this is suddenly so hard-boiled

Hehe, Sara always was hard-boiled. Hard-boiled to the MAX!

the sapphic urge to write characters bleeding out and experiencing immense physical pain and trauma

I was going to laugh and say "Pshaw, what an exaggerated statement!" but then I remembered novels like Clear And Muddy Loss Of Love and Female General and Eldest Princess.

Aaand I guess I have nothing to say after all.

Oh wow, so it's REALLY not that Sara intentionally took the sword, the damn whims of a True Fey decided to CHOOSE her. She's as much a victim of this as the princess.

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

Next chapter will be an interlude while Kamejiro prepares for volume 2. So expect ch11 and the conclusion to this flashback in November.

I found this chapter particularly well constructed. The whole manga is—as you might expect of a retold story—but 10 is noteworthy in its escalation.

Since we've already seen the foot of the spirit tree in chapter 5, there's no need to make it a tranquil spectacle now. It can serve as a dedicated action setpiece. Sara anxiously races her way up it, beating increasingly painful setbacks in the manga's longest action scene so far, which makes the reprieve even more welcome. And you're almost distracted from the fact this is the story of how Sara got the sword, as the blooming spirit tree begins a countdown to the real action.

Last chapter already speculated the uniqueness of blood from Children of Spirits. The start of 10 introduces two ideas: butterflies being attracted to the blood and the possibility of using blood to imitate a CoS yourself. The latter obviously plays off with the proposal to drink Natalia's blood—now needing no explanation to not sound insane in the already chaotic climax. But the former comes back subconsciously when you see butterflies clouding around Natalia like flies. Which, instead of naturally macabre, comes off as ethereal and surreal, downplaying the violence.

That surreality is pivotal for the transition from lighthearted action to a brutal life-or-death scenario, bridging the gap so it doesn't feel quite so disorientingly shocking. The oddity of a casually talking butterfly breaks the trauma of Sara liquefying. The cute SFX (which are not just me translating it that way; they're all in the raws) only take the slightest break for sharp contrast. It peaks with this dark comedy: Luis cheering Sara on as she licks the blood from his sister's cratered face.

We know this is all a flashback, so the tension is subdued, more dreamlike. It can flirt with brutality without dissonance.

There's an ongoing escalation in the uncomfortable moments the manga has put them through; from Natalia eating the ant-ridden cookies in ch2, to the post-puke kiss in ch7, to the blood drinking in ch10. The bar keeps rising. I'll warn again, the original went to some dark places beyond this, and it seems all-but-guaranteed this version will do the same. I used to worry how that would reconcile with the lighter, sillier atmosphere but it seems like that was needless.

Some other minor points, like the nod to the woods' shortcut or the harmony in Sara saying she can't cast her convictions away as she throws the fake sword aside, don't add much but they're satisfying. Or how there's no need to explain what happened to Natalia either, given all the times she's fainted and bonked into trees. And the skeletons on the path at the beginning do put a dark shade on things from the start.

I also think you should make a note of Sara condemning Natalia's obligations to her family rather than to her people. It's a bit of projection on her part and a hint at her past. That first page is definitely not the whole of her backstory.

this is suddenly so hard-boiled

Hehe, Sara always was hard-boiled. Hard-boiled to the MAX!

Thanks for reminding me. It wasnt meant in a bad way.

Sara can compete with Nikaoido-San (from tadokoro-san) no doubt

I find it fascinating how this manga just gets real gross with it sometimes, like when the princess ate a bunch of ants and now bloody eyeball slurping.

Yeah it's amazing. Balances real well.

I totally agree, these scenes blend with the light fantasy art style and setting that would make you expect a lighter and less visceral story to create quite the unique vibe. The Princess of Slyph feels like basically no other manga. The butterflies obsessed with blood from this chapter are perhaps the perfect representation of the manga as a whole.

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 11:25AM

I find it fascinating how this manga just gets real gross with it sometimes, like when the princess ate a bunch of ants and now bloody eyeball slurping.

Yeah it's amazing. Balances real well.

The Princess of Slyph feels like basically no other manga. The butterflies obsessed with blood from this chapter are perhaps the perfect representation of the manga as a whole.

Yes! Exactly. Feels like nothing else. Such a unique experience but also of a unique level of quality too.

