Chapter Summaries

Key plot points and events

• The success of When Freedom Knocks changes how people treat Orcs in Free City: they are greeted warmly, though prejudice remains elsewhere.
• Brook and his son Dag become public favorites. Brook is now widely called “Chris,” and Annan tells him he has become the face of Free City. He advises Brook to seek guidance from the Old Orc about how to handle the responsibility.
• Annan reads a review praising his ambitions while warning that people must act for themselves rather than expect the Gods to solve their problems.
• The film brings in a large sum of money, enough to finish the first floor of the Mage Tower and move closer to buying another Arcane Core. Olmedo pushes for a fifth film, but Annan says the audience needs time to save up.
• Annan and Olmedo discuss the danger of assassination. Olmedo demonstrates how an assassin might exploit a target’s trust, startling Ingrid, who walks in on them.
• Annan consults the Old Ancestor, who confirms that no assassins have appeared. The Betrayers are occupied with the Old Land, and Free City remains peaceful.
• After meditating, Annan notes his progress toward Elite Level. He then asks the Magic Mirror who is Free City’s second-smartest person and learns it is Aiji.

Character developments and interactions

• Brook/Chris is adjusting to sudden fame. Once considered an unsuccessful outcast, he now enjoys public respect, though he is beginning to grasp that his behavior reflects on the whole city.
• Annan continues using film, media, and investment to advance Free City, while also watching for threats and progressing in his own training.
• Olmedo shows both her enthusiasm for the film’s profits and her practical knowledge of assassination. Her playful demonstration creates an awkward moment with Ingrid.
• Ingrid walks in on Olmedo pinning Annan down; Annan offers a deliberately casual explanation.
• The Old Ancestor remains content in Free City and reassures Annan that there is no immediate assassination threat.

Significant themes

• Representation and public image: Brook’s fame helps reshape attitudes toward Orcs, but also makes him a symbol whose conduct affects how people view Free City.
• Agency and responsibility: The review’s parable argues that help may arrive in the form of opportunities, but people must still act for themselves.
• Progress and investment: The film’s success supports the city’s infrastructure and expansion, while Annan balances growth against the need not to exhaust his audience.
• Trust and danger: Olmedo’s demonstration highlights how an assassin could use closeness and familiarity to bypass a target’s defenses.

Key plot points and events

• Annan dreams that Leila helps him court Idelia. As they grow closer, he confesses to Idelia, who accepts. Leila, secretly in love with Annan, is devastated and attempts to kill herself with a dagger.
• Annan wakes in terror, realizing the Demon Lord’s curse has shifted from physical harm to attacks on his mind.
• The next day, haunted by the dream, Annan behaves awkwardly around Leila. He tries to make amends through small gestures, such as praising her fishing and wiping her chair.
• Idelia notices Annan’s unusual behavior toward Leila and questions what is going on. Leila denies any deeper feelings, but becomes visibly flustered and retreats to her room.

Character developments

• Annan is shaken by the nightmare and feels guilty toward Leila, though he struggles to explain why. His attempts to be considerate make his concern noticeable.
• Leila is revealed—within Annan’s dream—as harboring unspoken romantic feelings for him. In waking life, she hides her embarrassment behind teasing and denial.
• Idelia remains observant and perceptive, picking up on the tension between Annan and Leila.
• Abby provides a brief, grounding presence after Annan wakes.

Significant themes

• The curse’s psychological danger: The Demon Lord’s threat now reaches Annan through disturbing dreams rather than direct physical attacks.
• Unspoken love and jealousy: The nightmare dramatizes Leila’s fear of losing Annan to Idelia.
• Dreams influencing reality: Though the events are unreal, the dream changes Annan’s behavior and unsettles the relationships around him.
• Guilt and care: Annan’s attempts to treat Leila kindly suggest how strongly the dream has affected him.

Character interactions

• Leila teases and encourages Annan in the dream, acting as his guide in courting Idelia; her support turns painful when Idelia accepts.
• After waking, Annan’s awkward kindness toward Leila contrasts with his unease around Idelia.
• Idelia questions Leila about Annan’s behavior, while Leila deflects the suggestion of romantic feelings and flees from the conversation.

Key plot points and events

• Free City’s September revenue reached 534,728 gold narls, overwhelmingly from Magic Film. Annan reinvested heavily: nearly 400,000 gold coins went toward mountain copper for the Mage Tower and Floating City, while the rest was reserved for trade and wages. Construction on the Mage Tower resumed.
• Annan intends to keep the city’s major commercial infrastructure under the City Lord’s Mansion rather than let nobles and merchants control it.
• Idelia expanded theater construction and opened the first theater in Steelton Fief, beginning a cultural push into the Southlands. Wilhelm remains inaccessible because of its hostility to outsiders.
• Annan’s recurring nightmares confirmed that the Demon Lord has returned. The Demon Archduke uses people close to Annan to make the dreams convincing. A Magic Stone briefly lets him escape to the familiar shore of Lava Lake, but the nightmare returns once When Freedom Knocks ends. Dream Princess is still about two months from completion.
• As the autumn harvest approached, two hundred Skeleton Ratfolk harvested the wheat. To speed up processing, Annan ordered windmills built because the city lacked enough workers for threshing and milling.
• Annan standardized Succubi services and gave the Incubi freedom to pursue their interests, provided they obeyed the Free City Code.
• In a comic test of the Aiji’s intelligence, Annan’s questions eliminated all seven candidates for “second-smartest.” The episode also produced a rough ranking of other residents.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan is both a pragmatic ruler and a hands-on problem-solver: he directs spending, protects the city’s economic independence, addresses labor shortages, and seeks help with his nightmares. He is also amused by testing the Aiji.
• Idelia pushes Free City’s cultural ambitions but is frustrated by Wilhelm’s unified resistance. She consults the Old Ancestor with Annan about how to approach the region.
• The Bert Brothers, Betty, and Tina are developing Dream Princess. Their work was delayed when Annan redirected them to When Freedom Knocks, though the experience improved their knowledge of Magic Film production.
• Olmedo figures prominently in the nightmares and ranks third in Annan’s intelligence test. Ivana Ser is held up as genuinely exceptional: she was first because no higher rank existed.
• The test places Idelia fifth, Illymoyas tenth, Annan seventeenth, and Leila two hundred and third; Annan jokes that Leila lowers the Mansion’s average. He is relieved he did not test Martin.

