After returning to the grand duchy with Chesa, I had a private meeting with Sotiro.
I first briefed him on things to watch out for once he entered the Utland ducal house: Elvio’s personality and nasty hobbies, plus the fact that we would regularly exchange letters to stay in touch.
Now only the truly important matter remained.
“Sotiro.”
“Yes, Prophet.”
“Can you tell me about the hunters who kidnapped you from Safaria? What kind of people were they?”
“Mm…”
As if recalling an unpleasant memory, Sotiro swallowed hard.
He pressed a hand to his forehead, took several deep breaths, then finally opened his mouth.
“They had snake tattoos on their arms. Those bastards killed my mother and took me…”
Hearing him trail off, I let out a hollow laugh.
“Snake tattoos. As expected, it was those guys who kidnapped you.”
“…‘Those guys’?”
“Yes. Very bad people.”
A message popped up right then.
[MacGuffin No.815 – Loyalty to the Enemy recovered.]
[Achievement Points +50]
There had been hints about this in the original story, so I had a rough guess, but having it confirmed directly felt almost too perfectly coincidental.
The reason I was interested in Sotiro’s past was simple.
In Part 2, there had been foreshadowing that a slight manipulation had been done to his memories.
Readers had several theories about it, but I focused on the fact that the Dragonhorse Church had a high-ranking executive with extremely powerful mental manipulation abilities.
Now that I had entered this world and checked personally, it seemed my theory was correct.
Anyone sharp would have already guessed from the MacGuffin’s name, but the ones who kidnapped Sotiro and sold him to the black market were none other than the Dragonhorse Church—the very organization he would later swear loyalty to in the original history.
Until about two or three years ago, the Dragonhorse Church had engaged in all sorts of activities to raise funds for their grand cause.
If it made money anywhere on the Prima continent, they did it—and slave hunting was part of that.
I still found it amusing that a force of evil trying to plunge the continent into chaos had to pound the pavement like that.
And every member of that church shared one common trait: a white snake tattoo somewhere on their body.
Mixing in some personal speculation: the church probably stumbled upon the Sotiro they had once sold, recognized his talent, and then applied mental manipulation.
Of course, the higher the target’s level, the weaker mental manipulation becomes.
By the time the original Sotiro approached level 50, only a faint suggestion would have remained.
Even so, he firmly believed Hagel was the prophet Ecatl and pledged absolute loyalty—proof that he was the type to blindly worship idols.
“Dragonhorse Church…”
When I revealed the truth, Sotiro repeated the name over and over, his voice thick with rage.
A fierce venom gleamed in his brightly burning eyes.
Good.
Not only had I cut away a future enemy asset, I had turned that asset into one of ours.
Preparations to face the enemies of Part 2 were proceeding smoothly.
“Let’s end today’s talk here.”
“Yes, Prophet.”
I dismissed Sotiro, remained in the room alone, and fell into thought.
Then I slightly manipulated the Tripper System and brought up a translucent window.
No.981 – The Purple Spy
No.815 – Loyalty to the Enemy
No.717 – First Guest of the Spirit Tomb
These were the MacGuffins I had recovered so far.
As you can see, only these three for now.
The sample size is small, so it’s not certain… but the lower the number attached to a MacGuffin, the more important the foreshadowing was in the original work.
The lower the number, the more achievement points awarded.
If that’s the case, No.001 is highly likely to be the core foreshadowing that pierces the very heart of Reca Chronicles.
My heart raced on its own.
“Dragon God Advent, soul of Flevelziam, Primordial Spark, Claire, mechanical parts of Puzzle Island, the meaning of the novel’s title…”
The leading candidates for No.001 flashed through my mind like a panorama.
I was so excited I unconsciously muttered them aloud.
The strongest candidate for No.001 is, of course, everything related to the “Dragon God.”
Even the calendar of this world is the Dragon God Year.
Even someone who read the novel with their feet would feel something extraordinary about that being.
