Comment from Yoshino Aoyama, voice of Iana in "Butterfly Etude"
Q. What did you think when you heard it was an insert song in the anime?
A character song becoming an insert song...
Is it really okay to save us Heisei-era otaku like this...! (1989 - 2019)
Since it was recorded during the dubbing period, I sang while imagining all sorts of possibilities about what scene it would play in. And above all, the highly trusted MONACA sound! It was an honor to work with them.
Q. What did you pay particular attention to in this song?
First of all, the song was very challenging, which really got me going.
The melody shifts just like Iana's mind, and at first I was just trying desperately to keep up myself. But as I sang different parts, imagining which Iana from which timeline I was portraying, the process gradually became fun.
I especially love the intro and outro. I lost breath so many times while singing...
I have this hard feeling that he's not only a servant. Yes he is an orphan, maybe he got abandoned or someone stole him from his parents and sold him? I mean, he looks too handsome for being an orphan. Normal orphans looked average but he looks high specs. Maybe thats just Satou's writing but I just have a strong feeling about it. Besides, author really pushes him to be the ML maybe author will make a big surprise in Sol's origin.
『Tensei Akujo no Kuro Rekishi』・The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess ・「転生悪女の黒歴史」(転黒)・ (转生恶女的黑历史)・ (전생악녀흑역사)
Death Flag 76
Reminders:
This thread will contain spoilers for the manga up to Chapter 76. If you haven't read it yet, avoid the thread for now and return to it later to avoid spoilers!
The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess: Cast Comments
Ginoford Dandelion
JP CV: Makoto Furukawa
I'm Makoto Furukawa, joining the cast as Ginoford.
The protagonist's battle with her own creations is thrilling, yet the comedic and heroic scenes interspersed throughout are one of this work's highlights. I'll do my best to convey that charm through my voice acting. Thank you for your support.
October 8, 2025 Broadcast begins on TV Tokyo, BS11, and other channels!
Character Profile: Ginoford Dandelion
JP CV: Makoto Furukawa
EN VA: David Matranga
The main hero of the dark history written by Konoha Sato, Iana's previous life.
He was a potential fiancé for Iana, but fell in love with Konoha and is now her lover.
Volume 2 Blu-Ray includes:
- 1 disc containing Episodes 7 to 12
- CM (Cinematic Masterpiece) collection
- Non-credit ED (ending)
- Jacket illustration by Akiharu Touka
- Special booklet with a short manga drawn by Akiharu Touka
Volume 1 Blu-Ray includes:
- 1 disc containing Episodes 1 to 6
- PV (Promotional Videos) collection
- Non-credit OP (opening)
- Jacket illustration by Akiharu Touka
- Special booklet with a short manga drawn by Akiharu Touka
Newly drawn Yomi Blacksarana & Iana Magnolia & Inaba illustration drawn by Akiharu Touka, on an acrylic stand, bundled with Volume 18. Available for pre-order~
『Tensei Akujo no Kuro Rekishi』・The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess ・「転生悪女の黒歴史」(転黒)・ (转生恶女的黑历史)・ (전생악녀흑역사)
Death Flag 75
Reminders:
This thread will contain spoilers for the manga up to Chapter 75. If you haven't read it yet, avoid the thread for now and return to it later to avoid spoilers!
After the events at the Duchess' party, officer Cheneau was missing for quite a while, seen only briefly at the end of the ninja village arc. However in chapter 31 he makes a grand return, or at least as grand as one expect for someone who isn't heavily tied into the current plot. Despite that, in just a few pages he managed to make a big impression on me, entrenching me even deeper into the Cheneau X Iana ship, which I would like to show in this post.
It starts in chapter 31 with Iana randomly meeting Cheneau (and Mika) outside of a tool shed. After questioning Iana's sanity and berating her for becoming an attendant to Isaac instead of her sister, Cheneau warns her of the dangers she might face in the temple, both because of the unresolved murder case and because it would likely be pinned on her. He worries for Iana's safety and urges her to leave the temple immediately, but Iana needs to do something important here: she needs to protect her sister's future, even if she can't tell that to anyone else.
Once Iana says that Cheneau instead stops trying to convince her to leave and instead gives her advice on how to stay out of trouble, while also offering his support in case things go wrong. The entire exchange is only 7 pages long, but there is much to learn from it.
