Chapter Summaries

Shien learned that Tier had been lured into an ambush by the Imperial Consort and rescued by Laisha, and he resolved to retaliate against House Laifirut. He agreed to enter the Imperial Palace with Tilly to meet Harvis, then asked Rocket where House Laifirut was.

• Rocket explained that the Imperial Consort had used her departure to lure Tier into a House Laifirut ambush, where Tier was seriously injured before Laisha rescued her.
• Shien felt relieved that Laisha was with Tier and grew angry at House Laifirut, especially Warren, for helping turn the Empire against Harvis and Rocket.
• Rocket urged Shien to enter the Imperial Palace and meet Harvis, hoping the prince might know how to counter Moro and House Laifirut.
• Shien agreed to go with Tilly as his guide, then asked Rocket to confirm House Laifirut's whereabouts.

Warren faced House Laifirut’s leaders after failing to capture Tier Elbain, and the family head gave him two more days to bring her back before the Imperial Consort returned. As their meeting ended, a violent tremor struck the underground hall, leaving its cause unknown.

• Warren reported that Tier Elbain had repeatedly escaped their pursuit, while House Laifirut’s elders and head berated him for failing the mission.
• Warren recalled Tier’s past attack and his twisted desire to take revenge on her and claim her for himself.
• Warren suspected that someone with powerful magical abilities was secretly aiding Tier, but House Laifirut’s head dismissed the explanation and demanded Tier alive or dead within two days.
• The meeting ended, then a powerful tremor shook House Laifirut’s underground hall and startled Warren and the family leaders.

Shien attacked House Laifirut with a meteor spell, then entered the estate and cut down those who tried to stop him. He reached the underground hall where Diregis Laifirut and the family’s leaders had taken shelter, and asked if they were looking for him.

• Shien chanted and cast Auroras Meteoric, raining magic-powered meteors down on House Laifirut.
• Tilly watched the estate’s destruction from a nearby building and realized how terrifying Shien’s magic was.
• Shien entered the grounds and killed guards and knights with his Holy Sword as the meteors continued to fall.
• Diregis Laifirut ordered the second, third, and fourth assassination units to confront the intruder while Warren suspected who had attacked them.
• Shien blasted open the underground hall entrance, appeared before Diregis and the others, and asked if they were looking for him.

Shien overpowered House Laifirut’s forces, burned several family elders and restrained everyone in the underground hall. He confronted Diregiss over the family’s crimes and hinted that he knew Diregiss was counting on a Demonoid Larva to save him.

• House Laifirut’s deathsworn tried to suppress Shien, but his magic power overwhelmed them and sent them crashing to the floor.
• Shien set the decision-makers ablaze and immobilized the people who rushed to save them, leaving several elders and family members dead.
• Diregiss accused Shien of pretending to uphold justice, but Shien said House Laifirut had personally given him reason to seek revenge.
• Shien appeared beside Diregiss, grabbed him by the neck, and rejected his offer of compensation.
• Shien asked Diregiss whether he was waiting for the Demonoid Larva to come save him.

Shien destroyed House Laifirut, and its Demonoid Larva emerged to attack the Imperial Capital. A cloaked swordsman wielding a Divine Sword killed the monster before the stunned onlookers, then vanished.

• Shien revealed that he knew about House Laifirut's Demonoid Larvae, and the monster burst into the underground hall.
• Shien evaded the Demonoid Larva's Dragon Breath, which vaporized Diregiss and brought down the underground hall, burying House Laifirut's members and retainers.
• Tilly and others gathered at House Laifirut's ruins as the Demonoid Larva erupted from the ground and roared across the Imperial Capital.
• A cloaked swordsman split the monster's Dragon Breath and severed its tail, but the Demonoid Larva regenerated instantly.
• The cloaked swordsman drew a Divine Sword, cut the Demonoid Larva in two, and vanished while the Empire's onlookers stared in shock.

Shien destroyed House Laifirut, leaving the Imperial Capital in uproar, then argued with Tilly about the trouble his actions could bring House Bigusle. He explained that House Bigusle was already in danger and would need his help, and Tilly followed him toward the Imperial Palace despite remaining unconvinced.

• The Empire Knights searched the ruins of House Laifirut, found its members dead or buried, and could not locate Diregiss.
• People across the Imperial Capital speculated about the cloaked expert who had destroyed House Laifirut, while the Emperor sent officials to investigate.
• Tilly warned Shien that his attack would bring trouble for House Bigusle, but Shien asked whether his actions were any of her business.
• Shien told Tilly that House Bigusle faced the same danger regardless and that her father had allowed him to act because the family needed his help.
• Shien told Tilly to take him to the Imperial Palace, and she followed him after a brief hesitation.

Shien infiltrated the Imperial Palace with Tilly to search for Prince Harvis, then used his Teleportation to steal part of her armor and left her behind. Tilly fled in embarrassment while Shien disappeared into the palace.

