<Chesa Utland>
[Level:29/73]
[Stamina:07][Strength:05][Agility:05]
[Mana:27][Spirit:07][Perception:08]
[Divinity:02]
[Traits: Extreme Mana Circulation Body (S), Dense Elemental Amplification (S), Firebird (S-), Magic Genius (A), Analytical Mana Eye (A)]
[Skills: Mana Rampage (B), Crimson Tower Cultivation Method (C), Northern Advanced Magic (C)]
[Description: Age 16, human. Second daughter of the prestigious magical Utland Ducal family in the Croa Kingdom, and Aiden Stroke’s fiancée. Currently affiliated with the Blispiel Clan.]
By consuming the 『Wings of the Firebird (S-)』 just moments ago, Chesa’s stats—including her [Mana]—had risen across the board. At this point, she should be able to unlock an additional spell from the ten embedded in the grimoire.
“Nano Eater, as the spare contractor, I request that you unlock the <Armchair> spell.”
“Do as Aiden says.”
「Understood.」
At our request, Nano Eater slipped out of the pouch on its own and unfurled in midair.
「Search for new spell completed.」
「Recording and activation conditions met.」
「Recording <Armchair> spell on the second blank page.」
Glowing, intricate script suddenly filled the previously blank page.
The newly unlocked spell following <Star Seeker>, <Armchair> was a detection spell that read residual thoughts or traces left on objects.
According to lore, of the ten spells embedded in Nano Eater, only one was a direct attack type; the rest were all utility-focused magic. As such, among S-grade grimoires, there were quite a few that outperformed Nano Eater in combat—such as the Burning Stone Binder (S), specialized in unleashing a barrage of offensive spells in an instant.
Typically, a single mage could only form a contract with one grimoire.
While there were rare traits that allowed multiple contracts, Chesa possessed no such thing. This meant she would be stuck with Nano Eater for the foreseeable future.
But it wasn’t much of a regret.
After all, Chesa was destined to later acquire <Void>, one of the most powerful offensive spells in the Reca Chronicles world. In my personal opinion, a grimoire specialized in mana control and utility like Nano Eater suited her far better than some mediocre combat-focused one.
“Tear out a page with the spell I just acquired—for portable use.”
「Understood.」
Rip!
A portion of the page containing <Armchair> tore free and floated into my hand. The torn page could be restored to its original state with a bit of mana infusion.
Thanks to the 『Firebird (S-)』 trait allowing me to copy Chesa’s unique mana wavelength, I could activate the spell recorded in the original grimoire using this torn page. Of course, it was single-use and less powerful than the original.
“Let’s test it out.”
I infused the scrap of paper containing the <Armchair> spell with mana imitating Chesa’s.
“The target for detection… how about this 『Fortune Wheel Amulet (S)』?”
Whoosh!
As the paper ignited, the spell activated—and a flood of information slammed into my mind like a hammer.
-An amulet strongly imprinted with someone’s unique wavelength.
-Estimated to have been carried by a single individual for an extended period.
-The duration is approximately 25 years, give or take…
I let out a small gasp of admiration.
According to the timeline, Estriel had become the Circulation Church’s top assassin around 27 years ago. Assuming he smuggled out the relic around that time, it matched perfectly.
The analysis was far more precise and detailed than I had expected.
If even a torn page could achieve this level of accuracy, <Armchair> was an even greater spell than I had imagined.
Used properly, it would be an enormous help in recovering MacGuffins.
…
Over the next few days, I reaped substantial benefits from the 『Taramu Blood Current Control Heart Method (B)』.
By fully drawing out vibrating qi and then applying blood-qi breathing, it greatly aided in wielding techniques like resonance shattering—and that translated directly into proficiency gains.
[Alsigima Resonance Shatter Art (A) has reached the ‘Expert’ stage. Effects greatly increased.]
“…It only reached the proficient stage a few months ago, and now it’s already expert?”
I stared at the message window in front of me, dumbfounded.
One of the drawbacks of resonance shattering was that while entry-level mastery was easy, achieving full proficiency took an extremely long time. But with the blood current heart method, that issue was cleanly resolved.
Of course, I was a special case influenced by harmony techniques and the Tripper System; for other Reverse Veins users, some modifications would be necessary to adapt it.
“If I can master just one or two more suitable techniques, the harmony heart method should rise to A+ grade… What would be a good fit?”
The Brandish Harmony Heart Method I primarily practiced was a unique technique that increased in grade the more diverse energies it wove together. Its compatibility with the Taramu heart method—which accelerated the mastery of multiple heart methods—was exceptional.
Moreover, during this journey, I had also gained growth corrections to my potential level through the 『Firebird (S-)』 trait. I had laid more than enough groundwork to prepare for the power inflation ahead.
I sought out my companions and announced.
“It’s about time we head back to Elanore.”
“Finally going home…”
Linia let out a sigh of relief.
A quick glance showed the other three sharing similar reactions.
Umbril’s southern heat was beyond imagination, and the constant gloom combined with unending rain drove the discomfort index sky-high. It was only natural they wanted to leave as soon as possible.
The next day.
“We won’t forget this favor, Aiden.”
After exchanging farewells with Kubri and the Quentaltin clan members, we set off amid cheers from Umbril’s residents.
…
Dragon God Year, November 14. Elanore.
The Lindal father and daughter welcomed us back to the clan house with great enthusiasm after our expedition.
“Haha! We got the news ahead of time via messenger bird! I hear you not only dealt with the Giant’s Sword but also cooperated with the Quentaltin Clan to take down an evil black mage?”
