Chapter 187: The Dark Elf Retreat
Airael stood frozen, turning around to look at Mork.
“Do you really think I’d fall for such a little trick?”
Mork scoffed at Airael.
“Even if you don’t fall for it, what then? This battle, even if you manage to lead your Dark Elves to victory, you’ll end up with hardly any troops left! So what good is winning if you can’t carry away the spoils of your victory alone, or defend them?”
Airael’s words made Mork’s expression change slightly.
It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered these things before; he had simply overlooked them.
With a smile on her face, Airael continued, “You don’t think we’re just this small force, do you? I’m being honest with you – we’re merely the vanguard, and the main army is on its way! So, you won’t have time to take your victory spoils with you.”
She initially planned to tease Mork a bit more before revealing this, but since he wasn’t chasing her, she decided to spill the beans now.
“Hmph! No need for your reminders.”
Having said that, Mork turned and left Airael, heading back to the battlefield.
Immediately afterward, the Dark Elves, under Mork’s lead, began to break through.
Watching Mork and the Dark Elves retreat, Airael couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
It seemed her deductions weren’t wrong.
The Dark Elves prized their population too.
Especially since these Dark Elves were skilled; if they followed Mork to their doom here, the Dark Elves would be down for a long time.
After all, their numbers were already fewer than those of the Elven Race.
This was the tragedy of their long-lived kind!
As for the retreating Dark Elves, Airael made no move to pursue them and even stopped the Human Soldiers who wanted to chase after them.
“My lady, why are you stopping us from chasing the Dark Elves?”
Mondi, stern-faced, stepped up to Airael and asked.
He felt he had been quite polite.
This was about expanding their victory!
Although Airael had rescued them beforehand, those were two different matters.
“If you want to die, feel free to chase after them.”
Airael retorted, just as sternly.
Cain also shot an annoyed look at Mondi.
Though he was somewhat puzzled by Airael’s decision not to pursue, he knew he should align with her right now.
As for the reason, he figured Airael would explain it later.
He trusted Airael to provide a satisfactory answer.
Feeling Airael’s intensity, Mondi couldn’t help feeling a bit intimidated.
After all, she was their savior; it wasn’t smart to be too forceful.
Still, he felt a bit unconvinced. “I hope you can give me a detailed reason.”
“Can you beat Mork?”
Airael was blunt with her question.
“No!” Mondi quickly shook his head.
“Just now, Mork led the Dark Elves in a planned retreat, not a hasty flight of losers. If you were to chase them and provoke them, they might just turn around and gobble you up!”
Mondi broke out into a cold sweat at her words.
He had indeed overlooked that.
So, he looked at Airael apologetically, “My lady, I’m sorry. I didn’t think it through.”
“Knowing your mistake is enough. I hope you can be more cautious next time.”
Seeing Mondi’s sincere apology, Airael didn’t press him further.
On the contrary, she found herself appreciating him a bit.
Being able to admit one’s mistakes showed he had potential.
But thinking about it, those who were left behind to defend must possess some capability.
Even though Mork and the Dark Elves had left, Mils Fortress didn’t simply settle down.
Though they’d gone, the aftermath of their presence wasn’t so easy to erase.
Many people only knew the castle had been breached and didn’t realize they had successfully driven off the enemy to protect it.
Therefore, many were still fleeing, trying to escape the castle, let alone those who had already bolted and were running southwards.
To them, the north was no longer safe; only the south offered security.
Of course, these concerns didn’t bother Airael.
She couldn’t get involved.
These matters were naturally for the folks of Mils Fortress to handle; it was their own affair.
Airael and Cain rested in the temporary accommodations provided by Mils Fortress.
The hasty journey combined with the intense battle had left many completely worn out.
And in such extreme conditions, some had even achieved breakthroughs, which needed to be solidified.
Take Airael herself, for example.
She had gained quite a bit from this battle.
The peaceful life continued until Arthur arrived at Mils Fortress with a large force.
Upon learning that Mils Fortress had indeed been attacked by Dark Elves, Arthur ordered the main force to proceed at full speed, continuously pushing the soldiers to work harder.
If not for the consistently good food, it’s likely some would have lost their cool.
This rapid marching pace didn’t diminish even after learning that Mils Fortress had been defended.
Arthur was itching to get to Mils Fortress immediately.
And of course, Arthur’s arrival was warmly welcomed by everyone in Mils Fortress.
Over these days, they had learned that it was Airael and her team, sent by Arthur, who came to save Mils Fortress.
In such circumstances, a grand welcome banquet was inevitable.
However, before attending the banquet, Arthur needed to address one issue.
That was Airael’s attitude toward him.
He could clearly feel the change in how Airael treated him.
Although she hadn’t rejected his overt friendliness, he sensed something was off.
This made him uneasy, afraid he might lose Airael.
Airael was just as perplexed.
Though she hadn’t yet pinpointed that familiar power, discovering it on Mork made Arthur seem less important.
But something that shouldn’t have happened between her and Arthur had already occurred.
And she had foolishly walked right into it.
If that’s what fate is, then fate sure does love to play tricks on people!
She had previously been contemplating how to break free from the engagement she had made!
Now she didn’t even need to shake it off.
“Ailia!”
Lying on her bed, Arthur ultimately decided he needed to have a good talk with Airael.
Otherwise, his heart wouldn’t feel at ease, and it would affect his performance in this war.
