Recaps

Lumian, Albus, Alois, and Ilett descended into Red Swan Castle’s Underground Palace, where they learned of a recurring madness among the Sauron Family and encountered a strange giant spider. The creature resembled a Hunting Black Spider, one of the ingredients Lumian needed for the Conspirer potion, but its unusual features left its true nature uncertain.

• Lumian questioned the wax sculptor, who urged him, Albus, and Alois—but not Ilett—to hurry deep into the Underground Palace.
• As the group descended, Alois explained that Saurons connected to Red Swan Castle sometimes went mad and vanished into the Underground Palace, while she refused to reveal what the unaffected family members had in common.
• Albus asked whether Alois or her family might suffer the same madness, and Alois replied that everyone would eventually go mad.
• The four reached a vast hall containing piles of bones, where Lumian spotted a huge spider crawling across the ceiling.
• Lumian recognized the creature as resembling a Hunting Black Spider, but noticed that its appearance differed from the known descriptions and that it carried a shriveled humanlike heart on its back.

Lumian, Albus Medici, and Alois Einhorn fought a giant black spider with a withered humanlike heart, then Lumian escorted Ilett toward the surface. Ilett revealed that he had seen Albus Medici at Sacred Heart Monastery, leaving Lumian with new questions about his companions and the Sauron Family’s secrets.

• Lumian tried to lure the giant black spider into attacking Ilett, and Albus Medici intercepted it as Alois Einhorn and Lumian struck it with fire.
• The injured spider escaped into the shadows, and Alois Einhorn said the Sauron Family had removed the hearts of dead masters and core members and taken them into the underground palace.
• Ilett learned that Lumian, Albus Medici, and Alois Einhorn were Beyonders, then chose to leave the underground palace with Lumian escorting him.
• On the way back, Ilett speculated about Alois Einhorn’s father and said he had seen Albus Medici before at Sacred Heart Monastery.

Lumian burned the wax figures in Red Swan Castle’s underground palace, discovering that they concealed the corpses of people who had gone mad, and fully digested his Pyromaniac potion. He killed the Wax Figures Maker and returned to Albus and Alois with a strange crimson remnant, while Puyfer sensed a disturbance deep in the palace.

• As Lumian and Ilett left the underground palace, Ilett said he had once seen Albus Medici walking with a monk at Sacred Heart Monastery.
• Lumian returned to the Madness Door and burned the wax figures, revealing human corpses inside and clarifying that a Pyromaniac could choose whom to destroy; he then completed digesting his potion.
• The Wax Figures Maker confronted Lumian, who stunned him and blasted apart his head with an infused fireball.
• Puyfer Sauron sensed a disturbance near the bronze coffin as candles went out in the underground hall.
• Lumian found that the Wax Figures Maker had no heart, collected a blood-colored remnant and some blood, and left the burning room.
• Lumian returned to Albus and Alois, who asked if he had killed Ilett; Lumian said he had killed the Wax Figures Maker.

Lumian, Albus, and Alois encountered a hall full of giant black spiders beneath Red Swan Castle, and Alois drove them back by invoking her Sauron bloodline. They continued through the Underground Labyrinth, where Lumian claimed the severely wounded spider as his spoil and prepared to face it alone.

• Lumian told Albus and Alois that the wax figures he burned had concealed human corpses, then continued with them deeper into the Underground Labyrinth.
• The group found Anyong near a set of double doors, where Albus surrounded him with flames and exposed his wax-like body.
• Anyong tore at his face, causing coffins to open and giant black spiders to swarm the hall and bombard the passage with fireballs.
• Alois commanded the spiders in Hermetic, invoking the Sauron Family's bloodline, and they fled; she explained that half her blood was Sauron.
• Lumian spotted the wounded spider that had fought the Hunters and claimed it as his spoil, while Albus and Alois declined to help him fight it.

Lumian defeated a wounded giant black spider while concealing his true abilities, then followed Albus and Alois deeper into Red Swan Castle's Underground Palace. The group reached the candlelit hall containing the bronze coffin from Lumian's nightmare, where Albus attacked it before anyone could investigate.

