Chapter Summaries

After Wolf sent Major John to the Fauken Bay front, John abandoned neutrality and planned to ally with Emperor William’s camp while preparing to win the war and protect his political future. He began his plan by arriving at an estate to meet someone at Minister Conrad’s invitation.

• John decided to align himself with Emperor William’s camp and push his reform plan through before the Empire’s political situation worsened.
• John planned to gain Marshal Bob Ariel’s trust and secure naval Magic Cannon support for the ground war.
• John resolved to hunt down the Shadow Orc Forces in Faoken Territory before they could infiltrate the Imperial camp and enable a devastating attack.
• John considered using Doran and the Second Army as bait if necessary, but decided he would first endure and build his power.
• John arrived at an estate with Wendy and introduced himself to the guard as Major John Maslow, visiting at Minister Conrad’s invitation.

John met with Major General Conrad and tried to steer the conversation toward Fauken Bay, arguing that taking it could win the Empire the loyalty of its Beastfolk. He left Conrad intrigued by mentioning secret intelligence about the “Sage” spell formula.

• John sent Wendy to wait in the reception room before meeting Conrad alone.
• Conrad questioned John about how he recognized him, and John claimed he had seen his photograph while studying at the Imperial First Military Academy.
• Conrad invited John to share his views on the Fauken Bay support mission, hoping to learn whether Marshal Dormammu had plans for the front.
• John argued that seizing Fauken Bay would strengthen the Empire, secure strategic and material advantages, and persuade Beastfolk within the Empire to submit and fight for it.
• John claimed he had learned secret intelligence about the mission and asked Conrad whether he had heard of the “Sage” spell formula.

John used the lost Sage Crystal to unsettle Conrad and imply it was hidden in Fauken Bay, though he knew Meyer had already absorbed it years ago. He planned to use the mystery to deter the Old Guard Party while he prepared to strengthen his position.

• The chapter explained how the Sage Art empowered Beastfolk and how the Sage Crystal vanished after Great Sage Gerdan was assassinated a thousand years earlier.
• Conrad suspected the Saga Kingdom royal family had arranged Gerdan’s murder to preserve its claim to the throne, but wondered how John knew the Sage Crystal was in Fauken Bay.
• John privately recalled that Meyer had found and absorbed the Sage Crystal as a child, and that it was no longer in Fauken Bay.
• John decided to exploit Conrad’s uncertainty to appear mysterious and discourage the Old Guard Party from moving against him while he developed his strength.
• When Conrad asked how he knew about the crystal, John refused to reveal his secret and said that anyone seeking it would have to pay a corresponding price.

John warned Conrad that the Allied Forces’ Magecraft Technology could eventually threaten the Empire, persuading him to report the danger to Prime Minister Wolf. Conrad then arranged to escort John to the departure point in two days, and ended the meeting by ordering a radio set so he could report important intelligence.

• Conrad questioned John about the Empire’s battlefield prospects, and John warned that the Allied Forces’ Magecraft Technology could improve enough to undermine the Empire’s advantage.
• John compared the Empire’s past dismissal of the Victoria Kingdom with its current dismissal of Allied technology, prompting Conrad to reconsider the threat and promise to report it to Prime Minister Wolf.
• Conrad invited John to travel with him to the departure point in two days, and John accepted.
• Conrad nostalgically mentioned Lieutenant General Doran and asked John to pass along his greetings when he reached Fauken Bay.
• After John left, Conrad reflected on his confidence and ordered his adjutant to bring a radio set so he could report important intelligence to the Prime Minister.

John prepared for his assignment to Fauken Bay while Major General Jett warned him about the dangerous front and offered support. Their conversation ended with John realizing that Jett had arranged for Hassan Daril to contact the Allied Forces spy without John's knowledge.

• John contacted Laiya and Glenn about Dragon Eye Domain and planned to secure Glenn's role in its economic revitalization.
• Jett warned John that Fauken Bay was a disaster and urged him to evade the assignment, but John said he was already scheduled to depart with the 1st Battalion.
• Jett confirmed that Laiya had been assigned to John's ground support company and offered additional Black Eagle Unit personnel.
• John asked Jett about arranging contact with the Allied Forces spy, and Jett said he had assigned Hassan Daril to the Codename Zero Project.
• John grew pale when he realized he had never suggested using a higher-ranking agent and feared that Mia or Wendy might have caused the misunderstanding.

