Chapter Summaries

Duke Calvin reflected on the Empire’s purge of old noble houses as he considered the political importance of Louis and Emily Edmond’s newly settled betrothal. Unable to travel to the Northern Frontier without provoking the emperor or weakening his hold on the Southeast, he chose a dependable representative to handle the wedding arrangements.

• News of Joseph’s execution and the Caradi Family’s purge spread through the Imperial Capital, alarming the old nobles.
• Duke Calvin considered how the emperor’s policies were dismantling old noble houses and elevating his own trusted followers.
• Calvin recognized Louis and Emily Edmond’s betrothal as an alliance between two old houses seeking to protect themselves.
• Calvin concluded he could not attend the wedding in person because the emperor might view his visit as a challenge and his absence could endanger his control of the Southeast.
• Calvin chose a dependable figure to represent him in the Northern Frontier wedding arrangements.

Louis woke and checked the Intelligence System, learning that his wedding to Emily had been set for July 12 and that a Silver-Masked Mage team would be attacked near Cold Fir Fief. He ordered Lambert to prepare the knights for an inspection so he could find the injured survivor and investigate the threat.

• Louis woke to Sif's call and checked the Intelligence System.
• Louis learned that his marriage to Emily had been set for July 12 and that Baron Courtney planned to accuse him before Governor Duke Edmund.
• Louis read that two members of a Silver-Masked Mage team would die and the survivor, Leihill, would take shelter in a cave near Cold Fir Fief.
• Louis decided to find Leihill and investigate the creature that attacked the mages.
• Louis told Lambert to prepare the Elite Knight Order and the Official Knights for an inspection of Cold Fir Fief.

Silver-Masked Mages Leichir, Modi, and Flavia were attacked by insect-controlled warriors in the Northern Frontier, and the assault turned Flavia against her companions. After Modi died and Leichir fled with insects invading his body, he collapsed in a cave and heard an unknown person ask if he was all right.

• Leichir, Modi, and Flavia camped in the Northern Frontier while searching for traces of Archmage Jurgen Loken, then noticed strange figures approaching through the forest.
• The three mages fought the Insect Warriors, but one burst an insect sac over Flavia, infecting her and leaving her under the hive mind's control.
• Flavia killed Modi with a spell, and Leichir realized she and the remaining Insect Warriors were acting as part of a hive mind.
• An Insect Warrior wounded Leichir with corrosive mucus and insects, so he sealed his meridians and escaped into a hidden cave using a Displacement Spell.
• Leichir spent a day and a night suppressing the insects until they fell still, then lost consciousness after hearing someone ask if he was all right.

Louis and his knights rescued the gravely wounded mage Leichir from a cavern, then continued to the Cold Fir Fief for his first visit. The people welcomed Louis with fervent gratitude, and he urged them to work hard and build their lives as spring arrived.

• Louis led his knights into a cavern near Cold Fir Ridge, where they found the wounded mage Leichir lying in a pool of green liquid.
• Lambert warned Louis to keep his distance, and knights gave Leichir two Life Potions before carrying him away while he remained unconscious.
• Louis continued toward the Cold Fir Fief, determined to inspect the territory and hold its officials accountable if his policies had failed.
• The residents of the Cold Fir Fief gathered to welcome Louis, remembering how he and his people had saved them during the winter and the plague.
• Louis told the crowd that their survival came from their own strength and asked them to work diligently for their families and the fief as spring began.

Louis reviewed Cold Fir Fief’s recovery, praised and rewarded its officials, then consulted his Chinese notebook to plan how to develop the fief’s resources. He left the chapter preparing to turn local materials and foods into building supplies and a commercial supply chain.

• Louis entrusted the critically injured mage to Cold Fir Fief’s medical staff and ordered them to notify him when the mage woke.
• Cold Fir’s officials reported that farming was about to begin, refugee deaths had stayed below ten percent, the population was nearing one thousand, and security, livestock, roads, and schooling were progressing.
• Louis praised the officials and gave each of them ten gold coins in recognition of their work.
• The mayor led Louis to Cold Fir Town’s finest residence, where Louis dismissed everyone and opened his Chinese notebook.
• Louis reviewed notes on Cold Fir’s stone, fir timber, berries, mountain plums, and Frostscale Fish, and planned to use them for a castle, preserved foods, and trade through the Calvin Trading Company.

