Spell: <Star Seeker>
Target (Individual) Surveillance
- Unlimited range.
- Unlimited duration.
- Extreme stealth.
- Difficult to detect by other spells. ※Recasting updates the surveillance target.
It was an outrageously overpowered tracking spell.
But even this seemingly perfect <Star Seeker> had one minor drawback: the moment the spell was recast, the surveillance target was completely refreshed.
“In other words, I can only monitor one target at a time.”
「You are correct, Spare Master. In practice, the tracking spell <Star Seeker> has been in a self-sealed state for nearly three years.」
As expected, the target it had been locked onto for those three years was Hagel Vinter, leader of the Dragon Horse Cult.
Hagel lacked the Dense Elemental Amplification (S) trait. If he wanted to forcibly learn a Void spell above First-Void level, he needed to raise his elemental affinities across the board. That required consuming high-grade elixirs of various types simultaneously.
But Aiden had swiped every single elixir the cult had painstakingly gathered, rendering all their efforts completely meaningless.
He had thoroughly screwed them over.
Even so, he had never removed <Star Seeker>.
There was, of course, a reason.
Aiden stared at the hologram Nano Eater had projected.
“Melkina’s location is near the Hamiá Kingdom.”
“Yeah. Considering the distance, we still have plenty of time before they arrive.”
Aiden nodded at Chesa’s words. That also meant they had more than enough time to persuade the Lilliac Magic Kingdom.
The Magic Kingdom’s vassal council meeting was underway.
“Report. A riot by fanatics has broken out in the southeastern Third Autonomous District.”
“The same has occurred in the northeastern Seventh Autonomous District.”
“And in the Eighth Autonomous District as well…”
The vassals, all speaking rapidly, let out collective sighs. Fortunately, there were no high-ranking cultists among the demon worshippers who had infiltrated the kingdom. The riots had been suppressed early before they could spread, but that was cold comfort.
“There has never been a case of demon worshippers inciting riots at this frequency. Given the recent increase in Dragon Horse Cult activity around the Magic Kingdom, we can only assume their infamous cult leader has taken direct action.”
“Those insolent bastards.”
Several vassals clutched the backs of their necks in frustration. If this news reached the public, the Magic Kingdom’s reputation would plummet in no time.
While they were still mired in helplessness, a servant approached Tristan, who was presiding over the meeting, and whispered something.
Tristan’s eyes widened in shock.
“What?”
“Lord Alabur, what is the matter?”
“…Hehe. Master Stroke says he wishes to attend the meeting.”
Everyone present in the conference hall wore identical dumbfounded expressions. A few vassals let out scornful laughs at the young man who clearly did not know his place.
“He rose too high too quickly and now his gall has swelled…”
“Tell him this is no place for an outsider.”
Skeptical—even outright angry—reactions filled the room.
Tristan stroked his long beard and said,
“Listen to the end. It appears Master Stroke is fully aware of both domestic and international affairs concerning the Magic Kingdom as well as the current movements of the Dragon Horse Cult. He claims he can also propose countermeasures for their activities.”
“Is that true? The Blispiel Clan’s intelligence network reaches that far…?”
“It wouldn’t hurt to hear him out.”
Soon Aiden, granted entry by the vassal council, stepped into the conference hall.
“Pardon the intrusion.”
“Master Stroke. You say you can stop the Dragon Horse Cult?”
“Yes. First, we must understand their objective.”
“Hmm… Their objective?”
“They want to obtain the national treasure of Lilliac, the Seven-Color Elixir (S).”
“……!!”
The Seven-Color Elixir was an elixir that could raise seven different elemental affinities at once, though it had no other notable effects. It was therefore classified as one of the lowest S-grade elixirs, but it was the perfect material for learning Void spells.
After listening to the explanation, one of the vassals asked,
“Master Stroke. How can you be so certain the Dragon Horse Cult is after the Seven-Color Elixir?”
“You can tell from their recent movements. The cult leader is obsessed with elixirs that can raise elemental affinities.”
Several vassals who quickly reviewed the data found Aiden’s claim quite credible.
“The Blazing Giant’s Rocky Mountain, the Frost Serpent’s Cave, the Land of Steel… Now that you mention it, an unusually high number of the sites where the Dragon Horse Cult has appeared are connected to elemental elixirs.”
“So if we hand over the Seven-Color Elixir, the Dragon Horse Cult will no longer have reason to target our Magic Kingdom so persistently?”
“Preposterous! If we place a national treasure on the negotiating table and bargain with such heinous villains, the dignity of the Magic Kingdom will be dragged through the mud!”
The atmosphere in the hall turned chaotic in an instant. Aiden looked at the agitated vassals and spoke.
“In that regard, I have one proposal.”
“A proposal?”
“Sell the Seven-Color Elixir to me—a third party. Oh, naturally I won’t ask for it for free.”
Aiden smiled and gestured. Servants who had been prepped in advance placed something on each vassal’s desk.
It was Processed Yin-Yang Tea (A).
“You may sample it if you wish.”
Several vassals who took a cautious sip let out gasps of admiration.
‘Hmm… Mana control stabilizes at an astonishing rate. Even if temporary, the effect is remarkable.’
‘I’ve never seen an elixir like this before. Where on earth did he obtain it?’
The intrigued vassals forgot they were in the middle of a meeting and stared intently at Aiden. He smiled brightly and explained the details of the elixir.
“It is an elixir our Blispiel Clan plans to mass-produce and distribute—Processed Yin-Yang Tea.”
“You can mass-produce an elixir of this quality?!”
