Chapter 30: Guest (2)

A guest coming to see me?

I can’t think of anyone.

After possession, I have barely made any new connections outside the family.

Estriel from the Circulation Church is a big shot, but he is far too busy right now to visit at this exact timing.

“…Then it must be an acquaintance I made before I lost my memories?”

“That… it’s hard to call them exactly an acquaintance, but in a certain sense, they are similar.”

Linia’s face was flushed bright red as she answered.

Her explanation was also unusually vague; this wasn’t like her usual crisp self.

I asked her.

“Who on earth came?”

“…An emissary of the fairy tribe who traveled all the way from the Great Forest to the grand duchy just to meet the young master.”

I nearly dropped my wooden sword in shock.

“What? Fairies? Why would they come to the grand duchy? Relations are already bad with the superior state Croa over the mining rights dispute.”

“It’s complicated to explain…”

“No need to explain. I’ll go see for myself.”

The sudden appearance of fairies here of all places.

I have to go see what they want, if only out of curiosity.

“You came, Aiden.”

“First time meeting you. I am Aiden, first child of Nevia Lilu Arielti.”

When I entered the reception room, two people greeted me.

One face was extremely familiar; the other was completely unfamiliar.

I glanced at Foden and his retainers, then looked at those seated opposite them.

Four fairies with pointed ears and flowing silk robes.

I checked the sheet of the one who appeared to be their representative.

<Fina Lu Arielti> 

[Level: 34/37] 

[Stamina: 09]

[Strength: 07]

[Agility: 14] 

[Mana: 14]

[Spirit: 07]

[Sense: 13] 

[Divinity: 03] 

[Traits: Strong Spirit Affinity (A), Magic Prodigy (B), Marksman (B), and 2 others] 

[Skills: High-rank Spirit Arts (A), Fairy Tree Magic · Special (A), Arielti Archery (B), Arielti Heart Method (B), and 4 others] 

[Description: 46 years old, fairy of the Arielti family. One of the Fifteen Guardian Seats that protect the Great Forest.]

Though listed as 46, she looked only around 30.

Fairies live about 50 % longer than humans and age accordingly slower.

More interesting is the description line.

Fina Lu Arielti is a character who never appeared in the original novel.

Yet I know the Fifteen Guardian Seats well—the fifteen strongest elites who guard the Great Forest.

In both the main story and the setting book, the identities of four among the fifteen were never revealed.

To think I would meet one of them here.

While I stared blankly at the sheet, lost in sentiment, I caught Foden’s eye and sat beside him.

Foden cleared his throat and spoke first.

“Welcome to Rykrol, capital of the grand duchy. Emissaries of the Great Forest.”

“We are grateful for the warm reception, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

On the surface it sounded like pleasant greetings, but Foden’s eyes as he looked at the emissaries from my mother’s side were far from kind.

Noticing this, Fina gave a wry smile.

“It seems His Highness is rather displeased with our visit.

We certainly requested permission for the delegation in advance.”

“Permission? From what I heard, you sent the messenger pigeon right after the delegation departed.

I only received the letter two days ago.

Personally, I think ‘notification’ would be more accurate than ‘permission.’

Is this the kind of courtesy practiced in the Great Forest?”

“Yes. When meeting blood kin from the same root, there is no need to be bound by formalities.”

“Hah…”

Foden was rendered speechless by her brazen attitude.

Fina turned her gaze from him to me and said.

“Aiden, son of Nevia Lilu Arielti, I heard you held a splendid coming-of-age ceremony this past April.

Lord ‘Barahal,’ head of the Arielti family, is also very proud of your achievements.”

Word of me beating Julio to a pulp must have reached the Great Forest.

That gives me a rough idea.

In the original history, since Aiden was exiled to Shpiol, the Arielti fairies had no reason or pretext to visit the grand duchy.

I smirked and replied.

“I see. Please convey my thanks for the praise.”

“Of course. We would also like to invite Aiden to the Great Forest, the homeland of your mother Nevia, at least once.

It wouldn’t be bad to feel the nostalgia of the land where your mother was born and raised.”

BAM!

Foden slammed the table and stood up.

“Do not be swayed, Aiden. Once you enter the forest, they intend to keep you as a hostage and never let you go.”

“That is an insulting remark, Your Highness the Grand Duke.”

“Insulting? Isn’t it a natural reaction to an absurd proposal?

Before being my in-laws, the Arielti family is currently in a dispute with the Kingdom of Croa over mining rights.

In such a situation, asking me to send the second son of the grand duchy into the forest—how could I not suspect your intentions!”

“We apologize, but Your Highness, he came from Nevia’s womb.

Would we fairies, who value blood ties above all, ever do anything untoward to someone who is practically family?”

“Hah, I did not know you cared so much for a child who is not even pure-blooded despite carrying high fairy blood.”

The two continued their verbal sparring.

If left alone, they would run parallel all day.

Sensing this, Fina looked at me and said.

“It would be better to simply ask the person in question first.

Aiden, what are your thoughts on my proposal?”

“It’s far too sudden.”

I gave the common-sense reaction.

Fina began persuading me.

“I have heard that Aiden possesses extraordinary martial talent. We can help you with your achievements. We will not only pass on the secret arts of the Arielti family but also promise the blessing of the Great Tree.”

Blessing of the Great Tree.

At those words, Foden shut his mouth.

