Antonidas

With his mind made up, Liam shifted his focus. The longsword in his left hand vanished into thin air, replaced instantly by a large handful of... sand.

The sudden change caught Arthas completely off guard, and a palmful of sand was flung directly into his face. If an ordinary rogue had tried such a trick, they would have had to stow their weapon and reach into a pouch first; even with the fastest hands, there would be a tell. Anyone with decent reflexes could have countered it.

Unfortunately, Liam's movements were far too swift, leaving no gap at all. Poor Arthas, still catching his breath from his Whirlwind, took the sand square in the face, truly learning the meaning of being "covered in dust and dirt."

By the time Arthas recovered and forced his eyes open, he felt a numbness in his hand, and his longsword clattered to the ground. That detestable rogue was already standing before him with a grin, a lavishly crafted flintlock pistol pointed straight at the center of his brow.

As for chivalry? To Liam, that was all nonsense. He was a "pirate" now, not some "upright and righteous" prince of the people; everyone had to do their own job properly.

As a pirate, if you don't want to lose? Just do whatever it takes to win!

"You..." The prince, who lived and breathed chivalry, never expected to lose so easily to a "little hooligan," leaving his pride with nowhere to land.

Jaina, standing to the side, was also stunned. The poor girl felt she had already lowered her estimation of the "dead liar's" bottom line as much as possible. Yet, Liam truly possessed a unique talent for shattering her worldview again and again.

"You, you, what about you? When you're out on the streets, if you're wrong, you admit it; if you get hit, you stand still! You've lost, so what else is there to say? Are you really going to call your guards over to arrest me? Have you no shame?"

Liam cut off Arthas's retreat before he could even speak, the thrill of pushing an "honest man" into a corner bubbling up within him.

Arthas truly wanted to wave his hand and have his thousands of soldiers tear the boy before him into a thousand pieces. But just as Liam had said, he was too embarrassed to do so; the mere thought of it made him feel sick.

The current Arthas was still a pure, young boy. Invincible had not yet died, and he hadn't yet hooked up with Jaina, so he lacked that shameless "I am the savior of the world" attitude.

Arthas, not knowing what to say, turned a deep, flushed purple. Liam, however, couldn't be bothered to care; he just wanted to make his escape.

A prince fighting in the street had already drawn a crowd. Although they were kept at a distance by Arthas's attendants, the gathering mass of onlookers showed no signs of dispersing.

"Go back and practice more. If you still want to fight, I'm always available—just come find me then." Leaving those words behind, Liam turned and walked away with the air of a true master.

Only, judging by his speed, it was clear he had activated a sprint; in the blink of an eye, he vanished into the crowd.

"That's right, I must become stronger, and then reclaim my honor with my own hands!"

Liam's words had awakened the dreamer. The "chuunibyou" youth Arthas resolved to train his martial arts to avenge today's humiliation. The trope was solid, but after standing dazed for a long while, Arthas realized he had no idea who he was supposed to be seeking revenge against!

Jaina, watching Arthas standing frozen in place, seemed to realize where the problem lay. Seeing Arthas look at her with a hesitant expression, Jaina could only shake her head slightly. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, I don't know who he is either. I saw him once before, but before I could ask, he snatched my... he just ran off. This time, we barely spoke two words before you interrupted..."

There was a hint of resentment in Jaina's tone that Arthas couldn't help but notice. Looking sheepishly at the beautiful girl before him, Arthas gathered his courage to invite her to tour Lordaeron, suggesting they could "stop by" the royal palace for a two-day stay.

"I'm a bit tired. My teacher has already arranged my lodging, so I won't trouble you this time."

After the commotion, Jaina had lost all interest in touring Lordaeron. She said goodbye to Arthas with a listless air, boarded her carriage, and headed to her temporary residence to find her teacher.

Poor Arthas remained standing there, dazed, having no idea how he had offended the girl in the carriage.

Jaina didn't know why she felt resentful toward Arthas. Was it because she hadn't retrieved her beloved shoes? Or because she hadn't found out the identity of that detestable liar? The girl couldn't pinpoint the reason.

Fortunately, the moods of the young come and go quickly. By the time she reached her temporary residence, the earlier unpleasantness had been cast to the back of her mind.

In truth, Jaina had lied to Arthas about one thing: her teacher was not actually at the temporary residence in Lordaeron. She had lied subconsciously, and even Jaina couldn't explain why. Perhaps it was because she had spoken to that detestable liar, and she was starting to pick up his bad habits?

Taking out a metal rune engraved with the crest of Dalaran, Jaina channeled her mana into it, then quietly tucked the glowing object away.

Not long after, a portal slowly opened behind the girl, and a figure stepped out.

The man's hair and long beard were snow-white, and he appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. He wore a pale purple mage's robe; though not luxurious, it was exceptionally neat.

"Mentor, I am so sorry to disturb your research." Jaina quickly bowed to the newcomer, and with this gesture, the man's identity was revealed.

Antonidas, leader of the Kirin Tor, Archmage, and the "de facto" leader of Dalaran.

"Little girl, you clearly said you wanted me to teleport you back directly, but you insisted on taking a boat. Why are you calling for me now? Do you regret it?"

Antonidas doted on his young apprentice, which was why he had opened the portal so quickly. He teased her the moment he saw her, showing none of the airs of a mentor.

"It's not that, Mentor..." "I met that person again today, the one from over a year ago." Jaina explained quickly; she didn't want her mentor to teleport her back just yet. The atmosphere of study in Dalaran was too tense, and she missed the sea terribly!

"Oh?" Antonidas was curious now. He had heard his apprentice talk about that strange boy before. Now that the person had appeared again, could it be...

"This time, I remembered to record the process." Only in front of Antonidas did Jaina truly act like a child of her age, and at this moment, she smiled like a little fox that had stolen a chicken.