• Shien used his movement ability to bypass the Imperial Palace's barriers and enter with Tilly.
• Tilly directed Shien toward Harvis's remote residence, though she was unsure whether he was there.
• Tilly reluctantly followed Shien through the palace while grumbling about him.
• Shien demonstrated another use of his Teleportation by removing part of Tilly's armor without touching her.
• Shien vanished, leaving Tilly to flee in shame and confusion as people came to investigate her scream.

Shien visited the imprisoned Harvis and told him that he had destroyed House Laifirut. Harvis explained that Moro was difficult to locate and seemed to hate the Hero, leaving Shien with more questions about her.

• Harvis reflected on his imprisonment under magical restraint and greeted Shien when he appeared in his bedchamber.
• Harvis explained that Moro had exploited his absence to spread accusations of treason and weaken his standing at court.
• Shien told Harvis that Tier was alive and that he had already destroyed House Laifirut.
• Harvis asked whether Shien would continue against Moro, and Shien said he intended to deal with her.
• Harvis described Moro’s mysterious movements and history of causing trouble across the Human Realm, saying she seemed to hate the Hero.
• Shien wondered why Moro hated the Hero.

Shien learned that Harvis had uncovered two secrets connected to Imperial Consort Moro: a hidden location tied to her and a mysterious girl she appears to protect. The chapter left Shien focused on investigating Lainy Bafien, Moro’s possible daughter.

• Harvis showed Shien a map he had compiled over ten years, which pointed to a dangerous hidden location closely connected to Moro.
• Harvis explained that his agents had failed to investigate the location, and he urged Shien to explore it.
• Harvis showed Shien an image of a young girl and said Moro had watched her and sent House Laifirit's deathsworn warriors to protect her.
• Harvis revealed that the girl's origins were mysterious and that she had appeared in the empire around the same time as Moro.
• Harvis identified the girl as Lainy Bafien, the adopted daughter of the head of House Bafien, and Shien remembered her name.

Shien agreed to help Harvis deal with Moro in exchange for a bargaining chip, then found Tilly hiding from the Imperial Palace patrols and took her out of the palace. Tilly refused to believe Shien was in his early twenties, but his age and origins left her curious.

• Harvis asked Shien to deliver a letter to Lord Rocket and offered him a deal in return for help against Moro.
• Shien searched the Imperial Palace for Tilly and found her hiding from the increased patrols.
• Shien teased Tilly, restored the armor he had removed, and told her he was in his early twenties.
• Shien used Teleportation to take Tilly out of the Imperial Palace and told her to go back and sleep.
• Tilly insisted she would not believe Shien's age, but became curious about his appearance, origins, and true age.

Rocket agreed that House Bigusle would unconditionally cooperate with Shien against Imperial Consort Moro after reading Harvis's letter. As Tilly learned that Shien was a Legendary-tier expert in his early twenties, she was left shaken by how mysterious and powerful he was.

• Rocket burned Harvis's letter and ordered House Bigusle to cooperate fully with Shien against Imperial Consort Moro.
• Tilly worried that Salilo Renitra would link Shien to House Laifirut's destruction and accuse House Bigusle of colluding with the Kingdom.
• Rocket assured Tilly that House Renitra and Moro's faction would hesitate to act until they understood Shien's power and the family's relationship with him.
• Rocket told Tilly that Harvis could not act from the Imperial Palace and had instructed House Bigusle to leave everything else to Shien.
• Rocket confirmed that Shien was in his early twenties, leaving Tilly stunned by the young Legendary-tier expert.

After House Laifirut’s destruction, the Empire’s upper ranks feared provoking the mysterious expert and delayed taking action against House Bigusle. Shien waited in hiding for Laisha to contact him, but she still had not appeared.

• Rumors about House Laifirut’s destruction spread through the Imperial Capital, making Shien a subject of public fascination and replacing criticism of Harvis and Rocket.
• Salilo linked the mysterious expert to Rocket and reported it, prompting the Empire’s upper ranks to consider attacking House Bigusle before deciding the expert posed too great a risk.
• The Empire’s upper ranks chose to wait for the Imperial Consort, spread rumors blaming House Bigusle for House Laifirut’s destruction, and avoid provoking the mysterious expert.
• Rocket prepared to contact loyal Empire Knights and supporters of Harvis while Tilly reached out to Harvis’s supporting nobles.
• Shien woke in House Bigusle’s hidden room and learned from Lasha that Laisha had still not come looking for them.

Shien divided the investigation of Moro’s secrets between himself and Lasha, then left to search the hidden location while Lasha and Lilith stayed in the Imperial Capital to investigate Lainy Bafien. After Shien departed, Lasha privately considered making Shien part of her and Laisha’s shared destiny, provided Laisha stayed with them too.

• Shien chose to investigate the hidden location on Harvis’s map while assigning Lasha to look into Lainy Bafien.
• Shien told Lasha to take Lilith for protection, and Lasha revealed she had a Magic Item that could impair others’ cognition.
• Shien kissed Lilith and Lasha goodbye before leaving for the hidden location.
• Lasha reflected on her attachment to Shien and decided she should not leave him, while resolving that Laisha would need to stay too.

Shien searched the wilderness for Harvis’s secret location and found a hidden barrier in the southern mountains. After teleporting inside without alerting anyone, he discovered a waterfall and suspected it concealed an entrance.

