Chapter Summaries

Arthur discovered that the soul possessing Lady "Glaster" was Kleibel the "Witch," whose execution had sparked the Seven-Year War. As she cursed the "Clock Tower" and deathly aura engulfed her, the distorted curse began to trigger a world-shaking upheaval.

• Arthur taunted "Glaster" by claiming he had uncovered her disguise and hidden soul-defense mystic art because he was a "Medium."
• "Glaster" revealed that she was Kleibel the "Witch," and Arthur recalled how Kleibel's execution had started the Seven-Year War.
• Arthur bluffed that Kleibel might have other identities, prompting "Glaster" to identify him with the "Clock Tower" and curse its members.
• "Glaster's" distorted soul began affecting the material world, and Arthur heard bizarre cries around him.
• Deathly aura engulfed Lady "Glaster" and carried the distorted curse, igniting a world-shaking upheaval.

Old Mr. Hunter, Kate, and Aaron gathered after traveling toward South Los, where they planned to confront a god they blamed for provoking them. Their departure drew the attention of the Countess of South Los, who arrived at their meeting place and found it empty.

• Old Mr. Hunter's three adopted sons learned that he had gone alone to South Los for Casu Marzu Cheese, so the youngest quietly sent someone to watch over him.
• Kate quit his dock job and boarded a ship to South Los after claiming that his father was gravely ill; the foreman died shortly afterward.
• Aaron left Lady Emily and traveled to South Los, asking her to tell Molly, Eileen, or Hill that he would return soon.
• Aaron met Old Mr. Hunter and Kate, and the three agreed that the god who had provoked them should pay a price.
• Old Mr. Hunter opened a prepared door, and the three entered it; the Countess of South Los followed their presence to the rocks and found them gone.

The Countess of South Los sensed three powerful Ascension Rank beings, while Death also noticed Hunter, Kate, and Aaron on the road. After sorting through Glaster’s memories, Arthur identified his aliases, stolen mystic arts, and likely secret base before charging the remnant soul and sending it toward Anna.

• The Countess of South Los sensed three high-ranked beings, summoned a storm over South Los, and decided to enter seclusion.
• Death set out to confront Old Charlie but halted after spotting Hunter, Kate, and Aaron.
• Old Charlie realized the others had set the stage and planned to make his entrance last while fishing in troubled waters.
• Arthur used [Soul Trimming] to examine Glaster’s scrambled memories and learned that Glaster had used the names Kleibel and Jiljike, stolen mystic arts, and operated from Baron Harold’s Manor.
• Arthur connected Glaster’s interest in [Aislan’s Leap] to the young swordsman’s ties to the Golden Lion Family, then used [Soul Charging] on Glaster’s remnant soul and sent the resulting orb toward Anna.

Arthur’s attempt to restore Anna with Glaster’s soul appeared to fail, but a sudden winter thunderclap awakened her as Anna Credos, a sentient doll with supernatural abilities. Arthur welcomed her and prepared to take her out to make a name for herself.

• Arthur watched the soul escape from Anna’s trembling, cracking body and thought he would need another soul and a doll repairer.
• Winter thunder sounded, drawing the scattered soul radiance back into Anna and bringing her to life.
• Anna absorbed the laboratory table to repair herself, greeted Arthur, and gained the name Anna Credos and several supernatural abilities.
• Anna threatened to kill anyone who attacked their family, and Arthur placed her on his shoulder and asked if she was ready to make a name for herself.

Arthur returned to Caesar Manor with Anna and demonstrated that he had learned and improved [Soul Charging] after one look, leaving Malinda stunned. Malinda left in a bad mood to get something sweet, while Arthur called after her to bring back egg tarts.

• Malinda reflected on her misplaced focus on building her salon and resolved to prioritize improving her own strength.
• Arthur returned before dawn with Anna, and Pendragon panicked when Anna crawled onto Arthur's back.
• Arthur teased Pendragon by calling Anna's appearance a trial to become the Cat Warrior.
• Anna introduced herself to Malinda, who realized Arthur had learned and improved [Soul Charging] after seeing it once.
• Malinda returned Anna's greeting, told Arthur not to follow her, and left after he asked her to bring back egg tarts.
• Someone knocked at the door as Arthur watched it.

Brewer came to Arthur intending to confess his dealings with the Inner Bay, but seeing Miss Anna at the door made him scream and drew the Manor’s guests into the open. He finally revealed that the Inner Bay had contacted him and intended to harm Miss Caesar, while Arthur asked what else he knew.

