Above the commoner district of Zin-Azshari.
"Useless trash!"
Having searched for a long time without results, the anxious Tichondrius vented his fury irritably. An unlucky Doomguard, who was reporting on the search progress, became the target of the Dreadlord leader's misplaced rage. Sudden, sickly-green Fel flames engulfed his body, incinerating him completely.
"Whew..."
After casually killing a "useless" subordinate, Tichondrius ignored the larger and smaller demons around him, who were as quiet as cicadas in winter. He tried to take deep breaths to calm his agitated emotions.
Half a month had passed since he received orders from Archimonde. What he thought would be an easy task had taken an unexpected turn—the heavily injured crow that had been shot down had mysteriously vanished. Despite Tichondrius mobilizing all his subordinates and spending two weeks thoroughly searching the entire commoner district, he had yet to obtain any useful clues.
As a Nathrezim skilled at reading hearts, Tichondrius understood Archimonde's temperament very well. The Defiler, one of the three leaders of the Legion, was by no means a patient person. Currently, the only reason Archimonde was willing to stay by the Well of Eternity all day was because of Sargeras' direct orders.
To allow himself to enter Azeroth as quickly as possible and avoid complications, Archimonde had been ordered by the Fallen Titan to supervise and urge the Highborne to expand the portal without a moment's pause. Unless a major situation threatening the Well of Eternity arose, Archimonde would endure his violent temper and remain at the Well to oversee the work.
However, when a short-tempered person is forced to work against their nature for a long time, the gradually accumulating resentment and anger eventually need an outlet. As a subordinate of Sargeras, Archimonde could not vent his anger on his superior—that would be seeking death. Therefore...
Tichondrius shivered at the thought. "Continue the search! I will give you three more days. I must see results within three days!"
"If you fail to complete the task assigned by Lord Archimonde... you know the consequences."
"I don't care what methods you use; I only want results. Go!"
"Yes, sir!"
The demons surrounding Tichondrius hurriedly thumped their chests in assurance. Following the Dreadlord's irritable wave of his hand, they scattered like startled birds, dispersing into the commoner district to continue their search and inspection.
...
While the demons began to double their efforts in harassing the civilians of Zin-Azshari, the object of their search, Andreas, was far from the commoner district. He was in the garden of the Sunstrider estate, discussing the true purpose of the Burning Legion with the family head, Dath'Remar Sunstrider.
When he risked revealing his true form before Dath'Remar, Andreas had actually been quite apprehensive. He wasn't sure if this advisor to the Queen would attack immediately without listening to his explanation. Perhaps because he already harbored doubts about the Legion's actions, Dath'Remar ultimately chose to calm down and listen.
The fundamental goal of the Burning Legion's invasion of Azeroth was to corrupt and control the sleeping Titan World-Soul of Azeroth before the Old Gods could. Strictly speaking, the goal of the Burning Legion was not much different from that of the Old Gods' superiors—the Void Lords. Both sought to bring the Azerothian Titan, hailed as the one with the most potential, under their command. The only difference was that one used Void energy to corrupt, while the other used Fel.
Andreas did not disclose all of this to Dath'Remar. Setting aside whether Dath'Remar could even comprehend the existence of Titan World-Souls and Void Lords, given Dath'Remar's current status and strength, knowing such deep secrets would be meaningless; he simply didn't have the power to change anything.
Andreas merely used "factual evidence" to pierce the lies Sargeras was recycling, using words to guide Dath'Remar toward thinking about opposing the Burning Legion. As for how Dath'Remar would fill in the blanks regarding the Legion's true purpose, that was his own business.
Seeing Dath'Remar fall into a long, wavering contemplation, Andreas smiled silently and transformed back into a crow.
"This is all I can tell you. The path ahead depends entirely on your own choice."
Andreas hinted meaningfully, "If you have thoughts different from your Highborne peers, this diplomatic mission to the front lines might be a good opportunity."
"By witnessing firsthand what the Legion's so-called 'war against rebels' is really about, you might gain some inspiration through contact with the high-ranking members of the Resistance."
The dazed eyes of the startled Dath'Remar refocused. With a complex expression, he looked at the crow before him.
"Do you still plan to remain hidden within the Moonsong family?"
Andreas flapped his wings and rose from his seat. "Yes. As I said before, I risked infiltrating Zin-Azshari to rescue High Priestess Tyrande Whisperwind, who is trapped in the palace."
"Since you cannot trust me for now and are unwilling to provide aid, I can only place my hopes on the Moonsong family."
Dath'Remar's eyes flickered. He looked down at Celece, who was sleeping soundly on his lap.
"...I cannot give you any guarantees right now. However, if the facts are truly as you say, perhaps I will help you enter the palace after I return."
"I hope so. I will wait patiently for your news."
Andreas flapped his wings and flew toward the garden entrance. Dath'Remar watched the crow leave the garden and enter the mansion before withdrawing his gaze.
"Sigh~"
...
The Sunstrider estate covered a large area, but the internal structure of the building was not complex. The path from the garden to the small parlor where the young ladies were gathering was almost a straight line, requiring only one right-angle turn.
During his flight to the parlor, the low-flying crow caught the attention of many maids in the mansion. When Andreas arrived at the parlor entrance under everyone's gaze, Leticia was pacing anxiously back and forth.
"Ah!"
Seeing Andreas finally return, Leticia visibly relaxed.
"Blackie, why did you just run off with someone else like that?"
Once Andreas skillfully landed on Leticia's shoulder, the girl tapped the crow's head in mild complaint.
"Caw~"
"By the way." Leticia looked confusedly toward the hallway Andreas had flown from. "Why are you alone? Where are Celece and Uncle Dath'Remar?"
Andreas tilted his head awkwardly. He didn't know how to express such complex information using a crow's body that "couldn't speak."
Leticia laughed at her own question. "Forget it, what's the use in asking you? That father and daughter must still have things to talk about."
"Let's go inside, or the others will get worried."
"Caw~"
...
At the same time, in the commercial district of Zin-Azshari.
Azshara smiled as she responded to the reverence and greetings of the merchants along the way. At the same time, she watched with a meaningful gaze at the Dreadlord leader flying around irritably above the commoner district.
"Hehe~ It seems something interesting is about to happen. Mobilizing so many demons to find a 'perfectly ordinary' crow?"