The reception room of Blispiel Clan’s house.
Edval, sitting across from me, opened his mouth.
“The one who received the Seal of Struggle from Lord Ebel Stroke — Aiden, was it? It feels odd for me, having come all this way, to say this… but you sent quite the peculiar letter.”
“Ahem…”
Hearing the pointed remark, an awkward smile naturally crept onto my lips.
Previously, I’d sent a letter to the Dearside school’s headquarters — where the Sword Saint had his base. Skipping the long preamble and flowery language, the core of that letter could be summarized as follows:
I’ll tell you the whereabouts of your long-missing rival, Regenshauer, so let’s meet once. The meeting place is the deepest part of a ruin that requires Church of Utility permission to enter, and the date is the day exploration begins.
The exact time will depend on my circumstances that day, so just wait in the deepest section. No prior contact, and you must absolutely wait inside the ruin.
It was a letter rife with potential issues.
Setting aside telling him to ignore the Church of Utility and enter the ruin — Edval’s status, achievements, and standing far outstripped mine. Summoning such a figure without a single detailed explanation was downright rude.
If the man sitting opposite me had been Caracol Clan Master Citrio Altus instead, he’d already have punched me for the insult.
“It looked suspicious at a glance, but with the Seal of Struggle stamped on it, I couldn’t ignore it outright.”
“…My deepest apologies.”
“Well, that doesn’t matter. By following the letter and entering the ruin uninvited, I’ve become your accomplice in any case.”
But Edval just laughed it off.
He was fundamentally a magnanimous man on a different level from someone like Citrio, and with such a critical matter at stake, my discourtesy was probably irrelevant.
I pulled Ure from my pocket and showed it to him.
“As you can see from this ‘bladeless sword,’ I happened to connect indirectly with the Thousand-Man Slayer through a fortunate opportunity. Intrigued, I began investigating him, and after exhausting every means, I barely managed to track his whereabouts.”
“…You discovered Regenshauer’s location through personal investigation? Impressive. I spent years myself and couldn’t find even a thread of a clue.”
Edval seemed genuinely admiring of my resourcefulness.
Seeing his sincere reaction stung my conscience.
It was thanks to possessor knowledge, after all.
“Just good luck.”
“Luck is part of skill.”
Saying that, Edval asked me.
“The Dragon Horse Cult leader we encountered in the ruins… Hagel Vinter, was it? He seemed to know Regenshauer’s whereabouts too.”
“Yes.”
“There’s one thing that struck me as odd. A leader should be the highest existence in their faction. Yet Hagel’s power didn’t seem great enough to shelter Regenshauer.”
A reasonable question — I nodded.
The Thousand-Man Slayer, Regenshauer Krantz.
Known as one of the continent’s top swordsmen, he was merely a setting-level powerhouse occasionally mentioned until early Part 2 of Reca Chronicles.
But as connections formed between Epio and Edval, anecdotes about the Sword Saint’s rival — the Thousand-Man Slayer — gradually surfaced. As the story progressed, hints emerged that he was deeply entangled with the protagonist party’s main enemy, the Dragon Horse Cult, leading readers to expect him as a future antagonist.
Those predictions hit the mark.
The unexpected part was that when Regenshauer finally appeared, he wasn’t affiliated with the Dragon Horse Cult at all.
“The renowned martial house of demonic combat governing the far north of the Prima Continent — the Schnifelt family. The Thousand-Man Slayer is currently with them.”
“The Schnifelt family…”
Edval stroked his neatly trimmed beard briefly, lost in thought.
“…A family name I’ve never heard. Has such an ancient martial house existed on the Prima Continent?”
“They have peculiar circumstances and rarely act publicly, so it’s understandable you wouldn’t know.”
The Schnifelt family.
One of the longest-standing houses in the entire Reca Chronicles worldbuilding, governing the northern sanctuary for over a millennium. Long ago, they were part of the “traitor” forces that raised swords against the Dragon God, lost that battle, and swore an oath — resulting in near-permanent restrictions on external activities.
No need to explain all that to Edval right now.
“…So, the Schnifelt family.”
Edval repeated the name several times, then nodded and stood. I raised a brow slightly and asked.
“No more questions?”
“Knowing Regenshauer is alive and well, and affiliated with the Schnifelt family — that’s enough. I’m not yet fully prepared to face him either.”
His words made my eyes gleam.
Edval beginning full pursuit of Regenshauer’s trail after completing his training was just before Part 1 started — about three to four years from now.
In other words, he hadn’t yet perfected the killing move he’d use in their decisive battle.
Edval spoke again, looking at me.
“May I ask one thing?”
“Of course.”
“It seems you hope for another duel between Regenshauer and me. May I ask why?”
“I simply wish to witness with my own eyes a showdown between two peerless swordsmen. For anyone walking the path of the sword, isn’t it a dreamlike spectacle?”
“I see. Then I might disappoint you.”
“What do you mean?”
Edval gazed at me steadily and said.
“I did cross swords with the Thousand-Man Slayer, and the duel ended in a draw. You and even Blispiel’s Master Lindal likely know this.”
“Yes. What of it?”
At my question, Edval’s eyes sank deeply. Then utterly unexpected words emerged.