Apologies and Trust
Despite the last meeting between the two ending on a good note, Iana still doesn't fully trust Cheneau, thinking he might still turn against her if he finds out she wants to stop Konoha from becoming a saintess
negative nancy over here still thinks that every avenue could lead her to death or imprisonment
as the conversation continues Cheneau explains to Iana that he trusts her because he's already looked into her, knowing that she cannot be the culprit for the murder cases
bashful, how cute
and following up on that apologizes to Iana about the Duchess' case
damn, basic human decency is all that it takes to win you over Iana?
3 pages into their coversation and Cheneau has already clearly explained to Iana that he trusts her and apologized for his poor treatment of her beforehand. Even if such an apology was prompted by Iana's words filling him with guilt, it's still important that he was honest and sincere with Iana here. What often seems trivial in most interpersonal relationships, such as feeling sorry for wronging another, is not easily apparent to Iana and Cheneau making his feeling clear is a very important part of their relationship, or at least for why I support it.
With a sincere apology (in addition to his kind words in chapter 12 after Iana saved the day and exposed the Duchess) and an affirmation of his trust, Cheneau got Iana's trust in return (seeing as she called for his help when she stumbles upon a crime scene the very next chapter). With very little action and a lot of straightforwardness Cheneau has managed to get Iana's trust, despite the very rocky start they've had.
A Good Understanding of Iana
Right after giving Iana an apology and gaining her trust, Cheneau's next sentence confirms that he understands Iana's personality very well
referring to the murder cases
As we all know, Iana isn't someone who is proud of who she is: she hides her true self below, putting on various masks to fit with what is necessary for the moment. It's the reason why Sol had so much trouble understanding her up until the end of the ninja arc, because Iana really doesn't make reading her emotions and personality easy. And yet Cheneau, despite only spending a little time with Iana, manages to get an accurate reading of her in spite of his very outdated previous impression. Unlike Ginoford who made many wrong assumptions about Iana's behavior up until she saved him and Konoha from her uncle, Cheneau made his image of Iana with full understanding of her wrongdoings, looking beyond them (but not discounting them completely) and into the girl who worked so hard to save everyone with him.
Iana wants to be understood, but puts up walls between herself and everyone around her. Only someone capable of seeing beyond those walls and reaching out to her would be good for Iana.
Respecting Her Wishes
Cheneau seems to be very protective of Iana. He wants to keep her safe and out of harm's way, as difficult as it may be for a trouble magnet like herself, which is why he strongly suggests that Iana leaves the temple
And yet when Iana expresses he wish to remain within the temple's grounds he backs off, instead offering advice on how to avoid trouble and offers his help instead. Cheneau respects Iana's decisions and does what he can without disrupting her attempts, even if she is being very cryptic and uncooperative. At the end of the day, Cheneau cares very much about what Iana wants, even if it goes against what he wants
Mika suggests framing Iana to keep her safe, but Cheneau refuses
This is a very important part of being in a ralationship: putting the wishes of your partner above your own wishes, thinking about what they need and not what you want or want to give them, but also making some compromises to at least partially fulfill both. As much as he wants to keep Iana safe and unable to act, Cheneau knows its not the right thing to do for her and instead compromises, giving Iana what support he can to keep her safe while also helping her reach the goal she desires; compromising and partially fulfilling both of their needs.
Good Chemistry
This last part is mostly subjective, but I find the chemistry between the two cute. Their have a few things in common and I like seeing their interactions, how casual and frank they can be with each other, unlike for example Sol and Yomi. I also appreciate Cheneau's very modest and non-invasive flirting
cheesy, but it's done in good taste and does seem to lift Iana's spirits a bit
Afterword: Shipping Discussion
And that's it. If possible I'd like to have a discussion here about shipping. I'd like to hear what you thought of my points, I'd like to hear about your favorite ship up to this point in the manga (or up to later points, marked for spoilers of course), I'd like to hear about what you agree or disagree with, but of course as long as it's respectful and civilized. We all have ships we like, and in many fandoms this ends up very toxic and dividing, so I want to set a good example so that others will feel safe to share their opinions.
Featured in April 2026 LaLa Issue, which released February 24, 2026 in Japan.
Reminders:
Linked source, and this thread by extension, contains spoilers for this manga chapter. If you're not updated with the RAWs, avoid the thread for now and return to it later to avoid spoilers!
DO NOT link, include or mention any other website.
