Chapter Summaries

As the Guardian Army advanced toward Hydra, panic swept the city, and Sita saved a young mother and her baby from a runaway carriage before he and Nathan disappeared. At the Grizzly Inn, a secret base of a mage organization, Edward complained to a red-haired woman that their efforts had been wasted.

• Rumors about the Guardian Army's advance spread through Hydra as residents fled the city.
• Sita used an iron chain to stop a runaway carriage and save a young mother and her baby.
• Nathan praised Sita for helping the woman, and the two men disappeared before the injured nobleman could confront them.
• Edward complained to a red-haired woman at the Grizzly Inn, a secret base of a mage organization, that their efforts had come to nothing.

Edward, Nathan, and Mariana discussed the Horn Bay Alliance’s indecision as the Church’s attack in the north threatened to split the Protestant forces. Mariana proposed intervening with magic and revealed that Eton’s ruler, Ette Otto Cabre, was receptive to Spellcasters because his wife, Princess Helen, had been her student.

• Nathan brought Sita to the room and described how they had stopped a carriage to help someone on the way.
• Nathan explained that the Horn Bay Alliance’s Council was deadlocked over whether to attack the Church or send troops north against the Guardian Army.
• Edward urged the Alliance to take advantage of the Church’s weakened eastern defenses, while Nathan warned that the northern attack could be a feint.
• Mariana proposed using magic to intervene directly in the war and said she knew a ruler in Horn Bay who tolerated Spellcasters.
• Mariana identified Eton’s ruler as Ette Otto Cabre and revealed that his wife, Princess Helen, was a Spellcaster whom she had taught.

Grand Duke Ette Otto Cabre prepared the ancestral sword Siromus as the Church’s army approached Hydra, and told Grand Duchess Helen that he could not keep Eton neutral without endangering her and Finnie. Helen refused to leave him, insisting that someone could help them through the crisis.

• Cabrey entered Eton’s treasure room and retrieved the ancient sword Siromus, vowing to use it to protect Eton.
• Helen found Cabrey and learned that the Church’s army was expected to reach Hydra within a week, while Eton’s forces were delayed returning from the Horn Bay Alliance.
• Cabrey explained that the Church might demand Helen and Finnie, both Spellcasters, if Eton tried to remain neutral.
• Cabrey asked Helen to leave Hydra with Finnie, but Helen refused to leave his side and said someone could help them survive the crisis.

Mariana proposed using magic openly on the front lines to defeat the Guardian Army and save Eton, shocking Grand Duke Cabrale and Grand Duchess Helen. She began urging Cabrale to reconsider his prejudice by asking what kind of person he believed his wife was.

• Grand Duke Cabrale met Mariana and was struck by her commanding presence and fiery gaze.
• Helen introduced Mariana as her mentor, and Cabrale asked her how she could help resolve Eton’s crisis.
• Mariana rejected Helen’s suggestion of secretly assassinating enemy officers and proposed defeating the Guardian Army with magic on the front lines.
• Cabrale and Helen were shocked because they had been taught to hide magic and doubted that it could be used openly in battle.
• Mariana acknowledged the world’s prejudice against Spellcasters, then asked Cabrale what kind of person he thought his wife was.

Mariana urged Grand Duke Cabrale to overcome his fear of opposing public prejudice and recognize Spellcasters’ rights. She argued that Eaton should act while the coastal nations were resisting the Church, leaving Cabrale to consider a chance to make his sense of justice real.

• Cabrey praised Helen as the most perfect woman in his heart, and Mariana asked him to describe her character.
• Mariana told Cabrale that cowardice kept him from openly opposing prejudice against Spellcasters, and he admitted that he had repeatedly failed to defend them.
• Helen comforted her remorseful husband, while Mariana called the moment an opportunity to correct his past inaction.
• Mariana proposed that Eaton publicly recognize Spellcasters as equal citizens and allow them to join the army.
• Mariana argued that the coastal nations’ resentment toward the Church made this the best time for Eaton to recognize Spellcasters, especially if they helped win the war.

Mariana persuaded Grand Duke Cabrale to recruit Spellcasters to defend Eton and revealed that the duchy’s legendary holy sword, Sironimus, had once been empowered by magic. After Cabrale confirmed that the sword had lost its enchantment, Mariana offered to restore its power briefly and began casting a spell.

