「Initiating detailed analysis of the corpse via 〈Armchair〉.」
The Nano Eater, having activated the detection spell, begins to rapidly read the residual thoughts lingering in cell 237’s solitary confinement.
The scale and accuracy are on a different level compared to when I tore a page to activate it in the past.
Soon, something like a holographic image rises above the Nano Eater’s page.
Within it, a battered girl in her mid-to-late teens and Sun Cathedral inquisitors in red robes appear.
「Speak.」
A cold voice without inflection.
At that, the girl in the image trembles.
And asks back in a hoarse voice.
「What… should I say?」
…
「Where did you smuggle the Priestess of the Sun?」
「I don’t know anything.」
「Still playing dumb? There are countless testimonies that you acted unusually in the month before the priestess disappeared from the cathedral. We’ve also found ample evidence that you cooperated in her escape outside the barrier.」
Saying that, the inquisitor roughly grabs Tanya’s hair.
「Aah…!」
「Speak. How exactly did you smuggle Rephindarx, under whose orders, and to where?」
「Please believe me! I have no memories at all from around the time Clara disappeared…」
「What a convenient excuse. It seems the pain was insufficient.」
After that, Tanya endured torture too horrific to describe in words.
Starting with beatings, branding with hot irons, strangling, various psychological tortures, waterboarding, whipping, electric torture, gang rape, nail pulling… In some ways, it was more vicious than on modern Earth.
No matter what happened in the torture chamber, her body would return to normal with a high priest’s healing magic.
「Ah, it hurts… Help! Someone help… Clara… Claraaa…」
At some point, driven mad by the pain, she begins calling for her friend, more noble than anyone in the cathedral.
「Clara, help meee!!! This is all because of you!」
After losing her judgment from repeated torture, she screams out resentment toward her at the top of her lungs.
The lonely girl who couldn’t get along with anyone.
I shouldn’t have impulsively extended a hand out of sympathy for that sight.
Getting involved with someone so high up led to this fate, didn’t it?
「Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!」
Seeing the girl completely lose her mind, the inquisitors click their tongues.
「She’s entered a delirious state and still shows no sign of talking…」
「Maybe she really doesn’t know about the priestess…」
「Silence the associates appropriately and dispose of them underground…」
The image manifested through the thoughts ends.
“………”
“………”
We are left speechless.
This is on a different level from snuff films.
Certainly, the setting book mentioned the Dragon God cathedrals were corrupt.
But I never imagined a religious organization would casually commit such atrocities.
「From the scan of Tanya Ornick’s corpse, it is determined to be nearly a month since death.」
「44 iron nails are embedded throughout the body, and 23 spots show traces of branding. Wounds from beatings are innumerable, remnants of explosives detonated in the genitals remain, and a significant number of major organs are damaged by bladed weapons…」
“The details are nauseating, so stop there. More importantly, is this woman definitely Tanya Ornick?”
「Based on the described features, the probability that this corpse is hers approaches 100%.」
“………”
In other words, it’s certain that Tanya Ornick died in the Sun Cathedral’s torture chamber.
“Nano Eater. Analyze both arm sections of Tanya’s corpse.”
「Complying with directive.」
「Detailed analysis complete. An anomaly detected. Due to postmortem state, there is slight error, but the inherent mana traces in the torso and right arm differ subtly.」
Hearing that, I examine Tanya’s right arm closely and then tear it off.
“Aiden! What are you doing?!”
“Look closely. This arm is a fake.”
Pashuk!
Injecting a bit of lightning-infused mana causes the torn right arm to scatter like dust.
“A fake corpse made using Shape Fader (A+) is nearly indistinguishable from the real thing, but it has the flaw of disintegrating if mana is injected in a specific pattern. Since I learned the exact pattern from the creator Bailey himself, I can easily tell if it’s fake or not.”
“Someone already tore off the real arm. To leave no traces, they even used a Shape Fader circulating in the black market. It’s an extremely expensive item, after all.”
“Why go to such lengths…”
Chesa furrows her brow in confusion.
But I can guess the purpose.
Using someone’s body part or a cherished item imbued with habits as a catalyst, with the unique skill 〈Redial (U)〉, one can easily forge handwriting.
For reference, the owner of that skill is a phantom thief known as ‘Iron Mask.’
[MacGuffin No.281 / 『Dead Person’s Letter』 recovered.]
[Achievement points +2,000]
Not as important a MacGuffin as I thought.
Probably, the identity of the obvious forger is less important than ‘who tore off the arm and commissioned Iron Mask for the forgery.’
That’s right.
