Fun chapter, as
@Qwest said it's nice to have a bit of thought put into the details of systems in a universe like this, helps with immersion and emergent effects later. Also from a plot pov nicely lightens things as in IRL war. The situation is very hard, and they might all die, but they can still joke around a bit and enjoy the moments as well. It's also nice that even "side characters" are a serious fighting force here that matters. Ragna has a bad though understandably developed habit of solitude, so compared to early on what we're seeing here is also some really serious growth in him as a person compared to his old self. He's firmly on a different path then before.
As well as the mage situation, looks like Ragna now knows Leo may have left for America, beyond his reach. Crimson seems to have not given him any more details than that, but it has to gnaw at him, though at the same time she was last seen alive.
i think that was her plan from the start tho
No, it was a last resort. She planned to do so as the "price" have having the Cult take in her troops and the civilian survivors. That's not necessary anymore, so not entirely clear how it will go when she wakes up. She now has more organic reasons, Ragna has joined and is doing ok of course, there is the support for her troops, they took down Wings but her own country was still utterly annihilated, etc. Joining the preeminent anti-dragon fighting force Ragna is in makes logical sense, but she's the sort of character who would weigh all the angles. Would be interesting as well what she "sees" from the monks. One thing down the road that will be a very interesting moment is if she and Leo meet.