Chapter Summaries

Arthur stalled Heber the "Blood Drinker" while Miss Windsor's blood took effect on [Spider's Claw], then deduced how Heber had distorted the harm caused by his descendants. Heber showed no obvious injury, but suddenly seemed to realize something as Arthur’s explanation reached him.

• Heber emerged from the crimson haze with [Spider's Claw] embedded in his chest and asked Arthur about immortal bodies.
• Arthur described the Creados family's Mystic Arts and claimed Heber's apparent immortality was only a disguise.
• Arthur kept Heber talking while waiting for Miss Windsor's blood on [Spider's Claw] to take effect.
• Heber boasted that he had spread the rumors about himself to lure in fools.
• Arthur cited family records stating Heber had been grievously wounded and sealed by his own bloodline, then reasoned that Heber had distorted the harm so only female descendants' blood could truly hurt him.
• Heber showed a look of sudden realization and said, "So that's how it was!"

Arthur used [Devoted Blood] to exploit Heber the Blood Drinker’s hidden weakness and turned him to ashes. Touching [Spider's Claw] then showed Arthur a memory of Heber’s childhood, ending with Elizabeth kidnapping him to try to escape death.

• Heber remembered that he had used a Blood Clan Mystic Art to forget that only a Blood Clan member with the blood of his direct female descendants within five generations could kill him.
• Arthur revealed the Blood Clan mark in his eyes, and Heber realized Arthur had [Devoted Blood] before turning to ashes.
• Arthur recalled that he had suspected Heber might have added the Blood Clan as a condition, so he had asked his dog to bring him [Devoted Blood] as a precaution.
• Arthur looked at [Spider's Claw] and saw Heber as a child, mistreated by his parents and locked in a conservatory with Elizabeth, a girl kept as a source of blood.
• Elizabeth kidnapped Heber, hoping to trade him for her survival, but Heber’s parents had no interest in rescuing him.

Arthur witnessed Heber’s memories, learning how Heber escaped his abusive family, became Elizabeth, and sought revenge against the Blood Marquis. The Blood Marquis sensed Arthur inside the memory and disrupted it, leaving Arthur back outside Pult Harbor examining the changed [Spider's Claw].

• Elizabeth escaped the Manor with Heber and later left him, but returned injured that night and told him the Blood Marquis had slaughtered a family.
• Heber returned home, endured years of escalating abuse, and eventually tried to assassinate the Blood Marquis.
• The Blood Marquis captured Heber and taught him Blood Clan and Theophat Psychic Order mystic arts, along with diagrams of the Path of Blood.
• Heber broke free using Distortion Mystic Art, transformed into Elizabeth, and set out to find Witchers who could help her take revenge.
• Arthur saw the Blood Marquis seize Elizabeth’s child and sense someone watching the memory; thunder shattered the vision and returned Arthur to Pult Harbor.
• Arthur’s [Death Intuition] flickered as he thought of the Blood Marquis, so he cleared his mind and looked at the changed [Spider's Claw].

Arthur’s Spider’s Claw advanced into the legendary Spider’s Blood Claw, gaining powerful abilities after slaying Heber. The Marquis of Einhaas then confronted Arthur over the fact that he had killed Heber despite Count Bernaken’s bargain calling for banishment.

• Arthur examined the newly advanced Spider’s Blood Claw and learned its legendary attributes and abilities.
• Arthur concealed the Spider’s Blood Claw in his shadow using its Blood Mist Spirit.
• The Marquis of Einhaas recovered from his shock and realized Arthur had killed Heber, the Blood Drinker.
• Arthur told the Marquis that Count Bernaken had shown sincerity and that he believed in fairness.
• The Marquis hesitated because Bernaken’s bargain had called for Heber’s banishment rather than his death.

Arthur met the Marquis of Einhaas after the deaths of several nobles and explained how Imora the Devourer had appeared outside Pult Harbor, blaming Greisa Hamlet. The marquis investigated the nobles’ schemes and brought Arthur to his castle, where he offered him the study’s contents and part of his personal collection; Arthur’s attention fixed on an enormous horn in the secret room.

