Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?-Chapter 286 - 84 Red-haired Otto

In Weisbach Palace.

After learning the latest intelligence, the Duke hurriedly left.

The mission content for The Azure Longsword Mercenary Corps had also changed.

"Escort the delegation"—There was no need for an escort anymore, the whole delegation had died, and it was uncertain whether Viscount Heinrich had escaped. However, even if he succeeded in escaping, the Wolf Family would consider him dead and use this to confront the Weisbach Family.

"Discover and thwart the enemy’s conspiracy"—The conspiracy had been discovered, and it was shockingly huge. The Black Death was not a matter to be taken lightly; the Weisbach Family would soon mobilize with all their might, aiming to stop and eliminate the hidden mastermind behind it.

Strictly speaking, the Duke was quite satisfied with the contract given to The Azure Longsword. It’s known that not a single living person had escaped from Berg Village after the rat plague. If Azure Longsword hadn’t survived the disaster that decimated the delegation and hadn’t reported to Mingxing City at top speed.

By now, the Weisbach Family would still be in the dark, and every minute they were unaware of the situation could potentially add hundreds or even thousands of casualties.

Eleanor sat there disheartened, staring fixedly at the floor, the image of Hood and Maria’s corpses embracing still in her mind.

"He didn’t have to die," she muttered.

"Many people didn’t have to die," Aske replied.

Eleanor was silent for a while before saying with difficulty, "If we had chosen not to take on this mission at the beginning and told my father the intelligence instead..."

"The situation wouldn’t have improved much," Aske said, "At that time, we could only confirm that the mastermind behind the scenes was an Extraordinary Level Transcendent, but we didn’t know what Sequence and Ability he possessed."

"Considering that every time a Demigod uses High Rank Ability, it is equivalent to consuming their lifespan. Without knowing the other party possessed the terrifying large-scale destructive power of the Black Death, even if your father reported to the Demigods, they might not have mobilized."

"Indeed." A voice echoed from the distant corridor, "So little Eleanor, stop blaming yourself."

Accompanying the Duke of Bavaria, a middle-aged man in casual attire appeared, wearing a straw hat, seemingly just back from fishing, and still carrying a fishing rod and bucket.

"Help me handle these fish, young Otto," the middle-aged man handed the bucket to the Duke.

"Alright," the Duke of Bavaria responded with a resigned expression, picking up the bucket and walking away.

"Are you, the ancestor?" Eleanor exclaimed in astonishment.

"Mhm," the middle-aged man took off his straw hat, revealing a head of dark red hair, "I share the same name as your father, also called Otto. But in my time, they generally called me ’Red-haired Otto’."

Sharing the same name as an ancestor was a traditional skill among the nobility of the Divine Luo Empire, hence Eleanor quickly accepted this man’s identity. Aske, however, pondered for a moment before asking,

"Why do I feel like this setting seems familiar?"

"Hahaha," the middle-aged man laughed heartily, "Maybe you’ve heard the legendary tale of the battle I had with Duke Lion Henry?"

Eleanor suddenly realized, surprised, "You are the first Duke of Bavaria in our Weisbach Family! The one who defeated Lion Henry!"

"That’s a long story," the middle-aged man said with a smile, "But first, let’s deal with the mice scurrying around outside."

He led the two out of the palace to meet up with the girls waiting outside.

Mia had already caught a rat in the city and brought it to Red-haired Otto. After staring at the rat for a moment, he said,

"It indeed has the ’Rat Rank III’ Ability; he has implanted a brand in this rat’s body to ensure he can convert the Spiritual Body at any time."

"""

"Such rats should number in the thousands within the country," Aske said.

"Yes," Red-haired Otto replied, "but it’s a double-edged sword; not only can he transfer freely using these brands, but we can also use them to locate his physical body and even disrupt his ability to switch by connecting through the Spiritual Body, rendering him unable to switch for a period."

"Is it similar to a Sealing Ability?" Nora asked.

"Yes, little Nora," Red-haired Otto said with a smile, looking at her. "You are as beautiful as your great-grandmother. We met once, over seventy years ago."

"Thank—thank you..." Nora was somewhat speechless.

"So, ancestor, are you now going to lead us to find his physical location?" Eleanor asked the ageless, flirtatious demigod ancestor with exasperation and urgency.

"Mm." Red-haired Otto replied, "Under the current state of Magic Tide, I can only use abilities up to Level 10. Anything beyond that would harm me, so I try not to intervene directly. You will execute the specific Tactics."

"I will only help you locate his physical body and disrupt his ability to switch among the rats. As long as you can kill him together, the deal and reward discussed with the current Duke will still be valid, how does that sound?"

"Agreed," Aske nodded.

"Good," Red-haired Otto approved, then grabbed the squealing rat with his left hand while his right hand pierced in like a knife.

A bizarre crimson symbol emerged on the skin of his hand and swiftly burrowed into the rat.

"In Bernried," he withdrew his finger as Flames rose on his skin, burning away the Flesh that stuck, "let us go."

A military vehicle approached from the opposite side and quickly carried everyone towards the outskirts of the city.

As they passed through Berg Village, Eleanor looked towards the distance; the Flames had been extinguished, leaving only ruins and graveyards now.

"Your territory is Berg Village, right, Squad Leader Aske?" Red-haired Otto asked from the front seat. "That place has been severely contaminated by the Plague. It might not rebuild a new village in the future. Later, I will arrange for young Otto to exchange a fief for you."

"No need," Aske said, shaking his head with a smile. "No need to change locations."

"Because I have a friend buried there."

"Aske..." Nora bit her lower lip, immediately feeling a surge of tears.

"Friends, huh," Red-haired Otto mused. "I don’t have many friends left either."

"After all, the longer one lives, the lighter one sees human emotions. People come into this world alone, and although they make many friends and even lovers, they ultimately return to solitude. That is the destiny of Transcendents, do you understand, Aske?"

"Mm." Aske understood that Red-haired Otto was subtly reminding him not to get lost in so-called romantic relationships.

After all, what truly decides how long you can live is your Extraordinary Level. The Magic Tide has its cycles, and if your lover’s Level is lower than yours, once the tide falls, she cannot advance further in rank and will inevitably exhaust her lifespan before you.

Rather than enduring the pain of inevitable separation by death, it’s better not to seek such fleeting happiness in the first place.

It is because of this view that most Transcendents find it difficult to forge lasting emotional bonds. The lifespan of mortals is too fragile, and the ranks of fellow Transcendents vary, leading to disparate life spans and preventing them from being together.

Choosing to be a Transcendent is, in essence, choosing loneliness.

However, Aske’s primary intention, from the beginning, was not to become a Transcendent. He simply wanted to return to his original world, which required defeating the Dragon instance on Mont Blanc, necessitating him to become a Transcendent first.

Of course, he couldn’t explain to Red-haired Otto that "I didn’t form this group to create a harem," as that would embarrass the ladies. So he remained silent.

"""

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