Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein and the Rank Five beast stared at each other in silence while the creature took several sniffs.

Its enormous red nose granted it a sense of smell and intuition far keener than most beings.

After studying Sein for what felt like forever and leaning in to sniff his robe, the beast finally spoke in a puzzled tone.

“Strange... Your aura is clearly Rank Three, but what was that burst of power that went way beyond the limits here?”

The Knight Continent’s trial zone was one of the Magus Civilization’s core secret realms for nurturing the next generation of talents. Naturally, there were overseers and guardians here.

This huge‑nosed giant served as this region’s overseer, and its superior was a bull.

The Faceless Mask concealed itself so well that even this huge‑nosed beast could not tell it was unusual.

That was where Master Jorces’s brilliance truly showed.

The secret realm he built allowed only creatures below Rank Four. To protect the successor of his legacy from being hunted down by high-ranking beings for carrying such a valuable treasure, he built the mask with concealment capabilities.

Theoretically, it could fool even Rank Six creatures.

Overlords of Rank Seven and above, however, would see through it.

Jorces was no overlord himself.

If the mask could deceive even those beings, it would be considered a specialized concealment treasure rather than a functional one.

Sein chuckled at the huge-nosed beast’s question.

“Maybe I got a little carried away with the spell’s destructive output just now.”

“We were having an academic debate. Even at a lower life level, a mage with enough knowledge can tap higher‑level elemental energy,” he explained.

The huge-nosed giant beast glanced at the six deep trenches behind Sein and the injured Rank Three mages lying around on the ground.

Surprisingly, it nodded, as if it actually bought the explanation!

Sein had been wise not to kill any of them. If he had, the Rank Five beast might not have let it slide, and the real consequences would have come later once he left this place.

Ruthlessness was acceptable when dealing with enemies from other civilizations, but not with their own.

That was the benefit of the law they all lived under. And, sometimes... also its biggest flaw.

“I’ve met a handful of mages who could push past their limits, but your aura appears to be the most ordinary of them all,” the huge-nosed beast said.

“Anyway, I suggest you don’t use that kind of dangerous magic in the trial zone again. This place will shut down in another twenty years or so. Don’t cause me any trouble,” it added, giving Sein a warning stare.

Sein’s aura might have been the most unremarkable among the many mages present, but somehow, the beast could tell he was the most dangerous one here.

It was not that the Rank Five beast could sense his aura concealed by the Faceless Mask—it was just a gut feeling.

“Fine, I promise... as long as no one picks a fight with me,” Sein replied, casting a glance at the mages behind him.

The huge-nosed beast snorted, took one last look at the injured mages behind Sein, then spread its wings and flew off.

With the creature gone, Sein motioned for Leena and Grimm to follow him.

Now that Master Jorces’ trial was over, there was no reason to stick around any longer.

***

Sein flew alongside Leena and Grimm low over the trial zone, under the clear sky.

Grimm knew Sein was married to Natalya and that he had lived with Selina for years, but he tactfully kept his questions about Leena to himself.

Instead, the two old friends, who had not seen each other in years, took the time to catch up and share stories from their journeys.

Sein skipped the parts about Faeloria but shared most of the wars and journeys he had seen.

Grimm, in turn, spoke of his own changes over the years.

“So Master Archimedes has passed away?” Sein asked ruefully.

“Yes, a hundred‑thirty years ago. Before he left, he spent half his fortune to send me into the Knight Continent to undertake the trial. He also told me my senior and I were the best apprentices he ever had,” Grimm replied softly, his voice tinged with sorrow.

Grimm’s senior was Vlad, the Rank Four mage who built the Divine Tower of Crimson Blaze.

Grimm himself was now a registered mage of the same tower, as were most of Archimedes’ apprentices.

The Divine Tower of Crimson Blaze survived its rough beginnings largely thanks to Master Archimedes. He was at least forty percent of the reason it pulled through.

Over the years, Grimm had racked up plenty of experience.

He even visited a low‑level plane that was born from a botched magical experiment and unmarked by the Magus Alliance.

After clearing Master Jorces’s trial, Grimm was only a step away from demigodhood.

Grimm did not have many friends; he considered Sein one of the few he could truly trust.

With a grin, he mentioned that if he ever invaded that low-level plane, he would definitely invite Sein to come along.

That little comment alone revealed that Grimm might be humble, but he had a deep well of confidence in himself.

He fully expected to eventually reach Rank Four and build a divine tower of his own, just as Master Archimedes had urged him to do before he passed.

Grimm’s casual comment made Sein burst into laughter.

Sein figured Faeloria was bound to be invaded by the Magus Civilization someday anyway, so he patted Grimm’s shoulder and said, “Great. I’ve got a target in mind too. When I launch the invasion, I’ll definitely invite you to come along too.”

After years apart, their reunion was filled with warmth and camaraderie.

Leena watched their exchange with a touch of envy; in Blackhaven, “friendship” did not exist.

Grimm felt no bitterness over Sein winning the final reward from Master Jorces’ trial.

The world always favored the capable, and Grimm accepted that he had lost to his friend, fair and square.

The huge‑nosed Behemoth had said this trial space would seal itself in roughly twenty years.

With the clock ticking, Grimm decided to stick with Sein and Leena for the rest of the journey.

During their travel, Sein spent most of his time conducting what seemed like basic experiments to others.

Despite standing at the cusp of Rank Four, he was not diving into advanced research yet.

Instead, he revisited questions that had puzzled him during his Rank Three and demigod stages, using the insights he gained from Master Jorces’ legacy knowledge.

He even repeated experiments typically performed by Rank One or Two mages.

Grimm and Leena found this behavior a little odd, but Sein clearly enjoyed it. To him, the process was deeply fulfilling.

Each basic experiment shored up his foundation a bit more—and that, in its own way, was another kind of growth and improvement!