Chapter Summaries

After Brando’s forces seized Horseshoe Grass Sawmill, Cave Dweller chieftain Tajip prepared to retaliate, unaware that Brando’s knowledge of the tribe had already shaped the battle. Yuta, Fern, and Clencia secured the sawmill at a heavy cost and reflected on how they had become entangled in the young lord’s conflict.

• Tajip learned that humans had seized Horseshoe Grass Sawmill and killed more than a hundred Cave Dwellers, so it ordered its fighters to assemble.
• Hornclaw identified a mage’s Silence Spell as the likely cause of the Cave Dweller losses and warned Tajip that attacking humans could provoke a backlash.
• Tajip decided to confront the mercenaries that night, then seize Grudin’s silver mine and retreat underground.
• Yuta, Fern, and Clencia’s mercenaries defeated the Cave Dwellers left at Horseshoe Grass Sawmill, losing ten people and suffering more than thirty wounded.
• Yuta, Fern, and Clencia recognized that Brando’s familiarity with the Cave Dwellers had made their victory possible and wondered why they had become bound to his cause.

After Brando’s victories, the mercenaries began to consider following him, but he left them to prepare the logging camp’s defenses while he scouted the Cave Dwellers’ much larger army with Qian. Brando then planned a bold strike against their leader, hoping to turn the coming battle in his favor.

• Clencia, Fern, and Yuta discussed their doubts about serving Brando, while the mercenaries’ hopes in him grew as he approached the logging camp.
• Antitina told the mercenaries to reinforce the camp and hold it through the night, promising Brando could bring them victory if they endured.
• Fern interpreted Brando’s plan as a test of whether the captains would choose to trust him, and Yuta agreed reluctantly to follow the instructions.
• Brando and Qian watched the Cave Dwellers assemble with goblin allies and saw that their numbers far exceeded a thousand.
• Brando told Qian they would attack the tribe at the hazelwood sawmill and said they needed to capture its leader first.

Brando waited in the mountains while the Cave Dwellers mobilized, trusting Antitina and the mercenaries to hold the Horseshoe Grass Sawmill. After the moon rose and scouts reached the camp, Yuta recognized that the Cave Dwellers’ main force was likely close behind.

• Qian questioned Brando’s delay, and he explained that the Cave Dwellers’ chieftain would likely come in person to face a human mage.
• Brando told Qian that the outcome of the conflict had already been decided and that he wanted more than victory.
• Yuta detected possible Cave Dweller scouts near the logging camp and sent mercenaries into the forest to investigate.
• Antitina asked Yuta to assess the Cave Dwellers’ speed and coordination, and Yuta judged that their scouts had arrived unusually quickly.
• Yuta concluded that the Cave Dweller main force was nearby and that the fiercest fighting would likely begin in the second half of the night.

Antitina and Yuta defended the sawmill as Cave Dwellers gathered to surround it, while Brando and Qian infiltrated the enemy army to reach the Shaman Doctor. Brando’s powerful attack sent the Cave Dwellers fleeing, and Tajip realized the pair were closing in on it.

• Yuta let the returning cavalry into the sawmill while crossbowmen drove off a Cave Dweller scouting party.
• Antitina deduced that the scouts were an advance unit, then she and Yuta watched more than a hundred Cave Dwellers surround the sawmill.
• Brando spotted the Cave Dweller Shaman Doctor among the gathered forces and took Qian with him to approach it.
• Cave Bears attacked Brando, but he cut through a flail and unleashed a sword wave that killed many creatures and sent the rest fleeing.
• Brando and Qian charged through the retreating Cave Dwellers, and Tajip panicked when it sensed them rapidly closing in.

Tajip underestimated the humans but recognized Brando and Qian as formidable fighters, then tried to contain them with the Cave Dweller army. Brando identified the hidden command network and killed the Cave Dweller Warriors directing the troops, leaving the surrounding forces in disarray.

• Tajip dismissed the humans as weak after his tribe had defeated Grudin's army, but grew wary when he learned that Brando and Qian had the strength of Slave Lords.
• Tajip ordered the Cave Dwellers to surround Brando and Qian, while Cave Dweller Warriors drove panicked troops back into formation.
• Brando and Qian fought through successive encirclements, killing many Cave Dwellers before pausing to recover.
• Brando detected the Cave Dweller Warriors communicating orders and told Qian to open a gap in the defensive line concealing them.
• Qian blasted open the line with her spear, and Brando charged through and killed the Cave Dweller Warriors directing the army.
• The Cave Dwellers lost their command and scattered as Brando turned back toward Qian.

