Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein and Leena spent a total of two days resting in their tent by a pool.

During this time, Sein rarely engaged in studying magic or delving into elemental knowledge.

Instead, he enjoyed the simpler pleasures of life, much like an ordinary person might.

He crafted a fishing rod and caught palm-sized, light blue fish from the pool for their dinners.

Although he did not delve into any research or meditation, Sein noticed a subtle increase in his focus by the time they left this picturesque location.

This slight boost in focus might have been the residual effects of the red potion he had taken a few days ago.

Alternatively, it could have been influenced by some other factor.

Sein had long discovered that meditation was not the only way to enhance focus.

***

After resting for two days in their temporary shelter, Sein and Leena resumed their journey northward.

The trial zone they were navigating in the Knight Continent was vast. So far, Sein could not grasp its true size or their distance from its center.

Each day, their journey was enriched by encounters with new species of flora and fauna, along with several research discoveries.

Knight Continent was a treasure trove, offering knights and mages who ventured into it unimaginable rewards.

Over the ensuing days, both Sein and Leena experienced steady growth in their knowledge, as well as in their mana and focus levels.

They also shared their collections of magic tomes with each other.

Sein was particularly fascinated by Leena’s collection, which included books on synthesizing undead chimeras and mastering umbra elemental magic.

Likewise, Leena was keenly interested in Sein’s knowledge of pyro elemental magic, soul magic, and apothecary.

In the Magus World, legacy knowledge was highly valued.

Thus, during their exchange, Sein was careful not to disclose the alchemy techniques or verdant flame magic that had been passed down to him by his late and current mentors.

He considered the wisdom not his own to share freely—it belonged to Master Morsidor and Grandmaster Feylis respectively.

He resolved to share this inherited knowledge only with an apprentice, should he decide to mentor one in the future.

In this regard, Sein maintained a somewhat traditional stance as a spellcaster.

He had another reason for withholding this information from Leena—both alchemy and verdant flame magic required extensive, hands-on practice, with the latter having been Sein’s primary focus for nearly two decades.

After being promoted to a Rank One mage, Leena had already established a clear direction for her development and was unlikely to deviate from it.

Moreover, her proficiency in elemental magic was comparable to Sein’s.

Sein also learned from Leena that while some of her mastery over the dual elemental magic involving umbra and pyro elements originated from her Rank Two mentor, Fareena, most of it came from the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones.

This knowledge was Leena’s reward for finishing first in the Death Trial.

Furthermore, the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones had also gifted Leena a Cinderbones Ring for protection before she departed for the Knight Continent.

“Is the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones planning to take you as an apprentice?” Sein asked.

The Black Tower Master of Cinderbones, a formidable Rank Five black mage stronger than Master Lorianne, wielded significant influence in the southern reaches of central Blackhaven.

Sein was apprehensive about the possibility of forcefully taking Leena away from Blackhaven, especially if such a powerful Rank Five being was considering Leena as an apprentice.

Moreover, even if Sein successfully brought her back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, there was no guarantee that Lorianne would accept her as an apprentice.

However, with the backing of Grandmaster Verdant Flame, Lorianne should not be intimidated by this Rank Five mage.

The real complication was that Leena was already a wanted individual by the major divine towers and knightly orders of the Magus World.

Sein had inquired why, and Leena explained that after her breakthrough to Rank One, she had been compelled to undertake several combat missions for the Black Tower of Cinderbones.

During these missions, she had killed two Rank One Knights and one Rank One mage from the East Coast.

As a result, Leena was now officially marked by the divine towers and knightly orders across the East Coast.

The mandatory quests assigned by the Black Tower of Cinderbones served as both training and a virtual “pledge” for their magic initiates who had just been promoted to a Rank One mage.

Once marked by the major divine towers and knightly orders as wanted individuals, these black mages stood little chance of clearing their names.

Magic initiates received different treatment compared to full-fledged black mages. During his early days as a black magic initiate, Sein experienced kindness from Medich, a peak Rank Two mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn.

Leena remained uncertain whether the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones intended to take her on as an apprentice.

Despite speculation by many at the academy, including one of the deans, that the tower master was interested in mentoring her, Leena had yet to receive a definitive answer.

Furthermore, she knew little about the tower master, including their gender.

During their limited interactions, the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones manifested before Leena as a formless, impenetrable black mist, speaking with a raspy, androgynous voice.

In the southern part of central Blackhaven, the Black Tower of Cinderbones stood as a formidable and enigmatic entity.

Unlike typical divine towers, it rarely participated in interplanar wars, with its last known conflict dating back four to five thousand years. At the time, the Black Tower Master of Cinderbones was already a powerful Rank Five black mage.

The tower masters’ authority discouraged many mages in Blackhaven from discussing them, reflecting the region’s strict hierarchical nature.

This stood in stark contrast to the more liberal and egalitarian atmosphere of the Magus Continent, where figures like Lorianne and other tower masters displayed a more approachable demeanor.

Sein felt a growing unease after learning more about Blackhaven and the Black Tower of Cinderbones from Leena.

However, he chose not to display his concerns in her presence, hiding them deep within his heart.

For now, they resolved to set aside these burdensome thoughts, focusing instead on living each day with joy and fulfillment.

“Where did you get this book?” Leena suddenly asked, pulling out a black leather tome titled “The Compatibility Between Necromancy and Summoning Magic” from Sein’s spatial storage.

“I picked it up while I was in Marmett Union Alliance,” Sein replied.

“It’s a good book; lend it to me for a while,” Leena said, flipping through the pages.

“It’s yours now,” Sein responded with a smile.