Sovereign of the Ashes

Bousse was a Rank One mage registered with the Alveroth Empire, hailing from the city of Francina.

It was one of the sub-provincial cities in the southern part of the empire, boasting a population in the millions.

To put that into perspective, this single city’s population was almost equivalent to the combined populace of several remote human kingdoms in the Magus World.

Yet, Francina was just one among countless major cities within the Alveroth Empire.

On the empire’s long list of metropolises, Francina could not even squeeze itself into the top one hundred—or perhaps even the top one thousand.

Bousse was a very ordinary mage. Although he had been promoted to Rank One and was considered a full-fledged mage in the eyes of countless lower-class civilians and magic initiates, he was still extremely “ordinary”.

Having graduated from the second-best public magic academy in the southern part of the empire, Bousse, now 120 years old, worked for an imperial academy.

“I really envy those mages from divine tower academies. Ordinary people like me can only dream of having our own private laboratory.”

Bousse sighed, standing on the deck of an airship and gazing at the endless blue sky.

As one of the top-tier forces in the Magus Civilization, the Alveroth Empire housed not only a large number of public magic academies but also the most divine towers in the Magus World.

Known as the Cradle of Magical Civilization and the Brightest Jewel of the Magus Civilization, the Alveroth Empire owed much of its magical supremacy to its robust public magic academies, which provided education to the masses.

However, the truth remained that nearly every mage and initiate graduating from the empire’s public academies envied those elite few who trained at the prestigious divine tower academies.

The Alveroth Empire’s hierarchical structure ensured that more than eighty percent of its top talents each year were absorbed first by the divine tower academies.

Those who ended up in the public academies were often individuals overlooked by the divine towers—either due to their average talent or unremarkable family background.

This group formed the largest proportion of spellcasters in the Alveroth Empire.

The system operated as a top-down hierarchical filter while simultaneously fostering bottom-up ambition, with many striving to rise beyond their circumstances.

Each year, the public academies of the Alveroth Empire produced a significant number of commoner geniuses who eventually found their way into the ranks of major divine towers.

Bousse was not a genius. Both of his parents were commoners in the Alveroth Empire, and even their initial mental focus fell short of the required threshold.

Whether by chance or some genetic anomaly, Bousse’s initial focus value was just high enough to qualify him for enrollment in a public magic academy.

At the age of eight, he was sent to the nearest city to begin his magic education.

The journey of a commoner initiate in the Alveroth Empire was one fraught with hardship.

While the empire promoted the widespread adoption of magic among the populace, it also created an immense strain on resources and a fiercely competitive environment within this top-tier power.

From a humble magic newsboy to a magic letter postman, then a trainee mage in a mercenary corps, and finally an assistant to a lecturer at a magic academy, Bousse’s path to becoming a full-fledged mage was marked by 103 years of grueling effort.

For over a century, he endured the Alveroth Empire’s demanding and often oppressive learning environment, progressing step by step until he finally achieved Rank One.

Even now, when Bousse reflected on his journey, it felt almost unbelievable to him.

Yet, his story represented the most typical experience of commoner mages in the Alveroth Empire.

Having been promoted to Rank One just over a decade ago, Bousse still faced nearly four hundred years of mandatory service under a binding contract with the second-best magic academy in Francina City.

The Alveroth Empire, despite its pioneering efforts in promoting magic cultivation on an empire-wide scale, was far from a charitable institution.

The mages of the Magus World adhered to the principle of equivalent exchange.

Having invested significant resources into cultivating a vast number of mages, the empire sought to recoup its expenses through a meticulously balanced resource allocation system.

As a result, the restrictions imposed on mages in the Alveroth Empire far exceeded those typically enforced by most divine towers.

When initiates graduated from a divine tower academy and were promoted to Rank One, they often signed contracts with their respective towers lasting anywhere from a few decades to a century.

This arrangement was considered fair and reasonable, as the theoretical lifespan of a Rank One mage was about a thousand years.

Some divine towers, however, required contracts spanning up to two hundred years—a term often criticized as “exploitative”.

In the Alveroth Empire, though, graduates of public academies typically signed contracts of four hundred years.

Only the most exceptional individuals, those who achieved the highest grades during their studies, were offered reduced contract terms.

Bousse, being of commoner status, had signed the standard four-hundred-year contract.

