[…The die is cast!]

 

The 30-minute intermission came to an end.

 

And the performance of <Julius Caesar> resumed on the stage of the Killgrewber Theater Company.

 

The Rubicon River, depicted with the aid of magical stage effects, flowed across the stage.

 

And leading his legion across it, Mr. Renoir, playing the role of Caesar, shouted grandly

 

[To cross this river is to unleash misery upon the mortal world. To stay is to face my own ruin! Onwards! To where the gods await! To where those who have sullied our honor await!]

 

While Caesar was away on his campaign, the First Triumvirate in Rome had already fallen apart.

 

Crassus, envious of Caesar’s military glory, led an expedition to Parthia, only to meet his demise on the battlefield.

 

Pompey, secretly colluding with the Senate, had turned his back on Caesar completely.

 

Ultimately, having marched his legions to the very doorstep of Rome, Caesar found himself at a crossroads.

 

The Rubicon River marked the final boundary between Rome’s heartland and its provinces.

 

Unspoken law dictated that generals returning from campaigns must disarm their troops before crossing this river.

 

Crossing the Rubicon without disarming and entering Rome was an act of rebellion; a coup d’etat.

 

And Caesar, without hesitation, chose rebellion.

 

What followed was known as ‘Caesar’s Civil War,’ the event that effectively marked the end of the Roman Republic.

 

In this war, he defeated his rival Pompey, who had the Senate’s support, and finally stood at the pinnacle of power.

 

[I came, I saw, I conquered!]

 

Vēnī. Vīdī. Vīcī!

 

A dazzling triumph ceremony unfolded as Caesar utters his most famous words.

 

After magnanimously pardoning his surviving rivals, Caesar implemented extensive reforms across society.

 

He maintained a visionary perspective, transforming Rome from a mere city-state into the great empire remembered by modern people.

 

Caesar was undeniably a man of ambition, driven by a desire for power.

 

However, he did not wield this power for personal gain, but rather for the benefit of Rome.

 

His ambitions were always intertwined with the grand vision of reforming and revitalizing Rome.

 

However, the reign of such a hero did not last long.

 

Caesar, appointed dictator for life, held absolute power, effectively making him Emperor in all but name.

 

Thus, the senators, fearful of his unchecked progress, plotted his assassination in secret.

 

And so, on the fateful day of March 15, 44 BC…

 

Assassins, daggers in hand, surrounded Caesar as he arrived for the meeting.

 

[Death to the tyrant!]

 

[For Rome!]

 

[For the Republic!]

 

[Gah!]

 

Sharp blades rained down incessantly from all directions.

 

Caesar yelped in agony as multiple daggers pierced him, wringing screams of burning pain from his lips.

 

Meanwhile, the audience gasped, cries of shock and horror echoing throughout the theater.

 

“C-Caesar!”

 

“What’s happening?! What’s going on?!”

 

“No! Not Caesar! Not the hero of Rome!”

 

The audience must have believed that, as always, he would narrowly escape his enemies’ plot.

 

But alas, it seemed the hero’s luck had finally run out.

 

As the final assassin appeared, a look of utter shock washed over both Caesar’s and the audience’s faces.

 

[Brutus… even you?]

 

Marcus Junius Brutus, his adopted son, the one he treated like his own flesh and blood…

 

…he stepped forward and plunged a cold dagger into Caesar’s chest without a moment’s hesitation.

 

Thud—!

 

“Aaaahhhh!!”

 

“Oh, God!”

 

As the prop blood gushed from the actor’s abdomen, the audience erupted into piercing screams.

 

The sudden turn of events, the assassination of Caesar…

 

… left the audience stunned and speechless.

 

But as the spectators’ time seemed to freeze, the time on stage continued to flow forward.

 

[Brutus… oh, Brutus…]

 

Caesar slowly raised his arm, his eyes bloodshot.

 

His hand soon rested on the face of the very Brutus who had stabbed him.

 

Yet, the emotion on the hero’s face was not one of resentment; there was no searing betrayal, nor disappointment, not even anger. 

