@Kurzaa The issue isn't really what Luke could or could not do, this whole situation revolves around the fact that none of the elves are willing to tell him about the whole bidet thing so he has no idea the reason they're essentially trying to prolong rebuilding their village.

It was a nice volume. Still a lot of internal monologues, but at least some of them were pertinent to the plot.
Wasn't expecting Ryome to join forces with the Organization, and now I'm curious how the story will unfold. It's hard to see the Empire as a real threat now, so what is left, the Church? The duel also was nice.
These are the things that make this series worthy of reading, even if too often it's a frustrating experience.

This was one of the best things I've read.
All the characters got their moment to shine. Stakes are higher than ever. Anos' dad was able to help him one last time as Ceris.
Anos needing help to defeat Equis not because he doesn't have enough strenght but because he has too much and his friends have to minimize the collateral damage is so fitting for this series.
Now I'm curious for the next volume, it should be a nice breather after this epic arc.

@leej News recently say it may take longer. So maybe v11 won't come out this year.

Why does this volume seem to intent on making Elciel seem good/misunderstood? She was basically Darth Vader... She was the evil enforcer for the Lord of evil and was complicit in terrible human experiments. She was a stone cold bitch. I have 0 sympathy and the fact at least 2 of her beasts took her will to mean "commit terrorism" is an indictment of her character.

OK, just read the volume and again, it was an enjoyable read. Just please author, don't write a what if story ever again...

@Makine Yeah I'm not feeling the "suddenly I call my son a monster and want nothing to do with him. Please feel sorry for me, I can't control how I feel."

Felix has his own found family now. There's no need for those two gene donors except to sign adoption papers imo.

@gomily said in Flung into a New World? Time to Lift the 200-Year Curse! Vol. 2 Discussion!:

Some translator notes:

The end of Volume 2 also marks the end of the first arc in the web novel, 浄化は基本！(Step One is Purification!). From here, we enter the second arc, 片付けは隅から隅まで！(Cleaning Every Nook and Cranny!) for the next few volumes. And yes, there are currently 11 volumes in the JP - and still a few more to be published 😅

I do think some of the aspects of Flung that readers (and translators) might find more frustrating do improve as we get into Volume 3, so I do think it's worth reading onward!

And for those who read the afterword - I think it could be argued that our MC and the author might share some similarities... Particularly re:

spoiler

I hope you enjoyed Volume 2!

I think that's not really a bad thing. When an author writes things that move them emotionally, (rather than just mechanically following their outline) it can make for a better story. (Sometimes characters move on their own for the same effect.)

Well volume 6 is the latest volume published in Japanese. And then we'll be caught up. :(

So Allen and the girls go through hell and high water to get the so-called masterpiece sword, and when he takes it to Vanessa's forge to give it to her the place is empty and deserted. I definitely didn't see that coming.

The art is so stupidly clean. Just amazing lines here.

Waite actually deserved that dressing down. And finding out Peridot is much more intentional than expected was a treat.

Its been a pleasant read. Its weird to say this about a civil war volume but this has probably been the most quiet, simple book of the story so far. With the pirate bands in the aftermath providing a more engaging situation then military supply lines of the professional battle. It was a nice contrast though.

Sadly I think the novelty of the concept is starting to wear off. I am easier able to see the Authors somewhat lacking character work after the changes in approach the (npc) protagonist has been fully worked out. I am unsure if the author has much of a grasp of female characters. On one hand when he is treating those characters as people with hobbies and motivations it works quite well. On the other hand when they are trying to write women being women its completely 1 dimensional. Similar to how the antagonists are mostly 1 dimensionally bad.

With no signal of an actual plot on the horison, I am not sure how much more of this story I want to read. But I have definitely enjoyed the novelty and conceits of the anti power fantasy sci fi.

@Cryten said in Notorious No More Vol. 2 Discussion!:

This ending does feel like a stopping point of the story. With only Regulus cursed obsession and the demon in possesion of Lavis former body remaining. And both of those are external to the stabilised life Lavi obtained in these two volumes.

