Chapter Summaries

Arthur worried that Aeron’s skill at forging checks made him a valuable target, then spun Aeron’s revenge into a sympathetic story for Scott. Maltz secretly killed Aeron in the carriage and staged his death.

• Arthur watched Dico and Andy oversee the removal of the bodies while Maltz offered to arrange special cleaners.
• Arthur signaled that he wanted Aeron killed, and Maltz took Aeron away in a carriage.
• Scott arrived, and Arthur told him a carefully framed story portraying Aeron as a tormented avenger who had tried other options before resorting to murder.
• Arthur hinted that Aeron’s apparent death could serve a purpose, and Scott became intrigued.
• On Shaded Lane, Maltz drugged Aeron, forced him to swallow cassava extract, pulled out one of his teeth, and confirmed that he was dead.

Arthur learned that Aeron had died after biting concealed poison, then went with Maltz and Scott to investigate Check Expert Delong’s suspicious death at the Freeman residence. Delong’s bloody suicide note claimed he had falsely assessed His Grace, the Duke of Swallow Castle, and Arthur recognized the scene as a likely trap.

• Scott interviewed Arthur, who said he would visit 44 Whitebird Street but still considered 2 Kirk Street his home.
• Maltz told Arthur and Scott that Aeron had killed himself with poison hidden in a tooth while being escorted.
• Maltz reported that Delong had died after shouting “Checks! Checks!”, and Arthur decided to investigate rather than wait.
• Arthur, Maltz, and Scott went to Delong’s bedroom, where they found his bloodied body holding a sword and a suicide note confessing that he had wronged the Duke of Swallow Castle.

Arthur concluded that Delong’s death was part of a plot tied to the Check Forgery Case and used an alleged Evil Spirit to justify destroying the crime scene. The witnesses accepted his explanation, while Arthur signaled Maltz discreetly.

• Arthur reasoned that Delong and Aeron had coordinated a scheme to provoke conflict between Swallow Castle and South Los, and that Delong’s allies had targeted him after he foiled their Pine Street plot.
• Arthur warned the butler and others about an Evil Spirit, then sent everyone away from the guest-room doorway.
• Arthur used the Hand of the Void to store Delong’s suicide note in the Athos Box and plant explosives behind the corpse.
• Arthur detonated the explosives, wrecking the guest-room window and destroying much of the surrounding wall.
• Arthur told the young reporter that Jenkin’s hatred of Delong had summoned an Evil Spirit, and the reporter accepted the explanation and began writing.
• Arthur discreetly gestured to Maltz, who jolted in alarm.

After realizing the Whitebird District’s patrol squad had disappeared, Arthur and Maltz armed Freeman’s household guards and prepared the villa for an attack. Arthur took up a defensive position by the blasted-open guest room, where a bolt suddenly flew toward him.

• Arthur signaled serious danger, and Maltz inferred that the Whitebird District’s patrol squad had been wiped out.
• Maltz ordered the servants and attendants restrained, then forced Freeman’s butler to reveal a hidden arsenal in the study.
• Maltz armed his officers and assigned them defensive positions around the villa, while Arthur entrusted Pendragon to Scott.
• Arthur carried bolts to the guest room with the largest breach, where a bolt shot toward him as he entered.

Arthur used the [Arrow Guidance Art] to defeat four attackers, but the assault on 14 Whitebird Street continued as Urto sent in reinforcements. Maltz and Andy helped the patrol officers repel the attackers, while Urto used the [Ring of Mist] to reach Arthur and stab him.

• Arthur turned arrows from two quivers into a steady barrage that overwhelmed four attackers, though the fight exhausted his stamina.
• Urto sent twelve attackers to surround 14 Whitebird Street and assault the villa.
• Maltz shot one charging attacker, and Andy killed the crossbowmen from the roof with precise shots.
• The patrol officers hit the advancing attackers with crossbows after Andy eliminated their ranged support.
• Urto spread mist over 14 Whitebird Street with the [Ring of Mist], entered the villa, and stabbed Arthur in the chest with a shortsword.

Arthur defeated Urto by exposing the weaknesses of his mist form, then helped the patrol officers turn the fight against the attackers. After the battle was nearly won, Arthur and Maltz spotted something outside the window.