Arent’s grin was so wide it threatened to split his face. This was likely the biggest achievement since the Thousand-Man Slayer and the Witch of Rust had left, so it must have held special meaning for him.
After a brief catch-up.
I met with Arent privately.
“Master Lindal. How did the task I entrusted to you before leaving turn out?”
“I’ve already contacted Dubao and even concluded negotiations. He accepted our proposal.”
“…Really? Already?”
Elkoro Dubao, one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes.
A Dragon God follower deeply intertwined with the Sun Cathedral.
As someone who held profound trust from the cathedral side, securing his cooperation was essential to attend the assembly.
But the task I had delegated to Arent was merely to arrange an opportunity for me to negotiate personally.
For the agreement to be finalized already was highly unexpected. While it saved me effort and made me glad, it also left me puzzled.
Sensing my mixed feelings, Arent chuckled and spoke.
“Whether fortunate or not, Elkoro Dubao is a man with a strong fondness for wealth. Following Camillo’s suggestion, I offered a bribe—and he folded easily.”
“I see…”
“Elkoro said he’d wait for you in the capital of the Vardia Kingdom around the end of December. You can join him there and attend the Sun Cathedral’s assembly.”
Vardia Kingdom was only a three-week journey from Elanore. There was still plenty of time before departure.
Arent asked me.
“But is confirming the identity of who destroyed the Sun Cathedral really that important?”
“It’s hard to explain clearly in words, but based on circumstances, it’s likely deeply tied to the broader continental situation. It will also greatly affect the moves our clan should make going forward. Moreover…”
“Moreover?”
“…Never mind. It’s nothing.”
I closed my mouth with an impassive expression, as if it were unimportant. Arent tilted his head curiously but didn’t pry further.
Good.
If Arent had heard the words I nearly let slip just now, he would undoubtedly have insisted on accompanying me to the Sun Cathedral.
…
I had emphasized multiple times to Arent and those around me that I absolutely had to confirm the identity of who had destroyed the Sun Cathedral.
But honestly, I already had a rough idea of who the culprit was.
In fact, it was close to certainty.
The reason I still wanted to verify it with my own eyes was purely to recover the MacGuffin, unlock the gold card, and gain massive achievement points.
To cut to the chase, the destruction of the Sun Cathedral was most likely the work of the Schnifelt family.
To properly explain why I suspected this, I first needed to discuss the original history of this world—Part 2 of Reca Chronicles.
Throughout Parts 1 and 2, the Dragon Horse Cult had consistently posed a threat to the protagonist’s party.
However, the faction that ultimately clashed with Epio’s allied forces in the final arc of Part 2 was not the Dragon Horse Cult—but the Schnifelt family.
This development was possible because of the underlying connection: the Schnifelt family was deeply intertwined with the Dragon Horse Cult.
Hagel Vinter, the leader of the Dragon Horse Cult who had fled after losing an arm to the Sword Saint.
As the head of the cult, he was actually one of the direct descendants of the Schnifelt family—no further explanation needed.
In the distant past, the Schnifelt family had been among the rebels who opposed the Dragon God and were defeated.
Yet for some reason, the victorious Dragon God showed them a sliver of mercy. Through an oath with the Dragon God, the Schnifelt family was allowed to preserve their lineage—at the cost of shackles restricting their external activities.
They could continue their bloodline, but generation after generation, those inheriting Schnifelt blood were forbidden from gaining widespread fame or openly wielding power.
Of course, their physical and tangible strength remained terrifying. There were ways to exert influence indirectly, but such methods couldn’t sustain continental sway for long.
And if impatience led them to cross the line, they invariably paid a painful price for violating the oath.
Now, after a thousand years, only the leaders of a few major continental powers remembered the Schnifelt family’s existence.
Forgotten by the world long ago, yet undeterred, these madmen researched ways to circumvent the oath.
They soon uncovered a key fact.
The shackles imposed by the oath with the Dragon God were based roughly 80% on the “perception” of the Schnifelt family by the people of the world. This meant that—while limited—as long as they avoided openly using the Schnifelt family name, they could exert some degree of influence.
The conclusion reached after extensive research was—
Branch families.
Without drawing anyone’s notice, slowly—agonizingly slowly, over centuries—the Schnifelt family conducted covert operations and eventually brought a northern noble house under their control.
That was the ‘Vinter family.’
In short, the surname Vinter—currently used by Dragon Horse Cult leader Hagel—was a false identity painstakingly crafted by the Schnifelt family over ages.
Even this was imperfect; relocating more than two or three blood relatives at once was impossible. Moreover, members who inherited too thick a bloodline couldn’t fully escape the Dragon God’s shackles even with a name change—leaving the Schnifelt family with endless headaches.
After long deliberation, the member sent to the Vinter family was Hagel—a prodigy of his generation, yet one who manifested the family’s unique traits only weakly.
In essence, he was the vanguard deployed by the Schnifelt family. A man burdened with the monumental mission of freeing his house from the oath with the Dragon God, stepping out into the world beyond the snowfields.
To summarize, the number of Schnifelt family members currently able to operate externally was minuscule.
And one more thing.
Non-family-born members were almost entirely exempt from the oath’s activity restrictions.
For example, blood introduced from outside to infuse superior genes… such as the martial artist once known as the Thousand-Man Slayer, who by now had become a son-in-law of the Schnifelt family.
Yes.
‘Regenshauer Schnifelt’ was a powerhouse capable of single-handedly slaughtering every member of the Dragon God Cathedral.