Chapter Summaries

Leon provoked Old Neil into revealing his grief over Celeste, then knocked him unconscious when he approached the door. Ince Zangwill watched his plan fail and began writing a new script.

• Leon challenged Old Neil’s plan to resurrect Celeste, warning that it would turn her into a corrupted monster and make her suffer again.
• Old Neil admitted that he had been promised Celeste would return when the seed bloomed, then asked what he should do.
• Leon kicked open the door and knocked Old Neil unconscious, then told Klein to help carry him and put the door back in place.
• Ince Zangwill realized his plan had been thwarted again and drafted a new plot, confident that no one could stop it.

Leon suppressed Old Neil’s Scarlet Rot with a Preserving Bolus, but the flower remained rooted in his heart. Klein’s Dream Divination revealed only a baby’s cry, so Leon told him to contact the captain because the plan had changed.

• Klein saw an orange-red seed rooted in Old Neil’s heart and learned from Leon that it caused Scarlet Rot.
• Leon gave Old Neil a Preserving Bolus, which suppressed the rot but did not remove the seed.
• Klein proposed using Spirit Channeling, and Leon agreed while warning him not to ask directly about an evil god.
• Klein’s Dream Divination succeeded, but he heard only a baby’s cry and saw nothing else.
• Leon told Klein to contact the captain because the plan had changed.

Klein left Leon alone with Old Neil after Leon promised to make the situation plausible. Leon used Miquella's Needle to drive the presence in the orange-red bud out of Old Neil, provoking a violent resistance and a furious voice that called Leon a traitor.

• Leon told Klein to find the captain while he dealt with Old Neil, but Klein left without asking about Leon's plans.
• Leon took Miquella's Needle from his storage pouch and prepared to use it on the bud in Old Neil's chest.
• Leon drove the needle into the bud, unleashing a force that commanded the presence within it to leave.
• The bud resisted, exposing strange eyes that attacked Leon with malice and forbidden knowledge.
• Leon let the attack reach his spirit body as its force turned against the corrupted eye, while he kept pushing the needle into the bud.
• Old Neil's body convulsed as the bud cracked, and a furious voice in Leon's consciousness called him a traitor.

Leon removed the Scarlet Rot from Old Neil, restored his damaged spirit with help from a fading piano spirit, and found ritual manuscripts in the house. When Dunn and the Nighthawks arrived, Leon reported a deliberate corruption plot and urged an investigation, leaving Klein to recognize that Leon was muddying the waters.

• Leon used Miquella's Needle to remove the Scarlet Rot from Old Neil, while the eye's deeper corruption faded with it.
• Leon healed Old Neil's wounds and revived a feminine piano spirit, which restored Old Neil's damaged spirit before merging into him.
• Leon found strange ritual manuscripts in Old Neil's bedroom and took most of them, then considered the possibility that multiple factions were active in the city.
• Dunn, Klein, and the Nighthawks arrived, and Leon told Dunn that someone had deliberately corrupted Old Neil through the bud and recommended notifying the cathedral and investigating his contacts.
• Leon handed Dunn the needle and bud as evidence, while Klein realized Leon was trying to muddy the waters.

After reporting Old Neil’s corruption, Leon sensed a trace of the Gray Fog and suspected it might be connected to Roselle Gustav. Above the Gray Fog, Klein used divination to investigate Leon’s experiences and saw an Erdtree.

• The Nighthawks secured Old Neil’s house, and Dunn sent Leon and Klein home to rest and write reports.
• Leon described Old Neil’s corruption in his report while concealing the Hidden Sage and Scarlet Rot, hoping to prompt the Cathedral to investigate.
• Leon sensed a fleeting trace of the Gray Fog near the Moretti home but did not connect it to Klein.
• Klein went Above the Gray Fog and, after weighing his conscience against his curiosity, divined Leon’s experiences.
• Klein’s vision showed golden leaves drifting through gray-white fog before revealing an Erdtree stretching from earth to heaven.

