Chapter 3: 3

——Chapter 3: Crassus, the richest man in Rome (2)——

"Kyaaa~ this taste of wine will kill me... "

 

Jae-hoon, who perfectly adapted to Marcus' body and life, was enjoying a luxurious banquet with his friends today.

 

It was rightly said, that humans were very adaptable animals, who adapt to their situations very quickly. At first, the ancient world without the internet and smartphones felt so stuffy and boring to Jae-hoon. But after a little time, things changed completely for him.

 

In fact, in a matter of days, the inconveniences of being far from modern civilization became tolerable. Now he could savor seasonal delicacies to his heart's content without worrying about money, and slaves always stayed by his side to listen to anything he said.

 

On the contrary, he felt more comfortable than when he was in modern times.

 

Of course, Jae-hoon, who had the sensitivity of a modern man, never gave harsh orders to his slaves. His conscience was pricked just by dealing with slaves, but it was the conventional wisdom of this era, so he followed it for now.

 

Jae-hoon did not have a sense of justice or initiative enough to actively protest against the ideology of this time, because he was just an ordinary person who could be seen everywhere.

 

Instead, the best he could do was to make an excuse close to self-consolation that he would treat slaves humanely enough. But, that alone made the family slaves whisper that Marcus had changed.

 

Marcus no longer beat his slaves, and he did not drink to the point of becoming a fool or unconscious.

 

He just hung out with his friends, drank enough wine to get moderately drunk, and enjoyed a delectable feast.

 

Since Crassus also allowed that level of playfulness, Jae-hoon was truly enjoying his new life.

 

Jae-hoon, who became Marcus, was completely intoxicated by the comforts of his present life.

 

'The Parthian war, in which Crassus and Publius die, is twenty years from now anyway. So preparing countermeasures can be done even after becoming an adult. ...Right now, I just wanted to enjoy my life as much as I can enjoy it.'

 

Cassius, a close friend of Marcus, recommended, pouring wine into an empty glass.

 

"Now, let's have another drink. You are not drunk yet! right?"

 

"Of course not! This is how much I can drink in one gulp. "

 

"Oh, as expected from the eldest son of Crassus! "

 

When Jae-hoon was about to drink another shot of wine, his friends and the slaves lined up behind him and started clapping and cheering for him.

 

'keu~ is this heaven? '

 

It was a series of luxurious days for him that he could not even dream of in his previous lives. It was so satisfying that he even thought that this was what a happy life was all about.

 

Jae-hoon broke the drinking party just before getting drunk.

 

After making an appointment to watch a gladiator fight in the amphitheater the next day, he headed for the mansion with light steps.

 

The mansion of the Crassus family was located on palatine hill, which was the best location among the seven hills of Rome.

 

Although it was located in the highlands, it had abundant water, and because it is on the Tiber river, it has a refreshing wind.

 

Most of the powerful and wealthy families in Rome had mansions on Palatine hill.

 

For Seoul, it can be similar to having a building in Gangnam.

 

It was incomparable to his previous life, where the dream of his life was to buy a house in the metropolitan area, let alone Seoul was out of the question.

 

Today's banquet was also held at a bar in subura where the common people lived together.

 

'Is this what the life of a chaebol second generation is like? '

[TL-  Chaebol is used for a large family-owned business conglomerate in South Korea.]

 

Of course,  Jae-hoon had never seen a chaebol second generation since he was born. Still, it made him shrug his shoulders that he had joined the ranks of the kind of people he only encountered in dramas.

 

"Young master, please come up."

 

An intelligent-looking greek youth guided Jae-hoon to a luxurious palanquin. he was Septimus, a freed slave whom Crassus had placed as his son's assistant and watchdog.

 

Crassus had a lot of freed slaves as he is involved in various kinds of businesses. Senators, in principle, cannot engage in commerce. But in reality, it's just a fake law. Most of the senators took their hands in various businesses through their agents.

 

Freed slaves were legally free people, so it was easy to escape even if they were questioned later.

