Clang!
As Queen Azshara's personal head handmaiden, Vashj's reaction speed was incredibly swift. Upon seeing Andreas reveal his true form, she immediately hitched up her long court skirt, drew a sharp dagger from her thigh, and crouched low, staring warily at the silent Andreas.
"Blackie...?"
Compared to Vashj, Leticia appeared utterly lost. Although she had spent the time before entering the palace wondering why Queen Azshara would summon "Blackie," her lack of experience and knowledge regarding the "commoner combat class" of Druids meant she had never expected such a development.
"Sigh~"
Under the three pairs of eyes—each holding a different meaning—Andreas maintained his vigilance and scratched his head with a look of helpless resignation. "As expected, I was recognized by Your Majesty during that accidental encounter, wasn't I?"
Azshara was supremely confident in her own strength. Currently, aside from the four people present, there were no other guards in the chamber. She waved her hand casually at Vashj, signaling for the head handmaiden to relax, and looked at Andreas with an expression of genuine interest.
"Correct. Although you did your best to suppress your energy fluctuations, to someone of my or Archimonde's level, such efforts are meaningless."
Andreas took a moment to glance at Leticia. The young girl still hadn't recovered from the shock. He reached out and patted her shoulder, rousing her from her daze.
Ignoring the sharp hostility radiating from Vashj, Andreas faced Azshara with a relatively relaxed posture and asked, "And so? How does Your Majesty intend to deal with me? I believe I have done nothing to harm you."
Though Azshara appeared lazy and relaxed, the arcane magic surrounding her—as deep as the ocean—asserted its presence invisibly. Even if this ocean seemed calm now, Andreas could easily imagine the terrifying destructive power it would possess if it were to churn into monstrous waves.
This was an overwhelming advantage in strength that his current self could not hope to withstand. Maintaining a defensive stance would be pointless. As the overseer of the palace barriers, Azshara wouldn't need much time to crush him in a face-to-face confrontation.
"No harm to me? I wouldn't say that."
Azshara chuckled and turned her body, shifting from facing her desk to facing Andreas directly. At the same time, she habitually crossed her long, shapely legs, looking at the "relaxed" Andreas with a knowing smile.
"Though I don't know the nature of your power, as a Druid of commoner birth, you definitely did not receive permission to enter the city. In other words, you sneaked in. Your opportunity was likely when Illidan stormed the gates two weeks ago, wasn't it? The alarm he triggered provided you with unintentional cover."
The corner of Andreas' eye twitched slightly. Azshara's sharp logical deduction sent a secret chill through his heart. Noticing the change in his expression, a trace of amusement appeared in Azshara's golden eyes.
"Recently, the Burning Legion suddenly began massive searches in the commercial and commoner districts. Combined with Archimonde's sudden outburst—firing his signature 'Finger of Death' into the air—you are their target, aren't you?"
'Sudden outburst'...
From Azshara's casual choice of words, it was clear she held no respect or fear toward Archimonde. This attitude confirmed a portion of Andreas' theories regarding her relationship with the Burning Legion.
Turning her gaze toward Leticia, who was instinctively keeping her distance from Andreas, Azshara said with a light chuckle, "Don't be nervous, little girl of the Moonsong family. This Druid likely harbors no ill will toward you or your family. He just happened to fall into your passing sedan after being wounded by Archimonde... right?"
Andreas gave a bitter smile and spread his hands. "Your Majesty is indeed all-seeing. That is more or less how things transpired."
"Heh~"
Azshara shifted her crossed legs. She rested her elbow on her thigh and propped her chin on the back of her hand, looking at Andreas meaningfully. "Here comes the crucial question, little Druid. Having offended the Burning Legion to the point of drawing Archimonde's personal intervention, why would you risk everything to sneak into my Zin-Azshari?"
Before Andreas could rack his brain for a suitable excuse, Azshara quickly provided the answer herself. "Considering the relationship between Malfurion Stormrage, the leader of the Druids, and Tyrande, I imagine you are here to free the guest I so graciously invited to the palace?"
Good grief...
Andreas remained outwardly calm, but internally, a tempest of shock was raging. Azshara resided in the palace year-round, rarely having direct contact with the outside world except for her irregular royal processions. Yet, solely based on the intelligence she received while sitting in the palace, she had analyzed nearly eighty to ninety percent of his motives and the sequence of events. This terrifying ability to read and analyze information was haunting.
With a helpless sigh, Andreas had no choice but to admit it. "Yes, I am indeed here to rescue High Priestess Whisperwind. However, you were wrong about one thing."
Azshara raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Oh?"
Andreas explained solemnly, "More than half of the reason I decided to risk infiltrating Zin-Azshari was not because of the Archdruid's request, but for another reason entirely."
"Hmph? Another reason?" Azshara said noncommittally. "Very well. I am but a mortal after all, not an omniscient true god. Back to the point: now that your identity is exposed, what do you plan to do?"
Azshara looked at Andreas mockingly. "Surely you don't intend to flee this library and go charging aimlessly through my palace?"
Andreas replied with a bitter smile, "If it were just me, that would indeed be the best choice of last resort. But..." He looked at Leticia, who had a complex expression on her face, and shook his head. "Leticia saved my life. If I were to flee right now, there is a high probability that she and her family would face your retribution. My conscience won't allow me to do that."
Andreas narrowed his eyes at the amused Azshara. "Your Majesty, you took this into account when you specifically had Leticia accompany me into the palace, didn't you? What if I were a cold-hearted person who cared for no one?"
Clap, clap~
Azshara clapped her hands lightly in admiration. "Not bad. To have your identity suddenly exposed and yet regain your composure in such a short time, while quickly analyzing my intentions... in terms of psychological fortitude alone, few young people I've met in the last few centuries can compare to you."
"Now, let me answer your second question." Azshara glanced at Leticia and laughed dismissively. "If you had abandoned this girl without hesitation, then as you said, I would have used the Moonsong family as an example. Even if they were unaware, Leticia did technically harbor a rebel fugitive sought by the Burning Legion. To give our allies an explanation, a severe punishment for the Moonsongs would be perfectly reasonable."
"However..." Azshara tilted her head and smiled at Andreas. "Your interesting performance has made me change my mind."