Chapter Summaries

Theus and Alexei discussed the possibility that the prince was the Empress in disguise, but Theus chose to maintain their cooperation with the Grand Duke of Tis as long as it benefited Castel. After revealing that Castel had contacted the Resistance Army, the story shifted back to Isaac and Granny as they traveled toward the Canary Mountains.

• Theus and Alexei speculated that the prince was the Empress in disguise and that she had faked her death to escape problems within the Empire.
• Alexei asked whether they should end their cooperation with the prince, but Theus said he cared only about the Grand Duke of Tis's value to Castel, not the identity of the person inside the body.
• Theus told Alexei to keep the suspicions secret and said the Mystic Society would investigate the prince's identity.
• Theus showed Alexei a document confirming that Castel had made contact with the Resistance Army.
• Granny and Isaac reached a town near the Canary Mountains after encountering danger and gathering information about the many Investigators in the Northern Territory.
• Granny cleaned and stored her Dragon Breath Cannon, while Isaac warned that attacking other Transcendents could provoke a dangerous assault.

Isaac and Granny approached Slading Fortress cautiously, worried that the Holy See might have compromised the Resistance Army. Isaac secretly reunited with Gwen, who explained how she had defended the fortress and survived repeated assassination attempts, before she struck him down with a powerful sword swing.

• Isaac warned Granny that the unusual number of Transcendents in the Northern Territory could mean the Resistance Army was in danger, so they planned to contact Gwen secretly.
• Gwen reviewed the fortress's accounts while wearing armor, then attacked Isaac when she mistook him for a spy.
• Gwen recognized Isaac and joyfully embraced him, relieved that he had survived and reached Castel.
• Gwen told Isaac that the Resistance Army had lost many companions but defended Slading Fortress and gathered enough food to last about half a year.
• Gwen described how she had dealt with repeated assassination attempts by wearing armor and carrying weapons, then split Isaac in two when he asked her to swing at him.

Isaac told Gwen that Castel had come to the Northern Territory and was close to Slading Fortress, then joined Alexei and Theus to plan the Resistance Army’s evacuation. The Church had intervened, and Count Bazel had departed with all his troops, making a swift withdrawal urgent.

• Isaac questioned Gwen about Transcendent rituals and concluded that her abilities approached the limits of an ordinary human.
• Isaac told Gwen that Castel itself had come close to Slading Fortress, and she was overcome with relief that Castel had not abandoned them.
• Isaac discussed evacuating the Resistance Army and willing residents of Slading Fortress to Castel with Alexei and Theus.
• Isaac said the expeditionary force had boarded a train for Blood Port and explained that the Church had intervened while Bazel had left with all his troops.

Gwen and Isaac prepared the Resistance Army to evacuate toward Castel as Dragonfang’s army advanced to attack them. Isaac warned that they had to flee southeast through dangerous territory before Dragonfang caught up with them.

• Grisha asked Gwen whether Castel would truly be better, and she admitted she had never been there but trusted her friends’ hopes for it.
• Isaac told Gwen that Dragonfang’s army was approaching and that the Resistance Army needed to depart that afternoon rather than wait until the next day.
• Gwen studied the map with Isaac and learned they would have to retreat southeast through Duke Alvaray’s territory to reach Castel’s railway.
• Isaac explained that Dragonfang wanted revenge for his youngest son, who had died alongside the allied army that Castel defeated, and that an [Investigator] had likely uncovered what happened.
• Gwen and Isaac resolved to lead the Resistance Army southeast, relying on unity and luck to avoid being caught by Dragonfang’s forces.

The Resistance Army evacuated Slading Fortress on foot while Granny returned with news that the Holy See had sent an unusually large force of Transcendents to the Northern Territory. Isaac and Granny feared a cataclysm-level anomaly was coming, but Granny vowed to face it with her Dragon Breath Cannon.

• The Resistance Army left Slading Fortress, with the wounded and volunteers remaining behind to defend the city as Gwen led the column away.
• Granny told Isaac that Kyle had arranged an emergency train and that the Resistance Army might rendezvous with his advance force in about two days.
• Granny reported encountering many Transcendents allied with Dragonfang, and Isaac realized the Holy See had deployed an extraordinary number of [Investigators].
• Isaac and Granny recalled a past catastrophe that had cost the Candlelight Society dozens of Investigators and worried that another one was approaching.
• Granny picked up the Dragon Breath Cannon and declared that she would fire at the coming catastrophe.

