Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 487 - 102 Temporary Overnight Stay

Although she would occasionally fall into a coma, Eleanor’s periods of consciousness were growing longer and longer.

One could say her body was indeed rapidly recovering.

"You’re awake," Aske said. "Little lady..."

"My path isn’t narrowing!" Eleanor retorted, puffing up with anger.

Although she didn’t understand the meaning of this sentence, she was tired of being mocked every time she woke up.

"Still claiming it’s not narrowing," Aske said disdainfully. "Then why are you on my back?"

Eleanor: .............

It was so frustrating to have no rebuttal!

Despite days of communication and quarreling, Aske still didn’t approve of her actions; he sneered at her for rescuing Empire soldiers and knights and had even tagged her with the distasteful moniker "bleeding-heart liberal."

Right, what is a "bleeding-heart liberal"?

In the world of "Song of Iron and Fire," most countries were monarchies, with no left or right political concepts, so Eleanor didn’t know what a "bleeding-heart liberal" was. However, she could tell from Aske’s tone that it was meant in a contemptuous and disdainful way, and she guessed it roughly meant "impractical idealist."

This assessment made her incredibly angry and dejected, and she couldn’t wait to have a big fight with Aske every time she thought about it.

However, another undeniable fact was this: she indeed had left the team of her own accord, attempted to assassinate the Emperor alone, bringing unnecessary trouble to everyone, and had ended up paralyzed, becoming a burden.

Aske had rescued her at great risk, carried her as they fled, and took care of her daily needs. Although it was a bit shameful to admit, he truly took care of her in every aspect...

Therefore, both emotionally and rationally, she had no ground to criticize Aske.

Thinking this, Eleanor’s attitude softened.

"Where are we going? How long do we have to walk?" she asked softly, leaning on Aske’s shoulder.

"To Florence," Aske replied. "We should arrive by tomorrow morning."

"What about the Dragon of Imagination?"

"I’ve set a little trap for him," Aske said. "If all goes well, he’ll lose us and won’t be able to find us again."

"And if it doesn’t go well?" Eleanor asked.

"By the time he realizes, we should have already reached Florence," Aske answered.

"So soon?" Eleanor murmured.

"Quick? Do you know how long we’ve been walking?" Aske asked without looking back. "How many days do you think we still have to walk?"

Eleanor fell silent.

"What, feeling wronged again?" Aske asked after a while.

"No," Eleanor replied softly. "I’m just worried you’ll tire yourself out walking too quickly."

"Doubting your own weight, are you?" Aske said.

"How can you discuss a lady’s weight?" Eleanor glared at him and whispered, "Besides, I’m relatively light within our team."

"That’s impossible," Aske said. "There are so many underage girls in our team..."

"Ah, I was referring to those of similar age," Eleanor coughed, looking at the dwindling light around her and changing the subject. "We’ve been walking for so long; let’s rest for a while."

"Hmm."

Aske found a dilapidated little hut up ahead, appearing to be a temporary resting place for nearby shepherds. They frowned as they entered and were greeted by a cloud of dust.

In the wilds of "Song of Iron and Fire," there were many such ownerless buildings for retirees who needed to "sleep in the game." Otherwise, dying in your sleep from monster attacks could lead to player complaints.

Aske pulled out a dusty sheepskin blanket from the corner and checked with Eleanor for her preference.

She immediately rejected it with disgust: she’d rather sleep without a blanket than under that dirty, dusty thing.

So Aske summoned a broom, swept the dust out of the house, and then laid Eleanor down.

"Why can you summon a broom?!" Eleanor asked, baffled. "Is a broom considered a weapon?"

"Of course," Aske said casually. "Brooms, rolling pins, frying pans — they’re the three great civilian-exclusive mythical weapons, alright?"

Eleanor: ???

"I think I can move a bit now." Eleanor tried to lift her arm, managing to raise it halfway before smiling wryly. "It’s still a bit difficult."

"Hmm, probably after one more sleep, you should be fully recovered by tomorrow," Aske said, unpacking his gear and lying down beside her.

Hmm, the last time I slept like this, it seems I was in the graveyard with Peggy...

Eleanor stared blankly at him. Of course, given her current inability to move, she had to maintain that position.

"Squad Leader..."

"What is it?"

"I know I was wrong," Eleanor said.

Aske paused, struck by a strong sense of déjà vu.

Oh, right. Last time, when I had returned to life after comprehending the War Law, Peggy had been clinging to my leg, snotty and tearful, saying something similar.

"Where did you go wrong?" Aske asked with his eyes closed.

"I shouldn’t have left the team on my own," Eleanor said cautiously. "I shouldn’t have kept it from you."

That is to say, she still believed that attempting to assassinate the Emperor wasn’t wrong. Aske sighed inwardly and said:

"Eleanor, if you had failed in your exploit... I mean, if you hadn’t mastered the Unyielding Holy Sword, what do you think would have happened to you?"

