Chapter 125 Mother and Daughter Soldiers
◎The last layer of golden threads transformed into translucent dragon wings, and the moonlight parted the dark clouds, casting a radiant moonlight on the dragon's scales.◎
The night was deep, and an arc of light swept across the blade, splitting the darkness and severing the assassin in the shadows.
"Xiaomei, why don't you go back? Stop messing around." Elena raised the tip of the knife and looked at the child on the white horse behind her: Menia was small, with her feet standing firmly on the horse's back.
I don't know who taught her to ride a horse like this, she could definitely make money in an acrobatic troupe.
Nini maintained a strange posture with great balance and let the horse carry her at a gallop: "Nonsense? I want to help you, I'm serious." If it wasn't for her mother, she wouldn't meddle in other people's business, meow.
"…Can you go to the battlefield like this?"
"Why not?"
The two horses were almost parallel, and the arrows that came through the air were shattered in mid-air, as if they were swallowed by an invisible object.
Elena looked at the arrows scattering everywhere and opened her mouth slightly: "Because - children can't go to the battlefield."
"I've learned that. No wonder I haven't seen anyone my age doing this. So there's this kind of rule."
Menea looked around, her eyes gleaming in the darkness like two alexandrite cat's eyes. Well, there were no children, she was convinced.
"I see."
"That's good to know. Go back quickly and ask Melia to buy you a roasted leg of lamb."
Snap, snap—
Her golden hair suddenly swelled and expanded, enveloping her entire upper body in a pale golden cocoon. After a few seconds, the strands of hair entangled within the cocoon dissipated, revealing a small part of the girl's body within: a sharp claw belonging to a dragon.
"roar--"
The last layer of golden threads transformed into translucent dragon wings. The moonlight parted the dark clouds, casting its bright moonlight on the dragon's scales.
【Dragon Transformation】
It is a true "dragonization" that only appears in ancient myths and is more thorough than those half-dragon, half-human creatures.
Elena's pupils constricted as she met the golden-green vertical pupils in midair—more like dragon eyes than cat eyes. The child's form vanished completely within a few breaths, replaced by a slender, delicate dragon with wings as beautiful and enchanting as an elven dragon.
Based on the dragon's size, it could be called a dragon cub. Even if it was a cub, it was still a true dragon, not the flying dragons often hunted and conquered by heroes in legends.
Her claws, her fangs, her scales... all exuded a compelling intimidation. Though uncarved with any runes, they could clearly distort vision and space, causing attackers to lose confidence in their divine weapons.
"Is that all right? Then I'm not a child anymore."
The dragon didn't open her mouth, but her clear voice echoed in the air: "Dragons can participate in wars."
Yes, dragons can.
Elena took a deep breath and urged her horse on: "Follow me, don't stray too far away from me, and don't attack casually."
"Of course."
ㄞㄓㄝ龑嘂靐龘
The darkness was illuminated by the dragon flames, and crisp sounds exploded in the sky, grilling a few fools who dared to stand on high ground and shoot. "I will protect you. This is the promise I made to my mother."
"No, I will protect you, little dragon." The sharp blade flashed, and the night nearby became quiet.
They passed through the archway and turned back again, and the spirited Roman soldiers rushed towards the city gate from every alley like a torrent.
As the first rays of morning light began to break through the sky, the Persians quietly retreated. The legion did not pursue them, but, under the princess's orders, defended the city to prevent any attempt to lure the enemy away.
…
Bang!
Elena, surrounded by soldiers, broke into the Senate and slammed a bag of things onto the stone table in the center.
It was the head of a Persian general, with eyes wide open and blood flowing from the corners of his mouth.
"Your Highness, what are you doing? His Majesty's body is still warm, how dare you call yourself the emperor!" Someone immediately stood up from the back row and tried to defend the dignity of the elders.
However, as soon as this statement came out, the faces of the senior members in the front row turned as dark as the bottom of a pot: too much force. Everyone knew what the other party was plotting, but no one should say it out loud!
"You dare to mention [Your Majesty] to me?!"
As expected, Elena's voice, even higher, drowned it out. It wasn't that no one wanted to challenge her, but the guards surrounded her, their spears pointed outward, as if to say: Who dares to object?
