Recaps

Charlotte left Kilmainham Prison with Anne Brittany and accompanied her to a Gorgia University fellowship gathering, where Anne introduced him by his newly elevated civil-service rank. The gathering left Belinda astonished by Charlotte’s status and wealth.

• Charlotte encountered Anne Brittany outside Kilmainham Prison, and she invited him to accompany her to a private gathering.
• Charlotte accepted Anne’s invitation and cultivated Bloody Glory during their carriage ride as Anne watched him.
• Anne and Charlotte arrived at Belinda’s home, where Belinda noticed Anne holding Charlotte’s arm.
• Anne introduced Charlotte as a Sheffield University graduate and First-Rank Chief Clerk at Kilmainham Prison.
• Belinda questioned Charlotte’s rank, and Anne confirmed his status by mentioning that he had recently bought a house for less than two hundred Écu.

Charlotte outwitted a group of cheating card players at a gathering and grew closer to Anne while continuing to struggle with his labyrinth research. After his brother agreed to dissolve Charlotte’s engagement, the fiancée arrived in Strasbourg and waited at his doorstep.

• Andre and several students invited Charlotte to play Takuro Cards, but Charlotte used his insight and card skills to beat their cheating and win nearly thirteen Écus and six Flors.
• Charlotte escorted Anne away from the gathering, and Anne admitted that Andre’s group often cheated people; she later took Charlotte home herself.
• Charlotte went on frequent dates with Anne and consulted Sheffield University professors, but he made no progress studying the Agmilas Labyrinth as his Bloody Glory cultivation advanced.
• Charlotte received his brother’s reply, a deposit certificate for five hundred and fifty Écus, and news that his fiancée would travel to Strasbourg to sign the annulment papers in person.
• After a date with Anne, Charlotte found a disheveled young woman waiting on the steps of Number 58.

Charlotte met his fiancée, Sylvie Martin, after she arrived in Strasbourg and had her belongings stolen. He helped her dissolve their engagement, then let her stay at his residence and offered to take her out for food, while Sylvie remained wary of the change in his behavior.

• Charlotte recognized Sylvie Martin and welcomed her to his residence after she complained that he had given her a fake address.
• Sylvie told Charlotte that her luggage had been stolen, and he gave her the documents to dissolve their engagement.
• Sylvie signed the dissolution papers, and Charlotte was relieved that he could now openly date Anne.
• Sylvie asked to stay until her father's remittance arrived and she received her civil service assignment, and Charlotte agreed to shelter her.
• Sylvie chose a room and asked for an oil lamp, clothes, bedding, and food, so Charlotte offered to take her out to eat.

Charlotte moved Sylvie Martin into his new home and calculated his remaining money while considering how to continue researching the Agmilas Labyrinth. At Kilmainham Prison, Madame Pascal told him Menilman Soumei might be transferred to the military and watched for his reaction.

• Charlotte took Sylvie Martin shopping, then asked her to call him Cousin to forestall gossip about them living together.
• Sylvie chose a spacious bedroom and looked forward to her new life, while Charlotte remained courteous and kept out of her room.
• Charlotte counted his savings at 593 Écus and considered buying research materials or finding a labyrinth expert.
• Madame Pascal visited Charlotte at Kilmainham Prison and said Menilman Soumei might lose her warden post and be transferred to the military.
• Charlotte realized Madame Pascal was using the transfer rumor to probe him for information.

Charlotte gained Blood Flame Qi, a new Bloody Glory ability that let him control the Vampire Hand Axe and consider fighting at range. Later, he met his former fiancée Sylvie Martin, who had joined Vinnie Arsenault’s Cat Detective Agency as an apprentice detective.

• Charlotte cultivated Bloody Glory until pale-gold runes formed a new supernatural ability: Blood Flame Qi.
• Charlotte used Blood Flame Qi to summon and control the Vampire Hand Axe, then considered developing long-range combat techniques with it.
• Charlotte went out for a walk along Champs-Élysées Avenue and encountered his former fiancée, Sylvie Martin.
• Sylvie introduced Charlotte to Vinnie Arsenault, who had helped recover Sylvie’s lost luggage and ran the Cat Detective Agency.
• Sylvie told Charlotte she had transferred from government service to become an apprentice detective after learning she might be posted to the countryside as a Third-Class Registrar.

Charlotte hosted Sylvie Martin and Vinnie Arsenault at his home, where Anne Brittany joined them and praised the Cat Detective Agency. The women chatted for over an hour, and Vinnie used Cat Spirit Magic to send her cats to buy refreshments.

