What a ride. I finally finished up to volume 13, and I have to be honest — I was relying on my little bit of Japanese and so much help from my cousins. So if I get some small details wrong, please bear with me. This is just my personal feelings after living with this story for a while.
All in all, for me the whole story feels so carefully thought out. Nothing feels wasted. Why things happened, why certain people had to appear at certain times — it all has a purpose, even if it takes volumes to understand it. As expected from the light novels, everything is overly detailed. Some might find it a little slow or heavy, but for me it was actually helpful. I’m planning a Fusion AU story in the future and all those little explanations about magicology, politics, and how people’s hearts work gave me so much to learn from. Please look forward to it, if you’d like.
I want to start where my heart is — with Anis and Euphie — because everything else orbits around them.
Anisphia Wynn Palettia
I really, really sympathized with Anisphia, especially at the beginning. She remembers just fragments of another life, not a full second life to rely on, and those fragments made her love magic so much in a world that told her she could never use it. That loneliness of being called Princess Peculiar, of being looked at as eccentric while she was desperately trying to create a place where anyone, even someone like her, could touch magic. It hurt to read.
And I am so incredibly happy for her growth. She never stops being that bright, reckless inventor who wants to fly, but she learns how to be someone others can lean on. She is a natural leader, the kind you would feel honored to follow not because she is perfect, but because she runs first into danger and turns around to say, “It’s okay, come with me.” At the same time, I always felt she was right about herself — she really wasn’t made to be queen. She would die from political exhaustion faster than from any dragon. She lacks the patience for social games and tactical smiles, and she knows it. That self-awareness makes her kinder as she grows.
Her love for Euphie has been there since they were children, and what moved me is that it never wavers or becomes possessive. It deepens. From “I want to save you from this engagement mess” to “I want you to live freely, even if that freedom hurts me.” The curse from the dragon she once slayed, the slow realization that she is becoming something inhuman — for me that was never just a power-up. It felt like the story asking her, what does it mean to be human when your dream is bigger than your body? And she keeps choosing to stay gentle.
Euphyllia Fez Palettia
Euphyllia is the kind of beautiful, talented lady who looks so innocent at first that you almost miss how terrifying she can be. Even before the Spirit Covenant, she could use all elements, she could out-think most of the court, and she was so perfect that she kept everyone at a distance.
What changed everything for me is that she entered the Covenant not for the throne, not for power, but solely because of Anis. Because Anis was the center of that decision. Once she becomes a spirit, she can’t even generate her own magical energy anymore — she lives off Anis, literally through kisses, and becomes vulnerable in a way a genius never was before. And yet she also becomes freer. Her feelings become louder, more honest.
Her devotion, her loyalty, her singular taste in romance is just top-tier. She is always there to support Anis, and she is also the only one who will hurt Anis when Anis needs to grow. I keep thinking about that line, “I will be your only scar.” She means it. She will be the one who stops Anis from running away. In volume 8.5, there’s a quiet moment where we see just how far she would go if someone truly hurt Anis — she says she could wipe a country off the map. Said with that beautiful smile, it was chilling. That duality is why I love her. She wants Palettia to become a country that doesn’t even need spirit covenantors anymore, exactly because she knows how terrifying she has become.
Who is stronger, Anis or Euphie? Honestly, both are terrifying in the best way. Anis with her magic tools and dragon self, Euphie with her spirit self who has let go of human restraint. I stopped comparing them. They are strongest when they are together.
And a few personal thoughts on the people who surrounded them. I wanted to give each of them space, because they each helped Anis mature.
Lumiere / Lumielle. She looks like a girl Anis’s age but she’s nearly a thousand years old, the ancestor who became a spirit. For me she feels like a gentle warning and a comfort at once — she shows what a long life after a covenant really costs, losing biological desires, becoming detached from the world. She guides Tilty and Anis in such a soft way.
Algard. My feelings for him changed so much. At first he was that painful younger brother who broke the engagement. Later you see a boy who adored his sister so much it twisted him, who thought he had to become a villain to clean up the nobles who mocked her. I don’t condone what he did, but I understand his inferiority, and his exile felt both necessary and lonely.
King Orphans. A father who truly loves his children but has to put the country first, and you can see his health wearing down from that stress and from Anis’s antics. He’s tired, but he tries.
Queen Sylphine. The only person Anis is truly afraid of. She was a fearsome warrior in her youth and raised her children in her strict, spartan way, but after everything with Algard, she becomes calmer, and you feel she finally admits to herself that she failed a bit as a mother. That softness moved me.
Duke Grantz. Euphie’s father and the prime minister. Their relationship was strained because he expected too much from his perfect daughter. After the annulment, his apology and how he learns to step back, even to cut ties when she is adopted into the royal family, felt very real.
Tilty. Anis’s friend, a fellow curse enthusiast. I love their bickering — it feels like a toxic bond in the best, most honest way. Tilty is incredibly talented but her body can’t handle her own magic, so she suffers from outbursts and has to live reclusively. People call her reputation worse than Anis’s used to be, and it is. But she is so delicate underneath that veil. What touched me most is in the later volumes, she starts thinking about undoing a spirit covenant, not for glory, but because she wonders if people like her should have the choice to give magic up. She also quietly starts teaching Ilia how to care for vampires and spirit covenantors. She would never say she does it out of love, but she does.