• Arthur gauged the Marquis of Einhaas and found him proud and awkward, then learned that one viscount, one count, three barons, and four lords had died.
• Arthur told the marquis about Imora the Devourer outside Pult Harbor and blamed Greisa Hamlet of the Inner Bay for the incident.
• The Marquis of Einhaas sent Shadow Guard members to investigate and reflected on his sons Rory and Burton and their schemes.
• The marquis rode with Arthur to his castle and led him into the family study’s secret room.
• The Marquis of Einhaas offered Arthur the study’s contents and part of his personal collection, while Arthur noticed an enormous horn.

Arthur discovered a Great Dragon Horn in the Marquis of Einhaas’s secret room, a rare ritual substrate he needed to advance to ascension rank. The Marquis gave him the room’s contents, and Arthur found the ring held an even more valuable collection.

• Arthur sensed the Great Dragon’s history in the horn and recognized it as a ritual substrate he needed.
• The Marquis of Einhaas explained how his grandfather had recovered the horn from a former cardinal’s laboratory and how the family had been unable to control its dragon’s will.
• The Marquis offered Arthur the Great Dragon Horn and everything else in the secret room.
• Arthur collected valuable ritual substrates, mystic art scrolls, gold, and gemstones from the room.
• Arthur inspected the ring, picked it up, and reacted with surprise.

Arthur examined Madam Abel’s Warehouse, took the items from the secret chamber, and touched the Great Dragon Horn to enter Calamity of Flame’s memory. There, the dragon mistook Arthur for one of the people who had defeated it, and Arthur prepared to face its attack.

• Arthur learned Madam Abel’s Warehouse held a thousand cubic meters of space and contained supplies including Raging Bear Gall and healing items.
• Arthur put on the ring and transferred everything from the secret chamber except the Great Dragon Horn into it.
• The Marquis of Einhaas agreed to guard Arthur while he handled the Great Dragon Horn.
• Arthur touched the horn and saw Calamity of Flame rampaging through a settlement after its defeat at Delsat Fortress.
• Calamity of Flame mistook Arthur for one of its attackers, and Arthur declared himself the only calamity before the dragon dove at him.

Arthur defeated the Calamity of Flame in an illusory realm and emerged in the Marquis of Einhaas's treasury, where he examined the Great Dragon Horn. After agreeing with the Marquis that personal strength mattered more than relying on a Godslayer Spear, Arthur secured a promise of a grand welcome for the Eastern at Pult Harbor.

• Arthur unleashed the deathly aura of the dead against the Calamity of Flame, which crashed down and began to scream.
• Arthur appeared in the Marquis of Einhaas's treasury and inspected the intact Great Dragon Horn, a potential substrate for a Godslayer Spear.
• The Marquis of Einhaas called a Godslayer Spear a shortcut, while Arthur reflected on its history and the Gilded Gold Spear.
• Arthur agreed with the Marquis that one's own strength mattered most, earning the Marquis's promise of a grand welcome for the Eastern the next day.

Arthur returned to the Eastern after killing Imora the Devourer, and turned the crew’s awe into a lively banquet aboard the ship. He found a guest waiting in Lucius, Yura, and Joe’s former room, intent on claiming greater rewards before the Eastern reached the Inner Bay.

• The Marquis of Einhaas escorted Arthur back to the Eastern and invited him to spar, but Arthur declined and warned the Marquis’s knight about ill-intentioned people nearby.
• Arthur’s first mate Albert and Captain Barry rowed him to the Eastern, where the crew revered him for his swordsmanship and mercy toward their frightened guests.
• Arthur ordered the Marquis’s food and drink prepared for a banquet, promising bottles from the Marquis’s private collection to crew members and guests selected in a drawing.
• Old John stood guard outside the reception room and, despite a renewed surge of defiance about his Contract, felt that serving Arthur might not be so bad.
• Arthur entered the room where a guest was waiting, intending to reap greater rewards that night.

Miss Windsor prepared to bargain with Arthur after her plans to seize Pult Harbor failed, but Arthur told her that her father had died. After she composed herself and asked what had happened, Arthur began to reveal the greatness of her family’s history.

• Miss Windsor calculated that she would have to offer Arthur money, property, and secret art items to secure peace, while reconsidering how to find new forces for her ambitions.
• Arthur returned to the cabin, and Miss Windsor asked him how things had gone.
• Arthur told Miss Windsor that her father was dead, and she panicked before returning to her seat and asking for an explanation.
• Arthur asked how much Miss Windsor knew about her family’s history, then told her that her family had been greater than she could imagine.

