Chapter Summaries

Niriel reported that more than four hundred children had passed basic education, and Romain considered how to support her return to Sea Fortress. He recognized the risks of backing her with too few soldiers and left the question of how much aid to provide unresolved.

• Monica and Edith discussed Niriel’s appearance and abilities, and Monica warned Shasta that Niriel could become her rival for Romain’s favor.
• Shasta dismissed Monica’s warning and left, while Edith muttered that she had tried to warn her.
• Romain received Niriel’s report and praised her for helping more than four hundred children pass basic education.
• Niriel asked permission to leave, and Romain considered investing in her attempt to reclaim Sea Fortress.
• Romain weighed his promise of three hundred soldiers against the threat posed by the neighboring lords who had plundered Sea Fortress.

Romain promised Niriel troops and support to stabilize Sea Fort, while warning that most of his forces would return within half a year. That night, Niriel came to Romain’s room and the two began an intimate relationship.

• Romain offered Niriel three Infantry Brigades, supplies, armor, and military training to help her secure Sea Fort.
• Romain advised Niriel to clean up the territory, protect it from pirates, and capture nobles for ransom rather than kill them.
• Niriel agreed to Romain’s terms and left to begin addressing Sea Fort’s problems.
• That night, Niriel returned to Romain’s room and offered to serve him as he rested.
• Romain and Niriel kissed and embraced, beginning their intimate relationship.

Niriel dreamed of returning to the Sea Fortress People’s ancient homeland, where Lord Diel warned her that the Great Vortex was coming and urged her to descend the spiral staircase. She woke beside Romain with the dream’s memories fading and an unexplained sense of loss.

• Niriel returned in her dream to the underwater ruins of the Sea Fortress People’s original homeland and heard Lord Diel’s voice.
• Diel explained that the ruins were the divine people’s graveyard and warned Niriel that the Great Vortex would destroy everything.
• Niriel found the spiral staircase and descended it to escape the vortex, passing a former Sea Fortress Lord and The Conqueror.
• Diel told Niriel that she was the rightful Lord of Sea Fortress and that he could not return, then disappeared.
• The Great Vortex crashed toward Niriel, and she woke as Romain wiped the sweat from her forehead.
• Niriel sat on Romain’s lap and rocked herself to drive away the dream’s lingering shadows.

After blessing Niriel with a water-related talent, Romain discovered her new power and spent the morning with her. Later, he confronted the Pirate King’s envoy Vicet, who insulted him and attacked before the Void Witch and Margaret subdued him.

• Romain used an aquamarine to bless Niriel, awakening her water abilities and causing her to form a whirlpool in a basin.
• Romain carried Niriel away, then emerged at noon and asked a maid to bring her a meal.
• Seth told Romain that Scarhead and Vicet had arrived with five thousand slaves for a transaction.
• Vicet complained that Romain had kept the pirates waiting, then crushed a pork chop beneath his boot and drew his sword.
• The Void Witch disarmed Vicet and pinned him down, and Margaret froze his blood when he tried to reach for a bottle.

Romain punished Vicet for threatening him and warned Pirate King Alex to keep away from Sea Fortress, which had pledged loyalty to the King of the River Valley. After Finn and Vicet left Origin Manor, Romain ordered Seth to publicize the incident.

• Margaret and the witches subdued Vicet when he tried to threaten Romain, and Romain rejected Finn's offer of slaves as compensation.
• Romain made Vicet kneel and eat the steak he had dirtied, while Finn declined Romain's offer to join them for a meal.
• Romain told Finn to warn Alex that Sea Fortress had pledged loyalty to him and that he would send troops to defend it.
• Finn acknowledged the warning and left Origin Manor with Vicet.
• Romain ordered Seth to spread word that the King of the River Valley had punished the Pirate King's envoys for their wrongdoing.

Romain expanded his army and labor force while directing Gevra to use her destiny talent on experimental rice fields. The chapter left her about to test whether her magic could improve rice at a small scale.