• Lumian used Lie and fire ravens to kill the giant black spider, then collected its Beyonder characteristic, shriveled heart, compound eyes, and venom glands.
• Albus and Alois questioned Lumian's Sequence, and he claimed he was still only a Pyromaniac.
• The Hunters found a room of nearly two-meter-tall tin soldiers, and Albus used Delayed Explosion to destroy them after they left.
• Alois opened the blood-splashed iron doors, revealing a candlelit hall and the bronze coffin from Lumian's nightmare.
• Albus sent two crimson fire snakes toward the bronze coffin, startling Lumian and Alois.

Lumian, Alois, and Albus hesitated outside a hall deep in the Underground Palace before a terrifying presence overwhelmed them. Lumian awoke after escaping a wax-figure transformation and returned to the first-floor sitting room, where Albus appeared moments later.

• Alois and Albus questioned each other and Lumian about why they had entered the Underground Palace, while each kept parts of the truth concealed.
• Alois explained that the Sauron Family used the Underground Palace as a restricted hunting ground and that most half-god-level characteristics had been recovered.
• A dark-veined hand appeared in the corridor, and the three Hunters stepped into the hall as visions of purple flames, a bronze coffin, and a blood-filled ring overwhelmed them.
• Lumian awoke restrained in a metal frame as a red-bearded man prepared to turn him into a wax figure, then escaped using the black mark on his shoulder.
• Lumian found his possessions intact, returned to the sitting room, and told Ilett that he had been separated from the others.
• Albus appeared in the sitting-room doorway.

After escaping the Underground Palace, Lumian reported his discoveries to Gardner Martin and learned that the Wax Figures Maker’s ingredients could be used to make a Conspirer potion, though they carried extra risks. He chose to keep the ingredients and ended the chapter writing to Madam Magician.

• Lumian returned to Red Swan Castle’s drawing room, where Albus and Alois had also escaped the Underground Palace and Count Puyver arrived without Mr. Anyong.
• Lumian thanked Puivert Sauron for the adventure and left the castle, reflecting on how helpless he had been against the illusory roar.
• Lumian told Gardner Martin about the dangers in the Underground Palace and challenged him over failing to intervene; Gardner revealed he had witnessed Lumian’s actions and implied he had helped him wake.
• Lumian declined an immediate reward and asked Gardner whether the Wax Figures Maker’s Beyonder characteristic and other ingredients could make a Conspirer potion.
• Gardner explained that the ingredients could make the potion but included extra characteristics and risks, and Lumian chose to try them himself.
• Lumian returned to the Golden Rooster Inn and began writing a letter to Madam Magician.

After investigating Red Swan Castle’s Underground Labyrinth, Lumian received Madam Magician’s warning that Vermonda Soren was a sealed, insane angel and learned more about Albus Medici’s ties to a powerful evil spirit. He then visited Franca, revealing that he had digested his Pyromaniac potion and gathered nearly all the ingredients for his Conspirer potion.

• Lumian sent Madam Magician a detailed account of his experiences in Red Swan Castle’s Underground Labyrinth.
• Madam Magician explained that using the Sauron heart could give Lumian a trace of the family’s bloodline and warned that Vermonda Soren, a powerful angel, was sealed beneath the hall.
• Madam Magician advised Lumian not to approach the seal before reaching Sequence 4 and told him to treat future missions from Gardner Martin as routine.
• Madam Magician revealed that Albus Medici was likely connected to an evil spirit formed from Red Angel Medici, Soren, and Einhorn, and said Miss Justice and Susie were watching Sacred Heart Monastery.
• Madam Magician urged Lumian to advance to Sequence 6 soon and flee Trier or seek refuge in Mr. Fool’s church if the brewing disaster could not be stopped.
• Lumian visited Franca and asked her to hold something in case his potion advancement went wrong, then confirmed he had digested his Pyromaniac potion and gathered nearly all his Conspirer ingredients.

