Sovereign of the Ashes

Ignoring a senior initiate who was a royal member from the Gronn Kingdom was exactly something Sein would do.

Despite Hildaes’ slightly embarrassed and awkward facial expression, Sein conversed mostly with Grimm.

Grimm appeared reserved and uninteresting in the company of unfamiliar individuals, but when surrounded by friends like Sein, he became more talkative.

During his discussion with Grimm, Sein learned that they were about to embark on a journey to the Viridescent Range, situated east of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, to undertake several quests involving magic beast hunts and the gathering of rare materials.

Initiates from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy were obligated to complete a mandatory quest every three months.

These quests varied, allowing initiates to choose based on their preferences.

Simplest tasks involved cleaning the library and other public facilities, while the more challenging ones involved hunting magic beasts and gathering materials in locations like the Viridescent Range that Grimm and the others were headed to.

Assisting full-fledged mages with their basic experiments was also considered a type of academy quest.

Despite spending five years at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein rarely carried out academy quests...

It was not because he was unwilling, but because he was too occupied with other responsibilities.

He was able to skip mandatory academy quests because he had sufficient magicoins.

For those who were unwilling or too busy to undertake academy quests, the divine tower granted them some “leeway”.

A payment of one magicoin could offset one mandatory quest.

Over the past five years, Sein had spent nearly twenty magicoins in this regard.

Apart from him, not many in the divine tower academy practiced this.

While many initiates and full-fledged mages in the academy were unfamiliar with Sein, the staff at the initiate affairs hall recognized him for this reason.

The discussion about the upcoming academy quest for Grimm and others prompted a dry cough from Hildaes, causing Grimm to abruptly cease talking.

Disclosing such quests to outsiders was deemed unfavorable, considering the fatal challenges initiates faced every year.

The divine tower academy was not there to coddle the initiates. Mandatory quests were a way to train them and generate income for the academy.

The Viridescent Range, situated to the east of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, was renowned as the most abundant magic beast mountain range in the Viridescent Land.

While Sein had encountered formidable magic beasts in other mountain ranges and forests, none could compare to the Viridescent Range.

Rumors suggested the presence of a significant magic beast kingdom within its depths.

Whether it held truth remained a mystery, likely known only to the full-fledged mages.

Beyond the renowned Viridescent Range, the Viridescent Sea stood as another challenging trial area in proximity to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

It was significantly less perilous as the powerful divine tower mages had tamed the vicious water magic beasts and sea races.

In the Viridescent Sea, the initiates mainly performed material gathering quests with the help of a basic magic item known as “Breath Pearl” that could allow the initiates to move freely in the underwater for two hours.

After bidding farewell to Grimm and the others, Sein entered the library.

He stroked his chin in contemplation and mumbled, “Perhaps it’s time for me to undertake one of the academy quests. It’s almost time to complete one.”

***

Above the Viridescent Sea, Sein stood on the deck of an airship, gazing down at the azure sea and the boundless expanse of the sky on the horizon.

Contrary to common belief, mages were not solitary beings.

While Sein was accustomed to his daily routine of studying and researching at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, occasionally venturing out provided a welcome break for both his physical and mental well-being.

At least, he felt his mood lifting for some reason as he took in the vast sea and the boundless sky.

Leaving the divine tower, Sein ventured north to the Gypson Dukedom to fulfill a quest involving the investigation of a frenzied magic beast.

This particular quest was exclusively reserved for senior initiates and above. Based on the information Sein received, the frenzied beast in question appeared to be a quasi-ranked magic beast.

His mission was solely to investigate and gather pertinent data on the target.

Gypson Dukedom, known for its prowess in alchemy, was no weak human nation.

There were quite a few magic stores in the dukedom that could attract knights and mages from neighboring regions.

In fact, the full-fledged mages who were seconded from Gypson Dukedom to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring possessed considerable expertise in alchemy.

Most initiates crafting magic items in the dukedom for a living were apprentices or grand apprentices of these mages.

Throughout his years at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein had attended advanced courses under the guidance of three different full-fledged alchemists.

However, he had no idea who their mentors in the Gypson Dukedom were.

Speaking of alchemy, Sein was disheartened to learn that the divine tower was not a place where all knowledge could be taught either.

The spellcasters in the Magus World placed a higher value on knowledge than one might think.

Despite Sein’s expenditure of magicoins and enrollment in multiple advanced courses, he gradually observed that these full-fledged mages were reserved in their teaching methods!

Magicoins could only secure a surface-level impartation of knowledge, not the comprehensive teaching he desired unless he became an apprentice, acquiring both the teachings and the mantle.

Despite the opportunity, Sein had no intention of becoming the apprentice of any other full-fledged mages after joining the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy.

This decision was fueled by his emotional attachment to his late mentor, Master Morsidor, and the lack of powerful mentors he encountered.

If he were to settle for any full-fledged mage as a mentor, he might as well have joined Master Medich at the Divine Tower of Dawn back then.

Reflecting on the past, Sein recalled the invitation by Master Medich, a Rank Two mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn when he had just left the underground.

Although he did not regret his decision at that moment, he acknowledged missing a valuable opportunity.

Before leaving the divine tower, Sein ensured all the necessary arrangements were made for his cousin, Selina.

He left several energy crystals and magicoins for her expenses, informing her that he might be away slightly longer for his academy quest.