Chapter Summaries

Li Ang and Dean found Buyulin Village under quarantine for a severe Red Death outbreak and helped the Radiant Cross Knights seal it off. After a mob of villagers tried to flee, Amy shot their leading agitator, and Li Ang’s men drove the crowd back as the story left the village’s thousands of residents trapped inside.

• A Radiant Cross Knight warned Dean and Li Ang that the Red Death had broken out in Buyulin Village and asked them to help guard the crossroads.
• Li Ang ordered his men to block the road, gave them makeshift cloth masks, and urged the knights to prevent anyone from escaping.
• Villagers charged the entrance after a farmer accused the knights of abandoning them, and Li Ang ordered Amy to shoot the farmer dead.
• Li Ang drew a line before the crowd and threatened to kill anyone who crossed it, forcing the villagers to retreat.
• Li Ang told the Radiant Cross Knights to patrol the village’s perimeter and use crossbows if people tried to escape, while Dean worried about the village’s more than three thousand residents.

Li Ang helped the Radiant Cross Knights respond to a Red Death outbreak, then came under attack from the Snake Worship Cult. After defeating the cult warriors, he ordered his men to capture their heavily equipped captain.

• The Plague Doctors reported more than a dozen Red Death patients in the village and said the village would be sealed off until help arrived.
• Li Ang agreed to let the healers use his wagonloads of hides to make masks, with Emperor Marius to pay for them later.
• Snake Worship Cult members ambushed Li Ang and the healers with heavy crossbows, wounding Li Ang in the shoulder.
• Frederi, Li Ang, and their companions fought the cult warriors and wiped out the attackers.
• A Cobra Warrior threw a javelin at Li Ang, but Risadiran shot him down, and Li Ang ordered Kloze and Risadiran to take him alive.

Li Ang and the healers linked the Red Death outbreak and the village ambush to the Snake Worship Cult, then discussed the Empire’s governors while awaiting Kairos. Kairos arrived with Shadow Centurions, recognized Li Ang as the kidnapper from White Deer Fortress, and heard that Li Ang wanted to make a deal.

• Kloze tried to seize a Cobra Warrior, but the fanatic killed himself before he could be captured.
• Li Ang and the healers suspected the Snake Worship Cult had spread the plague and discussed possible infiltration of the Shadow Legion, while defending Kairos as a principled commander.
• Dean and the healers described Kairos’s reputation and criticized Governor Livius as a habitual lawbreaker.
• Kairos arrived at the village with over two hundred Shadow Centurions and took charge of the defenses.
• Li Ang introduced himself to Kairos, proposed a deal, and waited while Kairos deployed his troops.
• Kairos met Li Ang unarmed in the carriage, recognized him as the kidnapper who had humiliated him at White Deer Fortress, and said he would have arrested him if not for his aid against the plague and cultists.

Li Ang explained how the promissory notes from Governors Justus and Livius could protect Kairos from blame for the failed campaign and pressure Emperor Marius to punish Livius instead. Kairos understood Li Ang’s strategy and asked what he wanted in exchange for the notes.

• Li Ang argued that Kairos’s failed campaign had spared him the political consequences of a hypothetical victory by Governors Livius and Justus, and Kairos reconsidered his view of the war.
• Li Ang offered to help Kairos with his strained relationship with Emperor Marius and showed him promissory notes from Justus and Livius, each for six thousand denars.
• Li Ang explained that the notes could undermine the governors’ credibility and give Kairos leverage against those likely to shift the campaign’s blame onto him.
• Li Ang advised Kairos to give Livius’s note to Emperor Marius while keeping Justus’s note in reserve, forcing the Emperor to choose between Kairos and Livius without immediately threatening Justus.
• Kairos thanked Li Ang and asked what he wanted in exchange for the notes.

Li Ang secured grain shipments to relieve Meitengheim’s famine and earned its people’s recognition as a sovereign allied ruler. After expanding his agricultural work and joining White Deer Fortress with Wheat Fragrance Territory, he became the focus of Emperor Marius’s plan to protect the Empire’s reforms and reputation.

