Recaps

Sherlock studied Iver’s newspaper interview and deduced that Iver and the mysterious Aleister had worked together to expose the Noble Red Society. He concluded that Iver had hidden the Iris noblewoman in his residence, but Bishop Mathers interrupted him before he could explain further.

• Sherlock read Iver’s interview, which described his abduction by a polite, beautiful young woman called Aleister, and suspected the Bureau of Supervision had supplied the account.
• Sherlock connected Aleister to the Iris assassin who had targeted Minister Drost and concluded that she was not a spy but had a personal grievance against Drost.
• Sherlock reasoned that Iver and Aleister had collaborated to expose the Noble Red Society, leaving shadow traces to fake Iver’s disappearance and conceal their partnership.
• Sherlock imagined that Iver had hidden Aleister in his dormitory and remarked that he had hidden a beauty in a golden house.
• Bishop Mathers entered and asked Sherlock what he meant by hiding a beauty in a golden house.

After the newspaper confirmed Iver was safe, Isabel and Yulia resumed their studies at the Silver and Tin Palace, while Professor Bard and Dean Meg discussed Iver’s prospects. The story left Iver facing a possible chance to study Advanced Divine Arts in the Theocracy next year, with Meg planning to warn him about Noble Red and trouble Charles Drost.

• Isabel read that Iver was safe and, relieved, suspected his reported romantic scandal was a Bureau of Supervision scheme or another false identity.
• Yulia noticed Isabel’s anxiety ease and returned to her homework, privately deciding Isabel needed to love Iver more deeply to earn her approval.
• Yanis urged Isabel and Yulia to leave for school while she continued painting.
• Professor Bard thanked Dean Meg for helping protect Iver, and Meg said she had also welcomed the chance to confront Lloyd’s.
• Meg told Bard that the Theocracy would send exchange students to teach Advanced Divine Arts next year, and Bard agreed Iver should decide whether to attend.
• Meg set off to warn Iver about Noble Red and chose Charles Drost as the person she would visit next.

Grand Arbitrator Meg confronted Minister of Trade Charles Drost and used her Word of Power to expose his dealings with Noble Red and his control of Lloyd’s Vice President Boca. She took Drost into custody, and he suspected her sudden aggression meant she was about to die.

• Meg arrived unannounced at Drost’s home and accused him of associating with Noble Red.
• Meg compelled Diomedes to reveal that Drost had contacted Noble Red through Secretary Raff and moved their meetings after Iver and Edward Moriarty destroyed their locations.
• Meg compelled Drost to confess to trafficking in contraband and manipulating Boca to gain influence over Lloyd’s.
• Meg ordered Drost to go to the Bureau of Supervision and said she would speak to Queen Sophia about him.
• Drost told Meg he thought she was about to die, and she acknowledged that his observation was sharp.

After being arrested under Word of Power control, Minister Drost reflected on Avalon's stagnation and the intelligence he had sold to Stibium. Learning that Meg was dying, he decided he had to report the news to the Stibnite People, leaving Avalon facing a potential surprise attack.

• The Bureau of Supervision locked Minister Drost in the basement, where he regained control of himself and realized Meg was dying.
• Drost recalled how the Arbitration Hall governed Avalon and how the Silver Crowned Dragon had stopped appearing in the Material Realm.
• He compared Avalon's rigid policies with the rapid changes and advances in other nations and races.
• Drost recalled selling intelligence about Avalon to the Stibnite People in exchange for estates and a hereditary viscount title.
• Drost considered selling the news of Meg's impending death and decided he had no choice but to help Stibium.

Iver discussed David’s interest in the Path of Transcendence and urged him to understand its professions before choosing a Path. He revealed that a lost profession called the Moulting Warlock might suit David, though it could only be taken as a secondary Path.

• David visited Iver and asked about the gryphons’ instinctive technique, then explained that George had carefully planned his Promotion requirements for the battlefield.
• David told Iver he wished for a younger sibling, and Iver reflected on the care George and his wife had shown by raising only David despite the pressure of their Paths.
• David asked Iver what Aleister was like, and Iver praised her while encouraging David to choose the Path of Transcendence only after understanding its professions and risks.
• David admitted that he wanted the courage to challenge powerful enemies rather than an interest in demons or curses.
• Iver explained that rituals were central to the Path of Transcendence and told David about the lost profession of Moulting Warlock, which required a powerful body and could only be taken as a secondary Path.

