13 Chapter 13: A savior
(3rd Person's POV)
Watling Street, Britannia.
Everywhere the eyes went, all one could see was hell. The ever-green plains of Britannia turned crimson from the blood while limbs and guts were kept flying across the battlefield where only one lioness was fighting the Roman soldiers.
"GO TO HELL!!!" The woman with crimson hair roared and ruthlessly tore a Roman soldier in half.
Yes, the person responsible for such gruesome bloodshed was a crimson-haired woman.
Her name was Boudica, the former Queen of Britannia, wife of deceased King Prasutagus, and mother of two daughters sold as slaves.
If one were to see the bloody hound warrior in front of them, they wouldn't believe that such a bloodthirsty warrior was just used to be a kind mother.
A few months ago, when her husband died, Romans broke the agreement not to invade Britannia and started harassing her people. They even took her beloved daughters away from her. Knowing how slaves were treated in the empire, she didn't even want to imagine the sufferings her daughters might be going through.
However, there was still hope for Boudica to see her daughters alive, and for that hope, she took the sword in her hand to fight.
Children, young mothers like herself, and very young children too; as long as they were people belonging to Rome, she did not hesitate to swing her sword to strike them down.
"My queen, we are surrounded!" Amidst the chaos, one of her subordinates called Boudica.
Upon coming to her senses, she realized Roman Army surrounded her.
"GRR!" Boudica gritted her teeth, aware that she was fighting a lost battle from the beginning. How could a woman from some distant clan possibly face the strongest military prowess in the world?
"DON'T STOP!! WE SHALL ERADICATE ROMANS!!" Her battle cry brought a new life to her fellow warriors. Even if she was barely hanging on to her life, she moved and fought like a true queen.
Boudica wanted to crush the current emperor's head with her two hands to complete her revenge, but…
One of many arrows rained by the Roman army pierced her chest before many other arrows finally nailed her to the ground.
'What…? Is this the end?'
Thanks to her head being protected, she was still conscious, but not for long. Her eyes were still open, but she could barely see. However, in those last few seconds of her life, she saw two girls running toward her. Those girls had red hair and… looked exactly like Boudica's daughters.
'My daughters… MY DAUGHTERS…!'
Boudica tried to call her daughters, but her voice didn't come out. She also saw a feeble young man beside her daughters, who came to see her, but the light slowly faded from her eyes.
Dark.
She found herself in absolute darkness.
'Is this afterlife?'
As a lone consciousness, she tried to make reasons as to question her situation, but all she could see was darkness.
It was then a hollow graphic screen appeared in front of her.
[Do you wish to submit your will?]
[Yes/No]
She didn't know what it was, but more questions arose in her consciousness when she saw the silhouette of a person.
"If you wish to hear about your daughters and get a second chance to live, you could become my servant instead." The silhouette of a person spoke.
'How can I believe you?' Boudica asked, unsure of the person's identity, but he gave the same feeling as the person she saw before she died.
"Time is ticking. The choice is yours. You will not be disappointed."
Boudica didn't want to make some kind of deal with anyone after her death, but if she wanted to see or hear about her daughters, she would be willing to anyone's slave.
She clicked on Yes.
---
(Titus's (Tacitus) POV)
"Aek!" With another bump, I shrieked with pain when my ass hit the wooden bench I was sitting on. "Ugh, I think my ass has been split into two…."
Whoever made the carriage gets an 'F' from me. For the ten gold coins, I get this third-rate roller coaster in the name of a wagon.
"Lord Tacitus, a-are you alright…?" This curious voice belonged to a 15 years old girl, followed by similar curious gazes of another similar-looking girl around 14 years old.
Both had distinguished crimson hair with attractive facial cuts of Celtic origin.
These young maidens were Tania and Sania, the lost daughters of the Queen of first-century Britannia, Boudica.
(AN: I couldn't find the name of Boudica's daughters, so I made simple names for them.)
It had been three or so months since I left the capital for Britannia, so here is the summary.
I traveled with some of my trusted subordinates all the way to the coast of Calais, the current beach in France.
It was in occupation of the Roman Army, and it was the cost from where Rome was providing resources to the settlements in Britannia.
My purpose was to directly move towards Watling Street, the final battle between Boudica and the Roman governor.
However, to my surprise luck, I encountered Boudica's daughters who were being displayed for 'public enjoyment' just before I could pass the waters.
According to legends, Boudica's daughters were r*ped by Roman soldiers without any mercy. What happened after that was unknown.
However, in this timeline, I saved them before they got tormented by the Romans. Even though I was not into hero stuff, I wasn't human trash to just let innocent women get treated like animals, even if r*ping slaves is the norm in this era.
I also gathered a small force since, outside the capital, I didn't have much authority. Thanks to Nero's teaching, I could practice my command as emperor's advisor.
"P-Please, Lord Tacitus, hang on just a little bit…." Sania said as she tapped my shoulder.
They were wary of me at first but soon started to trust me. They had no choice but to trust me since I 'brought' them 100 gold coins. Yeah, they were my slaves.
The position of women in this era is that of a toy. If a woman is alone, she should either be strong enough to defend herself or be a plaything for the strong.
Then my carriage stopped moving, and the driver called me out.
Upon opening the carriage door, a thick scent of blood entered my nose, followed by the gruesome sight of war.
Surrounded by Roman warriors, I could only see a few Celtic soldiers and a woman with crimson hair fighting alone.
