"You're too rough," Nathanos said, her longbow on her back, looking at the messy room, not knowing what to say.
According to the original plan, it should have been the Secret Intelligence Agency's people who assassinated Falcrest and controlled Galen, but Arthas cast aside those operatives and personally dealt with Falcrest and Galen.
And the process was truly a bit…
Although the faint Holy Light indicated that Arthas hadn't struck a fatal blow against Galen, but rather used the Holy Light to sustain his life, Galen's miserable state was still unbearable to witness.
Arthas held a white handkerchief, wiping the blood from his right gauntlet, but there was no trace of blood on his body or on the ground where he stood.
"He won't be in mortal danger; after all, I still need to give Uncle Thoras an explanation." Arthas casually tossed the blood-stained handkerchief to the ground. "Jorach should be done as well, right?"
"He should be with Ravenholdt's people in the main hall of Stromgarde's palace right now. The entire Stromgarde has been sealed off by us; not a single Syndicate member will escape."
After hearing Nathanos's words, Arthas not only felt no joy but instead felt a profound sense of sorrow for Stromgarde: a once powerful Human Kingdom, now reduced to a sieve, lacking even the strength to guard its own capital.
It was time for a change. Arthas wanted to conquer the Burning Steppes, and for that, he absolutely had to ensure stability in the rear. Otherwise, the Alliance might be even more fragile than imagined.
"Let's go. Take this fool Galen and the head of that fellow next to him. The farce between Stromgarde and Lordaeron should end today."
In Nathanos's shocked gaze, Arthas effortlessly lifted the solid wood bookshelf, which weighed hundreds of pounds, revealing Galen, who, though somewhat ghastly in appearance, was at least still alive.
Under Nathanos's instructions, Secret Intelligence Agency agents covered Galen's rather grim face with a white cloth, carried the 'esteemed' prince out of the room on a stretcher, and proceeded through the palace grounds directly to the main hall of the palace.
Arthas walked at the very front, without a moment's hesitation, stepping directly into the resplendent Stromgarde Palace.
"Arthas?! You and your father finally intend to move against Stromgarde? The members of the Alliance will not tolerate such actions from you!"
Thoras's eyes were wide with fury. Even though only three or four guards were protecting him, the battle-hardened monarch, wielding tocaral, faced the Ravenholdt members and Arthas in the main hall without a hint of fear.
Arthas glanced at Jorach, hidden in the shadows. The Duke nodded to him and then disappeared into the darkness.
"King Thoras, before I came here, these Syndicate assassins and spies had already infiltrated your kingdom. These people should have already admitted to this. I am not here for Stromgarde, or rather, Stromgarde is simply not worth such a large-scale mobilization from me.
You should be well aware of this; after the Second Orc War, all that remained of Stromgarde was desolation."
"And isn't that caused by your father's foolish internment camp plan?! Do you think I don't know what those internment camps are really for? That's no 'humanitarian' act!"
Thoras pushed aside the guards beside him and strode down the steps in front of the throne, almost standing face-to-face with Arthas. The king's eyes were full of rage.
"And you, now you bring people to invade my palace and harm my son?! Are you still a Paladin of the Silver Hand? Can your actions still be associated with 'justice'?! Answer me, Arthas!"
Thoras's fury was undisguised. Nathanos, seeing such an aggressive Thoras, also took off the longbow slung across her body, even pulling an arrow from her quiver and subtly nocking it to the string.
Arthas faced Thoras's questioning with composure, as if Thoras wasn't questioning him, but rather asking some irrelevant questions.
"'Justice'? Is the justice you speak of merely negotiating with those rigid nobles, levying exorbitant taxes on commoners, or perhaps letting your son lead the ill-equipped Stromgarde soldiers to eliminate harmless Ogre outposts, needlessly increasing casualties?"
Faced with Arthas's mockery, Thoras almost wanted to strike down this disrespectful junior with tocaral, "This is Stromgarde's own business, what does it have to do with Lordaeron?"
"The connection is right here." Arthas took out a blood-stained envelope and held it directly in front of Thoras. "Shall I read it to you?"
Thoras snatched the letter, tore open the envelope, and quickly read its contents. He wanted to see what Arthas would use to appease his anger.
However, after reading it, the old king's initial anger instantly vanished, replaced by incredulous confusion.
"If you think this isn't enough to explain the problem, then…" Arthas clapped his hands, and an agent behind him brought forth a still-bleeding head. Although the head's expression was somewhat grotesque, it didn't prevent Thoras from recognizing its identity.
"Falcrest… I thought that fellow had died in Alterac long ago." Thoras clutched the envelope, his face expressionless, but the hand that crumpled the letter indicated his inner turmoil was far from calm.
"Do you still have questions?"
"Where is Galen?" Thoras was silent for a moment. "Have your people leave, and get these disgusting Syndicate members out of my palace. Perhaps we can talk."
"He's here."
As Arthas's words fell, two agents carried the half-dead Galen over from the side and laid the 'esteemed' prince on the ground.
Thoras looked at the blood-soaked white cloth covering Galen's face, showing no particular expression, but his attention was entirely focused on Galen.
"You all leave for now—remember to leave a few behind to extract their value. As for the others… ask Ilucia if she wants them." Arthas casually decided the fate of the Syndicate members.
These individuals were either bandits or mountain brigands, or at best, ill-intentioned nobles; they were professional criminals, and Arthas naturally wouldn't show mercy.
Nathanos was somewhat worried about Arthas's safety and wanted to stay to protect him, but Arthas refused her.
"Don't worry about me. The task of clearing out the Syndicate forces in the city still needs your command. Uncle Thoras won't do anything to me."
The Ranger Lord reluctantly left the palace hall. She knew Arthas was powerful, but leaving him alone with Thoras, who had not yet declared his stance, still made her very uneasy.
