Chapter Summaries

Viscount Dragoon tried to destroy the Miles Family’s army with Baron Kendra’s support, but Gray and the Rage-Potion-enhanced knights broke through his forces. Viscount Miles unleashed the Sword of Zenith, and Dragoon was left dead in the crater.

• Viscount Dragoon revealed that Baron Kendra had betrayed the Miles Family and ordered his army to crush their knights.
• Gray led the barbarians and Rage-Potion-enhanced knights into battle, tearing through Dragoon’s forces and killing two Silver Knights.
• Viscount Dragoon sent four sorcerers to stop Gray, but Gray fought through their spells and reached them.
• Viscount Miles cast the Sword of Zenith while Gray’s thrown axe disrupted Dragoon’s magical barrier.
• Viscount Miles’s spell struck Dragoon, and the knights found him dead in the crater when the light faded.

Viscount Dragoon died in battle against Viscount Miles, and the news sent shockwaves through Northwind Province. As Viscount Miles neared death, he disinherited Kristan Miles and named Rag Miles his heir before seemingly dying.

• The Silver Knight found Viscount Dragoon dead, and Baron Enzo and Baron Kendra ordered their forces to attack the Miles Family's soldiers until nightfall forced both armies to withdraw.
• News spread that Ellis Dragoon had also been killed by an assassin, leading Ryan to conclude that Count Weiss had arranged the assassination.
• The next day, Viscount Miles expelled Kristan Miles from the family after accusing him of improper behavior toward his stepmother.
• Viscount Miles named Rag Miles as his heir, then fell asleep and never woke again.

After Viscount Dragoon and Ellis died, the nobles’ alliance fractured, while the Miles Family remained divided over Rag’s succession. Rag focused on securing noble support and strengthening the family’s alliance with Count Weiss, confident that he could establish his authority.

• Viscount Roach and the other nobles argued over Viscount Dragoon’s broken promises and resisted Torston Dragoon’s plans to attack Zero Crossing City.
• The Dragoon Family descended into a succession struggle after Ellis’s death, while the visiting nobles prepared to return to their own territories.
• Rag Miles welcomed nobles seeking military aid and warned them against following Baron Kendra’s example.
• Rag promised Casto support for the injured Gray and pledged the Miles Family’s loyalty to Count Weiss.
• Rag decided that building ties with the nobles and Count Weiss mattered more than resolving the Miles Family’s internal divisions.

Ryan found Kristan Miles after he was cast out by his father and convinced him that Rag had stolen his inheritance. Ryan brought Kristan to Flower of Northwind and secured the nobles’ support for helping him reclaim the Miles Family’s lands and title.

• Ryan learned that his scouts had found Kristan outside Baron Barnes's territory.
• Ryan told Kristan that Viscount Miles had framed him and suggested Rag had persuaded his father to disinherit him.
• Kristan angrily blamed Rag, and Ryan offered to help him reclaim his inheritance in exchange for friendship and a small share of the wealth.
• Ryan brought a cleaned-up Kristan to Flower of Northwind and denounced Rag as a usurper before the gathered nobles.
• Baron Barnes allowed Ryan to command the army, and Ryan asked Kristan whether he would accept them as friends.

Ryan led Kristan and his army to Gladiator's Domain, where he persuaded Baron Byrde to support Kristan and attacked Baronet Thule's forces. The battle began as Ryan promised Byrde help with his territorial dispute and used the fighting to train his soldiers.

• Ryan set out with two to three thousand soldiers, including Baron Barnes's elite troops, to help Kristan reclaim his title.
• At Gladiator's Domain, Ryan confronted Baron Byrde and argued that Kristan was the rightful heir to the Miles Family.
• Kristan appeared and accused Rag of framing him and stealing his inheritance, while Ryan asked Byrde to choose between supporting justice and siding with a thief.
• Ryan offered to help Byrde against Baronet Thule, then ordered Brandt and seven to eight hundred soldiers to attack Thule's forces.
• As the battle began, Ryan told Byrde he could help resolve the dispute over Thule's territory, and Byrde agreed that they were friends.

Ryan forced Baronet Thule to surrender his Knightdom, divided its lands with Baron Byrde, and took much of its wealth and population. In Zero Crossing City, Rag learned that Ryan’s growing army was turning nobles toward Kristan, and he resolved to stop Ryan before the Count Weiss’s plans were ruined.

