Hoo! Hoo!!
I swung my sword according to my daily routine, lost in thought.
The reason stray thoughts kept surfacing during training was entirely because of the letter sent from the Wiblet imperial family.
If I accepted the invitation and headed to the Wiblet Empire, there would be two major benefits.
First, I would gain an opportunity to learn about the demon worshippers operating inside the empire. Second, I might be able to track down the whereabouts of a top-tier talent whose location had remained a mystery.
Visanya—the heroine of Part 4 in Reca Chronicles.
She might be in the empire.
Visanya was Epio’s companion during their journey across the inhuman hellscape of the Ciencia Continent, and naturally, she possessed extraordinary talent as a spirit summoner. Despite most people being able to handle only one great spirit no matter how gifted they were, she could command three simultaneously thanks to her Trinity (S) trait.
Excluding pure one-on-one combat ability, she was truly an all-rounder with no weaknesses whatsoever.
Among her standout utilities was the power of “pharmaceutical creation” through her Blood Holy Great Spirit.
The medicines Visanya created could, under certain conditions, match the healing magic of a Life Church pope or provide doping effects comparable to the enhancement magic of a Church of Struggle pope.
Thanks to her, the gaping hole left in the party’s priest position after Clara’s departure in Part 4 was perfectly filled.
Visanya had no sharp edges; on the contrary, she possessed a gentle personality and lacked strong self-assertion, so there was virtually no chance of conflict with companions. Her compatibility with Epio was also guaranteed. If the opportunity arose, she was someone I absolutely wanted to recruit.
…Of course, the fact that I hadn’t managed to bring in such a talent until now had its reasons.
As I mentioned before, I had roughly one hundred candidates in mind for recruitment.
Among them, about twenty were currently difficult to locate—and Visanya was included in that number. Even up to the epilogue, her childhood and origins had remained shrouded in mystery.
It was occasionally hinted that her past had been unhappy, but the specifics of what kind of misfortune she endured, and where, were never clearly revealed.
However, as someone who knew every detail of Reca Chronicles’ setting, I had a rough guess about her origins. It was still speculation, of course, and would require verification.
Even setting aside matters related to the demon cult or Visanya, there were other reasons to visit the empire.
As a dedicated reader, my curiosity had simply been piqued.
The Wiblet Empire depicted in Reca Chronicles was a faction shrouded in mystery in many ways. Despite possessing a culture quite distinct from the central nations of the Prima Continent, it had never once served as a proper stage in the story.
“Huu… huu….”
Feeling my breath growing ragged, I stopped the sword dance. Sweat drenched my entire body.
After finishing training, I downed the yin-yang tea Linia handed me in one go, as always. Even after leaving the family, we had continued to regularly obtain the key ingredient—yin-yang herb—from the north.
“…I’m worried.”
“About the banquet, Young Master?”
Considering the might of the Wiblet Empire, it was impossible to refuse an invitation personally sent by the emperor.
The problem was that our clan had utterly crushed Caracol, a faction closely tied to the empire.
By swiftly ending the Glicia civil war, we had turned the empire’s dispatched reinforcements into mere spectators chasing after chickens. They might well regard it as a humiliation.
“This is an event where international attention will be focused. No matter what grudges exist, I doubt they would dare harm a guest invited in His Majesty the Emperor’s name.”
Logically, Linia was right.
If something happened to a guest personally invited by the emperor, it would be no different from tarnishing the imperial family’s authority.
Therefore, they would take care to protect me.
Yet somehow, the feeling remained uneasy.
I soon realized the source of that discomfort.
Since possessing Aiden, whenever I intervened in an event, I had always prepared as thoroughly as possible beforehand.
But at Snowflower Swamp and the Sun Cathedral, clearly unforeseen situations had arisen.
Given how little I knew about the internal affairs of the Wiblet Empire, if I intended to accept the emperor’s invitation, I needed to prepare even more meticulously.
“I’ll need to secure at least one reliable bodyguard.”
Fortunately, there was someone who came to mind.
I handed Bailey the now-empty Magic Lamp (A), which had become a hollow shell after Shambhavi’s emergence.
“Another magic tool I’ve never seen before.”
“It’s a lamp crafted on the Ciencia Continent.”
“From another continent? Ho…”
Bailey examined the lamp with interest, turning it over in his hands. When his gaze reached the base, his eyes narrowed.
“This is…”
A hexagram was engraved there—the symbol famously associated with the Witch Empress on the Ciencia Continent.
The three primary colors blended harmoniously, giving it considerable artistic value, but that wasn’t the point.
The Oath Lamp (S+) was a treasure personally enchanted by the world’s greatest mage—the Witch Empress—using her Infinite Power (EX) technique. The entire principle was embedded within that hexagram pattern.
“Excellent. This is worth researching.”
Bailey nodded, then suddenly stared straight at me.
His intent was easy to read.
“Sir Bailey. Have you ever considered signing a formal contract with our clan?”
“I’ll consider it depending on the conditions.”
“As long as you meet the quota, you can do whatever you wish afterward. As long as funds permit, I will provide unlimited support for your personal research and the materials needed for crafting.”
“Unlimited… how much exactly?”
“Hmm…”
Future economic knowledge.
Camillo’s business acumen.
The rise in status after the civil war.
Thanks to these three factors, the Blispiel Clan’s coffers were growing richer by the day.
I quoted Bailey an astronomical figure, and he nodded in satisfaction.
