It was a good chapter, but I don't understand its title. "Japanese Rowan"? What is that?

The credits have an explanation.
Meanwhile, at this point is there some reason she didn't just TELL her the broken sword was a fake?

But how would they have drama otherwise? You can't just have people behave like reasonable adults, there is no content in that.

She's explains (and the manga has shown) that the princess is in a terrible mental state and depends on that sword to keep her somewhat mentally stable. "Somewhat," yet she still hasn't been eating, barely sleeping and is so unhealthy and weak that she faints regularly. She could barely complete basic magic because of her state. She is clearly, dangerously depressed (with little care for herself) and there's no knowing what she would do if she found out that the sword, which she thinks holds the memories of her family within it and her only current purpose in life, were fake.

That made some sense until the sword BROKE. Which would be harder on a person?
1. Believing that she is holding a fake version of the important sword she depends on, but the real one presumably exists somewhere and she might be able to retrieve it (and incidentally the reason she can't contact her parents through it is not that she's inadequate but that the sword is fake),
or
2. Believing that she not only does not have the important sword she depends on, not only failed to use it properly, but it no longer exists at all, because SHE BROKE IT, making her responsible for irreparable damage to her kingdom, and, in general, everything ALL HER FAULT?

At this point, the "avoiding sword-related trauma" ship has sailed. The truth strikes me as a LOT less traumatic than what she currently believes.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 4:09PM

This is a dramatic setup at it's core. Telling the princess the truth, in her state, would not prevent drama it would drastically increase it (and likely end the series).

I'm not sure. The root of her problems stem from the sword and her not being to feel its power. If she were told about and given the real sword, I think her self-doubts would vanish.

EDIT: same opinion as above.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 4:08PM

This is a dramatic setup at it's core. Telling the princess the truth, in her state, would not prevent drama it would drastically increase it (and likely end the series).

I'm not sure. The root of her problems stem from the sword and her not being to feel its power. If she were told about and given the real sword, I think her self-doubts would vanish.

EDIT: same opinion as above.

The root of the issue isn't being unable to feel the sword's power. It's a connection to her family, who all are likely dead and that imagined connection seems to be all that keeps her wanting to live (if only barely). The princess is not in her right mind, so the Nun is being cautious about how she treats the situation. We do not know how she will take this sudden news; and finding out that the sword, which connects you to your dead family through heritage, has been a fake this whole time might not be an uplifting moment for an already beaten and mentally unstable person. It's not just self-doubt, she is heavily depressed about being left alone in the world. As she says early in the first chapter, "it is a pillar of my heart...when I hold it, I feel as though my family is with me." What will happen when she is told that they've never actually been with her? Remember what happened when she thought the Nun stole the sword? She grabbed her arm and whimpered for her family (then the Nun verbalizes how difficult it might be to discuss this issue when the princess is so emotionally dependent on it). Shes unpredictable and the Nun is acting in real time trying to make these judgments on her own as the princess glides from one thing to the other.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 5:26PM

I thought it made sense not to bring up that the sword was a fake because Princess Natalia would be unlikely believe it. Sister Sara has no proof as far as we know, so I think she might also be trying to earn the trust of Natalia so that she will be more likely to consider trying to pull the sword out of Sara. The fake sword being broken also might help convince her to try. I would say the Great Sylph could also vouch for Sara, but these types of ancient spirits don't tend to be forthcoming

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 5:28PM

I thought it made sense not to bring up that the sword was a fake because the Princess would be unlikely believe it. The Sister has no proof as far as we know, so I think she might also be trying to earn the trust of the Princess so she will be most likely to consider trying to pull the sword out of her. The fake sword being broken also might help convince her to try. I would say the Great Sylph could also vouch for the Sister, but these types of ancient spirits don't tend to be forthcoming

