Chapters dragging is something that was an issue in the author’s previous work too, imo. A lot of useless banter in the later chapters of Black Haze, but it didn’t advance the plot much per chapter. xd
Imo with Charlotte has Five Disciples, it’s actually an improvement when it comes to pacing. But imo a lot of focus (but no substantial content) on the minor side characters that you don’t even remember, and that’s what makes it feel like a slow progress.