Brando and Qian fought through the Cave Dweller army toward Tajip, while the exhausted Qian agreed to hold off the Cave Bears for thirty seconds. As the Holy Archangels descended on Tajip, the battle reached a sudden turning point.

• Brando and Qian cut through the Cave Dweller ranks, killing the warriors who were coordinating the defense and forcing Tajip to summon the Cave Bears.
• Tajip used the Cave's Blessing and a Blind Blessing to strengthen the Cave Bears, then ordered them to block the humans while it retreated.
• Qian grew exhausted as she fought, while Brando maintained his combat effectiveness thanks to his newly developed Unyielding Talent.
• Brando asked Qian to hold off the advancing Cave Bears for thirty seconds, and she agreed despite her exhaustion.
• Tajip sensed an unfamiliar flying creature overhead and mistook it for a Giant Eagle before the Holy Archangels appeared and descended toward it.

Antitina and the mercenary commanders defended the logging camp against a massive Cave Dweller assault, relying on Brando’s preparations to blunt the attack. As the defenders began to lose ground, Clencia and Vern turned to Antitina, whose next move could decide the battle.

• Antitina held to Brando’s order to commit all their forces, while Yuta and Clencia stopped objecting and Vern recognized that Brando was directing the defense.
• More than a thousand Cave Dwellers advanced under wooden shields, and the defenders’ first volley opened a gap before the creatures reached the camp wall.
• Cave Bears battered the wall while Cave Dwellers dug beneath it, but Brando’s deep trenches trapped the tunnel attackers and let the mercenaries kill them with spears.
• When the Cave Dwellers climbed the wall using living ladders, Antitina ordered the mercenaries to sweep them back with crude nets.
• The nets repelled several waves, but the Cave Dwellers tore through them and drove the mercenaries back as casualties mounted.
• Clencia and Vern turned to Antitina, believing she might be the key to turning the battle, and prepared to end the fight themselves if she did not act.

Brando ordered Qian to fall back as Tajip’s anti-air spell grounded the two archangels, but the angels charged across the battlefield and captured Tajip. With Tajip’s banner fallen, Brando and Qian reached the battlefield’s edge, while Antitina prepared to use the spellcasters’ one large-scale Silence Spell and wait for news of Brando’s victory.

• Tajip cast a Domain of Silence spell that stopped the two archangels in midair and sent them crashing to the ground.
• Brando caught Qian after a Cave Bear struck her, then ordered her to retreat despite their proximity to Tajip’s banner.
• The grounded archangels charged toward Tajip and captured it after defeating its personal guards, but Tajip refused to surrender.
• Brando drove the Cave Bears back, pulled Qian toward the battlefield’s edge, and summoned his Silver Warhorse.
• Antitina told the spellcasters to prepare their one large-scale Silence Spell, then said they would wait for news of Brando’s victory.

After the mercenaries repelled the Cave Dwellers’ first assault, they braced for another attack and clung to their faith that Brando would come. Meanwhile, Brando and Qian confronted Tajip in the valley, where Brando’s knowledge of the underground cities unsettled the Cave Dweller leader.

• Fern warned Antitina, Yuta, Clencia, and the others that another Cave Dweller attack would come before dawn, and the mercenaries discussed their grim chances.
• Roman explained that she trusted Brando because he took responsibility for his promises, while Antitina listened and wondered about the group’s past.
• A scout reported that the Cave Dwellers were preparing to attack again, ending the mercenaries’ brief moment of comfort.
• Qian threatened the captured Tajip and ordered it to make the Cave Dwellers surrender, but Tajip refused and warned that their companions in the forest were in danger.
• Brando asked Tajip whether it served Torrand City or Dragon Tongue City, and Tajip realized that the humans knew about the underground world.

Brando pressured Tajip to choose between returning underground and pledging his Cave Dweller tribe to him, then secured the tribe’s submission. In the days that followed, Fir City recovered, Brando strengthened his rule, and a commotion interrupted him at his desk.

