Chapter Summaries

Derek agreed to secretly help Prince Radick, then negotiated a major weapons and warhorse order with Viscount Chavez, who revealed that the Southern Nobles were building their own strength. The chapter left Derek suspicious of the southerners’ plans and ordering Virut to investigate their unusual weapons demand.

• Prince Radick told Derek that Count Hena Bergen, Count Asier Liesgo Unamuno, and other supporters could help him raise forces in the south, and Derek promised secret assistance.
• Viscount Angelo Chavez claimed the Southern Merchant Guild opposed Arthur, but Derek challenged him over reports of marriage alliances with the Royal Capital.
• Chavez revealed that the Southern Nobles wanted to purchase more than one hundred thousand gold coins’ worth of weapons and warhorses, ostensibly to support Radick.
• Derek agreed to sell the supplies after realizing the Southern Nobles intended to strengthen themselves amid the royal family’s civil conflict.
• Derek summoned Virut and ordered him to investigate why the south was buying so many weapons.

Derek investigated the Southern Nobles’ motives while preparing for threats from the Holy Cross Kingdom and the Barbarian Kingdom. After returning to Melgen Province, he chose to confront the Barbarian clans’ army with his own forces.

• Derek suspected the Southern Nobles had a hidden agenda and continued investigating as the new king’s envoys worked to steady the Northern Lands.
• After learning that the Holy Cross Kingdom and the Barbarian Kingdom were mobilizing, Derek refused Saint Peter Province’s request for aid, sent Virut to oversee the front, and headed to Yanle City Fortress.
• Derek reviewed Melgen Province’s immigration, food production, and development, concluding that its growing population and reclaimed land were building a firm foundation.
• Derek learned that major Barbarian clans had joined forces to reclaim military command and were targeting Melgen Province.
• Derek ordered his knights to strike back and prepared the Barbarian Legion to fight the clan troops beneath the Two-Headed Dragon Banner.

Dagu and the Barbarian Legion prepared for war against the Barbarian Kingdom, and Derek’s personal praise and gift strengthened Dagu’s resolve. Across from Yanle City, rival clan forces gathered in disorder, leaving the kingdom’s unity in doubt.

• Dagu organized his centurion’s men and resolved to defend the life and future he believed Derek had given the Barbarians.
• Derek inspected the Barbarian Legion, remembered Dagu, promised to grant him a title for military merit, and gave him a wineskin.
• Dagu’s fellow officers crowded around him, envying his favor with Derek as the army entered a state of war.
• Derek told his knights that the Barbarian Legion had honor, faith, and a homeland to protect, though the battlefield would test its strength.
• Across from Yanle City, the Barbarian Kingdom’s clan nobles formed a chaotic collection of rival militias, and the King’s envoy lamented the kingdom’s fate.

The Barbarian King’s envoy judged the divided clan forces incapable of stopping the Locke army and decided to abandon them to defend the Yanle Mountain Corridor. As the Locke forces advanced, clan chief Pabo challenged Man Niu to a two-thousand-man battle, and Derek let his subordinates handle the clash.

• The Barbarian King’s envoy inspected the clan camps, failed to persuade their chiefs to cooperate, and chose to abandon them while holding the Yanle Mountain Corridor.
• The Barbarian Legion and the Duke’s direct legion advanced from Yanle City toward the clan camps.
• After hearing of the approaching army, clan chief Pabo decided to test the Locke forces with a direct challenge, believing his experienced troops could beat the Locke army’s Barbarian soldiers.
• Pabo sent a messenger to challenge Man Niu to a two-thousand-man battle, and Man Niu accepted and cleared a field for the fight.
• Derek learned about the challenge, questioned the decision, and chose not to interfere.

Dagu and the Locke people’s army held firm against Chief Pabo’s Barbarian charge, drawing the enemy into a pocket formation. The Locke soldiers then counterattacked, leaving the battle turning in their favor.

• Chief Pabo led his battle-hardened Barbarians into a charge against the Locke people’s tightly formed troops.
• Dagu commanded his hundred-man unit through the clash, as Shield Bearers held the front and Blade and Shield Soldiers fought their way through.
• The Locke formation gave ground in staggered order while its flanks reinforced a pocket around the advancing Barbarians.
• Chief Pabo urged his warriors onward, unaware that they were suffering heavy losses and losing momentum.
• The commanding knight signaled an attack, and Dagu ordered the Shield Bearers to abandon their shields as the Bladesmen charged forward.
• The Locke soldiers counterattacked and began pushing the Barbarians back.

