Just as the two were about to close the distance between them completely, a timid voice came from behind, interrupting the romantic atmosphere budding between them.
Startled out of the moment, Alleria let go of Charlemagne's hand at once and bounded through the woods like a fawn, quickly vanishing from sight. But as her figure disappeared, he could still see that her pointed ears had turned bright red.
"Lor'themar... so you were here?"
Charlemagne looked constipated as he stared at his younger brother behind him, whose expression said, "Did I interrupt something?"
"I've been here the whole time, you know... please don't ignore me like that."
As expected of A-Qiang. With that stealth ability, he'd have a brighter future as a rogue than a ranger...
Lor'themar Theron. In Charlemagne's memories, this elf, who had inherited the position of Ranger-General after Sylvanas's death, became Regent of Quel'Thalas when Prince Kael'thas followed Illidan Stormrage to Outland.
After a series of death-courting acts, Kael'thas was eventually defeated. Although A-Qiang still held the title of regent, he had effectively become the supreme leader of the Kingdom of Quel'Thalas, whose people had renamed themselves Blood Elves.
Together with his former deputy, Halduron Brightwing, who subsequently succeeded him as Ranger-General, and Archmage Rommath, he formed a new Silvermoon Council, jointly governing the entire kingdom.
But the Lor'themar of the present was still an inexperienced young man. Having only recently reached adulthood, he had not yet lost an eye and naturally did not wear that signature black eyepatch.
"Big brother, when exactly are you and Alleria going to officially start dating? Watching you two these past few years has made even me impatient."
"...None of your business. Besides, if you hadn't interrupted just now, I might have already succeeded. How do you have the nerve to ask?"
Even when his older brother had still been mentally impaired, Lor'themar had never shunned him. Together with their parents, he had cared for Charlemagne, and they had been a happy family.
After their parents passed away and the mentally impaired young elf fully regained his senses, the brothers' relationship naturally became even closer.
Through Charlemagne's arrangements, Lor'themar, who had previously been feeling his own way forward using the training methods their father had left behind, also joined Lireesa's training.
The progress one could make under instruction was naturally worlds apart from blindly practicing alone. Although he could not match his older brother Charlemagne's rapid progress or Alleria's higher starting point, Lor'themar's down-to-earth nature allowed his strength to grow steadily.
But this fellow had one major flaw... his presence was far too faint.
Even Lireesa, an alert Ranger-General, would sometimes forget he was there if she let her attention slip. Alleria, who trained alongside him, had also remarked more than once that Lor'themar should have chosen to become a rogue rather than a ranger.
Yet Lor'themar, who had received ranger training since childhood, did not want to give up halfway. Although the real world of Azeroth had no class restrictions, a person's energy was ultimately limited.
"Rather than being mediocre at everything, I'd rather specialize in one thing. At least until I break through to heroic rank, I don't plan to train in another class."
Although Lor'themar's steady nature sometimes caused him to miss good opportunities, it at least kept him from going astray. Since he had already made his decision, Charlemagne, as his older brother, would not force him to go against his wishes.
Besides, judging by history, A-Qiang seemed to have achieved quite impressive results as a ranger in the end.
It was worth mentioning that the three of them were not the only ones training under Lireesa. Alleria's younger sisters, Sylvanas and Vereesa, and her youngest brother, Lirath, also joined them.
But compared with her older sister Alleria, who was already at the upper level of intermediate rank, and Charlemagne, whose rapid progress had brought him to the same level, Vereesa, the youngest of the three sisters, had only just barely entered intermediate rank. She could not even match Lor'themar, who had already firmly established himself at the middle level of intermediate rank, and was currently being kept behind by their mother for extra lessons.
Lirath was even younger than Vereesa. Not yet an adult, he was still at the introductory stage and received particular attention from their mother.
As for Sylvanas... although her strength was not far behind Alleria's, she had already been designated to inherit the position of Ranger-General, so she also had to learn some administrative work from their mother. She had stayed behind as well, along with her younger brother and sister.
According to Lireesa, their mentor and adoptive mother, all class practitioners were divided into five ranks: elementary, intermediate, advanced, and then heroic and epic.
Of course, before elementary rank, there was also an apprentice stage. However, practitioners at this stage could change classes at any time according to their own strengths, so it was not included in the formal divisions of strength.
As far as Lireesa, a heroic-rank ranger, knew, practitioners of her own rank were already exceedingly rare. In all of Quel'Thalas, only the current king, Anasterian, had reached epic rank, and owing to his age, declining health, and long preoccupation with affairs of state, he seemed to be among the weakest within that rank.
The Silvermoon Council, meanwhile, consisted entirely of heroic-rank mages, meaning seventh- to eighth-circle mages.
The first and second circles corresponded to elementary rank, the third and fourth to intermediate rank, and fifth- to sixth-circle mages had already reached advanced rank, forming the backbone of the entire nation. The seventh and eighth circles allowed advancement to heroic rank, while the ninth circle was epic rank, the limit of mortals.
Prince Kael'thas, who was said to be quite young at not even a thousand years old, was already a seventh-circle mage. Even among the High Elves, who produced a wealth of talented mages, he was considered a genius.
But when Charlemagne heard Lireesa's description, he discreetly curled his lip.
The High Elves had been cut off from the outside world for far too long. The only other race they could learn anything about was the Amani Trolls, who currently occupied a corner of Eversong Woods.
Although he did not know the precise point in time the world of Azeroth had reached, Charlemagne had formed a rough guess after asking about the names of the kings of Lordaeron, Gilneas, and the Kingdom of Stormwind to the south.
Terenas, Genn, and Llane? All three are in their prime. That means there should be fifteen or twenty years at most before the Dark Portal opens. Then the Orcs, with their many heroic- and epic-rank warriors, will invade our world...
At present, the fallen Guardian Medivh was still asleep. Once he awoke, he would begin plotting to have Gul'dan lead the Orcs in an invasion of Azeroth.
Charlemagne had also been paying close attention to news of Medivh. After all, it concerned a crucial point in time. As soon as Medivh awoke, it would mean he did not have much time left.
That evening, when Lireesa returned to Windrunner Village, Charlemagne received an important piece of news from his mentor.
"Although I don't know why you're so interested in the human kingdoms to the south, His Majesty the Sun King received an invitation from the Kingdom of Stormwind today. Their little prince has been born, and they've named him Varian Wrynn."
At his mentor's words, Charlemagne's whole body jolted.
King Wa has been born. That means... the Orcs will invade in about ten years. Time waits for no one...
(End of chapter)