Chapter Summaries

Greg finished his preparations for the coming conflict and took a belt-shaped Magic Device from Alice’s room as a final safeguard. After seeing Victoria leave the Magic Tower alone, he decided to follow her.

• Greg encountered Sylvia outside Veronica’s room, then hurried downstairs while Sylvia turned toward Veronica’s room with a colder gaze.
• Greg decided to borrow Alice’s Magic Device in case his luck failed him during the coming conflict.
• Greg found Alice surrounded by professors praising her for teaching Greg and Victoria, and left without interrupting her.
• Greg sneaked into Alice’s room, took the belt-shaped Magic Device from a storage chest, and planned to return it later.
• Greg spotted Victoria leaving the Magic Tower in casual clothes and quietly followed her.

Victoria visited a poor alley in the Imperial Capital to bring food to children orphaned by border wars, and Greg followed her there. Greg claimed to be Victoria’s boyfriend so the children would trust him, then noticed the children’s homes needed repairs.

• Victoria distributed bread, dried fruit, and candy to the children of fallen soldiers living in the alley.
• Greg revealed that he had followed Victoria, and she scolded him for doing so.
• A little girl asked whether Greg was Victoria’s boyfriend, and Greg said he was so the children would trust him.
• Greg told Victoria he wanted to help the children, and she reluctantly accepted his explanation.
• Greg pointed out the damaged houses, and Victoria admitted she had not tried to repair them because she feared making things worse.

Greg repaired the slum children’s home, gave them warm baths, and grew closer to Victoria as they worked together. After hearing how the children remembered Wendy’s kindness, he promised to save the Fifth Imperial Princess and asked them to keep it secret.

• Greg repaired the children’s damaged roof and door while Victoria helped him.
• Greg used magic to provide the children with warm baths, then helped Victoria gather firewood so they could dry off by a fire.
• Victoria watched Greg happily playing with the children, became flustered, and left to buy more things.
• A little boy asked Greg to save the Fifth Imperial Princess, and the children described Wendy’s past kindness to them.
• Greg promised the children he would save Wendy and told them to keep the promise secret.

Melina avoided Juno after discovering her strange behavior, then secretly ordered the Demon King Cult to disrupt the Empire’s execution of its Fifth Imperial Princess and use the chaos to investigate the Dungeon. She ended the night wondering why she kept thinking about him.

• Juno offered to wash Melina’s clothes, but Melina repeatedly refused and denied remembering what had happened between them.
• After entering the bathroom, Melina recalled finding Juno clutching and sniffing her clothes.
• Melina summoned a Demon King Cult officer and ordered the Cult to begin an operation at six the next evening.
• Melina explained that the Cult would disrupt the execution of the Fifth Imperial Princess and use the resulting commotion to investigate the Dungeon.
• Alone in the bath, Melina wondered why she kept thinking about him.

Greg arrived at the public execution square, where the Empire planned to burn Wendy at the stake, and prepared to act without involving Victoria. He sent Nightmare to investigate a mysterious aura while he waited for the execution to begin.

• Greg overheard spectators arguing over whether Wendy had been framed or had colluded with the Demons.
• Victoria followed Greg toward the execution square, but he sent her away so she would not be drawn into his plan.
• Greg surveyed the execution platform and the seats reserved for the Emperor, the academies' headmistresses, and Veronica.
• Greg noticed Nightmare's silence and learned she had sensed a mysterious aura that weakened near the square.
• Greg assured Nightmare he could handle the operation and sent her shadow off to find the aura's source.

Greg watched the Church of Light and the Empire’s leaders arrive for the execution, where Sylvia publicly appeared as a Saintess Candidate. He recognized Roland, the Sword of the Empire, as a powerful new obstacle to his plan to storm the execution grounds.

• Veronica entered the square with Sylvia beside her, prompting the crowd to speculate that Sylvia was a Saintess Candidate.
• Veronica urged Sylvia to carry herself with confidence, and Sylvia straightened up as she resolved to protect Greg from Veronica.
• Veronica and Sylvia took their places near the execution platform as the emperor and Crown Prince Finn arrived.
• Greg saw Chancellor Marcus among the imperial procession and recognized the frail-looking emperor and pleased Crown Prince Finn.
• Greg recognized the old swordsman beside the emperor as Roland, the Sword of the Empire, and realized Roland would oppose an assault on the execution grounds.

At Wendy’s public execution, Finn lusted after Veronica and was punished by her gaze, while Greg’s supporters stirred the crowd to demand Wendy’s freedom. The crowd’s strong support unsettled Marcus and enraged Finn as the execution approached.

• Finn stared greedily at Veronica and Sylvia, and Veronica struck him with a fierce headache by meeting his gaze.
• Finn vowed to make Veronica submit, while the emperor doubted his decision to yield the throne and Roland remained silent.
• Wendy arrived in shackles, and the crowd erupted in support of her and demanded her freedom.
• Greg recognized that Ellie’s supporters had helped turn public sympathy for Wendy into loud protests.
• Marcus worried about Wendy’s popularity, and Finn angrily wished for the crowd to fall silent once the pyre was lit.