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 11:49AM

You know the latest chapter (10)...that guy looks familiar....he kind of looks like the Princess' little brother due to the clothing...but he could also just be the princess great great great great X (about maybe 2-5 more Great) grandfather too...

The little brother told the princess that he is filled with memories he never had, of his mother and father. So little bro might not actually have been lying about his statement...perhaps the magic sword if filled with the memories of the wielders from the past????

The butterfly (Spirit or possible ancestor...might not be the brother?) said he rather "I rather not it come to this, but..." Basically it was the only way Sister Sara was going to live due to the Sword Seed that got inside her rejecting her without Royal blood...(She was going to die if she didn't drink some blood XD)

Basically The spirits got confused probably or when the seed of the sword was aiming for the princess...Sister Sara got hit due to the crossfire...lol lazy spirits...can't even aim properly.

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

Me when a new chapter of Princess of Sylph comes out: "Yay! The next five minutes are going to be amazing!"

five minutes later

"That was awesome! .... how long until the next chapter comes out?" sobs

the sapphic urge to write characters bleeding out and experiencing immense physical pain and trauma

I was going to laugh and say "Pshaw, what an exaggerated statement!" but then I remembered novels like Clear And Muddy Loss Of Love and Female General and Eldest Princess.

groan
Why didja have to make me remember that?
These novels are great from any angle, either as historical fantasy, political intrigue or romantic stories, but... why oh why does the author seems to always feel the mad urge to make one of the girls suffer horribly (gang raped, beaten to a pulp, head bashed in, and so on) just so the other one can nurse her back to health, pamper her and comfort her?

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess. She questioned Sara and the princess's relationship, a princess who was extremely depressed (near suicidal) and barely able to stand without her. All of that was wrong and forcing the princess back into isolation or forcing her to witness yet another death of a loved one would not necessarily be beneficial to the kingdom either. She can have the sword but she's a person (as last chapter focused on) that has weaknesses both physical and mental. She can die and suffer from mental destruction just like any other. What kind of sword bearer would she be if Sara were murdered too?

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 5:44PM

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess.

That's besides the point though. It doesn't matter if Sara stole the sword ot got it unwillingly. The fact is Natalia's kingdom is doomed without it.

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 9:10PM

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess.

That's besides the point though. It doesn't matter if Sara stole the sword of got unwillingly. The fact is Natalia's kingdom is doomed without it.

That was the point of the comment you responded to. "Intentionally," etc.

last edited at Sep 25, 2023 6:57PM

Now the snake bitch is even more in the wrong. (As expected.)

She's not wrong. Her point is totally true. As long as the sword is rooted into Sara, no one can use it, and without it, Natalia's kingdom is doomed. This is why she wanted to kill Sara.

Her methods are somewhat extreme I guess, but everything she said it's 300% true.

She's wrong because she assumed that Sara had stolen the sword and that she was a villainous liar who took an opportunity to sidle up to the princess.

That's besides the point though. It doesn't matter if Sara stole the sword of got unwillingly. The fact is Natalia's kingdom is doomed without it.

That was the point of the comment you responded to. "Intentionally," etc.

I argue the post was kind of vague about it though. Besides, ultimately the larger point is the fact that she's right about Natalia and her kingdom being royally screwed without the sword.

Your exaggerating Kazu...The sword is probably a very powerful and useful Strength multiplier (Giving the Princess the power of possibly 200-300+ soldiers instead of a simple 10-15 soldiers strength due to her strong magic) but it not like some amazing powerful sword that can cut down meteors and casually destroy mountains...

If the sword is so powerful then why did her Father and brother die so soon (They sure didn't fking die of old age)...honestly the Princess does need the sword but it not like she needs it right now {we can spend a few chapters trying to solve the problem} unless another country is being a b*tch and wants to wage war or some uber strong monster (Dragon or etc.) wants to invade the kingdom then they can worry...Though I wonder what the father and Brother died to...must be some powerful monsters...did some allied nation asked for their help and they died in battle???

It useful and can help the Princess protect her people better (The wolf monster would probably have been curbstomp in a few seconds...but honestly the Princess would have also win easily enough if she didn't fking starved herself due to not eating...) but it not some kind of amazing magic sword. It helpful but can probably be replaced with an army of 200 mages or possible 1000 strong soldiers.

