Chapter 141: Assassination
< 141. Assassination >
“So, what should we do first?”
Hidarnes, who was considered the center of the Mesopotamian nobles along with Intaphrenes, cautiously opened his mouth.
No one answered.
It was a matter of assassinating the current Roman governor.
As they entered into a serious discussion, the nobles’ faces hardened as if they were crushed by the gravity of the situation.
Intaphrenes, who glanced at the audience once, lifted the wine glass in front of him with a relaxed smile.
“First of all, the most important thing we have to do is to find a way to avoid suspicion.”
One of the young nobles tilted his head.
“Isn’t it enough not to leave any evidence? Logically, there would be plenty of people who want to assassinate the governor, but they can’t just kill anyone randomly, can they?”
“Not leaving any evidence is a basic problem that we have to assume. And even if we don’t leave any evidence, there will be some likely suspects. Think about it. It’s the death of the Roman governor who oversees five provinces. Do you think they will just let it go because there is no evidence? Rather, they will arrest and interrogate anyone who seems suspicious.”
The already tense faces of the nobles darkened even more.
On the contrary, Horshid looked at Intaphrenes with a surprised look.
‘He seems to have a good grasp of the situation. Well, he must have some ability to gather so many people…’
Horshid, who looked around the many nobles gathered in the reception room, felt a strange sense of incongruity for a moment.
Just as he was about to realize what it was, Intaphrenes spoke to him.
“Do you have any good ideas, Horshid? I think you have a broader perspective than us, since you have been arguing with Governor Marcus in Syria all this time.”
“···To put it bluntly, there is no chance that we will be excluded from the list of suspects.”
Hidarnes frowned and asked back.
“Why is that? If we don’t leave any evidence and keep quiet, they can’t just suspect us without reason.”
“Then let’s assume that we are in the position of the Roman Senate for a moment. Who would be the ones who are most dissatisfied with Marcus? First of all, you can pick four groups. The first is Marcus’s opposition faction in Rome, then the pro-king faction among the Armenian nobles who are marginalized, next is the minority of radicals who remain in Judea, and finally the anti-Roman faction of nobles in Mesopotamia.
But in Rome, no matter how politically opposed they are, they don’t assassinate each other. So the first three groups are likely to be ruled out.”
A sound of agitation rose from here and there.
Intaphrenes, who sensed that the atmosphere was not good, quickly opened his mouth.
“But Horshid said he would join us even knowing that. Doesn’t that mean he already has a suitable plan?”
“If we can’t avoid Rome’s hammer by simply not leaving any evidence, then what should we do… The answer is simple. We need to create a likely suspect. If we prepare a scapegoat who will take all the blame instead of us, then Rome’s anger will be focused entirely on him.”
“That’s brilliant. Then it seems meaningless to discuss how not to leave any evidence. Instead, we should go for leaving fabricated evidence that can identify the culprit while assassinating the governor.”
Hidarnes sighed and rubbed his chin.
“This is… It’s easy to say but I don’t know if it’s possible. Oh, but maybe it’s possible if they are completely off guard.”
But Horshid firmly cut off Hidarnes’s optimistic prediction.
“Do you think Marcus doesn’t know anything? Just in case there are more people who think like that, I’ll tell you this: you can never succeed in your plan with such a lax mentality. Marcus must have already planted his informants in Ctesiphon. Maybe he heard about this meeting a long time ago.
He probably knows that I participated as well.”
“What? Then shouldn’t the Roman army have already attacked us?”
“They may know that we gathered here, but they don’t know why yet. Well, there are plenty of excuses to make. But you should keep in mind that they are watching our movements. If not, you might really get caught and lose your neck.”
The nobles who heard Horshid’s words renewed their determination.
They gave up on the idea that things could go easily.
They realized that each and every one of them had to do their best to complete their plan.
As soon as the meeting was over, Horshid left Ctesiphon to return to Syria.
Of course, he was not alone this time.
Intaphrenes also accompanied Horshid, saying that he wanted to greet Marcus before the wedding.
Hidarnes agreed to bring the rest of the nobles to Antioch later.
Intaphrenes did not hide his satisfaction and showed it openly.
“Thanks to you, Horshid, the discussion went well. I guess my eyes were not wrong.”
Horshid, who was looking at the gently flowing Tigris River, turned his gaze to Intaphrenes.
A soft voice came out of his mouth.
“···We are a community of fate, right?”
“Yes. Of course we are. We are in a relationship where we die together or live together.”
“Then it’s time for you to tell me your real intention.”