Significant themes

• Economic independence and centralized governance: Annan aims to keep essential industries and public revenue under civic control rather than surrender them to private elites.
• Cultural influence and political barriers: Free City can spread its culture through theaters, but entrenched hostility makes some regions difficult to reach.
• Progress amid danger: Growth, construction, and harvest preparations continue even as Annan faces a supernatural threat.
• Practical modernization and comic bureaucracy: Windmills address real labor limits, while the elaborate intelligence test turns administrative life into humor.

Plot and key events

• Playing Cards, created by Annan for a film, become Free City’s most widespread cultural export. Their popularity—alongside newspapers, films, clothing, and other goods—makes the city’s influence a form of cultural invasion, though its young age and apparent charm keep powerful neighbors from taking it seriously.
• The Autumn Harvest ends, and Free City sends its surplus food north. The Ratfolk threat in Deepwinter Territory worsens: attacks grow more frequent and numerous, and one nearly breaks through the city wall. Lady Deepwinter declines Annan’s renewed offer to relocate; Count Ulmit abandons his inheritance duties and retreats to a seaside town.
• The Rikaner Kingdom loses ground despite deploying powerful forces. Reports suggest something is driving the Ratfolk onward. Montreal Mountain’s decision to build a Great Wall across the Empire’s North confirms the danger is expected to be severe.
• Imperial officials seek Annan’s cement formula. After he distinguishes between representatives of the Golden Families and the Ministry of the Interior—and reminds the latter of his substantial tax payments and the Old Ancestor’s presence—they return with a better offer. Annan sells the formula for 300,000 Gold Coins.
• Free City uses its resources to buy another Arcane Core, expand its levitation area, and bring the Musketeers to a full strength of 6,000. Forces remain deployed in Deepwinter Territory as attention shifts to the northern crisis; Annan postpones his planned Southlands trip.
• As the Rikaner Kingdom’s ambitions falter, the Betrayers turn their attention toward Annan. One October night, a huge magical surge erupts over Free City. A radiant woman—the Old Ancestor—confronts the disturbance. Her apparent attack fills the sky with fire, but the flames transform into harmless falling petals before the city can be harmed.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan shows his practical, strategic side: he uses Free City’s growing wealth to strengthen its defenses, negotiates firmly with imperial officials, and continues urging Lady Deepwinter to seek safety. He also treats the Old Ancestor’s dramatic arrival with surprising casualness, waving to her from his terrace.
• Lady Deepwinter remains determined to stay in the North despite the worsening danger.
• Count Ulmit retreats from his duties as Ratfolk activity escalates around him.
• Imperial officials initially attempt to pressure Annan, but his financial records, tax contributions, and reminder that the Old Ancestor is nearby shift the negotiations in his favor.
• Della alerts Annan to the magical disturbance, while the Old Ancestor’s intervention reassures the panicked residents.

Significant themes

• Soft power and cultural influence: Cheap, everyday products reshape life across social classes and provoke fears of foreign influence.
• Escalating threat and uncertain responsibility: The Ratfolk surge appears driven by an unseen force, while political and military preparations suggest catastrophe may be approaching.
• Power, wealth, and negotiation: Annan turns commercial success into military capacity and uses his economic leverage to resist imperial pressure.
• Public fear and its reversal: The Old Ancestor’s terrifying display appears destructive but ends in beauty, leaving the nature and purpose of her intervention uncertain.

Plot points and events

• The Old Ancestor returns to her garden after stopping the attack on Free City. One of the two intruders escaped; the other was apparently killed. Though she claims the brief fight did little harm, it leaves her tired.
• Annan jokes with her about calling her “Sister Eliyes,” and they share a warm, playful moment before she is wheeled back inside.
• Outside the mansion, Captain Luoxi worries that Free City and its defenders are powerless beside Legendary fighters. Annan admits the gap is enormous but suggests they may not always be helpless.
• Annan takes Luoxi to the Alchemy Room, where they find Michael working on Magic Gunpowder. Annan encourages both men by saying the invention could one day rival the battle’s world-shaking power. Michael doubts him, though his past experience with Annan’s surprising successes gives him pause.
• Back in his room, Annan finds Silly Cat hiding under the covers, frightened by the battle. He then consults Tadel through the World Tree Leaf about the Old Ancestor’s curse. Tadel says the divine curse itself cannot be lifted, but a Transformation Spell might reverse her apparent aging. Annan wonders whether the spell would burden her and considers helping her regain her youth.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan shows concern for the Old Ancestor and offers reassurance to Luoxi, steering his fear toward the possibility of future progress. He also begins exploring ways to help Eliyes.
• Eliyes, the Old Ancestor, reveals both immense remaining power and a tender, humorous side in her exchange with Annan. Her fatigue suggests the battle did affect her despite her reassurance.
• Luoxi is shaken by the immense power he witnessed and doubts whether ordinary people can ever reach such heights. Annan’s candid encouragement gives him a reason to keep striving.
• Michael is discouraged by the battle’s scale but remains focused on Magic Gunpowder. His banter with Annan reflects their familiar, skeptical rapport.
• Silly Cat is visibly frightened and seeks comfort from Annan, who gently soothes her.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: Even extraordinary power has limits; the Old Ancestor’s curse and post-battle fatigue underline the cost of fighting.
• Hope through invention: Magic Gunpowder represents a path by which people without Legendary strength might eventually change the balance of power.
• Care and companionship: Annan’s concern for Eliyes, encouragement of Luoxi and Michael, and comfort for Silly Cat show how personal bonds matter amid larger conflicts.
• Age and identity: The possibility of reversing Eliyes’s aging raises the question of whether restoring her youthful appearance would be welcome—or appropriate.

