Chapter 89: Airael’s Deepening Dilemma
Upon hearing Airael’s response, not just Axi, but also Celia and Aurora were momentarily speechless.
That reply was really quite forced, wasn’t it?
And hey, are you just now realizing this?
Even though they didn’t have much fondness for humans, Celia and Aurora had to admit that Axi was quite the looker.
In the silence, Airael appeared pretty awkward.
But honestly, what could she do?
She couldn’t very well express her true thoughts from just a moment ago!
That would probably make her more embarrassed than she already was.
“Actually, you normally look good, but just now, I realized that you look even better.”
To ease her embarrassment, Airael chimed in to explain.
However, to her, this was just an explanation, nothing too problematic.
But for those nearby, it wasn’t as simple as it seemed.
Axi looked deeply at Airael and said, “Thank you for the compliment; you’re actually very beautiful as well.”
His face was calm, not giving anything away.
Celia and Aurora exchanged glances between Airael and Axi.
An outrageous thought crept up in their minds.
Could it be that their Your Majesty has taken a liking to this guy?!
Oh my gosh! This is simply too insane!
Although their Queen was already engaged to a human, could Axi really marry their Queen with his current capabilities?
They all thought it was impossible.
Sure, Axi was quite distinguished, but he was, after all, just one person.
He couldn’t stand up against an entire nation, and who knows what he would have to face down the line!
Their Queen was, after all, under scrutiny from every kingdom.
Of course, to be fair, they didn’t want their Queen marrying a human.
The lifespan gap between them was just too great. Even if there were genuine feelings, in the end, it would only lead to a tragic conclusion.
Especially for an elf, to endure watching their beloved fade away right before their eyes, only to live out the rest of their life in solitude, was a pain that would linger long after their partner was gone.
Therefore, whether for public or private reasons, they didn’t want Airael to marry a human.
Hearing Axi’s praise, Airael didn’t think much of it and calmly replied, “Thank you!”
Seeing Axi’s demeanor, she knew this was just courtesy anyway.
With that, the awkwardness was swept away.
Airael and the others continued on their journey.
Airael no longer lingered on the surrounding scenery, to avoid triggering any more awkward situations.
Even though her earlier insight about Axi gave her a deeper understanding, helping her achieve her goals, she preferred to avoid any more of those cringe-worthy moments.
However, Airael was still oblivious to one truth.
She was getting further and further entangled in her feelings regarding Axi.
Initially, she followed Axi just to understand that peculiar sense of familiarity he evoked in her—what was it about him that felt so familiar? Now she found herself wanting to know everything about Axi.
Though there were some ties in this, the difference between the beginning and now was certainly not a trivial matter.
The scene switched back to Mark Fortress.
Due to the human cavalry’s ambush on the orc’s left flank, the orc’s siege attempt today could be deemed another failure.
While their center and right were still intact and unaffected, the left flank’s misfortune already impacted their entire strategic deployment.
With the overall strategy undermined, even if the middle and right remained whole, they wouldn’t achieve the planned results.
The Beast King was, of course, furious about this.
Even though they were just “faking an attack,” he still wanted to capture that strategic location.
Once he took Mark Fortress, vast lands in the north would soon fall into the hands of the orcs.
After calling off the troops and heading back to his tent, the Beast King began to smash things in a fury.
In mere moments, his tent turned into a chaotic mess, making it quite the sight to behold.
Shortly after the Beast King returned, Mahat, the orc high priest, also showed up at his tent.
Seeing the mess inside, Mahat’s gaze flickered momentarily before he stepped in and called out, “Your Majesty!”
At this point, the Beast King had calmed down his tantrum and was sitting in his spot, his chest rising and falling heavily.
Hearing Mahat’s call, the Beast King looked over and asked, “High Priest, what brings you here?”
Even as flames of rage burned inside him, he did his best to maintain a somewhat cordial tone with the high priest.
“Your Majesty, we should withdraw. The vanguard of the human reinforcements has entered their fortress and struck us hard. If we continue dragging this out, when the follow-up human troops arrive, escaping won’t be as easy.”
“And if they come, what’s it to us? Are we afraid of them?”
The Beast King bellowed.
In that moment, he seemed quite mad, completely losing his rationality.
“Your Majesty, we are indeed not afraid of the mere Nick Kingdom, but the counterattacks we will face next are not just from them, and our losses have already been severe.”
Mahat said coldly.
A chill began to permeate the air.
The Beast King was jolted awake.
At first, he displayed a dazed expression, then lowered his head, seemingly lost in thought.
Seeing this, Mahat continued, “Your Majesty, Mark Fortress is a stronghold painstakingly managed by the humans; capturing it isn’t a simple task. Acting purely on impulse isn’t the solution either. If we truly want to take that fortress, we need to regroup and strategize properly!”
“Then we’ll wait for Sko and the others to return.”
The Beast King sighed, eyes shut.
Now rational again, he understood that Mahat’s words made sense.
“Sko and the others won’t be coming back.”
“What do you mean?”
“He has met the same fate as Sam and has died in battle.”
“When did this happen?”
“I just learned about it on my way here. Sko was caught up by the human cavalry and killed in combat. If I’m not mistaken, the cavalry that attacked our left flank today was the same unit that killed Sko.”
Upon hearing this, the Beast King’s face twisted into a pained grimace.
That cavalry unit again! That cavalry unit again!…
At that moment, he truly wanted nothing more than to rip Hudeman and his crew apart with his bare hands.
But it was impossible.
Hudeman and his forces had already taken refuge inside Mark Fortress.
With the protection of the castle, they were quite safe.
Moreover, their powerful presence only fortified the defenses of Mark Fortress even more.
