Chapter Summaries

Paul explained to Berna that he wanted to accelerate progress toward a future where people could communicate, access news, and record images with a handheld device, then reviewed Cecil's candidate for Arda's envoy to Horn Bay. Meanwhile, Fedotov's army pushed the Eton Army back, but an approaching orderly gave him a sudden sense of foreboding.

• Paul told Berna he hoped to advance the world toward creating a small device that could communicate, display news, and record images.
• Berna delivered Cecil's document naming Friedrich Lister as a candidate for Arda's envoy to Horn Bay, and Paul opened it.
• Fedotov watched his army drive the Eton Army backward while Grand Duke Cabrale fought among his troops.
• Fedotov mocked Harper over his earlier defeat by the Witches and declared that his forces would crush the enemy.
• An orderly rode toward Fedotov, who felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding.

General Fedotov learned that the Guardian Army’s cavalry had been routed by a chaotic attack involving panicked horses and the Iron Chain Devil. He rallied his remaining men and charged the Eton Army, unaware that another force was approaching from behind the hillock as heat gathered above the battlefield.

• An Orderly reported that strange flames and noises had panicked the Guardian Army’s horses, leaving its cavalry scattered and slaughtered by a force of more than five hundred attackers led by the Iron Chain Devil.
• Fedotov ordered the infantry to finish the battle quickly for a reward of fifty gold coins and sent Harper to gather the cavalry.
• The Eton Army recovered its morale, frustrating Fedotov as he tried to speed up the fight.
• Fedotov rallied his mounted subordinates and charged toward the Eton Army, targeting the Eton Grand Duke.
• A force crept out from behind the hillock along Fedotov’s route as a mass of heat gathered above the Eton infantry.

News of Paul Greiman’s planned tax reforms alarmed the territory’s wealthy, while Paul prepared a public defense of the tax system. After a nightsoil cart overturned outside his manor, Victor suspected a provocation and urged Paul to execute the drivers, but Paul ordered them interrogated and released if they were innocent.

• Fergus doubted rumors that Paul would abolish tax farming and impose an income tax, then hurried to Old Valen’s manor to discuss the reforms.
• Berna brought Paul letters opposing the reforms, and Paul dictated an open letter defending taxes as necessary for public infrastructure and military forces.
• A nightsoil cart overturned outside the Lord’s Manor, and guards arrested its two drivers for allegedly disrespecting Paul.
• Victor argued that the incident was a deliberate warning and urged Paul to execute the drivers publicly.
• Paul rejected Victor’s proposal and ordered the drivers interrogated, then released if the accident had been innocent.

An old man persuaded his grandson to oppose Earl Greiman, arguing that the lord had betrayed the local families who helped establish his rule. The grandson struggled with his oath of loyalty, and the old man left him with the family’s resistance resting on his shoulders.

• The old man told his grandson that their family had long governed the village and belonged among the land’s nobility.
• He accused Earl Greiman of threatening the established order and disregarding the local families’ century of loyalty to the Greiman Family.
• The old man explained that those families had helped the Greiman Family secure its lordship and had collected taxes and administered village affairs.
• The grandson said he had sworn to serve the lord faithfully and begged his grandfather not to force him to betray that oath.
• The old man argued that Earl Greiman had betrayed them first and urged his grandson to fight for the family’s honor.
• The old man told his grandson that only his identity among their allied families qualified him to shoulder the responsibility.

An old man tried to persuade his grandson that Paul Greiman and the Circuit Tribunal had ruined their family’s authority and prestige. He recounted how tribunal officers had seized three debtors from the family estate, leaving the grandson silent and his grandfather urging him to speak with his father.

• The old man called Paul Greiman a devil’s representative and blamed him for the family’s predicament, but his grandson questioned the accusation.
• The old man argued that the Circuit Tribunal had stripped the family of its traditional power to judge villagers and weakened its authority.
• He described how he had bound and flogged three villagers who owed his family money, then forced them to work off their debts.
• The old man said the Circuit Tribunal declared the family’s interest usurious and returned with sixty armed police officers to seize the debtors.
• The old man mourned the loss of his family’s prestige, and the grandson fell silent as his grandfather told him to speak with his father.

