Sovereign of the Ashes

While Sein and Selina were talking, peculiar squawks were heard from where Grimm stood.

“Fuckin’ fool~” A word spoken in the Magus World’s common language but with a distinct accent came from a creature perched on Grimm’s shoulder.

That was when Sein noticed a parrot on Grimm’s shoulder. It was covered in vibrant red feathers, contrasted by a green forehead and distinguished by its long beak.

The parrot’s unique pronunciation and raspy insult quickly drew the attention of many nearby.

The mages passing by would cast amused glances at the small parrot. Despite its low life level, the parrot held its head high with unabashed pride amidst the scrutiny of the Magus World mages.

Given Grimm’s position, it appeared as though the parrot’s insult was aimed at Sein.

Sein remained indifferent though, possibly because the parrot’s life level was too insignificant to capture his attention, and he never perceived it as a threat.

However, Sev, who was perched on Selina’s shoulder, reacted.

Despite being smaller in size than the parrot in its usual form after reaching Rank One, Sev’s aura far surpassed the parrot’s.

Sev took to the air, creating a mini-tornado with its wings that struck the parrot like a direct slap.

Everything happened too quickly. Many scarcely had time to process the parrot’s sudden insult toward Sein before Sev retaliated.

Sein and Grimm, being closest, were the quickest to react.

Yet, upon sensing the concentration of the elemental energy Sev condensed, the two Rank One mages decided not to intervene.

SLAP!

The parrot spun around on Grimm’s shoulder before tumbling down from the impact, leaving a trail of fiery red feathers floating in the air.

Although the parrot was foul-mouthed, it was actually quite gorgeous looking.

After being struck by Sev, the parrot was briefly dazed before erupting into loud, piercing cries.

Its grasp of the Magus World’s common language was evidently limited, as it struggled to craft an insult against Sev.

It turned to Grimm with a mix of anger and powerlessness, silently pleading for him to intervene.

Rather than getting upset with Sev, Grimm was embarrassed by the parrot’s outburst.

The respect owed to mages of the Magus World was paramount. Besides, had a Rank One magic beast like Sev truly intended harm, the parrot would not have stood a chance.

Grimm was left baffled about where the parrot had learned such a vulgar insult, given the fact that he spent most of his time working in the laboratory.

After defending his master, Sev returned leisurely, choosing to perch on Sein’s shoulder this time so that it could glare at the foul-mouthed parrot.

The parrot seemed on the verge of hurling more insults after being disciplined.

However, it hesitated upon meeting Sev’s dark gray gaze and swallowed back its insults.

Its human-like behavior and apparent intelligence suggested it could be a charming pet with proper guidance.

Grimm ignored the parrot on his shoulder and looked toward Sein apologetically. He bowed to Sein and introduced, “This is my newly bonded spirit familiar. It’s still unfamiliar with the customs in the Magus World. Please, don’t let it bother you.”

This explanation prompted a flicker of understanding in Sein.

The significance of a mage’s spirit familiar far surpassed that of a soul slave, standing as a being equal in stature to the mage themselves.

Beyond the profound bond shared between a spirit familiar and its master, mages could intertwine their life forces with their familiars.

This provided mages with a way to prolong their lifespans by selecting a creature with a long lifespan as their familiar, particularly as they neared the end of their life.

However, a mage was limited to bonding with only one spirit familiar in their lifetime. The death of a spirit familiar could inflict substantial damage upon the mage.

Consequently, the decision to bind with a spirit familiar was not taken lightly by mages, given the immense implications.

Sein had once considered making Sev his familiar in the past, but the idea never came to fruition.

Neither of them was unwilling, but the bond they shared had transcended the need for formal agreements.

Both Sein and Sev also preferred to avoid any potential harm that might befall the other as a result of their pact, should anything happen to either of them.

In essence, their relationship evolved to something greater than that of a spirit familiar, negating the need for contractual bindings.

A spirit familiar was seen as an extension of the spellcaster himself. Upon hearing Grimm’s explanation, Sein apologized. “I’m really sorry that my pet hit your familiar.”

“It’s alright, it deserved that for speaking out of turn. It’s high time it became acquainted with the customs of the Magus World,” Grimm responded with a dismissive shake of his head.

The parrot on Grimm’s shoulder seemed to understand his words and immediately reacted with an indignant squawk, gesturing with its wings toward Grimm.

Perhaps only Grimm, who had formed a pact with the parrot, could understand its complaints.

Its squawks caught Sev’s attention on Sein’s shoulder, who responded with nothing more than a penetrating stare from its dark gray eyes, eventually quieting the parrot’s protests.

With that, Sev effectively kept the parrot in check for the day.

Sein ignored the staring contest between the birds. After observing the parrot on Grimm’s shoulder for a moment, he asked, “Is it a pyro elemental creature from the Viridian Venom Flame World?”

“Yes, I nearly perished during the war in the Viridian Venom Flame World. This parrot came to my rescue when I was at a molten lava lake during my third year. After spending some time together, I decided to make it my spirit familiar...” Grimm explained.

Sein nodded. The Flame Parrot’s evident intelligence, surpassing that of other pyro elemental creatures, suggested it held considerable benefits.

Aside from other potential benefits, the Flame Parrot’s presence alone promised to significantly enhance Grimm’s mental focus.

The presence of additional special abilities between a mage and their spirit familiar remained a journey of discovery for each pair.

Given the unique nature of each mage and their spirit familiar’s bond, magic texts often offered only a general overview of benefits like life extension, shared mental focus, and the ability to transfer injuries.