Sovereign of the Ashes

“Hephaes is the centaur god I had a contract with. I recently found out he was killed, and I want all of you to explain what happened!”

Lorianne got straight to the point the moment they met, her tone sharp and commanding.

It was the first time Sein had ever seen this side of his mentor.

The representative from Centaurworld was also a Rank Four centaur god.

None of them had expected a Magus World powerhouse to investigate Hephaes’ death suddenly.

Hephaes had died during the interplanar war launched by the two knightly orders in the Western Archipelago.

The Magus Alliance and the two orders of knights had already compensated Centaurworld for the loss.

If the case were reopened now, it would not only implicate the centaur gods involved but also cause massive losses for other Centaurworld deities.

So of course, they would never admit to plotting against Hephaes.

“How could that be possible?! Hephaes died in battle during the campaign led by Sir Gian and Sir Hawk. Everyone knows that,” the Rank Four centaur god replied defensively.

“As fellow deities of Centaurworld, if there had been anything strange about his death, we would have gotten to the bottom of it,” he added.

“Is that so?” Lorianne’s voice dropped, cold and cutting. “Then why were his kin sold at auction as slaves after his death?”

“And as far as I know, the assets he left behind were also sold off by those of you who fought alongside him in the war,” she added with a sneer.

Lorianne had gotten all this information from Sein—who had, in turn, heard it directly from Maya and Luna.

As for Hephaes’ assets being divided and sold, Sein had no hard evidence. He only managed to rescue Maya and her granddaughter.

Still, it was easy to guess that if he went searching for proof now, there would be nothing left to find.

At this moment, Lorianne’s words were a calculated bluff, directed right at the centaur god sitting across from her.

And sure enough, the centaur god’s expression darkened.

When Maya and Luna quietly appeared behind Sein, his face turned as black as the bottom of a pot.

In truth, this particular centaur god had not directly participated in Hephaes’ downfall.

He had merely enjoyed the benefits afterward, which was why he had ended up tangled in the mess.

The truth behind Hephaes’ death had been kept tightly under wraps in Centaurworld.

At least half of the centaur gods had no idea what had really happened, including the old Centaur King himself.

Maybe, with his age and experience, the king had picked up on a few hints here and there. But he had never launched a full investigation.

Centaurworld was a medium-sized plane, and its king—a Rank Six deity—might not have been one of the strongest in the Magus Alliance, but his seniority was unquestionable.

Still, Centaurworld was in a state of serious imbalance.

A handful of deities, led by the Centaur King, controlled nearly all the resources.

Naturally, the other impoverished centaur deities had their grievances.

This Rank Four centaur god did not believe the Centaur King had become senile enough to be easily fooled.

Still, Hephaes’ death was caused partly by the war and partly by hidden schemes.

Outright murder seemed unlikely—after all, the two knightly orders from the Western Archipelago who led the war were neither fools nor blind.

They would never have stood by and let Hephaes be betrayed by his own allies.

What did happen was that the other centaur gods who had participated in the war had clearly dragged their feet when it came to responding to Hephaes’ cries for help.

That delay had ultimately led to his downfall, which was exactly why no one wanted to revisit the matter.

By now, the Rank Four centaur god sent to the Magus World was less angry at Hephaes—who still managed to cause trouble even after death—but more furious with those responsible for his demise, enraged by how carelessly they had failed to cover their tracks.

They had already divided up Hephaes’ assets, accepted compensation from the Magus Alliance and the two Rank Four knights, yet they still had the audacity to scatter and sell off Hephaes’ kin.

And now, those kin had fled to the Magus World and were seeking protection from the very divine tower Hephaes had once been allied with!

Those good-for-nothings are more trouble than they are worth!

The Rank Four centaur god cursed inwardly, already regretting having gotten himself involved in this mess for such a measly gain.

Still, despite the curses in his mind, he kept his expression calm and composed in front of Lorianne and Sein.

This was exactly why the Centaur King had sent him here.

“Hephaes’ kin being sold into slavery? I suspect that must have been some sort of misunderstanding or oversight,” he said.

“As for the division of Hephaes’ assets in Centaurworld, I can only say that’s an absolute fallacy. Each of us centaur gods is a part of Centaurworld. The redistribution of his assets simply means that, under the wise leadership of our great Centaur King, the world’s resources are being properly reallocated. After all, we need those resources to nurture the birth of new centaur gods.”

He was a smooth talker, brushing aside every accusation and firmly refusing to admit to any conspiracy behind Hephaes’ downfall.

Sein glanced at Maya and her granddaughter. He already knew that reopening the case and seeking justice would not be easy.

Even though the Magus World held authority over Centaurworld, some things still required solid evidence.

Fortunately, Sein had never truly intended to launch a full investigation into Hephaes’ death. What he really wanted was to secure certain benefits.

Likewise, Maya and Luna only wished to reclaim what was rightfully theirs.

“Since there has been some misunderstanding and oversight, shouldn’t the Maya Tribe be returned to its rightful leaders?” Sein stepped forward with a smile.

He continued, “We mages of Magus World pride ourselves on being fair and reasonable. I trust that Centaurworld will continue to uphold the ideals of justice and fairness within the Magus Alliance system, under the guidance of Magus Civilization. I’d hate to see the Maya Tribe in ruins by the time it’s finally returned to these ladies.”

“Besides, Hephaes still has an unfulfilled contract with my mentor. We expect the Maya Tribe and the other tribes once under his command to help complete it in his place,” Sein added.

The Rank Four centaur god glanced at the two female centaurs standing behind Sein and Lorianne, then finally gave a reluctant nod.

“I’ll need to return and discuss this with the others.”

“Of course, Centaurworld fully upholds and supports the alliance laws set by the Magus World. There’s no question about that,” he added.