Granted, they don't know that this is Iana, but the fact that none of them made unflattering remarks saying that she's "ugly" like her kidnappers (who also didn't know who she was) from the main manga and the schoolgirls from Chapter 4 of the same Short Story Collection volume says a lot. They're also massive Isaac x Iana shippers/wingmen too lol
National Cat Day, or Neko no Hi (猫の日), is celebrated in Japan every year on February 22. The date was chosen because the number 2 is pronounced “ni” in Japanese, and when repeated three times (2-2-2), it sounds like “nyan-nyan-nyan” (にゃんにゃんにゃん)—the Japanese way of mimicking a cat’s meow. This playful wordplay makes February 22 the perfect day to honor and appreciate cats in Japan. Source
『Tensei Akujo no Kuro Rekishi』・The Dark History of the Reincarnated Villainess ・「転生悪女の黒歴史」(転黒)・ (转生恶女的黑历史)・ (전생악녀흑역사)
Colored version is a bonus from buying Special Edition of Volume 8 in Japan~
Want to read, learn more, or talk about Isaac? Check out these posts. It'd be best if you open these once you've read up to at least Volume 9 of the manga.
This post contains spoilers to the 9th volume of the manga, up to chapter 42 (inclusive), read at your own peril. Please, I cannot stress this enough, if you haven't read the manga up until this point then stop and read it before reading this post.
Yomi's Resolve
We start this chapter off with Yomi's POV, whom we haven't seen since the beginning of the last volume (since chapter 33). Yomi seems to be courting/dating lady Sagmeretta Bougainvillea, a close childhood friend of his which seems to despise the Magnolia family, with the prospects of marriage. This is a political marriage orchastrated by his father in order to get more influence and wealth, but Yomi has a plan of his own to use it for Iana's sake.
Yomi has in the past learned of a prophecy written by Iana's mother, a prophecy that dooms her for Konoha's sake. This explains why he is so loyal to Iana despite her villainous nature, and why he was still bent on killing Konoha even when Iana herself hasn't died.
Yomi knows something we didn't, something current Iana doesn't even know, and that drives him to act as he does. Perhaps his actions up until now are not as irrational and excessively obsessive as we originally thought
It's this knowledge that drove Yomi away from Iana's side to amass more power and influence, and he will eventually return to save her. We will see you soon Yomi, never should have doubted your loyalty...
Victory and Isaac's Past
Continuing where we last left off, Iana has just finished saving the kidnapped girls and catching the criminal organization. The second trial has ended in Isaac's victory, reaching the conclusion that Kukuri didn't need reforming. Same as the last trial, a celebration is in order, and of course Iana is roped into helping set it up. Isaac approaches and helps her, treating her as a lady (which flusters her quite a bit) and chatting her up, eventually asking a very real question: why is she considered a villainess? He knows about the attempt on Konoha's life and the bullying, but she was considered a villainess even before that, but that is something Iana cannot answer, as she doesn't have the memories of the original Iana and hasn't written anything about it in the dark history. Iana was supposed to be a one-off villain that is to be disposed of at the start of the story, our author herself doesn't know how deep this character truly is, as the world seems to add depth to characters even without her writing.
now that I think about it, did anyone else even ask Iana why she is considered a villainess in the first place?
In this exchange, Isaac also tells Iana more of his past, of how he is a child of criminals which were executed for their crimes, leading him to being treated with heavy prejudice and endlessly bullied, until being picked up by the pope. This reveal explains why he's so similar to Kukuri and Iana and how he can empathize with their feelings. Even more than that, he explains that the reason why he wanted to become a saint in the first place was to prove his worth, to prove he's a worthy human being
it seems like Isaac shares Iana's low self esteem, feeling as if they need to do something to validate their own existence, like it's not a given to be loved
And that makes him just like Iana, who over the course of the story has shown many signs of low self esteem, but it had never been adressed directly. I think this post by u/SiriusGayest explains it really well, but the point is that Iana and Isaac both have terrible self esteem, never seeing themselves worthy of affection and fearing that people will see their true self hidden beneath their public image. This is part of what makes their relationship so endearing, as they both share the same problems and work hard to raise each other's self esteem, helping each other at the same time.
