When Jaina and Arthas, who had been nowhere to be seen since the afternoon, walked in chatting and laughing, Aaron was sitting close beside Rhonin, watching the nobles of Lordaeron crowd around Kael'thas and Vereesa, fawning over them.
Kael'thas had been the most popular at first. Although this mission had little to do with the High Elf prince, he was, after all, the highest-ranking of the four.
In the eyes of Lordaeron's nobles, Rhonin was merely an ordinary mage. And since ordinary people saw mages as a bunch of oddballs, naturally no one approached him.
Aaron went without saying. Judging by his age, he was no more than a Paladin's squire, since people generally had to reach adulthood before becoming full knights of the Silver Hand. Besides, no one had heard of Aaron being the child of any noble family, so these nobles, with their lofty opinions of themselves, rarely approached him.
Of course, there was no need to mention that Aaron was not even a knight's squire.
Vereesa, on the other hand, received noticeably more attention once the nobles learned that she was the youngest sister of the renowned Alleria and the ranger-general of Quel'Thalas. The Windrunner family certainly counted among Quel'Thalas's distinguished houses.
Watching the nobles crowd around Kael'thas and Vereesa under the pretext of greeting them, leaving no room to move, Aaron simply got up to make room for them and sat down beside Rhonin to chat with the mage.
Chatting with Rhonin was hardly a pleasant experience, however. Even though the two were already familiar with each other, Rhonin's tongue remained as sharp as ever, constantly leaving Aaron at a loss for words. After exchanging only a few remarks, Aaron turned his attention to the doorway, observing the guests coming and going.
After Jaina and Arthas entered, a middle-aged man with a stern expression followed closely behind.
The middle-aged man had neatly cropped hair and wore a suit of gray-blue metal armor, with a thick, leatherbound book hanging at his waist.
The man's gaze was as sharp as a blade. When he saw Aaron and noticed that Aaron was looking at him, he nodded, but the pressure in his gaze made Aaron somewhat uncomfortable.
Is this Uther? Aaron guessed at the man's identity. Presumably, this was Uther, leader of the Silver Hand and Arthas's mentor.
Terenas had already cheerfully called the three over to his side. After exchanging a few words with Jaina, he also introduced Aaron and his companions to Arthas and Uther.
After Terenas introduced Aaron's group to Uther, a smile appeared on the stern middle-aged man's face. Still, Aaron could vaguely sense the scrutiny hidden behind the gaze he directed at him.
Uther's wariness was understandable. As the current highlord of the Silver Hand, he must have investigated Aaron's background long ago. A completely blank result was even more suspicious than a disguise riddled with holes. Had Aaron not genuinely wielded the Holy Light and performed deeds that could be called heroic feats, Uther would have made his suspicions plain long ago.
Facing this leader of the Paladins, Aaron felt inexplicably guilty. He lowered his head, offered a seemingly humble reply, and said nothing more. After all, he knew absolutely nothing about this world's noble etiquette. Following the principle that saying less meant making fewer mistakes, and saying nothing meant making none, Aaron had long since decided to speak as little as possible.
As time passed, the most important guests at the banquet arrived.
Aaron watched a middle-aged man somewhat younger than Terenas walk in. Terenas had even taken the initiative to go outside and welcome him personally. Presumably, this was the old wolf, Genn Greymane.
After that, Terenas personally welcomed in a taciturn, warrior-like figure and a middle-aged man dressed as a captain, wearing a tricorne hat.
Jaina, who had been sitting beside Lordaeron's queen, immediately let out a cheer and went over when she saw the latter. The identity of someone whom Jaina, princess of Kul Tiras, treated with such affection was not hard to guess.
These must be Thoradin and Daelin. Aaron silently guessed at their identities, and thought he was probably close. But what were these kings doing here? Apart from Wrynn, who was still leading his people in rebuilding Stormwind City, and Antonidas of Dalaran, these four should be the most powerful leaders on the human side.
Aaron wondered what had brought these kings together. Surely it was not the mission his group had just completed? No matter how he looked at it, this hardly seemed like something that required four kings to discuss together.
Naturally, Aaron did not know that these kings were going to decide Alterac's future, though his group was part of the reason they had chosen today.
When the time came to send troops to wipe out the Orcs in Khaz Modan, all the nations of the Alliance would have to contribute forces. Since the kings happened to be gathered together this time, they intended to learn about the situation of the Orcs in Khaz Modan from Aaron and his companions, then decide on their next military operation.
Of course, Terenas also intended to use this opportunity to gain some control over the military forces of the Alliance nations, strengthening cooperation among them through this joint effort.
Even after the three distinguished guests were seated, Terenas still seemed to be waiting for something. Only when Calia, who had left earlier, returned did he smile. Soon afterward, however, he frowned, apparently waiting for more than just Calia.
Hmm? Who else is he waiting for? Aaron looked curiously toward Terenas, wondering whom the old king was still waiting for.
Aaron did not know whether he was imagining it, but he kept feeling that Calia looked particularly relaxed, as though she had shed some burden. Her face was full of ease, and even when Terenas sternly reprimanded her, Calia remained cheerful.
Aaron's thoughts turned, and he vaguely remembered something. Hadn't that old black dragon Deathwing once infiltrated Lordaeron's court under the alias Daval Prestor, and even become Calia's fiancé?
Since Deathwing had now slunk off to the Maelstrom to recover from his injuries, Prestor had naturally vanished. That explained Calia's behavior. Not having to marry a strange middle-aged man was naturally something well worth celebrating.
After giving a court attendant a few instructions and watching him leave the banquet hall, Terenas announced the start of the banquet. The nobles surrounding Kael'thas and Vereesa finally dispersed, allowing Aaron and Rhonin to each breathe a sigh of relief.
As a state banquet of Lordaeron, Aaron felt this meal could be called the best he had eaten since transmigrating. Although the flavors were a little peculiar, overall, the meal was delicious.
For the nobles, of course, a banquet was not simply about eating. They wanted to use the opportunity to cultivate relationships, while the food served was unimportant. Aaron and Rhonin, however, had no interest in socializing with the nobles, so they concentrated on enjoying the feast.
Although their behavior drew constant sidelong glances from the other nobles, neither cared about such things, and they simply brazened it out and kept eating.
After the banquet, the four kings left the banquet hall. A court attendant then came over to inform Aaron and his companions that the kings wanted to hear the details of their mission.
Having been invited by the kings, the four followed the attendant to a room much smaller than the banquet hall. The kings and Uther were already waiting for them there.
It seemed that the kings had already spoken before the group entered. Genn and Thoradin looked displeased, while Terenas also appeared somewhat uneasy. There was no telling what they had discussed.
Whatever the kings had been discussing, however, it had little to do with Aaron and his companions. Perhaps Rhonin and Vereesa might be sent to the battlefield by their respective affiliations once the fighting began, but preparations for this war had not even started yet, so it was too early to speak of anything else.
When the kings saw the four enter, they exchanged a few pleasantries with Kael'thas before beginning to question Aaron and the other two in earnest about the details of their mission.