Mariana and the Etonian Spellcasters used a coordinated magic attack that blasted and burned the rear ranks of the Guardian Army, disrupting its formation. As the Etonians prepared to strike again, Harper spotted the approaching Iron Chain Devil unit and the Guardian Army began to rout.

• Mariana, Grand Duchess Helen, and the other Spellcasters unleashed a group spell that sent a scorching shock wave into the rear of the Guardian Army.
• Grand Duke Cabrale continued fighting, while the Etonian soldiers rallied and the wounded Guardian Army soldiers struggled to recover.
• Mariana praised Helen's coordination and told the Spellcasters to recover so they could attack again.
• Harper and Fedotov identified the red-robed Spellcasters as the source of the attack, and the Guardian Army commanders struggled to restore order.
• Harper spotted the approaching Iron Chain Devil unit, and the Guardian Army's rout began.

A cloaked man and a fisherman discussed plans for an uprising against Earl Greiman, including using militia, outside allies, and a future heir. The cloaked man left worried about the earl’s fate, while the fisherman assured him the earl would die quickly.

• The cloaked man met the fisherman beside the Ves River and confirmed their plans were settled.
• The fisherman said militia would be used to start an uprising in Lakeheart Town while the Standing Army was away training in Emden.
• The cloaked man urged the fisherman to seize the Communication Base Station, but learned that outside lords had agreed to assist the conspirators.
• The fisherman admitted they had not chosen an heir yet and promised to send one to Lakeheart Town before the uprising.
• The cloaked man confessed his oath to Earl Greiman and begged the fisherman not to let him suffer, but the fisherman said the earl would die quickly.

Paul traveled to Fergus's estate for a large-scale hunt, accompanied by Victor, Laddie Setia, and fifty guards. Before leaving, he signed training plans and praised Lieutenant Boolgan, then asked Victor and Laddie what weapons they had prepared as they rode through Lakeheart Town.

• Paul dressed for his first hunt and learned from Butler Philip that nobles used encirclement hunts to practice military skills.
• Schroeder presented Paul with training plans for the Lakeheart Town garrison and militia, and Paul signed both before leaving the work in Schroeder's hands.
• Paul learned that Lieutenant Boolgan had volunteered to oversee militia training and told Schroeder to keep an eye on him.
• Paul met Victor and Laddie Setia in the courtyard, then set out for Fergus's estate with fifty armed guards.
• Paul asked Victor and Laddie what weapons they had brought, and Victor showed his bow while Laddie raised her light crossbow.

Paul showed Victor and Laddie Setia the Arda Army’s first usable rifled gun and explained its greater range and accuracy as well as its drawbacks. He predicted that machines and breech-loading designs could eventually ease its manufacture and loading, then agreed to let Victor test the gun at Sir Ferguson’s hunting grounds.

• Paul presented Victor with a rifled gun and explained how its spiral grooves made bullets spin and fly more accurately than those from smoothbore guns.
• Paul said the gun could remain accurate at two hundred yards and might be used at three hundred, though Victor initially doubted how inaccurate smoothbore guns were.
• Victor imagined the Arda Army becoming invincible with rifled guns, but Paul explained that cutting rifling was difficult and loading the tight-fitting bullets was slow.
• Paul suggested that machines might simplify rifling and that loading from the rear could speed the process, while noting that gas leakage posed a problem.
• Victor asked to test the rifled gun at Sir Ferguson’s hunting grounds, and Paul agreed before taking the gun back to his horse.

Fergus welcomed Paul Greiman to Babor Village, where Paul arrived with a large guard escort. As Fergus led him toward his estate, the knights waiting at the village entrance discussed their plan to kill him.

• Fergus assured Cha Kong that Paul would come because he kept his promises.
• Fergus and the other knights saw Paul’s large procession approach and prepared to receive him without revealing their intentions.
• Paul recognized Fergus, greeted him, and explained that Victor had arranged the many guards for his protection.
• Victor told Fergus that Arda’s power and wealth had made Paul a target, easing Fergus’s concerns about the escort.
• Fergus led Paul’s party toward his estate and said he would introduce the friends waiting at the village entrance.
• Cha Kong worried that Paul had discovered something, while another knight insisted that their territory would let them kill Paul and his guards.