• Sylvie Martin explained that she had become a Third-Class Registrar because she was a girl and said she had accepted a job at the Cat Detective Agency.
• Sylvie said she could not repay Charlotte yet, so he invited her and Vinnie Arsenault into his home for drinks.
• Charlotte said he believed women should be free to choose their own lives, and Anne Brittany arrived delighted by his view.
• Anne recognized Vinnie as the Cat Spirit Detective and learned more about the agency's female employees and Cat Spirit Magic.
• Vinnie formed a hand seal and sent her cats to nearby shops to buy sparkling wine and little cakes, surprising Charlotte.

Charlotte learned about the mysterious disappearance of seven families in Alcatraz District, then heard Anne warn him that Menilman was involved in a consequential case. After Sylvie left, Charlotte adopted three kittens from the Cat and Clover Coffee Shop but arranged for them to stay with their mother until they were old enough.

• A calico cat delivered a basket to Charlotte, and Vinnie Arsenault used Cat Spirit Magic to send it.
• Vinnie Arsenault discussed the disappearance of seven households and more than sixty people in Alcatraz District with Sylvie and Anne, but none of them found a lead.
• Anne warned Charlotte that Menilman had been implicated in a case with wide-reaching consequences.
• Sylvie packed her belongings and left with Vinnie, leaving Charlotte alone at Number 58.
• Charlotte visited the Cat and Clover Coffee Shop to buy coffee and adopted three kittens, paying for them to stay with their mother for a few more days.

After Warden Magru Teller dismissed Charlotte Mecklen and threatened him into informing on Senior Menilman, Charlotte chose to resist. He attacked Magru with a Vampire Hand Axe and burst through the office door.

• Charlotte returned to Kilmainham Prison after guards told him the new warden had signed a dismissal order for him.
• Magru Teller stripped Charlotte of his First-Rank Chief Clerk post and offered him work as a Temporary Prison Guard.
• Magru demanded that Charlotte report on Menilman and threatened to expose his handling of Supernatural Weapons.
• Charlotte decided not to betray Menilman and hurled a Vampire Hand Axe at Magru while activating Bloody Glory and smashing through the office door.

Charlotte escaped Kilmainham Prison after Magru tried to force him to slander Miss Menilman, then withdrew his savings and prepared to flee. As he set out to buy travel clothes, two armed young men in black coats blocked the street.

• Charlotte used Blood Flame Qi to escape through his office window and evade the Prison Guard Corps.
• Magru ordered the prison staff to keep quiet, but those who heard Charlotte believed he had tried to frame Miss Menilman.
• Charlotte returned to Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58, evaded a search party by diving into the Lucavaro River, and withdrew his 593 Écu in Flor banknotes.
• Charlotte decided not to return to his hometown and planned to buy hunting attire before fleeing.
• Two grim young men in black overcoats, each carrying a sheathed rapier, blocked Charlotte's path.

Charlotte was cornered by Fiery Steed Detective Agency detectives Wells and Addison, who were pursuing him for Kilmainham Prison. He killed Wells with the Vampire Hand Axe, and Addison fled, leaving Charlotte victorious but still wanted.

• Wells revealed that the Fiery Steed Detective Agency had tracked Charlotte through his divination and intended to arrest him for Kilmainham Prison.
• Charlotte fired his Magnum Hand Shuttle at Wells, who used his rapier to slice the bullets apart, while Addison blocked Charlotte’s Vampire Hand Axe with flames.
• Charlotte used Insight to assess the detectives and waited until Wells entered range before controlling the Vampire Hand Axe with Blood Flame Qi.
• The Vampire Hand Axe embedded itself in Wells’s neck and drained his life force, killing him.
• Addison fled after witnessing Wells’s death, misjudging Charlotte’s strength and choosing not to risk his life.

After killing Wells, Charlotte evaded pursuit and traveled out of Strasbourg to digest the detective’s life force. He advanced to Third Order and continued his flight with money and a weapon collection receipt taken from Wells.

• Charlotte took Wells’s wallet and a new Magnum Hand Shuttle, then left the scene without taking the detective’s rapier.
• Charlotte crossed into the Franche-Comté District, bought travel clothes and a suitcase at Wild Lily, and pawned his old clothes to the tailor.
• Charlotte hired a public carriage for a long journey outside the city and refined Wells’s life force during the ride.
• Charlotte condensed a third Bloody Vortex in his left leg and felt his Bloody Glory grow much stronger.
• Charlotte found five Écus, Flors, and a rapier collection receipt in Wells’s wallet, pocketed the money and receipt, and threw the wallet into the wilderness.

