Chapter 75: You Must Take Some Responsibility
“Mr. Axi, isn’t it a bit inappropriate for Miss Ailia to accompany you?”
Before Axi or Airael could speak, Hudeman looked at the two with a stern expression.
Even though he knew they were companions, it was their personal matter, yet to Hudeman, Ailia was a mage.
Sending a mage to be a scout? That seemed like quite a stretch!
Moreover, as a powerful mage, Ailia’s greatest strength was hardly suited for reconnaissance.
Hearing this, Axi looked at Hudeman and explained, “My lord, I just want to borrow something from Ailia, not take her with me.”
Hudeman breathed a sigh of relief.
At that moment, Airael turned to Axi and asked, “What do you want to borrow from me?”
Although she now understood that Axi wasn’t asking her to scout with him, her mood didn’t improve much.
It felt a tad disrespectful to her.
Who says a mage can’t be a scout?
What’s more, she was not just any mage.
“I want to borrow that cloak you’re wearing.”
As soon as Axi’s words left his mouth, the atmosphere around them shifted dramatically.
Hudeman and the knights exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond.
How absurd did that sound?
A man asking a woman to borrow her clothing? Did they just hear him right?
Instantly, Axi’s shining, heroic image in their minds began to crumble.
Airael didn’t respond immediately to Axi.
Lending her cloak wasn’t out of the question; she had already lent it once before, so a second time wouldn’t matter much.
But if she lent it to Axi now, her appearance would be exposed to everyone around them.
Though they seemed harmless, it’s better to be cautious.
After all, being too beautiful is a kind of sin!
In this tense silence, the atmosphere grew awkward.
Hudeman quickly cleared his throat twice, trying to break the ice, “Mr. Axi, if you want a cloak, you can borrow one from us. Does anyone here have a cloak? Quickly, bring it out for Mr. Axi!”
Hearing Hudeman’s words, Axi realized there might have been some misunderstanding and urgently explained, “My lord, I think you misunderstood something. The cloak I want to borrow from Ailia is special—a Magic Cloak with unique magical properties.”
Upon hearing this, Hudeman’s expression changed to one of realization, and he smiled apologetically, “My apologies!”
Then, they all turned their attention to Airael.
Though Hudeman didn’t know the specific properties of the Magic Cloak, the fact Axi had requested it at such a moment implied it would serve a significant purpose.
Pressure immediately flooded Airael.
If she refused to lend it now, they might get annoyed with her.
After all, it was just lending it out to help complete a mission; she would get it back afterwards.
However, what they didn’t know was that Airael’s real concern was not about returning the cloak.
It was more about the chaos her appearance would cause if revealed to so many people.
“Ailia, is it inconvenient?”
Noticing Airael’s hesitation, Axi couldn’t help but ask.
At that moment, he didn’t think too much.
All he was focused on was borrowing the Magic Cloak from Airael to complete the task he had just volunteered for.
Airael bit her lip and said, “Of course, it’s no problem!”
Could she refuse at this point?
In this circumstance, Airael had also come to terms with it.
It was just showing her appearance to everyone, after all.
What was there to fear?
If anyone dared to entertain any improper thoughts and acted upon them, they would pay dearly for it.
One would fall for her; two would fall for her!
Saying this, she lifted her hood, revealing her hidden beauty.
Those who caught a glimpse of Airael’s appearance, even if it was just a side profile, couldn’t help but gape in awe.
She was truly breathtaking!
No matter which angle you looked at her from, she was perfection itself.
Such beauty is indeed a rarity in the world.
In their eyes, Airael was the most beautiful woman in existence.
Axi had seen her beauty a few times before, but seeing it again made him momentarily lose his composure.
As for Airael, she was quite enjoying this.
She gently lifted her chin and took off the cloak.
At that moment, Axi snapped back to attention.
He looked at the knights around him who were still entranced by Airael’s beauty and complimented, “Ailia, you are absolutely stunning! Look at how everyone is completely mesmerized by you!”
“Were you mesmerized too?”
Airael asked Axi with a teasing glint in her eyes.
“…”
Axi opened his mouth but found himself speechless, not knowing how to respond.
Was he mesmerized by Airael?
Undeniably, when he first saw her, he was deeply drawn in by her beauty.
But now, he could face it more calmly.
So, he couldn’t quite say if he was truly mesmerized by her beauty or not.
“Ha-ha—!”
Airael chuckled lightly.
Even though Axi hadn’t answered, she understood.
Then she casually tossed the cloak she had just removed to Axi, saying, “Here! Just remember to return it quickly after you’re done using it. And keep this in mind: since you borrowed my cloak today, you must take some responsibility for it.”
Axi caught the cloak.
He looked at Airael with a puzzled expression, not quite grasping her meaning.
“You’ll understand later. Now hurry and get on with your task.”
Seeing Axi’s cluelessness, Airael said rather impatiently.
“Got it!”
Axi nodded and quickly put on the cloak.
Then he jumped off his horse and dashed into the nearby woods.
In no time, his figure vanished completely from Airael’s sight.
Gradually, the onlookers snapped out of their stupor from Airael’s astonishing beauty.
Some of them could no longer bear to look at Airael, fearing they might embarrass themselves again.
As a well-traveled count, Hudeman wasn’t so perturbed. He looked at Airael with a smile and praised, “Miss Ailia, your beauty is truly astounding. I never expected you to be so lovely; even the legendary Elven Queen might pale in comparison to your looks.”
