Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 203 - 1 New Career Path

Chapter 203: Chapter 1 New Career Path

"Is the situation clear?"

"No, it’s a mess."

"All the major duchies are watching and waiting, not rushing to take sides."

"Rebel against the Emperor? Has the Duke of Wolf gone mad?"

"It is said to be at the prompting of the Pope. There’s nothing they can do, their family’s territories are too closely linked with Italy. Once the Church Court withdraws its clergy, half of the Wolf Family’s factories would have to shut down."

"Then Burgundy and Lombardy must have definitely defected. What about Bavaria? If the Weisbach family also joins the rebellion, how are we going to return to the headquarters in Lvbeck? Should we detour through Bohemia?"

"The Earl of Saxony hasn’t made a declaration yet. However, even if Saxony joins the rebellion, the Hansa Alliance will definitely claim neutrality."

"What good is claiming neutrality? If Bavaria joins the war, they could conscript us Steel Cross Mercenaries at the mere say of the Duke of Bavaria."

"Ah, why discuss so much? Can you make a decision? Just wait for the Squad Leader’s order."

The mercenaries of the Steel Cross’s Eastern Division were also hotly debating as they rode the carriage into Carinthia.

They were mercenaries who regularly operated in Hangarli, Sirius, and East Solomon, and they were planning this time to return to the headquarters via the Bavaria-Franconia-Saxony route since they had collected enough Frost materials.

However, the sudden outbreak of the Empire’s civil war changed everything.

Usually, mercenaries love wars as wars bring more opportunities and profits—provided they are on the winning side.

Otherwise, not only could they forget about the agreed upon mercenary fee, but being beheaded alongside their defeated employer would be deemed "fortunate."

Choosing sides in a civil war is a matter that requires a high level of strategic insight. However, the Steel Cross Mercenary Group is different, being a wholly-owned security company of the Hansa Alliance, they must obey the instructions of the Hansa Alliance.

The Hansa Alliance, a city commercial alliance within the northern Empire, must and would definitely align with the will of the Earl of Saxony.

So, the Earl of Saxony’s camp choice became very delicate... Once the Earl of Saxony made his position clear and made a choice opposite to that of the Duke of Bavaria or the Duke of Franconia, the journey would certainly not be smooth.

They might just be surrounded by the Duke’s army as soon as they entered the duchy’s territory.

Therefore, the Steel Cross Mercenaries could only pray that this old Earl of Saxony hesitates a little longer or that the headquarters does not rush to make a stand—at least wait until they were back in Lvbeck!

As for Andrea and Herman, the high-ranking members of the Eastern Division, they of course received more news from the headquarters and didn’t need to worry as much as the lower-level mercenaries.

The original route through Bavaria remains unchanged, but by their expressions, they seemed to have quite a lot of concerns—what those concerns were, members of The Azure Longsword were not aware.

However, the girls were not worried at all, even if it was a matter of great importance, they’d rather let the Squad Leader handle it.

Better to have him worried than to push us too hard in training.

In the current team, Aske had reached Lv.6; Mia followed at Lv.5.

There were four at Lv.4, namely, Eleanor, Sigrdrifa, Medea, and Thira.

Peggy and Miel were at Lv.3; Nora, with the lowest level, was only at Lv.2.

On average, The Azure Longsword team’s level was around Lv.4. Compared to the player levels during their previous lives’ game launch, this level of advancement was quite standard.

Of course, it was far below professional players and guilds.

Yet, physical level is one thing, tactical awareness is another.

As of now, the "software strength" of the girls was undoubtedly approaching the pinnacle of players, barely entering the threshold for signing up for a professional club’s training camp.

"That is to say, you can start learning some professional-level tactics and moves now."

"I have already designed the subsequent combat profession pathways for you." During a break, the members of The Azure Longsword sat in a circle in a nearby field, with Aske announcing in the middle.

(In the world of "Iron and Fire," a profession pathway refers to the classification and subdivision of a character’s overall combat style.)

"I was going to ask for your opinions, but then I realized that you are all unfamiliar with the various high-end profession pathways, so it would be pointless for you to choose," Aske said indifferently. "So let’s stick with what I teach you for now, and if it doesn’t suit, we can discuss it later. Any objections?"

The girls looked at each other.

Isn’t that obvious? Since we don’t understand, how can we raise any objections?

Whatever you teach is fine.

"Alright," Aske decisively said, "Eleanor, I will teach you the ’Trinity Tactics.’"

"The so-called Trinity Tactics involve the long spear, longsword, and shield, combining them into three tactical styles, which make up the trinity," Aske explained as he moved the weapons on the ground. "That means you must master these three types of equipment and then, depending on the tactical needs, choose two of them for combat."

"The shield is usually held in the left hand. If the long spear is in the right hand, then it’s called the ’Spear Shield Flow.’ Its characteristic is focusing on defense, beneficial for controlling the field."

"If the shield in the left hand remains unchanged and the weapon in the right hand switches to a longsword, it is known as the ’Sword and Shield Flow.’ Its characteristic being a balance of offense and defense, with strong mobility."

"The last, less common tactical style involves holding a long spear in the right hand and a longsword in the left hand." Aske was just explaining when Mia quickly raised her hand and interjected smartly:

"I know! The right hand holds a long spear and the left a longsword; it’s obviously called the spear..."

"Correct! It’s called the ’Weidna Flow,’" Aske immediately interrupted her.

What childish talk are you coming up with now!

Mia: ???

"Why isn’t it called the spear..." Mia was still trying to voice her answer but was interrupted again by Aske, who said impatiently:

"Don’t ask me why; a name is just a name. The essence lies in the nature of the tactics!"

"What are the characteristics of this ’Weidna Flow’?" Eleanor asked.

"All-out attack with no defense," Aske said. "Suited for situations of extreme disadvantage, a last-ditch effort."

"Of course, I will teach you in detail how to fight according to each school later."

Eleanor then nodded, staring at the long spear, longsword, and shield on the ground.

"Sigrdrifa." Aske turned to the second person. "Since you’ve already gotten the North Wind Axe, I’ll teach you the ’Barbarian Tactics.’"

"The hallmark of Barbarian Tactics is dual wielding; you need to have a main weapon and a secondary weapon. If the North Wind Axe is your main weapon, the secondary one can be either an axe or a sword."

"Most importantly, all weapons can be thrown, causing massive damage. The essence of Barbarian Tactics is in swiftly transitioning between melee combat and throwing to strike."

"After throwing your weapons, you need to promptly retrieve them or seize new ones from the battlefield. Given the North Wind Axe’s return characteristic, you have a unique advantage in this respect."

"I have a question." Sigrdrifa raised her hand. "Does this Barbarian tactic have anything to do with Viking warriors?"

"Not at all," Aske said.

"But!" Sigrdrifa tried to argue, "This tactic of throwing weapons sounds very much like that of ancient Viking warriors..."

"If you must make a connection, mastering this tactic will allow you to easily defeat seven or eight Viking warriors of the same level," Aske said expressionlessly.