Chapter Summaries

Ryan outmaneuvered the Marquis of Northwind by securing the Divine Tusk Key and arguing that the Otherworldly Plane was Count Weiss’s war compensation, not Imperial land. He waited with the other nobles to bargain for their territories in exchange for letting the marquis share access to the plane.

• The Marquis of Northwind invoked the Imperial House’s right to reclaim Count Weiss’s lands, warning the nobles against colluding with the Church.
• Ryan took the Divine Tusk Key and claimed the Otherworldly Plane and key were compensation Count Weiss had granted him and two counts, then asked the marquis to accommodate their future visits.
• Koresna realized Ryan had trapped him into acknowledging that the plane and key were spoils outside the lands the Imperial House could reclaim, and angrily called Ryan cunning.
• Ryan stayed with the nobles in a barony and said they were waiting for the other nobles, especially the two counts, to join their negotiations.
• Ryan proposed letting the marquis develop the Otherworldly Plane with them in return for restoring land that had already belonged to the nobles, and the nobles welcomed the plan.

Ryan opposed the Marquis of Northwind to reclaim the nobles’ lands, using the dispute to unite Northwind Province’s minor nobles under his influence. After the marquis returned the lands in exchange for the Divine Key, the nobles divided up territory in the Otherworldly Plane, with Ryan securing an area for Frozen Earth Territory.

• Lord Horla and Knight Badley left after the two counts abandoned Ryan, and several other nobles also departed rather than oppose the marquis.
• Ryan and the remaining nobles returned to Thundercloud Mountain, where he demanded that the Marquis of Northwind restore the land taken from them.
• Ryan refused to surrender the nobles’ claims, arguing that the land belonged to them and that the Otherworldly Plane’s wealth could not justify the marquis taking everything.
• The Marquis of Northwind agreed to return the nobles’ lands as a transaction but kept the Divine Key, while Ryan acknowledged the key’s role in limiting the counts’ armies.
• The counts joined the nobles in dividing territory in the Otherworldly Plane after Ryan’s role as commander-in-chief was voided.
• Ryan stopped Viscount Hogg from claiming a Native tribe’s territory because Frozen Earth Territory had a contract with them.

Ryan negotiated to limit access to the Otherworldly Plane and focused on gathering firewood while the other nobles hunted for valuables. He returned to Frozen Earth Territory with a huge stockpile, unaware that Cao’s tribe had found gold to give him.

• Marquis of Northwind revealed that the divine key’s power would last at most ten years, and Ryan proposed opening the gate once every ten days.
• Ryan told Baron Enzo that he was having his soldiers cut firewood because Frozen Earth Territory needed large supplies for winter.
• Ten days later, the nobles left the Otherworldly Plane with their gains, while Ryan took home a mountain of firewood.
• Cao led Azure Lion Tribe Natives to uncover gold and ordered them to hide it for Ryan, their friend.
• Ryan returned to Zero Crossing Prefecture, reflecting that his ability to grant divine blessings gave him an advantage with the Natives.

Ryan organized Frozen Earth Territory’s land reclamation and army recruitment while enjoying a period of comfort. When soldiers found a dead Church priest near his territory, Ryan ordered the body burned to avoid drawing the Church into the Empire’s ongoing war.

• Ryan praised Beard’s farmland report and offered to forgive five hundred Gold Coins of debt once the reclaimed land had been maintained for a year.
• Beard reported that Baronet Azur had joined Ryan’s trade route but planned to wait for Mage Yelena’s research before reclaiming land.
• Brandt presented two hundred recruits and named four centurion candidates, while Ryan set rules for choosing the remaining officers and requiring them to study.
• Ryan enjoyed the territory’s progress and expected the Viscount Melendez Family to pay for its earlier fruit-wine shipment.
• Soldiers discovered a dead Church missionary who was a priest, and Ryan ordered the corpse taken away and burned.
• Ryan decided to deny the incident if the Church accused him, arguing that a truth judgment would challenge the Empire’s nobles.

Ryan learned that the Marquis of Northwind was spreading the Empire’s Faith of Light in Northwind Province and discovered the bark books used to teach it contained carefully arranged Soul Magic. After Mage Luna identified the books’ crude alchemical construction, Ryan proposed reviving her Mage Tower.

• A red-haired Archbishop led her followers south, declaring that Missionary Buffett had died at the hands of the Marquis of Northwind and that the Empire should be purified for crossing her god.
• A soldier reported to Ryan that the Marquis of Northwind’s servants had given books to people in Thundercloud County.
• Ryan examined the books and recognized their teachings as nearly identical to The Church’s doctrine, with the Lord of Dawn renamed the God of Light.
• Ryan concluded that the Empire was using Northwind Province as a testing ground to spread the Faith of Light through the Marquis of Northwind.
• Mage Luna detected traces of Soul Magic on the bark books and said their crude construction likely involved an alchemist’s method.
• Ryan told Mage Luna that her Mage Tower might be put back on the agenda.

