"A special supply reserved for commanders? What on earth is that?"

  "I heard a few shipments came in from Rome not long ago. Among them, there was a strange amphora."

  "An amphora?"

  "They say it contained olive oil with a strange scent."

  "If it's scented olive oil, isn't that Palmolive?"

  After Caesar's speech, rumors spread throughout the Roman camp.

  “So what was this ‘special supply,’ anyway?”

  Rumors traveled fast in the army.

  At morning muster, over meals, during training—even on guard duty—soldiers chatted with their comrades about this new olive oil.

  And there was a reason the buzz was worse than usual.

  "Only commanders are allowed to use it. Just what is it that makes it so exclusive?"

  "I heard Governor Caesar bathes with Palmolive every morning and night."

  "The other commanders are the same. They say they use Palmolive where the other soldiers can't see them."

  It was forbidden to ordinary soldiers.

  he fact that it was forbidden only made everyone want it more.

  Then a new order came down.

  "Palmolive will be issued only to a select few legionaries who have distinguished themselves!"

  A handful of exemplary soldiers received it first.

  "But how do you use this?"

  "It’s oil blessed by the Goddess Vesta. It's good for washing your body, and you can also use it to clean your equipment or clothes."

  As the number of soldiers receiving Palmolive increased, the rumor spread farther.

  "Did you hear? They say it cleans even the filthiest wounds perfectly. It can't be compared to just washing with water."

  "I heard it completely removes stains and smells from clothes too."

  There were always plenty of soldiers in the legions suffering from various skin diseases, scabies, lice, and rashes.

  But once they started washing with Palmolive, the symptoms eased dramatically.

  Soldiers who experienced this firsthand told their comrades how well it worked.

  As the word spread, the soldiers gradually began to start pressuring their officers.

  "Let us use Palmolive too!"

  ***

  “I didn’t expect the soldiers to react this well.” Caesar scanned the papyrus his adjutant handed him.

  "To think they're making such a fuss asking for Palmolive in less than three months."

  "Palmolive has been going missing from the warehouse almost daily."

  The adjutant nodded.

  Both Caesar and the adjutant were giving off a faint scent of Palmolive.

  They were using it almost every day by now.

  "It seems soldiers who couldn't get Palmolive are stealing it."

  "I’ve seen food and loot stolen, but never amphorae of olive oil."

  Caesar laughed as he put down the papyrus.

  That wasn't the only strange thing.

  "This Palmolive thing, it really works."

  He reached out and picked up an amphora on the table.

  After applying a little Palmolive to his hands, he washed them in the basin.

  White foam formed, and his dirty hands became clean in an instant.

  He couldn't believe such an amazing liquid was made from nothing but olive oil.

  "Do you really think my son Lucius received a revelation from the Goddess Vesta?"

  "You are the Pontifex Maximus, Your Excellency."

  "But I don't recall the Goddess ever teaching me such a recipe."

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  Caesar laughed again and shook the water off his hands.

  "Not only for washing the body but also for cleaning clothes and equipment. It truly has many uses. I’ll have Lucius send more."

  "Considering the amount the soldiers are currently using, we will need at least several hundred amphorae a month."

  "No need to worry. I heard Felix is in charge of Palmolive production. He's a very capable fellow. He'll manage somehow."

  Just as Caesar sat down again to write a letter, the adjutant cleared his throat softly.

  "It seems Quaestor Appius is intending to return to Rome."

  "Isn't that natural? Reporting the situation of the province is the duty of a Quaestor."

  A Quaestor was a magistrate who managed public finances.

  They were in charge of a wide range of duties, from the construction of public buildings to the pay and provisions for soldiers, and provincial administration.

  "..."

  As the adjutant stared silently, Caesar nodded.

  "You're worried Appius will accuse me, aren't you?"

  "Appius has hindered Your Excellency at every turn. Even after being assigned to Hispania, he has been looking for evidence to ruin your name."

  "But he hasn't succeeded. Because I haven't lined my pockets."

  Caesar's answer was the truth.

  Unlike other governors or magistrates, he focused on improving the situation in Hispania.

  He ensured that the provincials enjoyed fair trials and paid taxes only within the set limits.

  In this process, he didn't accept bribes from local nobles either.

  "But including Palmolive as military supplies is..."

  "Are you saying it could be controversial? That's not entirely wrong."

  Caesar replied.

  Currently, all the Palmolive coming into Hispania was made by his son, Lucius.

  So, one could accuse him of trying to gain illicit profits.

  "But if you see this, you will have no choice but to change your mind."

  Caesar took out a sheet of papyrus and handed it to the adjutant.

  "This is...!"

  Looking at the surprised adjutant, Caesar grinned.

  "Then let's go meet our friend. Shall we?"