Charlotte left the carriage to evade his pursuers and sought shelter at Old John's house, where he met the Great Axe Adventurer Group. After claiming to be a Transcendence, he joined them under the false name Qian Nan and planned to travel with them to avoid drawing attention.

• Charlotte got off the carriage in a village and found lodging at Old John's house.
• Charlotte learned that the adventurers were heading to York Town to see White Wolf, who was choosing an heir for the Demon Hunter profession.
• Charlotte told the group he had taken the Knight's Path and was already a Transcendence, then asked to travel with them.
• Mason welcomed Charlotte into the Great Axe Adventurer Group, and Charlotte introduced himself as Qian Nan.
• Charlotte bought the group ale from Old John and drank with his new companions.

Charlotte traveled with the Great Axe Adventurer Group to York Town while evading the Fiery Steed Detective Agency, which passed through the village where he was hiding. In York Town, the group waited for White Wolf to return, and Charlotte took the first watch as his exhausted companions rested.

• The Fiery Steed Detective Agency arrived at Old John's house, where Charlotte hid in plain sight and stayed awake until the detectives left at dawn.
• Charlotte joined the Great Axe Adventurer Group on foot toward York Town, while Winterburn's team searched a manor and then continued along the road.
• The Great Axe Adventurer Group reached York Town and learned that White Wolf would not return until the following day.
• Charlotte went with Hannah and Hermontha to find drinks, but returned to the cabin with food and ale after the taverns proved full.
• Charlotte suggested taking the first night watch while Mason, Hannah, Hermontha, and the other teammates rested.

After keeping watch through the night, Charlotte met merchant Louis Smythe and Demon Hunter White Wolf in York Town, concealing his identity and reason for being there. He recognized a Vampiric Weapon among Louis’s wares, and Louis offered him a share of any profit if he could identify how to use it.

• Charlotte studied the Agmilas Labyrinth map overnight while keeping watch over his sleeping companions.
• At dawn, Charlotte recognized Louis Smythe among the group arriving with White Wolf and decided to approach him first.
• Charlotte introduced himself as Qian Nan, and Louis introduced him to White Wolf as a friend who had traded magic items with him.
• Charlotte invented a story about an ancient Orc Kingdom treasure map to explain his presence in York Town.
• After White Wolf left to bathe, Louis showed Charlotte wilderness equipment, and Charlotte spotted a Black Iron Ring bearing an Arthur Family branch crest.
• Louis told Charlotte he had paid ninety-five Écu for the ring and offered him thirty percent of the net profit if he could uncover its use; Charlotte asked whether Louis had sought an appraisal from someone skilled in Bloody Glory.

Charlotte Mecklen activated the Black Iron Ring and discovered it transformed into the Spear of Sharlons, a valuable Vampiric Weapon. He sold it to Louis Smythe for Blood Rose and two hundred Écu, then learned that White Wolf would not accept any of the Great Axe Adventurer Group as Demon Hunters.

• Charlotte infused the Black Iron Ring with Bloody Glory, transforming it into the Spear of Sharlons, and Louis Smythe recognized it as a top-tier weapon from the Sharlons Arthur Family.
• Louis Smythe offered to sell the spear at a major auction next year or pay Charlotte in advance, and Charlotte chose immediate payment.
• Louis Smythe gave Charlotte the Vampiric Rapier Blood Rose and two hundred Écu in exchange for the Spear of Sharlons.
• The Great Axe Adventurer Group watched Charlotte and Louis complete their deal, and Mason remarked that Qian Nan was no ordinary person.
• White Wolf emerged in clean clothes and told Charlotte that none of his companions could become Demon Hunters, disappointing Mason.

Charlotte recruited a large force of adventurers by offering steady wages and a share of any treasure they found, after White Wolf chose an inheritor. He left the adventurers believing they were joining an expedition to uncover an Orc Kingdom treasure, while Louis recognized Charlotte’s story as a lie.

