Chapter Summaries

Iver visited the Spirit Tower to claim the inheritance Adolf had left him and discovered an extraordinarily powerful magic painting made partly from Adolf’s soul and memories. He left it in the Tower’s preservation room, sensing that he might need it only when facing a Ring Angel or the end of the world.

• Iver arrived at Eagle Cape Village, where the villagers warmly welcomed him and showed curiosity about the necromancers settling nearby.
• Albert Lore welcomed Iver to the Spirit Tower and told him that Aurora had gone to the Eternal Frost Empire to study preservation techniques and complete an Inheritance Ritual.
• Albert led Iver into the preservation room, where Adolf von Menzel’s inheritance was kept: an extremely pale magic painting created by the Mystic Painter.
• As Iver approached the painting, he saw visions in its frames and sensed divinity formed from Adolf’s soul and memories, along with powers of love, nothingness, beauty, twilight, devotion, and transcendence.
• Iver judged that the painting could elevate him to the level of a Ring Angel or beyond, but asked Albert to keep it safely in the Spirit Tower because he feared the circumstances that might force him to use it.

Iver returned to No. 14's room in Crescent Moon Manor and used his corpse, preserved blood, and the powers of the Fallen Angel to create Aleister as the Holy Blood Angel. He formed a contract with her and gained the Great Sin card, which let him summon her or use her blood-manipulating powers.

• Iver visited the ruins of Crescent Moon Manor on May 9 and cleaned No. 14's room with the Apostles of the Candle Keeper's help.
• Iver arranged his corpse, Liquid Soul, the Sister Sasha Set, fourteen bottles of blood, and the Priestess and World Tarot Cards for a ritual.
• Iver invoked Constant Self, the Banquet Angel, and the Fallen Angel's Mark of Lust to transform his corpse into Aleister, who declared herself his servant and other half.
• Iver and Aleister completed a contract ritual, fusing the Priestess and World cards into the Great Sin card Holy Blood Angel.
• Iver read the card's abilities and learned that he could manipulate his holy blood and summon Aleister, who could also take Follower Form.

Iver deciphered Sherlock Holmes's letter as a distress signal and concluded that Sherlock was being held under surveillance while investigating a case tied to Iris's former royal family. He decided to go to Iris himself to rescue his friend, postponing his search for the family sword.

• Iver read Sherlock's letter aloud while Isabel examined its postmark and sensed something was wrong.
• Iver explained that Sherlock's letter was monitored and contained clues that he was being held at the Valois estate during his investigation.
• Iver inferred that Sherlock had avoided mentioning his connection to Avalon to prevent his captors from silencing him.
• Isabel worried that her letter might have put Sherlock in danger, but Iver said it had forced Sherlock's captors to let him send a message.
• Iver refused to send troops and decided to travel to Iris discreetly to find out who had taken Sherlock.

Iver brought Sherlock’s letter to Mycroft, who helped decode Sherlock’s clues and concluded that his investigation in Iris might involve a hidden force of fear and a celestial authority. Iver decided to teleport to Iris and rescue Sherlock discreetly.

• Mycroft explained Iris’s political history and suspected that Sherlock’s danger was connected to a secret involving the former royal family and the rival dukes.
• Mycroft found Sherlock’s coded notes in his old apartment and recalled the passages they referenced, which all concerned fear.
• Iver speculated that an artificially created fear might have driven Iris’s rebellions and the royal family’s slaughter, possibly through celestial power.
• Mycroft urged Iver to rescue Sherlock without causing a commotion, and Iver said he would disguise himself and teleport directly to Iris.

Iver prepared to travel to Iris to rescue Sherlock, disguising himself as a male Child of the Moon with Isabel’s help and arranging for Lily to accompany him. He also resolved to settle his personal score with Aziz in Parthia after his upcoming obligations.

• Iver asked Isabel to help conceal his antlers, then chose to transform into a male Child of the Moon while preserving Bayard’s identity for later use.
• Isabel agreed to send Lily with him and carry her puppet mask so she could assist remotely; she used Makeup Art to alter Iver’s appearance.
• Iver dressed in Ibn’s white ritualist robes and adopted the name Ibn, then decided to confront Aziz, the Curse Master who had cursed his biological parents to death.
• After Lily arrived from Moriarty Mansion, Iver summoned Merlin, who teleported Iver and Lily to Iris.

