Chapter 57: The Aftermath of the Incident

Chapter 57: The Aftermath of the Incident

Chapter 57: The Aftermath of the Incident

The Senate, faced with the shocking election result, was almost in a state of panic.

The elected consuls had gone to the temple to worship that day, so they did not attend the Senate meeting.

Without the parties involved, the meeting was filled with accusations from the beginning.

“How could that man Catiline be elected as consul! What did the Senate do!”

“You are also a senator! What did you do!”

“What, you? Are you saying that to me now?”

The atmosphere was so tense that it seemed like a brawl would break out.

Cicero, the consul who couldn’t stand it anymore, got up from his seat and shouted nervously.

“What’s the point of arguing about who is responsible now! When I proposed a vote to ban Catiline from running as a candidate in the first place, what choice did you make? You overwhelmingly agreed then, so this is something that all of us in the Senate have to share responsibility for. Am I wrong?”

When Cicero looked at the fighting senators alternately, they felt embarrassed and sat down again.

Cicero, who thought that the meeting had calmed down, took a deep breath and continued.

“Honorable senators. Let me say it again, this is not the time for us to cause discord among ourselves. We have to decide our course of action while Catiline is away.”

Even Cato, who was not on good terms with Cicero, agreed with him this time.

Cato’s loud voice filled the spacious meeting room as he got the right to speak.

“The consul is right! Catiline has made a pledge that ignores the foundation of Roman law and won the election. We can’t let such an absurd bill as debt cancellation be proposed.”

Claudius Pulcher, who had just entered the Senate, tilted his head and asked.

“But even if Catiline kicks up a fuss, there is no way such a bill will pass, right? It seems to me that all we have to do is for Silanus to exercise his veto power until the end. Even if Silanus doesn’t do it, one of the tribunes will. I think you’re making a fuss over nothing...”

A few senators seemed to agree with Pulcher’s words.

Cato touched his forehead with his hand and lamented.

“Are there still people who don’t understand the seriousness of the situation? I’ll say it once, so listen carefully. The perception that there is no problem because we can exercise our veto power is absurd! The problem is that such a bill as debt cancellation is proposed in the first place!”

“...The bill proposal itself is a problem?”

“Exactly. Have you already forgotten what happened during the Gracchi brothers’ time?”

Most of the senators understood Cato’s words and nodded their heads.

In the past, the Gracchi brothers tried to reform the land law, which was a contradiction of Rome, and struggled to pass it despite the opposition of the Senate.

The tribune had legislative power just like the consul, so it was possible for them to confront the Senate head-on.

In the end, the Senate resorted to an emergency measure called senatus consultum ultimum to stop the Gracchi brothers.

When senatus consultum ultimum was invoked, all rights of Roman citizens were suspended under the pretext of protecting the republic.

Even tribunes who were guaranteed inviolability were no exception.

The Senate executed the Gracchi brothers and their supporters without trial by using this ultimate consultation.

But senatus consultum ultimum was an extralegal authority that was not specified in Roman law.

Senators who were well-versed and discerning in law hoped that this authority would not be used.

It was also absurd to invoke senatus consultum ultimum against consuls who were representatives of senators in the first place.

Cicero, who was a representative of senators well-versed in law, took over Cato’s words with a worried expression.

“What’s more serious than during the Gracchi brothers’ time is that someone who proposes such an absurd bill is a consul of the Senate. What do you think will happen if such a bill is proposed in the name of consul, Rome’s highest office?”

Pulcher was convinced to some extent, but he still raised one last objection.

“But it’s also true that it’s different from during the Gracchi brothers’ time. The land law received overwhelming support from commoners, but debt cancellation would only be welcomed by those in debt.”

“Imagine how fierce those in debt will respond. There are at least thousands of people struggling with debt in Rome. And if the rumor spreads, debtors from all over the Italian peninsula will flock here.”

The faces of the senators who realized the situation hardened.

Come to think of it, it could turn into a serious social problem.

Furious Cato looked around the senators who had finally understood the seriousness of the matter with contempt.

“Do you understand now? Until now, those who had a lot of debt probably thought they had no choice but to live with it. But then Catiline came along as a lifeline for them. What does it matter whether it’s rotten or not? They will rush in with their eyes turned upside down as soon as they see a chance to survive. There are even some reckless people in this Senate who enjoy luxury with other people’s money.”

Cato paused for a moment and looked at Caesar.

The eyes of the other senators naturally focused on Caesar.

A strange atmosphere engulfed the meeting room.

