Chapter 5 chapter Five

"He had nothing to do with the explosion," Vereesa insisted. "There's no reason for him to do that!" "He's a mage," Duncan replied bluntly, as if that explained everything. "These guys don't care about other people's safety." Vereesa is well aware of the Holy Light's teaching's prejudice against magic, so she doesn't intend to get entangled in this issue.The elves grew up in a magical environment, and Vereesa herself could cast a few small spells, so naturally she would not regard Ronin as the incarnation of evil like a paladin.Although Luo Ning's attitude towards her was a bit reckless, Vereesa didn't feel that the mage was a villain who didn't care about the lives of others.Didn't he still help her when she was escaping from the dragon?Why did he risk his life to help her?If only he himself might have been in Haskell.

"If he didn't do it," continued Lord Santerres, "then what did he do? Why didn't he leave any trace of him in the ruins? If he was innocent, his body should lie between the two of us." Right next to the brother who fell under his spell and died..." Then he twitched his beard lightly, "No, he was definitely responsible for that evil deed, trust me." Then you are going to hunt him down like a prey, Vereesa couldn't help thinking.In addition, why did Duncan order 10 of his strongest men to search for the missing mage with them?As a result, the rescue operation that Vereesa thought had revealed its true purpose.When she and the rest of the people heard the explosion and followed the sound to the ruins, the elf ranger was deeply saddened.Not only because he failed to save Luo Ning's life, but also because he and the other two passed away inexplicably.However, Duncan didn't think so at first, especially when the search turned up no trace of the mage.

Vereesa's first thought was goblin sappers, since they were good at sneaking up on fortresses and planting deadly explosives.But the high-ranking paladin insisted that his territory had long been cleared of any traces of the Horde, especially the goblins.But when those evil little ones sailed through the skies in their incredible airships, there were no reports to check.Moreover, such an aircraft is as fast as lightning and can easily escape detection. Luo Ning inevitably became the number one murder suspect. Of course Vereesa didn't believe that he did it, especially seeing his expression of not giving up until he completed the task.She only hoped that if the group of people waited to find the young magician.She can try to hold them back before everyone finds out the truth, so as not to harm the mage.

They had scoured the neighborhood and were headed in Haskell's direction.Although more than one young knight suggested that Rhonin would definitely use magic to rush to his destination without making a sound, Duncan?Santeres didn't think about how capable the magician is, he insisted that they would definitely catch the villainous mage and punish him with justice. When the sun was setting and the sky was getting darker, even Vereesa couldn't help but suspect Rhonin.Could it be that he did it and fled the scene of the crime in haste? "We should camp as soon as possible," declared Lord Santeras after a while.He surveyed the thickening bushes as he walked. "Of course I don't expect any trouble, but marching in the dark is not good, and you may get lost if you are not careful."

The elves' eyesight was much better than that of others, so Vereesa wondered if she should keep searching for a while.But then he thought, if the knights found Rhonin when he was not there, there would be only a dead end waiting for the mage. After walking for a while, we found nothing.At this time, the sun had sunk into the horizon, and only a little afterglow could still illuminate the road ahead.Despite his reluctance, Duncan called off the search and ordered his men to start pitching tents.Vereesa also dismounted, but her gaze was still scanning her surroundings, with a glimmer of hope that the red-haired mage would notice everything here.

"Miss Vereesa, the mage won't be around." The elf ranger looked up at the lord paladin. Duncan was the only one in the group taller than herself. "My lord, I just couldn't help but want to see it." "Don't worry, we'll find that demon soon." "Lord Santeras, we should listen to his explanation first. That's only fair." Santeras shrugged, as if it didn't matter to him. "Of course, we'll give him a chance to defend himself." Next, they may imprison Ronin, or simply execute him on the spot.Although the knights of the Silver Hand abide by the commandments of the Holy Light, they are also very flexible for the sake of justice.

Vereesa once again thought of continuing to search alone.She could easily traverse the forest alone, searching for small caves and bushes where bodies might be hidden. "Always eager to act, you have your own way of dealing with everything, right? Vereesa!" asked the first instructor after listening to her self-introduction in an optional class of ranger training.Only the cadets with the best grades can join the ranger team. "Look at this impatience, you should be born as a human being! If you continue like this, you won't be able to be a ranger for long..." Despite the skepticism of more than one mentor, Vereesa passed the test with flying colors and became the best member of the squad.Years of training must not be upended by recklessness now.

