A Letter

Dearest Liadren:

It has been a long time! I have left Dalaran and been dispatched to Hearthglen as a special envoy to handle the affairs of the magic shop for the esteemed Prince Kael'thas. Simultaneously, I serve as the tutor for Taelan Fordring, the son of Highlord Tirion Fordring of Hearthglen.

You will surely laugh at me—a legendary spellcaster taking on the job of a tutor for a human child; it sounds so undignified.

But I do not feel that way. The Highlord is less of a nobleman and more of an elder. He never bullies others with his status and treats everyone fairly, even a High Elf!

His wife is a bit doting toward their child, but she is as kind as an angel. As for the Highlord's son, I do not know how to describe him!

He is a strange person. He mastered the difficult Thalassian language in a month and learned an advanced meditation technique I have never seen before. He has even comprehended several peculiar Holy Spell variations on his own. His soul can even control Holy Bolt energy in mid-air, guiding them to turn just like a mage's lock-on skill.

The Paladin skills he has learned are several times more powerful than those of other knights, yet he cannot seem to learn any Seal! I suspect he will soon master the Divine Shield, a skill only formal Paladins can grasp.

This child is completely different from the children of other generals. He hunts with the farmers' children and helps them rescue lambs stolen by wild wolves. He once beat the brother of the administrator Barthilas until he couldn't get out of bed for a month, all for the sake of a cobbler's daughter, and even forced the man to write a confession!

He never forces others to do what they do not wish to. He once fought Renault Mograine, the son of Highlord Mograine, to help a maid, sending both Renault and Bridget Abbendis fleeing in defeat. I saw with my own eyes how his Holy Bolt, like a magical bomb, curved in the air to send Renault—who is three years his senior—tumbling head over heels!

He is a lovable little boy who looks like an angel. If I had to name a flaw, it would be that he is particularly attractive to girls. He always makes people want to draw near him involuntarily! Myself included! I often feel that his age is far greater than it appears!

Many girls like him, such as the cobbler's daughter, the Bridget he beat up, and Sally Whitemane, which makes Renault furious. Of course, this also includes Jaina, who is far away in Kul Tiras. All of Dalaran knows it! Just yesterday, the princess even sent a letter.

By all rights, my mission should be complete, yet I do not want to leave. Only here do I feel life is simple and fulfilling; every day is spent teaching my student, handling affairs, and researching magic. There is no strife here, no jealousy, and no need to guard against blades in the shadows!

I truly wish these days could last forever!

But I know such days will not last much longer, for the human Archbishop Alonsus Faol has decided to perform the Baptism for Taelan Fordring at the coming New Year! He will soon become an Initiate Paladin and head to Light's Hope Chapel for further study. A brand new life awaits him!

How have you been lately? Is Mentor Vondelor well? Have you found your own path?

Seeing this letter is like seeing me.

Your friend—Solarian

After finishing the letter, the Grand Astromancer tucked it into a magic mail tube, sealed it, and cast a spell to prevent anyone from peeking at the contents. Just then, Karandra's voice echoed from the living room: "Solarian, Taelan, time to eat!"

Then came a string of muttering that Solarian could not quite catch; it was likely a complaint about Tirion. She gave a nod and walked out of the room.

Once everyone was seated at the table, Taelan Fordring took the initiative to pour drinks for everyone. This was the rule of the Fordring household: every day, someone serves the rest of the family, whether it be refilling rice, washing dishes, or preparing their specialty dish. Of course, Lady Karandra did the most! Taelan Fordring had been sentenced to serve everyone for a full week just because he said Aunt Janice's cooking was better!

Looking at the simple dishes on the table, Solarian first thanked Lady Karandra before beginning to eat. She had grown accustomed to this life; under Taelan Fordring's influence, everyone had abandoned the rule of silence during meals. The main theme here was ease!

Tirion Fordring was the first to speak: "My dear, I have good news! My mentor, Alonsus Faol, has agreed to perform Taelan's Baptism this coming New Year."

Karandra scoffed at this; her son would be away from her for three years! Was this good news? Isn't it still five months until December? Isn't it a bit early to talk about this?

