Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 55 - 55 45 Arcane Mage

55: Chapter 45 Arcane Mage 55: Chapter 45 Arcane Mage If one were to mention a famous NPC in the world of “Iron and Fire”,

without a doubt, it would have to be Theodora.

Empire Princess Theodora, dubbed “the most beautiful woman in the game.”

And by games, it’s not just “Iron and Fire” that’s being referred to here, but nearly all the female NPCs known for their beauty in almost every game released so far couldn’t compare to her in terms of looks.

On this NPC’s character modeling alone, just the head model cost $130 million.

It included the spacing between the eyes, the length of each eyelash, the height and width of the nose bridge, laugh lines, the shape of the forehead, and the positioning of each tooth—they were all designed by the world’s top 13 game design teams, ensuring they resonated with the aesthetic cultures of both Eastern and Western nations.

In the month before the official release of “Iron and Fire,” the game company used a video of Theodora dancing as part of a hugely successful marketing campaign.

After all, beautiful NPC ladies are always a big draw for online games, wherever and whenever.

And the results were exactly as the game company had anticipated.

The media praised Theodora’s “peerless beauty” as “perfection that real humans can’t achieve,” and together with the soon-to-be-released game “Iron and Fire,” she appeared on major game forums, video websites, hardcore gamer circles, cosplay gear groups, comic conventions’ merch, dakimakura and figurine body models, the hottest templates in cosmetic surgery clinics, adult shop advertising posters, and even the signage of convenient stores in third, fourth, and fifth-tier towns and villages.

Though the last few weren’t exactly the channels the game company wanted to spread through…

but all in all, the marketing was perfect.

The first beauty of “Iron and Fire,” Theodora, as a stunning NPC, was set to be immortalized in the annals of gaming history.

At the moment, Aske was looking into Theodora’s beautiful eyes, thinking, “Why would you cover your face with a veil?

Even if you were turned to ashes, I’d still recognize you!”

“The pretty sister here makes a good point!” Before he could speak, Sigrdrifa was already making a commotion, “Since he’s going to be shot anyway, might as well let me do the execution!”

With that, she raised her battle axe and chopped the young man’s head clean off, so quickly that even Eleanor couldn’t intervene in time.

Theodora stood there, dumbfounded, seemingly not having caught up with what had happened.

“Sigrdrifa,” Aske said, covering his face, “What they meant by a legal execution is one that’s carried out by a government-recognized official with a gun.

Chopping his head off like you did, that’s called murder!”

“Huh?” Sigrdrifa tilted her head, not understanding the difference between murder and a legal execution.

“Never mind.” Theodora snapped back to reality.

“Such scum, better dead than wasting the Empire’s judicial costs.”

She looked at Aske with a smile reappearing in her eyes: “You are Aske Lepeios Achilles, right?

The current heir to the Achilles family?

Currently running a Mercenary Group?”

“That’s right.” Aske nodded, eager to hear what she would say next, when suddenly a thought flitted through his mind:

Isn’t Theodora’s bloodline a level 2 “Mass Mage”?

An Arcane Spellcaster who has mastered spells like Storm I and Wisdom X!

This seems to align perfectly with my team’s current needs.

Recruiting an Empress NPC into his Mercenary Group was a radical idea…

but doesn’t it sound unexpectedly thrilling?

Aske thought rapidly, lightning-fast.

His team already included ordinary people like Miel, Sigrdrifa, and Mia, as well as rich girls and nobles like Nora and Eleanor, and even an Empire Princess like Medea.

Adding an Empress to the mix…

wouldn’t make much of a difference, would it?

“Pardon my boldness, but may I ask who you are?” Aske said cheerfully.

Just as Theodora was about to speak, Aske suddenly interrupted her with an “Oh!” and said, “I get it!

You must have heard of the renown of ‘The Azure Longsword’ Mercenary Group, which is why you’ve come seeking to join us, am I right?”

Theodora: ???

“I’ll have you know, we’re currently in need of an Arcane Mage, and if you are the one we’re looking for…” Aske coughed and continued, “I noticed you have a Mithril tattoo.

That’s a surface magic circuit, isn’t it?”

“Ah, that’s correct.” Theodora pivoted her thoughts, deciding not to reveal her identity just yet, but to try and gauge the situation first.

The reason was simple; she wanted to recruit him as a guard, but only if Aske’s abilities were as outstanding as they appeared in the video they had seen.

Otherwise, if she mistakenly brought aboard just a pretty face, losing some money would be the least of her concerns; the real embarrassment would be the relentless mockery from her sister Zoe.

“So, how strong is ‘The Azure Longsword’ Mercenary Group?” Theodora casually asked.

“That depends on your criteria for judging strength,” Aske responded.

“If we are talking about scale, we currently have just 8 people and won’t exceed 10 in the future because we plan to take the route of a small, elite team.

“And what if we’re talking just about combat ability?” Theodora inquired.

“The strongest in the universe,” Aske declared.

“Cough!” Eleanor coughed awkwardly behind him.

