Dath'Remar slowly shielded Celece and retreated, his extremely wary eyes never leaving that eerie crow for a single moment.
Seeing that the crow, now with its wings folded, had no intention of continuing its offensive, Dath'Remar frowned and asked, "Speak. What do you want to talk to me about? Why are you lurking around Miss Leticia? What designs does the person behind you have on the Moonsong family?"
"Heh~"
Andreas let out a soft chuckle. "You might be misunderstanding something. While I certainly don't represent only myself, I harbor no ill will toward Celece or Leticia. Furthermore, there is no one 'behind' me pulling the strings."
"If we're being precise... one can only say that everything stems from a blend of coincidence and necessity."
Under Dath'Remar's astonished gaze, the seemingly ordinary crow began to expand. Enveloped in a dim purple shimmer, the space where the crow had stood was replaced by a young man with short silver hair.
"Whew~"
Finally able to return to human form, Andreas tried to twist his body and stretch his injured right shoulder. The bandages Leticia had wrapped around him slipped to the ground as a result of the transformation.
After confirming that his body was recovering well, Andreas knelt to pick up the bandages. He shrugged under Dath'Remar's high-alert gaze.
"As you can see, I am a Druid."
"Don't talk nonsense."
Dath'Remar solemnly drew his staff, holding it in hand and ready to attack at any moment. "I have never heard of a Druid using Shadow energy to transform. Who exactly are you?"
Andreas scratched his head helplessly. "That's why I said I'm a Druid; I'm just a bit unique due to some accidental factors."
"Forget it... To dispel your unnecessary wariness, I'll explain the background first."
...
"So, in other words..."
After listening to Andreas' explanation of why he remained by Leticia's side, Dath'Remar relaxed his guard slightly.
"You were accidentally shot down by Archimonde while attempting to infiltrate Zin-Azshari, and by sheer coincidence, you were rescued by Leticia?"
"In simple terms, yes."
"No wonder..." Dath'Remar nodded in realization. "I was wondering why the Burning Legion had increased patrols in the commoner districts and commercial streets recently, even having a Nathrezim leader lead the team personally. So it was because of you."
"A Nathrezim leader?" Andreas picked up on this unexpected information, raising an eyebrow as he followed up seriously. "Let me ask, is that Nathrezim named Tichondrius?"
"Correct. You know him?"
"Heh~" Andreas sneered. "More than just 'knowing' him; I've fought him face-to-face. I see... so that guy was the one plotting against me from the shadows. Dreadlords really don't mess around when it comes to holding a grudge."
In the original history, Mal'Ganis was betrayed by the partnership of Arthas and Ner'zhul. After escaping death, he spent nearly ten years lurking behind the scenes to plot his move. Mal'Ganis disguised himself as Admiral Barean Westwind and manipulated the poor Brigitte Abbendis into launching a massive Northrend expedition, attempting to use the Scarlet Crusade to exact revenge on Arthas.
Regardless of the final outcome, that patient vengefulness was certainly not to be underestimated.
Andreas surmised that Tichondrius must have interrogated the Moon Guards who had parted ways with Major Delier and the others. Upon discovering that it was Andreas who had sought help from the Moon Guards—directly leading to the failure of his mission—the Dreadlord leader had marked the "nobility" known as Andreas 'Moonsong'.
"But there's one problem." Andreas rubbed his chin in confusion. "How did Tichondrius know in advance that the Druids would send me to infiltrate Zin-Azshari? It couldn't be precognition, could it?"
Dath'Remar lowered his head in thought, hesitantly suggesting a possibility. "Could it be... that there is a Burning Legion mole among the high-ranking members of the Resistance?"
A glint of uncertain light flashed in Andreas' eyes. He didn't answer Dath'Remar directly but shifted the topic in another direction.
"Let's put the idle talk aside and get to the main business." Andreas looked intently at Dath'Remar. "Mr. Sunstrider, I want to know your stance and your views on this war."
"Someone once told me that the Sunstrider family is an outlier among the Highborne—that your attitude toward commoners is much milder compared to your peers."
"So, what do you think about the Burning Legion's wanton slaughter of civilians? Are you going to just let demons ravage our world until the Burning Legion's true leader enters Azeroth, leaving the entire planet barren and polluted by Fel energy?"
Dath'Remar showed no outward sign of his inner thoughts. Sitting opposite Andreas, he gently stroked the sleeping Celece on his lap.
"Mr. Moonsong, I do not understand what you mean."
"What evidence do you have that the Burning Legion intends to pollute the entire planet with Fel? They promised Queen Azshara that after eliminating the resistance forces in Azeroth, the management of the world would be handed back to the Night Elves."
"You mean the Highborne, right?" Andreas scoffed. "You actually believe Sargeras' nonsense? Why don't you go to the Well of Eternity and ask those Eredar what their beautiful home of Argus looks like now?"
"Argus?" A look of doubt flashed in Dath'Remar's eyes. "How would you know about such things? The Burning Legion wouldn't voluntarily tell you these secrets."
A dim purple light flickered in Andreas' hand. "Shadow magic. The Burning Legion calls it Void energy."
Toying with the docile deep-purple glow in his hand, Andreas explained with a mix of truth and bluffing, "This power is exceptionally effective at influencing the mental level. If used correctly, even demons can be controlled by it, spilling everything they know down to the last detail."
"My intelligence comes from an Eredar captured by the Resistance. In the face of Shadow, they cannot protect their secrets."
Although Andreas' source of information was fabricated, Shadow energy truly could achieve such things... at least in the hands of the Old Gods. Andreas' exploration of Shadow power had only just begun, and he was currently unable to perform such precise operations.
Dath'Remar's expression shifted between cloudy and clear. His reason told him that eighty percent of what Andreas said was likely true, but as a Highborne naturally opposed to the commoner class, his emotional bias made it difficult to accept this fact for now.
Under the deception of the Burning Legion and Sargeras, most Highborne believed their rhetoric—thinking that the Legion would clear out the resistance and return the world to Azshara's management, seeking only a nominal vassalage.
By then, the Highborne would continue to sit securely in their privileged status, and perhaps even use their connection with the Legion to break free from their home planet's limitations and expand the Night Empire's power into the vast universe.
"Queen Azshara... does she know these things?"
Recalling the all-seeing gaze Azshara had fixed on him earlier, Andreas' expression became somewhat strange. "I'm not certain. However, I believe that shrewd Queen should be able to see through some of the Burning Legion's lies."
"As for what her exact thoughts are—continuing to cooperate with the Legion despite the lies and deception—I don't know. You Highborne, who interact with her every day, should understand the Queen better than I do, shouldn't you?"