Chapter 241:Alleria's Sacrifice

In any case, as long as Demon Queen Alleria of Azeroth was satisfied, all was well. Seeing those crescent moon-shaped emerald eyes brimming with laughter, Duke knew he had finally passed the test. Unconsciously, Duke touched the spot where he had been kissed. That sensation, even softer than rose petals, seemed to linger on his forehead, refusing to fade, leaving behind a lingering fragrance.

It seemed that Alleria knew she had stolen Duke's spotlight. She quickly reverted to a serious demeanor.

"Marshal Lothar, my people are the best scouts and sentinels. If our enemies are on land, I can guarantee that our forces will receive word of their approach two days before they arrive."

Lothar smiled and nodded, "Thank you for the reminder. Unfortunately, our current enemies are across the sea, and we can only rely on Admiral Daelin's reconnaissance fleet and Vice-Commander Marcus's Naga for intelligence. Perhaps in the upcoming battles, you and your people will serve as archers for the time being, but we will ensure your safety."

"There is no place on the battlefield that is absolutely safe," Alleria said seriously.

"I know. You and your people will understand once you're there," Lothar glanced at Duke and gave a mysterious smile. "In the meantime, please wait patiently for the arrival of the reconnaissance report."

Alleria soon learned the meaning behind Lothar's smile.

First, it was the positioning of the battle.

It was the second-highest position on two hills near Southshore's port. The sturdy brick-built firing holes were incredibly strong, so much so that even small caliber human artillery couldn't penetrate them at once, let alone ordinary long-range attacks like crossbows and arrows.

This position seemed to be meticulously calculated for elven rangers' archery range, covering the entire 300-meter distance from the dock to the foot of the mountain.

Safety measures were also well thought out. The highest positions were reserved for ballistae, catapults, and cannons. Elven archers were on the second level, human javelin throwers on the third, and two layers of pikemen below them. With this three-dimensional defense, unless the lower three levels were entirely breached, the elven archers would face little danger.

Even if there were danger, specially designed mountain escape routes and a spacious tunnel running through the entire hill from front to back would allow the elven rangers to evacuate their position within minutes.

Next came the encampment.

As if Duke knew the elves were coming, he reserved a serene valley specifically for them. The valley was filled with tall trees reaching the sky, and a small crystal-clear spring.

Additionally, there were plenty of fruit trees. During harvest season, the valley was full of fruits, tempting the elves beyond belief.

This was a ranger's paradise.

Alleria was dumbfounded.

"Big sister, you said that Duke is just a 15-year-old kid, but I don't see anything childish about him. He knows what you love best, crystal clear. Hehe! You've gone all out this time, mobilizing almost the entire Windrunner family. In the end, it's all for your little lover, isn't it? No one would blame you for that. Why hide it? Just be honest." Sylvanas teased her older sister.

"Sister, we're siblings, and I'm almost a thousand years old too. I'm not a child. I don't think there's anything shameful about it. Humans have short lives, so if we like them, we should cherish the brief time we have together.

But I hope that in the future, you can be straightforward with us if you have any concerns," Lirath bowed respectfully to her older sister. "There's no need to hide behind a world crisis or a sense of duty."

Alleria felt so wronged!

If she had actually had any sort of relationship with Duke, she could accept it. Among the high elves, such matters were quite casual, and even a significant portion of high elven nobility led indulgent lives.

But she didn't!

Having always been chaste, she now found herself disbelieved by her own sisters when it came to her judgment of the larger situation. Unfortunately, Alleria had no way to refute them.

As a result... as a result...

"You've gone too far!" Alleria burst into tears, fleeing the scene.

Now, it was Sylvanas and Lirath's turn to be dumbfounded.

Had their elder sister truly had nothing going on with that human youth?

Meanwhile, Duke was quite flustered.

After successfully impressing Alleria, he hadn't even made it to the evening when the Grand Lord Mograine came knocking.

Duke had initially been quite interested in befriending Mograine. After all, the man would become a famous figure in later times, undoubtedly a hero with a prominent place in Azeroth's history. With Duke eager to make connections, the two quickly began addressing each other by their first names.

Who would have thought that after a brief, seemingly sincere discussion about the current situation, Mograine would suddenly change the subject, insinuating that there were better prospects available than a high elf wife, someone with a completely different set of customs? "A true noble's bloodline must be prestigious to be recognized by other nobles. Elves are fine as lovers, but as for Princess Calia, she's quite fond of your roses. She asked me to pass along her regards and said she looks forward to even greater masterpieces from you."

Damn it, was this Mograine's way of telling him that Princess Calia was waiting for him?

Was he implying that Duke needed to put on an even more impressive show in front of the princess, one that would outdo his performance with Alleria? Oh, no, was he suggesting an even more perfect gift?

At that moment, Duke felt a torrent of tears well up within him. He cursed himself repeatedly, wondering why he had ever felt the need to show off in front of Princess Calia that night!

Not wanting to say another word, Duke decided that once the Second Dark Portal War was over, he would return to his hometown—or rather, to Karazhan—to focus on his magical studies and avoid meeting anyone.

Initially, Duke had ordered that he wasn't to meet with anyone.

But as evening approached, both his system spirit and his two guards became alert.

"Who's there!?" A male and a female voice spoke in unison.

The female voice belonged to Duke's little servant, Vanessa. She swiftly lifted the skirt of her maid outfit on her right side, revealing a pale thigh and a row of throwing knives strapped to it. If a disagreement arose, she would likely unleash a rogue skill called "Fan of Knives," throwing more than a dozen sharp blades at any suspicious target.

The male voice belonged to Duke's new guard, Gavinrad the Dire, one of the original Five Paladins. History had taken a turn at this point. Gavinrad, a paladin from Stormwind who had served under Lothar, would have become a member of the Silver Hand Knights, but Lothar and Llane arranged for him to be Duke's guard instead.

At this moment, he raised his warhammer.

Then, two long, slender legs appeared on the eaves of the roof, and Sylvanas' voice was heard.

"Hey, Duke, did you know? Big sister was imprisoned for three months."