Chapter Summaries

As the Shadowflame Grand Duchy prepared for the Snow Demon Legion, Meryl worried over Roman and Russell while Roland proposed moving Russell’s sprites to safety. On the battlefield, the dragon and Snow Giant Da began a titanic fight near Lightning Rod Point, leaving Russell and the knights struggling to withstand their power and see the battle through the storm.

• Meryl and Laura prayed for Roman and Russell, and Roland reported on the territory before proposing to bring Russell’s sprites to Fluorite Castle for protection.
• Meryl accused Roland of trying to seize Russell’s sprites, but he insisted he only wanted to keep them safe; they reconciled after he explained why he could not join his father and brother on the battlefield.
• Princess Kunlaya worried about her brother and Lord Shadowflame, while Princess Anxia told her to eat and criticized her brother for relying on others.
• When the horns sounded, Roman led the Guangguang River Valley knights into battle and received orders to draw the Snow Demon Legion away from Lightning Rod Point.
• Russell felt the combined pressure of the Shadowflame Dragon’s and Snow Giant Da’s might, followed Roman’s orders to calm his Battle Aura, and watched the two giants clash through the storm.

The Knight Orders fought off the Snow Demons while Grand Duke Kunsitan and Count Merlin led the army supporting the Shadowflame Dragon's battle with Snow Giant Da. The giant and dragon remained locked in a brutal clash, and Snow Giant Da tore open the dragon's wing.

• The Knight Orders blocked the Snow Demons from reaching the battlefield, while the Wyvern Knights attacked Snow Giant Da with Dragon Breath.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan joined the fighting, rallied the knights, and cut a Great Snow Ghost in half; Count Merlin watched and reconsidered his judgment of his former student.
• Count Merlin directed the Knight Orders through the day and into the evening, then exchanged a brief glance with Russell as he flew over the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order.
• Snow Giant Da struck a wyvern out of the sky, and the Shadowflame Dragon seized the opening to melt half the giant's neck with dragonfire.
• Snow Giant Da threw the Shadowflame Dragon down and tore open one of his wings, leaving it badly damaged.

Count Merlin and the Wyverns fought to save the wounded Shadowflame Dragon from Snow Giant Da while the Knight Orders battled through the snow. After a day of combat, the exhausted Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order heard an unfamiliar dragon roar from the dark horizon, and Baron Roman believed reinforcements from the Scorching Torrent Kingdom meant the battle was nearing its end.

• Count Merlin and Mercedes attacked Snow Giant Da’s eyes, giving the Shadowflame Dragon an opening to knock him down and attack his neck.
• Snow Giant Da stabbed the Shadowflame Dragon’s abdomen, reopening the dragon’s old injury, and the Wyverns joined Count Merlin in charging to its aid.
• Russell led the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order through deep snow while Grand Duke Kunsitan advanced with the Dragon Blood Knights and rallied them to victory.
• After charging until midnight, the Knight Orders rested and received supplies, including valuable spirit potions from Red Castle.
• The Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order heard a powerful unfamiliar dragon roar, and Baron Roman told Russell that reinforcements had arrived and the battle seemed close to ending.

The Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order fought a Mounted Blue Skin while the other Knight Orders suffered surprise attacks across the battlefield. Grand Duke Kunsitan was killed when another Mounted Blue Skin burst from beneath the Ice Cap, leaving the Dragon Blood Knights charging toward certain death.

• A Torrent Dragon arrived to support the Shadowflame Grand Duchy, and Count Merlin ordered the Knight Orders to resume fighting.
• A Mounted Blue Skin riding a huge tiger-like Snow Beast emerged beneath the Ice Cap and blocked the Gloomlight River Valley Knight Order's advance.
• Baron Roman ordered Lord Ross to engage the Mounted Blue Skin, while Russell and the knights attacked and Polly fought off Snow Ghosts.
• Mounted Blue Skins ambushed Knight Orders across the battlefield, causing heavy losses and scattering a Knight Order from Mountain Province.
• Grand Duke Kunsitan rushed toward the battlefield's center to claim glory, but a Mounted Blue Skin pierced his warhorse and split him in two.
• The Dragon Blood Knights cried out for revenge and charged the Mounted Blue Skin without regard for their lives.

The Torrent Dragon arrived and drove Snow Giant Da from the battlefield, but the Shadowflame Dragon was too badly wounded to pursue. Count Merlin then learned that Grand Duke Kunsitan had been killed in an ambush, while the Shadowflame Dragon mourned his death in solitude.

