Chapter Summaries

Iver bonded with Sister Sasha’s Holy Banquet chest piece, learned its healing effects and set bonuses, and discovered the trial needed to unseal it. He planned to obtain the remaining pieces before the Fallen Angel descended, and saw the trial as a chance to feed the growing Shadow Demon and Little Butterfly.

• Iver let the Moonlight Butterfly attach itself to his back, where it drank his excess blood and revealed the sealed Offering of Wings of Freedom.
• Iver examined the chest piece’s traits and learned how Saint’s Skin and Sinner’s Skin could amplify healing.
• Iver recalled the Sister Sasha’s Holy Banquet set bonuses and decided to pursue its remaining two pieces before the Fallen Angel descended.
• Iver heard that unsealing the relic required losing Life equal to ten times his maximum while healing or buffing others.
• Iver decided to use the trial’s Life loss to feed the Shadow Demon and Little Butterfly.

Iver used a holy relic of Sister Sasha to build a case that Minister Griffiths had ties to Stibium, then used the evidence to pressure the High-Rise Faction at the Round Table Conference. By the third day of Isabel’s reign, the Chocolate Faction had sided with Iver and the other factions had begun treating him and Isabel more cautiously.

• Iver realized the holy relic taken from Griffiths’s shrine could link the minister to Stibium, and Ligeia confirmed Griffiths had brought it back as a gift from a friend.
• Iver explained how the relic implicated Griffiths, had Ligeia classify the evidence, and used it to justify investigating ministers’ religious objects.
• At the Round Table Conference, Ligeia presented the evidence on Iver’s behalf and warned the knights, prompting the High-Rise Faction to back down.
• The Chocolate Faction’s ministers sent letters to Iver, and he replied that their cooperation ended the matter; none defended Griffiths at the conference.
• Other factions noticed the shift and stopped attacking Iver and Isabel, with some inviting Iver to meetings more politely.

Iver explained why he planned to reorganize Avalon’s ministers before leaving for the Theocracy and Xingant, then prepared to witness the Shadow Demon’s evolution. He identified the Night Demon as the only shadow-wielding demon above the Shadow Demon on its evolutionary tree.

• Iver’s hint that nearly half the ministers would be replaced heightened anxiety among the ministers and ambition among powerless knights.
• Iver resolved to secure the ministers’ loyalty to Isabel before leaving Avalon, and refused to meet anyone until the reorganization was settled.
• Iver continued feeding the Shadow Demon, whose body had become a silent, shapeless puddle under his Shepherding Method.
• Iver invited Ligeia to witness the Shadow Demon’s evolution and agreed to include Yanis and Yulia.
• Iver told Ligeia that the Shadow Demon’s Mark of Envy made the Night Demon its sole higher-ranking shadow-wielding evolution.

Iver performed a self-sacrifice ritual to strengthen the Shadow Demon, offering his life, soul, and will. The Shadow Demon answered by returning him to life and becoming the Greater Demon Night Demon, who chose the name Viennes and took the form of a crow.

• Iver prayed over sanctified salt and summoned the Shadow Demon to begin the Shepherding Method ritual.
• Iver stabbed himself with three Salt Spears while Ligeia explained that ritual relied on imitation and sacrifice on violence.
• Ligeia’s body changed under the ritual’s resonance, but she suppressed her thirst and stopped Yulia from interfering.
• Iver offered his life and soul to the Shadow Demon, died, and was wrapped in an egg of shadows.
• The Shadow Demon returned Iver’s sacrifice and revived him as she manifested as the Night Demon.
• The Night Demon named herself Viennes and transformed into a shadow crow at Iver’s request.

Iver explained demon evolution and the soul contracts that allowed demons to grow, while Yulia worried over his reckless trust in Viennes. Just as Iver praised the Hourglass for maintaining balance, his contract with the Shadow Demon began to break.

• Iver explained how demons gained power through contracts and souls, and described the Shadow Demon's possible evolution into an Inferno Demon or a Night Demon.
• Yulia reproached Iver for risking himself, and Iver reassured her that he would keep Viennes as his only demon.
• Yanis asked about punishment for demons that devoured souls, and Iver praised the Hourglass for preserving balance between the realms.
• Iver suddenly clutched his chest as Viennes changed back from a crow, and he felt the contract he had made with the Shadow Demon cracking.