Come to think of it, it wasn’t just commoners who had to side with Catiline.

There was a high possibility that nobles who were in debt also secretly supported Catiline, and no one knew how much debt Caesar had.

They looked at Caesar with a look that said, ‘You’re on Catiline’s side too, aren’t you?’

Even in such an uncomfortable atmosphere, Caesar calmly scratched his head with his finger.

This made Cato even more displeased.

“Do you have nothing to say because I hit the nail on the head?”

The reason why Cato hated Caesar was not only because he thought he was a threat to the republic.

There was also a personal reason.

Cato, who considered living frugally as a virtue of the Stoic school, saw Caesar as an embodiment of indulgence.

Marcus secretly praised his past self for not revealing everything.

It was the best choice to just say that the election results would cause a big wave and to be careful of safety.

Marcus smiled casually with all his practice and nodded slightly.

“Of course I predicted everything. That’s why I lent money to Catiline.”

“Wow...”

A voice of admiration and respect came out of Julia’s mouth.

Danae shrugged her shoulders as if she knew it.

“Even when Lucullus was winning battles in the east, you predicted that the price of wheat would skyrocket in a few years. You must have easily known something like this would happen.”

“Well, yes.”

Marcus was proud of himself for not showing any change in his expression.

It was all thanks to his hard training.

“Then the future developments are also in your palm. I wonder what grand scheme you have drawn this time...”

Septimius’s words were overflowing with reverence, and Marcus felt sick to his stomach.

But he couldn’t admit the truth now.

He had to be recognized by his subordinates as a superhuman who controlled everything perfectly.

He had been acting like that all along, and he couldn’t show any weakness here.

Unaware of his mind, Danae threw a difficult question.

“Then what should we do now? We need to know how the situation will unfold so we can move in a way that helps you.”

“Hmm... Well, I want to hear your thoughts first. How do you think Rome’s politics will go?”

“I don’t know. Many people say that Catiline will propose a bill to cancel the debts. But I personally doubt it. Even if he does, the other consul or the tribune will surely veto it. It seems better to just give up on an impossible bill than to keep pushing it.”

“No, that’s not it.”

Julia immediately rejected Danae’s reasoning.

She explained to Danae, who looked at her with a puzzled face.

“Most of Catiline’s supporters are debtors who owe a lot of money. He has to keep his supporters happy now that he has become a consul with their support. If he pretends he doesn’t know anything after being elected, he might be assassinated by his angry supporters, don’t you think?”

“Oh, I see. Catiline’s supporters are especially fierce, so he has to listen to them...”

“He has no political life if he abandons his supporters. He has two choices: either confront the senate or betray his supporters and end his political life. And he will probably choose to confront the senate with a high probability.”

Marcus’s thoughts were the same as Julia’s.

Catiline was already on the tiger’s back.

He had no choice but to go forward, whether it was death or rice.

“Julia is right. Catiline has no choice but to propose the debt cancellation bill vigorously. This is the predetermined future.”

“Then there will be a huge social chaos... What kind of move are you going to make, Marcus?”

This time, Julia asked a question that she couldn’t answer herself.

She looked at him with a longing for guidance in her sparkling eyes.

Marcus had three options to solve this situation.

He was not sure which one to choose yet.

At this moment of dilemma, an unexpected hand of salvation came.

A slave who entered the office carefully informed him of a guest.

“Sir, Catiline, who has been elected as a consul, says he has something urgent to discuss with you.”

“Really? Take him to the reception room right away.”

Marcus secretly rejoiced and asked Julia for permission.

“Let’s continue our conversation after I send the guest away.”

“Yes. I’ll also think about your intentions in the meantime.”

Marcus left the office and headed straight to the reception room.

Catiline, who had arrived earlier, seemed very restless.

He brightened up when he saw Marcus’s face and came over and grabbed both of his hands.

“Thank you for making time for me.”

“Thank you? You are the one who has been elected as a consul. I have to put everything aside and welcome you no matter how busy I am. By the way, congratulations on your election.”

“Ah... yes, thank you very much. I wouldn’t be here without you. I’ll definitely pay back the money I borrowed from you.”

“Haha, as long as you pay me back for sure, you can repay me at your leisure. Anyway, what did you want to discuss with me urgently?”

He had a rough idea of what Catiline was troubled by.

It must be frustrating for him to be in a situation where he couldn’t do anything as Julia guessed.

Catiline looked around cautiously and sighed deeply, then poured out his desperate feelings.

“Please help me out, please.”

<End of Chapter 57: The Aftermath of the Incident>