Chapter Summaries

Cat Boss returned to the inn with groceries and cooked lunch for Sigrid while Lanchi waited and read. As they prepared to leave the city-state and cross the mountains before dark, Sigrid planned to drive and let Lanchi rest, but she lost respect for his scholarly appearance when she saw the simple map book he had been reading.

• Cat Boss entered the inn with floating grocery bags and returned to the room where Sigrid slept and Lanchi read.
• Cat Boss prepared lunch, then woke Sigrid and brought her several dishes.
• Sigrid hugged Cat Boss and ate while Lanchi said they needed to leave in an hour and cross the mountains before dark.
• Sigrid told Lanchi to rest and planned to drive on the return journey.
• Sigrid saw that Lanchi had been reading A Map of the Snowy Region Even a Three-Year-Old Could Understand and felt his scholarly image falter.

Lanchi prepared to lead Sid and Cat Boss through Box Mountain Province despite the Nirvana Branch’s overwhelming forces and the dangers of the route to Helrom. He reassured Cat Boss that he had a plan, then changed their disguises before they set out.

• Lanchi warned Cat Boss to stay close as they traveled toward Snowfield Province, where they could not yet contact its lords by long-distance magic.
• Cat Boss explained that the Nirvana Branch’s main force and the Imperial Army were positioned in Box Mountain Province, making passage to Helrom extremely dangerous.
• Sid said she had recovered less power than she had during the journey north and was relying on Lanchi as her Holy Son.
• Lanchi assured Cat Boss that he had a way to get Sid through Box Mountain Province and said the Nirvana Holy Son should not be allowed to block the route for other citizens.
• Lanchi gave Sid a Transformation Art: Human card, and she disguised herself as a brown-haired, green-eyed girl while he adopted a black-haired, green-eyed appearance.

Anielo tortured an inn receptionist for information and led the Nirvana Branch toward Sigrid and Lanchi, while the fugitives fought off pursuers on the snowy plain. After killing a Nirvana High Priest and nearing Snowfield Province, Lanchi and Sid encountered an oppressive surge of icy magic.

• Anielo questioned an inn receptionist about a young man and woman, then transformed her into a grotesque mass and left the inn as his high priests dealt with the scene.
• Anielo told his followers that Sigrid and the Ba Tian Holy Son were criminals who had fled south, and he continued tracking them toward the snowy region.
• Sid and Lanchi killed a Nirvana High Priest who had caught up with them, though Sid's injuries worsened during the fight.
• Sid asked Lanchi about his Sealing Magics, and he explained that their great power came with risks.
• Lanchi estimated that they were only a few dozen kilometers from Snowfield Province, but the dawn sky darkened as icy magic surrounded them.

Anielo trapped Lanchi and Sigrid on the snowy field and revealed his role in the Ba Tian Saintess’s death, leaving Sigrid furious and asking Lanchi how he would punish him. Lanchi instead said he would convert Anielo with his love.

• Sigrid pulled Lanchi aside to evade Anielo’s Sealing Magic, but Anielo trapped them inside a magical cage.
• Anielo revealed himself as the Nirvana Holy Son and used barriers and gray rifts to block Sigrid and Lanchi from escaping.
• Anielo taunted Sigrid by describing the Ba Tian Saintess’s suffering and boasting that he planned to capture and humiliate Sigrid.
• Sigrid quietly asked Lanchi whether he could subject Anielo to the most extreme punishment.
• Lanchi said he would convert Anielo with his love, and Sid trusted that her Holy Son would find a way to punish him.

Anielo attacked Lanchi and Sigrid with a sealing spell, but a sudden gale shattered his magic and revealed High Priest Loren at the center of the storm. Anielo recognized Loren and was overcome with terror, unable to understand how he had been disguised as the Ba Tian Holy Son.

• Anielo tried to turn Lanchi and Sigrid against each other by suggesting Lanchi could kill Sigrid and become a Cardinal Bishop.
• Lanchi told Anielo he had no desire to become a Cardinal Bishop and challenged him to reach Snowfield Province before sunrise.
• Anielo summoned a Magic Storm and sent a rain of sealing magic down on Lanchi and Sigrid.
• Sigrid trusted Lanchi as the attack closed in, while Lanchi gave her an apologetic smile.
• A powerful gale shattered Anielo's Sealing Magic and revealed High Priest Loren as the figure controlling the wind.
• Anielo recognized Loren and panicked, wondering how he had impersonated the Ba Tian Holy Son.

