Chapter Summaries

After Anne promised to introduce Charlotte to her cousin, an assassin disguised as a passerby attacked Charlotte, who killed him with the Anti-Space Sniper Rifle. Charlotte had the City Patrol remove the body and found a note linking the assassin to the Chelsea Detective Agency.

• Anne agreed to arrange afternoon tea with her cousin for Charlotte when he returned to Strasbourg.
• Insight warned Charlotte of an approaching assassin, and he fought the disguised man with Blood Rose and the Vampire Hand Axe.
• Charlotte shot the fleeing assassin with the Anti-Space Sniper Rifle and discovered a magical face disguise among his belongings.
• Charlotte summoned Dobbin and the City Patrol, then paid the newspaper boys who had run to report the killing.
• Charlotte searched the assassin's wallet and found money and a note addressed to the Chelsea Detective Agency at 5 Dragon Castle Avenue, Alcatraz District.

Charlotte examined the assassin’s spoils, including the Cat’s Mask, and wondered why Aubrey Teuton Atwood had hired an Orc Assassin to kill him. During cultivation, Charlotte’s Blood Flame Qi rune erupted and revealed that he had learned the Blood Flame Transformation Technique, leaving him able to shift between human form and living flame.

• Charlotte identified the dagger as a powerful Anti-Space weapon and learned that the Cat’s Mask could transform him into six beings he had encountered and grant him one random skill from each.
• Charlotte recalled the Orc Assassin Alliance’s reputation for pursuing contracts until their targets died and suspected Aubrey Teuton Atwood had sent an assassin after him.
• Charlotte practiced Bloody Glory and reviewed how his high spirituality and cultivated runes had made him stronger than an ordinary fourth-rank fighter.
• Charlotte’s Blood Flame Qi rune grew restless and exploded through his body, transforming him into a mass of blood flame.
• Charlotte reversed the Protagoras Breathing Method to return to human form, then transformed into blood flame again and floated through Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58.

Charlotte mastered the Blood Flame Transformation Technique and read about the Hand of Blazing Flame, then decided to buy a carriage. After inspecting a secondhand carriage, he rejected its price and asked the dealer to show him another.

• Charlotte practiced the Blood Flame Transformation Technique until he could change forms within seconds and discovered its limited flight and ability to evade physical attacks.
• Charlotte read about the House of Adonis's Hand of Blazing Flame and noticed that Carnstein's descent countdown had extended to 71 days, 8 hours, 20 minutes, and 17 seconds.
• Charlotte fed and played with his kittens, skipped work, and headed to a carriage dealership to buy a carriage.
• Charlotte inspected a distinguished secondhand carriage and used Insight to check it for problems.
• The carriage dealer quoted four Écu for the carriage, and Charlotte asked to see another one.

Charlotte negotiated a low price for a used carriage, bought a Brabant draft horse, and hired Madam Nancy as his coachman for a trial week. After inspecting the carriage’s custom interior, he directed Madam Nancy to take him to Gorgia University.

• Charlotte rejected the broker’s high asking price and bargained him down to two Écus and eight Fols, including several accessories.
• Charlotte bought a two-year-old Brabant Horse for two Écus and received a year’s worth of fodder.
• Madam Nancy asked Charlotte for a coachman’s job, and he agreed to hire her for a week-long trial at eighty-five Centimes per week.
• Madam Nancy drove Charlotte’s new carriage smoothly as he examined its spacious interior and built-in study.
• Charlotte changed his mind about going home and told Madam Nancy to drive him to Gorgia University.

Charlotte visited Gorgia University to see Anne and learned from Dorothy Soumei that two High-Order Transcendents planned to challenge him. The chapter left him facing Anne and her classmates after Dorothy revealed that both challengers were at the university.

• Charlotte arrived at Gorgia University and waited outside Anne's class while studying his diary.
• Dorothy Soumei recognized Charlotte and warned him that two High-Order Transcendents intended to challenge him.
• Dorothy told Charlotte that both challengers were at Gorgia University before walking away.
• Anne came out of class and saw Dorothy speaking with Charlotte.
• Charlotte told Anne about the planned duels, and Anne's eyes widened.

Charlotte accepted Kreil Brittany’s challenge to test his skill, and survived a brief duel against the much stronger knight by using Insight, Angel’s Thorn, and Bloody Glory. Kreil knocked him back and asked whether he had chosen Bloody Glory at the university.

