Chapter Summaries

An elite Heavy Armored Knight Order ambushed the Holy Cross Kingdom army as it pursued routed Locke people, smashing its formation and winning a decisive victory. Virut survived his first cavalry charge, and the surviving Knight Squires emerged changed by battle.

• The Holy Cross Kingdom forces advanced against the routed Locke people while several hundred concealed elite knights prepared to charge from the woods.
• Man Niu reassured the nervous Virut as the cavalry regiment began accelerating toward the Holy Cross Kingdom army.
• The Heavy Armored Knights charged into the enemy formation, shattered it, and helped Virut clear out the surviving soldiers.
• The Heavy Armored Knights ordered their troops to take no prisoners and behead the Holy Cross nobles and soldiers.
• After experiencing his first full battle, Virut gained confidence and composure, while the surviving Knight Squires were transformed by the fight.

The Holy Cross Kingdom advanced through Saint Myra Province as Locke forces under Viscount Derek fought delaying actions and hanged captured nobles to discourage pursuit. Grand Duke Fernandez captured Augusta City and, confident of victory, went to inspect the territory despite a commander’s suspicion that abandoned supplies concealed a trap.

• Virut and the Knight Squires executed captured Holy Cross soldiers and hanged the captured nobles before House Augusta’s knights withdrew with their spoils.
• Grand Duke Fernandez’s forces found the execution site, and fear of being hanged made Holy Cross troops advance more cautiously.
• An adviser told Grand Duke Fernandez that Locke’s strategy was to stall for reinforcements, but Fernandez believed the Barbarians would keep Locke from gaining strength and expected the planting season to pressure Derek.
• Over the next month, Holy Cross forces occupied half of Augusta Territory while both sides suffered heavy casualties and spring planting across Saint Myra Province was delayed.
• Grand Duke Fernandez captured Augusta City and found supplies, including heavy armor; although a commander suspected the abandoned equipment was bait, Fernandez ordered more scouting and then inspected the territory.

Grand Duke Fernandez camped his army near the Locke forces and let their provocations escalate while he waited to confirm Count Lovett’s intelligence. After scouts verified the report, he prepared to strike a nearby granary and win a decisive victory.

• Grand Duke Fernandez crossed into the contested territory with a large army and ordered his camp established despite his nobles’ warnings.
• The Locke army gathered opposite him, and Simon defeated three Holy Cross knights before the two sides sent equal-sized forces into battle.
• Grand Duke Fernandez judged that the Locke forces had gathered their strength nearby, but withdrew from view rather than risk a pitched battle.
• The Locke forces harassed the Holy Cross camp with challenges and nighttime noise while Grand Duke Fernandez waited for his scouts to return.
• Grand Duke Fernandez learned from the scouts that Count Lovett’s intelligence was accurate and identified the poorly defended granary as a target.

Grand Duke Fernandez’s forces burned a granary and celebrated the damage, unaware that Derek had observed the staged attack and sent Virut to deal with them. After several days of provocations, Fernandez began to suspect that the Locke people were secretly retreating.

• Grand Duke Fernandez sent two thousand lightly equipped soldiers to attack a Southern Nobles granary, where they slaughtered its guards and burned the grain and oil.
• Derek watched the attack through a Monocular Telescope and told Virut to lead his men against the returning raiders.
• The battered soldiers returned to camp, where Grand Duke Fernandez celebrated the loss of grain and rallied his nobles with boasts and flattery.
• For three days, the Locke people provoked the Holy Cross army, then scouts spotted signs that they might be slipping away.
• Grand Duke Fernandez noticed sparse cooking smoke and fewer Locke attackers, then ordered men to investigate whether the camp was empty.

Derek lured the Holy Cross army into chasing a retreating Locke force, then ambushed its scattered troops with heavy cavalry. Grand Duke Fernandez learned that the pursuit had turned into a massacre just as it began.

• Grand Duke Fernandez discovered that the Locke camp was empty except for goats beating drums, and ordered his army to pursue the escaped Locke forces.
• Derek had secretly withdrawn most of his troops before the Holy Cross attack, leaving conscript militia behind as a rearguard.
• The Holy Cross forces split up in pursuit and grew distracted by abandoned loot along the road.
• Derek and his heavy cavalry ambushed the scattered Holy Cross troops, with infantry following to kill the survivors.
• More Holy Cross forces rushed into the battle, and Grand Duke Fernandez received news of the disaster before he had even left the Locke camp.