The mystery of the demon? Resolved. The mystery of Lavi's former lifes difficulties? Revealed. Regulus background? Explained. Seina, shuna and Ash boy? Removed.

It was all rather good. I just dont know where it has left go go but navel gazing.

Lavi trying to reclaim her old "incompetent" image might be where the story goes next.

Part 1:
So, uh, is that Hikari on the right on the cover? That’s an awfully revealing outfit for a ten-year-old.
Hmmm… Normally I would say that meal deprivation would be a bit harsh of a punishment, but Ciel doesn’t actually need to eat.
Cute illustration!
Hikari really doesn’t want to go to an orphanage, huh? I wonder if an orphanage in the Elesia Kingdom sold her to the intelligence division.
Oh, is the special slave system basically all downside for the owner or the slave? I’m guessing since he wasn’t told about it before, it’s mostly downsides for the owner. Honestly, based on the description, it sounds like author rebranded a combination adoption-apprenticeship as a type of slavery to give an excuse for Hikari to call Sora “Master” all the time.
“Not that I was bitter about it or anything.” Now that’s a tsundere line if I’ve ever seen one.
Seems like Ciel and Hikari are easily swayed by food.
Can you get things on credit with a merchants’ guild card, or is it more like a debit card?
“That was classified info.” LUL
Does the contract kit allow for magical c
I still think that outfit is a bit revealing for a ten-year-old, but that is a cute illustration with the smile Hikari has. (It’s also not quite as revealing as I thought it was. I thought it had a skirt, but the legs are separate. Still entirely too much leg for “armor,” though.)
Here’s hoping Sora gets an upgrade to Walking that lets him at least extend the “never get tired from walking” part to his companions at some point.

Part 2:
Hmmm… I wonder what was going on with the caravan on the way to Roille.
“It was more than a simple growth spurt could account for.” She’s probably making up for lost time.
Ah, yeah. Being merchant now does make it harder for him to get people to let him help with fights, I suppose.
Another orc attack? That’s a bit suspicious.
“Of course, if you accept, we’ll ensure the safety of your girl as well.” I don’t like way this is phrased….
“You’ll regret this, brat.” Well, that’s ominous.
Yeah, why are Aurora’s escorts so shoddy? I feel like there’s some sort of insurance fraud going on, which means they’ll be attacked later.
Oh boy. Layla saw Hikari in bed with Sora withe arms wrapped around him and got the wrong idea.
“The word ‘magic’ seemed to have activated [Yor].” LUL

Part 3:
Just giving away potions? You’re not really good the whole merchant thing, are you, Sora?
Use of scouting skills on the cave is being blocked? Hmmm…
Automap started working as soon as Sora entered the cave? …It’s a dungeon, isn’t it?
So, Orc Lord. Is it time for Sora to use Gun again?

Part 4:
So if the Orc Lord’s skin is like steel, I’m not sure how effective a gun will be.
I bet Loid is leaving the sword in because it’s stuck in an artery, and pulling it out would cause him to bleed out.
“I let loose on full automatic, aiming right at his chest—the place I assumed his magistone would be.” New guess: The mithril sword is lodged in Lloyd’s magistone, and removing it would destroy the magistone, killing him.
Cool illustration!
I bet the holy flame was from Ciel.
“At this, Layla turned a bit pink. I wonder why.” Gee, I don’t know. Why could that possibly be?
Oh. It turns out I was wrong about why Layla was blushing. I thought it was because she likes him (which very well may still be the case), but it’s actually because she had to administer a potion to him mouth-to-mouth.

