the conversation so far.
But Marcus already knew everything about Caesar’s personality and history.
It was easy to pretend that he had just found out what he already knew.
Caesar pretended not to know and tilted his head slightly.
“What political orientation? There’s nothing special about it. Everyone in Rome knows that I’m a populist.”
Caesar’s family was one of the most prestigious noble families in Rome, but strangely enough, they were classified as populists.
It was because of Marius, the hero of the commoners and the symbol of the populists.
Caesar’s uncle was Marius’ father-in-law, and Caesar himself married Cinna, Marius’ ally.
Marius and Cinna had died long ago, and Sulla had killed all their relatives, so there were no blood ties left.
In other words, Caesar was the only one who could claim to inherit Marius’ legacy.
And he didn’t hide this fact at all.
That’s why he was regarded as the leader of the populists, even though he was not even 30 years old.
But Marcus didn’t mean just that.
He looked back at Danae and Septimus behind him and whispered in a low voice.
“I have something important to talk to you about. Please excuse us for a moment.”
“Yes.”
“Understood.”
The two left the room with the dancing women and musicians and went downstairs.
The sound of footsteps subsided and only two men remained in the spacious room.
Slosh.
The sound of Marcus filling his cup sounded like thunder.
“What do you think of the republic?”
It sounded like a random question, but Caesar calmly shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“The republic is the foundation of Rome’s political system. The reason why Rome became such a great empire was because of the excellence of the republican system.”
“Yes. But you’re speaking in the past tense.”
Caesar frowned for the first time, showing his emotional disturbance.
Marcus whispered in a barely audible voice.
“Aren’t you thinking about change?”
“You
 Do you realize how dangerous what you’re saying is?”
“Of course. That’s why I sent everyone away.”
The republic was the core of Rome and the basis of its political system.
No matter how much power one wielded as a dictator, no one denied this.
Denying the republic was tantamount to denying Rome.
Every Roman shared this perception.
Even those who had intention of denying the republic were ruthlessly eliminated if they seemed to harm the system.
Let alone those who said such things directly.
They would be immediately executed without a trial by the final decree of the Senate.
Even Caesar had to be careful about this topic at this point.
“I don’t understand how you came up with such a ridiculous idea. Is it because I don’t seem to get along well with the republicans?”
“How can you judge a person by one factor alone?”
“Still, there must be something that stands out.”
“If I had to choose, I would say it’s your nature. You can’t hide the fact that you have the potential to be an emperor. Of course, it seems like you don’t have any intention of hiding it either, so in a few years, many people will think the same as me.”
Caesar’s gaze swept over Marcus’ body through his eyes.
That was it.
The intense and frightening gaze that tore apart a person’s innermost thoughts.
Marcus understood why so many of his subordinates showed fanatical loyalty to him, and why many of his enemies tried their best to deny him.
He was a born emperor.
He was not yet complete, but in ten years, everyone would feel it.
They would have to choose whether to join him or resist him to the end.
He had an overwhelming charisma that forced a binary choice by his mere existence.
He was a person who could not be described by any other words.
Marcus might have succumbed to the impulse to follow him if he was not prepared.
He continued his words.
“I don’t have any intention of doing anything to you. On the contrary, I hope you stay as you are now.”
“As I am now?”
“I will lend you as much money as you want in the future. I told Danae in advance, so just come and tell me how much you need. I’ll give you the money on the spot.”
“You’ll keep lending me money?”
Caesar was surprised by the unexpected favor, then smiled slightly.
He predicted that he would oppose the republic and still lent him money.
There was only one conclusion.
He drank some wine and ate some snacks, then spoke in an amused voice.
“Is this an offer to get on the same boat?”
“I’m a merchant, so I don’t like getting on a boat that goes to the front line. I’d rather watch from a safe distance.”
“What if the money I borrow in the future is several times more than now?”
“My family’s wealth is growing steadily, so it doesn’t matter. It’s better to borrow from me than to owe many creditors. I’ll give you a low interest rate.”
Caesar couldn’t hide his curiosity.
He was confident that he would reach the top of Rome, but that was only his personal confidence.
Why did Marcus want to help him so much?
It was worth it for Caesar.
But that alone was not enough.
Crassus, who had recently risen as the leader of the optimates, could become someone like Sulla if he wanted to.
It was still impossible now, but with a long-term perspective of ten or twenty years, it was possible.
“Ah
 I see. The nobles and the populists. A kind of insurance, is that it? But that’s not much different from what you’ve been doing so far.”
“Yes. Surely until now, it was only a precaution in case the power shifted to the populists. It would guarantee the stability of my family.”
“Then you have something else in mind. A different strategy from your father?”
Crassus had noticed Caesar’s significance since he was young.
Marius had seized power, and then it had passed to Sulla.
No one could tell which way the wheel of history would turn.
Crassus, who was quick at calculations, devised a way to ensure his safety even if the populists gained the upper hand.
It was a friendly relationship with Caesar, the representative of the populists.
Moreover, Crassus thought he could control the young Caesar easily enough.
Of course, Caesar was not an easy person to deal with.
His debt later ballooned from 20 million to nearly 100 million.
At this point, the creditor was not the boss, but the debtor Caesar was.
It was a ridiculous situation.
If he went bankrupt with such a huge debt, the creditors who lent him money would also go bankrupt one after another.
