Sovereign of the Ashes

“Oh? The Tower Master of Verdant Spring’s apprentice? This young one named Sein did a pretty good job.”

In the command room on the top floor of the space fortress, Rank Four Knight Brendek Satorra looked at the screen before him and chuckled.

The screen displayed the impressive results achieved by Sein and his group in the Thunder Range.

Since Sein had negotiated certain terms with the old Rank Three Giant Thunder Lizard chief on behalf of the Magus World, the order of the knights was paying closer attention to this matter.

The terms Sein secured were reasonable, and the order could easily meet the Thunder Range’s demands.

With the numbers of external support mages dwindling, the three orders in the Thunderfall World indeed needed a new source of power.

It was good that these native creatures of Thunderfall World were willing to fight with them.

The Order of the Steel Fist would also offer these creatures from the Thunder Range even more favorable terms than those promised by Sein.

With these native creatures setting an example, perhaps the conquest of this lower-level plane would proceed more smoothly.

“This young one truly lives up to his reputation as a Rank Four tower master’s apprentice. His vision and ability to assess the situation surpass many of his peers. This Rank Two mage is likely even more knowledgeable than Kersey and the rest,” the Rank Four Knight mused, stroking his chin.

The people he referred to were demigod-level knights from the Order of the Steel Fist. These knights were formidable in battle but somewhat inept when it came to negotiation and drafting contracts.

The Order of the Steel Fist had long collaborated with Rank Two and Rank Three mages and typically delegated the arduous task of handling contracts to these resident mages.

If the mission to subjugate Thunder Range had been assigned to two Rank Three mages from the Order of the Steel Fist, this was about the extent of what they could manage.

However, the order could not simply send them away on a mission because both were the operators of the space fortress beneath their feet.

Most knights lacked the expertise to operate such a complex and massive piece of top-tier magitech product.

Besides ensuring the normal operation of the space fortress, these two Rank Three mages were also responsible for its maintenance and any minor repairs.

In short, these two were talented individuals and Brendek had invested heavily to recruit them both.

In the command room, Brendek gazed at the distant sky and fell into deep thought.

“The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring...”

As a Rank Four powerhouse and a key leader in this interplanar war, Brendek understood that the conflict was anything but straightforward.

It would likely be a long time before the war concluded, given that the two Rank Four creatures of Thunderfall World had not been defeated.

As long as those formidable creatures remained alive, even if the three orders of the knights managed to capture more territories in Thunderfall World, it would hardly impact the overall war.

Conversely, if these creatures were swiftly eliminated, controlling even a mere one percent of Thunderfall World’s territory could allow the knights to end the war within two years and establish complete dominion over this plane.

However, reality painted a grimmer picture—the number of casualties and fatalities among the knights was increasing, and the endurance of the three knightly orders was wearing thin.

The Order of the Thunder Knights, led by a Rank Five knight, was still holding up due to its solid foundation.

The Order of the Steel Fist, led by Brendek, was barely managing to hold on.

As for the Order of the Green Gale, led by another Rank Four Knight, it had suffered greatly over the last decade.

Although that Rank Four Knight had not voiced his exhaustion, Brendek knew he was as weary of the prolonged conflict as himself and even regretted ever joining this interplanar war in the first place.

“The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, huh...? Perhaps I should speak with the Order of the Thunder Knights when we march into the Thunder Domain battlefield,” Brendek mumbled, looking at the distant sky.

***

After completing the Thunder Range mission, the command center rewarded Sein and his group generously and granted them a month’s rest.

This mission had required minimal effort—they had merely traveled, with Sein acting as the negotiator with the Giant Thunder Lizards.

Despite the minimal effort, the substantial rewards bolstered Sein’s reputation among the knights he worked with and within the Order of the Steel Fist.

Following the incident involving Reina, Sein had gained notoriety within the Order. However, with an almost flawless performance on his latest mission, he redeemed his reputation and earned greater respect from everyone.

Thanks to discreet promotion by House Ernst, Sein’s prestigious connections—including his marriage into their family and apprenticeship under the Tower Master of Verdant Spring—gradually spread within the order.

With his strength, skills, background, and decent personality, the people within the Order of the Steel Fist found no reason to dislike Sein.

More importantly, his involvement in several battles had earned him substantial recognition among the knights.

A month was insufficient for Sein to complete any magic experiments.

Instead, he spent the time managing his gains from the Thunder Range and tweaking Yuri’s mecha units.

As quickly as it began, the month was over, and the command center assigned him a new task.

Having already established a good synergy with Natalya and others during previous missions, including the fortress defense battle and the Thunder Range mission, the command center decided to keep them grouped together.

Barring unforeseen circumstances, Sein would likely continue to work closely with Natalya, Gould, and Reina during the upcoming interplanar war in Thunderfall World.

The knights of the Magus World valued teamwork and brotherhood.

On the battlefield, one’s most reliable ally was often the comrade fighting at their side, apart from oneself.

With the limited number of mages in the Order of the Steel Fist, incorporating Sein, a Rank Two mage, was also a strategic move to bolster the elemental capabilities of Natalya’s team.

As the battlefront pushed northeastward, Sein got to know more knights from the Order of the Steel Fist on various missions.

The composition of each team varied, with Rank Two knights and mages like Sein remaining fairly consistent while Rank One knights frequently rotated due to combat losses or reinforcements.

Sometimes, several groups of knights collaborate to complete a specific task.

Naturally, as they worked together back and forth, they grew closer.

Additionally, Sein’s expertise in apothecary and alchemy had made him indispensable in the circle of knights.

Occasionally, he crafted potions or assisted in repairing magic armor and equipment, earning him many favors.

It was no surprise, as those with strong abilities tended to excel wherever they were.

During his years in the Thunderfall World War, Sein increasingly felt like a fish in water.

Beyond being a reclusive and studious research mage, Sein also seemed to thrive as a war mage.

The young magic initiate who had once been known at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring as aloof, cold, and unsympathetic was now seamlessly expanding his network within the Order of the Steel Fist.

If images of Sein laughing heartily and drinking by the campfire with other knights after a battle were sent back to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, those who knew him during his initiate days would probably not be able to recognize him.