Conflict

"Oh, yes," the mage said with a nod, his gaze still fixed on the young warrior.

"Once I've dealt with this lowly warrior whose head is full of nothing but muscles—"

He had barely made it halfway through the sentence when Kel'Thuzad abruptly thrust out his right hand, pointing straight at Uther, a few steps away. A pale blue ring on his long index finger shimmered with a mysterious light, catching the sunlight in tiny glimmers. The raging Arcane energy rapidly transformed into biting frost, and several crystal-clear Ice Lances shot toward the spot he indicated.

The icy lances streaked over the boy's head. Alvin heard only a few whooshes before belatedly sensing the bone-chilling cold in the air. Since arriving in this world, he had never felt death come so close. The distance between life and death seemed no more than a single step.

Faced with the sudden attack, Uther didn't care about keeping up appearances. He threw himself into a clumsy roll, barely dodging the Ice Lances' path. But the mage, a master of frost-based evocation spells, had anticipated this. With a snap of his fingers, the ice pillars the warrior had so narrowly avoided burst apart. Billowing icy mist and biting frost immediately engulfed Uther.

When the mist cleared, Uther stood before Alvin coated in frost, his whole body trembling. Yet he still gripped his warhammer tightly, holding his ground in a guarded stance. He hadn't suffered any real injuries, but he had undeniably taken a hit from the sneak attack.

Fortunately, Kel'Thuzad still had some sense of restraint. He knew that, as a guest, he shouldn't go too far. After his successful ambush, the ill-tempered mage didn't press his advantage. Instead, he dispelled the Arcane power gathered around him. As he lowered his outstretched right hand, the boy keenly noticed that the ring, which had just been shining brightly, had suddenly dimmed.

"The archbishop has business with you. Also, that little toy is no longer any use to me, so I've told him he may stay by your side. There's no need to worry about your safety. I guarantee he'll make a good servant—so honest it's hard to believe."

Though the reason his teacher had given for suddenly assigning him to the boy had left him displeased, the boy's status and the reward for completing the task persuaded the young mage, who had never been comfortable around people, to keep his temper in check for the time being.

After finishing his conversation with the prince, Kel'Thuzad turned to Uther, who had only just stopped trembling. He lightly stamped his right foot, and his whole body vanished in a flash of magical light. Only a taunting remark remained in the empty training yard: "For His Highness's sake, I'll call this a small lesson and overlook your rudeness this time, you lowly warrior."

"That's why I hate mages. Every one of them is as arrogant as the High Elves, and they've all got tricks that can catch you off guard." Seeing that the mage had teleported away, the young instructor let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and put away his weapon. "Come on. I'll take you to change first, then we'll go to the archbishop's residence."

Alvin silently followed Uther. He washed off the sweat in a room beside the training yard and changed into the gold-trimmed formal clothes the attendants had brought. Once they were ready, the tall man and the boy left the training yard and stepped onto a passageway built of white marble. Their steady footsteps echoed down the quiet corridor.

As he followed the broad-shouldered man, the boy carefully surveyed his surroundings. He hadn't had the time or opportunity to explore his new lodgings when he arrived at the chapel last night. Today, Uther had dragged him to the training yard first thing in the morning, so the place still felt unfamiliar.

The corridor stood more than three meters high, its roof supported by massive pillars. Years of wind and rain had left their mark on the white stone, lending it an ancient, solemn air. Shrubs grew in the nearby courtyard, and a few small white flowers dotted the broad lawns. A faint fragrance filled the air, soothing the boy.

This place lacked the solemn grandeur of Lordaeron's royal palace, but it had a different kind of warmth and weight to it. What a lovely place! Alvin took a deep breath, looking content.

Just then, the warrior in front of him stopped.

Uther stared at the Gnoll Shaman standing outside Archbishop Faol's residence. His right hand slowly reached behind his back as he asked in a low voice, "A Gnoll?"

"Prince Alvin, and you as well, honored sir. Logul of the Maw-Claw Clan greets you."

The Gnoll Shaman didn't react with agitation to the hostility directed at him. Instead, he bowed to the warrior, who was ready to draw his weapon and bring down a hammer at any moment, using the customs of human society. Alvin didn't know what Kel'Thuzad had done to this test subject, but having witnessed it all, he couldn't help admiring the mage's methods.

"Instructor, this is the servant Master Kel'Thuzad mentioned just now. For the time being, he's under Teacher Faol's and my command." Glancing at Uther, whose hand had reached behind his back, the boy quickly stepped forward and stopped the warrior from attacking.

Come on, this Gnoll was crucial to his plans for six months from now and to Lordaeron's leverage in the Orcish War. It would be a huge loss if Uther, acting on a burst of anger, smashed him to pieces here!

So, even though the Gnoll Shaman was technically Kel'Thuzad's responsibility, Alvin still invoked the archbishop's name to keep the instructor at his side—who had just been left with nowhere to vent his frustration after the mage's interruption—from smashing his subordinate to the ground.

However, Alvin had clearly underestimated Uther's self-restraint. Or perhaps the archbishop's reputation was enough to convince anyone. In any case, once Alvin finished explaining, the young warrior merely nodded, walked forward, and knocked on the door, completely ignoring the Gnoll he had just treated as an enemy.

"Uther, what do you think of the disciple I found for you?"

The old man wore a worn white robe and sat smiling behind his desk, studying the two people standing in the middle of the room, his eyes narrowed to slits.

"Prince Alvin's body is weaker than I expected," the stern warrior said bluntly with a shake of his head. "I can only do my best to teach him how to protect himself."

"For a Priest, that's enough. Alvin is still only a child. Besides, I don't have much time to leave him in your care. He still needs to stay by my side and study."

The old man wasn't angered by Uther's frankness. He grinned and let out a hearty laugh. "That's enough for today's lesson. In a little while, I'm taking the boy to see the world beyond Lordaeron."

After the young warrior bowed and took his leave, the archbishop beckoned the boy over and said kindly, "Alvin, come here. Today, I'll show you the source of Stratholme's prosperity."

P.S. Thanks to the reader Nu Huo Qi Li Ou for the 100 Qidian coins! This weather really is so cold. Your author is freezing like a dog down here in the south.