"You can go in and rest now, Felix."

  "I will just finish this and go, Young Master."

  Felix murmured.

  From the side, Felix looked like a zombie.

  He had the look of someone who’d been worked to the bone.

  I’d died from overwork—only to work my own subordinate to the bone.

  Well, technically, Felix was a slave.

  But slave or free man, no one can keep going without proper rest.

  I didn’t want to lose Felix.

  Of course, I couldn’t do all of this alone.

  "I gave you a vacation after so long, and I'm sorry it turned out like this. Once this task is done, take two more days to rest."

  "Thank you, Young Master. By the way, why did the Master suddenly ask for such a large quantity of Palmolive?"

  Felix sighed.

  "Hispania can’t possibly need this much Palmolive, can it?"

  "Actually, about that..."

  I trailed off.

  I had a hunch.

  "You remember I sent a few letters to father recently, right?"

  "Of course. I sent all of them myself."

  Felix shrugged.

  My father, elder Caesar, was currently serving as the Governor of Hispania.

  It took about a week for letters to travel between Rome and Hispania.

  Although it took some time to exchange letters, I had consulted father on many things since starting the insurance business.

  Roman politics, the connections and information network father possessed, and so on.

  Father supported me by pulling strings here and there whenever I needed it.

  Palmolive was one of those things.

  "Then..."

  Felix narrowed his eyes and glared at me.

  "So, in the end, the Master sent this order because of you, Young Master? You asked him for something."

  "I just mentioned that Palmolive would be helpful for the legionaries. I didn't know something like this would happen so suddenly either."

  Father had suddenly requested tens of thousands of amphorae of Palmolive.

  It was an enormous amount, enough to supply several legions.

  The problem was that he wanted it shipped immediately.

  "How could I have known he would ask for such a huge amount out of the blue?"

  Despite my explanation, Felix still eyed me suspiciously.

  "But why did you say Palmolive would be helpful to the legionaries, Young Master?"

  "It’s simple."

  I answered with a smile.

  In this era, the place where soap would have the greatest effect was none other than the army.

  But there was no need to explain the reason to Felix.

  It wouldn't be easy to understand it anyway.

  "If anyone needs the Goddess’s blessing, it’s the soldiers."

  "..."

  Instead of answering, Felix let out a sigh.

  "Anyway, if the Master is sending such an order, it must have had a tremendous effect. I feel this every time, but..."

  Felix looked at me and added.

  "A wolf raises a wolf."

  ***

  A few months ago

  Hispania

  "Governor, I brought the documents you asked for."

  "Thank you. Put them on the table over there."

  Gaius Julius Caesar.

  He splashed water on his face at the washbasin.

  Ever since he’d been appointed governor of Hispania, his work had been piling up endlessly.

  Hispania, which Rome had taken from Carthage, was fertile land.

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  Countless silver mines were waiting to be developed, and the farms produced an enormous amount of olives.

  In fact, almost half of the olive oil consumed in Rome came from Hispania.

  "Did you arrest all the tax farmers I mentioned last time?"

  "Yes, they are all asking for an audience with Your Excellency. They say they want to ‘explain themselves.’"

  "How fascinating. What I’ve seen is explanation enough."

  Caesar looked at his adjutant with a playful smile.

  He sat in his chair and examined the papyri one by one.

  Until now, previous governors had been busy plundering and exploiting Hispania.

  Rome sent numerous magistrates to manage the colonies every year, and they colluded with local powers to commit corruption.

  After amassing large sums of money this way, they would return to Rome and use it as campaign funds.

  Because of this, dissatisfaction toward Rome was growing in colonies all over, including Hispania.

  Caesar meant to break that chain.

  "Send all the publicani who extorted taxes beyond what was allocated back to Rome under guard. And return all the assets remaining here to the locals."

  "Depending on how the trial goes, that could cause trouble."

  "Haven't we gathered all the necessary evidence anyway?"

  Caesar replied, tapping his stylus.

  Immediately after taking office as Governor, he had deliberately built friendships with the tax collectors to gather evidence.

  He lulled them into lowering their guard—then struck all at once.

  The high-and-mighty tax collectors all tucked their tails, and the locals of Hispania were overwhelmingly on his side.

  "Even if Cicero or Hortensius take up their defense, winning would be impossible. Those men won't readily accept the case either. They'd want to avoid being humiliated in court."

  Caesar fell into thought.

  What he was most concerned about these days wasn't Hispania.

  Lucius Julius Caesar.

  His son was shaking Rome.

  Starting an insurance business with money borrowed from Crassus, and even making Palmolive.

  Not stopping there, he was persuading the Vestal Virgins to mobilize for Palmolive promotion.

  These were too many achievements to believe his son, who had just come of age, had accomplished.