The Locke army overwhelmed Pabo’s forces and captured his camp, while Pabo escaped. Derek publicly praised Dagu, leaving the captured Barbarians wondering whether Dagu was the Duke’s illegitimate son.

• Pabo’s army routed, and his guards dragged him back into camp as the Locke forces began their assault.
• Knight Man Niu’s troops battered the camp walls with crossbow bolts and siege equipment, while Dagu urged the defenders to surrender.
• Pabo’s men carried him from the camp on horseback as Locke soldiers captured prisoners and secured the battlefield.
• Derek met Dagu by the road, invited him to the victory feast, and praised him in front of the Barbarians.
• A Barbarian prisoner saw Derek’s favor toward Dagu and asked whether Dagu was the Duke’s illegitimate son.

Derek’s forces steadily captured Barbarian defenses and trained the prisoners while the Holy Cross Kingdom’s counterattack stalled in Saint Peter Province. In Digen Port, Virut learned that Holy Cross nobles profited from trade with Locke territory, then a distinctive three-masted sailboat approached the harbor.

• Dagu kicked a prisoner and persuaded the Barbarians to consider joining the Duke’s forces.
• Derek’s Legion captured fortified camps one by one, taking far more prisoners than casualties and turning the camps into training grounds.
• King Bruno’s forces attacked in Saint Peter Province but Ronald held them back with supplies and financial support from Digen Port.
• Andrew told Virut that Earl Connor’s family fleet traded through Locke territory, helping explain why Holy Cross warships avoided Digen Port.
• As Andrew invited Virut and the other big shot to eat, a three-masted sailboat approached the harbor.

Andrew received charts and a ship's log from a battered vessel that had discovered a new route to the New Continent, then sent the intelligence to Derek. Derek ordered the route explored gradually while the Barbarians consolidated their forces and Renato urged the clans to unite against Duke Leopold.

• The returning captain told Andrew that his ship had found a new route and raided a southern supply point, but had nearly failed to return.
• Andrew copied the charts and ship's log, sent them to Derek, and ordered Sheriff Raymond to keep the discovery secret.
• Derek reviewed the intelligence and instructed Andrew to chart safe routes and seek potential supply points before committing to the New Continent.
• The Barbarian King and the clans appointed Renato as front-line commander, and Renato consolidated their forces and withdrew to a shortened defensive line.
• Renato told the chieftains that the opposing Barbarian Legion had been trained in less than a year and was growing with captured clansmen.
• Renato warned the chieftains that Duke Leopold threatened the whole Barbarian Kingdom and called on them to unite for a long struggle.

Renato united the noble chieftains by using Duke Leopold as a common threat, while Pabo decided to surrender to the Locke people. Derek accepted Pabo’s offer and used him to open the gate of his castle, leaving the Locke forces poised to take it.

• Renato pressured the noble chieftains into cooperating, and Pabo returned to his castle worried about the growing Barbarian Legion.
• Pabo impulsively went to the Locke camp and surrendered to Derek, who ordered him to help open the castle gate that night.
• Derek prepared the Locke forces for a nighttime attack as scouts moved ahead and the main force advanced on the outer castles.
• Pabo led a knight to his castle and called for the gate to open, asking his tribesmen to prepare him a leg of lamb.
• Pabo’s tribesmen recognized him and opened the gate, and Pabo proudly insisted he had not been trying to trick anyone.

Pabo helped the Locke knights take a castle, and Derek’s forces launched a night raid that alarmed Renato. Derek then advanced on the main fortress with a hidden plan, leaving Simon puzzled by the soldiers carrying shovels.

• Pabo persuaded the Barbarian guards to lower their weapons, allowing the Locke knights to seize the castle.
• The Locke army launched a surprise night raid and captured the satellite castles while Renato prepared the fortress defenses.
• Renato saw Derek’s old core force approaching with twenty or thirty thousand soldiers and wondered why they had attacked so openly at night.
• Derek told Simon that the castles had only been appetizers and ordered his army to attack the fortress.
• Simon noticed the attackers carrying shovels, while Derek hinted that his plan would soon begin.