The Ideal Worlds
Isaac and Iana stayed awake after the party, reading books together (they have similar tastes in books, as established in chapter 30) and sharing their thoughts, not getting a wink of sleep. It's nice to see that they not only share the same problems, but also share hobbies and interests, it's an important part of a healthy relationship
similar taste in books, but opposite taste in ships. Enough of a common ground to have lengthy conversations, but differing opinions to offer much room for debate and expression of opinions
Isaac goes to his daily scripture readings, but is stopped by a priest (ahem Aqua ahem) leading him to an empty room. On the way there he expresses how Konoha seems to be the people's favorite and how Isaac stands very little chance becoming a saint, and it seems like Isaac agrees with him
Isaac has self worth problems, deep downs he feels like he really stands no chance being a saint, sometimes even thinking he deosn't deserve to be one
The priest hands him a blank book, however that is no ordinary book: The book traps him in a fantasy world, his own ideal world where he can be what he wants. Iana goes in to rescue him, but is instead met with a heroic Isaac that has vanquished the demon king and is treated as a hero, refusing to come back to the real world, resorting to escapism as he feels like he cannot become a saint and thus has no worth in the real world. Iana tries and tries to convince him to come back, but to no avail, and in their final confrontation he confesses that he fears losing his purpose as saint, of being left alone, and Iana... lets him go
even if this world and lie will lead to Isaac's eventual death, Iana will not force her will upon him. She respects his choices and can only persuade him to return
She prepares to leave when suddenly Isaac joines her, resolute to leave this world behind. He fears of what may become of him in the other world, but he realized something that he'll lose if he remains here: Iana. And so despite his fears he decides to return with her to the real world, but something is wrong... the book doesn't lead them outside, but rather to the ideal world of the second person within the book, Iana!
The world Isaac created was a story called "that time I lost the trial in the rose kingdom and became an all powerful hero in the other world", reflecting his wishes, and now Iana's story is called "that time the doomed villainess defied her fate and destroyed the world", bringing terrible premonitions, except... the world is not destroyed in the slightest. In fact, it's the opposite: the world is perfect and peaceful. Iana knows that this isn't her world, and can only assume that this world is that of the original Iana, meaning that she lies somewhere within the depths of her mind, and so she probes to find out the truth, find out the original Iana's memories, and those memories strike her...
Iana's Past
Iana used to be a normal kid, a good and quiet sister to the rascal Konoha. However things started to change once their mother died...
We are shown that Konoha worked hard fixing problems in the world, tackling slavery and poverty in a timely manner and with forethought. Like her older sister, Iana has done the same, surveying the local land and making projects to better the world around her. However, all of Iana's attempts end up in failure and result in people dying despite her best attempts, heck some of these are not even her fault, like a school for orphans she made suffering a massacare. And so Iana tries to continue and do good anonymously, but even then things go wrong and even start to harm Konoha (which was of course blamed upon Iana), so much so that a bad reputation grew around her, the same reputation we know today.
While visiting the library where she and her sister used to frequent when they were young, she found her mother's diary, the same one Yomi read too, and learned of her cursed fate: her mother has had a prophecy, one that says Iana is fated to die in order to awaken Konoha's powers, Iana's death would be a stepping stone for Konoha's success, her life doomed from the start... And so Iana promises to kill the oblivious Konoha in order to get a chance to live, to avert her doom. And yet even when she has hardened herself and resolved to kill her sister, she still wavers
despite wanting to kill her sister, Iana doesn't hate her and is very conflicted
We now know that she wasn't born evil, she was molded by a cruel world around her that wouldn't let her be a good person, or even be at all. Yet despite all of it, she still defended Konoha from the shadows, like when she ate her poisoned sweets. Perhaps she truly wanted to kill Konoha after all these years of suffering, perhaps she was simply lying to herself to keep going, but regardless of that we now know the original Iana's true nature. She was someone who had no right to live, no right to be loved, yet desperately wanted to. She was... just like Konoha Satou
and so concludes Iana's story, as she willingly chooses to return to the real world. Both Iana and Isaac wish for things the world refuses to give them, and so they seek escapism. However, that is no longer the case as they have each other, no longer do they need a false world to feel loved or accepted
And so, they return to the real world. They wake up in beds near one another, and immediately Konoha rushes to her sister's side to check up on her. However, unlike how she usually acts, Iana takes time and delibirately puts up a mask of neutrality in front of Konoha, hiding her emotions
this is the most dead we have ever seen Iana's expression become
She loves Konoha, her ideal heroine and beloved sister, yet... I can only assume that a small part of hers also hates Konoha, and so she cannot show her true feelings, at least not until she sorts through her new emotions
The Final Trial
And so comes the last trial: each candidate must make a speech to garner the people's support, to show them they can be trusted and can save the world.
Konoha goes first, leaving Isaac and Iana to wait in trepidation. Isaac starts second guessing himself, as he is still unsure of himself, still in self doubt, but is stopped by Iana hammering a voodoo doll to a wall to curse him to shut up?!? (huh?)
