Sovereign of the Ashes

After tidying up the laboratory, Sein trudged wearily toward the dormitory building.

Over the past few days, Sein had been immersed in experiments with Master Morsidor, which had turned his day into night.

Although he was done for the day, the day had just started in the academy.

As groups of initiates walked by Sein, they wisely stayed out of his way when they took notice of the white mask he wore and the aura of calm he projected.

The reverence in their gaze demonstrated how well they had adapted to life in the Black Magic Academy.

In the past three years, there had only been two more groups of initiates sent to the academy.

However, with each new batch, the number of initiates continued to dwindle.

The most recent batch, arriving just last year, consisted of only around fifty qualified fresh initiates.

Perhaps because of the reduced intake of new initiates, the full-fledged black mages at the academy had become more adept at managing their tempers during public classes.

They were no longer as quick to vent their frustration by punishing the weaker initiates.

At times, Sein found himself thinking that these new initiates had been rather fortunate.

A decade ago, when Sein first arrived at Gloomhaven, the high fatality and injury rates among initiates would have been utterly despair-inducing.

Sein learned from Master Morsidor that in recent years, the academy had managed to reduce the death and injury rate to approximately thirty percent, possibly influenced by Vice Dean Dedaelon.

If it were not for mages like Master Collance, who had grown indifferent to the value of life and often resorted to harsh measures against the less talented or disobedient initiates, the casualty rate might have been even lower.

Still, no matter how low the casualty rate was, there were unfortunate initiates who lost their lives every day, and Master Collance never had a shortage of fresh specimens for his anatomy classes.

Most of these specimens had likely been initiates attending his classes just the day before.

This grim reality had made the initiates increasingly cautious as they adapted to life within the academy.

By the time Sein reached the White Raven Forest in front of the dormitory building, there were hardly any fresh or junior initiates around him.

The mandatory classes at the academy were about to begin, and not a single initiate dared to be late. Not a single one.

When Sein reached the White Raven Forest, he diverged from the road and ventured straight into the forest instead of returning to his dormitory.

The White Raven Forest was vast and extensive, earning its title as the largest forest within the Black Magic Academy.

The diversity of trees and plants here was not as extensive as in the plantation, but it was a home for unique vegetation and small creatures.

Sein had collected over fifty types of animal specimens and more than two hundred plant specimens, with one-third originating from White Raven Forest.

Sein could be considered a regular visitor to White Raven Forest.

Entering the dense White Raven Forest, which seemed to lack any defined paths, Sein continued his journey to the east.

His destination was a massive canopy situated on the eastern side of the White Raven Forest.

The entire forest exuded tranquility, with only faint chirps from insects and birds breaking the silence.

Its serene ambience had the power to soothe even an irritable soul.

The forest stood in stark contrast to the tension and dangers that permeated the Black Magic Academy.

Initiates on the upper floors of the dormitory building could only see a dense forest and towering canopy when they looked out of their windows.

Unbeknownst to them, a haven of tranquility and beauty thrived beneath the tree canopy.

The harsh and perilous atmosphere of the academy dissuaded initiates, particularly those at lower ranks, from exploring the forest.

Intermediate initiates and above understood that the White Raven Forest belonged to the academy overseers and refrained from intruding.

Sein, on the other hand, frequently visited White Raven Forest for all sorts of reasons.

Of course, each time he came, he brought gifts.

“Seven, I’ve arrived!” Sein called out to the massive canopy, which stood nearly thirty meters tall in front of him.

With a flutter of wings, a half-human-sized owl quickly appeared before him.

Sein and this academy overseer had first crossed paths over four years ago, and in that time, they had developed a strong friendship.

As friends, they had a general understanding of each other’s circumstances.

The owl openly disclosed its strength, confirming that it was a quasi-ranked magic beast, which implied that its strength was comparable to Zorro’s.

Quasi-ranked magic beasts were creatures mightier than high-level magic beasts but still inferior to full-fledged mages.

It was also from Seven that Sein learned that among the magic beasts, the existences strong enough to match the strength of the full-fledged black mages were known as “ranked magic beasts”.

However, these kinds of magic beasts were not very common in Gloomhaven.

Several decades ago, a handful of ranked magic beasts roamed the Underworld near Mystralora City.

Unfortunately, their luck ran out when they encountered a group of ruthless and more powerful black mages.

The formidable black mages decimated them, along with the high-level and quasi-ranked magic beasts.

There were rumors that underground demihuman experts with strength comparable to full-fledged black mages once inhabited the area, but they, too, met a bloody end at the hands of these black mages.

The Mystralora City was established amid this exchange of blood and fire, and much of the blood that had long since dried on the city walls was left over from that time.

Through Seven’s stories, Sein could vividly picture the relentless charge of demihumans and the onslaught of magic beasts. Yet, they all succumbed to the formidable elemental power wielded by the black mages.

It was this overwhelming power that secured Mystralora City’s status as the hub of Gloomhaven.

This piece of historical information provided Sein with a rough understanding of Mystralora City’s history and the time when the group of black mages arrived in the Underworld.

Sein was also curious about Seven’s exact age.

Unlike Faye, who considered the topic of age a taboo, Seven had no reservations.

It was 137 years old, a relatively young age for a member of its clan. Magic beasts typically had longer lifespans and more robust physiques than humans.

The name “Seven” came from his position as the seventh in its generation of owls.

Sein inquired about the total number of academy overseers in the Black Magic Academy and the identity of Seven’s oldest blood relative.

However, these questions remained unanswered, as it appeared that they pertained to the academy’s confidential secrets, which were strictly prohibited from being disclosed.