Mage Prince

Everyone knew that a mage's highest aspiration was to independently develop a spell—especially one named after themselves. Antonidas's Fireball, Kael'thas's Hellfire, and so on. These were a mage's lifelong glory. Not only would they earn countless accolades in life, they would also leave their names in history, carving them onto the monument of the arcane.

Even Antonidas had only independently developed a small spell at the age of fourteen. Yet Lister was only eight. Antonidas could not help wiping away his sweat. What terrifying talent.

Was this the power of a Guardian? No wonder Alodi had once suppressed so many dreadful demons alone, even condensing Ebony Chill from pure mana. Guardians truly could not be judged by common sense.

For the first time, he felt old. How laughable.

Kel'Thuzad stared feverishly at his young junior disciple. Like a child, he discussed string theory with him, yet the spell he considered utterly perfect had been judged by his junior disciple as still less than perfect. He nearly lost his mind as he roared, "Unless you prove it to me! Show me how your Spiral Arcane Missiles can be made even more perfect! Otherwise, I'll..."

Lister held a spoon in his mouth. Everyone in the dining hall was watching the pair of senior and junior disciples. Although Antonidas had repeatedly ordered secrecy, everyone had already been paying close attention to Lister. Just think—he was the future Guardian, and from what Kel'Thuzad had said today, he seemed to have developed an entirely new spell? Everyone pricked up their ears. What exactly was going on? Was it real?

Lister pulled the spoon from his chubby mouth and scooped up a large chunk of chocolate, stuffing it into his mouth. "It does have room for improvement."

"Oh, heavens!" Kel'Thuzad clutched his head with both hands. "Then prove it to me, quickly!"

"This process will take a long time." Lister slowly ate his cake. "You don't need to rush."

"Wahhh!"

"His Highness seems not to have eaten for quite some time." Rommath looked at the exquisite meal that had barely been touched. Nothing was wrong. There was still the Prince's favorite white wine, golden-fried pork chops, medium-rare veal steaks grilled from beef ribs, and fresh fruit picked only ten minutes before the meal. The only thing that had been touched was the dessert. The Prince seemed to have taken only a small biscuit, leaving everything else untouched. It had been sitting out for a full three hours. A trace of anger entered his voice. "Astaroth, what exactly is going on?"

"Shh." Astaroth gestured for him to lower his voice. "The Prince is studying knowledge related to arcane string theory. He paid a great price to obtain much new knowledge from Master Antonidas. It seems he intends to develop a new spell."

Rommath nodded. Only such a diligent Prince deserved to be Quel'Thalas's heir. His younger brothers, who spent their days wallowing in debauchery in Silvermoon City, were simply the shame of the high elves. Kael'thas was the king in his heart. He said softly, "His Majesty the King has sent word. He wants the Prince to meet several young ladies from Silvermoon City. After all..."

"Rommath, I don't think the Prince will return, at least not before he resolves this matter." Astaroth suddenly recalled something. "This seems to be related to Lister."

"What?" Rommath frowned. "What's going on?"

Astaroth recalled, "After the Prince returned that day, he seemed to be shouting something about Lister's Spiral Arcane Missiles, then he plunged straight into studying. I don't know what Lister came up with. Was it some demon charm spell? Do you know?"

Just then, Kael'thas's door was ruthlessly pushed open. The hungry Prince's luxurious silk robes were covered in wrinkles, and his neatly arranged golden hair had become a messy tangle. The two could imagine that he had spent the past half month sleeping directly on the floor, which was why he looked so disheveled. Behind the door, drafts and scrolls lay scattered all over the floor. They hurriedly bowed. After hastily acknowledging them, Kael'thas went straight to the table, speared a steak with his fork, and began wolfing it down.

"Your Highness, I'll have someone replace it with fresh—" Rommath was mercilessly interrupted by Kael'thas, who continued devouring the cold food. "No need. My stomach isn't so delicate that it needs coddling. What is it, Rommath?"

Choking on his food, Kael'thas picked up a drink. After taking a sip and realizing it was wine, he endured the discomfort and did not put it down. Only after slowly washing down the food did he set it aside and say, "Replace the wine with water for the next few days. Researching spells requires concentration."

"Yes." Astaroth immediately carried the wine bottle out. Moments later, he returned with an enormous crystal bottle filled with water. After pouring Kael'thas a glass, the latter drained it in one gulp. Letting out a long breath, he finally spoke again, eating as he asked, "Rommath, what is it?"

"Your Highness, His Majesty the King wishes for you to return and attend a ball. Many young ladies of noble birth will be attending, including the three sisters of the Windrunner family. This matter is very..." As Rommath reported, Astaroth carefully observed Kael'thas's expression. When the Prince stopped eating, he jabbed Rommath. The latter wisely fell silent. The Prince did not rebuke him, merely heaved a long sigh. "It is precisely because of this that our spell research has fallen behind humanity's. Rommath, we should not waste so much time on meaningless matters."

"Your Highness, what spell has captivated you so deeply? Is it a spell independently developed by Master Antonidas?" Astaroth poured water for Kael'thas. At the same time, servants quietly removed Kael'thas's cold pork chops, pastries, and fruit, replacing them with fresh food. His words quietly enlightened Kael'thas. "Your Highness, you can trade with him directly."

Kael'thas suddenly understood. Excitedly, he slapped his thigh, sending the freshly served pork chop flying onto the floor. The servants beside him hurried forward, intending to clean it up, but Kael'thas casually speared it with his fork and put it into his mouth. "How did I not think of that? I don't have to trade with Antonidas at all. Wouldn't it be better to go directly to Lister?"

"Lister?" Rommath's eyes widened. "A spell he independently developed?"

"I sought out Master Antonidas because Lister had asked him about matters concerning the development of this spell. I thought I could deduce this new spell through those key points, but in truth, his genius far exceeds my imagination. It is simply..." For the first time, Kael'thas offered heartfelt praise. "Inconceivable."

"Astaroth, write a letter in my name inviting Lister to tonight's banquet. Deliver it to him personally." Kael'thas looked at his closest assistants. "Rommath, go prepare the ingredients for tonight. Be as thorough as possible. I'm not entirely sure of his tastes, so we must not slight our guest. Also, go to the shops and replenish my spell materials. This experiment will continue for a long time. I do not want anything to disturb our guest during that time."