Sovereign of the Ashes

Since Selina missed the divine tower enrollment period, she had to go through a long enrollment procedure.

With the assistance of a full-fledged mage, her enrollment process went smoothly.

The only minor incident during the signing of Selina’s enrollment contract was when Eileen extended her hand to Sein impatiently.

Upon seeing Sein’s puzzled expression, Eileen asked, “What? Are you expecting me to cover the enrollment fee for you too?”

Her somewhat irritable question caught Sein off guard, and even Selina noticed the impatience but aggressiveness in her tone.

She instinctively moved closer to Sein, her sole reliance at the moment.

“How much?” Sein asked.

“Two Grade One energy crystals!” Eileen replied.

Two Grade One energy crystals were not a trivial amount, even for Rank One mages.

Such an expensive enrollment fee explained why the academy provided initiates with two energy crystals annually, and offered various free public courses.

Before Sein could respond, Eileen took matters into her own hands, saying, “Forget it, let’s just charge it to Master Jovian. After all, he’s your referral!”

“Why didn’t Terra and the others look for Master Jovian when they couldn’t find you? I filled out the referral as him in the first place. I was merely a guide assisting in your enrollment,” Eileen grumbled.

Sein and Selina chose to remain silent when they heard Eileen’s grievances.

Sein stayed quiet when he heard that Selina’s enrollment fee would be charged to Master Jovian, even though he had the financial means to cover it.

In over five years at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy, Sein had never crossed paths with Master Jovian again. Sein often wondered whether Master Jovian was busy or he had simply forgotten about Sein.

The only information he left for Sein was the floor he stayed in the divine tower.

Throughout these years, Sein refrained from bothering Master Jovian, assuming he was busy.

The instructors Sein interacted with were generally Rank One mages. He seemed to have never seen any Rank Two mages teaching any public courses.

***

After completing Selina’s enrollment process, Eileen left in a hurry.

Sein had intended to express his gratitude by offering her two or three Rank One energy crystals, but Eileen hastily departed before he could utter a word.

It appeared that she was genuinely busy, perhaps she had reached a critical stage in her experiments.

From this incident, Sein could tell that despite Eileen’s impatience during Selina’s enrollment process, she was actually really a kind and responsible full-fledged mage.

Her complaints and impatience were only typical reactions from mages when their experiments faced interruption.

Sein himself had not been in the best mood when he emerged from the divine tower academy earlier that day either.

Eileen swiftly flew toward the divine tower building.

Flying within the divine tower area was a privilege reserved for full-fledged mages.

Observing Eileen’s departure, Selina sighed and said, “That full-fledged mage is really a nice person.”

Despite Selina’s seemingly inexperienced demeanor, she possessed thoughtful nature and a keen ability to judge people accurately.

In response to Selina’s observation, Sein remained silent, briefly studying her before asking, “How old are you?”

“I’m eighteen,” Selina replied meekly, cradling the items she had received during the enrollment.

“So young?” Sein was a bit surprised.

An eighteen-year-old intermediate initiate was considered outstanding at the divine tower academy.

No wonder her grandfather had been so proud of her.

Selina likely received spatial equipment from House Farion, albeit with limited space.

Being highly valued by House Farion suggested she was not useless.

Sein was never good with social interactions, even with family members.

After a brief conversation with each other, both of them eventually lapsed into an awkward silence.

Selina was not an outgoing person either, so the atmosphere between two introverts was indescribably weird.

After a moment, Sein suddenly remembered something.

He slapped his head and exclaimed, “It seems like Eileen didn’t arrange a place for you to stay.”

The initiates were usually given their own dormitories in the divine tower academy, but since it was not the enrollment period, there likely were no vacant rooms available.

Given Sein’s reputation, persuading the academy affairs office to specially allocate a dormitory for Selina was unlikely.

Sein even contemplated the possibility of bribing a full-fledged mage with energy crystals to facilitate it.

His vexation was beyond Selina’s understanding, as it appeared that she had a carefree and optimistic attitude.

She seemed to perceive Sein as her source of support and refuge after coming to the divine tower, relying on him for solutions.

Her mindset resembled that of a young lady leaving home for the first time.

Looking at Selina’s innocent and trusting expression, Sein reluctantly said, “I guess you can stay with me for the time being.”

“Sure!” Selina’s eyes crinkled up as she smiled.

* * *

While it was true that Selina had recently left her home and lacked experience in worldly affairs, it did not mean she was ignorant.

The intellect of any mage, even a mere initiate, should not be underestimated.

Contrary to Sein’s perception, Selina was not as thoughtless as he believed. She possessed a more contemplative nature.

Well before leaving home, her elders had advised her to forge a good relationship with Sein.

An initiate who secured a place in the divine tower academy was destined for a promising future.

Even if Sein failed to become a full-fledged mage in the future, the relationships and connections he forged during his time at the divine tower could greatly benefit smaller magic families in remote regions like the Lysian Alliance.

Furthermore, Sein’s ability to enlist the support of full-fledged mages and facilitate Selina’s admission to the divine tower academy highlighted his exceptional connections and capabilities.

In the past, Selina’s grandfather had expressed his desire to find a noble husband for Selina.

Unfortunately, they had never found a suitor.

Despite House Farion’s decline, it was still a baronial magic family.

For someone like Selina, she should be able to attract the attention of a decent man from a viscount family.

After all, most noble houses in the Lysian Alliance were knight families.

Many would not mind establishing ties with a magic family, especially considering House Farion’s respectable standing.

Before departing from House Farion, the advice that resonated most with Selina came from her great-grandfather, Gerald.

“You could always marry Sein. This would not only purify the bloodline of House Farion, but also strengthen the connection between us and House Grantt. Of course, it would also bring various benefits to you too,” he suggested.

Her great-grandfather’s wise counsel lingered in Selina’s thoughts.