Argus's Mastermind: Ah, Hai Wu E Plan!

The people under Principal Archimonde truly had incredible execution. When Dick awoke from a sleep plagued by bizarre dreams, he saw a furtive figure in a cloak approaching.

Judging from the figure's build and the sword and shield he carried, it should have been Malderan, the deputy captain of the academy guards.

Dick was very pleased with that kind of efficiency. Why else would one say Archimonde was capable of getting things done?

Setting aside his personal charisma and his sense of good and evil, the principal truly left no loose ends in his work.

Of course, that was perfectly normal. Becoming a Good Person only required a kind heart with a slight touch of stubborn naivety, but making it big in the field of villainy required far more to learn. Extraordinary execution was merely one of the essential basic qualities.

After all, every superhero had their own flaws, while supervillains were each more outrageous than the last—well-rounded in virtue, intellect, physique, aesthetics, and labor.

If you didn't have a few PhDs under your belt, you couldn't even hold your head up at a villain gathering.

That principle applied equally well in the even more absurd universe of Azeroth.

In short, after Dick struggled to get up and splash some water on his face, the furtive Hooded Figure knocked on the door and then pushed it open. He was wrapped up so tightly that only his eyes showed. There was nothing wrong with dressing like that for an assassin job interview, but the problem was, man, this was exactly when tens of thousands of Arcane Academy students were heading to their morning classes!

While everyone else, clad in identical student robes, sleepily hurried toward their classrooms, was he planning to tell the entire academy he was carrying out a "secret mission" by dressing so ridiculously?

Sigh. As expected of guards famed for being rigid and incapable of adapting.

No wonder Boss Sarkir, who was gathering people everywhere for a coup, looked down on martial types like them from the bottom of his heart. With that blockheaded performance of his, Dick, the nominal captain of the security force, was utterly embarrassed.

But Malderan, who had answered the summons, did not think there was anything wrong with his conduct. Seeing Captain Diakum's severe injuries startled him as well. He hurriedly removed his hood and asked in a distinctly unfriendly tone:

"The principal's secretary told me to come here, saying there was something important to inform me of. But you look like this..."

"Cough, cough."

Dick coughed a few times and pointed at his bandaged neck, indicating that his throat was injured and he could not speak. Then he limped over to the desk, picked up pen and paper, and began writing.

Throughout the whole process, Guard Malderan stood where he was, watching him with a mixture of vigilance and suspicion.

This was not the enthusiasm one would expect from a confidant at all.

The reason was simple: Guard Malderan was not Dick's confidant!

Not only was he not a confidant, their relationship was extremely distant. They maintained only a surface-level professional respect. Though they had worked together for over thirty years, they had never privately gone out for a drink or gone fishing at the academy lake together.

Dick had deceived Archimonde regarding Malderan.

As for why they had worked together for thirty years without forming any friendship, the reason was simple as well. It was not that Dick was bad at socializing; he had simply been a "parachuted-in superior."

More than thirty years ago, when Archimonde became the academy principal, he transferred Dick from a low-level educational institution affiliated with the academy in the Krokuun Governorate, on the frontier of Eredar civilization, to become the head of security at the Arcane Academy headquarters. The intention had been to bestow a favor while placing his own man in a key position—a normal personnel adjustment after a change in leadership.

Dick himself was the textbook example of a mediocre man who had risen through connections.

But the problem was that Guard Malderan had already worked diligently at the Arcane Academy for centuries. The position of security captain should originally have been his.

Though most guards adhered to the Holy Light Doctrine and would not dwell too much on such personal matters, expecting Malderan, whose prize had been snatched away, to show Dick a pleasant face was asking too much.

There was another reason. Thirty years was half a lifetime to a human, but to an Eredar, it did not feel much different from a day or a week.

The Eredar were immortal!

Even in the official history of the Dark Portal, throughout every event before Dick's transmigration, not a single Eredar had ever died of old age!

Under the leadership of the old Prophet Velen, they had wandered among the stars for at least thirteen thousand years, and at most twenty-five thousand years. Their ability to maintain a complete civilization over such an unimaginable span of time for mortals was thanks to this absurd racial gift.

More than twenty thousand years might have represented only two or three generations to the Eredar.

So here was the question: if ordinary humans could not form a sufficiently deep friendship with a stranger within one or two weeks, then the distant relationship between Dick and Guard Malderan had a perfect explanation, didn't it?