Part 5:
So that’s how Luilui’s search skill works. Sort of like controlling seagulls in Wind Waker.
I’m guessing that the girls they saved from the orc lord are the daughters of the woman that ran over to them.
“Use them as bait.” 🤣
“‘Y-You won’t get away with this!’ Enrique spat at us with a baleful glare when Locke told him of the decision.” Keep dreaming, pal.
Gee, way to keep a low profile there, Sora.
So how are we dealing with Steit here?
So Yor’s from a big-name family in Frieren, huh?
Definitely feels like a “beware the nice ones” situation here.
Either Cacus has some sort of truth-detection skill, or there’s some sort of Spanish Inquisition–type thing going on. Guessing the first one.

Part 6:
Yeah, I don’t want to see a drunk Hikari either, Sora. I’m a bit afraid what she might do.
I’m a bit worried that the Arbiter of Truth is gonna figure out Sora’s background.
“I’d offered to ride in the front wagon, but they’d rejected that idea for some reason.” Yeah. “Some reason.” >_>
Cool illustration!
“If Sora volunteered to serve as your home tutor, would you stay home forever?” LUL
Sounds like next volume’s destination may be Majorica.
“I believe the repetition is important to capture the magnitude of it.” LOL
Cute illustration!
Oh boy. Catgirl
“Maybe I’ll get to see an elf or a dwarf soon!” I suspect you’ve already seen a dwarf, dude.
Wait a minute! You can’t just casually drop that the catgirl is Sera with no indication of how Sora knew like that! (I’m guessing he must have recognized her wearing the talisman or something. No, it’s because Appraise Person tells you the target’s name, not just their level. Duh.)

Part 7:
“Dragons in dungeons” LUL
Huh. Can’t say I can relate to being scared just from being in a forest.
Was Regulus just trying to help? Mia claims he’s one of the “villains,” but I don’t know if that’s the truth, a misunderstanding, or a lie so she can keep exploring. The volume description did mention a “dastardly plot,” though.
“Perhaps she was agitated.” You don’t say.
So, dastardly plot, huh? Perhaps they’re trying to assassinate Mia, the current saint, so that they can name that one summonee as the new saint? Unfortunately for them, that won’t work if the kingdom has anything to say about it.
“Maybe this was a phenomenon exclusive to the study of magic.” Or maybe some people just like learning? Have you ever considered that?
That pause before “current saint” was suspicious.
“seems to be cracking a bit under the pressures she’s been experiencing” I’ve heard that one before. Generally as a reason to try to prevent people from listening to what someone says. Suspicious…
“that didn’t match the idea of a princess in a walled garden” Really? You’ve never heard of a rebellious princess before?
Alternate idea about why people are trying to kill Mia: Maybe there’s something inconvenient in the full prophecy Mia received concerning the Demon King, and they’re to kill her before she can make it public. I almost wonder if the goddess sent the original Demon King, and he was meant to unite the nations, but not through war against a common enemy.

Part 8:
Why exactly did a kid in another world name her dog something that means “white” in Japanese? I see no indication that Mia would have any reason to know Japanese here. (Speaking of Japanese, Sora should try talking to Hikari in Japanese and see if she understands it.)
Seriously? We’re going with the trope of the girl getting angry at the guy for accidentally touching her chest while he was trying to protect her?
Wow. She actually backed down once she remembered it was an accident. I don’t believe it.
Oh, come on, Mia. I’ve seen the cover. Your chest isn’t that small.
“He was walking around with a slave. Was he a pervert?” At least someone thinks it!
So this “boy” can cause false prophecies? That throws the prophecy about the Demon King into question, too.
They’re planning to have Mia publicly executed? Uh oh.
“all the humans” So the “boy” must not be a human, then. But is he a demihuman or a demon? I would think a demon would have been detected, but maybe not.
Hmmm. I’m tempted to think the boy is a demon since he’s calling the Saint “dangerous to our lord,” but he also says this plot took “many years of preparation,” which isn’t exactly consistent with what we’ve been told so far about demons and the Demon King, I don’t think.
“Yor objected to this comparison, although I noticed that she was the only one who did.” LUL
Sounds to me like Mia became able use holy spells from a skill granted by the goddess or something rather than learning them normally, and that’s how she got her Saint job.
Oh boy. Sora’s a headpatter!
It’s good to see that outright forcing a slave into having sex is banned, but it sounds like there’s still room for coercion, unfortunately.
I suspect that the “boy’s” attempt to get rid of Mia is gonna backfire. Saints in general may be a threat to his “lord,” but Mia likely wouldn’t have been due to her lack of control over her magic if he had just left well enough alone. Now she’s going to learn how to properly control her magic from Sora.