• Louis Smythe advised Charlotte to recruit experienced adventurers, and Charlotte agreed to wait until White Wolf chose an inheritor.
• White Wolf set an under-twenty requirement, and a tall, muscular young man won the duels and became his chosen inheritor.
• Charlotte offered adventurers one Flor per week to join his group and promised employment that could last one or two months.
• Nearly a hundred adventurers accepted Charlotte’s offer, and the existing Great Axe Adventurer Group members chose to remain with him.
• Charlotte claimed he had orc ancestry and an uncle’s treasure map, promising the group five percent of any treasure they uncovered.
• White Wolf remarked that Charlotte was skilled at lying, while Louis recognized that the treasure-map story and claimed ancestry were fabricated.

After Magru Teller dismissed him and forced him to betray Menilman, Charlotte abandoned his hopes of returning to a quiet government career and rallied adventurers to seek the ruins of Machu Picchu. He led the growing band out of York Town, determined to build an army and eventually take revenge on Magru Teller.

• Charlotte recruited the adventurers who remained in York Town by claiming his uncle had left him a treasure map, then bought ale from White Wolf and treated the crowd.
• After drinking, Charlotte smashed his mug, vowed to return to Strasbourg with an army and kill Magru Teller, and promised his followers future fortunes of at least one hundred Gold Ecus.
• Charlotte left York Town with more than a hundred adventurers, carrying his Magic Alchemy Staff and the Vampiric Rapier Louis Smythe had given him.
• White Wolf told Louis Smythe that Charlotte seemed like a desperado, and Louis explained that Charlotte was an imperial civil servant with a promising future and a female companion who was a Count's daughter.
• Charlotte asked the adventurers for someone who knew the way to Machu Picchu, and a volunteer agreed to lead the group toward the nearby ruins.

Charlotte used his new insights from the Agmilas Labyrinth to test himself while leading a large adventurer group toward Machu Picchu. When Winterburn and the Fiery Steed Detective Agency caught up with them, Charlotte provoked the adventurers into a fight and struck Addison with a calculated surprise attack.

• Charlotte reorganized the adventurers and arranged for the women to rest inside Maple Leaf Village while the men camped outside.
• Winterburn arrived with six other detectives from the Fiery Steed Detective Agency, prompting Charlotte to tell the adventurer leaders that the detectives were rivals seeking the treasure.
• Yas warned Charlotte that two detectives were Transcendents, and Charlotte volunteered to handle Winterburn while the adventurers targeted the others.
• Charlotte's group ambushed the detectives, and Charlotte attacked Addison instead of Winterburn.
• Addison blocked Charlotte's bullets with Flame Battle Qi, but Charlotte used Insight and his Vampire Hand Axe to strike the weak point behind Addison's head.

Charlotte killed Addison during the ambush and absorbed his life essence, while Blood Rose repaired itself and formed a fourth Bloody Vortex. Winterburn escaped after Charlotte and the adventurers claimed to be Byronian spies, leaving the detectives defeated and captured.

• Charlotte used the Vampire Hand Axe and Blood Rose to kill the wounded Addison, then urged the adventurers to join the fight.
• Charlotte fought Winterburn with the Vampire Hand Axe while digesting Addison’s life essence and discovering that Blood Rose could repair itself and merge into his arm.
• Winterburn’s attackers killed two detectives and captured three, while he held his ground against Charlotte and the adventurers.
• Charlotte claimed that the group were Byronian spies, and the adventurers backed up his lie.
• Winterburn believed the claim, killed two adventurer leaders, broke through the encirclement, and escaped; Charlotte chose not to pursue him.

Charlotte used Lord Leo’s intervention to force the adventurers to kill the Wild Horse Society detectives and then win their loyalty with a share of the spoils. Lord Leo requisitioned Charlotte’s group and asked for intelligence on Grand Duke Ferdinand’s route to Strasbourg, leaving Charlotte to conceal what he knew.

• A Knight’s Lance pierced Winterburn, and Lord Leo emerged, claiming he had stopped a threat to the Empire’s plans.
• Charlotte answered Lord Leo in fluent Byronian and claimed to be from House of Adonis while urging the adventurers to kill the Farsian detectives.
• Under Lord Leo’s pressure, the adventurers stabbed all seven Wild Horse Society detectives, including those already dead, and Charlotte distributed their money and equipment.
• Lord Leo introduced himself, requisitioned Charlotte’s group, and asked what Charlotte knew about Grand Duke Ferdinand’s route to Strasbourg.
• Charlotte claimed he had heard Ferdinand would pass through the ruins of Machu Picchu, an ancient Orc Kingdom fortress.

