Back in Dalaran, Jaina's feelings remained conflicted. Standing atop the city's tallest Magic Tower, she was still thinking about her teacher's words.
"There was no choice?" That was the answer her teacher had given her, but where did the answer for her own kingdom lie? Could they make the nobles surrender their power? Bitterness welled up in Jaina's heart as she compared their people with those living under the Holy Church.
Looking back now, Jaina suddenly realized how unreasonable the lives of the commoners she had once taken for granted in her kingdom truly were. They lived the hardest, most exhausting lives, yet they were also the least happy. How could the world work that way?
Kindhearted Jaina could not help questioning it, but before she could untangle those complicated questions, an urgent letter was delivered into her hands.
Puzzled, Jaina opened the envelope. When she read its contents, her quiet expression instantly gave way to horror.
"How could this be! How could Arthas do something like this!" Jaina trembled as she stared at the bloodstained envelope in her hands.
Three days earlier, in Lordaeron, Arthas had finally reached the plague-stricken city of Stratholme after rushing there. The situation inside was utterly dire. Crazed commoners were biting their fellow citizens everywhere, devouring human flesh. The entire city looked as terrifying as if the end of the world had descended upon it.
Arthas had initially thought it was an ordinary plague. But after the knights accompanying him restrained the maddened commoners and the priests' Healing Technique proved ineffective, he had no choice but to kill his own kingdom's people, despite the pain it caused him. Only after finally clearing out the plague-infected commoners who had swarmed them upon their arrival did they find the few remaining survivors.
Yet over the following