• Ryan reminded Thule that the Baronet System was not yet official and threatened him until Thule accepted being sent to Baron Monoz’s territory.
• Ryan gave Baron Byrde half of Thule’s Knightdom and promised him the other half after Byrde fulfilled their agreement to send grain and Iron Ore.
• Ryan claimed over 500 young and able-bodied households and other wealth from Thule’s territory while his army remained in the Gladiator’s Domain.
• Rag erupted in anger when he heard that Kristan had returned and Ryan was sweeping through nobles attached to him.
• Casto warned Rag that Baron Byrde had betrayed him and that Ryan’s army could drive the nobles to support Kristan.
• Rag ordered that Ryan be defeated before his army reached another noble’s territory, so Count Weiss’s plans would not be ruined.

Ryan lured Casto into battle and deliberately retreated after recognizing that his army could not defeat Casto’s regular troops. Casto halted his pursuit, only to learn the next morning that Ryan had captured Baronet Plante and his territory.

• Ryan ordered Harrington to take a thousand men into the mountains and prepare logs and rocks, then led the remaining army toward Baronet Karam’s territory.
• Ryan tried to reassure Kristan about the coming battle and told him the war’s ultimate victory would depend on him.
• Casto blocked Ryan’s advance, and Ryan mocked him before rallying the former slaves to fight against their old master.
• Casto’s better-equipped regular troops overwhelmed Ryan’s soldiers, so Ryan ordered a controlled retreat while his Knight Retainers kept the troops together.
• Casto refused to pursue Ryan after nightfall and withdrew his army to rest.
• The next morning, Casto learned that Ryan had attacked Baronet Plante’s territory and captured Plante.

Casto cornered Ryan’s army at a gorge and drove the soldiers toward collapse, believing Ryan was fleeing. Ryan’s trap blocked the gorge and Harrington arrived with reinforcements, turning the battle as Ryan’s soldiers rallied.

• Casto rejected the suggestion to split his forces and advanced after scouts reported Ryan’s army moving toward a gorge.
• Casto’s larger army overwhelmed Ryan’s soldiers until they heard that Ryan had gone to bring back reinforcements.
• Casto sent his three hundred cavalrymen into the gorge and followed, finding Ryan surrounded by his cavalry.
• Ryan asked Casto to remember what he had heard, and boulders and logs fell to block the gorge behind Casto’s forces.
• Harrington led seven or eight hundred soldiers out of the Mountain Forest while Ryan’s soldiers recognized the promised reinforcements and charged back into the fight.

Ryan tried to isolate Casto from his army and force a decisive battle, but Casto attacked Ryan’s surrounded troops when reinforcements failed to arrive. Brandt confronted Gray and killed the severely injured Golden Barbarian by unleashing successive bursts of his Silver Knight power.

• Casto split his army while pursuing Ryan, unaware that Ryan’s canyon tactics aimed to separate him from his soldiers and leave the army without command.
• Casto surrounded Ryan’s two hundred men with his remaining troops and demanded that Ryan surrender, but Ryan’s forces held a defensive formation.
• As Casto waited for his soldiers to arrive, he heard cries from behind and realized something had gone wrong, then ordered Gray to attack.
• Gray charged through Ryan’s formation, but Brandt stepped forward to avenge his brother and fought him with his sword and shield.
• Brandt endured Gray’s lightning-charged attacks and defeated him with successive bursts of blood and vitality, killing the wounded Golden Barbarian.

Ryan defeated Casto’s forces after killing the Catfolk Assassin and taking Casto prisoner. He credited Kristan with the victory and the decision to block the army’s escape route.

• Ryan charged into the battle and nearly fell to a surprise attack by a Catfolk Assassin hiding behind Casto.
• Ryan defeated the Catfolk Assassin and threatened Casto, prompting nearly five hundred soldiers to surrender.
• Ryan led the prisoners through the gorge, where the fighting ended with his arrival.
• Lynn reported to Ryan, who praised her for keeping the army organized.
• Kristan confronted the captured Casto, and Ryan publicly credited Kristan with directing the crucial part of the war.

Ryan turned the captured Miles soldiers against Rag by persuading them that Kristan was the rightful heir, then used force to eliminate those who refused to submit. Kristan took command of the remaining Miles soldiers as Ryan prepared to move on to the political struggle for his title.