Iver explained the Moulting Warlock profession to David and decided it could help Meg extend her life and avert Avalon’s future disaster. The chapter ended with Lars Graham wondering whether Aleister was Chloe and whether Chloe had betrayed them.

• Iver told David that Moulting Warlocks evolved through dangerous battles and advised him to train until the Fourth Level before learning the profession.
• Iver realized Aleister gave him a way to share future knowledge and considered finding Sherlock a stronger advanced profession.
• Iver considered persuading Meg to become a Moulting Warlock so she could survive longer and potentially protect Avalon and the Queen.
• Lars Graham saw Iver in the newspaper and wondered whether Aleister was Chloe and whether Chloe had betrayed them.

Lars Graham considered four explanations for Chloe’s disappearance and suspected that either Chloe, Iver, or Lily possessed a Shadow Demon. He set out to investigate Iver and activated a long-prepared plan to kill Prince Andrew before leaving.

• Lars discussed the possible reasons for Chloe’s disappearance with the ghost of Elodie, including that Chloe had defected, died, or been impersonated, or that Iver or Lily was a Shadow Demon host.
• Lars decided to lie in wait beneath Iver’s dormitory and test his suspicions, hoping to capture a Shadow Demon or bring Chloe back for execution.
• Before leaving, Lars activated a plan he had prepared for more than a decade and caused blood to seep from a statue of Prince Andrew.
• Lars told the statue that Andrew was the only one left and that killing him would free them both as bloody tears ran from its eyes.

Iver learned that the royal curse had killed Prince Andrew, changing the succession crisis and alarming the royal family. The Grand Guardian sent Iver to the Silver and Tin Palace to comfort Princess Isabel while the Queen was occupied.

• The Grand Guardian watched Iver treat David and Emily and considered why Meg had secured him a place to study Advanced Divine Arts.
• The Grand Guardian reflected that Meg distrusted Prince Andrew and that Isabel was the Queen’s chosen heir, making Iver’s relationship with Isabel politically significant.
• George’s butler delivered a letter, and the Grand Guardian interrupted the sparring to tell Iver that the royal curse had struck again.
• The Grand Guardian revealed that Prince Andrew had died and urged Iver to visit the Silver and Tin Palace because Princess Isabel was terrified.
• Iver agreed to go to the Silver and Tin Palace and help Isabel.

Iver attended Prince Andrew’s farewell at the Silver and Tin Palace, where he discovered a portrait of a supposedly forgotten older sister, Freya Molly Moriarty. He met Queen Sophia, who recognized him and said the Silver Crowned Dragon had recently mentioned him.

• Iver and the Grand Guardian’s family walked to the Silver and Tin Palace to pay their respects to Prince Andrew, who had died from a curse.
• Inside the palace, Iver saw Freya Molly Moriarty’s portrait and learned from George that she was his older sister, though he had no memory of her.
• George told Iver that Freya had been a famous doctor who went to the Theocracy to study further.
• Iver accompanied George’s family to Queen Sophia’s bedchamber, where the Queen welcomed them calmly despite Andrew’s death.
• Queen Sophia recognized Iver and told him that the Silver Crowned Dragon had mentioned him recently.

Iver learned that the Queen and Avalon’s leaders had uncovered the royal-family curse and planned to use the deaths of twenty-one members of the Blood of Du Lac to resurrect Lancelot. As the Queen prepared to proceed with the Shadow of Avalon ritual, Iver realized it had gone wrong before and that Scathach, not Lancelot, had descended.

• The Queen told Iver that the Silver Crowned Dragon had praised him, implicitly confirming his Path of Transcendence and signaling that she would not punish him for his concealed identity.
• The Grand Guardian explained that Lancelot remained alive in a preserved body and that twenty-one murdered members of the Blood of Du Lac could bring him back to defend Avalon.
• The Grand Guardian and the Queen reasoned that Prince Andrew had been the curser and that his death from an exploding heart showed the curse had ended.
• The Queen revealed that Avalon’s leaders had allowed the royal deaths to expose traitors and weaken the old order, then planned to tell Meg and Arius about the Shadow of Avalon ritual.
• Iver remembered that a previous Shadow of Avalon ritual had summoned Scathach instead of Lancelot and realized he had to stop the Queen from completing it.