Derek defeated the last organized Holy Cross force and revealed that he planned to blame Grand Duke Fernandez for flooding Saint Myra Province after breaching its river dikes. He forced captured Holy Cross nobles to testify against Fernandez, leaving them to choose between betrayal and hanging.

• Grand Duke Fernandez learned that fewer than ten thousand troops remained and ordered his forces to leave, while a baron volunteered to stay behind and delay the Locke people.
• Derek defeated the remaining organized Holy Cross troops, reclaimed his gold chain, and invited his officers and captured nobles to a barbecue.
• Derek asked a captured noble about Saint Myra Province’s coming rainy season and revealed that the weather and high terrain suited his plan.
• Derek claimed that Fernandez had breached the river dikes and caused devastating floods, then swore to make him answer for the deaths of civilians.
• Derek asked the captured nobles to testify against Fernandez, and Simon hanged one noble who refused; the others began agreeing to testify.

Grand Duke Fernandez rallied the Holy Cross nobles after retreating, while Derek flooded Saint Myra Province by breaching the river embankment. The flood destroyed Fernandez’s city defenses and swept away his army camp, leaving him convinced all was lost.

• Grand Duke Fernandez admitted his defeat to the nobles and promised to reorganize his forces and drive the Locke people from Saint Myra Province.
• Derek made captured Holy Cross nobles pose for paintings of Fernandez digging on the embankment while captives weakened the riverbank.
• The river burst through the embankment, and Derek told the nobles that Fernandez would soon lose power and urged them to choose their allegiance.
• Floodwaters swept across farmland and villages and poured into Grand Duke Fernandez’s residence.
• A knight reported that the city wall had collapsed and the flood had destroyed the army camp, leaving Grand Duke Fernandez reeling.

Floodwaters devastated Augusta City and destroyed much of the Holy Cross Kingdom army, allowing Derek and Adrian to rout Grand Duke Fernandez’s forces and invade Saint Peter Province. Derek occupied more than a third of the province, accepted some nobles’ submission, and turned back to crush those still loyal to the Bruno Family.

• Floodwaters overwhelmed Augusta City and several Holy Cross Kingdom camps, and Grand Duke Fernandez fled with a group of nobles toward Birch Castle.
• Derek returned to Augusta City, ordered the dead cleared, and marched on Birch Castle while Adrian led an attack that broke the retreating Holy Cross rear guard.
• Grand Duke Fernandez’s army collapsed as Adrian pursued into Holy Cross Kingdom territory, and Derek advanced into Saint Peter Province with light cavalry.
• Derek offered captured nobles pardon if they swore loyalty to House Augusta, and some accepted while others remained loyal to the Bruno Family.
• Derek occupied more than a third of Saint Peter Province, then turned back to purge the nobles resisting Augusta’s rule.

Baron Tahar Al-Halei vowed to defend his castle against Derek and the Locke army, while Derek prepared to take it by force. Derek announced he would eat lunch inside the castle, leaving the surrendered nobles waiting to see whether he could make good on his claim.

• Baron Tahar Al-Halei put on his battle-worn armor and swore with his knights to fight the Locke people to the death.
• Viscount Larry Yanes told Derek that Baron Halley had killed Derek’s messenger and resisted his orders.
• Derek called on Virut and said he intended to have lunch inside the castle; Virut went to prepare for the assault.
• The surrendered nobles doubted Derek could breach the castle within half a day, while Derek considered using elite soldiers whose losses he could afford.

Virut led Augusta’s elite infantry in a swift assault that captured Baron Halley’s castle in one morning. Derek executed Baron Halley and warned the surrendered nobles that he would destroy the families of anyone who betrayed him, leaving Viscount Yanes afraid to change sides.

• Virut rallied the elite infantry and led them into Augusta’s assault on the Halley castle.
• Augusta’s infantry overwhelmed the defenders, and the castle fell within one morning.
• Derek arrived as soldiers cleaned the blood from the castle floor, and Virut reported that Baron Halley’s descendants had escaped.
• Derek threatened to wipe out Baron Halley’s family, then signaled Virut to execute the baron.
• Derek warned the surrendered nobles that he would completely destroy his enemies, and Viscount Yanes reconsidered switching sides.
• Derek looked at the Panel and saw a batch of new portraits.