Though called a god, the Dragon God is slightly different in nature from the divinities worshipped by the Circulation Church or Struggle Church.
The gods of those churches occasionally bestow blessings or authority on believers—more like sponsors or observers.
They never directly intervened in the story.
They are like the “constellations” often seen in modern genre novels.
In contrast, the Dragon God is a transcendental being who directly influenced the world’s history.
Though details were never revealed, there are records stating that until Dragon God Year 0, it reigned somewhere on the continent.
There had also been steady foreshadowing since the early parts that it would one day return.
Naturally, this is an unrecovered foreshadowing—a MacGuffin.
The backstory tied to the ego sword “Flevelziam” that the protagonist Epio carries is also intriguing.
Several characters called Flevelziam a dragon-slaying sword, and whenever Dragon God–related keywords appeared, the ego inside the sword showed inexplicably intense hostility.
Because the ego’s memories were fragmented, it remained mere bait, but readers expected it to be resolved in the latter half.
Of course, that too is a MacGuffin.
Next is the origin and exact function of the protagonist Epio’s trait, 『Primordial Spark(?)』.
The only “?”-grade trait in the work strongly hinted at an unusual secret from the moment its sheet first appeared.
Naturally, another MacGuffin.
Then there is Claire—Epio’s missing adoptive father and the trigger for his journey.
From Epio’s occasional flashbacks, Claire was repeatedly implied to be extraordinary.
Readers expected him to appear later and play a major role, yet he never showed his face until the finale.
Thus, another MacGuffin.
Next are the identities of the bizarrely shaped islands scattered across the world’s oceans—the so-called Puzzle Islands.
They all share one strange commonality: the ruins of similarly shaped mechanical parts litter every island.
There was foreshadowing that these were originally parts of one gigantic machine.
Again, a MacGuffin.
Finally, the very meaning of the novel’s title, Reca Chronicles.
This world has three major continents: Prima, Ciencia, and Omnizmo.
There is no continent called “Recapsili.”
Given how meticulously detailed the setting was, many readers predicted this was also bait.
But of course, another MacGuffin.
Every single one is a tantalizing piece of foreshadowing that makes you wonder how it could ever be resolved.
Leaving all these delicious foreshadowings as MacGuffins and forcing a half-baked ending—NonameC truly was a vicious author.
More than that, one thing bothers me.
…The highest number among the MacGuffins I’ve recovered is 981, which means there are at least 978 left, right?
I am once again struck by how insane this work is.
Even I, who reread the novel countless times, never imagined there were this many unrecovered foreshadowings.
I shook my head and stood up.
To recover those mouth-watering MacGuffins, I need to become strong enough—at the very least—not to get beaten up anywhere, and soon.
CLANG! CLAAANG!
Seven wooden swords danced through the air, intertwining in complex patterns.
Standing at their center, I was—as always—sparring with multiple apprentice knights.
The number I could handle kept rising; right now I was facing a full six.
Dodge this way, dodge that way, counterattack, defend—amid the frantic movements, a flash of inspiration struck like lightning.
[Spirit Step (B) has reached the ‘specialized’ stage. Effects greatly increased.]
[Northern Advanced Swordsmanship (C) has reached the ‘mastery’ stage. Effects greatly increased.]
My skills had advanced another step.
It had been a while—maybe I should check my character sheet.
<Aiden Stroke>
[Level: 11/35]
[Stamina: 06]
[Strength: 06]
[Agility: 05]
[Mana: 10]
[Spirit: 05]
[Sense: 09]
[Divinity: 00]
[Traits: Swordsmanship Genius (A), Reverse Veins (A), Magic Prodigy (B), Minor Spirit Affinity (C)]
[Skills: Alsigima Resonance Shatter Art (A), Alsigima Heart Method (A), Spirit Step (B), Stroke Swordsmanship (B), Stroke Heart Method (B), Northern Advanced Swordsmanship (C), Brandish Harmony Heart Method (C+)]
[Description: 14 years old, human. Once infamous throughout the grand duchy as a wastrel, but recently rumors say he has changed.]