Derek’s Locke forces used gunpowder to breach the Barbarian fortress wall and launch an assault, driving Renato and the defenders to flee. The fortress fell, leaving the route north open and Melgen Province safe, while Derek ordered repairs and prepared to expand gunpowder production.

• The Locke soldiers planted barrels in a pit and retreated, then the gunpowder blast collapsed a section of the Barbarian wall.
• Derek explained that the explosion was the power of technology, while Pabo became more certain that surrendering early had saved him.
• Renato led his guards away as the disoriented defenders fled and Locke forces charged through the breach to seize the fortress.
• The next day, Simon asked Derek how he had brought down the wall, and Derek warned him against charging at the front.
• Derek learned that Locke losses were low and the route north was clear, then ordered the defenses repaired and prepared to increase gunpowder production.

The Southern Merchant Guild learned that a rival on the New Continent possessed guns that even natives could use, prompting it to seek support from the homeland. Meanwhile, Derek advanced into Piller Province and sent the Barbarian Legion to make nearby clans submit or leave, with Dagu helping recruit his fellow Barbarians.

• Rick showed Sir Kalen a gun captured from the natives and demonstrated its power by shooting through a wall.
• Sir Kalen and Rick concluded that the gun could threaten knights and that another faction was active nearby, so they sent the weapon and news back to the homeland.
• After taking the final fortress in the Yanle Mountain Corridor, Derek ordered nearby Barbarian clans to submit or leave as he moved to reclaim Piller Province.
• Derek sent officers of the Barbarian Legion to visit the clans and win them over under Duke Leopold's orders.
• Dagu, a promoted Barbarian Chiliarch, accepted his mission to recruit his brethren and find farmers for his estate.

Dagu approached the Moshan Clan alone with two attendants to reassure its Barbarians and persuade them that Duke Leopold treated their brethren well. After Dagu described his noble status and promised a better life under the Duke, Chieftain Habit became envious and receptive.

• Dagu halted the army outside the Moshan Clan and insisted on meeting its people himself despite his officers' concerns.
• Dagu and two attendants were hauled over the clan's wall after he challenged the Barbarians to show courage.
• Dagu introduced himself to Chieftain Habit as a Barbarian baronet serving Duke Leopold.
• Dagu boasted about the privileges and comforts he enjoyed under the Duke, and Habit became eager to learn more.

Derek’s domain celebrated a bumper harvest, and Tiona gave birth to a son, securing the Leopold Family’s succession. As nobles and allies arrived at Swan Castle with congratulations, Viscount Chavez presented an unusually lavish gift on behalf of the Southern Merchant Guild.

• Dagu stayed with the Moshan Clan after reporting that he was safe, while trade with the Locke people enriched the clan and Derek continued expanding his Barbarian forces.
• Derek’s domain produced a bountiful grain harvest despite average weather, easing pressure on its food supplies.
• Tiona gave birth to a son at Swan Castle, and knights and commoners throughout the domain celebrated the Leopold Family’s new heir.
• Derek rewarded everyone with a gold coin and halved taxes in the Leopold Domain, then Count Perez warned him to protect the child from danger.
• Viscount Chavez arrived on behalf of the Southern Merchant Guild and offered two thousand black slaves, a fleet of ships, and a castle as a gift.

Derek received Viscount Chavez’s costly gifts and hosted nobles at Swan Castle as they gathered to celebrate the birth of his son. King Arthur granted the child the title of Court Count, and Archbishop John prepared to baptize him with the name Derek had chosen.

• Viscount Chavez presented Derek with a valuable gift from the merchant association and a personal gift, and Derek invited him to stay so they could speak privately.
• Nobles arrived at Swan Castle over several days to offer their blessings to Derek’s newborn son.
• The King’s Emissary announced that the child had been granted the title of Court Count, and Derek accepted the enfeoffment document, scepter, and seal.
• Archbishop John arrived to baptize the young duke, and Derek gave him the name he wanted bestowed during the ceremony.
• Archbishop John accepted Derek’s chosen name and treated the baptism as a solemn matter.

After Qin's Baptism drew celebrations and blessings from across the kingdoms, Derek met with Viscount Chavez to discuss the Southern Merchant Guild's colonies and slave trade in Gardner. Derek revealed that his forces had already attacked Chavez supply stations and far surpassed the family in shipbuilding, leaving Chavez to decide to ally with him on unequal terms.

