Recaps

Dick Hardman and Will both mistook John’s actions for deliberate, ruthless manipulation and decided to submit to him. John realized that Will’s force had been sent to assassinate him and began wondering why Roxy had ordered the attack, as Will offered to help eliminate the Allied troops in the other three villages in exchange for one condition.

• Will accused Dick of betraying the Allied Forces by colluding with the Empire, and Dick realized John had put him on the spot during the interrogation.
• Believing John would punish all of House Hartman unless he proved their loyalty, Dick promised to hang his father, Myka Hartman, and begged John to spare the family’s younger members.
• Will concluded that John was dangerous enough to threaten his family and resolved to surrender and lead the Imperial Army against the other Allied forces.
• John realized Dick was a local named Dick Hardman and that capturing him had accidentally disrupted an assassination plot involving Roxy and Myka.
• John wondered why Roxy had resorted to assassination, and Will offered to guide the Imperial Army against the troops in the other three villages if John granted him one condition.

John offered to let the captured Will Hoffman escape back to the Allied Forces as a covert Imperial spy, believing the plan would protect his retirement ambitions and help identify who ordered the assassination attempt. Will mistook John's scheme for proof of an all-seeing Imperial conspiracy and accepted, leaving him bound to serve the Empire while his family remained in the Victoria Kingdom.

• Will offered his loyalty to the Empire if John sent agents to rescue his family from the Victoria Kingdom.
• John silently reconsidered Will's offer, rejected a public surrender, and decided to turn him into a spy to avoid attracting military honors and test whether Roxy had ordered the assassination.
• John proposed that Will pretend to escape into the mountains and return to the Allied Forces as an Imperial agent.
• Will interpreted John's proposal as evidence of a powerful Imperial network and feared that his spy role would disgrace the Hoffman Family.
• Will blamed Roxy for the failed assassination mission, then knelt and kissed John's boot before agreeing to serve the Empire.

After Will became an Imperial spy and revealed Allied positions, he mistakenly attributed John’s success to an elaborate intelligence plan. Wendy and Hawk’s fervent praise turned John’s supposed doctrines into a military cult, while Will secretly vowed to resist them.

• Will marked the Allied Forces’ locations in three villages and towns on a map, and Wendy urged John to kill him.
• John reassured Will while warning him not to betray the Empire, and Will deduced an elaborate plan that John had never made.
• Hawk praised John’s supposed foresight, and Wendy punished Hawk with a copying assignment for questioning John’s wisdom.
• Hawk eagerly accepted John’s approval and carried away the New Maslow Quotations as though they were sacred scripture.
• Will concluded that John had permission to spread cult propaganda and swore privately that he would never be brainwashed.

John ordered Wendy to report Will’s recruitment as a spy to General Dormammu, while Wendy invented an elaborate story about John’s supposed secret agent. After Wendy left, Hawk volunteered to spread the Maslow Spirit to Will, setting up a new round of unwanted indoctrination.

• John stopped Wendy from departing to attack Allied Forces units and told her to report Will’s recruitment to General Dormammu.
• Wendy imagined that John had become handler to a former academy classmate secretly planted in the Allied Forces, and John reluctantly let her believe it.
• Wendy went to the 14th Squad, where Hawk announced that he had memorized all the New Maslow Quotations.
• Wendy avoided testing Hawk and instructed him to spread the Maslow Spirit while she reported to General Dormammu.
• Hawk decided to teach Will about the Empire and the Maslow Spirit.

Wendy manipulated Hawk into spreading Maslowism, and Hawk gave Major Will a copy of New Maslow Quotations. Will read it despite his suspicions and began questioning his noble identity and loyalty to the Kingdom.

• Wendy privately celebrated that she had tricked Hawk into taking on more work, then had Mia contact General Dormammu as John had instructed.
• Hawk overcame his reluctance to part with his handwritten copy of New Maslow Quotations and delivered it to the recovering Major Will.
• Hawk explained John's teachings about opposing oppression and challenged Will to a fair fight after the mission if Will resented being beaten.
• Will tried to dismiss the book as enemy propaganda but curiosity led him to read it.
• As Will read the passages about soldiers and the people, he felt his inherited beliefs shatter and realized he might never again be the same Will Hoffman.

