Sovereign of the Ashes

Seven, being a magic beast, possessed certain distinctions from a human mage like Sein.

Despite exhibiting a composed demeanor and being capable of assisting Sein in conducting relatively basic magic experiments, its fundamental nature remained that of a magic beast. Unlike Sein, who could seclude himself in the laboratory for several months to pursue research.

Lately, Sein had taken to calling Seven “Sev”.

Due to the familiarity that had developed between them through various life-and-death situations, Seven did not find this somewhat affectionate nickname repulsive. In fact, it gradually grew accustomed to it.

“I went to the forest in the south for a little while. There aren’t any birds there anymore,” Sev reported.

The forest Sev mentioned was situated to the south of the earl’s castle.

Although Sein could barely make out its outline from the top of his tower, for Sev, it required only a moment’s effort to fly there.

While the forest lacked noteworthy magic beasts or creatures, Sein had heard that boars, leopards, and other large animals dwelled in it.

Solon, the Second Young Master of House Grantt, used to lead a team of squires on hunting expeditions in that forest in the past.

Upon entering through the window, Sev leaped onto the wooden table and began lapping up the lukewarm sweet soup.

Sweet soup was Earl Grantt’s favorite dessert at the end of his meals. After Sein learned the recipe, he went out of his way to improve it for Sev.

The soup was thick and extremely high in calories. Although mages like Sein were not particularly fond of it, knights like Earl Grantt and magic beasts like Sev enjoyed it immensely.

There was still no indication of Sev advancing to a ranked magic beast.

Without the two Reagan Fruits in possession, Sev’s promotion to a ranked magic beast would be akin to the situation of Gerald, the Quasi Mage from the House Farion—uncertain as to when or how the opportunity would arise.

This was also the norm among magic beasts.

Many magic beasts remained unclear about the exact reasons for their promotion to ranked magic beasts, or super-ranked magic beasts comparable to Rank Two beings.

They merely lived their lives normally—eating, drinking, sleeping. When they reached a certain age, they were naturally promoted.

The promotion of magic beasts, on a broader scale, was dependent on its bloodline.

Those with potent bloodlines could ascend to Rank One upon reaching maturity, while those with somewhat longer lifespans ascended to Rank Two.

Despite being a source of envy, the upper limit of advancement in this kind of promotion was frequently constrained by the limitations of their own bloodline.

Magic beasts with powerful bloodlines possessed enviable super potential, but they also had to contend with undisclosed shortcomings and drawbacks.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect creature in the world.”

This was a sentence Sein had come across in a particular magic book.

Even dragons, as mighty as they were, had their own flaws.

One of these flaws was low fertility.

For species with powerful bloodlines, like dragons, the time it took for them to reach maturity could span hundreds or even thousands of years.

Growing from a hatchling into a young dragon took hundreds of years, not to mention the time it took for a dragon egg to hatch.

In contrast, other magical beasts could progress and attain Rank One or higher during this time.

After consuming nearly half of the sweet soup in the wooden bowl before him, Sev looked up and asked Sein, “So, have you decided? When will you depart?”

“In another two months. I’ll inform Father when he returns,” Sein replied.

In formal settings, Sein rarely addressed Earl Grantt as “Father”.

However, with his impending departure and Earl Grantt’s genuine kindness, Sein gradually accepted him as his father.

Naturally, Sein’s next destination was the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

After spending half a year in the Grantt Territory, Sein began to feel the challenges of exploring the mysteries of truth on his own.

There was a lack of a conducive learning environment, no library housing knowledge on various elements, and a scarcity of magic materials for his experiments.

While Sein had sufficient funds, whether in high-quality energy crystals or the hundreds of magicoins from Master Morsidor’s legacy, he could not spend them in a human region like the Grantt Territory.

Besides, independent studies were generally not encouraged for magic initiates like Sein, who was still far from the level to delve into the knowledge of a specific magic element.

As an initiate, his focus should be on absorbing knowledge and constantly enriching himself. Learning should be his top priority.

Given his current circumstances, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring appeared to be the best next step for him.

For the sake of his magic studies and aspiration to be promoted to a full-fledged mage in the future, Sein needed to further his education in a superior mage council.

He did not wish to follow the path of Elder Domvall, who remained a Quasi Mage at the age of a hundred and twenty.

Sein aimed to promote as soon as he could so that he could seek out Leena and others in the Western Archipelago sooner.

***

Three days later, as twilight painted the sky with its hues, Earl Grantt led a cavalry back to Grantt Territory, just as he had mentioned in his letter.

Accompanying Earl Grantt on his return was Solon, who had already weathered the trials of war.

Half a year of fighting on the frontline had transformed Solon significantly from the “kid” he was six months ago.

Having experienced war and taken the lives of over a dozen imperial soldiers with his own hands, he seemed a lot more mature and dependable now.

There was a rather noticeable scar on Solon’s neck. It was a memento of a confrontation with an intermediate squire from the Ohrque Empire.

Unlike Lady Thea, who expressed her heartache through teary eyes, Solon did not seem to be bothered by the scar.

He was a young man who inherited his father’s spirit and courage, displaying signs of outgrowing the naive “fledgling” Sein had known.

While Lady Thea and Solon shared hushed conversations about her son’s frontline experiences, Earl Grantt approached Sein.

The first thing he learned upon his return to the castle was Sein’s intention to depart for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring for further studies.

“In two months’ time? Isn’t that a little too rushed? You are welcome to stay longer and wait until spring comes...” Earl Grantt suggested.

“The quest for truth cannot be delayed. My training at the castle is progressing too slowly, and there are many resources here that I desperately need but lack. The Divine Tower of Verdant Spring is the optimal platform that will allow senior initiates like me to progress rapidly. I must go there soon,” Sein explained, looking at Earl Grantt.

Earl Grantt sighed but ultimately accepted Sein’s decision.

“I respect your choice. You may go, my son.”

As Earl Grantt consented to Sein’s departure for the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring in two months, Sein could not help but notice the expressions on his stepmother and half-brother out of the corner of his eye.

Regardless of whether they would admit it, Thea and Solon’s eyes betrayed a trace of envy.