And glanced at me.

Even if there was a risk of being taken hostage, it was an offer tempting enough for a martial artist.

The fairies of the Great Forest receive special protection from the gigantic tree they revere.

This accelerates skill proficiency growth and raises the [Divinity] stat by 1—an extremely useful buff since it is the hardest stat to raise.

Certainly, thinking of the future, I need to raise divinity as much as possible.

But if I accepted this offer and rushed to receive the blessing, I would be hit by a massive boomerang in Part 3.

Fina and the forest fairies do not yet know, but the blessing of the Great Tree is actually a double-edged sword.

I opened my mouth.

“I promise to visit the forest once before winter comes five more times.

Until then, I have too many things to do.”

“Ah…”

“Hm.”

Fina showed regret at my response.

Foden showed satisfaction.

Five years is a long time.

Depending on the situation, the mining rights issue could also be settled within that period.

In other words, what I said was practically a polite refusal.

“…It is a pity I could not receive a definite answer.

But since you promised to visit someday, I will count the days until then, Aiden.”

Even though she did not get what she wanted, Fina gave a faint smile.

According to my original plan, I was going to visit the Great Forest eventually anyway.

Since they came all this way to invite me, there was no reason to refuse outright; I simply accepted verbally for now.

Two days later.

The fairy delegation prepared to leave Rykrol.

Their sudden appearance ended with little result.

While Foden and his retainers sighed in relief, Fina secretly visited me alone and left one last sentence.

“I could not mention this in His Highness’s presence, but aside from the blessing of the Great Tree or martial teachings, we can promise Aiden one more kind of help.”

“Help?”

“Regarding your position within the grand duchy. If you advance your visit to the Great Forest, the Arielti family will exercise its authority as the Grand Duke’s in-laws. We will promise to support you as the next grand duke.”

As expected.

They planned to install me, their blood kin, as grand duke and expand their influence into the human world.

The mining rights issue was probably just a smokescreen; this offer was the real purpose.

…Why does this feel like déjà vu?

I have no interest in the grand duke seat, but I should give a polite answer for courtesy.

“I will consider it positively.”

“Whether for the future of the grand duchy or for your own future, it is a wise thought.

I hear many say the current eldest prince is unfit for the grand duke’s seat.”

That is true.

Which is exactly why the grand duchy should be left to the third son.

There are seven stats listed on character sheets in Reca Chronicles.

Physical stats: [Stamina], [Strength], [Agility].

Magic-related: [Mana], [Sense], [Spirit].

And the odd one out: [Divinity].

Stamina, strength, and agility are completely intuitive in both name and function, so I won’t waste words explaining them.

Next, [Mana] is personally the stat I value most on a character sheet.

It broadly affects supernatural elements in the novel—total mana volume, maximum output, recovery speed, and so on.

[Sense] influences the sharpness of the five senses, manual dexterity, finesse of techniques, and even the ability to detect and handle mana.

[Spirit]… this one is complicated and subtle, hard to explain neatly.

Personally, I think “special” would fit better than “spirit.”

To clarify one thing: spirit stat has nothing to do with mental toughness or willpower.

That is part of a character’s personality and does not appear on the sheet.

Spirit stat has an even greater influence than mana on mana recovery speed and magic resistance.

It also grants high resistance to mind-affecting magic, but that is secondary and not worth worrying about.

The core of spirit stat is that the higher it is, the greater the chance of manifesting ‘Unique (U)’ grade abilities.

First, there are six normal grades in Reca Chronicles:

D – common value

C – value of a small territory

B – value of a large territory

A – national value

S – continental value

EX – only a handful in the entire setting

Unique grade does not belong to any of these standard classifications.

Unique is a grade attached to skills or traits that maximize the user’s individuality.

Each one is literally unique in the world and cannot be imitated by normal means.

Their power usually lies between B and S, though exceptional ones rival EX.

An example of a Unique trait is 『Multiple Ideal Executor (U)』—an absurdly broken ability, but explaining it would take too long, so I’ll save it for later.

Finally, [Divinity].

Divinity is extremely alien compared to the other six stats.

Even exceeding 5 has no effect on leveling, and the cap is a very low 10.

Divinity can only be raised by receiving a blessing from a divine being, strictly following the doctrine of a church one has devoted oneself to and drawing closer to godhood, or by achieving deeds so extraordinary that all acknowledge them.

As anyone can see, it is an extremely difficult stat to raise in the short term.

Yet despite the difficulty, divinity itself has almost no direct function.

It mainly serves as an acquisition or equip condition for special skills or traits.

For example, the highest relic of the Great Sea Cathedral, 『Slumbering Dragon Armor (S)』, raises the wearer’s stamina by (1 + divinity).

If Estriel with divinity 6 equips it, it is equivalent to gaining seven whole levels.

Another relic of the Struggle Church, 『Banner of the Victor (S)』, can only be equipped with divinity 6 or higher; below 5, one cannot even hold it.

As a possessor, to fully exploit my advantage and arm myself with legendary items, divinity is an indispensable stat that must be raised.

Naturally, I have already thought of several ways to raise divinity.

Assuming I do not receive the blessing of the Great Tree…

“I can still comfortably raise it from 4 to 5.”

Linia is probably full of anticipation about stepping on her homeland again after reuniting with her kin.

I feel a little sorry for her… but visiting the Great Forest will probably only be possible in about four years.