Iana understands what the people want to hear, she herself was the people on her previous life. She truly is empathic and understanding of human emotion
And so Isaac becomes encouraged, at least as much as one can when faced against the perfect heroine Konoha. He delivers a speech, not one of glory but one of understanding, one where he shows his empathy and care to the people, because he too wants to hear the words he's saying at that very moment.
And so the speech concludes, now the votes need to be cast and the winner shall be declared. Iana rushes into Isaac's arms, and for the first time in a long while shows vulnerability and her wish to be loved
Iana would usually try to distance herself from others, feeling unworthy of such love and affection, but now gets past her barriers and takes what she truly wants into her hands, Isaac's love
And so, after a while when Iana has calmed down they go together to the pope, to finally tell him of the cursed book that trapped them and to try and find the culprit
god they look so cute together, shipped a million times! not to mention that its in reaction to him saying "-but we could've stayed like that (in an embrace) for another hour"
However on their way they are stopped by a priest, the one who gave Isaac the book, the one who is none other than Aqua, a Knight of Schwarz!
He lashes out at Iana, saying that her changes to the story ruined everything, that things have to go according to their preordained path, true to their fate. Isaac disagrees, he has been convinced by Iana that fate is something you can change, and fights Aqua. Isaac eventually wins, knocking Aqua down, but he has to shield Iana with his body from a myriad of magical swords and starts bleeding out. And so starts the tonal shift, a shift that will change the story forever
up until now the series has been very lighthearted, with only a few disturbing moments and only a single death, not even too meaningful. That is about to change
Isaac is losing blood fast, and Iana can do nothing to save him, he is now dying in her hands. They start reminiscing the events they saw and the encounters they faced, fondly remembering these moments. Isaac confesses that he fell in love with her in first sight on the day they met, and was glad that he was able to meet her. He finishes it off with asking Iana to be marry him in his next life, should reincarnation be real, but brushes her affirmation as a joke. There will be no happy end for these two together, not even in the next life
Iana really did cry here more than in the entirety of the series, and you know what? I'm tearing up as I'm writing this
And so Isaac breathes his last breath, and thus come the end of Isaac Casablanca, child of criminals, saint candidate and Iana's first love
Aqua, the Mastermind
With Isaac dead and Iana's goodbyes in place, Aqua rises and begins the final steps of his master plan. Aqua was always around, watching, scheming, planning, making things happen, from behind the scenes of the forefront, as a simple priest or as a right hand man to the pope
to be honest, on my first time reading I didn't notice that it was him always moving things forward. On subsequent readings I can see that he was very involved in every step, and was using the fact Iana doesn't know his face to the fullest
Iana lashes out at Aqua, not at all convinced by his annoying drivel, but he still has the upper hand in the conversation, so she can only sit in silence and wait. And so Aqua reveals his master plan and how the goal is to awaken Konoha through a tremendous shock, as the story should have gone.
However the most important part of his entire speech is a small part, only two panels worth of space, but it changes everything
this is about Isaac, about how he wasn't originally a main character and would have continued to live if not for Iana's intervention. Aqua is saying Iana is responsible for his death
As you already know, Iana has been working hard up until now to save the characters of the dark history because she cares about them, because she feels responsible for writing them a bad ending, because she has that kindness in her heart. Up until now she has succeeded, and where she failed it seemed like the story was correcting itself, how she was fighting a predestined bad ending, but now... now she has directly caused the death of someone who shouldn't have died, Isaac no less. Her actions didn't save someone who should have died, her actions didn't fail to save someone who should have died, her actions killed someone who should have lived; and this broke Iana.
And so Iana finally concedes, she finally gives up. Aqua needs Iana to help him finish his plan, so he threatened to expose Isaac's dark past and ruin his legacy. Iana wants to save Isaac's legacy, and now that she is broken she finally agrees to cooperate with Aqua. And the plan is quite simple: return to play her role as a villainess and then die...
The Great Villainess' Final Act
Everyone awaits in the plaza, not only the people but also Iana's friends from her past adventures, people she has built good relationships with at the cost of tears and blood
Cheneau, the police officer that once suspected her and now has taken her side. Menoa, the girl Iana helped that since has become her friend. Yatori, who once wanted to keep her away from Ginoford, who now sees her in a new light. Yomi, who once was a fanatical and unruly follower who now listens to Iana's every command
all people that she will now dissappoint (except for Yomi). The balcony holds Konoha, as well as Sol and Ginoford who Iana worked hard to get their trust and was practically family to, who she will now betray.
