Those working for Caesar came from different districts and were registered under different tribes.
The same was true of those working late or assigned to the night shift on the night the fire broke out.
"Look over there! What on earth is going on?"
"Looks like a fire."
The flames painting the Roman night sky a bloody red were clearly visible even from a distance.
Workers who had been in the middle of a late meal rushed out of their buildings to stare at the blaze.
"That doesn't look like a small fire. Seems to be coming from the Subura."
"I need to go right now."
Employees whose homes were in the Subura began muttering, their faces draining of color.
Without even taking the time to gather their belongings, they sprinted frantically toward their families.
But they weren't the only ones who dropped their work and ran.
"Let's go together! We'll help!"
"But we're still on shift. If we're going to finish today's quota... you don't all have to come."
"With a fire that massive, do you really think the quota matters right now?"
The others nodded firmly in agreement.
"Caesar would undoubtedly want us to do this. Stop standing around and let's go!"
The exact same scene unfolded at every single one of Lucius Caesar's workshops.
Except for the guards, every employee dropped their tools and bolted toward the Subura.
They assembled in front of Pompeia, awaiting her orders.
"What do you need us to do?"
＊＊＊
"Why are you asking me that?"
Luceius, the consul, asked, his eyes darting back and forth nervously.
"Isn't putting out fires your responsibility?"
At his words, the men in togas exchanged uneasy glances.
They were the tresviri nocturni, one of the boards under the vigintisexviri, responsible for the night watch and fire response.
"The fire is spreading far too rapidly. We need your authorization to order a wider evacuation."
"Handle it however you deem appropriate! Isn't this a matter for the aediles to resolve?"
Luceius replied, raising his voice defensively.
Being dragged out of bed in the middle of the night was already disconcerting enough.
But now, a crowd of junior magistrates had suddenly gathered around him, awaiting his orders.
Luceius swallowed hard. If he issued a command here and the situation deteriorated, he could end up shouldering the entire blame.
He looked around frantically and asked,
"Where on earth is Consul Caesar?"
"He should be on his way back from across the Tiber."
"..."
"What are your orders?"
Even the Aediles had rushed over to ask him.
Meanwhile, from the direction of the burning Subura, blistering heat washed over them, and the roar of the crowd rolled through the night.
Just as Luceius stood there, completely paralyzed by indecision, a voice rang out.
"What is the current situation?"
Everyone turned at once.
"Caesar! You're finally here!"
"How far has the fire spread? What measures have been taken thus far?"
Gaius Caesar asked, taking long, decisive strides toward them.
At once, the vigintisexviri and the aediles crowded around Caesar. While Luceius breathed a massive sigh of relief, their reports poured out one after another.
After listening to the report in its entirety, Caesar nodded.
"Some will try to exploit this chaos and loot others' property. First, have the public slaves assist the watch and reinforce security. To prevent the streets from clogging, we must stop all carts and wagons from entering the city."
"Understood, Consul."
At that moment, Luceius spoke up with an anxious expression.
"But the merchants will be furious if we do that. Isn't sealing the city gates entirely a bit too extreme?"
"The merchants' complaints do not matter right now. Lives are at stake."
Caesar replied with a heavy sigh.
"Luceius and I will bear full responsibility as consuls. Do not worry about a thing; take every measure necessary to halt the flames."
The Aediles and the Vigintisexviri nodded firmly.
They hurriedly dispersed to carry out Caesar's orders.
Once they were gone, Luceius stammered,
"Full responsibility as consuls...? Does that mean..."
"You are a consul too, are you not?"
Caesar replied with a faint smile. He turned his head and glared at the fiercely glowing night sky.
He desperately wanted to sprint straight to the Subura to check on his family, but as consul, he could not afford to look shaken.
He muttered under his breath,
"May the goddess Vesta show us mercy."
＊＊＊
A massive crowd had already gathered near the entrance to the Subura.
They had formed lines, passing buckets of water along a human chain or supporting the injured.
"Lucius!"
"Pompeia, are you all right?! Why is your face..."
"I'm fine."
Pompeia said, wiping her face with her hand.
Her face was smeared black with soot, but fortunately, she didn't seem injured.
I reached out and wiped the sweat mixed with ash from her brow.
"I can see Crassus's fire brigade... and my employees came too."
I looked around. I could spot several familiar faces in the crowd.
"They came to help without me even issuing an order. Thanks to them, we're getting the fire under control quickly."
Just then, Brutus came running toward us, shouting.
"You're here! I was worried when I couldn't find you."
His face was just as soot-stained as Pompeia's.
Brutus panted,
"We've managed to bring the flames partly under control. The path leading deeper into the Subura is open now. Your family is..."
"Lucius!"
"Mother! Julia! Thank the gods you're safe."
I sprinted straight toward them, pulling my mother and Julia into a tight embrace.
Both looked terrified, but thankfully, they seemed unharmed.
Only now could I finally breathe.
"Thank the gods."
"Fortunately, the fire didn't spread close to our domus. But quite a few people have lost their homes."
"It certainly looks that way."
I surveyed the surroundings. Just as Brutus said, the flames were finally dying down.
But countless people were sitting on the streets, staring blankly ahead with vacant expressions.
Many were sobbing as if they had lost their families, while others sat beside them, offering quiet comfort.
Just how far had the fire spread?
I had a feeling the real problem was only just beginning.
＊＊＊
"Based on the areas the fire reached, we estimate that around fifty thousand people have lost their homes."
I announced. Using the data we had compiled for insurance purposes, I was able to roughly estimate the number of victims.
Hearing my words, the magistrates and senators—including Father—let out collective groans of despair.
"Fifty thousand displaced people... It's an absolute catastrophe."
"We still have a long time before the sun rises. What on earth are we supposed to do with all these people? We can't exactly tell them to sleep on the streets."
