Sovereign of the Ashes

After spending some time with Lorianne, Sein excused himself and returned to his own quarters.

Lorianne had not made a decision; she was still considering her options.

After all, decisions like these should not be made recklessly without much thought.

Besides, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring would also require some time to recruit forces and prepare. The Order of the Steel Fist did not expect the assembly of mages to be completed within just a few months either.

Sein’s residence was located several floors below Lorianne’s in the divine tower.

No matter the time of day, it was easy for Lorianne to locate Sein, and he was always welcome to visit her as well.

After decades of travel, Sein had accumulated many questions and doubts from his experiments and training.

Having just returned today, Sein was in no rush to resolve everything at once; he still had a lot of time ahead of him.

On the 702nd floor of the divine tower, Sein pushed open the familiar white door after unlocking it with his magic seal.

Even after decades of absence, his room remained spotless.

A faint, pleasant fragrance lingered in the air, putting him at ease.

He had probably activated some sort of magic ward upon entering his room and immediately detected a familiar life force drawing near within his mental focus range.

Shortly after, a female mage clad in a pristine white magic robe hurried down the stairs.

The tweezers in her hands suggested that she had been conducting a magic experiment moments before.

It was a tool Sein frequently used while working on alchemy crafts too.

The woman’s face remained exactly the same as the one in Sein’s memories, yet her skin was smoother and more hydrated than before he had left.

Her overall demeanor was more mature than it had been decades earlier.

“Sein!” the white-robed female mage exclaimed with excitement.

Ignoring the experimental tool still in her hand, she rushed toward Sein.

“It’s been a while, Selina,” Sein said, opening his arms and smiling warmly at Selina, who had recently been promoted to Rank One.

Selina threw herself into his arms without hesitation, and the two embraced warmly.

***

Selina was promoted to Rank One twenty-seven years ago.

At her age, this was a commendable achievement, though she had the potential to achieve it even sooner.

Inheriting Sein’s disciplined and meticulous nature, Selina insisted on an eighty to ninety percent success rate before she considered advancing to Rank One.

Her determination to become a full-fledged mage was not for personal glory, but to ensure she could stay by Sein’s side for a long time.

Selina was content to assist him in the lab, finding satisfaction in just gazing at his wise and mature demeanor while working at the experimental table.

When Sein returned, she paused her ongoing magic experiments to prepare him a sumptuous dinner, using her culinary skills that had only refined over the years.

She mentioned several dishes with exotic ingredients from foreign planes that Sein had never tried. They were probably the recipes she had developed after her promotion.

Of course, Sein was not going to let Selina work alone. He summoned Yuri, the mermaid, and fox maiden from his spatial storage equipment to help.

While Yuri had already met Selina, this was the first encounter for the mermaid and fox maiden.

Selina, who had rarely ventured outside the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, curiously looked upon these unique beings.

Just like Sein, she marveled not at their beauty but considered their potential for study.

Selina had been with Sein since she was just an initiate, so she had inherited many of Sein’s spellcasting ideas and experimental habits.

“Let them help you. I’ll head to the lab,” Sein suggested, then went upstairs.

“Sure,” Selina replied, turning her attention to the newcomers.

Simultaneously, Sev emerged from its space piccolo, then settled on Sein’s shoulder with a soft coo.

Close behind, four sea lizards trailed like devoted pets.

These creatures had grown considerably during the ten years of conflict in the Thunderfall World.

Heisse, the strongest of the four, was nearing the critical milestone of advancing to Rank One, while the other three were quasi-ranked.

During the Thunderfall World War, Sein had not focused much on their training, leaving them primarily under Sev’s guidance.

Interestingly, despite the intense conflict that had claimed many higher-ranked knights from the three knightly orders, including a few Rank Three Sky Knights, these four sea lizards, not yet at Rank One life level, had survived ten years on the battlefield.

Sein’s care was undoubtedly a significant factor, but their keen survival instincts and adaptability also played a crucial role.

They had certainly lived up to their reputations as gifts that Leena had specially prepared for Sein.

After Sein went upstairs, he began organizing the vast array of resources and experimental specimens he had gathered over the years.

The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, his permanent residence, offered ample space for his needs.

While Sein carried essential experimental materials with him, other biological specimens and collectibles were stored across various laboratories and storerooms within the tower.

Lorianne had generously allocated twenty floors to Sein, each containing numerous spacious rooms.

Compared to the cramped quarters of the space fortress during the war, the expansive and familiar environment of the Divine Tower was a welcome comfort.

Time often slipped away from Sein while he was working in his laboratory.

Eventually, Selina made her way upstairs to fetch him, having prepared a feast.

She had been looking forward to this day for years.

Setting aside his ongoing tasks, Sein followed Selina back downstairs.

On the way, he sent a crystal ball message to Eileen, inquiring if she would join them.

Eileen and Selina were the only two women at the divine tower with whom Sein shared a close bond.

It seemed only fitting to gather everyone, now that he was home.

“Wait for me, I’ll be right there!”

Eileen’s reply was prompt and enthusiastic.

***

A lavish feast had been prepared, but only Sein, Selina, and Eileen were seated at the table.

Yuri and the others did not join them at the table since they were servants.

During his travels in the Magus World, Sein did not particularly care about such formalities and often invited them to eat with him.

Most of the time, meals were prepared by Azelia, the fox maiden.

However, now that he was back at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, it was more appropriate to observe etiquette.

In this household, Sein undeniably wielded the greatest authority and influence, while Selina effectively served as the housekeeper.

Previously, during his travels, Yuri had fulfilled the role of housekeeper.

Upon returning to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, this responsibility naturally transitioned to Selina, who held a higher status within the household hierarchy.

Yuri understood and accepted this change in role.

Eileen, though also a mage and closer to Sein than most, was not part of this hierarchy since she was neither Sein’s wife nor the lady of the household.

Sein’s relationship with Eileen had always been complex.

Although Eileen once expressed her desire to become Sein’s spouse, Sein politely declined it as this position was reserved for Leena.

In this regard, Sein was a rather irresponsible man.

Fortunately, Eileen harbored no illusions about marrying him.

Knights typically placed great emphasis on family and lineage, unlike mages, who were less concerned with such matters.

Sein’s mentor, Lorianne, and his grandmaster, Feylis, were prime examples.

Being single was a common status among their kind.

Besides, the path of truth was a solitary one.

“I can hardly believe it... It’s only been decades but you’re a Rank Two mage already,” Eileen remarked, swirling her wine with a tipsy smile as they celebrated Sein’s return to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.