Refreshing to see a dev that outlines, pays lip service to structure, and writes with character arcs in mind. I would love to see you take the scenic route and branch out into subplots, and trust that you care enough about the main story to see it finished.
A lot of people tend to take a posture towards devs that's all about keeping them in check or holding them to account or something, in this instance I think you should be given as much berth as possible to get it done your way. Keep on keeping on man, looking forward to chapter 4.