Chapter Summaries

The king consulted his teacher about Li Lin and decided to make use of him rather than arrest him. Li Lin explained his strategy to his companions and agreed to attend the king’s banquet, while Angela stormed off with Mina and Fina after Kalin taunted her.

• The king’s old mage judged Li Lin exceptionally powerful and ambitious, and advised the king to use his age and experience when dealing with him.
• The king rejected the idea of getting rid of Li Lin and asked his teacher for help if a crisis arose.
• Li Lin told Angela and Nia that he had acted like a fool to mislead the king and draw attention to the Dark Elves, putting pressure on Kudel’s plans.
• A palace attendant invited Li Lin and his companions to the king’s banquet, and Li Lin accepted, suspecting the king would use it to test or approach him.
• Kalin teased Angela about being too young to attend the state banquet, so Angela angrily pulled Mina and Fina into the bedroom and shut the door.

Angela transformed into her beautiful sixteen-year-old form after draining blood from her two Vampire Species servants, hoping to impress Li Lin and remain at his side. As the group prepared to attend the king’s banquet and reveal their identities, Angela offered Nia a formal dress.

• Angela emerged from the bedroom in her grown-up form after the sisters’ voices faded and an eerie power filled the room.
• Nia and Li Lin admired Angela’s transformation, while Kalin went to care for the exhausted sisters.
• Angela sat beside Li Lin and said she had changed forms so she could serve him differently.
• Li Lin noted that the banquet was near and stood with Nia and Angela to leave.
• Angela produced a formal dress and suggested that Nia change before they went.

Li Lin attended the king’s banquet with the nervous fat merchant, drawing the nobles’ attention as rumors spread that he commanded the Dark Elves. After confronting a hostile young noble and rejecting an old mage’s advice to conceal his power, Li Lin’s defiance stunned the banquet hall.

• Li Lin reassured the fat merchant that the king had invited him as a merchant representative and that he only needed to keep up appearances.
• Li Lin entered the banquet hall with the fat merchant while Nia and Angela stayed behind to change clothes, and the nobles speculated about Li Lin and the Dark Elves.
• A hostile young man insulted Li Lin and tried to grab his wrist, but an old mage stopped him and warned him about Li Lin’s protective spell.
• The old mage urged Li Lin to restrain his power for the sake of mages, but Li Lin shattered his glass and declared that no one could stop him.
• The banquet hall fell silent as everyone stared toward the entrance.

At the Kudel banquet, Angela and Nia drew attention to Li Lin and helped put him in the spotlight while the king promoted trade and kept the prince out of sight. A young man then confronted Li Lin and challenged him to a duel over the injury to his father.

• Angela and Nia arrived at the banquet in striking attire and joined Li Lin, with Angela taking his arm and drawing the guests' attention to him.
• The king entered, delivered a speech praising trade with the Northlands and the fat merchant, and left the guests to enjoy the banquet without mentioning Li Lin or the dark elves.
• Li Lin, Nia, and Angela discussed the prince's absence and the king's likely plans while mingling after the speech.
• The young man who had caused Li Lin trouble approached him and, after Li Lin ignored him, demanded a duel because Li Lin had injured his father.

Li Lin rejected Noah’s demands until the king offered him a request in return for winning a duel, prompting him to accept. At the royal arena, Li Lin effortlessly defeated Noah’s opening attack and left him sprawled on the ground, unable to rise.

• Li Lin refused to duel Noah or apologize, arguing that Noah had no grounds to demand either.
• The king offered Li Lin any request within his power if Li Lin won a duel against Noah, and Li Lin agreed to fight immediately.
• The banquet guests followed Li Lin and Noah to the royal arena, where Noah mocked Li Lin’s reputation as the Conqueror of the Dark Elf.
• Noah surrounded himself with defensive spells and attacked with a Magic Missile Storm, but Li Lin erased the missiles and shattered his protections.
• Li Lin struck Noah with an invisible force that hurled him into the air and slammed him to the ground, leaving him unable to get up.

