After leaving, Allen's mind was in a complete mess.
Without even realizing it, things had turned into this situation where I was pretending to be a black dragon in front of Onyxia, while the black dragon was pretending to be Miss Prestor in front of me…
But I had to admit—even if it was just an act, the feeling of making Onyxia bow her head—was actually pretty damn satisfying.
If only it weren't for Wren's cold gaze.
After getting away from Katrana, Allen immediately leaned toward Varian's ear and whispered, "My sister is definitely not a good person! Don't ever be alone with her—be extremely careful!"
Varian gave him a strange look.
Pretty possessive, huh.
Then I'll just keep my distance. If I meet Katrana, I'll just bring you along.
Seeing the meaningful expression on Varian's face, Allen let out a helpless sigh.
He realized that pretending to be Young Lord Prestor had a fatal flaw—he was unintentionally raising people's positive impression of the Prestor family.
That was not a good thing at all. The Prestor name should stink—preferably so bad that everyone avoided them like the plague.
At the side, Marshal Windsor silently watched everything, already deciding that once they returned, he would advise the king to keep his distance from the Prestor family.
This Allen didn't look like a decent person at all.
Varian patted Allen on the shoulder. In any case, they had finally met again, even if it was under such circumstances.
Allen also felt a bit emotional. Looking at Varian, he asked: "I wonder how I should address you now? Your Majesty the King?"
Varian waved his hand, smiling sincerely. "Just keep things as they were. I'm afraid you might feel distant from me."
What he didn't expect was that Allen was just being polite.
"Then your Wrynn royal family is being way too stingy with rewards, aren't you?" Allen instantly changed his expression, looking heartbroken. "Five gold coins? You're royalty, for crying out loud!"
Varian's face immediately flushed red.
"Stormwind has just been rebuilt—I'm poor too, okay?!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Allen burst out laughing, pulled out twenty silver coins from his pocket, and slapped them into Varian's hand.
"Then aren't you going to take your share? You paid for Stalvan's bounty, so that's one thing—but you're not even taking your cut from Lupos's bounty?"
Varian looked down at the twenty silver coins in his hand and froze, a strange feeling rising in his heart.
This was money he had earned with his own hands.
Money he had earned by hunting and adventuring alongside his friends.
And his friends… still remembered his share.
Unfortunately, the affairs of a king were too busy, and they couldn't chat for long.
"Take my token." Varian removed a lion-crested token from his waist and handed it to Allen. "You can freely access the Stormwind Library. And of course, you can come see me anytime."
Allen accepted the token and nodded.
As they were about to part, he suddenly leaned close to Varian, his tone carrying a teasing pride: "I knew from the beginning that you were Varian Wrynn."
Varian's face filled with shock, his eyes widening as he stared at him.
But Allen had already turned and left, leaving behind only a carefree silhouette and drifting words: "Since you've seen my father in Lordaeron—how do you know I haven't seen you there as well?"
Varian stood in place, staring at that departing figure, unable to speak for a long time.
...
After parting with Varian, the rest of the group continued walking back.
Then, the atmosphere turned strange.
Wren said nothing, each step landing heavily, as if she had a grudge against the ground itself.
Allen walked ahead, feeling a chill down his back, as though something were staring at him.
Finally, Wren spoke.
Her voice was as cold as a blade tempered in ice, expressionless, her tone dripping with mockery: "As expected, humans are a promiscuous race—shameless, without ethics, without morality, without even the most basic sense of shame."
Allen opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but didn't even know where to begin.
Wait—you're not even pretending anymore?
"Heh. It makes sense. Short-lived creatures naturally only chase fleeting pleasure. How could they understand what eternal commitment means? Like animals, they can mate anywhere, completely disregarding even the most basic sense of propriety."
It was the first time Allen had heard Wren say so much in one go.
Stella, meanwhile, was slightly shocked, widening her eyes as she looked at Wren:
I thought I was the only non-human in this group—so you're not human either?
And Morgan was still immersed in the excitement of having seen King Varian Wrynn in person—without disguise—and being so close to him.
To atone for his "sins," Allen plunged straight into the great library of Stormwind.
The vast dome of the library towered overhead, rows upon rows of bookshelves neatly arranged.
After asking the librarian, Allen gathered several books related to rituals and began flipping through them, searching for any possible records connected to the pentagram ritual in Goldshire.
Time passed with the sound of turning pages. Outside, the sky shifted from dusk to night, and from night into deep night.
At some point, Wren followed him in, sitting at a distant long table, quietly watching him.
Candlelight reflected on Allen's side profile. His brows were slightly furrowed, his fingers slowly tracing across the pages. Occasionally, he would pause, stare at a passage in thought, then shake his head and turn to the next page.
Wren watched that focused figure.
The way he read… the way he looked when he was serious… somehow… it was attractive.
Wren suddenly turned her head away, staring out at the pitch-black night sky.
Don't think about it.
But after a while, she turned back again, looking at the figure still buried in his reading.
He hadn't even eaten dinner.
From the afternoon until now, he had been here the entire time—fully focused, without rest.
Suddenly, her anger faded quite a bit.
Maybe… I misunderstood…
Allen closed the last book and rubbed his sore eyes.
There was nothing.
No records of anything similar.
Neither that hexagram, nor the type of sacrificial materials used.
He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in thought.
Actually, he had always felt that the "materials" used in that ritual looked very familiar. Where had he seen them before?
Today's information had been too overwhelming—Onyxia was actually in Stormwind…
Wait.
Allen suddenly opened his eyes, realizing something.
The clue had always been right in front of him.
He just had never noticed it.
Once again, he recalled that day over a week ago, when they had just left Goldshire and went to see Sheriff Dughan to check the bounty board.
At that time, Allen had walked straight to the notice board in Goldshire…
"Bounty notices covered the entire board—some for wanted fugitives, some for lost livestock, and several for missing family members."
The vanished wanted fugitive… was an adult man.
The missing livestock… were large animals.
And among the missing family members… there were two children.
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