Sovereign of the Ashes

The Huusians needed a guarantee, and Sein lost nothing by offering a nominal title to the sisters.

He even seriously considered bringing the Huusians into his own private army.

With the Clash of Civilizations in full swing, low-tier legions and cannon fodder were indispensable.

Sein’s Divine Tower of Ashes was still young, and its lack of low-ranking mages remained a glaring weakness.

As for enslaved creatures from planes like Pyreling World, Sein had no idea how well things had been going lately.

Adding another capable interstellar nomadic legion to his forces would only strengthen him.

Just as the Huusian King had said, Sein might even need to think about how to retain rather than throw them away as expendable fodder.

Once the basic terms of cooperation were agreed upon, the rest of the negotiations flowed much more smoothly.

The king raised other demands as well. They were nothing outrageous, just mostly about the settlement and protection of ordinary Huusian commonfolk.

The foundation of any race lies in its lowest tiers.

The Huusian fleet had around five million fighters, but their grassroots population was more than ten times that.

Right now, that enormous population was trapped within the Gallant Federation’s territory, guarded by the federal fleets.

The king feared that even the smallest sign of unrest could bring a devastating strike from the federation.

On top of that, the federation had countless ways to keep them under control.

Aside from the contracts and the metal buttons implanted in Huusian warriors, nearly every Huusian ship had a self-destruct device installed by the Gallant Federation.

Given all this, the king’s resolve to resist and secretly side with Sein showed no small amount of courage.

The fate of his entire race rested on his shoulders, and their situation was precarious. It was tough being the leader of this tribe.

A single mistake could doom them all.

Sein agreed to almost all of the king’s terms without hesitation.

What seemed like an impossible challenge for the Huusians was not so difficult for the Magus Civilization.

As for the metal buttons implanted in the warriors and the self-destruct devices scattered throughout the fleet, Sein said he could call on a Magus World mechanics legion to remove them swiftly.

And for the Zeak Empire’s binding contract, Sein suggested leaving that to Magus World’s experts in contract laws.

Sein was no stranger to drafting and enforcing law contracts, but he knew there were plenty in Magus World who were more skilled than he was.

After all, manipulating laws was the specialty of Magus World’s mages.

The Zeak Empire was just a normal, large-sized civilization. The contracts it signed with the Huusians were unlikely to be overly complex.

Sein assured the Huusian King that Magus World surely had experts who could pick apart those contracts.

Once the first draft of the contract was complete, Sein immediately reached out to Clint, the commander of the Magus Civilization’s forces on the Black Tide Plane, as well as the other powerhouses.

Meanwhile, the war on the Black Tide Plane raged on.

Even the Huusian King himself was dispatched by the Gallant Federation to lead combat operations.

At the same time, a more detailed and structured agreement between the two sides was gradually taking shape.

Clint and the others raised no objections to the terms Sein had promised the Huusian King to secure their loyalty.

They also approved Sein’s proposal to bring in a mechanic legion from another warfront, including a powerful Rank Five mechanic.

Although the Transversa Star Domain battlefield was overseen by the Desert Kingdom of Jehannah, the Magus Civilization operated as a unified whole.

Those in the upper echelons clearly valued this sector, so the redeployment of reinforcements moved quickly.

As for the contract the Huusians had signed with the Zeak Empire, the Magus Civilization confirmed it could be solved without too much trouble.

There was no need to send anyone in from elsewhere. Master Duffrey, a Rank Four mage already stationed on the Black Tide Plane, was an expert in this field.

With enough spellcasting materials, Master Duffrey could nullify those contracts.

The only part that made Clint and the others frown, or quietly scoff, was the clause that required Sein to marry both Huusian princesses.

While Sein himself had rarely seen diplomatic marriages, they were actually fairly common within the Magus Alliance.

Still, extraplanar races usually sought out Magus World knights as partners, not mages.

One big reason was that many mages had little interest in such arrangements.

Standing behind Clint, a Rank Four knight from the Jehannah Kingdom named Bondi reviewed the terms.

When his eyes fell on the clause at the front, the one requiring Sein to wed both princesses, he muttered under his breath, “These Huusians follow some kind of self-cultivation evolution path, don’t they?”

“Isn’t Master Sein a mage? Can he really handle not just one, but two of them?!”

Bondi’s question drew a few snickers from the Magus World powerhouses gathered in the hall.

The Rank Four knights from Jehannah Kingdom, in particular, were rough brutes who enjoyed crude topics like this.

Even the gray-bearded Rank Five mage named Smarque looked a little uncomfortable.

Only Clint managed to keep a straight face. His expression darkened as he cleared his throat and barked, “Watch your words! Master Sein made this sacrifice for our sake—for the Black Tide Plane battlefield.”

“Who else could earn the Huusians’ trust? You? Do they even know who you are?” Clint snapped, kicking Bondi for speaking out of turn.

Among knights, strength commanded respect, and their culture was far more relaxed than the rigid formality of mages.

Though Clint kicked him, Bondi did not take offense. He simply brushed it off and quickly changed the subject, asking with urgency, “So, Brother Clint, when do we move?”

Clint looked at the law contract in his hands again, then replied, “There’s no need to rush. We’ll wait for the updates from Bishura first.”

Bishura was a low-level plane in the Transversa Star Domain, where the Magus Civilization and the Gallant Federation clashed most violently.

The fighting there was more than four times as intense as on the Black Tide Plane!

The finalized contract included a clause requiring the Magus Civilization to ease their offensive on Bishura, lulling the federal legions across this star domain into complacency.

That clause had been added by Sein himself.

It was not out of kindness toward the Huusians, but rather part of his plan to prepare for a surprise strike on Nocchi.

Sein had not given up on the imprisoned Rank Four Nexon intelligent robot.