John realized Will was already positioned as a spy within Roxy’s forces, while Will received a promotion that placed him in the Fifth Legion’s core ranks. Hassan revealed himself to Will as an Empire agent assigned to him, leaving their collaboration poised to begin.

• John decided against trying to kill Orco and concluded Orco had arranged the previous assassination attempt.
• John realized Will served under Roxy and could provide intelligence on her forces.
• Will received an order naming him commander of the Fifth Legion’s newly formed independent battalion, despite his failed assassination mission and lost arm.
• Will prepared to depart for Fauken Bay with the Fifth Legion while fearing John’s influence and the agent watching him.
• Hassan visited Will, identified himself as Hassan Daril, and revealed that he was the Empire’s contact assigned to Will under the Codename Zero Project.

Hassan told Will that John Maslow had once been a terrifying, ruthless controller of others, far more monstrous than the man Will knew. The chapter left Will shaken as Hassan described a horrifying incident from their academy days and called John a genuine monster.

• Hassan informed Will that the Empire wanted him to infiltrate the Fifth Legion and obtain Lieutenant General Roxy’s tactical plans.
• Hassan asked how John had persuaded Will to become an Imperial agent, and Will recounted how John had exposed and captured him before trapping him into the role.
• Hassan said Will was fortunate that John had changed, because the John he remembered would have planted deadly restrictions throughout Will’s body.
• Hassan recalled John using his control to make a student brutally beat himself until Principal Tolovsky ordered John to stop.
• Hassan told Will that John was a real monster, leaving Will shocked and afraid.

John reviewed the reorganized 1st Battalion’s personnel and generous supplies, then arranged to bring Siegfried into the unit. He met the five company commanders to assess their loyalty and suitability, but the chapter ended before he learned more about them.

• Major Kode gave John the 1st Battalion’s completed roster, officer records, and supply allocations, including 3,000 High-Energy Magic Stones.
• John learned that Major General Jett had selected an elite Black Eagle Special Forces squad for his support unit, and Kode had reserved a slot for Siegfried.
• John thanked Kode, exchanged salutes with him, and went to address the newly assigned Mage Soldiers.
• John summoned the five company commanders to a meeting to evaluate their personalities and attitudes toward him.
• Captain Barnabos Gustav reported to John with the four other company commanders, and they took their seats around the conference table.

John Maslow met with his five company commanders to discuss the dangerous support mission to Fauken Bay, but discovered they were trying to get removed from the assignment by acting foolishly. He left them blank withdrawal forms and gave them ten minutes to decide whether to stay or go.

• John asked Barnabos for his thoughts on the Fauken Bay mission, and Barnabos said he had only volunteered because Officer Olaf threatened to shoot him.
• Marda Ivanov laughed at Barnabos's explanation, then argued with Lyunebo Anthony while Miles encouraged them and Iguodala Gelman cowered nearby.
• John realized the commanders were deliberately misbehaving to get screened out of the mission and ordered them to stop.
• John acknowledged that the mission was nearly a death sentence but said he needed subordinates who would obey and lead their Mage Soldiers.
• John placed five withdrawal forms on the table, gave the commanders ten minutes to choose, and left the conference room.

After John left, the officers debated whether to sign applications that might let them withdraw from the dangerous mission. Igonila argued that the mission was a calculated bet and that following John Maslow offered their best chance of survival, then tore up the forms and urged them to fight.

• Miles mocked Lunebo for his failed attempt to deceive John, and Marda blamed Miles for having supported the plan.
• Lunebo asked the officers whether they should sign the five applications, while the group worried that John might use their attempted withdrawal against them.
• Barnabos admitted he barely knew John but believed the commander meant what he said about letting them leave the mission.
• Miles asked Igonila for his opinion, and Igonila explained that the higher-ups had chosen capable officers because the mission was a strategic wager, not a plan to send them to their deaths.
• Igonila tore up the application forms and called on the officers to serve under John and fight the Allied Forces.

John prepared his troops for the Faoken support mission and arranged for Sellviya to remain in Dragon Eye Domain as an administrator. After giving her Mephisto Dragon’s hidden location, he left to join the assembled forces, while Sellviya watched him go in anger.