Derek pressured Viscount Yanes and the other nobles into helping eliminate Baron Halley’s remaining loyalists, then turned his attention to the Church’s influence. He decided to visit Archbishop John Hadley and secure his recognition, leaving Yanes questioning whether he had chosen the right side.

• Derek asked the local nobles to help deal with the loyalists on his lands, and Viscount Yanes promised to clear out most within a month and all within three.
• Derek threatened consequences if the nobles failed to meet his deadline, and Yanes pledged the Yanes Family’s loyalty.
• Yanes warned Derek that the nobles could not handle the Church’s influence and identified Archbishop John Hadley as the most influential clergyman in the area.
• Derek asked how many troops the Church had, then declared he would visit Archbishop John and win his recognition.
• Derek set out to visit the Archbishop, leaving Yanes wondering whether surrendering to him had been a mistake.

Derek visited Archbishop John at St. Peter's Cathedral and wagered that John would serve him for three months, after which John would kneel and hail him as Saint Derek. Derek left intending to convince John through a miracle, while keeping force as a fallback.

• Archbishop John waited at St. Peter's Cathedral to meet Derek and plead with him to end the war.
• Derek arrived with heavily armored knights and argued that his war would stop future slaughter.
• Derek wagered that if John lost, he would work for Derek and hail him as Saint Derek, while Derek would withdraw from the Holy Cross Kingdom if he lost.
• John accepted the three-month wager, insisting he would not act against the Lord's will.
• Derek prayed before the Divine Statue, then left and resolved to show John a miracle.

After Derek’s victory over Augusta’s army reshaped the balance of power, the Holy Cross Kingdom’s King Bruno sought ways to contain the Locke forces while King Louis prepared to reward Derek. Derek agreed to marry Tiona and continued consolidating his new territories, ending the chapter in a meeting with Earl Connor.

• News of Derek’s victory spread, and Count Perez canceled the planned engagement ceremony to arrange Derek’s marriage to Tiona.
• King Bruno’s advisers urged him to stabilize the front, recruit Derek, enlist the Barbarians, and prepare to retake land after the harvest.
• King Louis accepted Derek’s growing power and planned to grant him the title of Count Augusta.
• Derek recommended Northland Knight descendants for posts, used captured grain for relief, and worked to secure his new territories.
• Count Perez told Derek that Augusta would expand and that the King would name him Count Augusta; Derek agreed to marry Tiona after finishing one last matter.
• Derek met Earl Connor face-to-face at Halei Castle.

Derek and Earl Connor formed an alliance, with Connor choosing a future barony in the Barbarian Wilderness and sharing intelligence about the Bruno Family. Derek returned to Augusta Territory, where he confronted signs of wavering loyalty and prepared for his politically important marriage to the Perez Family.

• Derek offered Earl Connor a barony, and Connor chose a place in the Barbarian Wilderness, asking Derek to fulfill the promise in ten years.
• Earl Connor warned Derek that the Bruno Family would retaliate and left him with valuable intelligence.
• After Connor departed, Derek arranged proactive attacks by small elite units and headed back to his territory.
• Derek inspected Augusta Territory, met its senior officials and officers, and considered how to handle subordinates who had disappeared or lost his trust.
• Relatives of the Ferrera Family arrived in Augusta City, while the Perez Family pushed to complete Derek's marriage before his elevation in rank.

Derek married Tiona at Swan Castle, then learned that King Louis had appointed a new Governor for Saint Peter Province and planned to establish a new legion. The new Governor, Count Ronald Farquhar, arrived in Saint Myra Province expecting hostility and saw corpses displayed along the road.

• Count Perez offered Derek a castle and its lands as a wedding dowry, while Derek gave him heavy knight armor.
• Derek married Tiona at Swan Castle, and the first Northland noble graduates began taking up posts across the region.
• Count Perez told Derek that King Louis had appointed a new Governor and would likely establish the Saint Peter Legion.
• Derek recognized the King's move as an effort to build royal authority over time, and Count Perez advised him to show some temper.
• Count Ronald Farquhar hurried into Saint Myra Province, hoping to avoid making an enemy of Derek, and saw dried corpses hanging from roadside crosses.

