Chapter Summaries

At Oak Manor, Detective Albers began investigating Lord Doyle’s death while Arthur suspected the case was connected to a hidden plot and spotted a hostile figure watching him. The investigation reached a crisis when Albers prepared to perform an autopsy, and Arthur pointed out the hair.

• Lammit and Gilt reacted with alarm when Albers announced he wanted to investigate Lord Doyle’s death, while Arthur suspected someone had hastily arranged the meeting to distract the detective.
• Arthur spotted a malicious figure flash past a second-floor window and quietly sent Andy toward the stables to gather information.
• Albers insisted on seeing the body, and the group followed Gilt and the butler Vic into the basement, where Fontel mourned beside his father’s coffin.
• Albers examined Lord Doyle’s body and found no external injuries, poisoning, or suffocation before preparing to perform an autopsy.
• Lammit, Gilt, and Fontel tried to stop Albers from cutting into the body, and Arthur interrupted the confrontation by saying, “The hair!”

Arthur found a nail hidden in the old lord’s hair and suspected Mrs. Marian had been involved in his death. He questioned Vic and concluded that Lammit and Gilt had tarnished the Doyle Family’s honor, but the chapter ended before he identified what they had done.

• Albers found a nail in the old lord’s head, while Arthur noticed Lammit and Gilt seemed unaware of the murder.
• Fontel tried to attack Lammit and Gilt, but Vic restrained him until Maltz ordered the brothers to their rooms.
• Albers challenged Arthur about how he had found the nail, then hurried upstairs to pursue the investigation.
• Arthur learned Vic had brought Fontel’s birthday present and inferred that Vic blamed himself for leaving the old lord alone.
• Arthur asked who occupied the room on the right of the second floor, and Vic revealed that Mrs. Marian lived there.
• Arthur reasoned that Lammit and Gilt had disgraced the Doyle Family’s honor, but he did not yet reveal what they had done.

Arthur investigated the old lord’s fall and murder, suspecting it had been staged to draw the detective Albers to Oak Manor. After questioning Lady Marian, he encountered Albers, who said he knew the truth.

• Arthur asked Vic about the unsigned letter, but Vic did not recognize it or its handwriting.
• Arthur inspected the stairs and learned the old lord had recently hunted successfully, leading him to suspect the lord had been pushed.
• Arthur considered whether the letter writer and the person who pushed the old lord had planned the murder to lure Albers to the manor.
• Arthur showed Marian the “Help me” cloth and the letter; she looked frightened at the cloth but denied knowing either item.
• Arthur asked Vic to take him to Lammit and Gilt’s room, but Albers and Maltz emerged, and Albers told Arthur he knew the truth.

Arthur shared new clues with Albers and deduced that a mastermind intended to use the detective’s visit to frame him as an attempted assassin of the Count of South Los. As Albers prepared to reveal the truth at Oak Manor, Gilt’s plans unraveled when a gunshot sounded upstairs.

• Arthur showed Albers the “Help me” cloth and unsigned letter, then questioned Lammit and Gilt, who both denied recognizing them.
• Arthur concluded that someone meant for Albers to die before reaching the Count of South Los, making it appear that he had tried to assassinate the Count.
• Albers summoned the Doyle Family to the hall to reveal the truth, while Arthur silently approved the gathering.
• Gilt reflected on his plan to use Lammit and Marian to seize the Doyle inheritance and decided not to target Arthur because further deaths might displease the lord.
• A gunshot rang out on the second floor, and Gilt hurried toward Marian’s room while pretending to be alarmed.

Arthur exposed Gilt’s plot against Lord Doyle and revealed that Fontel was the Doyle Family’s sole heir. Gilt collapsed after Butler Vic confirmed the hidden will, while Arthur signaled that the matter was not over.

• Arthur told Gilt that Lord Doyle had revealed how Gilt pushed him down the steps and conspired with Marian to kill him.
• Albers accused Gilt of planting anesthetic in Lammit’s room and framing Lammit for Lord Doyle’s murder.
• Gilt lunged at Fontel with a dagger, but Andy knocked it away and Maltz struck Gilt down.
• Arthur revealed that Fontel alone carried Lord Doyle’s blood and was named as the heir in the real will.
• Butler Vic admitted he had hidden the will naming Fontel as the Doyle Family’s sole heir.
• Gilt spat blood and collapsed, and Arthur discreetly signaled to Maltz that the affair was not over.

