Chapter Summaries

After awakening memories of his past life, Herbert resented being bound by the Holy Knight’s Oath of Purity but decided to stay at the Misty Monastery and train for now. He realized his earlier exile followed a likely honey trap that framed him for trying to defile Princess Felia.

• Herbert recalled that breaking his Oath of Purity would bring devastating divine backlash, so he planned to endure it for the time being.
• Herbert decided against escaping the monastery and chose to continue his training despite intending to break his oath someday.
• Herbert remembered that he had been exiled to the monastery after royal guards arrested him for allegedly trying to defile Princess Felia.
• Herbert reconsidered his childhood friend Felia’s silence and concluded that someone had deliberately framed him with a honey trap.

Herbert began his assignment as warden of the Misty Monastery, where he had to reform dangerous nonhuman prisoners to earn the monastery’s Holy Knight teachings. After facing Valentina Demonflame, he left her cell shaken by her dragon might and uncertain how he could reform the prisoners deeper inside.

• Herbert decided not to hurry back to the Royal Capital to investigate the plot against him, focusing instead on gaining the Misty Monastery’s teachings.
• The monastery assigned Herbert the difficult task of reforming its dangerous nonhuman prisoners.
• Valentina Demonflame tried to persuade Herbert to free her by promising to help him take revenge on those who had humiliated him.
• Herbert told Valentina he was going to eat a hot meal, then left her cell while she shouted after him.
• Outside the cell, Herbert struggled to recover from Valentina’s dragon might and wondered how he could reform the prisoners.

Herbert discovered that a monk had violated his oath through an encounter with a grass carp and wondered whether relationships with other races could evade the vows. After abandoning that dangerous idea and focusing on getting stronger, he nearly stepped outside after midnight, but his Holy Mark stopped him.

• Herbert found a dead grass carp in the kitchen and realized the monastery's dinner was stewed fish, so he avoided the meal.
• Herbert suspected that breaking an oath with a nonhuman might not count as a violation, then found case histories showing that oathbreakers had died or been executed.
• Herbert set aside his plan to exploit the loophole and resolved to prioritize paladin training and getting stronger.
• Herbert nearly opened his door to go outside, but pain from his Holy Mark stopped him as the clock passed midnight.

Herbert discovered that the presence sealed beneath the Misty Monastery had taken control of his left hand and was communicating with him. After he challenged the self-proclaimed evil god’s legitimacy, it knocked him unconscious and subjected him to a bizarre dream.

• Herbert realized that an entity was controlling his left hand and writing to him in unfamiliar languages.
• The entity prevented Herbert from calling for help or leaving, so he exchanged insults with it on paper.
• Herbert asked what the entity wanted, and it warned him about bargaining with an evil god.
• Herbert questioned whether the entity was a genuine evil god, and it promised to show him its terror firsthand.
• The entity made Herbert fall asleep, and he dreamed of alluring women who transformed into Magical Beast girls, including goblins.

After waking from a nightmare, Herbert discovered that an unknown Evil God had marked his soul with a blessing and chose to keep it secret rather than report himself to the Penitents. When he returned to the Prison, Valentina stopped cursing him after noticing that he smelled unusually good.

• Herbert woke from a nightmare and realized the pink heart-shaped mark was an Evil God's blessing etched into his soul.
• Herbert weighed reporting the blessing to the Monastery against risking death or imprisonment, then decided to offer his loyalty to the unknown Evil God.
• When the Evil God did not respond, Herbert burned their chat history and returned to his post at the Prison.
• Valentina unleashed a night’s worth of curses at Herbert, who had blocked them out with makeshift earplugs.
• Valentina abruptly stopped ranting, sniffed Herbert, and exclaimed that he smelled good.

Herbert visited Valentina and tested whether she could detect a change in him, which led to teasing and a veiled warning from her. He continued into the prison’s second zone, where a mermaid revealed what had happened to a previous warden and asked whether he thought she was pretty.

• Herbert realized that Valentina's unusual interest in his scent might be connected to his demon mark and the Evil God's blessing.
• Herbert teased Valentina about not having eaten for centuries, but she refused to turn around or respond beyond snorting.
• Valentina finally turned to warn Herbert to leave if he was scared, and Herbert wondered whether she was concerned about him.
• Herbert entered the prison's second zone and met a mermaid who said an angel had frightened the previous warden into fleeing.
• The mermaid asked Herbert whether he thought she was pretty, and he said that he did.

Herbert resisted Freme Kya’s attempt to charm and lure him, while beneath the Misty Monastery the Archbishop guarded the awakened Profane Prayer Statue. At midnight, Herbert’s hand moved on its own as he tested whether a Pen Fairy would answer him.

• Freme Kya invited Herbert closer, but he said he had no fish tank large enough to keep her in.
• Herbert recognized Freme Kya as the Sea Monster responsible for drowning sailors and fishermen, and she awkwardly denied planning to drown him.
• The Archbishop learned that the deity sealed in the Profane Prayer Statue had awakened twice and sent the Rusty Nail Bishop away before declaring he would stop its schemes.
• At midnight, Herbert recited a ritual to contact the Pen Fairy, and his left hand drew a perfect circle on the paper.