'Whoa…' Even I was in awe of how real-life Boudica was slicing men bigger than her like fruits. However, she was far from the Boudica from the game.
"Mother!!" Tania and Sania called their mother and ran toward the battlefield.
I shook my head, and before going after them, I sent a messenger to the Roman governor leading the current battle.
"Stop right there! It is an order!!" I said with putting some force in my voice. The girls halted their moments and looked at me with teary eyes, pleading to help her mother.
I shook my head and spoke, "If you want to become a disappointment to your mother and me, then you all can leave and give away your lives."
I then looked at the hail of arrows raining toward Boudica and spoke, "There is nothing we can do."
And thus, for the first time in my life, I witnessed the heroic death of a warrior woman with my own eyes.
---
"Massage my left cheek thoroughly but don't look. Ah, yes~! That hit the spot~" I moaned as Tania massaged my ass with a lotion.
It had been a week or so since Boudica's death. Somehow I convinced the governor to halt his movements in British colonies as it was against the treaty between former Emperor Claudius and King Prasutagus.
Boudica was also given a proper funeral according to her Celtic traditions. As for her daughters, well, they had already lost their value with their mother's death. So I decided to keep them around and take some work. Since I have already strangled myself in a problem, I might as well take responsibility.
They were also fine being around me, so it was a win-win.
"Lord Tacitus, your butt is incredibly soft for a man. It is also quite good-looking." Tania spoke.
"Hehe, but Lord Tacitus's muscles are stiff. Lord Tacitus is a hard-working man." Sania, who was also massaging my shoulders, added her way of praise.
I rolled my eyes and spoke, "Well, when you work for a tyrant who likes to boss around, one just doesn't get any rest. Also, leave my butt alone."
Working for Nero was exhausting for sure. All she had to do was to give orders, but it was my job to execute them. It was a flaw in dictating leadership.
It was then I heard another voice.
"Does that mean the Mr. Adviser can leave his duties without any word?"
Upon hearing a familiar sound, I saw a short figure standing in front of me with a glare that stopped my heartbeat for a second.
She was a short girl with blond hair, holding a crimson sword. She was dressed in a military-styled red dress with a translucent portion in the front of the lower skirt. Yeah, her underwear was exposed, but that was my least concern.
"N-Nero…" I called the name of the person who stole my breath away. When did she arrive? Did she follow me?!
"Nero? Where is my formal title?"
I finally snapped, and within the next second, I appeared in front of her on my knee. I also signaled Tania and Sania, who followed my heed and did the same. Even though Nero was their mortal enemy, the ultimate ruler of the Roman Empire who destroyed their home, they were at least rational enough to act according to their status. Well, they were princesses, after all.
"Y-your majesty… when did-"
"Look at my face when speaking, Tacitus." Her statement sent shivers down my spine. I lifted my head and looked at her only to witness her cute angry face.
"Who are they?" Nero asked, pointing toward two girls behind me.
"They are the daughters of deceased Queen Boudica. For the time being, I have decided to keep them at my side." I answered without any haste.
"Is that why you left the capital unannounced?" Nero glared at me once again. If I were in my former self, I would be shaking with fear, that's how strong her aura was, but I held my ground and didn't speak.
I knew she was simply upset. Whatever I would say, we would end up arguing with each other.
After a brief silence, Nero put her hand on her head and sighed, "Tacitus, I am disappointed."
I also sighed and stood up. Looking at my hand sign, Tania and Sania nodded and left the room, leaving Nero and me alone.
After some hesitation, I slowly approached the silent tigress and gently hugged her.
"I am sorry. Please forgive me, your majesty." I said, hoping for my charm to work. Her new dress, her trademark dress from the game, was quite broad, but I avoided stepping on it.
"Hmm," Nero nodded and wrapped her arms around my waist.
Ah, she was so damn soft, and her scent was refreshing. I even forgot how bad my ass was hurting from her warmth.
"Can you tell me the whole story?" Nero asked, and I began to tell about the matter with the British settlement.
While Nero just listened, I told her whole story about Boudica and her daughters.
Nero also told me that she followed my steps after a few days of my leave since it was a matter of concern. Before arriving in my chamber, she visited the governor responsible for managing British territories. Nero scolded him for his actions while appointing a new governor in his instead. For the time being, she decided to hold the army here, precisely like the original timeline.
"Tacitus, can I ask you another thing?"
"Of course, your majesty."
"Why are you fondling my butt?"
"…"
While in each other's embrace, I realized my hands had already penetrated the opening of the back of her dress and were nestling her cheeks without touching the danger zone.
Upon snapping from the daze, I slowly retracted my hands while also taking some distance. "I am sorry, your majesty. I was excited to feel the softness of your butt and thighs."
"Hah! Such sugar-coating won't get you my forgiveness! Umu!!"
"Then what about this?"
I approached her again and kissed her.
Nero was a bit surprised, but she also calmly enjoyed the greeting.
I made it a small kiss so that I could calm Nero down a little. Besides, I didn't know how to hold her in her weird dress.
Soon we bid farewell to each other's warmth and looked at each other.
"Better?"
"Better."
Thank goodness it was over, but I was still curious about Nero's dress. When did she design it?
"Hey, your majesty, I have been meaning to ask, but what's with this perverted see-through dress? I could totally see your undies."
"It's not see-through. I am letting you see it! Umu!!"
Oh dear, sometimes I wonder from which devil Nero traded her intelligence to have such a fashion sense.
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