"This couldn't have been an accidental fire! How could a blaze this massive..."
At that moment, Father raised a hand, cutting them off.
"We can investigate the cause of the fire tomorrow. The most pressing issue right now is securing a place for the citizens to spend the night."
At Father's words, the men fell silent.
"Do you have a viable plan?"
"First, we must open all public buildings and temples. Doing so should allow us to accommodate up to forty thousand people."
Father said.
Public buildings and temples. Now that's a solid plan.
Still, it was incredibly impressive how Father could instantly calculate the maximum capacity of the temples like that.
I suppose that was one of the perks of being Pontifex Maximus.
He had plenty of experience organizing massive festivals and religious ceremonies.
Another suitable location suddenly came to mind.
"The remaining citizens can be sheltered in the Circus Maximus. It's open to the sky, so it won't be comfortable, but it's certainly better than the streets."
Father nodded at my suggestion.
"Then we shall immediately open the public buildings, the temples, and the Circus Maximus to take in the victims."
No one voiced any opposition.
We quickly guided the displaced citizens who had lost their homes toward the temporary shelters.
That was when the next problem struck.
"It's...raining."
"It wasn't raining when the fire started, so why now of all times..."
"Well, at least it will extinguish any remaining embers."
The light drizzle slowly intensified into a heavy downpour.
"The public buildings and temples have roofs, so they're fine, but..."
"We cannot use the Circus Maximus."
The Circus Maximus, a chariot-racing venue, had no roof whatsoever. We couldn't exactly tell ten thousand citizens to sleep in the pouring rain.
If we did, the risk of an epidemic breaking out was too high to ignore.
"What should we do? Should we try to cram more people into the temples...?"
"No, that's impossible. Even if we packed them in like grain sacks in a storehouse, there wouldn't be enough space."
"..."
I looked around. As the rain grew heavier, the displaced citizens who hadn't secured a spot in the temples stared at us with bleak, desperate eyes.
There were quite a few children and old people among them.
"We need to provide shelter for the children and the elderly, at the very least."
I declared.
"I will open my estate."
"You're opening your own home?"
I nodded at Luceius's bewildered question.
"I can easily take in thirty to fifty people."
A brief silence fell over the group, followed by a familiar voice.
"I shall open my home as well."
I turned my head, unable to hide my surprise.
Unlike usual, Cato was wearing a simple tunic rather than a dark toga.
He looked around at the other senators and magistrates, declaring,
"My home can comfortably take in about fifty people. I can provide them with meals and a place to sleep for at least a few days."
As our eyes met, we both gave each other a slight, acknowledging nod.
Cato turned to the other men, who still refused to speak up, and barked,
"Two hundred years ago, when we fought Carthage, the patricians and equestrians of Rome vied with one another to donate their private wealth and build a fleet!"
He roared, his voice echoing like thunder.
"And yet you hesitate to open your homes for citizens who have lost everything to a fire?! Do you feel no shame before our ancestors?"
"I can take in five hundred."
Crassus broke the silence.
"If I open my storehouses, I can house another two hundred on top of that. I'll issue the orders right now."
Five hundred. Could even a mega-mansion accommodate that many?
Well, if anyone could, it was Crassus.
At his words, the senators exchanged uneasy glances before opening their mouths one by one.
"I can comfortably take in forty."
"Thirty for me!"
"I might be able to manage fifty, somehow."
Watching the senators and nobles practically compete to open their homes, Father let out a long sigh of relief.
"We don't have time to stand around talking. I will see to the citizens; I ask that each of you take as many as you can handle."
Upon hearing that they would have a place to escape the rain, the displaced citizens on the streets finally looked relieved.
Families clung together as they were guided to the houses of the patricians and equestrians who had agreed to take them in.
"We can hold out like this for a few days."
Father said, stepping up beside me.
"But we'll hit our limit soon enough. The patricians won't want dozens of commoners staying in their homes indefinitely. Nor can we keep cramming people into public buildings and temples forever."
"A few days is more than enough."
I replied with a confident smile.
Tens of thousands of displaced citizens.
Providing shelter for all of them was no easy task.
But this was Rome.
"Have you forgotten who is currently gathered in Nova Troia?"
"Are you saying..."
Father raised an eyebrow, then mirrored my smile.
"That might just be possible."
＊＊＊
"What in the world is happening in Rome?"
"I heard there was a massive fire. Everyone with family in the Subura has already gone straight to the city."
The workers stationed in Nova Troia, Rome's new district under construction, were jolted awake by the commotion.
The bloody glow of the inferno was clearly visible even from across the river.
While everyone with a home in the Subura scrambled frantically back to Rome, those left behind couldn't go back to sleep either.
"If I lost my home overnight, I don't know what I'd do."
"Those poor people."
While the rain continued to pour, the foremen stormed into the tents.
"Listen up, everyone! Tomorrow's construction is canceled!"
"Canceled? What do you mean?"
While the laborers tilted their heads in confusion, the foremen roared,
"At first light tomorrow, every last one of you will be put to work building a new camp!"
"A new camp? Now? What for...?"
In the very next second, the realization hit everyone in the tent.
There was only one reason to build a new camp right now.
"We're building a place for the victims to stay."
"Who in Rome could possibly build a camp faster than us?"
As the workers nodded in solemn agreement, a few raised their hands and shouted,
"Let us get the materials ready now!"
"Yeah, if we get everything ready in advance, we can build it that much faster, right?"
"But in this pouring rain..."
"Did we stop building camps in the legion just because it was raining? Stop whining like a bunch of fresh recruits."
As laughter rippled through the tent, those who had volunteered to work through the night threw on their cloaks and marched out into the storm.
The torrential downpour smothered the last embers of the fire.