Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 305: Softness

By the time they exited the laboratory, Sein’s bedroom had returned to its original state.

Eileen had changed the sheets, and that did not escape Sein’s notice due to the different color of his bed.

Sein’s gaze involuntarily drifted to the spot where the conspicuous red bra had been resting, just a short while ago.

Apart from that, he also moved his gaze toward the foot of the bed. The purple panties that had fallen there were now nowhere to be seen.

This meant that Eileen had meticulously tidied up the room.

Sein remained silent, yet the palpable shift in the room’s ambiance and his own unspoken reactions seemed to stir unease in Eileen.

Initially marked by a frosty demeanor, any facade of coolness had vanished, replaced by an awkward tension.

Eileen and Sein were not even romantic partners, nor had Sein exhibited anything beyond platonic interactions with Selphy. Yet, Eileen was consumed by jealousy.

Perhaps after Eileen had reflected on her earlier misbehavior, she felt ashamed of herself and was not sure how to act around Sein now.

Seeing that Sein had comfortably settled back into his bedroom, Eileen hastily announced, “Since you’re back, I’ll take my leave now. Bye!”

After saying all that, she made a beeline for the door.

However, as she neared the door, Sein called out, stopping her in her tracks.

“What do you want?” Eileen asked warily.

Although Eileen was a more seasoned Rank One mage compared to Sein, she found herself at a disadvantage, considering that Sein had Sev as his ally and the Viridescent Seeds he received from his mentor, Lorianne.

Eileen’s guarded stance momentarily left Sein at a loss for words.

After a brief moment of silence, Sein managed to ask, “Didn’t you promise me a special gift before? Hand it over now.”

Eileen was momentarily stunned by Sein’s question before her face became as red as a tomato.

In their years of acquaintance, Sein had never seen Eileen so flustered before.

Eileen averted her gaze and mumbled in a barely audible voice, “I’d prefer to give it to you next time.”

“And what if I want it now?” Sein pressed, positioning himself by the door, effectively barring Eileen’s intended exit.

Eileen remained silent. However, her silence seemed to embolden Sein instead.

Throughout his years fighting in the Viridian Venom Flame World, Sein had vanquished countless pyro elemental creatures and, more recently, had even dissected and studied various creatures from the Neisse Civilization.

His experiences had undoubtedly hardened him to a certain extent.

Sein was not the only one going through such changes. As the interplanar war raged on, many mages were experiencing the same thing.

It was even rumored that it was common for knights from the Magus World Knights to bring a few “comfort slaves” to the battlefield.

Sein had once been perplexed by this practice, but he eventually came to understand its purpose.

Knights were not the only ones doing this, but also the mages from the Magus World. The only difference was that the mages would be more discreet about it.

They would not openly refer to those enslaved creatures as their “comfort slaves”, but as their specimens for experiments.

The engineer from the Neisse Civilization captured by Sein was a prime example of a specimen that shared many physiological traits with the humans of the Magus World.

If Eileen were not here, Sein might be tempted by the female engineer from the Neisse Civilization.

However, with Eileen in front of him, Sein could not consider anyone else.

Sein’s principles had likely shaped his preferences.

While he could entertain thoughts about Eileen or the female engineer from the Neisse Civilization, he never spared a thought for the ordinary creatures from the Neisse Civilization that previously lay on his laboratory bench.

To him, creatures with life levels of less than Rank One were akin to cats, dogs, and lab rats—mere materials for his experiments and research. He never regarded them as intelligent beings comparable to himself.

Reflecting on his past, Sein recalled the over twenty young beautiful maidens Earl Grantt had assigned to him as maids. Those maids were expected to care for Sein, and possibly, to bear him an heir to expand the lineage of House Grantt.

Yet, Sein remained distant from these maids. It was not because he was not interested in women, but because their fragility sparked no desire in him.

Sein recalled the female knight named “Scarlet”, whom he had encountered during an academy quest.

Although her looks were inferior to the beautiful maids whom Earl Grantt had meticulously handpicked for him, he found her to be much more appealing than ordinary women.

This fascination of Sein’s was rather peculiar. Having once been a magic initiate in Mystralora City, Sein probably felt empathy or pity toward those he deemed lesser, so he never considered forming an intimate bond with them.

It had been over a decade since Sein last slept with a woman. “Scarlet” was his last encounter and she had greatly satisfied his needs back then.

Sein wondered if Eileen could provide him relief from the stresses of war in the Viridian Venom Flame World.

The shift in Sein’s gaze caused Eileen’s breath to hitch.

Sein used to look at her with respect due to a peer, but she could now see a newfound audacity in his gaze that left her feeling almost breathless.

Given Eileen’s strength and status, she could definitely reject Sein’s advances if she so chose.

Despite being the tower master’s apprentice, Sein did not have the power to force another female mage into doing something against their will. He would still have to respect their boundaries and get their consent.

Sein closed the distance, effectively trapping Eileen against the door.

Her flowing robe did little to conceal the softness of her body, and the warmth that Sein could feel through the fabric of his robe was driving him crazy.

He could not resist the urge to gently lift Eileen’s chin, coaxing the shy woman to meet his gaze.

Sein locked eyes with her and he confessed, “I was really worried about you when you were seriously injured.”

Those words proved to be her undoing.

Despite Rank One mage, Eileen felt her legs giving out beneath her. She teetered on the brink of collapse, almost leaning into Sein for support.

Scooping up Eileen, who seemed to have melted into a puddle before him, Sein carried her back to his bedroom.

The neatly made bed was about to be messy once more.