Lumian used the Catacombs’ sacred plaza to suppress outside influences while advancing with the Wax Figures Maker potion and the Mutated Black Spider’s heart. The advancement succeeded, and his newly clarified thoughts led him to question details of a past nightmare involving Ilett.

• Franca warned Lumian that the Sauron Family bloodline in the heart could make his advancement dangerous, but Lumian said their destination would help suppress its influence.
• Lumian brought Franca to the Catacombs’ third-level plaza and prayed at the Eternal Blazing Sun’s sacrificial pillar, planning to weaken external corruption during his advancement.
• Lumian gave Franca Gray Ambergris Perfume and asked her to watch over him, then mixed the potion ingredients and drank the iron-black liquid.
• Lumian endured pain, ravings, and hallucinations before the effects subsided, and he confirmed that his advancement had succeeded.
• Lumian noticed his thoughts were clearer and questioned how Ilett could have remained well despite supposedly being halfway transformed into a wax figure in the nightmare.

After advancing to Sequence 6, Lumian tested his new Conspirer abilities and formed two acting principles from his past experiences. He planned to capture a liaison from the Sinners organization, then brought Jenna to Lavigny Docks, where an old three-masted ship caught her attention.

• Lumian examined his Conspirer abilities, including improved flame control, brief movement through fire, and heightened senses.
• Lumian concluded that a Conspirer relied on the mind rather than supernatural abilities and concealed their true purpose to carry out a conspiracy.
• Lumian and Franca agreed to target the Sinners organization's liaison when he next visited Pauline, and Lumian agreed to introduce Jenna to the faith of Mr. Fool.
• The next morning, Lumian took Jenna to Lavigny Docks without explaining why they were going.
• Jenna saw an old-fashioned three-masted sailing ship at the docks and exclaimed in surprise.

Lumian brought Jenna to the Church of the Fool, explained his and Franca’s faith and warned her that some churches might be unsafe during an approaching disaster. Bishop Tessilian welcomed Jenna and began explaining that the Fool allowed believers to follow other deities too.

• Lumian noticed a three-masted ship at Lavigny Docks and felt the Blood Emperor’s residual aura resonate with it.
• Lumian took Jenna to the Church of the Fool and explained that he and Franca believed in Mr. Fool, then asked whether she wanted to convert.
• Lumian told Jenna that the Church of the Fool could shelter her if they became separated during a possible disaster, because the Sacred Heart Monastery and Deep Valley Monastery had problems.
• Bishop Tessilian introduced himself to Jenna and offered to explain the Fool’s faith.
• Tessilian told Jenna that Mr. Fool accepted believers who also worshipped other deities, then began his sermon.

Jenna wavered after hearing a sermon about the Fool, and Lumian offered to use his Iron and Blood Cross Order contributions to obtain the Witch potion ingredients for her. Gardner Martin approved the exchange, while a letter from Madam Magician later asked Lumian and Two of Cups to summon the Armored Wraith again for Mr. Hanged Man.

• Jenna heard that Gehrman Sparrow belonged to the Church of the Fool and began reconsidering her resistance to believing in the Fool.
• Lumian offered to help Jenna obtain the Witch potion ingredients in exchange for thirty-five thousand verl d'or, and Jenna agreed to pay ten thousand upfront and owe him the rest.
• Lumian asked Gardner Martin to exchange his contributions for the Witch potion ingredients for Jenna, and Gardner agreed to provide them the next morning for an additional ten thousand verl d'or.
• Lumian watched Jenna sing at the Breeze Ballroom and wondered about the income and dangers of hunting evil god believers.
• Lumian found a letter from Madam Magician saying Mr. Hanged Man wanted him and Two of Cups to summon the Armored Wraith again, with Mr. Hanged Man providing the gold.

Lumian and Franca joined The Hanged Man aboard his ghost ship to summon the Armored Wraith and seek answers about its origins. Jenna inferred that Lumian and Franca belonged to the secret organization using tarot code names, and the chapter ended as The Hanged Man prepared to begin the summoning ritual.