The culprit likely planned to commission Iron Mask to forge a letter at the right time and use it to pull some trick on Clara.
“Chesa. Personally, there’s one part of the video we just saw that bothers me.”
“The part where Tanya has no memories from around Clara’s escape?”
“Exactly.”
Two possibilities.
Either Tanya was brainwashed by someone, or a third party disguised as her and cooperated in Clara’s escape.
The former, brainwashing, has too many stringent conditions, so it can be ruled out for now.
The latter is equally tricky, but considering various circumstances, it weighs more heavily.
In the ‘Reca Chronicles’ world, there are a very few beings with transformation abilities.
I know each of their identities, so naturally, the suspects narrow down.
Though evidence is scarce for certainty, it’s highly likely this stems from arrangements left by Irumokwi, the doppelganger among the polymorphic Five Heroes.
With the Schnifelt family watching keenly now, I never imagined the Five Heroes’ followers, who only breathe freely in Part 3, would act so boldly—I seem to have been a bit lax in my vigilance.
I recover the pendant around Tanya’s neck.
Unfortunately, I’ll have to deliver the news of her death to Clara.
The stealth-mode Machine God Tribe, Pendic.
Suddenly, the lower part of that ship-like mechanical body opens, and a long ice platform forms.
This is a phenomenon caused by Iris Schnifelt’s spell.
Regenshauer slides down the platform she created and jumps toward the barrier from about 100 meters high.
Then, activating the power imbued in the pre-prepared 『Heirloom of the Denier (S-)』, he safely passes through the barrier and infiltrates the cathedral interior.
Upon landing, without a moment’s hesitation, he dons a robe and charges straight into the Sun Cathedral.
Tadadak!
With the 『Swiftness (S)』 trait, he can move astonishingly agile and stealthy without any special footwork.
Naturally, most of the guardian holy knight order doesn’t even sense Regenshauer’s presence, and even if they feel something off, they meet a swift sword and lose their heads before realizing.
Truly befitting the nickname ‘Flash Swordsmanship.’
Pashuk! Pushuk!
The pristine white marble corridor is stained with blood in an instant.
Yet, it’s eerily quiet for a massacre site.
Aiden, along with Chesa, uses the 『Formless Robe (S-)』 for concealment and tails Regenshauer as stealthily as possible.
<Regenshauer Schnifelt>
[Level: 71/71]
[HP: 14] [Strength: 18] [Agility: 21]
[MP: 17] [Mind: 11] [Senses: 20] [Divinity: 06]
[Traits: Impenetrable Fortress (U), Sword Demon (S+), Swiftness (S), Dislocating Body (A), Energy Condensation (A), and 4 others]
[Skills: Dearside Dual Heart Method · Extreme (S+), Dearside Variable Swordsmanship · Extreme (S), Central Mercenary Self-Defense Art · Extreme (A), Four Seasons Heart Method (A), Snowfield Mana Cultivation Method (A), and 5 others]
[Description: Age 50, human. Son-in-law of the prestigious Schnifelt family, one of Prima Continent’s foremost noble houses. A peerless swordsman who once renowned as the Thousand-Man Slayer and witnessed the extreme of variable sword.]
No matter how great the equipment, against that monster with 20 [Senses], I must maintain a certain distance.
If I get too close, he’ll sense anomalies through air flow regardless of presence.
I also need to beware of the unique trait 『Impenetrable Fortress (U)』, which allows cognition of a certain area as if on the palm of his hand.
“…So the destruction of the Sun Cathedral was indeed this guy’s doing.”
He observes Regenshauer closely.
Among the brown hair common in the north, Schnifelt’s distinctive white strands are sparsely mixed.
Even if one becomes a Schnifelt member acquiredly, if they possess suitable qualities, they can gain a few family traits through ‘baptism.’
In that case, part of the hair turns white like Regenshauer’s.
“Seeing his unhesitating movements, the Thousand-Man Slayer seems to have the building’s layout completely memorized.”
“There must have been an insider in the cathedral.”
Saying that, Aiden wipes a bit of cold sweat.
‘Unfortunately, snatching the relic 『Flame Dragon Scale (S)』 past a level 70 warrior in such a composed state is tough.’
Fortunately, even if Regenshauer uses the Flame Dragon Scale to manipulate the barrier’s filter, it’s no problem.
I’ve prepared means to escape in advance.
The spell scroll of 〈Padio Blink〉 imbued in the 『Accel Register (A+)』 Aiden wears is a whopping S-grade.
And high-grade spatial magic like that can force through the 〈Sacred Cradle〉’s spatial distortion prevention filter for an emergency escape, even if it’s a stretch.