• Brewer decided to confess to Arthur because he feared Malinda and hoped Arthur could buy him time to pledge allegiance to the Inner Bay.
• Brewer screamed when he opened Arthur’s door and found Miss Anna standing there, bringing guests, servants, and guards to the scene.
• Arthur asked Miss Anna to bring tea, and Fontel followed her with excitement.
• Brewer realized his outburst would spread word of his visit and cause the Inner Bay envoy to abandon him.
• Brewer fell to his knees and told Arthur that someone from the Inner Bay had contacted him and intended to harm Miss Caesar.
• Arthur continued playing with Pendragon and asked Brewer what else he knew.

Arthur prompted Brewer to expose the South Los trading companies plotting against the Lady of the Long Night, then sent his allies to deal with them and their assets. As the remaining nobles and retainers feared his power, Malinda arrived, and Arthur silently asked her where the person was.

• Brewer named numerous trading companies arranging private meetings with the Inner Bay envoy, sacrificing them to protect himself.
• Arthur sent Edwin, Wiggins, Maltz, Cook, Scott, Haywood, Bob, Young Lissop, and the family retainers to expose, investigate, and take control of the companies.
• Arthur asked Desa to check whether the kitchen had fried fish, then calmly stroked Pendragon as the remaining guests trembled before him.
• The chief swordsmen of Baron Coroll and Baron Hausmann lowered their heads, while the Byrne family's old steward shook with fear.
• Malinda arrived with an egg tart and sweetened hot milk, and the crowd respectfully greeted her as Miss Caesar.
• Arthur approached Malinda and silently asked where the person was.

Arthur learned that the Inner Bay envoy, Dorn, was staying at the Lotus Leaf Inn and went there to meet him. At the inn, a drunken Will Kors mistook Arthur for a figure from his dreams and confronted him.

• Malinda suspected the Countess had kept Julie, the Chief Swordsman, from returning and helped settle the guests after the early-morning disturbance.
• Brewer told Arthur that Dorn, the Inner Bay envoy, was staying in room 202 at the Lotus Leaf Inn.
• Arthur left Malinda to handle matters at the manor and traveled to the inn to investigate Dorn.
• Sapier watched Will Kors drink and recalled that he was heartbroken over Linda Camille, who had chosen Arthur Credos.
• Arthur entered the Lotus Leaf Inn, and Will sprang up and shouted at him for appearing in his dreams.

Arthur told Will Kors that Linda Camille was his aunt, but that she would make her own choices and Will would never understand her while he remained as he was. Alvis Hamlet, using the alias Dorn, confronted Arthur and recognized a flash of gold that suggested Arthur had a connection to the Golden Lion Family.

• Arthur told Will Kors that Linda Camille was his aunt and that he would not decide whom she loved for her.
• Arthur warned Will that he could not understand Linda or Creados’s burdens in his current state, then had Sapier take the drunken man upstairs.
• Alvis Hamlet came downstairs after learning that Swine had betrayed him and approached Arthur, puzzled by Arthur’s disappointment.
• Arthur called the Golden Lion Family disappointing and revealed a flash of unusually deep golden color in his eyes.
• Alvis recognized the gold and connected Arthur to Jiljike, then rose in shock and began to speak.

Arthur manipulated Alvis Hamlet into believing that Arthur’s Golden Lion bloodline had been targeted by Greisa, pushing Alvis to return to Inner Bay and investigate. As Alvis departed, Didian put small white flowers on the inn windowsill, where they swayed in the rising wind.

• Arthur used his connection to Aislan and the Golden Lion Family to bluff Alvis, claiming he would spare him once for his mother’s sake and ordering him out of South Los.
• Alvis became convinced that Greisa might have targeted Arthur because of his bloodline and talent, then rushed to return to Inner Bay and contact his father, Barro Hamlet.
• Before leaving the Lotus Leaf Inn, Alvis used his authority as a special envoy to order his hidden agents to lie low.
• Sapier noticed Alvis rushing out, then found Didian sitting in a daze; she said Garcia was only a drinking buddy and sent Sapier to rest.
• Didian tidied the inn and placed a pot of small white flowers on its outward-facing windowsill, where the flowers began swaying as the wind rose.

Arthur returned to Caesar Manor and used the Chief Swordswoman’s absence to persuade Malinda to stay longer, hinting at trouble connected to the Countess and the South County Swordsmanship Tournament. The Chief Swordswoman returned just as Arthur and Malinda finished breakfast.