• Ryan told Kristan that they would reclaim his title through politics, then ordered Baronet Karam to invite nobles to a gathering.
• Ryan separated the captured soldiers by territory and challenged the Miles soldiers to choose between Rag and Kristan.
• Kristan declared himself the rightful Viscount Miles and asked the soldiers to help defeat Rag.
• Some soldiers knelt to Kristan, while Harrington killed those who refused to submit, leaving about eleven hundred Miles soldiers.
• Kristan took charge of the soldiers and agreed to watch the remaining prisoners, but Ryan summoned him two hours later.

Ryan arranged for Kristan to reclaim the Viscount Miles title by winning the support of nobles tied to the Miles Family, while Rag planned to rally allies after his army was destroyed. The nobles backed Kristan in exchange for future benefits, and Ryan arranged to profit from their deals as Rag considered ransoming his captured soldiers.

• Ryan told Kristan to announce his return and contact Miles Family nobles who could force Rag out of Zero Crossing City.
• After learning Casto’s army had been destroyed, Rag decided to stay in Zero Crossing City, recruit a coalition of nobles, and seek Count Weiss’s aid.
• Ryan negotiated separately with the nobles in Baronet Karam’s territory, promising them shares of Miles Family wealth in exchange for yearly payments to him.
• The nobles acknowledged Kristan as the true Viscount Miles, and Kristan agreed to their terms to regain his authority.
• When Rag considered ransoming the captured army, Ryan asked Kristan whether the soldiers would remain loyal; Kristan said they had sworn loyalty to him.
• Ryan decided to let Rag use his wealth to buy the captured soldiers, whom Kristan’s Knight’s Oath had bound to him.

Ryan helped Kristan seize control of Zero Crossing City and reclaim his position as the Miles Family heir. After Rag was killed, Kristan faced one final decision about his unconscious father before the city celebrated his return.

• Ryan traded the captured Miles soldiers to Rag, then camped outside Zero Crossing City while Kristan stirred opposition within the city.
• The next day, Kristan's supporters opened the gates and delivered the bound Rag to Ryan's camp.
• Rag claimed he had taken the title to protect the Miles Family, but Kristan struck him and Ryan killed him with his Knight's Greatsword.
• Kristan entered Zero Crossing City with Ryan and was welcomed by cheering civilians and soldiers as the new Viscount Miles.
• Ryan led Kristan to his unconscious father, gave him a dagger, and left him alone in the room; Kristan emerged trembling with the smell of blood behind him.

Ryan resumed the war to consolidate control over Zero Crossing Prefecture and settle disputes among its nobles, while the Dragoon Family prepared to resist his advancing army. Ryan's first assault on Baron Enzo's fortified position failed, leaving the battle unresolved.

• Ryan warned Kristan that the Dragoon Family would seek revenge and required every noble, including Kristan, to send troops under his command.
• After reorganizing, Ryan marched with more than 3,500 men and won a string of battles as nobles formerly allied with the Dragoon Family defected to him.
• Baron Enzo stopped his siblings' argument over succession and assembled more than 4,000 troops, including forces from Baron Kendra and other nobles.
• Enzo positioned his army defensively in a valley and placed Baron Kendra and Baron Roach on the surrounding mountain peaks.
• Ryan ordered an assault led by troops from other nobles; after hundreds died, the attackers scattered, and Ryan recognized that Enzo's forces were capable defenders.

Ryan learned that Baron Enzo Dragoon commanded the opposing army, but he refused to risk heavy casualties in a direct assault and instead let political rumors undermine Enzo’s position. Harrington pressed Torston to negotiate with Ryan, warning that Enzo’s army could decide who inherited the Dragoon title; Torston realized the army was already in Enzo’s hands.

• Ryan learned that Baron Enzo commanded the opposing army and rejected Brandt’s offer to break through Enzo’s defenses at the cost of many soldiers.
• Ryan kept his army from attacking as rumors spread that Enzo was avenging his father and might claim the vacant viscount title.
• Harrington told Torston that Enzo’s public campaign of vengeance made him a stronger candidate for Viscount Dragoon than Torston, who had not yet secured the title.
• Harrington urged Torston to accept Ryan’s proposed settlement and warned that Enzo could return with the army and determine the succession.
• Torston remembered that Enzo controlled the army and understood why he had been troubled.

Ryan ended the Dragoon family’s internal conflict, secured Torston Dragoon’s appointment as Viscount Dragoon, and returned to Frozen Earth Territory with wealth and thousands of followers. After hearing how his territory had fared in his absence, Ryan celebrated his victory and announced plans for Frozen Earth Territory’s rise.