• Urto attacked Arthur while transformed into mist, but Arthur used sulfuric acid and strong gusts from the Hand of the Void to force him back into human form.
• Arthur shot Urto and used a poisoned bolt from the Jackal Hand Crossbow to kill him.
• Arthur used the Hand of the Void to disrupt the attackers, allowing Maltz, Dico, and the other patrol officers to gain the upper hand.
• Maltz noticed Arthur staring out the window and looked outside, becoming dumbstruck.

Aisi Bonaparte South Los appeared in the storm, revealing her power to control it, while Arthur recognized her and expected the conflict with the Old Lion to end soon. Maltz misread Arthur’s calm smile as proof that Arthur could command storms too, and Scott noticed that Pan had lost a whisker.

• A merchant heir traveling toward the coast glimpsed a figure standing in the storm, and people across South Los reacted to the sight with awe, fear, mockery, or curiosity.
• Arthur identified the figure as Aisi Bonaparte South Los and hoped her entrance would bring the covert struggle with the Old Lion to a close.
• Maltz confirmed with Arthur that the figure was the Countess, then grew frightened as he considered her power and his own past actions.
• Maltz saw Arthur smiling calmly at the storm and concluded that Arthur could wield similar power, which deepened his reverence and resolve to support him.
• Scott noticed that Pan had lost a whisker while holding the cat carrier.

After the battle at 14 Whitebird Street, Arthur acquired a Ring of Mist and the surviving patrol officers arrived to secure the scene. He left for Tate's Cane Shop, only to find it closed before its door opened again.

• Arthur packed Pendragon and the whisker into the Athos Box while Maltz sent Simon to contact the police station and considered using Freeman's butler as bait.
• Arthur inspected the Ring of Mist, learned its powers and recharge requirement, and put it on his left little finger.
• Middle and Gitt arrived with patrol officers and carriages, surveyed the dead and wounded, and greeted Maltz and Arthur.
• Arthur told Scott to write half of the story, then left for Tate's Cane Shop to buy a durable cane.
• Arthur found Tate's Cane Shop dark and closed, suspected Tate might be one of Old Lion's hidden agents, and saw its door open after a light appeared inside.

Arthur escaped Tate and the auxiliary policeman’s illusion by using the [Hand of the Void] to take the Athos Box, then bluffed the monsters into fearing him. After the illusion collapsed, he found its injured caster in an alley and confronted them about the damaged [Protective Copper Coin].

• Arthur distracted Tate and the auxiliary policeman with an absurd order while secretly taking the Athos Box and escaping their grasp.
• Arthur invited the monsters into the carriage, acted like a monster himself, and held them as a fuse triggered an explosion that dispelled the darkness.
• Arthur found himself back in the rain beside Tate's Cane Shop, and the text prompts showed [Bluff +5] and [Bluff Lv5: 5/30].
• Arthur concluded that the illusion’s apparent injuries had caused real harm, noticed the damaged [Protective Copper Coin], and heard the caster struggling in the alley.
• Arthur approached the injured figure and asked whether he looked like a human or a god.

Arthur identified the wounded attacker as Isidore, founder of the Rat Council, and killed him before he could strike again. He recovered a ring, a scroll, and a strip of cloth marked as personally crafted by Tate, revealing that Isidore had hidden something at Tate's Cane Shop.

• Arthur deduced that the injured man was Isidore and used a bluff to make him believe help was on offer.
• Isidore pretended to agree to Arthur's ritual question while preparing to attack him.
• Arthur's hidden crossbow bolts and [Hands of the Void] fatally wounded Isidore, who was identified as the Rat King.
• Arthur had the [Hands of the Void] further mutilate Isidore's corpse and search his pockets.
• The [Hands of the Void] retrieved a copper ring, a parchment scroll, and a blue strip of cloth marked '12-6-Personally crafted by Tate.'

Arthur hid Isidore’s body and belongings in the Athos Box, then entered Tate’s Cane Shop to retrieve a concealed item while pretending to shop. He swapped the marked cane in compartment 12-6, but his visit was interrupted when a man recognized him as Sir Credos.

