Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1725: Misunderstanding

A mentor lecturing an apprentice was only natural.

As Lorianne’s apprentice, Sein could only accept her nagging without complaint, regardless of how high his life level was or how many profound truths he had unraveled.

This reflected the Magus World’s reverence for mentors and respect for tradition.

What few people knew was the immense satisfaction Lorianne felt deep inside when she, a Rank Four mage, lectured a Rank Five apprentice. It was a pleasure outsiders could scarcely comprehend.

After reprimanding Sein, Lorianne casually walked past him and entered the laboratory.

Compared to her last visit, Sein’s private laboratory within the Ashen Fortress had gained many new additions.

Whether it was the skull specimen of a Rank Five Sand Crocodile or the various discoveries Sein had made on this subspace battlefield, each item made Lorianne’s eyes sparkle.

When she reached the deeper part of the laboratory and noticed the numerous metallic fragments sealed within display cases and elemental barriers, the Rank Four mage’s eyes narrowed thoughtfully.

“These are...” Lorianne’s voice trailed off.

Though she was not a trained alchemist, Lorianne possessed keen insight and extensive knowledge.

“These are fragments of world-class secret treasures I discovered within this subspace’s ruins. The origin law power within most of them has completely dissipated, though a few rare pieces still retain traces of it,” Sein explained respectfully.

“You’re welcome to take a few back for further study, if you want, Master Lorianne,” he offered.

“T-That’s...” Lorianne’s eyes widened, her face flushing crimson.

She genuinely could not imagine how this apprentice had managed to acquire so many secret treasure fragments.

Though the origin law power within these fragments had largely dissipated, they were once parts of world-class secret treasures. The technological secrets they held and their inherent value would not simply disappear over time.

In fact, they still possessed immense research value!

Lorianne eagerly accepted her apprentice’s offer.

“In all my years, I’ve seen very few world-class secret treasure fragments. The only one I ever handled was your grandmaster’s Verdant Flame Wand,” she murmured.

“Since you have so many here, I’ll take a couple back for study. I’ll return them once I am done,” Lorianne said.

Sein’s expression shifted from surprise to realization. “So Grandmaster Feylis’ world-class wand is called the Verdant Flame Wand, huh?”

He then said, “Take whatever you need, Master Lorianne. I haven’t thoroughly studied most of these fragments myself. I have too many experimental projects on hand right now.”

“Most of these fragments were parts of technological artifacts, so I’m not sure how useful they will be to you. I had a few pieces from the Black Merlot Civilization ruins, but Black Oblivion and the others traded all of those away. I’ll try to borrow some of them from him. There’s a world-class bone staff from the Black Merlot Civilization that you might find interesting,” he added.

Sein’s string of remarks left Lorianne momentarily speechless. She said nothing else and headed straight deeper into his laboratory instead.

An apprentice this capable was a great source of pride, but it could also create awkward moments when there was simply nothing left for a mentor to teach.

Normally, mentors guided their apprentices. Here, however, the roles felt oddly reversed.

As Lorianne walked deeper into the laboratory with Sein following behind, she asked, “I heard you recently subdued a Rank Six angel-type robot?”

Although Lorianne had only just arrived at the subspace battlefield and had not previously been near the frontlines, she seemed surprisingly well informed about Sein’s recent affairs.

Seeing no reason to conceal anything, Sein nodded honestly. “Yes. Her name is Fermera.”

“Though I would not exactly call it subduing. Fermera and I interact on equal terms. We haven’t signed any restrictive laws contracts binding either of us,” he explained.

“Oh? Then how do you get her to obey? I hear she is from the Gallant Federation,” Lorianne asked curiously.

“I simply granted her wisdom and basic rights,” Sein replied, spreading his arms. “Respect, mutual trust, and equality form the foundation of our relationship.”

A look of understanding crossed Lorianne’s face. After a moment, she asked, “May I meet this eight-winged angel?”

“Of course,” Sein replied without hesitation.

As Lorianne reached out to push open the final laboratory door ahead of them, Sein hurriedly called out, “Wait, she’s elsewhere, not in this lab.”

Unfortunately, he was too late. Lorianne had already pushed open the door.

The laboratory itself was unremarkable, normally used for body-tempering experiments and temporarily doubling as a potion lab.

Unlike usual, however, someone else was in the room today.

Kram, the Rank Four Klytheran warrior who had been lying quietly on the experimental table, mistook the sound of the door opening for Sein’s return. She sat up and looked toward the entrance.

When she clearly saw who had entered, her gaze settled on a female mage barely 1.6 meters tall, her verdant green hair cascading down her back.

Standing close behind her was Sein, his expression tinged with unmistakable awkwardness.

At that moment, Kram was nearly naked, covered only by two small pieces of cloth that barely concealed her private areas.

Nothing had happened between Sein and her. Kram was dressed lightly purely for the sake of body-tempering experiments and the testing of certain potions’ performance.

By sheer coincidence, the gazes of these two Rank Four women from different civilizations, different worlds, and completely opposite personalities met, and Lorianne’s cheeks immediately flushed crimson.

Lorianne felt dizzy, though she was not sure whether it was due to the dazzling gleam of the Klytherite crystal in Kram’s chest or some other factor.

Kram, being a warrior, handled the situation with far more composure than Lorianne, though only marginally so.

Still flustered and disoriented, Lorianne was quickly guided out of the laboratory by Sein.

As expected, a mage’s laboratory was an extremely private space. Even as Sein’s mentor, Lorianne should not have barged in without permission.

One never knew when something like this might occur, leaving everyone involved utterly embarrassed.

Once outside the laboratory, Lorianne finally regained her composure. A faint flush still tinged her cheeks as she cleared her throat and lectured Sein, “Even though you’re on recuperation leave and the base hasn’t assigned you any tasks, you shouldn’t indulge yourself too much, understand?”

What did she mean by “indulge too much”?

Sein was mortified. He had not indulged himself at all lately. He had poured nearly all his energy into experiments.

Yet this misunderstanding from his mentor reminded him of something, especially when he saw her flushed face.

For a brief moment, Sein froze where he stood.