Before heading to the eastern Lilliac Magic Kingdom, I assigned separate missions to the clan members.
Others aside, Epio—who possessed the Incarnation (S) trait—absolutely needed to raise his [Divinity] stat, which required building public recognition. I already had a stage in mind for Epio’s activities.
While setting action guidelines for each clan member one by one, Chesa approached and said,
“Let’s take Linia with us to the Magic Kingdom.”
“Is that okay?”
“…What do you mean, ‘is that okay’?”
Chesa tilted her head as if asking something obvious.
Naturally, the concept of a honeymoon did not exist in the Reca Chronicles world. She probably saw the visit to the Magic Kingdom as part of raising the clan’s standing or simply a short vacation.
In the end, the group heading to Lilliac was set at three people.
“Take good care of the Blispiel Clan while I’m away. If anything comes up, consult with Camillo immediately.”
“I will keep that in mind, Master.”
Ray, appointed as sub-master, nodded. Behind her, Clara poked her head out and opened her mouth.
“Brother, new sis— Ow! I didn’t even say anything yet, why are you hitting me?!”
“It’s obvious. You were about to tell us to come back with a baby, weren’t you?”
“Eek…!”
Clara retreated as if struck where it hurt. I chuckled at her easy-to-read reaction and boarded Restinel, who was currently in carriage form.
Unlike before, the carriage moved at a leisurely pace.
We stopped occasionally to enjoy the natural scenery, snack on street food, and savor the rare moment of relaxation. Before we knew it, a whole month had passed.
“Master, Madam. Restinel has detected the capital of Lilliac, Propst. We arrived faster than expected.”
“No matter how leisurely we move, it’s still a Machine God Tribe member with Red Flow Iron installed in the engine.”
After the wedding, the way Linia addressed us had changed. It was refreshing but took some getting used to.
I glanced out the window.
A mountain range so tall it seemed to pierce the sky came into view.
Most of the eastern Prima Continent consisted of mountainous terrain, and the eastern power known as the Lilliac Magic Kingdom had roughly one-third of its territory surrounded by rugged mountains. Naturally, the central government’s administrative reach was rather poor, so the Magic Kingdom was currently divided into eleven autonomous federations.
The local governments with autonomy each selected their leaders through elections, but the royal capital of Propst was an exception and followed a hereditary system.
That was when it happened.
“Aiden, it looks like someone is maintaining the road.”
“Young Master, that’s…”
I looked in the direction the two of them were pointing.
Interestingly, skinless skeletal skulls were inspecting the drainage ditches beside the road. Upon spotting our carriage, they quietly shuffled aside to make way.
“Undead laborers. They’re one of the famous sights of the Lilliac Magic Kingdom.”
The kings of this country had long supplemented their insufficient labor force by using the national treasure 『Immortal Crown (S+)』, which allowed them to control undead within the kingdom’s borders.
As for what the living citizens did? They were all trained as mages. Compared to the empire, the Magic Kingdom had far fewer people. Yet it could exert comparable influence thanks to this qualitative difference.
The carriage crossed the long road and soon entered the capital, Propst.
Floating aristocrats riding magic carpets, undead repairmen carrying tools and fixing things here and there, mages supplying electricity with lightning spells… Magic was completely integrated into daily life.
The two women looked around without pause.
“This place is fascinating…”
“…Now I understand why the professors at the tower called it a must-visit destination in one’s lifetime.”
The two women seemed more impressed by the cityscape than by the daily lives of the residents.
Because Propst had been influenced by the eastern Ciencia Continent every time the Great Barrier sank, many exotic architectural styles remained. To me, a person from modern Earth, this place felt like the epitome of orientalism, but to Chesa and Linia it must have seemed refreshingly novel.
We soon arrived at the royal palace, and Tristan Alabur flew over to greet us almost immediately.
“Hehe, you really did come.”
“I would never carelessly break a promise made with someone like you, Lord Alabur.”
“Even if it’s just flattery, I appreciate it.”
Behind the familiar old man stood an unfamiliar platinum-blonde girl. She appeared to be around the same age as me and Chesa.
Using my Mana Eye (B) trait to take a quick look, I sensed extraordinary mana from her.
Character sheet:
<Valerie Lacroux>
[Level: 37/56]
[Health: 04][Strength: 02][Agility: 08]
[Mana: 29][Spirit: 06][Sense: 14]
[Divinity: 02]
[Traits: Pure Mana Circulation Body (S), Magic Genius (A), Elemental Dominion (A), Mana Control (B) and 3 others]
[Skills: Lacroux Direct Line Vision Elemental Magic (S), Lacroux Mana Cultivation Method (A), Rainbow Vision Magic (A) and 3 others]
[Description: Eighteen years old, human race. Tristan Alabur’s top disciple and the greatest talent of the Lacroux family, a renowned magical house in the central region. She is currently studying abroad in the Lilliac Magic Kingdom.]
“………”
The girl’s identity was obviously Valerie Lacroux, Tristan’s top disciple. For some reason, she was glaring at Chesa with a somewhat displeased expression.
Tristan said,
“Master Stroke. Let’s discuss the details inside.”
“Understood.”
After talking with Tristan for quite a while, we coordinated the schedule for our stay in the Magic Kingdom.
Chesa arranged to learn the vision magic of the Rainbow Tower directly from the old man, and I decided to join the lessons alongside my wife.
Later, as we were about to follow the guide to our lodging, a sharp voice called out from behind.
“You two, wait a moment!”
“Lady Valerie?”
“…What? How do you know my name?”
Valerie looked dumbfounded.
– Come to think of it, we hadn’t even introduced ourselves yet. I’ll improvise.
