Chapter 221: Chapter: 221 He is coming.

In the cold north, just 1 kilometer away from the former duke’s castle, the Indrath Empire’s army had set up their camp.

A chilly wind blew through the tents, making the soldiers shake.

They tried to warm themselves in different ways, some rubbed their hands together, some did quick exercises, and others stood close to small fires, holding out their palms to catch the heat.

Most of the soldiers were young.

They had only been here for a short time, so they were still full of energy.

They laughed, talked loudly, played cards, and told jokes to pass the time.

The camp felt alive with their voices.

But a small group of soldiers looked very different.

These men had been here since the first or second year of the war.

Their faces were not bright or happy.

Instead, they looked tired, sad, and afraid. Their eyes seemed empty, like they had seen too much.

Many of their friends were gone. Some had died in battle.

Some had run away when things got too hard.

Others left because of serious injuries and could never fight again.

The ones who stayed had their own reasons.

A few wanted to become famous and earn honor.

Some felt they could not leave their duty.

Others wanted to win the war to give meaning to the deaths of their fallen friends.

This war had lasted seven long years.

The Indrath Empire had one of the strongest armies in the world, but even they could not take control of the northern lands.

Many soldiers blamed the Zakir Empire, they kept their powerful ascendant-level fighters in the east, so the Indrath side could not bring any ascendants here.

That left them fighting with only two grandmasters against the duke’s strong defenses.

The former duke also had strange and unknown weapons that made every attack very hard and costly.

Then, fifteen days ago, good news came. A new grandmaster was on his way to join the battlefield.

Because of this, the Empire’s army stopped all attacks.

For the last twenty days, they stayed quiet in their camp. No big charges, no raids, no battles.

Everyone waited. They saved their strength and prepared their weapons.

The plan was clear: when the new grandmaster arrived, they would attack with full power and try to end this long war once and for all.

The young soldiers felt excited about the coming fight.

The old ones just stared into the fire, hoping this time things would be different.

Meanwhile, at the far edge of the camp, away from the noisy fires and the young soldiers, two men stood quietly.

Vined and his father-in-law, Duke Kamesh Sant, faced the long snowy road that led south, the same road where supplies and reinforcements always came from.

They stood with their hands behind their backs, eyes fixed on the distant horizon.

Their straight posture and calm silence showed they were waiting.

Waiting for one person: the new grandmaster. He was Vined’s son and Duke Kamesh’s grandson.

Vined broke the silence first. His voice was low, carrying a bitter smile on his lips.

“Father,” he said, “did you ever think this war would drag on long enough for him to reach the grandmaster stage?”

Duke Kamesh did not answer right away. He just looked at the empty road.

Seven years ago, when Vined’s son, Vivian, said he wanted to join the fight, Vined had refused.

At that time Vivian was only at the swordmaster level.

Vined told him clearly: “This battlefield is not for swordmasters. If you reach grandmaster, then you can come. Not before.”

Back then, Vined was sure the war would end soon.

He believed the Empire’s army, with two grandmasters already here, would crush the duke’s forces quickly.

He thought Vivian would still be training and growing stronger while the war finished.

But seven years passed.

The war refused to end. And now, the boy Vined once told to stay away had become a grandmaster himself.

Vined gave a small, tired laugh that held no joy.

“I was wrong. I thought I would finish this before he even grew strong enough. Look at us now.”

Duke Kamesh let out a long sigh. His shoulders looked heavy.

Like Vined, his eyes carried deep tiredness.

Seven years of war had taken something from both of them, sleep, hope, and many friends.

“What can we do?” Duke Kamesh said quietly. “The war wanted to last. It took what it wanted.”

He paused, then his voice became a little warmer.

“But I am proud. Very proud. My grandson has reached the grandmaster realm. After so many years… he did it.”

Vined nodded slowly.

The bitter smile stayed on his face, but something softer appeared in his eyes too.