• Lumian visited Franca and asked her to translate while he summoned the Armored Wraith; Jenna deduced that he and Franca were connected to the tarot-named secret organization.
• Lumian and Franca were transported from the Golden Rooster Inn to a ghost ship, where the ship’s living ropes reacted to Lumian’s right palm.
• Madam Magician identified the vessel as The Hanged Man’s ghost ship, a legacy of the Tudor Empire, and said Lumian could explore it as a future reward.
• Lumian and Franca met The Hanged Man, who identified himself as Alger; Franca recognized him as the Storm Messenger and praised his reputation as a treasure hunter.
• The Hanged Man asked whether they could begin the summoning ritual, and Lumian said they could start at any time.

Lumian summoned the Armored Wraith and asked about its identity and the eastern sea, learning that the lost mountain Penglai had reappeared and its inhabitants’ corpses had drifted into the River of the Underworld. He requested a chance to explore the ghost ship Blue Avenger but chose to wait until the time was right after Termiboros warned that Alista Tudor might resurrect within him.

• Lumian summoned the Armored Wraith, and it identified itself as Chen Tu, a spirit invested by the Celestial Master.
• Chen Tu said Penglai was a lost Immortal Mountain in the Eastern Sea and that corpses from Penglai had drifted down the river.
• Franca explained Daoism and investiture to Lumian and The Hanged Man, who asked her to prepare a written explanation for him.
• Lumian asked The Hanged Man for a chance to explore the Blue Avenger as compensation for the answers.
• Termiboros warned Lumian that exploring the ship could cause Alista Tudor to resurrect within him, and Lumian decided to wait for the right time.

Lumian and Franca returned from meeting the Hanged Man and suspected his arrival in Trier was connected to the looming disaster. The next day, Jenna advanced to Sequence 7 as a Witch in the Catacombs, where an unseen influence intervened; Lumian identified a nearby Night Pillar tied to a Calamity Witch.

• The Hanged Man agreed to Lumian's request and told him to contact him through the Magician, then the Magician sent Lumian and Franca back to the Golden Rooster Inn.
• Franca questioned why the Hanged Man had waited to meet them in Trier, and she and Lumian suspected the Tarot Club was preparing for the approaching disaster.
• Lumian brought Jenna to the Catacombs' Sacrificial Plaza to weaken any influence from the Primordial Witch during her advancement.
• Jenna drank the Witch potion and fought through a vision of Black Flames, an ice barrier, and a malicious version of herself as an unseen shadow intervened.
• Jenna successfully became a Sequence 7 Witch and told Lumian she had heard a sigh; Lumian said a Chrismona Night Pillar nearby represented a Calamity Witch who had died there.

Jenna became a Witch and joined Lumian’s plans, while Lumian’s investigation of Pauline led to a coordinated raid on her home. The group subdued Pauline and began using Franca’s transformation to impersonate her.

• Lumian explained the lingering remnants of the Primordial Witch and warned Jenna to be cautious; Jenna described her new Witch abilities and appearance.
• Lumian gave Jenna cosmetics to disguise her new charm and told her she would start working for him the next day.
• Lumian reviewed his observations of Pauline and the mysterious men visiting her, then prepared a plan to identify Bouval Pompairo.
• Pauline sensed danger and attacked with lightning, but Jenna and Franca used invisibility and Anti-Divination to knock her unconscious.
• Lumian entered Pauline’s bedroom, and Franca used the Lie ear clip to transform her appearance and height to resemble Pauline.

Lumian, Jenna, and Franca interrogated Pauline to learn about Bouval Pompairo’s abilities and habits, then prepared to use Pauline as bait. Bouval arrived at the house and entered the bedroom, unaware that the group was waiting for him.