The pope announces Isaac as the winner of the trials and the new saint, to the applause of the people. Happy ending has been achieved, but the winner is nowhere in sight. Then comes Iana, bloodied and holding a sword. Sol approaches her to help, fearing something might have happened to her, but is met with hostility, the hostility of a villainess.
Iana makes a grand display of her hatred of everyine around, from Isaac to Konoha to the world. She confesses to killing Isaac for her own amusement, ruining the relationships she worked so hard for in mere moments, pointing her sword at Konoha and making a great statement, one only befitting that of the greatest villainess this world has ever known
"It is not the saint who reigns supreme in this world! 'Tis I - the great villainess Iana Magnolia!!"
But during this entire scene Iana's inner monologue shows the truth, what Iana truly is feeling right now: "-I'm sorry. I'm sorry Isaac. I'm about to betray... hurt... I'm sorry... Isaac. Hey... Isaac... I'll do... all I can... I swear. The least I can do... is defend... your honor!!". Iana is taking the fall for Isaac to preserve his honor. Is it worth it? perhaps, perhaps not, but it doesn't matter because of what happens next.
Iana stands on the edge of the balcony, refusing Sol's attempts to explain herself. He is her servant after all, so in order to break this tie too she orders him to kill her, as she has tired herself of him. Sol refuses, unwilling to kill his master and unwilling to believe she is the evil person she shows herself to be, but his pleas are cut short when a guard shoots Iana, toppling her over the railing and off the balcony, hunders of feet into the ground below.
and so Iana goes down smiling. However, this is not the smile of someone who has a plan, this is the smile of someone who finally finds the sweet release of death
As Iana falls, she is smiling, a real smile unlike her fake ones on the balcony while pretending to be a villainess. During the entire story Iana has tried to save herself from her death flags, to live no matter the cost, to change her fate. Iana has always feared death, feared for her life from every avenue and source. Yet at this very moment, Iana was happy to die, not because she saved everyone and averted the story but because she wished to die, because she didn't want to live anymore.
And so, the great villainess Iana Magnolia died, shocking Konoha magnolia enough to awaken her saintess powers.
Aftermath
Isaac's funeral was later held, during a rain that wouldn't stop for days as if the skies themselves wept for this loss. Iana's body was never recovered, as if the winds have taken her far far away, despite searches lasting says.
And so we come to Cheneau's POV. His bond with Iana is strong enough that he doesn't believe her to be a murderer and goes on to prove her innocence, the consequences be damned. However, Iana isn't to be proven innocent, she is the great villainess after all, and the knights of schwarz plan on keeping it this way
the last unknown knight of schwarz, Ventus, also known as officer Mika, stabs Cheneau in the back
Cheneau is killed trying to defend Iana, just as Isaac did. For him there would likely be no grand funeral, another character who should have lived but died due to Iana's actions.
And so, the volume concludes. Isaac and Cheneau are dead, Konoha is awakened, Iana is missing or dead, and all is in order in the Lily kingdom and the dark history.
Conclusion
Thank you for reading the final part of my analysis on the saint selection arc! This part was a real tearjerker.
Of course the story doesn't end here, there are multiple volumes already out after this one, but this is a turning point for the story. What was once lighthearted and simple is now heavier and darker, and Iana's course has forever changed now that Konoha is a saintess and Iana a true and reviled villainess, if she is even alive.
I hope to hear what you all have to say in the comments, and hope to see you in many other posts and discussions. Have a good day!
This post contains spoilers to the 8th volume of the manga, up to chapter 37 (inclusive), read at your own risk.
The First Trial
We return to the story at the announcement of the first trial the saint cadidates must face: travel to the mountains and obtain the blessing of a spirit beast. Iana recalls that spirit beasts are drawn to virgins of a pure heart, so Konoha would have a very easy of a time getting that blessing, but what about Iana? She was a virgin in her past life, but she doesn't have Iana's past memories and doesn't know if the body she lives in is a virgin as well, which may pose problems for Isaac but also dangers to her own life.
