Chapter 177: Testament
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< 177. Testament >
The Romans had not forgotten Sulla.
Those who had experienced Sulla’s era were mostly elders now, but even the young ones had memories of Sulla.
Sulla and Marius’s power struggle, and the brutal purge that followed, had left a deep and indelible trauma on many Roman youths.
Sulla alone had executed 9,000 people without trial.
Among the current senators, there were hardly any who had not lost a relative close to Marius or Sulla.
Caesar himself had his father-in-law’s family completely uprooted by Sulla, and Crassus had his father killed by Marius’s faction.
Marcus had lost his grandfather.
Pompey too had lost his father in the civil war.
Even the triumvirate, who supported Rome, had not escaped the fire of the last civil war.
The Roman nobles sincerely hoped that the tragedy of that day would not be repeated.
That’s why many of them were genuinely worried about the collapse of the current balance of power.
The triumvirate was the center of Rome, whether they liked it or not.
If one of the triumvirate disappeared, there would be a huge change in the power structure.
Especially if it was Pompey who disappeared, the balance of power would be extremely divided into two.
Caesar of the populist and Marcus of the optimates.
The general opinion was that Marcus had more weight on his side, but Caesar had the advantage of being able to march on Rome by land.
Even though they were father-in-law and son-in-law, it was not uncommon for families to split up for power.
Of course, not everyone was worried about Pompey’s departure.
Some extreme people among the optimates wished Pompey would quickly fall ill and die.
They firmly believed that the nobles of the senate should always lead Rome.
For these people, the collapse of the triumvirate’s balance was nothing less than a blessing.
Moderates like Cicero were more worried than anyone else about this situation.
If Pompey’s poor health became known to the public, the people’s mood, which had barely stabilized, would immediately shake.
He tried to block the rumors and dispel the doubts of the public.
Pompey’s strength had declined so much that anyone could see it, but his gravity had not diminished at all.
He was a commander who represented Rome before he was a power holder, and he was also a brilliant strategist.
He had not shown this ability in politics until now, but it was more appropriate to see it as a matter of temperament rather than ability.
“What is the trend of the senate now?”
“They are like hyenas looking for your empty seat. So get up quickly and show your face at the meeting hall.”
Cicero visited Pompey’s mansion every day and informed him of the flow of politics and discussed future plans.
Although their political positions were different, they shared the same hope that chaos would not grow.
Pompey saw through the psychology of those who came to him with his insight, which had increased inversely to his health.
And those who tried to exploit his weakness by pretending to worry were naturally driven away as if they were unwelcome guests.
There were less than ten people who were allowed to talk with Pompey by his side, including Cicero.
“It’s a pity. They are so greedy for my position, but they have no chance of becoming the center of Rome.”
Pompey’s expression did not show any anger.
He only showed a deep sense of regret and emptiness.
Cicero felt uneasy about his attitude, which was so different from before.
He could not shake off the saying that when a person changes drastically, it means that their end is near.
But fortunately, Pompey did not show a completely resigned attitude.
He did not say anything that implied giving up on life completely.
Today too, he talked about his plans for the future.
“I think I need to teach Sextus more. He doesn’t seem as rash as Gnaeus, but he’s still young. I have to educate him until he can secure his own position.”
“That’s right. In my opinion, you have to teach him for at least a few more years. At least until he has enough confidence to make his clients trust him.”
“I’m personally looking at five years. If I have that much time, I can somehow make him look like a head of a family.”
Cicero did not bother to ask if that was possible.
He was satisfied with the fact that Pompey did not talk about death and planned his son’s education.
“Do you have any plans to show your face at the senate?”
“I’ll go there soon. There are many voices coming out of the populist as well.”
“That’s good. Please think about it. It makes a huge difference whether you show your face once or not. The ones who are making noise now, like Catilina, won’t be able to say a word if they meet your eyes directly.”
“Those guys are just blabbering, they can’t do anything in reality. Don’t worry about them.”
Pompey chuckled softly.
Seeing his smile, Cicero also nodded with a smile.
His health had deteriorated every day, but his laughter had not completely disappeared from his daily life.
Pompey tried to laugh more and think positively, contrary to his health.
It was not easy, but he could not just give up.
He regretted the moments when he had lived in despair as if he had achieved everything after his last expedition.
He still had a lot of things to do, but why did he focus only on his personal matters?
‘I should have cared more about my children’s independence when I had time.’
Pompey suddenly thought of Crassus, whom he had talked to yesterday.
He was worried about the future after Pompey’s death, but he did not show any concern for his own afterlife.
He envied the ease of the man who had already succeeded in passing on his family to his children more than ever.
‘No matter how much fame and merit I accumulate, in the end, what remains are my children who are not yet mature…’
Pompey remembered the advice that Marcus had given him in Egypt.
