Sovereign of the Ashes

Chapter 156: Cousin

“What’s going on? I sent you multiple messages but you never bothered to reply! I had to use my authority as an academy instructor to forcibly activate your crystal ball just to get through to you,” she exclaimed, crossing her arms and shooting a glare at Sein, who had finally made an appearance.

Eileen had been waiting for Sein for almost the entire morning.

After a brief pause, Sein replied, “Oh... I was in the middle of an experiment.”

“So you deactivated your crystal ball?” Eileen inquired.

“Yes...” Sein nodded.

Eileen could not help but roll her eyes at his response.

Sein had modified his crystal ball long ago, along with the badge of the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring.

Perhaps this tendency stemmed from his habits as an alchemist.

Although he was rarely contacted, Sein detested sudden interruptions during his experiments or studies.

Even before delving into his research on modifying the Solar Eye spell, Sein had silenced his crystal ball.

Despite all these precautions, he had not expected Eileen to be able to activate his crystal ball using the authority granted to academy tutors.

He should have known better since the crystal ball was distributed from the academy during his enrollment.

In comparison to the basic crystal ball Zorro had crafted for him before, the crystal ball issued by the academy was of superior quality and had functionality.

Over the years, Sein had grown accustomed to using the crystal ball he received from the divine tower.

Even with his initial modifications, Sein believed that the crystal ball might conceal undiscovered features, given its origin as an item crafted by the Divine Tower Academy.

Determined to avoid future interruptions, Sein planned to dismantle and reassemble the crystal ball upon his return.

Although Eileen was impressed by Sein’s ability to modify his crystal ball, she remained focused on the purpose of summoning him.

She had been quite busy lately, and this was not within her current scope of work.

An intermediate initiate claiming to be Sein’s cousin had arrived at the divine tower academy today.

The full-fledged mage on duty had tried to reach out to Sein directly, but he had deactivated his crystal ball to focus on his experiment, making communication impossible.

After several unsuccessful attempts to reach Sein, the full-fledged mages looked into the academy’s internal records and discovered that Eileen had assisted Sein with the enrollment procedures.

Assuming Eileen was the one who referred Sein, they reached out to her.

No wonder Eileen appeared exasperated upon seeing Sein. She should not have been here in the first place!

“Is she your cousin?!” Eileen asked, turning to the green-haired female initiate behind her, who stood at 1.6 meters tall.

It was only at this moment Sein noticed the presence behind Eileen.

The young woman seemed to be an intermediate initiate in her twenties, with shoulder-length green curly hair. She wore a short black and white dress favored by noble ladies, with a brown cloak draping behind her.

She looked a little weary, and seemed to have just arrived in the Divine Tower of Verdant Spring after a long trip.

Sein had never met this cousin of his and did not even have a photo of her.

Likewise, Selina had never seen Sein before. She had to rely on the descriptions of him given by her family’s elders.

Blonde hair, dark blue eyes, tall stature, cold and indifferent—these were the only descriptions she had of him.

Because of this, both Sein and Selina were momentarily confused upon laying eyes on each other.

Fortunately, Sein had learned bloodline tracing magic from Master Morsidor. It would surely react to Selina since both of their mothers were siblings.

Selina quickly snapped out of her daze and remembered that she came bearing proof of identity.

In addition to House Farion’s crest and a handwritten letter personally penned by Earl Grantt, Selina also brought her maternal grandfather’s cane.

Holding the cane close made her feel as if her grandfather were still by her side.

At the sight of the cane, Sein’s initial irritation at being disrupted during his experiment dissipated. In its place, a tinge of sadness and nostalgia washed over him.

“Looks like you’re cousins. I’ll be leaving then!” Eileen shook her head and was ready to depart.

Before she could take a step, Sein called out to her.

“Master Eileen, I have a favor to ask,” Sein hurriedly interjected.

“What is it?” Eileen asked, seemingly exasperated.

“Uh... Could you be her referral to divine tower academy, please?” Sein gestured toward Selina.

At this moment, Selina’s face displayed a mix of joy, longing, apprehension, and excitement.

She was, in fact, a very shy person and not adept at dealing with others.

Even within her own family, she seldom initiated conversations.

Selina was actually urged by the elders in her family to seek Sein’s assistance, but she lacked the courage to directly request her cousin for help in gaining admission to the divine tower academy.

To her surprise, Sein himself brought up the topic, even going as far as asking a full-fledged mage for assistance.

Selina cast a thankful glance at Sein while anxiously awaiting Eileen’s response, fearing rejection.

Eileen proved to be a person who was easy to talk to, and she also recognized the connection between Sein and Jovian, the cohort leader.

Despite her annoyance, she sighed and begrudgingly said, “You really know how to trouble me. Come with me!”

Eileen led the way toward the deeper part of divine tower academy, with Sein following closely behind.

Meanwhile, Selina found herself lost in thought for a while, only snapping back to reality after Sein and Eileen had walked a distance. She hurriedly caught up with them.

The passage leading from outside into the Divine Tower remained the same familiar verdant pathway.

Selina, captivated by the scenic beauty, marveled at the surroundings, including the towering verdant divine tower at the heart of the academy.

Notably, Selina and Sein shared some similar features.

Although their eye colors differed, their eye shapes were remarkably similar, and both had a very fair complexion.