…………

Before dusk came, they camped in a small clearing on the roadside. The night was dark and moonless, with only the stars twinkling in the ebony sky above. Jaina lit a fire, conjured up some delicious bread and drinks, and then jokingly announced

"My work is done." The men laughed loudly and diligently prepared other food, roasted rabbit meat, and peeled fruits. They passed around the wine and felt more like a group of friends enjoying a beautiful evening than a team at any time.

The army preparing for war is preparing to investigate the deadly plague.

Afterwards, Jaina sat slightly away from the crowd, looking at the sky, with a smile on her lips.

"This wine is really good." She said, and then looked at the road northwest of the camp. Just now, Arthas and Nathanos went to detect the situation ahead. Maybe the leader of this small team stayed there.

This would affect the atmosphere, but Arthas didn't seem to want Nathanos to follow him. Jaina remembered seeing the two of them having an argument.

"You shouldn't come, Nathanos. I can do this alone."

"This is my duty, Your Highness. But I promise, I will not stop you from doing anything, and you may have some use for me." Nathanos said. Under the night, the blue behind Arthas

The cloak is still so conspicuous.

"Won't you stop me?" Arthas turned back to look at him, his eyes full of doubt. Today, Nathanos objected to his idea of ​​killing all the orcs, even in front of other people.

Call him by his first name. However, he will not doubt Nathanos' loyalty because of this. At least the last sentence he said is true, and there is a possibility that he needs his help.

Nathanos nodded in the darkness, then realized that Arthas couldn't see him and said, "Yes. I won't stop you."

"You are a loyal friend, Nathanos. You can supervise me on behalf of Uther. Moreover, you are much better than me in combat." He laughed and continued to move forward, but his words made

Nathanos felt uneasy.

At least a mile away from the camp, a new conversation finally broke out between the two men.

"Your Highness, it's already very late. Maybe you should go back to the camp and have a good sleep."

Arthas stopped and stood quietly. Nathanos frowned, wanting to know what Arthas was thinking. He could get the answer by walking forward and looking at Arthas' face.

, or the prince just turns around and lets him see his facial expression.

"Your Highness?" Nathanos called softly again.

"You're right, there's nothing to see here. Let's go back."

Arthas turned around and walked back, not even caring about Nathanos' surprised look in his eyes. He was unusually calm.

"As you command, Your Highness."

For some reason, Nathanos' simple reply actually made his whole body tremble, but the other party bowed when he spoke and did not notice this...

Although it was already late at night, Alsace was not sleepy at all. He stared at the sky and tossed and turned. Just as he was about to fall asleep, he was awakened by various noises at night. He couldn't stand it anymore. He knew that he had always been impulsive, so he needed to

Someone is always by his side to remind him that this should be correct, but he doesn't like this. No one likes someone who is always nagging and making irresponsible remarks. He wants to find out what is going on here quickly, but

Why does everyone think we should take it slow?

Those who were with him, they did not see the horrific scene of those compatriots who were killed - an orc swordmaster raised his weapon and then dropped it, and the heads of three innocent people rolled to the ground. The purpose of this was just

To please those bastard demon masters!

Arthas would think of this every time he sat down to rest. If he didn't take action, more people would die.

"That's right, they didn't witness all this, they didn't see those people who died tragically. How dare they say that they are right and I am wrong?" Alsace lifted the blanket and sat up. The camp was quiet, and there was nothing around.

It was dangerous, so no one was arranged to keep watch. He got up, hung his cloak on his body, and quietly left the camp, looking back from time to time to make sure that no one would follow him this time, until he never looked back.

It’s true that there is no one, but….

Nathanos squinted his eyes and stood on a tree staring at the retreating figure. Under the tree, one of his hounds was ready to go.

"Follow him, don't be discovered by him."

The hound heard the sound and moved faster than the wolf.

Early the next morning, when Jaina woke up, everyone was already having breakfast. Nathanos noticed her walking out of the tent and brought her a bowl of hot soup.

"Thank you." Jaina smiled back. The heat in the bowl was very refreshing, especially in winter.

"Where's Alsace?" The female mage noticed that one of the most eye-catching people seemed to be missing, and couldn't help but ask.

"He didn't like staying with us, so he left alone last night."

"What? Then why didn't you stop him?" Jaina looked at him in surprise.

"I..." Nathanos looked at Jaina, but couldn't say anything. When Arthas left last night, he felt very heavy and thought about whether to stop him. But if he did this

What will happen? Arthas may be furious and ask him to stop him. The promises he made before are empty words. No! Nathanos can't let this happen, it will make him lose Arthas.

All trust, treating his escort as a watch on Terenas, maybe even... he would tell him to get lost.

"I can no longer go against his wishes. Although he hasn't asked me for anything, I know what he wants. And I can't stop him."

