Two Old Foxes and a Cheating Little Fox

"Sir, the person you asked for has arrived."

"Thank you, Iniven. You can go now."

"As you command."

The meticulous mage bowed to Belovar, then slipped silently out of the room. Lanlos remained by the door, meeting Belovar's eyes. For a moment, neither said a word.

There was no hostility, no commanding aura. The Grand Magister looked like a kindly middle-aged man. By the standards of the High Elves, who prided themselves on their looks and bearing, he was plain and unremarkable. His every movement lacked the air of someone who ruled the world.

He seemed like a completely different person from the one Lanlos had met at the Eastern Temple.

"Seems you're not too happy to see me again." Belovar snapped his fingers, and an elegant goblet drifted across the table toward Lanlos.

Lanlos took the glass but didn't taste the wine. "I'm a little disappointed, yes. We could've met more than an hour earlier."

"Oh? Are you busy?" Magic lifted a slice of lemon and lowered it into the wine. A chill swept through the air, frosting the fruit with delicate layers of ice. Belovar leisurely sampled his chilled cocktail, as if the drink mattered more than his guest.

But Lanlos could feel Belovar's discreet gaze falling on him from time to time.

"I had a few things to take care of."

Lanlos felt awkward. He didn't like being around Belovar. A part of him feared that, in the middle of their pleasant conversation, the Grand Magister might suddenly reveal that he knew about the Fel inside him.

"Then I suppose I owe you an apology." Belovar casually tossed his glass aside, and a breeze carried it safely back to the table. "Our meeting today might take a while."

The furrow between Lanlos's brows deepened. He stared at Belovar, his expression grave.

After a brief silence, just as the tension was about to reach its peak, Belovar suddenly laughed. "Haha, don't be nervous. I was only joking. Please, sit."

Lanlos glanced at the chair that had appeared behind him at some point. He hesitated, then sat down, still not entirely convinced.

Good, it hadn't collapsed... and it was pretty soft, too...

"Actually, I asked you here for two reasons." Seeing Lanlos relax, Belovar dropped his unserious act and finally got to the point.

"First, could you tell me how you dealt with that energy vortex?"

Here it comes.

Lanlos's muscles tensed involuntarily. After a brief, awkward pause, he put on an innocent, puzzled expression. "I'm not really sure myself. Landral went after the Troll at the time, so I didn't know what to do on my own. I cast Force Impact on the crystal, and then it fell."

A long silence followed, and the room grew unbearably awkward. But both men were quick-witted, and neither let on that anything was amiss.

Lanlos didn't expect the Grand Magister to believe his nonsense. But no one else could corroborate what had happened. As long as his story wasn't too outrageous, that was enough.

After all, with several Sanctums dealing with this mess, Grand Magister Belovar must have plenty to keep him busy. He wasn't going to waste time on a minor incident that couldn't be proven and hadn't threatened Quel'Thalas.

The Grand Magister's lips curled into a faint smile, breaking the silence. "So, you were very lucky."

Lanlos frowned slightly.

He'd been prepared to deny everything to the bitter end. But Belovar had accepted his story so quickly, without asking any more questions, and that only made Lanlos more nervous.

It meant that either Belovar trusted him completely or had found a reason to cover for him. The first possibility was a joke. As for the second, there could be any number of reasons.

"Thank you for clearing that up. Now, let's talk about the second matter." Belovar nodded and folded his arms. His imposing presence suddenly filled the room, making Lanlos feel the pressure at once.

Now that was how a Grand Magister should carry himself. This was the legendary spellcaster Lanlos had seen that day!

Belovar watched as Lanlos followed Iniven farther and farther away, his gaze fixed on the young man's back until he disappeared.

"Looks like your judgment was wrong."

The Grand Magister's voice echoed through the room. A moment later, a straight-backed figure stepped out of the corner. Instantly, it felt as if countless windows had opened in the dim room, brightening the space around them.

The newcomer was older than the Grand Magister. His thick, neatly trimmed white beard covered his chin, and with his crisp robes and ever-present warmth, he looked more vigorous and upright than Belovar.

"The boy's got a good head on his shoulders, but his thinking is still immature. He acts exactly like someone his age. He's keeping a few things to himself, sure, but young people always have secrets they don't want others to know. Your concern is probably unnecessary." Belovar produced another full goblet from who knew where and sipped as he shared his opinion.

Vondelor stood still for a long time, gazing at the spot where Lanlos had stood. He remained there until a goblet floated in front of him.

"I still stand by what I said. There's something about that boy—something even the Sunwell is wary of." Vondelor took the glass but didn't drink. "We can't afford to let our guard down."

As longtime friends, Belovar and Vondelor had built a deep rapport over the years. Belovar knew him well, perhaps even better than Vondelor knew himself.

"You put too much faith in that Holy Light. The moment anything stirs, you start seeing trouble everywhere. Old friend, you're getting paranoid."

Vondelor glanced at the Grand Magister's teasing remark and sighed without changing his expression. "You're right. I am too anxious. I suppose I should call all the Priests in the Sunfury Legion back and have them counsel me for the next ten years or so..."

"Brother, try this. It's my private stash of Winterspring Firewater. Strong, spicy, invigorating, and good for your health! All that paranoia is nonsense!" Belovar appeared beside Vondelor in a flash. An unremarkable bottle had somehow appeared in his hand, giving off an intoxicating fragrance.

Vondelor smiled faintly and took the entire bottle without a trace of hesitation. "That's very thoughtful of you, little brother. I'll be sure to tell my students about the generosity of you and the Sunfury Legion."

Belovar kept a straight face, but the twitch at the corner of his eye gave him away. As the saying went, whoever fed you was your master. No one needed to explain how valuable healers were in war, especially to the Dawnblade Knights, who had few members but played an essential role.

If Vondelor hadn't controlled the supply of healers... Damn it, my Winterspring Firewater!

After leaving Sunfury Spire, Lanlos let out a long breath. The feeling of being watched had vanished, and with it, the pressure he'd been under.

The second matter Belovar had brought up had surprised him, but it made sense. The Grand Magister wanted him to join the Sunfury Legion.

No wonder Fastherin had given him such a generous reward and brought up a whole string of nonexistent mistakes to make him feel guilty. They must have planned this all along.

Thinking back on how he'd never received proper treatment from the educators since entering the academy, Lanlos couldn't help but smile wryly. Well, look at that. Even a Grand Magister was trying to poach him. Those fools were starting to play the favor game...

That thought made Lanlos see Alona in a new light. She might be strict, but she stuck to her principles. Even at a time like this, she'd still assigned him work—and the most tedious kind, at that: gathering materials and running errands.

If Lanlos had actually been considering a transfer, Alona would probably have been berated by a whole committee of decision-makers.

That was right: Lanlos had turned down Belovar's generous offer.

It wasn't just because of the Bag of Holding and the staff. The crucial point was that Sargerite had sensed the third person in the room.

Head bowed as he walked, Lanlos kept his face hidden in shadow. No one could see the piercing sharpness in his gaze.

He couldn't identify it precisely, but the shadow power inside him still trembled in its presence. Such powerful Holy Light... And more importantly, its source had been in the same room as the Grand Magister!

Lanlos knew who it was: Vondelor, the future adoptive father of Liadrin, leader of the Blood Knights, and the current chief Priest of Silvermoon City.

The chief Priest, always so open and forthright, had hidden in a corner. If that didn't mean something was wrong, then nothing did.

Lanlos had no desire to live under the watchful eyes of those two old foxes.