Forum › The Fed Up Office Lady Wants to Serve the Villainess discussion

Dark_Tzitzimine
67763073_p3
joined Dec 18, 2013

Nekotarou posted some cryptic tweets while asking people to vote for the series on a popularity poll.

You can vote until noon tomorrow! Please support this work as the story moves towards its climax...!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925134646452564409
We've started to get to the heart of the matter, but it's not over yet...!! Don't worry about that...!! The real story begins once we understand the heart of the matter...!!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925136380478582839

So we're reaching the climax, but the story is just beginning?

What

543633_50
joined Sep 10, 2022

Nekotarou posted some cryptic tweets while asking people to vote for the series on a popularity poll.

You can vote until noon tomorrow! Please support this work as the story moves towards its climax...!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925134646452564409
We've started to get to the heart of the matter, but it's not over yet...!! Don't worry about that...!! The real story begins once we understand the heart of the matter...!!
https://x.com/nekotarou0721/status/1925136380478582839

So we're reaching the climax, but the story is just beginning?

What

We're reaching a major point of the story but she wanted to clarify since it sounded as though the series was ending based on the wording of her first tweet. The second tweet is a clarification of the first.

last edited at May 23, 2025 3:41PM

Dark_Tzitzimine
67763073_p3
joined Dec 18, 2013

Ah, so she meant the climax of the current arc. Thanks

543633_50
joined Sep 10, 2022

Ah, so she meant the climax of the current arc. Thanks

I don't think she meant of this arc specifically. I think she meant a major event is about to happen in the story that will affect how it moves forward. So a climax for everything we've been building to but not a climax to the entire story.

last edited at May 23, 2025 8:01PM

joined May 10, 2021

Oooohhh that was a pretty nice face from Diana at the end there.
Thanks for the chapter!

Subaru
joined Jul 31, 2019

... I'm not sure that rebellion plan as a result of a sports game outcome makes sense to me :P

Couple_under_the_stars
joined Nov 7, 2022

Well, that was a great chapter. Which I expected from the first page being Diana and Alexandra standing together.

The highlight is definitely the conversation between Rubeus and Lapis. It reframed the somewhat silly tournament arc, the rivalry over Natori's attention (which was criticized by readers and characters alike), even the personal growth of the players, as part of a political move orchestrated by Lapis.

She's not even paying attention to Diana declaration of affection anymore. Her attention is locked on national-scale schemes. And the fact that this chilling plan is revealed as we see Alexandra and Diana flying together ? That contrast is fantastic.

... I'm not sure that rebellion plan as a result of a sports game outcome makes sense to me :P

I'd argue it does, because those games aren't about practice or discipline. They're about showcasing magical dominance, which is why there's basically no rule on what magic can be used. They exist (probably by design) to hand nobles easy, flashy victories, which reinforces their status and makes inequality look natural.

A team of commoners and a low-ranked noble winning the tournament ? It suggests that the hold on power that higher nobles have isn't as strong, as justified as people were lead to believe. It creates dangerous doubts towards the current power structure.

And that's exactly why Alexandra was added to the team. Without her, they couldn't have won. But from Lapis' perspective, she was the perfect tool : someone whose magical power far exceeds what her rank should allow, which is why she has been trained her entire life to hold back and to let others win. Her presence makes the victory possible, but also creates false hope.

... Now I am wondering if the final scene, with Alexandra choosing to trust Diana and her team, to plan with them for victory, is "just" character growth and the side couple becoming closer together. Or if it's a hint of things to come when actual conflicts and faction will become important for the future of all of them.

last edited at Jun 19, 2025 6:02AM

543633_50
joined Sep 10, 2022

I'd argue it does, because those games aren't about practice or discipline. They're about showcasing magical dominance, which is why there's basically no rule on what magic can be used. They exist (probably by design) to hand nobles easy, flashy victories, which reinforces their status and makes inequality look natural.

Right, these are political games more than anything and that has parallels to real life.

Now I am wondering if the final scene, with Alexandra choosing to trust Diana and her team, to plan with them for victory, is "just" character growth and the side couple becoming closer together. Or if it's a hint of things to come when actual conflicts and faction will become important for the future of all of them.

I'd say its all of the above--couple stuff mixed with political stuff, the bread and butter of this series.

last edited at Jun 19, 2025 6:15AM

5688-1340606550
joined May 11, 2013

Cannot wait for this wizard lacrosse arc to be over with.

