Something else to consider is the we know the kingdom is very peaceful. So far at least, we've not heard of any threats to it or to the royal family, random monsters not withstanding.

That implies that regardless of how we all feel about him, Fausto and his department are actually very good at what they do. That doesn't mean that it's acceptable to sacrifice lives to do so - and it's hard to tell if he was even intending that to happen - but it does lead some credence to the idea that his "ends justify the means" approach isn't entirely wrong, at least in terms of practical effect.

I'm still all in favor of there being a reckoning down the line... I'm just acknowledging that there are shades of grey here that I wasn't expecting 🤔

@karasutengu said in I Shall Survive Using Potions! Vol. 11 Discussion:

@Phabiohost I actually keep two in case one runs out of "juice" (photons).

Thanks Pitohui! That's good advice!

Another great volume. I wonder how many more we'll get since apparently all lefttkdkus to decipher the codex but maybe the author has some surprises in mind.

Heh… Diana’s perspective stayed in front of my eyes into the afterward: The first baseball reference had passed by unnoticed, and I thought that pitcher/catcher was a yaoi reference… Then “3-4-5 hitters” showed up and “oops” went through my head. ^^;

I finally got caught up!

So this volume started off with the seemingly out-of-left-field Utgard business, threatening to upend the entire plot, but the author managed to tie this up (for now) as simply a means of solidifying the outline of Zenjirou|Aura's plan for female royalty.

Then we had this Yan business, IMO sparking the war on the Northern Continent that was teetering on the horizon. I wonder if we get a 10 year time skip soon? Seems unlikely, but it's hard to imagine actually reaching that part of the story at the current pace, if I can get a bit meta.

We're also introduced to the founding of modern Alcott, which will be a continuing plot point, and they mentioned two new bloodline magics, one strong (Burke's celestial magic, possibly the The Stars magic from the White Empire) and one weak (Graz's expansion magic).

Not much business on the plot/politics side with the South Continent lately, I suspect the author will pivot the focus there once the North Continent is happily burning itself away. A lot happened in this volume, but I think do this is something of a transition book. We've had a North Continent arc, and now we're poised to start transitioning back to South Continent politics. Now that Freya's married, we're at most three volumes away from her and Zenjirou having a child, which would activate the secret agreement with the Twin Kingdoms. This is another reason we might have a time skip, since the agreement really just says if her kid has Sharrow's Bestowal bloodline magic, the kid has to move to the Twin Kingdoms for three years when they hit age 15. Probably won't be that simple though, I don't think we're time skipping for at least another year or two in-story.

Just like a Wortenia chapter nothing but redundancy

Last update that is

Seems like this time we managed to have an enemy killed for real....I hope the next volume won't start with Saint calmly stating that Io's death went according to plans.
This time Allen wasn't able to avoid being given credit for his accomplishments, and with the Hero name, he now has the standing to marry the noble g8rls who are pining for him. I hope this will lead to some progress.

@LightningLeaf I'm not into little girls so I'd be ok with that...but yeah, not happening. The best I can hope is a timeskip near the end so she'll be and adult.

@sillymel One thing I forgot to mention from this volume’s color illustrations (seen on Japanese Bookwalker):

@Kurzaa said in Frontier Lord Vol. 10 Discussion!:

@Paul-Nebeling However, going from blood red to blue is BS imo. People living their lives are white, people who only care about themselves are red, and the extremely rare individual like Dias with no ill-intention towards anyone are blue. Even if the count's actions stopped being for his sole benefit, he still intended to hitch his wagon to Dias and get some eventual benefit. Pale, pale blue at best.

I agree. I'm just going to pretend that 'sparkling' is a synonym for bright, I.e. pale.

I never read most of this volume, so my thoughts this time will be outside spoiler tags:

Part 1:
Oh, boy. Lydia and Allen had to fight the headmaster for the Royal Academy entrance practical.
Huh. Seems Lydia grew out her hair for Allen.
“I’ll never dress up like a butler again!” Why do I get the feeling that’s one wish that won’t come true?
Wow. That’s quite a spiky hair ornament.
Uh oh. Lydia knows about the mana linking.
I wonder what would happen if Allen didn’t avoid one of Lydia’s attacks. Most of them would have been immediately lethal, but that knifehand seems like it could have been survivable. Maybe Lydia would stop doing it?
I just know Lydia said “baka” in that line near the end of the prologue in the original Japanese.
Lydia still seems to be mostly incapable of showing Allen affection, but at least I’m seeing bits here and there now.
Wow. That determination to never dress like a butler again didn’t last long.
“Did she not realize how much we would stand out walking through the royal capital together?” I believe that’s the point, Allen.
Lydia could definitely stand to learn a thing or two from her sister’s personality. Or even her mother’s, for that matter.

