Recaps

Theus planned to expand his chemistry work and develop industrial production despite Castel’s limited resources and skilled workers. He tasked Connor with gathering materials and equipment while prioritizing a school and the first production line.

• Theus considered training the loyal, resilient Banshees in chemistry, though he thought Ash might be his only possible student.
• Theus asked Connor to obtain sulfur ore and arrange bottles and jars, even suggesting that the manor’s vases and glass cups be melted down if necessary.
• Connor reported that the olive oil factory had produced its first batch, while Theus noted that their lack of industrial expertise prevented more advanced machinery.
• Theus decided the school could no longer be delayed and planned to speak with Alexei, who was busy building the factory.
• Theus focused on developing soap production as a stopgap for the pirates’ deadline and as Castel’s first step toward industrialization.
• Theus told Connor to get sulfur quickly so he could begin working toward nitric acid and sulfuric acid in the chemistry laboratory.

Theus planned a free literacy school for the island and summoned Ash to learn how the Symbiotic Pact affected her. Ash explained that she could survive on land only through Flesh Magic and would lose life force if she traveled too far from Theus.

• Theus told his chief clerk to find school buildings and publicize free literacy classes, with advanced lessons available for a small fee.
• Theus dismissed the idea of having Alexei’s clerks teach and planned to use literate servants for basic classes while teaching advanced subjects himself.
• Theus went to his study, barred entry, and used the secret passage to summon Ash at the sea.
• Ash told Theus that the Symbiotic Pact kept her from returning to the Abyssal Trench and that distance from him drained her life force.
• Ash explained that Flesh Magic let her withstand the pressure and survive in her current form, but stopping it without a pact-bearer would kill her.

Theus learned that an unseen Pollution in the Abyssal Trench was making the Banshees sick and mentally unstable, and he searched for a way to save them. He realized the Banshees might use Symbiotic Pacts to survive on land, but Ash warned that his frail body could not support more than one pact.

• Ash told Theus that the Banshees' home in the Abyssal Trench was afflicted by an unseen Pollution that oppressed and sickened them.
• Theus feared the Banshees would be assimilated by the Pollution and asked Ash whether they could leave the trench.
• Ash explained that the Banshees needed the trench's immense water pressure to maintain their normal forms, while using Flesh Magic on land required life force from a pact.
• Theus realized that Symbiotic Pacts could let the Banshees survive on land, but Ash explained that the ability gained by the other party was random.
• Ash revealed that she had intended to make a pact, share knowledge of water pressure, and then dissolve it, which would have killed her and transferred her life force to Theus.
• Ash said the other Banshees could not safely make pacts with Theus because his body was too frail to withstand multiple pacts.

Theus considered bringing Ash's people from the Abyssal Trench to Castel Island and began investigating whether the Church would accept other races. He rode to the church with Connor and learned that the Church had lost its seat in the Empire's judicial trials but had barely protested.

• Theus asked Ash whether their Pact allowed her to give him life force, then urged her to check on her people in the Abyssal Trench and bring them to Castel Island if necessary.
• Theus returned to the study, sensed danger behind the door, and dodged as Zoe fell toward him while carrying afternoon tea.
• Theus told Zoe to stop bringing tea while he worked and to ask Connor not to disturb him, then decided to investigate the Candlelight Society's attitude toward other races.
• Theus asked Zoe to have Connor prepare a horse and read Church texts before riding with Connor to the church.
• Connor told Theus that the Church had lost its seat in the Empire's judicial trials and had made only token protests.

Theus visited the run-down church on Castel and met Chloe, the nun who kept it running. When he asked about Church doctrine, Chloe hesitated, and an unusual assistant priest appeared.

• Theus questioned the Church's lack of resistance and went with Connor to inspect the local church.
• Connor explained that the bishop had died and the Church had sent no replacement, leaving Chloe to manage the church.
• Chloe recognized Theus as the new lord, accepted his donation, and explained that few islanders attended services because their livelihoods were predictable or kept them at sea.
• Theus asked about the church's activities and doctrine, but Chloe said she knew little and hinted that the assistant priest's situation was unusual.
• A tall man in priest's robes emerged through the back door, and Theus studied him.

