Sovereign of the Ashes

Dean Archimedes and the others refrained from overwhelming Sein with inquiries, knowing that he had just returned to the academy and likely had personal matters to address.

Yet, as Sein was about to depart, Dean Archimedes broached a subject concerning his newest apprentice, Grimm.

Sein was momentarily taken aback by the question, realizing he had not heard any news of Grimm when he was in the Viridian Venom Flame World, despite their friendship.

Given the vastness of the battlefield, it was not unusual for participating mages to go more than a decade without encountering each other.

This was precisely the situation for Sein and Grimm.

However, given their association with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, where it was common for the fortress to assign mages from the same tower to similar war zones, it was peculiar that Sein and Grimm’s paths had not crossed in over ten years.

Sein was fairly certain that Grimm had not perished.

However, the reasons behind their prolonged separation on the battlefield remained unclear, leaving Sein to offer only an awkward smile in response to Dean Archimedes’ inquiries.

***

After the conversation, Sein made his way directly to the upper floors of the divine tower.

All the floors above the 700th belonged to Master Lorianne, who had generously allocated the 700th to 720th floors for Sein’s personal use. This arrangement afforded Sein a level of opulence surpassing that of many deans.

Those floors housed numerous experiment instruments and specimens acquired by Lorianne over the years, all of which Sein could use for free. Moreover, he also had access to Lorianne’s private library on the top floor.

Upon his return, Sein did not immediately retreat to the floors he usually stayed on but ventured to the 701st floor of the tower.

Before his departure, Sein had entrusted the 701st and 702nd floors to Selina for her unrestricted use.

Alongside the experiment instruments available within these levels, Sein also left behind numerous energy crystals and a few magic tomes for Selina.

After being apart for over a decade, Sein wondered about Selina’s academic progress.

He vividly remembered the night before his departure from the divine tower when Selina had made her feelings clear to him.

However, he had rejected her, using the excuse that she was not a Rank One mage yet.

Although more than ten years had passed, Sein surmised that reaching Rank One might still be beyond Selina’s grasp. He believed that she could have a chance in becoming a Quasi Mage instead.

Arriving at the 701st floor of the divine tower, Sein found it as immaculate as he had left it.

As Sein moved through the floors, he was greeted by a mix of familiar sights and new, unfamiliar experiment instruments and materials. It seemed like Selina had continued to grow and develop herself during their years apart.

It also appeared that Selina had chosen the path of alchemy, though her journey seemed more challenging compared to Sein’s.

Without a mentor’s guidance and a solid foundation in theoretical knowledge, her progress as an alchemist was notably slower.

Sein speculated that he was a significant influence behind Selina’s decision to pursue alchemy. In fact, he still remembered the conversation where Selina expressed a simple desire to be of help, to contribute in her own way.

Upon exploring the 701st and 702nd floors, Sein found no signs of Selina.

Given the time of day, he assumed she was either attending a lesson, visiting the library, or out to complete an academy quest.

With a soft sigh, Sein proceeded to the 706th floor. That was where his huge warehouse was, where he could organize the items he acquired from the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Hoot, hoot!

Sev emerged from its space piccolo with evident joy at being back in a familiar setting.

Sein had entrusted Eileen with the female engineer he had captured alive from the Viridian Venom Flame World, ensuring she would be transported back to the Magus World aboard the space fortress Eileen was traveling on.

The female engineer was not the only living specimen Sein brought back.

Some creatures from the Viridian Venom Flame World, though not valuable during the war on their homeplane, could intrigue mages in the Magus World, especially the academy mages who were not involved in the interplanar war.

Sein easily lost track of time when absorbed in work.

Being a Rank one mage meant he could go days without feeling hunger, a state that caused him to lose track of time even more easily.

As evening approached, while Sein was still engrossed in sorting through his war acquisitions, he sensed the warehouse door opening quietly.

Despite not being in combat, his heightened senses as a Rank One mage made it nearly impossible for anyone to approach unnoticed.

Turning his head around, Sein was greeted by the sight of Selina in a pale yellow dress, her expression brimming with excitement and happiness.

Tears streamed down Selina’s cheeks. She felt as though she were in a dream.

Even as she rubbed her eyes, the sight of Sein remained, grounding her in the reality that he had indeed returned.

She wanted to rush forward and embrace Sein, yet the restraint ingrained in her since childhood as a noble, coupled with a subtle sense of unfamiliarity wrought by their prolonged separation, momentarily held her back.

Selina found herself rooted in place, uncertain of how to proceed or express her feelings.

Unlike Selina, who was experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, Sein simply offered a gentle smile and said, “Oh, you’re back. Have you just come from class?”

His question prompted a nod from Selina.

The voice that had filled her thoughts for so long melted away her reservations. She moved forward, initially with tentative steps, before breaking into a sprint and finally leaping into Sein’s arms.

“Sein...” she exclaimed, her voice tinged with excitement as she clung to him tightly.

Sein raised his hands, hesitating on where to place them. Eventually, he settled on resting them gently on Selina’s back, offering her comfort.

Hoot, hoot!

Sev’s hooting outside the warehouse suggested that the owl had been the one who informed Selina of Sein’s return to the warehouse on the 706th floor.

“I’ve missed your cooking and the fruit juices you make. Do you think I can taste them again today?” He gave Selina a smile.

Selina nodded vigorously, her face reddening as she noticed her tears had dampened Sein’s magic robe.

Yet, she kept her gaze on Sein, as though worried he might disappear before her eyes at any moment.

As Sein had expected, Selina had become a Quasi Mage in his absence.