• The Torrent Dragon emerged from the fog, and Snow Giant Da fled before it could join the battle.
• The Torrent Dragon pursued Snow Giant Da as the injured Shadowflame Dragon tried and failed to follow.
• Marquis Arno Lieyang told Count Merlin that the Torrent Dragon would handle Snow Giant Da and revealed he had come to aid the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.
• A Wyvern Knight reported that Grand Duke Kunsitan had been killed in a Riding Blue Skin ambush, and Count Merlin rushed to the Dragon Blood Knights.
• Left alone in the dark, the Shadowflame Dragon remembered three generations of Dragon Knights and wept for Kunsitan.

After the battle, Russell helped clear the snowfield and learned of the losses, including John and Grand Duke Kunsitan, while Torrent Dragon's attack left Snow Giant Da crippled. At camp, Russell approached the wounded Shadowflame Dragon, who suddenly opened his eyes and fixed his gaze on him.

• Torrent Dragon returned with news that Snow Giant Da had escaped, but had lost an arm and crucial power to the dragon.
• Russell ordered Eric to safeguard John's belongings and arrange compensation for his family, then rode to camp to pay his respects to Grand Duke Kunsitan.
• Russell struggled with the constant Phantom Beast Whispers and discussed them with Unicorn Polly as they crossed the snowfield.
• Russell reached camp and saw the wounded Shadowflame Dragon resting while the Knight Orders gathered to mourn Grand Duke Kunsitan.
• Lord Welch warned Russell not to disturb Shadowflame Dragon, but the dragon opened his eyes and stared directly at Russell.

Russell narrowly avoided provoking the Shadowflame Dragon, then learned that the Torrent Dragon’s intervention and Grand Duke Kunsitan’s death had left the Shadowflame Grand Duchy facing an uncertain future. He ended the chapter wondering who would succeed Kunsitan as Grand Duke.

• The Shadowflame Dragon scrutinized Russell, then roared at the Torrent Dragon before settling back to sleep, and Russell retreated from its presence.
• Russell overheard Swan Baron Kunbif and Marquis Arno discuss the Shadowflame Dragon’s lost hope and the Torrent Dragon’s actions, but he could not make sense of their remarks.
• Russell paid his respects to Grand Duke Kunsitan’s mutilated corpse and reflected on how easily he could have died in battle.
• Baron Roman told Russell that their Knight Order had suffered relatively few losses and warned him to focus on earning achievements as the Grand Duchy entered difficult times.
• Russell asked who would succeed Grand Duke Kunsitan, a question that concerned the nobles of the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

After Grand Duke Kunsitan died in battle, the High Nobles debated who could succeed him while Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya came to mourn. The chapter left Russell reflecting on the dead and on the responsibilities he owed to his people.

• Count Oscro raised the succession crisis, and the High Nobles argued over how to choose a new grand duke.
• The High Nobles acknowledged that the Shadowflame Dragon's recognition would decide who could join the direct bloodline and inherit.
• Princess Anxia and Princess Kunlaya arrived at Grand Duke Kunsitan's coffin as snow fell over the assembled knights.
• Count Merlin knelt before Princess Anxia and blamed himself for failing her, while she grieved over her son's body.
• Princess Anxia stopped Princess Kunlaya from looking at her brother's remains and handed her to the maids.
• Russell remembered his retainer John and resolved to tell John's family of his death himself.

After Grand Duke Kunsitan’s remains were scattered, Princess Anxia swore revenge on Snow Giant Da and rallied the Shadowflame knights, only for the Shadowflame Dragon to say it wanted to sleep. Russell stayed behind on the snowy plain to wait for the dragon to recover, then left his tent at night to meet someone.

• Grand Duke Kunsitan’s coffin was burned to ashes, and Princess Anxia wept before rallying herself with support from her daughter and the nobles.
• Princess Anxia swore to behead Snow Giant Da, and the knights echoed her oath as the Shadowflame Dragon woke and looked at Russell.
• Lord Welch translated the dragon’s words: it wanted the knights to keep quiet and let it sleep, leaving them embarrassed and Princess Anxia resentful.
• Count Merlin pledged to follow Princess Anxia and avenge Snow Giant Da, then urged her to return after Kunsitan’s ashes were scattered.
• Russell remained on the snowy plain with Eric after Baron Roman returned to the territory, and Baron Roman encouraged him to build goodwill with the dragon.
• At night, Russell finished Eric’s coffee, left the tent, and told Eric he had an appointment.

Russell met the Shadowflame Dragon at night and learned that Snow Giant Da was still nearby, watching and planning to return. The dragon asked Russell and Snowy to grow under its protection and eventually help defeat Da, then gave Russell a dragon-blood-nurtured wyvern egg.

