Oof, Claire's mom is dead, that's rough buddy.

Also, Translator you have set my expecations high becuase considering the absolute falme wars that have happened because of Lene, I wonder what is this character going to do.

Thanks for translating the chapter.

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 6:26PM

Spice in the familyyyyyy

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 6:44PM

Although not as well delivered as the novel, it still made me shed tears. My favorite part of it in the novel that was not included was Rei's narration saying, "People are far more complicated than a book or a game can ever really depict. And I love that about them."

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 6:55PM

I'm sorry, Appalachia???

And this arc has finished! Looking forward to what's coming next.

My comments as a Light Novel reader (spoilers in case you wanna swap to the LN some day)
This is a moment I've been looking forward to for a while now. And honestly, I feel the manga kinda lets it down. Lene and her brother were much more sympathetic in the Light Novel as unwitting accomplices blackmailed into betraying the people they loved, rather than mostly willing participants who didn't quite think things through (that's not to say they weren't entirely innocent in the LN ). But this moment also felt so much more bittersweet LN, because you felt they weren't entirely being fairly punished. Claire crying into Rei's arms felt more emphasized and it ending on a less mysterious note. Either way, I'm gonna keep reading.

Although not as well delivered as the novel, it still made me shed tears.

I think the manga really did this scene justice, much better than I figured it would. I guess the rest of the adaptation is going to be a bit more emotionally hard-hitting than I thought!

I'm sorry, Appalachia???

Yeaaaahhhh... supposedly there's some website web novel writers pull from with western-sounding names on it. They basically go there and pick names that sound cool or relevant, there's absolutely no bonus meaning or relation at all to the actual Appalachia. This is also why you'll see weird overlap like "Bauer" (and maybe others?) appearing as a country in Ascendance of a Bookworm. Repetitions of weirdly specific, not-quite-sensical names

And boy howdy, I feel like there might be some collective amnesia floating around. Every character, ability, and event in this story acts as a cheap plot device to crowbar the story along, be a convenient excuse to shuffle impossible to deal with characters/situations around, or add some weird drama. It's one of series' charm points. Aonoshima's adaptation does a great job of making it all feel more natural

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 8:05PM

Although not as well delivered as the novel, it still made me shed tears.

I think the manga really did this scene justice, much better than I figured it would. I guess the rest of the adaptation is going to be a bit more emotionally hard-hitting than I thought!

The manga really did, I like it for different reasons than the novel. I just really like Rei's first-person narration in the novel and wished a bit that it made it more into the manga, though I understand that it is really hard to incorporate this element to a comic form, and one of the advantages a novel has over manga.

Both are enjoyable in different ways, I just wished that my favorite Rei quote from that scene made it into the manga though.

And this arc has finished! Looking forward to what's coming next.

My comments as a Light Novel reader (spoilers in case you wanna swap to the LN some day)
This is a moment I've been looking forward to for a while now. And honestly, I feel the manga kinda lets it down. Lene and her brother were much more sympathetic in the Light Novel as unwitting accomplices blackmailed into betraying the people they loved, rather than mostly willing participants who didn't quite think things through (that's not to say they weren't entirely innocent in the LN ). But this moment also felt so much more bittersweet LN, because you felt they weren't entirely being fairly punished. Claire crying into Rei's arms felt more emphasized and it ending on a less mysterious note. Either way, I'm gonna keep reading.

I mean... as both an LN reader and a manga reader, I feel like they were incredibly lucky to live. Hell, even in modern society they would be lucky to get anything but life in prison.

They tried to destroy a school and destabilize a government on behalf of a foreign country (blackmail or not doesn't change those facts). This isn't just a medieval society being unreasonable in its punishment.

Let's not forget that in both versions the brother rigs that wand that covers an unwitting innocent in 3rd degree burns. They ruined lives.

I snorted at the credit page. XD that's what I feel while reading the LN. I get to love her in the end tho. She's the reason Rei stand on her ground and not just watch Claire's love life on the sideline.

last edited at Apr 28, 2022 10:05PM

Ch.20
I can't wait to have my heart crushed by this arc. The purpose of the upcoming arc is to let the mc realize that she needs to fight for her love and not just stay by her side labeled as a "friend/maid/classmate/rival" and try to be Claire's "lover"

This website has me so desensitized to incest that I legit didn't even think about it. I am peeking at the comments because I was surprised by the last chapter's credit page.

