The Mad Tycoon of Rome

arly reprehensible.

 

The targets that should never be touched were children born as free people and the priestesses of Vesta.

 

In sexually open Rome, sleeping with a young female slave was not even scandalous.

 

“Then why did you save this child? Normally, you would never have acted like this.
“

 

'Because if I didn't do this at least, I couldn't bear it because I was ashamed of myself for being an idiot.' Jea-hoon thought.

 

“Just because I wanted to…”

 

Jaehun trudged out, leaving Septimus tilting his head behind him.

 

He knew nothing would change even if he did what he did right now and it was something close to self-satisfaction.

 

Jae-hoon fell into the world of the past without knowing why, but he decided he would not abandon the minimum duty as a human being at least.

 

The minimum duty of a human being, of course, varied from person to person.
And Jae-hoon thought his minimum duty didn't allow him to see other humans being treated as just mere objects.

 

But he could not oppose the injustice of slavery until he confronted the whole of Rome, not just the people who possessed an innate sense of justice like Martin Luther.

 

In the first place, there was no such thing as absolute freedom.
Even so, he decided not to forget that they were humans as well.

 

Even if it was nothing more than the hypocrisy of a coward, this was the minimum line he had drawn for himself.

 

Septimus sensed something different from the back of his young master as he trudged away.

 

“Well, come to think of it, what should I do with that slave trader? “

 

“Investigate if he has done anything illegal.
And if he has done something he hasn't been punished for, sneak the evidence out to a lawyer who has nothing to do with us.
Someone as trash as him must have done a lot of things that are against the law.
So, many things he could be accused of will eventually come out.”

 

“I'll take care of it as you said.
“

 

Septimus smiled but he had kept it slightly so that no one could see.

 

Even though he was now a free man, he was also a slave once.
There was no way he wouldn't look down on those who beat the slaves for ridiculous reasons.

 

Septimus had been ordered by Crassus to report unconditionally if Marcus made a mistake.
Still, this time, he decided to report as favorably as possible.

 

***

 

Returning to the mansion, Jae-hoon asked himself a question.

 

'How will I live? What kind of person do I want to be? '

 

It was a topic that needed a serious answer.

 

Initially, just like the second generation of modern conglomerates, he had decided to live his life to the fullest with luxuries that he could not enjoy in the past.

 

But now, he couldn't just aim for that.

 

What happened to the girl he saw today must have been common throughout Rome.
It didn't make sense to pretend not to know when he witnessed such a scene with his own eyes.

 

'Those who are fortunate should know how to give back to society.
'

 

Those who lived in modern times considered this a natural virtue.

 

But Jae-hoon's situation was a little strange.

 

'Let's think calmly.
What can I do with my abilities? '

 

Just saving a few notable slaves wouldn't bring any real change.
However, he had no intention of making an insane claim to abolish slavery.

 

Slavery was an important factor in the current Roman economy.
It was perfect to be stoned to death for saying such a thing without any alternative to cover it.

 

It was a matter that must be approached from a practical point of view, not a sense of justice.

 

'Since the 'Gracchus brothers' were also killed by the vested interests while insisting on land reform.
If I come up with a radical reform plan, I'll be seen as the enemy of the powerful nobles right away.
'

 

The fact that the 'Gracchus brothers' tried to distribute wealth as representatives of the common people and failed was a famous story even in middle school textbooks.
Later, a slightly more relaxed agrarian law was passed by Caesar as Consul.

 

In the book Jae-hoon read, Caesar explained why he succeeded but the 'Gracchus brothers' failed.

 

Although Caesar's reforms were less radical than those of Gracchus, there was another important difference.
The Gracchus brothers promoted the support of the common people and did not consider the vested interests of the nobles at all.
In other words, it was a reform close to a revolution from the bottom up.

 

Completely opposite of that, Caesar reformed after he obtained the title of Consul, the highest office in Rome.
And he added weight to his proposal by attracting Pompey, who boasted a high reputation, and Crassus, a wealthy man; Reforms must be carried out within the system, not outside it, so that the resistance they encountered would be much weaker.

 

It was Hadrianus, who later became the Emperor of Rome, who abolished the master's right to their slave's life and death.

 

'As expected, to achieve change, the first step is to get into a position that can promote it.'

 

If he reached that level, it would be easier to urge people to change their consciousness.

 

It was not simply a matter of slavery.

 

It was possible to reduce the number of contradictions – even if a little – that current society had and the number of victims who had been sacrificed due to them.

 

'I came to the 2,000 years ago, but if I didn't do at least this much, I'll feel like I'm committing a crime.
'

 

It didn't take much thought to decide which way to go.
The question was how to achieve that.

 

'Is it possible to simply rise to the Consul position? No, that alone is impossible.
'

 

Even if the Consul was the highest official in Rome, the term of office was only one year.
In principle, it was impossible to extend the term unless the existence of Rome was at stake.

 

It was unreasonable to pursue reforms in such a short time that would normally take a long period.
The only way was to extend the period forcefully somehow…

 

'But it's kind of like destroying the republic like Caesar and doing it all alone as a dictator…'

 

Romans had an almost allergic reaction to dictators.
Even in the case of Caesar, who passed a lot of reforms with quite good intentions, it was an assassination in the end.

 

Above all, the biggest problem was that Jae-hoon didn't have much confidence to compete with prominent figures such as Caesar and Pompey.

 

'I know roughly what will happen in the future, so how can I overcome it? No, even so, what if something goes wrong and a civil war breaks out? How can I beat Caesar? '

 

In Rome, it was almost impossible for a man without military achievements to rise to the top.
A lot of ambitious people lost their lives for the same.

 

Didn't Crassus also die in an expedition while trying to gain military achievements that he lacked?

 

'Ah-oh! If I had known it was going to be like this, I should have thoroughly read ancient roman history instead of just scratching the surface.
'

 

Jae-hoon didn't know that he would suddenly go back 2,000 years ago, so it was pointless to blame his past self now.

 

Jae-hoon, who was immersed in his thoughts as he wandered around the room, clapped his hands involuntarily at an idea that suddenly came to him.

 

“That's right! This way I won't have to compete with someone like Caesar! I'm really an idiot.
Why didn't I think of this earlier? “