• Franca disguised herself as Pauline while Lumian used Truth Serum to make the real Pauline answer Jenna’s questions.
• Pauline revealed that Bouval was an Ascetic with Transformation, Shadow Substitution, and other contract abilities, and that he carried items in pockets he guarded carefully.
• Lumian explained that killing Pauline could alert Bouval through Danger Premonition, and decided to bring Anthony into his conspiracy.
• Franca gave the Lie pendant to Jenna, while Lumian signaled Anthony to enter through the master bedroom’s exterior wall.
• Bouval arrived at No. 20 Terrace Street, spoke with the butler, and entered the bedroom, where the disguised Franca posed as Pauline.

Bouval Pompairo discovered that the apparent Pauline was a decoy and was ambushed by Jenna, Franca, and the real Pauline. Lumian transformed him into a bull and began interrogating him, starting by asking where the Samson Family was.

• Bouval used Raise Imps to search No. 20 Terrace Street and found the real Pauline bound in a wardrobe.
• Bouval merged with the shadows to reach Pauline, but Jenna lit the corridor and attacked his shadow with black flames.
• Bouval used Shadow Substitution and raced to free Pauline, but the real Pauline struck him with Arc Lightning, Franca hit him with Mental Piercing, and Jenna knocked him unconscious.
• Lumian kept Bouval transformed into a bull, and Bouval's attempt to read Lumian's fortune caused his eyes to bleed.
• Franca gave Bouval a mechanical typewriter so he could answer questions, and Lumian asked where the Samson Family was.

Lumian’s team captured Bouval Pompairo and questioned him about the Sinners, learning that Vazan Sanson led the organization and had taken several Fate Hunters away after a divine revelation. Bouval also explained how he used Fortune Transfer to create Misfortune Gold Coins, while Lumian realized Vazan’s absence might leave less than three weeks before a disaster.

• Lumian reviewed how his team had lured Bouval into a trap by making Pauline the focus and coordinating their roles.
• Bouval revealed that the Sanson family had disappeared for over two months, and that Vazan had killed his wife Constance and their children after Constance went mad.
• Bouval identified Vazan Sanson as the Sinners’ leader, the first to spread Fate’s faith in Trier, and a Person of the Loop who had taken several Fate Hunters away after receiving a divine revelation.
• Bouval said Vazan had left him and other members to manage businesses and believers for three months, leading Lumian to suspect the group’s foretold disaster would arrive within three weeks.
• Bouval explained that his Misfortune Gold Coin came from Fortune Transfer, which could pass misfortune for up to thirteen days and let him win new believers by later helping its victims.

Lumian questioned Bouval about his mystical items, assets, and the Sinners organization, then divided the spoils among his companions. After testing Bouval for hidden secrets, Lumian left Franca and Jenna to kill him so Franca could try a prophecy potion.

• Bouval explained that misfortune items could be transferred only a limited number of times and would last ten more days, then identified his prophecy potions and corrupted Eye of Truth.
• Bouval listed his wealth, ritual dog skins, and limited knowledge of other Sinners members, and Lumian assigned the spoils among Franca, Jenna, and Anthony Reid.
• Bouval tried to recite an animal-transformation incantation, but Lumian noticed and knocked him unconscious again.
• Lumian decided to deal with Bouval at the scene, then left and told the others to call him back after Bouval was dead.
• Franca encouraged Jenna to kill Bouval as an opportunity to act as a Witch, while Franca planned to test a prophecy potion on his corpse.

Jenna used Prophecy Potion on Bouval Pompairo’s corpse, which revealed that Vazan Sanson and Pualis de Roquefort were in the same place before vanishing after a dangerous prophecy. After the group raided Bouval’s home and alerted the police, Lumian spotted the corpse following their carriage.

• Jenna performed a Witch’s ritual and used Prophecy Potion to revive Bouval Pompairo’s corpse for questions.
• Bouval’s corpse answered that Vazan Sanson would be in Room 7 and Pualis de Roquefort in Room 12, suggesting they were together.
• When Jenna asked when Vazan would leave his building, Bouval answered, “Rain, water...” before his eyes burst and his body vanished.
• Franca left messages identifying the captives as Fate worshippers and warning the police about Vazan and his followers, then weakened Pauline and left the group behind.
• Lumian and the others collected valuables from Bouval’s home after confirming the police had been alerted.
• On the carriage ride back to the Market District, Lumian saw Bouval Pompairo’s swollen corpse outside the window.

