Chapter 106: Temptation
Axi felt a little uneasy under Phil’s scrutinizing gaze.
Previously, he thought Andrew was just being overly cautious, but now that Phil was acting the same way, he couldn’t help but wonder if they had discovered something.
“Can we hurry up and find the information?”
Just then, Airael chimed in.
“Sure thing!”
Phil snapped back to attention, a bit embarrassed, and replied.
With that, he led Airael and the others to roam around the library.
Along the way, he gave them a brief introduction to the library itself.
“This library has existed since the Tower of the Archmage was established. Over the centuries, it has collected many tomes – some we wrote ourselves, others gathered from outside. There’s a wealth of powerful magic and martial arts within. In summary, it’s quite a diverse assortment of books.
Besides that, we take the management of the library seriously, especially when it comes to categorizing and arranging the books so that it’s easier for us to find things when needed.”
As Phil was explaining, they stopped in front of a row of bookshelves.
Phil glanced at Airael and the others and pointed to the shelves, saying, “This section is filled with various books related to past history. The stuff you’re looking for should be here.”
“Thank you!”
Axi expressed his gratitude and began searching through the shelves.
Shortly after, Phil, Airael, Celia, and Aurora joined in the search.
Before long, they had dug out all the tomes that recorded that particular event.
The accounts within, aside from one being quite similar to what Airael had said, matched closely with what circulated outside.
Axi looked at the ancient book he held in his hands.
The content inscribed in this book aligned closely with Airael’s words.
And its author was Davis.
Phil also looked at the ancient book and commented, “This book belongs to our Tower of the Archmage and was penned by a well-known figure in history, the legendary Grand Mage Suratu’s worthy disciple, Lord Davis.
Though Lord Davis’s achievements aren’t as impressive as Lord Suratu’s, he still possesses considerable ability. However, compared to Lord Suratu, his fame in the outside world is notably lesser.”
Axi nodded after hearing this.
It made him believe in the accuracy of what was recorded in this book.
Likewise, he found himself agreeing with what Airael had said earlier.
Though Victor had made some mistakes, it wasn’t nearly as dire as it sounded now.
All of this was the doing of those with ulterior motives.
Considering what they aimed for, it wasn’t all that hard to understand.
It was all for profit!
“Thanks, I’ve found what I wanted.”
After thanking Phil, Axi handed over the book.
“Don’t mention it, it was but a small effort,” Phil replied.
Though he confirmed that Airael’s claims were true and achieved a result that was more to his liking, Axi didn’t seem too pleased about it.
Since leaving the Tower of the Archmage, he’s had a serious expression, looking weighed down by his thoughts.
This made Airael worry about him.
Upon returning to the inn, Airael asked Celia and Aurora to step aside first.
Then, she followed Axi into his room.
Once inside, Axi lay back on the soft sofa, closing his eyes.
He looked truly exhausted.
“Axi, what’s wrong? Didn’t you confirm the facts? Why do you look like this?”
Airael sat beside Axi and asked softly.
She deliberately lowered her voice, which carried a soothing quality that felt almost magical to the ears.
In fact, Axi’s mood did lift a little upon hearing Airael’s words.
Her earlier soothing remarks had indeed calmed his spirit.
Axi sat up, opened his eyes to look at Airael, and said, “Ailia, I feel lost. I suddenly don’t know what to do next.”
Just as he mentioned, Airael could clearly see the confusion in his eyes.
In that fog of uncertainty, Airael’s earlier reassurance wormed its way into his heart, making her the confidant he felt compelled to express himself to.
“Why are you feeling lost? Haven’t we been doing just fine before?”
Airael pressed on.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel a twinge of pity for Axi; he seemed far too pitiful compared to how he was before.
Previously, Axi had been a solitary wolf, proud and aloof. Now he resembled an adorable little puppy, easily evoking a desire to protect him.
At least in Airael’s heart, there was a newfound intention to cherish him.
“No, things are different now.”
Axi shook his head.
“What’s different? Can you tell me?”
Airael leaned closer to Axi, shortening the distance between them significantly enough to hear each other’s breaths and see the tiny pores on each other’s faces.
She was soothing and coaxing Axi, prompting him to speak the words hidden deep within his heart.
This exchange was beneficial for both of them.
It satisfied her curiosity about Axi and provided him an emotional outlet.
But Axi didn’t respond immediately.
His expression momentarily became blank.
Airael furrowed her brow.
This shouldn’t be happening!
Just then, Axi’s eyes cleared, focusing on Airael facing him.
Even at such a close distance, he couldn’t find a single flaw in Airael’s beauty.
And faced with such a refined beauty, Axi gulped nervously.
He was moved!
Perhaps the calming words from Airael had left a notable impact on him, and their time spent together allowed Airael to naturally enter his heart.
Next, Axi made a rather audacious move.
He leaned forward gently, their lips slowly meeting.
The sensation was beyond imaginable, and Axi found himself blissfully closing his eyes. A sweet taste lingered, prompting him to sink deeper and crave more of this “beauty”.
Following his instinct, he acted upon it.