Lakeheart Town's army began a field exercise while Boolgan secretly advanced a plan to act against the town. Zane brought 120 militiamen to Lakeheart Town, frightening them into promising to obey orders as they prepared for firearm training.

• Chief of Staff Schroeder briefed the four Infantry Battalions on their field exercise through Arda, Bairdin, and Emden, and Lieutenant Colonel Bryce took command.
• Boolgan watched the troops depart and told his servant to inform Odennell that everything had gone smoothly, with action planned for the day after tomorrow.
• Zane led 120 militiamen to the outskirts of Lakeheart Town, where exhausted Mackey and the others stopped to rest.
• Zane warned the militiamen that disobedience could bring Cannon Execution and explained that they must promptly obey orders and prohibitions.
• The militiamen promised to follow Zane's instructions, while he eagerly anticipated learning firearm drills in Lakeheart Town.

Zane and the Tata Town militiamen arrived in Lakeheart Town, where Second Lieutenant Hohenlohe imposed strict rules and began their firearms training. Meanwhile, Paul visited Fergus, tested his marksmanship, and sounded out local gentry about tax reform, leaving the issue unresolved after it chilled the mood at a banquet.

• Second Lieutenant Hohenlohe inspected the 120 Tata Town militiamen, set strict conduct rules, and led them to the barracks.
• Hohenlohe assigned the militiamen to draw one firearm per four people and register its serial number and their names; Mackey had his name written down because he could not write it.
• Hohenlohe ordered the men to master the basics of firing by the following evening.
• Paul shot a goat at the hunting grounds and credited his accurate shot to the rifle and luck.
• At Fergus's welcome banquet, Paul praised Boolgan to his father, Old Valen, and raised tax reform with the local gentry, souring the atmosphere before Fergus changed the subject.

Fergus and Dimit Valen prepared to rebel against Paul Greiman, weighing their plans and the consequences of failure. Dimit rejected his son Cha Kong’s request to protect Setia, while Fergus admitted their operation could not be guaranteed to succeed.

• Fergus cleaned a deer by the river as Dimit Valen arrived to discuss that night’s operation.
• Cha Kong asked Fergus to make sure Setia was not harmed, and Dimit beat him and sent him away for thinking about women during the rebellion.
• Dimit insisted that Paul’s appointment of Setia as an official proved Lakeheart Town was corrupt and convinced himself that the uprising was righteous.
• Dimit asked whether the operation would certainly succeed, and Fergus said that if their gamble failed, they would have to use their final method.
• Fergus recalled that they had considered poisoning Paul at the banquet but abandoned the plan after he arrived with fifty guards.

Paul learned that the Valen Family and other major families had prepared an ambush to assassinate him during the hunting trip. With at least five hundred attackers and roads blocked, Paul and his companions prepared to defend the camp and use Laddie’s parrot to summon help.

• Paul returned to his camp after dinner and invited Victor to gather people for a card game.
• A Department of Intelligence agent named Brandi warned Paul that his life was in danger and identified himself as Mick, a servant in the Valen Family.
• Brandi revealed that Dimit Valen had ordered servants to stash incendiary materials in the forest and distribute weapons for an attack.
• Brandi estimated that at least five hundred attackers were waiting in the forest and that people had blocked the roads out.
• Victor concluded that escape was impractical because the horses were tied among those belonging to the major families, and Laddie urged Paul to prepare a defense.
• Laddie brought her large parrot into the tent and said it could help notify people outside, while suggesting the attackers would burn themselves if they set the forest on fire.

Paul’s camp prepared for an attack after discovering the traitors’ plot, while Fergus ordered the rebels to assault the camp ahead of schedule. At Lakeheart Town, Zane and the militia were summoned and told that Paul had been assassinated, though the attack’s outcome remained unknown.

• Paul, Victor, Brandi, and Laddie prepared the camp for an attack, and Victor ordered all lights extinguished.
• Fergus realized Paul’s camp had gone dark and ordered the rebels to gather their men and attack immediately.
• Paul waited behind cover with the Witch, Victor, and the guards as Laddie warned that the attackers were coming.
• Zane heard the emergency bugle, woke his barracks, and helped the militiamen assemble on the Drill Ground.
• Lieutenant Boolgan told the assembled militia that Paul Greiman had been assassinated that night.