Lumian reunited with Bouval Pompairo’s corrupted corpse and arranged for Madam Magician to take it for examination. A clue in Bouval’s prophecy led Lumian and his companions to suspect that a hostel was a gathering place for evil god believers, and he proposed abducting two people connected to the Dreamseekers charity.

• Lumian brought Franca, Jenna, and Anthony Reid to Franca’s apartment, where Bouval Pompairo’s corpse appeared at the darkened window.
• Lumian summoned help, and the corpse was dragged into a dark tunnel that opened behind it.
• Franca reported that key members of the Bliss Society had disappeared, while Anthony said the Dreamseekers charity had shown no recent suspicious activity.
• Lumian connected Bouval’s prophecy about Rooms 7 and 12 to a note mentioning a painting at a hostel, and he suspected the hostel was where the missing believers had gone.
• Lumian asked Franca to find out where the art dealer Teresa lived so he could verify who had written the note.
• Lumian proposed abducting General Philip’s widow and the Dreamseekers charity’s true controller for interrogation.

Lumian learned that the mysterious Hostel was linked to dangerous powers that could turn paintings and fiction into reality, while Franca negotiated an end to her Witch Sect probation. Blanche revealed that the Chrismona Night Pillar was connected to a Fourth Epoch Witch who had been a child of God.

• Lumian received Madam Magician's account of painters and novelists whose creations had manifested through powers tied to alternate dimensions, and he connected the information to his Mystery-Peering Glasses.
• Lumian asked Termiboros about the Hostel, learned it belonged to another great existence rather than an evil god, and failed to get more details.
• Franca confronted Blanche about prolonging her probation, and Blanche offered to end it that week if Franca skipped the Red House Café Revelry Party.
• Franca agreed to avoid the party and asked Blanche whether the Chrismona Night Pillar had been left by a Fourth Epoch Witch.
• Blanche confirmed Chrismona had been a Witch and revealed that he had been a child of God.

Franca learned that Teresa had denied knowing about the mysterious “hostel,” strengthening the suspicion that Beatrice had known its location. Lumian and Jenna pursued the hostel investigation through the Aurora Order and the Purifiers, and the chapter ended as Imre began explaining what the term meant.

• Blanche told Franca that Teresa had returned and denied knowing about the “hostel,” leading Franca to suspect the note had been meant for Beatrice.
• Franca teased Blanche about her criticism of the spiritism, then left for the forest.
• Lumian showed Mr. K the Mystery-Peering Glasses, and Mr. K explained that a figure had vanished from a painting found with them.
• Mr. K relayed that the “hostel” housed travelers from outside and urged Lumian to seek information through official channels.
• Jenna told Imre and Valentine that suspected evil god worshipers had gone to the “hostel,” and Imre began explaining that their colleagues had heard the term from a strange creature.

Lumian and Anthony Reid infiltrated General Philip’s home to question his widow about the Dreamseekers charitable organization. Annis revealed that Philip’s will forced her family to donate most of their estate, and that he had stopped sincerely worshipping the Eternal Blazing Sun, leaving the investigation with new suspicions about his beliefs.

• Jenna learned from Imre and Valentine about an invisible creature called a Fairy that claimed to come from the Hostel, and agreed to watch for unusual behavior among artists and storytellers.
• Lumian found no concrete lead on the Hostel and decided to investigate General Philip’s widow and the Dreamseekers.
• Lumian and Anthony Reid slipped into Annis’s home, subdued the guard dog, and entered her bedroom to question her.
• Anthony Reid hypnotized Annis, who said Philip’s will required her and her children to donate two-thirds of his estate to the Dreamseekers to inherit the rest.
• Annis told Anthony Reid that Philip had stopped praying earnestly and had once whispered, “Goddess bless me.”