The Mad Tycoon of Rome

< 238. Conspiracy 2 >

Cicero looked around without giving any answer.

He and Cassius were the only ones in the room, but he knew that this kind of talk could leak out at any time.

Even after checking several times that no one was nearby, he lowered his voice to a whisper and asked.

“Do you realize how dangerous what you’re saying is?”

“Of course I do. But don’t you also know that we have no choice but to do this, Cicero?”

“No choice, you say? Listen here…”

“I’ll be honest with you, Cicero. Even if you don’t join us, I’m sure you won’t stop us from doing this. We already have many comrades who have agreed to share our cause. We have concluded that the only way to restore the purity of the republic is to cut off the root of the problem.”

Cicero noticed the word ‘we’ that Cassius used.

He had thought it was just a bluff at first, but he began to think that there might be some merit in hearing it out if it was a somewhat organized plan.

“How many people are involved in this reckless… no, brave plan?”

“Don’t be surprised. If you join us, we’ll have twenty-one people. And almost all of them are active senators, and half of them are patricians who have served as senior magistrates.”

Cicero’s mouth dropped open.

Considering that the senate had 600 members, twenty people were not that many.

But if they were all from noble families that were famous in Rome, it was a different story.

Whether they succeeded or failed, they would inevitably bring a huge shock to Rome.

“Wait, wait. You’re saying that you’re going to kill Caesar… that… are you sure that’s possible?”

Cicero’s voice grew smaller and smaller until it was barely audible.

Cassius nodded confidently.

“You’ll think so too when you hear who’s participating.”

“Let me hear it first and then decide.”

“Trebonius and Basilius, Rabeo, Caecilius and the Servilius brothers, Sulpicius Galba, and Maelius, and even Decimus Brutus.”

“Decimus? Wasn’t he Caesar’s man?”

“That’s why I’m so confident. If even Caesar’s close associate is on our side, how easy would it be to find an opportunity?”

Cicero still looked suspicious.

The joining of Decimus was too shocking for him.

Decimus was a distant relative of Caesar and a talented man who had been active under his command since the Gallic War.

He couldn’t easily believe that he was involved in Caesar’s assassination plot.

“What if he’s a spy? If you trust people too easily and the plan gets to Caesar’s ears, that will be the end of the optimates.”

“That won’t happen. We thoroughly checked before we accepted him into the group. You’re the first one we’ve tried to persuade by revealing our purpose from the start.”

“Why does Decimus want to betray Caesar?”

“Well… there are some personal reasons involved. But he’s not someone who would betray us. I guarantee that for sure.”

There were various reasons why Decimus joined the assassination plot, but one of them was his insecurity that Caesar didn’t treat him fairly.

But Cassius kept his mouth shut about this, fearing that it would make Decimus look like a petty person.

It was better to emphasize that he was acting for the sake of defending the republic by killing his superior.

Cicero was somewhat convinced, but he still didn’t have confidence in the assassination.

For one thing, he didn’t think highly of the people who participated in the plan.

“To be honest, I don’t see more than a handful of competent people among the twenty.”

“But they are all comrades armed with conviction. In this kind of plan, nothing is more important than keeping secrets. And the fact that you didn’t know anything until now proves that they are tight-lipped.”

“Fine. I’ll give you that much. But have you thought about what will happen if this plan fails?”

“We’ll never be able to set foot in Rome again.”

“That’s not all. If Caesar survives an assassination attempt, he’ll use it as an excuse to completely dismantle the optimates. He has the power to do that, and assassination is enough reason for him to do so.”

Cassius sighed and nodded.

He wasn’t ignorant of how risky it was to assassinate him in reality.

But their hearts were so desperate that they thought there was no other way.

“Cicero. If we go on like this, the optimates will be nothing but a name. Wouldn’t it be better to try something? If Marcus goes back to Antioch, no one will be able to check Caesar. We have to settle this before then.”

“Okay. Let’s assume that the plan succeeds and we get rid of Caesar. But you’re overlooking one important fact. Do you think the people will welcome us if we assassinate the most popular hero in Rome? If you give me a naive answer that they will, I can’t join you.”

“We do have… some thoughts on that.”

Cassius stuttered a bit.

“So… there was some talk among us about that. It’s good to assassinate him, but what are we going to do after that?”

“That’s what I want to hear. You’re talking about assassinating the greatest hero in Rome, who has overwhelming popularity among the people, not impeaching him.”

“That’s why we need you, Cicero. We need someone who can calm the chaos after the assassination and persuade the people. Someone who has the ability to do that.”

“You want me to play the role of calming down the angry citizens?”

Cicero let out a sarcastic laugh.

He clicked his tongue and spoke sharply.

“Think about it, Cassius. What are we going to say to the people after we assassinate Caesar? We can’t prove it, but Caesar wanted to be king, so we gave him the judgment of justice? You don’t expect the people to believe that, do you?”

“Of course not. We’re not that naive. The people will think that we killed Caesar to gain power.”