After realizing the Night Demon’s old contract had ended, Iver hurried to seal her in a Tarot Card before the Hourglass forced her back to the Dream Realm. He found a way to make the card and invoked the Fallen Angel, declaring that he would bear the Brand of Jealousy as two auras gathered in his hands.

• Iver realized that the Shadow Demon’s transformation into the Night Demon had ended their contract, leaving her vulnerable to being expelled to the Dream Realm.
• Viennes begged Iver to seal her in a Tarot Card, and he reassured her before asking her to help choose two cards.
• The Night Demon chose the reversed Devil as her card, and Iver selected the upright Lovers, the card of the Twin Mirrors, to suppress her power.
• Iver replenished his mana by switching into his Child of the Moon form, then used the reversed Devil and upright Lovers to begin making the Night Demon’s card.
• Iver prayed to the Twin Mirrors, then invoked the Fallen Angel and declared that he was willing to bear the Brand of Jealousy.

Iver completed the ritual to bind Viennes as the Night Demon and created the Great Sin Card: Night Demon (Lovers, Devil). After registering it, his Book of Law unlocked a trait that enhanced Great Sin Cards by putting a matching registered Phantom Demon Card into cooldown.

• Iver invoked the Brand of Jealousy and entered Viennes’s memories, where he saw her loneliness across different stages of her life and offered her a small place beneath his umbrella.
• Viennes embraced Iver, then the blood-soaked vision gave way to a mirror labyrinth filled with fragments of Bayard from different periods of her life.
• Iver formed a crow-marked card by combining the Lovers and Devil cards, then registered the Great Sin Card: Night Demon (Lovers, Devil).
• Iver examined the card’s Nightmare Mirror spell and Night Demon summoning effect, noting that the mirror image could cast spells and counterattack when shattered.
• Iver registered the card in his Book of Law, increasing its burn-card uses and unlocking the Great Sin Enhancement trait.

Iver fused three Great Sin Cards to enhance Night Demon, learned she could briefly fight at full strength before attracting Equilibrium, and welcomed her as a crow at his side. Yulia asked Iver to perform the ritual that had given Lily her power, while Iver considered giving Isabel a Phantom Demon Heart in return for her necklace.

• Iver fused Shadow Blade, Thunder Strike Halberd, and Earthbound Spirit into Night Demon, summoning her with a 15% all-attribute enhancement.
• Ligeia sensed Night Demon's power and warned that prolonged use of her full strength would draw Equilibrium, so Iver estimated he had about three minutes.
• Iver discovered that Night Demon could take the form of Night Raven and remain at his side while retaining some power in a sealed state.
• Yulia asked Iver to use the ritual that had given Lily her power on her, and Iver agreed to prepare it after Isabel returned.
• Iver recalled Isabel's gift of Isolde's Tears and decided that a Phantom Demon Heart might be a fitting return gift.

Sherlock tested the custom cane the Magnetic Hammer Master had made for him, then learned that Queen Sophia’s funeral was approaching and set out with Hai Na to attend. On the way, they found an unconscious man frozen by the Wild Hunt, whom Sherlock recognized as Mr. Watson.

• Sherlock tested the cane’s whip, fireball, and concealed spike functions, then promised the Magnetic Hammer Master payment.
• Sherlock told the Magnetic Hammer Master that Queen Sophia had died and that he needed to leave for her funeral.
• Sherlock and Hai Na rode out on Liz, and Sherlock admitted he could not quickly regain his adult form by advancing on the Path of Wisdom.
• Hai Na spotted an unconscious man frozen on the road, and Sherlock used a spell to sharpen his vision.
• Sherlock recognized the man as Mr. Watson and told Hai Na to call him Arthur Conan Doyle before they went to help.

Andre Watson woke after encountering the Wild Hunt and met Hai Na and the child who called himself Arthur Conan Doyle. He claimed he was searching for the missing Sherlock Holmes, but Sherlock assured him Holmes was safe and revealed that Watson was a known spy under Avalon’s supervision.

• Hai Na and little Sherlock questioned Watson after he recovered from the Wild Hunt encounter.
• Watson identified himself as a detective and tried to infer the identities and status of Hai Na and the child.
• Watson said he had come to find Sherlock Holmes and was investigating suspicions that Holmes had been murdered.
• Little Sherlock told Watson that Holmes was conducting a secret investigation and would return within two months.
• Sherlock recognized Watson as Dr. Watson’s son, a spy whose identity had been exposed and who was under Avalon’s supervision.