Arthur suspected Gilt and Marian might have ties to the mystical mastermind and moved to secure Oak Manor against further attacks. He left Albers to investigate Marian while he and Maltz went to organize the manor’s defenses.

• Arthur warned Maltz that Gilt’s interrogation could reveal whether the manor faced serious trouble, and Maltz waited outside the torture chamber.
• Arthur learned that noble children’s baptism marks would alert their families to mystical interference, then concluded that the mastermind likely had several servants acting as intermediaries.
• Arthur reassured the old butler that screening the manor would be quick and told him to gather everyone near the basement entrance and summon Albers.
• Arthur told Albers that Marian might possess a hidden mystical weapon and asked him to investigate her while Arthur handled the manor’s security.
• Albers entered Marian’s cell to question her, and Arthur and Maltz left the dungeon to address the danger elsewhere in the manor.

Arthur staged a loyalty test at Oak Manor, using Lady Anna to expose people serving the household’s enemies. After two suspects were taken to the dungeon, he invited the remaining servants and guards to face the test.

• Arthur dismissed Maltz’s objections and left him behind, maintaining the appearance that Albers needed to be tested.
• Arthur told Oak Manor’s assembled servants and guards that Fontel and the old lord had authorized a test of their loyalty.
• Lady Anna walked toward the cellar where the old lord’s body lay, and Arthur instructed everyone to declare their loyalty before the coffin.
• Taber and Alice knelt, revealing themselves as suspects, and Albert knocked them unconscious and carried them to the dungeon.
• Arthur continued the test and calmly invited the remaining servants and guards to come forward.

Arthur and Vic used a loyalty test to expose Bourby as a traitor, while Bourby left the manor believing he had escaped suspicion. As Vic prepared the drawbridge with explosives, a lawyer named Lüttel arrived asking for Arthur.

• Bourby resisted kneeling during the test and left relieved after his knees were patted, unaware that Arthur had identified him as a traitor.
• Arthur decided to use Bourby for a greater purpose instead of sending him to the dungeon with Taber and Alice.
• After the test ended, Vic announced a break and a banquet for the servants, where they would hear an important announcement.
• Vic learned Bourby had been exposed and watched him leave the manor before starting to plant explosives in the drawbridge.
• Lüttel arrived on horseback, introduced himself as Arthur Credos's lawyer, and said he had come at Arthur's request.

Arthur reviewed a contract granting him half of Oak Manor while the old butler accepted him as the family’s best hope of surviving its troubles. As bonfires and festivities filled the manor, a fifty-strong cavalry unit led by Bourby arrived at the road to Oak Manor.

• Fontel presented Lüttel with a contract granting Arthur half of Oak Manor, and Lüttel began examining it carefully.
• The old butler decided Arthur could protect the Doyle Family and hoped Fontel would eventually produce an heir.
• Arthur played with Pendragon and confirmed with the old butler that everything was ready.
• After night fell, servants celebrated around bonfires as music and laughter filled Oak Manor.
• Bourby led fifty masked cavalrymen to the fork in the road and pointed out Oak Manor.

Bourby helped a black cavalry troop approach Oak Manor, but the attackers were met with cannon fire, musketeers, and explosives. After the cavalry was destroyed, Arthur entered the Dungeon to confront the source of the inhuman roars.

• Bourby ran to Oak Manor to lower the drawbridge for the black cavalry, but the riders killed him and charged across the bridge.
• Albert tried to raise the drawbridge and shot at the lead knight, but the knight's Mystic Art deflected the arrow.
• The black cavalry entered Oak Manor, where five Emperor Cannons and Albert's Musketeer Company killed more than half the riders.
• The surviving cavalry tried to retreat across the drawbridge, but explosives detonated beneath them as Arthur emerged from the shadows.
• Arthur took explosives, a longsword, and two vials of Holy Water, then entered the Dungeon after signaling Maltz to open its door.

