The Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword was a weapon that greatly enhanced the combat power of Bellifort—the main antagonist of Part 3.
Thus, measures had to be taken in advance to prevent it from falling into his hands.
However, relics were objects imbued with divine authority.
They couldn’t be damaged by ordinary means.
Even if hidden away securely, it would undoubtedly return to its owner once he awakened.
Of course, that didn’t mean there was no way to handle it.
The Machine God Tribe.
These beings in dormant states awakened by consuming relics infused with divinity. And once they devoured a relic, they gained semi-permanent operational power until their core suffered fatal damage.
By counting the names of Machine God Tribe members mentioned in the setting book, one could deduce that around 100 such entities existed in this world—yet only 27 cores were on the Prima Continent.
Of those 27, over a third—10—were currently held by the Alpanium Library; 3 by the Schnifelt family; and the rest scattered among major powers across the continent, one or two each.
In short, cores were extremely rare.
But I had preemptively acquired one core from Pedro—the alchemist researching the Infinite Thunderstone in Mirsen Village.
I placed Respinel’s core in the center of the basement. Then I gazed steadily at the key-sized sword in Clara’s hand.
The equip condition for that holy sword was a [Divinity] stat of 7 or higher. If one’s stats fell far short, even attempting to grasp it would send it flying far away. The reason it demanded such high divinity to wield was simply because this sword was the highest relic of the Church of Struggle.
And the better the relic, the superior the power source it became for a Machine God Tribe member.
Eliminating a weapon for a future enemy while simultaneously boosting our side’s strength—it was killing two birds with one stone.
I told Clara.
“Feed the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword to this one.”
“Yep!”
She promptly brought the key-sized sword to Respinel’s core as instructed.
Flash!
The tiny sword disintegrated into particles of light.
“Wow… It’s beautiful.”
The swirling lights danced around Clara for a moment before being drawn by some force toward Respinel’s core, where they were absorbed.
Whirr!
The crimson orb, having taken in all the light, began to glow with even greater mystery.
I waited a while longer after seeing this.
Absorbing the divinity infused in the relic would take considerable time.
“If you’re awake, answer me, Machine God Tribe member.”
「…Hm.」
A noise-laced mechanical voice rang in my ears.
Machine God Tribe members who absorbed divinity could speak without vocal cords.
Immediately after, Respinel’s core floated into the air.
「Greetings. Human. You. Used relic. Released me from dormancy?」
Clara tilted her head at the peculiar speech pattern.
“This Machine God Tribe person has a really unique way of speaking.”
“It’s probably because they just woke up—their language ability is a bit off. It should improve with consistent feedback.”
「Human male. Thought. Correct.」
“Anyway, yes—we’re the ones who woke you. And in the process, we fed you the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword, the highest relic of the Church of Struggle.”
「Confusion. Excellent power source. Excessive.」
It seemed highly surprised to have awakened by consuming something as extraordinary as the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword. Indeed, the Undefeatable Divine Holy Sword was far too valuable to melt down as a power source for a single Machine God Tribe member.
Of course, since it was a weapon for a future enemy, that was none of my concern.
Character sheet.
<Machine God Tribe Core – Respinel>
[Level:0/83]
[Description: Freshly awakened.]
Potential level 83, huh.
Very impressive.
A Machine God Tribe member’s potential was determined by the grade of the relic absorbed during dormancy.
Moreover, their status windows were quite unique—no stats were listed. Only the current level changed based on the qualitative and quantitative value of the mechanical components comprising their body.
For example, Respinel—currently just a bare core with nothing attached—had a level of 0. In contrast, Melkina—who had countless machines assembled and currently served as the Dragon Horse Cult’s hideout—exceeded level 60.
It spoke to me.
「I am Respinel. Awakened by you. Repay favor.」
“How commendable. Then help with whatever I do for the next 20 years without question or complaint, Respinel.”