Louis organized Cold Fir Fief’s resources into production plans and led a team to relocate an Azure-Pattern Bee Swarm. The bees accepted a new hive, which the Knights carried to a temporary apiary on the fief’s southern slope.

• Louis identified Azure-Pattern Bee honey and Frostblood Redberries as ingredients for a Knight-training supplement he wanted to produce for Red Tide Fief.
• Louis surveyed Cold Fir Fief and ordered workshops, orchards, fishing, and resource extraction to make use of its local resources.
• Louis told the mayor he would personally handle the secluded Southern Forest Valley, then entered it with a group of Knights.
• Louis used Silco’s Frost-Scent Lure to calm the Azure-Pattern Bees and draw them toward a prepared wooden hive.
• The queen entered the new hive, the swarm followed, and Louis ordered the Knights to carry it to Cold Fir Fief’s southern slope.

Louis stabilized the Azure-Pattern Bee Swarm in the Cold Fir Fief, harvested its first battle aura honey, and transported the bees and the wounded Leichir to the Red Tide Fief. Leichir woke on the journey and thanked Louis, but his memories remained muddled as Louis asked what had happened.

• Louis and the knights adjusted the hives, calming mist, and nesting arrangements until three Azure-Pattern Bee colonies settled without further self-destruction.
• Louis tasted the first harvest of battle aura honey and decided the bees should be moved to the Red Tide Fief for protection.
• Louis prepared a sealed transport carriage and left the Cold Fir Fief with the three hives and the still-unconscious Leichir.
• After three days, Louis's convoy reached Tulou castle, where a knight reported that Leichir had awakened.
• Leichir introduced himself and thanked Louis for saving his life, then struggled with muddled memories as Louis asked what had happened.

Leichir told Louis that insect-controlled corpse puppets had attacked his mage squad near the territory, and Louis suspected the threat was connected to the foretold crisis. The group continued toward the Red Tide Fief as Louis sent Elite Knights to investigate the attack site.

• Louis asked Leichir what had happened, and Leichir revealed that he was a mage investigating unusual signs.
• Leichir explained that rotting corpse puppets controlled by insects had attacked his squad and that the insects could invade minds and control their hosts.
• Louis realized the creatures were active near his borders and ordered Leichir to rest.
• Louis told Lambert to send two Elite Knights to investigate the cave cautiously and withdraw if they found anything unusual.
• Leichir warned Louis that the creatures were not afraid of death before losing consciousness, and the carriage continued toward the Red Tide Fief.

Louis returned to the Red Tide Fief, settled the transported Azure-Pattern Bees and wounded Leichir, and received letters confirming his marriage alliance with Emily Edmond. After replying to his father and Duke Edmund, he told Bradley to begin preparing for the July 12 wedding and considered how the alliance could strengthen his authority and link the Northern Frontier with the south.

• Louis returned to the Red Tide Fief, where Bradley welcomed him and the Azure-Pattern Bees were taken to their breeding site while Leichir was brought to the infirmary.
• Bradley gave Louis letters from Duke Calvin and Duke Edmund, both confirming that Louis and Emily Edmond would marry on July 12 in a discreet ceremony.
• Louis learned that his third elder brother would represent Duke Calvin at the wedding and wrote a reply promising to meet him properly.
• Louis read Duke Edmund's letter praising his achievements and asking him to treat Emily as a partner, then replied that she would be his partner in life.
• Louis told Bradley that the marriage alliance was finalized and ordered him to prepare a dignified but simple wedding.
• Louis considered how marrying Emily could establish his legitimacy in the Northern Frontier and connect its resources with the Calvin family's southern trade network.

Louis investigated the strange, apparently erased battlefield where Leichir and two Silver-Masked Mages had fought the Insect Corpses, then decided to warn Duke Edmund. As Leichir remained unable to use magic while recovering in the Red Tide Fief, Louis asked him to teach him magic.

• Louis ordered Bradley to oversee the Azure-Pattern Bee Swarm's honey production and later develop a knight supplement with Silco.
• A returning knight told Louis that the battlefield near Cold Fir Ridge had no bodies or blood, but showed precise, corrosive damage and an unnatural stench.
• Louis ordered Lambert to expand the search and patrols, warned knights to withdraw from anything suspicious, and planned to report the danger to Duke Edmund without revealing everything about Leichir.
• Leichir rode through the Red Tide Fief in a wheelchair, still unable to use magic or contact his companions, and noticed the cheerful lives of its residents.
• Louis told Leichir that the searchers had found neither his companions nor the Insect Corpses, and Leichir feared his companions might still be alive.
• Louis asked Leichir to teach him magic, surprising the recovering mage.

