Chapter Summaries

Laddie Setia cast a spell that shielded Paul and the others from the inferno surrounding their camp. Across the river, Dimit Valen celebrated Paul's presumed death, but the gathered flames formed a monstrous shape and lunged toward him and Fergus.

• Laddie Setia chanted and expanded a dome of light around Paul and the survivors, blocking the flames and smoke.
• Paul and the others rested inside the dome while Laddie remained motionless, sustaining the spell.
• At Rabbit Sable Valley, Dimit Valen declared that the fire was his revenge for Paul's rule and the death of his son.
• Fergus apologized to Paul's father and predicted that the Greiman Family would continue ruling through a new heir.
• Dimit Valen and Fergus noticed the flames gathering into a vortex, then watched it leap over the river toward them.

Bileir Reynolds helped impose military administration in Lakeheart Town by falsely claiming that Paul Greiman was dying and conspirators were plotting a rebellion. Boolgan prepared to install a supposed successor, but learned that Chief of Staff Schroeder was missing.

• Militia units sealed Lakeheart Town’s roads and entrances under orders from the Training Department.
• Bileir told the Second Regiment that Paul had been attacked and that a conspiracy threatened Arda, then ordered the police to cooperate with the militia.
• Lucas questioned whether the police should take orders from Director Russ Hayden, so Bileir falsely claimed the Government Affairs Council had transferred command to the army.
• Boolgan learned that the town’s lords had been summoned to the Lord’s Manor, but Chief of Staff Schroeder was not at home.

Boolgan took control of the Staff Department and seized Schroeder’s official seal, while Owen Schroeder escaped Lakeheart Town and went to Area 51 to seek help against the rebels. The chapter left Schroeder arriving at the secret base, where its ninth Infantry Battalion could be mobilized.

• Boolgan learned that Schroeder was absent from Lakeheart Town and broke into his office to take the Staff Department’s official seal.
• Owen Schroeder and two guards rode southeast from Lakeheart Town before the militia sealed it off.
• Schroeder fired a signal pistol outside Area 51, and soldiers emerged to guide him through the forest.
• Schroeder told the soldiers he urgently needed to meet Herman and Claude and intended to use Area 51’s ninth Infantry Battalion against the rebels.
• Schroeder and his guards reached Area 51, a concealed, largely self-sufficient settlement housing the army’s secret weapons facilities and their staff.

After Paul Greiman was reported assassinated, the officials of Arda gathered at the Lord’s Manor and struggled with grief and uncertainty. Hansel Abbott realized that Arda’s policies and the council’s future would depend on the new lord.

• Government Affairs Council officials and Old Chief Steward Philip gathered at the Lord’s Manor and learned that Paul Greiman had been assassinated.
• Philip and Old Ford broke down sobbing as they blamed themselves for failing to protect Paul.
• Cecil realized that, as head of intelligence, he had failed to uncover the assassination plot.
• Hansel Abbott recalled Paul’s achievements and the opportunities Paul had given him.
• Hansel wondered whether Arda would preserve Paul’s policies and concluded that the new lord’s attitude would determine the council’s future.

After Lord Greiman was assassinated, Hansel considered whether Arda might be reclaimed by the Royal Family but chose not to raise the idea. Boolgan imposed martial law in Lakeheart Town, urged the officials to enthrone a new lord, and revealed that outside armies were gathering as Arda had lost contact with its field-training forces.

• Hansel decided against proposing that the Royal Family reclaim Arda and Emden, then considered who should raise the question of succession.
• Boolgan entered the castle hall and called for a new lord to be enthroned, prompting angry objections from the officials.
• Boolgan showed the Staff Department order appointing him military commander of Lakeheart Town and explained that martial law was meant to catch conspirators linked to Lord Greiman's assassination.
• Stefano arrived wounded and testified that Lord Greiman had been ambushed by numerous attackers familiar with the terrain.
• Boolgan reported that armies from neighboring territories were gathering, while Schroeder and other officials had gone to the border after contact with the field-training army was lost.

After Lord Greiman was reported dead, Boolgan pushed to install Yuriuo Webster as the new lord, but Chief Steward Ford questioned the claim and resisted a rushed succession. Boolgan proposed making Yuriuo acting lord while Arda faced threats from outside, leaving Ford and the officials considering the compromise.

