"The Light has betrayed me!"
Dreaming of playing a dirty Priest in Hearthstone in his previous life, Allen suddenly sat bolt upright, shouting in his sleep.
The familiar ceiling came into view. Turning his head, he saw Morgan, looking slightly awkward.
Morgan could feel the Holy Light around him stirring restlessly, as if it wanted nothing more than to immediately purge the blasphemous black mage before him who had just uttered such heresy.
But he didn't act. He simply handed the newspaper in front of him to Allen.
Allen nodded awkwardly, took the paper, and pretended nothing had just happened.
It was a special Darkshire edition of the Stormwind Times. The bold headline on the front page read:
[The Truth Behind the De Montmorency Family Massacre Revealed!]
[The Evil Warlock Stalvan Mistmantle Has Been Executed!]
Below, in smaller print:
[Darkshire Special Edition]
[The sensational massacre of the De Montmorency family has recently been solved. The culprit was their hired tutor, Stalvan Mistmantle. Outwardly refined and courteous, he secretly studied vile necromancy and forbidden shadow arts, even transforming himself into an undead creature. His crimes are beyond abhorrent!
After slaughtering all seventeen members of the De Montmorency household, Stalvan fled to Darkshire. To conceal his identity, he went on to murder several innocent people, including the town clerk Gray and Sheriff Thomas Westwin. His sins are monstrous.
Fortunately, His Majesty King Varian Wrynn, along with the enthusiastic nobleman Allen Prestor of the Kingdom of Alterac, stepped forward. They engaged Stalvan in a fierce battle outside Darkshire and, after a harrowing struggle, finally destroyed this demon, bringing justice to the victims!
This paper extends its highest respect to these two heroes!]
After reading the newspaper, Allen remained silent for a long time.
He sighed, set the paper down, and looked out the window.
In this world… there probably wouldn't be a quest called "Stalvan's Legend" anymore, right? No more players picking up that cursed chain quest in Duskwood. No more newcomers getting utterly wrecked by Stalvan. No more that pitiful banshee wandering the Lion's Pride Inn…
He closed his eyes.
Then he froze.
Several shadow spells surfaced in his mind—no incantations needed, no materials required. It was as if he had always known them, as if he could cast them at will.
His eyes snapped open.
What the hell.
When did I switch to Shadow Priest?!
I wanted to be a Grand Mage!
Feeling slightly guilty about how "evil" he now seemed, Allen glanced apologetically at Morgan, the paladin. The guilt on his face was obvious.
But Morgan didn't blame him. He simply spoke.
"Mr. Allen, Gray—the clerk… he was my uncle. I never expected that the suspect you said would come knocking at the inn… would be him."
Allen paused.
Morgan looked out the window, as if recalling something.
"When I was young, my father died early. It was my uncle who taught me to read, to wield a sword, and to be a decent person. He always wanted to be a scholar, but his family circumstances forced him to become a town clerk instead. Still, he never complained. He always said, 'Being able to read and write is already enough.'"
He paused.
"And the sheriff… he watched me grow up. When I got into trouble as a child, he was always the one who covered for me."
Morgan's throat moved.
"They're all dead. Just because Stalvan wanted to hide his identity… They were such good people…"
He took a deep breath and turned to look directly at Allen.
"No matter what, you saved my life. And you avenged Uncle Gray and Old Thomas."
His gaze was firm and clear.
"I trust you."
Allen was silent for a long time.
"…Thank you," he said softly.
Morgan nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
"Oh, right," Allen suddenly remembered something. "Wren, Stella, and Mathias… what about His Majesty the King? Is everyone safe?"
"Mr. Wren and Miss Stella will be back soon. As for His Majesty… he has already departed for Stormwind."
At the time, the overwhelming surge of shadow power had even drawn the attention of the Night Watch in Darkshire.
To protect Allen, Varian had no choice but to reveal his identity publicly and pin all traces of the evil at the scene onto Stalvan.
When Mathias suddenly revealed himself as King Varian Wrynn of Stormwind, even the usually composed Wren was taken aback.
What kind of pull does this kid Allen have… that Mathias—who got dragged into all this nonsense with us—is actually King Varian…
Stella didn't even need mentioning—she was so shocked she started stuttering. She had never seen such a figure in her life.
Morgan, meanwhile, had been completely stunned on the spot.
The… the King? I fought side by side with the King?!
The entire region was shaken. Darkshire immediately entered a state of alert.
At the time, some people raised objections, saying that the Alterac noble carried signs of void corruption, and even let out unconscious wails when being healed by the Holy Light—something was clearly wrong.
But Varian personally stood by Allen Prestor.
Everyone present tacitly avoided mentioning that day… and that strange dagger.
Once everything settled, Varian was swiftly escorted back to Stormwind.
After hesitating for a moment, Allen finally spoke.
"So… since we eliminated the villain, did King Varian or Darkshire offer any rewards?"
Before Morgan could answer, Wren's voice came from outside the door:
"The Stormwind royal family and Darkshire jointly rewarded us. Stormwind gave five gold coins, and Darkshire provided a valuable ring."
The door opened, and Wren strode in. Behind him followed Stella, the little gnome beaming with joy, clutching a bulging coin pouch, practically bouncing as she walked.
As if anticipating Allen's next question, Wren continued: "And of course, all the spoils recovered from Stalvan's hideout are ours to divide."
With a flick of his hand, a ring flew through the air, landing precisely toward Allen.
Though still weak, Allen reacted quickly and caught it in one motion.
...
[Ring of Forsaken Spirit]
Finger — Uncommon Quality
+2 Stamina
+3 Shadow Resistance
Equip: Increases the damage of your shadow spells by 3.
...
Allen looked at the stats, a faint smile forming at the corner of his lips.
Wren continued: "As your retainer, I won't take part in the distribution. Varian made it clear—since he deceived us, he'll take nothing as compensation. The five gold coins and the loose change found on Stalvan will be split among the three of you."
He glanced at Stella and Morgan.
"As for the ring—we've already discussed it. Considering you just woke up and fought until you passed out, it goes to you."
Stella nodded vigorously from the side, her eyes full of excitement. It was her first time receiving so much money—over a whole gold coin! No—counting the bounty from Lupos and the loose change, it was two gold coins!
Two gold coins!
She was already calculating how many engineering parts she could buy.
Morgan waved his hands repeatedly.
"I already said—I can't accept this. I didn't contribute much."
Allen slipped the ring onto his finger, feeling its cool touch and the power flowing through it as he spoke: "You can't say that. You genuinely helped us. You even saved me, didn't you?"
He looked at Morgan sincerely.
"Take it. Think of your wife and daughters. You're out here upholding justice, and they're holding down the home—it's not easy for them either. Use the money to buy them something nice. Some good food, some new clothes. Wouldn't that be better?"
[Persuasion Check: Success]
Morgan opened his mouth as if to argue, but in the end, he sighed and silently accepted the coin pouch Wren handed him.
Watching this, Wren nodded inwardly.
As expected—Allen knows exactly how to convince people.
"But more importantly," he said, pulling out a letter, "take a look at this first."
On the envelope was the drawing of a weeping eye.
Exactly the same as the letter they had seen earlier at the Lion's Pride Inn.
Allen's pupils shrank. He grabbed the letter and tore open the seal.
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