Iver realized that the royal family's ritual had been altered by Vivian and could summon the Shadow Angel instead of Lancelot, threatening Avalon and the world. He considered destroying the ritual by killing Lancelot, but could not accept letting Avalon fall and leave its people to their fate.

• Iver recalled that Stibium had made a Doll of Isabel to serve as its puppet queen and that the Doll's desire to live as a human would complete the Ouroboros Ring Ritual.
• Iver determined that Vivian had altered Merlin's ritual, making Lancelot's body its foundation and preventing Lancelot from being the one summoned.
• Iver feared the ritual could bring down the Shadow Angel before anyone was strong enough to oppose it.
• Iver considered killing Lancelot to stop the ritual but recognized that doing so would leave Avalon without its planned defense against Stibium.
• Iver rejected the idea of letting Avalon perish and flee, deciding he would act because he did not want to abandon it.

Iver resolved to change the disasters he had foreseen rather than profit from them, and the Queen and Grand Guardian reassured him that Avalon’s present would be handled by its people. After leaving the Queen’s chamber, Iver went with David to find Isabel and warned him not to mention her curse or the ritual.

• Iver reflected on the deaths and wars awaiting Avalon and Stibnite, and decided he could not stand by and let them happen.
• The Grand Guardian and Queen Sophia reassured Iver that he did not have to carry the burden of Avalon’s present alone.
• Queen Sophia revealed that Yanis had told her Sherlock’s death might be a trick, and she asked Iver to leave while the adults discussed matters.
• Iver agreed to visit Isabel, then took David aside and warned him not to mention the curse or ritual to her.
• David promised to stay quiet and suggested Iver do the talking, while Iver realized David seemed to be trying to match him with Isabel.

Iver reunited with Yulia and learned from Master Nobel that Isabel was in poor condition. Yulia had begun studying alchemy and planned to advance to the Second Level next week, while Iver resolved to help ensure her advancement succeeded.

• Yulia ran to Iver, embraced him, and worried that he would blame her for not coming home; Iver reassured her and asked about Isabel.
• Master Nobel told Iver that Isabel's condition was not good, and Iver recognized Nobel by his Paul's Eye.
• Yulia said she had been learning alchemy from Nobel, who praised her talent and offered to mentor her on the Equilibrium Path if Isabel approved.
• Yulia told Iver she had reached the threshold of the Second Level and would perform her first advancement ritual next week.
• Nobel said he had explained which Path Traits Yulia should choose, and Iver decided to share the Paradox Flame Butterfly's power with her before her ritual.

After Prince Andrew’s death revived Isabel’s terror of the royal curse, Iver stayed with her while Yanis and the others waited outside. Isabel calmed enough to offer Iver her relatives’ diary, which she called her will, and promised it would explain her fear.

• Iver found Isabel withdrawn and overwhelmed by the curse’s return, then asked Yanis to let him speak with her alone.
• Yanis led the others out but listened at the door with Yulia and Lily as Iver comforted Isabel and assured her she was safe.
• Iver admitted he did not know whether the curse had been solved and invited Isabel to join him in killing someone, though she took it as a joke.
• Isabel offered to show Iver the diary, or will, left by her relatives so he could understand why she was frightened.

Iver revealed to Isabel that he was Miss Aleister, distracting her from her distress and earning her promise to keep his identity secret. Isabel then showed him the family diaries she had transcribed, leaving Iver curious about the diary entry she told him not to read.

• Yulia and Lily listened at Isabel's door while David resisted asking them what Iver was saying.
• Iver showed Isabel the shadowy power surrounding him and revealed that he was Miss Aleister.
• Isabel realized her guess had been right, checked that no one was listening, and promised to keep Iver's identity secret.
• Iver asked to see Isabel's secret, and she brought out her transcribed collection of eight family members' diaries.
• Isabel told Iver her own diary was at the end and that he did not have to read it, making him want to read it.

Iver read Isabel’s copied royal diaries and learned how the curse devastated the Du Lac Family, killing her relatives and friends. He reached Isabel’s first diary entry, written when she was nine, and saw that she was no longer afraid.