• Russell met the Shadowflame Dragon and used the M-shaped Mark to understand its magical dragon language.
• The Shadowflame Dragon said Torrent had taken its hope and was occupying its volcano, while Snow Giant Da remained nearby and intended to return.
• The Shadowflame Dragon asked Russell and Snowy to grow under its protection and eventually join it in killing Snow Giant Da and reclaiming its hope.
• Russell asked what the dragon meant by the hope of returning to ancient times, but the Shadowflame Dragon declined to explain further.
• The Shadowflame Dragon gave Russell a wyvern egg and told him to raise it with Hail Beads, then hatch it with dragonflame.

Russell bonded with the Shadowflame Dragon’s undeveloped Wyvern egg and chose to guide it into becoming a Black Oil Dragon. After resting for three days, he watched the Shadowflame Dragon fly back to Shadowflame Volcano and departed the battlefield with the remaining knights.

• Russell reflected on the battle’s consequences and the Shadowflame Dragon’s promise of protection in exchange for helping hunt Snow Giant Da and recover the stolen hope.
• Russell gave the Wyvern egg a drop of blood, forming a contract with its faint consciousness.
• Russell chose the Black Oil Dragon trait and mentally guided the Wyvern toward producing black oil.
• The Dark Dreamscape did not appear for four nights, and the Shadowflame Dragon’s wounds healed on the surface.
• The Shadowflame Dragon flew toward Shadowflame Volcano, and Russell left the battlefield with the remaining knights on Polly.

After the second Battle of the Fall, Russell settled into Swan Castle and explored the Dark Dreamscape with Little Dream Dragon and his companions. Unicorn Polly discovered that her horn could pierce from the dream world into reality and bring objects back into the dream, leaving Russell eager to test what she had retrieved.

• Russell arrived at Swan Castle with the surviving knights and spent the night recovering after the snowfield campaign.
• Russell and his companions explored the Dark Dreamscape and found a glowing object that looked like amber in a nearby marsh.
• Russell decided not to search for the suspected Amber Bug because the marsh was on the Sunflower Family's territory and he could not easily return to the spot.
• Polly pierced the Dream Clone and the dream world with her horn, lifted the amber-like object from reality, and attached it to her horn.
• Russell told Polly to keep the object until morning so they could check whether it had followed her into reality, then led the group onward to search for magical creations.

Russell discovered that Polly’s horn could bring magical objects from the boundary between dreams and reality, then awakened a tick Amber Bug whose ability let him convert Battle Aura and blood vitality. As Russell left Swan Castle with the knights, a distant Torrent Dragon roar raised fears that it had taken something important from the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

• Russell tested Polly’s horn in the Dark Dreamscape and learned it could carry unconscious magical objects along the boundary between dreams and reality.
• Polly found an amber stone stuck to her horn, and Russell identified the tick trapped inside it.
• Russell fed the amber his blood, awakening Tick, who joined his Dream family and could convert Battle Aura into blood vitality and vice versa.
• Russell named Polly’s ability the Dream Horn and discussed her connection to Ice Cream.
• Russell left Swan Castle with the knights as heavy snow continued falling across the muddy roads.
• A distant Torrent Dragon roar reached Russell and the knights, who suspected the dragon had taken something important from the Shadowflame Grand Duchy.

The Torrent Dragon and Shadowflame Dragon reached an agreement that strengthened the Scorching Torrent Kingdom and set the Elder Council to govern while a future Grand Duke was chosen. Russell returned from the Fire Cloud Trade Route, where he parted from the other knights and was urged to meet Lord Boris’s sister.

• Marquis Arno told the Torrent Dragon that the Shadowflame Dragon opposed Princess Kunlaya’s bloodline inheriting the Grand Duke’s position, and the Torrent Dragon ordered him to delay the succession.
• The Torrent Dragon and Shadowflame Dragon negotiated beneath Shadowflame Volcano, then the Torrent Dragon roared after receiving what it wanted.
• Lord Welch announced that Shadowflame had accepted Marquis Arno’s proposal, and Marquis Arno restored the Elder Council and named himself and Princess Anxia to oversee the selection of the future Grand Duke.
• Russell reassured Little Dream Dragon that more Snow Demons would arrive with the Ice Age after they found few on the Fire Cloud Trade Route.
• Russell said farewell to the knights at Volcanic Oasis, and Lord Boris urged him to visit Pitcher Plant Manor and meet his sister.

Russell told Eric that he expected to become a Wyvern Knight and promised him a knighted lord title once he established his own Warm Enclave. After returning to Glimmering Market, Russell learned that three Elected Viscounts would compete to become Grand Duke.