Louis asked Leichir to teach him magic, then demonstrated extraordinary talent by sensing magical power and casting spells soon after learning the basics. Leichir began giving him increasingly frequent lessons, convinced Louis could become a powerful mage, while Louis continued to conceal the true extent and source of his abilities.

• Louis asked Leichir to test whether he had the talent to learn magic, and Leichir taught him a basic meditation technique.
• Louis sensed magical power on his first attempt and successfully cast the Glow Spell, astonishing Leichir.
• Leichir agreed to give Louis private basic instruction until he could officially join Magewood, and Louis began learning spells during his recovery in the Red Tide Fief.
• Louis learned basic spells within days and shaped a Fireball into a rudimentary Flame Blade, shocking Leichir with his progress.
• Louis deliberately concealed most of his ability and the power of the Primordial Meditation Art, while Leichir increased their lessons and came to see him as a future Magewood genius.

Duke Edmund sent Vick Glanser to investigate the Insect Corpses’ return after Louis reported evidence of a new outbreak near Red Tide Fief. The duke also granted Louis Joseph’s former lands, and Louis began organizing their relief and development as Breeze Fief.

• Duke Edmund recognized that Louis’s report matched the Insect Corpses’ attack from three years earlier and ordered Vick Glanser to investigate Red Tide Fief with thirty high-rank Elite Knights.
• Vick met with Louis and heard accounts from the search knight and Leichir, concluding that the evidence matched the earlier outbreak before setting out to investigate.
• Louis read Duke Edmund’s letter, which warned of a possible second outbreak, designated his territory an observation post, and granted Joseph’s former lands and additional compensation to Red Tide Fief.
• Louis ordered Bradley to name the new territory Breeze Fief and arrange relief supplies, farming tools, seeds, livestock, and experienced farmers for its residents.

After recovering enough to send a Beacon Formula, Leichir reunited with three Silver-Masked Mages and told them how the Insect Warriors had killed Modi and Flavia. The mages decided to take him back to Magewood for treatment and report the swarm, while Louis was left to continue studying magic on his own.

• Leichir used the Beacon Formula to alert his distant companions, and he explained to Louis that it sent a signal rather than opening a portal.
• Three Silver-Masked Mages arrived in the Red Tide Fief, and Leichir recounted how the Insect Warriors had parasitized Flavia and caused her to kill Modi.
• A young mage angrily challenged Leichir before apologizing, and the older mage and female mage reassured him that they would share the blame and seek justice.
• The older mage sent a preliminary report to the Mage Sacred Tower with a Night Whisperer, while the female mage and young mage urged Leichir to return to Magewood for treatment.
• Leichir agreed to leave with the Silver-Masked Mages, and Louis kept secret that he had taught him magic before continuing his studies with Leichir's Magic Notebook.

Louis secretly demonstrated powerful magic to Lambert, Sif, Thomas, and Green in a deserted clearing, then ordered Green to test his skill against him. The others agreed to keep his magic secret, and Green prepared for a duel with Louis.

• Louis took Lambert, Sif, Thomas, and Green to a secluded clearing and cast a powerful Fireball that destroyed an old tree.
• Louis used Flame Blade Spell to cleave wooden shields, then combined Scorching Arrow with Ray Spell to destroy stone and wooden targets.
• Thomas and Green were stunned to learn Louis could use magic, while Lambert questioned how he had learned it and Sif recognized his excitement.
• Louis told the group to keep his magic secret and noted that he had used only thirty percent of his magic power.
• Louis called Green forward to test himself, and Green drew his sword and prepared to give the duel his all.

Louis tested his newly learned magic in a spar with Green and defeated the Elite Knight by combining spells, battle aura, and tactics. After reflecting on his progress, he ordered the witnesses to keep the fight secret.

