Chapter Summaries

Aydook and several other mercenaries were killed by an invisible attacker as rival groups gathered to ambush the Lady of the Long Night’s convoy. Edwin’s people formed a defensive position, and Arthur arrived, preparing to demonstrate the Creados family’s swordsmanship.

• Aydook was accidentally shot in the neck by his subordinate, and an invisible attacker killed the rest of his squad.
• The Bernice household’s steward argued with the Coste and Emond Chamber of Commerce leaders over how to divide the convoy’s spoils.
• Edwin noticed signals and the scent of blood, warned his men to stay alert, and prepared for an attack.
• Edwin’s convoy split into two sections and formed a wagon-based defensive position while its members loaded their flintlocks.
• Arthur arrived and told Edwin that the Creados family’s core Mystic Art was swordsmanship filled with killing intent and death.
• Arthur raised his right hand and told the convoy to watch closely.

Arthur unleashed his death-filled swordsmanship against the gathered scouts, demonstrating the power that convinced Polbington he had reached Step-Entry. After Arthur’s sweeping strike cut through the coalition, the convoy watched the attackers fall as blood filled the wilderness.

• Arthur created a field of flowers over countless bones, shocking the convoy and the assembled scouts.
• The Bernice steward sent five elite men to investigate and asked Master Polbington to assess what had happened.
• Polbington saw Arthur gather an overwhelming deathly aura and recognized that he had reached Step-Entry.
• Polbington fled using escape mystic arts while the Bernice steward cursed him.
• Arthur swept his hand and released a forty-meter crescent of sword energy that split the landscape, weapons, armor, and people.
• Arthur turned away as the severed scouts fell and blood erupted across the wilderness.

Arthur used an elaborate display and a massive Deathly Aura Slash to kill the scouts, then let Edwin and the convoy mistake his sword technique for a Creados family legacy. He arranged for the bodies to be buried while planning to mislead Malinda about his family’s identity, then hurried back to the ongoing performance.

• Arthur approached the convoy after killing more than a hundred scouts, and its members bowed to him in fear and reverence.
• Edwin identified Arthur’s sword technique as a Creados family core mystic art, and Arthur let him believe it.
• Arthur’s inner thoughts revealed that he had used illusion effects, dragged corpses into place, and finished the attack with Deathly Aura Slash.
• Arthur asked Edwin to help dig a deep pit so the bodies would be left undisturbed, and the convoy agreed.
• Arthur decided to plant more false identities for the Creados family to confuse Malinda, then hurried back to the performance.

Arthur buried the scouts and used his modified [Death Hole] to leave a warning for those watching from hiding. As the convoy resumed its journey, Arthur realized someone had taken the bait.

• Arthur discovered that the scouts' leader was the Bernice family's steward and tracked the escaping Mystical Side figure called "Master" with Fuginn.
• Edwin recognized the Bernice steward and the heirs of the Coste Chamber of Commerce and the Emond Chamber of Commerce among the dead, but Arthur told him they had paid for their peace with their lives.
• Arthur and the convoy buried the corpses, and Arthur infused the mound with his modified [Death Hole].
• Arthur told the convoy the wasteland would be full of life next year, and Edwin took his words as a warning that dangers on the return journey would still leave a chance of survival.
• Edwin thanked Arthur and led the convoy onward, while Arthur rode on the flatbed cart and realized someone had taken the bait.

Arthur’s traps killed the Peeping Ones who tried to loot the burial mound, and he disguised his role by laying them to rest as a compassionate Medium. As the convoy reached the ravine near Ymir Manor and prepared to move its weapons, Arthur announced that someone had arrived.

• A hidden mystical-side man and the Peeping Ones saw Arthur’s swordsmanship and turned their attention from Hilt Tower’s legacy to the secrets behind his strength.
• The Peeping Ones dug into the burial mound, triggering Arthur’s hidden [Death Hole] spells, which burned the bodies and cut down the diggers with sword energy.
• A scroll unfurled with the warning “Disturb the dead's rest, and die!”, and the Peeping Ones who had stayed hidden retreated.
• Arthur returned, collected scrolls and healing potions from the dead, and placed another cursed warning in a smaller mound while pretending to mourn them.
• Arthur rejoined Edwin and the convoy, which camped at the ravine near Ymir Manor to transfer its weapons, including twenty Little Emperor Cannons.
• As Edwin assigned the convoy’s tasks, Arthur said, “They’re here!”