• Kreil offered to help Charlotte with his duel against the Wild Horse Society if Charlotte could withstand three moves, but asked him to stay away from Anne if he failed.
• Charlotte agreed to duel Kreil, hoping to gain experience and make a good impression on Anne’s family.
• Kreil attacked Charlotte with Hartingen University’s Thunderstorm Swordsmanship while Charlotte used his blood flame form to evade the strikes.
• Kreil knocked Charlotte dozens of paces away with a palm strike, then ended the duel without attacking again.
• Charlotte returned to human form, recovered from a light injury, and told Kreil that he had chosen Bloody Glory.

Kreil and Abner agreed to take Charlotte’s duel in his place, while Kreil teased Anne about marrying him. Charlotte and Anne then rode together to Rosay District, where Charlotte stopped for coffee.

• Kreil introduced Abner Sumay to Charlotte and took the group to a military carriage for a private conversation.
• Kreil confirmed Charlotte had awakened Blood Flame Qi and condensed a Bloody Rune, then said he and Abner would accept the duel for him.
• Kreil told Charlotte that a fourth-rank Transcendent was not enough to marry Anne, making Anne protest that they were only friends.
• Kreil and Abner departed, regretting that they had never obtained the Proof of War or challenged Zimmerman Axel Robin.
• Charlotte invited Anne for a ride in his secondhand carriage, and Anne asked about his Bloody Rune before they headed to Rosay District.
• Charlotte asked Madam Nancy to stop at a riverside coffeehouse and buy two cups of coffee.

Charlotte cultivated a Bloody Rune for Agility Technique, then settled into his new household and began organizing the Lucavaro District City Patrol. He left the patrol’s troubled state largely untouched for now, instead reassuring his men as he prepared to manage his other problems.

• While riding with Anne along the Rosay River, Charlotte formed an Agility Technique rune and later tested its speed and jumping ability in his courtyard.
• Charlotte hired Madam Nancy as his coachwoman and offered her son miscellaneous work, then arranged a low-ranking City Patrol position for Madam Nancy.
• Charlotte rode to Falcon Street Number One in the rain and found that only a little over one hundred and ninety of the district’s City Patrol officers had reported for duty.
• Charlotte reviewed Dobbin’s information on Lucavaro District’s gangs and learned that five major gangs controlled most of the district’s underworld.
• Charlotte spoke over refreshments with adventurers and City Patrol officers, reassuring them about the work ahead and the money he had promised.

Charlotte was ambushed by Magru Teller, who had escaped prison and attacked him with a Thunderclap Blunderbuss. Their fight raced across rooftops as Charlotte realized Magru’s monstrous transformation and seemingly endless ammunition came from a Cursed Armament.

• Charlotte’s Insight spotted Magru Teller preparing to shoot, so Charlotte leaped onto his carriage roof and fired a Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullet that destroyed Magru’s lower body.
• Magru survived the shot, blamed Charlotte for his family’s ruin, and transformed flesh strands into eight legs to rush after him.
• Charlotte fled across rooftops and fought back with his Vampire Hand Axe while Madam Nancy stayed out of the battle for her child’s sake.
• Magru fired repeatedly as Charlotte’s ordinary bullets failed to pierce his defenses, then reloaded specially made ammunition from a Spatial Bullet Bag.
• Charlotte recognized that Magru’s power came from a Cursed Armament, a pinnacle product of Classical Alchemy.

Charlotte battled Magru Teller, whose Cursed Armament had transformed him into a powerful half-man, half-spider monster seeking revenge for his imprisonment. As the fight continued, two detectives watching from nearby reconsidered their plans to duel Charlotte.

• Charlotte reflected on the differences between Classical Alchemy and Classic Alchemy as he struggled to claim anything from Magru Teller, whose Cursed Armament could not be separated from his body and soul.
• Magru Teller abandoned his Thunderclap Blunderbuss, charged Charlotte with a giant axe, and blamed him for exposing his framing of Menilman and the punishment that followed.
• Charlotte used his Alchemy Staff and Agility Technique to evade Magru Teller's attacks, but the former warden's speed, strength, and endurance kept him on the defensive.
• Charlotte assessed his weapons and limited supply of Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullets, but could not find a reliable way to defeat Magru Teller.
• Reggie Asu and Kalenda Modi watched the fight and realized Charlotte was holding his own against a Mid-Order High Stage opponent.
• Reggie Asu and Kalenda Modi decided to ask their agency head to remove them from the duel roster.