Key plot points and events

• Tadel agrees to investigate the Elven Royal Court for clues. Annan tells him about the battle and learns the Old Ancestor was once expected to become a god; Tadel says the gods permitted her curse but refuses to explain further.
• Evelyn visits Annan with footage of the failed Rikaner assassination attempt, then returns to the Newspaper Office and finishes an article about the attack.
• On her way home, Evelyn is ambushed by a shadowy Assassin. Yagoni, an Incubus, intervenes, killing one attacker while Evelyn runs for the City Lord’s Mansion. The Newspaper Office is set on fire, and two Guards stationed there are killed.
• Annan shelters Evelyn and appoints Yagoni to protect her. He then orders a citywide lockdown, concerned that more Assassins remain in Free City.
• Mr. Swaro casts a Detection Spell across the city. Olmedo’s Mages pursue the hostile figures it reveals, while a Succubus reports that she spotted and killed an Assassin herself.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan recognizes that Free City’s residents need protection beyond the Mansion’s walls. He also shows unusual trust in demons, treating Incubi and Succubi as citizens and offering Yagoni a paid protective role.
• Evelyn is shaken by the attack and the deaths of the Guards she had just greeted, but remains composed enough to remember that her article’s contents are not lost even if the office burns.
• Yagoni protects Evelyn and challenges Annan to take her safety seriously. She is surprised that he genuinely trusts an Incubus.
• Tadel offers help with the Elven Royal Court but remains guarded about the Old Ancestor’s curse.
• Olmedo, Mr. Swaro, and the Succubus help Annan respond: the Mages hunt the detected Assassins, while the Succubus embraces her role as a citizen by eliminating a threat.

Significant themes

• Trust amid deception: Yagoni and the other demons are accustomed to doubting what they hear, making Annan’s trust in them striking.
• Security and civic responsibility: Evelyn’s attack exposes Free City’s vulnerability and prompts Annan to prioritize public safety.
• The cost of knowledge: Secret Treasures and the Old Ancestor’s curse suggest that some truths are dangerous or deliberately concealed.
• A diverse civic identity: Annan’s insistence that demons are residents—and his willingness to entrust them with public duties—defines Free City as a community whose protection and belonging extend across species.

Key plot points

• Annan orders the Succubus added to the next day’s commendation list and sends Luoxi’s Guards on an all-night patrol, with Sven and the Cavalry as backup. He explains that their presence is meant not only to protect citizens, but to make them feel safe.
• Annan teases Leila about still being a Mage Apprentice. Their joking quarrel reveals that she has neglected her training, and Idelia agrees that she should take her profession more seriously.
• The group discusses acquiring a Faction Detector. Mr. Swaro refuses to join Free City, while Montreal’s Royal Mage Tower offers a detector at a prohibitive price. Lilith points out that a completed third floor of Free City’s Mage Tower would allow it to cast Epic Spells, including what they need.
• Annan refuses to replace the Mountain Copper to fund construction. The group instead agrees to direct future income toward the Mage Tower and the Arcane Core. Lilith adds that even the tower’s first completed floor will help maintain order.
• Annan comforts Silly Cat and visits Illymoyas, only to find the dragon asleep in a deep, months-long slumber to grow stronger. Back at the mansion, he meditates and realizes he is nearing the Elite rank—then wonders whether he has forgotten something.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan balances practical leadership with humor, using patrols to reassure the public. Privately, he deliberately teases Leila to keep from confusing her with the self-destructive version of her that appeared in his nightmares, whose memory has stirred inappropriate feelings in him.
• Leila responds defensively to criticism of her stalled magical progress, insisting she is searching for her path and citing the Dean’s approval of her fishing. Idelia ultimately backs Annan, though she later reminds him not to pick on Leila constantly.
• Idelia and Olmedo support Annan’s security measures and take part in the discussion about strengthening Free City.
• Lilith contributes the key Mage Tower proposal and shows quiet pleasure when Annan suggests naming it after her, recognizing her role as its spirit and master.
• Illymoyas remains asleep but responds faintly to Annan’s gentle visit.

Significant themes

• Security and public confidence: effective leadership means not only preventing danger but helping people feel protected.
• Preparation and self-reliance: Free City weighs expensive outside options against investing in its own magical infrastructure.
• The cost of growth: the Mage Tower promises major power and stability, but requires enormous investment.
• Care beneath teasing: Annan’s banter with Leila masks concern, while his visit to Illymoyas shows his tenderness toward those close to him.

