Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein’s anger did not last long.

Natalya’s reckless action had come from missing him too much.

In her own words, if Sein still had not returned, she would have started believing she was a widow.

The whole experience also served as a reminder for Sein to reinforce his laboratory doors, because starting today, there would be two more people living in this home.

Sein frowned. “Father-in-law found another woman?”

It was rare for a knight to remain loyal to just one woman. Even Sein, as a mage, had multiple women of his own.

However, what Wilson should not have done was try to make that woman a legal wife.

To be fair, it was not entirely Wilson’s idea—the woman herself had been making quite a fuss about it.

From the conversations he had with Sia and Natalya, Sein could tell there was still some lingering affection between his mother-in-law and Wilson.

But this time, too many factors had stacked up, leading to a permanent separation.

“That woman thought she could join House Ernst just because she gave me a younger brother? Hah! Dream on!” Natalya snapped, waving her fist in the air.

They were seated at the dinner table, with Natalya sitting right next to Sein.

Despite Sein’s rather complicated situation with women, Natalya’s position as the “main wife” seemed completely unshakable.

That was also why Sia no longer tried to interfere—she had long since accepted her daughter’s circumstances.

As for Natalya, she did not seem the jealous type. If anything, she had such a big heart that she had even tried sharing Sein with Reina.

Sein glanced across the table at Reina, who had clearly returned to her full size, taking up the space of at least four people all by herself.

And judging by how much she was eating, she was easily putting away more than four portions.

It was obvious that during his absence, with no one around to keep her in check, Reina had bounced back to her original size.

“Come to my lab after you’re done eating,” Sein said, stirring the creamy soup in his bowl with a silver spoon.

Reina, still chewing on a roasted drumstick, visibly shuddered. All of a sudden, the meat in her mouth lost its flavor.

Sein’s gaze then shifted to Scarlet, who sat at the end of the dining table.

Scarlet was a member of House Ernst and had clearly sneaked out with the group this time.

Scarlet was not getting any younger, especially now that she had been promoted to Rank Two.

At this point, she was facing the same issue Natalya once had: the family was eager to find her a marriage partner.

The recent prosperity of the Viridescent Land had spread to the surrounding regions.

Not only had the number of registered mages under the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring grown rapidly, but several nearby knightly orders had also expanded and flourished in the past few years.

Many promising younger knight houses had emerged one after another, and marrying into House Ernst remained a strong option for any looking to secure or elevate its position.

During Sein’s long absence from Magus World, Scarlet had grown close to both Sia and Natalya.

Though there was technically a generational gap between them, the extended lifespan and transcendent nature of those who made it to Rank One and beyond made age differences feel almost irrelevant—certainly far less significant than they were in the mundane world.

Scarlet herself now belonged to a generation that would normally place her in the role of a grandmother.

Meanwhile, during Sein’s time away, House Grantt had already passed through at least ten generations. He planned to visit them when he had the time.

After getting a general idea of what the women had been through over the years, Sein set his spoon down and headed toward his laboratory.

Sia shot her daughter a knowing look. Natalya glanced around awkwardly, then quickly stood up and followed after him.

Selina and Eileen had gotten their “fill” the night before, but Natalya had not had her turn yet.

Having gone without for quite a while, her demon blood was already starting to stir.

At the table, only Reina was still happily gnawing on the wild game in front of her because she knew she could eat uninterrupted... for just a little longer.

***

It was another beautiful morning when Sein made his way toward the academy building of the divine tower, carrying a crystal ball and some basic labware.

The number of initiates at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had more than doubled since the last time he had been here.

Thanks to Lorianne’s efforts, the total number of initiates had reached nearly thirty thousand, and it was still growing.

According to Dean Jessica’s projections, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring could comfortably sustain up to fifty thousand initiates.

Managing such a large population would certainly pose operational challenges during the early and middle stages. But in the long run, it was a solid investment.

These initiates represented the future, and a promising one at that.

As of today, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring had one dean and two vice deans. With Sein’s return, another name was added to the vice dean position.

Jessica, the current dean, was unquestionably qualified for the role.

She understood deeply that initiates were the future of the divine tower’s long-term development. So, whenever she had spare time, Jessica would personally visit the academy to inspect the classrooms and observe.

As a result, many of the initiates had come to know this infamously strict dean.

“Master Sein, you were scheduled to start your classes yesterday. Why are you only showing up today instead?” Jessica demanded, standing just outside the academy building with a stern expression on her face.

A number of initiates who had been on their way to class saw the dean’s expression and immediately picked up their pace. Not one dared to linger near her while she was in a bad mood.

Even nearby mages who were heading to lectures gave them a wide berth.

Jessica’s years as dean had thoroughly “tamed” every unruly mage in the academy.

“I only just returned to the divine tower not long ago and was still settling in yesterday,” Sein replied with a slight frown.

Of course, with the Faceless Mask covering his face, Jessica could not see the subtle shift in his expression. From her perspective, Sein appeared calm and composed.

But before he could continue explaining, Jessica cut him off.

“Do you know that you missed a total of 227 initiates’ public classes yesterday?!”

Sein remained silent this time.

Jessica seemed satisfied with his silence. She turned and walked toward the building, calling over her shoulder, “Be sure to make up those missed lectures.”

“And by the way, your absence will be reflected in your salary. You may have had your reasons, but you need to understand—this could affect the future of hundreds of children.”

With that, Jessica’s figure disappeared into the distance.

Sein had no complaints about what she said.

After all, he had been an initiate and a dean before, so he knew exactly how to handle undisciplined mages. He completely understood where Jessica was coming from.

As he watched her walk away, Sein narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on her rear.

“Looks like she’s using a different one today...” he murmured thoughtfully.

“What are you spacing out for? Get moving, we’re gonna be late!” Selina said, pulling him into the building, where she had a lesson to teach as well.