Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 268 - 66 Why Not Ask the Magical Aske

Chapter 268: Chapter 66 Why Not Ask the Magical Aske

On the eve of the final battle, the entourage of the Duke of Bavaria, having hurried back from the Duchy of Franknia, finally returned to Mingxing City.

The Duke of Bavaria, Otto (who happens to share the Emperor’s name, so henceforth will be referred to simply as the Duke to avoid confusion), as the father of Eleanor, Ludwig, and Henry, was an almost fifty-year-old middle-aged man with a tall figure, dignified beard, and an outstanding presence. Among the Great Noble families, he was a rather rare handsome man.

But what people were more eager to gossip about was his obsession with Sirius culture. The Duke was fluent in Sirius language and had a fondness for literature, sculpture, and film, and as a result, his duchy was particularly tolerant of Orthodox culture and Transcendents.

At the main entrance of the Weisbach Palace, Ludwig, Henry, Elizabeth, and Eleanor were already waiting to welcome their father.

"Mm," the Duke nodded in response to his children’s greetings, his gaze landing on Eleanor.

"Hehe~" Knowing she had something to answer for, Eleanor quickly clung to her father’s arm and acted coquettishly.

"You’ve been out gallivanting for so long, and you still knew to come back?" asked the Duke lightly, his voice tinged with dissatisfaction; however, his quivering beard betrayed his pleased mood.

"I went to Constantinople, Olympia, and Sparta and even brought back gifts for Father," Eleanor quickly pulled out her trump card.

"Oh?" The Duke’s eyes lit up immediately.

"Cough cough!" Ludwig coughed, reminding his father that many ears were present and suggesting that they go inside to continue their conversation.

Walking all the way to the top-floor study, the Duke sat down in his chair and said calmly,

"Tell me, what are your thoughts on the envoy from the Wolf Family?"

Though he asked "you all," Elizabeth and Eleanor knew that this was actually their father’s way of assessing the abilities of the eldest and second brother, and thus discreetly chose to remain silent.

"I believe this knight fighting," Henry blurted out without hesitation, "is likely because the Wolf Family is uncertain about our upper-tier strength, so they proposed the tournament to probe us."

"If we lose all three battles, the morale of our knights below will naturally suffer greatly; to avoid this outcome, we would undoubtedly have to utilize the Transcendent fighting strength of our family, and in that case, their Ability Sequence and combat habits, these important pieces of information, would be exposed during the fight."

"Then, in the upcoming war, the Wolf Family would use this intelligence to arrange and respond to our family’s Transcendent abilities."

"Mm," the Duke said after listening to his conclusion, "Trying to probe our family’s high-end strength through knight fighting?"

"Yes."

"Then, conversely, by sending participants to the fighting, wouldn’t they also expose their Transcendent strength?" asked the Duke with a smile.

"But they are asking for external help..." said Henry.

"Can’t we ask for help?" questioned the Duke.

Henry was at a loss for words — in fact, the Weisbach Family was also enlisting external assistance, so the theory of probing was invalidated.

"I think that the knight fighting may just be a catalyst," said Ludwig.

"Go on," said the Duke.

"Send out signals that our family’s top-end strength is insufficient," Ludwig said solemnly. "Of course, it’s not just for our own knights to see, but also to entice and ignite the ambitions of certain rebellious factions."

"Just previously, there had been several attacks by the Taboer Sect against innocent civilians in the city, indicating that these Hussite elements within our country are becoming restless, possibly preparing some nefarious scheme in the near future."

"If at this time, the individuals we dispatch lose the Knight Fighting, it would greatly inspire the Hussites within the city, leading them to grossly underestimate the high-end combat power of our family and thus blindly starting a rebellion."

"As soon as the rebellion occurs, it will inevitably weaken our duchy’s internal military strength significantly, creating more favorable conditions for the Wolf Family’s subsequent invasion."

Hearing their older brother say this, even Elizabeth and Eleanor showed signs of concern.

"So that’s it!" Henry immediately said, "Perhaps the rebellion by these Hussites is orchestrated by the Wolf Family in advance! I will go and wipe out their diplomatic corps right now!"

"Quiet, Henry," the Duke said coolly. "In that case, Ludwig, what do you think we should do in response to their strategy?"

"Be prepared on both fronts," Ludwig analyzed. "Regarding the Knight Fighting, we must win handsomely, showing no signs of weakness; in dealing with the Hussites in the city, we need to dispatch troops quickly to eradicate them, displaying our powerful ability to fight on two fronts—suppressing unrest at home and resisting foreign invasion. Only then can we deter the insignificant foes and prevent our enemies from acting rashly."

"Hm," the Duke nodded noncommittally. "Well said. Go back and think on it some more."

Ludwig was confused—by telling him to "think on it some more," did that mean his father did not agree with his conclusion? Where did he go wrong?

"Not just Ludwig and Henry," the Duke looked towards his two daughters. "Elizabeth and Eleanor, you should think as well. If you were Duchesses, faced with a similar internal crisis within the duchy, what will you do?"

Elizabeth displayed an elegant and proper smile that clearly said, "What do I know," while Eleanor seriously pondered, stroking her chin.

...

She couldn’t figure it out.

In fact, Eleanor generally agreed with her older brother Ludwig’s conclusion—believing it to be a long-planned rebellion in collaboration with external enemies and internal traitors.

After all, with the Taboer Sect causing chaos everywhere, even she and Aske were attacked, followed by the belated arrival of the Wolf Family’s delegation, who proposed the Knight Fighting—the timing was too cunning.

To refuse would seem as if the Weisbach Family were scared, affecting morale; but to accept, there was always this feeling that the opponent had some conspiracy, necessitating endless wariness—could it be that the Wolf Family had already colluded with the Hussites, planning to launch a rebellion on the day of the Knight Fighting?

Would they take advantage of the moment when the knights were all outside the city watching the competition to start a rebellion with the city’s defenses weakened and seize Mingxing City?

At this thought, Eleanor was startled. Whether true or not, if there was any possibility of this happening, she had to quickly warn her father!

She hurriedly turned to walk towards the study, but after only a few steps, she suddenly stopped awkwardly.

Wait, I shouldn’t rush to conclusions—why not go ask the miraculous Aske?

The Squad Leader was always cunning and foresighted, perhaps he had already seen through the truth of the matter and was just waiting for her to ask him!

So Eleanor turned around, her footsteps light as she headed towards the team.

For some reason, just the thought of having the Squad Leader present immediately swept away the earlier anxiety and shadows in her heart.