Alice de Harcourt arrived in Les Herbiers and met Arsène Lupin, who led her into a bar. There, a dangerous white-haired man recognized Arsene as Lord Arsene de Valois, leaving Alice startled by their connection.

• Alice arrived in Les Herbiers, where the coachman warned her about the Cray Party, a gang that used children to steal.
• Arsene arrived to meet Alice, took her trunk, and led her into a nearby bar after she asked for her money.
• Alice noticed a white-haired man with blood-red eyes staring at her from the corner of the bar.
• Arsene stepped between Alice and the stranger, then sat across from him.
• The white-haired man greeted Arsene as Lord Arsene de Valois, and Arsene's hand tightened on his hat.

Ibn, a powerful Child of the Moon, confronted Arsene and Alice in an Iris bar, revealing that he knew their identities and their connection to Hawkeye. He asked Arsene to find the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, whom Arsene was believed to know.

• Ibn revealed his fangs, frightening Alice, while Arsene recognized him as a Child of the Moon from the Parthian Ancient Kingdom.
• Ibn mocked the bard's tale of Pope Iver and drew Alice into a tense exchange about her identity.
• Ibn identified Alice as Alice de Harcourt, causing her to panic and resonate with the Path of Adaptation.
• Arsene inferred that Ibn wanted his help and asked what he needed him to obtain.
• Ibn clarified that he wanted Arsene to find Sherlock Holmes, whose whereabouts Arsene was believed to know.

Arsene explained how he had met Sherlock Holmes and why he had summoned him, while Hermes’s companions revealed themselves in the bar. Arsene was left bewildered by the strange group and increasingly curious about how they had become allies.

• Arsene explained that Maurice Leblanc had directed Hermes’s friend to him, and recalled how Leblanc supported his phantom-thief work.
• Arsene told Hermes that he had met Sherlock Holmes while they were investigating the death of a corrupt merchant, and said the Duke of Vendome’s soldiers had taken Holmes away.
• Hermes signaled for Arsene to stop speaking when Alice’s Eagle Feather detected another holder nearby.
• A Hawkeye Assassin Master emerged from Hermes’s shadow and reported that she had dealt with their tail.
• Miss Aleister entered, said she had eaten the nearby Children of the Moon, and introduced herself to Arsene as Hermes’s daughter.

At a tense meeting, Iver, disguised as Ritualist Ibn, questioned Arsene and Alice about their secret trade and uncovered its connection to Arsene’s disguise. Arsene opened the suitcase to reveal a mysterious silver key, leaving Alice to realize she had been deceived about the mission and its cargo.

• Iver, posing as Ritualist Ibn, asked why the Children of the Moon and Hawkeye were watching Arsene and Alice, then pressed Alice about the trade.
• Arsene stopped Iver from questioning Alice and opened the suitcase with a Little Key.
• Arsene revealed that the real item being traded was a silver key engraved with the words “Everything is Separated by This Blade.”
• Iver recognized that the key was valuable, while Alice realized it had not come from her clothes and that she had been kept ignorant of the true deal.
• Alice suspected that her past secret deliveries might have involved illegal goods or dangerous documents and began addressing Iver.

Alice discovered that someone had secretly planted the Dream-Entering Key in her suitcase, and Iver learned that Arsene wanted it to rescue Sherlock, whose soul was trapped in the Dream Realm. Iver offered to join Arsene’s plan to steal the Dream-Reflecting Mirror, though he warned that he could not bring Arsene into his own Dream Realm suite.

• Alice told Arsene why the Hawkeye Organization had recruited her and realized someone had planted the key in her suitcase while it was on the carriage.
• Aleister and Ibn explained that the Moonlight Key could separate realms and let someone enter another person’s dream, while Iver recognized its role in the plot to free the Calamity Demon Dragon.
• Iver asked whether Sherlock’s soul was imprisoned in the Dream Realm, and Arsene confirmed that Sherlock’s body remained in the Duke’s Residence.
• Arsene explained that he had agreed to borrow the key from Hawkeye in exchange for helping them steal the Dream-Reflecting Mirror.
• Iver told Arsene to call him when the plan began and said he had a suite in the Dream Realm but could not let Arsene enter it.