Laiya Binote mistook Bahamut Town’s empty walls for an Allied Forces ambush and ordered an explosive assault, while Baron Myka interpreted the attack as a show of force and prepared to meet the Imperial Army at the western wall. The chapter ended with Myka heading toward the ruined defenses, still confident that he could carry out his plan to kill John Maslow.

• Laiya Binote suspected the Allied Forces were hiding inside Bahamut Town and ordered her troops to prepare an attack.
• Laiya commanded the Mage Soldiers to use Explosive Magic against the town wall, and the blast destroyed the western wall.
• Tom reported the attack to Baron Myka and feared that the Imperial Army had mistaken the town for the force behind an earlier ambush.
• Baron Myka reasoned that John Maslow might be trying to intimidate him, but believed his secret agreement with the Allied Forces remained undiscovered.
• Baron Myka ordered Tom to gather the guards and accompany him to the western wall to meet the Imperial Army.

Baron Myka brought two thousand guards to Bahamut Town and expected John Maslow to negotiate, but Laiya mistook them for the Allied Forces’ surface garrison and ordered her troops to fire. Myka escaped the gunfire in terror, realizing John was a far more dangerous opponent than he had assumed.

• Baron Myka arrived near Bahamut Town with two thousand guards and demanded that John Maslow explain the Imperial Army’s attack.
• Baron Myka waited for John to negotiate, while Laiya wondered why the Allied Forces had not appeared as expected.
• Laiya recalled John’s orders to attack the town’s surface garrison without wiping it out and identified Myka’s force as the target.
• Laiya ordered the Imperial troops to fire armor-piercing rounds at Myka’s guards.
• Baron Myka activated a magic item and threw himself to the ground as bullets killed his guards, then fled under their protection.
• Baron Myka concluded that John was a terrifying monster like Roxy, or perhaps even more dangerous.

Baron Myka ordered his forces to surrender when the Imperial Army’s attack threatened to destroy his estate’s guards. Laiya mistook the surrender for a trap, ordered an orderly retreat, and left Myka unsure what to do next.

• Baron Myka realized he had become bait in the assassination plan and ordered his guards to stop firing.
• Myka ordered his men to raise white flags and announce their surrender to halt the Imperial Army’s attack.
• A scout told Laiya that the enemy had raised white flags and appeared to be surrendering.
• Laiya suspected the surrender was a trap and ordered the Imperial troops to retreat while the Mage Soldier Squad watched for pursuers.
• After the Imperial Army withdrew, Tom asked Myka whether they should pursue them.

Baron Myka planned to use Sellviya as a stand-in negotiator to assassinate John Maslow, while John woke with a bad feeling that Wendy had caused trouble. The chapter ended as a familiar magical presence approached and someone announced that the troops had returned.

• Baron Myka ordered a withdrawal and assigned Tom to negotiate with the Imperial Army, dangling the vacant steward position to secure his cooperation.
• Baron Myka decided to turn the planned negotiations into an assassination trap, sending Sellviya disguised as his daughter to meet John Maslow.
• John woke with his right eyelid twitching and worried that Wendy had disrupted his plans again.
• A familiar magical aura appeared in the sky, and someone told John, "Captain, we're back!"

After Wendy’s squad returned with supplies worth about 80,000 D, John ordered the exhausted soldiers to rest and found himself moved by Wendy’s faith in him. He realized he might not be able to abandon his soldiers when the Empire fell, and prepared to march with them to Bahamut Town.

• Wendy reported that the 14th Squad had destroyed three Allied Forces strongholds and recovered communications equipment and supplies worth about 80,000 D.
• John praised Wendy, then ordered her and the squad to rest despite Wendy’s insistence that they were ready for more missions.
• John sent the squad to their tents and made Wendy rest, while she told him he was the best commander and that serving under him was her greatest fortune.
• After Wendy shut herself in her tent, John questioned whether he could let his soldiers die when the Empire was destroyed and realized he might need to change his retirement plans.
• John ordered all personnel to organize their equipment and prepare to march to Bahamut Town.

