Sovereign of the Ashes

Sein was unaware of Natalya’s mother’s involvement in the scheme.

He had not even met Sia in person.

How could he have known that someone was orchestrating all this?

Sein was not overly cautious about visiting Natalya’s room.

Yuri was not with him right now; only Gould was there.

Given the pressure from Reina, it seemed unlikely that Gould would stick around for long.

In fact, even without Reina’s influence, Gould was already eager to escape for a few drinks.

Despite being Natalya’s best friend, Reina was oblivious to the schemes brewing in her mind.

Despite their closeness, there were just some things they would not share, especially not something as unseemly as this.

It was unusual for a girl’s family in the Magus World to resort to such tactics.

Without such a determined mother, Natalya would never have considered this approach.

“Go ahead without me. I haven’t finished those training routines yet,” Reina said, still seated on the floor.

Natalya nodded; she had not planned on involving her best friend from the start.

More importantly, Natalya knew that while training was not a big deal to Reina, mealtime was another story.

Reina’s immense physique was not the result of her talents; her natural build and her appetite played a critical role.

Even within the Order of the Steel Fist, her meal portions were astonishing.

Natalya had never seen another knight eat as much as Reina.

However, Reina’s parents had an even bigger appetite. Her immense size was likely also influenced by her family’s dietary habits.

For Reina, the love of food outweighed everything else.

Thus, even if Natalya might one day fall deeply in love with someone like Sein, Reina would not experience the same.

To her, food was far more appealing than any romantic impulse.

“All right, then next time we can...” Natalya began.

Before she could finish, Sein interrupted, “Why aren’t you coming with us?”

Raising an eyebrow, continued he asking, “Lady Reina, didn’t you just agree to assist me with my body tempering experiments? Or did I... misunderstand you?”

Although Sein was not particularly upset, the solemn look on his face made Reina feel as though she had... genuinely let him down.

Despite her centuries of life as a knight, no one had ever shown her such an expression before.

All she could do was blink.

She looked first at Sein, then turned to Natalya.

Caught off guard by Sein’s question, Natalya found herself momentarily speechless.

Sensing Sein’s earnest approach as he stepped closer, Reina stumbled over her words. “I-I... I guess I’ll come along too?”

“I don’t know anything about magic experiments though,” she added, waving her chubby hands.

“That’s fine. All you need to do is just lie down on the experiment table and follow my instructions. If we discover any body tempering secrets that can benefit us both, I’ll make sure you’re compensated!” Sein replied, studying Reina thoughtfully.

Sein’s straightforwardness, coupled with the way he studied Reina, would have provoked a sharp reaction from any other female knight—a slap, perhaps, followed by a scolding.

Lying down and following his instruction?!

What audacity must a male mage have to propose that to a female knight?

Yet, the exchange between Sein and Reina did not seem inappropriate to those observing.

No one doubted Sein’s intentions; it was clear he was earnestly pursuing the so-called body tempering secret.

“All right, I’ll come along. No reward is necessary though. I’m friends with Natalya,” Reina declared, pushing herself up with her arms.

Before Natalya could say anything, Sein nodded and replied, “That makes us friends too. I hope you’ll continue to visit my lab in the future.”

“If the body tempering experiments prove successful, I think you could become a regular at my lab,” Sein suggested, extending his hand to Reina.

Shaking hands was a common courtesy among knights.

Having spent a few years in Thunderfall World, Sein had adapted to their customs, and the respectful bows he once used had long been set aside.

As Sein extended his right hand, Reina hesitated before placing her own in his.

Due to her considerable size, Sein could only hold one of her fingers.

For Reina, this was a first-time experience.

The significance of this simple gesture was profound, affecting Reina almost as deeply as her best friend Natalya, who watched their interactions with a seemingly calm demeanor.

***

After leaving the gravity training room, Sein glanced at Reina, noting that her height had reduced from six or seven meters to about three.

“Is this as small as you can get?” Sein asked curiously.

“This is my limit,” Reina replied, somewhat shyly.

Had any other knight asked her such a question, Reina might have answered them with her octagonal hammer.

However, Sein’s genuine intent was clear in his eyes, allowing her to answer calmly without feeling ridiculed.

Sein nodded, pulled out his crystal ball, and began to ask more detailed questions, recording her responses as they spoke.

Aware of the sensitive nature of the questions for a knight of Reina’s stature, Sein erected an isolation barrier around them.

This ensured that even Natalya and Gould, who were standing nearby, could not overhear their conversation.

All they could see was Reina’s mouth moving in response to Sein’s questions, while he silently took notes.

This exchange continued without interruption, and Sein did not even notice Gould’s quiet departure.

Gould might have mentioned he was leaving, but Sein was likely too engrossed with Reina to pay him any heed.

Gould did not seem to mind either.

The conversation lasted until they reached Natalya’s location to retrieve the giant thunder crystal, after which they headed to Sein’s laboratory.

Natalya expressed her desire to visit the laboratory as well, but Sein turned her down without even looking up.

“My place is a mess. There’s no room for you to even stand. I’ll clean it up and invite you over another time,” he said.

With that, Sein and Reina disappeared down the corridor of the space fortress, leaving Natalya alone, dumbfounded in front of her room.

About four hours later, a knock sounded on Natalya’s door.

Upon opening it, she was greeted by a female knight who closely resembled her, with wavy crimson hair that was just a shade darker than her own.

This Sky Knight, exuding a strong pyro elemental aura, was none other than her mother, Sia.

“I was about to knock two hours ago. Why has it been so quiet? Where is he?” Sia asked, craning her neck to peer into Natalya’s room.