「Approved. 20 years. Serve as master.」
It accepted what was essentially a slave contract without hesitation.
But even if I had demanded 200 years instead of 20, it would have meekly agreed.
Machine God Tribe members essentially lived eternally and always repaid debts and grudges faithfully. Thus, once awakened from dormancy, turning them into long-term allies wasn’t difficult.
…
Afterward, I visited a shabby shop on the outskirts of Elanore—to meet the craftsman Bailey Millis residing there.
“I made good use of the Shape Fader (A+) you made last time.”
“I read the article about your major exploits in Umbril. So you’re the successor to the Seal of Struggle? You’re an even bigger deal than I thought.”
He stuck out his tongue the moment he saw me.
Upon returning to Elanore recently, I had given interviews to several newspapers as the sub-master of the Blispiel Clan.
Bailey must have seen those articles.
In the world of Reca Chronicles—where messenger birds were commonplace—the influence of print media on information dissemination was absolute. Though transportation was less developed compared to modern Earth, one could still learn about events in other regions with sufficient investigation.
“Can you trust me a bit more now?”
“Better than when I knew nothing.”
I smiled faintly at Bailey and got to the point.
“I’d like to acquire some processed metal with high conductivity. Do you happen to have something like ‘Red Flow Iron’ here?”
“You must be joking. A national treasure–grade material like that wouldn’t be in a rundown shop like this.”
“Really?”
I dumped a pile of gemstones acquired from the underground altar at Tamil Lake onto the desk. Bailey’s eyes widened at the sight.
“…On second thought, I think there might be some Red Flow Iron in the basement storage.”
You should have said so from the start.
A moment later, he retrieved a palm-sized chunk of red metal from the vault. I took it and stored it away. Red Flow Iron was an extremely rare metal, so even he could only procure this much.
“No need to explain how valuable Red Flow Iron is. May I take all the gemstones you brought?”
“Of course. And could I receive the items I commissioned last time?”
“Here they are. Take them.”
Several pieces of equipment—clearly high-end despite the shabby shop setting—emerged. I picked up one and used appraisal.
『Flame Ruby Glove (A+)』
-Spell: <Cross Flame>
-Spell: <Angle Red>
-Spell: <Campfire>
This was a magical glove embedded with the 『Flame Ruby (A)』 gem obtained from the Snowflower Swamp.
As per my request, it excluded other functions and enchanted a whopping three flame spells—actually a highly inefficient configuration. But since it wasn’t for pure combat but to produce Clara’s emergency rations, I had it made this way deliberately.
I also received needles made to pair with the 『Form Needle (B+)』 strong wire for use, along with several other magical items.
Bailey said to me.
“Since my metalworking skills are lacking, I personally feel a bit dissatisfied with the finish on some of the completed pieces. For now, I hope you can be content with this level.”
“It’s sufficient.”
This old man, Bailey Millis, was proficient in most production skills like enchantment, jewelcrafting, and alchemy.
His only weak point was blacksmithing.
The blacksmith-related trait he possessed was 『Metallurgy Genius (A)』—it hadn’t evolved into a title trait. Of course, as an A-grade, it was top-tier short of the absolute best; it reached first-class territory. It was just relatively lacking.
Bailey cleared his throat subtly.
“Ahem… This is just casual talk, but back when I was with the Millis family, I collaborated with a blacksmith nicknamed ‘Flame Salt’ to create several forgeries. We butted heads due to our strong prides, but now that I’ve fled and am alone, I regret not getting along and sharing secrets. Anyway… I feel like if I could collaborate with a blacksmith of decent skill like back then, we could produce even better results?”
“…I’ll look into some promising talent.”
“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
Bailey’s burning gaze revealed his desire to create superior works.
The responsibility is heavy…
Currently, Bailey was essentially the exclusive equipment crafter employed by our clan. In other words, he was requesting a better work environment from me—his employer.
At first, he had been satisfied just handling good materials, jewelcrafting, and enchanting per my commissions. But repeating only that seemed to have bred complacency lately.