• Iver began reading the Royal Diary, whose opening entries described the Du Lac Family’s deaths and their resolve to leave a record behind.
• Iver realized the curse had likely been spreading before Prince Andrew joined the mastermind, and Isabel explained that her younger sister Annie and her best friend had died from it.
• Iver read entries by Herak Du Lac and Philip describing the deaths of Princess Valeria, Klea, and other family members, as well as the family’s refusal to surrender its honor.
• Iver reached Isabel’s first diary entry, in which nine-year-old Isabel wrote that she was scared and that her father had said she could cry.
• Isabel shyly looked away as Iver turned to her, while her faint smile showed that she was no longer afraid.

Iver refused to read Isabel’s diary, explaining that he wanted her to share her secrets herself rather than expose her while she was vulnerable. He traced her distress to generations of fear passed through the Du Lac family’s diaries, then reflected on the afterlife and the Silver Crowned Dragon’s knights.

• Iver closed Isabel’s diary and told her he would not read it, asking her to reveal her secrets to him herself.
• Iver reasoned that the Du Lac family’s diaries had passed fear and grief from one generation to the next, leaving Isabel overwhelmed by the deaths and pressure around her.
• Iver explained how souls entered different divine domains after death and how some souls were chosen to become apostles.
• Iver described the Silver Crowned Dragon’s selective knights, their duties, and the protection they provided to rulers and the Material Realm.
• Iver recalled that George had become an apostle of the Silver Crowned Dragon after death and thought of him as a friend.

Iver considered the conflict between Meg’s plan to advance and the Queen’s plan to keep her alive, then decided to find an excuse to kill Minister Drost. Meanwhile, Stibnite’s Blood Diamond contacted King Stibnite, who ordered her to rescue Drost after learning that Meg’s time was nearly up.

• Isabel gave Iver her diary, and Iver tucked it away, believing she was ready to leave her past behind.
• David told Iver that Meg was speaking loudly with the other senior figures, and Iver realized she was pushing to begin her Promotion Ritual despite the Queen’s plans.
• Iver considered which allies he could recruit for future Rituals and decided to find an excuse to kill Minister Drost.
• Blood Diamond entered Drost’s cell disguised as a rat and used her body to let King Stibnite speak with him directly.
• Drost told King Stibnite that Meg was nearing the end of her life and planned to advance to the Sixth Level.
• King Stibnite ordered Blood Diamond to rescue Drost and send him to his territory, and she arranged an escape by ship.

Iver and Lily arranged to make Minister Drost’s death appear justified, then learned the Noble Red Society had attacked the Bureau of Supervision to rescue him. The Grand Guardian rushed Iver and Lily to the Bureau, giving Iver a chance to act amid the unexpected assault.

• Iver and Lily decided that provoking a rescue attempt would give them grounds to kill Minister Drost rather than secretly assassinating him.
• Iver asked the Grand Guardian to let Lily visit Drost, and Lily claimed she wanted to see her biological father before he died.
• The Grand Guardian warned Lily not to trust Drost and praised Iver, then discovered the Noble Red Society was attacking the Bureau of Supervision.
• Iver offered to help with his Paradox Flame Butterfly abilities, and the Grand Guardian carried Iver and Lily to the Bureau on his griffin.

Noble Red attacked the Red Queen District Bureau of Supervision with layered curses and demons, cutting off communications and exhausting the defenders’ mana. Tai Ya resisted the assault and killed a spellcaster, but a giant knocked her down as the attackers prepared to destroy the Bureau’s Secret Doors.

• Tai Ya ordered the Inspectors to protect civilians and documents as curses caused panic, weakness, and paralysis inside the Bureau.
• Demon Dogs attacked the civilians while the Inspectors fought to hold them back, and Tai Ya realized the attackers were buying time to reach the prisoners.
• A Ritual Curse drained the mana of everyone inside, while the severed phone lines and absent reinforcements left Tai Ya unable to call for help.
• As the barrier collapsed, Tai Ya killed a bald red-robed spellcaster with her short sword and used her director’s badge to dispel illegal spells.
• Tai Ya charged the approaching attackers, but an invisible giant seized her and slammed her against Avalon’s emblem.
• A second giant ordered his forces to maintain the Crowd Dispersal Ritual, prepare a Silence Array, and plant bombs near every possible Secret Door.