Theus recruited Hunter to join Castel’s Expeditionary Force and travel to the Northern Territory, where Hunter hoped to assess Castel’s military strength and avenge Nora. As Hunter learned about Castel’s army, Bettis and Gwen discovered that the Resistance Army’s leader shared Gwen’s name.

• Hunter agreed to join the Northern Territory mission after Theus offered to shorten his detention and pay him for his service.
• Hunter asked whether Castel’s weapons could be used again and said he wanted to avenge Nora by killing Bazel.
• Hunter joined the Expeditionary Force in Blood Port and learned from a squad leader that Castel valued organizational capacity and its soldiers.
• Bettis and Gwen realized their snack stall could operate without Yami, though Bettis worried that changing its name would make it feel less authentic.
• Bettis showed Gwen a newspaper reporting that the Resistance Army’s leader had the same name as her, and Gwen’s breathing grew heavier.

Gwen and the Resistance Army encountered suspicious militia and Investigators before facing more than five hundred Empire line infantry. As the enemy drew near, Isaac ordered the Resistance Army to prepare for a difficult fight.

• Isaac used his Investigator abilities to redirect militia gathered from five nearby towns, then warned Gwen that many Investigators were watching them.
• Isaac explained that Grandma had lost both legs fighting Transcendents the previous night, but her Nymph nature let her recover, and she had killed two enemies with a Dragon Breath Cannon.
• Gwen learned that Isaac and Grandma had come to retrieve powerful weapons, including Gatling Guns, which could match the firepower of dozens of musketeers.
• A scout warned Gwen that a large enemy force was ahead, and Isaac ordered the Resistance Army to prepare for battle.
• Gwen saw more than five hundred well-equipped soldiers carrying muskets and recognized them as the Empire's line infantry.

Gwen led the Resistance Army into battle against an Imperial infantry battalion, while Isaac used the Gatling Gun to kill its officers and disrupt its command. The Resistance Army charged as the enemy fell into chaos.

• Gwen assembled about a thousand Resistance Army soldiers and advanced to intercept the Imperial battalion.
• Isaac explained the Empire's firing squad formation as the enemy marched forward in a tight line.
• As the Resistance Army's morale faltered, Isaac fired the Gatling Gun and picked off enemy officers and noncommissioned officers.
• Gwen rallied the Resistance Army to charge, and her soldiers opened fire before rushing the enemy.
• With their officers dead, the Imperial soldiers lost their command structure and descended into chaos.

Isaac and the Resistance Army routed an enemy force with the heavy machine gun, then camped while exhausted and learned that Grand Duke Dragonfang's larger army was closing in. At dawn, Dragonfang's cavalry reached them sooner than expected, setting the stage for another battle.

• Isaac used his heavy machine gun to kill the enemy officers, and Gwen led the Resistance Army in routing their leaderless troops.
• Gwen stopped her soldiers from pursuing the fleeing enemy and pushed the exhausted army onward until they made camp at sunset.
• Isaac warned Gwen that Dragonfang's cavalry and a much larger regular army were nearby, while reinforcements were too far away to help soon.
• At dawn, Isaac told Gwen that Dragonfang's cavalry had arrived after marching through the night, with just over two hundred riders reaching them.

Hunter witnessed how quickly Castel built concrete fortifications and was stunned by their strength. A battle report then revealed that Count Bazel had abandoned Wolf Castle, leaving Hunter and Hodge puzzled about why he had moved despite being cut off from outside information.

• Hunter watched Castel workers pour concrete and learned that the material could be used to build fortifications in a matter of days.
• Hunter judged the hastily built concrete walls far stronger than any siege weapon in the Northern Territory could overcome.
• A messenger delivered Hodge a battle report stating that Castel's soldiers had captured Wolf Castle after Bazel left with all his troops.
• Hunter questioned why Bazel had abandoned Wolf Castle when allied forces had destroyed the nearby strongholds and cut him off from outside information.

