Chapter 95: From Monkey to Human
Humans were at war with Orcs, and since it was the Orcs who invaded first, logically and emotionally, Axi had to side with the humans.
His thoughts were clearly written all over his face at that moment.
Under the dim light, Airael sighed to herself while observing all of this, then said, “Axi, didn’t you say you didn’t want to hang out with them?
Now that we’ve helped them drive away the Orcs, there’s absolutely no need to help them further.
If they want to attack the Orcs, that’s their issue, not yours or mine.”
Axi was momentarily stunned.
After replaying her words in his mind, he realized she had a point.
Once he understood this, Axi naturally felt less conflicted.
With a smile, he replied to Airael, “Thank you, Ailia.”
If it weren’t for Ailia’s reminder, he would have probably gotten himself into a heap of trouble.
Airael beamed back, “No need to mention it!”
She was also doing this for herself.
She had no desire to assist the humans in too many ways.
She had already helped enough before.
Besides, the humans’ ultimate goal might very well include her, the Elven Queen.
After all, Prince Crown seemed to be of marriageable age.
Even though Crown didn’t seem too shabby, Airael had zero interest in this kind of marriage.
Moreover, due to her own reasons, she had a lot of reservations about getting married.
Thus, helping the humans further would just mean harming herself.
With this realization, Airael wasn’t going to take on that role any longer.
Not only that, she intended to pull Axi, this capable individual, away from the chaos.
And Axi did not disappoint her.
The two shared smiles as they gazed at each other.
For both of them, it was a splendid choice.
After a while, their smiles gradually faded.
Airael promptly spoke up, “Alright, let’s wrap it up for tonight. I need to head back and rest. Goodnight!”
Once she finished her words, she swiftly turned and walked toward the exit.
Seeing this, Axi hurriedly stepped aside, pressing himself against the wall to let Airael pass, replying with a “Goodnight.”
However, Airael didn’t leave immediately.
She paused right in front of Axi, gazing intently at him, who was still on guard.
With Airael scrutinizing him so closely, Axi felt a tad nervous, and asked, “Is there… something else?”
“Nothing at all!”
Airael rolled her eyes in response.
Was she really that intimidating?
With a casual remark, she opened the door and left on her own.
Once Airael was gone, Axi finally felt relieved.
He closed the door behind him and stepped inside.
The room was still filled with the lingering scent left by Airael, a faint but delightful fragrance.
Though he often caught this scent normally, tonight it felt different somehow.
Thinking of the last look Airael gave him before she left, Axi’s heart stirred uneasily.
He realized he had misinterpreted Ailia.
Ailia genuinely had something important to discuss with him today, not the kind of unspeakable matters he’d imagined.
In comparison, Axi felt a bit wicked.
How could he think of Ailia that way?
Thus, Airael’s image in Axi’s mind had leaped to a higher level.
From being a monkey, she transformed into a proper human being.
And all of this went unnoticed by Airael.
After returning to her room, she didn’t go to sleep right away.
The news she had received today was simply too significant.
Since the humans were already taking action, she couldn’t just sit back and do nothing.
However, thinking of her current situation, Airael truly felt like she had all this energy but nowhere to channel it.
Setting aside the fact that this Elven Queen was currently out in the world undergoing trials, even if she rushed back, it wouldn’t have much effect!
She had to pass the test first!
Only in doing so could she truly take charge and act according to her ideas.
Although Linis treated her well and listened to her suggestions, doing things through someone else’s hands was ultimately not as satisfying as doing it herself.
Shaking her head, Airael dismissed any stray thoughts.
What she needed to focus on now was to concentrate on improving her strength and completing her trial.
That way she could do whatever she desired.
The next morning, Airael and Axi checked out of their room along with Celia and Aurora.
In response, neither Celia nor Aurora asked any questions.
As long as it was Airael’s decision, they had no objections.
After checking out, they hurried towards Mark Fortress, eager to leave, as if this place was some form of hell on earth.
However, some people were about to face disappointment.
Not long after they had left, Georges brought Crown to the door.
The two had no ulterior motives; they simply wanted to befriend Axi and Airael.
And since they were all young people, it seemed there must be common ground to discuss.
Of course, they had another objective.
That was to find an opportunity to glimpse Airael’s beauty.
In this regard, they appeared a bit obsessive.
The arrival of the two was met with warm enthusiasm from the innkeeper.
Although he didn’t know Crown personally, he could tell at a glance that Crown was not an ordinary individual.
He didn’t know just how extraordinary, but he certainly felt intimidated:
“Welcome, esteemed sirs! Are you here to find those distinguished guests from yesterday?”
“That’s right!” Georges nodded in reply.
“Ah, that’s unfortunate. They’ve already checked out and left.”
Left!
Upon hearing this news, the two were momentarily dumbfounded.
They exchanged glances, and then Georges asked the innkeeper, “When did they leave? Which way did they go?”
Even though he was trying hard to maintain his composure, he still startled the innkeeper.
“Uh… just a little while ago. They checked out and… went east, and it looked like they were planning to leave Mark Fortress.”
Faced with Georges’s questioning, the innkeeper hurried to respond, but his anxiety made him stutter.
Georges didn’t care about that.
At these words, he and Crown exchanged a knowing look, and then they came to a very tacit agreement.
That was to chase after them!
It would be too regrettable not to seize the opportunity to connect with someone like Axi and Airael. Even if they couldn’t become close friends, they should at least avoid being strangers.
Who knows when another chance might arise to move closer?
Once they stepped out of the inn, Georges and Crown mounted their horses and galloped down the street.
The people on the street quickly cleared a path for them.