Bailey was a shadowy craftsman known as the “National Treasure Forger,” a fugitive hunted by the Millis family. Until now, he had been content with receiving covert commissions, but this time he had taken a step further and formally requested protection from us.
“Personally, I believe your skill is in no way inferior to Grand Valley’s ‘True Silver Needle.’”
“Ahem…”
Bailey cleared his throat awkwardly at my words.
But he didn’t seem displeased.
“Kurt. You lived in Grand Valley—tell him yourself. How does Sir Bailey’s skill compare to True Silver Needle in your opinion?”
“It’s hard to compare since the fields are different, but they’re almost on the same level. If I had to say, the old man is maybe about two percent short.”
When Kurt, siding with the greatest living toadman craftsman—True Silver Needle—Bailey’s expression twisted slightly.
He had been embarrassed by the comparison itself earlier, but now Kurt’s evaluation—after they had grown closer—seemed to have pricked his pride a little.
“In any case, it’s a shame that such extraordinary talent remains known only to a select few. We will protect you from the Millis family’s schemes and spare no effort in helping your name spread across the continent.”
“…Excellent. I’ll trust you this once.”
Bailey nodded in satisfaction.
I glanced around the interior of the workshop and said,
“It wouldn’t do to keep someone of your caliber in a place like this forever. We will soon provide you with a perfect workspace.”
“Understood. I’ll move my things in the near future.”
His straightforward reply drew a laugh from me.
I had finally recruited Bailey officially.
After concluding this important business and returning to the clan house, I soon greeted a welcome visitor in the reception room.
“Hello, Aiden.”
“Greetings, Sub-Master Stroke.”
There stood Estriel Mirvana—my master in Resonance Shatter Arts—and Flora Markroti, one of the current Triple Star.
As I mentioned before, in the original work, Estriel had once accepted an enormous fee to assassinate a member of a certain empire’s imperial family.
That empire had been Wiblet.
Although he had ultimately abandoned the mission after coincidentally discovering a Reverse Veins possessor…
There were several suspicious elements behind that absurd turn of events.
According to characters in the original work, Estriel had been hired to resolve an internal power struggle tied to the imperial succession.
Yet most readers had suspected there was more to the story.
The Wiblet Empire remained barren land untouched by the proselytizing of the Holy Nation’s churches.
It was a massive nation that the Church would inevitably need to expand into in the future, so even the Circulation Church’s assassins would have been cautious about getting involved in its political affairs.
This wasn’t merely my personal speculation as a dedicated reader—it was repeatedly mentioned as internal background in the main story of Reca Chronicles.
Nevertheless, the upper echelons of the Holy Nation had permitted the deployment of Estriel, a top-tier assassin. That implied there was some significant reason.
By the time of Part 3, when the revived Five Heroes had half-destroyed the Wiblet Empire itself, the foreshadowing had ultimately remained as nothing more than a MacGuffin.
Flora spoke to me.
“I heard you assisted the ascetics of the Ascetic Church in capturing demon worshippers. On behalf of the Holy Nation, I express our gratitude.”
“I merely did what was expected of one who has borrowed a holy relic.”
“In return, you requested high-caliber personnel like me to serve as your escort.”
Estriel tossed out the quip.
As he said, I had asked him to accompany me to the Wiblet Empire.
Since I planned to dig deeply into the demon worshippers this time, the more combat power the better.
The Holy Nation dispatching Flora as an envoy and willingly sending someone as major as Estriel was because our goals aligned perfectly.
“As Master is aware, security checks in the major cities of the Wiblet Empire are extremely thorough. If any trace of Church sub-techniques is discovered, entry is strictly prohibited.”
But with an invitation from the emperor himself, such checkpoints could be passed without issue.
Moreover, unlike Flora or other prominent Church figures, Estriel—as an assassin—was not widely known by face on the outside. In many ways, he was the ideal companion for this journey.
“Next, here is the information extracted by our Church of Utility’s inquisitors from that heretic named Saul.”
It had finally arrived.
A demon worshipper dispatched outward after handing over something as important as the Magnus Horn Chalice (S). He would surely know more about the internal affairs of the cult’s headquarters—the Wiblet Empire—than anyone else.
The fact that such a person had been transferred to the Holy Nation far earlier than in the original history would become a significant turning point in the central continent’s timeline.
“Once again, I offer my deepest thanks to the Sub-Master. This time you truly accomplished something monumental.”
“…?”
“As I mentioned before regarding the rogue organization called Praszkeak.”
The Praszkeak Guild.
A criminal syndicate that extended its reach into every dark corner of the Wiblet Empire—drug trafficking, prostitution, gambling, human trafficking, loan sharking.
The fact that their name was coming up here meant…
“Saul Pardo was not only a demon worshipper but also an executive of Praszkeak. There is no doubt that the two are closely connected.”
“I see.”
Although no such mention existed in the original work, given how notorious they were, it wasn’t particularly shocking.
What mattered was that it had now been confirmed beyond doubt that the Praszkeak Guild was receiving support from high-ranking figures within the Wiblet Empire.
“…Support? From demon worshippers?”
“Yes. And considering how rapidly they have expanded their influence, the backer is almost certainly someone at the very center of power within the court.”
Hearing Flora’s words gave me a headache.
A theory that had been popular among readers during the serialization of Parts 1 and 2 had now become reality.
That among the candidates for the Wiblet imperial throne, a demon worshipper was hiding—and that Estriel had been hired to assassinate such a figure.