Chapter Summaries

Claire gave Hant cultivation manuals that could help the barony’s knights awaken Battle Aura faster, while reflecting on the need to keep the methods secret because she lacked strength. Hant hurried to teach the youths, and Melly spent the morning cleaning muddy footprints before happily keeping Yuna company.

• Hant thanked Claire after the cultivation method helped him break through, and he estimated most knights could cultivate Battle Aura within half a month, with Kellan possibly advancing to Apprentice Knight within a week.
• Claire gave Hant a Movement Technique manual and ordered him to teach both methods in secret, and Hant eagerly left for the barracks.
• Claire considered the danger of other lords coveting her methods and concluded that her own weakness made secrecy necessary.
• Melly found muddy footprints across the living room and cried as she cleaned them, while Regan returned and added another footprint before reporting to Claire that his assigned task was complete.
• Claire told Regan to arrange replacement chairs and clean the meeting room, then asked about the crying; Melly eventually finished the floor and cheerfully followed Yuna while she prepared lunch.

Claire grew tired of the manor’s Western meals and decided to cook dishes from her previous life, teaching Yuna as she worked. The household devoured the meal, and Yuna began learning Claire’s cooking.

• Claire rejected the usual steak, reassured Yuna that the food was good, and offered to teach her a different style of cooking.
• Claire examined the available seasonings and ingredients, then prepared braised pork belly, Sweet and Sour Ribs, Shredded Pork with Green Pepper, Steamed Fish, Stewed Beef Brisket, and Seaweed Egg Drop Soup.
• Melly tasted the dishes first and eagerly sampled them all, followed by Regan and Yuna.
• Claire invited the watching maids to eat, and they rushed into the kitchen and finished the food.
• Claire stood aside to guide Yuna as the maids encouraged her to learn the recipes.

Claire learned that Yuna’s mother was gravely ill and offered to treat her after hearing her symptoms. Claire and Yuna reached the clinic in Nafu City, where Claire was appalled by its filthy condition.

• Regan gave Yuna six Silver Coins and time off to take her mother to a doctor.
• At dinner, Claire noticed Yuna’s distress, and Yuna revealed that her mother was dying.
• Claire offered to help after Yuna said the doctor could not cure her mother, then asked about her symptoms.
• Claire suspected the illness was sepsis and went with Yuna to the clinic in Nafu City.
• Claire arrived at the clinic and found it filthy and reeking.

Claire took Yuna and her mother away from Doctor Moses after discovering his dangerous treatment, then confronted him about the people backing his clinic. Moses revealed that Baron Eugene supported him, and Claire spared him for the moment.

• Yuna brought Claire to the clinic to take her mother home, but Doctor Moses tried to stop them and insisted his patient could not leave.
• Claire intimidated Moses into letting Yuna help her mother, then saw that Moses had been draining the woman's blood and preparing to cover her wound with cow dung.
• Claire kicked Moses out of the clinic and pinned him down, demanding to know how many patients he had harmed during his twenty years as a doctor.
• Moses threatened Claire and claimed Baron Eugene stood behind him, so Claire fired three shots into the air and frightened him into wetting himself.
• Claire said she would not kill Moses yet after hearing Baron Eugene's name.

Claire had Moses arrested, confiscated his clinic, and ordered clinics in Nafu City to register with the Baronial Manor. Back at the manor, she treated Yuna’s mother’s sepsis with penicillin and gave Yuna time to care for her.

• Knight Captain Hant arrived with the knights, and Claire had Moses restrained after he tried to plead with her.
• Baron Eugene asked Claire to spare Moses, but Claire exposed the clinic’s abuses in front of the townspeople, forcing Eugene to disown him.
• Claire had the clinic sealed and confiscated, then announced that all clinics had to register with the Baronial Manor.
• Claire returned to the manor with Yuna and her mother while Baron Eugene watched with hatred.
• Claire prepared penicillin and administered it to Yuna’s mother, then gave Yuna half a day off to care for her.

Claire prepared to publicly judge Doctor Moses before the people of Nafu City, after winning their trust through tax cuts and helping Yuna’s mother recover. He introduced Moses to the gathered crowd but had not yet explained the charges when the chapter ended.