Alexei suspected that a Transcendent named Lina had helped Count Bazel gather intelligence, while Hodge struggled with the possibility that she was his missing sister. Back in Castel, Chloe found no important intelligence in the paperwork, but Theus noticed that Gwen had left Yami Fried Fish to deal with something at home.

• Hunter and Hodge reported Count Bazel’s unexplained departure from Wolf Castle to Alexei.
• Alexei suspected Lina, a powerful Transcendent mentioned in Isaac’s report, might have gathered intelligence for Bazel and noted that her resemblance to Hodge’s missing sister remained unexplained.
• Alexei told Hunter that Castel lacked enough Transcendents to monitor the Northern Territory and planned to ask for Richard, while insisting the Expeditionary Force should keep advancing.
• Theus returned to Castel and asked Chloe to review miscellaneous reports as he struggled with the paperwork Alexei had left behind.
• Chloe found no major intelligence in the reports, but Theus noticed that Gwen had gone home and Yami Fried Fish had temporarily closed.

Gwen and the Resistance Army defeated a cavalry charge, but the Gatling Gun began firing as a much larger force arrived. Meanwhile, Little Gwen slipped into an Expeditionary Force fortification and asked her friends how to find the missing Resistance Army.

• Gwen fought on despite exhaustion and killed the cavalrymen who charged her.
• The Resistance Army stood amid the defeated cavalry, but Gwen heard the Gatling Gun open fire and saw a vast enemy force advancing.
• Erwin told Kyle that the last supply train could return, while Kyle said the Expeditionary Force had found no trace of the Resistance Army, Dragonfang, or Count Bazel.
• Little Gwen secretly left the train and hid inside the unfinished fortifications with her friends.
• Little Gwen asked her friends how to find the Resistance Army, then turned to the armored girl called Little Gwen for an answer.

Gwen and the Resistance Army fought Dragonfang’s forces in a desperate battle until their line began to collapse. When Gwen prayed for help, Nora arrived in her ruined armor and stood between Gwen and the enemy.

• A white-haired girl told Gwen to find a thread, and Gwen followed one that seemed to belong to another Gwen.
• Gwen and the Resistance Army, including Grisha, charged Dragonfang’s forces in a brutal fight to the death.
• Gwen fought across the battlefield as the Resistance Army dwindled and Isaac’s heavy machine gun fell silent.
• With the enemy closing in and no reinforcements in sight, Gwen prayed for someone to save them.
• Nora appeared in battered armor, struck down an enemy with her chain, and stood in front of Gwen.

Gwen unleashed a radiant strike against the Dragonfang soldiers while her younger self watched, and she revealed that the Expeditionary Force had arrived. Far north, Bazel opened the White Bone Sanctuary, releasing a white ash that consumed him, his army, and Lina.

• Gwen rejected her imagined rescue and struck the ground with her longsword, engulfing a mass of Dragonfang soldiers in white light.
• Little Gwen asked why she had helped, and Gwen said she was her own person rather than a copy of either girl.
• Gwen declined to join the fight and revealed that the Expeditionary Force, with Gatling guns and airships, had arrived.
• Bazel found the White Bone Sanctuary and planned to use its white fog to command the Bone White Crow remnants.
• Bazel opened the jar, and the released ash melted him and reduced his army and Lina to bare bones.

Captain Hodge followed strange markers to find the Resistance Army, but his support troops and airships charged into battle before he could organize them. Gwen’s exhausted fighters were rescued by the Banshees’ armored giants and a bombing run, as the enemy was engulfed in fire and explosions.

• Hodge led Expeditionary Force troops and airships along markers that pointed toward the Resistance Army.
• Nini and the Battlefield Press Corps rushed into the fight, followed by the airships and Monica, prompting Hodge to lead the main force after them.
• Worn out after her last attack, Gwen prepared to make a final charge while Nora pointed out the towering armored giants on a nearby hill.
• The Banshees’ Death-Knell Angels opened fire with their machine guns and told Gwen to step back before the bombing began.
• Two airships dropped Castel’s aerial bombs, and explosions tore through the enemy ranks.