Arthur and Edwin prepared the Lady of the Long Night’s caravan for a standoff as cavalry from the West Berlin and Einhaas families approached. The two units halted before the caravan’s barricades and firing lines, while Jimte recognized Arthur and eagerly anticipated meeting him.

• Edwin ordered a squad leader to survey the approaching cavalry, and the leader identified the West Berlin and Einhaas families with open contempt.
• Arthur prepared to face the noble forces, recognizing their inherited power and resources despite the rise of gunpowder.
• The caravan arranged its carts as a barricade, formed flintlock firing lines, and sent five mounted scouts ahead.
• Carral accused the caravan of being a private army, while Jimte considered the Lady of the Long Night’s forces and fleets.
• Jimte spotted Arthur among the caravan members and grew excited at finally seeing him.

Jimte Novia visited Arthur at Ymir Manor and revealed his lifelong admiration for Arthur’s grandfather, Charlie, whose exploits his aunt had told him about. Jimte had come to compete with Arthur in a different contest, but Arthur froze when he saw what Jimte pointed to in the courtyard.

• Jimte dismounted and approached Arthur, asking to speak with him privately while the caravan lowered its weapons.
• Jimte introduced himself as Baron Novia’s son and explained that his aunt had inspired his admiration for Charlie and his hope to become a true knight.
• Jimte recounted how Charlie had risked his life to return to his aunt, and said his aunt controlled Novia Territory while his father served as a puppet.
• Jimte said he had come to Ymir Manor to seek Hilt Tower’s legacy and proposed competing with Arthur at something other than swordsmanship.
• Jimte pointed into the courtyard, and Arthur froze when he saw the object.

Arthur agreed to compete with Jimte in tea the following afternoon, with tax-free passage through the Marquisate of West Berlin’s ports as the stake. After Arthur warned Carral of danger, Carral challenged him to a sword fight and secretly winked at him.

• Jimte proposed a tea competition, and Arthur wagered that his fleet would receive tax exemption in the Marquisate of West Berlin’s ports if he won.
• Arthur and Jimte set the contest for the following afternoon at Arthur’s ravine, and Jimte promised Arthur’s fleet would pass through the ports tax-free if Arthur beat him.
• Arthur walked out of the ravine with his arm around Jimte, making onlookers believe the two young nobles were close allies.
• Carral, the Marquis of Einhaas’s envoy, insulted Jimte, and Arthur stepped in to defend him.
• Carral challenged Arthur to draw his sword, then winked at him; Arthur told him to wait.

Arthur prevented Carral from being drawn into a duel and recognized that Carral and Jimte were both concealing their true motives. He planned to use their rivalry and tax exemptions to expand his fleet and build his influence, while waiting for Maltz’s contact to help train forces.

• Arthur asked Carral what he would wager in a match, prompting Carral to sheath his sword and ride away rather than fight.
• Jimte realized Arthur had anticipated his plans, saluted Arthur, and said he would meet him the next afternoon.
• The convoy mocked Carral’s and Jimte’s departures, while Arthur privately recognized both nobles as cunning foxes.
• Arthur expected Jimte and Carral to discuss him and the Hilt Tower legacy at Ymir Manor, then seek profit by supporting his plans.
• Arthur planned to secure tax exemptions in three noble territories, expand his fleet, and establish a security company with trained forces.

Arthur sent Edwin and the convoy to Jia'er Mountain Town so Edwin could safely contact Malinda, while Arthur stayed at Ymir Manor to draw out the traitor among the Countess of South Los's Advisors. As he made tea alone, armed attackers opened fire on him, and he tossed away his unrinsed tea.

