Chapter Summaries

After defeating a Chariot People vanguard, Roland planned to march east against the larger force ahead and tried to recruit Valfay with an offer of a dukedom. Valfay refused, and Roland set out to avenge the Crusaders’ grudge.

• Roland quietly instructed Caslo to make preparations for a special viewing spot.
• Roland’s knights and centaurs ambushed the Chariot People, killing 368 and capturing sixty-three Rune light chariots.
• Roland told Valfay that a commander of ten thousand led four thousand men ahead, and insisted his Knight Order could handle the threat.
• Roland offered Valfay a dukedom and a fief in Lagrange Kingdom, but Valfay declined because he wanted only to keep his people safe.
• Roland ordered his forces to march east, declaring that they would avenge the Crusaders’ grudge.

Roland’s forces met the Chariot People east of Flowing City, where Caslo’s dragon attack halted their advance. Roland then had Naruye prepared for stake execution as punishment for torturing and killing his cavalry.

• Roland and the Chariot People’s armies met two hundred li east of Flowing City.
• Roland ordered Caslo to attack, and the dragon’s spell killed at least a hundred Chariot People before heavy crossbows forced Caslo to retreat.
• A Chariot People envoy demanded to see the commander, and Badel shot him off his chariot after Roland rebuked him.
• Roland ordered Naruye brought to a chariot prepared with a stake, declaring that she would face the promised punishment for killing his cavalry.
• Two knights bound Naruye and dragged her onto the chariot as she begged Roland to spare her.

Roland had Naruye impaled on a rounded stake as punishment, then taunted her about whether her father among the distant Chariot People would come to save her. The Chariot People commander, wary of Roland and his Dragon Knight, sought someone clever to negotiate.

• The Chariot People commander learned that Roland’s group had killed his messengers and ordered a negotiator to seek benefits.
• Roland ordered his knights to impale Naruye on a greased, rounded stake.
• The knights slowly lowered Naruye onto the stake until its tip emerged from her throat, then secured her to the chariot.
• Roland taunted Naruye about her father and the Chariot People watching from a distance.

Roland rejected Lanso’s demand for supplies and used Naruye’s torture to provoke her tribe into fighting. He healed her wounds, prolonging her suffering, while Valfay and Badel recoiled at his cruelty.

• Roland refused Lanso’s offer to withdraw in exchange for provisions and ordered him to choose between leaving and fighting.
• Lanso recognized Naruye and begged Roland to release her, revealing that she was the chieftain’s daughter.
• Roland refused to spare Naruye and sent Lanso back with an ultimatum to fight or leave.
• Valfay questioned whether Roland was deliberately provoking a battle, and Roland said he wanted the enemy to fight.
• Roland healed Naruye with Holy Light, extending her survival and leaving her terrified of enduring the torture longer.

After seeing his daughter Naruye impaled by Roland’s forces, Chieftain Dakyi flew into a rage and ordered the Chariot People to attack. Roland moved Naruye out of reach and prepared to fight as the enemy army advanced.

• Lanso told Dakyi that his daughter was impaled, and Dakyi recognized Naruye on the stake.
• Dakyi tried to charge Roland’s group, but his guards restrained him while Roland prepared his forces with Caslo and Ajax.
• Dakyi ordered his army to kill the enemy and offered lavish rewards to anyone who rescued Naruye or killed an opponent.
• Roland sent two people to move Naruye away so the Chariot People could not rescue her.
• Dakyi raised the signal flag and ordered the entire army to advance as Roland and Badel readied for battle.

Roland led the Lagrange cavalry and two Dragon Knights in a strike against the Chariot People, whose Heavy Crossbows forced the dragons to keep their distance. After breaking through the enemy formation and killing nearly five hundred soldiers, Roland withdrew his force before its Battle Qi ran out, leaving Dakyi furious.

