Facing the Black Dragon Princess

"Who are these people…?"

Bolvar wanted to ask about their identities, but he quickly noticed that Jaina Proudmoore and his old acquaintance Reginald Windsor were among them.

He could not exactly ask Your Majesty what had happened, but he could ask Windsor.

Varian’s expression was grim, and his pace quickened considerably. Bolvar could only hasten after Your Majesty and ask Windsor what was going on.

Having been doubted, ostracized, and ultimately thrown into prison by the Dark Iron Dwarves, Windsor was brimming with resentment toward Bolvar. He mercilessly mocked the Grand Duke of Stormwind City, venting the frustration in his heart while finally making Bolvar Fordragon understand the situation.

"That’s impossible!"

"Grand Duke Bolvar Fordragon, watch your words. Are you questioning His Majesty?"

Under normal circumstances, Bolvar Fordragon would have sprayed Windsor with spittle, but now the missing king had returned, bringing Jaina Proudmoore of Theramore with him. Moreover, Your Majesty’s hand had remained on the hilt of his weapon the whole time. One look made it clear that he was heading out to settle accounts with someone.

"Countess Katrana Prestor is a black dragon?"

Bolvar Fordragon still could not believe it. Or rather, he simply did not want to admit it, because that would mean he was an utter fool. He bore most of the responsibility for Stormwind Kingdom’s current state.

Although Bolvar Fordragon, who had remained in Stormwind City all this time, had no idea just how dire Stormwind Kingdom’s situation had become, Windsor was more than happy to enlighten the Grand Duke.

Meanwhile, Yinsen, who had been playing dead beside them, found himself a little bored and took the chance to add a few more stabs. He had heard plenty about conditions in every region while in Goldshire. Places like Westfall and Duskwood had nearly slipped out of Stormwind City’s control, while Stormwind City had turned a blind eye to their troubles. If this continued, it would not be long before those two regions, even if still ruled by humans, were no longer territory of Stormwind Kingdom.

Listening to this news, Bolvar was drenched in cold sweat. Deep down, he still hoped it was all false, that Windsor was merely trying to frighten him, but reason kept reminding him that it was all true. This was the situation Stormwind Kingdom faced. As the kingdom’s regent, Bolvar bore inescapable responsibility for guiding the kingdom step by step into this state.

Bolvar was so thrown into confusion that he did not even care about Yinsen’s identity. He merely followed the group onward with an ugly expression.

Though called Stormwind Keep, it was actually a comprehensive facility. It contained not only barracks and offices for handling all manner of official business, but also archives, libraries, gardens, and more. As the kingdom’s sole heir, Anduin Wrynn had begun gradually learning to handle various affairs of state during the king’s disappearance. Once he was older, he could inherit the throne—if his father could not be found.

Now that Varian had returned to Stormwind City himself, Anduin would have to wait a while longer before inheriting the throne. However, he did not yet know that his father had returned. The young prince was currently learning from Countess Prestor how to properly handle various matters.

Katrana Prestor was an excellent tutor, and the lessons between the two had progressed smoothly. Only when the sound of disorderly footsteps caught Anduin’s attention did he lift his head from the pile of documents and turn his still-youthful face toward the Countess beside him, as if asking what had happened.

"Looks like our lesson must end here."

Young Prince Anduin did not realize that Katrana had said it must end. He merely assumed something had come up, so they could not continue today.

Just as he was about to say something, a group of people rushed in. The man at the front was the father he had not seen in a long time: Varian Wrynn, King of Stormwind Kingdom.

"Father."

"Anduin!"

Seeing that his son was safe and sound, Varian relaxed slightly. But the next second, he noticed Katrana Prestor standing beside Anduin.

He did not rashly draw the Side Sword at his waist and shout something like, "Don’t hurt my son." Instead, he immediately called for his son to come over, just like a father who had been away from home for a long time.

Unfortunately, Onyxia, disguised as Katrana Prestor, was a very shrewd black dragon. Just as Anduin rose to throw himself into his father’s arms, she reached out and firmly pinned the young prince to his seat.

The tremendous force startled Anduin. He had never imagined that Countess Prestor, who had always seemed like an ordinary woman, possessed such strength. Nor did he understand why the Countess was stopping him from getting up.