After the battle, Charlotte used Winterburn’s life essence to cultivate Angel’s Thorn through Blood Rose and inherited House of Asilo’s sword techniques. He then resumed escorting Lord Leo and the adventurers toward Machu Picchu, exhausted by the journey on foot.

• Charlotte worried that Lord Leo would discover his identity and Bloody Glory cultivation, then used the Protagoras Breathing Method to absorb Winterburn’s life essence.
• Charlotte condensed the Angel’s Thorn Bloody Rune instead of opening a fifth Bloody Vortex, drawing on the inheritance contained in Blood Rose.
• Charlotte received House of Asilo’s sword techniques and suspected that Louis’s possession of Blood Rose and the Spear of Sharlons was no coincidence.
• Lord Leo offered Charlotte Blood Bait, but Charlotte declined and said he had brought a Blood Servant.
• Charlotte led the adventurers and Lord Leo toward Machu Picchu, and the long trek on foot left him miserable.

Charlotte learned that Lord Leo’s mission would help provoke a war between the Empire of Fars and South Seraph, and resolved to sabotage the plan. At Machu Picchu, he successfully began turning the ruins into the first Labyrinth of Agmiras, trapping the expedition inside without their knowledge.

• Charlotte learned that the Blood Flame Transformation Technique could let him travel through the air by becoming blood flame.
• Lord Leo told Charlotte that Byron and the Black Phoenix Dynasty had allied to lure South Seraph restorationists into assassinating Grand Duke Ferdinand and ignite a war; Charlotte resolved to sabotage the plan.
• After the party reached Machu Picchu, Charlotte entered the ruins alone to test his research on the Labyrinth of Agmiras.
• Charlotte’s diary confirmed that Machu Picchu could become a labyrinth, and the transformation began with an eighteen-day completion period.
• Lord Leo, his servants, and the adventurers entered the ruins, increasing the labyrinth’s population to 136 and its encroachment progress to 16.5%.

Charlotte ventured into Machu Picchu Fortress to investigate the labyrinth’s depths and strengthen his control over the labyrinths, but a monster’s enchanting whisper lured Hannah into the darkness and killed her. After burying her remains, Charlotte left, vowing to hunt the creature within fifteen days as the labyrinth pulled demonic vines into its domain.

• Charlotte left the adventurers’ camp and entered the depths of Machu Picchu Fortress, where he sensed the labyrinth driving hidden beings inward.
• A mysterious whisper enchanted nearby beasts, and Hannah rushed into the darkness despite Charlotte’s warning.
• Charlotte’s Vampire Hand Axe vanished into the depths, so he held back rather than risk entering the monster’s territory himself.
• After several dozen minutes, Charlotte recovered the axe and found Hannah and dozens of animals dead, their bodies withered into skeletons.
• Charlotte buried the corpses, vowed to find the monster within fifteen days, and watched the labyrinth drag demonic vines across its boundary.

Lord Leo confirmed that Grand Duke Ferdinand would pass nearby and took Charlotte along to support an ambush by the South Seraph Restorationists. He gave Charlotte an Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullets, and they left Machu Picchu Fortress.

• Lord Leo sent blood bats to scout and confirmed that Ferdinand would be passing nearby.
• Lord Leo decided that he and Charlotte would go to the ambush instead of sending Charlotte’s people.
• Lord Leo gave Charlotte an Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle and explained that it could be concealed inside ordinary objects.
• Charlotte accepted the rifle and packed its heavy bullets into an adventurer’s old shoulder bag.
• Lord Leo and Charlotte departed Machu Picchu Fortress toward the ambush.

Charlotte followed Lord Leo from the fortress, then used the chance to turn his sniper rifle on him as Menilman Soumei attacked. Lord Leo escaped wounded, and Menilman took Charlotte to check on Grand Duke Ferdinand.

• Charlotte followed Lord Leo toward the battlefield after learning that Machu Picchu had completed Labyrinthization.
• Lord Leo concluded that the South Seraph Restorationists had failed because Grand Duke Ferdinand's six personal guards were absent from the battlefield.
• Charlotte and Lord Leo found Grand Duke Ferdinand grieving beside Duchess Ferdinand's body while their guards fought off attackers.
• Lord Leo ordered Charlotte to shoot Ferdinand, but Charlotte instead fired three shots at Lord Leo.
• Menilman Soumei struck Lord Leo with her rapier, wounding him and forcing him to escape as bats.
• Menilman told Charlotte they could have coordinated better, then took him to check on Grand Duke Ferdinand.