• Roland led the Knight Order and centaurs in a wedge charge while the Blazing Wing Fire Dragon and Storm Dragon attacked the Chariot People from the air.
• The Chariot People’s Heavy Crossbows threatened Renoil, so Carlos and Caslo warned Ajax and Roland that the dragons had to fly higher and avoid the weapons.
• Roland charged through the enemy ranks, killing Chariot People with his lance and Dragon-slaying Sword as his knights carved a path through the formation.
• Roland ordered a retreat when his Battle Qi and the knights’ glory began to fade, and the force escaped after killing nearly five hundred Chariot People.
• Dakyi watched the attackers withdraw without pursuing them and spat blood in rage.

Roland tried to draw the pursuing Chariot People into a fight that would weaken them, keeping Naruye alive as bait despite her pleas for death. After another costly clash forced his exhausted forces to flee, he healed Naruye again and refused to let her die.

• Roland decided the exhausted Knights and centaurs could not break the Chariot People's formation, and explained that Naruye had to stay alive to keep them pursuing.
• Valfay warned Roland that his plan to use Naruye as bait could backfire, while Roland healed her and dismissed her attempts to die.
• Dakyi ordered his warriors to pursue Roland and reclaim his daughter, then chased the retreating force with replacement horses.
• Roland's forces fought the Chariot People again, losing nearly two hundred enemies before escaping with their Battle Qi badly depleted.
• After confirming no one had fallen behind, Roland healed Naruye, who begged him for a quick death, but he refused.

Roland promised Naruye a quick death and the dignity of a Rhûn Warrior after the battle, then faced Dakyi, who agreed to withdraw his forces in exchange for the same promise for his daughter. After reaching the Iron Hills, Roland honored his word, and Naruye chose to wash herself.

• Roland told Naruye he would grant her a quick death and the rites due a Rhûn Warrior after the battle, while Caslo and Ajax reacted to her ongoing torture.
• During the three-day march, Ajax and Renoil were ambushed by the Chariot People; Renoil was wounded while protecting Ajax, and Roland decided the battle had to end soon.
• Dakyi approached Roland under a white flag and asked him to spare Naruye further indignity; Roland promised to honor her as a Rhûn Warrior after the battle.
• Dakyi agreed to withdraw his forces from the land, then left without visiting his daughter.
• Roland used holy light to comfort Naruye and let her choose how to receive her promised dignity; she asked to wash herself, and Ajax helped bathe her.

Roland carried out Naruye’s chosen execution after she asked to be cut in half at the waist, then ended her suffering with a beheading. Afterward, he received a system reward for repelling the Eastern Yi invasion.

• Naruye asked Roland to cut her in half at the waist, and Ajax helped prepare her for the execution.
• Ajax urged Roland to carry out the execution himself, while Caslo refused to take his place.
• Roland cut Naruye in half with the Dragon-slaying Sword, leaving her alive and in agony.
• Roland comforted Naruye and beheaded her to end her suffering.
• Roland received rewards for repelling the Eastern Yi invasion, including blessed land and upgraded Knight armaments.

Roland returned from defeating the Chariot People, ordered Naruye’s remains buried, and discussed the spoils and losses with his companions. Back home, he reassured Nyx that he was safe, then left her to sleep after she said she was dieting.

• Roland ordered Naruye’s remains wrapped and saved her body in his system space.
• Roland told Caslo to keep the remaining Rhûn Warhorses and burn the abandoned chariots before the group set off.
• Roland returned home and reassured Nyx that he had crippled a ten-thousand-man unit of the Chariot People without taking serious risks.
• Nyx scolded Roland for endangering himself, then pushed him toward the bath before they rested together.
• Nyx said she was too tired to eat anything but soup and wanted to sleep, so Roland left the bedroom.

Roland planned Nyx’s wedding and the kingdom’s recovery after its wars, while Caslo sought permission to leave with Ajax. Yun Feng’s overwhelming workload drove him to confront Roland, who was left without anyone to take over the work.