Plot

• Annan wakes from a nightmare in which he and Olmedo share an ideal romance, but she eventually abandons him for a sickly young man and insults his eyes.
• He realizes the dream has borrowed its verses and plot from Eye of the Stars, a romance novel. When he quotes the poem to Olmedo, she identifies the book and explains its ending.
• Still irritated by the dream, Annan leaves Olmedo with Lily. Later, he tells her he is close to advancing to Elite rank.
• Olmedo suggests his new Sorcerer gift might be charm rather than a combat ability, arguing that influence and reassurance could be more useful to him as Deputy City Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan’s nightmare leaves him indignant and suspiciously aware of Olmedo, though he recognizes its fictional source. He also admits he wants to experience the wonder of magic himself.
• Olmedo remains practical and thoughtful, focusing on how Annan’s abilities could serve his leadership role. Her comments about charm briefly make him wonder if she is serious.
• Annan and Olmedo discuss the novel, his impending advancement, and the possible value of his future gift; Lily briefly joins Annan as he exits.

Themes

• The nightmare turns romantic idealization into betrayal, reflecting the chapter’s darkly comic idea that beautiful things become most striking when destroyed.
• It contrasts personal wishes—romance and magical experience—with the practical responsibilities of leadership.
• A Sorcerer’s power is presented as potentially psychological and social, not only combative.

Key plot points and events

• The Rikaner Kingdom’s newspaper accuses Annan of cowardice and personal misconduct, while Annan dismisses its claims as propaganda. Evelyn is unsettled by Lady Yagoni’s unusual stories, prompting Annan to consider changing her bodyguard.
• Olmedo urges Annan to tell them if his burdens become too much. Though the Old Ancestor seems well, Annan thinks she looks more worn.
• Annan refuses to sleep, using a blessing to stay awake as a show of defiance toward the Demon Archduke. The Voice of Freedom reports that Rikaner sent two Legendary fighters against Free City: one died and the other was wounded. Rikaner’s northern campaign also falters.
• Threats spread across the North: a Rat Tide is spotted near Keating, and another Rat Swarm moves toward the Dimon Kingdom. Meanwhile, Ratfolk and Demons begin fighting in the Black Iron Mountains.
• Free City celebrates the opening of its Mage Tower. Annan encourages his sister Leila, who has been shut away for days, to attend by playfully suggesting that fishing could improve her Meditation.
• Annan and Dean Breichim keep Lilith’s identity as the Tower Spirit secret. The unfinished tower is powerful defensively but has limited spell capacity; its strength is expected to grow as it expands.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan remains defiant and politically confident, but shows care for those close to him: he checks on Evelyn and the Old Ancestor, and gently draws Leila out of isolation.
• Evelyn says she is well cared for, though Lady Yagoni’s stories embarrass her. Annan’s concern prompts her to defend her bodyguard.
• Olmedo offers Annan emotional support, showing the care of the real Olmedo.
• Leila is reluctant to study but responds to Annan’s teasing and affection, agreeing to try fishing as a way to meditate and joining the ceremony.
• Lilith is presented publicly as Tower Master, while her true nature remains concealed.

Significant themes

• Propaganda and reputation: Rikaner’s attacks contrast with reports exposing its failed assault and military setbacks.
• Care amid conflict: Annan’s relationships offer warmth and support amid mounting danger and exhaustion.
• Growth and preparation: The Mage Tower is currently incomplete, but represents Free City’s future strength.
• Resilience and confidence: Annan’s closing vision—defending the city with the tower, Musketeers, and flight—underscores his belief that Free City can withstand its enemies.

Plot points and events

• Ratfolk and Demons are spreading through the North, while the Rikaner Kingdom is weakened and Snow Mountain Fortress has been cut off. The nations fear the fortress may be the key to whether the Chaos races launch a larger invasion.
• Annan contacts the fortress through a summoning Portal, hoping to learn whether his friend Tasia is safe. A young Minotaur answers first, then Tasia appears, wounded but alive, alongside Brino Jana.
• Tasia explains that Demons attacked the mountain outposts and trapped the fortress. The defenders are preparing to evacuate before the ground freezes, after losing more than half their people and seeing little hope of survival.
• Annan’s information conflicts with the nations’ strategists: they think the fortress is central to the Demons’ plans, while Brino Jana says the Demons are focused elsewhere. Annan recognizes that each side has only part of the picture.
• Annan invites Tasia’s people to Free City, promising that Minotaurs will be welcome there. He also offers Brino Jana a chance to join him and take revenge on the Rikaner Kingdom. Brino agrees enthusiastically; Tasia says she will seek her chieftain’s approval.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan has become Lord of Free City and a member of the Holy Council. He uses his growing influence to offer refuge and support, and feels fulfilled by the city’s expanding strength.
• Tasia is still alive and committed to protecting her people, but the devastation has left her community willing to abandon the fortress and seek a future elsewhere.
• Brino Jana remains blunt and combative. Her grief and anger over the war turn into resolve when Annan offers her a chance to fight the Rikaner Kingdom.
• Annan and his old friends reconnect warmly, with humor—including a callback to Brino’s past suggestion that Annan marry into her family—softening the grim conversation.

Significant themes

• War and survival: Even determined defenders may choose retreat when losses and despair become overwhelming.
• Incomplete knowledge: The fortress defenders and distant strategists interpret the crisis differently because neither sees the whole situation.
• Refuge and belonging: Annan’s welcome to the Minotaurs reflects his effort to build a city where persecuted peoples can live freely.
• Friendship and responsibility: Annan’s personal concern for Tasia leads him to use his political power to help her people.