Charlotte fought Magru Teller and discovered that channeling Bloody Glory between his Bloody Vortices amplified his abilities. After using the newfound technique to gain the advantage, he killed Magru Teller and watched his body turn to ash.

• Charlotte battled Magru Teller while Reggie Asu and Kalenda Modi watched and assessed his abilities.
• During the fight, Charlotte linked his Bloody Vortices with Bloody Glory, increasing the Vampire Hand Axe’s speed and power.
• Charlotte used the same technique with the Agility Technique, making himself faster and evading Magru Teller’s axe blows.
• Charlotte seized an opening and sent Blood Rose through Magru Teller’s head, killing him.
• Magru Teller’s cursed body crumbled into ash, and Charlotte reflected that his former superior had not needed to die.

Charlotte sold Magru Teller’s curse remnant to Reggie Asu and discovered that channeling Bloody Glory through his Bloody Vortices accelerated his growth. He advanced to Fifth Order Transcendence, but the next morning Anne warned him that Kreil Brittany and Abner Sumay had been sent to the front and could no longer help him in his duel.

• After Magru Teller’s cursed remains were left behind, Reggie Asu offered Charlotte Écu for the curse remnant, and Charlotte sold it to him for twenty-five Écu.
• On the carriage ride home, Charlotte tested a method of channeling Bloody Glory through his Bloody Vortices and found that it amplified his mystic arts and helped him absorb life essence faster.
• After absorbing Magru Teller’s life force, Charlotte activated his fifth Bloody Vortex and advanced to Fifth Order Transcendence.
• The next morning, Anne rushed to Charlotte and told him that Kreil Brittany and Abner Sumay’s unit had been redeployed to the front, leaving them unable to duel on his behalf.
• Charlotte accepted that the soldiers had to obey their orders, while Anne worried that he could not defeat a High-Order Transcendent.

Charlotte reassured Anne before his duel, learned that Magru Teller had escaped Kilmainham Prison, and received a new challenge from two detectives. When Vinnie Arsène visited, she offered to teach him Cat Elf Magic, and Charlotte agreed.

• Charlotte wore his uniform and reassured Anne about his strength and recent advancement to the Fifth Order.
• Anne left to find a way to help Charlotte win the duel.
• Madam Nancy reported that Magru Teller had killed more than ten prison guards and escaped Kilmainham Prison.
• Vinnie Arsène delivered a new challenge on behalf of two Fiery Steed Detective Agency detectives and warned Charlotte that Addison's brother had advanced to the Fourteenth Order.
• Vinnie offered to teach Charlotte the Spirit Communication Technique and Cat Transformation Technique, and he accepted.

Charlotte mastered the Spirit Communication Technique and Cat Transformation Technique, impressing Vinnie Arsenault with his extraordinary talent. After Vinnie left, Charlotte received the death notice of Madame Pascal and suspected Magru Teller had killed her.

• Charlotte used the Spirit Communication Technique to bond with three clever cat kittens, and Vinnie Arsenault was astonished by how quickly he mastered it.
• Charlotte learned the Cat Transformation Technique, turned into a clever cat, and discovered his Insight and Agility Technique remained available in that form.
• Vinnie watched Charlotte demonstrate his enhanced agility as a cat, then left convinced he would become an important figure.
• Charlotte practiced both spells late into the night and woke to find a black-envelope death notice for Madame Pascal.
• Charlotte suspected Magru Teller had killed Madame Pascal and asked Madam Nancy to attend the funeral in his place and give one Flor as condolence money.

Charlotte signed the formal duel challenge from Harriet Alva and continued cultivating before an Orc Assassin Alliance operative confronted him at dinner. He escaped the assassin’s attack by transforming into a cat and fleeing onto the rooftops.

• Charlotte read Vinnie Arsenault’s challenge letter, signed its three copies, and chose Machu Picchu Fortress as the duel’s location.
• Charlotte studied the Vampire Secret Scroll and focused his cultivation on the Hand of Blazing Flame.
• After the rain cleared, Charlotte went out to dinner and was approached by a powerful brown-haired orc.
• The orc admitted he belonged to the Orc Assassin Alliance and had been sent to finish a colleague’s failed mission.
• When the assassin threatened to kill Charlotte’s lover first, Charlotte named Senior Menilman and Duchess Mesu, then transformed into a clever cat and escaped the flying knives.

