Chapter 92: Chapter 92: Khadgar is Dead
"Hiss!" Both Llane and Anduin gasped in shock.
But Duke's astonishing words were yet to come.
"After I returned, I secretly perused a lot of information in my master's secret library. When Medivh presented the Black Hourglass, I was sixty percent sure that the one possessing Medivh was Sargeras, the Fallen Titan and leader of the Burning Legion."
What? Medivh was possessed by Sargeras?
They were at a loss for words, feeling a mixture of shock and joy. At that moment, their mouths were full of mixed emotions.
They fully understood why Duke had kept this secret. What was Duke's status at that time? Even now, if Medivh hadn't revealed it himself, they would still be in the dark about his rebellion. After all, a Black Hourglass could not prove anything.
Now, Duke had bluntly stated that it was Sargeras who was responsible.
Llane and Anduin were both happy and afraid. They were happy because their old friend Medivh was likely not truly betraying their friendship and betraying all of Azeroth. They were afraid because it was Sargeras!
As knowledgeable and cultured nobles, they naturally knew who Sargeras was and what he had done to the world of Azeroth ten thousand years ago.
Anduin probed, "How do you confirm it was Sargeras?"
"It's not a well kept secret. Many mages know that more than three hundred and twenty years ago, Medivh's mother, Aegwynn, went to a distant land. She stopped a group of dragon hunting demons and later encountered Sargeras, the demon king of the Burning Legion. Using the power of the six members of the Guardians of Tirisfal, the strongest mage group in Azeroth, she defeated the demon king and sealed his body."
"Sealed?" Lothar asked.
The specifics aren't documented in the literature, but only members of the Tirisfal Council would likely know," Duke speculated, his intuition recognizing the overwhelming Titan essence. "Only the soul of Sargeras could be this powerful."
Despite Duke's uncertain tone, both Llane and Anduin instinctively believed it to be true. It was a fact, and Duke's words were merely a hint. They would naturally investigate Duke's words through various sources of information.
King Llane inserted his ten fingers deeply into his thick hair, his pupils appearing somewhat glazed. "This is terrible. If the Demon King steals the Guardians' magic, then Tirisfal Council has failed, and Azeroth has failed. Doesn't that mean that no one in Azeroth can stop Sargeras? My goodness! The Stormwind Kingdom is also on the brink of destruction. As a fallen monarch, how can I face my ancestors?"
Anduin was never lacking in anger, but at this moment, his face was also ashen.
At this moment, the entire room seemed to be under the spell of time-stopping magic.
Duke stood up proudly in the stunned gazes of Llane and Anduin, lifting his head and saying softly, "No need for words, Your Majesty. The situation can still be salvaged. Please have faith. Having confidence doesn't necessarily lead to victory, but without it, you will surely lose. If even you lack confidence, how can you make the people, soldiers, and nobles trust you?"
"As long as I, Duke Marcus, am standing here, as long as Anduin Lothar is standing here, and as long as the thousands of your people who support you are standing behind you, who dares say that the future of this kingdom is doomed before we have all fallen?"
"If the destruction of the Stormwind Kingdom is a certain fate, then let me change it with my own hands."
"From the moment I realized things were dire, I have been preparing for this day. I have hoped countless times that my efforts would be in vain. But now that all of this is truly happening, shouldn't we work even harder to prevent any more people from crying, and to avoid the grief of the Lion's Guard soldiers who defended Redridge Mountain to the death?"
Duke's tone was calm yet impassioned, and after hearing Duke's words, Llane almost seemed to be jolted, lifting his head.
Llane tidied his appearance and nodded at Anduin, who looked concerned, then smiled wryly at Duke. "I'm sorry to have embarrassed you. As a king, I must set an example for the people and nobles. I was truly out of line just now. Well then, Duke, I'm sure you've come up with many ideas. Bring them all out at once, don't keep them hidden.
Anduin gave Duke his most sincere smile. He had noticed that lately, Llane had been feeling down, but he never expected Duke's encouragement to be so effective.
"Do you have a map?" Duke asked Lothar.
As the highest commander of the kingdom, Lothar always carried a simple map with him. He opened it on the coffee table.
Duke pointed to the map and said, "First, we're not just fighting against the entire orc clan, but also the whole of Azeroth. If we can't get support from Lordaeron and Stromgarde in the short term, your majesty needs to prepare to defend Stormwind City. If something goes wrong, I strongly suggest that you send women and children across the sea to the north, bypassing the dwarven territory of Dun Morogh, which is also exposed to the orc army, and head straight to the Hillsbrad Foothills to get ample support from other human kingdoms. You can transport the women and children and bring back military supplies and personnel to continue the war effort in Stormwind."
In the face of the orc attack on Ironforge, Duke's suggestion was reasonable, and both Lothar and Anduin nodded in agreement.
In fact, in history, when Lothar was defeated, he did the same thing, taking the remnants of the Stormwind Kingdom and its people. However, the situation in Stormwind was not yet dire enough for Duke to propose a national retreat.
Seeing that Lothar approved, Duke continued, "Secondly, I suggest building a fortress near Goldshire."
Anduin interrupted, "That won't do any good. We've already learned from the lesson of Redridge Mountains that a simple fortress cannot stop the orc attack."
"It's not that your tactics were wrong." Duke took out a blueprint from his pocket and handed it to Lothar. "If you build it according to my design, I guarantee that it will cause continuous bleeding for the orcs."
Lothar was a knowledgeable soldier, and he immediately praised Duke's blueprint.
"Thirdly, I strongly suspect that Medivh has a direct connection to this orc invasion, so I suggest that you consider sending a strike team to raid Karazhan."
At the mention of Medivh, Llane's face froze, and he began to stammer, "Medivh, controlled by Sargeras, yes, he betrayed the world of Azeroth. But what does raiding Karazhan have to do with solving the crisis of the orc invasion before us?"
As Llane struggled to make a decision due to his emotional ties, a royal guard knocked on the door and walked in, deliberately lowering his voice.
"My lords, there's a strange female orc here. She speaks fluent Common and wants to see your majesty. And she brought the body of Medivh's apprentice, Khadgar."
What? Khadgar is dead!?
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