Key plot points

• Annan decides not to recruit most of the fortress warriors, since they are likely to return to their families. Brino Jana will approach the homeless and those seeking revenge against the Rikaner Kingdom.
• Annan surveys Free City’s new Mage Tower. Lilith will secretly serve as its Tower Spirit while posing as Tower Master; Dean Breichim is named deputy Tower Master. The tower’s combat readiness depends on supplies Ingrid is purchasing.
• The Mage Tower and other projects have drained Free City’s finances. Ingrid reports that theater revenue is also falling because the northern crisis has made wealthy audiences cautious. Annan postpones making another film and relies on theater income instead.
• Annan asks the Old Ancestor to arrange a Holy Temple Council meeting and warns its members that demons are pouring through the breach at Snow Mountain Fortress, whose defenders may withdraw.
• After heated debate, the Council rejects a full third expedition because winter is near. It approves a more limited plan: an investigation of Snow Mountain Fortress led by the Tartun Empire.
• During the meeting, Annan quietly confirms to Hamis VI that a ship is bound for his capital and promises a theater there. He also reveals that he is the Bone King’s informant.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan balances grand ambitions with financial strain and growing frustration at political inaction. He recognizes that his view, too, is shaped by Free City’s interests, yet longs for leaders to act collectively against the demon threat.
• Ingrid serves as the practical counterweight to Annan’s spending, explaining both the budget crisis and the effect of northern instability on entertainment revenue.
• Lilith and Dean Breichim take on leadership roles in the Mage Tower, strengthening Annan’s ties with the dean while positioning Lilith to control the tower.
• The Old Ancestor uses her influence to bring Annan before the Holy Council.
• Hamis VI and Annan share a conspiratorial, friendly exchange beneath the noise of the Council debate; Hamis is startled to learn Annan is the Bone King’s source.
• The Councilors’ competing interests stall a decisive response. The Bone King argues that the people who have actually fought demons should be trusted, but the resulting plan remains cautious.

Significant themes

• Politics versus collective survival: Leaders recognize the danger but prioritize their own interests, producing delay and compromise.
• Pragmatism and responsibility: Annan understands self-interest even as he hopes for unity, and he makes practical choices about recruitment, investment, and entertainment.
• War’s economic ripple effects: Fear of the northern crisis reduces spending and strains Free City’s finances.
• Trust and firsthand knowledge: The Bone King’s defense of the fortress veterans contrasts with the Council’s reliance on advisers’ assumptions.

Chapter 249: Preparing for Battle Again

Key plot points and events

• After the Holy Council’s meeting, Annan learns that its members have only dispatched a Joint Investigation Team to the Fortress, despite the growing threat from the north. Frustrated by their inaction, he decides to focus on protecting Free City and the people close to him rather than relying on distant authorities.
• Annan consults Olmedo, who supports his decision. Before making it public, he enters a nightmare to question the Demon Lord about the force gathering beyond the Snow Mountains.
• In the nightmare, Annan provokes the Demon Lord into revealing that the northern Demon Tide is preparing to attack Allen Continent. He then leaves the dream, having obtained the warning he wanted.
• Annan shares the information with Idelia and Olmedo. Though they cannot verify its source, they choose to prepare as if it is true.
• Free City accelerates construction of its Mage Tower, Arcane Core, and defensive walls. Annan also warns his allies: Girardi fortifies Watchhold, Lady Deepwinter agrees to move her people but favors waiting before acting on the northern threat, and the Old Ancestor accepts Annan’s warning without demanding an explanation.
• As December approaches, the Empire Times reports that the Joint Investigation Team has finally set out.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan shifts from hoping that larger institutions will respond to taking responsibility for Free City’s survival. He uses a calculated performance in the nightmare to manipulate the Demon Lord into giving him information.
• Olmedo backs Annan’s independent course, consistent with her belief that a City Lord must protect her own people.
• Idelia supports Annan and helps him think through the danger, while recognizing that distant crises are easy for people to ignore.
• Girardi responds to Annan’s warning with practical urgency, gathering resources and preparing Watchhold for siege.
• Lady Deepwinter cooperates by relocating her people but remains cautious about committing to further action.
• Annan’s frustration with the Demon Lord spills into a mischievous attempt to tease Faster about Evelyn.

Significant themes

• Local responsibility versus institutional failure: With the Holy Council moving slowly, Annan chooses to act for his city rather than wait for distant powers.
• Preparation amid uncertainty: The warning comes from a dream, but the cost of ignoring a real invasion could be catastrophic, so Free City prepares anyway.
• Trust and alliance: Annan’s warning prompts allies to act according to their own temperaments—from Girardi’s decisive fortification to Lady Deepwinter’s cautious patience.
• Manipulation as survival: Annan turns the Demon Lord’s hostility into an opportunity, using performance and provocation to extract a vital clue.

