Chapter XXII

Summary

• The protagonist reflects on his recent killing of Estevan, a man who just killed thousands of people. He drops Estevan's body and the stylus weapon into a body of water, away from prying eyes.
• Shortly after, he collapsed due to exhaustion and woke up in a bed at Ulciscor's villa. There, he learned he's been asleep for a week and was informed by Ulciscor about the catastrophic events that have taken a toll on the city.
• The antagonist group, Anguis, had launched successful attacks killing numerous key characters and also caused significant infrastructural problems across the city.
• The protagonist learns that he won't be suspected of any foul play because of his now elevated status as a national hero. Ulciscor also confirms the adoption of the protagonist into the Telimus family following the recognition of his heroic acts.
• Lastly, Ulciscor provides further evidence of his ongoing claim that Veridius murdered his brother Caeror.
• The protagonist learns that the formerly injured girl, Lanistia, was Caeror's lover and that her memory was lost, possibly explaining why Veridius didn't kill her too.
• Furthermore, the protagonist learns that the claim of Caeror's suicide was likely part of Veridius's deal to protect the Academy for further recriminations or investigations.
• The protagonist and Ulciscor acknowledge that Lanistia's role in this was very complex and could have complicated his training.

• The protagonist is upset when their mentor, Ulciscor, doesn't share crucial information sooner, suggesting that the mentor may have undermined their trust. The information in question appears to involve the protagonist's trainer, Lanistia, and her motivations.
• Ulciscor defends himself by saying that he waited because he feared the knowledge could potentially affect the protagonist's training sessions with Lanistia. The details of the information are not revealed, but they seem to have significant relationship with another character named Veridius and an event involving someone named Caeror.
• Despite knowing this new information, the protagonist continues to trust in Lanistia's training methods. They have physically grown stronger, they are eating well, and even their academic understanding has improved under her tutorship.
• The protagonist and Ulciscor share a moment of camaraderie over the revelation that Lanistia praised the protagonist's improvement, and discuss a few more things before parting ways for the day.
• Before Ulciscor leaves, he informs the protagonist that due to his commitments in a place called Caten, this will be their last conversation before the protagonist departs for a place known as the Academy. The next time they'll meet will be at the Festival of Ancestors.
• Ulciscor's parting words are a plea for the protagonist to take care, hinting at possible dangers or challenges the protagonist might face in the impending part of their journey.
• The protagonist reassures Ulciscor that they will be careful before Ulciscor departs.