Part 9:
Sera can dual-wield dual-bladed axes? That’s pretty cool.
Ah, the dessert stomach. Alas, I’ve lost that as I’ve gotten older.
They’re planning to send Mia to the Black Forest once she’s officially authorized as a Saint? Yeah, I think that pretty much confirms the “boy” from the beginning of the previous part is a demon, then. I think he’s severely overestimating how powerful she’d be at this point, though.
Sounds to me like the bad guy’s plan is turn Mia’s authorization ceremony into a public execution.
Cute catgirl illustration!

Part 10:
So is the bad guys’ plan to blame the monster stampede on Mia somehow, perhaps?
I’ve got a bad feeling about the announcement at the church. I suspect it may not be about the stampede like Sora expects.
Oh my. The dome collapsed? That’s not good.
sigh Mouth-to-mouth potion feeding again?
I wonder what the unnaturally moving presence is. The powerful mana source in the church is probably the “boy” from the beginning of part 8.
Going to the Howler Slave Company? …Sora’s solution to getting out of town is to enslave Mia, isn’t it? sigh

Part 11:
Wait, is the woman wielding a sword or a dagger?
So now the protagonist is enslaving some rando assassin woman? sigh
I suppose this illustration is cute…. They do look a bit like sisters here.
Thankfully, Mia isn’t calling Sora “Master,” at least. Hopefully, it stays that way.
“extremely competent at anything that didn’t involve his daughters” LUL
So the “boy” is indeed a demon.
“Humans were ridiculous beings who pursued their own goals even though they nominally belonged to the same organization.” Oh, the hypocrisy.
The demon has experienced the feeling of lamenting a death before? Interesting…
So is Sora labeling everyone there as hypocrites? Because that’s hardly fair. Some of those people (like Dan) actually helped save the real saint.

Part 12:
So, uh, why exactly are we still concealing that the Saint is still alive? Everyone knows Mia wasn’t actually a fake saint now. (Obviously, the reason is so that she can be added to the protagonist’s slave harem, but I don’t see a legitimate in-story reason for it. The reason given is “you never know who might be listening,” but who exactly other than Adonis do we not want to know the real saint is still alive at this point?)
Welp. There goes the pendant.
Alright, so the actual given reason for Mia to stay with Sora is that she could be targeted by demons if they know she’s still alive. At least it’s a better reason than “you never know who might be listening.”
“What do you want from me, man?” LUL
Well, at least Sora isn’t keeping Isabella.
“I’d decided to spend my platinum piece to buy all the slaves that Dredd had.” …Why?!
Well, at least Sora only bought the slaves for the village, not himself? I’m not sure if that’s better or worse.
“I didn’t have a choice.” But the author sure did.

I checked future illustrations on Japanese Bookwalker to see whether Mia and Sera keep their collars, and accidentally got spoiled on something else potentially major. Oops. Hopefully there will at least be foreshadowing I can enjoy to make up for not being able to theorize about it, but because of that, I’m going to hold off on continuing for roughly a month in hopes I forget the spoiler.

Zaara: I'm gonna find my ideal man!

The village ladies: Oh yeah? A man like that doesn't —

Leon: *exists*

The village ladies: ...aim a little lower, dear. You're not competing with the Duchess.

Zaara: ...I will find a good man who is not the Duke Consort.

Checking this out with Reader Library while prepubs still haven’t created a gap.