This works because escaping from inside to outside is easier than infiltrating from outside to inside.
With everything going smoothly now,
If there’s one issue…
‘Why hasn’t the MacGuffin recovery message appeared? Do I need to confirm up to Regenshauer recovering the Flame Dragon Scale?’
Feeling a slight puzzlement, Aiden follows the Thousand-Man Slayer’s trail.
Soon.
“”Halt!””
“………”
Dozens of hidden cathedral knights surround Regenshauer.
Suddenly, a middle-aged man steps out from among them.
“…For the past half-year, an ominous atmosphere has lingered around the Sun Cathedral. We judged a series of incidents as the work of someone threatening the cathedral’s safety.”
He is a toadman with a rigidly set expression.
None other than the Continent’s Twelve Hero who guided Chesa and Aiden to the cathedral, Elcoro Dubao.
“On this most vulnerable day of the gathering, we already knew you’d target the relic. Reveal your identity!”
Regenshauer observes him silently before speaking.
“A Dragon God follower, a toadman using white blunt weapons. I’ve heard there’s such a warrior among the current Continent’s Twelve Heroes. Elcoro Dubao, was it?”
“Knowing me means your eyes aren’t knotholes.”
“My hands were itching anyway. I hope you’re at least decent for a warm-up.”
Regenshauer adjusts his grip on the sword.
Seeing this, Elcoro snorts.
“Hmph! I don’t know what scum you are, but hearing my name and not backing down means you have confidence in your skills. However, this old man has no intention of entertaining you. Priests!”
Priests in red robes step forward from behind Elcoro.
<Trans Prisoner>
A massive magic circle appears beneath Regenshauer.
It glows blindingly red.
Pat!
And in the blink of an eye.
Regenshauer’s form vanishes.
“…Success, Sir Dubao.”
“Ha, now we just wait for the dozens of dragon tooth soldiers underground to bind him.”
The situation flows bewilderingly.
The two watching from within the Formless Robe begin whispering.
“…Aiden, it looks like the Thousand-Man Slayer fell for it?”
“No. That spell is probably 〈Trans Prisoner〉. It’s a forced teleportation yang magic that ignores the target’s will, so it can’t send far.”
As Elcoro just said, the limit would be sending to the underground chamber filled with dragon tooth soldiers.
An average Continent’s Twelve Hero-level warrior would be helpless against a horde of dragon tooth soldiers, but it’s hopeless against Regenshauer over level 70.
His escape is only a matter of time.
But… that’s more than enough time to thoroughly fortify the innermost area where the relic is stored or evacuate the believers outside.
In other words, if this continues, there will be many survivors.
Meaning it diverges from the original history.
‘…What the hell happened?’
Frecht Vinter.
The one tasked with managing the Machine God Tribe ‘Pendic’ during the mission while assisting two high-ranking members from the main family.
Though he inherited the Schnifelt blood thinly, he is solidly mid-tier in the branch Vinter family.
Such Frecht reports to Iris with an urgent expression.
“Lady Iris! Sir Regenshauer is sending distress signals! There’s a disruption in recovering the Flame Dragon Scale. It’s presumed to be due to the Dragon God cathedral’s spatial yang magic, 〈Trans Prisoner〉.”
“So it came to that after all.”
“…After all?”
“I didn’t particularly warn Resha about the cathedral’s guardian magic circles. It wouldn’t hurt much as an attack anyway. The only thing that could work is forced teleportation magic, but I didn’t expect them to have Trans Prisoner pinpoint ready.”
Iris giggles continuously as if something amuses her.
In contrast, Frecht’s face turns pale.
To laugh so merrily when a hitch occurs in an important plan—over the past few weeks, he’s keenly felt it, but the woman before him has an utterly unpredictable and eccentric personality.
“Well, I’ll go help Resha then.”
“W-Wait…”
Having notified Frecht, she jumps without hesitation from 3 km above the Sun Cathedral, atop Pendic.
Iris has neither the 『Heirloom of the Denier (S-)』 nor anything similar.
Thus, stealthily passing the 〈Sacred Cradle〉 barrier is impossible.
But that’s no issue.
As Iris falls, multicolored elements gather around her.
The elements condense to the extreme in her hand and transform into something.
Qualitatively disintegrated, they turn into nothingness.
To compare,
It is a void that returns everything to nothing.
<Third-Void>
Paaaaaat!!
The ultimate yin magic, signature of the ‘Reca Chronicles’ Part 2 final boss, strikes the barrier protecting the Sun Cathedral.