• Li Ang persuaded Kairos to send one million pounds of grain seed to Meitengheim, and Kairos agreed to meet him at the port in three days.
• Frederi declared Meitengheim’s recognition of Li Ang as a ruler equal to its count, and the grain fleet departed with Dean aboard to build irrigation works.
• Kairos paid Li Ang two thousand denars for the carriage, and Li Ang used the money to buy wagons and bring Dean’s corn and potato seeds to his territory.
• Li Ang and Amy planted corn across nearly a thousand mu, stored the potatoes at White Deer Fortress, and began managing its affairs alongside Wheat Fragrance Territory.
• Emperor Marius told Justus that he had bought back the promissory notes and planned to portray Li Ang as a powerful commander to preserve Justus’s reputation and support the reforms.

Emperor Marius framed Li Ang as a traitor by granting him a Bacchus title, forcing him to accompany Lord Malbert to Lion City while he prepared White Deer Fortress for danger. Meanwhile, Duke Alma planned to reclaim power by taking command of the Horn Summon Ranger Corps.

• Sarah reported that Bacchus had reassigned Livius to Shield Wind Fortress and spread monstrous rumors about Li Ang.
• Lord Malbert arrived at White Deer Fortress with Lion Knights and a letter in which Emperor Marius named Li Ang General of Long River Town and awarded him ten thousand denars.
• Li Ang agreed to go to Lion City with Malbert, instructed Amy to secure his territories and prepare a beacon, and left Risadiran to follow him covertly.
• Amy gave Li Ang her Goddess's Kiss before he departed White Deer Fortress with Malbert and the Lion Knights.
• At Eagle Claw Fortress, Duke Alma told Baron Cadelon that he intended to reclaim his power and become Grand Commander of the Horn Summon Ranger Corps.

Malbert explained that King Ulrich’s order to arrest Li Ang could lead to Li Ang’s death in Lion City, then feigned illness to leave the escort and avoid blame. Meanwhile, Godric and Charles trained Fletcher Village’s new Red Arrow Longbowmen, but their first field exercise encountered more than a thousand brigands.

• Malbert brought Li Ang under guard to the Owl Knight Order’s camp and suggested he could escape, while Li Ang pretended not to understand.
• Malbert told Li Ang that the Lion Knights had a history of arresting supposed rebels who never returned, and that he wanted to avoid being blamed if Li Ang died.
• Malbert clutched his stomach and asked Ols for help, planning to return to Long River Town and leave Li Ang to decide what to do.
• Godric strengthened Fletcher Village’s defenses and trained Charles’s recruits as the Red Arrow Longbowmen.
• Godric, Charles, Ralph, and Raphael led the new archers into the hills, where they encountered more than a thousand brigands instead of Gatu raiders.

Li Ang was arrested and taken to Lion City, where King Ulrich’s court sought to seize the Wheat Fragrance Company under the pretext of treason. After Igor’s demand failed, Li Ang remained imprisoned, confident the secret chamber could not hold him if he chose to escape.

• Li Ang allowed the Lion Knight Order to escort him to Seven Forks Fortress while Risadiran secretly followed them.
• Sir Rayman warned Li Ang that King Ulrich had ordered him killed if he resisted, then offered him a chance to escape; Li Ang refused because he would not flee as a supposed traitor.
• The Royal City Guard took Li Ang to a secret chamber in the palace, where Igor questioned him about Emperor Marius’s title and his trip to Bacchus territory.
• Igor revealed that King Ulrich wanted the Wheat Fragrance Company, and Li Ang explained that he could not simply hand over the jointly owned, financially interconnected business.
• Igor left after Li Ang refused to surrender the company, and Li Ang inspected the chamber before settling down, believing he could break out if necessary.

Madam Philina revealed that King Ulrich was extorting nobles to fund a hunt for Noldo maidens, hoping their blood would cure his worsening hereditary illness. She also told Li Ang that his mother was part Noldo and that he inherited Noldo blood, leaving him to suspect the Three Prophets had sought the same bloodline for the Mad King before Igor interrupted them.

