Sovereign of the Ashes

After meeting with Lorianne, Sein took Leena for a stroll around the divine tower before heading directly to the divine tower library.

Leena showed little interest in the bustling commercial area on the outskirts of the divine tower or the crowded divine tower academy.

Like Sein, she was also an introvert drawn to the tranquility and rich collection hidden in the library.

Despite her status as a Rank Two mage, she found the foundational materials for Rank One mages and even magic initiates particularly captivating.

The vast repository of elemental knowledge within the library was enough to keep her occupied for over a decade.

Sein understood the allure when he was just a humble magic initiate.

Now that Leena had reached greater heights, basic knowledge of pyro and umbra elements no longer satisfied her thirst for learning. She found herself increasingly interested in texts on other elements and knowledge areas.

“Just from the libraries alone, you can already tell that the learning conditions in the Blackhaven and the divine tower are drastically different,” Leena commented.

“My mentor also has a private library. I’ll take you there next time,” Sein promised.

***

After Leena arrived at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, Sein felt as though even the sunlight shone brighter than usual.

He took Leena to various places, both within and outside the divine tower.

Tourmaline, the dragon turtle, recognized Leena and was happy to see her again at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Of course, she was pleased largely because Sein was happy.

Tourmaline was a demigod-level dragon turtle who found joy in the simplest of things.

Sein believed his bond with Tourmaline was rooted not only in the wisp of planar light within him but also in his genuine efforts to communicate with her.

Despite her imposing size, Tourmaline was surprisingly easy to befriend. Sein found it hard to imagine any creature that would not get along well with the dragon turtle.

Those who struggled to connect with her were likely daunted by her immense presence right from the start.

Moreover, having slept in the sea for many years, it was no surprise that she had only one or two friends, like Sein.

After visiting Tourmaline and her nest in the Jewel Sea, Sein and Leena traveled to the Lysian Alliance.

Sein’s father and great grandfathers had not returned from Thunderfall World yet.

However, the conflict on that plane had ended, so Sein was not overly concerned for their safety.

Currently, House Grantt of the Lysian Alliance consisted solely of a group of main and side family members led by Sein’s younger half-brother, Solon.

Now that Sein was over a hundred years old, Solon was in his nineties.

The current head of the family was Solon’s grandson, a vigorous man in his thirties.

Decades had transformed Solon from the fiery, red-haired young man Sein remembered into a frail old man who leaned on crutches. He now had only a few strands of hair left, and his face was deeply wrinkled.

Unlike mages, who often grew stronger with age, the majority of knights in the Magus World saw their strength diminish significantly as they aged.

This decline affected not only the squires but also those who had achieved Rank One and beyond.

Solon’s attempt to ascend to Rank One ultimately failed. At the age of sixty, he forced a breakthrough and became a Quasi Knight by relying on numerous potions and extensive family resources.

However, the strain of aging, deteriorating health, and the repercussions of relying on artificial enhancements soon took their toll.

Within a decade, he regressed to the status of a senior squire and continued to decline rapidly.

Despite appearing aged, Solon’s body remained relatively robust since he was a knight.

According to Solon, he was still capable of exchanging a few blows in a spar with his most beloved grandson, who was an intermediate squire.

Since Sein had no descendants, the leadership of House Grantt naturally fell to Solon’s lineage.

If Sein were to father a son who demonstrated potential in cultivating battle qi, the leadership might revert to his line.

However, Sein remained indifferent to this possibility.

At his age, he was already past the grandfather stage and in the great grandfather era—a phase he was expected to surpass yet again soon.

He heard that one of Solon’s great grandsons had impregnated a maid at the age of fourteen.

The current head of the family was so incensed that he nearly broke the boy’s leg and crippled him for life.

Despite their strong libidos, well-established ancient knight houses like House Grantt often maintained strict discipline.

This was equally true for Solon, who was under strict control in his youth.

Early indulgence was believed to weaken a knight’s physique, potentially sabotaging their prospects as a battle qi cultivator.

Some of the more prestigious knight houses practiced secret techniques that prohibited intimacy with women before reaching Rank One, believing that such abstinence could improve the chances of advancement.

Even if these practices only marginally increased the chances of success, they were deemed worthwhile enough for strict families to enforce upon their promising heirs.

As a result, this often resulted in the leadership of many knight houses being passed down to a single heir.

Families like Natalya’s and Reina’s, despite wielding significant influence within the Order of the Steel Fist and boasting numerous members, appear to have only one child in their direct lineage. At least, Sein was never aware that those two had younger siblings.

Solon’s mother, Thea, who used to be an unpleasant stepmother to Sein, passed away sixteen years ago.

As an ordinary mortal, her lifespan was typical for her kind, and she lived out her natural years.

At the time of her death, Sein’s father was still fighting in Thunderfall World.

Sein had only just learned of Kelman’s severe injuries and hastened to that foreign plane then.

Although Sein was uncertain about the depth of Kelman’s feelings for Thea, his sporadic memories from his time at the castle before heading to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring suggested that they respected each other as husband and wife.

Kelman surely held some affection for Thea, especially since she bore him a child.

Thea’s passing highlighted the stark contrasts between high-level lifeforms like Kelman, a Rank One Knight blessed with a millennium lifespan, and ordinary humans who could not keep pace.

This discrepancy was apparent not only in Thea’s life but also in the declining health of the increasingly frail Solon.

For an elder, witnessing the decline and passing of relatives and descendants was a profound sorrow.

After the war in Thunderfall World concluded, Sein suggested that Kelman return with him, offering to secure a place for him through the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Kelman, however, declined.

Aware that Solon’s life was nearing its end, Kelman likely also knew about Thea’s passing long before.

Experiencing the cycle of deaths and births was common for many knights and mages in the Magus World. Only through enduring such trials would they mature, coming to understand that only truths were eternal.

Sein took Leena’s hand and led her to his mother’s grave.

As spring transitioned into summer, the surrounding flowers were in full bloom, predominantly white.

“Let’s get officially married here, just the two of us,” Sein proposed.

Blushing, Leena nestled closer into Sein’s embrace.