He finally decided that he could not wait any longer and sent a letter to Antioch with a faithful slave.
Even if he sent a letter now, it would take a long time for Marcus to come to Rome after reading it.
He decided to do everything he could to prevent his health from getting worse until then.
But fortunately, the waiting time was not long.
The reunion came faster than he expected.
Pompey’s letter had not even arrived in Brundisium yet when he came.
Marcus had returned to Rome.
※※※
Marcus entered Rome quietly late at night to avoid trouble.
He did not bring the soldiers he had taken to Egypt with him either.
Only about ten attendants, including Spartacus and Sextus, accompanied him.
“You came faster than I thought. I didn’t expect you to come in so quietly.”
“I had no choice. If I returned to Rome from Antioch without a reason, there would be rumors that something was wrong. Anyway, I have the right to return to Rome freely, so I didn’t break any law.”
“Did you hear about my condition from Sextus?”
“Cicero sent me a letter. Even before that, a friend of mine from Egypt told me that your health was worrisome.”
Pompey smiled wryly and shook his head.
“Sextus must have been careless with his mouth. He’s still young.”
“My friend is quite sharp. I don’t think Sextus made a big mistake.”
Marcus did not bother to mention that Octavius, who had informed him of the news, was much younger than Sextus.
He did not want to give Pompey any unnecessary stress, who was troubled by the successor issue.
But he did not forget the purpose of coming here.
Marcus talked with Pompey and carefully observed his complexion.
His body had weakened considerably even though it had not been long since he last saw him.
But strangely enough, his eyes seemed sharper than before.
He did not even touch the wine he used to love so much, which confirmed that his body was not normal, but he did not feel like he was in danger.
“By the way, how are your children doing?”
“Yes. Seeing them grow every day is one of my few joys.”
“I know it sounds funny coming from me, but spend as much time as you can with your children. Don’t be like me.”
Marcus felt awkward and did not know what to say.
Pompey noticed his embarrassment and continued with a self-deprecating smile.
“Actually, I don’t think I need to say this to you. I heard that you love your children more than any other parent in Rome.”
“It’s not just me. What parent doesn’t love their children with all their heart? You also care for your children, don’t you?”
“Well… Even if I have such a feeling, it’s useless if I don’t show it in action. I feel like I failed as a head of a family even if I succeeded as an individual. Actually, this advice should be given to Caesar rather than you, but it’s a pity that he can’t come to Rome right now.”
“Failure? That’s not true. How many people in Roman history have raised their families as much as you have?”
“But I didn’t raise my successor properly. If I had died young like Alexander the Great, I might have an excuse, but that’s not the case either. Gnaeus failed and Sextus is still incomplete.”
Pompey’s expression sank gloomily.
Marcus was surprised by his change in another way.
Pompey would never have said such a thing before.
No matter how calm he tried to be, his bad side naturally showed up in front of a really close friend.
This situation showed how much Pompey trusted Marcus.
That made Marcus feel more sorry for him.
“Don’t worry too much. Isn’t there a saying that people who look frail live longer?”
“I don’t think so. Actually, that’s why I asked you to come to Rome with such an impudent request. I haven’t been a good parent until now, so I thought I should do it for sure on my last way. I have to do as much as I can before my life runs out.”
“No. Let me call some famous doctors…”
“Don’t do anything meaningless. You look surprised too. You’re trying to deny such a certain fact. I’ve never seen you cling to something that won’t happen.”
It was a statement that contradicted what he had said in front of Cicero.
But this was Pompey’s honest feeling.
What could Marcus say more?
He could only listen to Pompey’s words.
“I feel every day that my life is heading towards the end. Do you remember when I saw you off, I was coughing every day? But now I don’t even cough anymore. The people around me say that it’s because I’m getting better and try to reassure me, but the truth is different.
It’s not that I’m better and don’t cough, but that my body is so broken that I can’t even cough. But I’m glad that you came to Rome so soon. I was able to ask you while I was lying in bed and not losing my mind.”
“···I’ll do anything you want me to do.”
“Good. I feel uncomfortable pushing my burden on you with death as an excuse, but there’s no one else I can trust but you, so please understand.”
Pompey did not wait for Marcus’s answer.
He drank a sip of water that he had boiled and cooled down and slowly continued.
“As you know, I decided to make Sextus the successor of my family. But he’s still young. He’s just becoming an adult, who would trust and follow him? He didn’t earn military merit from an early age like me. So please do me a favor. If I leave this world, please take care of him for three years… no, two years at least. If you do that for me, I think I can accept my fate even if he fails to maintain the family’s power.”
Marcus nodded without hesitation.
He hoped that nothing would happen, but he had already anticipated what kind of talk would come and go when he came here.
He suppressed the feeling that welled up in his heart and opened his mouth with a calm voice as much as possible.
“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of him until he can stand on his own.”
< 177. Testament > The end
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