• Romain used public rewards and punishments to reinforce his rule and reassure the freed slaves that their ruler was powerful.
• Niriel left Origin City with a thousand troops, and Romain planned to expand the army to five thousand using prisoners of war and selected slaves.
• Romain told Finn not to kill civilians and prepared to use five thousand laborers to reclaim two thousand mu of rice paddies.
• Romain inspected the experimental rice fields with Gevra and explained that rice could become a staple crop, but traditional breeding would take too long.
• Romain concluded that Gevra's destiny magic could not change events on a large scale, but it might influence small-scale outcomes.

Romain brought Gevra to an experimental paddy field and had her bless the rice, hoping her magic would improve crops and help feed Origin City’s growing population. Gevra collapsed after casting her spell five times, and Romain planned to use her power to improve crops and breeding stock.

• Romain led Gevra into the experimental paddy field and encouraged her to use her magic on the rice.
• Gevra blessed the rice five times, then collapsed from exhaustion into Romain’s arms.
• Romain considered the benefits of blessing crops rather than people, since crops could provide faster returns and feed more residents.
• Romain continued improving food production through land reclamation, crop development, and Gevra’s blessings on selected breeding animals.

Romain weighed the food shortage against the possibility of trading arrows for more slaves, then focused on increasing rice production with Gevra’s blessings. After limiting her workload and asking Shasta about ways to support her, he searched for other ways to expand farming as a torrential rainstorm approached.

• Romain realized that Origin City’s million jin of grain would feed its nearly fifty thousand people for less than a month, so he could not afford to acquire more slaves despite his ability to produce arrows.
• Romain praised Gevra for blessing the experimental rice field, kissed her, and carried her back to the manor after she fell asleep from exhaustion.
• Romain asked Shasta whether Witch Forest could help Gevra; Shasta warned that supporting spells could worsen her exhaustion and that witches who overused their power could weaken prematurely.
• Romain decided Gevra would bless fifty mu of rice fields and planned to use the harvested seeds to expand cultivation next year.
• Romain studied the system’s weather forecast while searching for ways to increase food production and saw that a torrential rainstorm was approaching.

As torrential rain continued over Origin City, Romain checked the paddies and then discovered signs that a flood might be coming. He summoned thousands of laborers to dig diversion channels, leaving the city to prepare for disaster despite uncertainty about whether flooding would occur.

• Romain inspected the rice fields during the downpour, and Mol assured him that the drainage work was being handled.
• After waking and checking the weather, Romain feared a flood and ordered Seth to gather people.
• Messengers rode through Origin City, summoning residents from its settlements.
• Romain explained the flood threat to officials, who passed the warning down to the farmers.
• Seven thousand laborers ate at the Great Kitchen, then took shovels and hoes to dig channels for diverting floodwaters.

Romain mobilized workers and the army to dig a flood channel to the Bro River as torrential rain threatened the basin’s farmland. The channel was completed on the fifth day, diverting the floodwaters, but the seven-day storm left Romain exhausted and the threat of disease remained.

• Romain inspected the flooded fields, found a suitable route to the Bro River, and ordered workers to dig a flood channel despite the rain and rocky ground.
• When the rain continued into the night, Romain kept the workers camped near the site so they could resume work at dawn.
• Realizing that torrential rain would last another day, Romain rode to the barracks and called on the troops to fight the flood.
• Aaron, Green, Nathson, Kao, Dick, Dota, Luca, and other commanders led their brigades and units out to help dig.
• The army worked alongside the laborers, and Romain’s crews broke through to the river on the fifth day, diverting floodwater after it had submerged nearly half the farmland.
• After the seven-day flood, Romain and the workers were exhausted, and disease remained a danger.

Romain contained an epidemic among the flood control teams by isolating the sick and using garlic-derived Allicin, then rewarded the War Knights, Witches, soldiers, and workers for their efforts. The flood crisis had eased, and he arranged soap and clothing for those who had helped.

• Romain isolated sick flood control workers and distilled Allicin from Origin City's garlic, reducing the severity of the spreading illnesses.
• Romain taught the hospital staff to prepare Allicin daily and left the care of the more than a thousand infected workers to others.
• After sleeping nearly a day and night, Romain promised the War Knights and Witches Medals of Honor, extra soap, and an additional set of clothes for the soldiers.
• Jimmy told Romain that he had given each flood control worker an IOU slip, and Romain ordered him to give each worker five bars of soap as a reward.

