Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 376 - 174 Unyielding Holy Sword

Medea had no issues.

Even though she used the Ability of Thought Implant, what she said contained no mistakes.

At this stage, clamping onto Aske’s coattails was indeed her best option for swiftly raising her Level and strength.

Next, it was time to talk to Eleanor. Even without asking, Aske knew where she would be at this time.

Certainly, she’d be at the clearing on the west side of the mountain summit, studying the Holy Sword technique.

Sure enough, as he approached the clearing, Aske saw the blonde Knight from a distance. She was wielding a Longsword, radiating white light, ceaselessly slashing at a target in front of her.

With each strike of the sword on the target, the white light would burst forth explosively. Eleanor stood with her sword drawn back, silent for a long moment, showing no sign of frustration or despair before she began to gather her Will once more.

Perhaps it was just because she had failed so many times that she had become numb to it.

"Aske?" Eleanor asked as the Squad Leader approached, and she sheathed her sword.

"How is it going? Are you making good progress on your studies?" Aske used his leadership Talent—Inquiring with Concern.

"It’s no use," Eleanor said with a disheartened shake of her head, always a straightforward girl.

"In fact, I can’t maintain my concentration for very long," she sighed, explaining, "Every time I Slash something solid, the white light on the blade just scatters."

"Oh, that’s due to an unsteady Will," Aske said. "The firmer the Will, the more solid the white light that’s Condensed."

"Uh-huh," Eleanor responded, somewhat downcast.

The problem was that Will was not something quantifiable. If you say my Will is not firm enough now, exactly how resolute does it need to be? Twice as firm? Five times? Ten times?

"Ha, it’s not always necessary to train bitterly; sometimes it’s about seizing an opportunity," Aske said, seeing her somewhat depressed expression and attempting to comfort her. "I had a friend once, who also trained in the Unyielding Holy Sword, an Extraordinary Swordsmanship."

"Oh?" Eleanor’s interest piqued.

Although she knew that the technique of Unyielding Holy Sword had been lost for centuries and was almost certain the Squad Leader was making up a reason to console her, it didn’t prevent her from accepting his comfort.

"At that time, the Unyielding Holy Sword had been lost for many years. My friend was burdened with high expectations from his Mercenary Group to strive to become the first person in the world to master the Holy Sword."

"The result was the same as yours; he trained hard for half a year and couldn’t learn it no matter what. Later, his wife’s company started laying people off, they had two kids to feed, and the Mercenary Group wasn’t paying him much. His parents advised him to quit and find some local work to support the family."

"And then what happened?" Eleanor asked eagerly. She was expecting Aske to tell a profoundly symbolic tale, but to her surprise, it all sounded quite relatable.

"Finally, he gritted his teeth and learned it," Aske said.

"Just like that?"

"Just like that," Aske confirmed. "Will, you know, is like a spring: the greater the external pressure, the more it is tempered into something indestructible."

"Do I need to put pressure on myself?" Eleanor wondered thoughtfully. freёnovelkiss-com

"Ever since he learned the Holy Sword technique, he didn’t have to resign because the Mercenary Group gave him a raise," Aske said with a smile, "and he turned out quite impressive. Once activated, the Holy Sword was impervious to blades and arrows, able to cut through iron as if it were nothing. But he could only maintain it for a maximum of ten seconds, and the technique heavily drained his spirit—after all, it required extensive emotional Condensation and intense concentration, causing significant fatigue of the Will."

"People joked that he was a ’ten-second real man;’ after ten seconds, he would weaken... so actually, the Holy Sword isn’t all-conquering."

Eleanor kept silent, her desire to learn the sword technique now stronger than ever.

"Speaking of pressure, we’re about to face a fierce battle," Aske saw her interest piqued and struck while the iron was hot. "I got some intelligence through special channels recently..."

He recounted Rasul’s plan, which left Eleanor both astonished and worried:

"A demigod? The Wolf Family has more than one demigod. If they find out you took part in assassinating Hidden Strings, I fear it will bring us endless trouble."

"That’s not a problem," Aske had already considered this. Once the civil war ended, the Wolf Family certainly wouldn’t be able to retaliate in the short term; they would have to join the Emperor’s southern campaign.

After the failure of the southward campaign, the members of The Azure Longsword would travel to Solomon City to search for clues about the legendary "Ripple Sword."

Then, they would turn toward Sicily to resolve the mystery of Mia’s heritage.

This would all take about a year, during which they would mostly be around the Italian peninsula; the Wolf Family’s reach wouldn’t extend that far south.

After understanding Aske’s subsequent arrangement, Eleanor no longer objected, realizing that Italy... was Nora Family territory, and there shouldn’t be any problems.

"Okay," Eleanor finally said. "But I have a request."

"When your sword strikes that demigod, completely shattering his Spirituality, please don’t rush to kill him."

"Before killing him, I have questions I want to ask him."

Aske: ...........

What now, soul interrogation before death? Questions like "Although it’s war against war, why did you instigate the Lord of Filth to attack innocent civilians" - the kind of "Eleanor-style philosophical questions?"

"I can’t promise that," Aske reassured her, "I’m not the only one involved in this operation, but I can bring up your request with them."

"Okay," Eleanor, clearly aware that the decision wasn’t Aske’s alone to make, nodded and said, "If it really can’t be done, then it’s no issue."

The girl buried herself in practicing the Holy Sword again. Aske, seeing she was almost cultivating a mental issue, suggested:

"Honestly, do you have anything you’re particularly obsessed with?"

"Obsessed?" Eleanor paused, leaning on her sword and pondering for a while, "I guess not."

Not really... Aske was speechless for a while and suggested:

"How about finding something?"

"You see, Will, that kind of thing, it’s useless to just stand there and try to concentrate all your brainwaves. Actually, you need intense emotions to make it work."

"Take my friend, for example. If he doesn’t master it in another week, he’ll have to retire, give up his life’s dream, and submit to reality for the sake of his family. Perhaps it’s precisely because he had to bet on that glimmer of hope that he finally made a breakthrough at the last moment."

"So I’ll make a suggestion, do you have anything that you’re truly obsessed with? Something that can make you stronger, that forces you to master this swordsmanship out of necessity, not simply because ’I want to learn it,’ but because subconsciously you’ve already given yourself an out, thinking ’it’s not a big deal even if I don’t manage to learn it’?"

Eleanor was stunned, as if Aske had struck at the true thoughts in the depths of her heart, leaving her speechless for a long while.

Why... do I want to learn this Holy Sword?

Actually, it wouldn’t matter if I can’t, right?

At that moment, she was suddenly alarmed: Had she already set up an escape route for herself "in case I really can’t learn"?

Is there anything I’m truly obsessed with? If there were such a thing, something that makes me hesitate, something I want but am also afraid to lose...

"I..." She hesitated uncharacteristically before finally exhaling a long breath:

"I understand, I will consider your suggestion, Aske."

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