• Ryan confronted Baron Enzo, discussed his ambitions, and had the surrounding soldiers lower their weapons.
• Ryan escorted Enzo and other nobles to Dragoon territory, where Torston Dragoon became the new viscount.
• Ryan set out for home with more than thirty-six hundred followers, including slaves taken from defeated nobles, and promised to settle territorial disputes before the Divine Grace Festival.
• Ryan returned to Frozen Earth Territory, slept in the castle, and heard the Old Steward and other former nobles report on the territory’s affairs.
• Ryan praised Beard for securing food from the Andara Kingdom and declared that Frozen Earth Territory would become the strongest territory in Zero Crossing Prefecture.
• Ryan’s subjects celebrated his victory, and he selected candidates for knighthood.

Ryan emptied Furnace City and brought its people and resources back to the Frozen Earth Territory, where he organized his troops and planned further development. Baron Roach arrived to negotiate and was stunned by how prosperous the territory had become.

• Ryan ordered Saban Hahn to gather Furnace City's residents and evacuate them, then left through the Planar Gate after the city was emptied.
• Ryan returned to the Frozen Earth Territory and ordered the Old Steward to arrange lodgings, store firewood, and speed up fireplace construction.
• Ryan appointed Rosen Chief of Public Security and planned to keep five hundred elite Knight Retainers and form a militia from another five hundred soldiers.
• Ryan spent five days writing plans for the territory's development while the Viscountess and two maids visited him in revealing robes.
• Baron Roach arrived at the Frozen Earth Territory and was amazed by its orderly streets, stone houses, and manor; the nobles who followed him were equally impressed.

Ryan gathered the nobles of Zero Crossing Prefecture in Frozen Earth Territory and proposed reorganizing their lands to prevent further conflict and rebuild after the orc invasion. The nobles received maps and compensation terms, but several baronets objected to losing their territories and disputed their shares.

• Ryan welcomed the nobles to his castle and said he had more furnishings he could give them.
• Ryan urged the nobles to end their conflicts and develop barren lands together after the devastation caused by the orcs.
• Ryan distributed maps showing each noble's proposed new territory and outlined compensation for their former lands.
• Ryan explained that Baronet Tonne would receive farmland, mining labor, and a share of harvests in Baron Kendra's territory, while Baron Kendra would receive part of the payment.
• Ryan justified Baronet Pound's smaller share by citing his territory's low population, poor farmland, and nearly exhausted Iron Ore, then warned that he did not want the reorganization settled by war.

Ryan assessed the wealth he had gained by reorganizing Frozen Earth Territory and considered entering the turmoil in Northwind Province. In Northwind City, Count Winter learned the truth about the assassination and prepared to visit Thundercloud Mountain while sending Ryan a congratulatory gift.

• Ryan secured promises of wealth from the nobles of Zero Crossing Prefecture, including grain, metal, Gold Coins, and land rights, and estimated his future income from the war.
• Ryan considered the profits of the conflict and hoped that trouble among the Counts would give him a chance to expand into Northwind Province.
• Count Winter learned that Ellis Dragoon had been assassinated by a Catfolk Assassin from Love Weiss's territory and suspected Viscount Miles had sought to weaken the Dragoon Family.
• Count Winter questioned Love Weiss's intentions and decided to travel to Thundercloud Mountain.
• Count Winter ordered Alavea to prepare a gift for Ryan and acknowledged that he had not yet congratulated him on becoming a lord in Northwind Province.

Count Soron learned that Count Weiss’s assassins had killed Ellis Dragoon and began preparing for war. Countess Alavea Bodwell visited Ryan with gold and revealed that Northwind Province would settle its conflict with Count Weiss without help from the Empire, leaving Ryan to weigh Count Winter’s ambitions.

• Count Soron confirmed that Ellis Dragoon had been assassinated by Count Weiss’s men and sent a letter to Love asking whether he intended to start a war.
• Countess Alavea Bodwell visited Frozen Earth Territory, praised its development, and presented Ryan with twenty thousand Gold Coins on behalf of the Winter Count Family.
• Alavea told Ryan that war had erupted over land across Northwind Province, though most counties had since reached a lull in fighting.
• Ryan suggested that the Council of Elders could punish Count Weiss, but Alavea said the Empire would not intervene and the province would have to settle the conflict itself.
• Ryan realized Count Winter wanted to claim the benefits of defeating Count Weiss and might be pursuing ambitions beyond restoring order.