After Alice left, Arsene explained why the Hawkeye Organization and the Children of the Moon were watching her and revealed that both sides might have been willing to kill her. Iver, Arsene, and Aleister prepared to enter the Dream Realm immediately to rescue Sherlock, while Iver also planned to complete Lady Hypatia’s task along the way.

• Alice realized the Hawkeye Organization had used her as an intermediary and left angrily, still unaware of why both factions had been watching the tavern.
• Arsene dismissed the tavern’s patrons, revealed that they were his followers, and told Iver that the Children of the Moon wanted to destroy the Moonlight Key while Hawkeye had secretly supplied it.
• Arsene explained that both factions could have targeted Alice, and Aleister admitted that she and Lily had eaten members of the opposing groups to prevent the killings from being blamed on the other side.
• Iver recommended Avalon to Arsene and asked when they would enter the Dream Realm to rescue Sherlock.
• Arsene agreed to prepare his tools for twenty minutes, while Aleister offered to find someone asleep so the group could enter that person’s dream.
• Iver remembered that he could also complete Lady Hypatia’s task during the rescue trip.

Iver, Aleister, and Arsene discussed Iris’s brutal customs and the dangers of its nights before Arsene revealed that Sherlock’s body was trapped in the Duke of Vendome’s estate and that he was investigating secrets about his parents’ deaths. Iver agreed to help Arsene pursue the investigation, then demanded to know why Arsene had brought them to a university girls’ dormitory to enter the Dream Realm.

• Arsene described Les Herbiers and explained how poverty, weak Church influence, and supernatural dangers shaped Iris’s customs, including its tacitly lawless nights.
• Arsene told Iver that Sherlock was asleep in his body after being drawn into the Dream Realm during a meeting with the Duke of Vendome.
• Iver suggested forcing the Duke to release Sherlock, but Arsene admitted that rescuing him immediately might end his chance to learn the truth about his parents’ deaths.
• Arsene revealed that he had been part of the Hawkeye Organization and suspected the Duke’s investigation was connected to the secret he was pursuing.
• Iver agreed to help Arsene investigate and asked why they had come to the University Girls’ Dormitory to enter the Dream Realm.

Iver, Aleister, and Arsene visited the Iris seminary dormitory to meet Mia, where Arsene explained the country’s permissive customs and turbulent history. They reached Mia’s room and found her and her roommate Zula both treating Arsene as their lover, leaving Iver bewildered.

• Arsene explained that the Children of the Moon’s influence had reshaped Iris society and its attitudes toward romance.
• Iver and Aleister endured the students’ advances as Arsene described why master thieves appealed to rebellious young Iris people.
• Arsene told Iver about the former noble university and the mass hangings tied to the Hawkeye Organization’s movement.
• Iver, Aleister, and Arsene entered room 2048 and met Zula, who kissed Arsene and identified herself as Mia’s roommate.
• Mia came out and kissed Arsene too, then asked whether he had brought Iver and Aleister along to play.

Arsene, Iver, and Aleister Crowley prepared to enter the Dream Realm through Mia’s dream, while Zula stayed behind to guard her. Arsene used the Moonlight Key to open a passage, and the group disappeared into it.

• Arsene explained the plan to explore the Dream Realm, but told Zula she could not join because she was not yet a transcendent being.
• Iver put Mia into a hibernation-like sleep and warned Zula to keep her condition secret while she watched over her.
• Iver revealed that Aleister Crowley was a Child of the Moon and said Lily would guard Mia from the shadows.
• Aleister Crowley bit Mia and used her curse to put her into a deep sleep.
• Arsene pressed the Moonlight Key to Mia’s forehead and opened a dream passage that drew the group into the Dream Realm.

Iver and Arsene entered Mia’s dream, where they appeared as students in a distorted school memory. Arsene recounted his origins as a three-path Inheritor and explained the principles behind his phantom-thief identity before Iver offered to guide them through the Dream Realm.

• Iver awoke in Mia’s dream at a school filled with distorted classmates and saw a younger Arsene seated beside Mia.
• Arsene recalled becoming an Inheritor after surviving a shipwreck and receiving the Stealing the Heavens Grimoire from his dying captain.
• Arsene explained that he followed the paths of Dedication, Equilibrium, and Beauty, whose balance let him maintain his extraordinary power.
• Arsene described stealing under his true face and name, accepting responsibility for his crimes even when he believed his motives were just.
• Iver explained why he entered Iris disguised as a Child of the Moon and asked Arsene how to navigate the Dream Realm.
• Arsene described possible ways into the Dream Realm, and Iver told him to come along because he knew a method.

