Chapter 614

Chapter 614: The Dream of Scattered Petals and Falling Stars

Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus.

Now, in this realm where dreams are not dreams and memories are not memories, Hakuno finally learned the true name of her Servant—the golden-red clad girl.

She was the fifth emperor of Rome, an infamous tyrant whose life was adorned with conspiracies and poison.

Should one fear her? Or keep a respectful distance from this mother-killing maiden?

But after witnessing her past, who could rashly judge this emperor who had no control over her own fate?

One could only watch in silence, with pity in their heart.

...The glory of bygone days had faded, leaving behind only scattered petals and falling stars.

After her mother’s poisoning, Nero’s headaches grew increasingly severe. While rumors attributed it to hysteria from prolonged use of silver cups, only the emperor herself knew the truth—it was the poison her mother had administered since childhood to prevent rebellion.

Perhaps antidotes had been given alongside the poison, but after her mother’s death, when the antidotes vanished, the toxicity embedded deep in her bones began tormenting the girl’s already fragile mind.

The death of a blood relative, the headaches from poison... From this point onward, Nero’s life spiraled further beyond redemption.

The suicide of Octavia, the wife forced upon her by her mother;

The assassination of her stepbrother Britannicus to consolidate her power;

And then—

The scene before Hakuno was now mostly stained crimson, with the red-cloaked emperor seated at its center, staring impassively at a faceless man.

["Your Majesty, you have truly reached remarkable heights."]

["Art thou angered by my actions again? I told thee, ’twas but a mishap. Even that matter where thou chastised me in the Senate, I have forgiven. I am most magnanimous, after all."]

["Then, I beg your leave—to a place beyond your reach."]

["Seneca, my teacher, I cannot fathom thy words... Why dost thou rage so? But no matter. I permit it. However many times, I permit it all. For I am most magnanimous."]

["Yet, I am the emperor who rules the world (Rome). Surely no such place exists?"]

"..."

"..."

["Wait—truly, thou wouldst go?"]

There existed a realm no living soul could reach—this both Seneca and Nero knew well. Only the sunless underworld lay beyond the grasp of Rome’s Augustus.

Hakuno’s pupils constricted. She saw the tall man’s resolute back as he took his own life with a dagger.

["Even her sole mentor, the philosopher Seneca whom she trusted wholeheartedly, was driven to suicide by her."]

Blood sprayed. This time, the canvas was dyed entirely in blinding scarlet, and the solitary emperor seated in the depths of her palace was swallowed by a sea of crimson.

Just as they had witnessed when first drawn into this place.

Hakuno sniffled, while the more sensitive Alice had long since reddened her eyes.

"Why... why did it have to turn out like this? She was such a kind person..."

For a girl still in the innocence of childhood, this story was far too heavy and dark. Just as Hakuno was about to offer words of comfort, a calm voice spoke up.

"All of this was the inevitable consequence of her own actions. An emperor who enjoyed immense popularity among the citizens was known to her own kin only through terror and death."

"An emperor who treated close friends and family no differently than complete strangers... hah."

The voice sighed with such sorrow, yet couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity.

"She claimed this was love. But this love made no distinction between young and old, noble and commoner—a great love as indifferent as it was vast."

"Just like King Arthur of Britain, this was another form of ’not understanding human hearts.’"

Who was speaking? Why did his voice sound so familiar?

How did he know so much about Nero—even about that King Arthur?

Hakuno and Alice turned toward the sound. When the figure slowly emerged from the crimson glow and came into view, their curiosity quickly turned to horror, erupting in high-pitched screams.

"Kyaaaaaaa—!"

"A g-g-g-ghost!"

Their reaction was understandable—the man standing before them had no head!

To be precise, his head was cradled in his hands, while the exposed wound on his neck continued to bleed profusely.

It was like a scene straight out of a horror movie. Faced with the terrified Hakuno and little Alice, the man scratched his head—only to grasp at empty air. Realizing his mistake, he promptly reattached his head.

With a sickening squelch and the unsettling sound of flesh rubbing together, the man returned to his composed demeanor. He bowed gracefully, his ancient Roman scholar’s robes swaying slightly, and Hakuno finally recognized him.

This was Nero’s tutor, the philosopher who had died by suicide—Seneca.

But... was this really him?

Perhaps due to the overwhelming shock, fragments of Hakuno’s sealed memories began surfacing. She studied the man’s still-blurred face with wariness.

She couldn’t believe this was truly Seneca—his manner of speaking didn’t match. Moreover, how had he escaped the illusion? And what right did he have to comment so objectively on the legendary King Arthur and the tyrant Nero?

His tone sounded more like someone from a thousand years later, well-versed in history, offering commentary on past events!

"Hmm, even with amnesia, you remain sharp as ever."

’Seneca’ noticed Hakuno’s suspicion but offered no explanation. Instead, he pointed calmly at the bloodstained painting:

"No matter. Keep watching. Without Nursery Rhyme’s Noble Phantasm, this ’Secret Garden (SG)’ locked within that emperor’s heart wouldn’t have been so easily revealed."

"Now that it’s exposed, I ask you to witness it—until the very end."

The crimson tide burned away in flames as a desolate sunset cast its glow. With the man’s voice transitioning from narration to the scene itself, this long yet fleeting life marched inexorably toward its conclusion.

