Chapter Summaries

Raven defeated Shatty and the Wild Hunt Mercenary Group, then tortured Little Flayer’s apparent double until he revealed Simon’s location. The real Little Flayer stayed hidden and ignited Hell Oil connected to the castle, setting off an explosion intended to kill Raven.

• Eric, Raven’s guards, and Peerld overwhelmed Shatty and the Wild Hunt mercenaries, forcing Shatty to surrender.
• Little Flayer fled into the castle, but Raven caught him and crushed both his hands and injured his mouth before demanding to know where Simon was.
• Little Flayer agreed to lead Raven to Simon, while the real Little Flayer watched from the city wall and revealed that Raven had captured his substitute.
• The real Little Flayer opened a hidden cache of Hell Oil and dropped a torch into it, igniting an explosive blaze beneath the castle.

Raven rescued Simon after Little Flayer’s trap destroyed Firstborn Fortress, then killed Little Flayer and took control of Benciman Territory. Back in Eagle City, he executed three orphan traitors, and the annexation left Nord’s nobles silent as they wondered how the king would respond.

• Simon recognized that the supposed Little Flayer was an impostor and warned Raven just before the trap detonated, while the real Little Flayer celebrated Raven’s presumed death outside the fortress.
• Raven arrived with gryphons and Simon, captured Little Flayer, and tortured him for information; Little Flayer revealed Anthony’s involvement and died during the punishment.
• Raven returned to Eagle City and killed Yumin, Fourier, and Bigo at the banquet after their betrayal helped Little Flayer capture Simon.
• Simon’s return and evidence of the three orphans’ bribery exposed how Little Flayer had arranged Simon’s kidnapping, while Hoaz urged the remaining orphans to regain Raven’s trust.
• Dalton announced Little Flayer’s death and presented a will granting Raven temporary authority over Benciman Territory, which Raven’s people soon took over.
• Nord’s nobles largely stayed silent about Raven’s annexation, while Count Talon wondered how the wider Empire and the king would react.

Peter learned that Potato Chips had driven his young son to bully another child, but he reconciled with his son and promised to buy more. The snack’s popularity then spread across several provinces and brought the Griffith Family enormous profits, while Denise wondered why Raven had secluded himself in his Meditation Room.

• Peter told the bartender that his son had helped isolate a child at nursery until the child brought Potato Chips, and the nursery matron had scolded him.
• Peter gave his son a packet of Potato Chips, apologized for refusing to buy them, and encouraged him to make amends to Little Curly Hair.
• Peter and his son found that a merchant had bought out a shop’s Potato Chips, as demand for the snack surged and spread through Nord Province and beyond.
• Count Jonah recognized Potato Chips as useful military rations and ordered three million pounds for his troops.
• Denise reviewed the first-half figures showing Potato Chips had earned 80,700 Gold Coins in profit and learned that Raven had entered his Meditation Room again.

Raven tried to absorb a seventh-tier Demon Core, pushing his body and the Eye of Truth to their limits. When Julia entered the Meditation Room to check on him, Raven began using her to help her become stronger, leaving her in severe pain.

• Raven completed the upgrade of the Staff of the Tree of Life to the fourth tier.
• Raven absorbed his last sixth-tier Demon Core, then began drawing energy from the seventh-tier Hydra Lizard Demon Core.
• The Demon Core's concentrated Life Energy damaged Raven's body, so he used the Eye of Truth at full power to regulate its effects.
• Julia entered the Meditation Room despite Raven's order not to disturb him and saw him floating amid green mist and golden light.
• Raven told Julia to undress and began a painful process to strengthen her, while she endured the pain without crying out.

Julia’s power surged after cultivation, while Raven recovered from absorbing the Seventh-tier Demon Core and prepared to advance. Old Gordon’s funeral brought the Griffith Family and the northwestern nobles together, and Fiona finally broke down in grief after the guests had left.

• Julia tested her newly increased strength against Hyena, who ended their spar before she could attack again.
• Raven recovered from absorbing the Hydra Lizard Demon Core, gaining rapid regeneration and raising his magic power to Fourth-tier nine-star.
• Raven learned that Old Gordon had died peacefully, and Fiona arranged his funeral.
• Nobles from all five northwestern commanderies attended Old Gordon’s funeral, where Raven praised his service and placed the Griffith Family Crest in his coffin.
• After the funeral guests departed, Raven found Fiona sitting numb beside her grandfather’s desk, and she finally wept openly.

Anthony visited Raven in Eagle City to deliver the king’s demands and a chance to join a delegation to the Elven Empire, but Raven rejected the royal settlement and killed him. Raven burned the delegation letter and declared that royal power was not eternal.