John abandoned his plan to feign defeat and resolved to win the Bahamut Town mission, capture Selvia Reinhart, and protect the 14th Squad by securing a future command. To strengthen his forces, he recruited Siegfried, whose father Ernest offered the support of Stone Village’s hunters and entrusted his son to John.

• John decided to win the Bahamut Town mission and capture Selvia Reinhart, even if doing so required killing her.
• John concluded that his 120 Mage Soldiers would not be enough and went to recruit Siegfried as additional support.
• Siegfried agreed to fight for John after realizing he needed help.
• Ernest offered John the village hunters, citing their tracking and gun skills.
• Ernest threw away his cane, bowed to John, and pledged Siegfried Fafner’s loyalty in the name of the Fafnir Family.

John rushed toward Bahamut Town, fearing that Laiya had been killed by Selvia Reinhart, but a message revealed that Laiya had defeated and captured Selvia. John was left stunned by the unexpected victory.

• John agreed to bring Siegfried and nine Stone Village hunters along as auxiliary soldiers after Ernest repeatedly urged him.
• John worried that Laiya might have encountered Selvia and ordered his troops to hurry toward Bahamut Town.
• Mia delivered Laiya’s report that she had defeated the enemy guard force and captured Selvia Reinhart, suffering only minor injuries.
• John stared at Mia in disbelief and asked whether Laiya had really won.

Sellviya went to negotiate with Laiya after Baron Hardman backed out, while Laiya struggled to decide how to handle the talks. When Sellviya arrived, Laiya sensed that the noblewoman was something other than human and reached for her saber.

• Sellviya deduced that Baron Hardman had been frightened by John Maslow and refused to carry out their planned surrender negotiations.
• Sellviya traveled with three hundred guards to the Imperial Army camp to negotiate in the baron's place.
• Laiya worried that the negotiations might violate the laws of war and decided to stay silent so they would collapse.
• Bababo Yi brought Sellviya and thirty guards before Laiya.
• Laiya sensed that Sellviya's aura was unlike that of any human she had encountered and moved her hand toward her saber.

Laiya attacked Sellviya during surrender negotiations after recognizing her as a suspected Allied Forces assassin, revealing Sellviya’s Half-Dragon form. Sellviya fled, and Laiya unleashed a legendary magic formula as she struck at her.

• Sellviya introduced herself as Lilia Hardman and came to negotiate Bahamut Town’s surrender, but Laiya silently ordered her to remove her hat.
• When Sellviya took off her hat, Laiya suddenly attacked and wounded her arm with a magic-wreathed saber.
• Sellviya transformed into a Half-Dragon and questioned why Laiya had attacked her, while Laiya identified her as the red-haired assassin Warrant Officer John had warned about.
• Sellviya tried to escape by throwing guards at Laiya, who gathered her magic power and swung her saber at the fleeing Half-Dragon.
• Laiya unleashed the Miracle formula, unseen since the fall of the previous Empire’s Spear twenty-three years earlier.

Laiya’s full-power Severance of All Things devastated the battlefield but left Sellviya alive and unable to move. Rather than kill her, Laiya decided to capture the Half-Dragon, declaring her a prisoner of the Empire.

• Laiya unleashed Severance of All Things, carving a massive fissure and erasing Baron Myka’s thirty guards.
• Laiya discovered that Sellviya had survived the blow but was gravely wounded and paralyzed by the lingering Severance Force.
• Laiya decided Sellviya would be more valuable alive as a specimen and hoped Ensign John would praise her for the capture.
• Sellviya recalled how she had barely survived Laiya’s attack and reflected on her life as she expected Laiya to kill her.
• Laiya announced that Sellviya was her prisoner, calling her an assassin sent by the Allied Forces.