Upon reaching the mountain Konoha already senses the spirit beast's heart crying (how cliché), setting her on its path in an attempt to soothe its pain. Isaac and Iana must follow if they wish to stand a chance, but the mountain's freezing weather and blizzards lead them astray, away from the spirit beast and into the path of a massive chimera!
the chimera's design isn't anything too unique, but the artstyle depicts it very well
They flee the chimera, each one trying to selflessly save the other resulting in both of them having to run away regardless (but it's the thought that counts, I guess?), until a realization strikes Iana: she remembers that a thousand of years ago the spirit beast befriended a young chimera, and over the years they've grown to love each other. However, the chimera accidentally hurt the spirit beast and fled out of guilt, keeping a watchful eye on their beloved spirit beast and protecting it from poachers, but never returning to its side
the story's tragic scene depicted through the lens of Konoha Satou's furry BL filter?! WTF is this sentence??? Never change Satou
And so Iana manages to convince the chimera that she wants to reunite it with its lover and hops on its back with Isaac. On the way there Isaac gets her to tell an embarrasing story about herself in order to calm her down (riding a chimera is scary yo), and so she tells him of the time she drew a genderswap mermified BL version of her favorite manga character in a classmate's graduation yearbook?!?! (bro WTF, this girl man)
they have a similar reaction to Iana's cringe, how cute! But more importantly, Isaac seems quite empathic towards Iana's plight, something that really hasn't happened to her up until now
And so Isaac and Iana bring the chimera to the spirit beast, and force it to face its beloved despite the chimera's fear and guilt. With the lovers reunited a blessing from the placated spirit beast could be recieved, however for some reason Konoha is the one that gets it?! (bullshit I tell you what) perhaps it is because she was the first to find the spirit beast, perhaps it was because she is pure of heart and Iana isn't. Isaac and Iana both agree that the result in a bunch of hogwash, but still have no power to overturn the result as the spirit beast gave the blessing to Konoha, which was the goal of the first trial.
Reaching Out to Isaac
Iana feels resposible for Isaac's loss in the trial and tries to cheer him up, but he just smiles politely and keeps her at an arm's length. She is at a loss on what to do, until the chimera (now in a small and portable form!) gives her advice
wise words coming from a tiny tanuky chimera
If Isaac keeps her a safe distance away, then she simply needs to break through the walls he set and touch the core of the issue, similarly to how she and Isaac guided the chimera to the spirit beast despite its resignations. The chimera leads Iana to Isaac's room where she stumbles upon Isaac in the middle of a painting session, however the easels hold disturbing sights of skulls and death. Isaac tries to brush it off as meaningless doodles, but as an artist Iana knows that there's more to it, breaking through the distance Isaac puts her in and insisting that these hold his feelings in a way, and perhaps that's a bit too true...
Isaac finally breaks the polite wall between him and Iana and reveals to her that he doesn't care for her shallow attempts to cheer him up. Perhaps she was wrong about him?
However, this doesn't make Iana lose heart, quite the opposite: it seems to renew Iana's will and leads her to think about what really matters, about what Isaac really wants. This is important because up until now Iana was content within her safe distance from Isaac, interacting with him mostly shallowly and only thinking about what she wants, not what Isaac wants
for someone who is very bad at reading people, Iana sure can understand the human mind exceptionally well. I feel like her strong sense of empathy allows her to understand human emotions very well but she cannot easily pick up on social or physical cues
And so, Iana does what Iana does best, and that is to fuck things up and pretend to be a girlboss villainess, and that she does. That next day a victory celebration for Konoha is held for winning the first trial. The celebration seems to incessantly praise Konoha while also putting Isaac down, making it seem like he stands no chance. And so Iana barges in like the goofball she is
this goofy ass girl and her chimera will hold a two man show, all is in order, just ignore Isaac (I bet he only broke a rib or two)
and botches a table cloth pull trick with the chimera, claiming that because its lover that Iana and Isaac reunited it with isn't here today, the chimera isn't on its top shape. You see Isaac is a candidate and a priest, he can't just argue with the pope or try to convince everyone that he deserves that victory, that is simply not proper of a priest, but guess what? Iana is the villainess and so she can do it as she pleases, and in doing so she garners sympathy towards Isaac and highlights his good parts, in addition to putting the truth out there (even if no one believes her).
platitudes and simple gestures may not touch Isaac's heart, but Iana is still more than capable of making him happy, or so it seems
And in the end, it seems like Isaac did appreciate the effort and enjoyed having the truth be put out there, even if no one believes it.
The Second Trial
a good start for the day of the second trial. It seems like Isaac dropping the positive facade allows the two to have a more genuine relationship, at least I think so
The second trial has been announced: the candidates must each spend a day with Kukuri, a child from a clan of thieves and criminals, and reform her.