It's useful but can be replaced with a strong army.

Now the main issue to solve is...how to use the sword while it is bonded to Sister Sara...probably a quest to find some ritual to transfer ownership...if not then the Princess is probably going to learn how to pull the sword out of her Waifu's chest every-time she need to use the sword then lol (Seems like a pretty common anime trope to me, there a few anime where the MC pull sword out of people chest you know) XD

last edited at Sep 26, 2023 12:01AM

I argue the post was kind of vague about it though.

You're allowed to say you misread or misunderstood, you know. It's okay to just admit you were wrong, even though we're on the internet. (⁠눈⁠‸⁠눈⁠)

Besides, ultimately the larger point is the fact that she's right about Natalia and her kingdom being royally screwed without the sword.

Because only a child of spirits can hold the sword. Or someone who just happened to be around and drank the blood of one. But even setting aside that obvious inconsistency, that whole assertion reads like setup for a subversion to me.

And on top of that, the comic has been very overt in showing us the pattern where the princess places zero value on her own life and doesn't even recognise why that's a problem. In this very chapter, she was in the process of bleeding out on a tree root before she could even get the sword. If we're going to venture into conjecture, the kingdom would be doomed if Natalia DID get the sword, too. ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌

The whole chapter is great as usual but I love that it was all building up to some sloppy blood licking

Ah yes, a flock of butterflies being drawn to a bloodstain, totally not creepy at all

Also the chapter name lmao.

And on top of that, the comic has been very overt in showing us the pattern where the princess places zero value on her own life and doesn't even recognise why that's a problem. In this very chapter, she was in the process of bleeding out on a tree root before she could even get the sword. If we're going to venture into conjecture, the kingdom would be doomed if Natalia DID get the sword, too. ┐⁠(⁠´⁠ー⁠｀⁠)⁠┌

Yeah she definitely needs the sword and bad things may happen partly as a result of its absence. However, like you said a weapon is only as good as it's holder. Had Sara not been there, our princess would likely be dead already. The only way to save Sara--so that she could then save our princess--was for her to take the sword. Once the spirits messed up and invaded her body, she would either drink Natalia's blood and take the sword, or die after being rejected. That's one.

But two: our princess was already overworked, depressed (near suicidal), and reckless. She was not a good "holder," before knowing Sara. The previous chapter made it clear that we should be skeptical of this idea that children of the blood are invincible or super heros. Like Sara said, they are human and just as weak and nearly just as easy to kill. So even if she somehow survived without Sara's help (which mind you, she was collapsed from exhaustion, bleeding out on a tree and barely conscious) I don't know that the kingdoms future was secure anyway.

We just won't know that outcome since that route didn't happen. So it's hard to compare the two possibilities. So our Snake Princess might be right in that sense but killing Natalia's only emotional support, after Sara had already been reeling from the deaths of her family, would not necessarily send her down a good path. And if she spiraled again, how would she be a good host to that sword? And how would she save her kingdom, instead of just dying like she nearly did here and sending the kingdom to the same destruction? I guess we'll never know.

last edited at Sep 26, 2023 7:22AM

the sapphic urge to write characters bleeding out and experiencing immense physical pain and trauma

I was going to laugh and say "Pshaw, what an exaggerated statement!" but then I remembered novels like Clear And Muddy Loss Of Love and Female General and Eldest Princess.

Aaand I guess I have nothing to say after all.

i hate Female General and Eldest Princess spoilers—> i can’t believe people praise this as great Lesbian Romance when the supposed romance is just……UGH like we have 1/5 of the novel being romance AT THE END AND THAT is garbage fast forward because the author forgot this is supposed to be an romance novel

I love how freaking HARD everything is on these two. They may be talented, but, they are both major screw-ups, with questionable self-preservation skills. They seem to have a bad habit of falling (face first) into world-ending events. Also, if you can vomit all over your girl and she sticks around, MARRY HER!!!!

So the Princess is the type of rpg player that hoards all items without ever using them.

^Though it's less of a "I might need it later for the final boss" and more "I don't want to use up what my beloved made for me" situation

I love all the extras she writes. There's so many. I know it must be a slight hassle to figure out which are ok to include and which would be too spoilery.

last edited at Oct 19, 2023 8:57AM