A Mage Who Fights with a Sword

The story Kael'thas told was not much different from the chronicles Orendo had read in his previous life, except it contained far more details and was entirely biased toward the High Elves.

The story began with the War of the Ancients.

Around eleven thousand years ago, during the world-shattering War of the Ancients, the once-glorious Kaldorei Empire of the Night Elves split apart because of a whole mess of absurd nonsense.

In Kael'thas's account, the Highborne who had followed his ancestor Dath'Remar had been victims of Azshara's schemes, no different from ordinary Night Elves. It was also from that point that the Night Elves began to split into three major branches: the Naga, the Satyr, and the Nightborne.

After the War of the Ancients ended, several thousand more years of peace passed. Around seven thousand years ago, the Highborne led by Dath'Remar were finally exiled by Malfurion and Tyrande because of arcane magic, leaving Mount Hyjal to seek a livelihood of their own.

In a Night Elf society that worshipped the moon goddess, the surname Sunstrider represented a spirited determination to explore the unknown and press forward without fear. Dath'Remar had undoubtedly inherited his family's traditions. He had been the one leading the charge every time trouble arose, yet at that point they were still called Highborne.

The Highborne then migrated to what was now Quel'Thalas and began fighting the trolls for land. During the wars against the trolls, Dath'Remar Sunstrider personally led every battle. He led from the front and laid an excellent foundation for the later Sunstrider dynasty.

Orendo listened with great interest, but Kael'thas stopped his story there.

Though he was already familiar with the chronicles, Kael's tale contained many details absent from them, and Orendo found those details extremely interesting.

For instance, Dath'Remar, the founder of the Sunstrider dynasty, had always struck Orendo as an incredibly powerful mage. Yet in Kael's telling, he had been a fierce warrior who dared to fight demons to the death with a sword in hand, and charge into troll armies with nothing more than a shield added to the mix!

And it was precisely because that mighty warrior was so formidable, earning countless military achievements among the Highborne while standing drenched in blood with a sword in one hand and an enemy's head in the other, that he gradually established unrivaled prestige among the exiled elves.

With that prestige, despite not being the most outstanding mage in the group at the time, he became the leader of a crowd of the finest Highborne mages.

He was not the greatest mage, yet he became the leader of a whole group of great mages!

And what he relied on was not magic, but Dath'Remar's courage and swordsmanship!

The chronicles contained no record of this. They merely said that from the War of the Ancients to the Troll Wars, Dath'Remar had always led from the front and swept aside all opposition, whether facing demons or trolls.

Orendo had not expected that this was what "swept aside all opposition" meant. He had thought Dath'Remar defeated the trolls with magic.

Kael was a skilled storyteller. After recounting the glorious deeds of his ancestor cutting down demons and trolls with a sword in one hand and magic in the other, he stopped abruptly just as he had thoroughly piqued Orendo's curiosity.

"What happened next?" Orendo could not help asking his Uncle Kael. He had gone on for so long—surely he had not merely wanted to boast about how impressive his ancestor had been?

Kael's smile remained as gentle as ever. Looking at Orendo, he said, "That part is over. Now that you have heard of those events from the past, Orendo, do you know why the Sunstriders became the High Elves' royal family?"

"Because of His Majesty Dath'Remar's bravery and achievements?" After all, half of Orendo's bloodline came from the Sunstriders, so he was willing to maintain a measure of respect for Dath'Remar.

"That is part of the reason." Kael chuckled.

"But it is not the main reason."

"Hah..." Orendo let out a soft breath and glanced at Kael'thas.

"I don't know why you're telling me all this. If you want to say something, then please stop keeping me in suspense and tell me directly."

"Hmm... this is groundwork. With all that groundwork, you can better understand what it is that you are about to receive."

Orendo shrugged and made a gesture for him to continue, signaling for his nominal uncle to keep talking.

"The Sunstriders were able to become the leaders of Quel'Thalas, a royal family for a thousand years. Part of that was because of our ancestor's bravery and accomplishments, but the more important reason was that our ancestor Dath'Remar created a power capable of suppressing every Highborne as well as their enemies!"

Orendo knew the important part had arrived. After telling him so much today, Kael'thas's ultimate point should have been this so-called power.

Unexpectedly, Kael'thas asked him another question. "Orendo, have you heard of the Spellbreaker forces?"

"The Spellbreaker forces?"

Orendo repeated the words.

Of course he had heard of them.

As Quel'Thalas's greatest imitator, Dalaran naturally possessed plenty of information on Quel'Thalas and the High Elves.

Though it could not be one hundred percent accurate, and could not be too detailed because of the elves themselves, Dalaran still kept track of matters commonly known within the elven kingdoms.

For example, the Spellbreaker forces.

The Spellbreaker forces were a unique army exclusive to Quel'Thalas. These Quel'dorei elites excelled at disrupting and twisting magical energy, easily breaking spells cast by others. The entire process was as painless as a doctor seeing patients in a clinic.

"The first Spellbreaker of Quel'Thalas was my ancestor, Dath'Remar!" Kael'thas's voice carried yearning and pride. "It was His Majesty Dath'Remar leading the first Spellbreaker forces that allowed the fledgling Quel'dorei to defeat the mysterious troll hexer forces, laying the foundation for victory in the war and ultimately achieving triumph!"

"The reason the Sunstriders could become the kings of Quel'Thalas is because we possess the most powerful Spellbreaker forces! The power of the Spellbreakers was inspired in His Majesty Dath'Remar amid the chaotic battles against demons, then perfected during the Troll Wars!"

Orendo finally understood why Kael'thas's story had stopped once it reached Dath'Remar wildly cutting down enemies with a sword.

That story had clearly been groundwork for the Spellbreakers.

"Hmm... I understand." Orendo nodded to show that he understood.

"But what does this have to do with the compensation you mentioned for me? Could it be... you want me to become a Spellbreaker?"

"Clever little fellow." Kael'thas laughed.

"That is exactly what I mean."

Orendo frowned. He found it hard to believe that Kael'thas and the elves could be so generous.

According to Kael'thas, the Spellbreaker forces were the foundation of why the Sunstrider family could become royalty. Yet now, they wanted to teach such an important power to him, someone who was half an outsider.

Could something this good really exist?