Sovereign of the Ashes
Chapter 1179: Home

Chapter 1179: Home

Sein told Lorianne about the origins of the Faceless Mask.

Without a doubt, its creator, Jorces, could be considered Sein’s third mentor.

But Jorces was long dead, and Lorianne’s role as Sein’s mentor would never change.

The Magus World’s tradition of honoring one’s mentor was something Sein followed strictly.

His time in the Knight Continent had been filled with one absurd encounter after another.

When she heard that the mask was actually a world-class secret treasure, Lorianne was stunned once again.

Stacked on top of everything else he had told her, this was nearly too much to take in. But somehow, Lorianne managed to keep her composure, resisting shock with more shock.

After staring at Sein’s mask for what felt like half a day, she finally raised her eyebrows and, in an unusually serious tone, said, “Whatever you do, never tell anyone else about that mask.”

Sein nodded. “Actually, you’re the only one who knows about it, Master Lorianne.”

The value of a world-class secret treasure was more than enough to tempt the wrong kind of people into making desperate moves.

Without the strength to protect it, exposing such a treasure would only attract dangerous attention.

“Do you remember that Rank Five knight from the Order of the Thunder Knights? It’s incredible that he actually pulled it off,” Lorianne said.

She sighed and shook her head. “I thought Rank Five beings owning something like that was already pushing the limits... and now my own apprentice has one too.”

With her greater experience and deeper understanding, Lorianne knew more than Sein did about what a world-class secret treasure really meant.

But Sein raised an eyebrow and replied, “But Tourmaline has one too.”

“That dragon turtle is a special case. Do you think everyone has an impressive family background like her?” Lorianne shot back, sounding almost annoyed.

“Alright, I need to lie down,” she said, waving him off. “You brought me too many surprises today. I need time to digest.”

And just like that, Lorianne gave him a gentle push out the door.

Without even realizing it, Sein had spent a very long time in his mentor’s room during their conversation.

There were still things he wanted to talk about, like questions related to his current research and concerns about the Maya Tribe’s situation.

But seeing the fatigue in Lorianne’s expression, he swallowed the words and decided to hold off.

He was not planning to go anywhere anytime soon, so there would be plenty of opportunities to speak with his mentor again.

Just as Sein respectfully turned to excuse himself, Lorianne called out to him again.

“Since you’ve been promoted to demigod, you’ll be taking on a part-time position as vice dean of the divine tower academy, and you’ll be resuming your lecturing duties,” Lorianne said.

“After being away for so long, any teaching obligations owed to the academy must be fulfilled. Even if you’re my apprentice, I can’t make an exception.”

“Understood,” Sein replied.

He had no intention of returning to experimental work anytime soon. His current condition was far too unstable, so diving into deeper elemental mysteries would have to wait until he had moved past this stage.

In the meantime, lecturing at the divine tower and taking some time to visit his family sounded like a good plan.

After a pause, Lorianne added, “Since you’ve already reached the peak of the demigod realm, we’ll make a trip to the Verdant Flame Faction together soon.”

“I’m afraid I can no longer guide you in the qualitative transformation of pyro-elemental laws. Your grandmaster should be able to help you though.”

It was not easy for her to admit she could no longer provide proper guidance, but given Sein’s current situation, Lorianne knew it would be irresponsible to offer half-formed advice.

Hence, sending him to Feylis was the most appropriate decision she could make as a good mentor.

At the very least, Lorianne had never once held her apprentice back.

“Understood, Master Lorianne,” Sein replied once more, giving her a respectful nod.

After he left her residence on the top floor, a long silence settled over the room. Lorianne’s gaze was fixed on the spot where her apprentice had just been.

It was not clear how long she remained like that before she finally blinked and mumbled to herself, “...A peak demigod already, huh? And with a world-class secret treasure in his possession?”

“...AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”

A sharp, piercing screech burst from her room.

Fortunately, the soundproofing on the top floor of the divine tower was excellent. After venting out her frustration with that scream, Lorianne slowly regained her composure.

“That brat... is really catching up to me already?”

Pinching the bridge of her nose, she let out a long sigh.

“If mentoring apprentices is going to be this terrifying... do I even want to take on another one in the future?” she mumbled weakly to herself.

***

When Sein returned to his residence, Selina and Eileen were waiting for him—they had already been informed of his arrival.

Selina had prepared a lavish meal to welcome him home, while Eileen was busy marveling at the many rare and exotic materials he had brought back from other worlds.

“I’ve got my eye on several pyro elemental ingredients you’ve displayed in your storeroom. It’s fine if I take a few, right?” Eileen asked as she threw herself into Sein’s arms.

“And how exactly do you plan to pay me back?” Sein looked down at her with a grin.

“With my body!” Eileen replied, giving him a wink.

As the two of them bantered, Selina laughed. “I already notified Natalya and Reina. They should arrive tomorrow morning.”

Sein nodded and pulled Selina into a hug as well.

“I missed both of you too,” he said softly.

Mages probably had a few pursuits beyond unraveling the mysteries of truth.

Dinner ended up lasting far longer than planned.

***

Sure enough, Natalya and Reina arrived at the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring the next morning, just as Selina had mentioned.

Though to Sein’s surprise, they came with company.

Natalya, being her usual tactless self, barged straight into the bedroom. Since Sein was still “busy” at the time, the situation quickly became awkward.

Along with Natalya and Reina, Sein’s mother-in-law, Sia, and Natalya’s grandniece, Scarlet, had also come to the tower.

Sia had separated from her husband, Wilson. More precisely, she had left House Ernst altogether and reverted to using her maiden name.

Sein was not particularly interested in the drama that had led to their separation.

What mattered now was that Sia seemed likely to live with her daughter going forward.

When she caught a glimpse of the chaotic scene unfolding in the bedroom, Sia scrunched her nose in disgust and spat, “I knew it. Men are truly no good!”

She then turned to Scarlet, who stood beside her, and added, “You had better be careful in the future. Don’t go digging for your man in the trash bin.”

“Rest assured, Great Grandma. I don’t plan on getting married,” Scarlet said while trying to sneak a curious peek into the bedroom.

Unfortunately for her, a wall of scorching flame quickly appeared, blocking everyone’s view from outside the door.

Sein was beyond pissed. He was genuinely tempted to drag Natalya in and teach her a proper lesson on manners.

Reina, who had regained all of her weight, sensed the shift in Sein’s mood and instinctively shuddered.

Not wanting any part in what was about to happen, she quickly slipped away toward the kitchen.