At Wendy’s public execution, Finn read her death sentence, but Wendy challenged his claims and suggested that his mysterious adviser was controlling him. The crowd began to doubt Finn as the execution proceedings paused.

• Victoria watched Wendy and wondered whether the Church of Light was forcing Sylvia to become the next Saintess.
• Roland’s murderous aura silenced the unruly crowd, and soldiers bound Wendy to the execution post.
• Finn took the sentencing scroll and publicly accused Wendy of treason, sentencing her to burn at the stake.
• Wendy questioned how Finn knew she had colluded with Demons when the Empire Intelligence Network could not verify it.
• Finn claimed that a servant had built an independent intelligence system for him.
• Wendy suggested that Finn’s adviser was controlling him like a puppet, leaving the crowd to consider the possibility.

As the Church questioned Princess Wendy and Finn tried to silence her, the Demon King Cult’s attack made Wendy appear guilty of collusion. Two masked women killed the cultists, then announced that they had come to rob the Imperial Capital.

• Veronica realized Wendy’s account matched the Church’s intelligence about the steward, while Greg was shocked that Wendy already knew the truth.
• Finn ordered a soldier to execute Wendy, prompting the crowd, the emperor, and Chancellor Marcus to question his motives.
• Explosions struck the Imperial Capital, and Greg realized Melina had sent the Demon King Cult to exploit the crisis and implicate Wendy.
• Cultists rushed into the square claiming they had come to rescue Wendy, making her protests seem futile as the crowd turned against her.
• Two masked women killed the cultists with lightning and a Wind Blade, then told Roland they were there to rob the city.

Greg rescued Wendy from the execution platform during a diversion staged by Olivia and Luna, then reassured her that he believed her and claimed she belonged to him. Meanwhile, Olivia and Luna fought Roland and Marcus in the square, and their opponents realized the masked women had no domains.

• Olivia and Luna caused an explosion in the square, sending the crowd into chaos and drawing the guards away from the execution platform.
• Greg fought past soldiers, freed Wendy from her chains, and carried her out through the dust and obstacles.
• Wendy regained awareness in Greg’s arms and tried to explain that she had no connection to the Demon King Cult, but Greg told her he believed her because she belonged to him.
• Olivia and Luna battled Roland and Marcus with lightning and wind magic while Greg escaped with Wendy.
• Roland and Marcus noticed that the masked women had not used domains and concluded they had only recently reached Level 70.

Marcus restrained Olivia and Luna while Roland pursued Greg, as Olivia and Luna waited under his Gravity Domain for a chance to act. Across the square, Veronica left Sylvia in charge of the evacuation and raced after Greg.

• Marcus used his nascent Gravity Domain to pin Olivia and Luna down, then sent Roland after Greg.
• Luna started to resist the pressure, but Olivia stopped her from revealing her identity and persuaded her to wait until Marcus weakened.
• Olivia suggested they rest under the gravity, and Luna began holding a plank while Marcus dismissed her effort as a struggle to stand.
• Marcus ignored the chaos caused by the Demon King Cult and considered how to use the attack to strengthen his power.
• Veronica protected civilians from the cultists, then entrusted Sylvia with organizing the Church's evacuation and reassuring the people.
• Veronica raced after Greg, leaving Sylvia to take charge.

Wendy relived the childhood memory of being falsely accused at court and feared that Greg and Ellie would abandon her after the Demon King Cult appeared claiming to rescue her. Greg told her he believed her because she was one of his, pulling her out of her despair.

• Wendy remembered Finn accusing her of stealing his command seal when she had only been reading the Chronicles of the Empire.
• Sarah defended Wendy, and an investigation proved Wendy innocent and exposed an attendant who served Finn as the thief.
• Wendy recalled how the court’s suspicions had left her determined to become useful so she would not be abandoned again.
• After the Demon King Cult appeared in the square, Wendy feared Greg and Ellie would believe she had colluded with them.
• Greg woke Wendy from her nightmare and told her he believed her because she was one of his.

Wendy found comfort in Greg’s trust as he carried her to safety, but Roland attacked them before they could escape. Ellie intercepted the strike and stayed behind to face Roland, who then insulted her by proposing she marry his grandson.

• Wendy felt reassured by Greg’s faith in her and wondered whether staying with him could bring her happiness.
• Greg noticed Wendy nuzzling against him as he carried her through the alleys and searched for the escaped lord.
• Roland attacked Greg and Wendy with sword energy, but Ellie arrived and blocked the strike.
• Ellie told Greg to take Wendy and escape while she held off Roland.
• After Greg left, Roland praised Ellie’s skill and proposed she marry his grandson in exchange for letting Greg and Wendy go.
• Ellie took Roland’s proposal as an insult and prepared to face him.

Ellie fought Roland in the Imperial Capital, awakened to a stronger level during their duel, and defeated him with her Proto-Domain. As she set out to pursue Greg, phantom attackers appeared across the city, and she suspected the danger was connected to her young master.