Jaina blinked, and when she spoke, Nathanos sighed.

"What does he want?"

"Wants to protect his country...his people."

The two were silent, and Jaina even forgot that there was food in her hands. She didn't understand what Arthas' departure had to do with his duties. Aren't everyone here here to eliminate the hidden factors that threaten this land?

?

"I have failed my mission. Maybe I will leave him after this incident." Nathanos turned and walked away, "Hurry up, Ms. Jaina, we should go find him."

…

At noon, scattered farmhouses appeared on both sides of Alsace's path. He did not hide his identity on the road, and summoned any soldiers who were passing by for inspection. He knew very well that his strength alone might not be enough, so he looked for

Some of the helpers are wise. More importantly, these new recruits won't question his orders.

"Thassarian, how far is it from the village?" Alsace asked, looking at the map. "There don't seem to be any markings such as these farm facilities on the map."

"Yes, Your Highness." His newly appointed adjutant, Thassarian, said with certainty. He and Alsace had just met, so there was a little grudge when speaking. "Your Highness, I grew up in this area.

Most farmers are very independent. They make a living by selling agricultural products and livestock."

"Are they hostile to outsiders?"

"Not at all, Your Highness."

"Great, let's go see what clues we can find." Alsace ordered as he set off. They moved forward slowly to attract the attention of the farmers so that they could be mentally prepared. At the same time, they took a look at these

Look at the farmer's complexion to see if he has contracted the rumored plague.

As he walked towards the farmhouse, Alsace examined the whole place carefully. "Look!" he said, pointing to something. "The gate is broken and the animals are missing. This is not a good sign."

"No one came out to say hello to us," Thassarian reminded. "Not even a soul."

The two exchanged glances. The troops behind them also stopped.

"Say hello to you!" Arthas said loudly. "I am Arthas Menethil, the prince of Lordaeron. We will not harm you, so please come out and speak. We just have some questions to ask.

.”

There was a dead silence, and then the wind rose and smoothed the vast grassland. His voice still echoed around. The only sounds were the whistling of the wind and the scraping of their own armor.

"No one is here?" said Arthas.

"Do you want to go in and take a look, Your Highness the Prince?" Thassarian asked. Arthas felt physically and mentally comfortable as never before. Finally, someone asked him what to do instead of telling him what to do next in a directive tone.

.

Arthas glanced at the followers. They all seemed reluctant. They might be infected with the plague if they entered the house. In fact, he himself was the same, but the people here were also his subjects, whether it was because of the oath of the Paladin or because of the plague.

The duties of the Crown Prince require him to help them. He will do so, no matter what fulfilling this oath will bring him, no matter what the price he has to pay.

"Come on." He said and strode towards the farm. When they were almost reaching the garden, a gust of wind suddenly blew.

The wind brought a terrible stench. Alsace covered his mouth and managed to hold back vomiting. Others were the same, as if they had been hit hard. It was the smell of a slaughterhouse, with the fishy smell of fresh blood and flesh.

, and it was mixed with the smell of rotting corpses. Rather than a slaughterhouse, a rotting morgue is more suitable to describe this place. A soldier finally couldn't help but turned around and vomited. It was only Alsace's willpower that prevented him from fighting him.

Same. The rotten smell comes from inside the house. What happened here is now clear.

Suddenly, along with the stench of death, a terrifying scream with the sound of wet liquid filled the entire space, and something rushed towards them from inside the house at an alarming speed.

…

"How long will it take for us to find His Highness the Prince?" The voice of Alsace's guard captain Farric suddenly came from behind Nathanos. As soon as this question was blurted out, it attracted whispers, and some people were discussing it.

Where did the prince go? Some were wondering why they had to listen to Nathanos' orders now. Although he was happy to tell them with his fists, it was just a waste of time.

"I can only tell you that we are not lost."

"Didn't you follow him?" Another guard captain, Maven, stood up and shouted loudly. "Are you sure? You can find Prince Alsace with this dog's nose? This is ridiculous. If His Highness the Prince wants to avoid it,

We should walk on a trail alone, and there should be only his footprints on it." His words received responses from more people.

For hours, they followed a dog's tail, which felt incredibly stupid.

Nathanos snorted coldly, with a disdainful expression that almost made Maven go berserk. He did not explain, but his hound could not go wrong. After all, what it smelled was not the smell of Alsace, but that of another companion.

Taste. It is winter now, the temperature is low, and the smell in the air is not easily lost.

"Nathanos." Jaina walked up to him and looked at him with blue eyes. "Are you sure Arthas is going this way?"

He nodded, but looked at the road full of messy footprints with some confusion. He thought about it for a long time on the way here. At first, it was just a guess, but as there were more and more footprints, Nathanos gradually became certain.
To be continued...