The silver-haired elf ranger assured the others that he would rest in the woods for a few minutes before returning to the main army, then leaned on the tree trunk and sighed softly.What was supposed to be such an easy task has now almost failed twice.If everyone can't find Luo Ning, how can I explain to my superiors?Not to mention facing the Kirin Tor Council in Dalaran.Although the two mistakes had nothing to do with her, but... Suddenly a strong wind came and almost pushed the elf to the ground.Vereesa tried her best to reach out and grab the tree trunk, but the cries of knights in the distance and the sound of scattered objects colliding with each other in the strong wind made a mess.

But the wind stopped suddenly, just as when the wind was blowing up, people were caught off guard.Vereesa straightened the messy hair that fell to her face, and hurried back to the camp in three steps at a time, thinking that it must not be a terrifying monster like a dragon that attacked Duncan and his knights.Fortunately, when the elf approached, he heard the paladins discussing how to restore the camp.When I arrived at the camp, I found that no one was injured except for the bedrolls scattered all over the place. Lord Santeras walked up to Vereesa, and asked with concern: "My dear miss, are you not injured?"

"Nothing, the wind frightened me, that's all." "Scared everyone." He turned his bearded face away and stared into the dark depths of the woods. "To my surprise, the normal wind doesn't blow like this..." Then he called out to one of his men, "Double the guards. I think this storm is strange, and it won't stop so easily." "Yes, my lord!" replied a thin, pale knight. "Christopher, Jacob, have—" The words stopped abruptly, and Vereesa and Duncan, who had already turned their faces away, couldn't help but look back together, thinking that the knight had been shot to the ground by a bow or crossbow just now.But it turned out he was staring at a dark roll among the scattered bedding.The curled thing, with its outstretched legs and arms crossed across its chest, seemed to be a sleeping figure.

