Chapter 174: The Bigger Picture

Chapter 174: The Bigger Picture

“But Mils Fortress shouldn’t be that easy to take down!”

Arthur’s point was well made, yet Airael immediately chimed in with her thoughts.

Even with almost all the human army stationed at Mils Fortress deployed, leaving just a handful to guard, the fortress’s defenses were formidable. Unless the Dark Elves and Orcs could send overwhelming forces to lay siege, capturing Mils in a short time was nothing but a daydream.

If they couldn’t capture Mils Fortress quickly, then this feint would hardly be effective.

Reinforcements from the Machia Republic would rush to the rescue, just like they were doing right now.

Moreover, if there were such a unit planning to attack Mils Fortress, they should be able to scout it out.

Having learned from experience, the Nick Kingdom had fed on intelligence gaffes, so the Machia Republic had gone to great lengths on this front.

Not only were there official scouts, but a plethora of hired scouts from the private sector, as long as they could provide useful information.

“Mils Fortress is indeed a difficult stronghold to capture, but at this moment, it is quite vulnerable.”

Arthur remained concerned about this.

“I understand, but even if it’s vulnerable, the Dark Elves and Orcs won’t just charge in without a fight!”

“No need for a massive army; a small elite team would suffice.”

However, Arthur refuted Airael’s claims.

Airael looked at him in confusion.

“The leader of the Dark Elves, Mokto, is a formidable warrior. If he leads a skilled team to attack Mils Fortress, then right now, the fortress wouldn’t stand a chance against them. Plus, a small elite team could easily avoid detection by our scouts during their approach, leaving us completely unprepared.”

Upon hearing this, Airael opened her mouth, then obediently shut it.

Well, she had overlooked this point.

This world was full of strange powers, a magical world where heroes possessed tremendous strength. Some individuals were powerful enough to match an entire elite unit by themselves.

And Mokto was clearly one of the best among them.

Thinking about it made Airael feel quite regretful.

He was a rare talent who made a grave mistake.

To let his desires take over and force himself onto Linis—how strong must that urge have been!

Speaking of being unable to control one’s desires.

She and Arthur had also been unable to hold back during their first time.

Shaking her head, Airael resolved not to dwell on it too much.

Since that incident had already happened, there was no point in thinking over it now.

She had to focus on planning for her own future!

“What should we do next?”

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Airael knew the Dark Elves were cunning. They could very well send a small squad to attack Mils Fortress.

If it turned out they were just overthinking things, great! But if it wasn’t, then things would truly be dire.

“We need to pick up the pace. The sooner we get to Mils Fortress, the better. Also, we should warn them to be on high alert.”

“Alright!”

After listening to Arthur’s response, Airael nodded in agreement.

At this point, it seemed there was no other choice.

And so, the formerly quiet tent began to buzz with activity.

Arthur urgently gathered the senior officers of the army and informed them of the situation.

Of course, Arthur didn’t push them to travel overnight.

After a long day’s march, making them keep moving right after a short rest would definitely stir up strong resistance.

Thus, he instructed them to ensure the soldiers sped up their pace tomorrow.

Tonight, they were to rest thoroughly.

The ones who needed to take action tonight were the messengers, who should relay Arthur’s warning to the troops guarding Mils Fortress.

Though it might not have much impact, it was the most they could do for now.

With that, the matter was temporarily settled.

After the officers left, Arthur looked at Airael and said, “Let’s also get some rest. Tomorrow won’t be as easy-going as today.”

“Sure!”

Airael didn’t refuse.

She had been wanting to rest anyway, but since Arthur wasn’t stopping, she had to stick it out.

She definitely didn’t want to be just the warm blanket!

Next, with Airael’s help, Arthur began to remove his armor.

In no time, he went from fully armored to just a set of inner garments.

Once she helped Arthur finish, Airael started to take off her clothes as well.

First, she removed her Magic Cloak, revealing her true self underneath.

Arthur sat nearby, watching Airael’s movements with admiration written all over his face.

Of course, if one looked closely, they might notice something unusual in his gaze.

Airael felt a bit speechless about this, but didn’t say much.

Even after all this time, she still distinctly remembered the little thoughts of the man she used to be.

Aside from a few who could truly remain unperturbed, this was the natural instinct of humanity.

Moreover, Arthur had already seen her in all her glory, so it hardly mattered now.

Just as Airael was about to take off her long skirt, Arthur suddenly stepped forward, wrapped his arms around her slender waist, and guided her over to the makeshift bed.

The whole process was swift, and Airael instinctively followed Arthur’s lead.

Just when Arthur was about to initiate some foreplay, Airael pushed against his chest with both hands, stopping him.

“No, Arthur, we can’t do this here.”

Airael’s expression was firm, completely resolute.

“Don’t worry, Ailia.”

Arthur pressed her back down, his lips close to her ear, whispering.

“And besides, I’m feeling uncomfortable. I need you.”

With that, he was about to make another advance.

But Airael remained steadfast and provided a reason Arthur couldn’t refute.

“No, do you forget we have to march urgently tomorrow? We need to rest properly tonight.”

“Alright, let’s rest then.”

Seeing this, Arthur chose not to push Airael further.

Though holding back was rather uncomfortable, the overall situation was more important, and besides, Airael wasn’t particularly keen on engaging in such activities tonight.