Intaphrenes’s eyes twitched slightly.
But he erased that sign and asked with a smile.
“Real intention? What else could it be besides assassinating the governor?”
“I might have expressed it a bit wrong. I don’t doubt your goal of assassinating the governor itself. The problem is why you are doing it. I’m fine with taking the power that you offered me, but you are not, are you? What is the reason why you want to assassinate the governor so much that you offer such a huge benefit?”
After the meeting, Horshid calmly reviewed the source of his uneasiness.
He thought something was wrong with this gathering.
First of all, he did not understand the motive for assassinating Marcus.
Of course, it was true that Marcus had shaken the agricultural system of Mesopotamia and offended the pride of the noble families.
But Horshid had strongly protested against this, and Marcus had shown some signs of compromise.
It was too weak a reason to plot an assassination, unless they were so stubborn and proud that they could not tolerate any interference.
Intaphrenes and Hidarnes were granted the maximum autonomy by the kings of Parthia, so it was not impossible that they were like that.
If only those two and a few nobles had participated, Horshid would not have doubted them.
But there were too many nobles in the meeting.
As far as he had seen, Hidarnes might not know, but Intaphrenes was not a fool.
He could not have failed to realize that the more people there were, the more likely there would be a traitor.
“The most strange thing is that no one raised any objections until the end of the meeting.”
In fact, Horshid had intended to sign an agreement on the condition that he would get one-tenth of the rights.
But Intaphrenes and his followers easily gave up a huge amount of wealth that amounted to one-fifteenth.
He did not understand this at all.
“Either he promised them some additional compensation that would make up for their losses, or he had some leverage over them… or maybe both.”
Intaphrenes scratched his head with an embarrassed expression as he faced Horshid’s cold gaze.
“It’s troublesome. Are you doubting me now?”
“I don’t care what your intentions are as long as I get what I deserve. I’m just worried that there might be some complications in the plan if you have any hidden agenda.”
“Don’t worry, killing the governor is the ultimate goal of this plan. That’s not a lie.”
“Do you know that the next governor might not respect Mesopotamia as much as he does if Marcus dies?”
“The reason why the eastern provinces are managed successfully now is entirely thanks to the current governor’s ability. Do you think the situation will remain the same if he disappears? I don’t think so.”
For the first time, Horshid saw Intaphrenes smirk.
“There’s something. He’s not going to stop at assassinating the governor. Maybe…”
Horshid’s eyes sank lower as he looked at Intaphrenes.
He would go along with him until the assassination was carried out, but he could not guarantee that they would be on the same side after that.
It was common sense in this world that trusting your comrades blindly could lead to a big disaster.
Intaphrenes seemed to know or not know Horshid’s mind, and he just looked at the flowing river leisurely.
※※※※
While Horshid and Intaphrenes were plotting, the preparations for the wedding went on smoothly.
Not only from Syria and Rome, but also from all over the east, congratulatory envoys flocked in.
Egypt and Judea, Armenia and Pontus, as well as Bithynia and Cilicia sent guests.
Publius’ wedding had far surpassed the category of a simple wedding.
It was more like a propaganda to show that Rome had completely conquered the east.
The senators and guests who attended the wedding thought so too.
In a way, Publius, who was the protagonist of the ceremony, was pushed back.
Marcus felt sorry for making things so big.
He called his brother to his office and decided to hear his honest feelings.
“How’s the wedding preparation? Is it going well?”
“Yes. It’s a bit awkward, but I’m doing fine. I thought I was getting too much attention, but I decided to accept it. After all, I’m marrying someone who used to be a pharaoh.”
“Yeah, it’s definitely a huge deal.”
When the news of the marriage spread, Antioch was literally in an uproar.
Antioch had been the center of the Seleucid dynasty, which had long opposed the Ptolemaic dynasty.
They knew very well how arrogant the pharaohs of Egypt were.
Even if they stepped down from their position, their pride would not go anywhere.
The nobles of Antioch showed great interest in Publius, who would become Berenice’s husband.
So far, Publius had expected that.
But when large-scale envoys from Rome and other provinces joined in, he felt more pressure than he thought.
The noble faction senators advised him to help his great brother as much as possible with this alliance.
They naturally interpreted this marriage as a political union.
Of course, there was such an aspect, but it was uncomfortable for Publius, who liked Berenice purely.
“When we get married, we’ll spend some time alone in a quiet villa for a while. Of course, if you’re busy with work, I’ll have to help you, but…”
“You’ve already helped me a lot with your work, so do whatever you want after the ceremony. And if there’s anything else you want, just let me know. I’ll grant you anything.”
