The curfew remained in effect the following day. Many in the Monastery knew that the Inquisition's citywide search was doomed to failure, as most of the prisoners on the missing persons list had long since been sold to some unknown corner of the world. Where were they supposed to find them now?
With so many serious criminals missing, Unas, an anonymous person whose name and crime weren't even registered, was easily overlooked in the long list. He had passed this hurdle.
Todd's death brought a sigh of relief to many. With no one to testify, it was better for everyone. It was also inconvenient to delve deeper into the case. In any case, all the blame could be placed on the dead man, which was exactly what the chief prosecutor was good at.
The difficulty lies in recaptured the missing prisoners. Knowing it's a bottomless pit, Isillien must grit his teeth and maintain a facade of urgency. With this happening the day before the three great men who marched to the Eastern Plaguelands are to return in triumph, he can't simply suppress it.
The planned triumphant welcome ceremony had to be cancelled, and during the martial law period, no one was allowed to move freely. So when the three leaders returned the following afternoon, the welcoming party for them was quite meager.
There were no cheering crowds, flowers, wine, or food; only a gloomy Isillien and a recovering Tyrosus, each leading a group of soldiers.
Whitemane and Darian were also among the welcoming crowd; their father had returned in triumph, and no matter how busy the Inquisition was, the two had to come.
Unas mingled with the soldiers in formation. During martial law, ordinary people were not allowed to move around freely. He was supposed to stay in the hut, but when Darian came to visit this morning, he told him about the welcome. So he Darian to take him along. He had been cooped up in the hut for almost two days and really wanted to get some fresh air.
Darian agreed, but Unas wasn't qualified to stand in the front row with Darian; he could only watch the spectacle from among the soldiers at the back.
The Monastery's narrow gates were easy to defend, but too small to accommodate the welcoming procession, not to mention the need to make way for the march. So Unas and the last rank of soldiers were squeezed onto a small hill by the roadside.
The view here is quite good, but it's a bit far from the city gate. Looking into the distance, Unas saw three black dots appear at a sharp bend in the mountain road. As the sound of hooves drew closer, the agile figures of the three Knights gradually became clearer.
The first thing that catches the eye is the flag carried on the backs of the three men. The red one is the banner of the North Maple Legion. They have continued the national flag of Lordaeron, except that the "L" pattern pierced by the sword has been changed from blue to red, symbolizing an eternal blood feud.
The gold and silver banner is the emblem of the Ashen Verdict Knights. The golden greatsword and the silver hammer clash to form a slanted cross, symbolizing that the Paladins ' power will always serve the Holy Light.
The third banner, composed of a silver-edged blue background and a giant silver fist, is the banner of the Silver Hand headquarters. Dathrohan, who also serves as the acting commander of the Stratholme headquarters, considers himself the legitimate leader and therefore does not use the banner of the Scarlet Holy Light Division.
Triumphant armies usually send vanguard officers ahead to clear the way and report their victory; the arrival of these three men indicates that the main army is about to arrive.
Although the news of the Monastery's troubles had already been relayed to the triumphant army through scouts, this customary ceremony would still proceed. There was no cheering crowd to greet the three Knights, but there were still a few shouts from the soldiers to express their welcome.
A large contingent soon appeared on the mountain road, accompanied by rousing drumbeats and bugle calls, and the military band on the city wall began to play the Victory March.
First to arrive was a group of figures radiating golden light. It was said that the Paladins of the Ashen Verdict Knights were all dressed in golden armor. Unas craned his neck, as he had come mainly to see the Ashbringers. Unfortunately, the group quickly rushed into the city gate, and he only saw what appeared to be Mograine and his son being surrounded by them.
Next, hordes of cavalrymen charged into the city gates. Despite their long march, they still possessed such high morale and spirit; the Ash Judgment truly deserved to be called the most elite Knight order.
Like a military parade, the next Knight order took the stage. They moved much slower, their formation was less organized compared to the previous ones, and the leading Paladins wore different robes and armor, making them look like a ragtag army.
However, this was actually the result of some decimated squads returning to headquarters. We should not underestimate their strength because of this; among them were many renowned warriors.
Among them was Saidan Dathrohan, dressed in a red Twin-Headed Eagle battle robe. His long, white hair and deep wrinkles told you he was old, but his imposing figure on horseback and the giant Warhammer hanging on his back still exuded an awe-inspiring aura of danger.
Unas suddenly felt a pang of heart palpitation. He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but Dathrohan seemed to look up at him. Their eyes met for a fleeting moment, and Unas immediately felt a slight stinging pain in his chest.
The Dreadlord within him reacted, suggesting that Dathrohan may have been possessed by another Dreadlord, Balnazzar. The fact that he was looking at Unas in particular suggests that he may have also discovered Bessarius, who was possessing Unas.
The special connection between the Dreadlords seemed to reveal their secrets to each other the moment they met.
Unas was somewhat reluctant to accept the fact that history had repeated itself, and how could he, an insignificant man, prevent the tragedy from happening again?
After the somewhat disorganized Silver Hand "headquarters" forces all entered the city, the last to appear was, of course, the North Maple Legion.
What came into view was a blinding red: red flags, red battle robes, red armor, red cloaks. Perhaps they were not as elite as the first two armies in terms of personnel and equipment, but when this massive, seemingly endless torrent of red steel surged into his eyes, Unas was immediately jolted awake from his distress.
The uniform attire and sheer number of soldiers did create an impressive aura, making the North Maple Legion seem utterly unstoppable.
In this sea of crimson, it was difficult for outsiders to distinguish who was the officer and who was the soldier. Unas searched high and low but still couldn't figure out which one was General Abbendis.
The crimson torrent lasted for a long time before it ended. Judging by the naked eye, the North Maple Legion's strength was far greater than that of the other two Knight orders combined. No wonder Abbendis was so arrogant; might makes right.
With the arrival of a large number of troops, the Monastery, which had been deathly silent due to martial law, became lively again. The victorious soldiers did not receive the welcome they deserved, so there were bound to be some complaints and restlessness. It seemed that the Inquisition would have a lot of work to do to restore martial law. These soldiers who had experienced the ravages of war were not docile lambs.
Unas returned to Gordon's hut with a heavy heart. Before he could even gather his thoughts and ask Bessarius a question, the demon's long-lost voice echoed in his mind, "Hehe, my friend, I'm sorry I hurt you just now."
Unas ignored him. Since this demon had spoken up first, he couldn't possibly be here to apologize. Let's see what other nonsense he has to say next.
Sure enough, the demon continued nonchalantly, "You must have noticed something unusual just now, my friend. I've discovered a secret that I can only share with you."
What bullshit secret? It's just Balnazzar possessing Dathrohan, isn't it? I already knew that. Any player who has run the Stratholme raid knows that the final boss of the Scarlet Monastery Dathrohan, will eventually become the Dreadlord Balnazzar because his body has already been possessed by demons.
However, Bessarius was unaware that he was a time traveler and tried to gain his favor, but Unas continued to ignore him.
Don't you want to know what the secret is? This is a matter of life and death for us!
The demon's words weren't entirely alarmist. It was hard to say what Balnazzar's attitude would be towards Bessarius, who was trapped inside Unas. Dreadlords rarely shared brotherhood or fraternity; the law of the jungle, mutual exploitation, and enslavement were the norm among demons. It seemed it was time to respond to this demon.
"What life-or-death matter?! Tell me quickly!" Unas felt his acting skills were good enough to win a Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards.
Bessarius was taken aback by his sudden outburst and was speechless for a moment before explaining the secret that Unas already knew.