Chapter Summaries

Brando assembled Eluin’s delegation and its escort for the journey to the Cruz Empire, where the Holy War ceremony would begin. After Roman secured a legitimate invitation to join them, the convoy departed with Brando intent on reaching Cruz.

• Brando organized the delegation, including Prince Haruze, noble envoys, and Princess Magdal, while several representatives were set to join them in Grey Mountain Territory.
• Roman arrived with her luggage and insisted on joining the trip, presenting an invitation from the Temple of Flames as president of the Seven Seas Merchant Guild.
• Brando reluctantly agreed to take Roman in his own carriage after learning that Tonigell’s trade had made her guild valuable to the Temple.
• Brando confirmed with Fro that Brunhilde and the others were ready to serve as the delegation’s escort.
• Brando ordered the convoy to set out for Cruz and declared that he was coming for the Holy War.

Brando’s delegation reached Tiskoburg, where a theft had prompted the fortress to delay opening its gates. The thief was revealed to be Chiara, who had stolen an object from the local lord and showed no concern about getting caught.

• Brando traveled through the Gray Mountains with the delegation and asked Yuta about her origins in the region.
• Yuta guided the diverse escort and its hidden troops along the mountain routes toward Tiskoburg.
• At Tiskoburg, Effram complained that the guards would not open the gates, and Medisa and Charles explained that a thief had stolen from the local lord.
• Brando’s delegation entered the fortress after the guards verified their identities and received the viscount’s order.
• Inside Tiskoburg, Chiara told a noble girl that she had stolen the object because she wanted it and did not want to owe the viscount a favor.

Brando met Chiara, the Xifah Family’s young representative, who tested his knowledge of Ancient Language and then decided to travel to the Empire. The delegation continued north across the Barta Plateau and reached the approach to Black Sword Bastion, the Empire’s gateway.

• Chiara made Brando answer a question about ancient characters from stone tablets, and he recited their meaning immediately.
• Chiara questioned Brando about how he knew the characters, proposed that he support her brother Leven, and then changed her mind and chose to go to the Empire.
• Brando’s delegation left Tiskoburg and traveled north through Ironthorn Pass, while Chiara kept trying to uncover the source of his knowledge.
• Several noble travelers fell ill on the journey, and Brando spent sleepless nights caring for them.
• The delegation crossed the Barta frontier and saw Black Sword Bastion, the towering Wall of the Empire, ahead.

Brando explained Eluin’s history and its delicate balance with the Cruz Empire to the envoy, urging the nobles not to consider themselves inferior. Near Black Sword Bastion, the group saw Imperial soldiers seize an Eluin merchant caravan and expel the refugees it carried.

• Brando described Black Sword Bastion’s history and explained how Eluin had twice captured it from the Empire.
• Effram doubted that Eluin had ever defeated the Empire, and Grand Duke Viero’s daughter suggested the Empire could have absorbed Eluin if it wanted to.
• Qian defended Eluin’s history, and Brando explained that the Empire’s other enemies and Eluin’s strategic position limited its ability to act against the kingdom.
• Brando told the envoy that Eluin’s nobles and people should not consider themselves inferior to the Empire.
• Imperial soldiers raided an Eluin merchant caravan outside Black Sword Bastion and gathered the refugees hidden among its cargo.
• Grand Duke Viero’s daughter explained that the refugees would be treated as vagrants and sent back, while Effram blamed them for making Eluin look disgraceful.

Brando led Eluin’s envoy convoy to Black Sword Bastion, where the Cruzians refused to observe diplomatic etiquette or open the fortress gates. After the knight-captain departed, Brando took up his sword and prepared to force an answer from the fortress.

• Brando led the convoy past detained refugees without allowing Aike to intervene.
• A Cruzian knight-captain rejected Effram’s credentials and told the envoys to follow him or turn back.
• Brando demanded that the Cruzians open the Knight’s Gate and properly welcome the envoy convoy.
• The knight-captain refused and returned to the fortress, leaving the convoy outside.
• Brando dismissed Miss Oni’s fears that he would seize the Marquis, took his crystal longsword, and slashed toward the fortress gates.

Brando destroyed Black Sword Bastion’s Knight’s Gate and challenged its defenders after Imperial soldiers mistreated the refugees and Eluin delegation. As Rovac called the Cruz Knights to battle and griffins took flight, Brando revealed that his army was approaching.

• Brando cleaved the Knight’s Gate and part of the fortress wall apart with one sword strike, startling the Imperial soldiers, refugees, and Eluin delegation.
• Brando blocked Fire Wolf Ivan’s sudden attack, then struck him down and identified Rovac as the Sword of the Empire.
• Brando asked Rovac to have the marquis welcome the Cruzian delegation, but Rovac refused and warned that the fortress would resist him.
• Brando argued that he was punishing those who dishonored the Flame Temple’s holy war, not declaring war on the Empire.
• Rovac ordered the Cruz Knights to prepare for battle, and griffins launched from the fortress walls.
• Brando drew the Sword of Earth and told Rovac that his army was not just one person as countless figures rose among the mountains.

