Sovereign of the Ashes

After the intense encounter, Sein leaned against the headboard and meditated.

He had noticed that such activities often enhanced the effectiveness of his meditation sessions.

Scarlet was resting beside him, with red marks all over her body. The rigors of their recent activities appeared to have taken a greater toll on her than Sein.

After a period of silence, Sein opened his eyes and asked, “What’s your real name? Scarlet is just a code name, isn’t it?”

By then, Scarlet had regained much of her strength but chose to stay in bed.

Without opening her eyes, she responded, “Why does my real name matter? Are you planning to marry me?”

Her reply was typical of her straightforward nature, indicating she had no intention of clinging to Sein.

She was indeed a cool woman.

Sein nodded at her response. “Indeed, a name is just a label. Scarlet suits you well.”

He then shifted the conversation. “I noticed your armor is enchanted, but your greatsword isn’t. Would you like me to enhance it for you?”

Scarlet’s eyes immediately snapped open as she answered, “Sure!”

***

After a brief two-day stay in the Gypson Dukedom, Sein prepared for his return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

He left swiftly via a magic carriage, a luxury that Scarlet and her mercenary group could not afford.

Through a brief exchange, Sein learned they were headed to the neighboring Orlov Empire for work in the latter half of the year.

“Don’t get yourself killed. Who knows, we may cross paths again in the future!” Sein quipped, delivering a playful slap to Scarlet’s rear as a parting gesture.

Scarlet, conditioned by her life as a female knight, had a toned and shapely butt. Sein found himself unexpectedly enjoying the playful gesture a bit more than he had anticipated.

“Hmph, I’ll outlive you,” Scarlet retorted with a light grunt before waving him off as he boarded the carriage.

Scarlet was not accustomed to such farewells. She had previously extended an offer to Sein to join her mercenary group after he graduated from the divine tower academy, promising a modest salary of a thousand gold coins annually. However, Sein had turned down the offer.

As Sein’s carriage disappeared into the distance, Scarlet’s silhouette grew smaller.

Against the setting sun, only the warm glow of the pyro elemental energy imbued in her greatsword could be seen.

The journey back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was uneventful for Sein.

The quest had unfolded as expected, with some unforeseen twists, but was overall a success.

Upon returning to the divine tower academy, Sein promptly visited the quest hall to turn in his quest.

To his mild surprise, instead of a routine submission, an initiate guided him to a room on the second floor of the hall and then promptly left.

Soon after, a male mage with long, black hair entered.

“You’re the initiate handling the mutated magic beast investigation?” he asked.

“Yes,” Sein responded, recognizing the mage as more than just an ordinary full-fledged mage.

His presence was commanding, on par with the likes of Master Jovian, indicating his considerable prowess as a Rank Two mage.

“A Quasi Mage, huh? Impressive. Now, tell me everything you experienced, and don’t forget the relevant quest materials,” the black-haired mage remarked.

Sein recounted his journey into the Brinescorch Basin underground mines with precision, glossing over the combat details.

He was aware that a seasoned Rank Two mage like his audience would likely find an initiate’s battle tales unremarkable.

The mage’s interest visibly heightened when Sein presented the remains of the Leoarachnid and the samples of its blood he had collected.

Demonstrating his expertise, he promptly set up specialized research equipment and an elemental microscope, which was a tool Sein was less familiar with.

In his own alchemical practice, Sein regularly used various experimental instruments, but not microscopes.

This type of elemental microscope was particularly useful for mages specializing in flesh and blood research or genetic modification studies.

While the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring offered comprehensive courses on these subjects, Sein had only attended a few lectures.

He did not delve deeper into it since the focus of the course was primarily on plant modifications, which was an area outside his interests.

The black-haired mage peered through the microscope during Sein’s debrief, then suddenly looked up at Sein with a hint of surprise. “Oh! It’s a quasi-ranked magic beast nearing a breakthrough. Impressive work, initiate,” he exclaimed,

Sein remained silent.

The black-haired mage probably never expected Sein had single-handedly defeated the creature that was about to break through into a ranked magic beast.

He assumed it was a joint effort with the mercenaries and the soldiers from Gypson Dukedom.

After Sein finished the detailed recounting of his quest, the mage frowned contemplatively.

“Can you recall if you found anything else? Any clues about the origin of those demihumans or specific magic arrays in the area where you encountered the Leoarachnid?” he pressed.

Sein initially shook his head but then remembered something. He took out the black statuette from his space ring.

Its appearance visibly piqued the mage’s interest.

After examining the stone handed over by Sein, the mage waved and concluded, “You may leave now. You can collect your quest rewards at the hall.”

Despite his curiosity about the stone’s origin, Sein noted that the Rank Two mage did not seem inclined to share any insights with an initiate like him.

He respectfully exited the room and headed straight for the hall as instructed.

As expected, he was able to claim his rewards from the hall on the first floor.

To his surprise, the quest reward was threefold the original amount.

Apart from sixty academy merit points, he also received three advanced energy crystals.

“Not bad at all,” Sein murmured to himself, pleased to receive the much needed three advanced lumen-attribute energy crystals.

He realized that had the quest initially advertised such high rewards, it would have likely been claimed by more experienced individuals who frequented the quest hall.

With the rewards secured, Sein made his way back to his dormitory.

The recent battle left his mind buzzing with new ideas and insights about the Solar Eye magic spell.

Now was the perfect time to refine and test these concepts in practice.