Tirion Fordring was too busy being happy to notice his wife's expression. He continued, "Because becoming an Initiate Paladin requires three years of living and studying at Light's Hope Chapel, Daelin has decided to visit Hearthglen next month. We will go to visit Caer Darrow together and spend our vacation there! Of course, Jaina will be there too! And I heard her mother, Lady Katherine Proudmoore, will be coming as well!"

He then said to Solarian, "Solarian, you have been invited as well!" As the Prince's advisor, a Grand Astromancer, and Taelan's tutor, it was only natural she would be invited. Furthermore, Lady Illucia Barov and her daughter Jandice Barov were both mages, so her presence was not strange.

Moreover, as a supplier, she had already opened up a significant market, and the Barovs of Caer Darrow were also her clients.

Solarian nodded. At this moment, Karandra suddenly became gossipy: "Jaina is coming too? That's wonderful! Taelan, do you have anything to say?"

Nothing! Absolutely nothing!

Taelan Fordring said nothing, which infuriated Karandra! Tirion added, "In fact, this was Jaina's suggestion! After all, the training of the Silver Hand is very strict and attendance is mandatory! Which means it will be very difficult for you two to meet again within three years!"

Taelan Fordring was clearly more concerned with his trial. He did not dare to interact too much with Jaina right now; if he triggered a quest from this Daughter of the World, it would surely cost him half his life. His small frame could not handle that just yet!

Tirion knew his son was more concerned with Paladin training. He said, "The assessment for an Initiate Paladin to be promoted to a formal knight is divided into three parts."

"The first is the written exam, which is essentially writing out the Paladin Creed and testing some military common sense."

"The second part is the assessment of combat skills. Of course, someone like you who has already awakened the power of the Holy Light can participate in the drills directly. As long as you can use a Holy Spell, even a basic Holy Light Spell will pass!"

"Natural users of the Holy Light are rare. As long as you have awakened the Holy Light, you can at least obtain a basic talent skill. Once you possess the Holy Light, you are an extraordinary being! After learning some necessary combat skills, you can participate in the next step of the assessment!"

"The final part is the hunt. You will participate in a suppression mission; the target this year is likely the Forest Troll. If you pass all three steps, congratulations! You will become a formal Paladin of the Silver Hand!"

"The trolls of Zul'Mashar have been restless lately, and they have likely colluded with the Amani Trolls of Quel'Thalas. That is why the Forest Trolls of the Eastern Weald have repeatedly attacked the Stratholme outpost and Darrowshire."

"Taelan, have you made any progress lately?"

Taelan Fordring said, "Father, I mastered the Divine Shield yesterday. There shouldn't be any problems! I just don't know why I still cannot use a Seal."

Tirion Fordring replied, "You have just awakened, so it is natural that your understanding of the Holy Light is insufficient. The skill system of the Paladin is not yet fully mature."

"However, it can be roughly divided into three specializations: Holy, Retribution, and Protection. You know that the Paladin profession is actually an advanced class."

"The first generation of Paladins, with the exception of Uther, were all Retribution Paladins. That is because before advancing, our primary profession was Warrior. Judgment and Seals are all about calling upon the Holy Light through devout faith and imbuing it into the various attacks of a Warrior to cause additional holy damage."

"You must remember that you are a natural spellcaster; your base profession is actually Priest. That is why you can use Holy Bolt like a mage. You can quickly learn spells that purely manipulate the Holy Light, such as Hammer of Justice and Divine Shield. I believe you will also master blessing-type spells very quickly."

"Your weapon techniques are basically mastered. Starting tomorrow, I will teach you blessings, especially the Blessing of Freedom. This will greatly increase your survivability."

Hmm, actually, I just really like crowd-control skills and defensive abilities! It's not that I'm afraid of death!

Taelan Fordring would soon reach level 12. By then, he would be able to learn Charge! Paired with Blessing of Freedom, he would be like a tiger with wings!

Please vote! Thank you all for participating in the discussion! Help me find any typos!