Key plot points and events

• Winter approaches Free City. Fires and warm clothing keep residents safe, though Minister of Agriculture Dade is troubled by trees being cut for firewood. Annan reassures him that logging is temporary: Free City aims to live in harmony with nature, and the surrounding forest is thriving under Druid and Tree Sprite care.
• Annan worries about the city’s water and sanitation. Mountain springs may dry or freeze in winter, while flushing waste with seawater would pollute Gem Bay and waste fertilizer. He tries to improve relations with the Water Elemental Elder by offering it lemon soda, and continues meditating in hopes that advancing to Elite rank will help solve the problem.
• Free City recruits workers to strengthen its walls. Mages are paid well for basic labor suited to their abilities, while a proud Warrior who initially demands professional work eventually joins the other line. Guards and their muskets help keep the process orderly.
• Watching the recruitment, Annan recalls earlier preparations for battle and the flight from Star-Moon Bay—but believes Free City is better equipped this time, with a much larger population, a Mage Tower, and a powerful neighbor.
• Theaters across several regions call former residents of Breeze City and Star-Moon Bay back together. Annan and Olmedo plan to gather them at Olmedo’s Shelter Cove Town and bring them home by Portal. Joan volunteers to manage the effort, showing how much she has grown through her studies.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan shows both practical concern and long-term ambition: he addresses Dade’s environmental worries, seeks a solution to Free City’s sanitation risks, and prepares for conflict without surrendering to his past fears.
• Dade is reassured when Annan recognizes his concerns and promises that reliance on firewood will not be permanent.
• Annan and the Water Elemental Elder build rapport through repeated gifts of soda; the Elder enjoys the drink, suggesting their relationship may strengthen.
• Joan has transformed from an insecure pretender into a capable, polished young woman. By volunteering, she takes responsibility for helping former residents return.
• The city’s Mages and ordinary workers cooperate in the mobilization, while Guards provide a visible check on trouble. The Warrior’s reaction highlights how unusual it is for Mages to accept common labor.

Significant themes

• Preparation versus past trauma: Annan recognizes familiar signs of impending danger, but believes Free City has resources and strength that earlier settlements lacked.
• Community and responsibility: The city mobilizes its residents, while Annan and Olmedo act on their obligation to people they once evacuated.
• Sustainable growth: Free City’s development brings immediate environmental costs, which Annan promises to address over time.
• Transformation and opportunity: Joan’s rise and the Mages’ willingness to work show how people’s roles and prospects can change in the new city.

Plot points

• Free City decides to keep its army at six thousand soldiers rather than expand it further, while training residents to use Magic Muskets.
• The city’s Pantheon is completed, though most people remain focused on everyday needs and few visit.
• Annan takes a statue of the Spider Queen to the Pantheon, intending to place it there for Della, a Dark Elf who worships her. He and Francois discuss whether the gods can still observe the mortal world during the Year of Turmoil.
• At the Pantheon, Annan startles Silly Cat by bringing the Spider Queen’s statue near her. Silly Cat flees, then narrowly avoids being crushed by a falling flowerpot.
• A mysterious force sweeps Silly Cat into Annan’s study, where she confronts the spider in Little Spider’s jar. The spider repeats, “Kill me,” then threatens to kill Silly Cat if she does not.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan remains irreverent toward divine authority: irritated that the gods receive a grand temple despite doing nothing for Free City, he even pokes the Spider Queen’s statue to test Francois’s fears. Still, he provides space for Della’s faith.
• Francois is more cautious and uneasy around the Spider Queen’s image, worrying that the gods may be able to watch the world even if they cannot intervene.
• Silly Cat is revealed to fear the Spider Queen intensely. Her comic flight turns into genuine alarm when she is apparently targeted, and she discovers that Little Spider’s voice has become threatening.
• Little Spider shifts from a quiet creature in its jar to a hostile, desperate presence, suggesting a serious and possibly supernatural crisis.

Themes

• Practical needs versus religion: Free City’s residents prioritize food and shelter over the newly completed Pantheon.
• Doubt about divine power: The gods’ silence leaves characters uncertain whether they are absent, watching, or still dangerous.
• Comedy giving way to menace: Annan’s teasing and Silly Cat’s panic initially create humor, but Little Spider’s final threat turns the scene ominous.

Plot points

• Della’s unwavering Dark Elf devotion means she will do anything for the Spider Goddess, Lolth—except kill her. Lolth is consequently trapped in the vulnerable body of a spider in a jar, unable to retaliate freely without Annan noticing.
• Lolth repeatedly tells Della to kill her, while Silly Cat mocks her and refuses. Their struggle turns into a petty stalemate: Silly Cat will not kill Lolth, and Lolth cannot let Silly Cat die without risking discovery by the “Old Ancestor.”
• Silly Cat’s confidence grows as she taunts the imprisoned goddess, but Lolth retaliates through a string of apparent accidents: a runaway wagon, falling debris, a Mage, a drunk, and other hazards.
• Silly Cat finds temporary safety in Annan’s arms, though he remains unaware that Lolth is behind the attacks. Lolth is even bolder when Silly Cat is near Lily.
• After three days of torment, Silly Cat agrees to Lolth’s demand that she “kill herself,” but first asks why, wary of a curse that might kill whoever actually kills Lolth.

Character developments and interactions

• Silly Cat shifts from feeling superior to Lolth to recognizing that the goddess can make her life miserable despite being physically trapped. Her fear and exhaustion eventually make her negotiate.
• Lolth/Little Spider is humiliated by her helplessness and tormented by unwanted feelings of affection and dependence toward Annan. She compensates by scheming against Silly Cat.
• Della remains a loyal worshipper, reinforcing the limits on Lolth’s ability to act openly.
• Annan cares for Silly Cat—cleaning her and paying for damage after she reaches him—but does not realize she is being targeted.
• Silly Cat and Lolth trade threats, taunts, and small victories, while their shared caution about Annan and the Old Ancestor keeps their conflict from becoming direct.

Significant themes

• Power and vulnerability: A goddess in a tiny spider’s body can still influence events, while a seemingly confident cat is exposed to danger.
• Faith and obedience: Della’s devotion is absolute, yet it restricts even the goddess she serves.
• Affection as weakness: Lolth resents the feelings and dependence she experiences around Annan.
• Comic rivalry and survival: Their divine conflict plays out through insults, pranks, and near-fatal mishaps rather than open battle.