Lanchi defeated Anielo by revealing the apparent power of the Primordial Slab - Wind, then let him flee toward Snowfield Province. Sid and Cat Boss realized Lanchi had used an imitation slab to impersonate Loren, and Sid promised to hear his explanation.

• Lanchi unleashed Tier 7 wind magic and the Primordial Slab - Wind's power, overwhelming Anielo and driving him to flee.
• Lanchi watched Anielo disappear, then noted that Anielo would head for Snowfield Province's Communication Terminal, which Lanchi could keep him from reaching.
• Sid realized that Lanchi's magic had displayed the effects of the Primordial Slab - Wind, but told him she still trusted him and would listen to his explanation.
• Cat Boss asked why its Roar of the Storm Dragon had gained the slab's effects, and Lanchi confirmed that the Imitation Stone Slab - Wind had enabled it.
• Sid pieced together that Lanchi had used the imitation slab to impersonate Loren and asked whether he could forge a Primordial Slab.

Lanchi explained his connection to Loren and discussed Sid’s Primordial Slab before contacting Snowfield Province to arrange a trap for Anielo. The chapter left Anielo headed toward a city prepared to capture him.

• Lanchi showed Sid the Imitation Stone Slab - Wind, and told her he was both a student and friend of Loren and had never formally joined a church faction.
• Sid offered to let Lanchi observe her Primordial Slab - Foundation, but became annoyed when he failed to ask convincingly; they set aside the discussion because their crisis was not over.
• Lanchi used a Super Long-Distance Communication Magic card to contact Viscount Levin Kinston in Snowfield Province.
• Lanchi described Anielo as a mentally unstable Ghost Party member using forged credentials and warned Kinston not to give him access to the city’s Communication Terminal.
• Viscount Kinston agreed to prepare a trap to capture Anielo, while Sid realized Lanchi planned to toy with him again.

Anielo reached Boen City and sought access to its Communication Terminal so he could report that High Priest Loren had appeared within the Empire. When the connection succeeded, a familiar voice answered, leaving Anielo terrified.

• Anielo entered Boen City using his Empire military credentials and went to the Nirvana Knight Order temple.
• Anielo demanded to meet the governor, and the senior priest escorted him to the Governor's Residence.
• Viscount Qin Shton, the acting governor, agreed to let Anielo use Snowfield Province's Communication Terminal after Anielo said High Priest Loren had arrived.
• Anielo inserted the Imperial Army's special Encrypted Communication Program and established the connection alone in the governor's office.
• Anielo heard a gentle, familiar voice answer instead of an officer from the Defense Ministry and recoiled in fear.

Anielo was trapped in the Governor’s Office by layered anti-magic defenses and poison gas, then attacked by the province’s elite combat force. Led by Viscount Qin Shton, Lanchi’s Honor Guard overwhelmed him, leaving him badly hurt and disoriented.

• Anielo realized the voice on the communication line belonged to someone he had just met, then discovered the Governor’s Office was a trap.
• The Military Anti-Magic Barrier and City Defense Barrier activated as poisonous gas filled the office, weakening Anielo and suppressing his mana.
• Viscount Qin Shton led the province’s elite forces into the office, where masked Tier 5 warriors began attacking Anielo.
• Anielo tried to fight back with mana and gray flames, but the Honor Guard restrained him with ice spikes, a chain anchor, and coordinated attacks.
• A heavy warrior struck the back of Anielo’s head, and another drove a punch into his stomach.

Anielo was captured and immobilized by the Demon King Army's Guard Squad after causing trouble in the Governor's Residence, but he insisted he was the Nirvana Holy Son and tried to warn the Snowfield nobles about Loren. The voice guiding Viscount Qin Shton through the receiver was revealed as Lanchi, who arrived with Sid and confronted Anielo.

• The provincial elites pinned Anielo down and drove Tier 6 Magic Sealing Nails into his limbs, leaving him numb and unable to resist.
• Anielo threatened Viscount Qin Shton with the power of the Rebirth Church and the Imperial Military Tribunal, but Qin Shton and the elites mocked him.
• Anielo realized the Governor's Residence was behaving strangely and suspected the people there were being controlled through the receiver.
• The voice on the receiver directed Qin Shton to move Anielo in front of the office sofa and addressed him by name.
• Lanchi and Sid entered the Governor's Office, and Anielo recognized Lanchi as the man who had once briefly saved him.