Part 1:
Okay, I wasn’t expecting the reveal of the trick to the Walking skill to happen so fast. Seems someone forgot to make it only apply to walking itself, and it applies to absolutely everything done while walking, too.
Oh, boy. This Walking skill sounds like it would be perfect for me. I love hiking, and in video games, I tend to reach the cap for any step- or distance-traveled-based bonuses pretty quickly due to all of the exploration I do.
Is there some rule saying one stall can’t sell two different kinds of soup? I don’t see why the married couple can’t have their competition to see who can sell more of their preferred soup with only one stall.
Main level and skill level are the same in this? Interesting…
“He wants us to kill a guy and steal his heart? I thought incredulously.” Well, when you put it that way…
“I’d probably never see those people again.” Yeah, right. Somehow, I doubt that.
Wait a sec. Are you sure you want to eat that? Sounds like it’s Wulf as in wolf as in canid as in dog meat.
Interesting not having copper be the lowest currency denomination.
So a meat skewer is two commons? I’m gonna guesstimate that a common is about a dollar, then. (Could also be more like five or ten dollars, but that seems a bit much for the lowest currency denomination.) That makes the amount he was given initially roughly $2010. Not a huge amount, but probably enough to live on for a month or so.
Alright, I have no idea how the economy works in this. I don’t see how you can have a five-order-of-magnitude difference between the costs of a meat skewer and a set of clothes. Even if I treat a common as being ten cents, that makes the skewer 20 cents (too cheap) and the protagonist’s original set of clothes $30K (too expensive).
Oof, yeah. I didn’t take into account that he’d be paying hotel prices for his lodgings when I said that would be roughly enough for one month. Yikes.

Part 2:
That’s a cute receptionist, but she’s also fifteen. Does that mean the receptionists the other adventurers are hitting on are also fifteen-year-olds? 🚔
Yeah, we’ve definitely got grown men hitting on fifteen-year-olds here. 🚨
Love letter quest?
Yup. Love letter quest.
Moons? Plural?
Something was definitely suspicious about that set of eight assigned delivery quests in a single day….
“It was coming from a short man, almost impossibly short given how burly he was.” A dwarf?
I’m hoping the protagonists ends up becoming a spellsword or something. Just a straight up swordsman is boring.
Oh? I wonder what the “something strange” the protagonist noticed is.

Part 3:
Interesting that the thing he fed his ration bar to doesn’t show up to Detect Presence.
Seems like the Walking skill does not work on running. Dang.
The twin blade wielder may not be “especially busty,” but based on the cover, she’s not exactly small, either.
“That includes you, Argo!” LUL
I bet Sora’s gonna join Rurika and Chris’s party once he reaches Rank D.
Ooh, is this man with a shrewd gaze the guild master?
No demihumans here? Something tells me this kingdom (or at least the leadership) is racist (speciesist?) against demihumans, and that’s part of the reason for the war with the “Demon King.”
Seems like yes on the kingdom being speciesist, probably no on that being the reason for the war with the Demon King.
“I was actually a little shaken by the sudden, aggressive thoughts I’d felt rising up within me, as well as the way they had disappeared without a trace.” Okay, yeah, that is a little weird.
“Probably-creature” LUL
Something tells me there’s more than meets the eye on this goblin-hunting quest.
So we’ve got a mascot-looking spirit-thing. How long until it starts turning people into magical girls?

Part 4:
I think Sora should properly reveal his skills to the girls if he starts seriously adventuring with them.
Cute illustration!
Chris and Rurika look like sisters, and Rurika even acts like she’s Chris’s big sister. They’ve gotta be sisters, right?
“Ever since I’d learned Detect Presence, I’d felt at times like I was being watched.” Hmmm…
I bet Rurika and Chris are gonna end up getting caught up in Sora’s business regardless, and since Sora has decided not to tell them about his past, they won’t know to expect it.
So other people took care of the wulf problem while the protagonist was gone? Nice to see that this story allows characters other than the protagonist to have agency in solving problems.
“sooner or later I wouldn’t have Rurika and Chris helping me along” I wouldn’t be so sure about that….