• Claire learned that his Knight Squad now had one Silver Knight, two Bronze Knights, and seven Apprentice Knights, and ordered them to continue training.
• Claire visited Yuna’s mother, confirmed that she was recovering, and returned the six Silver Coins Yuna had lost to the quack; he asked Yuna to call him Young Master.
• Claire told Regan to post a notice announcing that he would execute a criminal at the city gate, and the townspeople learned that the accused was Doctor Moses.
• Robin read the notice to the crowd, explaining that Moses had been arrested for practicing medicine without knowing how to treat illnesses.
• More than half of Nafu City’s citizens and some villagers gathered at the city gate, where Claire arrived and received an enthusiastic welcome.
• Claire addressed the crowd and had the shackled Doctor Moses brought onto the platform for a public judgment.

Claire exposed Moses as a quack whose treatments had killed patients, then declared her hopes for Griffin Barony and asked the people to help build a better home together. The crowd pledged its support, and Claire found a clear purpose in improving the barony and the lives of its people.

• Claire revealed that Moses had used harmful treatments and that many patients had died because of him.
• The grieving crowd tried to rush Moses, and he was shot dead on the platform.
• The people thanked Claire for bringing Moses to judgment and knelt before her.
• Claire described her plans for a prosperous Griffin Barony where people could eat well, receive education, and live with pride.
• The crowd shouted that they were willing to build their home with Claire, and she resolved to give her people a good life.

Robin joined Claire’s administration after Claire’s speech inspired him to abandon his vow never to serve a noble, and Claire appointed him Tax Official of Griffin Barony. Five days after the last trade, Claire discovered that a Trade Point had appeared earlier than usual and wondered whether his increased spiritual power had shortened the interval.

• Robin told Linda he was going to the Baronial Manor and went there before dawn to apply for the clerk position.
• Robin explained to Claire that he had resigned as an accountant in the Earl of Lijin's territory because of oppressive taxes, but Claire’s actions and speech persuaded him to help.
• Claire appointed Robin as the Tax Official of Griffin Barony and told Regan to investigate the administrator’s embezzlement.
• Claire found a Trade Point on the trading panel only five days after the previous trade and suspected his increased spiritual power had shortened the interval.
• Claire decided to save the Trade Point rather than trade immediately.

Hant trained the knights with Claire’s Cultivation Methods as Nafu City’s residents watched, while the city’s nobles and officials plotted against Claire’s Tax Official, Robin. They decided to target Robin and began considering how to deal with Claire herself.

• Hant led the armored youths through fast-paced drills outside Nafu City, using his whip to push the lagging knights onward.
• The knights’ training impressed local children, who argued over which of them would become a knight before their mothers broke up their duel.
• Baron Eugene and other nobles complained that Claire had shut down Eugene’s clinic, returned its fees to commoners, and appointed Robin to recover evaded taxes.
• Frank revealed that Robin had uncovered the officials’ embezzled tax money, while Lord Wilbur tried to shift the blame onto Frank.
• Eugene proposed getting rid of Robin, and Frank suggested that they could also act against Claire while she was vulnerable.

Claire fought off an assassin who broke into her bedroom and killed him after he tried to exploit her offer of surrender. She had Regan announce that the assassin escaped, then turned her attention toward the person behind the attack.

• An assassin climbed into Claire's bedroom and attacked her, but Claire caught his dagger and used her enhanced strength to wound him.
• The assassin released Bronze Rank Battle Aura and charged, but Claire blocked his attacks with magic and injured him with wind spells.
• After the assassin pretended to surrender and tried to attack her again, Claire pierced his feet with Earth Spike Technique and battered him with Hurricane Technique.
• The wounded assassin offered to reveal who had hired him, but Claire said she already knew and shot him dead.
• Claire fired five shots into the night and told Regan to announce that she had survived an assassination attempt and that the assassin had escaped.
• After Regan left, Claire reflected that her enemy was more impatient than she had expected and invited them to come after her.