Theus investigated the church by meeting Brother Kaeschi and entering the confessional, where his supernatural perception revealed that Kaeschi was a machine rather than a human. Theus recognized supernatural inscriptions in the room and began connecting them to the Candlelight Society, though he still sensed something was wrong.

• Theus met Brother Kaeschi, whose familiar robe reminded him of the priest who had killed him, and learned from Chloe that Kaeschi could not speak.
• Theus followed Chloe to the confessional, intending to learn about the Church's attitude toward nonhumans.
• Theus used the Banshee's power through the Symbiotic Pact to detect a supernatural inscription in the confessional wall.
• Theus recalled that his handshake with Kaeschi had revealed a body made of materials and inscriptions, with no flesh or blood.
• Theus concluded that Kaeschi was a sophisticated machine and suspected the Candlelight Society's supernatural power was involved, but still felt that something was wrong.

Theus questioned Sister Chloe at the Confessional and learned about the Candlelight Society’s supernatural medical treatments. On the ride home, he resolved to use his knowledge and repeated Descents to bring industrial progress and hope to the suffering people of the Empire.

• Theus noticed that the inscriptions in the Confessional differed in detail from the ones he remembered from Brother Kaeschi.
• Theus apologized to Chloe and asked her about his concerns and the Church’s abilities.
• Theus and Connor rode back toward the estate, and Theus considered how a lack of nighttime lighting would hinder evening classes.
• Theus reassured Connor that he would avoid close ties with the Church, though he had learned that its holy water and incense could aid medical treatment.
• Theus reflected on the suffering he had witnessed across the Empire and resolved to use industrial progress to give people hope.

Theus reviewed Castel’s confirmed mineral deposits, factory progress, and plans for basic schools while directing Alexei to keep investing in workers and education. Alexei left to carry out the plans, and Theus wondered why he had saluted him like a soldier.

• Alexei told Theus that surveying and construction had drained their funds, then reported confirmed open-pit deposits of iron, copper, limestone, sulfur, and gypsum.
• Theus learned that the olive oil factory was operating smoothly but struggling to get enough olives from hard-to-reach mountain groves.
• Theus told Alexei not to waste manpower on difficult olive harvesting and explained that factory workers needed training to improve production and prevent accidents.
• Theus ordered Alexei to open basic schools using blackboards instead of waiting for books and paper, and said he would choose instructors himself.
• Theus insisted that the schools open soon and the workshop renovations continue, and Alexei bowed and left.

Theus learned that the island’s blacksmith could not make a steam engine, leaving industrialization stalled, and considered asking magic for help. Before he could contact Ash, the Symbiotic Pact alerted him that she was hurt, and he found the Banshees displaced by a Pollution eruption with Monica badly wounded and contaminated.

• Connor told Theus that the blacksmith could not craft the steam engine’s cylinder or other parts with the island’s limited tools and labor.
• Theus considered buying a steam engine, seeking help from the royal family’s Gear Academy, and using magic to overcome the manufacturing problems.
• Theus sensed through the Symbiotic Pact that Ash was hurt, ordered Connor not to disturb him, and went through the secret passage to the cavern.
• Ash told Theus that Pollution had erupted beneath the Abyssal Trench, forcing the Banshees from their home.
• Theus found Monica gravely injured and contaminated, with black matter preventing her wounds from healing.

Theus learned that Monica had been struck by Pollution in the Abyssal Trench and could only be kept stable for three days, while Ash was left without magic. He told Connor about the Banshees and planned to seek help from the Candlelight Society, whose Investigators handled strange cases discreetly.

• A Banshee told Theus that Monica was unconscious, infected with Pollution, and could be kept stable for at most three days.
• Ash's magic was exhausted after protecting Monica and leading the Banshees out of the Abyssal Trench, and she admitted she had drawn on Theus's life force through the Pact.
• Theus summoned Connor and revealed the Banshees' origins and their loyalty to him.
• Connor said that foreign races had once been reported at sea but had gradually disappeared, and Theus suspected the disappearances might be connected to the Pollution.
• Theus considered privately inviting Sister Chloe to the manor, and Connor explained that the Candlelight Society sent Investigators to resolve strange problems without revealing their findings.