• Roland told Nyx to get up and eat, then warned her to stay home while he went about his work.
• Caslo asked to take children to Lulong Fortress with Ajax and swap out Reno and the others; Roland teased him about their relationship and approved the trip.
• Roland told Yun Feng that the kingdom would focus on restoring production and preparing his wedding with Nyx, leaving Yun Feng to arrange everything.
• Yun Feng protested his workload and drew his staff, while Roland drew his sword and tried to call for help.
• Lance entered, heard Yun Feng’s complaints, and left for Lulong Fortress after Roland offered him a new duty.
• Yun Feng listed the people unavailable to replace him, and Roland’s suggestion of old Ladyl left Yun Feng ready to give up.

After securing Yun Feng’s agreement to take on more work, Roland inspected his rewards and used an upgrade card to replace his Knights’ equipment. He found powerful new gear and several less exciting rewards, then continued opening reward boxes in search of something better.

• Roland checked his rewards and decided to use the Harvest-blessed land for fruit trees rather than grain.
• Roland activated the All Knights Armament Upgrade, replacing the Knights’ equipment and upgrading his own armor and lance.
• Roland discovered that the system still classified his noble rank as a budget-version king because his territory was less prosperous than a Border Count’s.
• Roland found a First Strike Charge skill statue and planned to place it in Adilai’s Knight’s Sanctuary for the Knights to learn.
• Roland received three Nutrient Repair Potions and reacted angrily when the next reward gave him an unwanted troop type.

Roland worried that Mordor and Sauron would threaten the Northern Territory, and debated whether to invest in costly Knights or build up infantry and archers. Nyx comforted him, and Roland reviewed the Kingdom’s forces and settlements, which were growing but still needed land and population.

• Roland welcomed the newly arrived Bannaria Archers and worried that Knights cost too much to train and maintain.
• Nyx asked why Roland was so anxious about strengthening the Kingdom, and he told her that he feared Sauron would soon return to Mordor.
• Roland dismissed Gondor, Rohan, and the White Council as unreliable protections, recalling the Northern Territory’s expected losses in the coming war.
• Nyx reassured Roland that they had time to prepare and comforted him before he reviewed the territory panel.
• The panel showed Flowing City had 15,975 residents and 3,609 troops, while the Kingdom still needed more land and population to revive.

Roland inspected the kingdom’s knight training and construction projects before assigning two newly recruited personal maids to serve him and Nyx. He left the maids to learn their duties as he continued preparing the kingdom’s institutions.

• Roland learned that only eight Knight Squires showed potential for Battle Qi and told Adilai to make the eliminated squires logistical staff rather than ordinary cavalry.
• Roland recalled the light cavalry who died fighting the Chariot People and said Knights would have been better suited to scouting and patrols.
• Roland visited Ladyl, who was using magic to make Magic Rune Stone Bricks for advancement temples intended for Knights, Warriors, and archers.
• Two personal maids greeted Roland and escorted him to his study, where he checked their royal household marks and told them to serve Nyx and him in Flowing City.
• Roland dismissed the maids and instructed them to learn the etiquette expected of personal attendants.

Roland discussed his future concubines and wedding plans with Nyx before discovering a system mission tied to the mysterious dragon egg. The mission sent him searching his huge library for a book series, and he ended the chapter frustrated by missing volumes.

• Roland and Nyx discussed the two prospective maids, their marks, and the names they would receive.
• Roland told Nyx their wedding would take place in winter or after the next spring planting, but she left before he could seduce her.
• Roland found a system mission asking him to locate every book in The Little Fire Dragon Who Sold Girls series, with a reward that would restore some of the dragon egg's vitality.
• Roland appraised the dragon egg and learned it had gained a trace of life after absorbing some Power of Space.
• Roland searched the library for the series and discovered that volumes 3, 7, and 12 were missing.

Roland searched for the missing volumes of The Little Fire Dragon Who Sold Girls after the system linked the series to the mysterious dragon egg. Finding the books restored some vitality to the egg, but it remained unhatched, and Roland resolved to keep searching for clues.