• Green unleashed his battle aura and charged at Louis, who raised a Fire Wall Spell to stop him.
• Louis used disruptive rays, a Hold Spell, and Scorching Arrows to force Green to defend and expend battle aura.
• Green broke through the fire wall with Battle Aura Burst, but Louis used Shockwave and Ray Spell to hinder his charge.
• Louis dodged Green’s sword, struck him with an elbow, and held his blade to Green’s neck, prompting Green to concede.
• Louis reviewed the flaws in his spellcasting and recognized how much his magic had improved in just over a month.
• Louis ordered Thomas, Lambert, Sif, and Green to keep the fight secret, and they agreed.

Bradley prepared a restrained but dignified wedding for Louis and Emily, while Louis decided to add fireworks to make the celebration memorable. At Silco’s workshop, Louis discovered that Silco and a woman had just developed the Knight Growth Potion.

• Bradley oversaw the wedding hall preparations and worried that the ceremony lacked warmth.
• Louis rejected Bradley’s suggestion to make the wedding grander, citing the political climate, then proposed fireworks for Emily.
• Louis went to Silco’s workshop to find someone who could create fireworks.
• Louis found Silco flustered beside a woman, and Silco revealed that they had successfully developed the Knight Growth Potion.

Louis saw Silco and Jennie’s finished Knight Growth Potion prove effective when Vale broke through to Elite Knight and five more Knights gained strength. He planned mass production for the Red Tide Fief, gave Lambert a dose, and saved the last bottle for a future bottleneck.

• Silco introduced the Knight Growth Potion, explaining that Jennie had helped develop it from azure-pattern honey and Frostblood Redberries.
• Louis gave Vale a dose, and Vale used it to break through to Elite Knight at thirteen.
• Louis ordered Lambert to bring five Knights of different ages and cultivation stages to test the potion.
• The five Knights drank the potion; one broke through, and the others reported increased battle aura and improved training efficiency.
• Louis and Silco discussed scaling production, and Louis gave Lambert a bottle while keeping the last one for himself.

Louis asked Silco to create colorful, harmless fireworks for celebrations, then watched the first test with Sif. As Sif mourned that the display was not meant for her, Louis invited her to dance beneath the fading lights, and she chose to cherish the moment beside him.

• Louis asked Silco to make fireworks for celebrations, and Silco agreed to experiment with an alchemical design.
• Silco and the Alchemy Apprentices launched prototypes that burst into red, blue, and gold patterns above the testing ground.
• Louis asked Silco to refine the fireworks into softer, prettier flower shapes for the wedding.
• Sif began to leave when she realized the fireworks had not been prepared for her, but Louis stopped her and asked whether she liked them.
• Louis invited Sif to dance beneath the fading fireworks, and she accepted, deciding to stay by his side for the moment.

Vic investigated the scorched forest and discovered that the insect swarm had moved in organized formations before pursuing its trail with twenty Elite Knights. In Magewood, Leichir showed the elders an insect removed from his body, and the Supreme Mage ordered Archmages to investigate the threat at the Northern Frontier.

• Vic examined the destroyed forest, confirmed that the insect swarm had fought in coordinated formations and removed evidence of its dead, then recorded his suspicion that the creatures were experimental organisms.
• Vic detected a faint trail left by the fleeing swarm and led twenty Elite Knights northwest in pursuit.
• Leichir reported the attack at the Northern Frontier to the Magewood elders, including Flavia's parasitism, while withholding that he had taught Louis magic.
• Leichir presented the dead insect removed from his body as evidence, prompting the elders to debate how to respond.
• The Supreme Mage declared the incident was not isolated and ordered Archmages to lead elite teams to the Northern Frontier to uncover the truth.

Louis learned that Eduardo Calvin was heading to the Northern Frontier under orders from the Golden Feather Flower Church to investigate Jurgen Loken’s disappearance, and planned to redirect his brother toward the Insect Corpses. As Emily prepared to leave for her wedding, she said goodbye to her mother, and her dowry procession set off for the Red Tide Fief.

• Louis read reports that Archmages and the Silver Mask Squad were coming to investigate the Insect Corpses, Vic had found signs of organized swarm behavior, and Eduardo Calvin was approaching to investigate Jurgen Loken’s disappearance.
• Louis worried about Eduardo’s connection to the Golden Feather Flower Church and decided to draw his brother’s attention toward the Insect Corpses.
• Emily attended her final wedding-dress fitting and told her maid to put the dress away for their departure the next day.
• Emily’s mother comforted her, and Emily said she trusted Louis and was not afraid to leave home for him.
• Emily’s dowry procession departed the Edmund residence for the Red Tide Fief.