Albers exposed Marian as Avis, the killer of Lord Doyle, but his powers transformed her into a Wailing Banshee. As Albers prepared to use his last trump card, a swordsman descended into the dungeon to confront the monster.

• Albers watched Marian's silent cell while Lammit and Gilt shouted and pleaded from theirs.
• An enemy attack began, and Marian broke free of her cell and sent black smoke toward Albers.
• Albers used his magnifying glass and supernatural powers to reveal Marian's crimes and bind her until she fell lifeless.
• Marian's corpse transformed into a Wailing Banshee, leaving Albers exhausted and reaching for his final trump card.
• A sword-wielding figure descended into the dungeon and cried out to purify the evil spirit.

Arthur and the manor’s defenders destroyed the Wailing Banshee with sulfuric acid and explosives, then prepared for the political fallout from the attack on Oak Manor. As Malinda arrived, Arthur concealed his suspicions and resolved to portray the manor as a weakened victim.

• Arthur splashed the Wailing Banshee with sulfuric acid, cut her with the Spider's Claw, and escaped with Albers before explosives detonated in the dungeon.
• Arthur bombarded the dungeon with thirty blasts, and Albers confirmed that the Wailing Banshee was dead.
• Maltz told Albers an admiring account of Arthur while the old butler and the Chief Hunter organized the aftermath at Oak Manor.
• Arthur found that the Black Cavalry’s surviving faces were strangers and warned the old butler that a noble might have secretly brought fifty riders into South Los.
• Arthur told the old butler to present Oak Manor as a badly damaged victim, then pocketed blood-stained soil and went to meet Malinda as her carriage arrived.

After Malinda displayed her command over Battlefield Wraiths and departed, Arthur followed Vic into Oak Manor, where the old butler revealed the Doyle Family’s mystical inheritance. Vic explained the dangers of mysticism and hinted at a safer path, leaving Fontel eager to hear more.

• Malinda watched Arthur survive the attack, then departed Oak Manor in a carriage carried by a host of Battlefield Wraiths.
• Arthur inferred that Malinda could control the wraiths but might be unable to communicate with them, and that she had been testing his ability to speak with the dead.
• Vic brought Arthur and Fontel to a second-floor sitting room, then returned with an ornate box and revealed that the Doyle Family possessed a mystical inheritance.
• Vic explained that only the Gifted could safely study mystical inheritances and warned that training without the gift could bring a catastrophic calamity.
• Fontel asked whether another safe way existed, and Vic affirmed that there was as his face shone with reverence and faith.

The old steward explained that noble bloodlines granted power and protection from supernatural intrusions, while special swordsmanship and its accompanying breathing and meditation methods could help people awaken them. Arthur received the [Colodi Holywood Shield], which turned out to be a Mystic Art, and asked whether bloodlines conflicted with rituals.

• The old steward explained how noble bloodlines protected their owners and how swordsmanship, breathing, and meditation could help awaken them.
• Fontel questioned whether ordinary people could awaken bloodlines, and the old steward warned that those who pursued the dangerous path had all died.
• The old steward recalled how the Blood Marquis Family had vanished after the marquis and his son tried to force the son's bloodline to awaken.
• The old steward entrusted the [Colodi Holywood Shield] to Arthur and asked him to protect the Doyle Family, and Arthur promised to do so.
• Arthur opened the box, discovered that the parchment contained a Mystic Art he could learn only by spending 30 XP through overloading, and asked Steward Vic whether bloodlines conflicted with rituals.

Arthur chose Albers as a safer source of knowledge about the Mystical Side than Malinda and arranged a meal to thank him for protecting Oak Manor. After Arthur offered Albers three Mystic Arts as gifts, the tipsy detective proposed exchanging them for the knowledge his uncle had taught him.

• Arthur decided to avoid Malinda and invited Maltz and Albers to join him for food and drinks.
• Arthur, Maltz, and Fontel each thanked Albers with a toast, and Albers drank three large mugs of light beer.
• Arthur offered Albers Mystic Arts that brought ropes to life, produced noises, and guided arrows.
• Arthur urged Albers to accept the Mystic Arts for the sake of the manor servants whose lives he had saved.
• Albers proposed trading the Mystic Arts for the Mystical Side knowledge his uncle had taught him.