Brando’s Rune Gargoyles overwhelmed Black Sword Bastion, where wizards used coordinated control spells to disable the Imperial reinforcements. At Knight’s Gate, Brando sent Medisa to subdue the Imperial troops and rescue refugees, then defeated Rovac with a sword strike that left him collapsing.

• Tania supplied Brando with Rune Gargoyles, which destroyed the Imperial griffins and split into groups to attack Black Sword Bastion.
• The gargoyles landed across the Inner City, where Mcdonald and the other wizards immobilized Imperial soldiers and captured most of the reinforcements.
• The gargoyles crippled the Griffin Knights’ headquarters, destroying cage passages and storehouses while trapping griffins and knights in the ruins.
• Brando ordered Medisa to subdue an Imperial squad and rescue refugees, then assigned Charles to handle the walls.
• Rovac charged Brando with his Earth Dragon Knights, but Brando’s sword strike cut through Rovac’s armor and brought him to his knees.

Brando defeated the Imperial Earth Dragon Knights and confronted Lady Vanna, insisting that he sought respect for Eluin rather than war. As Lady Vanna looked to the sky, Charles invoked Spellweaver authority and revealed the Dragon of Aether above Black Sword Bastion.

• Brando killed Rovac with the Sword of Space and walked through the Imperial Knights, scattering their charge and defeating the encircling Earth Dragon Knights.
• Brando used Bahamut's blessing to lift the hundreds of Silver Rank Knights and Earth Dragons into the air, leaving Lady Vanna alone before him.
• Brando told Lady Vanna that he was defending the honor of Eluin and his guards, and demanded that she surrender rather than continue resisting.
• As Imperial mages gained the upper hand against the Rune Gargoyles, Charles rose into the sky and requested Spellweaver authority.
• Charles revealed the Third Law, Dragon of Aether, and the Cruzian people saw colossal azure dragons sweeping across the sky.

Charles used Aether Dragons to overwhelm Black Sword Bastion, while Lady Vanna recognized him as a surviving Black Tower genius and misunderstood him to be a Grand Wizard. News then reached the Royalist leaders that Count Tonigell was rapidly defeating Cruzian forces and capturing territory, leaving Princess Griffine and her ministers wondering what he intended.

• Charles summoned Aether Dragons whose attacks drained the Imperial wizards' magic, then repeatedly brought forth more dragons until they overwhelmed Black Sword Bastion.
• Lady Vanna recognized Charles as the once-in-a-century Black Tower Wizard genius and believed he had become a Grand Wizard, while Brando let her misunderstanding stand.
• Count Tonigell captured Black Sword Bastion, escorted the Imperial army through a welcoming ceremony, released the prisoners, and paid for repairs to Knight's Gate.
• Count Tonigell and his delegation defeated local Cruzian nobles and armies, captured Tuo Territory, and demanded compensation before releasing the nobles.
• Macaro and Oufwell presented Princess Griffine with reports of Count Tonigell's continuing victories and asked what he was trying to do, but she only guessed that he knew his own purpose.

Qian learned that a countess from Eluin had challenged the empire’s nobles and recognized Brando’s familiar words in the reports of her actions. She realized Brando was using those exploits to tell her he had come for her, while Constance wondered what message the countess was sending.

• Betisa returned to Qian’s residence and told the maids that the countess from Eluin had detained nobles in Seruv, angering Constance and Duke Palute.
• Qian overheard the maids discussing the countess and urgently asked Betisa to tell her about her exploits.
• Fiona Nidwen reported that the countess had taken young men hostage and was demanding ransom, while Constance defended her measured actions and cautioned against further trouble.
• Constance wondered whether the countess’s actions signaled something from Eluin and speculated that Joslyn might have gone there.
• Betisa described the countess’s demands for compensation for reputational damage and mental anguish, and Qian recognized the phrases as Brando’s and began to cry.

Brando explained to Oni that he had provoked the Cruzian nobles to deter the Empire from retaliating against Eluin. He asked her to help convince the nobles of his resolve while pretending she opposed him, leaving the purpose of his plan still unclear.

• Brando told Oni that the captured Counts Orcons and Gene were preparing to retaliate and that he would keep them until their families paid ransom.
• Oni confronted Brando over his reckless actions and warned that his feud with the Cruzian nobles could endanger the diplomatic mission and Eluin.
• Brando revealed that he had escalated the conflict to make the Empire understand that provoking him would carry a cost and prevent further retaliation.
• Brando bet that Oni could persuade the nobles to take his threats seriously, promising her recognition and success for the diplomatic mission if she did.
• Brando instructed Oni to pretend she was not allied with him, release one or two captives, and tell them he had taken the rest of the mission hostage.