• Madam Philina visited Li Ang in secret, gave him Amy's message and a bottle from Miss Lesley, and warned him not to confess to treason.
• Philina recounted that Ulrich was suffering from the same illness as the Mad King and was hiring adventurers to capture noble Noldo maidens for the Three Prophets' potion.
• Li Ang realized Ulrich had targeted his wealth to finance the hunt, while Philina confirmed that Noldo bloodlines were immune to disease, including Red Death.
• Philina revealed that Li Ang's mother, Helen, had Noldo ancestry and had survived a Red Death outbreak while helping villagers.
• Li Ang connected Helen's Noldo blood to the Mad King's past actions and wondered whether the Three Prophets had wanted Noldo descendants for Prince Alanric; Igor then entered and ordered Philina to leave.

While Li Ang waited in the Imperial Palace, Amy used a false report of a Bacchus Empire attack to force the kingdom to recognize the danger of detaining him. Elsewhere, Liwa risked her life to rescue Charles from the Crimson Brotherhood and collapsed after reaching him.

• Amy lit White Deer Fortress’s beacon and sent messengers for aid, presenting the treason rumor as a Bacchus Empire attack while Wheat Fragrance Territory moved supplies into the fortress.
• Godric and Charles were trapped on a hill by Duke Alma’s Crimson Brotherhood, while Alma captured Raphael and sent forces toward Ralph’s camp.
• Liwa lured Leofric’s cavalry toward the hill, drawing enemies away and giving Godric’s archers a chance to break out.
• When Charles was wounded and surrounded, Liwa charged into the enemy ranks and carved a path to him as her bandits followed.
• Charles fought back-to-back with Liwa until Godric’s men reached them and the Crimson Brotherhood fled.
• Liwa collapsed from her wounds after telling Charles to go, and Godric had her carried off the battlefield.

Duke Alma seized control of the Horn Summon Ranger Corps and Lion Lake City through coercion and deception, then marched toward Brave Shield Fortress while Godric prepared for an attack. Liwa died after warning the defenders that the Gatu people might join the assault, while Li Ang negotiated with King Ulrich over funds and tax privileges.

• Duke Alma forced Ralph to support his appointment as Grand Commander by threatening Raphael, then led the Horn Summon Ranger Corps away under the pretense of suppressing bandits.
• Alma won Granlon and the First Banner Guard to his side, took control of Lion Lake City, imprisoned Forster, and exiled him and his younger sister to Raven Territory.
• After hearing that Gatu people and bandits were attacking Brave Shield Fortress, Alma marched toward it with Lion Lake City's troops and the Horn Summon Ranger Corps.
• Godric brought the wounded into Brave Shield Fortress, suspected Alma was behind the Crimson Brotherhood's movements, and prepared to defend against them and possibly the Gatu people.
• Liwa warned Godric and the others that the Gatu people could threaten the fortress, then died after asking Charles to tell Li Ang that she had come home.
• King Ulrich ordered Li Ang to help repel the attack on White Deer Fortress and offered banner tax exemption if Li Ang raised one hundred thousand denars.

Li Ang negotiated with King Ulrich for tax exemption and a golden coat of arms in exchange for one hundred thousand dinars, restoring his reputation and granting him authority to campaign against rebels. After the King publicly authorized the golden arms, Prince Alanric ordered Igor to arrange Li Ang’s murder and frame Ulrich, hoping to provoke the nobles into supporting his claim to the throne.

• Ulrich offered Li Ang tax-exempt status for one hundred thousand dinars, and Li Ang countered by demanding a golden coat of arms and the authority to suppress rebels.
• Ulrich accepted the deal and required Li Ang to deliver the money within a month.
• Grand Scholar Igor publicly announced the King's authorization for Li Ang to use an entirely golden coat of arms.
• Igor told Prince Alanric that Li Ang had been released and protected, while Alanric revealed his illness and fear that Ulrich intended to father another heir.
• Alanric ordered Igor to have the adventuring party Griffin Sword kill Li Ang and make it appear that Ulrich was responsible.