• John accepted the Five Tiger Generals’ apology and had them prepare tactical plans for their companies before revising Dragon Eye Domain’s economic development plan.
• Two days later, John told Sellviya he was leaving for Faoken and had refused Dormammu’s proposal to transfer her to Major General Jett’s custody.
• John arranged for Sellviya to stay in Dragon Eye Domain and help Glenn govern, promising to seek a pardon for her if she performed well.
• Sellviya agreed to become an administrative officer and asked John to reveal Mephisto Dragon’s location; John told her he was living as Doctor Tracy in Gooseberry Village.
• Wendy warned John that the troops were waiting, so he bid Sellviya farewell and flew to join them.

John Maslow departed for Fauken Bay with his troops after Major General Conrad advised him on a possible ally and helped secure a proposal for improving vehicle suspension. As Conrad watched the warship leave, he resolved to keep supporting John despite Prime Minister Wolf’s rejection of him, because Conrad valued the Empire’s future over factional loyalty.

• John offered Conrad a cigarette, then choked on smoke when the jeep bounced over a slope and blamed the vehicle’s poor suspension.
• Conrad promised to submit John’s suspension idea to the Military Industry Department and help him obtain a patent, then advised him to seek support from Colonel Samuel Ivangoden rather than rely on Lieutenant General Doran’s Independent 3rd Division.
• John thanked Conrad for his advice and boarded a warship with his troops, bound for Fauken Bay.
• Conrad recalled that Prime Minister Wolf had rejected John because of his faction, even though John’s assignment might otherwise have gone to Conrad’s brother Jett.
• Conrad concluded that Wolf’s factional decision endangered the Empire’s interests and chose to defy his side by helping John.

After arriving at Golden Lion Territory, John tried to maintain his authority while resisting Wendy’s offer of an ice pop, then stole her rainbow flavor and taunted her. He was left mortified when Mia delivered the Second Legion’s reply in front of the assembled officers, who had witnessed his behavior.

• John arrived at Golden Lion Territory Harbor with his unit and struggled with the heat and mosquitoes.
• Wendy offered John a mango ice pop, but he refused at first to preserve his authority.
• John took Wendy’s rainbow ice pop and licked it while teasing her in front of the company commanders.
• Wendy begged John to stop embarrassing her, but he kept taunting her until Mia arrived with a reply from the Second Legion.
• John realized Mia, the five company commanders, Laiya, and Siegfried had all witnessed him acting foolishly.

Doran Beate enjoyed the wealth he was extracting from Golden Lion Territory and planned to avoid fighting while mining its ore. When a Mage Soldier battalion arrived as reinforcements, he ordered his adjutant to send them to the front while he left for Silverstone Mine.

• Doran recalled how his father had secured his assignment to Fauken and advised him to stay in Fang City until the Third Navy’s defeat gave the army an excuse to withdraw.
• After discovering rich ore and Mithril deposits in Golden Lion Territory, Doran decided to mine them rather than risk fighting the Saga Kingdom’s Beastfolk in Blood Wolf Territory.
• Toby Bright told Doran that Major John Maslow’s 1st Mobile Mage Battalion had landed and was approaching Fang City.
• Doran ordered Toby to receive the battalion, send it to the front, and tell its commander that Doran was away fighting.
• Doran drove with his Guard Regiment to Silverstone Mine, and the Mage Soldiers arrived at Fang City’s gate less than half an hour later.

John arrived in Fang City and found the Independent 3rd Division undisciplined, then refused Toby Bright’s attempt to direct him without orders from his own command. He persuaded Toby to provide the Fauken Front’s deployment map and radio frequencies so he could choose his own support operation, while Toby hoped to keep him away from Doran’s secret mining scheme.

• John saw Independent 3rd Division soldiers drinking and suspected the guards had been using drugs.
• Toby Bright introduced himself as the officer coordinating support operations and expected John to follow his instructions.
• John refused Toby’s authority over him and insisted that he would accept no informal orders outside his chain of command.
• Toby explained that Doran was away reinforcing the front, and worried John might discover the concealed mining operation.
• John asked Toby for the front’s deployment and radio frequencies instead of demanding a meeting with Doran.
• Toby agreed to bring John the map and frequencies, hoping to keep him away from Doran’s secret scheme.