  "The boy has always been peculiar since he was young."

  Caesar muttered.

  From a young age, Lucius often showed insight different from others.

  Didn't he perfectly predict the start and development of the Spartacus revolt as well?

  No one had expected mere gladiators and slaves to defeat elite Roman legions and drive them into danger.

  Except for his son, Lucius.

  "Perhaps the child really has received the blessings of the gods."

  Caesar chuckled.

  But what captured his interest was something else.

  It was the fact that Lucius had finally taken action.

  Until now, his son had lived quietly, focusing only on receiving education and training.

  It was only after Caesar took office as Governor of Hispania that Lucius began to act in earnest.

  Was he trying to avoid his father's interference?

  Caesar shook his head.

  There was no way the child would think that.

  He probably stepped up to protect the family in his father's absence.

  The eaglet had left the nest and taken to the sky.

  Maybe he’d been holding his son back.

  Caesar tapped his stylus on the table.

  "Your Excellency?"

  "Ah, sorry. I was lost in thought for a moment. What is it?"

  "Do you really intend to supply Palmolive to the legions?"

  "You make it sound like there’s a problem. Palmolive was created by my son, Lucius, after Vesta’s revelation."

  Caesar replied in a nonchalant tone.

  "Shouldn’t the soldiers share in that blessing?"

  "I didn't mean to question that."

  The adjutant bowed his head as he answered.

  "But to be honest, I don't know how well the soldiers will accept that order. Even if you tell them to wash..."

  "We can’t stand over every soldier and make him wash."

  Caesar nodded.

  Not long ago, Lucius had asked him to supply Palmolive to his legions.

  Although he didn't state the exact reason, Caesar could roughly guess.

  If Palmolive were recognized as a supply item for legionaries, the demand would increase accordingly.

  Moreover, Hispania produced massive amounts of olives.

  If demand for Palmolive increased, the profits for the locals in Hispania would increase, and taxes for Rome would also rise.

  Literally everyone would benefit.

  It was almost unprecedented for a colonial governor to receive the support of both the locals and Rome at the same time.

  His son had clearly made this proposal with him in mind.

  The problem was how to make the soldiers use Palmolive.

  Even in the army, a commander couldn't order everything.

  No matter how efficient and rational an order was, soldiers would hate it and try to avoid it somehow.

  Forcing them to use Palmolive would only increase their resistance.

  To persuade the soldiers, a new method was needed.

  Caesar, who had been lost in thought for a moment, suddenly sprang up.

  "Right, that should work."

  "Your Excellency?"

  "Assemble the soldiers. I need to make a speech."

  ***

  After taking office as Governor of Hispania, Caesar recruited 10 new cohorts in addition to the existing troops bringing his force to roughly two or three legions.

  Under Caesar’s command, they pacified the outskirts of Hispania and suppressed rebel forces.

  "Finally, we can rest a bit."

  "I just want to go back to Rome quickly. Have you heard? Something called Palmolive is popular in Rome these days and..."

  "Isn't that just for washing your body? Why make such a fuss about it?"

  One day, they all had to assemble due to a sudden order.

  "My commilitones—my comrades!"

  "Waaaaaaah!"

  As Caesar waved his hand, all the soldiers roared back.

  Among Roman magistrates, there weren't many commanders as popular with soldiers as Caesar.

  Even on the battlefield, Caesar spent time with his soldiers without keeping his distance.

  He even marched with them instead of riding on horseback.

  The fact that he paid them on time—and didn’t skim a denarius was also one of the reasons for his popularity.

  "Soldiers! My brothers! You have made countless sacrifices for Rome until now."

  He shouted as he passed through the center of the formation.

  "It’s because of you that Hispania, groaning under rebellion and chaos, has regained peace!"

  Pausing, Caesar looked at the soldiers and smiled faintly.

  "Soon, we’ll begin distributing the spoils from the last battle! I have decided to give half of my share to you!"

  "Waaaaaaah! Long live Caesar!"

  The soldiers' cheers echoed through the camp.

  The commander had just announced that he was giving up half his share.

  Even soldiers who were slow at math knew their share would increase significantly.

  As Caesar raised his hand, the cheering subsided.

  "Not only I, but all of Rome expresses gratitude for your sacrifice and courage. You will be respected as exemplary citizens and will be able to go home with enough wealth in your hands."

  Returning to his original position, he stopped as if he had suddenly remembered something.

  "By the way, I hear reports of special supplies for commanders going missing recently."

  He continued.

  "Those caught stealing will face strict punishment under military law. Keep that in mind at all times!"

  Turning his head again, he strode past the formation.

  After his figure disappeared, the soldiers looked at each other and couldn’t help asking.

  "Special supplies for commanders? What on earth is that?"

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