 

With tears slowly welling up in the actor’s eyes, Caesar gently shed a single tear.

 

As it traced a profound line down his cheek, Caesar quietly murmured.

 

[I… Am… Sorry…]

 

Thump—! 

 

With those words, he finally collapsed upon the marble floor.

 

His body, riddled with stab and slash wounds,

 

bled copiously from every injury.

 

The audience, who had been watching the series of events, finally snapped back to reality.

 

“Oh, Caesar… Caesar…”

 

“He truly was a great hero. To forgive the traitor who murdered him…”

 

Truth be told, that final scene with Brutus stabbing Caesar had a considerable amount of dramatization involved.

 

In reality, Brutus was not Caesar’s adopted son, and Caesar had never spoken those apologetic words to him before his death.

 

And those famous last words, “Brutus, even you?”, were actually a fictional creation from Shakespeare’s play.

 

Nevertheless, this subtle dramatization evoked two very important emotions for the developments to come.

 

A deep respect for Caesar, who loved his adopted son until the very end despite being betrayed.

 

…And rage towards Brutus, the heartless soul who murdered his own adoptive father.

 

[Citizens of Rome! Hear my words, I, Brutus will speak!]

 

Brutus, having carried out the assassination, stood before the Roman citizens, brandishing the bloodied dagger he used for the deed.

 

Caesar, a leader who had enjoyed the fervent support of the common people and guided Rome to greatness…

 

…Brutus now stood before them, his clothes stained with their beloved leader’s blood, proclaiming his justification for the act in a sorrowful voice.

 

He explained why he had assassinated Caesar, his adoptive father.

 

He argued why this act was, in fact, a necessary step to save Rome.

 

[I loved Caesar! But I loved Rome more! I loved the Republic more than a dictator! Thus, with tears in my eyes, I struck down the one I loved most, who sought to become a tyrant!]

 

His speech left the Roman citizens in turmoil.

 

His words were logical and persuasive on the surface.

 

But those seated in the audience felt differently.

 

“That… shameless wretch!”

 

“How dare he speak such words, after killing that great hero?!”

 

“Damn you, Brutus!”

 

A simmering rage coursed through the audience.

 

It was a righteous anger born from the loss of the protagonist they had cheered for and empathized with throughout the entire play.

 

And this moment was ripe to quench that anger with a satisfying climax.

 

And it did so, through a clever imitation of the Bard himself, William Shakespeare, and his play <Julius Caesar>.

 

[Silence your silver tongue, Brutus!]

 

A man appeared from across the stage, interrupting Brutus.

 

It was Marcus Antonius, Caesar’s loyal lieutenant.

 

[Behold, citizens of Rome! See what our hero, Caesar, has left behind in his will!]

 

Antonius held up Caesar’s will, prepared as a prop, and shouted.

 

Following his cue, the extras playing Roman citizens read its contents aloud in unison.

 

Upon his death, Caesar bequeathed his land to the people of Rome.

 

He would bestow a fortune upon every citizen, amounting to 75 drachmas in silver coins per person — 75 drachmas, a sum equivalent to almost two months’ salary for a government official today.

 

This alone was enough to sway public opinion, which had previously condemned Caesar as a selfish dictator.

 

But Antonius’s speech was not yet finished.

 

[Citizens! Hear me! Brutus, who accuses Caesar of being a tyrant and justifies his assassination with his forked tongue! What truly lies beneath those words?!]

 

Brutus retreated, his face contorted in panic.

 

Antonius pointed a finger at him and declared,

 

[Ambition! That is the truth! A vile, ugly, pitch-black ambition, nothing more!]

 

[Citizens of Rome! These are not liberators who struck down a tyrant! They are nothing more than murderers who killed a hero for their own selfish gains!]

 

Antonius’s impassioned speech instantly turned the tide of public opinion, swaying the hearts of the wavering citizens.

 

At that moment, a thunderous roar erupted from the audience.

