Chapter 22: Airael Refreshes Axi’s Perception

Chapter 22: Airael Refreshes Axi’s Perception

While Axi was busy attacking the Orcs, Airael wasn’t just twiddling her thumbs.

She kept showcasing her magic to strike down those Orcs.

Lightning, fire, and ice elements rampaged through the Orcs, preventing them from getting any closer to Airael.

Unable to approach Airael, and failing to deal with Axi, plus losing comrades left and right, the Orcs’ recently regained sanity evaporated once again.

But this time, it wasn’t madness; it was fear.

Next, the remaining Orcs were systematically overwhelmed and slaughtered by Airael and Axi, one after the other.

Those trying to escape were either impaled by Axi’s casually grabbed axe or blasted to bits by Airael’s magic from afar.

Once the battle was over, Airael smiled and said to Axi, who was standing over a pile of Orc corpses, “So, what do you think? My strength is helpful, right?”

Axi, however, didn’t respond to Airael’s words and instead stared at her with a look of mild surprise.

He hadn’t noticed it before, but now he saw that Airael remained remarkably calm in the face of such a scene, showing no signs of panic.

This was not the behavior of a delicate noble lady.

This revelation altered Axi’s impression of Airael.

Although her insistence on tagging along was still a hassle, at least she wasn’t a deadweight. She truly could provide some assistance, just as she claimed.

As a result, his attitude towards her improved quite a bit: “You did well!”

Hearing Axi’s praise made Airael beam even more.

From Axi’s current viewpoint, he could see Airael’s lips curve with joy, which was quite beautiful.

Axi’s own lips involuntarily curled upward.

Realizing his change of demeanor, Axi shifted his gaze to the Orc corpses scattered around.

Thinking of the Orcs, his expression grew serious, and the smile faded away naturally.

“What are you worried about?”

Airael, riding her steed, approached him.

At that moment, her horse lifted its head high, exuding an air of disdain for the fallen Orcs and riding wolves around them.

You guys were all tough, but look at you now—dead! Meanwhile, I’m still kicking.

You see, even horses know how to ride the coattails of their riders.

“We encountered Orcs here, which means they have started their maneuvers. Humans everywhere are suffering under the Orcs’ tyranny.”

Axi glanced at Airael and replied.

Then he redirected his gaze northward.

The Orcs came from the north, heading south in their destructive path.

As they marched, they left nothing but devastation in their wake, taking everything they could carry and destroying whatever they couldn’t.

Axi could easily picture such a scene.

It’s known that Orcs could be more ruthless than human bandits and robbers.

Aside from the most deranged, human bandits usually didn’t consume people; some even spared lives.

But these Orcs? Totally different.

They generally wouldn’t spare human lives; humans were right there on their menu.

A starving beast won’t turn down food handed to it.

At this, Airael felt a stirring in her heart.

Even though she was currently the Elven Queen, she hadn’t forgotten her previous identity as an ordinary human.

Ordinary humans living in such harsh conditions had it so bad.

If they’ve already fallen victim, all she could do was hope they’d be reborn into better circumstances next time.

After quietly offering a prayer for the common folk, Airael snapped back to reality and said to Axi, “We must do our best. Ultimately, it’s beyond our power to stop this. Besides, aren’t there other mercenaries handling this task too?”

Though they just dispatched an Orc team, how many such squads could there be?

In short, with just her and Axi, they would never manage to wipe them all out.

Seeing that Axi hadn’t responded, Airael continued, “Let’s get moving quickly! Rather than waste time here, we should cover more ground. Maybe we can seize the opportunity to take out more Orcs. That way, we’ll have an advantage in the grand scheme!”

Airael felt a bit exasperated.

While she knew from intel that Axi wasn’t a bad person but instead a good guy, she didn’t expect him to be this “good.”

Perhaps it was because she was merely an observer, allowing her to maintain a clearer perspective.

After all, she’d been an elf for three hundred years.

And a vengeful elf at that.

Seeing humans in trouble might evoke sympathy but could hardly truly move her.

Ultimately, it was because she was now an elf, not a human.

Axi snapped back to attention upon hearing her words.

He looked at Airael in surprise, not expecting to hear such sentiments come from her.

Today, Airael was constantly reshaping his perception of her.

“Hey! What’s with that look? Shouldn’t I understand this? Or do you see me as a complete idiot who knows nothing?”

Airael shouted, clearly irritated.

A bit flustered, Axi quickly shook his head.

Previously, he didn’t think Airael was an idiot, but she definitely seemed like a madwoman to him.

In the end, not a good impression at all.

Airael’s mood improved significantly.

Then she frowned at Axi, who was splattered with greenish blood, moving back as she said, “Ugh! You’re filthy! And it stinks!”

Axi: “…”

He didn’t want it this way!

But there truly was no avoiding it.

“Don’t move for now!”

Airael, stepping back a bit, told Axi.

Though Axi was puzzled about what Airael was up to, he stood still as instructed.

Airael conjured a golden Magic Circle beneath her.

Next, a golden Magic Circle appeared beneath Axi as well.

Then, a radiant golden magical light enveloped Axi entirely.

Axi felt rather strange at the moment.

It was quite similar to soaking in a hot spring.

Yet this sensation didn’t last long; soon, the magical light dissipated from Axi.

At the same time, it took away all the disgusting blood and filth from him.

Axi felt considerably lighter.

“So magic can do this too!” Axi exclaimed in surprise.

“The uses of magic extend far beyond your imagination,” Airael replied with a face full of disdain.