Chapter 10: The Queen and the MerchantMinor spoilers

Have Theodora block the route without carrying an orb while Loretta advances using Avoid. Prepare maximum-affinity support as a fallback, but do not assume it will trigger every time. If you lack units for the extra deployment slots, add fast-moving cavalry. Claim the central catapult at the start. Keep orbs off the front line and pull their carriers back. Carrying an orb reduces Defense to 0, so those units can no longer perform their previous blocking role. There are 9 orbs on the map, and holding 5 gives you the lead. You can leave the two rear orbs uncollected and prepare to retreat for them from turn 10 onward, avoiding the Defense penalty too early. The result is decided at the end of your action phase on turn 12. Defeating enemies alone does not end the match. Prioritize protecting orbs and retreating during the final turns.

Use cavalry runners and leave inventory space#

Before battle, clear an inventory slot on each orb collector. You cannot discard an orb after picking it up, and one unit cannot collect several. Undertrained additions can focus on crossing the map. Cavalry move faster; reserves with Attack only in the twenties should not be treated as main damage dealers.

Once your main units are ready to change class, return to the city for exams, then inspect their skills. If exam tickets are scarce, skip low-success attempts for now. An advanced exam at only 32%, or a 48% chance with just 4 tickets left, can wait until later.

If Theodora changes to a non-armored class, remove old skills such as Armored Combat. When Loretta advances using Avoid, check Peak Form+’s full-HP requirement and upgrade her Dodge Gauntlets to +1. Check the current Avoid preview for weapons too; switch to Salamander if it gives more Avoid.

Claim the catapult through the center#

Advance south through the center to claim the catapult, keeping Sofia in the middle to support both sides. Confirm that the operator has the command to use siege equipment before choosing who stays on the catapult tile. Avoid arriving only to find they cannot use it. Check whether cavalry can take this role too.

Move each collector onto an orb tile and wait, with one orb per person. Holding one reduces Defense to 0, and you cannot trade it to an ally. If picking one up would get a frontline unit killed immediately, leave it for now. Keep tanks without orbs blocking the route while fragile collectors hide behind them.

Press their base or expend catapult shots before retreating#

Approach 1: pressure their base with non-carriers. After collecting the orbs on your side and taking the lead, pull the carriers back. Have Theodora block the route without an orb and keep control of the catapult. Loretta can take attacks using Avoid, but check enemy Hit before pushing forward. If she can survive, pressure the enemy respawn point to pin them down. Prepare maximum-affinity support for emergencies, but calculate survival on every advance as though it will not trigger.

Approach 2: spend the catapult’s ammunition, then retreat. If you hold 3 orbs with another 2 waiting behind you, protect those 3 and the route back to the other two. Leave the rear pair for now and prepare to collect them from turn 10 onward. If the central catapult has 4 shots left, fire them before withdrawing and lure pursuers toward a better formation in the rear. Orb carriers have 0 Defense and should not keep charging forward.

Talimun repeatedly lowers Hit and Defense#

Talimun repeatedly lowers Hit and Defense. Check both again after each debuff. Even after defeating him, keep protecting your orbs: the match is decided by orb counts on turn 12.

Collect rear orbs and retreat from turn 10#

From turn 10, arrange collection and retreat on both flanks. If an enemy at the front is hard to defeat, stop surrounding them and return for the two reserved rear orbs. This avoids remaining in front of enemies with the orb’s Defense penalty. If you need cover for the retreat, activate the 50 Avoid buff before falling back to your base.

When enemy mages gather, prioritize those who can kill your frontline units. To recover orbs from enemies at the front, use a rear unit for a ranged kill to bring the orb toward your rear. Check whether the attack can secure the kill first; if damage is short, arrange another collection plan.

Units defeated this chapter teleport back to base instead of leaving the battle, but they must wait 1 turn to redeploy and still lose frontline actions. Keep non-carriers blocking and carriers withdrawing until the end of your action phase on turn 12. You do not need to wait through another enemy phase that turn.

Schedule Leda’s paralogue and the boat loan early#

Before this chapter’s main battle, reserve time for Leda's Paralogue: Diversionary Tactics. Accept it between September 2 and 8. As September 8 approaches, stop making distant trips and return to advance the quest. Do not automatically skip straight to September 9; doing so produces a deadline-expired notice.

Check Attack Speed before fighting the bear in the paralogue. Its Attack Speed reaches 33. If you cannot make a follow-up, or it can follow up against you, check whether equipment such as the Beauty Mask is slowing you down. Further bear attacks can poison you again, so curing poison immediately does not keep you poison-free. Recheck Attack Speed after new accessories auto-equip too, so you do not plan around the old number of attacks after being slowed.

Before lending the boat, complete any remaining sea travel. After lending it, you cannot move onto the sea until September 21. Unfinished recruitment that requires gathering materials at sea conflicts with this period. Finish those sea tasks first or leave the recruitment for later chapters.

After battle, check next chapter’s deployment limit before recruiting and training more units. Avoid discovering only at deployment that you needed one or two more trained characters.

Objective and opponents at a glance#