• Brando challenged Tajip’s claim to the logging camps and offered to protect the tribe if Tajip swore loyalty to him.
• Tajip hesitated over Brando’s offer, then accepted as the night wind drowned out its answer.
• After the battle, the Cave Dwellers withdrew from the logging camps, and the mercenary captains submitted to Brando.
• Brando arranged for Green Village’s residents to supply Fir City with timber and began planning repairs to its walls.
• Brando had Antitina exempt taxes across the Barony of Fir for three years, then heard a commotion outside his window.

Sir Mintai intercepted his youngest son as the young man tried to leave home and join Princess Griffine. He agreed to let his son prove himself by assisting in the campaign against the rioters, while secretly intending to delay him.

• Sir Mintai rode into a forest clearing and found his youngest son and the young man's companions under guard.
• Sir Mintai confronted his son, who said he wanted to follow Princess Griffine and earn glory in the coming war.
• Sir Mintai doubted his son's plans but remembered that he had gained combat experience while studying under Brother Mahor and Sir Pallas.
• Sir Mintai offered to let his son assist him and prove his abilities, intending to keep him occupied until the battle ended.
• Sir Mintai claimed that a young leader commanded the rioters, and his son accepted the chance to meet him.

Brando learned that Sir Mintai had crossed the Gers River earlier than expected and considered the threat posed by the advancing troops. He went downstairs to investigate an argument, where he found Roman keeping accounts of the spoils taken in Fir City.

• Sir Mintai returned to command his men while his son dismissed the opposing force as a mob and prepared to fight.
• Floro told Brando that Sir Mintai had set out with a few hundred troops and crossed the Gers River.
• Brando reasoned that Sir Mintai had no large force behind him and that Tajip’s Cave Dwellers had sealed off the forest routes near Fir City.
• Brando asked Floro about the argument in the courtyard and went downstairs with her.
• Brando found Roman wearing spectacles and copying accounts of the property seized from Grudin.

Brando reviewed the chaotic finances left by Grudin as Antitina and Roman’s new system began to stabilize. Outside, his advisers clashed over competing demands for money and supplies, leaving Brando to confront the territory’s mounting shortages as war approached.

• Brando recalled how overlapping spending authority had nearly wrecked the accounts before Roman and Antitina divided management and record-keeping.
• Roman told Brando that Antitina was arguing with Yuta, Clencia, Beru, and others over the cost of provisions.
• Antitina explained that grain supplies could not cover the city’s residents, a new private army, wartime rations, spring planting, and the Cave Dwellers, while food prices were expected to rise.
• Yuta sought funds to recruit soldiers, Beru demanded money and materials for a workshop, and Clencia requested funds to repair and replace the mercenaries’ equipment.
• Brando arrived as the argument peaked, and Beru warned him that war would drain his limited wealth; Brando recognized the costs of developing the territory and the need to find a solution.

Brando learned that Sir Mintai’s small force had reached Gers Ferry and sent Clencia to reinforce Fawn and capture their commander, Samuel, if possible. He then turned to Tonigell’s urgent shortages of food and money, leaving the chapter with the Shafdelun Silver Mine as his first possible solution.

• Frow reported that only six or seven hundred of Sir Mintai’s men had crossed the river, mostly private troops and mercenaries working from incomplete information.
• Brando ordered Clencia to reinforce Fawn, cut off Sir Mintai’s retreat, and capture as many soldiers as possible, especially Samuel.
• Antitina told Brando that Tonigell had little usable cash, faced a pressing food shortage, and needed funds for both trade and the coming war.
• Brando considered money he had left in Brags but concluded that Count Jandernel’s territory blocked access to it.
• Brando identified Shafdelun’s Silver Mine as a possible way to raise money.

Brando planned to secure revenue from Shafrund's silver mine despite Count Jandernel's control and the threat from Pallas, while prioritizing food and military needs. He sent a small party to meet Jandernel's subordinates and tasked Antitina with planning Fir City's reconstruction as a future fortress.

• Antitina explained that Count Jandernel appointed Shafrund's officials and controlled most of the silver produced there.
• Yuta asked Brando to let her seize Shafrund, but Brando noted that Pallas could prevent them from holding it.
• Antitina reported a food shortage of seventeen thousand bushels, so Brando delayed the mage workshop and Roman's plan while continuing military recruitment.
• Brando decided to visit Count Jandernel's subordinates with Medisa and Qian, and ordered Yuta to bring twenty or thirty people.
• Brando told Antitina to draw up a long-term plan to rebuild Fir City as a fortress, while the Cave Dwellers searched north for a suitable fortress site.