Part 5:
The spirit doesn’t like going near the castle? Interesting…
“Rurika’s gentle instruction seemed to make me look more like a little brother than a romantic interest.” For now, at least.
Chris was looking for someone in the pleasure quarter? Huh. I wonder who it was.
“Since we looked human” Does that mean that Chris and Rurika aren’t human, then?
A crotchety old lady named Morrigan who knows magic? Huh.
Now that Chris and Rurika have told you one of their secrets, it’s only fair that you tell them one of yours, Sora.
Yeah, I don’t think Sora is gonna be able to separate himself from Chris and Rurika nearly as easily as he thinks he’s going to be able to.
I think we’re probably past when the in media res section took place at this point.
Crafting a potion produces a bottle from nowhere? That’s hilarious! (And obviously riffing on video games with crafting where that happens with no one thinking anything of it.)
So are we gonna have the typical trope where the caravan gets attacked?
I would not be surprised if Chris and Rurika realize that Sora is having skills “pop into his head” a bit too often to be plausible.

Part 6:
“Her leader”? Syphon is no more Rurika’s leader than he is yours, Sora.
Oh man, another perspective? Sweet!
A surprisingly effective healing spell? Interesting. Did the spirit boost it, perhaps?
“But I couldn’t do it. I was too afraid of being seen.” Huh. That certainly an interesting line.
Seems like Chris can see the spirit. Hmmm… It was implied earlier that Chris and Rurika aren’t actually human. Since Chris can see spirits and looks like a human or is able to disguise herself as one, I’m gonna guess maybe she’s a fairy? Or perhaps a half elf? That might be the reason for her hood.
Yep. The spirit did indeed enhance the healing spell.
“I steeled up my nerves and asked my friend to help interpret between me and the little one.” Uh, what? Who the heck is Chris’s “friend”? Another spirit, perhaps?
“I couldn’t tell Sora myself. That was the rule.” What? Why?

Part 7:
Does the protagonist really not think Chris and Rurika won’t get at least a little suspicious about all the skills he’s learning?
A magic crystal? I bet that will be quite valuable indeed.
Seems like running doesn’t count, but fastwalking does! Neat!
Yay magitech!
Cute illustration! (Though it seems like the book is pairing Chris and Sora. I would have preferred Rurika and Sora instead given how young Chris looks.)
That was an interesting ending to this part.

Part 8:
Well, then. That initial conversation was ominous. I’m guessing the “survivor” is Eris, the elf. (And the kingdom is referring to her as an “it.” Ick.)
“Operation”? Yikes. The protagonist really dodged a bullet there.
Yeah, that “Quiet Conversation” section was super ominous. There wasn’t really enough information there to form much in the way of theories, though.
Oh, yeah, let’s just make a gun. No biggie.
Spirit contract get! And Sora can touch the spirit (now named Ciel now)! Sweet!
Woo! Proper magic get!
Minimap get! I wonder if he can make it show the direction to Chris and Rurika.
Oh, boy. I didn’t realize there’d be food porn.

Part 9:
Hmmm… I wonder if the Detect Presence readings Sora got in the forest were from Number Thirteen.
That’s a pretty illustration!
“I had to wonder why they were so popular among those who practiced human supremacy” Why are you expecting people who practice speciesism to make sense, Sora?

Part 10:
I hope Sora doesn’t just buy slaves because he can or because he has trust issues (or for any other unsavory reasons someone might buy a slave). Buying Sera and/or Eris in order to free them would be another thing, though of course ending slavery entirely would be better but not exactly achievable in the short-term.
An unexplained presence? And it’s blinking red on the miniAutomap? Interesting…
Cute illustration!
I was wondering what might happen when a skill reached level 10. Now I know.
There wasn’t a demon searching for something? Hmmm… I wonder if it was searching for Sora.