Elena walked step by step to the front of the supreme elders, stopped and looked around to make sure everyone was looking here.
"There is a shameful traitor among you!"
“…”
The place was completely silent. After a moment, Sulla raised his hand gently and said, "Your Highness, do you have any evidence? We must punish the traitor severely."
Was he surrendering or being sarcastic? Even Sulla's followers couldn't be sure.
With a cold gaze, Elena kept approaching, finally stopping at a position where she could kill him with one step. "Honorable Supreme Elder, can you explain how the Persian army was able to cross mountains and rivers without being discovered and directly attack the royal city?"
"I see." Sura nodded in conviction. "Your Highness's thinking is very clear. There must be many people suspected of rebellion."
Old fox.
Elena pursed her lips. "He'd indeed chosen a more favorable explanation, shifting the blame onto every city along the way, letting everyone investigate slowly." Oh, if anyone suspected magical elements, it would inevitably implicate him.
But she couldn't point it out right then, or she'd be outmaneuvered: ["Your Highness, if there's such a convenient magic, what did you... do before you came here?"]
Sulla should have known Caesar's exact death date and the approximate day of her departure, but he was just holding on to it temporarily.
She looked away and back at the other elders: "There's a saying that's true. No one should wear the crown before their father's body is cold."
“…”
They resisted the urge to ask: Elena couldn't possibly not want to be emperor. She now controlled the guards and had just repelled the Persians, holding a brand new bargaining chip.
Caesar died too young, leaving his beloved children no time to gain military experience. Everyone knows that Marcus was the first heir, handsome, healthy, and a skilled warrior. But who can guarantee that Marcus would lead the Roman army to defeat the Persians?
No one.
When Elena returned victoriously and walked through the city gates and streets with the soldiers with their heads held high, the people gave her some of Caesar's glory: Ah, that is Her Highness Elena, the one... the fighting genius who once returned victoriously with Caesar, the hero of us Romans!
Her biggest weakness is her blonde hair and blue eyes, which remind anyone of her lowly foreign ancestry. However, she has a distinguished temperament and her facial features resemble the once beautiful young man Caesar.
As long as Elena ties herself to the identities of "Roman Defender" and "Genius General", the forgetful and easily excited people will gradually accept her and think that there is nothing wrong with having a blonde ruler.
Most of the elders could figure this out, and they looked at the princess with cautious, malicious, and speculative eyes.
Elena responded with a more determined look: "I offer myself to be regent. In the face of the crisis of Rome's life and death, someone must step forward."
"I object!"
It was none other than Marcus who finally arrived in a hurry.
He also brought a lot of guards, but those guards obviously shrank back when they passed the guards at the door, and they didn't even dare to draw their weapons.
Marcus's face turned purple, and he ran for a long time after seeing it: "We should consider the true will of our father."
"We should also consider the safety of the Roman people. You can tell these words to the Persians." Elena would not fall into a language trap. If Marcus could really forge a manuscript of his father, she would be too passive.
"My dear sister," Marcus said sadly, "if you truly wanted to protect Rome, you could have led your army and completely repelled the Persians—becoming the greatest general of all."
"It is undeniable that our father is the greatest general in hundreds of years."
Marcus hated himself for his previous inaction: Why didn't he kill this kid completely back then? He always thought there was still plenty of time, and he should consider the demeanor of the crown prince and not argue with the untouchables.
He took a deep breath, and his dark purple cheeks finally regained some color. "Perfect, this is the Senate, why don't we decide by a fair vote?"
Knowing that Elena would definitely not agree to his ascension, he quickly added, "Whoever gets more votes can serve as temporary regent. I am confident in my ability to manage Rome and the army."
"A vote?" Elena glanced indifferently at the elders who lowered their heads like quails and turned away, unwilling to take sides. "We really need a way to make a decision quickly."
"Then it's settled!"
Marcus hurriedly picked up a decorative vase and said enthusiastically, "Why don't we follow the Greek example and have one person, one vote? We can use wood chips instead."
As soon as he finished speaking, a young elder within his sight immediately stood up.
