"You've met Katrana Prestor?"
They had already left Goldshire far behind, but Ethan wasn't surprised at all by what Loki had done earlier. Seeing his expression suddenly turn so foul, he knew exactly what had happened.
"Yes." Loki disdained lying about such matters. He knew the magical fluctuation from his broken spell couldn't be hidden from Ethan. Lying about something so obvious would only make him look ridiculous.
"How was my previous assessment?"
"Your assessment of that crawling reptile was spot on. I'm looking forward to seeing what methods you'll use against that black dragon once you bring Varian Wrynn back."
Loki secretly stirring up trouble wasn't surprising to Ethan. Even Logan wasn't surprised. After spending so much time together and with both Logan and Selene being beings who had lived for centuries, that amount of time was more than enough to understand someone's character.
With Ethan's explanations, they all knew this Asgardian god wasn't the honest type. Even if Ethan had made things perfectly clear, he would still go behind their backs and attempt to contact Katrana Prestor.
As for the method used? It was nothing more than illusions, mirror images, teleportation, and other spells. These were Loki's specialties. Just as Ethan could now throw Loki into the Mirror Dimension without him noticing, Loki could also cast spells without Ethan being able to detect him.
These kinds of spells were especially suited for infiltration. Meeting Katrana wasn't difficult for Loki. The only true barrier was Katrana's own will.
However, just a few lines of conversation made it obvious that Loki's meeting with Katrana Prestor had not gone well—it could even be called terrible.
"Another reason I wasn't willing to contact that female dragon before was that I needed time to make some preparations."
"What preparations?"
"She's a dragon. Although Katrana appears to be a delicate human woman, her true form is a massive, powerful black dragon capable of using magic. Truly defeating or capturing her won't be easy."
"Wait."
Logan, who had been silent until now, suddenly cut in. "Did you just say 'capture'? You're not thinking…" He recalled Ethan saying something about 'considering getting a mount,' and now it all clicked.
"Of course. Don't you think capturing a black dragon as a mount would be incredibly cool?"
Loki, whose expression had been foul a moment ago, suddenly grinned as if nothing had happened. "I like your thinking. I think we're becoming more and more in sync. Maybe we can become real friends."
The idea of making that arrogant and conceited black dragon into a mount—what a delightful prospect.
Whether Loki meant it sincerely or just wanted to encourage Ethan to hold onto this idea, there was no denying that the notion of capturing a dragon as a mount was incredibly tempting. Even Logan felt stirred, though he knew it wasn't realistic for him.
"Isn't that too dangerous?"
"Yes." Ethan understood what Logan was worried about. "I need to create something that allows me to control her. I don't want to be bitten to death by my own mount."
The so-called "Reins of Onyxia" didn't exist in this world. Ethan would have to make one himself. Considering he was attempting to control the direct offspring of a Dragon Aspect, creating such an item wouldn't be simple. It would likely require Loki's help to become feasible.
This was also why Ethan had knowingly allowed Loki to cause trouble, so that he would experience the behavior of black dragons firsthand and hopefully become furious. That way, he would firmly stand on Ethan's side and help to the best of his abilities, regaining the pride he had just lost.
Ethan didn't deny that he also hoped to use the opportunity to learn something from Loki. His understanding of Asgardian magic was still superficial. The one who truly held the core knowledge was Loki.
Loki, who had been thoroughly humiliated, wasn't unaware of Ethan's motives. But he didn't care. All he wanted now was to see Onyxia get flattened, groveling and begging for mercy.
If that scene could really happen, what did it matter if he taught Ethan a little magic?
So, during their journey, aside from idle chatting, Ethan had a new task—constantly learning and absorbing Asgardian magic knowledge while also discussing with Loki how to create an item capable of controlling a powerful black dragon.
Having something to focus on made Ethan lose track of time. When he came back to his senses, they had already reached the Redridge Mountains. Not far ahead, they could see the region's largest lake, Lake Everstill.
"There's a big bridge over Lake Everstill. Once we cross it, we'll reach Lakeshire."
