Sovereign of the Ashes

In the vast, blue sky, Sein soared through the air, his pitch-black magic robe billowing around him.

The Divine Tower of Dark Flame was located in a special area on the northern border of the Ylli Knight Alliance, perpetually shrouded in black clouds. The overall environment was pretty gloomy.

However, the region Sein was traversing now was far from the Ylli Knight Alliance. He had ventured into the borderlands of the Alveroth Empire.

Since Sein could not recruit initiates near the Divine Tower of Dark Flame, he naturally turned his attention elsewhere.

The Alveroth Empire, often referred to as the “Magic Empire” in the Magus World, was renowned for its high standards in magic education and training.

More importantly, Sein knew there was a massive base of magic initiates here.

In terms of the sheer density of spellcasters, there was likely no region in the Magus World that could rival the Alveroth Empire.

The public magic academies here were also unique, being the first of their kind in the Magus World.

Elsewhere, magic academies were typically established with divine towers as their core.

By lowering the threshold for aspiring spellcasters, the Alveroth Empire had cultivated a vast population of magic initiates and mages.

However, this also resulted in cutthroat competition and immense pressure within this empire.

Having traveled and lived briefly in the Alveroth Empire in the past, Sein was familiar with its inner workings.

Given the abundance of magic initiates here and the relentless pressure they faced in their studies and daily lives, Sein figured he should offer them an alternative.

The Divine Tower of Dark Flame Academy definitely offered a more relaxed learning environment compared to the public magic academies in the empire.

From Sein’s perspective, he was doing these magic initiates a “favor”.

A large airship docked at the border of the Ylli Knight Alliance.

Once Sein managed to secure a group of initiates from the Alveroth Empire, the airship would be able to take them to the Divine Tower of Dark Flame as swiftly as possible.

After centuries of development, the Magus Civilization had established a mutual understanding among the top-tier, medium, and smaller powers: each maintained jurisdiction over its own territory, and encroaching on another’s domain was strictly forbidden.

For instance, no divine tower in the regions surrounding Viridescent Land could attempt to recruit initiates from within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring’s sphere of influence.

If such behavior came to light, it would almost certainly lead to friction, hostility, or even open conflict between the two divine towers—or the powers they represented.

The Ylli Knight Alliance and the Alveroth Empire were both ancient and influential powers within the Magus World, with histories predating even the Pyro Secret Society.

Unless an outright war broke out between the divine towers, poaching a few initiates was unlikely to attract both parties’ attention.

If Sein acted carefully and discreetly, no one would even notice a few missing initiates from the Alveroth Empire.

After all, the Alveroth Empire was known for its abundance of magic initiates.

This was the exact reason Sein had decided to bring an airship and venture into the Alveroth Empire to test his luck.

Unfortunately, traditional power structures were deeply entrenched in the region.

Even if the Alveroth Empire had an overwhelming number of magic initiates, it had long since developed a robust system for identifying and cultivating talent.

Through its vast network of public magic academies, the empire quickly identified individuals with exceptional abilities, guiding them to prestigious institutions for better education.

This system had been refined over hundreds of thousands of years, and both the initiates and mages of the empire had grown accustomed to it.

Why would they choose to leave and join the unknown Divine Tower of Dark Flame based on just a few of Sein’s persuasive words?

The Magus World was vast, with countless divine towers scattered across its expanse.

For many mages in the Alveroth Empire, the Divine Tower of Dark Flame was a name they had never even heard of.

Sein had visited thirteen cities, each with a population exceeding a hundred thousand.

Based on typical rates of magical aptitude, these cities should have collectively produced at least a hundred qualified magic initiates—excluding those from the surrounding villages, towns, and farms.

Yet, despite his efforts, Sein had faced nothing but setbacks.

The dismissiveness and even cynicism of some Rank Two mages he encountered left him in a foul mood.

Perhaps he had truly overestimated himself.

Coming to the Alveroth Empire to poach magic initiates?

Even the full-fledged mages of the Divine Tower of Dark Flame would not dare to entertain such a thought!

This was the biggest difference between Sein and traditional mages.

Even his mentor, Lorianne, did not truly understand what was going on inside his mind.

Back then, Sein had shocked Lorianne by traveling straight to Blackhaven and participating in the trial on the Knight Continent.

As Sein flew aimlessly through the skies, contemplating which city to try his luck in next, an airship came into view.

It was nearly a hundred meters long and shaped like a sleek shuttle.

This was not a commercial airship as Sein spotted the logo of a public magic academy from the Alveroth Empire emblazoned on its side.

It was likely a vessel to transport magic initiates.

The sheer vastness of the Magus World often made it necessary for initiates from remote regions to travel by airship to reach their magic academies, as the distance across mountains and rivers was simply too great.

The moment Sein spotted the airship, a spark of excitement ran through him.

After days of failure and rejection, the frustration that had been simmering within him ignited into a new plan.

“According to the laws of divine towers and knightly orders, it’s strictly forbidden for full-fledged mages and ranked knights to harm innocent civilians in the Magus World. As far as I know, there aren’t any laws protecting the magic initiates,” Sein mused to himself, rubbing his chin among the clouds as he studied the airship.

Everyone with even the slightest criminal inclination—or contemplating a crime—would make a point of studying laws and regulations that governed them.

Sein had learned them well.

During his time at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, he had spent hours in the library meticulously studying the laws and loopholes of the Magus World. Perhaps this was due to his past as a black magic initiate.

After carefully pondering the possible loopholes and risks, Sein made up his mind.

He was going to steal them!

If he could not recruit magic initiates, then he would take them by force!

In the Astral Realm, strength reigned supreme. The Magus World was no exception.

The existence of divine towers and knightly orders had brought stability to the Magus Civilization—but only on the surface.

Beneath this facade, the Magus World embraced competition. If this were not the case, events like the Regional Inter-Divine Tower Academy War would not exist.

As long as Sein acted swiftly, capturing the initiates before the mages of the Alveroth Empire became aware, it would be nearly impossible for anyone to track him down in the vast expanse of the Magus World.

If crimes had never occurred in the Magus Civilization, black mages would never have existed.

Besides, Sein was not exactly committing a crime. At the very least, he had no intention of harming the initiates aboard the airship.

He was just giving them an opportunity to learn and explore magic in a new environment.

Was that a crime?