Gwen watched Castel’s Expeditionary Force destroy the enemy with aerial bombs and realized that her greatest effort was worth only one of their weapons. After meeting Nini and Hodge, she was reunited with Isaac, who suspected a Transcendent was behind the enemy’s strange behavior.

• Gwen watched aerial bombs wipe out the enemy forces that had nearly overwhelmed her and the Resistance Army.
• Nini introduced herself to Gwen, then joined Hodge in assessing the battlefield and helping find the wounded.
• Hodge asked Gwen whether more enemies were approaching and what was driving them to fight without fear.
• Isaac arrived and suspected that a Transcendent was responsible for the enemy’s behavior.

Isaac reported that Lina had manipulated Dragonfang’s army to draw the Candlelight Society’s Investigators into attacking the Resistance Army. After the Resistance Army reached the Expeditionary Force’s camp, Gwen learned she would see Nora again and chose to stay in the Northern Territory to help capture Count Bazel.

• Isaac told Gwen and Hodge that Dragonfang’s army had been mentally controlled and used to lead the Investigators to the Resistance Army, and he suspected Lina was responsible.
• Alexei sent medical teams and supplies to escort the Resistance Army to the Expeditionary Force’s camp, where the wounded began to be transported south.
• Alexei told Gwen that Nora was alive, remembered her, and would meet with her under guard; Gwen wept with relief.
• Alexei asked whether Gwen wanted to return to Castel or help hunt Count Bazel, and Gwen chose to remain in the Northern Territory.
• Alexei shook Gwen’s hand and said the tribunal would decide the lords’ punishment.

Grisha arrived by train in Blood Port after being wounded in battle, still grieving the loss of the prosthetic limb Gwen made for him. He was overwhelmed by the unfamiliar city and cautiously picked up a box tossed toward the wounded refugees as the crowd welcomed them.

• Blood Port grew busier as ships, factories, schools, and housing transformed the city, while news spread that the Expeditionary Force had found the refugees in the Northern Territory.
• Grisha arrived among the wounded Resistance Army members after losing a leg in battle against the Dragonfang Army.
• As the train approached the station, Grisha saved his uneaten rice ball and prepared to see the place the Resistance Army had long called Castel.
• Grisha glimpsed Blood Port's tall buildings, lighthouse, and orderly square houses, all unlike anything he had known in the Northern Territory.
• Grisha saw a packed crowd tossing things toward the train and cautiously picked up a paper box that reached him.

Grisha used the fried food in his box to show the Resistance Army what Castel was like, reassuring them as they arrived at Blood Port. Theus learned that the rescue had completed half the expedition’s mission, while the other half was bringing Bazel back to Castel for trial.

• Grisha tasted french fries and fried fish, then remembered the smiling girl pictured on the box.
• When Uncle Wood asked what Castel was like, Grisha distributed the food to the Resistance Army and told them, “This is Castel.”
• Doctors and nurses helped the Resistance Army members off the carriage, and they wept at the sight of the concrete buildings and called the place Castel despite being told it was Blood Port.
• Grisha breathed in the warm sea air and smiled as people waved to him.
• Theus told Hodge that rescuing the Resistance Army had completed half the expedition’s mission and that they still had to bring Bazel to Castel for trial.
• Hodge reflected on how Castel had given him hope and believed the Northern Territory refugees would find hope there too.

Theus reviewed the Resistance Army’s evacuation and supplies as refugees from across the war-torn Northern Territory flocked to join them in Castel. He learned that Count Bazel and his elite army had vanished, and Hodge raised a final concern about Nora’s condition.

• Theus approved stockpiling supplies and prioritized evacuating the Resistance Army’s wounded to Blood Port while arranging transport for the remaining survivors.
• Hodge told Theus that Northern Territory residents were joining the Resistance Army in large numbers because war and rising taxes had left them unable to survive.
• Theus reviewed the Northern Territory campaign: Duke Dragonfang’s army had been defeated, Duke Alvaray had surrendered, and Alexei’s force had yet to report from Grand Duchess Octavia’s territory.
• Hodge reported that Count Bazel and his elite army had disappeared before the attack on Wolf Castle, and Theus suspected Lina might be involved.
• Hodge began to tell Theus about Nora and her condition.