Paul and Victor’s guards repelled the rebels’ probing attacks and held the camp against a full assault with grenades and improved matchlocks. As Fergus and Old Valen struggled to understand their losses, Old Valen sent his son Cha Kong into battle, believing he could overcome Greiman’s magic.

• Victor’s guards shot down the rebels who approached the camp, while Laddie spotted attackers and helped direct their fire.
• The rebels’ arrows and attempts to set the camp alight failed, and Fergus ordered a large force to charge from every direction.
• Paul promised his guards rewards and compensation for their families, rallying them to defend the camp until reinforcements arrived.
• The guards used Hand Grenades and sustained matchlock fire to break the rebels’ assault and halt their advance.
• Fergus and Old Valen blamed the attackers’ failure, and Old Valen ordered Cha Kong to fight Greiman, convinced the Lord of Light had blessed his son.

After receiving Lord Greiman’s handwritten order by parrot, Carter Holly and Paul Cobb prepared the 8th Infantry Battalion to ride to Babor Village. In Lakeheart Town, Boolgan mobilized the militia and seized weapons under the claim that Lord Paul Greiman had been assassinated, while Schroeder suspected a rebellion and fled to seek another military force.

• A guard delivered Lord Greiman’s note to Carter Holly, who ordered the 8th Infantry Battalion to prepare to respond without assembling yet.
• Carter Holly and Paul Cobb recognized the handwriting and decided to requisition horses so the battalion could ride to Babor Village, while reporting the matter to Lakeheart Town.
• Boolgan told more than two thousand militia that Lord Paul Greiman had been assassinated and ordered them to impose martial law and collect rifles.
• An officer forced the armory administrator to the ground and led the militia inside to take weapons.
• Schroeder suspected Boolgan’s unauthorized mobilization was a rebellion and decided to leave Lakeheart Town to find a dependable military force.

Cha Kong led another rebel charge against Greiman’s encampment, trusting his ancestral armor to protect him from the guards’ bullets. Green-haired Witch set him ablaze, leaving him trapped and screaming inside the armor.

• Cha Kong donned his ancestral armor and rallied the rebels for another attack.
• Paul’s defenders prepared to hold their position as Victor ordered Aigram to target Cha Kong.
• Cha Kong charged through the gunfire and was struck in the abdomen, but his armor stopped the bullet.
• Cha Kong continued toward the defenses as Aigram reloaded and other guards fired without hitting him.
• Green-haired Witch blasted Cha Kong with flames, which spread across his armor and left him writhing on the ground.

Paul Greiman’s camp repelled another rebel attack, but Laddie warned that the rebels might try to burn them out. The Eighth Infantry Battalion was approaching as Fergus prepared to set the camp ablaze.

• Paul Greiman thanked a guard who had taken a slash for him and learned from Laddie that the Eighth Infantry Battalion was on its way.
• Paul warned the camp that the rebels might use fire and said Lady Setia would protect them with her special method.
• The rebels retreated after Cha Kong was killed by a jet of flame, and Dimit Valen vowed to avenge his son.
• Fergus urged Dimit Valen to let him carry out the final plan and sacrifice Paul Greiman and his followers to the flames.
• Holly Lieutenant Colonel led the mounted Eighth Infantry Battalion toward Babor Village and ordered its roads sealed so he could question the families of suspected rebels.

Arda soldiers raided the Fergus estate in Babor Village and forced the steward to reveal that Fergus had trapped Paul in Rabbit Sable Valley. As the Eighth Infantry Battalion rushed to rescue him, Fergus’s men set the forest ablaze, leaving Paul’s camp in danger as Laddie Setia opened her eyes.

• Arda soldiers stormed the Fergus estate and arrested its steward and the remaining household members.
• Under interrogation, the steward revealed that Fergus and his accomplices had trapped Paul in Rabbit Sable Valley with over six hundred men and planned to burn the forest if their ambush failed.
• Holly Lieutenant Colonel Carter ordered the Eighth Infantry Battalion to ride immediately to Rabbit Sable Valley.
• Paul saw the forest fires spreading in several directions and ordered his soldiers back to camp.
• As the flames closed in, Laddie Setia opened her eyes while standing alone in the center of the camp.