Brando considered the difficulty of organizing workers to build a fortress and told Antitina to proceed with her plans. Charles arrived with the surviving apprentice of String Magic, agreed to establish a caster council, and returned a valuable painting that Brando planned to sell in Ambersell.

• Brando reflected on the lack of skilled builders and reassured Antitina that he trusted her abilities.
• Charles arrived with the surviving String Magic apprentice, who was surprised to see the archmage bow respectfully to Brando.
• Charles said he was willing to establish a caster council like the Tower of Stars and Moon.
• Charles returned the painting of Princess Dark Radiance that Brando had left in his keeping.
• Brando recognized the painting as genuine and decided to send it to Ambersell to sell.

Griffine asked Magdal to use her Temple connections to block the allied army from borrowing a route through Ambersell, and Magdal agreed to go with Sister Nemesis. Meanwhile, Freya advanced through the tournament but felt uncertain as Bresen and other trainees distinguished themselves.

• Griffine told Magdal that the dukes were forming an allied army and shared her concerns about Duke Anlek and Count Jandernel.
• Magdal reported that a rebellion had broken out in Count Jandernel's territory, and Griffine hoped it would keep him occupied.
• Griffine asked Magdal to persuade Ambersell's merchants to deny the allied army a route south, and Magdal agreed to try.
• Magdal requested Sister Nemesis as her companion, and Griffine agreed to assign her to the mission.
• Freya prepared for the tournament's second round, reflecting on her fatigue and Bresen's growing skill as she felt unsure of her own path.

Freya won a hard-fought academy championship match by instinctively using a modified form of Eluin Battle Formation Swordsmanship that she had learned from Brando. Nemesis recognized the technique and suspected Freya had ties to the White Mane Legion, while Griffine and Magdal discussed choosing promising cadets for a journey to Ambersell and wondered when Brando would reappear.

• Freya, exhausted and outmatched by a higher-year cadet, instinctively used Brando's sword technique to disarm him and force his surrender.
• Nemesis questioned Freya about the technique, her battlefield experience against Madara's undead, and whether she knew anyone in the White Mane Legion.
• Nemesis identified Freya's swordsmanship as a modified form of Eluin Battle Formation Swordsmanship and revealed that she had seen it before.
• Magdal asked Griffine about Freya, and Griffine explained that Freya was Everton's daughter but was not among the year's best cadets.
• Griffine told Magdal that she and Lord Oufwell planned to select promising cadets to travel with her to Ambersell, while Magdal wondered about the mysterious young man Griffine had praised.

Fern and Tiger Sparrow prepared an ambush as Sir Mintai’s army entered the forest, but Caglis noticed the missing scouts and halted the troops before they reached the trap. Tiger Sparrow chose to attack anyway, prioritizing Brando’s order to capture Sir Mintai.

• Fern and Tiger Sparrow watched Sir Mintai’s army advance while their mercenaries waited in ambush beside the Gris River.
• Fern recalled how the Rubis Mercenaries had swiftly killed a group of noble scouts and reflected on why he had joined Brando.
• Caglis rode up to Sir Mintai, pointed out that the scouts were late, and urged his father to stop the army.
• Sir Mintai ordered the army to halt, and Caglis and several knights noticed the forest had fallen unnaturally quiet.
• Tiger Sparrow saw that the Cave Dwellers were in position with Four-Armed Crossbows and ordered the attack signal despite Fern’s concern that the army was outside the ambush.
• Tiger Sparrow explained that Brando wanted Sir Mintai captured and that waiting could let the situation slip out of their control.

Brando’s group reached Shafrund and discussed how to approach the guarded silver mine, choosing to enter the town in small groups first. Meanwhile, Caglis and Sir Mintai’s party faced a threat emerging from the forest, signaled by a shriek and a magical flare.

• Caglis urged Sir Mintai to retreat, and a knight backed him up before a mournful shriek and a magical signal rose from the forest.
• Brando’s party arrived above Shafrund, where Yuta identified the town and described its silver mine and rumors of open-pit deposits.
• Brando considered the cards he could unseal and purchase, including the Fire Giant and Silver Swallowtail Banner.
• Roman questioned the open-pit silver rumors, while Yuta explained that people who found the veins could never locate them again.
• Yuta explained that the mining area was guarded by watchtowers, patrols, and a Gold Mid-rank swordsman, so Brando ordered the group to enter Shafrund separately and regroup that evening.