• Arthur returned to Caesar Manor before breakfast and asked Malinda whether the Countess’s Chief Swordswoman had come back.
• Malinda had received no news, so Arthur proposed that she remain at the manor and suggested he might abandon his trip to the Inner Bay.
• Arthur used their conversation to lay groundwork for his Golden Lion Family identity and to seek leverage with the Countess.
• Malinda compared herself to a butterfly caught in a web, and Arthur teased her by calling her Mothra and describing a timid black iguana as the King of the Monsters.
• Arthur and Malinda heard heavy footsteps and realized the Chief Swordswoman had returned.

Mrs. Susan and the Countess of South Los discussed the threat posed by three unfamiliar Ascendants and planned to prepare South Los for war while secretly securing another escape route. The Countess tasked Mrs. Susan with recruiting Arthur Credos and gave her an Orange Cat Faction Initiation Chart to offer him.

• Julie’s grave expression alarmed the guards until Mrs. Susan reminded her to scrub the Countess’s stables as punishment for their bet.
• Mrs. Susan urged the Countess to send troops against the pirates in spring, and the Countess recognized that the campaign could also train the army and help establish an escape route.
• The Countess asked whether Arthur Credos was suited to stir up the pirates, and Mrs. Susan praised his family’s ability to deceive and negotiate.
• Mrs. Susan warned the Countess to treat Arthur sincerely, while the Countess insisted she was only curious about his talent and denied being susceptible to his charm.
• The Countess gave Mrs. Susan an Orange Cat Faction Initiation Chart to take to Arthur, and Mrs. Susan agreed to try to persuade him.

Arthur tried to learn why Chief Swordswoman Julie had been made to clean the stables, while Malinda used her friendship with Julie to gather information about the incident near the beach. Julie revealed that three unfamiliar Ascendants were involved and agreed to tell the count that she wanted to stay beside Malinda, leaving Arthur worried that events had gone further than he expected.

• Julie returned to Caesar Manor smelling of manure and urine, borrowed Malinda’s bathroom, and had Mrs. Mary prepare clothes for her.
• Arthur suspected Julie had cleaned the stables to conceal her reaction to shocking news, then returned to his room and ate an enormous breakfast.
• Malinda learned from Julie that something major had happened near the beach and felt confident she could investigate without paying Arthur for information.
• Arthur pretended to show concern for Malinda, then asked Julie to have the count revoke her title so she could remain by Malinda’s side.
• Julie explained that three unfamiliar Ascendants were involved and promised to pass Arthur’s message to the count, while Arthur grew tense.

The Chief Swordswoman learned that three Ascendants had appeared and worried Arthur might resent her for helping Malinda deceive him. She secretly planned to drug Arthur and Malinda with potions to ensure their happiness, then left Caesar Manor to return to South Los as Arthur noticed Cook arriving with several others.

• Arthur realized the Count of South Los and the Chief Swordswoman seemed confident despite the arrival of three Ascendants.
• Arthur asked the Chief Swordswoman to keep Malinda's pregnancy secret, and she anxiously planned to use potions without either of them noticing.
• Arthur hoped to trade his knowledge of the three Ascendants to Malinda for twenty more ships, while Malinda carried roast meat upstairs and suspected he was plotting something.
• The Chief Swordswoman ate with Arthur and Malinda, then said she had to return to South Los for more important matters.
• After the Chief Swordswoman left, Arthur saw Cook approaching with Scott, Wiggins, Haywood, and Fontel.

Wiggins, Scott, Cook, Haywood, and Fontel decided to undergo painful training at Cook’s father Rick’s farm so they could become stronger, and Gudrian Ernest, Erwin Dubois, and Zhukov Bath joined them. Arthur traveled with the group, eager to meet Rick and ask about exorcism materials, while Malinda stayed behind to investigate a valuable matter.

• Wiggins, Scott, Haywood, and Fontel each declared their reasons for wanting to grow stronger, and Cook confirmed that Rick’s training would be agonizing.
• Arthur asked Cook whether Rick’s training was reliable, and the others reaffirmed their determination despite the expected pain.
• Arthur asked to accompany them so he could meet Rick and learn about exorcism salt and evil-warding brick powder.
• Gudrian Ernest, Erwin Dubois, and Zhukov Bath joined the training camp, making eight men in total.
• Desa warned Arthur that Rick’s training would be a rare opportunity for growth, provided the trainees survived it.
• Malinda stayed at Caesar Manor to investigate the valuable matter while Arthur and the eight men set off for Rick’s farm.