Brando’s delegation crossed the Anzeruta Mountains while imperial nobles’ failed escape attempts and ransom payments shaped conflicting stories about him. Near the Floating Cloud Hills, Brando learned that Veronica had been placed under house arrest and, with Nemesis, suspected the Silver Queen was preparing a major move; he planned to investigate while confronting the two counts.

• Brando’s delegation defeated the Summer Solstice Knights and the forces of Count Gene and Count Orcons, adding captured nobles to its growing caravan.
• The imperial nobles repeatedly tried to escape or arrange rescues, but Brando and Nemesis outmaneuvered them; some later paid ransoms and were released.
• Released nobles spread exaggerated accounts of Brando’s cruelty, giving Count Gene and Count Orcons a pretext to campaign against him.
• After reaching the Floating Cloud Hills, Brando contacted minor imperial nobles and learned that Veronica had lost her military authority and been placed under house arrest.
• Nemesis argued that appointing Veronica’s brother to command the Azure Legion had upset the Empire’s balance of power and hinted at a larger plan by the Silver Queen.
• Brando agreed to investigate the Queen’s intentions while keeping his immediate focus on dealing with Count Gene and Count Orcons.

Brando investigated the Holy War and learned that Toquenin’s Lionmen had inexplicably halted before the Empire’s fortresses. Nemesis urged him to trust his own judgment rather than rely on his dream of the future, and the chapter ended with the armies of Count Gene and Count Orcons arriving at the Floating Cloud Hills.

• Brando wrote to Miss Faina and questioned southern nobles about the Holy War, learning that the Wind Spirits had withdrawn and Toquenin’s army had stopped before the Roccozi Highlands and Broken Sword Mountains.
• Brando and Nemesis concluded that Toquenin’s halt was unusual, especially given the High Mountain Dwarves’ skill at siege warfare, and discussed whether the Lionmen might still break through the fortresses.
• Brando told Nemesis he wanted to delay Toquenin’s army to earn a position in the Holy War and build his reputation, while using the Empire’s attention to help save Qian.
• Nemesis warned Brando that his dependence on the future he had seen in a dream made him seem childish and urged him to rely on his own judgment as the Count of Eluin.
• Brando accepted Nemesis’s advice and said they would prioritize their tasks while treating their arriving guests with proper courtesy.
• The armies gathered by Count Gene and Count Orcons arrived at the Floating Cloud Hills during the final ten days of the Month of Winter Lyre.

A hidden Jorgendigon army emerged in the highlands while Haruze heard Leisimeca’s doubts about Brando’s plans and learned that Brando had taught him Ancient Magic. Brando and Nemesis surveyed the battlefield near Anlez, where Anzeruta’s nobles were assembling, then headed back.

• Imperial patrol knights left the highlands, allowing Lizardmen, harpies, and other monsters to emerge from the canyon under the name Jorgendigon.
• Baron Rutney urged Haruze and the envoy corps to restrain Brando, but Haruze, Dirfiel, and Princess Magdal supported Brando or declined to oppose him.
• Leisimeca told Haruze that Brando’s ideals might threaten the Kingdom’s orthodoxy and asked to meet him to learn what he intended.
• Leisimeca revealed that Ancient Magic had been systematically mastered by only four figures in history, and Haruze realized the significance of Brando’s lessons.
• Brando and Nemesis surveyed the battlefield near Anlez, saw Anzeruta’s nobles’ armies assembling, and rode back.

Brando waited for Count Gene’s army to reveal its intentions while the Cruzian nobles’ forces mysteriously disappeared from the region. When Charles sent the Aether Dragons into battle, a man from Count Gene’s army emerged with a white flag, leaving Brando unsure whether the count intended to surrender.

• Queen Constance received a report that Count Gene and other southern nobles had gathered an army to confront Brando.
• Brando and Nemesis used gargoyles to spot Count Gene’s well-equipped force in the Red Pine Forest, but they found no sign of the other allied armies.
• Count Gene discovered that Count Orcons and his allies had vanished, and he feared Brando had eliminated them.
• A messenger warned Count Gene that a vast number of blue and cyan dragons were approaching.
• After the enemy army remained still, Brando sent Charles and the Aether Dragons to test its strength, and a soldier appeared carrying a white flag.

William confronted Fuxia Keys in the Great Glacier about the fading boundary of Order, the Black Moon, and the upheaval in the east, but she began to warn him that the moon had lost something. Meanwhile, Brando investigated the disappearance of several Cruzian armies and suspected the lion people of Toquenin might be involved, leaving him to ask about ancient tunnels beneath Anzeruta.