“Right. And you can see clearly what Caesar’s supporters will do to you in their rage. You’ll be lucky if you don’t die from being stoned without a trial. I’d say there’s a ninety-nine percent chance of that happening.”

“That would happen if we assassinate Caesar right now. But what if we can expose his clear ambition to become king? Wouldn’t that change the story?

That’s why we’re focusing on that part right now. We’ll provoke Caesar and reveal that he’s hiding his ambition to destroy the republic. Then we’ll condemn Caesar and claim our legitimacy to the people.”

It wasn’t a completely unreasonable plan.

If they could prove that Caesar had the ambition to be king, they could secure a reason for assassination.

But there were still problems.

“Judging by how long you’ve been talking, you haven’t made any progress in getting evidence.”

“…I won’t deny it. But that’s because we don’t have enough people who can make a detailed plan for us. That’s why I’m asking for your wisdom, Cicero. If you join us, we can definitely succeed.”

“But will Rome go back to the way it was before if Caesar disappears?”

Cicero couldn’t give a definitive answer.

In the original history, Cicero didn’t directly participate in Caesar’s assassination, but he strongly supported the assassins.

He thought that Caesar, who became a dictator for life and ruled Rome as he pleased, had to disappear in order to preserve the purity of the republic.

But now he didn’t have that confidence.

Caesar was not a dictator yet, and he had contributed too much to Rome.

Young and hot-blooded people like Cassius tended to oversimplify the cause of the problem.

He seemed to sincerely believe that everything would be solved if they just got rid of Caesar.

“Of course. First of all, the populares will lose their power if Caesar is gone. How can they have any say when they supported someone who wanted to be king?

The senate will be reorganized with the optimates as the main force. All of Caesar’s plans to increase the number of senators will be abolished.

And we’ll be able to send governors to Gaul, Britain, and Germany again. Marcus will also give up the many powers he took to check Caesar. The order of Rome will be restored by the senate again.”

“Have you talked to Marcus?”

“We didn’t think it was necessary. He said he was going back to Antioch soon anyway. And besides, it’s a bit… awkward to tell him that we’re going to assassinate his father-in-law.”

“It’s not in Marcus’s nature to assassinate anyone anyway. If he decides what to do with Caesar, he’ll probably use legal means. You’re right not to tell Marcus.”

Cicero looked around in agony.

To join or not to join.

In fact, his true intention was to stay out of this matter.

He didn’t like the method of assassination either, and the path to success seemed too perilous.

But there was one problem.

Would they stop if Cicero refused to join?

Looking at Cassius’s face now, he was sure they wouldn’t.

And judging by the faces of the assassins, things didn’t look very good.

Even if they succeeded in assassinating him, they would probably be swept away by the angry crowds.

And most likely, it wouldn’t just ruin them, but the entire faction of nobles.

As Cicero, he couldn’t just sit back and get burned by sparks. 

He might end up being buried under a landslide.

And there was also a risk of being criticized as a coward who refused to participate in a righteous cause if they succeeded by any chance.

It was a difficult situation either way.

Then maybe it would be better to sneak into the plan and try to control it in his favor.

He made up his mind and nodded slowly.

“Fine. But on one condition. You have to listen to my opinion in carrying out the plan. If not, I’ll think you have ulterior motives and leave immediately. No complaints, right?”

“Of course not. Even if you suggest something I don’t understand, I’ll trust and follow you.”

“And one more thing. I don’t trust this level of personnel at all. We need more people who can exert influence externally and who can draw out Caesar’s ambition blatantly.”

“We’ve discussed that several times. Of course, we have some candidates in mind. After convincing you, we were planning to bring in Cato and Brutus.”

Cicero smiled with satisfaction.

They were both people that Cicero couldn’t fault.

Brutus was the heir of a family that symbolized the defense of the republic, and he also inherited the bloodline of the Servilius family, one of the most prestigious families.

And Cato was a debater who could best scratch Caesar’s temper, even if he lacked popularity.

If they could bring in these two people, the assassination plan would become much more realistic.

Cassius and Cicero decided to strike while the iron was hot and headed straight to Cato’s mansion.

Cato, who was choosing a book in his study, welcomed the unexpected visitors warmly.

“What brings you here? The meeting was over long ago. But Cassius, you don’t look very happy.”

“How can I be? Caesar is steadily advancing his ambition to become the king of Rome.”

Cato frowned and sighed deeply.

“But what can we do? We have to keep trying to stop him.”

“Is that all?”

“All? What else is there?”

“We have a duty to protect this glorious republic that we inherited from our ancestors. Yes, killing Caesar is the only way to fulfill this duty.”

“Killing Caesar is the way to protect the republic?”

Cato’s mouth opened wide in disbelief.

Cassius expected Cato to raise both hands and welcome him.

There was no one in the senate who hated Caesar more than Cato.

On the other hand, Cicero looked anxiously at Cassius and Cato, alternating between them.

As expected, Cato threw his wine glass and stood up with a red face.

“Assassination? What nonsense are you talking about? You’re like shameless villains. Get out of my house right now!”

Cassius’s face turned pale.

< 238. Conspiracy 2 > End