Sovereign of the Ashes

An old gray-robed mage with white hair on the top floor of the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame greeted Lorianne with a warm smile.

“Lorianne, you’re finally here. Master Feylis has missed you a great deal.”

“Andres!” Lorianne returned the greeting respectfully.

The gray-robed mage was only a Rank Three grand mage who was nearing the end of his life.

As a Rank Four mage who had earned the title of Divine Tower Master, Lorianne was superior in strength.

Nevertheless, Lorianne’s reverence for him was evident in every aspect of her demeanor.

Her respect was rooted not only in the support he had offered during her formative, less powerful years but also in the fact that he was her senior within the faction.

In the Magus World, honoring one’s mentor and seniors was a deeply ingrained virtue.

Mages held the hierarchy in high regard, demonstrating it through actions, not merely words.

Even when an apprentice surpassed their mentor in strength, the established hierarchy persisted, commanding the deepest respect and devotion. To flout this revered tradition was to invite the scorn of the entire spellcaster community.

The Rank Three grand mage, named Andres, was Grandmaster Feylis’ fifth apprentice.

Sein, having been briefed by Lorianne, knew the hierarchy in the faction well.

Grandmaster Feylis had seven apprentices in total.

Lorianne, as the youngest and the final apprentice taken under Grandmaster Feylis’ wing thousands of years ago, had five male seniors and two female seniors.

Besides Lorianne, Grandmaster Feylis’ third and fourth apprentices were female, while the others were male. Sadly, the eldest and the third apprentice had passed away.”

Since they were Lorianne’s seniors, Sein was required to regard them with utmost respect. Among them, the second apprentice, Gregory, and the fourth, Bernice, were formidable mages above Rank Four.

Both of them had established their own divine towers—the Divine Tower of Whispering Flame and the Divine Tower of Floating Flame, respectively.

Neither the fifth nor the sixth apprentice had established a divine tower. Seemingly content with being Rank Three grand mages, they served as deans at the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame Academy.

”Holfson is upstairs, eagerly awaiting your arrival. Is this the apprentice you’ve chosen?” the gray-robed mage asked, peering at Sein through somewhat cloudy eyes.

His laughter followed a brief glance. “He seems rather promising.”

“Hehe, indeed, meet my apprentice, Sein. He’s indeed a promising talent, though perhaps not quite on par with your apprentice, Aelid the Flame Sword. That guy is probably a demigod by now, isn’t he?” Lorianne chuckled, her words a blend of praise and playful teasing as she introduced Sein.

“Yes, Aelid had already broken through the peak of the Rank Three grand mage twenty years ago and started exploring the power of law.

“Fifteen years ago, he ventured to the Violet Ember World, a large pyro elemental plane under the governance of Magus Alliance. Unfortunately, he probably won’t be able to return in time to join his gathering of our faction,” Andres replied with a smile.

“Ah, the pursuit of truth is of utmost priority. I’m sure Master Feylis will understand this. Besides, that old lady must be praying for her grand apprentice to become a Rank Four divine tower master soon,” Lorianne remarked with a smile.

“Hoho, let us head upstairs. Aelid couldn’t make it this time, but I’ll introduce you to some of my new apprentices,” Andres suggested.

“Holfson, too, has mentored quite a few apprentices over the years. Our journey in the pursuit of truth might be drawing to a close, yet observing the growth of these young mages feels like watching our intellectual legacy expand beyond the bounds of time in the Magus World,” he said, laughing heartily.

“What do you mean by ‘drawing to a close’? You two have thousands of years ahead of you, and I eagerly await the day you both build a divine tower!” Lorianne playfully scolded.

The gray-robed old man chuckled and shook his head, choosing not to respond.

This exchange made it clear that those within Lorianne’s faction shared a deep bond.

As a mere Rank One mage, Sein remained respectfully silent during the conversation among his elders.

Sein followed behind Lorianne in silence, his gaze occasionally wandering. As they moved through the residence of the top tower master in the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, he could not help but notice the vast array of experimental equipment and facilities, far surpassing those in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Upon reaching a spacious hall at the top of the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame, Sein and Lorianne encountered Holfson along with his apprentices and grand apprentices.

The apprentices mentored by Andres and Holfson together surpassed twenty, each a full-fledged mage of at least Rank One. The most advanced among them had achieved the esteemed Rank Three. This number included not only direct apprentices but also their grand apprentices.

Despite being a recent breakthrough at Rank One, Sein, as Lorianne’s apprentice, held a remarkably high standing within the Verdant Flame’s faction.

For instance, Maurice, a Rank Two mage and apprentice of Andres, was obliged to address Sein respectfully due to the intricacies of their faction’s seniority.

Those who gathered here were all Grandmaster Feylis’ apprentices and grand apprentices. All of them were at least full-fledged mages like Sein.

It was expected that there were other initiates within the faction, though they were not present, presumably because Andres and Holfson did not bring them along.

Since both of them were the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame Academy’s deans, their apprentices and grand apprentices were mostly registered mages of the tower so they were already quite familiar with each other.

As a result, Sein stood out as an unfamiliar figure among them.

Lorianne soon left to converse with Holfson, a middle-aged man with black hair who appeared much younger than Andres.

With plans to meet Grandmaster Feylis soon, Lorianne was understandably preoccupied and unable to attend to Sein.

Before departing, Lorianne had suggested that Sein should take the opportunity to get to know his peers from the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

Unfortunately, Sein was not an outgoing person. Mingling with strangers lay far from his comfort zone, and he had little interest in navigating these human interactions.

Once Lorianne left, Sein interacted minimally. Beyond a few introductory exchanges with some of his peers at the start, he barely spoke to the others.

He stood in a corner of the hall, deeply absorbed in his crystal ball. As he mused over the design of his magic rod, a woman in a white dress approached him.

“Senior Sein, are you an alchemist?” she inquired curiously. The woman, a Rank One mage, stood gracefully in crystal shoes.