Chapter Summaries

Ron completed a large public bus powered by magic arrays and explained to Ilya how shared transport could make enchanted technology accessible to ordinary people. He drove the bus toward the nuns’ prayer house as Ilya considered his proposal.

• Ron finished inspecting the public bus he had built in the experimental zone.
• Ron showed Ilya the bus’s lights, seating, and capacity for more than fifty passengers.
• Ilya warned Ron that the bus would be slow because its size left limited space for driving-type magic arrays.
• Ron started the bus and explained that people could share enchanted devices instead of each buying one.
• Ron described a route with stops at intersections, then drove the bus toward the nuns’ prayer house.

Ron and Ilya tested a fare-charging magic bus by driving the nuns from their prayer house into Chaos City and back. Ron planned to use their feedback to develop public transport in Tansang City, while Ilya was embarrassed when her recorded announcements played for passengers and passersby.

• Ilya judged Ron's bus proposal more practical than supplying every household with an Elemental Carriage, and Ron explained the one-copper fare and his plans for Tansang City.
• Ron drove the bus toward the prayer house, tested its Lightness Formation, and collected Ilya's impressions of the ride.
• The nuns boarded the bus, paid their fares, and questioned Ilya about how it worked as Ron drove them into Chaos City.
• Ron played Ilya's recorded safety announcement aloud in the city, embarrassing her as passersby stared at the bus.
• The nuns shopped at the market and rode back to the prayer house, after which Ron asked them to write reports and returned the bus to his experimental area.

Ron and Ilya finished inspecting the first two buses and discussed their design, safety, and names as Ron prepared to send them to Tansang City. He then questioned Harper about the relationship between elements and magic power but made no breakthrough, before gathering guards to drive the buses north.

• Edith joined Ron and Ilya at the experimental zone, where Ilya raised concerns about public resistance to buses and crowded, unsafe roads; Ron proposed decorating the buses and improving the roads.
• Ron named the first bus Liya and the second Disi, assigning Ilya’s voice to Liya and Edith’s voice to Disi.
• Ron visited Harper’s laboratory and asked how magic power and elements transformed into each other, but Harper’s explanations left Ron unable to verify his elementon hypothesis.
• Ron returned to the experimental area, where Edith agreed to record the bus announcements, and gathered more than twenty guards to drive the buses to Tansang City.

Ron’s Magic Cup grew into a citywide sensation through match replays and a check-in campaign, while he discussed his possible noble title and Yuna’s future role in his private forces. By March 28, the qualifiers had ended, and Nora and the staff began calculating results for the preliminary rounds.

• Ron and Yuna discussed his exposed Doll double, his likely count title, and Yuna’s plan to leave the Dark Department and help lead his private soldiers.
• Ron expanded the Magic Cup’s reach by having Gil arrange match recordings for broadcasts across the Imperial Capital, then introduced check-in locations that rewarded spectators with early access to Element’s new skin.
• Contestants and their families rushed to complete the check-ins, while Magic Duel gained popularity among ordinary people and noble children across the city.
• On March 28, more than eighteen thousand qualifier matches had ended, and Nora and the staff began tallying results to determine who would advance to the preliminary rounds.

Ron planned to expand Magic Battle Halls and organize a regional academy competition while the Magic Cup advanced from its preliminaries. Mia learned she had made the main round, and Ron learned that Lyle was returning to the Imperial Capital before heading to the Western Frontier.

• Ron planned to buy storefronts for regional Magic Battle Halls and use the Magic Academies to recruit teams for a lucrative competition after the Magic Cup.
• Ron found Mia spying on the rankings, and Nora told her that she had advanced to the main round in 279th place.
• Mia begged Ron to keep Soven from commentating on her matches and massaged Nora and Ron's shoulders in exchange.
• Ron instructed Nora's staff to register the contestants and open the Moonview Street tournament venue for competitors to inspect.
• Mia told Ron that Lyle was returning to the Imperial Capital after establishing twenty-seven hotpot restaurants in the Southern Frontier, then planned to travel to the Western Frontier in early April.

