"It seems your skills haven't diminished with age!"
Arthas chuckled. As long as he didn't become an unfilial son, Jaina wouldn't become an unfilial daughter either. Many aspects were strikingly similar, no wonder they had a 'couple's look'.
Ending their embrace, Jaina also teased him.
"The feeling is mutual. Your battles in the south have earned endless praise even from Dalaran. That portal gave them a lot of inspiration."
"Arthas, it's been a long time since a prince escorted me!"
She blinked, letting him know he was always in her heart.
It wasn't surprising that Kael'thas, the high elf prince, pursued Jaina; he was simply rejected.
Although high elves were excellent, and their magical attainments could complement each other, Jaina preferred her childhood sweetheart more.
Her comment about not having been escorted by a prince for a long time awakened dormant memories.
When they were still young, Arthas, as the crown prince, had escorted Jaina to Dalaran for her magical studies.
The two had even infiltrated an orc internment camp, experiencing a rather interesting adventure.
He introduced everyone to Jaina.
When the dragon queen, Sinestra, was mentioned, Jaina didn't find anything strange.
It was only when Sylvanas was introduced that a sense of crisis arose in her heart.
Just then, a small team of mages arrived from behind.
At the forefront was a shapely, beautiful woman. The Barov Family crest was embroidered on her left shoulder, and she bowed, hand on chest, saying,
"Your Royal Highness, I have been ordered by King Terenas to assist with the investigation. Court Mage Jendis awaits your command!"
This was Arthas' specific request. The Barov Family controlled large tracts of land, originally belonging to the Kingdom of Alterac.
However, with the king's betrayal of the Alliance leading to the kingdom's downfall, House Barov was incorporated into Lordaeron's territory, leaving them in an awkward position.
House Barov, survivors of Alterac, had their dominion over Brill, Tarren Mill, and Southshore stripped away.
This incident severely damaged the interests of the Barov Family, and they began to curse Terenas.
The surviving nobles of the Kingdom of Alterac intensely hated the Barov Family, believing that these people had brought about the kingdom's demise.
At this time, House Barov could only bear the name of traitors and endless curses and resentment, lonely guarding the isolated island of Caer Darrow.
If that were all, there would be no need to go to such great lengths to specifically seek them out.
Although the beautiful woman before him was very alluring, and would be an excellent companion at night to relieve the stresses of life.
With Arthas' status, if he truly desired women, he could pick anyone he pleased.
The Barov Family had lost most of their land, held no standing among Lordaeron's noble factions, and still had to contend with attacks from former kingdom nobles.
In desperation, they could only contact representatives of the undead forces, hoping to use their power to revive the family.
"No need for formalities, madam. This plague is related to magic, and I need your help."
"Once the plague is perfectly resolved, I, as the crown prince, promise to compensate the Barov Family for the land they lost."
"You can also become my personal guard mage, restoring your family's honor."
Arthas directly gave her hope. Nothing was a greater bargaining chip than restoring family honor.
Lady Jandice immediately knelt on one knee, expressing her loyalty with the highest respect.
The neutral halo also turned into a green friendly one.
"The Barov Family will devote everything and serve prince Arthas forever."
The next day.
Everyone arrived in the Eastweald region, which would later become the classic Eastern plaguelands.
The first villages they encountered seemed normal, with occasional harassment from bandits and murlocs.
However, the deeper they investigated, the more they noticed a decaying aura around the surrounding farms.
The large village had surprisingly few people, presenting an eerie atmosphere.
Jaina's brows furrowed, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes.
"Arthas, I can sense a strange magical aura, it seems to be necromancy, forbidden by Dalaran!"
Lady Jandice had encountered the Cult of the Damned before. Although she didn't know the specific plan, she hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"Prince Arthas, I once saw some strange people at Caer Darrow Manor. They also had this kind of magical aura."
"It was Alexi who was in contact. Those people called themselves the Cult of the Damned, but what they discussed, I don't know."
The Barov family colluded with external enemies!
Jaina's eyes widened. This was truly shocking.
"It's fine. It's because the kingdom didn't have enough control over the situation here that the Cult of the Damned was able to take advantage."
"Now, go investigate the source of this magic. Everyone else, prepare for battle!"
Arthas had no time to pursue it, as many skeleton warriors and archers had already appeared ahead.
"Enemy attack! Infantry forward, raise your shields! Their arrows can't penetrate the shields!"
Falric, the captain of the guard, shouted loudly.
The guard soldiers themselves were well-equipped, and with armor upgrades from the blacksmith, a skeleton soldier's attack barely scratched them.
Furthermore, with the damage reduction from the Concentration Aura, the infantry pressed forward while the dwarven riflemen attacked from the rear.
Grom roared, flanking to guard against the undead creatures.
His axe shattered a skeleton soldier with one blow, finally releasing days of pent-up anger.
He had been beaten by Arthas in the name of duels for so long, and yet he couldn't refuse a duel, that would be cowardly, which led to him suffering a lot of grief and beatings.
Screams came from afar, the sound of villagers being massacred!
The further they advanced, the more bodies lay on the ground, and the more skeletons they encountered.
In addition, there were also reanimated zombies, still in the form of villagers, but with missing eyeballs and severed limbs, a truly terrifying sight.
"The glory of Lordaeron endures forever!"
Arthas raised the hammer in his hand, and a holy light descended from the sky, thoroughly purifying the zombies.
Light always brings hope and dispels fear, and the morale of the guards also soared.
The holy light covered the orcs, which also gave Grom a strange sense of belonging.
It was well known that orcs, humans, and elves were in a state of hostility. The Horde had attacked Quel'Thalas back then, killing many high elves.
It was already incredible to be fighting side-by-side now, let alone having holy light heal their wounds.
If it were the original Arthas, he would have already become somewhat extreme, the pressure of being the crown prince would have twisted his mentality.
But the current Arthas felt little emotion. If people died, it was fine; they could be reborn.
As long as the plague was resolved and the source of the undead's mass production was broken, the rest would be nothing to fear.
Sylvanas shot an arrow that exploded a sneaking villager, her eyes turning towards the decaying barn.
"Arthas, those barns are problematic, and the land is corrupted. We'd best see what's going on."
She was taking the initiative!
Was it because Jaina put pressure on her?