“Then, can you allow Berenice to go back to Egypt sometimes? I don’t mean to live there forever, but just when she misses it.”
It was obvious, but Berenice was banned from entering Egypt until she died.
She agreed at first, but as time went by, she sometimes missed Alexandria.
It was her hometown where she had lived all her life from birth to exile.
Marcus could fully understand Berenice’s longing for Egypt.
“It might be difficult while Auletes is the pharaoh, but… if Arsinoe or Cleopatra becomes the next pharaoh, they might lift the ban for you. Just wait until then.”
“Yes. That’s enough for me. Berenice said that she has become a little closer with her sisters lately.”
“Really? That’s a surprising fact.”
“They are sisters by blood, after all. If they don’t see each other at all, it might be different, but they can’t growl at each other forever.”
That was true.
Marcus thought that they also had a realistic judgment.
Auletes might have decided never to see Berenice again, but it was different for Cleopatra and Arsinoe.
Since Berenice had become Marcus’ wife, they could not treat her carelessly.
After all, unlike the two who were still alive, Berenice had become a family of Marcus.
He could easily imagine Berenice smiling proudly in front of her sisters.
“Just be careful not to attract any flies with weird thoughts.”
“What do you mean by weird thoughts?”
“Some people might try to use you as a member of the Crassus family. Considering that, it might be better to stay in a quiet villa for a while. Let’s talk about this again after the ceremony.”
Publius nodded cheerfully.
“Okay, then I’ll go back to Berenice.”
Publius turned around and left the office with light steps.
Marcus felt happy after talking with his brother for a long time.
But unfortunately, that mood did not last long.
It was because of the unwelcome guests who came in less than an hour after Publius left.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Intaphrenes, who is responsible for a small family in Mesopotamia.”
“The Intaphrenes family is one of the top noble families in Mesopotamia. We wanted to congratulate you on this wedding on behalf of Mesopotamia, so we asked for a meeting like this.”
Horshid bowed politely.
At the same time, Intaphrenes took out a large box and placed it on the table.
When he opened the lid, a dazzling light poured out as if the office was brightly lit for a moment.
“This is a small gift to celebrate your wedding.”
The box was full of jewels and small statues made of gold that no one could call small.
Roughly estimated, it seemed that they could build several decent mansions with this alone.
“Thank you for giving me such a luxurious gift. I must have misjudged your sincerity until now. I appreciate it.”
“This is nothing compared to what you have done for us. We hope to continue our good relationship with you in the future.”
“Sure, I’ll treat you accordingly if you cooperate like this. I wondered why Horshid hurried back to Ctesiphon, but it was to bring this gift. I’m touched.”
Marcus’ casual words made Intaphrenes’ eyes tremble slightly.
He bit his lower lip nervously as he felt that Marcus knew something.
His whole body was attacked by an immense tension that made him worry that his pounding heart would be heard outside.
Horshid, who was old and experienced, calmly answered without shaking his voice at all.
“There was also a purpose to tell you about various matters that you have taken care of for us. It’s hard to communicate because of the distance, so misunderstandings can easily arise.
Many nobles think that you ignore the local traditions and act arbitrarily. So we had several meetings to discuss how to deal with it. I was invited as the most knowledgeable person about Syria’s situation.”
“I see. Thanks to your efforts in between, I can handle my work with ease. I’ll reward you later for sure, so please work harder.”
“Of course.”
“But there’s one thing.”
Suddenly lowered voice of Marcus made not only Intaphrenes but also Horshid’s face tense up. Of course, they did not show it on their faces as they bowed their heads.
Marcus smiled softly as if nothing had happened and continued.
“As far as I know, I didn’t implement any policies in Mesopotamia while I was in Egypt. It’s a pity that misunderstandings have accumulated even though I didn’t do anything. Don’t you think?”
“…Maybe because of the different cultures and lifestyles…”
“Right. That’s why even some insignificant actions might look strange sometimes. I guess they were too sensitive. Forgive me, Intaphrenes.”
“Yes? What do you mean by insignificant actions?”
Intaphrenes, who was suddenly mentioned, bit his lower lip lightly.
He looked like Marcus knew something, no matter how he looked at it.
His heart was pounding so hard that he was afraid that the sound would be heard outside.
He was attacked by an immense tension.
Marcus’ lips drew a thin line as he looked at him.
A faint voice came out of his mouth.
< 141. Assassination 2 > End
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