Li Lin killed Noah instantly during the banquet and forced the old mage to keep his Arcane Mage abilities secret. Afterward, he returned to his room, where Angela told him about her feeding at the banquet and seduced him.

• Li Lin killed Noah with a barrage of spells, leaving the nobles stunned.
• Li Lin threatened the old mage into silence about what he had witnessed, and the old mage agreed.
• The banquet ended before Li Lin could discuss his request with the king.
• Back in his room, Li Lin asked Angela about the banquet and learned she had fed on a young noblewoman.
• Angela seduced Li Lin, and they spent the night together.

An old mage feared that Li Lin was an Arcane Mage and worried about what his presence in Kudel meant, but he could not bring himself to alert the Mages' Association. The next morning, Li Lin joined his companions for tea and learned that Mina and Fina had fed on a maid, whose memory Nia had altered.

• The old mage recalled Li Lin's overwhelming magic and concluded that his runic Magic Tattoo marked him as an Arcane Mage.
• The old mage considered warning the Mages' Association but decided that acting rashly could provoke disaster.
• Li Lin woke beside Angela, cleared his head with a spell, and left her sleeping to join the others.
• Kalin teased Li Lin about keeping her awake, then suggested that she and Nia might become intimate with him.
• Li Lin learned that Mina and Fina had fed on a maid, and Nia reassured him that she had altered the maid's memory.
• Someone knocked at the door as Li Lin considered his plans.

Li Lin persuaded the king to hire the dark elves to escort Kudel's army through the Black Road in exchange for the mountain forests, securing the deal with a contract. Afterward, Li Lin told Maya to begin preparations and to release two captives once the army had passed.

• The king asked Li Lin what price he required to open the Black Road, and Li Lin proposed that Kudel hire the dark elves and grant them the forests beside the mountains.
• Li Lin presented a contract recognizing the arrangement, and the king signed it after reading its terms.
• Li Lin agreed to remain at the palace as the king's guest, suspecting the king wanted to keep him nearby.
• Li Lin contacted Maya in the corridor and told her everything was ready to begin.
• Li Lin told Maya to release their two captive guests after Kudel's army passed through the Black Road without letting anyone discover it.

Li Lin assigned Nia and Kalin to monitor Kudel's army and protect a merchant while he worried about Angela wandering alone. In the palace garden, Angela hypnotized a maid connected to the court archmage, then began drinking her blood as Li Lin appeared.

• Li Lin told Nia to stay in contact with Maya and track Kudel's army, and tasked Kalin with protecting the merchant and handling the Dark Elves.
• Li Lin learned Angela had gone out alone and left to look for her after growing uneasy.
• Angela wandered through the palace garden, lost her way, and destroyed a flower in frustration.
• Angela overheard that Lola's mistress was worried because the court archmage had shut himself in his room.
• Angela hypnotized Lola and asked her to arrange a meeting with her mistress.
• Li Lin emerged from a portal and questioned Angela as she sank her fangs into Lola's neck.

Li Lin and Angela left the palace to explore Dragon Cry City, then visited the fat merchant and found his gemstone business thriving. Their conversation was interrupted when a paladin arrived with a force behind him and demanded that the merchant hand over the Dark Elves for judgment.

• Nia went to the Kudel Royal Grand Library to collect books before the coming war.
• Li Lin used Hold Person spells on two guards who tried to stop the group from leaving the palace.
• Li Lin and Angela toured Dragon Cry City, where the people fell silent and kept their distance from them.
• Li Lin visited the fat merchant, whose rare Underdark gemstones were attracting wealthy customers.
• The fat merchant said Miss Kalin had taken the Dark Elves out, and a paladin then demanded that the merchant surrender them for judgment.