Archbishop Adriana confronted the Marquis of Northwind, demanding that the Empire answer for Father Buffett’s death and punish his killer. The Marquis denied responsibility and had Knight Mulan eject the Church delegation, so Adriana set out to uncover the truth.

• The Marquis of Northwind claimed to be an Apostle of Light and ordered Archbishop Adriana to obey him, but she calmly rejected his claim.
• The Marquis summoned the Legendary Knight Mulan to threaten the Church missionaries, while Adriana declared that the Empire must answer for Father Buffett’s death.
• The Marquis accused the Church of framing the Empire and ordered Mulan to kill the delegation, but Mulan stopped after noticing Adriana’s Church-issued recording device.
• Mulan carried the Church delegation out of the hall and threw them to the foot of Thundercloud Mountain.
• Adriana questioned whether the Marquis had truly killed Father Buffett, then vowed to find the real killer and make the Empire acknowledge the crime.

Count Soron explained to his children why he had arranged the missionary’s murder and why Baron Ryan would help keep the truth hidden. The Church’s party entered Zero Crossing Prefecture, near the place where Father Buffett’s body had been found.

• Count Soron dismissed Fidel and Kash’s confidence that the murder would remain undiscovered, explaining that the Church could use divine arts to question the dead.
• Count Soron argued that Baron Ryan would obstruct the Church’s investigation to protect his own secrets, and revealed that a Grand Mage from the Magic Academy had become Ryan’s retained mage.
• Count Soron said he had killed the missionary to weaken the Marquis of Northwind and divert suspicion toward Baron Ryan and Count Winter, who both employed Catfolk Assassins.
• Count Soron privately celebrated his plan while the Church’s party entered Zero Crossing Prefecture and a missionary lamented that Father Buffett had died near their earlier route through the Northlands.

Ryan received Archbishop Adriana and her missionaries, who sought the person responsible for Father Buffett’s death and asked to search Frozen Earth Territory. Their meeting shifted when Ryan read a passage in a sacred book and the Church revealed that he had understood its Divine Language.

• Ryan welcomed Archbishop Adriana and the missionaries, praising the dawn deity while insisting he was not a believer.
• The missionaries explained that Father Buffett had died and that divine arts had traced his body to the edge of Frozen Earth Territory.
• Ryan denied killing a Church member and refused to let the missionaries search his lands, citing the danger of angering the Empire.
• Adriana offered Ryan a sacred book as compensation for his cooperation, and Ryan instinctively read its Divine Language aloud.
• Adriana told Ryan that only those favored by the deity could understand Divine Language, which helped Church members advance into missionaries and wield divine arts.

Ryan accepted the Morning Radiance Bible and thirty portions of holy water from Archbishop Adriana, then sent Beard with the missionaries to investigate Father Buffett’s cremated remains. The Archbishop’s divine art revealed that Buffett had died from a wound through the heart, leaving Ryan wondering whether the death resembled his own past injury.

• Archbishop Adriana urged Ryan to join The Church, but Ryan refused and accepted the Morning Radiance Bible only after receiving thirty portions of holy water.
• Ryan sent Beard with the missionaries to the place where Father Buffett had been cremated and buried beneath the snow.
• Beard explained that Ryan had arranged the burial to protect himself from political enemies, and the missionaries believed he had honored The Church’s traditions.
• Archbishop Adriana used divine art on Buffett’s ashes and determined that he had died from cardiac hemorrhaging caused by something piercing his heart.
• Ryan heard the result, recalled his own heart-piercing wound, and wondered whether the two cases were connected.

Ryan investigated who had planted a Church missionary’s corpse in his territory and confronted the Marquis of Northwind with evidence of the Church’s influence. Their meeting ended with Ryan comparing the Church’s Morning Radiance Bible to the marquis’s preaching book, leaving the marquis humiliated and Ryan suspicious of rumors targeting him.

• Ryan concluded that one or both of two marquises had arranged the corpse’s discovery to undermine the Marquis of Northwind, then rode to Thundercloud County.
• The Marquis of Northwind accused Ryan of betraying the Empire after Ryan showed him the Church’s Morning Radiance Bible.
• Ryan claimed the Church had found the missionary’s corpse in his territory and urged the marquis to retaliate against the Andara Kingdom.
• The Marquis of Northwind asked whether Ryan had killed Father Buffett and repeated rumors linking Ryan to the deaths of two viscounts.
• Ryan challenged the marquis for preaching the God of Light in his territory without informing him, then compared the marquis’s book with the Church’s Bible.