Governor Ronald’s convoy faced repeated hostile inspections in Saint Myra Province before he learned that Viscount Derek had already left. At the church, Derek used his power to grant Archbishop John a sudden spiritual advancement, and John accepted him as a living saint and vowed to follow him.

• Governor Ronald saw mummified corpses and his Royal Guard escort was attacked when local soldiers stopped the convoy for inspection.
• Governor Ronald endured repeated searches on the way to Swan Castle, where he learned Viscount Derek had left, and continued traveling after Augusta City proved empty.
• Derek returned to the church as his three-month wager with Archbishop John came due, but he told John that the appointed time had not yet arrived.
• Derek placed his hand on Archbishop John’s shoulder and used his power to grant him a miraculous spiritual advancement.
• Archbishop John felt closer to the Lord, knelt before Derek, recognized him as a living saint, and vowed to proclaim his name and fulfill his mission.

Derek recruited Archbishop John to gather followers and openly pursued becoming a duke. Governor Ronald arrived at the Augusta Knight Order and was overwhelmed by the Northland Knights’ strength, leaving his mission to seize military command looking grim.

• Derek helped Archbishop John up, declared his ambition to become a duke, and asked him to find devout followers.
• Archbishop John pledged to gather clergymen, while Derek said he wanted more people to join him and bask in God's radiance.
• Derek’s prestige rose across Saint Peter Province and beyond after his meeting with Archbishop John.
• Governor Ronald met Derek’s Knight Order near Birch Castle and doubted that his Royal Guards could take command from the Northland Knights.
• As a knight escorted Ronald through the Augusta Knight Order’s camp, he was intimidated by its armored warriors and formidable horses.

Ronald met Derek to discuss royal authority and the Northern Lands, but Derek deftly avoided making promises. Ronald delivered the King’s grant naming Derek Count Augusta, and the chapter ended with Derek inviting Ronald to join a training spar with Virut.

• Derek reviewed documents while meeting Ronald and proposed transferring Saint Peter Province’s administration to him, along with responsibility for its newly formed legion.
• Ronald explained that the King had granted Derek the title Count Augusta, new lands, and several Blank Enfeoffment Documents.
• Derek accepted the documents and promised to visit the Royal Capital after the Northern Lands were secure, while declaring his loyalty to the King.
• Derek evaded Ronald’s attempts to gain his support until Virut reminded him that it was time for training.
• Derek challenged Virut to spar and suggested that Ronald give him pointers, while Derek assessed whether Ronald might draw his sword.

Derek hosted Ronald for a meal in the Northern Lands after Ronald watched Derek and Virut train, then urged him to befriend the local powers and consider the Farquhar Family’s future there. Ronald left without committing to Derek’s proposal and returned to find the Royal Guard hungry and resentful.

• Ronald watched Derek and Virut fight, then saw Derek take on the surrounding knights in heavy armor.
• Derek shared lunch with Ronald and candidly proposed that they become friends, suggesting the Farquhar Family could find a future in the Northern Lands.
• Ronald stayed silent about Derek’s offer but recognized that his authority could be used as leverage or traded for what he wanted.
• Derek saw Ronald off, and Ronald decided that befriending him might still be worthwhile, though he would not yield without seeing real ability.
• Ronald returned to his party and discovered that the Royal Guard had been left hungry while he ate with Derek.

After taking office, Ronald struggled with debts and reclaiming authority, while Derek inspected Augusta Territory and found it recovering well from the flood. Back in Augusta City, Derek saw how Tiona had brought order and warmth to his household and settled into the life of a noble.

• Ronald faced sheriffs demanding overdue military expenses and found that surrendered nobles and the Church still favored Derek.
• Derek questioned farmers in Augusta Territory about the harvest, flood damage, taxes, security, and living conditions, then rewarded them with silver coins.
• Derek inspected other parts of the territory and returned to Augusta City, which had recovered and regained everything the Holy Cross people had taken.
• Tiona told Derek she had organized the count's residence, helped with the Caravan business, and arranged for a stud-farm worker's daughter to join the household.
• Derek approved Tiona's plans and, after she helped him bathe, felt he had begun living as a true noble.