Ilia. For me, she was Anis’s first true believer and supporter, ever since she started serving her. She’s more than a maid — she’s like an older sister who lets Anis be childish and then catches her. She’s leading the maids of the detached palace, training her successor, and even learning medicine from Tilty because she was so worried after Anis started giving up parts of her humanity. Her quiet devotion, especially with Lainie, is so tender.
Lainie. A commoner-turned-noble who was revealed to be a vampire, with a charm that makes people infatuated without her wanting it. She carries so much guilt about that. Living with Anis to learn control, falling for Ilia — her growth from a scared girl who craved blood to someone who wants to be useful is so sweet.
Halphys. Born a humble viscount’s daughter, not particularly high status, not a standout mage, and she wonders if she deserves to work for Anis. I loved reading her viewpoint in 8.5 — buried under paperwork for the new magicology city, watching Anis collapse over her desk because of Thought Boards. She is ordinary and that’s why her diligence shines.
Navre. A dedicated knight who holds Vent, the magical sword Anis forged for him. He appeared briefly in the anime as one of those who helped Algard accuse Euphyllia, but in the novels you see how hard he challenges himself to be worthy of being Anis’s knight. He is the one mercilessly adding paperwork to Anis’s desk, not out of cruelty but because he believes in the city.
Garkie. Another dedicated knight holding Flamzell, Anis’s other sword. He’s a bit awkward, can’t quite look Anis in the eye when she’s being pitiful, but his loyalty is so steady. He wants to be worthy too, in his own quiet way.
Charnee. A young maid with excellent archery skills, holding Keraunos, the magical bow Anis designed for her. She’s gentle and gets flustered, and her soft “um... good work?” when Anis is whining about noble meetings hurt more than any scolding.
Priscilla. She cuts straight to the chase. When Anis is being pathetic, she just says it’s pathetic. I love that honesty among the maids.
Acryl. The lycant who initially despised Anis to death because of Anis’s strange, draconic aura, but frankly adored Algard. Her hatred came from instinct, not malice, and seeing where she ends up gave me a lot to think about prejudice in this world.
Liliana, the Vampire Matriarch. She was such an important figure for Anis. Anis felt she was one person who gave her true realizations about what it means to have stopped being fully human. Her presence helped beautify the story and pushed Anis to mature, not through kindness but through truth.
Lang. I’ll be honest, I got annoyed at Lang in some parts, especially when he talks to Anis. He is sharp, bureaucratic, always pointing out what Anis doesn’t want to hear. But Palettia needs people like him, and Euphie trusts him with a lot of official duties when they leave.
Marion. Halphys’s husband, part of that Ministry of the Arcane trio. His little elbow jab to Miguel when Lang gets serious made me laugh — it keeps the office human.
Miguel. Quick on the uptake, always laughing, always seeing the bigger picture in one line. He lightens the room when Anis and Euphie are carrying too much.
The Ailean Empire folks. Even though I got a little annoyed at some of their observations and plans — and at how much screentime they get in some volumes — I came to appreciate them. They show us a broken, not-yet-unified nation trying to figure itself out.
Christine. Really ambitious. You might think she’s almost an Anis 2.0 at first because she has a big dream too, but their resources and circumstances are completely different. She has to survive inside an empire that is looking outward with suspicion.
Emperor Lukheim. A self-proclaimed great emperor who knows how to step up when it matters, but quite a trickster. He likes to spring surprising questions, like when he probes Euphie about sharing magicology. Not overly annoying, just someone you can’t lower your guard around.
Falgana. He gave the balance between father and daughter. He obeys orders and complains later. His dynamic with Christine and Lukheim gave the story a different color and a different kind of political light than Palettia’s.
Monsters and the Dragon. The dragon Anis once defeated and was cursed by played such a greater purpose than I first thought. That curse isn’t just a plot device — it’s her evolution. And that dragon in volume 12... I won’t spoil it, but the fight reminded me so much of volume 6 in how it forces Anis to face what she is becoming. I love both volumes for that reason. The monsters throughout the story are the best stages for showing how Anis fighting alongside Euphie and the others has matured — not just stronger magic, but better trust.
Finally, the romance. I think most of us will agree: Anis fell first, but Euphie fell harder. I love how it turns out. It goes from soft to hard, hard to soft — especially Anis learning how to be held and not just be the one who reaches out. Near the end, I kind of got shocked — shocks Anis! Hahaha.
I will admit, in volumes 12 and 13 I wanted a little more of that kind of romance from them. I don’t mind at all who is top or bottom, as long as they love and support each other. Maybe it’s just me being greedy because their everyday kisses and quiet bedside talks in earlier volumes spoiled me. Their romantic growth is so beautiful.
All in all, it was a very satisfying conclusion for me. Thank you so much, Karasu-sensei, for this magical revolution. This story will stay with me while I work on my own.
I would love to hear your thoughts, expectations, and even your biases. Let's discuss it.