Li Ang returned to Lion City and arranged for Eric to watch Igor, but Alice sensed danger as an armed force surrounded the inn. Li Ang’s guards and Risadiran counter-ambushed the attackers, and their leader fled as the fight continued.

• Li Ang returned to the Adventurer's Inn, where Eric reported that more than four hundred trained fighters were scattered across Lion City and asked whether they should flee.
• Li Ang told Eric to watch Court Grand Scholar Igor and arrange for the men to handle his tax-exemption payment before returning to White Deer Fortress.
• Alice sensed danger in the stable and rushed Li Ang to the inn entrance, where roughly a hundred armed attackers surrounded him.
• A blue-armored knight confronted Li Ang, but Risadiran fired a warning arrow, and Li Ang ordered his guards to launch a counter-ambush.
• Li Ang charged the knight on Alice, broke his own sword against the knight's weapon, then took a spear and drove him into retreat.
• The knight abandoned the female warriors protecting him and fled across King's Avenue as Li Ang and his men fought the remaining attackers.

After a failed ambush in Lion City, Li Ang discovered that Milgan Kirik and the Griffin Sword Mercenary Group were pursuing him with five hundred cavalry. Li Ang led his convoy back to Goddess Mountain, where he captured Milgan’s assistant as the enemy closed in.

• Li Ang ordered Eric to clear the scene of the ambush and get the convoy out of Lion City, then learned that the attackers belonged to Milgan Kirik’s Griffin Sword Mercenary Group.
• Li Ang gave Eric an Ebony Griffin Knight Sword and left the city with his men while Igor paid Milgan to pursue and kill him before he reached the east.
• Milgan gathered five hundred cavalry and chased Li Ang’s convoy; after Risadiran spotted the approaching force, Li Ang ordered a retreat from Goddess Mountain.
• Li Ang recognized that two cavalry units were trying to herd his convoy toward a fog-covered region, so he turned back toward Goddess Mountain instead.
• Li Ang formed a wagon circle at the mountain and captured Milgan’s assistant while Risadiran fought the remaining female warriors.

Li Ang captured Nerida Horton during a clash with Milgan’s Griffin Sword Mercenary Group, then negotiated a truce after reinforcements arrived. As the groups traveled together with each other’s leaders held as hostages, Milgan revealed that Nerida was the wife of Lion Lake City’s Bannerlord Granlon.

• Li Ang captured Nerida and learned she was Duke Alma’s eldest daughter, while Milgan offered to take her place as hostage.
• After Lion City convoys arrived, Milgan abandoned the assassination job and said Igor had likely hired him on Prince Alanric’s behalf.
• Li Ang and Milgan agreed to travel as mutual hostages, and Milgan revealed that his Griffin Knights’ equipment came from an ancient ruin near Kewen Village.
• The two groups traveled together, and Milgan and Nerida grew closer as Li Ang’s men watched them.
• Near Kewen, Milgan asked Li Ang to send Nerida back to Lion Lake City, explaining that she was secretly meeting him despite being Granlon’s wife.

Li Ang persuaded Milgan that Prince Alanric and Duke Alma were conspiring to destroy him, then urged him to kill Alma and seize power through Nerida. He gave Milgan a Snake Heart Stone, leaving the mercenary commander tempted to act against the duke.

• Milgan told Li Ang that Alma had returned to Lion Lake City a week earlier, exiled Forster, and escaped trial with Prince Alanric's help.
• Li Ang argued that Alanric had manipulated Milgan into attacking him and would benefit from a conflict that weakened both Milgan and Li Ang.
• Milgan accepted Li Ang's claims that Alanric and Alma were plotting against him, and Li Ang urged him to kill Alma and use Nerida to gain control of the duchy.
• Li Ang warned Milgan that Alma would have to protect Granlon's loyalty by killing him if the affair became known, then suggested Milgan escort Nerida home and secretly murder the duke.
• Milgan showed interest in Li Ang's plan, and Li Ang offered him a Snake Heart Stone; Milgan recognized it and thanked him.

