After successfully concluding negotiations with the Variant Sword branch of the Dearside School, I returned to the clan house and summoned Clara and Epio.
“You two. Come with me somewhere.”
“Where to, Oppa?”
“It’s nothing special. Just a small ruin nearby.”
“…It’s not a dangerous place, is it?”
“It won’t be.”
With the current strength of Blispiel and the amount of information I possessed, we could easily conquer most ruins on the Prima Continent. Except for truly difficult places like the “Tomb of the Dead,” that is.
Epio asked,
“But are you really not calling anyone else? Not even Linia noona?”
“Yeah. It’s really close by.”
“Oppa… This doesn’t feel like we’re going to a ruin. It feels more like we’re going on an outing.”
“You’re not wrong.”
As I had mentioned before, there were an extremely large number of Magitech Empire-era ruins in this area. And among them were some very ordinary places with no automatons, traps, or anything of the sort.
I took the two of them to a ruin site that had already been conquered forty years ago.
Through the Church of Utility’s sacred artifact, the 『Namer (S)』, the ruin’s name had been revealed as the Altar of Nothingness.
It was a small ruin consisting of only three rooms totaling around fifty pyeong. Just as its unremarkable name suggested, there had been nothing inside except for a few ancient artifacts.
Even after ten years of repeated exploration, the conclusion was that there were no hidden areas, and it had simply faded into history.
However, if one specific condition was met, this was a place where one could create something out of nothing.
Clara coughed.
“Cough! Wow… It’s covered in dust.”
While she blankly looked around, Epio explored the ruin here and there with great curiosity. Then, as if talking to himself, he asked,
“Ple, do you feel anything?”
“Ple?”
Despite Epio calling out, Plebelziam remained silent. Since it was deeply connected to the Dragon God, it must have sensed something unusual about this place.
The Altar of Nothingness was only mentioned in passing and never directly appeared in the original story. However, the very fact that this seemingly worthless ruin site was referenced in both the setting materials and the main story was significant.
This was none other than the place visited by the Azure Heavens Priestess, one of the biggest pieces of foreshadowing in Reca Chronicles.
Although she was the only Dragon Priestess who never appeared in the original story, many of the foreshadowing connected to her seemed suspicious. One of them was the fact that she knew about the existence and secret of this altar, which the other priestesses were unaware of.
I looked at the altar in the center of the room. There was a single bowl integrated into the altar.
“Clara. Can I ask you for one thing?”
“If you buy me fig candy when we get back, I’ll do it.”
“You’re agreeing without even hearing what it is?”
“You brought me all the way here, so it must be something necessary, right?”
“You’re not wrong.”
I pointed at the bowl and said,
“Then drop some of your blood into it.”
“Suddenly?!”
“Yeah. Suddenly. Should I do it for you so it doesn’t hurt?”
“…Please do it, Oppa.”
Swish! Using a strong wire, I made a small cut on Clara’s finger. She didn’t seem to feel any pain and calmly raised her finger. A drop or two of her blood fell into the bowl.
A moment later—
Wiiing!
“What— What is this?!”
Geometric magic circles appeared all over the walls, floor, and ceiling. At the same time, the blood Clara had dropped on the altar began to wriggle.
Soon, it condensed into a small spherical shape.
Dragon God’s Essence (S)
- Increases Divinity by 1 upon consumption (only if below 7)
- Increases Mana / Potential upon consumption
The powerful elixir recorded in the Dragon God Scripture, the Dragon God’s Essence (S), was created in a special location through the energy possessed by a Dragon Priestess.
Each priestess could create the Dragon God’s Essence only once in her lifetime.
There was only one condition:
A Dragon Priestess of level 40 or higher must shed her blood at the Altar of Nothingness.
In short, the reason we hadn’t obtained the Dragon God’s Essence until now wasn’t because of any other reason — it was simply because Clara’s level had been insufficient.
Because the record-erasing yang magic called 〈Record Counter〉 was active on all information regarding Dragon God-related elixirs, even the cathedrals had forgotten about the altar over time.
Yet the Azure Heavens Priestess had somehow known about it, obtained the Dragon God’s Essence here, and left. It wasn’t strange that readers had been angry about her never appearing until the end of the story.