That was Dick's current predicament.

The nearly thousand guards of the Arcane Academy all obeyed his command, but only to the extent of following orders.

Without confidants, he had no confidence at all in either launching a righteous correction against Sarkir or pulling some Xibi Xibi on Archimonde. He could not exactly be like the "plastic model" president of some country and suddenly declare martial law without soldiers or authority, could he?

What was the difference between that and seeking death?

But Guard Malderan before him was an absolute core figure within the academy guard system. He possessed not only the authority of his position, but also the pull of personal charisma. That was why Dick had insisted on bringing him here.

Swish.

A sheet filled with writing was handed to Malderan. The latter took it, glanced over it, and immediately furrowed his brow.

The writing itself was not difficult to understand. The most prestigious spellcaster leader on Argus had defected to the demons, founded a cult, and planned to lead demon worshippers in a "pest-cleansing sun-shooting" operation in the capital region of Mac'Aree. Meanwhile, the current academy leader and one of Eredar civilization's foremost spellcaster leaders, the principal, had learned of the plot and intended to set things right.

But how was one supposed to evaluate this situation?

In any case, Guard Malderan's first reaction was that Commander Dick might have fallen under some kind of dark spell. He looked at him strangely, hesitating over whether to summon an academy priest to examine his brain.

For something this huge, what use was a deputy security captain like him?

If it was true, shouldn't Dick immediately pack up and go to the Seat of the Triumvirate, lay out the dangers before the two Grand Executors, and request a military force to come to the capital and suppress the unrest?

But Dick shook his head and continued writing before handing another sheet to Malderan. This time, the deputy captain sucked in a sharp breath the moment he read it.

He stepped forward, slapped the sheet covered in crooked, scrawled Eredar text onto the table, lowered his voice, and rebuked him:

"Have you gone mad?

Let's put Sarkir aside for now. Why do you want me to secretly go to the Seat of the Triumvirate to report this? Do you think Principal Archimonde cannot be trusted either?"

What a question...

Dick stared at Malderan speechlessly.

On Archimonde's third day as principal, he had placed Dick, a man who rose through connections, over Malderan's head as security captain. Malderan's hard work of centuries had been snatched by Dick. Under those circumstances, did the question of whether Archimonde could be trusted even need asking?

And it was being asked by the "victim," no less?

How exactly were the brains of these guards—no, their brains—wired? Had they really begun using muscle instead of brains to think under the call of the Holy Light?

He shook his head regretfully, sighed, and wrote a few more lines.

This time, it was not persuasion, but an order:

"The situation is urgent and the matter is too serious. You cannot handle it, and I do not dare shoulder the blame!

But it is absolutely true that Sarkir and the Awakeners' Cult are planning a coup. Your family also lives in Oronaar City. After learning of this, it is only natural for you to go home and bring them to the academy for protection. Archimonde will not only avoid suspecting you, but will instead believe that, because of your family and your duties, you have firmly chosen to stand on the side of setting things right."

Malderan read as Dick wrote.

The old guard nodded. That was indeed reasonable.

Whether Archimonde had problems or not, once Sarkir's coup began, the Mac'Aree capital region would certainly descend into chaos. As the capital's most prosperous district, Oronaar City would inevitably become a major point of contention for both sides. Protecting one's family was also a traditional Eredar virtue.

Only after seeing him nod did Dick continue writing:

"As an educator, Archimonde has done very well. He is an exceptionally outstanding teacher. However, his personal conduct has always been criticized by his peers.

As one of the old guard of the Arcane Academy, I do not believe you have never heard such rumors. Even setting aside questions of good and evil, it is plain for all to see that Sarkir raised Archimonde as though he were his son.

The Enlightener handed the Arcane Academy system he built with his own hands to Archimonde. That already meant the principal had become the Enlightener's de facto political successor.

Yet this child is plotting to rise by stepping upon the skull of his mentor and adoptive father...

I am one of the spies he sent to infiltrate the Awakeners' Cult.

You should understand the weight of what I am saying!

Guard Malderan, I am not asking you to trust me as an individual. This concerns the future and safety of tens of thousands of Arcane Academy students.

Sarkir has his diehard loyalists in the academy, and Archimonde has his own confidants here as well. Once the two factions begin fighting here, innocent people will inevitably be caught up in it. And Archimonde insists on waiting until he possesses solid evidence before acting. That means he has wagered the academy's reputation and the lives of its students on his own future.

