Chapter Summaries

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.

John tried to persuade Sellviya to cooperate by offering her a chance to witness a game about whether commoners or nobles would win. He left her with a provocative question about whether an emperor was truly essential to a nation.

• Sellviya demanded that John state his conditions, but he saw through her show of madness and urged her to speak honestly.
• Sellviya admitted that her strength and appearance gave her no leverage as John's prisoner and suggested he might simply be toying with her.
• John reflected that gaining Sellviya's trust would be difficult, even with his knowledge of the game and its characters.
• John told Sellviya he wanted her to witness a game about whether commoners or nobles would ultimately win.
• John asked Sellviya whether an emperor was truly crucial to a nation, leaving her visibly shaken.

John Maslow tried to persuade Sellviya to question the Empire’s political order by comparing their radically different lives. He revealed that the questions had grown into a dream he had carried since military academy, but he had not yet explained what that dream was.

• John asked Laiya to leave, but she dislocated Sellviya’s hands before going outside.
• John resumed his conversation with Sellviya and learned about the Age of the Gods, a part of the world’s history he had never encountered.
• John introduced his orphaned past and military career, while Sellviya regarded him as a favored Imperial loyalist.
• John asked Sellviya whether fate alone explained why their lives had turned out so differently.
• John said he had formed a blueprint for the future at the Imperial First Military Academy and called it his dream.

John used an adapted speech about equality and peace to unsettle Sellviya, then offered her a chance to serve as an observer while remaining a prisoner with special freedoms. He left the tent proclaiming that he was destined for heaven, while Sellviya watched in astonishment.

• John delivered his vision of a world without discrimination, class oppression, or war, and Sellviya dismissed it as ridiculous despite being visibly affected.
• John accepted Sellviya’s continued distrust and decided to keep trying to persuade her while they remained in Bahamut Town.
• John untied Sellviya and explained that he would plead for special prisoner provisions allowing her to accompany his troops as an observer.
• Sellviya questioned whether the nobles would drag John into hell, and John replied that he was destined for heaven.
• John walked into the sunlight as he declared that he would ascend to heaven amid the people’s cheers and the gods’ approval.

John left his tent and misread Laiya’s guilty silence as a sign that she disliked him, then panicked that he had ruined his plan to win her favor. Wendy interrupted his awkward attempt to invite Laiya to dinner with news of his promotion ceremony and flew him to the baron’s residence, while Laiya watched in silence.

• John found Laiya nervously hiding a notebook, praised her for guarding the tent, and did not realize she felt guilty for eavesdropping and writing down his speech.
• John mistook Laiya’s silence for dissatisfaction and feared that he would lose his chance to use her to influence Anna.
• John invited Laiya to dinner at the town tavern, but she kept her head lowered and said nothing.
• Wendy arrived and told John that the Inspection Forces had come to hold his promotion ceremony.
• John posed confidently for Laiya before saying goodbye, but Wendy tucked him under her arm and flew him toward the baron’s residence.

John Maslow arrived at the baron's residence and received a promotion to major, command of a new battalion, and the First-Class Iron Cross Medal of Honor. The Inspection Forces captains hinted that Emperor William regarded him as a future trusted general, while Wendy ran off with his medal to show the squad.

• John arrived with Wendy and saluted the two Inspection Forces captains, who teased him about his unusual landing.
• Bruno Golia announced that John had been promoted to major and appointed battalion commander of the 13th Battalion, 1st Regiment, Third Army Group of the Imperial Air Force.
• Bruno presented John with the First-Class Iron Cross Medal of Honor awarded by Emperor William.
• Wendy excitedly asked to touch the medal, then grabbed it and ran off to show the other squad members.
• John asked Bruno about the Third Air Force Army, and Bruno introduced himself and Zelofa Gilgista.
• Bruno and Zelofa recognized that Emperor William viewed John as a promising future general and treated him accordingly.