Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 473 - 88 Coma

Chapter 473: Chapter 88 Coma

Eleanor stood on the edge of the platform, the corpses of the Blade Warriors around her already cleared away, leaving only the dim, shallow pools of blood.

She leaned on her longsword, standing there, gazing hollowly at the place where her brother had died, without uttering a word.

"Eleanor." Aske’s voice rose behind her, "What are you doing?"

"I’m thinking," Eleanor said softly, her voice incredibly hoarse.

"Thinking about what?" Aske walked to her side, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

"Thinking about some classic philosophical questions, Eleanor style," Eleanor replied.

Aske: ...... (Nora told you about that?)

"So, any conclusions?" Aske tried to keep his tone light.

"How could there be?" Eleanor shook her head slowly, "So many people, for so many years, unable to solve problems... War and peace..."

"You know, Aske," her voice was as low as a murmur, with a faint trace of sadness, "originally I should have been a lady like my sister, with makeup, balls, salons... Lingering in all kinds of social events."

"It’s just that when I was young, I had a chance encounter where I found a knight novel in Henry’s bedroom."

"The kind where... the male protagonist is invincible, traversing the world with martial arts, and in the end, marries the princess."

"Yeah, I know," Aske said, "Long Aotian, right?"

"Long Aotian?"

"It means ’Invincible’," Aske explained, "Strong from the start, then slicing through enemies like vegetables."

"Maybe, Long Aotian..." Eleanor closed her eyes, "But what attracted me wasn’t the thrill of conquering enemies."

"It was when the protagonist, after all the hardships, defeated the powerful enemies and the suffering people were redeemed... Maybe it’s vanity, but I prefer the moral satisfaction of saving others over a story filled with nothing but war."

"Uh, I can understand that," Aske said.

"The original dream of becoming a knight was also for that reason," Eleanor said.

"I seem to recall it was to win our father’s approval?" Aske questioned.

Eleanor gave him a glance and slowly said, "Both, I guess. That came later."

"So now, do you still want to save others?" Aske asked.

"Mm, that hasn’t changed," Eleanor turned around, her face pale as she looked at Aske, "I want to save those who are suffering."

"Just as I told you before, I want to stop this war, I don’t want anyone else to be sacrificed..."

"But, in the end, it’s just the laughable delusion of a naive person..." Her vision blurred, "I can’t even save the people around me..."

Suddenly, Aske reached out his arms, catching Eleanor as she fell backward. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her face in his chest, and he could even feel warm liquid flowing down his neck.

"Aske..." In his embrace was a voice trying almost fiercely to hold back, struggling not to burst into tears, yet eventually, it could not be suppressed and gradually turned into a bitter sob.

"I... am too weak..."

"Without the strength... to protect those important... to me..."

"Do the weak... in this world... really have no right to make their voices heard..."

She spoke in fits and starts, her tears falling uncontrollably, her voice slowly fading until it was as faint as a mosquito.

Aske hesitated for a moment, then reached out to hold her back, and found her armor drenched.

It was all rainwater.

Surveying his surroundings, Solomon noticed shallow pools of blood on the distant ground that seemed to have been diluted quite a bit by the rain.

It turned out that in the long six hours prior to his departure from Fire Island, a heavy rain had already fallen here in the Main Plane.

Was this foolish girl standing in the rain for several hours?

Looking at the blonde girl in his arms again, Aske only then realized her skin was icy cold and clammy, her eyes tightly shut, her complexion as pale as paper, seemingly having passed out due to exhaustion. Her cheek was pressed against his chest, her hands limply draped over his shoulders.

"Ah, so it’s like that," Aske said as he picked her up and began walking towards the camp of The Azure Longsword.

"So, grow up quickly, Ellie."

————————————

"It’s not an illness," said Nora, after changing Eleanor’s clothes in bed and covering her with a blanket on Fire Island. She turned to Aske and continued, "It’s just that her spirituality is unstable, affecting her body."

"Due to severe emotional fluctuations?" Aske asked.

"Something like that," Nora sighed, "especially after what happened..."

She glanced at Eleanor lying in bed, her expression worn, still unconscious, her blonde hair lifelessly spread on the pillow.

"So, how did you persuade her to come back?" Nora asked curiously, "I’ve been trying to persuade her for a long time!"

"It was just idle chatter," Aske said frankly, "Afterward, she couldn’t handle it and passed out."

"Mhm, as long as you didn’t say anything strange, that’s fine," Nora seemed unconcerned.

"What strange things could I say..." Aske was speechless too.

Watching Nora stay to care for Eleanor, he left Fire Island.

Now in their team, the ones who had not advanced to Lv.10 were only Nora, Mia, and Thira. Thira already had the "Storm IV" magic potion (sponsored by her maternal grandfather), Mia possessed the "Shadow IV" extraordinary traits (formula pending), while Nora was still missing "Life IV" and "Spirit Body IV."

Both were promised by Thira’s grandfather, Apilius, under the condition that they discover who the true culprit was. Upon investigation, they discovered that the mastermind had cunningly used a long chain of dominoes...

However, the mechanism of the Mind Plague and backdoor was such that those unaware were utterly defenseless; even demigods like the Acid Erosion Dragon could be infected, so presumably, Apilius would be quite interested in this.

Upon arriving outside the camp, the number of soldiers who had been hanged and strangled to death had increased. Aske casually picked a corpse, stuffed coins into its mouth, and soon fog started to spread.

Apilius and the Ferryman approached through the fog that spread over the River Styx... Aske was truly envious of this casual ability to travel, knowing that in the original "Song of Iron and Fire" game world, there were teleportation arrays between the major cities.

And yet, they were built inside the Resurrection Temple.

This world had no Resurrection Temple, and naturally, no teleportation arrays; without a game store, one couldn’t buy teleportation items, so leading his own group meant running around everywhere, which was quite a sorry state.

After Aske shared the details about the Mind Plague and the backdoor, the City Lord’s brow furrowed tightly, obviously realizing the gravity of the situation. After a long pause, he said:

"I understand," Apilius said solemnly in the end, "I will have it verified."

"Although we haven’t found the mastermind, this matter is of great concern, and the information you’ve brought up this time is truly valuable." Apilius found an excuse to hand over the task reward to Aske.

A vial of Spirit Body IV as a magic potion, and the formula for Life IV.

"Thank you," Aske expressed his sincerity. These items as a task reward were clearly at a premium, which could only mean that the City Lord was making an investment in the Mercenary Group that his granddaughter was involved in.

"If I may be so bold," he pondered for a moment, then asked, "Is Thira... Theodora destined to become the future Solomon Emperor seeking to reclaim her throne?"

"Destined? There’s no such thing as certain fate in this world," Apilius said coldly, "Rather than relying on vague prophecies or conjectures, it’s better to focus on your own wisdom and intellect. Convey this message to her for me."

"I will train Theodora well," Aske said.

"If that weren’t the case, I wouldn’t have allowed her to stay in your team," Apilius stepped into the Ferryman’s boat, "Remember to check."

"Check your team for anyone who might be infected with the Mind Plague."