• On the journey home, Russell urged Eric to work toward synchronizing with his Phantom Beast and revealed that he expected to ride the Black Oil Dragon within a year.
• Russell promised Eric that he would make him the first knighted lord under his command after establishing a Warm Enclave, and Eric pledged to work hard.
• During their journey, Russell searched the Dark Dreamscape for treasures and tried unsuccessfully to capture a Phantom Beast.
• At Glimmering Market, Russell learned that Baron Roman had gone to Redcastle and read an edict naming Kunsley Sunflower, Augustus Willow, and Mel Monochoria as Elected Viscounts who would compete for the Grand Duke's position.

Russell considered the candidates for Selecting the Young Master and decided to support his cousin Mel, then encountered his elder brother Roland in Glimmering Market. Roland was preparing to assist their father in Redfort, and the brothers agreed to share dinner and talk about Russell’s battlefield experiences.

• Russell studied the three candidates for Selecting the Young Master and reasoned that he would support Cousin Mel, though he was unsure which nobles would back him.
• Russell took Eric to Glimmering Market to buy gifts and spotted Roland riding through the street.
• Russell found Roland at his courtyard with Bar and learned that their father had joined the Elder Council as Minister of Finance and wanted Roland to assist him in Redfort.
• Roland recognized that Russell had become a Phantom Beast Knight and invited him to dinner to hear about the battlefield.
• Russell accepted Roland’s invitation to eat and drink red wine together.

Russell returned to Fluorite Castle as a Phantom Beast Knight and reunited with his family. He told Madam Meryl that the Shadowflame Dragon had given him a Wyvern egg and planned to establish a Warm Enclave west of Curved Blade Mountain, while asking her to keep the gift secret.

• Russell advised Roland that Lord Ross might have been traumatized by Snow Giant Da and that helping him resolve his turmoil could earn his recognition.
• Two days later, Russell returned to Guangguang River Valley as a Phantom Beast Knight and celebrated with his family at Fluorite Castle.
• Madam Meryl urged Russell to visit her and Laura often, and he promised he would not leave her behind.
• Russell showed Madam Meryl a Wyvern egg from the Shadowflame Dragon and explained that he planned to raise it and create a Warm Enclave west of Curved Blade Mountain.
• Russell asked Madam Meryl to keep the egg secret until his plans were settled, and she agreed.

Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor and arranged a fifty-Gold-Coin compensation payment for the family of John, who had died in battle. The family accepted the money with gratitude, leaving Russell troubled by how readily John's life seemed to have been assigned a price.

• Russell returned to Wuyou Snake Manor and asked Charles and Eric to calculate John's compensation from the battle spoils.
• Charles and Eric valued John's share and compensation at forty Gold Coins, and Russell added ten Gold Coins of his own.
• Russell visited John's family and personally gave his parents fifty Gold Coins, explaining how the payment was calculated.
• John's family knelt and thanked Russell, while their reaction stirred his indignation; he then left their home.
• Charles told Russell that such a response was normal, and Russell advised him to invest in his son's upbringing.

Russell inspected his territory, ordered Charles to find Grove a wife, and learned that fermented fertilizer had significantly increased crop yields. He decided to document and promote the technology through the Grand Scholars' Round Table, while leaving the story with Charles enthusiastically praising Russell's bond with the Shadowflame Dragon.

• Russell tasked Charles with finding a suitable wife for Grove and planned to build up his knightly forces.
• Russell rebuked Charles for secretly changing the custom so subjects knelt to worship him on their first daily meeting.
• Russell inspected the tobacco harvest and learned that the Cloud Mist and Frost Series cigars were still drying.
• Charles reported that crops treated with fermented fertilizer yielded at least thirty percent more, so Russell asked him and Catherine to prepare a report for the Grand Scholars' Round Table.
• Russell warned Charles not to misuse his position with women and reminded him that Katie had resumed cultivating Battle Aura and might become a Great Knight or Phantom Beast Knight.
• Russell declined to pursue the Grand Scholar title, saying he only wanted to promote the fertilizer, strengthen the Grand Duchy, and repay the Shadowflame Dragon.

After returning from the war, Russell oversaw Katie’s training and assigned her to help train Jerry’s mouse squads, then reviewed cigar production and sampled Mrs. Moore’s newly made tofu. He left the factory preparing for a surge in orders and rewarded Mrs. Moore for perfecting the dish.

• Russell praised Katie’s cultivation progress and promised to sponsor more Magic Potions.
• Russell assigned Katie to supervise Jerry as he trained the Treasure Seeking Mouse Squad and the Sentry Mouse Squad.
• Old Hans reported that the Cigar Factory had produced Frost Series Specialty Tobacco and Cloud Mist Series premium tobacco, and Russell ordered continued production and stockpiling.
• Mrs. Moore served Russell tofu she had made with salt water, and Russell rewarded her.