• Roland asked Nyx to help find two missing volumes and showed her the dragon egg, which she recognized as a dead pure-blooded dragon egg.
• Nyx discovered that many of Roland’s books were erotic and struck him after finding a bedroom-techniques manual among them.
• After Nyx knocked over a table, Roland found volumes 7 and 12 beneath its leg and completed the series.
• The system rewarded Roland by sending the books’ light into the egg, strengthening its vitality and making its shell smooth and jade-like.
• Roland told Nyx the egg still could not hatch and promised to search for clues about restoring it further.

Roland read Nyx the Dragon-language autobiography of Lance Anthony, a Northmen knight who became the silver dragon Myer’s rider and devoted his life to protecting the Northern Territory. The account ended with Myer grieving after flame demons killed his Golden Dragon wife, while their missing child was presumed lost.

• Roland recognized the handwritten book as Dragon language and began reading it to Nyx.
• Lance chronicled his battles against Orcs and flame demons, then left home to seek dragons and become a Dragon Knight.
• Lance met the silver dragon Myer, became his knight, and returned to find his home destroyed by Orcs.
• Lance vowed to protect the Northern Territory and fought alongside Myer against the enemies threatening it.
• Myer rushed to the Misty Mountains after a dragon’s cry and found his Golden Dragon wife dead, while their child was missing.
• Myer exiled himself from dragonkind and tore apart the four flame demons responsible for his family’s loss.

Roland read the hurried account of a northern Dragon Knight’s battles against Sauron’s Orcs and his growing bond with his dragon, Myer. The account revealed that the knight, Osbaia, had fallen in love with Nyx, leaving Roland and Nyx bewildered by their connection to the story.

• The Dragon Knight described the Allied army’s desperate fight against the Orcs, the Northern Knights’ charge, and the heavy casualties on both sides.
• Sauron tried to tempt the knight into corruption, but he killed the envoy and reaffirmed his loyalty to the knight’s code.
• The knight recalled becoming a Dragon Knight, defeating a sixth-rank Overlord with Myer, and suffering an injury from its final strike.
• Myer urged the knight to have descendants, and the knight chose the Earl’s daughter, Nyx, as a potential bride.
• Roland paused when he read that the girl was named Nyx, and he and Nyx continued reading in confusion.
• The knight decided to marry Nyx, and Myer gave him the name Osbaia, meaning “bond” in dragon language.

Roland read the history of Osbaia, who lost his loved ones in the war and marched with Myr to confront Sauron, then learned that completing the mission had restored some of the dragon egg’s vitality. He received the next mission, “The Last Imperial Family,” and later agreed to send the Junlin Knights back to Lulong Fortress.

• Roland finished reading Osbaia’s account of losing his home and joining the alliance’s assault on Sauron with Myr.
• Nyx cried over Osbaia and Myr’s losses, while Roland suspected Osbaia’s wife and child had survived and founded House Antony.
• The system completed “The Secret in the Book” and assigned “The Last Imperial Family,” restoring vitality to the dragon egg and bringing golden patterns to its shell.
• Roland and Nyx kept the dragon egg’s secrets to themselves and returned to their peaceful lives.
• Reno and Omsk reported that Lulong Fortress faced only small Orc bands but lacked mobile forces, so Roland agreed to send the Junlin Knights back.

Roland decided Lagrange needed commerce to bring vitality and circulate money, so he planned to reopen trade with the western lands. He introduced Ruhl and the newly arrived royal caravan, then took an interest in its Guards as Reno questioned who would lead the dangerous journey.

• Roland told Reno that the kingdom lacked commerce and that stagnant trade was holding back its vitality.
• Roland proposed reopening the Northern Territory trade route, while Reno warned him not to exhaust the Holy Radiance Knight Order.
• Roland introduced Ruhl as the Guild Master of the Lagrange Caravan and explained that it would trade with the western lands.
• Ruhl described the caravan’s ten hired Knights, fifty Guards, two hundred hands, and one hundred Double Horse Carts.
• Reno learned the Guards were First Tier, and Roland showed interest in the unit.