• Mariana advised Grand Duke Cabrale to grant Spellcasters rights after they proved their value in Eton’s army, and said she could gather combat and support Spellcasters along with a mercenary group in Hydra within a week.
• Grand Duke Cabrale told Mariana and Helen that he had expected to rely on the holy sword Sironimus against the approaching Guardian Army.
• Mariana explained that Sironimus’s legendary power came from magic rather than divine blessing, and that its enchantment had nearly faded.
• At Mariana’s suggestion, Cabrale struck Sironimus against his fine sword Arte, and Sironimus’s blade suffered the larger notch.
• Mariana offered to restore Sironimus’s legendary power for about a minute, and began preparing the spell as Cabrale and Helen watched.

Marshal MacDonald met Aldrich Scholar and Scholar Yarvi, who prepared to explain why Scholar's Tower had openly supported Antonio. Meanwhile, General Collins Semen Fedotov's Guardian Army crossed the last pass before Hydra and advanced toward the city.

• Kevin welcomed MacDonald and escorted him to Aldrich Scholar and Scholar Yarvi in the botanical garden.
• Aldrich and Yarvi ended their chess game to receive MacDonald, then asked Kevin to leave while they spoke privately.
• Aldrich and Yarvi told MacDonald they would explain the full picture behind Scholar's Tower's support for Antonio.
• Fedotov watched the Guardian Army cross the pass, the final obstacle before Hydra, and ordered a two-day rest before the assault.
• Fedotov learned the Horn Bay Alliance was still debating its next move, then rode south to catch up with his vanguard.

Aldrich and Yarvi questioned MacDonald about mythology, the Lord of Light, and the Church, and learned that he remained loyal to the Empire while doubting that a mortal organization could fully represent God’s will. Meanwhile, Fedotov confronted the battered Harper after his vanguard was defeated, and Harper claimed they had encountered hordes of wizards.

• Aldrich asked MacDonald whether he believed the events in mythology had really happened.
• MacDonald explained his doubts about the Lord of Light’s relationship with humanity and said that the Church could not fully represent God’s will.
• Yarvi revealed that he and Aldrich had asked about MacDonald’s views because they were concerned about his attitude toward the Church.
• Fedotov angrily confronted Harper after learning that only a few hundred of his three thousand vanguard soldiers had returned.
• Harper pleaded for revenge and told Fedotov that his men had encountered hordes of wizards.

Aldrich and Yarvi told MacDonald that the Demon Race, magic, and witches were real, and connected the revelation to Antonio’s mother while beginning to explain how myths preserved historical events. Meanwhile, Harper led the vanguard south again under closer protection after his previous defeat.

• Yarvi and Aldrich told MacDonald that the Demon Race still threatened humanity and that witches and magic were real.
• Yarvi revealed that Antonio’s mother was a witch, and MacDonald reaffirmed his loyalty to Antonio while asking how the revelations were connected.
• Aldrich and Yarvi explained that myths originated in real historical events, though they changed as they were passed down.
• Harper led the vanguard south again after Semen Fedotov replenished his forces and ordered him to regain the honor he had lost.
• Harper’s vanguard stayed near Fedotov’s main force, but Harper remained anxious because of his previous defeat.

Aldrich told MacDonald how his research into an ancient warning about the Star of Disaster led him to witches and to the history of Antonio’s maternal family. He revealed that Antonio’s mother and grandfather were witches, and left MacDonald with the story of their deaths and the Secret Art Society’s turn toward radical methods.

• Aldrich showed MacDonald a drawing of the Star of Disaster and explained that ancient Zolfe records described it as an omen of calamities within a hundred years.
• Aldrich recounted how he inherited his mentor Lord Ortega’s research and gathered historical material from witches, including his friend Sycorax Hewitt.
• Aldrich revealed that Sycorax Hewitt was Antonio’s maternal grandfather and that Sycorax’s daughter, Sloane Hewitt, became Bartley Griffin’s secondary wife.
• Aldrich said Bartley probably did not know Sloane was a witch, and agreed with MacDonald that the rumor about Antonio’s witch mother may have been deliberately spread.
• Aldrich told MacDonald that Sycorax died while being hunted by the Holy See and that Sycorax and Sloane’s unnatural deaths drove the Secret Art Society to become more organized and radical.