Theus weighed the risks of seeking help from the Candlelight Society and learned that Alexei’s adopted sister was a Burier from the Silent Temple. He planned to approach the Silent Temple the next morning and took Connor to meet the Banshees, whom he hoped to save as the Steam Engine’s last hope.

• Theus decided to approach Sister Chloe before seeking help from the Candlelight Society, but abandoned the idea of suppressing her after remembering Brother Kaeschi’s unknown power.
• Connor told Theus that Alexei’s adopted sister was a refugee from the White Crow Duchy and a Burier from the Silent Temple.
• Theus inferred that the royal family had brought the Silent Temple into the Empire to counterbalance the Candlelight Society and decided to seek its help.
• Theus arranged to visit Alexei and the others the following morning, while Connor planned to make contact with them beforehand.
• Theus asked Connor to help deliver supplies to the Banshees and led him through the secret passage to meet them.

Theus met Nora, Alexei’s supposed younger sister, and learned about the Silent Temple through the visions sparked by her portable censer. The visions left him deeply moved, though the chapter ended without clarifying Nora’s role as a Burier.

• Theus and his companions visited chief clerk Alexei and arranged for him to rest so Theus could speak privately with Nora.
• Theus introduced himself to Nora and checked through the Symbiotic Pact that she was human.
• Nora showed Theus a portable censer engraved with a white crow made of bones.
• The censer’s smoke showed Theus a vision of White Crow people mourning their dead and a Silent Temple priest burying a coffin in the frozen ground.
• Theus saw the Silent Temple’s austere church and its bell bearing the words, “Wind and snow bury the past; the Temple never forgets,” and called the experience awe-inspiring.

Theus learned about the Silent Temple and asked Nora whether it accepted other races, then told her that the Banshees were in danger from Pollution. Nora reacted with alarm and surrounded them both with smoke from her incense burner, leaving Theus cautious but reassured by her concern.

• Theus discovered that the incense burner had filled his mind with knowledge about the Silent Temple and considered whether it could teach people.
• Theus recalled how the Silent Temple served the people of the White Crow Duchy and understood that its clergy had earned trust through their aid.
• Theus asked Nora whether she knew about other races, and she nodded, though he sensed she did not trust them.
• Theus told Nora that friendly Banshees had been hurt by Pollution from the depths of the sea.
• Nora examined Theus, prepared her incense burner, and surrounded them both with a thicker cloud of smoke while Theus discreetly used the Banshees' senses to stay alert.

Theus arranged for Nora of the Silent Temple to treat Monica’s Pollution in a secluded seaside cavern, while the Banshees used Flesh Magic to keep Monica stable. Nini warned that saving Monica might endanger Theus, and asked him to protect the Banshees’ home.

• Theus asked Nora to treat his nonhuman friend Monica, and Nora agreed to help.
• Theus planned to hold the treatment in a seaside cavern and invited Sister Chloe as a precaution.
• Theus visited the Banshees and learned that Ash had gone into hibernation and Monica’s condition had stabilized temporarily.
• Nini explained that maintaining Monica with Flesh Magic required almost all the Banshees and that Monica could die if they stopped for too long.
• Theus suggested forming a Symbiotic Pact with Monica, but Nini said she would not risk him and told him the Banshees wanted to keep their home.

Nora recorded in her diary that Lord Theus had asked her to treat his foreign friend, though she suspected he was corrupted and intended to kill her afterward. Hoping to establish a home for the White Crow's faithful on Castel Island, she prepared to face the danger and left her room in armor.

• Nora wrote that Theus had contacted her through official channels and asked her to treat a foreign friend, renewing his promise that Castel could be her home.
• Nora suspected Theus had been corrupted by a cult and planned to blame her after the treatment, but decided to help him and hold him to his promise.
• Nora recorded her hope of establishing a Church and Holy Hall on Castel Island, and asked her successor to remember and bury her.
• Nora placed flowers and a note with her diary, put on her armor, took her Tower Shield and Flail, and left without looking back.