Plot points

• Silly Cat follows an unseen, chilly current to Annan’s study, where he meets Little Spider, who lives inside a glass bottle. Annan explains that she was his first pet and has been confined for her own safety after she stopped obeying.
• The Spider Queen, trapped in Little Spider’s body, secretly urges Silly Cat to kill her. He refuses, distrustful of her motives, and asks why she is trapped. She claims that her descent into the mortal realm went wrong and that Little Spider’s own mind is resisting her control.
• The Spider Queen says she cannot strengthen or alter the body without also strengthening Little Spider. She also warns that a powerful being in the Garden would kill her if she acted recklessly. Silly Cat agrees only to create an opportunity—not to kill Little Spider himself.
• Annan lets Little Spider out of the bottle under supervision. Lily watches her while Annan relaxes with a book. Little Spider tries to escape through a gap by the windowsill, but Lily blocks her, and Little Spider’s attack leaves her with fur in her eyes.

Character developments and interactions

• Silly Cat is wary of the Spider Queen and resists being manipulated, but he remains willing to help cautiously. He also pretends to be friendly with Little Spider so Annan will not suspect anything.
• Little Spider / the Spider Queen briefly cooperates with Silly Cat, concealing her hostility beneath a show of curiosity. Little Spider’s independent will remains a major obstacle to the Queen’s plans.
• Annan shows affection and concern for Little Spider, wanting to give her a better habitat while keeping her safe. He mistakes the Spider Queen’s whispers for mosquitoes and is charmed by the pets’ apparent friendliness.
• Lily acts as a cheerful, effective guard. She treats Little Spider kindly but repeatedly stops her from escaping, frustrating the spider.

Significant themes

• Hidden identities and deception: The pets’ apparent friendliness masks intense distrust and conflicting intentions.
• Control and autonomy: The Spider Queen cannot fully command the body she inhabits, while Annan’s efforts to protect Little Spider also restrict her freedom.
• Power and vulnerability: Even divine beings may be weakened or threatened after entering the mortal world, especially by the mysterious force in the Garden.
• Comic contrast: The Spider Queen’s grand, sinister ambitions are undercut by domestic scenes of cats supervising a tiny spider—and by her failed escape attempt.

Key plot points and events

• Joan travels to Lewenttu to recruit former residents displaced by the fall of the Northern Kingdom. With the City Lord’s permission, she promises they can settle in Free City, bring their families, and find work. She avoids discussing the northern crisis to prevent panic.
• Joan uses Magic Stones and a film screening, along with warm clothes, soup, and shelter from the cold, to reassure prospective migrants. Registration begins slowly, with 723 people signing up on the first day.
• At a banquet hosted by Lewenttu’s officials, Joan maintains her invented identity as a princess of the Rikaner Kingdom. Former knight Klein arrives and asks whether Annan will fight the Ratfolk. Joan cannot promise his immediate decision, but assures her that Annan remains determined to reclaim the Northern Frontier. Klein decides to travel to Free City.
• Meanwhile, Annan faces a serious shortage of money as the crisis increases Free City’s expenses. After Olmedo suggests expanding trade in the Southlands, Annan decides to travel there at New Year, after finishing his remaining duties.

Character developments and interactions

• Joan shows her characteristic theatrical flair and persuasive skill, adapting her story to win trust while carefully protecting Annan’s reputation and avoiding political trouble. Her recruitment speech reconnects refugees with memories of their former homes.
• Klein reveals her loyalty to Annan and her willingness to join the struggle. Her encounter with Joan turns her from a visitor seeking information into a prospective recruit.
• Annan is shown balancing his ambition to reclaim the North against Free City’s practical needs. He is open to Olmedo’s advice and begins planning a Southlands journey to raise funds.
• The former residents’ exchanges—with Joan and among themselves—show their varied circumstances: some long for home, while others have established families and livelihoods in Lewenttu.

Significant themes

• Displacement and belonging: Refugees must weigh returning to a new home against the lives they have built elsewhere.
• Leadership and loyalty: Annan’s former people still look to him as their king, and Klein is ready to follow him into danger.
• Hope through practical care: Joan’s promises are backed by food, clothing, warmth, and a clear route to resettlement.
• The costs of rebuilding: Free City’s expanding responsibilities make money a pressing concern, forcing Annan to balance ideals with economic realities.

Key plot points and events

• After the banquet, Joan learns about Klein’s past, while Klein discovers that Joan has been pretending to be a princess. Klein explains that the Betrayer destroyed her family in Rikaner; she escaped to the Dimon Kingdom and has spent the past year training.
• Klein recalls her time with Annan’s mercenary group, including Michael and Francois. She and Joan discuss Annan, but Klein remains guarded and does not ask about Joan’s deception.
• Klein keeps watch outside Joan’s room. Concerned for her, Joan persuades her to stay inside, though Klein refuses to remove her armor until she reaches Master Level.
• Joan’s public role as a Rikaner princess draws attention. After three days of publicity, three thousand former citizens—mostly poor, ordinary people—sign up to leave for Shelter Cove Town. Joan spots someone familiar in the crowd, but the person disappears.
• The Bert Brothers finish Dream Princess. Though Annan likes the film, audiences initially distrust another production associated with him, and ticket sales are slow. Noble fans eventually help its box office recover.
• Annan gives the Bert Brothers three more scripts—Nightmare Leila, Nightmare Evelyn, and Nightmare Olmedo—inspired by ideas borrowed from the Demon Lord.