Emperor William settled a dispute over the Third Navy’s failure by sending it to the struggling Southern Theater, further weakening Ostan Duke’s position. He then proposed rewarding General Dormammu with command of the new Third Air Force Army and the title of Count of Walden Territory, leaving the nobles to decide whether they approved.

• Ostan Duke accepted responsibility for the Third Navy’s failure to reach the Northern Theater, while Michel Lart called for his removal as Grand Marshal.
• Prime Minister Wolf defended Ostan Duke’s position but proposed sending the Third Navy to Fauken Bay as punishment and to support the Southern Theater.
• Ostan Duke accepted the proposal, and Emperor William ordered the Third Navy to Fauken Bay.
• Emperor William announced his plan to appoint General Dormammu Marshal of the Third Air Force Army and make him Count of Walden Territory, then asked who approved and who opposed.

Emperor William confronted the Upper House over reclaiming imperial authority and changing noble property laws, while Prime Minister Wolf resisted on behalf of the nobility. The chamber descended into open political confrontation, ending with Duke Ostan removing Count West and watching the furious Emperor with concern.

• Emperor William asked Prime Minister Wolf to support rewarding General Dormammu, and Wolf praised Dormammu but cited the Empire’s deficit as an obstacle to creating a new Mage Soldier air force army group.
• Emperor William exposed fifteen councilors’ extravagant purchases, but Wolf argued their wealth did not prove the Empire’s finances were sound because noble property was tax-exempt under the law.
• Emperor William demanded that the Upper House change the old noble property laws, prompting Wolf to declare that the Norman Empire did not belong to the Emperor alone.
• The noble councilors rose and faced one another as tensions surged, and Count West tried to attack Wolf for defying the monarch.
• Duke Ostan knocked Count West unconscious, ordered him escorted from the chamber, and looked with concern toward the furious Emperor William.

Emperor William and Prime Minister Wolf clashed over noble privileges, but William ultimately focused on gaining approval for a Third Air Force Army. Wolf agreed, believing the army would remain powerless under Dormammu and that the Old Guard Party would retain control of the other air forces.

• Wolf warned Emperor William against violating the nobles’ established rights, and William backed down, claiming he had only been joking.
• William renewed his argument that the Empire needed more Mage Soldiers and proposed forming a Third Air Force Army with the new recruits.
• William privately aimed to gain control of a third of the Empire’s air power and expected Wolf to concede after their earlier confrontation.
• Wolf agreed to establish the Third Air Force Army, reasoning that the Old Guard Party still controlled the First and Second Air Force Armies.
• Wolf formally approved William’s request to establish the Empire’s Third Air Force Army.

After John Maslow’s remarkable military record reached Prime Minister Wolf, Wolf approved his promotion to major and arranged to send him to Fauken Bay as part of a plan to draw the Third Imperial Air Force into the fighting. The chapter ended with Wolf reaffirming his belief that protecting the nobility from Emperor William was necessary to preserve the Empire.

• The Cabinet approved Dormammu Filot’s appointment as Count of Walden Territory and concluded its meeting after debating other fronts and reforms.
• Michel brought Wolf a report on John Maslow, whom Wolf had once deemed a useless test subject and sent to the Imperial Third Welfare Institute.
• Wolf read of John’s academy achievements, battlefield victories, and success governing Bahamut Town, then approved his promotion to major.
• Wolf ordered Michel to arrange a Fauken Bay operation that would call for air support and send John to lead reinforcements there.
• After Michel left to issue the orders, Wolf looked at Norman I’s portrait and resolved to defend the great nobles’ interests against Emperor William.

John recognized that Laiya might be related to the heroine Anna and led his squad toward Bahamut Town. Baron Myka was arrested by John before he could learn what had happened to Sellviya.

• John questioned Laiya about having a missing sister or cousin, but she said she knew of none.
• John suspected Laiya was Anna Splinter’s sister or cousin and worried about how they would react when they met.
• Wendy volunteered to lead an attack on Bahamut Town, but John ordered her to follow his commands and prepared the squad to enter the town.
• Baron Myka worried that Sellviya might have revealed his role and gave up on escaping after Imperial Mage Soldiers blocked the roads.
• John burst into Myka’s study and arrested him on counterespionage charges.