"But I didn’t get it on the spot." Eleanor explained. "I had mastered the Holy Sword the day before."

"Let’s put it another way, then," Aske said. "If I hadn’t come to rescue you, or if I had been too late, what do you think your end would have been?"

"Death, I guess." Eleanor averted her eyes guiltily towards the ceiling.

"Have you ever thought about what would happen to our team if you sacrificed yourself? We’ve invested countless resources, countless efforts... Of course, mainly my efforts, to train you to this level. And then, just because you have a brainwave, you jump into a pit of fire and commit suicide, what about our team?"

Peggy didn’t say anything.

Aske shook his head and ignored her.

After a moment, Eleanor’s voice came again, faintly saying,

"If I had discussed it with you in advance, you would have taken me and left straight away, right?"

"Of course," Aske replied.

"What about these people...?" Eleanor asked sorrowfully, "These conscripted soldiers and knights, what will happen to them? Who will save them?"

Aske was speechless—how had this girl managed to get herself so wrapped up in the classic philosophical dilemma of ’self-interest versus altruism’?

Speaking of classic philosophical dilemmas, a certain age-old question, ’who would you save if your mother and I fell into the water at the same time?’ flashed through his mind, and so Aske had a stroke of inspiration and asked.

"Eleanor, if there comes a time in the future when our team faces a deadly crisis and at the same time, elsewhere, a large number of innocent people are also on the brink of disaster, both calling out for your help. You can only choose to save one side, what would you choose?"

"I..." Eleanor opened her mouth, then said dejectedly,

"I would save the team first."

Eh? How had this girl suddenly seen the light? Aske was somewhat surprised; could it be that only a philosophical problem could defeat another philosophical problem?

Regardless, at least this girl understood the importance of proximity and placed the safety of her team above those unrelated to her. It didn’t seem like justice had completely addled her brains beyond cure.

As for how to correct her obsessive thinking later on, that would require slow and steady guidance.

"Because I know that if you were faced with the same tough choice, you would choose to save me too, right?" Ellie looked at him, her deep blue pupils reflecting his profile.

"Of course, isn’t that why I came to save you this time?" Aske said.

"I know," Eleanor replied with a smile. "Thank you, Aske."

"Mm, I’m going to sleep."

Having received the reply he wanted, Aske fell asleep contentedly.

Maintaining his skill for so many days had been a significant burden on him, despite its low consumption of Spirituality.

Taking advantage of this rare moment when the Dragon of Imagination was lured away, he intended to get a good night’s sleep to replenish his Spirituality.

Gradually, his thoughts settled, and he slowly drifted into sleep.

However, Eleanor beside him, gazed at him intently without blinking.

"Actually, I had prepared myself to commit suicide..."

About ten minutes later, Eleanor whispered again.

"...but at the last moment, I realized I hoped more that you would come to rescue me..."

It was as if she had garnered the courage to move closer to Aske.

Just a short distance, yet for her current state, it seemed an incredibly long journey.

Finally, after half an hour, Eleanor managed to move next to Aske with great effort.

"Aske..."

She leaned her head against his shoulder with difficulty.

"Perhaps because, deep down, I believed you would definitely come to save me..."

If Aske were awake at that moment, he would surely be angry, saying, "Knowing I would come to save you, you dared to act recklessly?"

But he indeed was asleep, so Eleanor plucked up her courage from the depths of her heart and continued to whisper.

"Aske, I am really just a naive and useless person."

"I thought I could save the entire world..."

"But I couldn’t even save my brother’s life..."

"If only I had learned the Holy Sword earlier... would they still be alive?"

She fell silent in the stillness of the night for a long while, seemingly falling back into the sorrow of the past, her eyes quickly moistening once more.

Nevertheless, she held back her tears and suppressed her sobs, saying:

"Because I’m naive and wilful, I want to prevent more tragedies."

"And because I’m weak and useless, I’ve become helpless like this."

After another silence, Eleanor reached out shakily and gently grasped Aske’s arm.

As if she had rediscovered a sense of security, her rapid breathing calmed down, as she stared blankly at his profile.

"Thank you, Aske."

"For not giving up on someone as naive and useless as me at the last moment..."

Seemingly having reached a decision, she brought her lips close to Aske’s ear.

"I love you."

"Goodnight."

After expending all her strength on these final words, the exhausted Eleanor then hugged his arm, placed her cheek against his shoulder, and slowly closed her eyes to sleep.

...

In her dream, she was back at the Weisbach Palace, on the night of the family banquet.

The hall was brightly lit, the sound of violins was melodious, and the well-dressed guests mingled, full of laughter and conversation.

Outside the banquet hall, a blonde girl in an evening gown slipped out quietly, her hands still holding a bag of food she had taken from the table.

The young man stood at the railing of the terrace under the moonlight, turning his head back in surprise as he saw her.