Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 378 - 176: You Will Return Like Lightning

Nora’s "running away from home" story is simpler compared to Eleanor’s.

After all, she had money.

After leaving the Italian peninsula, she made a call home, saying she was going to "travel the world" starting with a trip to the East Solomon Empire.

Her family didn’t try to stop her; instead, they quickly wired her money—not only for daily expenses but also to hire an elite guard squad for her protection.

That girl was pretty fearless, not hiring even one guard, taking a cruise around the Sirius Peninsula, and starting to eat, drink, and be merry in Constantinople, the imperial capital of East Solomon. Everyone knows the rest of the story.

If Aske hadn’t been there, like in the game in my previous life, she would likely have caught wind of trouble before the fall of Constantinople and fled back home early.

Unlike Eleanor, Nora would check in with her family regularly, so it’s highly likely that she would have taken Eleanor with her when she left. As a daughter of the Weisbach family, Eleanor would certainly be welcomed as an esteemed guest by the Lysine Group.

On the other hand, people like Sigrdrifa and Peggy, who were from the lower classes, might not have managed to escape before the city fell.

In any case, having money means you can get by anywhere—it’s really true.

"You still haven’t said why you decided to join my mercenary group at that time," Aske said.

"At that time, one reason was that it seemed fun, after all, I could become a Transcendent," Nora said with a smile. "The other reason was that Peggy really scared me."

"A normal wound’s healing ability couldn’t possibly be that fast, yet Peggy’s wounds would close and heal as if the flesh moved on its own, leaving a very deep impression on me—at that time, my understanding of Transcendents was simply of humans who could run faster and had more strength, essentially still within the category of humans, you understand?"

Aske nodded: "I had Peggy demonstrate her abilities in front of you for that reason."

"Mm-hmm," said Nora, "So at first, I joined your team just out of interest and curiosity, but later... well, you know what happened."

Aske didn’t know what to say and found himself at a loss for words. Honestly, it was even more fantastical that Nora had fallen for him compared to joining the mercenary group—it was like the classic story of a rich, beautiful woman falling for a poor boy.

But he wasn’t a boy with nothing to his name, after all, he was a professional player who had crossed into the game world, with a combat awareness that was ahead of this era in all aspects. After showing off his godlike strength and gaining a fan, it was quite a normal thing, wasn’t it?

"Pfft, don’t flatter yourself!" Nora jokingly cursed and turned back to tend to the broth she was cooking, "Remember to come for a taste test a half-hour before dinner time, and don’t let others find out."

"That’s really touching, cooking privately like this," Aske said half-seriously, half-jokingly.

After leaving the kitchen, Aske once again pondered: he had finished communicating with all the adult ladies, so now it was time for the remaining four little ones.

After making a round on Fire Island, Aske finally found Thira and Peggy sitting side by side on the northern shore, singing a song:

"Below the Saint Romanus City, you left for another place. And an angel will bring you here, at the right time, in Saint Sophia Cathedral, you will return like lightning..."

As they sang, Thira couldn’t help but start to cry, and Peggy picked up where she left off, singing slowly to the end.

"What are you two doing?" Aske asked as he approached.

"There’s a new song from Sirius that’s quite moving," Thira said, wiping her eyes.

"It’s said to be because the Orthodox Church of Athens has given a prophecy from God. A noble in purple, king of kings, will one day return with the Lord’s angels, reviving the ancient glory of the Solomon Empire," Peggy explained, "So the musicians in Sirius composed the music and lyrics based on this prophecy, and even here in Bavaria... we’ve been hearing Macedonian immigrants in the city sing this song."

Aske understood; this was Apilius creating momentum for his granddaughter Zoe.

But until the time he had traveled through, the Epirus Monarchy had not managed to reconquer Constantinople. After all, without Western aid, the power gap between the Sirius Peninsula and the Seljuk Empire was simply too vast.

The revival of the Solomon Empire was, in the end, nothing more than a pipe dream.

"I’ve got something on my mind recently..." Aske detailed the plan to assassinate the Demigod to both Peggy and Thira.

"There’s this matter too? I’ll ask my master," Peggy said, astonished, and then she went off to find her journal.

"I guess what you want to talk about isn’t this," Thira said as she watched Peggy hurriedly leave. She wiped her tears and hugged her knees.

After all, from Aske’s description, the assassination plan for the Demigod was mainly to be led by Agrippina, who would be responsible for fully engaging Alberto and creating the possibility for a lethal strike at the right time and place.

Aske was just to act as the final assassin, akin to a headsman’s role. If everything would go as planned, he wouldn’t be at great risk.

"Are you worried about the aftermath of the Demigod’s death? Once Hidden Strings is killed, the invading Wolf forces in Bavaria will immediately collapse, won’t they?" Thira asked, furrowing her brow slightly.

"Without the constraint of the Wolf Family, Weisbach will be able to dispatch troops to the northwest with no concerns, coordinating with the Emperor’s Alliance to break through Franconia... No, knowing the nature of these Western feudal nobles, the Duke of Bavaria would surely write privately to the Duke of Franconia, proposing to plead on his behalf to the Emperor in exchange for Franconia’s troops turning against him."

"And then the Weisbach family’s forces would march unimpeded, passing through the lands of the surrendered Griffin Family, and meet Emperor Otto’s approaching troops. This would not only establish merit in front of the Emperor Camp but also avoid losing too much strength in the war."

"You’re quite knowledgeable," Aske admired. This young princess was incredibly astute; it was just a pity that she was thrust upon the throne at such a tender age.

If she had ascended the throne seven or eight years later, with her intelligence and the experience that age would bring, she might not just deal with Zoe and the Church, but at least she would preserve Constantinople from falling, wouldn’t she?

"So what do you think we should do?" Aske asked, sitting down beside her.

"My opinion is, we should assassinate this Demigod swiftly," Thira said.

"Why?" Aske inquired.

"Because of the second Magic Tide," Thira replied.

Waves lapped the shore, and amidst the subtle crashing of the foam, Aske was heard laughing softly,

"Please, elaborate."

"To start with, overall," Thira began earnestly, "Emperor Otto’s timing for this southern campaign is far worse than that of his father."

"Otto I’s campaign to the Italian peninsula was prompted by the ’Berengar Rebellion’ in Lombardy Region, as Pope John XII directly sought help from Divine Luo Emperor."

"In fact, John XII himself was unpopular in Italy. On one hand, his power was the product of an ’academic aristocracy,’ and the Thirteen Families were unwilling to let the Holy See become a hereditary power."

"On the other hand, John XII’s own political ability was lacking, and he had barely any achievements in the Ratlan Palace over the years, squandering all the prestige left by his father."

"The timing chosen by Otto I was precisely when the Church Court and Thirteen Families were most disunited. It could even be said that the Florentine Faction, represented by the Medici family, was even pleased to introduce external forces at the time to change the balance of interests in Solomon."

"In stark contrast, Innocent now has unprecedented prestige within the Church Court, and there is no conflict between the Thirteen Families and the Church Court. When the factions within Solomon City, the research faction, and the industrial faction, are not divided, the Church Court, with technology far ahead of its time, is almost invincible in the world as it stands."

"The reason I say ’almost’ is, of course..."

"The Magic Tide," Aske nodded slowly.

"What Emperor Otto is waiting for, and the only thing he can rely on for this southern campaign, is the upcoming second round of the Magic Tide."

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