Walast, commander of the Temple's First Knight Order, visited the caravan to warn Pikachu to keep the Dark Elves from causing trouble, and Mina explained how Walast had become a more measured paladin. The confrontation ended peacefully, but Kalin returned with an empty purse after shopping with the Dark Elves.

• The Temple sent Walast and other paladins to investigate the Dark Elves living in the caravan's storefront.
• Walast told Pikachu that the Temple would watch the Dark Elves and act if they committed evil, and Pikachu promised they would cause no disturbances in Dragon Cry City.
• Mina told Li Lin and Angela about Walast's past, including how a thief sacrificed herself to save him and how the experience changed his approach to justice.
• Kalin returned and said she and the Dark Elves had bought a few things, while Li Lin noticed that the purse he had given her was empty.

Li Lin confronted the Elf Goddess after Kalin brought hundreds of tortured elven slaves to the island at her request. He agreed to keep the elves only if the goddess surrendered authority over their lives, then ordered them shipped under guard while he continued his plans.

• Li Lin found hundreds of abused elves outside the door and demanded an explanation from Kalin.
• Kalin admitted the Elf Goddess had asked her to bring the elves to the island, and Li Lin summoned the goddess to negotiate.
• Li Lin refused to let the elves disrupt his plans and demanded that the Elf Goddess entrust their lives to him; she agreed.
• Li Lin ordered the fat merchant to arrange ships and guards for the elves, and he told Kalin to prevent escapes and watch for suspicious people.

As Kudel's armies advanced through the Black Road and tensions rose at court, Li Lin and Angela prepared to leave their mark on Kudel by exploiting a chance encounter. They drugged a young woman connected to the grand court mage, and Li Lin began using magic to make her comply with a request.

• Li Lin learned that two Kudel legions were advancing underground with Dark Elf guidance, while Maya warned that the king might use them to launch an attack as soon as they reached the surface.
• Li Lin told the fat merchant to finish his business and sail west to avoid suspicion, and he grew wary of the grand court mage's attention and the changing atmosphere at the palace.
• A young woman worried that her grandfather, the grand court mage, had shut himself away in his tower and could not be reached.
• The little maid drugged the young woman's tea, then welcomed Angela and Li Lin into the room; Angela praised the maid and drank her blood while Li Lin watched.
• Li Lin and Angela discussed how Angela's bewitchment could turn humans into devoted slaves, and Li Lin admitted that resisting her had saved him from that fate.
• Li Lin used magic to wake the young woman and began asking her to do him a favor.

Li Lin confronted Nia over her guilt about failing to protect the Magic Empire and persuaded her not to give up her role as leader of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys. After Nia left, he met Rolandis Fali, whose mind was affected by his spell, and invited her to go somewhere with him.

• Nia admitted that she was afraid and considered giving up what she carried, but Li Lin slapped her and challenged her to face her mission rather than flee.
• Nia reaffirmed that she would remain leader of the Seven Ring Spirit Envoys, then withheld what she knew until Li Lin carried out his plan and left through a portal.
• Rolandis Fali entered the library, where Li Lin introduced himself while the spell he had cast on her the previous night influenced her feelings.
• Li Lin invited the unsettled Rolandis to accompany him, and she agreed despite barely knowing him.

Li Lin stopped the carriage and confronted the old mage, revealing that the king planned to trap him and his Dark Elves after their deal. He offered to return Rolandis unharmed if the old mage concealed their departure, and the old mage agreed to travel with them.

• The old mage used the magical ornament he had given Rolandis to locate Li Lin's carriage, but Fina disrupted his tracking spell.
• Li Lin stopped the carriage when he sensed the old mage's arrival, and the old mage found Rolandis under magical control.
• Li Lin explained that the king intended to attack after his forces passed through the Black Road and said he needed the old mage as insurance for a safe departure.
• Li Lin offered to return Rolandis unharmed if the old mage concealed their journey to a southwestern port, but threatened her if he broke their agreement.
• The old mage accepted the exchange and climbed into the carriage to accompany them.