Arthur spent XP upgrading [Wand Combat Art] and discovered that its next level required 50,000 XP, far more than he expected. After wondering what Madam Abel's advanced art might do and considering creating Mystic Arts himself, he looked toward a nearby farm and was startled by what he saw.

• Arthur received XP from the spreading rumor about Malinda's supposed pregnancy and checked his accumulated total.
• Arthur upgraded [Wand Combat Art] to Lv4, gaining a tougher and swifter wand with combat ability equivalent to a combat expert.
• Arthur discovered that raising [Wand Combat Art] to Lv5 required 50,000 XP and recalled that Madam Abel had created her potions to pay tribute to Herke.
• Arthur briefly considered creating a Mystic Art, then reminded himself to focus on staying safe.
• Arthur looked over the nearby farm's arrangements and exclaimed in surprise.

Arthur visited Cook’s father, Rick, at his farm and watched Rick and Allen put Cook and the other young men through brutal training. Rick then demonstrated the farm’s obstacle course, leaving Arthur dazed by memories of soldiers in uniform.

• Arthur arrived at Rick’s farm and assessed the armed, blood-seasoned men tending the livestock.
• Rick thanked Arthur for helping Cook and agreed to train him and the other six young men harshly.
• Allen ordered Cook, Scott, Wiggins, Haywood, Fontel, Gudrian Ernest, Erwin Dubois, and Zhukov Bath to run twenty kilometers, then whipped Cook when the training began.
• Arthur asked Rick to disinfect the whip with alcohol for hygiene, and Rick passed the instruction to Allen.
• Rick led Arthur into a barn and demonstrated brick-breaking, obstacle climbing, and punching-bag training.
• As Rick spun around the bars, Arthur fell into a daze and saw soldiers in green uniforms with red shoulder boards holding rifles.

Arthur recognized Rick's demonstration as part of a Templar Knight training legacy and realized Rick was testing his potential and willingness to cooperate. Arthur hinted that the legacy came from Creados itself, leaving Rick bewildered by his claim that Creados had created the Templar Knight training method.

• Rick had Dill strike him with staffs, an iron rod, and spears to demonstrate how training could push the body beyond its limits.
• Rick explained that the spear-breaking demonstration belonged to a later stage of training and said the final stage came closest to a true Knight.
• Arthur inferred that Rick had recovered a substantial Templar Knight legacy from Church ruins and had demonstrated it to test Arthur's potential.
• Arthur connected the Templar Knight training method with the Death Warrior Potion and considered whether the two could be combined into a more accessible method.
• Rick praised Creados for knowing the Templar Knight training method, but Arthur replied that Creados had created it, leaving Rick confused.

Arthur exaggerated the Creados family's ancient history and demonstrated his ability to grow into a giant, convincing Rick and Dill of his claims. Rick returned the Templar Knight training Mystic Art to Arthur, who promised to review the family's notes for errors and omissions.

• Arthur claimed the Creados family's records stretched back to the Age of the Gods and included discoveries about an Ancient Titan and the Twilight of the Gods.
• Arthur borrowed Rick's tarp, removed his clothes and equipment behind it, and expanded into a giant whose head reached the barn roof.
• Rick and Dill believed Arthur's claims after seeing his enormous body, and Rick gave Arthur the Templar Knight training Mystic Art.
• Arthur promised to examine his family's notes and try to complete the Mystic Art, then shrank and dressed behind the tarp.
• Rick welcomed Arthur to visit again and promised a bigger barn, but Arthur suddenly frowned as if he had noticed something.

Arthur told Rick and Dill that several Ascendants had appeared in South Los, then reassured them that one was acquainted with the Creados family and would not harm its retainers. The two retired Bounty Hunters accepted the designation and treated it as protection against the Ascendant.

• Rick and Dill did not know about the Ascendants, so Arthur had Rick ward the Barn with barrier oil before sharing the news.
• Arthur said that three unfamiliar Ascendants had appeared in South Los the previous night, prompting Rick and Dill to strengthen the burning barrier oil.
• Arthur revealed that he had sensed another Ascendant appear and vanish, alarming Rick and Dill further.
• Arthur explained that the newly sensed Ascendant was acquainted with the Creados family and would not attack them if they identified themselves as the family's retainers.
• Rick accepted the retainer designation and returned to Arthur with a notebook and a waterskin.