• Arthur told Edwin to take everyone to Jia'er Mountain Town and contact Malinda through their private line once it was safe.
• Arthur planned to make the suspected traitor among the Advisors act, showing the Countess of South Los his devotion while concealing his connection to Jimte and Carral.
• After the convoy left, Arthur returned to Ymir Manor, ate dinner, and reflected on the effects of the [Cat's Orange] ritual and his need to stay agile.
• Arthur brewed tea at the firepit as armed figures appeared above Ymir Manor and fired arrows and bullets at him.
• Arthur lounged in his chair, lamented that he had forgotten to rinse the tea, and flung the tea from his cup upward.

Arthur used the manor’s deathly aura and barriers to trap the attackers, then confronted Melville, who revealed he had killed fellow members of the Advisors. As Arthur taunted him and affected his Spirituality with a curse, Melville drank the tea—just before Arthur warned him it might contain foot skin.

• Arthur’s deathly aura killed the attackers as others completed a circle of blessed salt and red brick powder around him.
• Melville emerged through the remaining gap, laid more red brick powder, and confronted Arthur, believing he had been lured by a false claim about Hilt Tower’s legacy.
• Melville revealed that he had killed the Sixteen and Sixty-Six Advisors who accompanied him, and insisted he had not feared the Death Poetry Society.
• Arthur used [Bluff] to provoke Melville and realized his [Minor Curse Art] was affecting the man’s Spirituality.
• Melville poured himself tea, and Arthur warned him that the pile-fermented tea might contain foot skin.

Arthur provoked Melville into trying to use a mask, then seized the [Death Hound] and learned it was a summoning item that had corrupted Melville’s [Spirituality]. Melville’s agony and humiliation drove him to snap and focus entirely on killing Arthur.

• Arthur’s taunts and ankle movements reminded Melville of the Left Cantor, who had once defeated him and called him a dog.
• Melville tried to put on a white mask and attack Arthur, but sudden pain made him collapse before he could use it.
• Arthur used [Hand of the Void] to seize the mask from Melville and examined the [Death Hound] item.
• Arthur realized Melville had worn the mask instead of summoning its hound, allowing it to disorder his [Spirituality].
• Melville abandoned thoughts of repaying the Grand Duke and snapped, intent on killing Arthur.

Arthur repeatedly used [Minor Curse Art] on Melville as he mutated, testing how the curse affected the being inside the tumor. The tumor absorbed Melville and revealed an exhausted Aberration, which recognized Arthur just as his [deathly aura] ran out.

• Melville’s mutation intensified, and his shrill deathly voice killed the attackers on the cliffs as their corpses were drained.
• Arthur repeatedly cast [Minor Curse Art], disrupting Melville’s mutation and confirming that it alternated control between Melville and the being inside the fleshy tumor.
• Melville begged Arthur for help, then threatened him and tried to tear the tumor from his back.
• After Arthur cast another [Minor Curse Art], a claw from inside the tumor crushed and absorbed Melville.
• The tumor opened, revealing an exhausted Aberration, which saw Arthur and screamed, “You!”

Arthur’s uncontrolled [deathly aura] summoned 'Death,' which destroyed the Aberration and restored his depleted aura. After Malinda reached Ymir Manor and shared tea with him, she asked when he had found out.

• 'Death' appeared behind Arthur and erased the Aberration, crushing its borrowed power of 'undeath.'
• Arthur’s [deathly aura] rose to 1,000 points as the figure embodying 'Death' faded, and he realized the aura could be controlled to some extent.
• Malinda reached Ymir Manor after the barrier disappeared, inspected the ravine and cliffs, and found Arthur unharmed.
• Malinda brewed tea for Arthur, who drank it despite its bitterness, then told him the teapot was his.
• Malinda paused and asked Arthur when he had found out.

Arthur realized the Count of South Los had used Melville to eliminate advisors who were slipping beyond her control, while Malinda guessed the Creados had come to South Los seeking Madam Abel’s improved Glory Potion. Malinda promised Arthur the potion and asked him to explain the rest of his plan, including why he entered the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament.

• Arthur deduced that the Count of South Los had arranged for Melville to kill his traveling companions and remove troublesome advisors under cover of hunting Hidden Pawns.
• Malinda said Madam Abel had improved the South Los family's Glory Potion and suggested the Creados had come to South Los to obtain it.
• Arthur denied Malinda's theory, though he privately acknowledged that the Creados had planned to pursue the potion.
• Malinda promised Arthur the improved Glory Potion and asked him to reveal why he had entered the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament.