  ***

  Quaestor Appius.

  Like the Julian family, he was from a distinguished patrician family.

  But he was different from Gaius Julius Caesar.

  Unlike Caesar, who stood out from his youth and went from success to success, Appius had to bounce between minor posts.

  When Caesar won the favor of King Nicomedes and returned to Rome as a hero, Appius was scraping by in Sulla’s shadow.

  The citizens didn't support him, and other Senators ignored him.

  He barely managed to obtain the position of Quaestor, which anyone from a prominent family could easily get at the age of 28.

  Going through such a long and difficult period, he nursed a bitter resentment toward Caesar.

  "Are all the supplies recorded in the ledger here?"

  "Yes, Quaestor. As you requested, I have organized the list so you can check everything."

  At the supply officer's answer, Appius clicked his tongue.

  No matter how many unannounced inspections he conducted, there was nothing he could pin on Caesar.

  Caesar distributed the loot from battle fairly and collected Rome’s taxes cleanly—without a single stain.

  "Where’s the Palmolive, then?"

  "I gathered them separately in the warehouse over there. With so much arriving lately."

  "Lead the way."

  Passing through the warehouse corridor, Appius fell into thought.

  There was still a way to bring down Caesar.

  Palmolive was being made by Caesar's son, Lucius.

  Making such Palmolive a military supply could damage his morality and honor.

  This was exactly what Appius was targeting.

  Finally arriving at the adjacent warehouse, Appius gaped.

  "Are you saying all these amphorae are Palmolive?"

  "Yes, that is correct, Quaestor."

  The supply officer said, wiping his sweat.

  Even as they spoke, soldiers carried amphorae in and out.

  "Soldiers use Palmolive for so many things. His Excellency the Governor plans to set a monthly ration."

  "To think soldiers are using this much Palmolive even without orders."

  Appius muttered.

  The army runs on orders.

  Soldiers usually tried to avoid extra work unless they were ordered to do it.

  But Caesar was making soldiers use Palmolive without even having to order it.

  "This could definitely be a problem."

  "What could be a problem?"

  At the familiar voice coming from behind, Appius flinched.

  Caesar approached him with a friendly smile.

  "Appius, my old friend. Inspecting so thoroughly before you leave for Rome. No quaestor in Rome is as diligent as you."

  "It is only natural for a Quaestor to do his duty."

  Appius frowned, but Caesar hugged him anyway.

  "I'm already worried you are leaving like this. Is there anything I can help you with?"

  "Thanks, but no."

  Appius answered bluntly.

  "I need to go to the Temple of Saturn as once to report the financial situation here."

  Every Quaestor had to report to the Temple of Saturn, where the state treasury was located, upon returning to Rome.

  That was exactly where Appius intended to accuse Caesar of moral corruption.

  "Just say the word if you ever need my help. Ah, come to think of it, I forgot to tell you something, so I stopped by."

  At his gesture, the adjutant took out a sheet of papyrus.

  "This is a report written by our military doctors. It's about patients who had accidents or fell ill over the past month..."

  "Thank you for bringing it, but it doesn't seem like necessary information."

  Appius answered shortly.

  Caesar had clearly come to find him on purpose to interfere.

  Caesar was a man who noticed and grasped everything happening around him.

  Appius hurriedly moved his feet.

  "Thank you for coming to find me like this, but I should really be heading to Rome..."

  "Wait, I didn't come just to show you this. Take this to Rome and show it to the treasury officials. Consider it a governor’s request to his quaestor."

  "..."

  Appius took the papyrus silently.

  What is Caesar up to this time?

  No matter what dirty trick he used, Appius had no intention of being fooled.

  But as he checked the figures written on the papyrus, his eyes widened.

  "This is..."

  "Truly amazing, isn't it?"

  Caesar smiled brightly.

  Appius checked the figures again several times, but he still couldn't believe it.

  "Are you giving me a false report right now?"

  "Have you ever seen me lie since I took office as Governor here? If you really don't believe it, go to the doctors yourself and verify it."

  "..."

  Appius looked at the papyrus again and muttered.

  "It makes no sense. The number of sick soldiers has decreased by half in the last two months."

  "It's a figure that cannot be ignored, isn't it? As you know, the number of soldiers contracting infectious diseases has drastically decreased since we started supplying Palmolive."

  Caesar burst into his characteristic laughter and patted Appius on the back.

  "Rome should also receive this information as soon as possible, shouldn't it? If fewer legionaries fall ill, we can save that much precious budget and lives."

  Looking at Caesar's face, Appius felt his stomach twisted.

  "A quaestor as capable as you will deliver it to the Senate without delay, won't you?"

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  A fun little fact about my pen name:

  mint chocolate, and “Nyangi” (??) comes from goyangi (???), which means cat in Korean.