Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 230: Returning

Upon exiting the secret chamber, Sein found no sign of his mentor, Lorianne.

Sein’s heart was filled with elation and excitement following his recent promotion to Rank one. However, his mentor likely did not share similar enthusiasm, having witnessed countless Rank One mages.

Sein’s promotion was somewhat expected, especially since he was bestowed the Planar Light, leaving little for Lorianne to be concerned about.

Furthermore, as a Rank Four mage, it would reflect poorly on her if her apprentice failed to achieve even Rank One.

The divine tower’s 700th floor and above were exclusively reserved for Lorianne.

There were nearly a hundred floors, Sein was not even sure which laboratory she was working in at the moment.

When Lorianne previously suggested that Sein relocate to the top of the divine tower, she intended to allocate the 700th to 720th floor for his use.

She was not particularly concerned whether Sein could fully utilize those floors and their facilities.

As her sole apprentice, Sein had free rein over the divine tower’s facilities.

Given that Lorianne resided alone on the tower’s uppermost floors, she might even find Sein’s company a welcome break from her solitude.

After looking around for a bit, Sein confirmed that Lorianne was nowhere to sight.

He refrained from calling her, understanding that mages greatly preferred not to be disturbed especially during experiments.

Instead, he left a magic note and proceeded to fly out of the divine tower, a privilege exclusively granted full-fledged mages in the Divine Tower of Verdant spring.

Since Sein has recently been promoted to one, he was now entitled to enjoy this convenience.

Beyond the ability to fly, the tower offered numerous perks to newly promoted Rank One mages, including the option to apply for special accommodation and an annual allowance in the form of magicoins.

These benefits were designed to foster a sense of community and belonging among the full-fledged mages in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Sein, however, had the opportunity to live with his mentor, eliminating the need for a separate accommodation.

As for the other benefits accompanying his recent promotion, Sein felt no urgency in claiming them.

Having amassed considerable wealth, Sein was not particularly eager to enjoy the basic benefits distributed to full-fledged mages by the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Besides, the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring was likely to be more proactive in matters concerning the tower master’s apprentice.

He anticipated that, upon his return, the rewards and benefits would already be arranged and readily available for him.

Sein’s destination was his residence within the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

It had been nearly thirteen years since he began studying here.

In about six months, Sein would set out for the Divine Tower of Verdant Flame with his mentor. Not knowing how long he would be away, he felt it was time to return home.

His promotion to Rank One was certainly an event worth celebrating for the House Grantt.

Being part of House Grantt, and with Earl Grantt having fulfilled his duties as a supportive father, it was only appropriate to share this milestone with his family.

Selina, who had also spent several years at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring, would join Sein on his journey back to the Lysian Alliance.

While soaring through the skies above the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring Academy, Sein caught the attention of Daniel, with whom he had developed a camaraderie during the academy war.

Noticing Daniel below, Sein descended to greet him.

Daniel, upon seeing him, expressed his astonishment, “You’ve been promoted to a full-fledged mage already?”

Despite the rush of excitement within, Sein maintained his usual composure. He simply nodded and replied, “Yes.”

Daniel’s surprise soon gave way to a more conflicted expression.

“I expected no less from a phenomenal initiate who has been apprenticed to the Tower Master of Verdant Spring. Your growth is extraordinary compared to ordinary initiates like us,” he said with a sigh.

He shook his head and continued, “Although my focus level reached 93 points two years ago, breaking through the final hurdle to become a full-fledged mage is likely to take me another ten to fifteen years.”

The leap from a 90-point mental focus to the 100-point mark, necessary for becoming a full-fledged mage, was notoriously challenging.

Top initiates from major divine towers, such as Daniel, who had competed in the regional academy war, were typically in this critical stage.

Daniel’s struggle was a common reality for magic initiates.

Despite having been awarded numerous useful potions from the academy, he anticipated that achieving Rank One would still require at least a decade of effort.

Phenomenal initiates like Gade and Grimm were also expected to require about five years to complete their transition.

Without the Planar Light in his body, Sein too would have spent several years after the regional academy war in preparation for his breakthrough.

Promoting to a full-fledged mage represented a significant life change, fundamentally transforming one’s essence and potentially extending lifespan from just over a hundred years to nearly a thousand.

Only upon attaining Rank One could Sein be truly considered as having embarked on his quest for truth.

Prior to this, his status was akin to that of a babbling infant.

Sein offered no response to Daniel’s exclamation.

He was not good at comforting others, especially not in a situation like this with Daniel, with whom he did not share a particularly close bond.

If it were Leena, Sein would have likely offered her warm encouragement, motivating her to diligently work toward her next goal.

Thinking of Leena, Sein had long intended to visit her in the Western Archipelago once he had attained Rank One.

Now, he pondered whether he could make the trip following his upcoming visit to his grandmaster at the Divine Tower of the Verdant Flame.

Sein’s encounter with Daniel was a brief interlude in his journey within the academy.

Daniel, sensing that Sein was preoccupied, ended their conversation with a respectful gesture and watched Sein depart.

Ever since Sein became a full-fledged mage, the disparity between him and Daniel in terms of status and strength had grown significantly.

Daniel tightened his clutch on his magic rod with renewed determination, as he watched Sein leave.

“I must work harder too,” he murmured to himself.

When Sein returned to his residence, he discovered that his cousin had already prepared everything for their departure, having been notified earlier through his crystal ball.

They were set to leave at a moment’s notice, with all their belongings neatly packed into their space rings.

“By the way, while you were training in seclusion at the divine tower, we received a letter from the Lysian Alliance. It’s from Uncle,” Selina informed Sein.

Sein was mildly surprised to receive a letter from Selina that bore the crest of House Grantt.

Such formality was unusual for family correspondence.

As he unfolded and read the letter, the content caused his expression to change noticeably.

“The two ancestors of our family have returned, huh? One of them is apparently a Rank Two Land Knight,” Sein commented aloud as his eyes scanned the letter.

In the letter, Earl Grantt also suggested for Sein to visit the family soon.

It appeared that the two venerable ancestors had taken a keen interest in Sein’s academic pursuits at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

The last letter Sein had sent to Earl Grantt included news of his promotion to Quasi Mage.

However, due to his involvement in two consecutive years of regional academy war and his recent focus on advancing to Rank One, he had not written a letter home for over two years.

After reading the letter, Sein neatly folded it and turned to Selina.

“Let’s go,” he said.