Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein planned to fly directly back to the Lysian Alliance.

A key distinction between a full-fledged mage and an initiate was the ability to manipulate gravity due to their strong mental focus and the mana within their body.

Even without learning magic spells like Levitate, they possessed the innate ability to fly.

Of course, flight spells like Levitate could further enhance a mage’s aerial capabilities in terms of speed, altitude, and endurance.

There were also plenty of other advanced flight spells like Flight and Soar, but Sein had not learned them yet since he had just attained Rank One.

Nevertheless, with the focus and mana levels of a full-fledged mage, Levitate spell was sufficient to bring Selina and him back to Lysian Alliance.

Besides, Sein could also rely on his metal disk and Sev to fly him to his destination if needed.

Outside the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein got onto his metal disk. He extended his hand toward Selina and said, “Get on.”

The metal disk could comfortably accommodate two or three people on it.

Selina, slightly blushing, accepted his hand and stepped onto the metal disk, standing in front of Sein.

Due to her lower capabilities and lack of mastery in Levitate spell, Sein had Selina stand in front of him on the disk, ensuring she would not fall off during the flight. This position, however, meant she was sort of nestled within Sein’s arms.

Selina, in such close proximity to Sein, could distinctly smell his natural scent, which made her face flush even more deeply.

Sein did not seem to be bothered. Before they set off, he even offered her words of encouragement regarding her magic training.

“I can tell from your focus level that you seem very close to being promoted to a senior initiate. Focus on that—remember, your journey doesn’t end there. Becoming a full-fledged mage is only the beginning,” he reminded.

“Mhm!” Selina nodded in agreement.

Sein had considered discussing with her regarding his relocation to the top of the divine tower upon his return, but he hesitated.

He had shared the roof with Selina for several years, and Selina had proven to be an excellent dormmate in all sorts of ways.

She had taken on household duties and had even attuned herself to Sein’s food preferences.

The idea of moving out, however, might not only be depressing for Selina, but it could also take him some time to adjust to the change.

Sein contemplated whether he could bring Selina along to live with Lorianne.

The move would surely be beneficial for Selina in her studies, but Sein would need to find a way to convince his mentor.

Swoosh!

Under Sein’s control, the metal disk swiftly soared into the sky, heading southwest toward the Lysian Alliance.

Flying alongside Sein in the sky was Sev the owl, who had put on considerable weight from Sein’s generous feeding.

Nevertheless, Sev’s flying speed remained unaffected.

As Sein and Sev’s figures gradually vanished into the horizon, Lorianne emerged from her bedroom on the top floor of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, yawning.

At her level, sleep was no longer a necessity. Yet, many mages still indulged in it for its restorative benefits to mental focus.

Besides, taking a nap was one of the best things in the world, especially after a day of exhausting experiments.

“Huh? Where’s my apprentice?” Lorianne wondered, noticing the empty room.

Her eyes then fell on a magic note left by Sein on the desk. The red handwriting on it was unmistakably Sein’s and it was exuding a faint trace of pyro elemental flow.

Such a precise control over elemental energy was an indication of his successful promotion to a full-fledged mage.

After reading the note, Lorianne murmured to herself, “He went home, huh? That’s not a bad decision, considering the boy has just become a full-fledged mage.”

“Home, huh... What a distant word.” She shook her head before stretching and heading toward her laboratory.

“My mentor may be a peak Rank Six grand mage skilled in both pyro and dendro magic, but only the dendro knowledge is passed down to me. I’ll need to revisit those old pyro magic tomes. Otherwise, I won’t know how to guide Sein in that aspect,” she mumbled to herself as she walked to her destination.

***

When Sein initially traveled from the Lysian Alliance to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, it had taken him nearly half a year to arrive, journeying continuously without pause.

However, his return trip from the Divine Tower to the Lysian Alliance was considerably faster, taking only two months in total.

This was nearly three times quicker compared to his previous journey.

Since Selina accompanied him, they had to take brief respites in the capitals of several prosperous human nations along the way.

Had Sein traveled alone, he would have reached the Lysian Alliance even sooner.

During their passage through various human nations, Sein realized that not all full-fledged mages resided in the divine towers.

In fact, many Rank One and higher beings were present in secular human nations.

For instance, in the Malgheria Kingdom, the Macedonian Empire, and the Gurni Kingdom, Sein received invitations transmitted through mental focus from several full-fledged mages and knights.

He had politely turned down all the invitations with the excuse that he was in a hurry to reach his destination.

Although Sein did not receive any friendly invitations while he was in other human nations, he could sense the presence of full-fledged beings through their mental focus.

This was particularly noticeable in the capitals of prosperous nations, where multiple powerful full-fledged mages were often present.

After crossing the final volcanic terrain, Sein finally entered the Lysian Alliance.

The sight of the endless green plains in the heart of the Lysian Alliance significantly brightened Sein’s mood, perhaps due to the comforting familiarity of his homeland.

***

In the Grantt Territory, a joyous atmosphere had prevailed among the commoners for the past six months.

This jubilation was fueled not just by consecutive years of favorable weather and bountiful crops but also by Earl Grantt’s decision to reduce taxes by seventy percent across the territory this year.

Additionally, the Grantt Castle had been distributing free farming tools and affordable gifts to the populace in recent months.

The news of expanding the guard forces had also been circulating throughout the cities of the Grantt Territory.

Interestingly, this sense of welfare and joy was not confined to the Grantt Territory alone.

The entire Lysian Alliance and neighboring nations like the Zephyr Kingdom and the Ohrque Empire had experienced similar uplifts in the past six months, marking an era of prosperity that ordinary human commoners seldom witness in their lifetimes.

Most commoners, unaware of the reasons behind their noble lords’ sudden generosity, were also oblivious to the fact that similar occurrences were happening in adjacent territories and neighboring nations.

For decades, the majority of commoners in the Magus World had yearned for nothing more than a few acres of land and a stable family life.

The only notable avenue for altering their fate and social class status was found in enlisting with the army or serving as the city lord’s guard.

This presented them with the rare opportunity to harness battle qi, which was the sole pathway for them to transform and elevate their life level.

However, many commoners failed to recognize that just meeting the basic constitution requirement could be a significant hurdle.

Furthermore, the journey of a commoner knight aspiring for promotion was far from easy.