Sewers

Archmage Rommath paced back and forth inside the Sunfury Tower. This was utterly absurd; the future crown prince of Quel'Thalas had vanished in full view of everyone, and not through kidnapping, but by running away on his own.

Belorell was only twelve years old, just a child, yet he managed to drug his guards with a sleeping potion and escape through the portal to Dalaran, thus avoiding everyone's sight.

A full day has passed since the accident, and the Regent has not yet returned, meaning that Belorell is still "at large".

"That little guy should be locked up. He has no idea how shameful it is for a kingdom to lose its heir," Rommath complained, then he heard someone reply to him.

"What kingdom would imprison its own crown prince?"

The Archmage looked up and saw Lor'themar approaching. He couldn't understand why anyone could remain so calm.

"It seems the Regent's son is quite clever; he hasn't been found yet."

"He's using his intelligence in the wrong way," Rommath said, turning around. The mocking look on Lor'themar's face only made him angrier.

Lor'themar nodded in agreement. "Perhaps we should think about why Belorell sneaked away. There might be some reason behind it."

"Wasn't this something the Regent ordered you to investigate?" Rommath retorted.

The Ranger-Lord shook his head regretfully, "Unfortunately, I found nothing. I searched Belorell's room thoroughly but found no clues."

"This is truly terrible," the Archmage said gravely. The lack of discovery meant there was no way to ascertain Belorell's whereabouts. Where was he going? What was he planning to do? If word got out, it would inevitably cause widespread panic in Quel'Thalas. Some with malicious intent might even find Belorell before they could and use him to threaten the Blood Elf.

"Still haven't found it?" Alleria asked the Ranger-Captain who were returning one after another.

The regent was on the verge of exploding, and no one wanted to be the one to ignite the powder keg, but they had really tried their best.

"This is impossible! He must be here. I am his mother. I can sense him."

Vareesa looked at Alleria, unable to comprehend her sister's feelings. As the Windrunner family's closest relative and the person closest to her, only Vareesa truly understood how much Alleria loved her children. The Regent had also said she would entrust an absolutely powerful Quel'Thalas to Belorell.

"Aren't there any places like the Magus Commerce Exchange or Dusk Square, which are the easiest to hide in?"

The Ranger-Captain responsible for searching the two areas shook their heads in unison.

Alleria closed her eyes, her face pale, and her breathing became heavy.

"Sister?" Vareesa called softly, a sudden thought striking her when she heard the name Dusk Square. Alleria didn't respond unless someone could tell her the answer to her question—where was her child?

"Sylvanas's territory is right next to Dusk Square. Could Belorell have gone there?"

The Argent Dawn? Alleria opened her eyes. Indeed, the Argent Dawn was the only one in all of Dalaran, but it belonged to the Alliance, and its members were all Elf. Alleria believed that no matter how mischievous her son was, he would never join the opposing faction.

"He doesn't know how. I taught him to recognize the Alliance and Horde faction flags. He can't go near the Alliance flag."

Vareesa nodded thoughtfully. "Then there's only one place left."

"Where?"

"Below Dalaran — the Sewers, that's the only place we haven't searched yet."

Upon hearing her sister mention the Sewers, Alleria's beautiful eyebrows furrowed slightly, a sense of resistance rising within her, though she didn't object. She had long heard of Dalaran's Sewers; they were practically an underground black market, a place teeming with all sorts of people.

"Then let's find someone familiar with the Sewers to be our guide, and then search carefully."

The Blood Elf entered the Sewers entrance without any hindrance. Surprisingly, the Regent and the Ranger-General decided to come in person. Rhonin, the ruler of Dalaran, initially thought the Sin'dorei Dalaran and demanded they leave, stating that the magical city was not an orphanage for wild children. However, after Aethas's persuasion, he finally allowed these distinguished guests to stay for another hour.

With only one hour, searching the entire Sewers wouldn't be easy. Alleria figured this was the last bit of time she could spend in Dalaran, so there was no need to keep hiding it. She and Vareesa changed into Ranger attire and, led by a Dalaran mage, entered the Sewers.

The Regent disliked this place intensely. At first, she thought it was the environment that made her uncomfortable, but as she stepped inside, she remembered something: many years ago, Orgrim, the Great Chief of the Old Horde, had escaped through the Sewers of Lordaeron. She recalled the Sewers as a chaotic place, teeming with black market traders, criminals, and vagrants. Alleria thought of her child, who had always lived in the sunlight; did he really want to come to such a place? What if something happened to him here...? The Regent prayed that it wouldn't happen.

"Why doesn't the Kirin Tor Council restrict this place?" Vareesa asked the mage who was leading the way.

"The Sewers were once a prison, Ranger-General where your Prince was once held."

Vareesa was stopped by her sister before she could even get angry. She gave Alleria a wink, then noticed that the mage leading the way was human. The Ranger-General wondered if this was something Rhonin had deliberately arranged. Although Dalaran was nominally a neutral city, it was obvious to everyone that they were more aligned with the Alliance. Their sarcastic remarks were inevitable.

"Thank you for reminding me," Alleria said. "Now I'm relieved, because this prison can't stop the Will of the Sin'dorei."

It is true that Kael'thas was imprisoned here, but he managed to escape, albeit under strict human surveillance.

"On this matter, Archmage Rhonin once issued an order forbidding the Blood Elf from entering this place, in order to prevent you from forming a cooperative relationship with some evil entity again."

"Enough is enough!" Vareesa roared. Someone was actually bringing up Kael'thas's past to criticize the Blood Elf. Outsiders had no idea the immense price the Sin'dorei had paid to fight Prince Sunstrider. "If you don't want to lead the way, then get lost."

The mage stopped, turning his head slightly to look at the enraged Ranger-General. Hidden behind his Dalaran mage mask, his expression remained impenetrable; only his tone revealed his attitude. "My brother died during Kael'thas's prison break. He didn't stand in your Prince's way; he was merely responsible for guarding some supplies stored in the prison. And then, do you know what your Prince did?"