Chapter 27: Airael: I Am a Seventeen-Year-Old Flower Girl
Otherwise, once the Human Kingdom finishes its autumn harvest in the south and gathers their army to march north, it will be difficult for them to leave.
Overall, the current strength of the Orcs is still inferior to that of the Human Race.
They only dare to invade the Humans at such times.
At other times, the Humans can quickly muster a large army to deal with the invading Orcs.
For the Orcs, heading south during those times is akin to seeking death.
Understanding this, Airael and Axi calmly observed the villagers.
They didn’t think these villagers were ungrateful.
As expected, one of the villagers, a middle-aged man holding a sword, stepped forward and said, “My Lords, thank you very much for your help.”
Axi responded, “No need to thank us, it was just a small favor. Besides, we’re mercenaries; killing those Orcs is just part of the job for money.”
“Even so, without you, we would have survived the Orcs’ plunder but would have lost much of our property. Those possessions are our lifeblood; letting those Orcs take them is no different from taking our lives!”
Hearing this, Axi couldn’t refuse any further and accepted the villagers’ gratitude.
However, Airael spoke up, “This… big brother, if you really want to thank us, just let us stay the night and treat us well.”
She paused as she realized she might be much older than this human villager.
Judging by the villager’s appearance, he looked to be around forty, while she was already several hundred years old.
Though her appearance under the cloak might suggest she was hardly older than twenty, no one would doubt her being merely sixteen or seventeen, her age was still very real.
But thinking of the role she was playing as a human girl, Airael decided to voice it.
She was indeed a seventeen-year-old flower girl, not an Elf who had lived for centuries.
The word “old” just didn’t apply to her at all.
Upon hearing Airael say this, the middle-aged man smiled and replied, “That’s only right.”
As he spoke, he recalled the messy state of the village now and hesitated, “But… before we properly host you two, could we have some time to tidy up the village?”
At this point, his face was filled with anger as he continued explaining, “Those damned Orcs turned our village into a mess.”
Airael laughed dismissively, “Go ahead and clean up the village; we don’t mind.”
Just as her words fell, Airael spotted a pair of exhausted horses nearby. “By the way, could you prepare some feed for our horses? They’ve been worn out from our hurried trip here.”
“Of course!” The middle-aged man agreed readily.
It was all trivial.
Then the villagers began to busy themselves.
Under the middle-aged man’s organization, the villagers each took on their tasks, working hard to restore their home to its former glory as soon as possible.
Watching the villagers industriously tidy up, Airael turned to Axi and said, “You don’t mind my earlier decision, do you?”
It was only then that Airael realized she hadn’t considered Axi’s feelings.
Their relationship was already tense; the only reason they had formed a team was due to her persistent pestering and trickery.
If this matter made things worse, it would be quite unfortunate.
Axi shook his head.
His expression showed he didn’t care.
He felt it was fine.
This way, he and the villagers would be entirely clear.
Airael immediately smiled, her tension easing.
At that moment, the villagers began to carry the Orcs’ bodies out of the village one by one, laying them at the entrance.
Airael and Axi shifted their attention.
Seeing the neatly arranged Orc corpses, a curious thought struck Airael.
She said to Axi, “I just realized, all the fatal wounds you inflicted on the Orcs were to their necks. Do you have a preference for decapitating?”
“The Orcs are tough and have armor protecting their other vital spots. Only by cutting their necks can they be dealt with more easily.”
After hearing this, Airael nodded and continued to observe the busy villagers.
Burning the Orcs’ bodies, tidying up the village… and helping to feed their horses.
Time flew quickly as the villagers busied themselves.
Soon, night fell.
At this point, the villagers had almost finished cleaning up the village.
They held a lavish banquet to host Airael and Axi, their esteemed guests.
The things they usually refrained from eating or drinking were brought out.
Chickens were killed, sheep were slaughtered, and fish were gutted…
With fine wines and delicious food, the entire banquet appeared extraordinarily lively, and the atmosphere was quite festive.
The villagers sang and danced, bursting with joy.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, they also indulged themselves for a change.
At the banquet, Airael sat down next to Axi with a skewer of grilled meat, eating while they both watched the dancing villagers.
During this time, a few infatuated girls cast glances toward them.
Of course, it didn’t take long to figure out who they were looking at.
Every girl had a dream of a hero, and Axi perfectly matched the image of a prince charming in their minds.
Strong, handsome, though his background was still a mystery.
But even if his origin were less than ideal, Axi’s current capabilities would surely help him rise to prominence.
In contrast, Airael, with her cloak, wasn’t as eye-catching.
Those men, feeling inferior, were reluctant to approach Airael.
After all, Airael was accompanied by an outstanding man like Axi.
As for the women, they had fewer concerns.
Of course, this could also be attributed to Airael being rather inconspicuous.
“Axi, it seems you’re quite popular.”
Airael said with a smile.
Axi simply glanced at Airael without responding.
To be honest, he was already tired of such scenes.
He understood the girls’ thoughts, but could only apologize.
Airael didn’t let Axi’s silence deter her; instead, she pressed on, “Have you never thought of letting loose a bit? They would surely be happy to spend time with you.”
She delved deeper into the topic.
“I don’t want to attract unnecessary trouble.”
This time, Axi didn’t stay silent but immediately replied.
“Then do you think I’m a trouble?”
Airael admitted with self-awareness.
