Chapter 86: Airael: My Charm is Lacking

Chapter 86: Airael: My Charm is Lacking

“Since I can’t send them away, I might as well let them tag along.”

It seemed they wouldn’t cause too much hassle for him.

They were following Airael, so any trouble should rightfully fall on her.

As for him, well, he already had one with him.

Two more might complicate things a bit, but in this situation, he had no choice but to make do.

Fortunately, these two didn’t seem like they would bring him too much trouble.

Axi thought about this like a quiet prayer in his heart.

With this thought in mind, he convinced himself to let Airael take Celia and Aurora along with him.

What used to be a duo had now transformed into a quartet.

The four of them trotted along the road leisurely on horseback.

Airael was surprised that Axi agreed to let Celia and Aurora join them on their journey.

She had put in quite a bit of effort to follow Axi in the first place.

Yet, Axi simply pondered for a moment before granting permission to the duo.

Thinking of this, Airael felt an inexplicable flicker of jealousy.

Is my charm not enough?

With this thought, Airael couldn’t help but shake her head.

She felt that couldn’t be the case.

Even though Celia and Aurora were good-looking and had nice figures, Airael was quite confident in her own appearance.

Besides, when they first met Axi, both were draped in wide cloaks, completely hiding their looks.

As for inner beauty, that was even more unlikely.

Such things needed a long time to be discovered through getting to know someone.

What could be seen in a fleeting moment had very little credibility.

Therefore, even after pondering for a long time, Airael couldn’t quite figure out why.

While the group continued their slow journey, Airael’s stream of thoughts went unnoticed by the others.

Celia and Aurora were keeping it simple; they just needed to protect Airael.

They didn’t need to concern themselves with anything beyond that.

Axi, on the other hand, was contemplating what lay ahead.

Unlike the previous skirmishes, the upcoming battle at Mark Fortress was going to be a real war.

If the prior small clashes had landed them in danger multiple times, the looming battle’s risk was far more evident.

He wasn’t afraid of these dangers; rather, he felt the need to prepare for them in advance.

Even just some mental preparation could reduce risks when he faced peril later on.

As Airael and the others meandered on, their vanguard leader Hudeman had already reached Mark Fortress.

Upon arrival, they found the orcs laying siege to the mighty fortress once again.

The orcs attacked the great city from three directions—left, center, and right.

They were completely taken by surprise when the human cavalry showed up.

Despite having scattered scouts around, the knights, on their way, took care to clear out the orc scouts.

They wanted to catch these orcs completely off guard.

Thus, the orcs had no inkling about the cavalry’s arrival until it was too late.

As the cavalry reached them and charged, the orcs finally realized the danger.

Unlike the previous encounters in the forest, on this flat ground before the castle, the cavalry could fully unleash their strengths.

All they had to do was charge forward on their warhorses.

Unbeknownst to the orcs, trying to form a defensive line now was too late.

The orc squad receiving the cavalry’s onslaught was positioned on their left flank.

Faced with the sudden emergence of human cavalry, the orcs were terrified.

Especially those knights in the front, armed to the teeth and radiating a fierce presence, struck a deathly fear into the orcs.

The lances in their hands seemed like scythes wielded by death itself, ready to reap their lives.

In the chaos, the orc commander’s mind blanked momentarily.

Where did these human cavalry come from?

What were the scouts doing?

Didn’t they see this human cavalry?!

Realizing the situation, the orc commander began cursing internally in frustration.

But he knew that no matter how hard he cursed in his mind, it wouldn’t change the current predicament.

The human cavalry was already upon them.

Even if it was too late to organize a resistance, he still had to rally forces to fight back; otherwise, losses would only escalate.

What he needed to do now was minimize those losses as much as possible.

Thus, the orc siege was forced to halt.

Those orcs focused on the siege didn’t immediately grasp what was happening.

However, the human soldiers defending the castle, with their advantageous view, spotted the reinforcements arriving.

“Brothers, our reinforcements are here!”

One eager soldier shouted, eyes brimming with excitement.

Soon, more and more soldiers noticed.

They were all thrilled.

On the castle walls, they watched the cavalry rushing towards the orc ranks.

Meanwhile, the orcs could barely muster a loose defensive formation to counter the cavalry’s charge.

Facing these fiercely determined human cavalry, the orcs showed clear signs of panic.

The outcome of the ensuing scene was all too evident.

The orcs simply lacked the capability to withstand the cavalry’s charge.

The flimsy line they had formed was effortlessly shattered by the charging cavalry.

The orc spearmen, in their desperate attempts, hurled their javelins, striking some knights’ raised shields.

Which caused a few knights to fall off their steeds due to instability.

However, these were mere isolated incidents and didn’t affect the overall situation.

The cavalry rampaged through the orc ranks as if a storm had broken loose.

The lances grasped by the knights easily harvested the orcs’ lives.

Some orcs were even tossed far away by the sheer force of the warhorses.

It was a grim sight.

“Good!”

“Great job!”

“…”

The human soldiers on the castle walls erupted in excited cheers.

Though they weren’t the ones doing it, watching this scene was truly cathartic.

Surrounded by orcs for so many days, even with the protection of the walls, they had lost many comrades.

Adding to their accumulative resentment, the human soldiers had developed a deep-seated hatred for the orcs.

On the walls, a striking young man clad in shining silver armor, his head exposed, smiled at the scene.

His short golden hair was tousled and smeared with blood.

Notably, a pattern of a golden phoenix flower was etched onto his chest armor.

Despite being bloodied, it couldn’t erase his noble status.

He was a member of the royal family of the Nick Kingdom.