Kael'thas Is My Uncle

After learning the truth about his relationship with the elves, Orendo gladly accepted Kael'thas Sunstrider's invitation.

He had never imagined that he possessed a portion of the Sunstrider royal bloodline, even if it was a royal bloodline that had already lost its right of succession.

He wanted to know what Kael'thas wanted by summoning him. To acknowledge their kinship? Impossible. He had been in Dalaran for a year, yet Kael'thas had never come looking for him.

Besides, given how elves were, Lianda, a member of the royal family, having a child with a human had probably gotten her expelled from elfhood back in Quel'Thalas!

Upon learning his mother's surname and identity, he also understood why his mentor had become one of the bosses of Tempest Keep in the "original storyline."

Solarian's family was called the Starfury clan, one of the families in Silvermoon City closest to the royal house. Over thousands of years, they had intermarried with the Sunstriders many times. Along with several other high elf families—the Dawnblade, Sunfury, Flamehawk, and so on—they were all indisputably high elf royalists.

Solarian's mother and Lianda Sunstrider's mother were cousins. These two cousins, both born into the Sunfury family, had married into the main Starfury line and a branch of the Sunstrider family respectively, giving birth to Solarian and Lianda.

The major families intermarried with one another, their relationships tangled beyond all measure, forming the strongest faction in Quel'Thalas under the leadership of the Sunstriders. They were known as the royalists.

Anyway, it was complicated as hell. Orendo felt it was much like medieval Europe on Earth. Human noble marriages were probably learned from the elves too, except humans reproduced much faster, so now they were more than ten times as complicated as the elves.

Orendo's head hurt from listening to it all. In the end, led by Solarian, he arrived before one of Dalaran's six largest mage towers.

"The Sun Tower." Standing before the enormous mage tower, Solarian pointed at it. "It is one of the manifestations of elven influence in Dalaran. Every one of its masters throughout history has been a high elf."

Orendo nodded.

Compared with Solarian's mage tower and his own, the Sun Tower before him was several times taller and more imposing. If his fortress laboratory was a cowshed in the countryside, and Solarian's mage tower was a country farmhouse—

Then this gigantic white tower, surrounded by exotic flowers and plants, guarded by dozens of small mage towers, and gleaming with magical radiance from top to bottom, was a manor villa in a first-tier city!

As Orendo was still studying the elven mage tower, several Quel'dorei near the entrance spotted them and came forward.

"Good day, Solarian. I take it this is Mage Orendo Seferosa." The leading elf spoke from a distance, his voice light and cheerful.

"Good day, Rommath." Solarian addressed him. "This is Orendo Seferosa. He has come at His Highness's invitation."

Several Quel'dorei dressed as mages had already reached them. Solarian introduced them one by one.

"This is Rommath. He is Prince Kael'thas's adviser, an outstanding magister."

"This is Passarane. He is also His Highness's adviser and is highly skilled in magical constructs."

"This is Telestra. She is likewise His Highness's adviser, and a magister as well."

"This is..."

"..."

After Telestra finished the introductions, Orendo smiled and replied softly, "Good day, everyone. I am Orendo Seferosa. May the gentle breeze of the arcane forever caress your souls."

Whether because Orendo was Kael'thas's guest or because they knew he carried half the Sunstrider bloodline, these elves, who had always been arrogant in Dalaran, were exceptionally polite to him.

Rommath stepped aside and extended a hand, speaking with impeccable courtesy. "Please follow me. His Highness is already waiting for you."

"Of course, thank you." Since they were polite, Orendo naturally returned the courtesy, following Rommath, Passarane, and the other elves toward the magnificent mage tower.

Solarian tried to follow behind them, but Telestra, who had deliberately stayed behind, tugged at her sleeve. "His Highness said he wishes to be alone with Mage Seferosa."

Solarian hesitated, and Telestra added, "What are you worried about, Solarian? It was His Highness who invited him, not His Majesty. His Highness is so gentle. What is there to worry about?"

Solarian thought about it and realized that was true.

Kael'thas Sunstrider, heir to Quel'Thalas and the only son of the current Sun King. After reaching adulthood, the Quel'dorei had regarded this prince as the gentlest and most benevolent heir apparent in history.

His kindness and gentleness were famous throughout Quel'Thalas. The new generation of royalists gathered around him had also been won over by his personal charm, following behind Kael'thas just as their fathers served the Sun King.

"All right. Telestra, you have a point." Solarian gave up and did not follow them inside.

"Solarian, I have a question. I hope you can answer it."

"Hm?"

"That scent from earlier. Was the scent on that child his natural scent?" Telestra asked a question that Solarian found both expected and unexpected.

"What scent?" she pretended not to understand.

"His arcane scent, of course!" The equally beautiful Magister Telestra looked at her colleague and murmured, "How could his arcane scent smell so wonderful?! Even His Highness's scent does not make elves feel as comfortable as his does!"

"..." Solarian felt that it was far too late for regrets. She was annoyed at herself for not teaching Orendo a spell to conceal his arcane scent sooner!

Meanwhile.

After admiring the grand and exquisite mage tower, which sparkled with magical radiance everywhere, Orendo soon arrived in the spacious, bright hall on the first floor.

The hall had been arranged as a reception room. The walls of its largest circular space were embedded with countless display cases, packed full of scrolls and tomes of every kind that shimmered with magical radiance. Its collection was not much smaller than an entire floor of Dalaran's Great Magic Library!

Amid the vast number of magical tomes stood a long table. On the other side sat a tall, blond male elf, looking at Orendo with a smile.

Several other high elves stood behind him, their visible respect directed toward the one seated in the chair.

Orendo immediately knew that this had to be Kael'thas Sunstrider, his cousin-uncle by blood and the heir apparent of Quel'Thalas.

"Welcome, Lianda's child. Welcome to the Sun Tower!" Before Orendo reached the long table, a gentle, resonant voice rang out. Kael'thas even rose to his feet. "Come here, come to my side, and let me look at you."

To be honest, Orendo thought his voice sounded almost too pleasant. It truly made Orendo feel as though he were facing a kind and loving elder.

After hesitating inwardly for a moment, Orendo ultimately followed behind Rommath to Kael'thas's side, then stopped and looked at this uncle of his.

The prince examined Orendo carefully as well. The gentleness in his gaze made Orendo feel somewhat uncomfortable. Orendo, too, was studying this Sunstrider prince—the final Sunstrider prince with a right of succession in the "original storyline."