 

“He’s right! Well said, Antonius!!”

 

“Boo! Brutus, you treacherous bastard!”

 

“Bring back Caesar, Brutus! Bring him back this instant!!”

 

“Execution! Execute that man! Tear him apart, limb by limb!!”

 

A spectacular scene unfolded. Men and women alike stood up, unleashing a torrent of boos and shouts directed at Brutus. Even though most of the gathered were upper-class nobles and wealthy individuals, they had abandoned all decorum, faces red with fury.

 

If it weren’t for the armored guards maintaining order, they would have stormed the stage immediately; requesting additional security from the imperial family as a precaution had been a stroke of genius.

 

‘Were it not for that, the actor playing Brutus would have been trampled to death by the audience.’

 

Passionate audiences turning on actors was not unheard of in history.

 

There was the case in China where an audience member killed a comedian who portrayed the villain, Cao Cao, in <Romance of the Three Kingdoms> a bit too convincingly.

 

And in Joseon, there was the instance where people killed a storyteller for his masterful portrayal of the villain Kim Ja-jeom in <The Story of Im Kkeokjeong>.

 

{T/N – Im Kkeok-jeong was the leader of a peasant rebellion in the Hwanghae Province during 1559 to 1562, which started due to heavy taxation.}

 

In any case, the remainder of the play proceeded smoothly, and quite swiftly. It depicted the tragic downfall of Brutus and his accomplices, who had fled after assassinating Caesar.

 

And finally, it concluded with the appearance of Caesar’s hidden successor, Octavian, who inherited his power.

 

[Hero of Rome, Caesar! May you rest in peace!]

 

The beautiful laurel wreath, symbolizing the Roman Emperor,

 

was placed on his head as the actor playing Octavian declared.

 

[I, Octavian, shall carry on Caesar’s legacy! Blessed be, great Rome! Forever shall we remember you, great Caesar!]

 

“Waaaaah—!!”

 

“Great Caesar—!!”

 

An ending where a capable successor inherits the mantle of an unparalleled hero and brings his grand vision to fruition; the audience, experiencing ultimate catharsis, gave a standing ovation, their applause fervent and deafening.

 

Of course, in actual history, Octavian never declared himself Emperor.

 

In fact, he referred to himself as Princeps (First Citizen) throughout his life, presenting himself as the guardian of the Republic.

 

However, in this world, even Octavian was a product of the fictional world created by the playwright Phantom.

 

No one would bat an eye at such a minor alteration.

 

“Caesar! Caesar! Caesar! Caesar!”

 

The curtain call commenced, the actors taking their bows, but the chants of the audience continued unabated; men and women, young and old, all united in their cries, chanting the protagonist’s name with a Other Worldly fervor.

 

And of course, senior Rosalyn, sitting right beside me, was no exception.

 

However, there was one key difference between her and the rest of the audience…

 

“Kyaaa, Phantom! Phantoooom—!!”

 

…She was wildly clapping and ecstatically chanting the playwright’s name.

 

Watching her cheerful(?) display, a sense of unease crept into my heart.

 

‘Hold on. This isn’t just a matter of worrying about the imperial family…’

 

Her eyes sparkled with happiness, bordering on ecstasy; this passionate fervor was a stark contrast to her usual calm and innocent demeanor.

 

I might be imagining things, but there was a hint of ‘madness’, a touch of obsession in her gaze.

 

What if she were to discover that I was Phantom?

 

How would Rosalyn react then?

 

‘Balthazar, I want to repay you for saving my father. So, never leave this basement, okay?’

 

‘Balthazar? Why do you keep trying to escape? Just stay by my side forever and write for me…’

 

‘That’s right! You don’t need legs, do you? As long as you have hands to hold a pen, Balthazar!’

 

“…………….”

 

Ugghh…I must have watched too many movies.

 

No matter how extreme her fandom might get,

 

there’s no way our sweet and considerate senior Rosaline would ever do something like that, right? Hahaha.

 

…Probably not.

 

 

 

— End of Chapter —