Ryan persuaded the Marquis of Northwind to test birch-bark books as vessels for the Empire’s Faith of Light, hoping to counter the Church and secure a lucrative supply deal. After leaving the castle, Ryan realized the struggle over faith was an economic war and decided to offer the marquis benefits to lock in the contract.

• Ryan criticized the marquis’s crude scripture and argued that an ancient-looking book would better represent the eternal God of Light.
• Ryan gave the Marquis of Northwind a birch-bark book made with techniques from Mage Luna, and the marquis agreed to send it to the Grand Cathedral of Light for evaluation.
• The marquis promised that if the book worked, the cathedral would buy all such materials from Frozen Earth Territory, provided Ryan sold them to no one else.
• On his way to the Otherworldly Plane gate, Ryan wondered whether the marquis knew about the Andara Kingdom’s Feather Dragon Legion and considered how the Empire might counter the Church.
• Ryan concluded that the conflict was an economic war fueled by the lack of divine miracles and resolved to give the marquis benefits to secure the supply quota.

Ryan absorbed the Dawn Doctrine’s divine power and gained nearly five thousand Spirituality, while Archbishop Adriana mistook him for a new follower of the God of Light and planned to send him a letter. In the Otherworldly Plane, Cao asked Ryan for blessings and weapons after warning that a god had roared from the Mountain Forest, and Ryan agreed to support the Azure Lion Tribe.

• Ryan absorbed the Divine Language from the Dawn Doctrine, gaining Spirituality and the blessings of the Deer Spirit and Horse Spirit.
• Archbishop Adriana and her missionaries believed Ryan had become a follower of the God of Light, and Adriana decided to send him a letter urging him to keep his faith hidden.
• Ryan considered using his Spirituality to strengthen his soldiers and Northern Warhorses, and resolved to find a way to obtain more copies of the Dawn Doctrine.
• Cao presented Ryan with Gold Mine ore and Amber Jade, then asked for blessings and powerful weapons for the Azure Lion Tribe.
• Cao told Ryan that a god had roared from deep within the Mountain Forest and would eat fierce beasts and even mountains.
• Ryan agreed to advance part of the payment for the tribe’s next offering and offered the Azure Lion Tribe support from his army.

Ryan stayed with the Azure Lion Tribe as magical beasts across the Mountain Forest World panicked and fled from an overwhelming presence. After the tremors subsided, he set out to investigate the supposed god and found a shattered mountain rich in Magic Crystals, with signs that an enormous creature had devoured them.

• Ryan learned that the Azure Lion Tribe clashed with soldiers from other tribes and watched its people pray for a god to devour the invaders.
• A magical Azure Lion roared, and magical beasts and ordinary beasts across the Mountain Forest World fled in terror, causing a massive stampede.
• Ryan and his soldiers stayed in the tribe; they hunted a few weak beasts and shared most of the meat with the Natives.
• On the third day, a thunderous roar and terrifying divine pressure shook the region, and the tremors continued for three days and nights.
• After six days, Ryan called Brandt and Cao and set out with Native guides to investigate.
• Ryan found a mountain peak partly torn apart, its Magic Crystals mostly shattered, and enormous footprints around it.

Ryan tracked the Azure Lion through the Mountain Forest and discovered it had been hiding close by. He wounded it in a clash, and his soldiers surrounded the third-rank beast as the hunt continued.

• Ryan noticed that the enormous bite in the mountain did not match the size of the beast's footprints and wondered whether a Grace Bearer had caused the upheaval.
• Cao found fresh droppings that led Ryan and his forces toward the Azure Lion's nearby location.
• The Azure Lion ambushed Ryan from a hundred meters away, but Ryan struck it with Snow Dragon's Roar and wounded its front paw.
• Brandt and the soldiers closed in on the Azure Lion while Ryan ordered them to preserve its valuable hide.
• Ryan judged the Azure Lion to be a divinely empowered third-rank magic beast and realized his strength rivaled that of most Golden Knights.

Ryan’s expedition defeated the Azure Lion, rescued a cub, and returned from the Otherworldly Plane with spoils and casualties. Back in Thundercloud County, the Marquis of Northwind welcomed Ryan and discussed the Faith of Light.

• Brandt and his hundred Squire Knights killed the Azure Lion, and Ryan accepted responsibility for being caught off guard.
• Ryan healed injured soldiers with holy water, impressing the Natives, while Brandt killed a lioness and Ryan claimed its Azure Lion cub as a Second Generation Demon.
• The expedition returned through the portal to Thundercloud County, where the Marquis of Northwind was relieved to see Ryan alive and envied his haul of magical beasts.
• Ryan gave the Marquis a portion of the spoils, and the marquis said he had sent a letter south about Ryan’s view that Light was ancient.

