“Capture the priestess…”
“Aaaargh, you damn bastards! Get lost!”
〈Ignition Burner〉
Boom!
Several Dragon Horse Cult fanatics charging at Brenda were caught in the explosive spell she unleashed.
Fragments of flesh scattered through the air.
Soon, the sharp scent of blood filled the space.
A group of fanatics boasting dozens in number. But their levels were low — single digits at the bottom, mid-teens at best. Brenda would clean them up quickly and come chasing after us.
But once bitten by the Dragon Horse Cult’s grunts, the attention of the vice-leader somewhere in the ruins would soon shift to her.
In other words, she was bait.
“We need to hurry. While that lady draws the cult’s attention, let’s grab the rewards in the deepest part.”
“…Young Master, perhaps you should give Clara a brief explanation first.”
At Linia’s words, I looked at Clara. She still hadn’t fully grasped the situation and looked utterly bewildered.
“It’s not the best place for it here — I’ll explain as we go. Everyone, stay close to me.”
Whoosh!
I expanded the 『Formless Robe (S-)』 greatly to envelop the entire group.
I glanced back at the 『Accel Register (A+)』 bracelets on Brenda’s wrists. Plain-looking for their grade. I’d recover them on the way back after the job was done.
Once far enough from the fanatics, I released the Insulation state and caught my breath.
Then I spoke to Clara.
“You saw those masked freaks earlier? They’re fanatics from a religious group called the Dragon Horse Cult. They came all this way specifically to capture you, Priestess of the Sun, Miss Clara.”
“Aiden. How do you know my true identity? Did the Solar Cathedral…”
“Nothing to do with the cathedral. It’s an emergency situation, so I’ll explain the details once things settle down a bit.”
“But…”
She’d come to the ruins like it was a field trip, only to suddenly face a threat to her life. She couldn’t quite hide her anxiety.
Her Prodigy (S-) trait, the Solar Cathedral’s gifted education — none of it mattered in this situation. Right now, Clara was just a slightly precocious twelve-year-old girl.
But I wasn’t particularly worried.
Because Epio had approached her.
“Don’t worry.”
“Epio?”
“Everyone in Blispiel Clan is a good person. Bearded Uncle Arent, nagging Big Sis Linia, quiet Miss Chesa, and Aiden too. They won’t harm you at all.”
“…Can I trust that?”
“Of course!”
Just one sentence.
But with Epio’s confident words, Clara’s stiff expression softened, and a faint smile settled on her lips.
It felt like déjà vu.
In the novel, their first meeting had been exactly like this. No — back then, the situation was actually worse.
Five years from now, Clara had been pursued by the Dragon Horse Cult for a long time. They’d stopped at nothing to capture her. Wherever she went, they’d corrupt unexpected people to trap her, leaving her in extreme distrust of humanity.
But Epio was the exception. The description outright stated she felt an inexplicable sense of trust despite it being their first meeting.
I didn’t know the exact reason.
This could be called a MacGuffin too.
I wanted to recover it someday.
As a devoted fan of Reca Chronicles.
…Yeah, enough fangirling for now.
“Let’s go. To the deepest part of Snowflower Swamp.”
Snowflower Swamp is a peculiar ruin.
It has two deepest sections.
First, the “upper layer,” which one can reach without much trouble by simply spending time. It holds one A-grade accessory and assorted relics.
Then there’s the extremely difficult-to-conquer “lower layer.” It’s like a hidden stage, and all the artifacts I’m targeting are there.
The setting notes for Reca Chronicles included an image detailing the structure of this maze-like ruin, and as a top-tier obsessed fan, I knew the path to the lower layer too. Truth be told, that image looked like it was drawn in MS Paint, but the details were solid enough that I’d memorized them.
Following the path I remembered, a cavity surrounded by icy walls soon appeared.
It was unmistakably a dead end.
“A dead end, Aiden?”
“Young Master, it’s a dead end.”
“Aiden! There’s nothing here!”
“It looks empty to me, Aiden.”
Not just the three of them — even Clara, who hadn’t heard about my prophetic dreams, naturally joined in to tease me.
…Wasn’t she terrified just moments ago?
Seeing how quickly she adapted to the mood, it was clear her evading the Dragon Horse Cult while traveling for five years in the original wasn’t just luck.
I looked at Epio and said.
“Epio. Use 〈Prometheus〉. Melt the floor with the flame spell dwelling in your sword. That’s how we get to the lower layer of Snowflower Swamp.”
“Got it? Okay.”
Epio drew Plebelziam from its sheath.
〈Prometheus〉
Immediately afterward, crimson flames beautifully enveloped the extended blade. Clara gazed at it as if entranced.
“…It feels like a nostalgic flame somehow.”
Epio plunged the sword into the ground.
Crack!
The slick icy floor rapidly evaporated. After about a minute, the floor dropped over ten meters. Once all the ice turned to steam, a polished marble surface was revealed, with stairs leading downward in the center.
“Time to use what we prepared. Linia?”
“Yes, Young Master.”
She pulled red capes from her backpack. Five 『Salamander Capes (A)』, crafted from processed 『Salamander Leather (A)』 for flame resistance.
These weren’t made just to deal with someone like Brenda.
She’s in the level 30s and a tough opponent for us right now, but as a fire-attribute specialist mage, sending Epio alone — her extreme counter — would make it fairly manageable.
The reason I’d custom-ordered them anyway was simple: to enter the chamber below. It’s a terrifying place where anyone with subpar fire resistance might burst into flames upon entry.
Soon, the entire group equipped the capes and descended the stairs.