That claim of being “the strongest in the universe” was a bit too extravagant, wasn’t it?

However, Sigrdrifa was nodding non-stop, saying,

“Mmmhmm, we’re the strongest in the universe now, but don’t think that’s as far as we’ll go.

One day we’re going to become…” She paused, whispering to Eleanor, “What’s bigger than the universe?”

“There isn’t anything,” Eleanor replied with a blend of laughter and tears.

“The universe is the biggest there is.”

“Oh,” Sigrdrifa realized and then chided Aske, “Hey, Aske, we have to be humble.

If we’re already the strongest in the universe now, what about the future?

Are we leaving ourselves any room to get stronger?”

“Then let’s go for ‘the first on the continent,'” Aske said offhandedly.

“‘The first on the continent,’ huh?

Not bad,” Sigrdrífa nodded in agreement, to the stupefaction of Eleanor behind her.

This ‘the first on the continent’…

Doesn’t it sound much different from ‘the first in the universe,’ huh?!

“Hehehe,” Theodora chuckled behind her hand, “Captain Aske, you really are an interesting fellow.

And of course, that samurai miss as well.”

Outside the door, two officer guards heard the Queen’s laughter and were secretly puzzled.

Could it be that this Achilles guy is a smooth talker, someone taking the route of a flatterer looking for favors?

Seeing that the other side was still smiling politely, Aske sighed internally.

Indeed, it was nearly impossible to convince them just by running his mouth; it was essential to push the gambling stakes.

“Empty talk won’t get us anywhere,” Aske smiled too, “Why don’t you take a look with your own eyes and see what our team is capable of?”

“Sure,” Theodora replied with an intrigued smile, wondering what he was going to show her.

Under her bewildered gaze, she saw Aske place a single hand on his lower back where his book rested, his spirituality at play as he enveloped the four people around him, and the surrounding scenery immediately transformed.

The filthy tavern vanished, replaced by a mountaintop in the afternoon, with the vast ocean in the distance.

At the visible boundary, a grey-white mist engulfed the horizon, as if it were the end where water meets sky.

Theodora startled, swiftly and inconspicuously clasped her hands, pressing a silent alarm beneath her sleeves.

No response?

No, this was no longer Constantinople, so the signal couldn’t go out!

It looked like an island; could it be some kind of long-distance teleportation array?

That means I’m here alone, brought by the other side, and it’s likely that I’m already beyond the territorial range of Constantinople!

What exactly does this Achilles want to do?!

She turned her head slightly, observing her surroundings calmly yet alertly, only to see girls on the construction site building houses and moving materials.

“Aske!

You’re back!” Nora rushed over excitedly as if welcoming her husband back home, then cast a curious glance at Theodora.

“Who is this…” she hesitated for a moment and asked Aske in a soft voice, “Arcane mage?”

“Correct, but she hasn’t signed a contract with me yet; she’s just here for an inspection,” Aske explained.

“Oh,” Nora nodded and then smiled warmly, extending her hand generously to Theodora.

“Hello, I am Nora Valerius Lysinius.”

“Lysinius?” Unlike the others, Theodora almost immediately recognized the surname, one of the thirteen most prestigious noble families in Solomon City, and thus stretched out her hand to shake hers, saying:

“Hello, my name is…

uh, Thira.”

(Thira, a contraction of Theodora, Theodora’s nickname)

“As you can see, our team is starting to take shape,” Aske summoned the girls and introduced each to Theodora, “Nora is our team healer and currently in charge of logistics.”

“Eleanor, the front line defender, responsible for attracting enemy fire.”

“Sigrdrífa, the power system’s main attacker, tasked with damaging heavy armor enemies.”

“Peggy, the agility system’s main attacker, responsible for taking down unarmored or lightly armored enemies.”

“Medea, the Mind Mage, responsible for affecting and controlling enemies on a mental level.”

“Mind Mage?” Theodora was slightly taken aback; that was a rare profession.

Medea gave her a faint glance, and suddenly a look of suspicion crossed her face.

Isn’t this veiled young lady none other than Theodora, who had just ascended to the throne?!

Holy shit!

Aske, how did you manage to bring over Her Majesty the Empress?!!!

I seem to smell the whiff of a conspiracy.

Excitement rose within Medea, and she smiled cordially, saying:

“Hello, you’re Thira, right?

That’s a lovely name.”

“You flatter me,” Theodora smiled back, feeling a bit guilty inside.

“Let’s continue the introduction,” Aske, like a host at a party, eagerly led Theodora to meet everyone present, “Mia, our scout, responsible for early warnings, reconnaissance, and checking for traps.”

“And lock picking,” Mia added.

“No,” Aske corrected, “We are a completely legitimate mercenary group; we wouldn’t engage in picking someone else’s locks.”

He gave Mia a warning look and continued:

“This is Miel, our rookie gunman, responsible for long-range fire support.”

“Lastly, there’s me, Aske, the team leader and strategist,” Aske placed a hand on his chest, introducing himself last like a perfect gentleman.