John captured Baron Myka and took control of Bahamut Town without bloodshed, then settled into the baron’s estate and got drunk. In the town’s dungeon, two visitors approached the imprisoned Myka, who recognized one of them with disbelief.

• John led the 14th Squad into Baron Myka’s castle, arrested him, and ordered the garrison to surrender; the soldiers obeyed and entered the prison.
• John raised the Imperial Army’s flag, postponed addressing the townspeople until morning, and condemned the baron’s extravagant estate as evidence of corruption.
• Staff Sergeant Wendy recorded John’s words with admiration, while Laiya decided to sell her properties and donate the proceeds so John would not think poorly of her.
• John arranged lodging and guard schedules, shared liquor from Myka’s cellar with the soldiers, then got drunk and fell asleep on the floor.
• Two figures entered the dungeon where Myka and his guards were held, and Myka recognized one of them with disbelief.

Dick betrayed Baron Myka to save himself and his family, then faced his furious father in prison. With Wendy refusing Myka’s demand to negotiate, Dick urged him to take his own life for House Hartman’s future.

• Baron Myka panicked when he saw Dick outside his cell and realized his plans had failed.
• Dick told Baron Myka that he had surrendered, arguing that protecting the family came before all else.
• Baron Myka cursed Dick for betraying him and demanded negotiations with Captain John.
• Wendy rejected Baron Myka’s demand, warned him he would face trial, and urged Dick to finish speaking.
• Dick told Baron Myka, “For the future of House Hartman, please take your own life!”

Wendy Brown tried to extract intelligence from Baron Myka, who offered to identify an Allied Forces agent inside the Seventh Legion in exchange for a chance to survive. Mia then reported that Colonel Jett had already captured and obtained a confession from an agent, while Bahamut Town was a trap and Black Eagle Special Forces were coming to support it.

• Baron Myka demanded to speak with John Maslow and offered classified intelligence to save his life.
• Wendy Brown refused to contact John and told Myka to give his intelligence directly to her.
• Myka recognized Wendy as a descendant of the Brown Royal Family and revealed that an Allied Forces agent was an officer in the Seventh Legion.
• Wendy demanded the agent's name, but Myka withheld it as his bargaining chip.
• Mia reported that Colonel Jett had captured an Allied Forces agent who had confessed, and that the troops needed to withdraw from Bahamut Town because General Dormammu had ordered a trap and Black Eagle Special Forces were approaching.

Wendy revealed that Baronov was the Allied Forces spy and reported the capture of the half-dragon assassin to General Dormammu. The next morning, John woke up hungover in the baron’s manor, and Wendy told him that Sellviya had awakened and was ready to be interrogated.

• Wendy had Mia reveal that Captain Baronov was the spy, whom Colonel Jett had tracked and captured after he passed information to the Allied Forces.
• Wendy sent Mia to inform General Dormammu that the assassination plot had been thwarted and the town was being secured, then taunted Myka before taking Dick away.
• The next morning, John retched after waking on the floor and blamed Baron Myka for his miserable night.
• Wendy teased John about sleeping in the baron’s manor, then told him that the half-dragon Sellviya had awakened and asked whether he wanted to interrogate her.

John visited Laiya’s tent, where she was holding the captured Selvia Reinhart, and tried to open negotiations. He left Selvia stunned by offering information about Mephisto Dragon, the man who had once tormented her.

• Selvia remained bound in Laiya’s tent, enduring the silence until John arrived and greeted Laiya.
• John recognized the badly injured Selvia and inferred that Laiya had defeated her with Severance of All Things.
• When Selvia tried to break free and take John hostage, Laiya kicked her hard enough to make her vomit blood and cave in her chest.
• John stopped Laiya from attacking further and asked Selvia to talk, but Selvia rejected him and demanded death.
• John asked Selvia whether she wanted to know where Mephisto Dragon was, leaving her shocked and silent.