Part 2:
How the heck does Allen know “confidential information”?
“I knew they would get along.” LUL
Why do you assume Lydia will let you borrow something from her “collection,” Lynne? Or do you plan to steal it? In that case, you better be prepared to face Lydia’s wrath. (Also, I guess we can add “stalker” to the list of Lydia’s undesirable traits.)
I don’t think Lisa’s gonna try any “funny business” with Allen, Tina. She would be in trouble with noble society (and worse, with Lydia!) if she did so.
I’m pretty sure Allen is at least partially wrong about the reaction Lydia would have to finding out the real reason he failed the court sorcerer exam. At least if she finds out from him, that is. If she finds out from someone else, all bets are off.
I wonder what Lisa needs Allen’s help with. Probably something to do with the “mysterious new scheme” mentioned in the volume description.
“I wondered why part of the wall looked strangely new.” Oh no. Tina? Lynne?

Part 3:
Well, no one would ever accuse Allen and his little sister of being blood-related, that’s for sure.
Still really curious who Allen’s biological parents were.
Did you learn nothing from your failure at the court sorcerer exam, Allen?
Oh ho, Allen had a mischievous streak as a child, did he?
Great speech from Tina!
Who’s the third student from the past decade to skip a year, I wonder?
Stella had a nice speech, too.
Surely the headmaster’s speech can’t be that bad, can it? On the other hand, from what I’ve heard of the headmaster, I wouldn’t put it past him to weave a literal sleeping spell into his speech.
Allen, I think the only difference between you and Richard in matters of love is that he’s aware of others’ affections.
Oh boy. Is Richard a victim of Lydia, too? Or maybe of the professor?
“She could never seriously hurt someone she cares about.” And yet, Allen doesn’t realize that applies to him, too.
Alright, Richard (and the interactions with him) is hilarious!
“Haven’t you had your fill of violence?” “No.” LUL

Part 4:
That scene with Richard and Anna at the beginning was hilarious!
That’s an awful lot of “Divine” spells Allen’s using there.
Don’t say Allen didn’t warn you, Lydia.
…Allen, just because you’re not as good at swordplay as Lydia doesn’t make you “not cut out to be a swordsman.” You’re doing a lot better against Lydia than all of the actual swordsmen here!
“Inconsiderate servants are such a handful.” This really strikes at the heart of my issue with Lydia. As long as she keeps treating the protagonist like a servant/punching bag rather than a partner, I’m not gonna care for her as a love interest.
“I’m not sweating. Would you, um…like to check?” Lewd! And Allen still thinks she isn’t interested in him….
“No matter how much they might have preferred not to” LUL

Part 5:
Constantly headpatting and talking about “interest”? Allen is Rean Schwarzer!
“If I may reiterate, Lady Lydia is kind. She would never draw her sword—or even wield a sharp word—without ample justification.” Unless the target is Allen, of course.
“Out of the goodness of their hearts,” my foot.
“Unable to so much as find a fiancé”? No, Lydia chose not to look for noble fiancés.
“Great Tree”? Hmmm…
“Knight’s, apprehend this imbecile!” Yes!
Hmmm… who’s asking Allen to visit their daughter, I wonder? I don’t think it’s one of the dukes, because it wouldn’t make sense for Tina to want to see Lydia, and Duke Leinster wouldn’t refer to Lynne as “my daughter” in this context. Is it the king wanting him to visit the princess? Hmmm…
“Was I going to kiss her? I was not!” LMAO
“Calling on a certain esteemed personage, however, would presumably have to wait” Yeah, it sure sounds like the king wanted them to visit his daughter (so, the princess).
Alright. This part improved my opinion of Lydia immensely.

Part 6:
Oh, boy. Caren’s a tsundere, too.
Oh man. Is Caren gonna end up having Thunderbolt?
Oh, there we go. That explains the “one ‘yes’ is enough” from Lydia.
Love the tail wag in that illustration of Caren.
Seems like Stella is suffering from some serious self-esteem issues.
“I haven’t even done my makeup!” LUL
Seems like Girard has decided he’d like to add going after a minor to his list of offenses.
“I’m not a professional head-rubber.” Could have fooled me.
“Oh, I could hardly wait.” LUL
“I’d like to give whoever taught her a piece of my—“ LOL

Part 7:
So Allen apparently has a planetarium spell. Cool! (Also, nice chibi art at the bottom of that illustration.)
Oh, huh. Apparently creating creatures isn’t limited to dark magic.
“And surely Ellie wouldn’t want her head rubbed in public either.” Yes. Surely.
I love Lynne and Tina’s expressions in the background of the illustration of Allen giving Ellie a headpat.
Allen, dodging the question in this situation is as good as a yes.
“I’m not really bothered. Not one bit.” Uh huh. And I suppose that’s why you feel the need to tell us that?
Lydia: innocent whistling
Wow. Asking Allen to turn the page on a book you aren’t even reading together? How lazy can you be, Lydia?
“D-did she seriously expect me to read this aloud…?” LUL
Oh boy, the Hero’s a girl? And she proposed to Allen, but he turned her down because he thought it was just because she “wanted to know about love”? 🤦‍♂️…Allen… Anyway, +1 harem member, I guess. (Is that the “exceptional” friend Allen mentioned in Volume 1? I bet it is. Might also be the king’s daughter.)
Interesting. This world seems to have its equivalents of Saturday and Sunday swapped time-wise.
Don’t worry, Caren. Lydia would never give her “seal of approval” for little girls to “wait on” him.
“It wasn’t as though I wanted to spoil her.” Oh, no. Allen’s a tsundere, too?!
“I have no plans to see the whole continent.” Too bad!
Gerard, you idiot!
“Save Lady Lynne”? Somehow, I doubt Lynne is the one who will need saving.