Sherlock learned that Watson had come to Eagle Cape Village to investigate Iver Moriarty, not him, and told Watson about Iver’s battle with the leader of Noble Red. Meanwhile, Countess Emma arrived openly in Avalon claiming to come in the name of peace, while Arbitration Hall knights surrounded the port.

• Sherlock learned that Avalon had protected Watson by intercepting and correcting the intelligence he sent to Antimony.
• Sherlock questioned Watson about why he had come to Eagle Cape Village, and Watson said he was tracking Iver Moriarty’s earlier disappearance there.
• Watson conjectured that Iver was preparing Avalon to declare war on Antimony, but Sherlock said Iver had fought the leader of Noble Red at the village.
• Sherlock invited Watson to return to Glass Island and offered to tell him what Iver had done there.
• Countess Emma arrived at the port to a cheering crowd, while Arbitration Hall knights surrounded the district and prepared for her arrival.

Iver learned that Scarlett Emma had arrived in Avalon alone and suspected the Stibium envoy had not come to negotiate in good faith. He decided to meet her himself and sent Lily to protect Yulia and have Ligeia bring Isabel back.

• Iver planned to withdraw from public affairs and spent the morning reading in the Queen's study.
• Lily delivered a sealed message informing Iver that Scarlett Emma had arrived in Avalon without her delegation.
• Iver considered Emma's power and ties to the Red Prime Minister, concluding that she posed a serious danger to anyone she met.
• Iver decided to meet Emma himself and ordered Lily to stay at the Silver and Tin Palace, protect Yulia, and send Ligeia to bring Isabel back.

Countess Emma, a powerful succubus whose presence enchanted everyone around her, arrived at Lloyd’s Building and met Iver Moriarty. Iver recognized the danger of her influence and tried to restrict her movements, but his raven snapped him out of her spell.

• Emma reached Lloyd’s Building without resistance because her charm softened the people assigned to watch her.
• After the arbitrators reported Emma’s visit, Iver hurried to Lloyd’s headquarters to meet her himself.
• Emma and Iver greeted each other, and Iver briefly felt his hostility and judgment weaken under her supernatural charm.
• Iver asked Emma to stay inside Lloyd’s Building and consult him before going out, while Emma suggested it was difficult to see him.
• As Iver’s resolve weakened, his raven pecked the corner of his eye and jolted him back to his senses.

Emma used her charm to draw Iver inside while provoking the hostile crow, which she suspected might be connected to Queen Isabel. As Emma defended Antimony’s intentions and described its vision of a reunited empire, the crow remained the real audience for her political argument.

• Emma realized the crow resisted her charm and seemed jealous of her attention toward Iver.
• The crow warned Emma to stop coveting Iver, and Emma wondered whether it was monitoring him for Queen Isabel.
• Iver stopped Emma from touching the crow and warned her to avoid doing so for her own safety.
• Emma took Iver’s hand and led him inside, ignoring the crow’s hostility as Iver repeatedly restrained it.
• Emma told Iver that Antimony sought lasting peace with Avalon and described their shared imperial history and trade disputes, while addressing the crow as her intended listener.

Emma visited Avalon and tried to persuade Iver to support Antimony’s demands while enchanting him, but he eventually broke free and turned her influence against her. Iver left after warning Emma that her tricks would not work on him again.

• Emma offered Avalon technology and infrastructure in exchange for opening its ports and withholding the Griffin Legion from Iris.
• Emma’s enchantment weakened Iver’s hostility, and she concluded that Duchess Bayard had left Avalon.
• The Raven attacked Iver, and his suffering triggered a strange desire and obedience in Emma.
• Iver told Emma he had briefly wanted to kill her but would wait for the Queen’s order, then fully resisted her control.
• Iver shook Emma’s hand, embraced her, and warned her that her tricks would no longer work before leaving.

Iver visited Lawyer York's sealed office, healed the severe wound Emma had inflicted, and analyzed how his Shepherding Method had countered her Bewitching Aura. He concluded that he and Emma were locked in a dangerous stalemate, then realized that recent events had been suspiciously coincidental.

• Iver entered Lawyer York's sealed office, where Viennes cleared away the dust and remains before he sat at the desk.
• Iver used the Sacrificial Fire Art to regrow the flesh Emma had torn from his shoulder and collarbone.
• Iver recalled that Emma's Bewitching Aura had controlled him until Viennes's attack awakened him and his Shepherding Method overpowered Emma's charm in return.
• Iver concluded that he and Emma could not easily kill or control one another, but that he could interrupt her charm by entering the Shepherding state with Viennes guarding him.
• Iver realized that everything he had experienced from the previous day through the present had seemed too coincidental.