[Damn it, it’s a disgusting lump… Get it out of my sight right now!]
“You don’t even have eyes.”
Plebelziam grumbled something at my blunt remark, but I ignored it and placed the Dragon God’s Essence into a pouch.
We grant permission to conquer the ‘Sea of Heavenly Eyes.’ We promise to hand over all rewards obtained from the ruin site.
— Dragon King Elibiam Wi Drako
A message arrived from Safaria.
The unidentified swamp filled with extreme poison was still moving around Safaria, swallowing beastkin. At this point, rewards were no longer the priority. They were probably just hoping for someone to appear and solve the swamp problem.
After sending a reply saying we understood, I immediately packed my things.
This time, the entire group of seven — everyone except Kurt — would be going. The Sea of Heavenly Eyes was a high-difficulty ruin that required the full strength of the clan.
Riding Restinel, we passed through the Great Forest of the fairies and crossed a forest that gave off a mystical feeling. It didn’t take long to reach Safaria beyond it.
“Look over there. Humans.”
The beastkin residents, each with their own distinct characteristics, stirred as they watched our procession.
While they looked at us with curiosity, there was also an air of contempt.
Unlike other beastkin who lived mixed among human society, those who had spent their entire lives in Safaria tended to be exclusive toward outsiders. Our presence probably didn’t sit well with them.
After passing through the main road and arriving at the government office, we were greeted by a middle-aged man. He had large, upward-curving horns on his forehead — the symbol of the Dragon Tribe.
He was the Dragon King who ruled over Safaria.
Elibiam Wi Drako.
“Welcome, powerhouse of human society, member of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes.”
It seemed his words of welcome weren’t just empty talk. We were assigned the most luxurious guest accommodations in Safaria.
That night, someone came to visit us.
“I am Makelov Wi Kiros, a holy knight of the Earth Cathedral. Our Priestess wishes to meet with the Blispiel side.”
“I’ve been waiting.”
I moved somewhere with the holy knight. In a mansion with a garden, a woman was waiting for us.
Mysterious lime-green hair.
Golden eyes similar to Clara’s.
Small horns reminiscent of tree trunks.
And most importantly, the Dragon God’s priestess robes.
<Solise ‘Helauklium’ Wi Drako>
[Level: 64/71]
[Stamina: 08]
[Strength: 03]
[Agility: 07]
[Mana: 38]
[Mind: 13]
[Senses: 23]
[Divinity: 08]
[Traits: Dragon Priestess (S+), World Resonance · Earth (S), Prodigy (S-) + 4 others]
[Skills: Earth Cathedral Faith Magic (S), Green Tower Secret Magic · Extreme (A), Dragon Tribe Advanced Body Arts (B) + 5 others]
[Description: 25 years old. Dragon Priestess affiliated with the Earth Cathedral. The shadow ruler of the beastkin kingdom of Safaria, standing above even the Dragon King.]
She was the Earth Priestess.
Solise turned her gaze toward Clara and made an intrigued expression.
“Oh? A Rephindarx, is it?”
“Helauklium…”
The two priestesses recognized each other.
Clara’s expression stiffened slightly.
In ancient times, those closest to the Dragon God — most notably the Dragon Priestesses — were given middle names in a style similar to Daellacir, the Dragon God.
This was the greatest honor for a follower, and thus, the recipients were called by their new names with reverence. Just like “Rephindarx” or “Helauklium.”
I fell into a strange mood.
In the original story, Clara had never come into contact with the other priestesses. She had exited the story before the conflict with the Schnifelt family intensified.
“You’re quite shameless. I never thought the Sun Priestess herself would come to a place like this in person.”
“Well, since the cathedral itself ended up in that state, it’s only natural that she would forget her duties as a priestess.”
At Solise’s words, Clara fell silent.
I stepped in front of Clara.
“I know the Dragon God Cathedrals don’t get along, but this isn’t a meeting to discuss countermeasures against the Schnifelt family?”
“Hmm… Excuse me, Master Stroke.”
As if her earlier provocation had been a lie, Solise smiled gently and spoke.
