Thea Philopator, a stunningly beautiful woman, was born in 69 BC in Alexandria, Egypt. She came from the Ptolemaic Dynasty and was of Greek-Macedonian descent.
Inside a grand building, the people began to gather, preparing themselves to witness an angelic figure who would rise to lead the nation.
"Let us welcome! The most beautiful queen in the entire universe—no woman nor queen could ever match her beauty—she is CLEOPATRA!!!"
A woman of extraordinary beauty sat on the throne, crossing her legs with elegance.
Cheers and applause erupted in celebration and admiration of the queen.
Several male soldiers fainted, collapsed, and even bled from their noses—unable to withstand the overwhelming beauty of the queen seated before them.
However, cruelty suddenly erupted that day. Thea Philopator, now crowned as Cleopatra VII, was exiled from her throne. Jealousy, envy, and slander spread like wildfire. Many advisors and soldiers no longer trusted her—but there was one person who fueled their distrust: Ptolemy XIII, Cleopatra's own younger brother.
He slandered his own sister, lusting for power and wealth.
"What are you doing?" Cleopatra asked.
Her brother walked in, holding a goblet of wine.
"Soon, all this power will be mine. Julius Caesar will arrive here shortly—and I'll use him to secure an alliance with this country."
"That's your plan?"
"Exactly. All you need to do is stay out of the way, because soon this power will belong to me. Hahahaha!"
That night, the soldiers began to panic as they received word that Roman troops were encircling Egypt. Led by Julius Caesar, the Roman army surrounded and camped around the area once ruled by Cleopatra.
Using her wit and charm, Cleopatra saw an opportunity—she would negotiate with Julius Caesar using her legendary beauty.
A red carpet was laid out. Julius Caesar entered a large tent and opened the curtain. He stood alert, sword in hand, but was shocked at what he saw—an angel.
"Pleased to meet you, Lord Julius…"
Julius was startled, stunned, and mesmerized by the figure before him—an angel descended from heaven, or so he thought. A trickle of blood ran from his nose. He couldn't believe what he was seeing.
"So… you are Cleopatra VII? What do you want?"
"I should be the one asking you that, Lord Julius."
Cleopatra stepped forward, slowly closing the distance between them.
"To be honest, with all this chaos, I'm not sure I can fight you. How about we make peace?"
Julius Caesar snapped out of his daze and took a step back.
She's dangerous, he thought.
"Peace? What do you mean by that?"
"Egypt cannot possibly defeat Rome now. Your army has completely surrounded us. I don't want my people to suffer more… So in return, I offer myself to you."
"Huh?! Nonsense!!"
Julius Caesar began to sweat, his face turning red.
"Well… maybe it's not such a bad idea."
"What do you think?" Cleopatra asked, drawing closer again.
"Y-you want to marry me?"
"Of course! Why not? It would be an honor to have a union with you."
"T-then let's do it now—"
"But I have one condition," Cleopatra interrupted.
"A-a condition? What is it? Name it—I'll give you anything!"
"Egypt and Rome must unite. Give me half of your power and let me build my own kingdom upon Rome. What do you say?"
It was a difficult decision for Julius. Rome had unmatched military power. But then he thought—if Egypt joined Rome, their army could become a hundred times stronger.
"F-fine, I agree! Let's get married now!"
His face flushed again, his whole body trembling.
"Hmmm… then take me to your throne, Lord Julius."
The news spread rapidly—Cleopatra VII and Julius Caesar were married. The Roman and Egyptian empires became one—undefeatable. Their relationship flourished, and in time they had a son named Caesarion.
But chaos returned. Rome was plunged into disaster, and panic spread among its people. In 44 BC, Julius Caesar was declared dead—assassinated. Caesarion was suspected of killing his father out of envy and jealousy over his mother's beauty.
Cleopatra seized the moment. She seduced her own son and had relations with him until they were caught by the palace guards. Caesarion was executed under the accusation that he had forced his mother into the act. Cleopatra rose again, ruling over both Egypt and Rome alone—until she met Mark Antony, Rome's strongest general at the time.
Cleopatra seduced him, invited him on a date, and eventually married him. Mark Antony fell into the abyss of lust. Cleopatra used this chance to forge an alliance with him, making Rome truly invincible.
But in 31 BC, at the Battle of Actium, the forces of Cleopatra and Mark Antony were completely defeated. Octavian's troops pushed back the Roman-Egyptian alliance. Mark Antony was captured and imprisoned by Octavian's forces. He searched for Cleopatra but couldn't find her anywhere.