Klein’s divination of Leon’s experiences triggered a vision of the Erdtree burning, and flames nearly consumed the Gray Fog before darkness and the Gray Fog drove them away. The next day, Klein taught Leon mysticism until Dunn arrived and ordered them to meet a senior deacon from Church headquarters at the train station.

• Klein saw a golden tree engulfed in flames during his divination, and the flames spread to the edge of the Gray Fog.
• Darkness appeared, and the Gray Fog repelled both it and the flames before they could enter its interior.
• Klein concluded that his vague divination had likely led him to the evil god connected to Leon’s sacrifice, and he wondered whether Mr. Stars was a fellow Earth transmigrator.
• The next morning, Klein taught Leon basic mysticism, discovering that Leon knew much about secret organizations but little about fundamental concepts.
• Dunn told Klein and Leon that a senior deacon from Church headquarters had arrived and ordered them to accompany him to Tingen City’s train station.

Crestet Cecimir, the senior deacon known as the Goddess's Sword, arrived in Tingen and examined Old Neil, finding him free of corruption but unfit to remain a Nighthawk. After Old Neil was cleared to retire under the Church's care, Crestet joined Dunn, Klein, and Leon in the Blackthorn Security Company alchemy room to address the hidden existence Leon had exposed.

• Dunn told Klein and Leon that Crestet Cecimir, a powerful senior deacon, was coming to oversee the mission.
• Crestet arrived at the station, and Dunn welcomed him before he went directly to examine Old Neil.
• Crestet confirmed that Old Neil had awakened and showed no traces of corruption, but ruled that he could no longer work as a Nighthawk.
• Crestet arranged for Old Neil to retire early in Backlund under the Church's care, relieving Klein's worries.
• Dunn, Klein, Leon, and Crestet returned to the alchemy room, where Crestet turned his attention to the hidden existence Leon had revealed.

Crestet Cecimir had the Nighthawks swear oaths to the Goddess to guard against lingering contamination, then gave Leon records about the Erdtree Church and conveyed the Goddess’s request for his future help. After Crestet left, Leon read a note bearing the word “Hometown” and was shaken by its implications.

• Crestet announced martial law in Tingen and revealed a sacred bone sword whose light overwhelmed the others.
• Dunn, Klein, Royale, Leonard, and Leon were called to swear oaths to the Goddess, but Crestet sealed the sword before Leon could touch it.
• Crestet asked the others to leave and gave Leon the Church’s records about the Erdtree Church without asking for anything in return.
• Crestet told Leon the Goddess wanted him to recover his strength in secrecy and help the world afterward, while allowing him to refuse.
• Crestet handed Leon a note to open alone, and Leon froze when he read the word “Hometown.”
• Leon hurried outside, where Klein told him Crestet had already left.

Leon received a note from Cecimir that made him reconsider leaving, but he remained wary of the senior deacon’s motives. He and Klein returned to the Blackthorn Security Company, where Leon found Old Neil’s notes about Emperor Roselle and agreed to accompany Klein to the trading market.

• Leon learned Cecimir had hurried back to Backlund and realized the senior deacon had planned his escape after handing over a note.
• Leon teased Klein about the note, then explained that its important message made him want answers but left him wary of the person who sent it.
• Leon and Klein returned to the underground armory, where Dunn said they could do as they pleased for the afternoon.
• Leon found Old Neil’s folder about interpreting symbols in Emperor Roselle’s lost notes and slipped it into his storage bag.
• Klein asked Leon to accompany him to the trading market behind the Evil Dragon Bar, and Leon agreed.

Leon and Klein visited the Evil Dragon Bar, where Klein searched for the man known as Monster and asked Leon to help investigate him. Leon was drawn to Azik by an aura, and when they met eyes, Destined Death activated, causing Klein to collapse unconscious.

• Leon explained that Klein could master his Potion by acting according to its name, and realized he had already mastered his own Sequence 9, Tarnished.
• Leon and Klein reached the Evil Dragon Bar and went down to its underground market, where Klein bought materials and searched for Monster.
• Klein asked Leon to help check on Monster, but they did not find him in the market.
• Leon sensed an aura and hurried toward a man, just as Klein recognized him as Mr. Azik.
• Leon met Azik's gaze, triggering Destined Death; Klein lost consciousness and fell, scattering his belongings.