Iver explained how to reach the Dream Realm by finding a weak point in a dream’s scenery, then warned Arsene about the dangerous Worm Abyss. He intended to take Arsene to Shadow Land instead, and began looking for a dark place to enter it.

• Iver led Arsene away from the classroom and explained that dreamers could resist intruders through their subconscious.
• Iver taught Arsene to find a gap in the dream’s scenery where something should exist but had not been imagined.
• Iver explained that closing one’s eyes while falling in a dream could lead into the Worm Abyss, a perilous region inhabited by dream-eating worms.
• Iver described how Moonlight Salt kept the worms contained and how their overpopulation could cause a devastating Worm Plague.
• Iver decided to avoid the Worm Abyss and sought a lightless place at the school where he and Arsene could enter Shadow Land.

Iver and Arsene searched the Dream Realm, where Iver recognized a girl who resembled his deceased mother. Arsene identified her as Abigail de Vendome, his wife’s younger sister, giving Iver a possible link to his mother’s family.

• Iver told Arsene that the blurred figures outside Mia’s sight were empty shells and said Aleister had been with him all along.
• Iver and Arsene agreed to call each other friends and joked about how Sherlock addressed them.
• Iver saw a clear-faced girl who looked much like his mother, Anne Alexander, and realized she might be related to her by blood.
• Arsene said he knew the girl and introduced her as Abigail de Vendome, his wife’s younger sister.

Iver learned that Annie de Vendome had never married and had remained at the Duke's estate, leading him to suspect that a Swamp Person had replaced or returned in her place. He put aside his wish to meet this other version of his mother and led Arsene into the Shadow Land to rescue Sherlock, where Arsene recognized Iver's face.

• Iver learned that the Duke of Vendome had seventeen children and that Annie de Vendome was Angelique's sister and Abigail's older sister.
• Arsene revealed that the Duke had successively married three women from the Salzo Family, prompting Iver to suspect their family pattern was part of a ritual.
• Iver asked Arsene about Annie and learned that she had never married, had stayed at home, and had once been an opera singer.
• Iver suspected that a Swamp Person had returned in Annie's place and decided to rescue Sherlock before visiting the Duke's estate.
• Iver guided Arsene down a spiral staircase in a Clock Tower until they entered the Shadow Land, then dispelled his mirrored transformation to summon an acquaintance.
• Arsene saw Iver's face and widened his eyes in recognition.

Arsene met Iver and realized he resembled a disgraced ancestor of the Vendome Family, then helped save him from a Shadow Hunter Beast’s ambush. Iver and Viennes confronted three of the creatures in the Shadow Land.

• Arsene recognized Iver’s platinum hair and face as resembling a nameless Vendome ancestor who had challenged a god.
• Iver learned that Iris People mocked him as part of their resistance to the authority associated with elves, and he said he did not mind their speech.
• Arsene spotted a Shadow Hunter Beast attacking Iver and used Doppelganger Clothes to evade its pincers and pull Iver away.
• Iver’s radiance drove off one Shadow Hunter Beast, but Arsene sensed another attack as lightning struck.
• Iver called Viennes, who bound the three Shadow Hunter Beasts with chains bearing corrupt runes.

Iver and Viennes explained why the Shadow Angel opposed the dream-eating Phantom Demons and why she held the authority of vengeance despite disliking revenge. The chapter left Arsene confused about the Queen being a giant, with Iver implying that the sealed Wild Hunt gentleman could explain.

• Iver bound the Seventh Level Shadow Hunter Beast with chains of sin, and it revealed its moth-filled form to Arsene.
• Iver warned Arsene that the Phantom Demons damaged victims' dreams and could leave them with headaches or diminished abilities.
• Arsene explained that he remained a phantom thief because he could use his skills to take from the undeserving and help those in need.
• Iver reassured Arsene that the Queen hated the Phantom Demons and explained that she was not an evil god.
• Viennes explained that the Queen occupied the authority of vengeance to contain revenge, and Iver added that the Queen was a giant.
• Arsene asked what giants had to do with the Queen, and Iver pointed him toward the Wild Hunt gentleman sealed in a card.