Theus prepared to treat Monica for Pollution in a hidden seaside cavern and arranged for Nora of the Silent Temple to perform the treatment. Nora arrived in intimidating Northern Territory armor with a smoking Flail, then struggled to look up at the towering Ash.

• Theus told Connor that the fishermen were renovating workshops and would become the first batch of workers, while confirming that no Pollution had appeared in the catch.
• Theus and Connor waited in a seaside cavern while the Banshees treated Monica, and Connor went outside to keep watch.
• Connor spotted Nora approaching alone in full plate armor with a huge shield and recognized the bone-white emblem associated with the White Crow Duchy.
• Nora explained that her armor and smoking Flail were necessary treatment equipment, then confirmed that neither Theus nor Connor was contaminated.
• Theus led Nora inside to treat Monica, where Ash noticed Nora behind her shield and Nora struck the back of her helmet against her breastplate while trying to look up.

Nora arrived expecting hostile sea monsters, but discovered that Ash and the Banshees remained sane and welcomed her purification smoke. As the treatment slowed Monica’s Pollution, Nora revealed that the Pollution had been affecting the sea for over a thousand years.

• Nora cautiously faced Ash, who introduced herself and asked whether Nora wanted to know about the Pollution or the Abyssal Trench.
• Nora realized Ash and the other Banshees had not been Polluted, and used her censer to spread purifying smoke into the sea.
• The Banshees found the smoke pleasant, while the Pollution on Monica slowed and began to recede.
• Nora questioned Theus about the sea-dwellers and learned that Pollution had appeared in the sea recently.
• Nora told Theus and Ash that the Pollution had been going on for over a thousand years.

Theus realized that the Banshees had survived a thousand years of Pollution because their Flesh Magic shielded them, but Nora's revelation was interrupted when Monica succumbed to the Pollution. The chapter ended with Monica attacking Nora as black Pollution spread toward the other Banshees.

• Theus theorized that the Banshees had maintained Flesh Magic to withstand the water pressure, which had also protected them from the Pollution.
• He concluded that the Pollution was concentrated in the Abyssal Trench, explaining why the Banshees had survived and why other sea creatures feared the depths.
• Nora realized that Theus might still be a mortal who had simply asked her for help, and her Tower Shield fell from her hand.
• Nora cried out as Monica became covered in black Pollution, twisted grotesquely, and sent strands of Pollution clinging to the other Banshees.
• Monica surged from the water and slammed into Nora, while Theus remembered Ash's warning that Flesh Magic users could explode and die outside the water.

Monica became a giant Polluted monster and attacked Theus, while Ash and Nora fought to protect him. As Ash prepared to break their Symbiotic Pact, Nora revealed that she could defeat Monica if Theus promised Castel would take in the Northern Territory refugees.

• Monica grew into a Polluted giant, flung Nora aside, and charged at Theus.
• Ash shielded Theus from Monica’s attack, suffered a grievous wound, and was thrown into the cavern wall.
• Nora returned to battle Monica, while Theus weakened as the Symbiotic Pact drained his life force.
• Nini prepared to sacrifice herself, but Ash said she would break the pact and ordered Nini to take Theus and the Banshees away.
• Ash declared that Theus was the Banshees’ Promised Land and prepared to break the pact.
• Nora refused to flee, promised to defeat Monica if Theus pledged to shelter the Northern Territory refugees in Castel, and began to rise as the Burier.

As Monica transformed into a monster and threatened the cave, Theus stopped Ash from dissolving their pact and discovered that he could circulate vitality among multiple pact members. Nini joined their pact, restoring Ash and enabling Nini to come ashore, while Theus called the other Banshees to join them.