It turned out that it was the mage they were looking for. Vereesa and other knights surrounded her, and some even held up torches.Vereesa lowered her head to check, under the light of the beating torches, Rhonin's face was pale and stiff.For a moment the elf couldn't tell if he was still alive.Reached out and touched his cheek. Suddenly the mage's eyes opened wide, surprising everyone around him. "You Xia, it's a pleasure to see you again..." After speaking, Ronin closed his eyes again and lost consciousness. "Idiot mage," Santeras said contemptuously, "you hid when a good man sacrificed, and showed up now that you thought it was all right, and you dare to sleep here!" He stretched out his hand to grab Ronin's arm, thinking Shake the mage awake.The moment his finger touched the robe, he suddenly yelled, staring at his gloved hand as if being attacked, and shouted: "An invisible, evil flame surrounds him! Gloves, I can still feel like I'm grabbing a burning coal!" No matter how Santeras warned, Vereesa still had to try it herself.It was true that when his hands touched Rhonin's clothes, he did feel uncomfortable, but it was not as serious as the paladin said.However, she turned around and nodded in agreement.Now is not the time to disagree with the words of this senior paladin. Vereesa heard the metal screeching sound of a sword unsheathed behind her, and quickly raised her head to look.Santaras was shaking his head at the doubtful knight, "No, Vauxford, the paladins of the Silver Hand cannot kill any enemy who is defenseless. Otherwise, our sacred oath will be seriously tarnished. I want to send someone Watch here at night. I'll see how the mage is doing tomorrow morning." Lord Santras showed a resolute expression on his weather-beaten face. "At any rate, justice will rule when he wakes up." "I'll always be here watching him," Vereesa interrupted suddenly, "don't worry about anyone else." "Forgive me, miss, but your relationship with him—" Vereesa stared at the paladin as hard as she could, "Are you doubting the credibility of a ranger, Mr. Santeras? Are you doubting my words? Do you think I will help the mage escape?" "Of course not!" At last Duncan gave in. "If you insist on this, then please go ahead. I approve your request, but you won't rest here all night—" "That's my choice. As for the few things that I can only do in my duties at present, would you avoid it if you were me?" Vereesa stayed to look after Ronin.Santras could only shake his head and walk away to assign tasks to other knights.For a while, only the Ranger and the Mage remained in the center of the camp.Ronin was lying on top of two bunks, and the knights didn't dare to touch them for fear of being surrounded by invisible flames. Vereesa tried to examine the sleeping mage carefully without touching it.Ronin's robes were torn in many places, and his face had small cuts and bruises.His face was exhausted, and his whole body seemed to be exhausted, but his body was fine. Perhaps it was the effect of the night, Vereesa felt that this human being looked fragile and pitiful.She admitted that Rhonin was handsome, but the elf ranger quickly interrupted her thoughts.She wished she could find a way to make the unconscious mage lie more comfortably, but that would require touching his body.Instead, it will encourage Santras to use her to imprison Rhonin more severely, and worsen the relationship between elves and mages. Since there was no other way, Vereesa stood by the sleeping mage and looked around, alert for any possible threats.The elf game still thinks that Ronin's sudden appearance is very suspicious, and although Duncan doesn't say anything, he must think so.Looking at Luo Ning like this, it doesn't look like he can teleport to the center of the camp by himself.Granted, an exhausting teleportation spell would have explained the mage's current state of exhaustion, but it didn't look like that at all.What's more, Vereesa felt as if she was seeing a victim who had been kidnapped, used, and then thrown back. The only question is—who did this absurd thing? He woke up to find that everyone was against him. Maybe, not everyone.Rhonin had no idea where he and the elf ranger were.It stands to reason that since she accepts the mission to send him to Harsco safely, it means that she will protect him at all costs against the hypocritical knights, but. . .Who knows.In the last mission, Ronin had an elf partner, an elf ranger older than Vereesa.The ranger's attitude towards Ronin was comparable to that of the Lord Santeras today, but it was more direct, without the hypocritical tricks of the paladin. Luo Ning breathed in an extremely low voice, hoping that no one would notice that he had woken up.He had only one way to figure out where he was, but first he had to get his mind in order.The paladins would definitely ask him what the accident just now had to do with him, and then where he went after the accident.On the latter question, they actually knew as much as he did. Unable to delay any longer, Luo Ning took a deep breath and stretched his legs on purpose, as if he had just woken up. Immediately, there was a slight movement around him. The mage opened his eyes and looked around, pretending to be dazed as planned.As a result, Vereesa's concerned face was the first thing that came into view. Although it was a bit unexpected, Rhonin was greatly relieved.The elf ranger leaned forward, watching the mage with his blue eyes.Those eyes suit her well, Rhonin thought.But the clanging of metal behind him interrupted his thoughts, and it seemed the others had found themselves waking up too'. "He came back to life, right?" Lord Santeras muttered. "We should ask about the situation—" The slender elf immediately jumped up, blocking the footsteps of the paladin. "He just opened his eyes! At least give him a little time to recover and something to eat before you question him." "I'm not going to take away his basic rights, ma'am. But he'll have to answer my questions while he's eating, not when he's full." Ronin propped up his arms, just in time to see Duncan's cloudy face, he understood that the knights of the Silver Hand considered him a traitor or even a murderer.The mage thought of the hapless guard who had been crushed to death, and perhaps there were more such victims.Someone must have reported that Rhonin had appeared on the city wall at that time, and the inherent prejudice of the paladins prompted them to add embellishments and finally get a fallacy. He wasn't trying to sing the opposite, and he doubted that he couldn't perform even the simplest spells right now.But if the knights want to place trumped-up charges on him, Rhonin will never be caught without a fight. "I will do my best to cooperate," the mage replied, breaking away from Vereesa's hands supporting him, and desperately stood up. "However, after filling my stomach." The knight's boring rations tasted sweet and delicious to Ronin's mouth, and the warm water in the portable jug tasted as fragrant as red wine.Only then did Luo Ning realize that he seemed to have been hungry for nearly a week.He ate with joy and relish, and didn't have time to care about etiquette.Some knights watched the mage eating with great interest, while others, especially Duncan, looked disgusted. Just when the feeling of hunger and thirst gradually