You're right. The manga told us that earlier. The nun says that in the first chapter after witnessing how emotionally dependent the princess is with the sword. Part of her goal seems to be getting close enough to the princess so that she gains her trust and provides emotional support. The princess seems very standoffish, especially right at the start. It's very difficult to separate people who are so dependent on items for emotional support.

last edited at Mar 24, 2023 5:35PM

You're right, she says it at the end of chapter 1. I also forgot their names, so it was worth revisiting for that too

You're right, she says it at the end of chapter 1. I also forgot their names, so it was worth revisiting for that too

Yeah for long-running series it can be a hassle to go through and find quotes and scenes to explain things (which creates issues sometimes). This series is short enough at the moment though. I agree about the forgetting! They say each other's names rarely so it's easy to forget them, for sure.

Well, I think it's lovely and hilarious so far. Kudos to the translator for really going the extra mile; I like the fun flourishes in the translation. The looksie loos and such.

I’m the only one finding the Princes in this chapter incredible cute and adorable???

Man, fuck Bed of Chaos.

Sister Sara knows she’s in a yuri manga but Natalia Thinks she’s in a shonen anime lmao

very cute, i love it

I really love that relationship. This is fast becoming a favorite. They have such an effortless chemistry and the manga has really painted interesting and sometimes subtle characterizations (and desires) for each of them. Sara has a lot of work to do in order to improve Natalia's mental well being but she's doing well so far. I feel a long road ahead though, especially since the Mangaka is being so detail oriented with their characters emotions. So far it seems they can be trusted not to take too many shortcuts even if it might become uncomfortable.

last edited at Mar 26, 2023 3:25PM

I thought it made sense not to bring up that the sword was a fake because Princess Natalia would be unlikely believe it. Sister Sara has no proof as far as we know, so I think she might also be trying to earn the trust of Natalia so that she will be more likely to consider trying to pull the sword out of Sara.

I don't think that's how things work. I think they said the sword can only be used by the host who inherited it (Sara in this case) so I don't think Natalia can use it.

The one who decides who is the host for the sword is the god, Sylph. So far the sword had always been inherited by people from the royal family, but this time the god picked a nun instead of the queen. I hope we get a proper answer as to why. Did Natalia lack some qualification? I want to know.

last edited at Mar 26, 2023 11:40PM

Just a nice detail for long-time fans:

See the simple little flowers bottom-right in the top panel here? When Natalia gets too happy, those flowers start popping out. Her official title is the Flower Princess after all. It's done a lot in Kamejiro's slice of life art of the two.

So there's a cute little signal she's cheering up. In a lot of ways this chapter is a turning point. For Natalia, for her and Sara's relationship, and for the plot now that a certain snake is probably tired of the indirect approach.

The one who decides who gets the sword is the god, Sylph. So far the sword had always been inherited by people from the royal family, but this time the god picked a nun instead of the queen. I hope we get a proper answer as to why. Did Natalia lack some qualification? I want to know.

I don't think that's it. The exact phrasing Sara used in chapter 1 was "The real sword is here rooted in me" and not something like "I had been granted the sword" or similar. If I had to guess it's a ploy by Slyph to give Natalia someone she can rely on and keep by her side.

This is only a guess of course, but if it's correct it's definitely working.

Get rekt snek. Succumb to the yuri.

The one who decides who gets the sword is the god, Sylph. So far the sword had always been inherited by people from the royal family, but this time the god picked a nun instead of the queen. I hope we get a proper answer as to why. Did Natalia lack some qualification? I want to know.

I don't think that's it. The exact phrasing Sara used in chapter 1 was "The real sword is here rooted in me" and not something like "I had been granted the sword" or similar. If I had to guess it's a ploy by Slyph to give Natalia someone she can rely on and keep by her side.

This is only a guess of course, but if it's correct it's definitely working.

