Chapter 167 Compensation

When Varian first learned of Aiden Perenolde's betrayal, he was consumed by fury. Stormwind had already been reduced to ashes by the orcs, and rivers of human blood had been spilled under their merciless blades. Yet, this king of Alterac had actually betrayed all of humanity—a treachery Varian found almost impossible to fathom.

Later, when the Alliance forces led by Lothar fell into a trap and Lothar died in battle at Blackrock Spire during the pursuit of the Horde army, Varian's hatred for the Horde burned even brighter. As a young child, he had watched in horror as Garona ripped his father's heart out before his very eyes. Following the destruction of Stormwind, Varian had always looked upon Anduin Lothar as his spiritual pillar. It was Lothar's unwavering loyalty to his people and his leading by example in forging the Alliance to resist the orcs that made the surviving refugees of Stormwind realize that victory lay not too far in the future.

Yet, just as the Horde was in retreat, Varian's spiritual pillar had violently collapsed. This was a blow the young prince's heart simply could not accept. Compounded by the later revelation that the Kingdom of Alterac had secretly betrayed the Alliance to aid the Horde orcs in their assault on the Capital City of Lordaeron, the young prince longed to drag Aiden Perenolde out and confront him face-to-face.

"The Alliance must settle accounts with the traitors of Alterac. Because of their betrayal, tens of thousands of soldiers and countless civilians perished in the flames of war. These losses were caused entirely by Aiden Perenolde."

...

Apart from Antonidas representing Dalaran and Patrick, neither of whom expressed a stance, the remaining representatives almost universally demanded a reckoning for the traitors.

This negotiating atmosphere placed immense pressure on the Barov family. "My friends in the Alliance, the surviving remnants of Alterac have already been handed over to His Majesty Terenas."

When Terenas took measures against the rogue Kingdom of Alterac, the surviving factions of Alterac fled to the Barov family's domain: Caer Darrow. It was then that Alexei Barov, lord of the Barov family, realized his opportunity had arrived.

The King of Alterac had betrayed the entire Alliance, and of the remaining noble houses, barely one in ten survived. Although the Barov family held neither the title of duke nor marquis, they were a celebrated and illustrious dynasty throughout the northern continent, wealthy enough to rival entire nations. Despite their immense fortune, they lacked aristocratic titles. Relying on their four major estates at Brill, Caer Darrow, Tarren Mill, and Southshore, the Barovs had leaped to become one of the wealthiest families in the northern continent. Yet, mere wealth could never satisfy the appetites of such schemers; becoming hereditary nobility was what the Barovs truly desired.

No, mere nobility was not enough to satiate the Barov family's ambitions. What Alexei truly craved was the throne of a king. To become the monarch of the Kingdom of Alterac, to sit upon that golden throne—that was Alexei Barov's ultimate pursuit.

After the King of Alterac betrayed the Alliance, the Barovs outwardly welcomed a large number of Alterac noble refugees fleeing to their territory, treating them with aristocratic honors befitting their status. In reality, however, Alexei merely sought to gather these surviving nobles in one place so he could wipe them out in a single stroke. Alexei Barov had long cast his covetous eyes upon the throne of Alterac, lacking only a legitimate pretext to raise his banner.

Alexei Barov knew that Aiden Perenolde's betrayal was a heaven-sent opportunity. However, if he were to raise the butcher's blade against Aiden before the Alliance's judgment, it would constitute an act of treason—a subordinate rising against his liege. This was precisely the same concern held by Haas, the commander-in-chief of the Alterac military. But once they secured political recognition from the Lordaeron Alliance, the Barov family could rightfully declare themselves the legitimate rulers of the Kingdom of Alterac. The Barovs needed a justification to silence any dissenting voices.

Therefore, when Terenas convened the Alliance summit, Alexei Barov did not hesitate to hand those surviving Alterac nobles over to Lordaeron, signaling that the Barov family stood firmly on the side of the Lordaeron Alliance, thereby acquiring the political leverage needed to win recognition from the entire coalition.

Yet Terenas was no benevolent soul. How could he possibly remain blind to the Barov family's ambitions?

"Alterac's betrayal caused catastrophic casualties among the Alliance's brave warriors and citizens. We truly owe those fallen heroes an accounting," Terenas said, his expression somber, as if mourning for the dead people.

Terenas then pointed to the battle details in his hands—a joint operations report compiled by the allied military command. "The Alliance suffered heavy losses in combat. Due to the inaction of the Kingdom of Alterac, after the orcs were defeated, many scattered and fled, forcing Lord Duke Lothar to divide his forces to garrison other towns. By the time they pursued the orcs all the way to Blackrock Spire, the troops remaining in Lothar's hands were severely stretched. The Horde soldiers possessed formidable combat prowess, forcing the Alliance to deploy three or even four times their numbers to guarantee a decisive victory."

"In the end, Lord Duke Lothar was ambushed by the Horde orcs and died in battle at Blackrock Spire," Terenas paused, clearing his throat to make his voice ring with greater resonance, and said sternly, "This debt, I believe the Kingdom of Alterac must pay in full."

At this moment, Alexei Barov's heart was in his throat. The success or failure of the entire Barov family hinged upon this very Alliance summit.

Patrick picked up the battle report and examined it closely. During the pursuit of the Horde, every single unit that had detached from the main coalition to hunt down the fleeing orcs surprisingly belonged directly to the Kingdom of Lordaeron. Such a revelation gave much food for thought. Patrick could not help but sigh inwardly—Lord Lothar certainly did not die in vain. Terenas had played this game flawlessly, conveniently shifting the blame for Lothar's death directly onto the Kingdom of Alterac to serve as the scapegoat for the traitors.

These human politicians were absolute master-class old foxes. Patrick had never imagined that so many convoluted schemes lay behind Lothar's death in battle.

The human leaders expressed their respective views. Young Varian demanded that Alterac pay in blood, while the Kingdoms of Stormgrad, Kul Tiras, and Gilneas showed no apparent interest in revenge; Daelin, Genn, and Thoras none of them made their stances public.

Patrick directly stated his position to the human faction. "In truth, there is no need for all your endless contention. I have no interest in human internal politics. I merely offer a simple suggestion: perhaps the Kingdom of Alterac should make reparations for the losses suffered by the Alliance."

"I have likewise provided vast quantities of food and medical supplies, saving the lives of countless human civilians and soldiers—a fact I believe all the human monarchs here are aware of. Alterac's betrayal subjected the reinforcement forces I dispatched to unnecessary losses. Therefore, I deem it entirely reasonable that the Kingdom of Alterac should provide corresponding compensation."

Having spoken, Patrick remained suspended in mid-air without another word, perfectly embodying the arrogance of a high elf. Waves of azure arcane ripples pulsed around him, his expression the picture of looking down his nose at everyone.

The human monarchs present were each harboring their own secret agendas, eager to extract maximum benefits for their respective nations. Patrick simply added fuel to the fire, steering the topic directly toward the issue of reparations from Alterac. So long as he secured sufficient supplies and gains, as for everything else, they could fight amongst themselves for power and influence.

After all, with Lordaeron's ultimate dutiful son orchestrating things—