Sovereign of the Ashes

As a magic initiate, Selina naturally had a weaker constitution.

She barely lasted half an hour before showing signs of defeat. The look of utter exhaustion on her face prompted Sein to halt their activity.

Selina’s performance was typical for mages, who were known to lack physical stamina.

During his magic initiate days, Sein’s sessions with his senior, Faye, could last for two hours straight.

At that time, Sein had yet to temper his body, so he was left with a sore back after each session.

He could only conclude that Faye possessed an extraordinary constitution and an immense appetite.

In contrast, Selina’s appetite was a fraction of Faye’s.

Just a single round was enough to satisfy her.

The Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique had significantly improved Sein’s constitution, setting him apart from a typical mage.

His lineage from a knight house likely also rendered him more robust and taller than a typical mage.[1]

As Sein continued to temper his body and delved deeper into the mysteries of the Verdant Flame magic, his constitution was expected to enhance further.

Aiming to match the prowess of Master Gregory, who could shake planar barriers with his formidable elemental body and fight Rank Five creatures in close quarters, was probably Sein’s distant aspiration as a spellcaster.

While Sein harbored no illusions of assured advancement to Rank Four, he did not share Selina’s pessimistic outlook on the future.

Adopting a step-by-step approach, Sein was uncertain of his ultimate reach but was determined not to falter until the very end.

***

The following day, Selina had to rest the entire morning in order to regain the strength to prepare lunch for Sein.

Aside from her weaker constitution, she also bled a lot more compared to Leena, Faye, and Eileen.

Sein had cast a recovery spell on Selina the previous night, and did so again while she slept this morning.

Despite this, Selina still appeared drained when she knocked on the door of Sein’s laboratory, where he was examining a pyro elemental creature he had acquired from the Viridian Venom Flame World.

Sein's meticulous and scientific approach to time management, developed during his early years as a magic initiate, had become a lasting habit.

“Time to eat,” Selina announced softly.

Having shared an intimate bond with Sein, Selina’s demeanor toward him had shed any previous formality, replaced by a sense of close camaraderie.

Sein nodded before his experiment table and said, “You can go head first, I’ll join you shortly.”

Although he said “shortly”, it was nearly half an hour before Sein joined the meal, by which point some of the dishes had cooled.

However, Sein was not bothered by the temperature of the food. He was more concerned that Selina had waited for him to start eating.

“The constitution of a full-fledged mage is far superior to that of a magic initiate, and mine surpasses that of an average Rank One mage. There’s no need for you to wait for me from now on. Feel free to eat first and then attend to your own matters,” Sein explained during lunch.

Selina nodded in response to his suggestion, but knowing her well, Sein suspected she would likely continue to wait for him.

For Selina, she was not bothered by eating cold food. What truly mattered to her was spending time with Sein.

Her delight came from the time spent together, and Sein’s praise for her cooking could brighten her entire day and even improve her focus when she studied.

“This is the study plan I’ve prepared for you. You can begin today. If you have any questions, feel free to ask me directly. I’m not currently engaged in any major research, so I’m available to assist you,” Sein announced, extracting a small crystal ball and passing it to Selina. "

Selina accepted the crystal ball with care and nodded. “All right!”

Their conversation during the meal spanned various topics.

Yesterday, they discussed Selina’s experiences over the recent years. Today, they touched on the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and the House Grantt’s recent developments, as well as stories from Sein’s adventures in the Viridian Venom Flame World.

One of Sein’s friends from his days as a magic initiate, Daniel, had been promoted to Rank One the previous year.

Sein had requested Daniel to look out for Selina in his absence, and he had indeed been of assistance to her.

Anna, another acquaintance from the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and a well-known Quasi Mage, had not achieved Rank One.

Her relentless pursuit had taken a toll on her health, leaving her visibly aged when Selina last saw her.

Despite this, Anna had provided considerable support to Selina over the years, more so than Daniel, since they were both girls.

Upon hearing about Anna’s situation, Sein nodded and casually mentioned his intent to visit her.

Anna’s mentor’s husband was one of the three deans at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring and a Rank Three grand mage who participated in the Viridian Venom Flame World war. Sein had crossed paths with him on multiple occasions.

Cultivating a relationship with someone like Anna held its advantages, particularly since Sein had formed an early friendship with her.

Over time, Sein realized he had evolved significantly.

Initially, at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, the idea of actively seeking friendships with other mages would have been foreign to him.

Yet, people change.

Beyond discussing Anna and Daniel, Selina also provided updates on the House Grantt’s recent affairs.

They had consistently sent a magic letter to the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring every six months. Aware of Sein’s involvement in the interplanar war, the family’s correspondence mainly served to reassure their well-being.

With Sein away from the divine tower, House Grantt’s continued communication initially seemed unnecessary.

However, their eagerness likely stemmed from a desire to highlight their unique connection with the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring—a status symbol within the Lysian Alliance.

Having a family member as an apprentice of the divine tower master was a prestigious honor, one even worthy for the ancestors of House Grantt boasting about in the order of the knight.

Selina brought Sein all the letters from House Grantt.

Most of them contained trivial matters, except for two noteworthy updates—one concerning Sein’s ancestor, Julius the Rank Two knight, and his return to the order of the knight three years ago with his mount, the Reverse Winged Lion King, for some reasons.

The other was about Sein’s half-brother Solon, who had expanded his family with two nephews and a niece.

What troubled Sein, however, was the conspicuous absence of any news regarding his father, Earl Grantt, achieving Rank One.

This omission implied that Earl Grantt had not yet become a Rank One knight.

At nearly seventy years old, Earl Grantt was approaching a critical juncture for advancement to Rank One.

Unlike mages, who might grow stronger with age, knights lacked this career trajectory, making any further delay in achieving Rank One increasingly problematic.

1. Author’s Note: This could also be the reason why he was able to satisfy Faye back then. ☜

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