After the nobles visited Claire to test whether she suspected them, she strengthened the manor’s security and discussed the viscounty’s knights and plans with Hant. The nobles then spread a rumor blaming the bandits for the assassination attempt, while Nafu City’s citizens began searching for the alleged assassin.

• Baron Eugene and the other nobles brought Claire expensive gifts and questioned her about the assassination, while she pretended not to suspect them.
• Claire told the nobles that knights would patrol near the Baronial Manor and redirected their question about suspects back to them; they blamed the bandits outside the city.
• Claire asked Hant about the barracks’ forces, Kellan’s training, and the Battle Aura manual, then discussed a prepared matter with him.
• Nafu City’s citizens formed patrols after hearing about the assassination attempt, and rumors soon blamed the bandits outside the city.
• The nobles paid small gangs to spread the rumor and relaxed at their estates, confident that suspicion had been redirected.

Claire rewarded Hant and the knights for secretly robbing the nobles' caravan, while the nobles gathered to discuss the loss without realizing Claire was responsible. Frank left their meeting and was summoned to the Baronial Manor, fearing another encounter with Claire.

• Hant reported that his men had robbed the nobles' goods without casualties, and Claire rewarded him with a greatsword and ordered him to pay the participating knights.
• The nobles learned their caravan had been robbed and its hired knights killed, including their Silver Knight.
• Eugene and Wilbur dismissed suspicions that Claire was behind the robbery, and the nobles asked Frank to seek help from the Viscount's Knight Squad.
• Frank evaded the nobles' request, left their gathering, and then received a summons from Claire to the Baronial Manor.

Claire confronted Administrative Officer Frank over embezzling nearly a million Gold Coins and forced him to agree to carry out a task in exchange for his life. Frank then told the nobles that Claire had agreed to send troops, but stormed out when they pressed him for details, leaving them to decide whether to meet her the next day.

• Claire accused Frank of stealing 963,780 Gold Coins, and Robin recited the evidence against him.
• Frank begged for mercy, offered his remaining 30,000 Gold Coins, and agreed to Claire's undisclosed task in exchange for his life.
• Claire waved goodbye to Frank from the Baronial Manor balcony, and Robin questioned whether she would truly let him go.
• Frank returned to the nobles and said Claire had agreed to send troops and wanted them to meet her the next day.
• When Lord Wilbur questioned him about Claire's conditions, Frank smashed his glass, berated the nobles, and stormed out.
• Baron Eugene urged the nobles to visit Claire so they could recover their goods, and they agreed.

Claire persuaded Nafu City's nobles to fund a campaign against the bandits by promising to return their contributions and split the commoners’ donations with them. The nobles competed to pledge enormous sums, and Claire ended the meeting with nearly all of them committed.

• Claire told the nobles she would send troops against the bandits but required compensation, then claimed she wanted to enjoy life and asked Baron Eugene for twenty percent of the clinic’s profits.
• Claire proposed that the nobles donate first so commoners would follow, promising to return the nobles’ money and give them seventy percent of the commoners’ donations while keeping thirty percent.
• Lord Wilbur offered one thousand Gold Coins, but Frank pledged thirty thousand, prompting the nobles to realize their contributions would be returned in full.
• Claire suggested that thirty thousand Gold Coins would be enough, which made the nobles more eager to contribute, and Eugene raised his pledge to fifty thousand.
• The nobles called out increasingly large donations, and Lord Wilbur raised his pledge from one thousand to fifty thousand Gold Coins before Claire closed the meeting.

Claire raised money from the nobles and citizens of Nafu City to suppress the bandits, then sent the Knight Squad out at dawn. The people proudly supported the knights as they rode from the city, unaware that the expedition was only using the bandits as a pretext.

• Claire told the people of Nafu City that she needed donations to suppress the bandits, and Baron Eugene and Frank led the nobles in contributing large sums.
• The citizens followed the nobles’ example and donated nearly twenty thousand gold coins’ worth of money, while Claire felt guilty about deceiving them to fool the nobles.
• Before dawn, Hant led more than sixty knights through Nafu City as crowds gathered to cheer them and offer gifts.
• Claire gave the people’s flowers to Hant, encouraged the knights to accept the gifts, and completed a ceremony with her sword.
• Claire ordered the Knight Squad to depart, and the knights rode out of Nafu City.