For reference, the “decent level blacksmith” Bailey mentioned referred to artisans worthy of national treasure designation in powerhouses like Baskaya or the Wiblet Empire.
The very ‘Flame Salt’ he spoke of appeared directly in Part 3 of the original story—and was the possessor of an S+ production trait, no less.
It was a demanding request… but I had already been considering recruiting a blacksmith.
Namely, because the Caracol Clan monopolized the forges around Elanore.
In preparation for the civil war in Glicia Kingdom, they would soon run the forges day and night—and then clans like ours would struggle even to get proper weapon maintenance.
I had a candidate in mind to recruit as a countermeasure.
I planned to move immediately after the cathedral matter.
…
“Take good care of Epio, Arent.”
“Of course! Personally, I’ve seen potential in this little one for a while and wanted to train him. Camillo and I will handle clan affairs, so don’t worry—just handle your business and come back safely.”
With that, Arent ruffled Epio’s hair.
The red-haired boy ignored the rough handling and stared blankly at me before asking.
“When will you be back, Aiden?”
“Hm? About a month should be enough.”
Yes.
Among the clan members remaining in Elanore, only Linia and I were suited for infiltration operations. But Linia—who had just crossed level 10—couldn’t function as proper combat power yet, so I intended to find a suitable mentor to train her while I was away.
Thus, I planned to head to the Sun Cathedral alone.
That was definitely the plan…
“Come on, Aiden. If we dawdle here any longer, we’ll miss the appointed time.”
“Uh… Yeah.”
For some reason, I ended up traveling with Chesa.
I had informed the clan members that I would go to the cathedral alone. But that evening, Chesa came to me expressing her desire to accompany me on this journey.
She emphasized the utility of Nano Eater’s third newly unlocked spell—<Armchair>—with short intervals.
It was the first time the usually impassive girl had advocated for something so assertively, and considering the 『Firebird (S-)』 trait, having her close wasn’t a bad idea—so I ultimately agreed.
For reference, behind that were the enthusiastic endorsements of Linia and Clara—who were now striking fighting poses behind Arent.
I shook my head ruefully and set off.
The two who had fallen far behind to see us off shouted.
“Master! Miss! Make sure to eat three meals a day even without me!”
“Aiden! Come back as three on the way home!”
I immediately turned back and gave Clara a flick on the forehead.
“You went too far…!”
Clara clutched her aching head.
Epio tilted his head and asked.
“Come back as three—what does that mean? Is Aiden bringing a new companion?”
“It’s not that. It’s a roundabout joke meaning to come back with a child between Chesa and him!”
“A child? How do you make one?”
“Huh? W-Well… Um…”
Faced with the boy’s innocent reaction, Clara fell into utter dismay. In the original story at age 17, she would have slyly brushed off such questions—but she still lacked experience.
[…They sure play around.]
Plebelziam clicked his tongue.
Though he had no tongue.
…
On the road to Vardia Kingdom.
We stopped by the headquarters of the Alsigima school.
There, I met Estriel and learned the second technique of the resonance shattering art after ‘Vileshaker’—‘Infecting.’
“It hasn’t been long since our last meeting where I checked your progress. Yet in that short time, the vibration frequency of your qi has increased this much? What on earth did you do, Aiden?”
“During my recent trip to the south…”
Upon hearing my explanation of the Taramu Blood Current Control Heart Method, Estriel’s expression grew profoundly serious.
“The albino lizardman famous as one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes, huh. I might need to meet him.”
For Reverse Veins possessors—with a narrow spectrum of learnable heart methods—the blood current control heart method was no trivial matter. And if it could rapidly boost proficiency in resonance shattering, it became an issue for the school as a whole.
Abruptly, he relaxed his expression and said to me.
“Since you’re here, why not stay the night? Pantilis is too busy and absent again, but coincidentally, all the other guys are at headquarters.”
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