Li Ang explored the hidden Griffin Knights garrison and discovered an ebony mine, but Dalion of Pendor arrived and mistook him for Milgan. After Li Ang returned Dalion’s father’s sword and cleared up the misunderstanding, Dalion claimed the Pendor throne and demanded Li Ang’s loyalty.

• Li Ang followed Milgan’s map to a concealed valley and found the ruined garrison and its ebony mine.
• As Li Ang’s men uncovered the mine, a group led by Dalion entered the ruins and attacked him, mistaking him for Milgan.
• Li Ang defeated Dalion, identified himself as the lord of Aier County, and returned the sword Dalion said belonged to his father.
• Dalion introduced himself as a Pendor royal claimant, displayed an ancient royal signet, and demanded that Li Ang swear fealty.
• Li Ang questioned Dalion’s claim and explained that his family’s griffin crest might be connected to the Griffin Knights through an elder who had once received their fealty.

Li Ang discovered that he was a direct descendant of Pendor’s royal family when the Ring of the Supreme King recognized him, and Sir Poldemar revealed why he had raised Dalion. Poldemar began recounting how he had mistaken Dalion for Helen’s heir and concealed the ancient garrison beneath Goddess Mountain.

• Dalion led Li Ang to his adoptive father, Sir Poldemar, at a stone house on Goddess Mountain.
• Sir Poldemar recognized Li Ang as Leonardo’s son and learned that Helen had escaped the Mad King and was Li Ang’s mother.
• The Ring of the Supreme King responded to Li Ang, displaying the royal inscription and confirming his royal bloodline.
• Sir Poldemar objected to Li Ang serving Ulrich, then apologized and addressed him as Your Highness.
• Sir Poldemar recounted that he had found an infant with the royal ring after the garrison’s massacre and had raised him as Dalion, believing him to be Helen’s heir.

Sir Poldemar confirmed that Li Ang was Princess Helen’s son and agreed to help him rebuild the Griffin Knights while keeping Li Ang’s identity and plans quiet. After Li Ang left the mountain, news reached Long River Town that Godric and Charles had repelled a siege and pursued the fleeing bandits into Lion Lake City’s territory.

• Sir Poldemar explained that he had doubted Dalion’s royal ancestry for years and had used Milgan’s Griffin Sword group to search for the true heir.
• Sir Poldemar welcomed Li Ang as Helen’s son, and Li Ang returned the Supreme King’s ring while declining to raise Pendor’s banner openly.
• Li Ang agreed to rebuild the Griffin Knights at the old garrison and promised to send people to protect Dalion and Sir Poldemar.
• Godric and Baron Leofric repelled the siege of Brave Shield Fortress, while Charles routed bandits at Fletcher Village and impaled their heads outside it.
• Godric and Charles pursued the fleeing bandits into Lion Lake City’s territory as Li Ang returned to Long River Town.

Eric left to rebuild the ancient outpost beneath Goddess Mountain as a mining base, while Li Ang returned to White Deer Fortress and discussed its security and political problems with Amy. At Shield Wind Fortress, Governor Livius’s abusive conscription drive provoked resistance, and Emperor Marius rejected his attempt to expand his army.

• Li Ang sent Eric and a hundred Long River Express guards to rebuild the outpost beneath Goddess Mountain and manage Dalion while the men mined ebony ore.
• Amy hurried to see Li Ang return to White Deer Fortress, then tried to hide her excitement as they discussed scouts, the Owl Knight Order, and the threat to the fortress.
• Li Ang and Amy considered how to protect White Deer Fortress and planned to let Emperor Marius believe Li Ang had been driven into flight by his schemes.
• Livius forcibly conscripted villagers and seized their property and women, provoking village protectors and General Clerion to drive his forces back toward Shield Wind Fortress.
• Livius waited for military funding after forming the Imperial Second Legion, but Emperor Marius replied that unauthorized military expansion was forbidden.