"Let go of my son, you damned black dragon!"

Seeing this, Varian knew there was no way to smoothly free his son from Onyxia’s control. He decisively drew his pair of side swords: Shalla’tor and Elemeni, the Shadow Rend and Shadowbreaker.

Onyxia watched the many soldiers who had drawn their weapons alongside the king they followed, then finally turned her gaze to Bolvar Fordragon.

The Grand Duke of Stormwind showed some hesitation. Though he carried a weapon, he had not drawn his side sword. Bolvar, dressed for official duties, had not brought his usual greatsword and shield. He merely wore an ordinary one-handed sword at his waist, more for decoration than protection.

"Perhaps there is some misunderstanding, Your Majesty."

"Enough, you damned black dragon. Do you think you can talk your way out of this with sweet words?" Windsor had long been unable to hold himself back. The moment he saw Onyxia, he had wanted nothing more than to rush forward and cleave her apart. If he had that stone tablet in hand, he would already have charged up to expose the black dragon’s true form.

He also wanted to mock Bolvar Fordragon again. The fool was still hesitating. Did he think Windsor had fabricated all this? Did he still want to defend this black dragon?

Windsor knew he absolutely could not allow that to happen. Prestor, the identity Onyxia had assumed, possessed an astonishing network of connections within Stormwind Kingdom. Once this turned into a war of words, even King Varian would not be able to deal with this trouble cleanly and decisively.

He turned his gaze toward Yinsen. Where was the method he had promised for forcing Onyxia to reveal her true form?

Yinsen knew it was time for him to step in. He did not want their dragon-slaying mission to begin with such fierce momentum only to turn into a farce of nobles hurling insults at one another. So he pushed aside the two soldiers in front of him. The soldiers had been doing their duty, protecting them with their armored bodies and forming a sturdy line of defense. Yinsen had almost been unable to push through.

Onyxia watched a young man step out from among the opposing group, unable to understand what he intended to do.

"Who are you?"

"A passing mage."

Yinsen spread his hands. He held no weapon, as though showing that he meant no harm, yet Onyxia could sense that this man was filled with hostility toward her.

As Onyxia considered what Yinsen intended to do, a wave that was not particularly strong but made her feel danger radiated from the young man. Almost at the same instant, an azure beam of magic shot straight at Onyxia.

He was attacking directly?

The question flashed through everyone’s minds at once. Windsor had been wondering what method Yinsen would use to force Onyxia to reveal her true form—perhaps chanting a long spell to break Onyxia’s transformation magic. He had never expected him to simply attack outright.

Wasn’t that far too crude?

Not only were the others stunned, even Onyxia was somewhat confused. She had never encountered anyone who attacked after only exchanging a few words. As she casually released a Magic Shield and shattered the magical beam, she was shocked to discover that a chain had been hidden within it. As it broke through her Magic Shield, it flew straight toward her neck.

"What is this…?"

Onyxia did not know what it was, but she sensed an aura from the chain that she found repulsive, so she had no desire to let it touch her. Her first reaction was to use Teleportation, Blink, to change her position, only to discover in surprise that Blink had failed.

"What’s going on?"

With that delay, the chain had already reached her. Onyxia had no time to dodge and could only block it with her hand, allowing it to wrap around her wrist.

The chain was thin, roughly as thick as a finger. One end coiled around Onyxia’s pale, slender wrist, while the other was held in Yinsen’s hand. She truly did not believe such a thing could restrain her.

Rather than care about the chain, she was more concerned with why her Blink had failed.

Other than Yinsen and Loki, only Jaina knew why.

When they had arrived here, that mage from another world had thrown everyone present into a separate space isolated from the outside world. Within this independent Small World, the Space Rules were entirely different from those they knew. Until the mages understood the rules of this space, all teleportation methods would lose their effect.

At that moment, Yinsen lightly tugged the chain in his hand and spoke words that made Onyxia’s expression drastically change.

"This chain is called Onyxia’s Reins. It was specially prepared for you! In just a few minutes, you will be completely controlled by this item. You know, catching a black dragon as a mount is a pretty impressive thing."

As long as Onyxia maintained her human appearance, she could not break free of the chain. If she wanted to escape its restraints, she had to return to her true form.