In the Ralanta Republic, there is no noble title system commonly referred to among the nobles as “duke-march-count-viscount-baron.”
The country is largely divided into seven regions, each governed by a Grand Lord and subordinate minor lords.
Remarkably, they are elected by the citizens’ votes.
Of course, it is not a completely free election system.
The Republic has a privileged class called “Toho,” comprising roughly 1% of the total population.
Only the Toho may run as candidates for lordship, and the elected lords then vote again to choose the nation’s leader, the “Chairman.”
It’s a setting with a vague mixture of medieval hierarchy, but it at least lives up to the name “republic.”
The Grand Lord who governs Herus, Frank, was a man with a timid impression that hardly matched such a dazzling title.
I greeted him without revealing my thoughts.
“It is an honor to meet you for the first time, Lord.”
“In the name of the Lord of Herus, I welcome the visit of Aiden Stroke, son of the Prince who rules Stroke and bearer of the Seal of Struggle. So, what business brings you here?”
Even though he was a Grand Lord, perhaps because the position was not hereditary, his attitude was quite polite.
Well, the backing of the Seal of Struggle made it natural.
I got straight to the point.
“I heard there is a village in your territory that has been struck by lightning nonstop for the past year.”
“So Your Highness has come after hearing that rumor as well.”
Upon my words, Frank let out a sigh deep enough to make the ground cave in.
He continued, lamenting.
“I do not know if you came here knowing this, but the village where lightning never ceases all year round is a village called ‘Mirsen.’
And all of this began because of a small meteor that fell one day on a civilian house.”
“A meteor… you say?”
I already knew, yet I feigned surprise.
“That’s right. Where the meteor fell, only a stone the size of a child’s fist remained. The disaster that stone brought is anything but cute for its size.”
Frank cleared his throat and continued.
“The damage the citizens have suffered is no small thing. Right after the meteor first fell, when I heard lightning would not stop, I thought ‘well, strange things happen’ and asked the nearby Yellow Magic Tower to dispatch wizards proficient in lightning magic. But…”
What followed was truly fascinating.
The wizards proudly dispatched from the Yellow Tower were struck by lightning and died the moment they set foot in the village; a treasure hunter who had mastered lightning-based breathing tried to snatch the stone after hearing the rumors but was instantly turned to ashes the moment he approached; some mad alchemist has taken up residence in the village to study why the stone attracts lightning, etc.
“Phew. The other villages are already overpopulated, so relocating the residents of Mirsen would require complicated procedures. At the very least, the fellow who settled there to ‘research’ the stone used some strange method to disperse the lightning, so we’ve managed somehow…”
Having vented his frustration, Frank sat down looking a little relieved.
Then he cleared his throat again and looked at me.
“I seem to have shown you an unsightly side.”
“It is fine. Rather, I have a proposal: if I resolve the lightning problem, may I take the stone that is the cause of the incident?”
At those words, Frank let out a hollow laugh.
“Haha, you say that right after hearing that story? It seems you are quite skilled at joking.”
“I am completely serious.”
“…That lump of calamity, take it if you can. The residents would actually welcome it.”
Good.
I have his consent.
But this is an extremely important matter.
Just in case, we should draw up a contract.
When I conveyed that intention, Frank looked at me as if I were a madman.
However, when I said I wished to stamp the Seal of Struggle on the signature line, his expression turned quite serious.
“…Do you really have a way to stop the lightning?”
“Of course. I swear on my grand… no, on my great-uncle’s honor.”
I almost blurted out a line that could have caused a murder.
In any case, a contract stamped with the Seal of Struggle would be notarized by the Church of Struggle.
Thus, this act proved I was approaching the contract with utmost seriousness.
“Very well. It wouldn’t hurt to trust you once, even if I end up fooled.”
The two of us drafted a contract on the spot and stamped our respective seals.
With a copy of the contract secured, I inwardly clenched my fist.
This eliminated any possibility of ownership disputes regarding the stone.
Needless to say, I am a devoted reader of Reca Chronicles.
I even made my own timeline recording the history of the world setting and memorized it entirely, so I know the whereabouts of almost every elixir and fortuitous encounter, even if the accuracy varies.
Some might wonder:
Can’t you just eat all the elixirs and opportunities yourself and one-shot the Demon King or whatever?
Nope.
Even S-grade elixirs are not omnipotent.
If swallowing them blindly made one infinitely stronger, I wouldn’t be running around recruiting high-potential companions and doing all this legwork.
Chesa’s example makes it clear.
Despite steadily consuming 『Processed Yin-Yang Tea (A)』 for a long period, her potential level rose by only 1.
In stark contrast to me, who raised mine by 8 in a single year.
The higher the potential level, the harder it becomes to raise further.
Meaning one cannot infinitely increase potential just by taking elixirs.
Moreover, elixirs with opposing energies can even cause side effects.
In the original work, there was a case where a famously wealthy upstart on the continent bought multiple S-grade elixirs with money and nearly exploded to death.
That is also why I acquired 『Firebird’s Heart (S)』 but held off consuming it.
The main judgment was that this item plays a very important role in raising the abilities of the original protagonist, Epio, but even without that reason, I wouldn’t have eaten it.
Its effects are too intense and volatile, making compatibility with other elixirs poor.