"Where is my wife?" Mark asked one of the guards.
"We lost her trail, but… we found something. Come."
The guard led him into a dark room. There, he saw Cleopatra's hand suspended—as if it were being studied. Mark collapsed, powerless, believing Cleopatra was dead. With his last strength, he begged the guard to stab him so he could die with her. The guard refused and returned him to his cell. Inside, Mark Antony committed suicide out of despair over the loss of Cleopatra.
But the truth was far different. Cleopatra, in all her glory, returned to her throne. The crown she had long dreamed of was now finally hers. Her people roared and applauded her success. The Roman Empire had fallen, and Cleopatra's forces took control. She became the most powerful queen in the history of mankind.
– –
Between narrow, grimy alleys, rats scurried back and forth. Dirty water dripped from the rooftops of shabby apartments, while blaring car horns echoed sharply through the humid air.
There, a man dressed entirely in white, wearing wooden sandals, walked slowly down the cramped alley on the city's outskirts. He glanced up at the ceiling of the narrow passage — the sky was heavy with dark clouds. Rain was about to fall soon.
He kept walking... until he finally stopped.
A man cloaked in black stood before him. Gloved hands, and a silver fur scarf draped around his neck.
"What do you want from me?" he asked coldly.
The man in black turned, a faint smile playing on his lips.
"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? I'm here to form an alliance." He raised his right hand as if offering a deal.
"Hhh... I already told you, I'm not interested. Alliances only weaken us. The Servant inside me would never agree."
The cloaked man nodded slowly. "I respect that... but I won't give up."
BOOOM!
An explosion shook the opposite side of the city.
"What was that?" he asked cautiously.
The man in black chuckled softly. "They're very eager, aren't they?"
"Who are they?"
"Hey… want to bet? I'm sure Cleopatra will die tonight."
"Cleopatra? Impossible! That woman is far too strong to be defeated by an ordinary Servant! If anyone can do it—who would it be?"
"I don't know... but my intuition rarely lies."
"Enough nonsense. I'm leaving."
"Wait... Sasaki Kojiro."
As he turned, his eyes widened. Behind the man in black, six figures appeared — two sitting atop the walls, two hanging between buildings, and two standing right beside him.
"We're still waiting for you. If you change your mind, come find us. The OLOSOF Servants Alliance will welcome you with open arms."
Cold sweat drenched his face now. He felt trapped — like a rabbit cornered by wolves.
"I-I told you—"
BOOM!
Another explosion, louder and closer.
"Hm? Seems they're getting closer."
A shimmering portal appeared behind the man. He stepped inside, followed by the six others.
Sasaki looked up at the sky once more, then turned to walk home, clutching a bottle of wine. Quietly, he knew this was far from over.
– –
As the small lights began to fade, I lifted the unconscious Marya Cash and carried her back to the Colosseum. When we arrived, I saw Jeanne d'Arc had successfully secured the film crew who had been hypnotized by Cleopatra earlier. Jeanne had gathered them and lined up the people still sound asleep.
I approached her, carrying Marya's body.
"Is everyone safe?" I asked.
"More or less... no serious injuries among them. By the way, how is she?"
Jeanne looked surprised when she saw me carrying Marya.
"Impressive... you defeated her!?"
"She's back now. There's nothing left to regret."
I placed Marya's body among the film crew.
"Is she alright?" Jeanne asked.
"I stabbed her earlier, and her arm got severed—but it's okay. She's back to normal now that Cleopatra's soul has left her body."
"She's… still alive? And you cut off her arm!?"
"No! When I grabbed her arm, she twisted her body sharply, and it ended up severed."
"I see…"
Sylvia had returned to her original self.
"What about that foolish guy? He lost control, right?"
"Eh? Oh yeah, I forgot about him. I think I put him in that corner over there..."
We both turned to look the same way, but Lu Bu was gone. He had disappeared.
"Where is he? He's not here—"
"WATCH OUT!"
Lu Bu unleashed a powerful strike toward Sylvia.
I reacted quickly, catching him and leaping away from Lu Bu, who was clearly out of control.
The aura he emitted was completely different… was his body growing bigger? And his battle armor was gone. Didn't his spear break earlier? Then why was he holding it again?
"Calm down, Lu Bu— it's all over now!"
No use—he wasn't listening.
Lu Bu jumped, spinning his spear and slamming it down toward Sylvia and me.
BAMMMM
Damn! This is tough. In this position, I can't risk harming the film crew, and Sylvia had run out of energy. I needed to make a decision.