After discovering that his Purity Blessing had made him immune to the Lament Siren Princess’s charm, Herbert confronted the Harmonic God about its goals and what it would offer him. He argued that the sealed god needed his help more than he needed the god’s, and ended by asking whether he now had the right to negotiate.

• Herbert told the Harmonic God that the Lament Siren Princess’s charm had failed, and the god pointed out that his Purity Blessing had protected him.
• Herbert asked the Harmonic God to discuss its objective, what it wanted him to do, and what compensation it could offer.
• The Harmonic God challenged Herbert’s right to negotiate, but Herbert said the god was the one who needed something and was trapped by a seal.
• Herbert explained that the Harmonic God had not known about his encounter with the Sea Monster or what he had been thinking, showing that the god was neither omniscient nor impossible to resist.
• Herbert asked the Harmonic God whether he had the right to negotiate.

Herbert confronted the Evil God and negotiated over the blessing she had placed on him, refusing to accept being controlled. The Evil God acknowledged him as a worthy partner and invited him to help break her shackles in exchange for an equal reward, revealing that her name was Nenasya.

• Herbert challenged the Evil God to speak honestly and demanded to know what she wanted from him and what she would offer in return.
• Herbert demanded that the Evil God become his slave and threatened to turn himself in to the Archbishop if she refused.
• The Evil God recognized Herbert's ambition and said he believed only in himself, then spoke to him directly for the first time.
• The Evil God invited Herbert to become her pact-bound partner and help her break free of her shackles in exchange for an equal reward.
• Herbert asked the Evil God for her name, and she told him he could call her Nenasya.

Herbert learned that becoming Nenasya’s pact bearer had not corrupted him, though she had granted him an ability that made Magical Beasts irresistibly attracted to him. He realized he would need to approach the powerful beasts trapped in the monastery to obtain materials and Nenasya’s help, leaving him to plan how to survive them.

• Herbert tested his strength and complained that Nenasya had not given him any abilities.
• Nenasya explained that Herbert had not fallen into corruption and argued that the commandments against evil gods and Magical Beasts were chains imposed on humanity.
• Nenasya revealed that she had given Herbert unparalleled charm that would attract Magical Beasts and help him approach and enslave them.
• Herbert objected that the powerful Magical Beasts in the monastery could easily overpower him, so Nenasya offered to help if he brought her their body parts.
• Herbert recognized that partnering with Nenasya could lead him to commit all three of the ascetic order’s great sins, and began considering how to deal with the beasts.

Herbert brought Valentina honey-glazed skewers and used her delight in the food to make her feel indebted to him. Valentina eagerly accepted his offer of regular meals, but paused when she realized it came with a condition.

• Herbert returned to the prison and tried to get Valentina's attention with meat skewers he had prepared.
• Valentina turned around at the smell of the meat and eagerly devoured the skewers, even biting through the wooden sticks.
• Herbert privately admitted he had exaggerated how much Valentina's warning had helped him, hoping to make her feel that helping him brought rewards.
• Valentina asked Herbert what he had put in the skewers, and he explained that he had added onions and spices.
• Herbert offered to bring Valentina food regularly if she stopped swearing, and she agreed before catching on to the condition.

Herbert lures the imprisoned Valentina into admitting she wants more grilled skewers by pretending he will give them to someone else. Valentina accepts the food despite suspecting his scheme, and Herbert makes no demands before offering it.

• Valentina insists that neither Herbert nor his skewers can make her bow, then discovers she has eaten the first box empty.
• Herbert offers Valentina another box of skewers, but she claims she is not hungry and refuses to take them.
• Herbert says he will give the food to someone else, prompting Valentina to cough and offer to help him eat it.
• Herbert pushes the skewers to the bars without asking anything in return, and Valentina prepares to eat them.

Herbert tried to build a friendship with the imprisoned dragon Valentina by offering food and asking her to stop swearing. After Valentina accepted, Herbert took a risky step toward her, then went to greet Miss Freime.

• Herbert offered Valentina grilled meat and asked her to stop swearing in exchange for more food.
• Herbert said he hoped they could become friends, prompting Valentina to reflect on her past and agree to friendship.
• Herbert joked about making their friendship official in writing, then introduced himself again and offered Valentina his hand.
• Herbert left the second area, relieved that his risky gesture had worked, and greeted Miss Freime.

Herbert harassed Freime until she emerged from hiding, then used the prison’s sealing formation to leave her weakened and unable to speak. He restored the magic and sound before she was seriously harmed, and Freime acknowledged his cleverness with bitter sarcasm.

