Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 369: Changes

Sein and Marie’s reunion took place on the second floor of a cafe within the Divine Tower of Dawn Academy.

The facilities in the Divine Tower of Dawn were better than the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

The southern coast’s more liberal and relaxed atmosphere meant the academy was also equipped with numerous entertainment amenities, with the cafe merely being one of them.

Along the academy’s main street lay other eateries and venues designed for the enjoyment of initiates.

“This place is indeed much better than Mystralora City,” Sein remarked, sipping his coffee while gazing out at the academy building basking in the sun.

Unlike fruit juice, coffee was an acquired taste for Sein due to its bitterness.

However, its invigorating properties made it a staple in the Divine Tower of Dawn and across the southern coast of the Magus World.

Many initiates consumed it regularly, either during study sessions or for late-night experiments.

Marie appeared to be a regular in this cafe as she received a warm welcome from the female owner upon her arrival.

Sein could not help but notice the attention she drew, particularly from male initiates.

“Yes, but my mind often wanders back to our days in Mystralora City. Here, in the Divine Tower of Dawn, there have been only a few moments that have truly made an impression on me,” Marie replied, pausing to take a sip of the dark, rich drink before her.

Upon hearing this, Sein fell into silence. Like Marie, his mind often wandered back to his youthful days in Mystralora City.

It appeared that their formative experiences as black magic initiates in that place had significantly influenced their lives.

Despite living as normal initiates in a divine tower academy, they felt distinctly different and slightly out of sync with their peers.

“What exactly happened back then? It seems you have another new divine tower mage as a mentor now?” Sein asked curiously.

In Sein’s memory, Marie was a short, petite late bloomer. Her good nature seemed at odds with the academy’s brutal environment.

Yet, Marie managed to secure her place at the Black Magic Academy, largely due to her good fortune—Sein had saved her during an anatomy class and she was later mentored by Daelis, a Rank One black mage.

Marie’s exceptional talent as an apothecary was the main reason for her survival.

Without this gift, Sein would not have been able to protect her forever and Daelis would not have taken her in as an apprentice either.

After so many years, Marie had grown significantly more mature and taller than Sein remembered.

The short girl who followed him around had turned into a big girl.

On second thought, referring to Marie as a “girl” seemed somewhat misplaced, given that Marie was probably in her forties now, while Sein himself was in his early fifties.

The passage of nearly thirty years had transformed them both considerably.

Sein now exuded an aura of wisdom and tranquility. His physique, enhanced by the Verdant Flame Body Tempering technique, made him appear stronger than average mages.

Marie’s gaze toward Sein occasionally flickered with reflections of nostalgia and warmth.

In her memories, Sein had always been a dependable figure, offering her protection during their formative years.

In response to Sein’s question about her past, Marie flipped her short hair and answered, “When Mystralora City fell, I was outside the academy. I couldn’t contact my mentor and was quickly captured by a mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn.”

“The mage from the Divine Tower of Dawn treated the captured black magic initiates quite kindly. Since I provided a few basic and intermediate recovery potions to the injured knights from the surface world, I was among the first of the black magic initiates to be accepted into the divine tower.

“Master Medich said that I had a compassionate and kind heart. In fact, he was the one who recommended me to become Master Monroe’s apprentice during my fifth year at the Divine Tower of Dawn Academy,” Marie explained.

Marie was a smart girl. Having spent over a decade in a place like Mystralora City, she understood precisely where her kindness and compassion could make an impact.

Sein surmised that Marie was probably trying to express her sincerity by offering basic and intermediate recovery potions to the injured knights from the surface world.

Yet, thinking about the minuscule healing effect of those weak potions on the ranked knights... Sein suspected that the knights were likely amused by her earnest attempts.

Nevertheless, Marie’s efforts were not in vain.

Eyes were often described as the windows to the soul.

The ranked knights and full-fledged mages who participated in the battle against the black mages were all veterans of countless battles. Having lived for hundreds of years, they could effortlessly discern any pretense or ill intent in Marie.

The sincerity in Marie’s eyes and her naive mannerisms must have shone through, endearing her to many mages from the Divine Tower of Dawn and knights from the surface world.

Indeed, Marie stood out as the most exemplary among the black magic initiates from Mystralora City.

She shared with Sein more about her experiences since leaving the underground and the happenings within the Divine Tower of Dawn over the recent decades.

“You know, when I first arrived here, I worked in this cafe for seven years,” Marie revealed.

“Progressing in a divine tower academy is challenging for ordinary magic initiates like us, especially without strong backing. Despite this, I find the atmosphere here preferable to the uncertainty of the Black Magic Academy,” she reflected with a hint of sentimentality in her voice.

Sein concurred with Marie’s sentiments, acknowledging his own fortunate circumstances in comparison.

Thanks to Master Morsidor’s legacy, Sein never found himself in a shortage of resources even though he had no strong backing during his early days in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Not only that, but he was also able to prioritize his research by shirking his mandatory academy quests by paying magicoins.

Being an optimistic and cheerful person, Marie chose not to linger on the darker chapters of her past.

Within the Divine Tower of Dawn, she was considered popular.

Her exceptional talent in apothecary and commendable strength placed her among the academy’s top initiates.

During the regional academy war fifteen years ago, Marie amassed thousands of points for her individual score and secured the ninth position in Divine Tower of Dawn.

Her position in the Divine Tower of Dawn was comparable to Anna’s in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Although Marie’s specialization in apothecary meant she could not shine as much as the other top initiates during the war, she had played a pivotal role in aiding many initiates from the Divine Tower of Dawn.

Ever since Marie had saved Kled’s life with a potion, the Quasi Mage developed a significant crush on her and had been persistently seeking her attention in recent years.

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