 

Septimus was also a case where his quick-witted and brilliant part caught the Crassu's eye and got rid of his slave status.

 

His main job was now to educate Marcus and clean up after the accident or problem he caused.

 

At Septimus's invitation to climb the palanquin, Jae-hoon shook his head excitedly.

 

"It's okay. I'm in a good mood today, so I'll walk. And you will have a hard time carrying a heavy palanquin too."

 

"There is no need for you to worry about me because that's what slaves do. Didn't you ride a palanquin in the garden before?"

 

That was the original Marcas but for Jae-hoon it was hard, so he replied with a little laugh.

 

"That's because I was immature back then."

 

"It's very touching to see you grow old in just three days, from the point of view of the young master's servant."

 

Jae-hoon lightly laughed off Septimuss sarcastic remark. 

 

The original Marcus was quite reluctant but he also did not carelessly treat because Septimuss was his father's henchman and freed slave, unlike other slaves, freed slaves were clearly members of the clan, and could not be treated carelessly except by the head of the household only.

 

So he always made excuses to stay away from him, but Jae-hoon was different. Rather, he thought it was fortunate to have a secretary-type man next to him who spoke so clearly.

 

"Today is a banquet, tomorrow is a gladiatorial match, and the next day's banquet too. Kiya~ isn't this a utopia? Septimus thinks so too, right? This is paradise on earth."

 

"I don't know what utopia is, but if you feel that way, then it must be so. "

 

"Yes, yes. Rome is the ideal I have been looking for. I will live my whole life happily like this. "

 

Jae-hoon hummed a song and walked leisurely through the streets of Suburra.

 

As he was walking along, drunk with happiness, he suddenly heard a crackling sound, and in front of him, a thick door opened.

 

Jae-hoon stopped walking and looked at what was going on.

 

A stocky man's face appeared through a crack in the door. A man with a burly physique followed and threw a sack on the ground.

 

He could see something wriggling inside the sack thrown like garbage.

 

"What is that? Are there any animals in it? "

 

The contents of the sack were still slightly moving.

 

Jaehoon frowned and clicked his tongue. Even in modern times, there were many humans who were very below, in the level of abusing animals.

 

Jae-hoon, who was in a slightly elevated state of alcohol, approached the man, who was wondering if he would give him a sermon.

 

The sound of trudging footsteps echoed through the night streets and the distance narrowed.

 

Jae-hoon, who was about to pass the sack, stopped inadvertently.

 

His eyes quickly turned to the contents that came out between the finely unwrapped sacks. He felt the touch of something warm on his ankle.

 

A hand, which was like a small tree branch, was holding his ankle. But it was so weak that he didn't even feel captured.

 

The hand that crawled out of the sack was a ten-year-old Thracian girl with almost brown hair.

 

The blurred eyes showed no power, and the shoulders were full of beating marks.

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A body that looked close to malnutrition was already embarrassing to call a human.

 

It was not an exaggeration to say that only life was attached to her, and she was very close to a corpse.

 

The drunkenness that had risen pleasantly in that miserable appearance evaporated in an instant.

 

"What is this..."

 

That girl desperately did not let go of the stunned Jae-hoon's feet.

 

To be honest, he didn't feel any power that he could not shake off, but rather than strength, he felt something like an obsession in her grip.

 

He could tell what kind of obsession it was without even asking.

 

It was an obsession with life.

 

The girl tried to move her mouth but did not produce a voice.

 

"...Do you want help?"

 

Jae-hoon muttered like he was talking to himself. As if in response, the girl's dry lips moved slightly.

 

It was a thin voice, not even the sound of breathing, but to Jae-hoon it sounded like thunder.

 

"Hey! What are you doing, kid! Do you want to get scolded? "

 

The stocky man shouted nervously and clenched his chin. 

 

Hearing him the burly slave standing behind Jae-hoon took a step forward.

 

"Don't get involved in other people's business and get out of here. Otherwise..."