Needless to say, Marcus didn’t want to be dragged along like that.
“Not much different. I just prefer a more aggressive investment. I have more confidence in my eye for people than anyone else. If I can erase my debt by doing a favor to a big shot who will lead the future, what could be better than that?”
“A person who will lead the future
 That’s not a bad compliment.”
“I may have spoken grandly, but nothing will change from now on. You keep borrowing money diligently, and I lend it to you. And then you pay me back faithfully with interest later.”
Caesar felt that he understood what kind of man Marcus was.
There were many people with good business sense, but not everyone had the idea of pushing for a new era.
He might have a much bigger ambition than he expected.
“Why did you say this to me? To show me your ability? You’ll push me, but you’re not an easy person to deal with. You’re warning me to give up the idea of swinging you around.”
“Whatever you think, it’s up to you. If you felt that way, then that’s the right answer.”
“Haha, amazing. You’re only sixteen, but you’re more interesting than any senator. I was much more clumsy when I was your age.”
No matter how genius one is, they make mistakes when they lack experience.
Caesar had opened a law office in his early twenties and tasted bitter failure twice.
His style of argumentation didn’t fit well with Rome.
Caesar was a genius, but not an infallible one like Pompey.
He just didn’t see failure as failure, but had a positive attitude.
It was a bit excessive and led to overconfidence, but it improved as he gained experience.
Caesar and Pompey’s cases were very good examples for Marcus.
Caesar didn’t know that fact and secretly licked his tongue at Marcus’ flawless appearance.
If they were similar in age, he might have felt threatened instead of admiration.
It was a great luck for both of them that they had a big age difference.
“Then I hope we can continue our good relationship as we are now.”
“Likewise. It’s reassuring to have a reliable sponsor. Oh, by the way, do you have a fiancĂ©e? You’ll be an adult next year, so it’s time to think about marriage.”
“No. I don’t have anyone yet.”
“Is that so? That’s too bad.”
Caesar made a meaningful expression and nodded his head.
Then he snapped his fingers as if he remembered something he had forgotten and spoke again.
“Since you’re sponsoring me anyway, can I ask you one more favor?”
“Yes. Anything you want.”
“I ordered that carriage that’s all the rage these days, but they said I can only get it in three months. Can’t you get it sooner? My wife and daughter really want to ride it.”
“That’s a pretty expensive carriage you ordered.”
“Of course. I decided to buy it as soon as it came out. But I had to borrow money to order it, so I have to wait this long.”
Marcus couldn’t help but laugh at the fact that he bought a carriage with borrowed money.
He was the incarnation of boundless power and ambition, but also had human vanity that matched them.
He wondered if he had more vanity than Pompey.
Maybe his wife and daughter wanting to ride it was just an excuse.
The difference between his previous transcendent appearance and this human side felt very pleasant.
Marcus nodded generously.
“I’ll make sure you get it by next week.”
“Wow! Thank you very much. I’ll repay this favor by throwing a party after the election. Please be sure to attend.”
“Of course. I’ll be happy to attend.”
“Haha, good. Then how about one more drink to celebrate our relationship?”
Caesar laughed heartily and poured wine into his cup.
Marcus gave him a word of advice.
“Excessive drinking is not good for hair loss.”
“······?”
Caesar froze like a statue with his cup in his hand.
He slowly put down his cup and tried to keep his composure as he asked.
“···Is that true?”
“Yes. That’s what the doctor said.”
“Really? Then if I don’t drink, will my hair loss get better?”
Marcus looked at Caesar’s head with a subtle gaze.
His hair was not falling out badly yet, but it was obvious that he had an M-shaped baldness in progress.
If he reached his forties in this state, he would surely have a bald spot on his head.
Historically, Caesar tried all kinds of folk remedies to hide his baldness.
But it didn’t work, so he eventually grew his hair in the back and combed it forward, then fixed it with a laurel wreath.
He laughed off the jokes about being gay, but he got very angry when he was ridiculed for being bald.
He even studied how to scratch his head more gracefully.
For such a stylish man, baldness was like a curse from God that he couldn’t accept.
Unfortunately, even with 2,000 years of advanced technology, humanity could not conquer baldness.
Marcus shook his head and told him the cruel reality.
“There is no way to make it completely better. You can only maintain the status quo and prevent it from getting worse. Of course, that’s not easy either. You have to accept some degree of loss.”
Caesar was shocked by the words that he might never get better.
He lost all the composure he had on his face.
“That’s ridiculous
 Do you mean I have to watch my hair fall out completely?”
“Well
 There might be some ways to prevent it, but I’ll have to look into it more.”
“Please do.”
Caesar grabbed Marcus’ hand with a desperate expression that he had never seen before.
A business idea flashed through Marcus’ head as he watched him.
‘Wouldn’t it make a lot of money if I improved the wig?’
In Egypt alone, they preferred to shave their heads and wear wigs because of the hot weather.
But in this era, wigs still looked like fake wigs.
If he could improve them to look more natural, he could make a lot of profit.
Even if not, it seemed like a very good gift idea.
‘I should look into it seriously.’
He had finished all the matters he had to discuss anyway.
Marcus called the other people who had gone downstairs and had a pleasant drinking party together.
Of course, Caesar didn’t touch a drop of alcohol until the party was over.