Subaru
joined Jul 31, 2019

I dunno, it just makes zero sense to me. I can guarantee you people get more mad when the team they support loses what they perceive as a rigged competition, not when their team actually wins :P

543633_50
joined Sep 10, 2022

I dunno, it just makes zero sense to me. I can guarantee you people get more mad when the team they support loses what they perceive as a rigged competition, not when their team actually wins :P

But the noble team didn't win, they lost. The idea is that commoners felt the event was rigged (because of Lapis' rumors) and yet a special commoner team overcame those odds and beat the corrupted nobles. A win like that can foster a feeling of rebellion and political triumph for the commoners, while simultaneously angering the noble class who already feel the political tides shifting outside of these games. It can be a symbolic victory and the event exists within a political environment that has already been teetering.

last edited at Jun 19, 2025 8:33AM

Yuriprofilepiccropped
joined May 27, 2019

New girl is fine, but I’m still holding out hope for poly instead of giving Diana a consolation love interest

Internet_lied
joined Jul 15, 2016

... I'm not sure that rebellion plan as a result of a sports game outcome makes sense to me :P

The 530s called, they want their Nika riots back. ;-)

Avatar%20(pride%20version)
joined Oct 22, 2018

... I'm not sure that rebellion plan as a result of a sports game outcome makes sense to me :P

The 530s called, they want their Nika riots back. ;-)

I knew that sounded familiar

C6ecb18a42241236b33d8a43252bfaf1
joined Apr 30, 2020

Just finished binging this. Went through so many emotions in a short time lol. I'm really not a fan of isekai (couldn't even get into MagiRevo which I really should at least watch the anime) but the OL MC is cute and endearing. Rooting for her to get Lapis out of her self-imposed villain role with the power of yuri while also rooting for Gran to get Rubeus out of this slimy schemer role with the power of yaoi.

Btw I'm also a fan of the Lapis=Aurora theory.

Couple_under_the_stars
joined Nov 7, 2022

giving Diana a consolation love interest

Frankly, as someone who was immediately happy when I saw Alexandra being presented as a genuine love interest, over Diana continuing to pine after Natori... I'd say she turned out to be much more than that.

She's not just there to console Diana, or be consoled by her. Her role as a noble forced to suppress her talents and obey authority, being a pawn in larger schemes, while also joining a group of commoners, gives her one of the most complex character positions in the series, possibly second only to Lapis.

She also creates a bridge between nobles and commoners that the original Fairy Tale of Jewels didn't have, since Diana was the only one in that position. Alexandra "siding" with her own team at the end matters a lot - I can easily picture that, if Lapis' plan succeeds and a rebellion occurs, Alexandra, and possibly some other lower ranked nobles, might side with the commoners, shifting the balance (and story) quite a bit.

Oh, and yes - I'm definitely rooting for Diana x Allie. But Alexandra has also grown into my favorite character, and I hope she continues to be more than just "the love interest". Based on this arc, it feels like she absolutely will be.

Ykn1
joined Dec 20, 2018

The plan may (or may not?) be the same, but her motive is shifting...

Dark_Tzitzimine
67763073_p3
joined Dec 18, 2013

So Lapis is basically aiming to pull a Darkseid on the commoners, manipulating things behind the scenes and even fostering a new beacon of hope that the commoners can rally behind, so when she finally pulls the rug under them, not only the genocide will be justified, it will also cut from the root any future thoughts of insurrection and solidify the Nobles' position.

And yet, I think that final page says more about her mental state, those bags under her eyes and resigned (maybe even wistful) look while she looks at Natori cheering, tells me her resolution is starting to falter and the ominous "I really need to end things" is because she knows that if she doesn't act fast, she will become unable to give up Natori and continue with her schemes.

In that vein, is 100% true that Allie is Lapis' perfect foil and I'm sure that she will be key to stop the genocide and save Lapis from her demise.

Ezgif.com-gif-maker%20(1)
joined Jun 6, 2020

oh the wheels are wheeling.

Also thanks for someone beating me to the Nika riots thing lol

Sports can be really nice as a metaphor for soft power

Internet_lied
joined Jul 15, 2016

Also thanks for someone beating me to the Nika riots thing lol

Sports can be really nice as a metaphor for soft power

You're welcome. For what is team sports but formalized warfare with reduced lethality? :-)

last edited at Jun 20, 2025 2:00AM

Screenshot%202024-08-04%20044759
joined Jun 21, 2021

Also thanks for someone beating me to the Nika riots thing lol

Sports can be really nice as a metaphor for soft power

You're welcome. For what is team sports but formalized warfare with reduced lethality? :-)

side-eyes Girls Und Panzer

Tumblr_cee5b652f60d90ff709454b0003785ca_6809dc36_400-min
joined Sep 4, 2021

omg yay my gays are back! can’t wait for the next chapter

Purple Library Guy
Kare%20kano%20joker
joined Mar 3, 2013

As a Canadian, I quite appreciate that their Quidditch is Lacrosse-based.

joined Aug 11, 2022

Yeah...It can be crazy how national sports game can be used in politics and other stuff...Especially IRL (Like some people mention...Lot of riots where a few people get killed due to people's outrage sadly over their team losing and etc.)

For example, national pride and ego thingy factor and etc. when regarding sports. Reason why a lot of top class athletes can get lot of sponsorships from companies to promote their image and logos (To put in their image and logos in the people's brains and mind subconsciously).

Very nice and cute teamwork shown, the higher rank nobles are probably feeling a little confused and annoyed while the commoners and low-ranking nobles are being shown false hope (If a team of commoners + low ranking noble would win despite rumors of rigging then perhaps they could have a chance for rebellion?).

last edited at Jun 21, 2025 12:41AM

joined Jan 14, 2020

Apparently, product endorsement was a thing that Roman gladiators did, too.

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