"I voted first!"
Marcus smiled: They are his staunch followers. How can voting be done without someone to help?
All these years of work were not in vain. Elena worked hard among merchants and the army, but how many people in the Senate would support her except Muro and some worthless beggars from the House of Commons?
An ambitious, blonde, blue-eyed princess who disrespects the powerful and is indifferent to her blood relatives.
The young senator came running over with a piece of wood in his hand. He deliberately fell down with a "ouch!" and showed the piece of wood with Marcus' name written on it: "Alas, it's a good thing I didn't fall on the noble name of the legitimate heir."
He muttered to himself in a voice that could be heard from the front row, stood up and walked towards the vase.
Well done.
Marcus's mouth curled up, and he wanted to hug him tightly.
One step, two steps, three steps.
Snap——
Why does the human body make that grating sound? It turns out it's because of... the blade.
A woman dressed as a centurion suddenly stepped forward and, before everyone's eyes, struck the senator dead. Hot blood splattered onto Marcus's face, causing his pupils to dilate unconsciously, and he fell to the ground with a thud.
[Oh no, oh no, hurry up and get up, I am Caesar's son! ]
The name of Caesar had some effect, but not completely. Marcus could only barely stand up by scraping against the wall, his legs still weak.
"How dare you kill someone here?!"
"Be patient, my poor brother." Elena smiled coldly. It was obviously not her who drew the knife, but Marcus felt that the blade on her waist was dripping with blood.
"Are you trying to confuse right and wrong?" His throat cracked as he took a few steps back to join the guards. "What a bunch of cowards! No matter how much money I gave them, they couldn't be trusted at the critical moment!"
"Of course there was a reason to kill him."
Elena waved her hand, and Ronnie took out a thin book from her arms and placed it solemnly on the table.
Melia's most popular notebook? What's the use of this thing?
"Ahem." Elena cleared her throat. "Olius bought a large amount of magic potions last winter, and their whereabouts are unknown. Androna has a close relationship with a beautiful woman of Persian descent and gave her many interesting gifts. Mauderama embezzled money from the private treasury..."
Marcus's expression changed completely after hearing the beginning, and there were many, many people who were as furious as him.
The elders who were named listened to these accusations in despair, and no one dared to cry out loudly for justice under the approaching blades of the guards.
These are all true. Even if Elena has no evidence, wouldn't it be easier to kill first and investigate later? Now that the First and Second Legions have not returned, and the garrison is on her side, who would dare to act rashly?
She read out fifteen names in a row, and including the charges, she only turned over two pages. As the book turned, everyone could see that the back was full.
Maybe the mistakes they made aren’t listed above, but who’s to bet?
Having said that, Elena took back the booklet.
I have to thank Melia for her habit of taking notes. This notebook was given to her by Misha, saying that it contained useful information collected by the Cat Goddess in the human world.
In fact, only the first few pages are related to these veterans, and the rest are mostly about Sulla, assassins and some scattered mood articles.
"Okay, let's continue voting." Elena walked up to Marcus with a smile and said, "Ah, the vase was broken by my weak brother. There's nothing we can do. Let's count the votes."
Marcus straightened his body. After all, he was Caesar's blood, and his courage surged again. "You are threatening! This is a violation of fairness!"
"Oh? Then let's be fair."
Elena scoffed. "It's rumored that Brother Marcus is incredibly brave and has a few years more training time than me. In ancient times, duels were fought before the gods. I believe the Senate is also a good place for the gods to watch."
"How is this fair?!"
"Of course it's fair." Elena eagerly drew her sword and swung it twice with ease. "Don't worry, it won't be stained with my brother's heart's blood. Out of respect, I'll cut off the left arm first, and if that doesn't work, the right arm."
"..." Marcus felt the air being squeezed out of his lungs, and an even colder taunt came to his ears.
"Duel or vote? Choose one."
“…” He heard the sound of his teeth chattering: “Vote, vote.”
The author has something to say:
Thanks to nanaya_scarlet's Lei Lei~
Thanks to Inoue Kuro, Flying in the Clouds, and Kuaiqu icgirls for their support~
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