Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 493 - 5: The Game

Kapaxilin was displeased.

Very displeased.

Yet, she still answered the call.

A figure appeared in the room, draped in a white robe edged with gold, his face stern and clean-shaven, his gaze so penetrating it seemed he could see into one’s soul.

The current Pope, Innocent’s holographic projection.

"Miss Kapaxilin," he nodded to Kapaxilin, then turned to Aske, "Lord Aske, we meet again."

"What do you want, Your Majesty?" Kapaxilin asked displeasingly.

"I am here to mediate," Innocent replied.

"We aren’t quarreling," Kapaxilin frowned.

"If I hadn’t come, there would soon be one," Innocent said. "And it wouldn’t just be a quarrel, but a fight."

Kapaxilin clapped her hands, and the "Golden Skulls" mercenaries previously hidden outside quickly dispersed.

"Lord Aske, I assume Ms. Kapaxilin has already introduced you to the history of the Lixini Family," Innocent’s projection said with a faint smile. "I hope you understand: intimidation, coercion, and relentless pressure are merely one of their negotiation tactics and not truly malicious towards you."

Then were those mercenaries outside just actors? Aske wondered internally. With his Intuitive Ability, he had sensed some danger from outside, albeit insignificant.

"I certainly wouldn’t harm my sister’s fiancé," Kapaxilin said coldly. "Moreover, this is a family matter of the Lixini Family, Your Holiness."

"So, Aske has agreed to the marriage alliance with the Lixini Family?" Innocent glanced at Aske and chuckled, "I don’t think so. The Giotto Bell’s hour-hand hasn’t moved yet."

Aske: ???

What does my marriage to Nora have to do with your Doomsday Clock?

"So, why are you really here?" Kapaxilin asked crisply, crossing her arms.

She was certainly aware of the recent incidents with Giotto’s Bell, making Innocent’s intervention even more infuriating.

"I’m here to talk business," Innocent stated succinctly. "Lord Aske, the task I previously assigned you was completed beautifully. As for the promised reward, I would like you to come collect it at the Ratlan Palace."

"Can’t you just send someone over, Your Majesty?" Kapaxilin retorted.

"Cannot," Innocent responded. "Oh, and bring Nora with you too. The Valian Bishop has been busy with a project and has no time to return home, so I would appreciate it if you brought his long-lost sister for a reunion."

"Too busy to spare even an hour to return home?" Kapaxilin said with a touch of sarcasm.

"Of course. After all, the Lixini Family’s creed is ’never let go of what we seek,’ isn’t it?" Innocent retorted lightly.

Kapaxilin choked down a response, knowing all too well her brother’s obsession with his research interests.

"Very well then," the Pope’s projection tapped his scepter on the ground and then ended the communication, the projection disappearing.

"Hmph." Kapaxilin snorted and turned to look at Aske.

This guy... I won’t speak of other aspects, as long as Nora likes him, the Lixini Family doesn’t mind. But why on earth is his Intimidation Level at Raphael R4? Even the Pope dares to come and advocate for him, risking offending the Lixini Family?

Regardless, for Nora’s future happiness, the Lixini Family wouldn’t easily let go. However, now many overt aggressive methods couldn’t be used.

It seems a time must be taken to have a good talk with that old man, the Pope, alongside her brother.

"Care for some tea?" Kapaxilin, arms still crossed, leaned against the office’s floor-to-ceiling window and asked.

"Thank you, but no need." Aske of course knew this meant it was time to leave, so he tactfully said his goodbyes.

He pushed the door to leave, just after he closed it behind him, he heard the old butler next to him say, 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"Ah, Lord Aske, so you are rejecting Miss Kapaxilin’s kindness?"

"I suppose so," Aske said with a smile. He really couldn’t afford her "kindness."

"Miss Kapaxilin is quite assertive, but she is still very cautious when it comes to dealing with Miss Nora," the old butler whispered. "If you really were after the Lixini Family’s power and wealth, and had agreed to her request without hesitation upon the first meeting, she would have been quite disappointed, wouldn’t she?"

Aske understood his meaning. It meant that Kapaxilin was on one hand using the "Lixini Family" name to test his real motives toward pursuing Nora; on the other hand, she deliberately acted aggressively to provoke his pride, fearing he might just agree right away, proving that the man Nora liked actually lacked decent character.

Really, was that necessary? But since the butler brought it up, it meant he had passed this first challenge...

...Wait, just the first challenge?!

While Aske was full of thoughts riding the elevator down, on the 36th floor in the entertainment room, Mia and Miel, lying in the VR holographic game pods, were having a blast in the virtual world.

"Ah! Zombies, zombies!" Mia shouted excitedly while swinging a baseball bat studded with nails, smashing a zombie’s head.

"Can you not scream so loud?" Miel maintained her aim with the handgun, and suddenly cried out in shock, "Wait, don’t use Instant Step!"

Before she could finish, Mia had already dashed out with an Instant Step.

Then, with a "bang," she hit the wall.

"Ah, that hurts."

"Really." Miel ran over to her side. "The virtual world is different from the real world!"

"No, it’s not that!" Mia got up from the ground, explaining, "It’s because my Instant Step is muscle memory! That’s why it’s easy to lose control of this body in the virtual world!"

"Let’s switch to another game," Miel suggested, pulling up the system menu and leading Mia out of the game to return to the game lobby, "Shall we play a rhythm game?"

"The one with the Light Sword slicing blocks? Forget it, you can’t beat me." Mia frowned. "How about Unserious Plumber?"

"The red and green suspenders are just too ugly." Miel responded, "Miracle_Warm?"

"Isn’t MW a dress-up game?" Mia asked. "If we want new clothes, why not just go buy them in real life?"

"In real life, clothes cost money," Miel pointed out.

"Nora has plenty of money."

"But that’s not your money."

The two chattered on, suddenly hearing a snap of fingers beside them.

A figure in a black robe appeared in the game lobby. Mia instinctively shielded Miel behind her, and they both reached for weapons without hesitation.

Then they felt nothing but air, recalling that they were in the game world.

"Don’t be afraid," the robed figure spread his hands, showing he also had no weapons.

"Who are you? Why are you here?" Miel asked warily, "This is a private gaming hall; visitors can’t come in without permission...Did you hack our terminal?"

"Mia and Miel, right?" the robed figure didn’t answer her question, instead he simply lowered his hands again and chuckled,

"I want to play a game with you."