As the Magic Cup preliminaries approached, Andy and other contestants inspected the venue and tested its battle platform. In Chaos City, Ilya’s experiment confirmed that magic power returned to elements after spells were cast and revealed that earth elements could convert into water elements without Elemental Potatoes.

• Andy and his Gold Rank friends explored a preliminary competition room, examined the battle table, and staged a practice match as spectators cheered.
• Ilya repeatedly cast Wood Magic in an elemental isolation chamber, restoring her magic power in a neighboring chamber between rounds.
• Ron asked Ilya whether the experiment showed that the total amount of elements remained unchanged, and she confirmed it.
• Ilya found that the two chambers’ elements had combined into an equal water-to-earth ratio, indicating that some earth elements had converted into water elements without Elemental Potatoes.

Ron’s experiment suggested that magical power could transform back into elements and that water and earth elements could convert into each other, prompting Ilya and Harper to call for further trials. Ron also began planning to recruit researchers from two major magic academies as the laboratory’s work expanded.

• Ilya cautioned Ron that the elemental conversion result needed repeated trials and testing with other elements before it could be confirmed.
• Edith suggested recruiting more researchers, and Ron told her to seek dissatisfied mages at Disode Magic Academy and considered recruiting researchers from Imperial City Magic Academy.
• Ron asked Edith to tell Harper that magical power had transformed back into elements, and Harper rushed over to examine the chamber data.
• Harper called for extensive experiments on elemental conversions, while Ron argued that the extra elements could not simply have come from the Elemental Realm.
• Harper accepted that the data was difficult to dismiss but left confirmation to Ilya and the other researchers, while Ron returned to drafting designs.

Ron learned that he would receive a territorial count’s title and expected to claim Tansang City, while Sylvie proposed hosting War of the Gods tournaments at the prayer houses. As the Magic Cup preliminaries prepared to begin, Ron left Sylvie to arrange the tournaments and confirmed the contestants were ready.

• Sylvie told Ron that his countship investiture was expected in mid-April and that Tansang City remained unclaimed.
• Ron considered how rival factions had tried to draw him into their interest groups, but asked Sylvie instead about the Tansang City prayer house.
• Sylvie proposed holding War of the Gods tournaments at the Tansang City and Chaos City prayer houses, and Ron let her organize them.
• Nora told Ron that all contestants had checked in and the preliminaries were scheduled to finish in five days.
• Ron declined to give a speech and planned to test the venue’s stage effects during the preliminaries.

Ron declined Count Huo Qi’s offer to discuss business, while the Magic Cup preliminaries began and he, Mia, and Irene went to watch the matches. Mia spotted Soven commentating and joked that anyone he supported was doomed before the group reached her Arena Eight.

• Mia brought Irene into the sound control room, where Ron teased Mia and she fawned over him and Nora.
• Nora opened the venue’s voice channels and announced the start of the Magic Cup preliminaries.
• Irene asked Ron to meet her father, Count Huo Qi, and Ron agreed only to a casual meal, declining any business discussion.
• Ron invited Mia and Irene to watch the matches, and the three saw Soven commentate as his favored contestant lost.
• Mia told Ron she would advance if Soven stayed away from her match, and the group arrived at Venue Eight on the second floor.

Ron watched the Magic Cup’s duels with Mia and Irene, pleased by how the Mimic Grass projections and sound effects captivated the audience. Mia’s nervousness faded as she watched, and she looked forward to competing herself.

• Ron explained that preliminary rankings only roughly reflected contestants’ strength, while the Gold Rank contestant in Arena Eight dominated his Silver Rank opponent.
• Mia asked Ron for Mimic Grass so she could record everyday life, and Ron warned her to avoid recording anything private.
• The Gold Rank contestant won the second round as the tournament’s visual projections and sound effects enthralled the audience.
• Mia became nervous about taking the stage, but Ron and Irene teased her until she relaxed and grew eager to duel.
• During the intermission, spectators explored other venues or approached the winner, while Ron watched the crowd with satisfaction.

