Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein merely shot a glance at the noblewoman, showing no signs of respect for the woman who was supposed to be his “stepmother”.

His attention remained fixed on the large portrait in front of him.

As his finger traced the intricate patterns of the metallic frame, it felt as though he were forging a connection with the memory of his mother.

The noblewoman was infuriated by John and Regnar’s silence, as well as Sein’s disregard.

What infuriated her even more was the painting that occupied the entire wall in front of her.

She had lost count of the times she had expressed her wish to have that huge painting of the late countess to be removed in the past.

Yet, every time she broached the subject, her husband merely gave her a frosty expression in response.

Earl Grantt was not easily swayed by a woman. The man with a reputation earned on the battlefield was not about to let himself be controlled by the desires of his spouse.

This included his late wife, Catherine, his childhood friend whom he had married in adulthood. The couple was once the subject of envy for many.

On the contrary, his second marriage was the result of political convenience rather than a match of genuine affection.

Had it not been for the loss of Sein, which left Earl Grantt in need of a future successor, and the necessity for House Grantt to forge an alliance with House Haukes of the Zephyr Kingdom, this marriage would never have happened.

Truth be told, Lady Thea’s existence was pitiable.

As the daughter of a marquis and the wife of an earl, she was viewed as a mere political tool by the other nobles.

Love was a foreign concept to her, even after marrying into House Grantt.

This was the norm in marriages between nobles, driven solely by gains and profits.

Love stories between a noble and commoners were only tales written for entertainment, scarce in reality.

While Lady Thea could not expect love from the earl, she found solace in her son.

As the only son of Earl Grantt, he was destined to inherit the entire Cercis Territory and title of an earl in the future.

Her son was the key to securing her social standing and dignity, both in the Lysian Alliance and the Zephyr Kingdom, where she hailed from.

Sein’s sudden appearance was a threat that could extinguish her only glimmer of hope!

After all, primogeniture was still practiced among the nobles in the Lysian Alliance and those in other neighboring nations.

Furthermore, Earl Grantt’s unwavering devotion toward Lady Catherina was well known throughout the Cercis Territory and the entire Lysian Alliance.

Sein’s confirmation as Earl Grantt’s eldest son could jeopardize her son’s inheritance.

This situation was intolerable to Lady Thea!

In her fit of anger, she seemed to have forgotten about the unwavering authority of Earl Grantt.

Seizing a silver candlestick from in the room, she flung it vehemently toward the portrait before Sein.

Sein was not going to let her destroy the portrait, especially in his presence. He reacted swiftly, unleashing a Minor Fireball spell from his fingertip and melting the silver candlestick mid-air.

The sudden appearance of the fireball immediately caused unease among those present in the council chamber.

While they typically refrained from meddling in noble family matters, they would be in trouble if Lady Thea was injured by Sein.

Surprisingly, the first to intervene was not the red-armored knight or Old John and Regnar, but the red-haired youth closest to the countess.

The young man, presumably Sein’s younger brother, appeared to be around eighteen or nineteen years old—six or seven years Sein’s junior.

A brilliant burst of violet flame battle qi radiated from his rapier.

He leaped into the air, slicing the fireball that was not aimed at Thea in the first place, into two with remarkable skills.

The falling sparks scattered harmlessly on the stone floor without setting anything on fire.

The second son of the earl displayed graceful movements, clearly inheriting several favorable traits from House Grantt.

The only difference between him and sein was that he had inherited his mother’s red hair instead of Earl Grantt’s blond hair.

Nevertheless, his face bore great resemblance to the earl.

The Violet Flame Battle Qi was House Grantt’s distinctive hallmark, limited to members of House Grantt or closely related individuals.

Presently, no more than fifteen individuals, including the earl himself, were qualified to cultivate this formidable battle qi within the entire earl’s castle.

Sein’s younger brother seemed to possess a remarkable constitution, already reaching the rank of an intermediate squire around the age of eighteen.

Although knights could generally progress more rapidly than mages, Sein was able to attain the rank of an intermediate magic initiate at the age of eighteen.

After effortlessly neutralizing the threat of the Minor Fireball spell, Sein’s younger brother confidently pointed his rapier at Sein.

Yet, Sein had no interest in engaging with what he considered a “kid”.

Even if the young man facing him was eighteen and possessed the strength of an intermediate squire, he was merely an inexperienced child in Sein’s eyes.

In terms of actual combat prowess, this young nobleman, despite being one of the Grantts that could harness the formidable Violet Flame Battle Qi, might not be able to defeat the other intermediate squires who had experienced the harsh realities of war.

His earlier display was undeniably cool, yet it was marred by too many unnecessary movements.

Sein believed he could potentially wipe out this entire direct bloodline of the House Grantt, excluding himself, with a single enhanced Fireball spell.

However, he refrained from doing so. Upon returning to Grantt Territory and discovering that everything differed from his expectations, he no longer felt any sense of belonging here.

Noble titles, honors, territories, and benefits—none of them held any significance to him!

As a spellcaster, Sein pursued truth and elemental mysteries.

His journey involved exploring the unknown, unraveling secrets, and ascending to greater power, as well as unraveling the mysteries of the Astral Realm.

House Grantt was not his home. Perhaps, his real “home” was the cramped dormitory room where he used to reside with Leena.

After stowing away the massive painting into his space bangle, Sein cast a brief glance at the people in the chamber before turning to depart.

The sudden disappearance of the painting, which dominated the entire wall, did not really astound the onlookers, especially Lady Thea.

As the daughter of a marquis, she had some familiarity with spatial equipment.

Despite her efforts to acquire such tools through connections and appeals to her family, all she could procure was a modest spatial equipment in the form of a water droplet-shaped trinket with a mere cubic meter of storage space on the day of her son’s coming-of-age.

It was unable to store a massive painting like Sein’s space bangle.

Even Earl Grantt himself did not possess spatial equipment like that!