On the other hand, the elixir I will obtain in this lightning-struck village, 『Infinite Thunderstone (S)』, has excellent compatibility.
After digesting it, I can still see room to consume three or four more S-grade elixirs.
That says it all.
To add, in the original timeline, the one who swallowed this Infinite Thunderstone was a minor villain with almost no importance in Part 1.
Even if I take it, there is no worry that the butterfly effect will weaken the original good characters.
Given the circumstances, there could not be a more perfect first elixir…
Ruuuumble! KRA-KOOM!
“Damn it, that scared me.”
“That kind of lightning strikes dozens of times every day. It’s really troublesome for us. At least it’s dry lightning without rain or wind, so that’s a small mercy…”
The young man from Mirsen village stuck out his tongue.
He was the guide Frank had assigned us.
“…It’s literally lightning out of a clear blue sky.”
I shook my head.
I had accepted it as just setting when reading, but seeing the residents actually living difficult lives here made me think they are truly amazing.
They are managing somehow now, but I also know that the frequency of lightning strikes will gradually increase.
While some residents remain because the lightning is still relatively mild, by the time of the main story the village had become a complete ghost town.
“…But Prince Aiden. Leaving aside what you plan to do with that mysterious stone once you pick it up, how exactly are you going to stop the lightning?”
The question came from elite knight Wolfgang, who had been walking silently.
“Sir Iverk’s doubt is reasonable. According to the villagers, even approaching the stone causes a tingling sensation. They warned that ignoring it and going closer would instantly turn one to ashes.”
This time it was Maximilian.
If anything happened to me during this escort mission, they would have to return to the family and face Foden’s wrath.
It was only natural they would be this worried.
“I have a plan for everything.”
I answered curtly and kept walking.
Soon we arrived at the village square.
“That damned rock is inside that fountain over there.”
The village youth pointed at the central fountain with obvious displeasure.
Zzzzt!
The fountain, completely evaporated with no trace of water left.
Intense electrical energy visibly crackled around it.
Inside was the 『Infinite Thunderstone (S)』.
But if I rushed over happily right now, I would instantly become a nicely roasted electric barbecue, so some preparations are needed.
I shifted my gaze.
Right next to the square stood the tallest building in the village.
It was a branch of the Life Church, the most influential religion on the Prima continent.
And on its roof stood a single large metal rod.
The two elite knights, excluding Linfred, scratched their heads at the strangely shaped rod.
“What’s that pointy thing?”
“Hah, isn’t it obvious? The church priests love ostentation, so it’s probably just decoration.”
While I shook my head at the clueless knights, Chesa, who had been calmly observing the roof, spoke.
“That rod on the rooftop seems to be the countermeasure against lightning. It looks like a lightning rod made of thunder-attracting iron. At that size, one would be enough to protect the entire village.”
As expected of someone who drank the water of the Magic Tower, she is knowledgeable.
As Chesa explained, the material of the rod is a metal called thunder-attracting iron (由雷鐵).
It is a fictional material from the novel that does not exist in modern times and has the property of strongly drawing in surrounding lightning energy.
Therefore, a lightning rod made of thunder-attracting iron is inevitably extremely high-performance.
Upon hearing “thunder-attracting iron,” Maximilian and Wolfgang’s eyes widened.
“Thunder-attracting iron? That’s an insanely expensive metal. To make such a huge rod out of it…”
“It seems the alchemist His Lordship mentioned really is insane. Spending that much money just to research a single stone.”
At the words “just a stone,” I smirked.
Considering the value of the Infinite Thunderstone, thunder-attracting iron is not wasteful at all.
The village youth said,
“It does look peculiar, but you absolutely must not climb up and poke around. Since it gathers and handles all the lightning that would fall on the village, it’s extremely dangerous.”
“Indeed, when lightning strikes, a current strong enough to threaten life flows through that rod.”
“There’s no one crazy enough to approach it knowing that.”
I climbed the outer wall of the Life Church branch and went up to the roof.
The youth who had been blankly watching my eccentric behavior suddenly snapped to attention and freaked out.
“Y-Your Highness the noble! W-what are you doing!”
“Just taking a quick look because the lightning rod is interesting.”
Not only the youth, but the villagers nearby were also tremendously shocked by my sudden action.
But the shock they felt surely could not compare even to the soles of the feet of the astonishment Wolfgang and Maximilian felt.
Looking down briefly, their faces had turned deathly pale.
“Y-Your Highness! If you go any closer your life is in danger! Come down at once!”
“Linfred, why are you so calm! Lady Linia, Lady Utland, please stop the Prince quickly! If we leave him be something terrible will happen!”
“I believe in Prince Aiden.”
“Young Master will be fine.”
“Aiden will handle it himself.”
“…………”
While the two knights were rendered speechless by the unimaginable reactions of the rest of the party, I safely reached the roof.
“It’s huge. Must be at least three meters.”
I looked at the massive thunder-attracting iron lightning rod, then suddenly took something out of my bosom.
It was a magic tool shaped exactly like a long wand: “Ure.”
Ruuuumble…
The prelude to dry lightning.
My expression hardened on its own.
I pressed myself as close to the lightning rod as possible.
Then I raised Ure high.
KRA-KOOOOOM!
A flash of light blinded me.
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.