Miss Windsor learned that her father’s death was tied to the Blood Drinker and offered Arthur her forces and sworn service in exchange for protection. Arthur accepted her as a Knight and appointed her head of the Miss Qiu Security Company's Einhaas branch, telling her to inform Carral.

• Arthur explained the connection between the Blood Drinker and Miss Windsor’s family, leaving her to realize that her life was at risk if the deity survived.
• Miss Windsor recovered from her shock, thanked Arthur, and offered him her thousand people in Pult Harbor while assuring him she would not intrude on his romance with Miss Caesar.
• Miss Windsor wrote down the leaders and their abilities, then swore loyalty to Arthur using Lionheart Salute.
• Arthur declared that Miss Windsor had passed his test and gave her a Ceremonial Sword.
• Arthur appointed Miss Windsor head of the Miss Qiu Security Company's Einhaas branch and told her to report the news to Carral.

Miss Windsor reflected on Carral’s rise in Einhaas and concluded Arthur was favored by Fate, while Arthur planned to exploit his growing reputation in the Inner Bay. She swore allegiance to Arthur through the Lionheart Salute and contacted Carral, leaving him to hear of her oath.

• Miss Windsor realized Carral had become the sole Heir to the Einhaas Fief after swearing allegiance to Arthur, though she dismissed the idea that Arthur had engineered events.
• Arthur teased Pendragon by putting a finger in the cat’s mouth and decided the shameless cat was already equipped to survive without his lessons.
• Arthur considered using his Calamity and Monster reputations to gain XP and opportunities in the Inner Bay, despite the increased danger.
• Miss Windsor interpreted Arthur’s smile as a sign that Fate favored him and used gold coins to charge the Communication Stone.
• Miss Windsor told Carral she had sworn allegiance to Arthur through the Lionheart Salute.

After learning that Miss Windsor had sworn allegiance to Arthur with the Lionheart Salute, Carral and Jimte reacted to Hayes’s guarded response. Hayes then offered Arthur a gift: the heads of Bette Territory and Greisa Hamlet.

• Miss Windsor told Carral that she had sworn allegiance to Lord Arthur Credos with the Lionheart Salute and revealed that Carral had become the First Heir of Einhaas Fief.
• Jimte noticed Hayes hiding his feelings about Windsor’s pledge, and Carral drew his Twin Swords as Hayes raised his hands in surrender.
• Miss Windsor inferred that Jimte’s show of hostility was meant to prompt Hayes to act against Bette Territory, and Arthur reached the same conclusion.
• Hayes asked Arthur to accept his apology for not paying his respects in person and promised him the heads of Bette Territory and Greisa Hamlet as a gift.

Miss Windsor worried that Hayes's plan to target Greisa Hamlet could provoke a war with the Old Lion, while Jimte and Carral counted on Alvis Hamlet as a potential ally. Arthur recognized Hayes's test and asked whether he intended to provoke a war between Greisa and Bette Territory.

• Miss Windsor weighed Greisa Hamlet's power and feared that attacking him would bring the Old Lion into a war their side was not ready to fight.
• Jimte and Carral saw Alvis Hamlet, whom they had befriended and misled, as a possible advantage against Greisa.
• Jimte and Carral suspected Hayes had a hidden pawn among the women he brought back, but Hayes denied involving Laimo, Manta's younger sister.
• Hayes asked Arthur whether he would mind his name of calamity becoming even more exaggerated.
• Arthur recognized Hayes's test and asked if he wanted to provoke a war between Greisa and Bette Territory.

Arthur used a conversation with Hayes to feed the eavesdropping Lady of Pain information intended to make the Old Lion wary of him. Hayes, Carral, and Jimte reported plans and discoveries in the Inner Bay, while Jimte revealed that he had found three of Greisa’s mistresses.

• Hayes pledged his support to Arthur and described a plan to lure Greisa into a trap in Bette Territory.
• Arthur said that killing Greisa or the Old Lion was easy, but asked what he could gain, intending the Lady of Pain to relay his words to the Old Lion.
• Hayes reported unusual activity at St. Joan's Girls' Academy and planned an inspection to gather the Inner Bay’s young nobles.
• Carral reported disguised pirates at Kilger Harbor and proposed using the situation to target the Evil Cult in the Inner Bay.
• Jimte told Arthur that he had found three of Greisa’s mistresses, including one who was also Barro Hamlet’s mistress.

