Sovereign of the Ashes

Initially, Sein was very unused to the lifestyle of a young master in Grantt Castle.

As time passed, he gradually became accustomed to it.

Every morning, a group of ten youthful female servants dressed in maid attire would enter Sein’s room to wake him up and assist him with his morning routine.

Earl Grantt had specifically arranged these beautiful maidens to attend to Sein, providing him with a treatment that set him apart from the others within the castle.

In contrast, Sein’s younger brother, Solon, had only two maids catering to his needs.

Sein was not a knight, he did not have to rise early for training regimen like most in the earl’s castle.

Although Sein perceived Solon as an incapable boy with a pretty face, he had to admit that his younger half-brother was better than the other noble youths.

Solon diligently followed Earl Grantt to the castle’s training ground each day before sunrise, honing his combat skills and strengthening his battle qi.

As an intermediate squire, Solon possessed superior battle qi and physical strength compared to peers of his age.

The only aspect he lacked was practical warfare experience.

Earl Grantt’s recent activities and disclosed information hinted at the prospect of war and strategic preparations.

With the escalating tension between the Zephyr Kingdom and the Ohrque Empire, it was only a matter of time before the Lysian Alliance mobilized its forces.

Being a Quasi-Knight, Earl Grantt undoubtedly held a crucial role in the Lysian Military.

Although he might not necessarily go into a battle himself, he was one of the battlefield commanders.

Now that Solon was an adult, it was highly likely that he would accompany his father to the battlefield.

Being a senior initiate suspected to have a Rank Two mage as his mentor, Sein gained crucial secrets into the impending wars from Earl Grantt.

Despite the shocking revelations about the wars, Sein remained reticent about the fallen soldiers from various nations and the considerable damage inflicted on civilian populations.

Sein’s mindset retained its essence as a black magic initiate.

He was not a benevolent saint. Although he had a moral compass, he did not readily extend his kindness to everyone.

The world was vast, and Sein could not attend to so many matters. It was enough for him to be able to look after himself and those around him.

The loud voices of the squires during their morning training were the first signs of activity in the early morning at the earl’s castle.

Earl Grantt was initially worried that the noises of the knight’s training might disturb Sein.

His worries were put to rest when he noticed the crystal lamps in Sein’s room occasionally lighting up earlier than the start of training sessions.

Early morning was when mental clarity was at its peak.

Although the concept of day and night did not really exist in the Black Magic Academy, Sein followed a routine.

After the attentive care of his maids, Sein walked to the window, holding a glass of green juice he had concocted himself.

His room was located on the highest floor of the earl’s castle, in a structure which resembled a spire.

As soon as Sein laid eyes on it, he promptly requested Earl Grantt to allocate it as his personal quarters.

The spire reminded him of the Black Magic Academy.

Although there were no magic inscriptions in the room, Sein found comfort in its cozy ambience.

The interior of the spire was spacious, and Sein stayed in the room on the fifth floor most of the time.

He had repurposed the third and fourth floors into his personal laboratory, alchemy workshop, and meditation room.

The ground and second floors, directly connected to the earl’s castle, were the living quarters for most of the maids serving Sein.

The magic books recently provided by Earl Grantt were also kept on these floors.

Although Earl Grantt referred to them as magic books, their contents were relatively basic.

It appeared that, aside from Sein, there had not been a high-ranking mage in the family’s history. House Grantt was predominantly a noble knight house.

The quality of the content in most of those magic books was only comparable to the Field Guide Sein had acquired in Berthold City.

There were a few containing spell models, but those spells were of no use to Sein. They were either not useful or merely magic tricks that could not even qualify as basic magic spells.

Sein flipped through those magic books but spent most of his time reading non-magic books chronicling the histories of the Lysian Alliance’s neighboring nations.

The content of those books allowed Sein to acquire an understanding of the geopolitical landscape surrounding the Lysian Alliance.

To the west lay the Zephyr Kingdom, the north was occupied by the Ohrque Empire, and volcanic expanses stretched to the east.

Beyond the Zephyr Kingdom and the Ohrque Empire, numerous human nations existed, though their interactions with the Lysian Alliance and its two neighboring nations were limited to only commercial trade.

On top of that, wars among these human nations were unheard of.

The Lysian Alliance was founded nearly five thousand years for the Lysian Alliance, while the Ohrque Empire and the Zephyr Kingdom boasted even older legacies, each with a history exceeding ten thousand years.

The Zephyr Kingdom, once an empire, had declined over time, with much of its imperial history lost to the ages.

During his stay at the earl’s castle, Sein initially immersed himself in books.

After gaining insights into neighboring nations and their cultures, as well as acquiring a few practical magic tricks, Sein shifted his focus to experimental research and the study of advanced spell models.

Earl Grantt promptly fulfilled his promise of fifty thousand gold coins, which was a considerable sum.

With these funds, Sein swiftly requested the earl to invest them in acquiring experimental equipment and related materials through his connections.

Although common items like beakers and test tubes were easily obtainable, the substantial amount of gold coins allowed Sein to procure top-quality goods.

The true challenge lay in obtaining magic raw materials and organs of magic beasts that Sein required.

Earl Grantt not only invested a significant amount of money to acquire those items but also sought the assistance of the mercenary guilds in the Lysian Alliance.

Had it not been for the looming war, Earl Grantt might have led a group of knights to try their luck in the Magic Beast Forest within the Lysian Alliance.

This venture would not only serve as good training for his knights but also collect useful items for Sein’s experiments, effectively killing two birds with one stone.

Sein, now with support from his family and a dedicated group of individuals, observed a stark contrast from his past solitary explorations.

However, he did not solely rely on House Grantt.

Although Sein kept his remarkable stash of Rank Two energy crystals hidden, he often used intermediate energy crystals in his laboratory, claiming to have received them from his imaginary Rank Two mentor.

Earl Grantt was surprised upon learning about the presence of a Rank One energy crystal in Sein’s possession.

Sein did not flaunt the Rank One pyro-attribute energy crystal merely for show; he utilized it to enhance his meditation and mana accumulation.

During this period, Sein also delved into advanced magic spells and alchemy.

The squires in earl’s castle dedicated themselves to rigorous training every day.

Likewise, Second Young Master Solon was drenched in sweat on the training ground every day.

Sein remained equally occupied with his studies and experiments.