Character developments and interactions

• Klein reveals the grief and hatred behind her disciplined, armored exterior. Her vigilance shows that she takes Joan’s safety seriously, while her reluctance to open up persists.
• Joan is eager to connect with Klein and tries to care for her, but she also uses her “princess” status to persuade Klein to accept protection.
• Annan is now far more famous and influential than Klein realized: he has multiple films, inventions, and an imperial title. His cameo in Dream Princess also gives its bittersweet ending a softer touch.
• The Bert Brothers are anxious about whether their film will satisfy Annan, but his new scripts reassure them.

Significant themes

• Loss and survival: Klein’s ruined homeland and the struggling former citizens show the lasting human cost of the Betrayer’s actions.
• Identity and performance: Joan’s invented princess persona becomes entangled with real political danger and public belief.
• Fame and public trust: Annan’s growing influence both promotes Free City and makes audiences suspicious of anything connected to him.
• Protection and guardedness: Joan reaches out to Klein, while Klein’s armor and silence reflect how difficult it is for her to accept closeness.

Key plot points and events

• Annan welcomes the Champion Knight, Leo Swordedge, and Brino Jana to Free City, hoping to offer the Northern Frontier’s defenders a chance to begin new lives.
• He shows them the city’s thriving streets, defenses, Mage Tower, Arcane Core, and disciplined Musketeers. Leo is especially moved by the peaceful, welcoming community and its children.
• Annan explains that Free City was founded less than a year earlier and now has six thousand soldiers. Leo is impressed but says he can speak only for himself.
• Before returning to the fortress, Leo accepts four Magic Stones for its soldiers. Tasia promises to bring her people to Free City when the time comes to retreat; Brino Jana admits she is reluctant to leave Annan.
• Three days later, fifty injured or disabled veterans arrive from the fortress, believing their transfer may be a test. Annan welcomes them, valuing their combat experience even if they can no longer fight.
• A second delegation of Elf Envoys arrives, creating mutual respect between the Elves and the veteran soldiers. The Elf Mentor, Irilanze, has completed her spell and greets Annan with renewed warmth.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan presents Free City as a practical refuge rather than a political takeover, demonstrating its safety and strength. His concern for the veterans is sincere.
• Leo Swordedge moves from skepticism to admiration after seeing the city and its people. Removing his helmet and giving his name marks a more personal trust, though he commits only on his own behalf.
• Brino Jana is captivated by a world far removed from the fortress and feels renewed hope and attachment to Annan.
• Tasia remains close to Annan and agrees to bring her people when they must withdraw.
• Olmedo receives Leo’s recognition for supporting the fortress, while Annan’s team—including Luoxi and Ingrid—helps demonstrate the city’s resources and organization.
• The arrival of the veterans and Elves establishes a new relationship of respect between people who have fought demons and those willing to settle alongside them.

Significant themes

• Peace and renewal: Free City offers a life beyond endless frontier warfare.
• Trust earned through action: Annan persuades Leo by showing what the city has achieved, not merely by making promises.
• Value beyond physical strength: The injured veterans remain useful through their knowledge and experience.
• Cross-cultural belonging: Humans, Orcs, Elves, and others can share a community built on mutual respect.

Key plot points and events

• Annan’s Mana Vortex is nearly full, and he reviews what he has learned about advancement: becoming an Elite requires a dangerous transformation in which a Spellcaster’s consciousness joins with Magic Power. Failure can have serious consequences.
• After entering the Dream Princess’s realm, Annan tries to announce that he is leaving for the Southlands. The Demon Lord responds by reshaping the dream into a nightmare starring Annan, including an unpleasantly vivid image of Olmedo’s toes.
• With Lilith’s help, Annan attempts to advance in the Mage Tower. His soul is pulled into the Mana Vortex, where it is strained and reshaped by a powerful surge. He emerges with a new, intimate awareness of Magic Power and successfully becomes an Elite.
• Annan leaves to share the news. On the snowy streets, people who meet his gaze become distracted and suffer mishaps. At the City Lord’s Mansion, Leila and Olmedo also react with embarrassment and avoid looking at him.
• Olmedo directs Annan to a mirror. His appearance is subtly more refined, but his eyes have become strikingly deep and captivating. The Magic Mirror confirms that Annan is now the fairest in Free City.

Character developments and interactions

• Annan moves from anticipating advancement to successfully becoming an Elite. He gains a heightened perception of Magic Power, while also discovering that his new appearance has an unexpectedly disruptive effect on others.
• Lilith supports Annan through the night, lending him the Tower Spirit’s enhancement and holding his hand during the ritual. She insists she is merely his servant, but Annan corrects her and calls her his friend.
• Leila hurriedly avoids Annan after noticing his changed appearance, despite his ordinary concern for her safety.
• Olmedo recognizes that Annan has advanced and prompts him to inspect himself. Her own flushed reaction reflects how powerfully his new eyes affect people.
• The Dream Princess/Demon Lord remains mischievous and hostile, turning Annan’s attempt to communicate into a personalized nightmare.

Significant themes

• Transformation through magic: Advancement is both a perilous ordeal and a profound change in one’s relationship with Magic Power.
• Preparation and support: Annan’s knowledge, determination, and Lilith’s assistance help him face a process that could otherwise be dangerous.
• Power’s unintended consequences: Annan’s new status brings enhanced perception, but his altered presence also distracts and unsettles those around him.
• Humor amid danger: The chapter balances the intensity of Annan’s advancement with comic reactions, the Demon Lord’s antics, and the mirror’s matter-of-fact verdict.