Arthur learned that Greisa Hamlet had planted a hidden pawn in Barro Hamlet’s household and sent Jimte, Carral, and Hayes to pursue their separate plans in the Inner Bay. He urged them to compete while staying safe, then asked Miss Windsor if she was disappointed.

• Jimte explained how noble inheritance customs and extravagant spending drove many young nobles into hedonism and wandering-knight life.
• Arthur suspected Greisa Hamlet’s shared mistress was a hidden pawn planted beside Barro Hamlet, but withheld judgment until he met Barro in person.
• Carral, Hayes, and Miss Windsor saw a chance to provoke a feud between Greisa and his uncle and destabilize the Inner Bay.
• Arthur told Jimte, Carral, and Hayes to carry out their own plans independently, turning the mission into a competition.
• Arthur warned the three to abandon the mission if necessary and prioritize survival, then ended the call and asked Miss Windsor whether she felt disappointed.

Arthur assigned Miss Windsor to secretly transport fifty of his future agents through Einhaas Fief to the Inner Bay, then went to confront the Lady of Pain. He placed Spider's Blood Claw and Devoted Blood on the table, leaving both hungry artifacts before her.

• Arthur explained that he chose Miss Windsor to hide and escort fifty people through Einhaas Fief to the Inner Bay, and she agreed to use her merchant caravans.
• Arthur left with Pendragon and headed to the Eastern's uppermost cabin, where the Lady of Pain accused him of trying to manipulate her into leaking his plans.
• Arthur calmly made orange tea while the Lady of Pain grew more furious at being ignored.
• Arthur set Spider's Blood Claw and Devoted Blood on the table, and both artifacts trembled with hunger.

Arthur used the Lady of Pain’s fear and buried memories to pressure her for information about how she and Yilo became deities. His tactic exposed Miha’s voice, as she begged Father Mapuru not to hurt her sister.

• Arthur dismissed the Lady of Pain’s power and mystic arts, but remained interested in learning how Miha and Yilo had ascended to godhood.
• Arthur recalled the Marquis of Einhaas’s explanation that shortcut-taking demigods became vulnerable to the poison of faith and suffered deep psychological wounds.
• Arthur picked up [Spider's Blood Claw] and threatened to make the Lady of Pain’s suffering last for days.
• Arthur’s bluff and allusion to her buried trauma frightened the Lady of Pain, and Miha cried out for Father Mapuru to spare her sister.

Arthur confronted Miha and Yilo, twin sisters trapped inside a Lead Box coffin, and threatened them with the Vampire Ancestor Insect. When they offered secrets about their family and the Seven-Year War in exchange for safety, Arthur claimed he already knew enough and kept advancing, though their offer secretly delighted him.

• Miha spoke from inside the Lead Box coffin, and Arthur ordered the Vampire Ancestor Insect in [Devoted Blood] to bite her.
• Yilo pleaded with Arthur to spare Miha, and the sisters recognized him as another terrifying threat like Father Mapuru.
• Miha and Yilo offered to reveal part of the truth about their mother and maternal grandfather in exchange for their safety.
• Arthur said he had investigated Glaster and killed her, terrifying the sisters and the Vampire Ancestor Insect.
• Miha and Yilo asked why Glaster instigated the Seven-Year War and who had supported her, but Arthur answered, "No!"

Miha and Yilo tried to negotiate with Arthur, revealing that the separate entity born from their flesh and souls had become a threat to them. The twins asked Arthur to protect them while they separated it from themselves, offering to sign a Contract.

• Miha and Yilo realized Arthur already knew about the entity behind Glaster and sensed that it feared him.
• Miha apologized for her earlier refusal and said the twins could no longer trade the events of the past for his help.
• Miha tried to use Arthur’s interest in Glaster’s backer to gain leverage, but Arthur demanded concrete guarantees before cooperating.
• Miha explained that the entity had split from the twins, watched them, and caused their abnormal condition.
• Miha asked Arthur to protect the twins while they separated the entity from themselves and offered to sign a Contract.