• Arthur tested the Hand of the Void with a lit bundle of bombs, confirmed Isidore’s corpse was safe to approach, and stored the body and nearby items in the Athos Box.
• Arthur returned to Tate’s Cane Shop and told Taita he wanted a sturdy cane while searching the display cabinet for compartment 12-6.
• Tate showed Arthur several canes with hidden features, including an umbrella, a liquid container, dice, and a cloth flower.
• Arthur put the cane from compartment 12-6 into the Athos Box and replaced it with an ordinary cane.
• A man in a black suit entered the shop, recognized Arthur, and addressed him as Sir Credos.

Arthur ordered two iron-birch canes while Harris watched him, suspecting he knew something about Isidore’s disappearance. Harris eventually realized Isidore had used Arthur to mislead him, while Arthur examined a surprising item hidden inside a cane at the Medium’s Hall.

• Harris introduced himself to Arthur and openly surveilled him while Arthur ordered two iron-birch canes from Tate, requesting cat-themed handles.
• Harris questioned Tate about Arthur’s carriage and noticed Arthur react when told it had stopped outside before Arthur entered the shop and left.
• Harris followed Isidore’s trail to an alley, found the rain had washed away evidence, and learned from a Patrol Officer that Arthur had relieved himself there.
• Harris broke into the closed cane shop, searched its canes without finding what he sought, and concluded Isidore had used Arthur to throw him off the trail.
• After Harris left the shop unlocked, Patrol Officers and a vagrant stole canes, and the officers returned to catch a gambler inside.
• Arthur sat in the Medium’s Hall with Pendragon and examined an item he had taken from a cane, reacting with surprise at what it was.

Arthur discovered a key to one of Herke’s hidden places, examined Isidore’s powerful death scroll and Rat King’s Crown, and stowed the treasures away. Malinda arrived at 2 Kirk Street and asked whether he had relieved himself in public.

• Arthur found the Herke Key hidden inside a cane and learned it could open one of Herke’s laboratories, libraries, or collection rooms.
• Arthur recalled Herke’s history and decided to keep the key in the Athos Box until he could find a use for it.
• Arthur identified the Touch of Death scroll as a powerful creation of the Death Poetry Society and wondered whether Mother Tiger or Old Lion could resist it.
• Arthur examined the Rat King’s Crown, learned its powers and requirements, and stored it in the Athos Box to avoid revealing Isidore’s disappearance.
• Malinda rushed into Arthur’s home and asked whether he had pissed and shit in public.

Arthur considered using Harris’s return to Mouse Tail Alley to help Wiggins monitor its dangerous Secret Gathering, while Malinda reported the Countess’s offer of a knighthood if he won the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament. Arthur hinted that he wanted something other than the promised title and swordsmanship options.

• Malinda told Arthur that Harris had resumed running Mouse Tail Alley with the Countess’s backing, prompting Arthur to consider making Wiggins his proxy at the Secret Gathering.
• Arthur concluded that Wiggins’s lack of ties to the Mystical Side made him a suitable lookout who could alert Arthur to dangerous sellers and their goods.
• Malinda revealed that the Countess appreciated Arthur’s actions in the Whitebird District and would grant him the title of Knight if he won the South Los Swordsmanship Tournament.
• Malinda explained that Arthur could choose one part of the Swiftbird Swordsmanship and earn the others through merits, while Arthur feigned disinterest and said that was not what he cared about.

Arthur and Malinda traded information about the Black Cat Faction’s legacy and the Blood Marquis Family while watching each other warily. The next morning, Arthur headed to the Shire District Police Department to recover his belongings, but a wagon accident revealed a corpse hidden inside a mannequin.

• Malinda named the families involved in dividing up the Black Cat Faction’s legacy, then admitted she had lied and identified Viscount Rudd and Baron Novia instead.
• Malinda asked whether Arthur’s group had wiped out the Blood Marquis Family, and Arthur answered dismissively rather than revealing what he knew.
• Arthur and Malinda spent the night pretending to sleep, then read newspaper reports about the counterfeit check case and the explosion at 14 Whitebird Street.
• Malinda left for the day, and Arthur set out for the Shire District Police Department with Lady "Anna" and Pendragon to reclaim his property from 44 Whitebird Street.
• A wagon overturned near Earta Lane, and a mannequin that fell from it broke open to reveal a shriveled corpse.

Arthur examined a bloodless, shrunken corpse found inside a mannequin and found no lingering soul to guide the investigation. Simon’s inquiries explained why the coachman was rushing, but Arthur and Maltz suspected the man had been waiting somewhere overnight for reasons beyond oversleeping.

