As of 1125 chapters into the novel (where Pryde is currently 19 years old), the ML has yet to be decided.
I honestly can't tell if Pryde's going to form a triad with Stayle and Arthur, or elope with Val. The writing supports both options. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
who's val? i actually dont mind really mind arthur and stayle so far SHES SO COOL
Val is the only bandit who survived the ambush on the knight recruits. The guy with dark skin and Earth Wall special ability.
He is my absolute favorite character. He has so much going for him. A sense of humor, character development, Actual Chemistry with Pryde...and he's so OP. It's like his character was made to solve problems. Knight Commander about to be crushed under a cliff? Slavers trafficking children? Allied prince facing a character assassination? Bad guys packing explosives? Civilians at risk in the middle of a war? Capture target about to get Bad End-ed? Pryde's just having a bad day? Val has it all handled. Even WITH one arm tied behind his back.
All the other characters, Pryde included, just take themselves too seriously (though Tiara at least has a sense of FUN). And their character development is very sparse after their main arcs (Stayle only grows as Regent, not as a person, and the rest...fairly static. Except for Pryde, who is Slow Burning her character development over the series). As for chemistry, I categorize that as PRYDE showing attraction (blushing, heart racing, etc), so it has very little to do with my own personal preferences. ╮(￣▽￣)╭
i didnt think val was the person at the ambush WOAH. I mean I didn't really pay that much attention to val since there was a lot more going on for others + he didnt have much screentime (AT PRESENT in the manga) but damn it sounds like i'm missing out!! reading everything you said makes me even more excited to see what the upcoming manga chapters have in store for us!!
btw how many chapters does the novel have at
*atm
We're currently at 1125, but the novel is still ongoing. Current arc is focusing on the second capture target from the second game, but it's still early on (he's only made two appearances thus far).
how many capture targets are there anyways?
Good question! So there are at least five games in the series, and we have met...eight of the capture targets so far. Five from the first game, two from the second (and a third glimpsed but has yet to be approached), and one from the third game.
They are NOT all possible romantic interests for Pryde. One marries his childhood sweetheart, one is deeply in love with Tiara, and the one from the third game instead sees Stayle as his savior and has precious little to do with Pryde at all. (Also the guys from the second game are like 5-6 years younger than Pryde, so. ╮(￣▽￣)╭)
Reading that there are eight capture targets (and possibly more) made me feel so overwhelmed LOLL but then I read the latter part. So far, how many seem to be possible romantic interests for Pryde? Also, the original Pryde was viewed as the "villainess" in the initial story line, so I was wondering if there's a villainess/villain in the current story with the current Pryde?
Btw sorry if I am asking for too much, this manga is just so good ╥﹏╥
No problem! You are talking to someone who has dedicated the past year to sharing spoilers on this story (you should already know the location of the NU spoiler thread; I linked it in the thread just below this one). If I didn't 1000% love this story, I would toddle off to do something more interesting, trust me.
So, about Actually Possible romantic interests within the capture targets...Stayle and Arthur are basically it. Leon fantasizes about it, but he's Crown Prince to the Anemone Kingdom, and Pryde's Crown Princess to the Freesia Kingdom, so it's just not happening. Pryde even officiated his wedding to his own kingdom. It was as ridiculous as it sounds.
However, given that the capture targets from the first game actually kill Pryde? And they're all in love with Tiara in the game? They're the last people Pryde would consider as possible romantic interests. Which is why Val is so attractive, since he was a mid-game boss from the first game who neither had his life ruined by Game Pryde nor liked Tiara. (Stayle and Arthur had to launch a concentrated effort to even put themselves on her radar, which was. So awkward and uncomfortable. Tiara didn't need to be there to see that.)
Anyway, villains. Obviously each game has their own antagonist (or Last Boss), but we've only really glimpsed two of them so far: Pryde, obviously, and we see the villainess from the second game, but she hasn't been named or done anything worse than threatening a toddler so far. (Was fully willing to isekai to fight this lady, because Stella is OFF LIMITS!!) This may be because we're still two years out from the second game's story (past six or so arcs have been pure recon because it's been 11 years since Pryde last played the second game and she doesn't really remember the details).
There is another antagonist who is FAR more threatening to the cast, who has his dirty fingers over 90% of the plot from Part One. His name is Adam, and he's the Crown Prince of the Rajah Empire, and he is basically the ONLY character I actively hate in the novel. (Pryde's parents and uncle are more...passively dislike.) Adam was only a mid-game boss from the first game, which is why Pryde never really felt threatened by him, and she pays for it. A lot.
Oh god. From everything you said, it seems like there will be a lot happening in the future. At the same time, I am so excited. I hope to see more of Val since he's a potential love interest (you also had a lot of good things to say about him). Is he gonna have more screentime soon?
Hmm...yes and no. Chapter 9 of the manga closes out the 4th story arc in the series, the Knights Arc. Chapter 10 covers the 5th story arc (Accused Arc), which is where Val goes on trial (raws are already out). After that, Val disappears for four years and only comes back in the 9th story arc (Sinner Arc).
That might sound like a long time, but both the 6th story arc (Sword Arc) and the 8th story arc (House Party Arc) are basically filler. The Sword Arc didn't even take up half of Chapter 11 in the manga, so I doubt the House Party Arc will be much different. They might even cut that arc altogether.
The 7th story arc (Sick Person Arc) is a "big" one plot-wise (since it deals with Gilbert), but it's two chapters shorter than the Knights Arc in the novel. So I don't expect it to run more than four chapters at most in the manga.
Taking that into account, Val should be back in either Chapter 15 or 16.
Where did you read the novel? Please help mee
I read the official novel raws. The translation isn't that far along yet (and it's been over a month since the last update).
Novel Raws:
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n0692es/
You can also read the spoiler thread here if 1000+ chapters intimidates you.
https://forum.novelupdates.com/posts/5853854/
So... who's the male lead?? or is she gonna be a strong independent woman with a harem following cuz I'm down for that too