The high-ranking officials of the Magic Kingdom were, of course, powerful mages with the insight to match. They instantly understood the seismic impact mass production of Yin-Yang Tea would have.
“If you hand over the Seven-Color Elixir, I will provide one hundred bottles of Yin-Yang Tea as an advance payment. In addition, I will grant the Magic Kingdom priority purchasing rights for a set quantity of the elixir going forward. Wouldn’t handing responsibility to me be far better for your reputation than negotiating with a vicious group like the Dragon Horse Cult?”
“Hmm…”
The vassals fell into deep thought.
No conclusion was reached on the spot. Nearly a week passed after the meeting before the Lilliac Magic Kingdom finally accepted the elixir trade proposal. Aiden gazed at the neatly packaged pills inside the box.
Seven-Color Elixir (S-)
- Increases seven elemental affinities upon consumption.
- Increases resistance to seven elements upon consumption. ※Slows growth of Sense stat upon consumption.
‘Thank goodness we reached an agreement at the Yin-Yang Tea stage.’
If the Magic Kingdom had refused, he had been prepared to put the Salamander Cape (A) he had used in Snowflower Swamp on the negotiating table as well.
“…Anyway, that secures the bargaining chip we need for Hagel.”
The ‘World Altar.’
A holy site where the Dragon God’s Remains (S) elixir was stored, protected by a special barrier so its location remained unknown to outsiders.
However, the instant Iris Schnifelt—Schneifelt family’s masterpiece—reached level 80 or higher, the altar’s location would be revealed to the Schneifelt side. To put it simply, the root cause was her title trait Sub-Dragon (S+).
And once the altar’s location was exposed, things would spiral out of control. Yang magic barriers were useless in the face of <Third-Void>.
The remains stored in the depths of the World Altar contained a fragment of the Dragon God’s power. If Iris consumed it, she would be able to interfere with the divine authority the Dragon God had placed in life, drastically weakening the heavenly punishment that came with breaking her oath.
A clear time limit had been set.
<Thunder Burst> <Chain Lightning> <Electric Shock>
Kwa-rung! Pas-suk! Zzzzt!
Powerful lightning spells struck the target in rapid succession. Fwoosh! Dust clouds rose. The power was on a completely different level compared to a few weeks ago.
[White Tower Lightning Magic (B) proficiency has reached ‘Skilled’ stage. Effect increased.]
[Thunder God Physique (S) trait has further deepened your understanding of lightning magic.]
[White Tower Lightning Magic (B) proficiency has reached ‘Expert’ stage. Effect greatly increased.]
While Aiden was proudly checking the message windows, Tristan spoke beside him.
“Now I see you really do have talent for magic. Most people expect elemental magic to take time, but your progress with lightning spells is astonishing.”
“You flatter me.”
A chill suddenly swept through the area around them. It was the effect of <Ice Field>, the spell Chesa was casting in the distance.
“Honestly, my magic talent is nothing compared to my wife’s.”
“…Lady Chesa truly is remarkable.”
Tristan nodded. The progress Chesa had made over the past few weeks was enough to leave even her teacher speechless.
Not only had the power of her specialty water-attribute spells grown dramatically, she had also mastered many spells useful for war mages, such as <Haste> and <Auto Barrier>.
Tristan turned to Aiden with an unusually serious expression.
“Aiden. There is one matter I wish to discuss privately with you, her husband.”
“What is it?”
“It seems Lady Chesa possesses an unusual constitution in which mana circulates through her meridians at an extremely rapid rate. If utilized properly, she could become a truly terrifying war mage.”
Aiden narrowed his eyes.
Tristan was referring to the phenomenon caused by Chesa’s innate Extreme Mana Circulation Body (S) trait. Because her mana rotated faster than others’, she could push instantaneous mana output to the limit and also gained a significant bonus to elixir digestion rates.
“Do you happen to know about ‘Spell Inscription’?”
“…Of course I do.”
Spell Inscription was a tattoo created by permanently sacrificing a portion of the user’s mana.
Even high-level spells that normally required long chants could be prepared in advance and unleashed instantly whenever needed.
However, Spell Inscription rapidly drained the mana released from the body. Even mages with high [Mana] stats struggled to create new inscriptions.
Therefore, only a very small number of grand mages in Reca Chronicles could inscribe powerful spells, and even they were usually limited to one or two.
But… for someone with the Extreme Mana Circulation Body (S) trait that could push mana output to the absolute limit, it was possible to break that ceiling and mass-produce inscriptions.
In fact, early on Aiden had considered Spell Inscription as a way to strengthen Chesa’s combat ability.
“I have no intention of inscribing spells on Chesa’s body.”
“I see. If that is your decision, I will not press the matter further.”
Tristan withdrew obediently.
Being able to fire high-level spells instantly without chanting was undeniably an enormous advantage. But Spell Inscription sometimes ignored the user’s will and forcibly drained mana. A single mistake in management could put her life at risk.
…Most importantly, he simply did not like the idea of carving ugly tattoos onto Chesa’s beautiful body.
“Ahem…”
He cleared his throat for no particular reason.
The Machine God Tribe member Melkina.
Its sturdy mobile fortress was stealthily approaching the Magic Kingdom.
Unfortunately for them, countless warriors and mages lay in ambush just a few hundred meters away from Melkina. Fairy warriors dispatched from the Great Forest on the Guardian Tree’s orders, warriors from the Dearside School bound by contract, elite mercenaries from the Quentaltin Clan…
Standing at the center of that force was, naturally, Aiden.