After the Second Orc War, Uther, who was the leader of the Knights of the Silver Hand, was promoted to a noble rank as expected. From a civilian priest apprentice under the name of Alonsos Faol, he became an enviable A noble lord and a powerful boss with heavy troops.
However, Uther didn't care about these external things.
Unable to resist Terenas' repeated persuasion, he had no choice but to take over the role of Alsace's mentor. In recent years, he would inevitably have to deal with the royal family and nobles.
This kind of complex interpersonal communication is exactly what Uther is least good at and dislikes the most. After racking his brains for a long time and making excuses with the nobles, Uther, who considers himself just a rough man, feels physically and mentally exhausted.
Recently, he suddenly began to miss the time when he obeyed orders under Marshal Lothar.
At that time, Uther was just a general who followed orders. The pressure from the alliance officials was shouldered by Lothar. He could rush on the battlefield without any distractions and fight for the justice in his heart wholeheartedly.
The higher the official position and title, the more Uther thought.
After the war, he was given the title of Lightbringer, and he was far less pure than he was during the war.
This was also reflected in the Alterac battle the year before last.
As the commander of an army, Uther needs to consider his knights and minimize unnecessary battle losses.
In the eyes of some nobles in Lordaeron who don't understand war, Uther's sword has become dull compared to when he showed off his sharp edge during the Second Orc War and has been pampered for many years.
He was no longer able to lead the Silver Hand Knights to easily break down the enemy's defenses as before, and became a little timid.
Saidan Dathrohan, the deputy captain who has always been with Uther to assist him, can best understand Uther's changes.
It's not that Uther's strength and ability to command troops have declined, but that he has more worries and is unable to focus all his energy on the battlefield.
To put it more literaryly, his heart is no longer pure, and a large number of trivial matters have polluted Uther's originally transparent and bright heart.
From an objective and fair standpoint, the Alterac War was originally an unjust war.
From the perspective of a Paladin who fights for justice and justice, the restoration forces of Alterac led by Inseton Perenold are just. Lordaeron forcibly annexed Alteran. There is no morality whatsoever in Keben.
The subconscious resistance in his heart prevented Uther from trying his best in the Battle of Alterac, and it was difficult for him to shout slogans and fight for his country in an open and just manner.
All of Uther's struggles were clearly seen by the Grand Crusader who had been following the Lightbringer.
Since the end of the Second Orc War, Tirion has only had a name in the Knights, and has spent most of his time working hard in his own territory.
The North Valley, centered on Hearthglen, has developed very rapidly in recent years. The once barren mountains and wild valleys have long been changed. More and more refugees who lost their homes in the war spontaneously came to live in the North Valley and joined the pioneering work led by Tirion himself. in the team.
There is a saying that Uther and Saidan are very envious of Tirion's purity to this day.
Away from the center of power in the Royal City of Lordaeron, Tirion was able to free up his hands and fulfill his original vow to benefit one side.
And he actually did it personally. Apart from his busy schedule, he was able to spare a lot of time to personally teach his growing son Tyran Fording.
Compared with Tirion, Uther and Saidan, who are busy with military affairs and various chores, have somewhat neglected the children at home.
Compared with the increasingly capable Tyran Fordring, Uther and Saidan felt that none of the cubs in their family could compare.
Under strict tutoring and management, the two children did not grow up to be playboys, but they did not have any commendable talents. At most, they were just average.
When Uther was at his most confused, Tirion seemed to sense his troubles from afar. He unexpectedly left his territory and appeared in the long-established royal city, returning to his old friends.
Although Uther was more happy to reunite with his old friend, he still asked his own question out of curiosity.
"Tirion, you haven't been to the royal city for several years. Do you have anything important to do this time?"
"important things?"
Tirion laughed and waved his hand: "It's not a big deal. If I have to say it... helping Tyran find a suitable war horse and a set of equipment for actual combat is barely important."
Uther was full of doubts: "Then..."
"I know what you want to ask."
Tirion put away his smile, lowered his voice and said to the two old men: "I did receive the news that you were in trouble from a certain channel, so I hurriedly left the territory and came to the royal city to help."
Uther's expression was stern, and he looked at Saidan, whose expression also changed.
"Where did the news come from?"
"Quel'Thalas."
Tirion directly stated the source of the information without hesitation: "Do you still remember the name Sharlayan Deep Shadow?"
Saidan raised his eyebrows slightly and confirmed first: "Is it the Earl of Deep Shadow who is said to be active behind the scenes of the Battle of Alterac?"
"count?"
Tirion shook his head in a funny way: "How old have you been? But it's also my fault that that person acted too low-key."
"Not long ago, Sharlayan Deep Shadow, who led the dragon army of Quel'Thalas and returned from Kalimdor in victory, was officially promoted to Duke by Sun King Kael'thas Sunstrider."
"What?!"
Uther and Saidan looked shocked at the same time. Uther scratched his head in confusion and asked: "Duke...he can't be a level skipper, right?"
Tirion shrugged: "Of course not. As early as after the Battle of Alterac, the then Earl of Shadow was quietly promoted to Marquis by the Sun King for his merits. As for the merits...I won't say that you should also You know."
"Hiss~"
Saidan felt a little bit sour and couldn't help but bared his teeth: "Dear boy, such a monster has appeared in Quel'Thalas. We have been busy with internal affairs in the past few years, and we haven't received any relevant news."
Tirion patted the two of them on the shoulders and comforted them: "This is quite normal. After all, you are not a department that specializes in intelligence. The Duke of Shadow has always been low-key, so it is not surprising that the intelligence lags behind."
Uther rubbed his chin thoughtfully: "Although I am very interested in what you said about returning from Kalimdor in victory, now is not the time to discuss this issue."
"Let's get back to the topic, why did the Duke of Deep Shadow, who was promoted so quickly, provide you with information? Did he offer anything in return?"
"This is what makes me strange." Tirion said with some distress: "He didn't ask for anything. It seemed like he was just reminding me out of good intentions."
"Honestly, before I received the information from the Duke of Deep Shadow, I didn't know much more about him than you did. I also sent people to Stratholme to investigate before I found out about him. part of the credit."
"Think about the plans he made behind the scenes of the Alterac War. What I investigated is definitely not all."
Uther said with a somewhat bitter expression: "I heard that the Duke of Deep Shadow is not yet 30 years old this year. Arthas had some conflicts with him before because of jealousy... He is really a formidable young man."
Tirion also smiled bitterly and shook his head: "Who says it's not the case? I heard that he held a celebration banquet in the capital of his territory not long ago, and almost all the nobles in the southern part of Yongsong Forest attended the banquet without hesitation. "
"His appeal cannot be explained by just gaining the trust of the Sun King."
"Huh~"
Uther let out a long breath and temporarily put aside the complicated thoughts in his heart.
"Don't think so much first. No matter what the purpose of Duke Deep Shadow is, it's a good thing that you arrived in time."
Reunited with his long-lost old friend, Uther, with a lot of gray hair, seemed to have regained the passion he had when he fought alongside them on the battlefield.
At least at this moment, he no longer wanted to worry about what was there and what was not. He just wanted to devote himself to clearing away the filthy things hiding in the dark for Lordaeron and his motherland.
Uther could vaguely see the shining golden holy light in his eyes, and he said decisively: "Sorry, old man, I have to make you accompany us to offend people."
"ha!"
Tirion laughed freely and said: "Since I dare to come, it means that I have been mentally prepared for it."
"Tell me, Uther, who should we kill today in order to purify Lordaeron?"