Lu Bu kept swinging his spear violently, forcing me to dodge repeatedly.
"Don't worry about me!" Sylvia shouted.
"Eh? B-but—"
"Make him snap out of it. I can protect myself."
"Understood."
I gently put Sylvia down. She ran off and vanished in the blink of an eye. Suddenly, she was among the unconscious film crew.
"I'll watch over them. Now, get this foolish guy back to his senses."
Hahaha, looks like I worried too much. Now I could focus completely on bringing this fool back to himself.
– –
Lu Bu raised his spear high above his head, concentrating all his energy into his right hand gripping the spear until his grasp became ironclad.
WUSHHHH
He began to swing it down. Adam reacted swiftly, dodging the spear's arc. His face was grazed—Lu Bu's spear strike had just barely connected. With that single strike, the once intact Colosseum arena suddenly split into two halves.
"Truly incredible power," Adam thought.
"He's focusing all his strength into that spear? Interesting! I can do the same—just like before when fighting Elizabeth. This might just snap him out of it."
Adam clenched his right hand, preparing to clash strength with Lu Bu. Lu Bu glanced at him and readied another spear strike, but now there was a flicker of hesitation. Adam concentrated all his power into one point.
The wind around them shifted. Lu Bu, once furious and brutal, now became more cautious. Adam's hand began to grow slightly larger. Suddenly, golden streaks appeared across his hand, glowing brightly enough to make Lu Hu furrow his brow.
"Wait, Nico, I will save you—"
Adam planted his stance and aimed a punch at Lu Bu. In a mix of panic and rage, Lu Bu countered by striking with his free hand—the one not holding the spear.
BAMMMM
They collided, their fists and strength clashing. The ground beneath them cracked and crumbled. The wind whipped fiercely around them in spirals. Debris from nearby buildings scattered everywhere. Sylvia covered her face with crossed arms.
"Incredible power," Sylvia thought.
Lu Bu's footing began to crumble; Adam's strength was gaining the upper hand. But suddenly, from the shadows, a horse engulfed in dense black flames appeared and charged at Adam.
It was Terwelu—the same horse that had been stabbed earlier by Cleopatra's scorpion. Adam was thrown far back by Terwelu's attack. The horse stood right before Lu Bu, who was now kneeling in pain from Adam's strike.
"T-Terwelu…??"
Lu Bu reacted. The horse locked eyes with him, as if flashing a smile. Terwelu stared at Adam, who was struggling to rise. The black flames blazed fiercely, engulfing the Colosseum arena.
"What's happening?" Adam tried to stand, his whole body trembling. He had truly reached his limit.
As the horse prepared to leap and attack Adam again, Lu Bu suddenly wrapped both arms around Terwelu's neck. His spear dropped, piercing the ground.
"That's enough, Terwelu… you've returned…"
The horse reacted with a neigh. They seemed to communicate silently. The flames around them began to subside. Lu Bu's enlarged form gradually shrank back to normal, accompanied by his horse.
Adam watched with relief as Terwelu and Lu Bu embraced. His legs started to shake, his grip loosened, and he fell down. A warm embrace enveloped him, followed by Andri returning to his original self.
"What… is this?"
In the back of his mind, he briefly saw Sylvia holding him. Andri collapsed within Sylvia's arms, unconscious.
– –
I slowly opened my eyes, my whole body aching all over.
When I opened them fully, a bright light shone into my eyes — it was the light from a bedside lamp shining directly at my face.
"...Where am I?"
I looked around in every direction. The place was completely unfamiliar to me.
Wait — this isn't my room? I'm pretty sure my room wasn't completely remodeled overnight. Is this a hospital? No, a hospital wouldn't have a full computer setup for its patients.
I paused to think, and at the same time, I realized my whole body was bandaged and treated. I was shirtless.
Huh? Who treated me? Where are Sylvia and Lu Bu? C-could it be that they—
"Oh… you're awake?"
Sylvia, in her pajamas, suddenly opened the door carrying a bowl of warm porridge.
"S-Sylvia? Wh-what are you doing here?"
She tilted her head slightly.
"Huh? Why… this is my house."
WHATTT!?!? How could she bring a stranger man into her house? Wait—this doesn't mean we have some kind of forbidden relationship, right? Right! She was just taking care of me... but who made me shirtless like this?
Sylvia walked slowly and placed the bowl of porridge right beside me.
"D-Did you also treat me?" I asked hesitantly.
"No, I called a nurse here. My family has some skilled doctors and nurses."
"Are you not worried about bringing a strange man into your house?"
