Hello if we’ve never met! And if we have, welcome back! I’m Harunohi Biyori.
Despite having very few scenes at the academy, this book features the second chapter of the Academy Act, “Desert Rose.” Our protagonist has finally left campus, and so we instead get an arc of shadowy conflict between the fake heroine and the villainess—a showdown between Karla, who dabbles in both traditional villainy and total bloodshed, and Licia, who tries to eliminate her rivals by manipulating the men she’s charmed.
Clara has finally steeled her resolve and made a move to try and kill Licia, but with everyone around her being exceptional, she’s found it to be more difficult than anticipated.
Without Alia to solve problems through force and Elena to provide common sense, the academy has become a battleground. Hopefully everyone will manage.
Those of you who read the web novel will know that Alia being teleported away corresponds to the otome game’s secret character route. The bachelor is from the demonic nation. Now, who might that be? (I totally have no idea. Trust.)
In the original game’s hidden route, the demons, seeing the heroine as dangerous due to her ability to awaken others to their true potential, kidnap her and spirit her away to the demonic nation. Successfully finishing the route leads to a ceasefire with Dais, but failing to build enough affection points leads to battle against the demon king. The awakened bachelors appear as reinforcements in that fight, but with too few points, the player will have few allies and may get a bad ending.
Granted, Alia doesn’t need all that backup. With Cere’zhula, Nero, and Karla joining the fray, I’d be more worried about the demons’ safety.
Hitaki Yuu-sensei is still in charge of the illustrations. The art style’s been updated, but it remains wonderful. Some of you may have been surprised to see Alia growing cuter and the bachelors becoming more like handsome otome game men back in volume 5.
Volume 3 of the manga should be released the same month as this book, so if you’re reading this afterword at a bookstore, check out the comic section! If it’s not out yet, you can reserve it!
As the number of volumes has increased, so have the reviews on online video platforms, and I’m quite relieved to know that the series has been well received so far!
See you in volume 7! My utmost gratitude to everyone who read this book, all bookstores and retailers who stock it, and everyone who participated in its production!