Sovereign of the Ashes

As construction on the Divine Tower of Ashes got underway and Tourmaline began her large-scale excavation project, the Darwell Region started to transform.

The knights of House Grantt took the lead to purge bandits and thieves throughout the region that was now officially known as Ashenreach.

Black mages were also rooted out, and order gradually returned to what had once been a chaotic and lawless region.

One of the top priorities was to put an end to the old pattern of city-states developing independently.

At the very least, the scattered settlements would be unified to support Sein’s recruitment efforts for his divine tower and to lay the groundwork for broader regional development.

Although the knights of House Grantt were loyal to Sein, the issue lay in their limited numbers.

Ashenreach was vast, surprisingly so.

Geographically speaking, the Divine Tower of Ashes presided over a region nearly three times the size of the Viridescent Land.

Yet, its total population was estimated to be less than one-tenth of that region.

Fortunately, House Ernst was well aware of Sein’s divine tower project and had thrown their full support behind it.

They had once boasted two demigod-level knights, but the elder of the two had passed away a thousand years ago, leaving only one to lead the family.

Now, with the construction of the Divine Tower of Ashes, House Ernst saw a chance to renew their influence.

Though they were a knightly house, there was no shame in aligning themselves with a divine tower.

The only awkward matter at present was the tension between Wilson and Sia.

It seemed House Ernst hoped to mend the relationship, but the other woman had already given birth to Wilson’s son, and Sia showed no signs of softening her stance.

As a result, a lingering rift remained between House Ernst and the Divine Tower of Ashes.

Interestingly, the most prominent and dedicated contributor to Sein’s divine tower project turned out to be House Farion, a family with whom Sein had had little contact in the past.

House Farion was the family of Sein’s late mother.

Over the years, Sein had not paid much attention to them, but Selina had always supported the family.

Now, with the establishment of Sein’s divine tower in Ashenreach, the entire House Farion had relocated from the Lysian Alliance.

Even House Grantt had at least kept part of their bloodline and estate back in the Lysian Alliance, but House Farion moved without hesitation.

Thanks to that decision, they managed to secure their first fortune shortly after arriving in Ashenreach.

Though they had only produced two full-fledged mages in recent years, House Farion had a sizable number of magic initiates.

These lower-tier forces proved very effective in helping Sein root out vermin scattered throughout Ashenreach.

Later, thanks to Reina’s initiative, even the knight houses aligned with her stepped in to assist with the construction of the Divine Tower of Ashes.

Sein also made time to meet Reina’s parents.

They appeared to have put on a few more pounds since the last time he had seen them.

So, as a gesture of goodwill, Sein handed over his fat-burning technique as a gift.

***

The construction of the Divine Tower of Ashes had relied on the support of many people.

Among them was Tourmaline’s elder brother, the Rank Four dragon known as Black Oblivion, whom White Stella often called the “troublemaker.”

To the west of Ashenreach lay several vast magic beast forests.

These forests did not just border Ashenreach; they extended far south, connecting to numerous factions along the southern coast of Magus World.

Altogether, it was a massive trove of resources. At its farthest edge stood the highest peak in the southern region and the largest magic beast forest of all—the Sage’s Forest.

The only issue was the distance; it would take a very long journey to get there.

When Black Oblivion heard about Sein’s divine tower project, he patted his chest and declared, “From now on, your divine tower is free to develop the forest resources to the west. I’ve already spoken with the local magic beast kings—they’ll agree, because I was the one who asked!”

Black Oblivion, who appeared in his human form, was dressed in a black robe and looked slightly younger than Sein.

Black Oblivion had helped Sein for two reasons: first, out of consideration for his sister Tourmaline, and second, because he was actively trying to build a good relationship with Sein, the new divine tower master.

Thanks to recent experiences, Black Oblivion had gained a lot of insight.

He was no longer the “troublemaker” brother White Stella used to complain about.

Slowly but surely, he had started to build his own network and gather resources across Magus World and the Magus Alliance.

Every member in Tourmaline’s family was indeed far from ordinary.

Sein’s gaze fell on the jet-black longsword at Black Oblivion’s waist, its surface etched with ancient-looking patterns.

The restrained yet powerful energy pulsing from it made it obvious this was no ordinary weapon.

Sein accepted Black Oblivion’s goodwill with a smile. The resources found in the magic beast forests were not only useful for divine tower development—they were valuable even for a Rank Four like him.

After all, the Magus World was a top-tier plane, rich in exceptional native resources.

One should not assume the sea races, demihumans, and magic beasts, though often suppressed by human knights and mages, were faring poorly.

In truth, many of them possessed impressive hidden reserves.

The vast, boundless ocean was filled with rare materials, and deep within the dense magic beast forests, valuable items were frequently produced.

Some Rank Four and higher knights and mages even went out of their way to trade with sea kings and beast kings.

With the Divine Tower of Ashes located nearby, Sein was in a prime position to benefit from all this.

On top of that, he could also establish ties with the Byrne Empire to the east.

According to the Spider Queen, she had connections within that mighty empire.

Being so close to one of the most powerful forces in Magus World was undoubtedly an advantage for Sein’s divine tower.

If Sein ever decided to lead his divine tower in a future interplanar conquest, perhaps he could recruit or hire a few of the Byrne Empire’s knight legions.

As a knight empire, the Byrne Empire had long been hailed as the strongest empire of Magus World—a title even the Alveroth Empire could not claim.

However, the Spider Queen had not contacted Sein much in recent years.

With Sein drawing attention from all directions due to the construction of his divine tower, she likely did not want to risk exposing their personal connection.

Even the “gift” she had prepared for him had been ready for some time. She was just waiting for the right moment to deliver it once his divine tower was complete.

***

“Hey, bro, I heard you’re short on cash lately?” Black Oblivion said one day, slapping Sein on the shoulder.

“Why, are you going to...” Sein hesitated, eyeing him with some suspicion.

“Not lending you money. My big sister would beat me up if I did. But I do know a place where you could make a fortune,” Black Oblivion said, shaking his head.

“Where?” Sein asked, frowning slightly.

“Have you heard of Reyno Star City?” Black Oblivion asked, eyes glinting with excitement.