Lanchi revealed to Anielo that he was Luo Qi McCarthy, not High Priest Loren, after Anielo had been captured and convinced that everyone had betrayed him. The chapter ended with Anielo realizing he had been deceived and screaming Luo Qi’s name in rage.

• Anielo, bound by Magic Restriction Ice Thorns, accused Loren of breaking his promise and warned Viscount Qin Shton that Loren was the empire’s enemy.
• Viscount Qin Shton addressed Lanchi respectfully as Governor, and Anielo’s remaining hope collapsed.
• Lanchi explained that justice required retribution, while Anielo pleaded to be released and threatened that Lord Askesang would learn what happened.
• Lanchi identified himself as Luo Qi McCarthy and showed Anielo his imperial identification papers.
• Anielo realized that fear had made him surrender the chance to defeat Ba Tian Sect and the Ba Tian Holy Son, then screamed Luo Qi’s name in fury.

After capturing Anielo, Lanchi ignored his threats and summoned Xia Ya to take him to the Underground Prison in Qinsidun City. Sid left Anielo’s fate to Lanchi as the guards carried him away.

• Anielo struggled against the guards and threatened Lanchi and the others, while Lanchi gave him time to calm down.
• Lanchi recalled a student he had failed to save and told Anielo that their school had a well-established educational system.
• Lanchi contacted Earl Candice of the Xia Ya family and asked him to come to the Governor's Office.
• Xia Ya arrived, and Lanchi ordered him to take Anielo to the Underground Prison in Qinsidun City.
• Sid asked to execute Anielo, but she agreed to leave him to Lanchi after Lanchi told her to trust him.
• Xia Ya signaled the guards, who gagged and covered Anielo’s head before carrying him out of the office.

Lanchi arranged to make the captured Nirvana Holy Son Anielo repent by putting him in a cell with Ghost Party prisoners. Anielo's threats turned to terror as the prisoners surrounded him, while Lanchi led Sid away and left Xia Ya to handle what followed.

• Xia Ya's guards chained Anielo inside a solitary cell beneath Qinsidun City.
• Lanchi questioned Anielo, but Anielo declared that he did not regret flaying Sigrid's Saintess and threatened his captors.
• Lanchi opened a door and brought out several Ghost Party prisoners, whose attention made Anielo realize what Lanchi had planned.
• Anielo begged Lanchi to stop as the prisoners surrounded him, and Xia Ya displayed iron tongs for what would come next.
• Lanchi covered Sid's eyes and led her away, leaving Xia Ya in charge as Anielo screamed.

Lanchi and Sid left Qinsidun City Prison and returned to Viscount Qin Shton's residence, planning to travel south through the blockade in Box Mountain Province. Lanchi said he would make a card to get them through, while Cat Boss grew concerned about how Sid encouraged Lanchi.

• Lanchi and Sid left Qinsidun City Prison and headed to Viscount Qin Shton's residence in Qinsidun City.
• Cat Boss warned that seal masters in Box Mountain Province would detect Sigrid's Curse Seal Power, but Lanchi said he would make a card to solve the problem.
• Sid asked to watch Lanchi make the card, and Lanchi agreed that her presence would help him.
• Sid teased Lanchi about his favorability with her and joked that she was willing to die alongside him.
• Cat Boss reflected on how Sid's support intensified Lanchi's relentless drive and wondered whether their relationship was making them both stranger.

Lanchi began making cards in the Kinston family’s workshop while Sid watched and wondered about his Card Maker tier. Cat Boss suspected Lanchi was a Platinum Tier Card Maker but kept that possibility from Sid.

• Viscount Levin Kinston led Lanchi and Sid to the mansion’s card-making workshop and arranged for Xia Ya to bring the prisoner’s identification documents and removable magic cards.
• Lanchi settled Sid into a chair and began preparing materials and equipment to make cards.
• Sid asked Lanchi about the Southern Continent’s Card Maker Association and considered what its tiers meant in the Protos Empire.
• Lanchi thought about his upcoming Platinum Tier review and the duties he would take on if he passed.
• Sid asked Cat Boss about Lanchi’s cards, and Cat Boss admitted it suspected he could make Epic Cards but hid its guess that he was a Platinum Tier Card Maker.

