Andreas did not answer Maiev's question. Although it was only a small-scale skirmish, it was, after all, his first experience of a real battlefield.
While in the heat of battle, perhaps due to the secretion of adrenaline, Andreas had not allowed fear to make him lose his focus. Thinking back on it now, he even felt surprised by himself.
Is my will naturally resilient? Or am I just simply slow to react?
Regardless, his first battle against the Burning Legion had gone relatively smoothly. Afterward, Andreas reflected on his performance and gave himself a score.
In terms of personal combat, Andreas gave himself a passing grade of 60. He was still unable to perfectly master his newly acquired powers in such a short time, and the various spells he had improvised were still quite crude.
However, the mutation caused by the combination of Druidic spells and Shadow energy gave Andreas some inspiration; he planned to explore this direction more deeply in the future.
As for battlefield command and strategy... Maiev was the one giving orders on the front line, while Andreas had only provided suggestions on the overall layout.
Judging by the results, it seemed to have worked out well; he gave himself an 80 in this category.
After a brief rest, the issues that the Sisterhood of Elune and the Moon Guard had ignored while fighting side-by-side were brought back to the table.
Maiev fixed a sharp gaze on Major Delier and spoke, "First, I am grateful that the Moon Guard stepped in to help at the critical moment. But business is business—I want to confirm your current stance."
With High Priestess Dejahna still unconscious, Maiev was the undisputed leader of the Sisterhood of Elune. None of the priestesses present had any objection to her acting as their representative to question the mages.
As the leader of the combat priestesses, Maiev's style was far more forceful than the gentle Dejahna, and her attitude sparked dissatisfaction among some of the Moon Guards.
"What's with that tone of yours?"
"You only kept your lives because you relied on our help. Are you turning your back on us the moment the danger is gone?"
The combat priestesses on Maiev's side showed no sign of backing down, and the atmosphere on the scene grew tense once again.
...
Andreas sat on a tree stump in front of Shandris, re-bandaging the wounds on her fingers. He did not step forward to offer any opinion on the conflict between the two sides, simply observing the standoff from a short distance.
As expected, even after a single successful cooperation, the deep-seated contradictions between the two sides cannot be erased so easily.
During the previous battle, the stubborn Shandris had fought until she was completely exhausted. Although she had been treated and bandaged by the priestesses, blood could still be seen seeping through the bandages on her right fingers.
Andreas removed the blood-soaked bandages from Shandris' hand, while a priestess nearby assisted by using a healing spell to alleviate her pain and accelerate the healing process.
While powerful healing spells that could instantly close wounds existed in the real Azeroth, this type of emergency battlefield treatment essentially overstretched the recipient's life force.
Much like a modern doctor injecting adrenaline into a critically injured patient, once the magical excitement passed, the exhaustion would hit all at once—in the worst-case scenario, it could even be life-threatening.
Whether it was the divine arts used by the priestesses of Elune or the natural spells of the Druids, most healing magic worked by stimulating the recipient's bodily functions and potential to speed up healing.
Unless it was an emergency, healers mostly used gentle, sustained healing spells to avoid placing further burdens on an already weakened body.
Waiting for the priestess to finish her spell, Andreas took out a new roll of bandages and wrapped Shandris' hand.
The girl's injuries were not severe, but her stamina had been heavily depleted during the battle, and she would remain in a state of exhaustion for some time.
"You were too reckless. No one expected a novice priestess like you to go to such lengths."
Andreas mischievously tied a cute bow at the end of the bandage, earning a helpless eye-roll from Shandris.
"Indeed, no one asked me to. I just wanted to do it myself... By the way, since when did you become so playful?"
Andreas shrugged and smiled. "A nicely tied bandage helps improve your mood. So, how about it? Have you calmed down yet?"
Shandris blinked, then turned her head away with a slightly unnatural expression. "Calm down from what? It's not like I lost my mind."
Following his physical instincts, Andreas subconsciously flicked Shandris on the forehead with his fingers.
"Ouch~"
Immediately after the movement was made, Andreas froze in place, while Shandris touched her forehead with a look that was half-nostalgic and half-aggrieved.
"Even though you lost your memory, is this the only punishment you still remember...?"
"Uh..."
Andreas scratched his head, feeling a bit awkward about the gesture he had just made.
Setting aside his predecessor's feelings, he and Shandris were currently still effectively strangers, or at best, comrades-in-arms.
But the lingering instincts of his predecessor often led him to unconsciously display an intimate attitude toward her, sometimes even causing him to forget the distance that should exist between them.
Pushing aside the inexplicable emotions in his heart, Andreas spoke solemnly to Shandris, "Do you think I couldn't tell?"
"Though your fighting style seemed brave and even inspired the priestesses around you who aren't suited for combat, your performance in this battle can only be described with one word: 'out of control'."
Seeing Shandris' flickering eyes and dejected expression, Andreas sighed gently. "I know you harbor a deep-seated hatred for the Burning Legion. So do I. But I don't advocate for this kind of hysterical venting."
"Controlling the flames of vengeance with a cold fury—that is what I consider a proper avenger's mindset. If you keep going like this, you will eventually be consumed by your own uncontrolled rage."
Patting Shandris on the shoulder, Andreas comforted her, "Think it over for yourself. I'm going to check the situation up front. In the meantime, don't try to be a hero. Get some rest."
"Okay..."
Under Shandris' complicated gaze, Andreas walked toward the confrontation point where the Moon Guards and combat priestesses were still arguing.
"Priestess Maiev, members of the Moon Guard."
Interrupting the dispute with a clear voice, Andreas smiled and waved at both parties.
"We are comrades who just cooperated to repel demons. Please, both sides, calm down and show some restraint. Starting internal strife here is not a good option."
"Humph~"
The young Jorge curled his lip and whispered a complaint, "Who's 'internal' with you guys? We just couldn't stand the Burning Legion's atrocities and decided to give you a hand on the way."
"That's enough, Jorge."
Delier spoke up to stop his subordinate's mumbling.
The mature elf, with a scar over his left eye, looked Andreas over with an appraising gaze.
"We were on opposing sides earlier, so I didn't have time to introduce myself."
"I am Delier of the Star-Eye family, a Major of the Moon Guard. Are you the one who sent the distress signal to us just now?"
"That's right."
Andreas smiled and reached out to shake Delier's hand. "I am Andreas Moonshadow. You could say I'm a Druid... of sorts."