Sovereign of the Ashes

The elderly Rank Four Huusian did not spare Sein so much as a glance, dismissing him as just another Rank Three, and instead addressed Gwyneira with genuine concern.

“Your Highness, you really shouldn’t have gone after that flying green toad alone! If something happened, how would I ever explain it to the king?”

“What could possibly go wrong? Do you not trust my abilities, Grandpa Jeda?” The Huusian princess then gestured to Sein.

“This is Bousse, the one who helped me earlier. Since I accidentally damaged his spacecraft, he’ll be traveling with us for a while.”

The elderly Huusian turned his head and looked at Sein. He gave a curt nod but said nothing to him.

“Grandpa Jeda, how is the war in Pothos progressing?” Gwyneira asked as she led Sein toward the spaceship.

“It’s basically over. The king has ordered the tribal warriors to withdraw gradually. But the Rismanians are still quibbling over our payment,” the old man said in a flat tone.

“Ugh, those stingy, stubborn tinmen!” Gwyneira spat, clearly annoyed.

***

The Huusians were a formidable presence in the surrounding star domains. From the sheer size and discipline of their legions, not to mention the quality of their lower-ranking fighters, Sein estimated that the strength of this nomadic tribe had already surpassed that of an ordinary low-level plane.

They must also have a permanent, fully developed plane somewhere. Otherwise, it would have been nearly impossible for them to train new warriors, replenish resources, and maintain fleets of battleships and spacecraft.

Why the Huusians chose not to settle and grow in one place, and instead continued their endless wandering through the Astral Realm, was a mystery to Sein.

Perhaps it was rooted in tradition. Perhaps there were other reasons.

Either way, Sein felt no particular urge to pry into the ways of this unusual race. All he wanted was a ride that would get him to his destination as quickly as possible.

The Huusians possessed a planetary fortress. According to Gwyneira, the entire tribe shared it as their greatest asset.

This planetary fortress looked rather old and worn, but its size was on par with a Magus World space fortress.

Sein could not determine its exact combat capabilities, but it was certainly far stronger than any ordinary spaceship.

Two hundred years ago, the Zeak Empire had given this planetary fortress to the Huusians as collateral.

Once they completed their current mission, they were required to return it immediately to the empire.

“Do you know why the Zeak Empire had hired you guys?” Sein asked curiously.

“Probably because of the war. Fighting is what we Huusians do best, and we’ve always had a solid reputation for it. I just never thought it would reach all the way to the Zeak Empire. My father and the others handled the specific terms of the contract, so I’m not aware of the details,” Gwyneira answered.

Both of them were inside the Huusian planetary fortress, and Sein’s spacecraft had already been taken away for repairs.

With the Huusians’ protection, traveling was far safer and more reliable than when he had wandered alone into Gallant Federation territory disguised as a Bokrian.

So, he decided to go with the flow.

Upon entering the fortress, the first thing Sein did was employ Mirage’s soul-binding spell that he had not used in a long time.

His first target was none other than Gwyneira.

Of course, Sein could not fully bind her soul, since there were signs that her father was a Rank Five being.

The Huusians were not particularly advanced in soul arts, but they possessed many unusual techniques, including the divination tool Sein had used earlier.

Because of this, Sein dared not push his luck too far.

While he could not completely control Gwyneira’s soul, influencing this Rank Three girl into trusting him was relatively simple.

Over the years, Sein had mainly used soul spells on Yuri, and her absolute loyalty was proof of his achievement in this field.

From Gwyneira, he extracted bits of classified and semi-classified information.

What puzzled him, however, was why she had been so unusually enthusiastic toward him.

He finally got his answer one day after putting her into a deep hypnotic state, which left him amused.

It turned out that Gwyneira, just like Sein, had also recently used the divination power of her tribe’s hexagonal treasure box.

Unlike Sein’s result, which had warned him of minor troubles ahead...

Gwyneira’s divination had been far more specific: she would be saved by a “handsome” man, who would then become the love of her life.

Although Gwyneira had already reached Rank Three, she was still an innocent young lady. After all, the Huusians were a race where the strong tended to bloom late.

Within the Huusian tribes, only the high priests were permitted to use the hexagonal treasure boxes to peer into destiny. For anyone else, it was forbidden.

Gwyneira had done it in secret, which meant she could not tell a soul about this.

It was obvious now that she had cast Sein in the role of her destined prince.

Sein’s Bokrian disguise was not exactly attractive, but by Huusian standards, he still counted as handsome, even if his skin color was different.

The thought amused him. He wondered if Gwyneira would see him differently if he changed his appearance to some other non-human form.

During his talks with her inside the planetary fortress, Sein also began piecing together the Huusians’ ties with the Zeak Empire.

The Magus Alliance Conference had already ended, and the Magus Civilization was preparing for war against the Gallant Federation.

It seemed the federation had caught wind of it too and was mobilizing its armies for the inevitable clash.

By signing the Zeak Empire’s employment contract, the Huusians would almost certainly end up facing the Magus Civilization Army on the battlefield.

The Huusians were spread across nearby star domains, numbering in the hundreds of tribal groups.

Sein had actually bought his hexagonal treasure box from one of the smaller ones.

The tribe Gwyneira came from was probably the strongest of them all. After all, it was led by a Rank Five powerhouse who held the title of a “king”.

In Huusian tradition, a king was more than just a measure of strength. The title also carried with it charisma and influence.

The Zeak Empire had signed a contract with Gwyneira’s father, hiring not just his clan but possibly every Huusian tribe in the nearby star domains.

Together, these interstellar mercenaries were undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with.