Were people really that upset? If Lene or her brother had been wee little beans who were being taken advantage of I'd understand, but they're grown adults?

Either way, it's over. Forward march ~

Lmao how tf are her parents gonna die from a carriage accident like that!? Like two horses can’t create enough velocity to have a great enough impact for death! And it looked like they collided head on as well so even if they were each going 60km/h each, there would have been more than enough cushioning from the horses colliding with each other to lessen the impact! And the carriage rolled over anyway so the only way they would’ve died is if they got crushed which is unlikely considering they were inside and the carriage is still intact, they somehow got trapped and starved which didn’t happen, or they were flung in such a manner that resulted in breaking their necks or something which is plausible but very unlikely. God damn lazy writing

last edited at Apr 29, 2022 2:14AM

Lmao how tf are her parents gonna die from a carriage accident like that!? Like two horses can’t create enough velocity to have a great enough impact for death! And it looked like they collided head on as well so even if they were each going 60km/h each, there would have been more than enough cushioning from the horses colliding with each other to lessen the impact! And the carriage rolled over anyway so the only way they would’ve died is if they got crushed which is unlikely considering they were inside and the carriage is still intact, they somehow got trapped and starved which didn’t happen, or they were flung in such a manner that resulted in breaking their necks or something which is plausible but very unlikely. God damn lazy writing

They were on the edge of a steep cliff

Ok I take back what I said before, the goodbye is now MUCH better than what I remembered reading it from the web novel. I also like the extra backstory they added.

On the other hand, oh god. HER......

well, at least the dumb incest characters are gone, can move on from that. Hopefully never see them again.

Though boy they got off real easy, like the brother straight up burned people and the two were aiming to destroy a school and all that. Sure it was blackmail, but actions still have consequences.

seems like the upcoming character is not liked, boy this manga seems to want to make it hard to keep with it after how good the early chapters were.

ara ara~ butch princess is coming to light a fire on rei’s useless ass

seems like the upcoming character is not liked, boy this manga seems to want to make it hard to keep with it after how good the early chapters were.

She is the (pseudo) love rival turned into ally. She is also the catalyst that pushes Claire and Rei to become a couple. I personally like that she kicks rei’s ass, both mentally and physically

last edited at Apr 29, 2022 7:32AM

Whew, Manaria looks like a bishounen. No wonder Claire thought she was a he

Also for those who are not aware, in Claire's POV, it shows that Lene's brother was brainwashed.

That hug though (screams internally)

last edited at Apr 29, 2022 10:28AM

If Claire's mom is any indication of how Claire will look when she's older, then omg! Rei certainly knows how to pick em. The flashback imo was well executed, bittersweet and handled well, tho I feel the LN is still superior. I got the feels all the same and smol Claire was so cute! Looking forward to the next arc

last edited at Apr 29, 2022 12:59PM

I forgot to put this in the end chapter notes but there's no chapter next month, they take a break every 5 chapters to compile them into volumes so the next chapter should be out sometime between June 18th - June 25th

I'm a tad disappointed, I liked this arc but I think the light novel handled the windup better. As for the reasons, I'm not gonna repeat what Lysilya already explained very well; just read the spoiler-texted part of her comment, she put it better than I could have.

God, Claire is so cute.

Is that Manaria I see? LEZ GOOOOO. One of my fave recurring characters. I'd let em take me out. Maybe with sword. XD

last edited at May 1, 2022 12:14PM

Man, Lene was a perfect being and then INCEST.
But if that message from the author on the last chapter is anything to go by, OH NO

This website has me so desensitized to incest that I legit didn't even think about it. I am peeking at the comments because I was surprised by the last chapter's credit page.

Were people really that upset? If Lene or her brother had been wee little beans who were being taken advantage of I'd understand, but they're grown adults?

I think there are three main reasons: Firstly unlike a bunch of other manga on this site, it's in a series that is multiple chapters and otherwise takes itself seriously with these topics instead of being a one shot so it's harder to ignore. Second, it involves a character who we rather liked until SURPISE incest with pretty much very little or no warning. On top of that we are expected to approve of their "forbidden love". And third, and most simply: It's a straight incest romance in a manga where the main couple is two girls. It had a bullseyes of "Why" on it. And based on what the others said, we never see them again so it ended up being kinda pointless...