• Ash prepared to dissolve her Symbiotic Pact with Theus, while Nini and the transformed Monica faced the prospect of losing their chance at a home.
• Nora gathered her strength for a final effort, but Monica knocked her away after Theus announced he had a way to stop the crisis.
• Connor shot Monica with Theus's pistol and led the monster away on horseback.
• Theus told Ash not to dissolve their pact, then formed a Symbiotic Pact with Nini despite the risk of draining himself.
• Theus discovered that vitality could flow through him between pact members, restoring Ash and letting Nini move onto land.
• Theus held out his hand to the other Banshees and invited them to share their life pools for Castel and their home together.

Theus formed a Symbiotic Pact with the Banshees, healing Ash as Monica transformed into a massive Pollution monster. The Banshees began a coordinated assault while Theus prepared a plan, leaving Ash to hold the line.

• The Banshees signed the Symbiotic Pact with Theus, and the expanded Life Pool healed Ash's wound and restored her strength.
• Connor returned with the church-sized monster Monica had become, and Ash led the grieving Banshees out to confront it.
• The Banshees linked their minds, planned their tactics, and coordinated with Connor to evade the monster's charge.
• A Banshee used Flesh Magic to strike the monster and escape its grasp, revealing that repeated attacks could disrupt its momentum.
• Ash noticed Nini leaving her position, then heard Theus tell her through their pact to hold the monster off while he prepared a plan.

Theus directed the Banshees through Mind Link to trap Monica’s monster and create an opening for an attack. Nini launched Theus toward the monster, while Ash used Nora’s Tower Shield to protect him, leaving Theus to face the Pollution without Flesh Magic.

• Theus asked Nini whether the Banshees could withstand the monster’s Pollution and persuaded her to carry him closer so he could try to save Monica.
• Ash saw Nini carrying Theus and agreed to follow his orders, taking the Tower Shield that Nini passed to her.
• Theus coordinated the Banshees through Mind Link, and they surrounded the monster while using Flesh Magic to hold it in place and heal their injuries.
• Nini circled behind the trapped monster and hurled Theus toward it as Ash charged in with the Tower Shield.
• Ash blocked the monster’s strike while Nini used Flesh Magic on her by holding her tail, but Theus had no protection from the Pollution.

Theus discovered that Pollution recoiled from him and that his Symbiotic Pact could purify it, then faced the monstrous Monica and reached out to her. The chapter ended before revealing whether he could save her.

• Theus entered the Pollution surrounding Monica, and it retreated from him as if he were its natural enemy.
• The Pollution vanished from Monica’s body, revealing her twisted form as a swollen Flesh Mountain.
• Theus remembered that sealing a pact with a lightly contaminated Banshee had purified the Pollution in both of them.
• Theus reached toward the monstrous Monica, determined to try to save her.

Theus saved Monica from the Pollution through a Symbiosis contract, restoring her body and freeing the Banshees from their torment. As the Banshees celebrated, Theus welcomed Nora and the people of the Northern Territory to Castel as their home.

• Monica, believing salvation had been an illusion, prepared to die in her polluted body.
• Theus reached Monica and formed a Symbiosis contract with her, causing the Pollution to retreat as his vitality healed her.
• Monica's body returned to normal, and the Banshees celebrated as they caught her and Theus.
• Connor helped Nora sit up, and she watched the Banshees celebrate on Castel Island.
• Theus told Nora that Castel would always welcome the people of the Northern Territory and declared that they were home.

A strange storm gathered over Castel as Theus organized the estate’s affairs after the battle and learned that Nora had left to bring refugees to the island. The chapter ended as he began explaining the truth about Pollution and the Cognitive Barrier to Connor.

• Storms gathered around Castel as unusual disturbances affected the Candlelight Society, Gear Academy, the Fishmen, and others across the region.
• Nora’s warning that Sister Chloe was not a member of the Candlelight Society was swept into the mud by a gust of wind.
• Connor reported that Nora had sailed to bring the first refugees to Castel and that the Banshees were staying near the island.
• Theus learned that Sister Chloe had visited the estate and arranged to meet her at the church later that day.
• Theus reorganized his schedule and moved his meeting with Alexei to the chemistry lab to discuss new products.
• Theus began discussing Pollution and the Cognitive Barrier with Connor, whose understanding of the world had been shaken by the revelations.