Chapter 90


    Aunt Helna was delighted, happier than she’d been in eight years, but even as she smiled, tears


    would involuntarily fill her eyes.


    Oda was even happier, casting aside all worries and fatigue, and gazing at vin with rapt


    attention, eager to hear everything.


    They introduced vin to the rtives in the room, as well as those outside, who had all changed


    so much they were nearly unrecognizable. Some were former maids of the keep, and the years of


    turmoil had brought them closer, supporting and encouraging one another, and never giving up on


    or harming each other.


    This small courtyard was just for the womenfolk; the Mallister men resided with Lucan in arger


    compound, a good distance away.


    Lucan arranged for two guards to notify them and specifically instructed them to bring only a few


    people and to keep their arrival quiet.


    Not long after, several elders arrived in haste, their eyes brimming with tears as they looked upon


    vin, unable to control their emotions.


    But many loved ones from vin’s memories did note; they had passed away during the eight


    years of sorrow, their lives imed by grief. Those who dide were so aged that they were


    barely recognizable.


    The small courtyard had never been so lively, nor had it ever been touched with such warmth and


    emotion. In the dimly lit room, where candles flickered, kinfolk surrounded vin, their concerns for


    him endless.


    vin looked upon the faces of his kin with a smile, but his heart was bitter and astringent.


    Everyone had grown so old, so different from his memories, both foreign and familiar.


    “vin, must you leave at dawn?” Oda clutched vin’s hand, not wanting to let go.


    “I shall return soon,” vin forced a cheerful smile.


    “Don’t go on any more adventures; we are all well. You needn’t worry,” Aunt Helna said, even as her


    hand clung tight to vin, her eyes unwilling to leave him for a moment.


    Before dawn, vin and Lucan stood in a corner of a mining camp, observing the bustling crowd in


    the distance. vin was silent, his face void of expression.


    Lucan sighed softly. “The Azure Mountain Ore Mine will onlyst another half year at most. After


    that, we’ll have to relocate to the distant Mythic Boulder Valley. It will be a brand-new mining area,


    but the conditions there are harsher than here.”


    “No one will go to Mythic Boulder Valley! Within half a year, I must establish a foothold at Cobalt


    Strike.”


    “My lord, you have proven your talent by advancing your spirit through effort and reaching Novice


    Mage Stage VI in such a short time. If you leave Cobalt Strike, other organizations will surely


    nurture you with care, offering better resources and superior Combat Magic. Heed my advice; leave


    Cobalt Strike behind for good, stay far from here, and do not let its troubles ensnare you again.”


    vin shook his head. “I will not go anywhere else. I belong at Cobalt Strike.”


    Without parents, he was the hope of the Mallister family, the lord of Stormcast Keep. It was his duty


    to protect his people and his kin.


    Staying at Cobalt Strike meant challenging the Grand Elder, which gave him a chance to save


    Stormcast. But leaving Cobalt Strike meant striking the entire faction to save his loved ones from


    peril. Who could help him oppose Cobalt Strike? It was impossible!


    “The more you shine, the more the Grand Elder will suppress you. You’ve finally reached the Novice


    Mage rank, and I would hate to see him destroy you,” Lucan said, looking at the defiant vin with


    a pang ofpassion.


    “I will take care of myself. Lucan, but there’s something I don’t understand. What was in the tribute


    that Stormcast sent to Cobalt Strike that year? Did the Grand Elder choose to punish the entire city


    all because the tribute was ambushed?”


    Cobalt Strike was a powerful organization in the Nortnds, not only reigning over Cloudveil Woods


    but also over the five ancient cities around the forest, each ruled by a nominal Elder of Cobalt Strike


    who sent a hefty tribute each year.


    Stormcast was one of those ancient cities, dutifully offering tribute at a set time each year. However,


    eight years ago, the tribute was ambushed deep within Cloudveil Woods while being escorted by


    three hundred mighty mages handpicked by vin’s parents. The tribute vanished, and his parents


    and mages disappeared, leaving behind only blood and the chaos of battle.


    Normally, Cobalt Strike would investigate the theft and soothe Stormcast. But instead, the


    organization reacted with fury. The Grand Elder himself descended upon Stormcast Keep, issuing a


    cruel decree of punishment.


    ? 2024 N?v/el/Dram/a.Org.


    Lucan pondered for a moment. “I don’t know the specifics, but I remember a few days before the


    incident, the Grand Elder of Cobalt Strike visited the keep to discuss something with the lord. In the


    following days, the lord left to retrieve something. I suspect that this mysterious item was hidden


    within that year’s tribute.


    “When the tribute was suddenly stolen, the lord anddy, along with the three hundred mages, all


    disappeared. The Grand Elder might have suspected the lord of stealing the mysterious item and


    assumed that they might all still be alive. That’s why he’s been in a rage for eight years, and is using


    the suffering of the Mallister family and Stormcast to coax them out.”