“Yes,” he said. “He did it.”

After that, both men fell quiet again.

The only sounds were the distant crackle of campfires and the low whistle of the cold wind.

They stood like that for a while, each lost in his own thoughts, staring down the empty road.

Then Vined suddenly remembered something.

His eyes lit up, and a real laugh escaped him, small at first, then louder.

“He even got married!” Vined said, shaking his head with amusement.

“Hahaha… though it wasn’t anything official. No ceremony, no celebration, nothing. Elena wrote in the letter that he married Charlotte.”

Duke Kamesh turned his head slightly, and a small, warm smile appeared on his tired face.

“Well, your younger one didn’t fall behind either,” the duke said.

Vined laughed again, softer this time. “Well… in a way, Edward was forced into it.”

He pulled his coat tighter against the cold and continued.

The letter he got fifteen days ago came from the royal family, official business.

But there was another one tucked inside. It was from his wife. She told him everything that happened in the last month.

Vined paused, as if seeing the words again in his mind.

“After Vivian came back, from wherever he had disappeared to, he told everyone he had married Charlotte.”

“Then he heard about Edward’s situation. Count Zalan was forcing his daughter into a marriage Edward wanted no part of”

“Edward had already broken things off with Selena Harencross long before. But when Vivian learned about it, he didn’t think twice.”

“He stepped in, stopped the wedding, and somehow made sure Edward ended up with the girl instead.”

Vined gave a small shrug. “So now… both my sons are married. Just like that.”

The duke nodded slowly. “Life moves fast when you’re not looking.”

Vined let out a long sigh. He looked far down the road again, where the sky met the earth in a gray line.

“Haa…” he breathed. “I wonder how much he has grown.”

His voice dropped to almost a whisper, speaking more to himself than to the duke.

“The last time I really saw my child was seven years ago. After that, I only saw him twice, brief moments, nothing more.”

“Then he vanished again. Four whole years. No word, no sign. And now… he’s coming back as a grandmaster. Married.”

Vined’s eyes stayed on the horizon.

The tiredness was still there, deep in the lines of his face, but now something else flickered too, pride, worry and longing.

Duke Kamesh placed a hand on Vined’s shoulder for a moment.

Neither said anything more.

They simply waited, two old warriors on the edge of camp, watching the road for the son and grandson who had changed so much while the war stayed exactly the same.

For a while, they stayed like that. The heavy mood from before had lifted a little with their talk about the boys.

The cold wind still blew, but now it felt less biting.

Vined flicked his finger once. Two red apples appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

He passed one to Duke Kamesh and kept the other for himself.

“Who knows,” Vined said with a small grin, “he might tell us next that he’s going to be a father soon.”

He let out a soft chuckle and took a big bite of the apple. The crisp sound cut through the quiet night.

Duke Kamesh bit into his apple too and laughed—a short, warm sound that surprised even him.

“Well, who knows,” the duke said, chewing slowly. “He is at that age, after all. You were already a father when you were his age.”

He took another bite and lifted his eyes to look down the long road again.

The snow lay thick and untouched under the gray sky.

“Hmm?”

While chewing, the duke suddenly paused. His jaw stopped moving.

He narrowed his eyes and stared harder into the distance.

Vined, who was also chewing, felt the change at once. He stopped mid-bite and followed his father-in-law’s gaze.

The ground started to tremble, just a little at first. Tiny vibrations ran through the frozen earth.

Snow on the road shifted and slid like fine sand.

Far away, a white cloud rose up, rolling forward the way a sandstorm moves across a desert. It grew bigger with every second.

Neither man spoke. They simply watched.

Then, slowly, the same smile appeared on both their faces, quiet, proud, and a little relieved.

They didn’t need to spread their mana sense to feel it.

The pressure in the air, the way the world seemed to bow toward that coming figure, it was unmistakable.

Duke Kamesh spoke first, his voice low, almost a whisper.

“He is coming.”

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