Klein dreamed of waking as a corpse in a dark dungeon and touching a dead woman, where a mysterious message overwhelmed him and caused him to wake. At Mr. Azik Eggers's home, he learned that his and Leon's unusual auras had affected him, while Azik revealed that his ability might be tied to losing his memories.

• Klein dreamed that he rose from the dead beneath the Erdtree and touched a corpse, triggering a message whose final characters he could not remember.
• Klein woke at Mr. Azik Eggers's home and learned that Azik and Leon had carried him there after he passed out.
• Azik explained that the auras he and Leon had struggled to control had affected Klein because of his spiritual perception.
• Azik said he saw discordance in Leon's fate as well as Klein's and described how his special ability might have cost him his memories and family.
• Leon asked Azik whether he had no memories of his past.

Azik told Leon and Klein about his lost memories and asked them to help him find his origins. Leon offered to awaken Azik’s death-related power, and after Azik agreed, Leon began summoning Destined Death as Klein shielded the room.

• Azik described how he had lost most of his memories and discovered his supernatural abilities, then recognized Leon as someone like himself.
• Azik asked Leon and Klein to keep an eye out for clues about his origins, explaining how painful it felt to have no past.
• Azik admitted he feared danger and death, but Leon suggested his power came from death and offered to help awaken it.
• Azik accepted Leon’s offer, and Klein raised a Wall of Spirituality to isolate the room.
• Leon summoned a black and blood-red aura and began calling upon Destined Death without harming Azik.

Leon tried to awaken Azik’s memories by attacking him with Destined Death, but the power he stirred caused Azik to lose consciousness and summon hordes of undead. Leon contained the clash inside Klein’s Wall of Spirituality and struggled to match Azik’s rising power.

• Leon showed Azik Destined Death, which brought back fleeting memories of a castle and his family before the pain forced Leon to withdraw the flame.
• Leon persuaded Azik to endure an attack that might awaken his dormant power, then used Destined Death to strike him while Klein expanded the Wall of Spirituality around the living room.
• A strange door appeared behind Azik, and countless undead emerged to block Leon’s attack as Azik’s memories and power began to return.
• Azik lost consciousness, and his undead turned on Leon, who used a black curtain of Destined Death to contain the danger within the Wall of Spirituality.
• Azik’s pale power continued to intensify beyond Leon’s expectations, forcing Leon to draw on more of the Great Rune to keep the two powers in balance.

Leon used the Law of Regression to stop Azik’s awakening before their clash destroyed Klein’s spiritual barrier. After the three recovered, Azik announced he would leave Tingen to investigate his memories and gave Leon an ancient Copper Whistle that could summon his powerful messenger.

• Leon unleashed Destined Death and charged Azik, causing the Wall of Spirituality to crack as Klein tried to reinforce it.
• Leon cast the Law of Regression, suppressing Azik’s pale power and restoring the living room as the Wall of Spirituality collapsed.
• Klein separated the immobilized Leon and Azik and checked them for injuries.
• Azik apologized for the damage, and Leon warned him not to try recovering his memories again without help.
• Azik said he planned to leave Tingen to verify his memories and gave Leon an ancient Copper Whistle that summoned his messenger.

Klein visited Leon after the events at Azik's house, and the two discussed Azik's power and the hidden force behind him. Klein decided to ask the captain for a promotion, while Leon offered to support him and Klein firmly refused his help.

• Leon invited Klein to his home for dinner, and Klein accepted because he wanted to talk about what had happened at Azik's house.
• Leon gave Klein the Copper Whistle, saying it had been a gift for both of them and would be more useful in Klein's hands.
• Klein and Leon discussed Azik's long life and strength, and Klein realized the unseen enemy behind the events might be powerful.
• Klein decided to ask the captain for a promotion after verifying that the Clown Potion formula was correct.
• Leon offered to speak up for Klein, but Klein rejected the offer because he feared Leon's idea of help.