Clack, clack…
Passing the stairs to the lower layer, a vast space opened up. The moment we stepped inside, heat surged dramatically.
Chesa narrowed her brows.
“…
“It’s paradoxical. The ruin is called Snowflower Swamp, yet this place is filled with such intense heat.”
“The real core is probably here. The cold covering Snowflower Swamp is likely meant to block as much of the heat emanating from the lower layer as possible.”
“I see.”
She nodded at my explanation.
The bottom of the massive space was filled with magma, with an island-like landmass above it. Across from the stairs we’d descended was a bridge leading to the island.
Roarrrrr…
And on the island beyond the stairs sat a gigantic “mass of flames.” The entity with a body of pure, formless fire resembled a four-legged beast.
“That’s the flame demonic beast imprisoned in this lower layer — ‘Hellaquel.’”
According to the setting notes, Snowflower Swamp itself was originally designed as a prison to contain Hellaquel.
“W-We have to defeat something like that?”
Linia had heard about Hellaquel in advance, but seeing it in person left her pale.
It was certainly a monster no one would dare challenge without a level-60-plus mage specialized in water magic. Plus, as a natural spirit, it would revive after enough time even if defeated.
But it was doable.
I asked Clara.
“Clara. With your priestess ability… can you handle that thing using ‘World Resonance’?”
“Hmm… I’ll give it a try.”
Answering that, Clara fearlessly stepped forward a few paces. Sensing the intruder, Hellaquel slowly rose to its massive feet.
Clara calmly drew a breath.
“Whoosh…”
And right after.
Whoosh!
Amazingly, the flames composing Hellaquel’s body began streaming into Clara’s mouth!
「Krrk?」
Hellaquel seemed greatly startled by the unprecedented phenomenon.
Panicking, it swung a forelimb.
Whoosh!
A massive fireball flew toward us. But even that was sucked into Clara’s mouth.
“W-What? She’s eating the fire? That’s insane!”
[Tch! Fire-attribute World Resonance, huh. Annoying.]
Epio marveled at Clara’s “meal,” while Plebelziam clicked his tongue. To him, whose main spell was the high-tier fire magic 〈Prometheus〉, Clara was practically a natural predator.
Watching the girl steal its flames, the demonic beast Hellaquel instinctively backed away.
The Dragon God.
Essentially the chief deity of this world’s setting, yet a being that never directly appeared in the main story of Reca Chronicles. But from clues in the novel and setting notes, one could glimpse fragments of its munchkin-level power.
Just the trait mentioned in the notes, 『World Resonance (EX)』, was proof.
World Resonance is a terrifying ability that absorbs any energy originating from this world without discrimination, converting it into the user’s own mana. Thus, no attack works against the Dragon God, who can absorb anything.
In contrast, Clara’s 『World Resonance · Sun (S)』 has several restrictions.
She can only absorb fire- and light-attribute energies, and only through her mouth. Attacks from blind spots are hard to react to in time. That’s why I’d given her a 『Salamander Cape (A)』 too.
The priestesses’ World Resonance is clearly a downgraded version of the Dragon God’s power.
But even limited to certain attributes, it’s plenty broken. Against fire and light forces, it goes beyond immunity into a plus.
Just like now.
「Kroooooaaar!!」
Feeling its strength rapidly draining, the flame beast wailed in despair.
Hellaquel’s body, except for its core at the heart, is entirely composed of energy. Against Clara, who can swallow flames whole, it wasn’t just a bad matchup — it was prey and predator.
Sss…
Everything that had been Hellaquel entered Clara’s stomach. After devouring every last flame, she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief and said.
“Delicious flames. They had an elegant, vintage feel — quite the delicacy.”
Looking at where the beast had sat, only a small lump of flesh remained. That tiny piece was Hellaquel’s grandiose core.
“Demonic Beast Hellaquel’s Heart (S-)
- Grants Fire Accumulation (S-) trait upon consumption
- Temporarily increases fire-attribute resistance upon consumption
- Temporarily increases fire-attribute dominance upon consumption
- Temporarily increases all stats upon consumption
- Upon consumption…
Unlike other elixirs I’d obtained, this was a doping-type elixir offering temporary combat boosts. Useful in emergencies, so I pocketed it.
But the core reward of this ruin wasn’t Hellaquel’s heart.
I looked into the air.
A single book floated there, catching my eye.
Appraisal.
“Magitech Tome – Nano Eater (S)
- Absorbs unusable residual mana lingering in the owner’s body
- Depending on the amount and quality of absorbed mana, enables use of embedded spells (total 10 types)
※Usage condition: Contract with the magitech tome
※In absence of contractor, absorbs ambient spatial mana to maintain functions
“Finally found it.”
The demonic beast Hellaquel had been imprisoned here, its mana constantly siphoned by this Nano Eater.
This chamber we’re in is essentially a reactor — the mana generated here powers the entire Snowflower Swamp ruin.
In short, the cold enveloping the ruin was maintained by this tome absorbing Hellaquel’s power.
“The demonic beast Hellaquel imprisoned here has entered eternal slumber. So go find your rightful owner now, Nano Eater.”
As if responding to my words, the magitech tome trembled.
Then it shot off somewhere like an arrow.
“This is…?”
The place Nano Eater flew to was exactly as I’d predicted — in front of Chesa.
The Nano Eater replenishes its power by absorbing unusable — that is, mana the contractor cannot fully control — residual mana in the owner’s body.
For the current Chesa, who can’t properly utilize most of her vast mana, no tool could suit her better.