You and I are guards responsible for the Arcane Academy's safety. From the standpoint of duty and morality alone, we should make our own judgment."

By the time he finished writing, Guard Malderan's expression had changed.

The old Eredar, with several tentacles growing from his chin, hesitated for a moment. He examined this superior, whom his colleagues had once judged to be "mediocre," with a subtle look in his eyes.

After several seconds, he lowered his voice again and said:

"Actually, we have had a sense of this as well, but we lacked systematic evidence.

Several guard captains reported to me years ago that the academy's instructors of Stellar Biology had added 'demons' as a special category to the curriculum. Especially in recent years, the instructors of Dark Arts Defense Class suddenly began teaching students certain warlock spells.

They claimed that while such spells appeared evil, they could greatly enhance the students' ability to handle emergencies.

Most importantly, in the classrooms for Otherworld Summoning on the edge of the academy, the arcane golems responsible for cleaning always discover strange traces resembling those left behind by sacrifices and summoning rituals.

I still vividly remember the Enlightener's grand speech about 'fel and demons' over a decade ago. I clearly remember him demonstrating demon summoning and fel spells to the two Grand Executors, claiming that they would represent a new breakthrough for the Eredar after the arcane arts had reached a bottleneck.

He even argued that if the Eredar could accept the Holy Light that descended from the heavens as faith a thousand years ago, why could fel not become another kind of knowledge to be studied?

But the two wise Grand Executors unequivocally rejected his proposal.

They believed demons and fel were too dangerous, utterly incomparable to the friendly Naaru and the Holy Light that guided people toward goodness. Such dangerous knowledge should not be widely spread among Eredar society.

I agreed with that view. Yet the clues scattered through the academy over these years have forced me to suspect that the Enlightener Sarkir, who retreated behind the scenes after suffering that setback, had not given up his ambitions. His passing the position of academy leader to Principal Archimonde was also a feint.

The information you have given me perfectly confirms my suspicions. A storm is about to descend upon the Eredar."

Malderan paused, then said:

"I will go to Oronaar City as you instructed and use my family connections to report these matters to the upper ranks. But regarding your accusations against Principal Archimonde, I reserve my personal judgment! A person's private morality has no strong correlation with their professional ethics or competence.

At the very least, from my observations, Principal Archimonde has been very competent in education these past years."

His answer made Dick let out a long breath.

The severely injured security captain wrote again:

"I have not asked you to agree with my judgment. I only hope that you will report this information to upper ranks who are truly worthy of trust.

But I have one request: you and your family elders must keep this secret!

You should know that once Archimonde discovers that the secret he hopes to use to gain power has been leaked in advance, my fate will not be pleasant.

It may even implicate you and your family.

By 'secrecy,' I do not merely mean a verbal request, Guard Malderan.

Principal Archimonde also has friends in Mac'Aree's political circles. Therefore, becoming my 'messenger' places you at tremendous risk. If the information leaks, both of us will bear grave responsibility.

I hope they can send a trustworthy person to speak with me privately. I have more evidence proving that Principal Archimonde cannot be trusted.

In fact, in my judgment, Principal Archimonde poses a greater threat to the Eredar than Sarkir, who has now fallen into fanatical madness over fel.

In any case, please act with utmost caution!

Also, I need you to hold a simple 'memorial service' for me at the academy in your capacity as deputy officer, formally announcing to the public that I have died in the attack. That way, the Awakeners' Cult will abandon its search and pursuit of me. Do you have someone trustworthy whom you can entrust with such an important task?"

Faced with Dick's written inquiry, Guard Malderan realized that the matter was indeed more troublesome than he had imagined.

But as a guard walking the Holy Light Path, honoring oaths was one of their virtues. Besides, Dick's reasoning made sense.

As a protector guarding the Arcane Academy, he had to place the academy's order and the students' safety above all else.

That was absolutely necessary.

The Arcane Academy headquarters held a position on Argus equivalent to the combined status of all elite universities in the East. If a major vicious attack occurred here, it would inevitably alarm the two Grand Executors.

When that happened, no matter how merciful the Eredar were, plenty of heads would still roll. A great many people would lose their jobs and their reputations.