It's not correct. The sword is rooted in its host. Natalia's brother, the previous king, called himself the host in chapter 1. But after his death, the nun became the new host. Natalia wasn't chosen as the host for whatever reason.

last edited at Mar 26, 2023 11:54PM

The one who decides who gets the sword is the god, Sylph. So far the sword had always been inherited by people from the royal family, but this time the god picked a nun instead of the queen. I hope we get a proper answer as to why. Did Natalia lack some qualification? I want to know.

I don't think that's it. The exact phrasing Sara used in chapter 1 was "The real sword is here rooted in me" and not something like "I had been granted the sword" or similar. If I had to guess it's a ploy by Slyph to give Natalia someone she can rely on and keep by her side.

This is only a guess of course, but if it's correct it's definitely working.

It's not correct. The sword is rooted in its host. Natalia's brother, the previous king, called himself the host in chapter 1. But after his death, the nun became the new host. Natalia wasn't chosen as the host for whatever reason.

But that doesn’t mean Natalia ain’t queen because only the next in line can use the sword, just because the sword is hosted in Sara doesn’t mean Natalia is lacking in being queen or Sara is supposed to use the sword insted of Natalia

last edited at Mar 27, 2023 2:35AM

I love the butterflies.
Every panel, whatever they're doing, there's butterflies happily fluttering around 'em.
So cute.

Don't ee let the enter
even thought your head

It's not correct. The sword is rooted in its host. Natalia's brother, the previous king, called himself the host in chapter 1. But after his death, the nun became the new host. Natalia wasn't chosen as the host for whatever reason.

It might be too early to say anything definitive yet. We don't really know exactly how this all works. I agree, Sara is definitely the host (as she says so) but it's not yet clear what that implies about Natalia's eventual position. Everything about the sword has been brief and contextual at this point.

last edited at Mar 27, 2023 7:18AM

The one who decides who gets the sword is the god, Sylph. So far the sword had always been inherited by people from the royal family, but this time the god picked a nun instead of the queen. I hope we get a proper answer as to why. Did Natalia lack some qualification? I want to know.

I don't think that's it. The exact phrasing Sara used in chapter 1 was "The real sword is here rooted in me" and not something like "I had been granted the sword" or similar. If I had to guess it's a ploy by Slyph to give Natalia someone she can rely on and keep by her side.

This is only a guess of course, but if it's correct it's definitely working.

It's not correct. The sword is rooted in its host. Natalia's brother, the previous king, called himself the host in chapter 1. But after his death, the nun became the new host. Natalia wasn't chosen as the host for whatever reason.

But that doesn’t mean Natalia ain’t queen because only the next in line can use the sword, just because the sword is hosted in Sara doesn’t mean Natalia is lacking in being queen or Sara is supposed to use the sword insted of Natalia

Natalia is the queen. No one is putting that in doubt. But the sword is not just a symbol, it's very much a weapon the king uses to protect the kingdom from monsters and other dangers. After all, there's a reason her father and brother are dead, right? And we already saw hints of this in the monster that attacked the towns in chapter 2 or 3. What if more powerful monsters attack though? Natalia's power can only do so much without the sword.

That's why it's very strange that the god didn't let Natalia become the host of the sword like her brother and her father before herself. They had the means to protect the kingdom (and still died, mind you) while she does not.

Meanwhile, Sara, someone who doesn't even have the magical power to beat a minor monster, became the host the sword instead of Natalia. It's very strange.

One thing for sure, I don't think Sara can let Natalia use the sword. The sword only responds to its host. That's what Natalia's brother told her in chapter 1. And now the host is Sara.

last edited at Mar 27, 2023 1:29PM

I kind of assumed that Natalia would have to pull the sword out of Sara's chest, Utena style, but that really could be wrong. Something like Sara wielding the sword and Natalia supplying her with wind magic, or something similarly cooperative, could be fun as well.

Just as funny as it is holy.
This story is so cute and everything good in life, it's my favorite thing on this website at the moment.
Sara is an absolute joy ^^

last edited at Mar 27, 2023 5:14PM