Reforged Chapter 13: Slapping Your Left Cheek

When a person gets bitten by a mosquito, they usually want to kill it.

Is killing a mosquito a big deal?

No!

So in the eyes of the noble Sir Landor, killing a commoner named Duke would be no big deal either!

Faced with Landor's brazen questioning about why he wasn't dead, Duke once again felt the reality of being transported to another world.

In the world he left, it was a place governed by the rule of law. If some privileged child of an official were to act so recklessly, they would be exposed and not even the highest authorities could protect them.

But the human kingdoms of Azeroth were clearly places governed by the whims of individuals.

Kings and nobles were at the top of the societal power structure, and their commands and will were absolute. This absolute power led to absolute corruption.

Northshire Abbey was already a territory relatively close to Stormwind City, the royal capital. Considering even the lowest-ranked noble like Sir Landor could walk around with such arrogance, Duke began to understand why the human kingdom of Stormwind had been reduced to rubble by the orcs during the First War, even having their capital city razed.

The pioneering spirit of the ancient Arathorian Empire's King Thoradin, who ambitiously expanded human territories, had long faded after a thousand years of decay and corruption among the nobility.

If it weren't for Anduin Lothar's extraordinary military prowess in Stormwind City, if it weren't for the fact that Guardian Medivh had not yet fallen, and if it weren't for King Llane being a wise ruler, then the Stormwind Kingdom would be nothing but a stinking pile of filth.

Duke wasn't familiar with the events of this specific timeline. It was too early, and he had little recollection of it. The only thing he remembered was that when the Dark Portal opened, Anduin Lothar had been caught up in endless conflicts with the nobles.

If even the great hero Lothar of the human alliance couldn't deal with the nobles, what could Duke, a mere magical apprentice, do?

From this perspective alone, Duke had no choice but to swallow his pride. But don't forget, Duke was a traveler from a world without nobles or absolute power.

Nobles were above everything else? Nonsense! Duke wouldn't stand for it.

Just like the commoners here who shivered in fear at the sight of nobles, such a thing would never happen to Duke. Duke suddenly sneered, "Oh? It seems Sir Landor really wishes I were dead. Early in the morning, he asks me 'why am I still alive?'"

"Where's Gascogne? What did you do to Gascogne?!" Landor only realized at this moment why he hadn't received a report from his trusted servant when he woke up. Gascogne wouldn't dare disturb his sleep, but he should have come to report after Landor finished grooming himself.

Duke shrugged, "Sorry, I have no idea who this Gascogne you speak of is."

Landor was furious, and as he approached Duke with swinging fists, he shouted, "Impossible! He should have... Damn it! You must have killed him! You dared to kill him?! Do you know he was my servant?! By killing him, you've provoked not only the Blancdale Family but the entire Stormwind Kingdom!"

"Smack!" A slap landed on Landor's left cheek, sending a cloud of white powder into the air. The force of the slap made his entire face skew to one side. For a moment, Landor thought his left eye had been shattered.

Dizzy from the impact, Landor collapsed onto the wooden floor, struggling to comprehend what had just happened.

Having barely regained his composure, the burning pain on his face and the unceasing humiliation welling up in his chest reminded him of a fact – Duke had hit him! And not only that, he'd done it in front of over a dozen people.

Duke didn't even bat an eye. He casually pointed at a dead fly on a nearby table and said, "You know, you must be a glutton for punishment. I was just trying to swat a fly, and you had to go and stick your face right in the path of my hand, didn't you?"

If it had been Duke from yesterday, he wouldn't have done it. As a modern man, obeying the law was ingrained in his bones. However, faced with a sworn enemy, Duke's moral compass – no, his humanity – had temporarily dropped by 30 points.

Yes, there was basically nothing Duke wouldn't do now.

Sure enough, Duke had been the one to strike, but he twisted the narrative, insisting that he had only meant to swat the fly! He was indeed a peculiar fellow.

"Protect the young master!" At that moment, Landor's servants charged forward, intending to take care of Duke regardless of the consequences.

Calmness prevailed!

Just as Duke was about to teach these fellows a lesson with a Pyroblast, he was taken aback to find that his newly acquainted friends, Daniel and Itana, had stepped in front of him, one on either side.

"What do you think you're doing?! How dare you attack a Stormwind Academy of Arcane Arts apprentice in front of the esteemed High Court Mage Norton?!"

The servants were dumbfounded, frozen in place as if they had been hit with a Petrification spell. Assaulting an ordinary commoner was one thing, but messing with a mage from the Stormwind Academy of Arcane Arts was an entirely different matter. After all, the status of mages in the Kingdom of Stormwind, and indeed throughout the human world, was exceptional.

Not to mention, there was a High Court Mage present!

They must have had a death wish!

However, what surprised Duke the most was that Daniel and Itana, whom he had just met, had chosen to stand by his side.

He did not realize that his actions had shifted his position.

Before his arrival, countless commoners had been oppressed by nobles like Landor. Regardless of age or gender, commoners, guards, and even knights had long disapproved of the actions of these lower nobles.

But they didn't have the courage to resist, as they and their families couldn't bear the backlash from the nobility.

Now that the rising star of the Stormwind Royal Academy of Magical Arts had publicly stood up, the commoners of his own background instinctively chose to stand with Duke.

Three mage apprentices, who would likely hold esteemed positions in the future, stood together against Landor, creating a delicate atmosphere.

At that moment, Landor's voice rang out: "Kill him! Kill Duke Markus! He has insulted the Blancdale Family! Insulted the Kingdom of Stormwind! Insulted the bloodline of Emperor Thoradin! He should be cast into hell and burned by flames for ten thousand years! Kill—kill him, and let the Blancdale Family bear the consequences!"

Enraged and humiliated, Landor no longer cared about keeping up appearances.

"You want to kill me? I'll kill you first!" Duke struck without hesitation, casting a reckless Pyroblast directly at his foe.

Daniel and Itana, who were standing in front of him, almost got caught in the crossfire and instinctively dodged out of the way.

Seeing the fireball the size of a water barrel, Landor was instantly terrified, and the stench of urine filled the air as his white trousers were stained a dark shade.

"No—"

To be continued