“You are the young lady of the famous magical house of Lacroux, aren’t you? Not to mention Lord Alabur’s top disciple. Your reputation precedes you.”
“K-khm…”
She cleared her throat, her face reddening. She tried to hide her emotions, but the corners of her mouth were dancing with joy, making it obvious.
Upon closer inspection, her appearance bore a subtle resemblance to Chesa’s. It made sense—they were cousins by blood.
“So, what brings you here?”
“………”
At the question, Valerie snapped back to her senses. She glared at Chesa again. Chesa herself remained indifferent.
“I heard you played a major role in the Glicia civil war, Lady Chesa Utland. However, I don’t blindly believe rumors at face va—”
“Chesa Stroke.”
“…Pardon?”
“My name is now Chesa Stroke.”
“……….”
Chesa explained clearly, as if it were an important matter. Valerie stared at her blankly for a moment before apologizing.
“…My apologies, Lady Chesa.”
“Yes. Please be careful.”
“Anyway! The person who will succeed Master and become the greatest mage is none other than me. I have no intention of losing to anyone, so keep that in mind.”
“Is that so?”
“Ugh…!”
Valerie’s face flushed with frustration at Chesa’s lukewarm response.
I roughly understood the situation.
Tristan must have praised Chesa highly in private. Stimulated by that, Valerie had developed a sense of rivalry toward a fellow genius of the same age.
“Just wait and see, Lady Chesa. A suitable opportunity to prove my talent will come soon enough.”
“Do your best.”
An encouragement completely free of malice. Valerie frowned beautifully. Then she left without even saying goodbye.
Chesa tilted her head.
“Why did Lady Valerie come to see me?”
“It seems she’s jealous of you, Madam.”
“…Of me?”
“Of course. When it comes to mages of the same generation across the continent, Chesa is undoubtedly the best.”
It wasn’t empty praise.
<Chesa Stroke>
[Level: 42/74]
[Health: 07][Strength: 05][Agility: 06]
[Mana: 34][Spirit: 07][Sense: 13]
[Divinity: 02]
[Traits: Memorization (S+), Extreme Mana Circulation Body (S), Dense Elemental Amplification (S), Firebird (S-), Analytical Mana Eye (A)]
[Skills: Compression Fusion (S), Lacroux Direct Line Vision Elemental Magic (S), Alabur Vision Mana Cultivation Method (A), Mana Rampage (B), Crimson Tower Advanced Cultivation Method (B), Northern Advanced Magic (C)]
Chesa had already entered the 40s in level.
It was extremely rare to reach near-Twelve Heroes level in one’s teens without traits like Prodigy (S-) or Early Bloomer (A-). Considering her potential in the mid-70s, there was no mage on the Prima Continent who could compare to her.
But Chesa shook her head.
“It doesn’t really feel real to me.”
“Why not?”
“Because I saw something like that at the Sun Cathedral.”
The image of Iris Schnifelt flashed through my mind. I see. With such a lofty goal, she couldn’t feel satisfied with her current self.
“That’s a good mindset.”
I patted Chesa’s head.
She smiled brightly in response.
Chesa began diligently building her foundation as a war mage by learning the element-focused Rainbow Vision Magic (A).
I too received recognition of my talent from Tristan, who clicked his tongue in regret.
“I heard you were famous as a swordsman, so I didn’t have high expectations personally… but it seems you have considerable talent in magic as well, Master Stroke. If you had entered the path of magic earlier, you would have already reached a high level… What a shame. Truly a shame.”
I had only acquired the suitable traits for a mage relatively recently. Therefore, the premise Tristan was assuming was invalid, but of course he had no way of knowing that.
“That makes it even more puzzling.”
“What does?”
“How did you learn that cultivation method when you are practically a novice in magic?”
He was referring to the Alabur Vision Mana Cultivation Method (A) that I had obtained through selection. I had hoped to gloss over it, but he suddenly pressed the issue.
Of course, I had prepared a suitable excuse.
“I visited the black market once a long time ago and purchased an introductory manual there.”
“The black market, huh…”
The Gray Caravan Wandering Merchants thoroughly concealed their transaction records, so there was almost no way to verify that I had not purchased a magic book.
Moreover, Tristan was the type of person who had no qualms about revealing his vision to the world. Even if someone close to him had secretly sold a copy, it would be difficult to identify who.
Rather than focusing on the origin of the manual, he showed curiosity in a different direction.
“So you’re saying you learned this old man’s cultivation method without a teacher?”
“Yes. It was thanks to the Wings of the Firebird elixir.”
I explained to Tristan that using the <Link Sense> spell allowed me to share the results of my training with my partner.
“I see… So the elixir that the Black Tower lost ended up in your hands.”
“I was lucky.”
Tristan nodded.
After that, under the guidance of an outstanding teacher, I began intensively learning lightning spells such as <Lightning Spear> and <Chain Lightning>.
One day, while my skills were progressing smoothly,
A court count appeared in the training ground.
“Lord Alabur.”
“His Majesty has summoned you, Your Grace. He wishes to discuss matters concerning the demon worshippers.”
“Hmm…”
Tristan let out a low groan.
He then turned to me apologetically.
“Master Stroke. I’m sorry to interrupt the lesson, but I must take my leave for a while.”
“It’s fine.”
Tristan left the training ground.
After seeing him off, I approached Chesa.
“…Can you check Nano Eater?”
“Got it.”
The grimoire popped out of Chesa’s pouch.
「What is it, Master?」
“Activate the location tracking function of <Star Seeker>.”
「Understood.」
Flip flip flip!
The pages of Nano Eater opened.
I narrowed my eyes.
The location of Hagel displayed on <Star Seeker> was drawing closer to the Magic Kingdom.
“…He arrived earlier than expected.”