Romain planned how to employ the newly literate children and establish department stores to recover some of his spending by selling goods to Origin City's craftsmen. Seth learned what the stores would carry, including soap, beer, food, clothing, and furniture.

• Jimmy reported that most epidemic victims were out of danger but still needed a few days before returning to work, and Romain told him to handle the soap business.
• Romain decided to assign the four hundred children who passed literacy tests to simple reading, writing, messenger, and clerk duties before considering them for future promotions.
• Romain summoned Seth and announced plans to open several department stores in Origin City to bring money back into circulation.
• Romain explained that the stores would target craftsmen, who had wages but few places to spend them, and listed goods such as soap, beer, malt sugar, meat, cheese, cakes, clothes, and furniture.
• Seth learned that Romain planned to sell affordable beer and food, along with soap priced at a Quarter Copper Coin for two bars or one Copper Coin for eight.

Romain learned that Divine Realm and Azure Moon had entered a full-scale war, while the Monster Beast Witch reported that the Prophet had offered help to strengthen Gevra’s spellcasting. Romain refused to send Gevra to Azure Moon, and the war remained deadlocked at Moonfall City as Azure Moon’s secret societies prepared to fight.

• The Monster Beast Witch told Romain that the Prophet would send an assistant witch to help Gevra and recommended sending her to Azure Moon to awaken her potential.
• Romain rejected the suggestion because he feared losing Gevra, then learned that Azure Moon and Divine Realm were at war.
• The Azure Moon Queen asked the Black Iron royal family and three dukes to mediate, but their replies demanded concessions or called for witches to be handed over.
• Divine Realm’s army advanced toward Moonfall City after the Conqueror’s Order collapsed, while Azure Moon’s defenses and the city’s formidable walls brought the invasion to a stalemate.
• The Monster Beast Witch told Romain that Azure Moon’s secret societies would join the fighting, since the invasion threatened their work and their homeland.

As war and flooding disrupted both Divine Realm and Cangyue, five badly injured Witches arrived at Romain’s territory and pledged loyalty to him. Romain tested their abilities against his War Knights and saw how formidable the Witches were, while his own strength remained uncertain.

• The Monster Beast Witch told Romain that floods had spread across Cangyue and Black Iron Land, worsening the war and delaying the support Witch.
• The Monster Beast Witch introduced the five surviving severely injured Witches—Vita, Frina, Kaila, Martina, and Ilsa—and Romain welcomed them without demanding immediate work.
• Vita and the other Witches pledged loyalty to Romain and thanked him for taking them in.
• Romain arranged an exercise in which the injured Witches defeated most of his War Knights, demonstrating their powerful spells and combat skills.
• Martina overpowered Green in a strength test, and Romain reflected that his own physical strength had improved despite his lack of training.

Romain’s army grew stronger as he recruited Apostles, while he worked with Witch Forest to lay the groundwork for a spellcaster legion. After praising Gevra for blessing the fields despite her burden, he embraced her, and she felt happy and loved.

• Jet and the army attributed their rapid transformation to a blessing from Romain, whom Jet suspected of using powerful alchemy.
• Romain discussed the shortage of magical resources and Witch Forest’s plans to help find people with spellcasting potential.
• Romain hoped to establish the beginnings of a spellcaster legion and considered how Witches could serve in his military.
• Romain found Gevra feeding her donkey, and she named it Ami before asking when she could eat it.
• Gevra told Romain she had blessed seven mu of fields in the rain, and he praised her while promising that their hardships would eventually ease.
• Romain embraced Gevra, and she laughed with joy as she rested against him.

After planning a large ranch, Romain negotiated with Scarhead to take in the Pirate King's flood-displaced slaves at a reduced price. More than three hundred pirate Longships arrived with the people, giving Romain workers for the ranch as war between the pirates and Gale neared a final battle.