"Several years after Seneca’s death, Rome erupted in rebellion. Nero was deposed by the Senate, branded a traitor to the state."

"The greatest miscalculation begins here."

"She devoted herself wholeheartedly to the citizens, and they warmly welcomed her policies. So Nero originally believed they would never accept her abdication—"

"But nothing happened. They did nothing at all."

"Driven from the throne during the rebellion of 69 AD, she fled from Rome. Realizing escape was impossible at the critical moment, she resolved to end her life in the wilderness... Yet even then, she hesitated several times, weeping before stopping herself. Only in utter despair did she finally plunge a dagger into her throat."

As the man spoke, a figure in a red dress gradually materialized in the sunset-lit wilderness. The golden-haired girl lay still with closed eyes, pale throat marred by spreading crimson patterns.

"That’s... Nero!"

Alice gasped. Hakuno instinctively stepped forward, only to be yanked back by ’Seneca.’

Blood-red spikes erupted from the earth, their twilight-glinting edges nearly piercing Kishinami Hakuno.

"Be careful, girl," the mysterious man warned. "Barging into someone’s heart—even the most patient person would plan retaliation."

"Especially when it’s the willful and capricious Emperor, no?"

Despite his jest, Hakuno shook her head solemnly. "...You’re lying."

"Oh?"

Hakuno retreated subtly, putting distance between them. Memories sealed by the Nameless Forest surged back, restoring the girl’s wisdom. Her small face tensed with vigilance as she studied the stranger.

"You’re hiding the truth. Something’s changed in Nero... I can feel it through our contract. There are two consciousnesses fighting within that body."

The contract Sakatsuki had forged now resonated within her. Hakuno sensed the violent clash—one consciousness radiating hostility toward her existence, the other straining to protect her.

What should she do? How could she aid that struggling will?

Alice blinked, sensing something different about the March Hare beside her—the brief season of confusion and evasion had ended. The dignity and resolve befitting the Moon Cell’s sovereign had returned to Kishinami Hakuno.

Ah—this was the key.

On the twilight plain, the tea-haired girl raised her slender wrist and invoked the Master’s absolute authority without hesitation.

"By my Command Spell—don’t lose, Nero!"

"Magnificent!" The man’s admiration was unrestrained. To trust one’s Servant so completely, to believe she was the protector—without any evidence. Such intuition and faith were a Master’s rarest virtues.

The Command Spell’s miracle took effect. The creeping crimson patterns recoiled from Nero’s throat like scorched tendrils. Under Hakuno’s anxious gaze, the fallen emperor’s eyes snapped open—one shimmering with laurel-leaf joy, the other seething with blood-thick fury.

"Dost thou see this endless sunset vista!"

Rome’s fifth emperor spoke as if unaware of her audience, locked in internal debate.

"This is our fate—the deathground of Emperor Nero! Here did Nero Claudius pierce her own throat!"

Her bitter tone abruptly cooled, leaving only a sigh of resignation.

"Yes, it was an ugly death—listening to nonexistent cheers, clinging to nonexistent salvation, drenched in blood and tears, dying in misery."

"Since that is so, thou shouldst understand how deeply we resented it back then—"

"Indeed, resentment. To be honest, I truly resent it. The thought of such a splendid artist dying makes me so sad I could almost weep."

Nero responded to the crimson dragon’s words with eerie calm. "I still remember the scenery here—the shape of the rocks, the sound of the wind, the decayed sunset. To this day, I remember everything. I remember the final moments of a certain emperor who perished in this wasteland."

"Then why reject me?!" Draco’s voice grew increasingly furious. "Why not surpass these three sunsets? You must know—that person would never abandon us. If only... if only we returned to his side..."

"That shouldn’t be the case, my other half—no, the dream born of my love." Despite facing the end, despite Draco’s sorrow, Nero smiled. "I was indeed a tyrant. I slaughtered countless lives and ultimately met a death as ugly as I deserved."

"This is the truth. I won’t deny it. There is nothing to be ashamed of in that."

"I lived as myself until the very end. That is enough."

Was it the resolve in those words that struck her? The viscous crimson glow in her eyes stilled, receding, revealing once more the pure laurel-green of her gaze. The young emperor blinked, then turned to Hakuno, a genuine warmth flickering in the depths of her eyes.

"Master, I owe thee much. The time has come—let us go."

The scarlet sky scattered before a golden-red radiance. Nero vanished with Hakuno and Alice, leaving behind only the indistinct figure of the mysterious man.

"Ah... she ran off just like that." The man playing the role of ’Seneca’ chuckled. "But then again, cleanup was never the emperor’s concern. Wouldn’t you agree, little one—another abandoned soul?"

The twilight gathered, outlining a small, delicate form. A dragon’s tail peeked from beneath her skirt, swaying gently. The girl’s eyes remained shut, lifeless in slumber.

Freed from the shadow of the imaginary, severed from the anchor of her true self, the former Sixth Beast was now but a fleeting, scattered illusion.

"Such a stubborn, difficult girl." ’Nero’s teacher’ approached her, his voice a mix of exasperation and fondness. "But what can I do? Someone loves you so dearly—"

As his fingertip touched her, a gentle, platinum radiance enveloped her.

[Commencing Event Modification.]