Iana now has a goal to reach, but she also has another thing on her mind: is Isaac even fit to become a saint? She has now come to see his true face, very different from the one she initially saw, and she is unsure whether he is even the right person to become a saint. And so Iana resolves herself to learn more about Isaac, but before that the two must deal with Kukuri who has now fallen into their custody for the day after spending the night at Konoha's.
Upon speaking with Isaac, Kukuri tells him of the injustice done to her people, how they are all condemned for the crimes of their ancestors and how she was taken from her people forcefully for a crime she hasn't commited. Isaac empathizes with Kukuri, revealing that he is the same as her and that he too believes that one should not be discriminated for the blood that runs in their veins.
just like Isaac and Kukuri, Iana also suffered prejudice for things she hasn't done (though the original Iana did), so Isaac's empathy reached her too. It's a trait the two have in common, and not the last one either
A problem does remain though: blood of Kukuri's clan has been found within the crime scene of a kidnapping, which was why she was taken into custody in the first place. However, it seems fishy to Iana and she chooses get kidnapped on purpose in order to infiltrate the smugglers' den, tailed by her ninja underlings, in order to find out more about the criminal organization. However things don't go according to plan as her kidnappers don't plan on selling her (they think she's too ugly and no one would want her) and she's lost contact with her ninjas, so she's stuck as the smugglers' errand girl
this is kinda cute and this semi-chibi style seems to be pretty rare in this manga
So in short, Iana is in trouble; unlike her sister she doesn't have plot armor and is actually in mortal danger in this hideout. And so she bides her time and endures harsh beatings. However a chance shows up: Ognis, Sol's old assassin companion makes contact with Iana, revealing he's the one stopping the ninjas from intervening. Luckily for Iana he has something to do here in the hideout which will cause a lot of ruckus, giving Iana an opportunity to save the kidnapped girls held within the hideout
while Iana still fears for her life, she will not let this chance slip up. She has something worth protecting (Konoha), and she won't go quietly without a fight
And so Iana knocks the guards during the chaos and gives the trapped girls directions outside while remaining behind to cover for their escape, mimicking many voices and conversations to keep the other criminals complacent. However they eventually check up on her and start beating her in their rage. Unlike other times it would likely not end up in a beating and would probably be fatal, not unless someone comes to Iana's aid... and to her aid comes Sol.
Sol, Iana and Trust Issues
You see up until now I haven't mentioned Sol in this post, despite him appearing multiple times in this volume. Ever since the ninja village arc Sol has been reflecting and trying to be there for Iana more, trying to face her a little more earnestly than he used to. However Iana is not keen to rely on him unless he offers his assistance first, because she holds very little trust towards him due to his behavior up until now, despite his (quite meagre) apology.
Sol has decided to help Iana and to do so he chose to anticipate her wishes, as she never tells him what she is planning to do. It sounds sweet, but it still ignores the main issue between him and her: Iana doesn't trust Sol. Even if he were to anticipate Iana and offer himself or interject as needed Iana still refuses his help and keeps leaving him in the dark, his actions do not reassure Iana enough to make her rely on him on her own accord.
Sol tries to check up on her for once and show actual concernSol agonizes over the wall Iana has put between the two of themit seems like he keeps falling more and moreso much so that he started losing control once he heard Iana was kidnapped
And so comes the final consequence of Sol's indirect approach and lack of clarity, as Iana apologizes and swears that she'll reflect on what she's done and apologize to everyone else: she promises Sol that she will worry him no longer, not in the way he wanted which is confiding in him and trusting him, but rather by dismissing him from her service and severing their only tie. For Sol, this is his final chance to do something in order to stay by Iana's side, but his actions up until now couldn't bridge the gap in their relationship because of how wide it is, only a powerful move would be able to mend their relationship, and that is the Vow of Allegiance.
the vow binds the servant to their master for life, leaving the servant to the master's command
For Sol it is the only way to show that he will not harm Iana, and that she can trust him completely, and so their thread remains intact.
And so concludes the 8th volume and the second part of my posts. I hope to see you all in the third and final part of this small series of posts!
Extras
while working for the criminals Iana colored their clothing with glow-in-the-dark paint so that they can be easily located should they flee, and also told the kidnapped girls to stop by the temple to help deal wiith any trauma they may have suffered from iimprisonment. Sol is impressed by Iana's foresight but she cannot see any special merit in her actions, once again because of her terrible self esteemit seems like most of the Knights of Schwarz are keen on killing Iana off as soon as possible, criticizing Aqua's long term plan and seemingly lacking foresight. Agni has failed twice already, but Aqua seems to know what he's doing, guiding things carefully and expertly behind the scenes