• Cairns XVI summoned Anthony, questioned him about Raven and Akorui, and ordered him to warn Raven while allowing him to keep Little Flayer’s territory.
• Anthony arrived in Eagle City, where Raven welcomed him with a banquet and arena performances.
• Anthony offered Raven a letter registering him for a future delegation to the Elven Empire, which could provide access to Life Tree Sap.
• Anthony told Raven that the king demanded five years of payments, Angel’s Radiance’s formula, and skilled workers, then warned him about the consequences of resisting royal power.
• Raven beheaded Anthony, burned the delegation letter, and declared that royal power was not eternal.

Xisai performed a Soul Falling Ritual intended to kill Raven, but Raven awoke in the past as a newly arrived heir to the Griffith Family. He became baron of Eagle Territory and ended the chapter after fighting with Anger, who threatened to keep the family's former lands.

• Xisai led the Soul Falling Ritual at the Dead Soul Altar, using Cuiqi's underwear to summon Raven's image and believing the ritual would kill him.
• Raven woke during the burning of Eagle Fortress, persuaded Anderson to release Nancy, and arranged for Anderson to be knighted by Donald.
• Donald offered Raven the baron's title after Raven's leadership helped restore Eagle Town and defeat the horse thieves, and Raven accepted the succession a month later.
• At Raven's succession ceremony, Anger insulted Raven and the Griffith Family, so Raven and Donald attacked him.
• Anger left the hall vowing that Raven and Donald would never reclaim Thousand Needle Jungle or Eagle Beak Mountain Mine.

After marrying Nancy and defeating the Sand King’s bandits, Raven was assigned to monitor the Bloody Highlands, then led his cavalry against the Death Hand Cult’s undead army and helped turn a disastrous battle into victory. He confronted Anger afterward and demanded Gray Mountain Mine and assurances that his territory would remain intact.

• Viscount John returned Shining Gold Town to the Griffith Family after Raven accepted him as his adoptive father, and Nancy announced that she and Raven would marry.
• Raven and Nancy married, and after the wedding Raven led 132 soldiers into the Bloody Highlands to eliminate the horse-thief threat before the Hand of Death Cult could strike.
• Raven defeated Hraty’s bandits at Scorpion’s Nest, spared Bent despite the scout’s betrayal under torture, and left Bent to monitor the Bloody Highlands.
• The Death Hand Cult devastated three central counties, and Raven joined John, Anger, and Baron Romney in the campaign to reclaim Hodges County.
• When the undead overwhelmed Viscount Morgan’s forces, Raven led his cavalry into battle, rescued John and Romney, and helped stabilize the front until the humans won.
• Raven confronted Anger over his attempted flight and demanded that Anger leave his territory intact and give him access to Gray Mountain Mine.

Raven relived years of war, political expansion, and estrangement from Nancy in a vivid dream that ended with her trying to kill him. He recognized that the Nancy in the dream was not real, and awoke as someone called his name.

• After the Locust Plague, Raven poisoned and destroyed the Fox Family, then expanded his control over Nord Province despite Nancy blaming him and refusing to share his bed.
• Raven marched into the Evol Duchy, captured the Wall of Sighs, defeated the Reformists, and forced the duchy to align with the Cairns Empire.
• Raven returned to Eagle City, where Nancy remained distant; two years later, the empire ennobled him as a count.
• At the celebration, dream-Nancy attacked Raven with a dagger, but he seized it and stabbed her.
• Raven remembered that Donald, Old Gordon, and Nancy were already dead, realized he was dreaming, and woke as someone called to him.

Raven dreamed of reuniting with Laxus, who told him how her search for Golden Tree Sap had poisoned her and left her five years to live. As the dream ended, Laxus asked him to look after Crouch and urged him to wake, leaving Raven to return to his own path.

• Raven awoke within a dream in the Eagle Town church and met Laxus, who said she was going to die.
• Laxus told Raven that she had traveled to the ancient forest seeking Golden Tree Sap, but the Tree of Blasphemy poisoned her and left her no more than five years to live.
• Laxus recalled her devotion to her teacher Crouch, her efforts to reform the Church, and how Morrenzo had forced her to testify against Raven at his trial.
• Laxus warned Raven that Thomas could not be trusted, explained that Cairns XVI had proposed marriage, and said she had refused him.
• Raven kissed Laxus as his body began to fade, and she asked him to look after Crouch before telling him to wake.