Arthur saw Albers off with handwritten copies of three Mystic Arts and learned that a Glory Potion could complete an incomplete noble bloodline. At the Golden Oak, a mysterious voice called to Arthur, but his [Death Intuition] warned him of danger.

• Arthur gave Albers handwritten copies of [Animated Rope Art], [Ringing Art], and [Arrow Guidance Art] before Albers departed.
• Arthur recalled learning that great nobles possessed Glory Potions that could complete incomplete bloodline awakenings, and he considered seeking one from the countess of South Los.
• Arthur asked the old butler Vic to take him to the Golden Oak so he could see it and pick golden acorns.
• Arthur followed Vic's footprints along a dangerous path, where his [Death Intuition] stopped flashing before they reached the tree.
• Arthur heard a voice offering him the Golden Oak's treasures, but his [Death Intuition] began flashing rapidly again.

Arthur avoided answering the Golden Oak’s mysterious voice while Fontel harvested ten Golden Acorns, then divided them equally with him. After returning to the manor, Arthur decided to keep away from the dangerous tree and rely on Fontel to gather more.

• Arthur praised Fontel’s right as the old Lord’s blood descendant to pick the Golden Acorns, persuading him and the old butler with a speech about honor and legacy.
• Fontel climbed the Golden Oak and picked ten Golden Acorns before the old butler called him down for safety.
• Arthur ignored the voice tempting him from the tree and returned to the manor without incident, though his Death Intuition flashed rapidly along the way.
• Arthur recalled Albers’s warnings about eldritch entities and decided not to enter the rear half of the manor or approach the Golden Oak again until he understood the danger.
• Arthur split the ten Golden Acorns evenly with Fontel, then paused when something caught his eye.

Arthur returned from Oak Manor to South Los with Pendragon and a plan to evade Malinda’s demands and navigate their business partnership. After gaining XP from news coverage of the noble’s murder, he reached Kirk Street and asked Albert for a favor.

• Arthur collected Pendragon’s fallen whisker, soothed the agitated cat with dried fish, and said goodbye to Fontel and the old butler.
• Arthur left Oak Manor with estate specialties, escorted by Albert and four mounted guards, and planned how to handle Malinda and Rat Street and Mouse Tail Alley.
• Arthur reviewed the XP he had gained from newspaper coverage and considered the requirements and effects of [Lockpicking Art], [Memory Art], and [Wand Combat Art].
• Arthur arrived in South Los and noticed the envy of the middle-class residents, which he regarded as useful groundwork for his plan.
• Arthur asked Albert for a favor.

Arthur returned to 2 Kirk Street, received Oak Manor’s gold and explosives, and accepted a special adviser appointment from Countess Aisi Bonaparte. He prepared to meet Malinda, who arrived that evening and found him holding a sign that said “Hit me!”

• Arthur inspected his home, freed Pendragon, and discovered three hundred gold coins and twenty bundles of explosives among Oak Manor’s local specialties.
• Arthur considered using the gold to expand Wiggins’s crew and pursue plans involving Rat Street and Mouse Tail Alley.
• Maltz delivered the Countess’s appointment letter, and Arthur signed to become special adviser to the Shire District.
• Arthur dismissed Maltz and wrote preparations for his meeting with Malinda.
• Malinda arrived at 2 Kirk Street, where Arthur showed her a paper reading “Hit me!”

Arthur and Malinda staged a bitter breakup to make the Secret Gathering in Mouse Tail Alley believe they had fallen out and draw it toward the Golden Acorn. Their public argument and slap left their neighbors gossiping, while the rumor began spreading across South Los.

• Arthur showed Malinda instructions limiting her to one slap, and she struck him across the face.
• Arthur planned to use a staged rift with Malinda and the Golden Acorn to lure out the Secret Gathering in Mouse Tail Alley.
• Arthur and Malinda agreed to cooperate, then acted out a furious breakup in front of their neighbors.
• Malinda left in her carriage while Arthur chased after her before retreating into 2 Kirk Street with a handprint on his face.
• The neighbors and servants spread news of the breakup across South Los, while Mouse Tail Alley learned of it within half an hour.