Sovereign of the Ashes

After striking a deal with the skeletal dragon, Sein freed it from the oppressive grip of the two giant plant creatures.

The skeletal dragon demonstrated a keen understanding of the Magus Alliance’s rules and recognized its own standing among the creatures of the Magus World.

Despite Sein, Leena, and Angreas’ inferior life levels, the skeletal dragon wisely refrained from killing them.

The high-ranking powerhouses of the Magus World, who were silently observing the Knight Continent, might not directly intervene; however, any aggressive act by the dragon could condemn it to remain trapped in this accursed place forever.

Those with higher life levels and access to greater knowledge often experienced a profound sense of their own insignificance.

In contrast, the Rank One undead creatures, including the undead knight, likely had no comprehension of the true nature of this world.

Having never ventured beyond this graveyard in their entire existence, attempting to explain the rules of the Magus Alliance or the complex relationships between the Undead World and the Magus World to them would be a waste of time.

“What is your name?” Sein asked.

“I’m Sanchez. That’s the name Peano gave me,” the skeletal dragon responded.

“You mentioned being trapped in this graveyard for six thousand years. How were you aware of the time passing while your consciousness was obscured by this black crystal?” Sein asked curiously.

“Look at this,” the skeletal dragon replied, swinging its massive bony tail to present it to Sein.

Sein frowned, unsure of what the dragon was trying to show him.

“See those ring patterns?” the skeletal dragon pointed out.

“I only closed my eyes, and upon opening them, six more rings had appeared. Even for an undead, six thousand years is a long time!” the skeletal dragon exclaimed, its voice tinged with indignation.

Sein carefully counted the cortical growth marks on the dragon’s tail bone; there were eleven rings in total.

This meant the creature had existed for over eleven thousand years, which made it even older than Sein’s mentor, Lorianne.

Sein found it hard to believe that a being who had survived for more than ten thousand years possessed only a Rank Two life level.

He fixed his gaze on the skeletal dragon and suggested, “Maybe we should form a magic contract.”

“A magic contract?” The skeletal dragon raised its head to look at Sein, its soul flame flickering.

Just as Sein thought that the skeletal dragon might be plotting something and was ready to signal the two giant plant creatures behind him to attack it, the dragon asked, “This isn’t going to be another trap, is it?”

“I’ve had my share of bad experiences with contracts made by mages from your Magus World,” the skeletal dragon muttered.

Sein was unsure how to react to the dragon’s comment.

His knowledge of magic contracts was basic, acquired during a public class at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring when he was still an initiate.

Despite his limited knowledge, Sein was confident he could draft a fair and equitable magic contract that would serve both parties well.

However, crafting a contract with hidden clauses or loopholes to exploit extraplanar creatures would require further study.

Sein contemplated whether his mentor, Lorianne, was knowledgeable in this area.

Having a mentor was invaluable precisely for these moments—someone to turn to when in doubt.

His mentor would always provide him with a solution. Even if she lacked expertise in the area, she could always consult her own mentor or seniors.

This tradition of passing down knowledge underscored the importance of mentorship among the mages of the Magus World.

In the end, Sein composed a magic contract, which he and the skeletal dragon, Sanchez, signed in the presence of Leena and Angreas.

The contract clearly stated that neither party would inflict harm on the other. Given that Sanchez and his subordinates required Sein’s group’s assistance to return to the Undead World, Sanchez was to unconditionally assist Sein and his companions three times in the future.

“Do I need to sign the contract too?” Angreas asked.

“Since we’re traveling together, let’s all sign it together,” Sein replied.

By signing the contract, Angreas was entitled to one of the three obligations of assistance from the skeletal dragon.

Although it might seem that Angreas had gained this advantage effortlessly, it would be unfair to overlook his contributions during the earlier battle; he had fought valiantly alongside the others instead of fleeing alone.

Reuniting with Leena had notably softened Sein’s once withdrawn and aloof demeanor.

He was willing to consider Angreas a friend, particularly given Angreas’ potential and strength.

“Isn’t it a little too much to ask for unconditional assistance? Shouldn’t there be some kind of compensation?” the skeletal dragon asked.

Given that the three mages before it were of a lower life level, assisting these Rank One mages a few times was inconsequential to Sanchez.

As long as they could open the summoning passage, the skeletal dragon was prepared to eliminate whoever they targeted.

Summoning undead creatures of higher life levels than oneself was no easy feat.

Even with an agreement in place, summoning such a behemoth to a designated area would require either a blood sacrifice—often favored by many undead sovereigns—or a substantial amount of energy crystals to balance the energies involved.

Regardless of the method, as the entity being summoned, Sanchez would inevitably gain from the arrangement, benefiting directly from the summoning process.

Over the past two years on the Knight Continent, Leena had immersed herself in studying Necromancy and Summoning Magic book Sein had acquired at the Marmett Union Alliance.

This study had significantly deepened her understanding in those areas.

Before Sein could respond, Leena, who was busy drawing a magic array, abruptly looked up and firmly said, “No!”

Her firm response caused the skeletal dragon to awkwardly turn its attention elsewhere.

Sein noticed that Sanchez seemed particularly fearful of Leena.

This was partly because Leena controlled its passage back to the Undead World, but Sein suspected another reason involved the black crystal in Leena’s possession.

Given that this black crystal could cloud the mind of a ten-thousand-year-old skeletal dragon, it was clearly an extraordinary artifact.

Beyond containing the spatial coordinates of the Undead World, the crystal itself was imbued with substantial enhancements from umbra, necromantic, and spatial elements.

Sein had long intended to craft a magic rod for Leena.

He had sufficient materials left over from his creation of the Verdant Flame Heart Rod to make another rod, but he had been searching for the perfect material on the Knight Continent to make the head of the magic rod.

Reflecting on it now, Sein realized the black crystal could be the ideal component for this purpose.

“The Knight Continent opens once every thousand years, and this subspace realm might have been opened previously. I suppose no one thought to remove the black crystal from your eye socket, that’s why you never regained clarity until now,” Sein mused aloud.

“By the way, how strong was that mage named Peano when he abandoned you here?” Sein asked.

“As strong as a demigod! The old bastard loved wearing a leather hat!” Sanchez replied, a hint of bitterness in its tone.

“He must be dead already. I don’t sense any trace of his presence in my soul,” Sanchez added after a pause. Its voice softened, betraying a rare flicker of emotion.