Therefore, after a brief consideration, Guard Malderan said quietly:

"The current academy executor of the Arcane Academy, Ms. Vilara, is a close friend of Grand Executor Velen. Though she is an outstanding Arcane Mage, she favors the Holy Light Doctrine greatly, just like Grand Executor Velen. Having observed the Naaru precepts since several years ago, she is a trustworthy sister.

The librarian of the academy's Grand Library, Senior Instructor Talana, is my classmate and close friend. She can help us contact Ms. Vilara.

Furthermore, as academy guards, we control the use of some of the academy's arcane guard golems.

When necessary, those iron golems led by our loyal brother, Guard Quaram, can be deployed as defenders and riot suppressors.

The city council of Oronaar City commands an elite force of thunder-elephant cavalry that patrols the plains between the city and the academy. They are also tasked with protecting the academy. Their cavalry commander, the 'Champion' Vorusk, who has won the Jedni Tournament three times, was once an outstanding graduate of the Arcane Academy Guard School.

At a crucial moment, they can be trusted as well."

"Mm. Those forces should be enough to defend the academy."

Dick thought for a moment and wrote:

"Then you will be responsible for secretly connecting everyone. You must ensure that communications remain concealed enough not to be discovered by either Sarkir or Principal Archimonde.

Please understand, this is for operational security.

Finally, when you go home to bring your family here, you must follow the normal procedure of reporting it and requesting leave. Only then will the principal trust you.

During the days you are away, I will need several trustworthy people here to handle my security. I cannot use the Arcane Mages under the principal's command, so please recommend some reliable people for me."

"Leave it to me."

Malderan nodded. As a senior guard, he was highly efficient as well. The moment he recognized the seriousness of the situation, he immediately decided to depart.

Seeing the old guard about to put on that "assassin outfit" again, Dick helplessly stepped forward to stop him.

Man, they were doing something secret. Could he please keep a lower profile when circumstances allowed instead of forcibly making things harder for them?

After Dick explained in writing, Malderan finally realized how terrible his furtive behavior had been. He was embarrassed for a rare moment and even added an unnecessary explanation:

"It is mainly because we guards are not as skilled at disguise as the rangers of the Assassin Court... What I mean is, I may have been too Obsessed with those knightly novels. My apologies. I have made a fool of myself before you."

After saying that, he gave Dick the formal salute between superior and subordinate guards, picked up his jeweled warhammer and protective shield, and strode away.

Dick sighed and returned to the room.

The first step of the plan had succeeded, and rather smoothly at that.

For now, Malderan, this straightforward guard, did not seem likely to become a problem. Next, it would depend on whether he could bring in the help Dick truly needed.

That was also why Dick had asked Malderan to serve as his assistant.

Dick himself was a country boy from Krokuun, with neither relatives nor connections in a capital metropolis like Mac'Aree. But Malderan was a true old Mac'Aree native from a prominent upper-class Eredar family. Do not be fooled by his centuries as a deputy security captain; that was only because Malderan's personal moral standards were high and he disdained using connections.

His family had lived here ever since the legendary Primordial Sorcerer Augure led the Eredar ancestors to discover the Ata'mal Crystal relic in the mountains of Mac'Aree and founded a city there.

Did Dick understand what it meant to be Old Money rooted in the capital region for countless generations over tens of thousands of years?

When Dick asked him to contact upper-ranking figures capable of settling the situation, Malderan had agreed after only a moment of hesitation, hadn't he?

This involved a "coup," after all!

Anyone capable of dealing with such matters so easily could definitely rank among the top ten power holders of Eredar civilization! At the very least, he was far nobler than Archimonde, that little nobody who had not yet risen to prominence.

And when Dick asked for advice, Malderan had casually named one influential person after another from the Arcane Academy's circle of power, as if reciting a menu. That proved that although the old guard disdained backdoor connections, he truly knew the ins and outs of these matters.

At the very least, he understood far more than Dick, an outsider who knew major historical events but nothing about the details.

With someone like that secretly helping him, Dick's confidence in stirring things up had undoubtedly increased greatly.

Now that he had a clear understanding of the forces available to him, he felt more secure. During the next few days, while waiting for the higher-ups to send someone over, he needed to quickly nurse this body back to health and investigate just what was going on with his sealed guard abilities.

A paladin could not even heal himself...

If word got out, Archimonde would laugh his teeth out. Could Dick, the "Holy Gun," endure such humiliation?

Absolutely not!