Aldrich told MacDonald how his research with Sycorax Hewitt linked the Star of Disaster to ancient catastrophes and a prophecy of the Demon Race’s return. After the star appeared four years earlier, Aldrich recognized it from his dreams and concluded that the invasion was imminent.

• Aldrich explained that he and Sycorax Hewitt pieced together records showing the Star of Disaster had appeared before major calamities throughout history.
• Aldrich recounted a prophecy that the star’s tenth appearance would return the world to its original chaos, and said its first appearance preceded the ancient war against the Demon Race.
• Aldrich said Isa Rossi recorded the star four years earlier, while Aldrich saw it in his dreams and rushed to examine Rossi’s notes.
• Aldrich matched the notes to the star in his dreams, connected it to the prophecy, and concluded that the Demon Race was about to invade again.
• Aldrich grew distressed as he described revisiting his research, and his junior urged him to calm down.

Aldrich recounted an ancient prophecy that described the world’s destruction after the Star of Disaster appeared for the tenth time. MacDonald questioned whether it foretold a Demon invasion or an Orc invasion, and warned that the Zalge Clan’s growing power could unite the beastmen tribes on the Great Prairie.

• Aldrich told MacDonald and Yarvi that ancient records described a vision of the world ending after the Star of Disaster’s tenth appearance.
• Aldrich interpreted the prophecy as the Demon Race returning through the Gate of Seal and destroying human civilization.
• MacDonald considered whether the prophecy was metaphorical and suggested it could describe an invasion by the Orcs.
• Yarvi questioned whether the Orcs could truly bring about such a collapse, and MacDonald said he had seen that possibility.
• MacDonald revealed that the Zalge Clan was expanding on the Great Prairie and asked what power it would wield if it united the beastmen tribes.

MacDonald warned Aldrich and Yarvi that the orcs were building a Royal Tent with human-like institutions and growing influence, making them a possible great enemy. Aldrich ended the discussion by fearing that the Demon Race and the orcs might join forces.

• Aldrich and Yarvi questioned why MacDonald considered the orcs terrifying, since they had usually been divided and technologically backward.
• MacDonald explained that the Zalge Clan had formed a new Royal Tent, created a writing system, and established court offices.
• Aldrich and Yarvi laughed at the idea of the orcs adopting human practices, but MacDonald reminded them of the orcs’ past invasions and warned them not to underestimate their enemy.
• MacDonald described the Watchers Legion’s retreat, the Royal Tent’s diplomatic outreach, and its expanding influence among the Oasis Nations.
• Yarvi agreed that organized orcs could become a great threat, and Aldrich wondered whether they might unite with the Demon Race.

Aldrich and Yarevi explained to MacDonald that the White Tower had allied with the wizards to prepare for the prophesied invasion, and revealed that the Secret Art Society had rescued Johnny. They proposed creating a national wizard army, which would require confronting the Church, and left MacDonald shocked and angry.

• Aldrich explained that the White Tower joined Prince Antonio's cause to ally with wizards and prepare against the Demon Race.
• Aldrich revealed that the Secret Art Society had used its powers to rescue Johnny without exposing its involvement.
• MacDonald said he had no prejudice against Spellcasters but doubted they could handle large-scale military operations.
• Yarevi proposed forming an army of wizards, and Aldrich said the Church would be the greatest obstacle to that plan.
• Aldrich told MacDonald that the Gabella Church supported the First Prince and challenged MacDonald's loyalty when he hesitated.

Aldrich and Yarevi explained to MacDonald how the Secret Art Society planned to test the Holy See through conflict in the Gulf of Angles and gradually reveal Spellcasters to the continent. MacDonald learned that Emperor Bartley was being kept unaware, but ultimately agreed to support their cause.

• MacDonald challenged Aldrich’s plan to oppose the Holy See, and Aldrich reassured him that Spellcasters had significant strength.
• Aldrich and Yarevi revealed that their supporters were escalating the conflict in the Gulf of Angles so its wealthy city-states could test the Holy See’s military power.
• Aldrich outlined plans to publicly recognize Spellcasters in a Gulf country and later in Gabella, using each revelation to gauge other nations’ reactions.
• MacDonald asked whether Emperor Bartley knew, and Aldrich admitted they were keeping him uninformed because he might seek reconciliation with the Holy See.
• Aldrich vowed to preserve Gabella’s rule through Bartley’s bloodline, and Yarevi assured MacDonald that Antonio would respect his father.
• MacDonald thanked Aldrich and Yarevi and declared himself honored to join their cause.

