Sovereign of the Ashes

The vast majority of knights in the Magus World were simple creatures.

If someone treated them well, they would naturally reciprocate.

Granted, there were petty schemes and noble games among the knights, but the overall atmosphere remained positive.

Those who were particularly fond of scheming rarely did well in this environment.

After fighting side-by-side on the battlefield, the bond between Sein and these knights deepened, culminating in mutual trust.

For these knights, relationships founded on friendship proved far more effective than any arrangement bound by cold magic contracts.

With their help, Sein’s efficiency in collecting valuable experimental materials from the battlefield significantly increased.

Unfortunately, these knights still did not fully understand Sein’s interests.

After receiving the materials, Sein had to first assess their usefulness.

“This thing...” Sein observed the palm-sized object held by the Rank One knight before him.

It was pink and emitted a peculiar odor, resembling an organ of some creature.

“I spotted this immediately and thought of you, Master Sein. I wanted to thank you for the potion,” said the young Rank One knight.

Although knights had keen “senses”, their knowledge could not compare to Sein’s.

Nevertheless, they could still rely on their intuition and past experiences to gather useful items on the messy battlefield.

For instance, the Rank One knight’s intuition told him that consuming the organ would be beneficial, so he brought it to Sein.

Having dissected numerous creatures from Thunderfall World, Sein quickly identified the organ.

“This is the reproductive organ of a male Thunderfall World creature. Did you extract it with your bare hands?” Sein asked.

“Uh, yes...” the knight replied, nodding slowly as he was still too dazed from the recent battle to react to the revelation.

Sein merely frowned slightly and said, “Good thing the degradation isn’t severe. This will be useful for my Verdant Flame Body Tempering experiment. I’ll use it for a potion, thanks.”

As Sein accepted the material, he also handed the knight two vials of potions.

They were not particularly valuable—merely nutritional potions Sein had concocted recently.

Sein was visibly exhausted after the long battle; the knights who had been fighting hard fared even worse.

Some knights were not picky at all. They simply tore the hind leg of a fallen Thunderfall World creature from the battlefield and gnawed on its bloody flesh with primal abandon.

The sight was far from appealing, but their extreme hunger made such grotesque details inconsequential.

While consuming raw flesh was uncommon among mages, it was a common habit among the knights.

Fortunately, most knights refrained from preying on humanoid creatures, since they bore resemblance to humans from the Magus World.

Although not of the same species, consuming one would still seem diabolical.

Despite their current savagery, these knights were esteemed “noble lords” back in the Magus World, presumably quite highly educated at that.

The conversation between Sein and the young Rank One knight had caught the attention of many nearby.

Several of the more seasoned knights, unable to contain themselves, burst into laughter.

The young knight, catching on late, scratched his head in bemusement.

It seemed that quite many knights from the Magus World had a taste for such peculiar parts, especially the males.

The young knight had probably mistaken the organ for a rare treasure nestled within the creature.

Unlike the rowdy knights, Sein analyzed everything down to its essential particles, his discernment unswayed by superficial appearances.

He focused solely on elements he deemed useful.

Laughter echoed through the hall, blending with the distant sounds of battle.

The conflict seemed to be moving away, signaling that the Thunderfall World creatures were retreating from Sein’s vicinity.

Soon after, a Sky Knight with white wings condensed with battle qi soared into view.

Sein recognized him as the Rank Three knight who had inspected his magic towers before the battle—his name was Wilson.

Wilson had been engaged in fierce skirmishes near where Sein and the others were located, facing invasions by Rank Three Thunderfall World creatures.

His once exquisite gold and silver armor was now marred with numerous cracks and stained with splatters of blue blood that was clearly not his own.

Upon arriving at the gathering of knights, Wilson was curious about the cause of their laughter.

After learning what amused them, a slight smile crossed his handsome face—a face that outshone many others Sein had encountered and one that surely made him a prime bachelor among the female knights of the order!

The Rank Three Sky Knight’s arrival quickly sobered the previously jovial group.

As the officer in charge of the nearby zone, designated by the command center, his presence demanded respect from everyone—except for one knight in the group.

“Let’s expedite the cleanup of the battlefield. Knights with severe injuries may request to return to the space fortress for recuperation. Our group stationed at the fortress will be granted a rest period of up to half a year,” Wilson announced.

Being in charge, Wilson often received news before others like Sein.

After addressing the group, he glanced at Sein who was busy processing his specimens below, then turned to observe Natalya, who was a short distance away.

Wilson paused and approached her, but Natalya picked up her massive sword and promptly left the area.

She was the only one who dared to blow Wilson off.

Wilson’s expression hardened as he sternly commanded, “Stand right there!”

Natalya, once defiant enough to raise her sword against Sein, halted obediently to everyone’s surprise.

All eyes turned to them, though the Rank One knights only dared to steal glances from the sidelines, wary yet curious about the conversation between the Rank Two and Rank Three knights.

“Look at the trouble you’ve caused me over the years!” Wilson began sternly.

His tone softened as he continued, “You haven’t sustained any serious injuries, have you?”

“No,” Natalya responded tersely.

Wilson nodded, then led Natalya toward Sein and warmly explained, “She’s been spoiled by her mother and me. I hope she hasn’t caused any trouble for you, Master Sein.”

Before Sein could respond, Natalya interjected, “What trouble could I possibly cause him, Father? I’ve even saved him before!”

Her tone was tinged with annoyance.