• Boolgan claimed Lord Greiman had named Yuriuo Webster as his heir, citing Stefano's verbal account despite the absence of a written order.
• Chief Steward Ford argued that Arda's succession required consultation with Earl Garnard and the nobles of Emden and Bairdin.
• Ford ordered guards to confine Stefano, suspecting he might be connected to the rebels after Stefano glanced at Boolgan.
• Boolgan argued that Arda needed a lord to negotiate with outside powers and proposed appointing Yuriuo acting lord until the crisis passed.
• Ford and the officials began considering Boolgan's proposal while Boolgan tensely weighed calling in his militia if they refused.

A massive stream of flames attacked Fergus, Old Valen, and their men, then spread through the forest and trapped those who had not escaped. Fergus reached the riverbank and survived, while Old Valen remained surrounded by fire; Fergus believed Paul Greiman would not escape the blaze across the river.

• A flaming python struck the group, killing two men and setting several others alight, while Fergus rode clear and Old Valen plunged into a muddy puddle.
• The flames scattered through the forest, forcing the warriors and servants to flee in panic.
• Old Valen called for help, but when no one answered, he tried to escape and was driven back by fire from every direction.
• Old Valen hid in the muddy puddle as smoke closed in and cursed Greiman while awaiting his fate.
• Fergus reached the open ground by the river with other survivors, failed to find Old Valen, and saw flames burning across both banks.
• Fergus decided that Paul Greiman could not escape and became convinced that defeating him was righteous.

Carter Holly prepared the Eighth Infantry Battalion to avenge Lord Greiman after the fire, then learned that a force of local gentry’s retainers was approaching. Holly hid his soldiers in the woods to ambush them, while Fergus gathered his remaining men and planned to confirm Greiman’s fate and contact Lakeheart Town.

• Carter Holly ordered his soldiers to search for the traitors and protect their gunpowder as rain began to fall.
• A scout reported that two to three hundred armed retainers were advancing along the river, and Holly ordered the Eighth Infantry Battalion to hide in the woods and ambush them.
• Fergus learned that 323 men had gathered and ordered a group to return to Greiman’s camp once the fire went out and check for survivors.
• Fergus planned to contact Lakeheart Town and withheld the news of Boolgan’s father and younger brother being summoned away by the Lord of Light.

Laddie held a protective barrier over Paul’s camp until a heavy rain extinguished the forest fire, then revealed that she had attacked the traitors. Meanwhile, Fergus’s force was ambushed by Arda’s regular army and broke apart as he tried to flee.

• Laddie endured half an hour of strain before rain began falling and put out the fire around Paul’s camp.
• Laddie told Paul that she had used the fire to attack the traitors, and Paul and Victor decided to scout toward Babor Village before joining the Eighth Infantry Battalion.
• Fergus recognized gunfire as his force came under attack from the woods, and his hastily assembled troops panicked and scattered.
• Fergus concluded that more than two hundred soldiers from Arda’s regular army had arrived and fled on horseback amid the chaos.

Fergus fled the battle but was intercepted by Holly Lieutenant Colonel and Cob Major, who confronted him over his role in the rebellion. Fergus defended the revolt and revealed how years of feeling overlooked by Paul Greiman had turned his loyalty into resentment.

• Fergus escaped through the rebel ranks on horseback, but stopped when armed soldiers blocked his path.
• Holly Lieutenant Colonel and Cob Major arrived and accused Fergus of betraying Paul Greiman.
• Fergus denounced Paul as a tyrant, while Holly offered to seek mercy if Fergus surrendered and revealed his accomplices.
• Fergus angrily rejected Holly's authority and recalled how Paul had left him out of later wars and honored other soldiers instead.
• Fergus's resentment deepened because he had been treated as a guest rather than a noble despite his service and honorary knighthood.

Knight Fergus challenged Lieutenant Colonel Holly to a duel while claiming rebels had taken control of Lakeheart Town and planned to choose a new lord. Holly refused the challenge, then shot Fergus when he charged, leaving him unconscious as Holly worried about the threat of rebellion on two fronts.