Hansel Abbott reflected on his growing standing in Lakeheart Town and how much the frontier had changed as he headed to a meeting called by Earl Greiman. The chapter leaves Hansel arriving at the Government Affairs Council’s administrative district, before the meeting begins.

• Hansel left his office after being summoned to a meeting of the Government Affairs Council department heads.
• Hansel recalled helping Earl Gerd Rhodesney meet Paul Greiman and receiving a letter of thanks from Gerd.
• Hansel thought about his unpaid role as a Royal Commissioner and compared his prospects with his former classmate Matthew’s.
• Hansel considered the succession to the throne and decided that his position in Arda mattered more to him than returning to Crystal Radiance.
• Hansel observed Lakeheart Town’s clean streets, busy traffic, growing industry, and expanding Government Affairs Council buildings as he walked toward the meeting.

Hansel arrived at Lord's Manor for a meeting after learning that Paul Greiman was troubled by falling tax revenue. With maritime trade disrupted by the war at Cape Bay, Hansel suspected the meeting would focus on finding ways to increase income.

• Hansel entered the recently renovated Lord's Manor and met Paul Greiman's secretary, Berna Wood Francis.
• Hansel and Berna agreed to meet for drinks after work and discussed the upcoming gathering of department heads.
• Berna said Paul had called the meeting because tax revenue had sharply declined amid the war at Cape Bay.
• Hansel considered Paul's reluctance to cut spending and guessed that he would seek new revenue by taxing someone more heavily.

Paul Greiman convened officials from Arda and Bairdin to address the Government Affairs Council's budget deficit, which had worsened because of the war in Cape Bay. He proposed ending tax farming and having the Tax Bureau collect taxes directly, leaving the officials to consider the change and its risks.

• Hansel and Steve Fielding discussed how the war in Cape Bay had reduced merchant traffic and tax revenue.
• Paul Greiman presented the latest quarterly accounts, which showed a substantial deficit, and assured the officials that departmental spending would not be cut for now.
• Paul said the Council needed to increase its revenue and argued that the current tax system, especially tax farming, was unsuitable.
• Paul proposed abolishing tax farming and sending Tax Bureau officials to collect taxes directly, while Cecil warned that tax farmers might resist.
• Paul argued that improved roads and government officials stationed in the countryside made direct tax collection possible in Arda, Bairdin, and Emden.

Paul outlined a tax reform to abolish tax farming and replace head taxes with property and income taxes. He proposed progressive rates, leaving the Tax Bureau to study the specific brackets and rates.

• Paul proposed abolishing the tax farming system, and the officials supported the change rather than accept cuts to their departmental budgets.
• Hansel questioned whether collecting taxes directly would increase revenue, and Fielding argued that taxpayers would have more money to spend, boosting commerce and industry.
• Paul announced that the reform would replace taxation by headcount with Property Tax and Income Tax, including taxes on officials' salaries.
• Old Ford warned that the new taxes might cause resentment and urged department heads to lead by example and counsel their staff.
• Paul introduced progressive rates for Property Tax and Income Tax, with lower-income earners paying less or nothing and higher-income earners paying a larger share.
• Paul said the example rates were provisional and assigned the Tax Bureau to study the exact tax brackets and rates.

Paul insisted that progressive taxation be implemented and arranged for himself and Mellon to set an example by publicly disclosing their tax payments. He later told Berna that his reforms and investments served his own desire for a future material life made possible by advances in science, technology, institutions, ideas, and human resources.

• Paul rejected objections to progressive taxation, though he left the bracket rates open for discussion.
• Mellon announced that he and Paul would pay income and progressive taxes first, with their payments publicly posted in city halls.
• Paul tasked the Tax Bureau with drafting the policy and told Thomas to strengthen laws against tax evasion.
• After the meeting, Berna asked Paul whether he was trying to become a saint by spending public funds on development and education.
• Paul said he pursued these changes for his own material enjoyment, which he believed required society-wide progress and a qualitative transformation.