Raven discovered that the Blood Curse had aged him and left him only five years to live, then disguised his appearance and attended Talon’s promotion ceremony. There, he demanded support for an expedition against the Orc Empire, clashed publicly with Talon, and left with Denise as Thomas watched the conflict unfold.

• Raven woke to find himself aged by the Blood Curse and learned he had five years left to live; he told Denise to conceal his appearance and suspected Thomas might be involved.
• Denise disguised Raven with makeup and dyed his hair, and Raven decided to pursue a plan he had shared with her.
• Raven and Denise received an invitation to Count Talon’s ceremony, where Talon became a marquis and governor of Nord Province.
• At the reception, Thomas described the Orc Empire’s growing expansionist ambitions, and Raven urged Talon to support an expedition against it.
• Talon rejected Raven’s proposal, and the two argued before the assembled nobles until Talon accused Raven of trying to seize power.
• Raven left with Denise, while Thomas concluded that the king’s elevation of Talon had set Raven and Talon against each other.

Raven explained why Cairns XVI had spared him after he killed Anthony, then announced a future ennoblement banquet while privately mourning the life he had lost with Nancy. In Eagle Town, Turo’s casino quarrel with Moas and Beta drew Thor into a scheme to disqualify Hoaz from receiving a title.

• Raven told Judra that Cairns XVI viewed him as a useful weapon, and ordered him to deliver Fiona the announcement of a February 1, 1204, ennoblement banquet.
• After Judra left, Raven reflected on his five remaining years, the lost chance to obtain Life Tree Sap, and Nancy’s absence.
• At the Hall of a Hundred Pleasures, Turo lost his chips, mocked Moas, and fought with Moas and Beta after demanding money from them.
• Turo reported the beating to Thor, who heard his embellished account and agreed to retaliate against the outsiders.
• Thor told Turo he could not directly target Moas or Beta, then proposed a scheme to remove Hoaz from consideration for a title.

Raven tried to secure the Church of Light’s support for his planned war against the Orc Empire by confronting Archbishop Thomas about his past and ambitions. He ended their meeting with a threat, forcing Thomas to choose between helping him and facing the consequences.

• Raven asked Thomas to supply ten Magic Crystal Cannons, fifty Golden Feather Gulls, magic crystals, and two thousand members of the Angel Legion, but Thomas said he lacked the authority to provide them.
• Raven exposed Thomas’s disastrous campaign in the Miracle Mountain Range and challenged his claim that he had fled to Nord Province to atone for his failures.
• Raven urged Thomas to help him return to power in the Church of Light, arguing that the war could be Thomas’s last chance to reclaim his place in the Papal State.
• Thomas questioned Raven’s certainty of victory, noting that failure seemed more likely than success.
• Raven declared that Habus’s imprisonment had prompted him to kill Anthony and warned Thomas that he had no real choice but to accept Raven’s terms.

Raven won Archbishop Thomas’s support for the Orc War and secured food, weapons, troops, and a supply route, then received a troublesome letter before leaving Monen City. Meanwhile, Thor lured Julia away, and Hoaz attacked him after hearing she was in danger, only to realize the woman in Thor’s room was not Julia and be arrested.

• Raven pressured Archbishop Thomas into an alliance, and Thomas agreed to support the Orc War.
• Thomas promised grain, Magic Crystal Cannons, magic crystals, Heavenly Birds, Holy Knights, and Priests, while Raven proposed a Teleportation Array between Eagle City and Blue Castle.
• After five days of planning in Monen City, Raven received a letter that irritated him as he prepared to leave.
• Thor persuaded Julia to travel to Monen City, then told Turo that their plan could begin.
• Peerld told Hoaz that Thor had used a potion to make Julia obedient, so Hoaz rushed to Thor’s residence and beat him.
• A woman stopped Hoaz and revealed she was not Julia, and Thor ordered his guards to arrest Hoaz.

Thor refused Eric’s demand to release Hoaz, arguing that he had arrested Hoaz to undermine a rival for a baron’s title. At the Lion King's Pride Tavern, Cesia broke off her engagement to Moas after he refused to ask Count Raven for a title.

• Thor returned to the Dyson Family castle, where Eric ordered him to release Hoaz, whom Thor had arrested after Hoaz injured him.
• Thor told Eric that Hoaz was a strong contender for a barony and that his arrest was meant to make Count Raven favor Eric instead.
• Eric condemned Thor’s scheme, but Thor refused to release Hoaz, and Eric left in anger.
• At the Lion King's Pride Tavern, Cesia berated Moas for buying the wrong Angel's Kiss and urged him to seek a title from Count Raven.
• Moas said he lacked the achievements to earn a title and feared annoying Count Raven, so Cesia ended their engagement and left.