• Fergus accused Holly of being an unworthy former attendant and demanded a traditional knightly duel.
• Fergus claimed Paul Greiman had died in the fire and that rebels controlled Lakeheart Town, where they would choose a new lord.
• Holly concealed his alarm and considered the danger of the rebellion succeeding in both Babor Village and Lakeheart Town.
• Holly gave Fergus one last chance to surrender, but Fergus charged at him on horseback.
• Holly fired at Fergus's horse, and Fergus fell, struck his head on a rock, and lost consciousness.

Holly Lieutenant Colonel’s forces defeated Fergus’s rebels and learned that Lord Greiman had survived the fire. After reuniting with Paul in Rabbit Sable Valley, Holly warned him that rebels might also be active in Lakeheart Town.

• Arda soldiers captured the surviving rebels after routing them in an ambush, while Fergus fell from his horse.
• Mesa brought Stefano to Holly Lieutenant Colonel, and Stefano reported that Paul was safe in a camp at Rabbit Sable Valley.
• Stefano explained that heavy rain had checked the fire and warned Holly that another rebel squad had headed toward the camp.
• Holly and Cob reached Rabbit Sable Valley and reunited with Paul, who said the rebel squad had already been dealt with.
• Holly told Paul that rebels might also be operating in Lakeheart Town.

After Paul Greiman's death, Yulio Webster arrived in Lakeheart Town and accepted the role of proxy lord, while the Government Affairs Council planned how to secure Arda and suppress the rebellion. The meeting continued as word came of an army outside the city, and grieving Philip encountered a familiar parrot at Paul's office window.

• Lieutenant Boolgan escorted Yulio Webster to the Lord's Manor, where Old Ford and the Government Affairs Council welcomed him.
• Yulio agreed to restore the Greiman surname and work with Old Ford to rally allies and notify Arda and other territories of the new proxy lord.
• The officials discussed surrounding lords, planned letters, and decided to wait for the reorganized infantry battalions before attacking the rebels in Babor Village.
• The council maintained martial law in Lakeheart Town and continued its meeting until Boolgan was quietly told that an army had appeared outside the city.
• Philip left the meeting, resolved to remain until Paul's vengeance was achieved, and found a familiar-looking parrot tapping on the window of Paul's office.

Lieutenant Colonel James Walton received conflicting orders about Earl Bazel’s army entering Lakemore: Lakeheart Town told him to let it pass, while Chief of Staff Schroeder warned that rebels had seized Lakeheart Town. Walton and his officers were left unsure which telegram to trust.

• Walton received Viscount Helson’s telegram reporting that Earl Bazel’s troops had entered Lakemore and were advancing toward Emden.
• Walton gathered his officers and prepared to take the 6th Infantry Battalion to Lakemore to stop Bazel’s army.
• Walton sent Lakeheart Town an encrypted telegram explaining his planned operation.
• The Staff Department ordered Walton to allow Bazel’s army through, saying Lakeheart Town had invited it.
• Walton then received a telegram from Area 51, sent by Chief of Staff Schroeder, warning that rebels had taken control of Lakeheart Town.
• Walton and his officers struggled to decide which message to believe.

Butler Philip told Old Ford that Boolgan had betrayed Lord Greiman and that Greiman was still alive, prompting them to plan to seize Boolgan. Before they could act, Boolgan learned that Schroeder had arrived outside Lakeheart Town with an armed force and went to organize a defense.

• Philip summoned Old Ford to Paul's office and revealed that Boolgan's Valen Family had joined the attack on Lord Greiman.
• Philip showed Old Ford Greiman's note, which said he was still alive and had sent a request for reinforcements to the Eighth Infantry Battalion.
• Old Ford concluded Boolgan's group had orchestrated the takeover and discussed using the manor's remaining guards to seize him.
• Boolgan learned that Schroeder had arrived outside Lakeheart Town with an Arda Army force carrying firearms and cannons.
• Boolgan decided to go organize the militia's defense before its members could rally to Schroeder.

Chief Steward Ford and Philip realized Boolgan Valen had left to prepare for Schroeder’s return with loyal troops, while Boolgan’s forces tightened their control over the Lord’s Manor. After the officials’ families were brought inside, commotion erupted in the hall, leaving Zane rushing to investigate.