Lanchi spent the night making a targeted Tier 2 Transformation Art: Human card while Sid watched, and he eventually succeeded after many failed attempts. He used the card to disguise himself as the Nirvana Holy Son, revealing his plan to infiltrate the Holy Son’s companions.

• Sid watched Lanchi prepare materials and repeatedly attempt to make a card, while Cat Boss worried that her presence made his cards explode faster.
• Lanchi’s card-making failures continued through the night as Sid fell asleep and Cat Boss covered her with a blanket.
• After midnight, Lanchi successfully made a Purple Rare Transformation Art: Human card with a targeted appearance transformation.
• Lanchi used the card to transform into the Nirvana Holy Son, startling Cat Boss and showing Sid that he planned to disguise himself among the Holy Son’s companions.

Lanchi prepared to travel to Box Mountain Province disguised as the Nirvana Holy Son, binding the Nirvana certificate after Sid temporarily took back his Ba Tian seal. Meanwhile, Hughberlian and Mishura departed Milford Territory for the Imperial Capital, warned to beware of the Nirvana Branch and its Holy Son.

• Lanchi revealed that he had created a targeted Transformation Art that let him perfectly impersonate the Nirvana Holy Son and evade the Empire's detection magic.
• Sid temporarily confiscated Lanchi's Certificate of the Saint - Ba Tian, allowing him to bind the Certificate of the Saint - Nirvana.
• Lanchi planned to leave for Box Mountain Province the next day to stop the Nirvana Branch from troubling citizens at its transportation stronghold.
• Hughberlian and Mishura prepared to leave the Milford estate for the Imperial Capital, Helrom.
• Earl Milford saw them off, urged Mishura to follow Hughberlian's lead, and warned them about the Nirvana Branch's forces and Holy Son in Box Mountain Province.

Hughberlian and Mishura traveled by train from Milford Territory to Rock Junction Station, where the Nirvana Branch had gathered its priests in a tense show of force. They discussed the approaching Bishop Election and their mission to rescue a Great Demon Race member from Helrom’s underground prison as the train arrived at the station.

• Hughberlian and Mishura discussed the Nirvana Priests’ heavy presence at Rock Junction Station and the unrest surrounding the empire.
• Mishura warned Hughberlian that the Milford family could face Askesang’s retaliation if they failed to support him in the Bishop Election.
• Hughberlian said she hoped Ba Tian or Mourning would win rather than Nirvana, though she believed Mourning would be the better choice.
• Mishura cautioned Hughberlian not to trust priests from any Rebirth Church branch, and Hughberlian assured her they would never side with the cultists.
• The train from Milford Territory arrived at Rock Junction Station.

Hughberlian and Mishura arrived at Rock Junction Station, where Nirvana Branch forces were screening travelers leaving the northern blockade zone. The high priest recognized Hughberlian as a possible target and ordered her to submit to an investigation, leaving her facing an unexplained threat.

• Hughberlian thought about Lanchi while Mishura questioned her about him and promised to judge him for herself.
• Hughberlian and Mishura arrived at Rock Junction Station and saw the heavy military presence and tense atmosphere.
• The sisters joined the checkpoint line and presented their documents to a Nirvana Branch high priest.
• The high priest allowed Mishura to leave but ordered Hughberlian, whom he suspected of matching the Nirvana Holy Son's target, to submit to an investigation.
• Hughberlian asked why she was being detained, but the high priest refused to explain and warned her not to resist.

At Rock Junction Station, the Nirvana Priests detained Hughberlian and Mishura without evidence, and Hughberlian reluctantly agreed to go with them to protect the Milford family. As the priests moved to take them away, a familiar voice spoke up, leaving the confrontation unresolved.

• The High Priest told Hughberlian and Mishura that the Nirvana Branch would hold them over a confidential Northern War matter, despite their objections and lack of an arrest warrant.
• Hughberlian warned that detaining them could bring Earl Milford into conflict with the Nirvana Branch, but the High Priest refused to back down.
• Hughberlian agreed to go with the priests, and Mishura insisted on staying beside her.
• The High Priest ordered the armored knights to take both women, while Hughberlian thought of Lanchi and her misfortune.
• The crowd parted as a man asked what the priests were doing, and Hughberlian looked up at the voice.