Chapter 32: The Truth Has Always Been Right Beside You |
After leaving, Allen’s mind was a tangled mess.
Before he knew it, it had turned into me pretending to be a black dragon in front of Onyxia, and Onyxia pretending to be Lady Prestor in front of me…
But I had to admit, even if it was fake, making Onyxia bow her head—
It really felt damn good.
If only it weren’t for Wen Lei’s icy glare.
Once he was far away from Katrana, Allen immediately leaned in close to Varian’s ear and whispered, “My sister is not a good person! Never be alone with her, be extremely careful!”
Varian shot him a strange look.
Pretty protective of his food.
Guess I’ll just avoid suspicion from now on—whenever I see Katrana, I’ll bring you along.
He realized that pretending to be Young Master Prestor came with a fatal flaw—it falsely elevated people’s positive impression of the Prestor family.
That was no good. The Prestor name ought to be tarnished, preferably so bad that everyone would steer clear.
Marshal Windsor silently watched the scene, already resolved that when he returned, he would advise the king to keep his distance from the Prestors.
This Allen didn’t seem like a proper person at all.
Varian patted Allen on the shoulder. Anyway, they had finally met again, even if he hadn’t expected it to be under these circumstances.
Allen felt emotional too, looking at Varian as he asked, “I don’t know what I should call you now? Your Majesty?”
Varian waved his hand, his smile genuine: “Keep things as they are. I’m just afraid you’ll treat me differently.”
He never expected Allen was only being polite.
“Then the bounty from your Wrynn royal family is way too stingy!” Allen’s expression instantly shifted to one of heartbroken indignation. “Just five gold coins? You’re literally royalty!”
Varian’s face flushed bright red:
“Stormwind is still rebuilding, okay? I’m dirt poor too!”
“Hahahahahaha!”
Allen burst out laughing, pulled twenty silver coins from his pocket, and slapped them into Varian’s hand.
“Then don’t you want your share? The Stalvan bounty was basically paid by you anyway, and you’re not even taking your cut from the Lupos bounty?”
Varian looked down at the twenty silver coins in his hand, stunned, a strange feeling rising in his chest.
This was the reward he had earned with his own hands.
Money he made by hunting and adventuring with his friends.
His friends… still remembered his share…
Unfortunately, the king’s duties were pressing, and they couldn’t chat for long.
“Take my token.” Varian unclasped a token engraved with a lion’s head emblem from his waist and handed it to Allen. “You can enter the Stormwind library freely. Of course, you can also come see me anytime.”
Allen took the token and nodded.
As they parted, he suddenly leaned close to Varian, his tone dripping with triumphant teasing:
“I knew you were Varian Wrynn from the very beginning.”
Varian stared at him wide-eyed, utterly shocked.
But Allen had already turned and walked away, leaving only a cool silhouette and drifting words:
“Since you saw my father in Lordaeron—how do you know I didn’t see you there too?”
Varian stood rooted to the spot, watching the receding figure, unable to speak for a long time.
-----------------
After parting with Varian, the rest of the group continued back.
And then, the atmosphere turned eerie.
Wen Lei didn’t say a word, each step stomped heavily as if she had a grudge against the ground.
Allen walked ahead, feeling a chill on his back, like something was staring at him.
Finally, Wen Lei spoke.
Her voice was as cold as a blade dipped in ice, her face expressionless, her tone dripping with sarcasm:
“As expected, humans are a lecherous race—shameless, devoid of ethics, morality, and the most basic sense of decency.”
Allen opened his mouth to explain, but didn’t know where to start.
Wait, aren’t you even pretending anymore?
“Heh, figures. Short-lived creatures only know how to chase fleeting pleasures. What do they know of eternal commitment? Like animals, they’ll mate anywhere, with no regard for propriety, honor, or shame.”
This was the first time Allen had ever heard Wen Lei speak so much in one go.
Stella was slightly taken aback, her eyes wide as she looked at Wen Lei:
I thought I was the only non-human in this group—so you’re not human either?
Meanwhile, Morgan was still basking in the excitement of his first encounter with an undisguised King Varian Wrynn being so close to him.
To atone, Allen dove headfirst into Stormwind’s Grand Library.
The massive domed ceiling soared overhead, row after row of bookshelves neatly arranged.
After asking the librarian, Allen grabbed a few books related to rituals and began flipping through them, searching for any records tied to the pentagram ritual at Goldshire.
Time slipped away in the rustle of turning pages. Outside, the sky shifted from dusk to night, and then from night to deep darkness.
Wen Lei had slipped in at some point, sitting at a long table in the distance, quietly watching him.
Candlelight flickered across Allen’s profile, his brow slightly furrowed, his fingers slowly tracing over the pages. Occasionally, he paused, stared at a passage in thought, then shook his head and turned to the next page.
Wen Lei watched that focused figure.
The way he flipped through the book… the way he was so intent… somehow… it was… captivating.
She abruptly turned her head away, staring at the pitch-black sky outside the window.
Stop thinking about it.
But after a moment, she turned back, looking at the figure still buried in his reading.
He hadn’t eaten dinner.
From afternoon until now, he had been here, fully absorbed, without rest.
Suddenly, a lot of her anger faded.
Maybe… I misunderstood…
Allen closed the last book and rubbed his sore eyes.
There were no similar records.
Not for that hexagram, nor for the types of sacrifices.
He leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes in contemplation.
He had always felt that the “materials” for that ritual looked very familiar. Where had he seen them before?
Today’s information overload had been too much. Onyxia was actually in Stormwind…
Speaking of which, was it really her who sneaked into Goldshire to steal livestock?
Wait.
Allen’s eyes snapped open as something suddenly dawned on him.
The clue had been right in front of him all along—he just had never noticed it.
He thought back again to a week and a half ago, the day they had just set out from Goldshire and gone to see the sheriff, Thomas, about the bounties.
Back then, Allen had walked straight to the bulletin board in Goldshire…
[The notice board was plastered with wanted posters. Some called for fugitives, some offered rewards for lost livestock, and a few sought missing family members.]
The fugitive who had vanished into thin air… was an adult male. The several heads of lost livestock were large animals. Among the missing family members… were two children.