“To be honest — in strength, speed, and finesse of technique, Regenshauer was a cut above me. The reason it ended unresolved was sheer luck — the kind that might happen once in a hundred bouts.”
“………”
“I trained relentlessly to face Regenshauer again without shame. I’ve made considerable progress over twenty years… but I suspect the same is true for him. After dragging out the match for so long, the outcome might be decided in an instant. In the Thousand-Man Slayer’s favor.”
I was left speechless.
In Part 2 of Reca Chronicles, there’s a brief scene of Regenshauer monologuing.
And just like Edval before me now, he too regarded their past draw as essentially his own defeat.
The rivals were mirror images.
Of course, there was one difference.
Regenshauer was certain he’d win if they dueled again. As the conversation just revealed, Edval felt otherwise.
Truthfully, that was a fairly objective assessment.
Regenshauer’s sheet level was higher, and his acquired skills edged out slightly in grade. Though treated as equals in the story, I viewed Regenshauer as half to one step superior.
Yet the reason a balanced rivalry could exist was simple.
First, Edval’s swordsmanship held a slight compatibility advantage over Regenshauer.
Second, he possessed the asymmetric powerhouse 『Flowing Dimension Slash (U)』. A unique skill that severs space — ignoring defenses entirely. If he’d developed a technique beyond the “Unison Track” that felled Lucian earlier, fully leveraging that edge — I couldn’t say Edval had zero chance of victory.
“A man of the Sword Saint’s caliber wouldn’t step into a fight with no hope of winning. You must have some hidden trump card.”
Edval laughed heartily at my words.
“Haha! Sharp fellow. You’re right, of course. Though that trump isn’t complete yet.”
“…That must be the key to victory.”
Edval shrugged.
“When I feel the time is right, I’ll visit you again. Then I’ll hear details about the Schnifelt family and Regenshauer’s whereabouts myself.”
The Sword Saint, who had come to Elanore in secret,
Left Elanore just as secretly.
“That man is Resha’s rival. Even at a glance, he possesses extraordinarily remarkable presence. No wonder he drew with the renowned Thousand-Man Slayer.”
Clan Master Arent gazed sentimentally at Edval’s sturdy retreating figure. He’d expressed desire to witness their eventual rematch as compensation for aiding me, and I’d agreed — regularly updating him on progress. I could only hope he’d see the scene he anticipated.
One week after seeing the Sword Saint off.
I went to find Chesa.
“Chesa. Where’s Hagel’s current position according to 〈Star Seeker〉?”
“It’s stopped near the Lukost Kingdom.”
The original mentioned one of the Dragon Horse Cult’s hideouts in the Lukost Kingdom. With serious injuries, Hagel likely planned to stay there for a while.
Chesa’s 〈Star Seeker〉 on Hagel had a peculiar structure — nearly impossible to dispel. No worry of losing him midway.
Satisfied with that fact for a moment.
I hardened my expression and fell into thought.
“…Something’s strange.”
“What?”
“According to my prophetic dreams, Hagel shouldn’t have been in Snowflower Swamp.”
Truthfully, the cult leader personally pursuing the Priestess of the Sun at this time was hugely unexpected for me.
The Dragon Horse Cult possesses a terrifying large-scale massacre weapon called “Vice Wolf.” Charging it for use requires the 『Star of the Snowfield (A)』 trait. And currently, Hagel is the only one in the cult with that trait.
The question arises here.
“In about five months, a massive faction completely vanishes — circumstantially, I suspected the cult’s involvement. And from their perspective, the only means to erase such a large force instantly is Vice Wolf.”
“But the cult leader, who should be diligently charging that weapon around now, showed up in a ruin… right?”
I nodded.
With Hagel’s mana, to finish charging Vice Wolf on schedule, he’d need to have started over a month ago. And wandering outside the cult while charging is impossible.
This fact meant only one thing.
An opportunity to recover an important MacGuffin had arisen.
Afterward, I needed to discuss finances with Camilo or handle long-postponed paperwork.
My meeting with Clara came after that.
“Blispiel Clan looks so fun! Can’t I join too?”
“No.”
“Whaaa—?! Why not?!”
“Just kidding.”
“Phew!”
Clara’s reactions naturally drew laughter. Her big responses made teasing her enjoyable.
“We’ll postpone official enrollment until the Snowflower Swamp issue quiets down. But don’t forget, Clara — you’re officially dead right now.”
“Yeees…”
Clara pouted discontentedly.
I gazed at her steadily.
Now for the main topic.
“Clara. There’s something important to discuss.”
“Hmph! Say whatever you want, stingy Sub-Master Aiden of Blispiel who won’t even let me join.”
“It’s really shocking — sure you’re okay?”
“I won’t be surprised no matter what — go ahead!”
Perhaps piqued.
Clara declared confidently.
“Well, if you say so. I have a question about the Solar Cathedral where you were born and raised.”
“About the cathedral? Why suddenly?”
“It’s going to fall within half a year.”
Immediately after, the office sank into complete silence.
Clara stared at me wordlessly for about ten seconds.
“W-W-W-WHAT DID YOU SAY?!?!”
Suddenly, a reaction reminiscent of Munch’s “The Scream” erupted.