Level 11—pure level alone already puts me at regular knight tier.
With these traits and skills, which are practically cheats, I could easily beat elite knights.
If I plan well, I might even stand a chance against Linfred in his twenties—someone I once overwhelmed Julio to reach.
CLANG! CLAAANG!
Even while glancing at the sheet, I leisurely parried all six swords.
A kind of multitasking ability, perhaps—fighting many-on-one constantly had made splitting my attention second nature.
“KRAAAH!”
Suddenly one apprentice knight charged with a battle cry.
The momentum was fierce, but his intent was obvious.
At the perfect moment, I shifted my foot half a step.
And lightly tripped him.
“Urk!”
The apprentice lost balance and toppled with almost comical ease.
“Charging boldly was brave, but you put too much strength into it.”
“M-my apologies.”
While deflecting the remaining five swords left and right, I even had the leisure to give advice to the fallen opponent.
Through endless many-on-one sparring, I had learned a trick: facing multiple weaker opponents doesn’t always put me at a disadvantage.
By actively using Spirit Step (B) to disrupt them, openings inevitably appear.
Striking those gaps efficiently reduces their numbers.
CLANG! CLAAANG!
Wooden swords clashed with dull impact sounds.
Feeling the satisfying weight in my hands, I flicked my eyes to the floating sheet.
Through continued training, stamina and sense had each risen by 1.
I had reduced Yin-Yang Tea intake lately, but the doping effect was still more than enough.
With proficiency gains too, today’s sparring could end here.
I circulated vibrating energy through Alsigima breathing and swung the wooden sword in my hand wide.
SWHOOSH!
“KYAAAAH!”
Four apprentice knights were swept away by the aftermath and sent flying.
“Second Prince Aiden is victorious.”
Linfred, who had been observing, announced—words I had heard hundreds of times by now.
He approached me and said.
“Your growth rate is ferocious. It seems you could soon handle two regular knights in a two-on-one spar.”
“Let’s start that tomorrow.”
Beating two regular knights will probably be far harder than beating six apprentices.
The higher the realm, the better their coordination becomes.
“Huff… huff…”
I glanced toward the corner of the training ground where Chesa was diligently jogging.
At my suggestion, she had begun building basic stamina.
Two weeks had already passed since Chesa arrived at the Stroke mansion, and Sotiro had already departed for the Utland house.
Linfred remarked.
“Your fiancée is like a single blooming flower. Her beauty is breathtaking.”
High praise coming from this stone-faced man—and I completely agreed.
Even in a place reeking of sweat, looking at Chesa made it feel as if I could smell flowers.
I glanced around and noticed several knights occasionally stealing glances in her direction.
Her mere presence was disrupting training.
Starting tomorrow, I should lend her the private training room.
Character sheet.
<Chesa Utland>
[Level: 15/68]
[Stamina: 03]
[Strength: 01]
[Agility: 02]
[Mana: 18]
[Spirit: 07]
[Sense: 01]
[Divinity: 01]
[Traits: Extreme Mana Circulation Body (S), Dense Elemental Amplification (S), Magic Genius (A), Analytic Mana Vision (A), Mana Sensitivity Disorder (-)]
[Skills: Mana Rampage (B)]
[Description: 15 years old, human. Official second daughter of the renowned magical Utland family of the Croa Kingdom. Yet rumored to be a dullard unworthy of the family’s fame.]
As I thought the first time I saw it, aside from the sense stat that had plummeted because of 『Mana Sensitivity Disorder (-)』, her distribution is perfectly suited for a mage.
If she is to accompany me on the harsh journey ahead, I need to raise her physical stats at least somewhat.
Though I’ll have to carefully adjust the training intensity so they don’t uselessly exceed 6.
While I was watching Chesa exercise obliviously, Linia suddenly rushed into the training ground and spoke to me.
“Young master! A guest has arrived.”
“…For me? Who?”
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