Sovereign of the Ashes

Unaware of his acquaintance observing from above, Sein remained oblivious as the airship ascended.

From the deck, Selphy looked down with keen interest at both Sein and Leena.

She remembered Sein’s appearance well but had never met Leena before.

After observing them for a few moments, she confirmed that the man was indeed Sein.

“I heard Sein missed this Knight Continent’s trial because he was traveling the Magus World. But now, here he is, accompanied by a female mage. Tsk tsk...”

She scrutinized Leena, trying to get a clearer view of her face.

“I’ve heard that Sein has a reputation for being a womanizer. During the Viridian Venom Flame World war, he was quite close to a female mage from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring. Given his significant achievements in magical research, how does he find the time for such things? Besides, the Sein I remember is an introvert loner. How does he attract all these women?” Selphy wondered, perplexed.

Her curiosity grew, but her questions remained unanswered for the moment.

Selphy realized that she would likely find her answers only by asking Sein directly in the future.

Meanwhile, the airship’s engines propelled it eastward toward the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

Even by airship, the journey would take more than half a year due to the considerable geographical distance between the Western Archipelago and the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame.

The airship slowly disappeared into the horizon, its presence went unnoticed by Sein and Leena.

However, Leena glanced up with a strange expression on her face.

“What’s wrong?” Sein asked the woman beside him.

Leena shook her head. “Nothing, I had a feeling that someone was watching me just now.”

Sein’s expression darkened. “Could it be that someone recognized you as a black mage?”

“It’s possible. After all, I am wanted by the divine towers and the orders of the knights. Perhaps someone has seen my portrait,” Leena replied.

“Then let’s get out of here quickly and try to avoid large cities from now on. This isn’t Blackhaven, it’s always better to be more cautious,” Sein suggested.

“Yeah,” Leena nodded, agreeing with him.

Back in Mystralora City, Leena had been Sein’s advisor. The roles had now reversed—more often than not, it was Leena who followed Sein’s lead.

This was not because Sein was stronger, but rather because sometimes Leena needed the reassurance of a dependable partner.

They soon left the area, and in the days that followed, Sein and Leena mostly passed through small and medium-sized cities as they traveled to the northern part of the Western Archipelago.

Perhaps because they had spent over twenty years engaged in experiments and combat within the Knight Continent’s trial zone, Sein and Leena conducted very little intense experimental research in the last year.

They traveled through the Western Archipelago like ordinary tourists.

Comprising thousands, perhaps tens of thousands of islands, each the size of a small continent, the Western Archipelago offered diverse cultures and landscapes.

As they journeyed from island to island, nation to nation, they immersed themselves in the various customs and traditions.

It was during these travels that Sein began to truly perceive the lives of those from the lower echelons of the Magus World from a human perspective.

Previously, Sein had traversed the Magus World, from the Viridescent Land to the Western Archipelago.

However, during his earlier journeys, he had not taken the time to truly observe or engage with the locales he passed, nor had he experienced life as an ordinary person.

Eileen often remarked that Sein was a bore because he had never even attended a ball. She was also the one who had taught him his first steps in noble dance.

Now, traveling with Leena, Sein was beginning to savor life and the splendor of the world like a true human being, shedding his former identity as a mere experimental research machine.

During their journey back to the Western Archipelago, Sein and Leena occasionally dressed up and attended balls hosted by the nobles of various smaller and middle-sized cities along their route.

Sein taught Leena her first dance steps, just as Eileen had taught him.

As they danced on the white marble floors of opulent noble castles, Sein and Leena saw only each other.

***

Happy times were always fleeting.

Even though Sein had deliberately slowed their pace in the latter half of the journey, he and Leena eventually arrived in the northern part of the Western Archipelago after two years.

Given the unique geography of the Western Archipelago, they spent more than half of their journey sailing aboard a ship.

Together, they spent hundreds of evenings watching the sunset over the ocean and gazing up at the stars, hands intertwined.

The stars shone brightly in the Magus World, along with many pyro environmental planes in the star domains surrounding the Magus Civilization.

Every hundred years, these planes contributed large amounts of energy crystals and other mineral resources to the Magus Civilization.

While looking at the starry sky one night, Leena suddenly asked, “Do you think we’ll ever rule over a plane of our own one day?”

“Definitely,” Sein replied to Leena’s question confidently.

“I will conquer that plane as a gift to honor our relationship!” Sein declared.

Leaning on Sein’s shoulder with a smile, Leena continued to admire the stars with him.

Love was probably eternal, just like truths.

***

After departing from Port Thothos, Sein and Leena pretty much ventured into the northern part of the Western Archipelago, a region known for the activity of Blackhaven’s black mages.

This area was typically considered part of the Central Western Archipelago, where nearby divine towers and orders of knights strictly prohibited Blackhaven black mages from entering.

However, with the recent opening of the Knight Continent, these prohibitions were lifted for a limited period of one hundred years.

During this time, black mages and black knights from Blackhaven were permitted to exchange and trade in these public waters.

Many brave divine tower mages and registered knights also ventured into the public waters to trade with the black mages and knights, blinded by the prospect of making a profit.

With potential returns as high as three hundred percent, few could resist the temptation, leading to the gradual normalization of these gray transactions every thousand years.

During this period, Blackhaven’s black mages and knights maintained notable discipline, and incidents of misconduct were rare.

Should any black knights or mages act unethically, those of Rank Three and above would take it upon themselves to address any misconduct before the divine towers and knightly orders across the Western Archipelago could even intervene.

For these high-ranking individuals, the value of maintaining this once-in-a-thousand-years trading opportunity far outweighed any short-term gains.

Without these semi-public markets, Blackhaven’s black mages would face even greater challenges in acquiring resources.

This mutual benefit perhaps explained why many local knights and mages of the Western Archipelago harbored little animosity toward Blackhaven.

In terms of tolerance toward Blackhaven, it seemed that only the Western Archipelago exhibited a somewhat greater leniency toward its black knights and black mages compared to other regions and forces in the Magus World.