• Ellie and Roland battled through the streets while nearby knights kept their distance and Demon King Cult members were caught in the fighting.
• Ellie gained insight mid-battle and leveled up twice, shifting the advantage in her favor.
• Roland unleashed his Proto-Domain, Blood Slash, and Ellie answered with her more powerful Proto-Domain, Condemnation.
• Ellie broke through Roland's defenses and wounded him, leaving him unconscious.
• Ellie prepared to pursue Greg, but phantoms attacked her and appeared throughout the Imperial Capital, prompting her to suspect a connection to her young master.

Victoria defended children in the slums from the Demon King Cult, then joined Vivian and Lilith when more cultists converged on them. A masked man carrying Wendy appeared, and Victoria and Vivian recognized him while Lilith remained confused.

• Victoria defeated a group of Demon King Cult members and checked that the children in a repaired wooden house were safe.
• A cultist tried to burn the house, but Vivian raised an Ice Wall while Lilith destroyed the attackers with a Greater Fireball.
• Vivian explained that Magic Tower students and the Academy Heads had joined the fight against the Demon King Cult.
• Victoria thanked Vivian and Lilith, but the three were soon surrounded by more cultists and formed a defensive formation.
• A masked man rushed into the alley carrying Wendy, whom Victoria and Vivian recognized, while Lilith asked who he was.

Greg fled with Wendy into the slums and encountered Lilith, Vivian, and Victoria, concealing his identity while the Demon King Cult closed in. When the cultists attacked, Greg kept Wendy behind him and prepared to face the danger.

• Greg carried Wendy through familiar alleys to escape the Knights' Order, but found Lilith, Vivian, and Victoria as Demon King Cult members gathered nearby.
• Greg set Wendy down and had her present him as a mysterious lord who had chosen to help them.
• Lilith questioned Greg, but Vivian and Victoria accepted his help despite Lilith's suspicions.
• Over a hundred Demon King Cult members surrounded the group, and their leader ordered them to kill everyone.
• Lilith turned to fight the cultists, while Greg stopped Wendy from joining the battle and told her to stay behind him.

Greg fought alongside Victoria, Vivian, and Lilith against the Demon King Cult, and their uncanny coordination helped defeat the cultists and their leader. As the group prepared to escape with Wendy, a black-clad butler appeared and declared that he had come to collect the princess.

• Victoria, Vivian, and Lilith attacked the advancing Demon King Cult members while Greg created openings and coordinated with each of them.
• Greg and Lilith worked together to trap and defeat the cultist wielding a Black Flame greatsword, leaving Lilith wondering why he knew her fighting style so well.
• With Priest Had dead, the remaining cultists lost heart, and Vivian and Victoria helped clear the alley.
• Greg prepared to lead Wendy toward the outer city, but a well-dressed butler emerged and addressed Wendy as a princess, saying he had come to collect her.

Greg and the others confronted the steward after he tried to force Wendy to go with him, and Veroni struck the steward with a surprise spear of light. Greg’s identity was revealed, but Wendy warned that the steward was still alive.

• Wendy refused the steward’s demand to come with him, and Greg stepped in front of her to protect her.
• Greg taunted the steward into turning away, but Veronica did not appear, leaving Greg to wonder if she had missed their plan.
• Veroni emerged from the shadows and pierced the steward’s chest with a spear of light.
• Veroni addressed Greg as “Lord Greg,” and Lilith realized the masked man was Greg Sass.
• Greg removed his face covering, but Wendy grabbed his sleeve and warned that the battle was not over because the steward was not dead.

Wendy’s déjà vu warned that the black butler had survived Veronica’s attack, and he unleashed resurrecting phantoms across the Imperial Capital. As the heroes struggled to protect civilians and find a way to stop him, Wendy told Greg she might have a solution and asked him to come with her.

• Wendy sensed that Veronica’s spear had not killed the black butler, and the butler reappeared after his body crumbled away.
• The butler spread phantoms of historical warriors across the Imperial Capital and revealed that he could survive as long as they remained.
• Veronica destroyed groups of phantoms with light magic, but they quickly regenerated and continued attacking people across the city.
• Victoria, Vivian, and Lilith rushed to defend the wooden house after phantoms broke through Vivian’s Ice Wall and threatened the children.
• Greg considered using his Dark Attribute Magic to destroy the phantoms but realized he could not clear the entire city alone.
• Wendy tugged at Greg’s hand and said she might have a way to stop the phantoms.

Wendy used a method from her prophetic visions to give Greg a surge of powerful energy, and he saw a mysterious memory of a girl in a maple grove. The vision ended before he could see her face.

• Wendy led Greg to a secluded corner and asked him to close his eyes.
• Wendy kissed Greg and asked him to swallow what she had given him, saying it should work.
• Greg accepted, and the liquid stirred the dark-attribute magic within him with a powerful surge of energy.
• Greg saw a hazy vision of a honey-haired girl in a sunset-lit maple grove, but her face blurred before he could see it.