Mia won her first preliminary duel, while Ron addressed a nobleman's assault on a commoner by ordering the incident recorded and publicized. Mia then told Ron that Lyle had returned to the Imperial Capital and asked whether he wanted to visit him.

• Mia won both rounds of her first duel after her popularity among the spectators rattled her opponent.
• Ron and Irene left the packed stands and returned to the sound control room, where Nora reported that a baron's illegitimate son had attacked a commoner after losing.
• Wodesen intervened, beat the nobleman's son, and threw him out; the commoner suffered only minor scrapes and received compensation.
• Ron ordered the venue to display a truthful account of the incident alongside its recording as a warning to noble contestants.
• Mia joined Ron, boasted about her win, and told him Lyle had returned to the Imperial Capital and might be at the hotpot restaurant on Central Street.

Ron reunited with Lyle at the Imperial Capital hotpot restaurant as Lyle selected staff to help expand into the Western Frontier. Lyle expected to capture the region’s market by mid-April, and Ron asked what he planned to do afterward.

• Ron left the competition venue and traveled to the hotpot restaurant on Central Street to meet Lyle.
• Lyle invited employees to join his Western Frontier expansion, and about a dozen chose to go with him.
• Lyle arranged for the selected employees to settle their wages before preparing to open the new market.
• Lyle greeted Ron, celebrated how quickly the hotpot business had spread across the Empire, and predicted he would capture the Western Frontier market around mid-April.
• Ron asked Lyle what he planned to do after developing the Western Frontier.

Lyle told Ron he planned to reclaim Chaos City's barbecue market before returning to the Dwarf Kingdom, both to settle an old grievance and to make his future restaurant business easier to promote. Ron promised to supply him with Spice Fir seasonings, and the two toasted to Lyle's success.

• Lyle explained that he would inspect the expanded hotpot restaurants before deciding on his next steps.
• Lyle revealed that he wanted to return to Chaos City and take back the market from the counterfeit barbecue restaurants.
• Ron supported Lyle's plan and promised that his Spice Fir seasonings would prevent rivals from copying the recipes.
• Lyle explained that winning popularity in Chaos City would help him market hotpot to dwarves wary of human cuisine.
• Ron and Lyle raised their glasses and wished Lyle success.

Ron visited Andre III for dinner, where they discussed Ron’s upcoming count’s investiture and his choice of fief. Andre III explained how the Empire’s early wars and founding had led to the rapid granting of noble territories, leaving Ron with a better understanding of the old nobility.

• A palace guard summoned Ron to dinner with Andre III, so Ron left Lyle and stopped at Moonview Street to bring grilled meat to Nora.
• Ron teased Mia before leaving for the palace, where he dined with Andre III and learned that the investiture ceremony would take place in mid-April.
• Andre III asked Ron where he planned to choose his fief, and Ron said he was still considering his options despite several factions offering him fertile lands.
• Ron asked why the Empire’s territories had been divided among nobles so quickly, and Andre III traced the grants to the Empire’s founding and the Second Emperor’s war against the Dwarf Race.

Andre III explained how past emperors used territorial nobles and military reforms to strengthen the crown, and Ron realized the warning was meant to caution him about power and factional politics. Ron then checked on the Magic Cup preliminaries, where Mia performed well and the tournament’s audience and public response developed as hoped.

• Andre III recounted how Andre II’s wars and conscription expanded the Empire’s military authority while reducing the territorial nobles’ influence.
• Ron inferred that Andre III was warning him to use territorial noble power cautiously, though Ron had no intention of seeking the throne or joining a faction.
• At the tournament venue, Nora reported that Mia had won three of her four matches and had a strong chance of advancing.
• Nora told Ron that Soven’s favored contestants often lost, while Ron reviewed audience numbers and considered moving the Magic Cup to the Grand Martial Arena if attendance grew.
• Ron learned that news of the troublemaking noble had spread through Mimic Grass and that commoners and nobles were reacting as he had hoped.
• After the first day of preliminaries ended, Ron and Nora rode home together in a carriage.