Arthur used Malinda’s suspicions to negotiate a favorable contract over a mysterious thing connected to the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament, though he had only been bluffing. After Malinda left to adjust the tournament betting odds, Arthur waited for someone arriving at the ravine.

• Arthur demanded payment for information from Malinda, who proposed a contract letting them compete fairly for the mysterious thing and share access to it.
• Arthur agreed to Malinda’s terms and realized her promised compensation might involve a Mystic Art or an item connected to the Cat Cave or Cat Faction.
• Malinda suspected Arthur had tricked her into making the offer, but Arthur stayed silent while she vowed to win next time.
• Malinda agreed to arrange unofficial betting for the rest of the tournament and discussed changing Arthur’s odds because he had been injured again.
• Malinda blew smoke over Arthur and disappeared into it, while Arthur turned toward the ravine entrance to await the person who had arrived.

Jimte and Carral cautiously approached Ymir Manor, where Arthur Credos summoned them through Kuliqi. They were left staring at Arthur’s throne of bones and seeing it as a vast crimson spectacle that hailed his name.

• Jimte and Carral stalled outside the ravine, wary of the death aura inside Ymir Manor, and failed to agree on whose contract to use.
• The two nobles greeted Lord Credos together, then each fled to a prepared hiding place when the aura frightened them.
• Arthur watched through Fuginn and sent Kuliqi to bring Jimte and Carral to him.
• Kuliqi frightened the nobles with deathfire and spelled out an invitation to meet its master, Credos.
• Jimte and Carral raced toward Ymir Manor, then stopped before the mountain of skeletons and the throne of broken blades, which appeared to them as crimson waves welcoming Arthur Credos.

Arthur used a staged display and subtle curses to intimidate Jimte and Carral, making them believe he had reached Step-Entry and had approached them for a deeper purpose. As they considered whether to pledge allegiance or flee, both men suddenly knelt before him.

• Arthur praised Kulich and silently pressured Jimte and Carral as they greeted him.
• Arthur used a bone-built stage, strange sounds, and [Minor Curse Art] to heighten the nobles’ fear.
• Jimte and Carral concluded that Arthur had reached Step-Entry and that his warning about Wintertide signaled a coming threat.
• The two men decided Arthur had come specifically for them and debated whether to pledge allegiance or run.
• Jimte and Carral suddenly dropped to one knee before Arthur.

Arthur accepted Jimte Novia and Carral Einhaas as Black Cat Followers after they swore fealty, rewarding them with ceremonial swords and a share of the fleet’s profits. As they accepted his terms, both men announced that they had a proposal.

• Jimte and Carral swore loyalty to Arthur Credos in the Lionheart Salute, and Arthur sealed their oaths by presenting each with a ceremonial sword.
• Arthur revealed that he was the current Black Cat and welcomed the two nobles as Black Cat Followers.
• Jimte reasoned that Old Charlie had sacrificed his role as Black Cat out of love for his aunt, easing his anger and sorrow.
• Arthur offered Jimte and Carral ten percent of the fleet’s profits, with their share rising to thirty percent if they contributed ships.
• Jimte and Carral thanked Arthur and said they had a proposal.

Arthur watched Jimte and Carral compete over Count Bette’s nephew, then learned that both ambitious subordinates were eager to seize West Berlin Territory for him. He turned down their plans because of his devotion to Malinda and announced that a more urgent task came first.

• Jimte and Carral revealed that they had both investigated Count Bette’s nephew and his mistress, whom they identified as the Old Lion’s hidden pawn.
• Arthur recognized that Jimte and Carral were moved by his appreciation, while both young nobles privately resolved to remain loyal to him.
• Jimte proposed taking West Berlin Territory by marrying the Marquis’s daughters, and Carral outlined a plan to kill the marquis and his relatives.
• Arthur refused their schemes, explaining that he would remain faithful to his lover, Malinda.
• Arthur descended from the broken-weapon throne as it crumbled and told Jimte and Carral that they had something more important to do than pursue West Berlin Territory.