• Herbert repeatedly prodded Freime’s water sphere and talked at her until she emerged in anger.
• Freime shrieked, but the prison’s sealing formation silenced her, burst her sphere, and left her weak on the floor as it drained her magic.
• Herbert watched Freime suffer without intervening, treating her malice toward him as grounds for a small punishment.
• Herbert raised his Holy Mark and released the seal, restoring sound and magic to the prison.
• Freime rebuilt her water sphere and sarcastically praised Herbert, who thanked her with a smile.

Herbert confronted Freime after the Sealing Array stopped, revealed that he could only control it briefly, and tried to establish a more direct relationship with her. Freime became flustered by his sincere-sounding compliments, while a voice in the third sector announced that the diverted magic had created an opportunity.

• Freime studied Herbert and sensed that his calm, deceitful confidence differed from how he had acted before.
• Herbert told Freime that she had hated him first and argued that neither of them needed to pretend to be friendly.
• Herbert showed Freime his Holy Marks and admitted that he could control the Sealing Array only briefly.
• Herbert complimented Freime and insisted that his admiration was pure, leaving her blushing and flustered.
• A voice in the third sector said the magic had been drawn away and that the long-awaited opportunity had arrived.

Herbert explored the Lightless Prison and realized its strange restrictions were targeting him, while an unseen presence watched him from the darkness. He left to report the disturbance, and the watcher found him amusing.

• Herbert entered the Lightless Prison but could neither find the prisoners nor reach the next section, repeatedly ending up where he started.
• Herbert concluded that the prison’s laws had changed and decided to retreat, but stopped because leaving without a show would bother him.
• Herbert tested the boundary of the darkness, extinguished his lantern and Holy Mark, and sensed someone watching him.
• Herbert reignited his Holy Mark, waved at the darkness, and left, while an unseen watcher chuckled at his departure.
• Herbert admitted he did not understand the changes and decided to report the problem.

Herbert collected Freime’s rainbow scale as a gift and tested his control of the Sealing Array while speaking with Valentina. He left the prison after deciding to cut Valentina’s tangled hair the next day, hoping to collect it as another material.

• Herbert asked Freime for a rainbow scale as symbolic compensation, and she gave him one after making him promise not to do anything weird with it.
• Herbert acquired the Legendary Sea Monster’s Rainbow Scale and celebrated before Valentina questioned his strange laughter.
• Herbert told Valentina that he had tested his control of the Sealing Array and that it still worked, though it strained him.
• Valentina asked about the prison’s rules, but Herbert did not understand what she meant, and she soon grew sleepy.
• Herbert insisted that he would cut Valentina’s hair the next day, intending to collect it as material, then left the prison.

Herbert tried to eat a Rainbow Scale after Nenasya explained that he could absorb mana from Magical Beast materials, but his attempts to bite and cut it failed. Nenasya used his blood to make the scale dissolve into him, and Herbert experienced a vision of an ocean and heard an ancient song.

• Herbert argued with Nenasya after learning about absorbing mana by eating Magical Beast materials, then tried to bite the Rainbow Scale and found it too hard.
• Herbert tested ways to prepare the scale, ignored Nenasya, and unsuccessfully tried to cut it with his sword.
• Herbert inhaled the powder from the scale and began coughing, so Nenasya took control of his hand and made him bleed onto it.
• The Rainbow Scale dissolved into bloody mist and rushed into Herbert's throat, leaving him with a brief burning sensation followed by a cool, refreshing feeling.
• Herbert found himself in a vast ocean and heard an ancient song whose meaning he could understand.

Herbert woke after receiving the Sea Monster Queen's Longing, a curse that granted him water-related abilities without changing his appearance. Realizing the talent might validate his agreement with Valentina, he went to the prison the next day and tried to wake her with a chicken drumstick.

• Herbert woke from a vision of the Sea Monster Queen's ancient love story and asked Nenasya what he had seen.
• Nenasya explained that the Sea Monster Queen's Longing protected Herbert underwater, resisted mental manipulation, and made ocean creatures fond of him, while its transformation effects were negated by his blessings.
• Herbert and Nenasya discussed Nenasya's belief that love was a curse, and Herbert argued that not every calamity came from love.
• Herbert realized that the scale's effects might mean he really had to eat Valentina's hair under their agreement.
• The next day, Herbert approached the sleeping Valentina in her prison cell and waved a chicken drumstick under her nose, waking her.

Herbert woke Valentina with roasted chicken and coaxed her into eating instead of arguing. Afterward, Valentina let him cut her hair, and his gentle attention stirred unfamiliar feelings in her.

• Valentina woke furious at Herbert, but he distracted her by feeding her roasted chicken drumsticks until she finished four.
• Valentina took the last drumstick by hand, then leaned back to signal that Herbert should cut her hair as they had agreed.
• Herbert washed his hands, brought his tools, and gently combed Valentina’s hair through the bars.
• Herbert asked whether anyone had cut Valentina’s hair before, and she said no.
• Herbert told Valentina he felt honored to be the first person to care for her hair, making her feel strangely flustered.
• Valentina accepted his attention with a coy huff, and Herbert teased her about acting like a tsundere.