On April 3rd, Husky continued his settled life at the Imperial Capital Flower Shop, training with Ron and preparing to entertain Magic Academy teaching assistants with Legendary Kill. Meanwhile, Ron and Yuna planned to organize soldiers arriving in Tansang City into his future private force, and Ron said he would eventually explain Yuna’s identity to Nora.

• Husky woke up, greeted Yuna and Nora, and sparred evenly with Ron in the rear courtyard.
• Jolina arrived and combed Husky’s fur before Ron called them upstairs for breakfast.
• Husky ate breakfast with the others, then went to the board game room to study Legendary Kill tactics.
• Ron told Yuna that soldiers from Chaos City should have reached Tansang City and asked her to organize them as guards for his future private force.
• Yuna agreed to have her Doll oversee the soldiers, and Ron said he would go with her to meet them and would find a time to tell Nora about Yuna’s identity.

Ron introduced Yuna to the soldiers as their new trainer and patrol leader, then showed her the Liya bus. As Yuna tried driving it, she accidentally sent it speeding backward toward the Prayer Hall.

• Ron and Yuna arrived at the prayer house and found the soldiers and nuns playing War of the Gods.
• Ron introduced Yuna as a retired sixth-rank assassin from the Imperial secret division and assigned her to train and oversee the soldiers.
• Ron took Yuna to see the Liya bus, and she eagerly climbed into the driver's seat.
• Ron explained how the bus's elemental engine, steering wheel, and pedals worked.
• Yuna pressed the wrong pedal, sending the bus backward toward the Prayer Hall while Ron shouted for her to brake.

Yuna joyfully drove the Liya bus while Ron considered expanding the Empire’s transportation and business ventures. He visited the Magic Academy and his laboratory, leaving plans for new projects and private soldiers still in progress.

• Yuna drove the Liya bus wildly across the wasteland before returning it to the Prayer House with Ron.
• Ron promised Yuna a faster personal Elemental Car and considered developing more kinds of elemental transportation, while deciding to recruit talent from the Magic Academy.
• Yuna asked Ron to provide Golden Red Chrysanthemums for potential private soldiers, and Ron discussed his growing workload and plans for Tansang City.
• Ron visited the Card Research Institute, reviewed test Elemental Cards, and considered expanding Magic Battle Halls and Flower Shop branches.
• Ron left the Card Research Institute and arrived at the laboratory he had invested in.

Ron inspected the laboratory researching the Emerald Cypress scale leaves, checked on two researchers whose faith had changed, and asked director Dunlop to help recruit junior talent for his private research zone. Dunlop agreed to watch for suitable candidates, while Ron left open the possibility of letting him use the zone’s prized magic power-element reaction area.

• Ron learned that two researchers who had experimented with the scale leaves still worshipped the Goddess of Harvest, and he told Dunlop to keep observing them.
• Dunlop reported that the laboratory had attracted young graduates and teaching assistants with high pay, strong research prospects, and ample experimental materials.
• Ron described his private research zone and asked Dunlop to look for young, non-local mages willing to travel there as junior researchers.
• Dunlop agreed to seek candidates, and Ron offered to let him apply to use the magic power-element reaction zone for future experiments.

Ron declined to commit to Marquis Wosh’s offer of Belemus City after learning that the Eastern Frontier fell under Duke Christine’s lands, then visited the Magic Cup venue to review the event and its growing operations. He found Nora managing the control room smoothly and praised her work.

• The dean of students invited Ron to lunch and relayed Marquis Wosh’s offer of Belemus City and nearby towns as Ron’s count’s territory.
• Ron asked whether the Eastern Frontier’s marquises were connected to Duke Christine, then left the offer unanswered.
• Ron visited the Magic Cup venue, where Mimic Grass displayed tournament information, match highlights, and advertisements edited by Gil.
• Ron watched Mia lose her match, then went to the fourth-floor control room and saw Nora coordinating the staff.
• Ron praised Nora’s work and sat down to review the files she had processed.