Sovereign of the Ashes

“My lord, you’re finally here!”

“Save us, my lord!”

“My lord, those damn birds are about to destroy our moss field!”

“My lord, ...!”

A cacophony of voices erupted from the inhabitants who had gathered before Sein.

Despite their hunched postures and peculiar odor, Sein could discern that none of them could be older than forty.

In Mystralora City, it was rare for humans to surpass the age of forty.

The scarcity of food and harsh living conditions typically led to shorter lifespans, with most humans in Mystralora City not living past the age of thirty-five.

It was the hardships these people faced in their daily lives that had prematurely aged them.

Despite the presence of powerful beings like the black mages, it was undeniable that, in terms of constitution, humans were still somewhat inferior to the underground demihumans who had thrived in the Underworld for generations, not to mention the dark creatures that roamed these depths.

“Calm down! Tell me where the Green Plumes are,” Sein commanded firmly.

Although his voice was not particularly loud, his words sent shivers through the small group of humans and immediately silenced them.

One of the stronger-looking men eventually mustered his courage and pointed toward a distant area.

“My lord, the birds are right over there. There are about twenty to thirty of them in the flock, and it seems they’ve already built a nest there.”

Sein followed the direction indicated by the man and gazed into the distance, where he saw a barren area that had probably once been covered in moss.

It appeared that the Green Plumes had already devoured all the moss in that region, which explained the urgency of the inhabitants here.

Sein was currently wearing the Pale Mask, so none of the inhabitants could see his expression or his face.

The innate fear that ordinary humans had for black mages also deterred them from scrutinizing Sein.

If their families’ survival for the year did not hinge on the moss in Griseo Valley, they might not have had the audacity to speak to Sein so informally.

Griseo Valley was vast and most of the land here was covered by cultivated moss.

Most of the inhabitants had left this place due to the Green Plumes. Only a small group of people remained, anxiously awaiting assistance from the Black Magic Academy.

Without Sein’s intervention, or the involvement of other initiates, Mystralora City might have faced starvation, leading to the death of hundreds, perhaps even thousands of residents this year.

Starvation was a grim reality in the Underworld.

The humans of Mystralora City were considered more compassionate than many. Even in the direst of famines, they never resorted to cannibalism, a practice observed by some underground demihumans who would consume their elderly in such circumstances.

“Go and light some torches, get them ready around here. If any Green Plumes flee in the opposite direction later, just throw the torches at them,” Sein instructed a few of the inhabitants around him before making his way toward the barren field.

Upon reaching a slightly elevated position on the barren field, the faint chirping of the Green Plumes reached his ears.

Despite their bird-like appearance, Green Plumes were incapable of flight.

They walked on two legs and could glide briefly after leaping from high places.

Sein’s basic magic equipment, the Pale Mask, granted him relatively clear vision, even in the dark underground.

His superior focus and sharp intellect enabled him to quickly count twenty-six Green Plumes scattered across the barren field before him.

The poor eyesight of magic beasts and dark creatures inhabiting the Underworld was often compensated by their keen senses of smell and perception.

Due to Sein’s elevated position and his black robe that could partially mask his scent, the Green Plumes remained oblivious to his presence.

“Tsk, I knew it. There’s a king among them. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have migrated near Mystralora City. Nonetheless, the overall strength of these Green Plumes doesn’t appear to be overly formidable. It’s likely they separated from a larger colony,” Sein assessed.

Sein had learned about Green Plumes in one of the basic public classes at the academy.

They were described as magic creatures that typically lived in groups, and were often kept as pets by mages for collecting basic magic ingredients in large quantities.

Some mages even specialized in raising Green Plumes, though not in Mystralora City.

This was because basic magical ingredients were primarily beneficial for initiates but held little value for full-fledged black mages, so most did not bother to invest time or effort in raising these creatures.

Certain underground demihuman tribes, however, were skilled in breeding and taming Green Plumes, as well as other magic beasts.

Among the twenty-six adult Green Plumes, twenty-five possessed the strength of magic creatures, whereas the King Green Plume was as powerful as a low-level magic beast.

This meant the King Green Plume was a force to be reckoned with, considering its transformation into a magic beast likely granted it an innate spell.

Apart from these twenty-six adult Green Plumes, Sein also detected faint, sharp chirping further down the moss field.

It was a sign of younger Green Plumes, but those fledglings posed little threat in terms of combat abilities.

Sein could not help but wonder if there were Green Plume eggs in the nest. They could add to his harvest from this quest.

When Sein surveyed the situation in the moss field, he noticed that the inhabitants he had instructed had already positioned torches around the perimeter.

In the generally dark Underworld, Mystralora City relied on the glow of a trail of lumenstones on the rocky ceiling above the city for its primary source of light. Most other regions remained shrouded in darkness.

Hence, torches served as an effective deterrent against common underground stray beasts or magic creatures, but it was unwise to keep them burning for extended periods.

Unless these inhabitants were as powerful as the forces in Mystralora City, keeping the torches lit for an extended period would only draw the attention of powerful magic beasts and solitary dark creatures.

Sein was confident that this battle would be over shortly. The torches served not only to repel the Green Plumes but also to minimize losses among the inhabitants and protect their moss fields.

At sixteen years old, Sein still retained a conscience and a sense of morality that some older initiates with years of experience seemed to lack.

In such circumstances, the older initiates would probably have considered using the inhabitants as bait instead.

Green Plumes were omnivorous creatures and, besides moss, they feasted on meat, especially carrion.

Nonetheless, their favorite food was the sweet berries that Sein had acquired from Bousse before he left Mystralora City.

Holding his breath, Sein slowly moved forward and stealthily scattered iron phosphate powder at specific locations. He also partially buried the sweet berries in the soil.