Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 1794: Seeking Protection

“Are you certain you want to join us in Ashenreach?” Sein asked the brother and sister standing before him in the tower master’s chamber at the top of the divine tower.

Gin was a red-haired Rank Four knight who stood only about 1.7 meters tall. He looked so much like Gina that no one could doubt they were siblings.

Though rather short by a knight’s standards, Gin gave off a fierce and imposing presence.

From the moment Sein laid eyes on him, Sein knew he was the kind of knight who would never bow his head or accept defeat.

“Yes. If Master Sein is willing to take me in and help me through my current difficulties, I’m willing to bind myself to your service for ten thousand years through a magic contract,” Gin replied respectfully.

To serve the Divine Tower of Ashes for ten thousand years was, in essence, to place himself under Sein’s command.

Over the course of his rise, Sein had indeed formed ties with many foreign deities and lesser beings from other worlds.

But among the native powerhouses of Magus World, the only ones currently under his banner were Reina and Sia, both of whom he had personally nurtured step by step.

Because of the nature of their professions, most knights, magic beasts, and sea races in Magus World preferred to maintain close ties with one or more divine towers.

After all, mages could provide potions, magic equipment, and all kinds of support that were in high demand both within the Magus Alliance and beyond. That was not something knights or magic beasts could offer.

Normally, an experienced law-wielding mage would maintain close cooperative ties with three or four nearby knightly orders, and would often support one another during interplanar wars as well.

This ratio also happened to match the standard population balance between knights and mages in the Magus World.

When they left Atlan Interstellar Prison, Sein had only casually mentioned recruiting the siblings.

At the time, he had not expected them to actually come to Ashenreach of their own accord and seek his protection.

“How many members does your knightly order have, Sir Gin? Or rather, how many of them are willing to relocate to Ashenreach?” Sein asked.

Gin’s knightly order had originally been based in the midwestern region of Magus World, a relatively unremarkable area.

By comparison, Ashenreach was far better known. After all, it had once been overrun by black mages, and that history had given it a certain notoriety throughout Magus World.

For Gin to relocate his knightly order to Ashenreach, they would have to cross at least half of Magus World.

That distance was nothing to Gin himself, but the same could not be said for lower-ranking knights. Many of them had deep family roots in their home territories and might not be willing to follow their tower master to what they regard as a “barren wasteland”.

Although Ashenreach had prospered greatly over the past thousand years, it still carried the old reputation of the Darwell Region.

After thinking for a moment, Gin answered Sein’s question. “My knightly order was established fairly recently. At present, there’s a total of 7,194 ranked knights.”

“However, I can guarantee that around five thousand of them are willing to follow me here,” he said with confidence.

The fact that more than half of his lower-ranking knights were willing to follow him to a new land and start over from nothing already said a great deal.

If nothing else, this knight named Gin clearly knew how to win people over.

Gina, who was more familiar with Sein, chose that moment to speak on her brother’s behalf. “My big brother has always been known for taking good care of his subordinates throughout the Order of the Crimson Sword.”

“I believe the number of lower-ranking knights willing to come with us and help develop Ashenreach will only increase, not decrease,” she added.

Gin had been sent to Atlan Interstellar Prison after injuring another Rank Four knight in a dispute over matters such as the unfair distribution of spoils.

He was not fighting for his own share. His dispute with that knight had mainly centered on the interests of the lower-tier legions under his own command.

The Order of the Crimson Sword had previously belonged to a small regional faction made up of several knightly orders. The Rank Four knight he injured had also been part of that same group.

Because of that incident, Gin—whose roots and backing were relatively weak—could clearly no longer continue developing in his original territory.

Or perhaps more accurately, he no longer wished to remain there.

At the very least, when Gin was imprisoned in Atlan Interstellar Prison, none of the other law-wielding knights from his home region had firmly stood by his side. That had deeply wounded both him and his sister.

As a newly advanced Rank Four powerhouse with shallow foundations, Gin found that there was not a single powerhouse around him that he could truly trust or rely on.

After Gin’s release, it was Gina who suggested seeking out Master Sein of Ashenreach. That was how the siblings ended up traveling all the way there in hopes of finding an opportunity.

In truth, Gin had not planned to join Ashenreach at first. It was only after arriving that he realized just how prosperous the region had become.

More importantly, he discovered that Ashenreach still had no native knightly orders of its own. The only exception was Sia’s Order of the Flame Demon, which was still under construction. Even after its completion, it would likely take several more years before it was fully developed.

In all of Magus World, could there be a better place for Gin to make a comeback than the Ashenreach now before them?

Perhaps there was, but it was beyond his reach.

No longer willing to continue drifting aimlessly, Gin immediately discussed the matter with his sister. After careful consideration, the siblings decided to relocate the Order of the Crimson Sword and place themselves under Master Sein’s banner.

What Sein did not realize was that, despite Gin’s fierce and imposing exterior, many of his decisions were actually influenced by his sister’s advice.

As a mage, Gina was more analytical than her straightforward knight brother.

In truth, she had always handled most of the day-to-day affairs of his knightly order.

After weighing the current situation, Gina strongly encouraged her brother to join Master Sein.

She understood that Master Sein’s background and connections were anything but ordinary.

The siblings had grown tired of operating without protection. Joining the Divine Tower of Ashes might mean giving up a portion of their future war profits, but in return, their position would become far more secure.

Gin’s firm attitude, along with a knightly order that could bring at least five thousand members into Ashenreach, was naturally a major benefit to Sein. He had no reason to refuse.

That said, the fact that Gin had once gotten into a fight and ended up imprisoned in the Atlan Interstellar Prison suggested that the young man was not an easy subordinate to manage.

Sein’s gaze drifted toward Gina, who stood there in her pink magic robe.

It was clear that Gina held considerable influence over her brother. If Sein wanted to keep this Rank Four knight under control, using Gina as an indirect point of influence would likely be the easiest way.

“Then I welcome you to Ashenreach, Sir Gin. With your knightly order joining us, Ashenreach will surely prosper even more in the years ahead.”

Sein then redirected his attention to the mage.

“As for you, Master Gina, would you be interested in joining the Divine Tower of Ashes? I can arrange for you to serve as a vice dean,” he offered with a smile.

Both siblings’ faces immediately lit up.

Gin placed a hand over his chest in respect, while Gina bowed and replied, “It would be my honor, Master Sein.”