Part 11:
Oh, Juno’s Syphon’s wife. I should have figured (and kind of did, but I forgot he had a wife).
I mean, Juno bonks Syphon on the head all the time. I don’t know if I called her a “score” (unless Syphon’s into that sort of thing).
Readings on the Automap that concern Sora? That’s ominous.
This sure doesn’t sound like a wulf hunt….
Ah. There’s orcs, too.
Sora used Gun! It’s super effective!
Cool illustration!

Part 12:
“Your consent is not relevant.” Heh. I figured there’d be a line like this when the kingdom tried to bring Sora in, but this is a cool way of wording it.
Uh oh. Sora got nicked. Hopefully the knife wasn’t poisoned. These stealth types tend to have poisoned weapons.
Alright, no, the knife was definitely poisoned.
Ah. Paralysis weapon. I wasn’t thinking video gamey enough.
Yikes. That Slave Mask sounds nasty!
“Was it because he was human?” Or maybe because “he” wasn’t operating of “his” own free will? That’s important, too.
Uh oh. It’s the demon.
I don’t know if making a deal with a demon is the best idea, Sora….
Huh. That binding is a lot tamer than I expected. Assuming the demon is telling the truth, of course. (And it would be quite hypocritical if he wasn’t given his earlier comments on lying humans.
That encounter with the demon was certainly… interesting. There’s definitely a lot more going on than just the Demon King being evil. It doesn’t seem like the demons are entirely good, either, though, what with the “it’s best to eliminate uncertain elements” and the speciesism towards humans. (Though to be fair, this is our first example of a demon so far. Others could be different.)
I’d seen a color illustration of Number Thirteen on Japanese Bookwalker, and she was quite obviously a girl there despite the mask and clothing, so seeing Sora initially refer to her as a “he” was quite something.
The first two paragraphs to “A Quiet Conversation 2” were really quite interesting. I’m not sure what to make of them.
“Effective radius”? Hmmm…
Oh, that was why the demon destroyed that section of the forest? That’s pretty clever, actually.
“She looked at her hands, then at the soup, then at her hands, then at the soup again.” LUL
“Hikari”? That’s a Japanese name. Interesting. I think Sora would have recognized her if she was from this batch of summonees, so maybe she’s a previous summonee? Or maybe a descendant of a previous summonee?
Hikari is ten years old? I feel like she was a bit curvy for a ten-year-old in the color illustration I mentioned earlier.
Alright, yeah, Hikari looks way more like a ten-year-old in this illustration.

Nice, vol. 8 released in Japan last week.

It’s definitely much better read in one go than to agonize week by week over the cliffhangers.
In the end, “all’s well that ends well.”

I guess at this point in the story it’s become more of a SoL for Aoi and Holmes, with plot progression happening via other characters. Though I’m still ambivalent about the whole

vibe the author is going for.

The thing is... Altina actually kinda needs Regis to marry her. Her heart's in the right place, but she'd make for a pretty crap empress without him. She needs Regis by her side to handle the logistical details of making her ideals into reality. I guess making him prime minister would also work, but with his personality it'd be best to chain him down in a position he can't escape from. Otherwise, Latrielle would be a far superior option; he can only think to maintain the status quo, but at least he'd do it well.

I do like Latrielle as a villain. He's a tyrant, but he has a logical vision of the future that he believes is best for the empire. He's not just power-hungry for the sake of it, nor are his reasons along the lines of "commoners must be suppressed because they're lower-class life forms". He believes that scaling back military conflicts would crash the economy, and it's not like he's wrong; Altina's vision of the future would take much more work to actualize. He's just stuck on a local maxima. And has a penchant for assassinating his siblings (but like, our tactician is the type to set armies on fire so it's not like he's any less underhanded).

WHERE IS THE VOLUME 4??? I NEED IT NOW