John reviewed the front lines and chose Iron Horse Mountain as the 1st Battalion’s destination, leaving the dangerous Cocobia Rainforest and Crescent Strait for later. Before moving out, he sent Hawk on a confidential mission to deliver Dormammu’s letter to Marshal Bob Ariel.

• Toby gave John a detailed deployment map and urged him to leave Fang City, but John declined a temporary camp and thanked him on behalf of the Empire.
• John studied the three front lines and decided to prioritize the other fronts over Cocobia Rainforest and Crescent Strait, where Allied reinforcements and hidden Anti-Magic Devices posed risks.
• After leaving Fang City, John stopped the 1st Battalion and briefed his five company commanders on the support mission.
• John ordered Hawk to take ten Mage Soldiers and join Sergeant Mia at the Aiken Sea, then deliver Dormammu’s confidential letter to Marshal Bob Ariel within two days.
• Hawk departed with his team, and John ordered the 1st Battalion to move out for Iron Horse Mountain.

John dispatched the 1st Mobile Mage Battalion to support the allied forces on the Iron Horse Mountain Front. After the Morning Star Clan’s cavalry overwhelmed Samuel’s regiment, John and his Mage Soldiers arrived and struck the cavalry with a devastating aerial attack.

• Wendy told John that Sergeant Charlie had spotted enemy forces fighting allied troops three kilometers ahead, and John considered providing support.
• Samuel’s Third Infantry Regiment struggled against the Morning Star Clan’s Windchaser Cavalry Regiment as its trenches fell and communications with central command failed.
• Samuel ordered a retreat and defensive preparations, but the Morning Star Clan’s Starchaser Cavalry Regiment charged his regiment’s exposed flank.
• John’s Mage Soldiers descended from the sky and unleashed crimson magical strikes that caused a massive lava-and-flame explosion among the cavalry.
• John introduced himself to Samuel and said he had brought the 1st Mobile Mage Battalion to provide support.

After rescuing Samuel’s 3rd Infantry Regiment, John rejected retreat and led the Imperial forces in a surprise attack on Horseshoe City. As Damon and Galil struggled to contain the battle at Falling Petal Valley, they learned that Horseshoe City had fallen.

• Samuel told John that the 1st Division had likely been routed and planned to retreat toward Fang City.
• John persuaded Samuel to support Mobile Mage Battalion One in an attack on Horseshoe City while Allied forces were occupied at Falling Petal Valley.
• Damon learned that his brother Kenny had been killed when Imperial Mage Soldiers wiped out the Star-Chasing Independent Regiment.
• Damon and Galil argued over the Shadow Forces’ intelligence failure and the need for the Morning Star Clan to support the fighting at Iron Horse Mountain.
• Damon’s deputy reported that Imperial forces had captured Horseshoe City after overcoming its garrison.

Laiya and the Imperial Army’s assassination unit eliminated the Centaur guards on Horseshoe City’s walls, while Siegfried destroyed the city’s gate with a magic-charged arrow. Imperial soldiers stormed the breach and declared Horseshoe City occupied.

• Laiya led the assassination of fifty Centaur soldiers on the city wall and reported that her mission was complete.
• Laiya assumed Major John had assigned Siegfried to break the city to teach her to master her power.
• John ordered Siegfried to begin, and Siegfried gathered magic into a giant arrow before firing it at the gate.
• Siegfried’s arrow shattered the gate and triggered an explosion that drew the attention of Horseshoe City’s inhabitants.
• Imperial soldiers rushed through the breach, killed the Centaur defenders who resisted, and ordered the city to surrender.

After capturing Horseshoe City, John revealed that he intended to abandon it and ambush the reinforcements at Gale Valley Pass. As Dolonin Morning Star’s cavalry reached the pass, John’s forces unleashed a devastating attack from the dark clouds above.

• John had Wendy imprison the Centaur leaders and studied a map of the area around Horseshoe City.
• John told Samuel that they would leave the city and lure its defenders away, then strike them at Gale Valley Pass before returning to the Iron Horse Mountain Front.
• Dolonin Morning Star led more than four thousand cavalry toward Horseshoe City to rescue his family and retake the city.
• At Gale Valley Pass, the cavalry sensed magic gathering in the dark clouds and slowed their advance.
• Red lights poured from the clouds, engulfing the pass in lava and fire.