Ryan weighed Frozen Earth Territory’s development, handled its civil affairs, and read letters about Amber Jade, military assistance, and the Dawn Doctrine. A Church missionary’s letter revealed that the Church had detected Ryan using the Dawn Doctrine, leaving him considering how to respond.

• Ryan decided against large-scale mining in the Otherworldly Plane and considered ways to gain influence there while managing threats in Northwind Province.
• Ryan reviewed Aethelred’s civil affairs proposals, addressed repayment of commoners’ debts, and approved a path for talented slaves to earn freedom.
• Steward Beard brought Ryan a letter from the Clayton Family and news that the caravan had returned from Galle Province.
• Count Clayton explained Amber Jade’s value and warned that it could contain ancient treasures, and Ryan considered selling it to the Clayton Family.
• Nobles in Northwind Province asked Ryan to lead their army against Otherworldly beasts, but he refused and cited trouble involving a dead Church priest.
• A Church missionary sent Ryan a letter welcoming him as a believer while warning him to conceal his identity, and Ryan began writing a reply with killing intent in his eyes.

Ryan sent letters to manipulate the Marquis of Northwind and the two counts over The Church’s investigation into a missionary’s death, while The Church sent Sico to preach openly in Iron Mountain County. Ryan ordered the Catfolk Assassin to kill Sico, hoping to provoke the Marquis of Northwind into action.

• Ryan wrote a secret letter warning the Marquis of Northwind that The Church’s missionaries were infiltrating the province and a second letter urging a viscount to focus on Northwind Province.
• Ryan sent letters to Count Winter and Count Soron to sow suspicion between them over the missionary killed in Frozen Earth Territory.
• Ryan planned to use blessings for the Azure Lion Tribe and possibly the Black Bear Tribe to strengthen their ties to Frozen Earth Territory.
• A missionary named Sico went to preach in Iron Mountain County, alarming the nobles and leaving Viscount Walter unable to stop him.
• Ryan recognized that The Church had likely granted Sico cleric status and ordered the Catfolk Assassin to kill him.

Iron Mountain County’s nobles discussed redirecting Priest Sico, a missionary of The Church, rather than risk provoking either The Church or the Empire. As Sico healed a farmer’s broken arm and drew in onlookers, a Catfolk Assassin killed him in a surprise strike, and Sico recognized the power that had killed Father Buffett.

• Viscount Walter and the other nobles debated how to deal with Priest Sico and settled on sending him toward Viscount Landa’s weakened domain.
• Priest Sico preached on the Mountain Road Continent and used divine arts to heal and comfort passersby.
• A young man asked Sico to heal his injured father, and Sico mended the man’s broken arm.
• As Sico finished healing the farmer, a Catfolk Assassin emerged from the shadows and pierced his skull with a thin sword.
• The assassin fled without checking his work, while Sico realized that the attack came from the power that had killed Father Buffett.

The Marquis of Northwind’s conflict with The Church escalated as thousands of Light Pioneers arrived to claim land and spread the Faith of Light. Ryan learned that Valente Meyers and Count Winter’s nephew had died on their way to take office in Glimmer Territory.

• Viscount Walter’s soldiers found a message denouncing blasphemers beneath the murdered missionary’s body, and Archbishop Adriana returned to question the Marquis of Northwind.
• Count Winter suspected Miao Ya of arranging the missionary’s murder and resolved to strike back, while Count Soron recognized Ryan’s warning as part of a political game.
• The Archbishop’s divine arts clashed with a powerful knight on Thundercloud Mountain before the Marquis of Northwind withdrew from the confrontation.
• More than ten thousand people entered Northwind Province, including one hundred noble descendants who presented Pioneer Orders and became Light Pioneers.
• The Marquis of Northwind distributed subjects among twenty-three baronets and promoted loyalty to the Columbus Imperial Family as the incarnation of the God of Light.
• Ryan received news that Valente Meyers and Count Winter’s nephew had died on their way to take office in Glimmer Territory.

Ryan questioned Alfie about who had killed Valente Meyers as Archbishop Adriana confronted the Black Swan, Church agents acting under the Pope’s orders. The agents set out to test Ryan, leaving his life in danger.

• Alfie told Ryan that Valente Meyers was a Golden Knight and a celebrated member of the Mayers Family, and Ryan suspected Church agents had killed him.
• Adriana rebuked the Black Swan for killing Valente without her permission, but the cloaked agent said the Pope had ordered the killing of blasphemers.
• The agent explained that Church forces had suffered heavy losses in the southern war, including Archbishop Miranda, and that the Empire had sent ten Extraordinary Legions into Thousand Lakes Province.
• The Black Swan refused Adriana’s authority and said its mission was to kill Light Pioneers; Adriana warned the agents not to touch Baron Ryan.
• The Black Swan decided to find Ryan and test whether he was a White Swan or a Black Swan, while its agents moved through the forest and killed a rabbit.