There is a swordsmanship school called Dearside.
This school, which originated in the eastern Sciencia continent to achieve some grand goal, at some point split into two factions after conflict and went their separate ways.
One faction pursued righteous swordsmanship,
And the other pursued infinite variable swordsmanship.
The two factions, which had no interaction at all after their mutual antagonism, became entangled again after nearly 100 years had passed since the split.
Due to some twist of fate, around the same time, both factions produced swordsmen who contended for the title of the continent’s strongest.
The master of righteous sword, Edval Heimfjord.
The master of variable sword, Regenshauer Krantz.
Strangely, these two swordsmen, even the same age, were the essence born from the different philosophies of the two factions that diverged from the same root.
The one who first took interest in the other was Edval.
He became curious about the Thousand-Man Slayer, who was already renowned as the greatest swordsman despite being the same age, and went to find him.
At that time, Edval was also a swordsman with impeccable skill.
However, due to having no external activities at all, he was completely unknown.
On the other hand, Regenshauer was already a celebrity beyond the Continent’s Twelve Heroes in his twenties.
At nine years old, he beat seven healthy adult men senseless.
In his mid-teens, with self-taught swordsmanship, he narrowly defeated a prominent clan’s executive, catching the eye of an elder from the Dearside variable sword branch.
Since becoming the elder’s disciple, he displayed his sword talent without reserve, and after a few years, his depth in swordsmanship was hard to match on the continent.
The moment Regenshauer’s prestige reached its peak was when he fought evenly with ‘Professor’ Blake Shaw, one of the Triple Stars of that era.
Moreover, after the spar, Blake even praised Regenshauer as being a cut above him, so the continent’s people were more enthusiastic about the Thousand-Man Slayer than ever.
The ego of this youth, who had repeated nothing but continuous triumphs without a single trial, was indescribably inflated.
The Church of Struggle selected Regenshauer as one of the Continent’s Twelve Heroes, but he boldly rejected it, saying, “A title bestowed by the church can’t evaluate me.”
To him, everything in the world was merely stage props to highlight his swordsmanship, and even renowned seniors were just decent supporting actors.
“Regenshauer Krantz. As the successor of righteous sword, I’ve come to challenge you.”
So, when an unknown swordsman of the same age came to him and pointed his sword, the amusement he felt was indescribable.
“I’m bored, so I’ll play with you for a bit.”
It started as a half-joking spar.
However… surprisingly, Edval fought him on equal terms.
‘A peer who can cross swords with me?’
For Regenshauer, who had always lived shoulder-to-shoulder with much older seniors, this was a fresh shock.
Of course, apart from the admiration, he never doubted his victory up to that point.
Power, technique, speed.
He was clearly superior in all.
Yet the spar continued for three days and nights.
Despite Regenshauer holding the advantage throughout the fight, no winner emerged.
Edval displayed astonishing intuition and sense to overcome countless disadvantages, and based on his bottomless stamina and willpower, he eventually cornered Regenshauer.
In the end, the two resorted to using the ultimate techniques their respective factions had developed through research.
Edval used the pinnacle of righteous sword, concentrating all power into a single flash, ‘Unison Track.’
Regenshauer used the pinnacle of variable sword, linking hundreds of slashes seamlessly, ‘Surgeon Passer.’
The two ultimate techniques of completely contrasting types crossed, but joy and sorrow did not divide.
The fierce duel ended in a draw.
And the two promised a future rematch.
Regenshauer snapped out of his long reverie.
He was a man with slightly graying disheveled hair and languid eyes.
At first glance, he seemed lean, but his body, woven with well-defined muscles, showed traces of rigorous training.
Before his eyes stood his spouse, unchanged from her appearance twenty years ago.
Those who strongly inherit the Schnifelt blood are farther from aging.
She asked with sparkling eyes.
“So, how does it feel supplying power? Is Pendic complaining? Aren’t you bored being alone? What were you thinking about all this time?”
“It’s nothing.”
He dismissed the woman’s rapid-fire questions with a curt single word.
But as she said, operating thunder qi was as familiar to the current Regenshauer as breathing.
Thanks to that, during the journey from the Schnifelt family’s stronghold, ‘Winter Dew Island,’ to here, he could review the duel he experienced in the distant past.
It was the event of a lifetime that shook his belief that variable sword alone was the ultimate in all swordsmanship.
Well, for now, the matter at hand was important.
His wife, ‘Iris Schnifelt,’ ignored all dissuasion from other kin under the pretext of sightseeing the outside world and personally came out.
Considering the shackles on the family, it was absurd.
But when she, with her immense authority, stubbornly insisted, no one could stop her, and in the end, the elders approved her demand.
It just made things tiring for Regenshauer, who had to handle the fieldwork.
“Are you really planning to infiltrate the cathedral yourself? The risk is enormous.”
“I didn’t say I definitely would. If things go wrong with you going alone… or if I just get bored.”
Iris, grinning mischievously in a way unbecoming of someone nearing fifty, suddenly pulled a small talisman from her bosom and handed it to him.
It was an item essential for breaching the <Sacred Cradle>.
“Besides, risk is something to consider when there’s a chance of failure, right? That’s a word with no connection to us.”
Saying that, Iris tilted her head up stiffly and looked up at Regenshauer.
With a height difference of more than a head and a half, it looked quite comical from the side.
“Hoo…”
Regenshauer sighed and ruffled Iris’s hair messily as he spoke.
“…I’ll retrieve the relic quickly, so wait here quietly.”
“Hmm~”
His immature wife meekly accepted his touch.
On the day of the gathering.
We followed Elcoro to the cathedral.
「Master. Cathedral. Above. Machine God Tribe. Energy. Detected.」
“…What?”