“I acknowledge the strength of the great sinners. However, since they are bound by the ‘Heavenly Punishment’ handed down by the Dragon God and have been trapped on Winter Dew Island for over a thousand years, is there really a need to be wary of them?”
I let out a sigh inwardly. This was Solise’s current perception of the Schnifelt family.
“It may be as you say, but it was the Schnifelt family who destroyed the Sun Cathedral. And they did it with only two members.”
At my words, Solise snorted.
“That’s simply because the Sun Cathedral side was incompetent. If they had used yang magic centered around the priestess, they could have deployed the 〈Sacred Cradle〉, a barrier so solid that it wouldn’t even be comparable. But… that foolish priestess didn’t seem to do anything at all?”
At the continued provocation, Clara bit her lip. I glanced at her and spoke again.
“Clara wasn’t at the cathedral at the time. But even if a priestess like you, Lady Helauklium, had been there, the result probably wouldn’t have changed much. The current head of the Schnifelt family can use 〈Third-Void〉.”
“………”
『First-Void』 was already a terrifying magic that disintegrated everything it touched, but it had one flaw.
Because it was structured to consume the energy contained within the sphere during the disintegration process, it struggled to penetrate if one layered regenerative barriers countless times.
However, if the user’s [Mana] exceeded 40, their elemental affinity reached its peak, and their mastery of 『Compression Fusion (S)』 surpassed its limits, then 『Third-Void』 could erase the very source of yang magic itself. In that case, such workarounds wouldn’t work.
It was literally the strongest “spear” in the Reca Chronicles world setting.
“…If what you said is true, then they’re quite dangerous. So, the reason you came here is because you’ve also prepared countermeasures?”
Solise’s attitude became serious.
I got straight to the point.
“Please lure the Schnifelt family into Safaria using the 『Dragon God’s Tear (S+)』 as bait. We’ll prepare thoroughly and trap them.”
“…!”
Iris, the masterpiece of the Schnifelt family, could tamper with the contents of the oath if she consumed an especially powerful elixir related to the Dragon God.
That way, she could gain some freedom from the ‘Heavenly Punishment.’
However, the degree to which the shackles were loosened depended on the efficacy of the elixir.
The most ideal one was the Dragon God’s Essence (S+), which would immediately lift the Heavenly Punishment upon consumption without even needing to be digested. Of course, because it required collecting all four priestesses, obtaining it right away was impossible.
The next best elixir was the Dragon God’s Tear (S+) owned by the Earth Cathedral. However, due to a special function contained within the elixir itself, even Bietor Schnifelt’s unique skill, 『Collection Designation (U)』, had been unable to determine its exact storage location.
In the worst case, there was even the possibility that they would destroy the cathedral but fail to obtain the elixir. That was why, in the original story, they had turned their attention to the next best option, the Dragon God’s Remains (S).
“…The 『Dragon God’s Tear (S+)』 is an extremely precious item. Are you asking us to take the risk of potentially losing such an elixir?”
“If you accept the proposal, we will provide the 『Dragon God’s Essence (S-)』 to the Safaria side.”
It was Clara who said that.
“Dragon God’s Essence… You mean that lost elixir? Rephindarx, you have something like that?”
“What do you mean by ‘something like that’? It’s rude to speak that way during our first meeting. Show some manners when talking to someone, Lady Helauklium.”
Solise glared fiercely at Clara. Clara glared right back without backing down. In fact, I could see Solise take half a step back, looking slightly intimidated.
Solise left with the answer that she would consider Blispiel Clan’s proposal positively. After Aiden’s group departed and she was left alone, she fell into deep thought.
The proposal itself was certainly intriguing.
However, if there was one thing that bothered her…
“Whether it’s okay to cooperate with a force connected to the Sun Priestess… I suppose.”
Solise recalled the image of the silver-haired girl. Among the four priestesses, she had been the most favored by the Dragon God, yet she had been sentenced to repeat a horrific death for eternity as punishment for some sin.
“As expected… but the emotional turmoil is greater than I imagined.”
Some of the emotions the Dragon God possessed had also been transferred to the three priestesses to some extent. Seeing Clara made it difficult for her to control her anger. The fact that she, who could perfectly wear a “mask,” had provoked Clara several times was because of that.
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