• Shien traveled to the barren wilderness marked on Harvis’s map and used his perception and magic power to search the area.
• Shien detected an unusual lack of monsters in the south and focused his search there.
• Shien discovered that a subtle barrier blocked perception and observation in a remote mountain region.
• Shien teleported through the barrier without triggering it and found a hidden landscape with a waterfall.
• Shien stared at the waterfall, expecting a concealed entrance behind it.

Shien discovered Limjo Streim and the First Knights emerging from a hidden passage behind a waterfall, where they searched for an intruder and guarded a secret site. After Limjo left, Shien teleported through the concealed entrance to investigate.

• Shien watched a passage open behind the waterfall and saw Limjo Streim lead the First Knights out.
• Limjo ordered the knights to search for an intruder, but they failed to find Shien, who remained concealed.
• When a knight questioned whether the High Priest had sensed anything, Limjo beheaded him and reminded the others that disobedience meant death.
• Limjo approached Shien's hiding place and swung his sword at the empty space, then concluded he had sensed an illusion and returned behind the waterfall with the knights.
• After the stone entrance closed, Shien reappeared and teleported inside the passage.

Shien infiltrated a hidden underground complex and discovered that Limjo was reporting to a forbidden Necromancer known as the High Priest. The High Priest had sensed a living intruder within her Death Corridor, and Shien realized she might detect him.

• Shien teleported behind the waterfall and secretly followed Limjo through a vast underground network staffed by Knights, servants, and laborers from several nations.
• Shien saw that workers were mining throughout the complex but could not determine what they were seeking.
• Limjo entered a secluded stone chamber, where Shien encountered the level ninety-two Necromancy Archmage called the High Priest.
• Limjo told the High Priest that his search had found nothing unusual, but she insisted her Death Corridor had detected a living person inside the barrier.
• The High Priest reached toward her crystal ball, and Shien sensed that something was wrong.

Shien secretly watched the High Priest investigate a possible intrusion and discovered that Limjo was being strengthened and manipulated with Spirit Essence. After Limjo left, Shien chose not to attack and turned his attention toward the forbidden basement.

• Shien prepared to assassinate the High Priest if her life-force detection exposed him, but her crystal ball showed only Limjo in the chamber.
• The High Priest ordered Limjo to raise the alert and have knights search workers and servants for strangers.
• The High Priest gave Limjo Spirit Essence, which raised his level to eighty-four, and encouraged his hatred of Shien by recalling his father’s death and his lost chance with Roxie.
• The High Priest promised Limjo more power and authority, but forbade him from entering the basement, which belonged to the Imperial Consort.
• Shien left the chamber without attacking and looked toward the space’s deeper area, where the basement was located.

Shien secretly infiltrated the High Priest’s underground base and discovered a basement full of undead and imprisoned female knights. At the deepest cell, he found Princess Capellin Ragna.

• Shien reached the basement entrance and found a Legendary-tier Corpse Dragon guarding it.
• Shien teleported past the Corpse Dragon and descended into the basement, where corpse ghouls wandered among the prison cells.
• Shien recognized Yuri Streim and Sona among the undead guards.
• Shien saw that the cells held captive, shackled female knights from the Shattered Blade Knights.
• Shien hurried to the deepest cell and found Capellin Ragna imprisoned there.

Shien found Capeline imprisoned and injured in Moro’s dungeon, healed her, and gave her water. Capeline tried to bargain for her freedom before Shien revealed his identity, leaving her furious and close to tears.

• Shien teleported into the cell and found Capeline chained, wounded, and stripped of her clothes.
• Shien used Celestial Breathe to heal Capeline and Enchantment Magic to give her water.
• Capeline realized Shien was not one of Moro’s people and offered him money or power in exchange for her escape.
• Capeline explained that Moro had captured and abused her because she was a Hero Descendant and a threat to the Imperial Consort’s plans.
• Shien mocked Capeline by comparing her unfavorably to Roxie, then removed his hood and revealed himself.
• Capeline recognized Shien and glared at him as tears gathered in her eyes.

Shien freed Capeline from captivity and learned that the site might be connected to an ancient imperial legend about the Branch of Flourishing. Capeline also revealed the tangled origins of the Ragna imperial family and recognized that Shien was the Kingdom’s aid Harvis had sought.

• Shien cut Capeline’s restraints and covered her with his cloak after she collapsed from weakness.
• Capeline told Shien that Moro had imprisoned and interrogated her, but she knew nothing about the place or its purpose.
• Capeline recited a legend that the Branch of Flourishing lay beneath the Ragna Empire and explained that its founding Hero had searched for it before settling there.
• Capeline revealed that her mother was the previous Emperor’s daughter and that the current Emperor had married into the imperial family from House Laifirut.
• Shien concluded that Moro had manipulated the Emperor to persecute the Hero’s descendants and consolidate power, while House Laifirut had helped place him on the throne.
• Capeline realized that Shien was the assistance Harvis had invited from the Kingdom and acknowledged that Harvis had warned her against provoking the Kingdom.