Standing on a hillside nearby, they could already see the outline of Lakeshire on the far side of the lake. However, Ethan had no intention of stopping there. He even instructed everyone to cross the bridge and bypass Lakeshire, continuing northward.
"We're not going into town to rest?"
"No. Loki already met Katrana. Who knows if that Countess will send people after us? Staying out of town helps us avoid unnecessary trouble."
Entering town would expose their location and could easily lead to an ambush by Stormwind's assassination units.
"Anyway, it's not a big deal if we don't rest. Traveling overnight is fine too."
Among them, only Laura had relatively weak stamina, but even hers far surpassed that of ordinary people. Traveling overnight was no problem. Additionally, they were well-equipped with modern gear, so there were no issues with visibility.
With the multifunctional glasses Tony Stark had provided, not even the dangers lurking in the Redridge Mountains could approach them easily.
That included not just orcs and gnolls, but also an experienced assassin skilled in concealing his presence.
Under normal circumstances, this assassin could hide perfectly. Someone even two meters away might not detect him. Unfortunately, all of that was meaningless. On Ethan's lenses, the assassin was as conspicuous as a bonfire in the night. By the time he realized something was wrong, he had already been pulled into the Mirror Dimension by Ethan—unable to escape.
"Not entering Lakeshire was the right choice. These guys move fast."
They had just been resting by the campfire. Dinner was set beside the flames when they noticed this uninvited guest.
"What do we do with him?"
Logan looked at the assassin, who sat calmly in the Mirror Dimension, silently observing them. Logan had already made a basic assessment of the man.
A classic veteran—experienced, calm, and composed. He was still looking for an opportunity to escape while using this time to gather intel on their group.
"Doesn't matter. I don't care about small fry like this."
Ethan truly didn't see any value in wasting time on such minor characters. Onyxia might be aware of some of Loki's abilities, but as a black dragon, her arrogance would prevent her from taking Loki seriously.
Furthermore, her commands would likely be somewhat 'distorted' by the time they reached lower-level subordinates. So while Stormwind had indeed dispatched an experienced assassin, they didn't really consider the mission high priority—at least, not yet. If Stormwind Intelligence began to take notice, that might change.
If it came to that, Ethan might feel a bit of pressure, but he wouldn't panic. What made Stormwind Intelligence dangerous was their ability to operate in the shadows. You never knew when they might strike.
But this wasn't an issue for Ethan. His companions were these few people, and none of them were easy to impersonate. Without being able to pass as one of them, getting close was impossible unless they could bypass Tony Stark's detection devices.
Having avoided the assassination attempt, it was clear Stormwind Intelligence's capabilities were limited. Their strength lay in reconnaissance and stealth assassination. In direct combat…
"Should we kill him?"
"Kill him."
Letting him return would be asking for trouble. Ethan wasn't that naïve. Leaving him trapped there? That would be no different from releasing him. Taking him along? That was even more impossible.
Besides, if he remembered correctly, not everyone recruited into Stormwind Intelligence was a good person. Ethan had little regard for the agency itself—so-called elite spies who couldn't even prevent the Kingdom of Stormwind from collapsing. They were always one step behind, circling the edges of major events.
And Ethan wasn't from Stormwind Kingdom. He had no reason to worry about its political damage or strategic losses. From his perspective, this was Katrana's dog. If it dared to bite, it should be cut down on the spot.
"Who's doing it?"
Ethan looked at Loki.
"Why me?"
"Your scepter is perfect for destroying the body without leaving a trace."
This wasn't just teasing. Since the core of Loki's scepter had changed, it no longer had mind control capabilities. However, if it touched a target, the powerful, dominant frost magic would turn the target into a fragile ice sculpture. Then, with a light tap, the body would shatter into pieces.
In the current temperature, that icy residue would quickly melt away, leaving no trace. With such a convenient option, why bother with other messy methods?
After resolving the brief interlude, the group continued north. They eventually reached the Burning Steppes, which were no longer under the control of the Kingdom of Stormwind.
Once they arrived, they were already very close to the location where Windsor was being held.
(To be continued.)
***
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