"Hmmm… well, yes, it's a little embarrassing."
If that's the case, wake up already.
"But I couldn't just leave you like that."
She looked at me very gently, followed by a soft, sweet smile.
Was she always like this when she was with me?
"Besides, Nico is here too."
"Eh? He's here? Is he okay?"
"He's better than you. Maybe because he rarely trains his body, injuries like that don't affect him much."
I knew that — he does have a sturdy and strong physique. Maybe I should train my body too?
"By the way, how about you? Are you okay?"
"Eh? Hm… yeah, I'm okay…"
Huh? Why is she blushing? Did I ask something weird?
"A-and besides, at least worry about yourself!"
"Y-yeah, thank you Sylvia, thanks to you I'm here again."
I smiled at her. She smiled back.
"So what about the film crew? And also…"
"Don't worry, they're fine. I called an ambulance and left a note there. Maybe that's better than meeting them face to face — it would just cause trouble. And about Cleopatra's vessel, she's still unconscious. Her hand is severed, and the wound on her chest is fatal."
"This is my fault…"
"Wait! Don't blame yourself — after all, you were just trying to protect yourself, right?"
"If I could have fought while protecting her… maybe she wouldn't have ended up like that. If only… I could be stronger…"
As I started reflecting on myself, suddenly a gentle grip touched my hand — it was Sylvia's hand, and it was very warm.
"Sylvia…??"
"It's okay, we'll face this together... so from now on, let's both become stronger to protect the people we care about."
I looked at her with a slight smile.
"That's right! This isn't the time to blame ourselves, so let's—"
Crash!
The door slammed open loudly. Nico came in holding a bottle of beer and a piece of meat in his hands and saw the two of us.
"Oh... you're awake?"
"Nico!!!"
"S-sorry if I disturbed you?"
"..."
Sylvia and I locked eyes and suddenly realized our hands were still touching.
"Youth… I wish I could turn back time — maybe I should find a girlfriend too!?"
"No! Forget that! Besides, our relationship isn't like that — right Sylvia!?"
"Y-yeah…"
Huh? She's shy? This kid is getting weirder by the day, women are really hard to understand.
"Hahaha!!! I see… never mind, I just wanted to check on you. Thank goodness you woke up, and thank you for waking me up too."
"Of course, but what happened?"
Nico lowered his head a little.
"When Terwelu was stabbed and disappeared because of that scorpion, my mind went crazy. That horse is Lu Bu's companion in battle, and seeing him suddenly die like that, it seems my and Lu Bu's anger merged, and I lost control."
"But… he came back, right?"
Nico nodded.
"That's right! And that's when I realized Terwelu has become an immortal horse in this world. Hahaha!!! I'm really stupid!"
Hhh… if only this guy could strengthen his brain too.
"And Sylvia, I'm sorry for attacking you. I really lost consciousness at that time and—"
"Forget about it, it was also my fault for being careless, and in the end, you sacrificed your youth. I'm sorry too, Nico."
Sylvia and Nico bowed their heads to each other.
Wait… is this the first time they called each other by name?
"And also, thanks for the meal, Hahaha!!! It's been a long time since I felt this alive!"
"You're welcome, enjoy it. You too, Andri."
"Eh? Alright…"
I took the bowl of porridge and ate.
Delicious! And very warm, but… what about Marya… I didn't expect the attack to be fatal for her too. Maybe I should find a way to protect the Saints? That's a bit troublesome, but I also don't want to hurt — or even kill — them. All this is making my head spin.
"By the way Sylvia, is it okay if the two of us are here? I mean — aren't your parents mad?"
"Don't worry, it's just me and a few servants, my parents are very busy. They're rarely home, I don't even remember the last time I talked to them…"
Damn, I made her sad again.
"S-sorry."
"It's okay, I'm used to all this — while you're here, why don't you enjoy it too?"
"Yeah, thank you."
We exchanged smiles, Nico looked at us sharply and disappeared from sight in an instant.
"I hope he didn't finish all the food in your house."
"I'll check. Rest for now — and if you need help, just press the button beside you."
"A button? This one?"
Is this a button to call the servants? Rich people are scary.
"Yes, just press it if you need anything."
Sylvia left me alone in her room… Wait — is this her room? It's not like a typical girl's room. It only has neatly stacked books on shelves and a computer set. It looks more like a boy's room. Or maybe she has an older brother?
I shook my head and pushed away all those distracting thoughts.
No, no, wake up, it's not important to think about that… but still, there's nothing wrong with enjoying this atmosphere.