In addition to his Rank One mage status, Bousse also received a baronial title within the Alveroth Empire.

This was a reward granted to him upon his promotion to Rank One.

This title not only recognized his accomplishments but also marked the first step toward establishing a noble lineage for his family.

Bousse’s mission this time was to escort 204 young magic initiates, brimming with curiosity and dreams of their futures, to enroll in the subsidiary academy of Francina City’s second-best public magic academy.

The ages of these 204 initiates ranged from six to fifteen years old—the ideal age range to begin magic education.

Each of them had initial focus values above the qualifying threshold, and being selected by the second-best public academy meant their focus values and elemental affinities were likely among the upper echelon.

Watching the chatter and excitement of the children and teens as they eagerly discussed their future and imminent introduction to the magic world, Bousse could not help but smile.

Once upon a time, he had been just like them—dreaming of the wonders of magic and the endless possibilities it promised.

But reality, he had learned, often fell far short of the dream.

For most of these children, born into ordinary families, the first lesson they would face upon entering the public magic academy would be how to earn money for themselves rather than magic spells.

Magic research required money. Food required money. Classes required money...

Those initiates fortunate enough to come from wealthy and influential families rarely ended up in public magic academies.

Instead, they enrolled in the prestigious divine tower academies, where the teaching staff was far superior, and the connections they could build were invaluable.

Building a powerful magic family was no small feat, and attending a divine tower academy provided a much-needed head start.

Bousse vividly remembered meeting a young female mage named Neelan from the Divine Tower of Light Plume last year.

Her demeanor, temperament, and scholarly achievements were leagues beyond anything Bousse could compare himself to.

While Bousse still dreamed of the day when he could finally own a fully equipped private laboratory and bid farewell to the academy’s shared facilities, Neelan was already conducting advanced experiments in water elemental fission.

Bousse could tell that she was already working toward becoming a Rank Two Hydromancer.

There truly was a fundamental divide between grassroots mages like himself and those from noble backgrounds.

Bousse could not help but wonder if his future descendants might one day have the opportunity to study at a divine tower academy.

While Bousse’s mind was still lost in thoughts of Neelan’s beautiful face and her tantalizing pink lips, a sudden surge of heat and light yanked him back to reality.

A towering pillar of scorching fire erupted in the distance, rapidly closing in on the airship. In mere moments, it halted the vessel mid-flight, forcing it to come to a standstill.

“T-T-This... is the aura of a demon...! Black mages?!” Bousse stammered, his chubby chin jiggling in fear.[1]

Despite being a Rank One mage who graduated from a public academy, Bousse had a firm grasp of the basics. He instantly identified the unmistakable aura of a demon emanating from the figure standing before him.

Incorporating demon bloodlines into their bodies... That was the hallmark practice of black mages according to the magic textbooks he had read!

One glance was all it took for Bousse to recognize the overwhelming disparity in power between himself and his opponent.

Bousse had never fought in an interplanar war and was still burdened by hundreds of magicoins in study loans.

It was no surprise that he felt as vulnerable as a quail before this Flame Demon.

⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆Important Translator Note:⋆⁺｡˚⋆˙‧₊☽ ◯ ☾₊‧˙⋆˚｡⁺⋆

Hi everyone,

This is to inform you of a term change: ”Demon” and ”Devil” have been switched. This means there are a few important changes:

1. Natalya and her family now carry the ”Baator Demon” instead of ”Baator Devil” bloodline.

2. Sein has inherited ”Flame Demon” power instead of ”Flame Devil” power.

3. Sein has researched on ”devils” so far instead of ”demons”.

In Chinese novels, the characters for ”devils” and ”demons” can be pretty vague and similar. In Chapter 571, when Baator creatures first appeared, Mr. Author used a term that is commonly used for devils. I only realized later during a major arc that, unlike standard DnD background, these Baator creatures are not devils but demons instead.

In DnD, the Baator Devils are from Nine Hells, while demons hail from the Abyss. However, in this book, these Baator Demons are from Hell instead of the Abyss.

In a major upcoming arc, these demons and the bloodline that Sein inherited will play a big role. Hence, I must make this necessary change to set things right. I apologize for any inconvenience caused and will prioritize correcting the future releases before revising the older chapters as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your understanding! ☜