Thor sought Raven’s favor and a chance to command troops in the coming war, but Eric tore apart his military plan, leaving Thor questioning his talent. Patti consulted Baki about a Pregnancy Stabilizing Potion, while the Griffith Family and Nord Province awaited the February 18, 1204 ennoblement ceremony.

• Raven pardoned Thor’s complaint against Hoaz, ordered Hoaz to apologize, pay twice the losses, and spend three months confined, then invited Thor to plan a route into the Orc Empire.
• Thor gave Raven a bug flint and asked to lead a unit in the coming war; Raven had him draft a march plan and told him to show it to Eric.
• Thor released Hoaz, who apologized and accepted the terms, then warned Thor that they would settle things on the battlefield.
• Thor presented his plan to Eric, who criticized him through the night, leaving Thor wondering whether he was really a genius.
• Patti asked Baki to review a Pregnancy Stabilizing Potion formula, and Baki suggested adjusting two ingredients while discussing the possibility of Patti receiving a title.
• The year turned to 1204, and the ennoblement ceremony took place on February 18.

At Eagle City, Raven held an enfeoffment ceremony and raised several of his loyal officers to noble rank, including Eric as a baron. He then enfeoffed Lady Denise Griffith as a viscount, leaving Marquis Talon visibly furious.

• Baron Islewa arrived late and watched Raven’s allies and supporters gather, while other nobles discussed the wealth they had gained by staying close to Raven.
• Marquis Talon and Archbishop Thomas arrived, and Talon greeted Raven warmly despite their earlier dispute over Raven’s planned expedition against the Orc Empire.
• Raven enfeoffed Wheeler, Bobby, Vede, Boris, Hu Xia, and Jacob as knights, and Hu Xia celebrated his rise from a merchant family into the nobility.
• Raven rewarded Link and Simon by tripling their fiefdoms and granting each two thousand additional serfs, then made Eric a baron with land and serfs in Snow Maple Territory.
• Raven enfeoffed Denise Griffith as a viscount, prompting an uproar and leaving Marquis Talon furious.

Raven ennobled Denise as a viscount and gave her Snow Maple Territory, making clear that his expedition against the Orc Empire would proceed whether Talon approved or not. After the nobles adjusted to Denise’s new authority and the banquet ended, Eagle City completed its military reorganization before a mysterious woman arrived at its gates.

• Raven made Denise a viscount with full authority over Snow Maple Territory, shocking the nobles and angering Talon.
• Denise accepted the title and promised to support the Griffith Family while Raven was away, as Doreen revealed that she knew Mancini was a woman.
• Simon told Jenny that he supported Denise’s ennoblement because he judged people by their abilities, and the nobles celebrated after Talon departed.
• The Eagle Army reorganized its six legions, with Eric, Link, Boris, Jacob, Vede, Bobby, and Simon assigned to command roles.
• On March 17, 1204, a golden-haired woman in a white robe arrived at the gates of Eagle City.

Cairns XVI ordered Raven to capture a Titan hatchling while facing a costly earthquake relief effort and unpaid compensation for fallen soldiers. Raven accepted the order in Eagle City, but after everyone left, he collapsed under the strain.

• Cairns XVI refused his ministers' request to withhold compensation for fallen soldiers and ordered relief for earthquake-stricken Ganville Province.
• Cairns XVI ordered Raven to capture a Titan hatchling and sent 80,000 Royal Guards to defend the three southern provinces.
• Talon read the king's order to Raven in Eagle City, while Thomas and the Griffith Family members reacted with alarm.
• Raven accepted the order and sent his subordinates to work, then collapsed after they left.
• A white figure pushed open the door as Raven struggled to catch his breath.

Raven recovered from a fatal Blood Curse flare when Laxus gave him Golden Tree Sap, extending his remaining lifespan to thirty-one years and restoring his youth. He learned that Laxus had traveled to the Elven Empire to obtain the sap, and he planned to prepare for the Orc Empire expedition needed to cure her toxin.

• Raven collapsed from the Blood Curse and feared he was dying until he woke to find Laxus beside him.
• At breakfast, Laxus described her travels and gave Denise, Fiona, and Patti gifts before presenting Raven with Golden Tree Sap.
• Raven consumed the sap, regained his health and vitality, and used the Eye of Truth to learn that his lifespan had increased to thirty-one years.
• Raven told Laxus he intended to prepare for the Orc Empire expedition, which could secure a Tree of Dawn shoot to cure her toxin.
• Raven kissed Laxus in the garden, and she broke away and fled in embarrassment.