• William visited Fuxia Keys at the wreckage of a fallen tower and asked what she had seen in the east.
• Fuxia Keys confirmed that the Thirteenth Moon had appeared and identified the apparition at Kalaita as the reflection of Babel.
• Count Gene surrendered to Brando, and Charles reported that the Moore, Cooper, Walker, and Orcons forces had disappeared without a trace.
• Medisa confirmed that Iron Fir Town was empty and showed no signs of battle, while Brando waited for scouts to return from the other vanished armies.
• Nemesis raised the possibility that the missing forces were connected to the Rocco fortress complex, and Brando considered whether Toquenin had deceived the Empire.
• Brando asked Nemesis whether ancient dwarf tunnels ran beneath Anzeruta, and she confirmed they existed but doubted Toquenin would use them.

Brando recognized that Medusa had attacked Valgas and suspected that Jorgendigon’s forces might be coordinating with the Toquenin lionmen against Rocco’s fortress line. As he expanded his search, White Lion scouts rescued Rogers and three other Imperial Court knights, who could provide information about the attack.

• Medisa showed Brando and the others a gargoyle recording of Valgas, where people stood motionless in the square, and Brando identified the attackers as Medusa.
• Brando and Nemesis judged that Jorgendigon’s attack might be connected to the lionmen’s movements and warned that Rocco’s fortress line could face a pincer attack.
• Rogers and the surviving knights fought off Cave Dwellers in a farmhouse, but Kui found that magical interference prevented him from sending a message to the Emperor.
• Brando ordered the security perimeter expanded and sent White Lion scouts toward Valgas and Leafy Avenue to search for Jorgendigon’s forces.
• A scout patrol rescued Rogers and three other Imperial Court knights from Cave Dwellers near Tuya, and the knights thanked Brando’s party.

Brando questioned Rogers and his companions, uncovering that they were Imperial Palace Knights and discussing the underground forces’ invasion of the Empire. The group then learned that Rogers had witnessed a blazing sky and a falling meteor the previous night, an event Brando’s delegation had somehow missed, and Brando asked Count Gene to confirm it.

• Brando recognized Rogers and his companions as Imperial Palace Knights and asked them what had happened in the region.
• Medisa explained that Jorgendigon’s creatures might have invaded the Empire, and Rogers acknowledged that the signs pointed to an organized attack.
• Brando said the Eluins would remain allies of the Cruians and proposed slowing the underground forces while finding a way through their territory.
• Brando asked Rogers what had happened before nightfall, and Rogers was surprised to learn that Brando’s delegation had not seen a pillar of light.
• Rogers’s companion said an artifact resonance had lit the northern sky and a meteor had fallen, but Brando and the delegation denied seeing it.
• Brando asked a White Lion Guard member to find out whether Count Gene had witnessed the light and meteor.

Brando and the Imperial Knights investigated Jorgendigon’s attack and concluded its force was meant to disrupt the Empire’s southern defenses. Brando proposed a plan to delay the enemy and ordered Rogers to recruit Count Gene and his remaining troops.

• Rogers explained that the Artifact Resonance had been preceded by a prolonged rumbling over Valgas, while magical communications across the region had been disrupted.
• Brando and Nemesis deduced that the Cave Dwellers had emerged near Leafy Avenue shortly before attacking, and that the missing noble armies had likely been targeted or diverted.
• Brando and Nemesis identified Yasa as the key strategic target and concluded Jorgendigon’s force was a harassment army meant to prevent reinforcements from reaching the fortress chain.
• Brando told Rogers that his force could not defeat a Jorgendigon legion outright but might delay it with the Imperial Knights’ help.
• Rogers agreed to obey Brando’s orders, and Brando told him to persuade Count Gene to join them with his more than a thousand soldiers.

After Jorgendigon invaded the Empire, Brando persuaded the Imperial Court Knights to cooperate while privately planning to lead the delegation toward Ruen by the Inland Sea. He acknowledged that he had only a vague idea of the enemy’s broader plans and left the chapter awaiting news of the fighting near Valgas.

• Brando stayed behind with Yuta while Chiara and the Duke's Daughter questioned his motives and plans.
• Chiara offered to trade advice for the Buga people's knowledge legacy, and Brando challenged her to make the deal fair.
• The Duke's Daughter asked whether Brando had anticipated Jorgendigon's invasion, and he mocked her suspicion before explaining that his claims to the Crusians were meant to give them confidence.
• Brando admitted that the war had disrupted what he knew of history and said the delegation should avoid clashes and break through toward the Inland Sea.
• Brando identified Ruen as a strategic port and planned to reach it from Valgas, while Chiara questioned whether they could pass Jorgendigon's blockade.
• Brando said they needed reports on the enemy's advance and the Imperial forces' response before he could judge their chances.