disappeared, the cross-examination began.Lord Santaras sat down in front of his eyes, looked up and down the mage, and frowned, "It's time to confess, Rhonin red-haired! Now that you have filled your stomach, it's time to empty your soul of sin! Tell the truth! Crimes committed at the fortress walls..." Vereesa stood beside the frail mage with her sword hilt in her hand, and she had already indicated that she would be Ronin's defender in this informal court.Luo Ning would rather believe that this is not just because of the ranger's oath.And the elf knew him better than these idiots, having survived the dragon's misfortune together. "I will confess all I know, but not much, my lord. I was indeed standing on the defensive wall, but I did not cause the disaster. I heard the explosion, and then the wall began to collapse. Your men One of your guards unfortunately fell, and my condolences to you—" Duncan was not wearing a helmet, and he ran his hands through his loose gray hair, as if trying to control his anger. "Your story is just beginning, and the hole is as wide as the rift in your heart, Mage! Those who survived your crimes have seen you chanting the spell before the event! Your lies are self-evident!" "No, you attacked me, just like you attacked the existence of people like me," Ronin retorted calmly.He took a bite of the dry food and continued: "Yes, my lord, I was casting a spell at that time, but it was just a sound transmission. For the task assigned by the highest level of the alliance, I need to seek the advice of the mentor... The respected ranger can help me testify." Seeing the paladin's eyes turn to her, Vereesa replied, "He's true, Duncan. I don't think he would have done that kind of destruction—" The moment the knight began to argue that the same cliché, what is learning magic? All mages are cursed by their souls, etc. The elf ranger raised his hand, "In order to protect his rights and freedom, I will not hesitate to be an enemy of anyone, including you, my lord." Thinking of being forced to confront the elves, Lord Santeras looked very displeased.He stared at Luo Ning for a while, then nodded slowly. "Very well, you have a stalwart guardian, mage, for her sake, I will believe your words for now." But just after saying this, the paladin pointed his finger at Ronin again, "but I still want to hear more about your experiences during this time, how you floated into our camp like a leaf on a tall tree..." Luo Ning knew that he couldn't avoid it, so he could only speak: "As you wish, I will tell you everything I know." The weary mage recounted how he got to the guard wall and decided to try to contact the mentor, and then there was an explosion that shook the whole place.The content is not much more than what has been said before. "Are you sure what you heard?" Duncan?Santeras immediately asked him. "Yes. It sounds like an attack, although I can't prove it 100 percent." Explosions are not necessarily groundless, but years of war have made a deep-rooted impression even in the minds of mages.There are no reports of goblins infesting this part of the kingdom of Lordaeron, but Vereesa has a suggestion. "Duncan, but the dragon that attacked us last time brought a goblin or two. They are small and cunning, and it is entirely possible to hide nearby without being detected for a day or two. That is a reasonable explanation." "Indeed," the paladin nodded reluctantly. "If that's the case, we need to be more vigilant. Goblins are the best at destroying and mischief. They are likely to attack again." Rhonin continued his story, telling how he had taken refuge in the unsafe tower, only to have it collapse on him.Here, Swear hesitated for a moment, knowing that the following words would definitely arouse Santras' doubts. "Then—something—took me, my lord. I don't know what, but it lifted me up like a toy, and carried me away from the ruins of the tower. Unfortunately I was caught It's too tight to suffocate, and when I open my eyes—" the mage looked at Vereesa. "That's what I saw." Duncan was still waiting for more plots. When he realized that the story had come to an end, he put his hands on his knees and shouted: "No more? Is this all you know?" "Gone." "Alonsus? Faol is blessed by the spirit of the sky!" The paladin shouted angrily the name of the archbishop who founded the Holy Light Faith. His legendary scripture was passed on by his disciple Uther?Known for its preaching by the Lightbringers. "You didn't say anything, it's useless! If I think about it—" But Vereesa's slight turn around caused Santra to pause. "But I won't go back on what I said. I'll stick to my decision." He stood up, obviously seeing no need to stay here. "I've got another matter to decide now. We're already on our way to Haskell, and there's no reason why we shouldn't hurry and get you aboard. Let someone else take care of your problems. Set off in an hour, mage!" After finishing speaking, Santras strode away, and his subordinates followed suit.Ronin found himself alone with the elf ranger.The elf sat down before him, and his eyes fell on him. "Can you still ride a horse?" "Except for exhaustion and bruises on the body, it's okay, it's not falling apart, elf." Luo Ning also found that his tone was much harsher than he had hoped. "I'm sorry. I can still ride. Whatever happens, get to the port on time." Vereesa stood up. "I'll have my mount ready. Duncan has an extra horse, just to find you. It's over there, I think." When the ranger turned around, a feeling he had never felt before rose in Rhonin's heart. "Thank you, Vereesa? Windrunner." Vereesa just turned her head, without stopping, "As your guide, it is also my responsibility to take good care of the mount." "I mean, in an atmosphere where I'm at war with Cai, you're on my side." "That's my duty too. I swore an oath to my mentor to send you to your destination safely." Despite what she said, the corners of her mouth raised to form a sweet smile. "Pack up and get ready, Master Rhonin. The road will not be smooth and easy. We must catch up with time. " He stayed to pack things by himself.Staring at the dying campfire, Rhonin thought about everything that had happened.Vereesa's simple words were so correct that she herself didn't know how close to the truth she was.The road to take Husk will never be easy, and of course it is not just for rushing time. He didn't trust them, including the elves.It is true that Rhonin did not hide the plot of his story, but he did not disclose the conclusion he had in mind.Luo Ning didn't mean to apologize to the paladin at all, but thinking of Vereesa's dedication to the mission and worrying about her own safety, Luo Ning still blamed herself a little. Rhonin didn't know who was behind the attack, maybe goblins, but why care about that.What he really cares about is the part that he ignored or even deliberately said wrong.He mentioned that a giant hand rescued him when he was trapped in the tower. No one would believe that it was true. Santalas even pointed out that it was evidence of the collusion between the mage and the demon. It was indeed a huge hand that saved him, but not human.The moment of sobriety was enough for him to recognize the scaled body, the curved claws that were bigger than his whole body. A dragon brought Rhonin back from the brink of death...but why?