• A parrot warned Chief Steward Ford and Philip that the army was coming, and they suspected Chief of Staff Schroeder had returned with reinforcements.
• Bileir Reynolds told the officials that rebels were attacking Lakeheart Town and said Boolgan had sent him to secure the Lord’s Manor and keep everyone inside.
• Chief Steward Ford asked Bileir to bring the officials’ families into the castle, then called Russ Hayden aside to discuss his plan.
• Two hours later, Zane ordered the castle gates closed after the officials’ families had arrived.
• When cries and commotion broke out in the Lord’s Manor hall, Zane took his men to investigate.

Russ Hayden seized Bileir Reynolds in the Lord's Manor as Old Ford and Butler Philip revealed that Boolgan Valen and Reynolds were the rebels who had spread chaos after attacking Earl Paul Greiman. Old Ford said Paul was safe and that Chief of Staff Schroeder had returned with an army, leaving the militiamen and officials to reconsider whom they supported.

• Zane and the militiamen entered the Lord's Manor and found Russ Hayden holding Bileir Reynolds while guards confronted the police.
• Russ warned that Boolgan Valen and Reynolds were the real rebels, and Reynolds ordered his armed police to lower their guns.
• Old Ford and Butler Philip announced that Earl Paul Greiman was alive and accused the Valen and Reynolds families of treason.
• Russ explained that Boolgan and Reynolds had spread false reports and installed Yulio as a puppet lord; Yulio denied knowing about the plot.
• Old Ford said the 8th Infantry Battalion had protected Paul and that Chief of Staff Schroeder had returned with an army.

Lucas and Zane rallied the police and militia behind Earl Paul Greiman, and Director Hayden organized the castle’s defenses against Boolgan. At the Lakemore–Emden border, Lieutenant Colonel Walton blocked Earl Bazel’s force, leaving Bazel suspicious that the plan had gone wrong.

• Lucas urged the police to trust Chief Steward Ford and reject Bileir Reynolds and the other traitors.
• Zane and the Tata Village militia pledged allegiance to Earl Paul Greiman, and the police followed their lead.
• Director Hayden took command of more than two hundred defenders and assigned them to protect the castle.
• Hansel, Berna, Cecil, and others fortified the castle gate, and a cannon was fired to alert Boolgan’s troops.
• At the Lakemore–Emden border, Lieutenant Colonel Walton refused Earl Bazel’s request to enter with his army and questioned whether the bandits were real.
• Earl Bazel insisted that criminals from Emden had attacked his lands and worried that something had gone wrong with the plan.

Boolgan faced Schroeder’s approaching army and tried to keep the Lakeheart Town militia loyal by accusing Schroeder of rebellion. As Boolgan ordered the militia to advance, Schroeder considered using a precise firearm to stop them without opening fire on the whole formation.

• Boolgan saw Schroeder’s army approaching with rifles and cannons, then ordered the militia to raise their rifles.
• Schroeder’s officer accused Boolgan of rebellion and said Paul Greiman’s guards had defeated the attackers at Babor Village.
• Boolgan called Schroeder a rebel, claimed the approaching force was the enemy, and ordered the militia to attack.
• A cannon fired from Lakeheart Town, and Boolgan ordered the militia to advance toward Schroeder’s army.
• After the militia ignored the warning, Schroeder wondered if a new, accurate firearm could stop them.

Schroeder’s forces defeated the militia after Boolgan Valen was killed by a volley from rifled firearms. The militiamen surrendered and were ordered back to Lakeheart Town for questioning as two knights from the Internal Guard Unit arrived.

• Schroeder’s twenty soldiers aimed their rifled firearms at Boolgan as he rode forward with the militia.
• Claude ordered the soldiers to fire, and the bullets killed Boolgan Valen.
• With Boolgan dead, the militia lost its resolve, dropped its weapons, and surrendered.
• Schroeder ordered Claude to lead the militiamen back to Lakeheart Town, where they would be held and investigated.
• Claude spotted two knights galloping toward them and recognized their attire as belonging to the Internal Guard Unit.