Sovereign of the Ashes

“Come by my lab sometime. I’ll see what I can do to help. This potion should suppress the unusual pyro elemental energy inside you,” Sein said as he rose to his feet.

“In my opinion, that strange power you carry and the path that suits you best going forward is the power of Lustfire,” he added.

Jessica had just squirted quite a bit moments earlier, yet not a single drop had landed on Sein.

“The power of Lustfire?” Jessica lifted her head to look at him.

She had explored pyro-elemental studies in depth, but for a demigod-level dendromancer, changing her primary research path so suddenly was no simple task.

She would need time to think it over.

Sein nodded. “Have you heard of the power of emotions?”

“A little bit. I’ve come across it in Sky City’s archives, but my understanding is limited,” Jessica replied.

The power of emotions was an extremely niche area within Magus World.

Sein had not gone far into it himself—only enough back in Sky City to understand how demon bloodlines affected personality and emotional states.

Even so, he knew more than Jessica.

And because he had done extensive hands-on research on demons and devils, he could pinpoint certain issues in Jessica that others would miss.

“Have you ever studied devils?” Sein asked.

“Your condition seems better addressed through devil methods than demon ones,” he added.

“No,” Jessica shook her head.

Both devils and demons were rare within the Magus Civilization.

Demons were the more common of the two; some knight families, like Sia’s, still maintained limited ties with certain demon clans.

But devils were far rarer.

Across neighboring star domains, devils had long been synonymous with deception.

Back then, Sein only had the chance to dissect and study a few devils during the Wild Gorilla World campaign, thanks entirely to the support of Tourmaline’s family and the Arriba Chamber of Commerce.

“I think the dendro energy in your body has fused with the pyro element, slowly turning into something akin to Lustfire. It seems like a new force you have never explored before. That’s why you sometimes fail to resist it and lose control of yourself.

“Seeking truth is the instinct of every spellcaster. Start looking into emotional power and devil power. It should help stabilize your condition. You can come to me as well. I’ll lend you a hand,” Sein said to Jessica, who was still kneeling on the floor, before turning to leave.

Even after he stepped away, Sein did not immediately dispel the barrier he had set up.

Only when Jessica slowly regained her focus, cleaned herself thoroughly, and changed into a fresh magic robe did the small barrier quietly fade.

Sein did not know whether she would eventually come to him for help. Her condition was certainly interesting, and he was curious to study it.

If she chose not to seek him out, then that was her decision.

His encounter with Jessica was only a brief interlude. Soon after, he met his mentor inside the fortress.

Lorianne was clearly aware of his arrival. When he entered Verdant Spring Fortress earlier, he had not bothered to hide his presence.

She was also likely the only one in the entire fortress who had noticed him set up the barrier and speak with Jessica.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Lorianne casually asked, “So you ran into Jessica just now?”

“Yeah, I bumped into her by chance,” Sein replied, glancing at Lorianne’s face.

She showed no unusual reaction.

Her complexion was still pale, and her features were strikingly beautiful—so much so that Sein felt a faint flutter in his chest.

Maybe it was just the remnants of whatever Jessica had stirred in him earlier.

Oddly enough, Jessica’s display had not affected him much in the moment. But now, standing before his beautiful and elegant mentor, a subtle warmth rose in him.

It was nothing more than an instinctive response to beauty, not anything real. Sein would never do anything to his mentor.

Still, enduring that faint feeling, he continued, “It seems Master Jessica is dealing with some kind of issue.”

The moment the words left his mouth, a soft blush bloomed across Lorianne’s normally pale cheeks.

It looked like the gentle flush of a young woman after a sip of wine—delicate and unexpectedly charming.

Clearly, Lorianne knew something about Jessica’s condition.

Yet what puzzled Sein most was that he had detected Jessica’s anomaly only through the keen intuition of the Faceless Mask.

So... how had Lorianne discovered it?

Jessica was, after all, a demigod-level mage. If a Rank Four tried to run a full scan on her via mental focus, she should have sensed it immediately.

Besides, she had always hidden this issue well. Most Rank Four beings would never notice anything wrong at a glance.

Since Sein did not voice his curiosity, Lorianne had no intention of explaining either.

After a brief, slightly awkward pause, Sein continued casually, “I think Master Jessica’s problem is tied to the Lustflame—a strange elemental force that bridges emotional power and pyro magic. It’s surprising that a dendromancer like her would end up dealing with something like that.”

“Well, wood is highly flammable,” Lorianne replied. “A lot of dendro initiates and low-ranking mages study pyro magic early on. It helps them grow faster and gives them stronger elemental output.”

“Wood is highly flammable, huh? I never thought to connect that,” Sein said, genuinely surprised.

Lorianne nodded. “But most dendromancers drop pyro elemental studies by the time they reach Rank Two. At that stage, they focus on stabilizing their foundational elemental power.”

“Jessica, however, continued pursuing the fusion of dendro and pyro. If she encountered complications in that pursuit, that would explain the state she is in now.”

“Then what do you think she should do, Master Lorianne?” Sein asked.

This time, Lorianne stayed silent. Whether it was because she had not found an answer or because she was too embarrassed to suggest something, Sein could not tell.

Her silence did not stop him. He went on to explain that he suspected a solution might lie in the study of emotional power and devil power.

Their conversation gradually shifted into an academic discussion, more like a deep dive into truth itself.

Sein spoke most of the time, while Lorianne occasionally added a thought or offered a correction.

If the topic revolved purely around the Ashen Flame that Sein specialized in, Lorianne had little to contribute.

Yet when it came to dendro magic, Sein’s knowledge and accomplishments in this area were not enough.

Jessica stood at an interesting intersection. Her life level, her effort to fuse the two elements, and the challenges she faced all made her a perfect subject for the two to discuss.

Compared to empty pleasantries or social niceties, exploring truth and elemental theory suited mages far better.

In fact, many mages bonded through conversations like this.