• Archbishop John baptized the young duke and announced his name as Qin, prompting cheers across the Northern Lands and gifts from King Bruno and other distant powers.
• After seeing off the visiting nobles, Derek received Viscount Chavez, who revealed the Southern Merchant Guild's routes, supply stations, colonies, and profits from capturing black slaves in Gardner.
• Chavez asked Derek for military support and offered the Chavez Family's maritime experience in return.
• Derek told Chavez that his people had attacked the family's supply stations and that his craftsmen could build sailboats at a far greater rate than Chavez expected.
• Chavez accepted that the Chavez Family lacked the strength to negotiate as an equal and, seeking to protect its share of Gardner, took out another map.

Derek and Viscount Chavez finalized their cooperation after Chavez revealed that the Southern Merchant Guild had encountered another group of outsiders on Gardner. Meanwhile, Baronet Kallen’s fleet met a foreign ship at sea, and Rick’s boarding party faced the enemy’s long guns.

• Derek offered to help Viscount Chavez establish a colony and provide support after learning the Southern Merchant Guild wanted weapons, armor, and Warhorses.
• Viscount Chavez told Derek that the guild had found outsiders on Gardner while backing Prince Radick’s bid for the throne, and the two exchanged intelligence and finalized their agreement.
• Baronet Kallen sent three ships under his deputy Rick to investigate beyond the colony’s usual coastal waters.
• Rick’s fleet encountered a foreign sailing ship, exchanged signals, and opened fire with Ship Crossbows after the enemy fired a cannon.
• Rick’s sailors boarded the enemy ship and were shot by Red-coated Soldiers with long guns, while Rick rushed to operate a Ship Crossbow.

Rick’s sailors defeated the Red-coated Soldiers at sea, but he recognized that their victory came at a heavy cost and that the enemy was a serious threat. Meanwhile, Viscount Chavez accepted Count Began’s offer of land while secretly preparing to pursue his own interests with Duke Leopold.

• Rick rallied the sailors with a ballista shot, and they boarded the Red-coated Soldiers’ ships and overwhelmed them.
• The sailors captured the surviving Red-coated leader, while Rick judged the costly victory proof that the enemy could threaten the guild’s colonies.
• Viscount Chavez returned from the Northern Lands with armaments and warhorses, earning recognition from the Southern Nobles.
• Count Began thanked Viscount Chavez for aiding Prince Radick and offered to help him obtain an independent colony.
• Viscount Chavez donated Knight Armor to Prince Radick while privately deciding to work with Duke Leopold and expand the Chavez Family’s power through his silver mine.

Derek organized an expedition of Leopold knights to the New Continent as powerful nobles took control of its development. After rallying the knights and arranging their supplies, he boarded the newly launched sailboats, and the expedition prepared to depart.

• Militia and disgraced nobles were sent to Gardner, while Viscount Chavez lost influence over the New Continent and became a guide for the upper nobles.
• Derek left Swan Castle and traveled along the Leopold Family’s new roads to Digen Port, where he secretly entered its restricted harbor.
• Derek gathered more than a hundred newly titled knights and urged them to claim land and glory for the Leopold Family in the New Continent.
• Viscount Chavez’s people briefed the knights on the New Continent, and Derek promised continuing supplies of weapons, armor, horses, and medicine.
• Two newly launched sailboats arrived, and Derek boarded one as the expedition prepared to depart.

Derek tested the new cannon-armed gunboats and sent them with a fleet to the New Continent, where Lawrence claimed a port for the Leopold Family. The fleet left the Southern Merchant Guild’s representatives intimidated and established a foothold in disputed waters.

• Derek’s craftsmen demonstrated the new gunboats’ cannons by sinking a target ship, astonishing the crew and convincing Andrew that Derek was favored by Heaven.
• Derek ordered the officers to learn the cannons’ operation while keeping their production and repair under his control, then named the gunboats Qin and Lady Leopold.
• Derek placed the gunboats under a new naval command led by Lawrence, and a twenty-ship fleet set sail for the New Continent with supplies and loyal knights.
• Ten ships from the Chavez Family joined the fleet, bringing detailed sea charts and knowledge of the supply routes.
• Lawrence’s fleet established a crude port on an island near a Southern Merchant Guild supply point, and Lawrence claimed the land in the Duke Leopold’s name.