Iver, Lily, and the Grand Guardian confronted Noble Red near the Bureau of Supervision, where the Grand Guardian discovered that its leader was Wolfram, a giant who had escaped captivity years earlier. Wolfram used a mirage to evade George, then recognized Iver as the grandson of an old man.

• Philip carried Iver and Lily by griffin to the Bureau of Supervision, where the Grand Guardian ordered them to land near the back entrance and help secure the building.
• The Grand Guardian attacked the red-robed Demon Scholars and confronted their leader, Wolfram, who revealed that he had entered Glass Island using technology given to him by humans.
• George remembered that Wolfram had escaped from his custody more than four hundred years earlier, a failure that had nearly ended his career.
• George charged Wolfram but passed through him, realizing that the giants beside the Demon Scholars were mirages.
• Iver arrived and explained that Wolfram's figures were mirages, and Wolfram recognized Iver as the grandson of an old man.

Iver uncovered Wolfram’s connection to his grandfather’s death and used a golden butterfly to dispel the giants’ illusions, while the Grand Guardian protected him as he fought the remaining Demon Scholars. Meanwhile, Lily confronted her biological father, Minister Drost, and killed him after learning he would sacrifice his favored granddaughter to save himself.

• Wolfram revealed that Jacob Alexander had taught him Ritual Mage techniques and that Wolfram had cursed Jacob to death.
• Iver dispelled Wolfram and the other giant’s illusions with a golden butterfly, then asked the Grand Guardian to protect him while he attacked the Demon Scholars.
• Lily and the Shadow Demon reached Minister Drost’s cell, where the Shadow Demon cut off Drost’s hands and legs while pretending to help him escape.
• Drost admitted that he favored his granddaughter Suryani because she was also his daughter, then agreed to offer his family as a sacrifice to save himself.
• Lily revealed herself to Drost and, with the Shadow Demon’s help, killed him.

Iver defeated the Demon Scholars who attacked the Bureau of Supervision, then used Illumination Spell to rescue the wounded. Lily helped him, and her changed appearance and demeanor left him wondering how she had transformed.

• Iver and the Grand Guardian defeated three teams of Demon Scholars, and Iver gained 280 experience from the attackers.
• Iver considered using his accumulated experience to learn Advanced Divine Arts and planned to ask his mentor about finding a chance to study them.
• Iver stayed at the Bureau of Supervision and used Illumination Spell to treat critically injured people, including the new director.
• Lily brought Iver cushions and helped him prepare the wounded for treatment, while Iver noticed her newfound mature and alluring presence.

Iver exhausted himself healing everyone injured in the attack, saving even those who had been near death, before Bishop Mathers took him and Lily home to recover. The survivors planned to spread news of Iver’s actions throughout Avalon.

• Iver used the Illumination Spell until his mana and life force were nearly depleted, healing every wounded person and ensuring no one died in the attack.
• Director Tai Ya thanked Iver for saving her, while the other survivors watched him with gratitude and respect.
• Iver reflected on how much he enjoyed healing people and felt fortunate that Little Butterfly had helped him save so many.
• Bishop Mathers took the exhausted Iver and Lily to his home because Iver could not safely return to the dormitory.
• Rescued reporters, newspaper owners, shipowners, and writers resolved to publicize Iver’s heroic deed across Glass Island and Avalon.

Avalon’s leaders investigated the attack on the Bureau of Supervision and concluded that Aleister might be Lily, Iver’s maid, rather than a member of the Noble Red Society. They decided to approach her with an offer to become a Royal Agent and planned to protect Iver when Meg visited his dormitory the next day.

• The Grand Guardian reported that a Shadow Demon and a witch had entered the secret chamber through its ventilation ducts, prompting Queen Sofia to order a new Secret Prison built.
• The Grand Guardian argued that the Noble Red Society and Stibnite had conflicting reasons for attacking Minister Drost, suggesting Aleister opposed the Society.
• The Grand Guardian identified Lily as a possible Aleister, citing her grudge against Lloyd’s and Drost, her Grimoire, and signs of Shadow power.
• The Grand Guardian proposed hiring Aleister as a Royal Agent, and Meg agreed to speak with Iver and Lily after classes the next day.
• Queen Sofia ordered Meg to protect Iver and said she would ask Master Yanis to assist with scrying.