Misunderstanding

Misunderstanding

After the three of them happily finished lunch, Albert went to the Battlemage Corps' headquarters. Remilia dragged her brother to a little shop she often visited and bought strawberry-flavored scoops of ice cream, eating as she introduced the surrounding sights to Roderick.

"What about that gnome mage you mentioned six times just now? I mean Kindi. Why didn't you call her over during lunch?"

"She was dragged off to do hard labor. It seemed some high-ranking mage from elsewhere had come to Dalaran, and all those Archmages you normally never saw had gone to welcome her." Remi finished her ice cream, then saw the untouched pink scoop in her brother's hand. She smiled ingratiatingly at Roderick, took it from him, and continued, "It was Archmage Jaina, I think. She said she Teleported from Theramore, or maybe something else. I can't remember. Anyway, it's a very faraway place."

Roderick continued wandering aimlessly with his sister. Such legendary figures were far too distant from his life. Before he knew it, they were about to turn toward Mage Antonidas's monument. As they rounded the corner, Roderick suddenly grabbed Remilia.

"What is it, Brother?" Remi was far sharper than she looked. Pretending to rest, she stopped and asked quietly.

"Someone is hiding nearby. I can sense them vaguely, but I can't see them. Remi, how is public security in Dalaran? Are there many assassins and rogues?" Roderick asked in a low voice.

Remi shook her head in slight confusion. Security here was excellent. There might be assassins or the like, but she had never paid them any attention before.

"What should we do? Do you need me to summon Little White?" she asked Roderick.

"Find a way to force them out. Protect yourself."

Remilia began chanting a spell, while Roderick removed the warhammer from his back. A brilliant ball of white light shot from Remi's fingertips, bathing even the shadows in the surrounding corners in its powerful radiance.

At that moment, Roderick charged toward the tree with warhammer and shield in hand. Remi looked in confusion at the tall plane tree.

Faced with Roderick's charge, the other party could no longer maintain invisibility. An elf, purple-black from head to toe, appeared before him. The strange weapon in her hand slashed mercilessly at Roderick's wrist.

Oh no, there's a bad guy! Remi began summoning Little White as quickly as she could. At the same time, she clutched the magic stone Morris had given her. It was a life-saving Hearthstone containing a fixed Teleportation spell; in an emergency, activating the magic would send her into the tower. Remilia carefully hid in the corner by the wall, watching her brother battle the other party and silently praying for Little White to arrive soon.

Roderick had already recognized her identity: a high-ranking Night Elf guard. Although the Night Elves were also members of the Alliance, she had been skulking in the shadows in broad daylight, so she could not possibly be up to any good. Remilia had no means of defending herself. What if she was an assassin hired by some mage jealous of Remi?

Though Roderick's imagination was running wild, he still retained basic rationality. This was a city of mages. He only needed to tie his opponent down for a while and wait for the mages to arrive. If he killed her with one hammer blow, how would he find the mastermind behind it all?

Having decided on a stalling strategy, Roderick repeatedly blocked the assassin whenever she tried to leave. The enraged elven warrior finally stopped holding back, intending to thoroughly defeat this despicable man who had ambushed her before anything else.

As his opponent's moves grew more vicious, Roderick became even more convinced of his judgment. That was it—the female assassin's plan had been exposed, and she was trying to flee. Seeing no chance of escape, she was now preparing to kill him by force.

The attacks Roderick faced grew increasingly powerful. His shield was on the verge of being sliced apart by the Night Elf's Blade Wheel. Using the nearly shattered shield as a thrown weapon, he raised his warhammer and swung without mercy. He could only knock this assassin down first.

Roderick's fighting style was broad and forceful,

The Night Elf did not dare meet the warhammer head-on, but the elven guard's footwork was agile. Combined with her Blade Wheel, it allowed her to launch incredible attacks again and again, making Roderick wary as well. One was a high-strength knight, the other a high-agility guard, and for a time they were evenly matched. At first, both had managed to suppress the aura of battle, but now they were truly fighting in earnest. Violent currents of combat swirled around them, and the tall plane tree could no longer hold up. It crashed to the ground, kicking up dust everywhere.

Roderick remained clear-headed and did not continue tangling with his opponent. He returned to Remilia, who was hiding by the wall, raised his hand, and cast Blessing of Protection. Then he vigilantly sensed for the assassin's presence.

Remilia excitedly pounded on the transparent barrier, but a protective layer forged from Holy Light was not so fragile. After waiting with difficulty for the barrier to vanish, Remilia said to Roderick with an odd expression, "You got it wrong. She isn't a bad person."

Hearing his sister's words, Roderick stared fixedly at the Night Elf who had just leaped onto a rooftop. She had put away her weapon, so she probably bore no ill intent.

It had been a long time since anyone had dared to fight so fiercely in Dalaran. The mages responsible for Dalaran's daily security arrived at the scene. The two troublemakers were easy to identify: the Night Elf casually leaned against a statue without saying a word, while on the other side, the human knight stood straight at the street corner. The little girl beside him was the mage apprentice countless important figures had been looking after recently.

The security mage wore a pained expression, but when he sensed the immense magical energy beside him, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Someone had finally come to handle this matter. He was just a lowly security mage—he could not afford to offend either side.

Roderick also realized that things had gotten somewhat out of hand. The mages who Teleported in before him were each stronger than the last, and the magical equipment on them nearly blinded him. Fortunately, he recognized two people on the other side: Archmage Modera and the inconspicuous little gnome, Kindi.

When Remilia saw the many mages before her, she first smiled sheepishly at Modera, then waved at Kindi. She pulled out some candied fruit, waved it in her hand, and smiled like a cat.

Kindi, who usually loved sweets, was surprisingly not lured away by Remi's treats today. She looked at Roderick with admiration, her eyes practically sparkling with stars.

Remi's brother had actually fought Lord Jaina's guard to a draw. Heavens! Remi had always said her brother was a powerful human warrior. So she had not been bragging after all.

"Sir Knight, your opponent is not an assassin. She is my guard, and also a defender of civilization across Azeroth," a female mage explained sincerely.

Roderick also bowed respectfully to her. Though she had not said so directly, only a fool would fail to recognize that she was Jaina Proudmoore. A powerful high-ranking mage, daughter of Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, and leader of the Theramore stronghold.