Iver traced the Shepherding Method and his recent close calls to a connection between the Candle Holder and the Ring Angel, and concluded that the power might come from the Sacred Entity. He left the fire offering determined to use the Shepherding Method without hesitation and to confront Emma for answers about the Ouroboros Ring Ritual.

• Iver reconsidered how narrowly he had escaped Emma and realized the Shepherding Method’s influence over demons and succubi was unusually powerful and unknown to other experts.
• Iver connected the Sacred Entity’s number eleven to the Candle Holder’s three and the Serpent Father’s eight, and suspected the Shepherd’s Secret Covenant had been written by the Ring Angel.
• Iver concluded that the Sacred Entity’s instinct might have prompted him to advance the Shadow Demon to protect him from Emma, and he linked Emma and the Rosy Cross Society to the search for the Sacred Entity and the Ouroboros Ring Ritual.
• Iver resolved to find Emma, kill her before she could return to the Dream Realm, and question her about the ritual and the Rosy Cross Society’s motives.
• After recovering during the Fire Offering, Iver accepted the Shepherding Method as a power connected to his existing bond with the Ring Angel.

Iver met with Gray-Green, who offered him control of Lloyd's in exchange for giving its lower-level gangs a chance to reform. She introduced the goblin merchant Grandet, who proposed a deal concerning Avalon’s exclusionary policies.

• Viennes warned Iver that someone was approaching, and Iver recognized the visitor as Gray-Green.
• Gray-Green asked Iver to take over Lloyd's, believing he could protect the lower-level gangs and offer them a chance she could not.
• Iver agreed that he could give the gangs that chance and asked what Gray-Green could offer Avalon in return.
• Gray-Green introduced Mr. Gold Coin, whom Iver recognized as Grandet, a powerful goblin merchant.
• Grandet proposed discussing a business deal with Iver and asked whether Queen Isabel’s accession should end Avalon’s policy of exclusion and isolation.

Grandet explained to Iver how Stibnite’s breakthrough in anti-Griffin technology threatened Avalon’s isolation and argued that Avalon should open its ports to the Goblin Merchant Guild instead of relying on Stibnite. Iver realized that Avalon’s tariffs had pushed Stibnite’s alchemists toward goblin merchants, leaving him to recognize the goblins’ role in the growing trade conflict.

• Grandet warned Iver that Stibnite had made progress on anti-Griffin technology and that Avalon’s military deterrent could soon be undermined.
• Grandet said Stibnite’s promises to Avalon were empty and urged it to open its ports and allow the Goblin Merchant Guild to trade there.
• Iver explained how Avalon’s geography and naval power could threaten Stibnite’s shipping routes, while the goblins already controlled vital trade networks.
• Grandet revealed that Stibnite’s alchemical manufacturers needed access to foreign markets and that Avalon’s tariffs had helped drive them toward the Goblin Merchant Guild.
• Iver connected Stibnite’s smuggling, the spread of alchemical goods in Avalon, and the complaints of Stibnite’s botanists and Demon Scholars to the goblin merchants.

Iver explained how Stibium’s alchemist subsidies had saturated its market and pushed the country toward economic collapse, then used his knowledge of Grandet’s secrets to secure a major trade and infrastructure proposal. Grandet offered Avalon ports, railways, locomotives, and a personal loan, and Iver promised to answer before Queen Sophia’s funeral ended.

• Iver told Grandet that Stibium’s rush to expand alchemy had created oversupply, mounting subsidies and taxes, and pressure on botanists and smugglers.
• Iver concluded that Stibium’s economic desperation had driven its invasion of Avalon, and Grandet confirmed that the gargoyle legion was intended to counter griffins.
• Iver revealed Grandet’s plantation troubles and addressed him by his true name, frightening Grandet into answering honestly.
• Grandet proposed opening Avalon’s western ports and offered to fund port expansions, three railways, and ten locomotives in exchange for access and permission for foreign workers to enter Avalon.
• Grandet offered the Moriarty consortium an interest-free loan of six million Stibium Gold Coins per year for twenty years, and Iver promised to respond before Queen Sophia’s funeral ended.