Charlotte fought a brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin after escaping the first Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullet, then realized his opponent was a mid-order Transcendent using multiple abilities. The three clever cat kittens fired Charlotte’s hidden Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle at the assassin as he lunged toward him.

• Charlotte fired a Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullet at the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin, who dodged it and charged him.
• Charlotte abandoned the Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, drew Blood Rose, and used House of Asilo’s Angel’s Thorn sword art to withstand the assassin’s attacks.
• Charlotte realized the assassin was mid-order and relied on concealed aura and temporary acceleration abilities.
• The three clever cat kittens retrieved and aimed Charlotte’s Anti-Space Long-Range Rifle, then fired at the assassin as he leaped toward Charlotte.

Charlotte and the three clever cat kittens drove off a powerful Orc assassin, then he used the Cat's Mask to copy the assassin's Throwing Knife Technique. He ended the chapter practicing the skill with a dagger on his terrace.

• Charlotte and the three clever cat kittens wounded the brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin, who escaped using Leopard's Pursuit.
• Charlotte thanked the exhausted kittens, fed them minced raw beef, and paid for the damage from the fight.
• Charlotte returned to Champs-Élysées Avenue Number 58 and asked Madam Nancy to arrange delivery of three barrels of ale.
• Charlotte used the Cat's Mask to transform into the assassin's appearance and acquired his Throwing Knife Technique.
• Charlotte practiced throwing a dagger with the Cat's Mask until he became proficient, then found that some of his improved accuracy remained after removing it.

Charlotte practiced throwing knives and learned more about the skills Cat's Mask could grant him before an assassin from the Orc Assassin Alliance attacked. He drove the assassin off after a long fight, but the killer escaped, leaving Charlotte worried that the organization would send more assassins.

• Charlotte trained with Cat's Mask, discovered the limits of controlling throwing knives with Blood Flame Qi, and considered using disposable knives instead.
• Charlotte saw that Aubrey Teuton Atwood's shooting skill surpassed his own, while the mask's lance and sword skills came from unfamiliar men and did not interest him.
• Charlotte detected a brown-haired, gray-eyed assassin with Insight, fired at him, and called for Menilman to join the fight as a bluff.
• Charlotte identified the assassin's Leopard's Pursuit ability and used the Vampire Hand Axe to strike him during a pause in his attacks.
• Charlotte fought the assassin for more than a hundred moves, developed new variations in his House of Asilo swordsmanship, and forced the killer to retreat.
• Charlotte pursued the assassin onto the roof but lost him, then worried that the Orc Assassin Alliance would keep sending killers.

Charlotte went to the Chelsea Detective Agency to confront the assassins who had targeted him, only to discover that Algernon and Frederica were there. His attempt to shoot Frederica failed, and he fled upstairs as the two fought back.

• Charlotte transformed into a cat and reached the Chelsea Detective Agency, where he overheard Algernon explain that Charlotte had foiled two assassination attempts.
• Charlotte decided to kill Algernon and Frederica, then burst through the room's door and fired a Demon-Breaking Armor-Piercing Bullet at Frederica.
• When Charlotte realized he had missed, he leaped toward the third floor to escape Frederica's counterattack.
• Frederica dodged Charlotte's thrown Vampire Hand Axe, but the weapon changed direction and attacked her wrist before spinning toward the third floor.

Charlotte escaped Algernon and Frederica, then looted and burned the Chelsea Detective Agency before returning to his office. The next morning, he led Lucavaro District City Patrol soldiers to escort Grand Duke Ferdinand’s coffin, rewarding them with the stolen handguns.

• Charlotte fought Algernon, escaped Frederica by transforming into a cat, and evaded both assassins during a chase through the streets.
• Algernon and Frederica gave up pursuing Charlotte and fled Strasbourg, while Charlotte followed them until they disappeared.
• Charlotte broke into the Chelsea Detective Agency, took its weapons and other valuables, and set the building ablaze.
• Charlotte returned to his office, slept, and learned that the City Patrol had been assigned to secure Grand Duke Ferdinand’s funeral procession.
• Charlotte chose to lead the escort himself, fed more than one hundred and eighty patrol soldiers, and distributed the stolen handguns as rewards.