Claire arranged for Hant to kill Frank as he left Nafu City, then publicly exposed the nobles’ supposed donations and prevented them from reclaiming the money. The nobles fled under the threat of Hant’s armed knights and gunmen.

• Claire told Hant to intercept government officer Frank when he left Nafu City and kill him.
• Hant and his knights ambushed Frank’s caravan, killed the mercenaries, and stabbed Frank to death after delivering Claire’s message.
• The knights returned to Nafu City at dawn, and Claire learned they had found about twenty thousand Gold Coins among Frank’s possessions.
• When the nobles demanded their stolen goods, Hant claimed the bandits had already sold them.
• Claire called the nobles’ four hundred and thirty thousand Gold Coins a donation and threatened to commemorate their generosity.
• Hant’s knights drew their swords and aimed their guns at the nobles, who fled in panic.

Claire cornered Baron Eugene and the other nobles by giving away their seized goods, then offered money in exchange for their businesses in Nafu City. After the nobles agreed to leave, she privately told Hant to work overtime, intending to have them killed outside the city so she would not violate Noble Law.

• Baron Eugene and the nobles blamed Frank for helping Claire swindle them, then considered recovering their money but feared the knights patrolling their homes.
• The nobles planned to pool their remaining funds for another shipment until a servant reported that Claire was giving away goods from their shops at the city gate.
• Baron Eugene recognized their seized merchandise and accused Claire, who offered to buy their businesses so they could relocate to another city.
• Baron Eugene accepted Claire's offer, and the other nobles joined him in bargaining with Tax Official Robin.
• Claire checked with Hant about distributing goods to remote villages, then told him to work overtime that night so the nobles could be killed outside Nafu City without evidence implicating her.

After securing the nobles’ money, Claire appointed Regan as the barony’s administrative officer and launched a Work Relief plan to rebuild Nafu City while paying local workers. Regan announced the jobs and public projects at the city gate, where the people welcomed the news and praised Claire.

• Hant reported that he had recovered 460,000 Gold Coins, bringing the Baronial Manor’s reserves to more than 500,000 Gold Coins.
• Claire appointed Regan as the barony’s administrative officer and explained that Work Relief would use the money to rebuild Nafu City and benefit its people.
• Claire assigned Regan and Robin to organize Night Schools, city reconstruction, hospitals, and primary schools, and raised the maids’ wages to twenty-five Silver Coins.
• Regan posted notices recruiting workers and announced the Night School and construction projects at Nafu City’s gate.
• The people celebrated the paid work, spread the news, and shouted, “Long live the lord!”

Claire upgraded her trade panel and matched with Lan Zhao, a trader from a world of tameable beasts. After seeing his pet eggs and slime, she said she wanted skills rather than pets, leaving her desired trade unstated.

• Claire waited until midnight, gained a third Trade Point, and discovered the Upgrade Trade button.
• Claire upgraded the trade panel, which changed its appearance and added Start Trade, Personal Space, and Fixed Friends options while reducing her Trade Points to one.
• Claire started a trade and met Lan Zhao, who explained that one-star traders had no transaction time limit.
• Lan Zhao showed Claire several pet eggs and demonstrated a friendly slime from his world.
• Claire declined the pets and said she wanted a technique instead.

Claire traded a magic spellbook to Lan Zhao for his method of bonding with pets and a light-blue Water Cloud Beast egg. After the trade, she discovered the next interdimensional exchange would take fifteen days to recharge and began studying the adapted book.

• Claire demonstrated her fire and lightning magic to Lan Zhao and offered her Magic Book in exchange for his pet-bonding method.
• Lan Zhao explained how the method helped people communicate with pets and find it easier to form contracts.
• Lan Zhao added a light-blue Water Cloud Beast egg as a gift, and the two completed the trade.
• Lan Zhao gave Claire advice on caring for pet eggs and casting magic before their trade channel closed.
• Claire saw that the trade panel would take fifteen days to recharge, then placed the egg aside and began studying the book.