• Shasta took the exhausted Gevra from Romain, while she reflected on Origin City's labor and development.
• Aki told Romain that the ranch could support thousands of livestock but needed at least seven thousand workers to develop quickly.
• Romain ordered the ranch road rebuilt and spent five days preparing a detailed development plan with Aki.
• Finn told Romain that floods had left ten or twenty thousand people homeless, and Romain agreed to take them at forty percent below the usual price, with sick slaves at twenty percent.
• Finn asked whether Romain would trade slaves for grain, but Romain refused.
• More than three hundred pirate Longships brought the slaves to Origin City, where Romain deployed soldiers to help receive them.

Romain managed Origin City's sudden influx of patients and new slaves while pushing construction and agriculture forward. After the first rice harvest, he described to Gevra a future in which everyone in Origin City could eat well and live without hunger or cold.

• Origin City took in more than nineteen thousand people, including four thousand patients, and Romain placed the patients in quarantine while imposing strict food rations.
• Seth registered the new arrivals and assigned them to labor as the Construction Team rushed to build Meadow Pasture through the summer heat.
• After a brief downpour, Romain inspected the first rice harvest, which yielded about one hundred jin per mu, and ordered the paddies replanted for a second crop.
• Romain shared the rice with Origin City's officials, and Gevra told him she wanted her mother to taste it.
• Romain promised Gevra that everyone in Origin City would one day have plentiful, delicious food and would no longer suffer from hunger or cold.

Romain pressed ahead with Origin City’s reclamation and food production plans despite the summer heat, while Gevra’s blessing work remained limited by her weakness. In July, Leisa Silvermoon arrived from Azure Moon with a message from the Prophetess Witch warning that the Church’s gaze had turned toward the river valley.

• Gevra had blessed twenty mu of rice paddies and could now bless only one mu every three or four days, so Romain set her a goal of fifty mu for the year.
• Romain planned to reclaim two thousand mu of irrigated fields and seven thousand mu of wasteland while transforming Meadow Pasture, with roughly fourteen thousand people working on construction and reclamation.
• In July, Romain kept the workers laboring through the heat and had newly reclaimed wasteland fertilized and planted with vegetables and forage crops.
• Leisa Silvermoon arrived in Origin City after traveling from Witch Forest in Azure Moon, escorted by guards and then carried by Shalulu’s Giant Eagle.
• Leisa greeted Romain on behalf of the Prophetess Witch and warned him that the Church’s gaze had descended upon the river valley.

Romain accepted Lyra’s pledge of loyalty and assigned her to help Gevra use her fate-rewriting spell to improve rice and wheat farming. Lyra arrived expecting a more important role, but began considering how to settle into Romain’s well-organized territory.

• Lyra told Romain that the Church had likely discovered the Witches’ location, then pledged to serve him if he protected them from the Church.
• Romain summoned Gevra and asked Lyra to assist her with her spell, which he identified as rewriting fate.
• Lyra protested that she was only a low-level Witch, and Edith explained that Lyra’s Innate Spell amplified another Witch’s ability.
• Romain learned that Lyra was known as Lyra the Amplifier and ordered her to stay by Gevra’s side to help with farming.
• Lyra approached Gevra while wondering why Romain sheltered Witches, then surveyed the orderly fields and paths around the manor.

Romain openly sheltered the Witches and defied the Church, prompting the Holy See to brand him a blasphemer and organize a holy war. He captured a makeshift Faithful Army, while the Church’s regular punitive force was expected to arrive the following month.

• Lyra used moonlight to strengthen Gevra’s spell, impressing Romain with its increased range.
• Romain rejected the priest’s offer to hand over the Witches, and the priest’s Amethyst revealed Gevra and Lyra as Witches.
• Romain declared that the gods could come punish him as the Witches passed the priest, laughing and chatting.
• The Holy See spread word that Romain was sheltering Witches, and the Church and its allies organized a twenty-thousand-strong Holy War Army.
• Several outside priests led a makeshift Faithful Army against Romain, who captured nearly three thousand men and seized their ships.
• Romain learned that more attackers remained stranded without ships, and that the Church’s regular punitive army would not arrive until the next month.