I paused at Respinel’s words from inside the backpack.
Soon, I narrowed my eyes and looked up at the sky.
Besides Melkina, who left with the independent Hagel, three Machine God Tribe members remain in the Schnifelt family.
And two of them, depending on modification direction, are types that can fly in the sky.
So, an aerial attack was one of the pre-anticipated infiltration routes.
“It’s a cloudy day today, but I don’t see anything. That means… they’re hidden with a concealment function.”
And concealment functions consume a tremendous amount of the Machine God Tribe’s level.
Considering the potential of the Schnifelt family’s Machine God Tribe, additionally equipping something like a ‘Vice Wolf’-grade weapon would be impossible.
“…Aiden?”
“No, it’s fine. Let’s proceed as planned.”
We followed Elcoro into the private land owned by the Sun Cathedral.
The land owned by the cathedral was larger than a decent small territory.
Besides the <Sacred Cradle>, countless defenses were prepared to eliminate intruders, such as formations that wildly distort the paths inside the private land.
It was so complex that without a guide, you’d wander forever.
After moving for nearly an hour following Elcoro’s guidance, we finally arrived at the Sun Cathedral’s main building.
As if to welcome the gathering participants, holy knights in gleaming magical armor were lined up there.
Elcoro turned to Chesa and me and said.
“Did you see? If by any chance you engage in suspicious activities here, that lion-like valiant holy knight order will chase you to death. I’d prefer if you quietly pray and leave.”
This guy, every word he says grates on the nerves.
But I didn’t show it.
Thinking he might die soon made me feel a bit pitying instead.
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
We stepped into the massive cathedral interior.
In the main hall, there was a gigantic white dragon statue, and the marble walls were endlessly covered with murals commemorating the Dragon God’s achievements.
Overwhelmed by the grand scale, Elcoro smirked at us two.
“Kill time somewhere appropriately and come to the chapel at noon. I have business, so I’ll move separately now.”
After issuing the notice, he didn’t even listen to our reply and walked off somewhere.
“Where is that unpleasant guy going?”
“Probably to build rapport with cathedral officials. It’s good that we can act separately without suspicion.”
Soon, we moved toward the lodgings on the cathedral’s outskirts.
En route, I heightened the Nano Eater’s mana detection function, Respinel’s infrared detection enhanced by absorbing ‘red flow iron,’ and my own senses to the utmost, but I felt no sign of being tailed.
“…Things are going too smoothly. Is it okay to leave outsiders like this?”
“They’re trusting in the power of the guardian dragon tooth soldiers sleeping throughout the cathedral. They’re tough enough to easily bind even a Twelve Heroes-level expert.”
The skeletal soldiers made from dragon teeth, the dragon tooth soldiers’ combat power itself is comparable to a late-20s level warrior.
But their true value lies in their durability.
Thanks to the special ability <Immortal Guard>, they’re sturdy enough to withstand even a single strike from a level 70 warrior.
However, dragon tooth soldiers can only operate in places imbued with the Dragon God’s traces, so they can’t go outside the barrier.
They’re literally forces guarding the cathedral.
Soon, near the lodgings, we made contact with a woman of haggard complexion.
“Are you Rena?”
“Yes… Are you believers from outside here for the gathering?”
“Yes. And we’ve come to meet a girl named Tanya Ornick. I hear you’re usually close with her?”
“How do you…!”
“It was written in the letter Tanya sent. But about half a year ago, contact suddenly stopped.”
I had heard all about Tanya’s friendships from Clara before coming here.
The Rena before me is one of Tanya’s closest friends.
She spoke with evident panic.
“Ta-Tanya was taken to the underground prison for interrogation by the holy knights five months ago.”
“…Underground prison?”
“Yes. Due to suspicions of involvement in the priestess’s sudden disappearance not long ago… But she’s not that kind of girl.”
“Has Tanya not come out of the underground prison since then?”
Rena nodded with a shadowed face.
I had heard the entire cathedral structure from Clara.
That’s why I felt a chill in one corner of my heart.
The internal believers don’t know well, but the cathedral’s underground prison isn’t just for interrogation—it’s a place where only grave sinners are taken.
In other words, the Sun Cathedral’s higher-ups are convinced Tanya was deeply involved in Clara’s escape.
After briefly calming Rena, I parted from her and, with Chesa on my back, donned the 『Formless Robe (S-)』.
Thanks to greatly improved footwork proficiency, I could smoothly execute 「Shadow Travel (B)」 even in this state.
Passing the guards at the entrance, I stepped into the underground prison.
Then, recalling Tanya’s features from Clara, I scoured the underground prison.
And at some point, upon discovering her, the target, I had no choice but to pause.
“…Aiden.”
“This is… horrific.”
Tanya, imprisoned in cell 237.
She was already a cold corpse.
Even though the body was damaged beyond recognition, I could tell it was Tanya simply because the cell nameplate read Tanya Ornick.
“…I don’t know what to tell Clara.”
Burns all over the body, sword wounds, and traces of various tortures remained.
But more than nausea, a strong question arose.
Clearly, the Sun Cathedral was an area completely untouched by butterfly effects from my actions.
So, there’s no possibility the original history changed.
Then… who exactly is the Tanya who sent a letter to Clara in Part 2 of ‘Reca Chronicles’?
In the novel, there’s a clear description that the letter’s peculiar handwriting perfectly matches Tanya’s unique style.
But Tanya is already dead, and a dead person can’t send a letter years later.
Fortunately, we had one card to clarify the situation.
“Chesa. Could you use 〈Armchair〉?”
“…Okay.”
Chesa activated the spell with a poor complexion.
<Armchair>
Chwaruruk!
The Nano Eater spread in the air began to thoroughly scan Tanya’s corpse.
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