Klein refused Leon’s offer to buy him a suit, accepted an altered overcoat instead, and reflected on how Leon’s reckless curiosity kept drawing him into danger. After Klein left, Leon revealed that he had been struggling to control his own deathly Black Flame, which had corrupted him.

• Leon offered to buy Klein a replacement suit, but Klein refused and asked to borrow an overcoat instead.
• Martha found Leon an overcoat for Klein and altered it to fit while Klein waited and thought about the dangers he had faced with Leon.
• Klein compared Leon to a troublesome beagle and left after collecting the altered coat.
• Leon briefly stood and walked to reassure Klein, then seized a chair as the Black Flame erupted over his body.
• Leon subdued the Black Flame and realized that he had been corrupted by his own power.

Leon examined the lingering Destined Death burning within his body and concluded that Azik’s power had altered it. He planned to start forming an organization at Monday’s gathering and prepared Beyonder items to offer in exchange for information.

• Leon inspected the Elden Ring’s projection and recalled how he had restored the Rune of Death to it.
• Leon realized that Destined Death still rooted in his body was continually consuming his life force, possibly because of Azik’s power.
• Leon decided to use Monday’s gathering to begin organizing Beyonders who could exchange knowledge and help him investigate.
• Leon considered offering the Magician’s Rune and wondered whether the others would prefer Beyonder items or knowledge to money.
• Leon created a Spirit Guide’s Rune from the Sequence 6 Spirit Guide Beyonder Characteristic he had obtained.

Leon went with Inspector Tolle and Frye to investigate Councilor Maynard’s death after Dunn assigned him to help the police. At the scene, Leon discovered the councilor’s body had an erection beneath the sheet and wondered if he had died from pleasure.

• Leon arrived at Blackthorn Security Company after Klein had left early, and the two struggled through a distracted occult lesson.
• Leon suppressed a brief surge of Black Flame beneath the desk while thinking about how to arrange his secret gathering that afternoon.
• Dunn arrived with an urgent police request and took Leon to meet Inspector Tolle, who needed help investigating Councilor Maynard’s death.
• Leon put on his probationary inspector’s uniform and joined Frye and Tolle in a police carriage to visit the scene.
• Leon saw the bulge beneath the sheet covering Maynard’s body and wondered whether the councilor had died from pleasure.

Leon investigated Councilman Maynard’s death at his residence, where police struggled to question the noble guests who had stayed overnight. After discovering signs of a heart attack rather than an accidental brainstem hemorrhage, Leon realized they needed to find the person who had been with Maynard, and a familiar voice offered to help.

• Tolle and Frye stopped Leon from speaking carelessly about nobles and reminded him of his predecessor’s trouble with Mrs. Winter.
• Leon learned that Councilman Maynard had died between nine and eleven the previous night, during a party attended by many influential guests.
• Leon inspected the guest room and found signs that Maynard had prepared it for an affair, but initially suspected a sudden death caused by excessive excitement.
• Leon uncovered scratch marks and other signs of a heart attack, while Frye confirmed that Maynard had likely died from one.
• Leon realized the person who had been with Maynard might have fled after his heart attack and considered using Ritualistic Magic to find them.
• A familiar voice behind Leon offered to perform the ritual.

Klein and Leon investigated Councilman Maynard’s death through a Spirit Channeling ritual, and Klein’s dream revealed that Maynard had died during an affair. The portrait Klein produced identified the woman as Madam Sharon, whom Leon suspected was no ordinary person.

• Klein joined Leon and Frye to investigate Councilman Maynard’s death, explaining that he had avoided the Seer Club after divining that it was a bad day to go.
• Klein performed Spirit Channeling and dreamed that Maynard had suffered a fatal heart attack while having an affair with a woman.
• Maynard’s corpse suddenly attacked Klein, but Leon pulled him away and struck the body with a black spark, stopping it from moving.
• Klein used Ritualistic Magic to draw the woman from his dream, while Frye concluded that Maynard’s death showed no sign of Beyonder influence.
• Tolle recognized the portrait as Madam Sharon, and Leon told Klein that she was a famous widow who had once disrupted his life and was probably no ordinary person.