 

The man who continued to speak threateningly kept his mouth shut after checking the slaves lined up behind Jae-hoon.

 

He can indirectly infer the rank of the family of the kid in front of him just by looking at the slaves' physique or clothes. 

 

There was even a luxurious palanquin behind Septimus and the slaves.

 

The quick-witted man recognized at a glance that Jae-hoon's status was unusual.

 

"...Could it be that you are a noble? "

 

Even if Jae-hoon was noble, he did not have the right to trample on the commoners at will. Citizens of Rome, whether patricians or commoners, enjoyed guaranteed rights as Romans.

 

However, if it was a prestigious family with power and wealth, it was possible to bury the other person in a form that does not violate the law.

 

Even if they were fellow Romans, it was unreasonable for a commoner to stiffen their neck in front of a prestigious aristocrat.

 

Jae-hoon had the memory of Marcus intact, so he knew the reality of Rome well.

 

He nodded his head, putting on an expression of endless arrogance like old Marcus.

 

"Do you really have to ask to know? This is why I don't like ignorant things."

 

"So what relation do you have with this child?"

 

Even though he tried not to show it, there was a hint of anger in his voice.

 

The man servilely rubbed his hands together, smiled, and said again.

 

"She's my slave. I was disciplining her because I thought she needed some education. "

 

"Discipline? Is this called discipline? "

 

The anger in Jae-hoon's voice deepened. It was knowledgeable that slaves in this era were the property of their masters.

 

However, there was a difference of about a million light years between what Jae-hoon knew with knowledge and the man in front of him.

 

But in Rome today, those who reacted like Jae-hoon belonged to the strange side.

 

No matter how the master treats the slave, it was the master's heart and choice of what he wants to do with them. Even if he beat them to death for not liking them or nothing with stupid words, it didn't matter to anyone.

 

Only the master suffers the monetary loss equal to the value of the slave.

 

Although it was nothing but bullshit to Jae-hoon, who had modern sensibilities and could not accept it.

 

"Is this child being beaten so mercilessly because she didn't do anything wrong, but just because she needed an education?"

 

"You have to make them compliant so that they don't have any problems later. The original version was pretty good, but you get more money than your money's worth if you decorate it and sell it for the first time?"

 

It was disgusting reason that just hearing it made Jae-hoon's ears rot. As his expression hardened, it was rather the man who was embarrassed.

 

He sincerely did not understand why the noble boy in front of him was angry.

 

Seeing the other person's expression like that, Jae-hoon felt the rising anger cool down.

 

Instead of anger, what bloomed in his heart was a deep hatred.

 

The target was not just the man in front of him.

 

But he couldn't bear him because he was ashamed of himself now, who had sung a song saying that this was a paradise on earth just before.

 

His face was so red that he wanted to hide in a mouse hole.

 

'Is this a utopia? What bullshit. This is disgusting... '

 

'If I could, I wanted to beat myself up a few minutes ago.'

 

The brighter the moon rose, the deeper and darker the darkness beneath in it. Ancient productivity was vastly lacking compared to modern times. In such a place, if he wanted to wield enormous wealth like a chaebol, there will inevitably be people under him.

 

Jae-hoon did not want to see how miserable they lived.

 

Having lived his entire life with a dirt spoon, he was blinded by the wealth that aristocratic life brought.

 

In his eyes, a young girl struggling to survive overlapped with his modern self.

 

If Jae-hoon had been born in ancient Rome rather than modern times, he would have lived a life no different from this girl.

 

"What were you planning to do with this kid?"

 

"Yes? That's.., I'll continue to train her and educate her like now."

 

"And what if she dies?"

 

"I have done this for a year or two now, and I know how much it takes them to die."

 

The man, who received a premonition of something from Jae-hoon's expression, urgently added his words.

 

"This is definitely my property by law. You know that under roman law no nobleman can encroach on a citizen's property, right?"

 

"Therefore."

 

Jae-hoon, who stopped moving, asked expressionlessly.

 

"What?"

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