Once Nathanos and Ravenholdt's people had all departed, Thoras sneered, "You seem quite confident in your safety?"
Arthas met Thoras's gaze directly, "Of course, Uncle Thoras."
"Whoosh—!"
The sword light flashed, and the holy sword tocaral, clearly illuminated by the lights, was directly pressed against Arthas's neck. Thoras slowly said, "Perhaps Terenas will lose his most beloved son today."
Arthas remained silent. Thoras could not discern any fluctuation in his expression or eyes, as if he were not having a vital point held by a sharp divine sword.
After a long moment, perhaps weary of the cold war-like standoff, Thoras withdrew his sword and said in an ill-tempered voice, "Your reach is far too long, Arthas. You are just like your father, quite annoying."
"No, Uncle Thoras, this is far from enough, or rather, I still feel I've done too little—otherwise, Galen wouldn't have had the chance to do such a foolish thing." Arthas immediately retorted Thoras's words. "And the Syndicate too; they should have been wiped from this world as soon as the Secret Intelligence Agency's capabilities matured."
"Heh heh, you truly are an out-and-out ambitious man. It seems we all underestimated you." Thoras gave two cold laughs. "Next, are you going to slay me, the monarch of an enemy kingdom, and bring glory and achievements back to Lordaeron?"
"Then I could simply come back after Galen rules Stromgarde, dealing with Stromgarde under his rule is a completely different concept than dealing with Stromgarde under your rule."
Arthas's reply stunned Thoras. After a moment, Thoras shook his head, sighed, and said with some reluctance.
"You… are actually a born ruler. That fool Galen is indeed not even a fraction of what you are… Terenas truly raised a good son."
Although Thoras still harbored resentment and anger in his heart, what he said was truly from his heart. At this point, it was impossible for him to act against Arthas, because the entire incident was caused by Galen.
If Galen had merely sought to usurp the throne of Stromgarde, then Arthas's current actions would indeed be considered overstepping. Once word got out, all the Human Kingdoms, and even the nobility, would become wary and ostracize him.
But Galen, unfortunately, became involved with the Syndicate, intending to use their power to divide the Alliance and prevent Alterac's legitimate restoration. This meant he had first violated the Alliance's interests, and Arthas and the Secret Intelligence Agency punishing him would not only avoid problems but would also gain the Alliance's support.
Other members of the Alliance wanting to prevent Lordaeron from benefiting was an internal matter. Now that Stromgarde, an 'outsider,' wanted to meddle, it would inevitably be legitimately targeted by the Alliance member states.
Moreover, Thoras suspected one thing: it was true that Lordaeron was the true leader of the Alliance now, but the standard-bearer, perhaps, was truly not Terenas.
Arthas was right. Even if Galen ascended, he wouldn't be able to hold the position of Stromgarde's king. Setting aside external problems, Stromgarde's internal issues alone were far more complex than the prince could imagine.
Thoras could maintain control because he had been in that position for decades, with incredibly deep power and roots. But once Galen ascended, even if he could deceive Thoras's direct lineage, there would definitely be more people looking to cause trouble than help Galen stabilize his position.
At that time, the best outcome would probably be Galen becoming a puppet king, much like Perenolde before Alterac's demise.
Not to mention, the Syndicate organization Galen allied with was no charity committee; they were a pack of treacherous jackals. Once Galen ascended and showed weakness, these fanatical rebels would be more than happy to see the throne change hands again.
And that wasn't all; Stromgarde was surrounded by countless external enemies. Although Arthas said those Ogre outposts posed no threat to Stromgarde, that was while Thoras was still in power.
Once Thoras 'died unexpectedly,' the Ogres, Ogres, and even orcs would not miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. At that time, internal and external troubles would overwhelm them, and Galen's fate would likely be ten thousand times more tragic than today.
So, a very strange point was that today, Arthas, bringing Lordaeron's people, came to slap Stromgarde and Thoras in the face, killed a few Alterac spies, and left his son half-dead, yet Thoras still seemed to have to thank Arthas.
If Arthas hadn't come today, Thoras wouldn't have discovered so many problems, nor would he have imagined that his only son wanted to murder him. If he had fallen into Galen's trap, after some time, whether Stromgarde would even exist would be a question.
"You may leave. For the sake of you still calling me uncle, I will not make things difficult for you."
Thoras sighed and waved his hand at Arthas. He then turned to look at the unconscious Galen before slowly and somewhat unsteadily walking back to the throne.
"You have left Stromgarde and me utterly disgraced, and I have lost my only heir. I very much want to keep you in this palace forever, but my reason tells me I cannot do so." Thoras pressed his hand to his forehead, his voice filled with unconcealable weariness.
"But that's not the case. The Secret Intelligence Agency and Ravenholdt never operate openly. As for their efficiency, you should have already seen it; there's no need to worry about them leaking information…"
Thoras scoffed twice, "Are you suggesting you want me to be grateful to you and then escort you out of Stromgarde?"
"Uncle Thoras, what I want to say is, it's time to rejoin the Alliance. With the Alliance's support, Stromgarde will quickly return to its former glory."
"What's the point? You could easily seize Stromgarde when my generation and your father are rotting in our coffins. Why should I return to that so-called 'Alliance'?"
Thoras's words carried a hint of sarcasm, but his next sentence was swallowed back before he could utter it, due to what Arthas said next.
"If possible, I naturally wish to better consolidate the strength of all humanity, but that seems very unrealistic now, so I have given up. Perhaps the Alliance will be more suitable for us in the coming period.
Also, Stromgarde's line of succession is not broken, Uncle Thoras; there is another prince who can inherit your legitimate rule, awaiting the Alliance's help."