Li Lin restrained Angela from harming the female mage and discovered that his body was beginning to strain under his magic. Angela secretly advised Nia on how to approach Li Lin, and the chapter ended with Rolandis waking and confronting them.

• Li Lin forbade Angela from mistreating the female mage because he had promised a mage and wanted to preserve the Arcane Mages' reputation.
• Angela noticed Nia remained silent in book form, then transformed back into a little girl and encouraged Nia to be more proactive with Li Lin.
• Li Lin's meditation was disrupted by pain as he realized his unmodified body was struggling to withstand his magic.
• Li Lin resolved to use less magic until he could find traces of Suoxiate and have his body modified again.
• Rolandis woke, raised her staff, and demanded to know where she was and who Li Lin and Nia were.

After three days of travel, Li Lin stopped at a seaside inn when Rolandis’s exhaustion threatened to leave her unable to be returned unharmed. Rolandis tried to escape that night, but Fina intercepted her, and the chapter ended with Li Lin and Angela watching their fight from the window.

• Li Lin took Rolandis westward in the carriage, and after three days of deprivation he stopped at an inn so she would not become an invalid.
• After dinner, Rolandis used magic to check for surveillance, slipped out of her room, and made her way toward the inn’s back door.
• Rolandis tried to escape into the night, but Fina appeared and blocked her path.
• Rolandis attacked Fina with a spell, but Fina’s Minor Spell Immunity Shield stopped it.
• Fina asked Rolandis to return, and Rolandis began preparing another magical attack as Li Lin and Angela watched from the window.

Fina fought Rolandis but was defeated after Rolandis pierced her chest with Sonic Spear. Fina survived the wound, and Angela ordered Mina to tie a stone to her and throw her into the sea while Li Lin refused to intervene.

• Rolandis used an explosion to obscure Fina's view and tried to escape through a portal, but Fina's Dimensional Anchor trapped her.
• Rolandis launched a furious barrage of spells that destroyed Fina's Minor Spell Immunity Shield and forced her to evade while holding back from seriously harming Rolandis.
• Rolandis hit Fina with Sonic Spear, piercing her chest and sending her crashing into the grass.
• Mina rushed to help Fina, and Li Lin revealed that Fina was still alive despite the gaping wound in her chest.
• Angela called Fina useless and ordered Mina to tie a stone to her and throw her into the sea; Li Lin allowed it.

Lika was caught attempting to seduce her brother after Weijia drugged him, and the Grand Duke had them imprisoned. Weijia then drugged Lika in her cell and prepared to hand her over to an approaching man.

• Lika drugged her brother and tried to make him belong only to her, but the Grand Duke interrupted and ordered them both thrown into the dungeon.
• Weijia told the Grand Duke that Lika had forbidden feelings for her brother, then encouraged him to pursue his daughter while Angela watched from the shadows.
• Lika feared that she and her brother had been ruined, but Weijia comforted her and brought her pastries in the dungeon.
• After Lika ate the pastries, Weijia revealed that she had drugged her and admitted she resented Lika's kind, approachable manner.
• Weijia stepped aside as a man approached Lika's cell, and Lika screamed when she saw him.

Li Lin traveled with Rolandis while worrying about the unrest in Lalia and Nia's silence. Angela secretly coached Nia on pursuing love as a battle, leaving both Nia and Rolandis to consider her ruthless advice.

• Rolandis accepted her captivity after her escape attempt failed and endured Mina's unappealing food during the journey.
• Li Lin told Rolandis only that she would be free to leave when the time came, while he worried over Lalia's instability and Nia's refusal to answer him.
• After Li Lin left the carriage, Angela revealed that she and Nia had arranged Nia's silence to make Li Lin care about her.
• Angela advised Nia that love was a war in which a woman should test whether the man she loved was worthy of conquering her.
• Angela warned Rolandis not to tell Li Lin about their conversation, then left the carriage, while Nia and Rolandis reflected on her advice.