• Arthur stopped the coachman from fleeing and instructed Simon to question him and search him and the carriage.
• Arthur examined the corpse and found its blood, organs, and bones had been reduced without visible wounds.
• Arthur told Maltz that neither he nor Lady Anna sensed a departed soul near the corpse.
• Simon reported that the mannequins belonged to two clothing stores and that coachman Truda claimed he was rushing because he had overslept.
• Arthur and Maltz doubted Truda’s explanation, and Arthur reasoned that the coachman must have waited overnight somewhere other than the Whitebird District or Fountain Square.

Arthur earned XP from newspaper coverage and spent 100 points upgrading Hand of the Void to level 4, gaining the ability to create four stronger, faster void hands. As he prepared to test them, his Spirituality increased and the Balanced Blood Ring on his left index finger grew scorching hot.

• Maltz praised Simon for arranging to notify the people in charge of Lilith's and Vivian's shops, then sent him to confront Truda about oversleeping.
• Maltz instructed Andy to wait for the shop representatives and ask how many mannequins they had brought before letting them see the mannequins.
• Arthur went to the Washroom to review XP notifications and saw that newspaper reports and growing public recognition had brought him XP.
• Arthur spent 100 XP to raise Hand of the Void from level 3 to level 4, allowing him to summon four void hands with greater strength, speed, and range.
• Arthur felt his Mystic Art change and began considering how he could use the extra hands, but his Spirituality increased and the Balanced Blood Ring on his left index finger grew scorching hot.

Arthur survived a dangerous encounter triggered by his increased spirituality, then tested his stronger [Hand of the Void] and briefly lifted himself off the ground. He joined Maltz and the patrol officers to investigate Truda’s carriage tracks, which ended inexplicably before the carriage could have entered Whitebird District.

• Arthur felt an unseen presence behind him, and the [Balanced Blood Ring] cooled as [Death Intuition] stopped flashing.
• Arthur concluded that the ring balanced the danger of increased spirituality but did not make him immune, and he recognized that alchemy was beyond his current means.
• Arthur tested Lv4 [Hand of the Void], summoned four hands, and used them to lift himself before stamina loss forced him back down.
• Arthur left the Washroom with Pendragon, and Maltz mistook his cryptic remark about his grandfather for a response about gastrointestinal trouble.
• Arthur, Maltz, and the patrol officers followed wheel tracks in Shaded Lane and found no footprints or tracks leading toward Fountain Square.
• Maltz asked Arthur if he already knew what had happened to Truda’s carriage and its goods.

Arthur discovered that someone had paved the road with ice to move mannequins containing a corpse, and suspected the culprit had planned the operation before the previous day’s attack. His deductions led Maltz to consider expanding their network of power and contacting an old friend about the Suicide Battalion.

• Arthur examined the damp road and found melting ice, revealing that someone had used it to move the mannequins without leaving evidence.
• Arthur reconstructed how the culprit had drugged Truda, loaded the mannequins onto his carriage, and used the ice to transport them during the patrol’s absence.
• Arthur concluded that the corpse concealed inside a hollow mannequin must have been prepared in advance, and wondered whether the culprit had known about the previous day’s attack beforehand.
• Arthur told Maltz to have Simon ask Truda about the alcohol, then warned that the Old Lion’s financial adviser might have had hidden agents beyond those already exposed.
• Maltz realized they needed to expand their influence beyond the Shire District and Rat Street, and decided to contact an old friend about the Suicide Battalion.

Arthur and Maltz questioned Ms. Camille about the mannequins taken from her house and went to inspect her ice cellar. Ms. Camille’s intense interest in Arthur hinted at a connection to his family, while an argument in the hall interrupted the investigation.

• Arthur and Maltz went to the Camille household to investigate the mannequins removed that morning.
• Butler Orr welcomed them and led them to Ms. Camille, who answered Maltz’s questions about the mannequins and her household.
• Ms. Camille watched Arthur with nostalgia and quietly called him “Charlie” after he left the sitting room.
• Orr said the coachman had collected the mannequins and that Scar had received him, then led Arthur and Maltz toward the ice cellar.
• Arthur and Maltz paused outside the cellar when they heard a heated argument in the hall.