Part 8:
Wait, is this a different Great Tree from the one in Allen’s homeland?
“Didn’t he realize that being stripped of his knighthood would affect his place in the line of succession? Knowing him, quite possibly not.” 🤣
“Ellie the crybaby” Wow, rude!
Poor Stella…
Gerard ogled a little girl? Lasciviously, even? Yep, he deserves to die.
Tina’s young friend, Lynne? Since when? (I kid, I kid.)
“A pillar of the royal family!” In your dreams, pal.
Tina tied her ribbon to her wand? Oh man! That means she’s serious!
Oh, boy. Seems we have +1 harem member in the form of Stella here.
Gerard turned into some weird amalgamation of human and magical creature? Is there a great spell involved here?
“If you die, I’ll kill you.” LUL
Lydia, why can’t you give Allen a reason that, you know, doesn’t sound entirely selfish?
What exactly is Allen holding in that illustration?

Part 9:
So Lydia’s sword is named True Scarlet, is it?
“Thinking is your job. I just slice things.” LUL
There is indeed a great spell involved. Radiant Shield, apparently.
“Come here, Tiny!” LUL
“The strongest ice spell [Tina] can manage”? That would be Frigid Crane. You sure you want that, Lydia?
“Hang on... Why had she grown her hair out?” 🤦‍♂️
“We’re already at quota. Try another style.” LUL
Loved Allen attempting to say “Only one ‘yes’” and getting denied!
Hmmm… I suspect either that wasn’t the real royal dagger, or the royal doesn’t actually have vestiges of Radiant Shield within it. It’s actually something else.
So, uh, does Allen know Lydia’s into him or not?
What was the “something that had happened earlier” that Allen used to get Lydia to try and slice up the headmaster? I’m drawing a blank right now. What “embarrassment” was it, specifically?
Oh no. Allen collapsed! And what was with that gasp from Lydia?

Part 10:
Really nice bit with Lydia here.
Wait, Allen’s been searching for great spells for four years?! Interesting… Allen searching for great spells clearly doesn’t just have its roots in the Frigid Crane, so why is he searching for great spells, exactly?
I love complete lack of hesitation in Lydia’s response to Tina that she was trying to kiss Allen.
Excuse you, Ellie. Allen did not kiss Tina. She kissed him, and without consent.
LOL. All that effort to try and keep Lydia from finding out the real reason Allen failed the court sorcerer exam, and it turns out everyone already knew!
“Tina merely screamed.” LUL
“So, Richard didn’t make it. May he rest in peace.” LOL

Alright. I enjoyed this volume much more than Volume 1. Lydia has grown on me immensely, and Allen’s relationship with his barely-teen students was toned down significantly (probably due to having to share time with Lydia).

I'm not sure how to react to this big arc about reviving an evil God that in the end turned into nothing.
Anyway I hope that with the upcoming wedding we'll bring back focus on the original cast.

@iurychiga Chapter 4, where it starts "Most buildings erected by the demons were built by the Corvut family", would I think be equivalent to WN c150 "魔族の建造物は、その多くがコルヴト族の手によるものだ。"

@Gamen Mainly the surreptitious photos and videos of his students, as well as some of his thoughts about them in his inner monologue.

@Geezer-Weasalopes Thanks for the input. I'll add it to my other operating notes I've accumulated.

So, when this was announced I decided to skip because I previously read another series here about a blacksmith and found it incredibly boring.
I then found myself with a bit if free time before yhe volumes expiration date and decided to try reading it, thinking I'll probably drop after a couple of parts. We'll, I'm glad I did that because it turned out to be much more better than expected. It definitely helps that swords are my favorite weapons, even if I'm not at the same level as the characters in the story in terms of obsession.

5 (thick) slices = 1 school week = 1 slice each day for breakfast.

toast with jam (carried in mouth when running late to school)
alt text

@Geezer-Weasalopes said in Management of a Novice Alchemist Vol. 6 Discussion!:

Because we know she's gonna end up as the new lord.
Since she's there, has already established strong relations with the regional power structure, and has demonstrated to the country's leadership that she can be relied upon.

Not just the regional power structure… she’s also rung up big points with both the villagers by cleaning up the bandits without any of the innocents getting hurt, and with the sailors by being a strong leader.

She’s gonna get it from all sides… mweh-heh-heh.

@Lily-Garden said in The Apothecary Diaries Vol. 9 Discussion!:

@Marina-Van-Eysinga-0v7x1dl I actually like the unusual vocabulary; I think it adds to the historical tone of the story

Yeah... and I like learning new words, which this series has made me do on a few occasions

I thought for sure we were going to have the winged warrior girl in the harem but seems like the author will go with the fanatic hero girl instead.
I mostly like the humor of this series but I hsve to agree that Zelos acting like a pushover on occasions can be annoying, even if the author is trying to give an explanation in universe. Stilllookimg forward to the next volume, though.