Rekishi ni Nokoru Akujo ni Naruzo - Akuyaku Reijou ni Naru hodo Ouji no Dekiai wa Kasoku Suru you desu! - Vol. 7 Ch. 35

[MangaDex]

 

[UdenEmpati]

Nice to see Duke coming into his own like this.

Also, I rather enjoy that the current named cast among royalty & nobility aren't outright nefarious antagonists. They're all acting according to what they consider best for Durkis, and the conflict stems from the question of tradition versus sweeping reforms.

And there's some merit to both, and likely (and often) some form of middle way that seeks to pull from both ideals might end up being what works for everyone. I personally will side with Will, Duke, and those seeking to break away from the traditions of the past, given my own biases and personal views on things--but those seeking to have Duke marry Liz (like his own father, the king) aren't necessarily wrong, in that their motives are to ensure prosperity for the kingdom as they see best fit its needs.

But I like that there are moving parts beyond Alicia's character and what she directly affects in her actions through the narrative. Makes the whole of the world & setting feel much more fleshed out and real, which I will always appreciate.
So getting these chapters that seek to move forward plot points and focus on characters other than The Villainess are a nice touch.



Thanks for the TL

 

[Gabriix]

So she is starting to understand her power that's the first step to stop the charm she is releasing on all thoses mobs.

Gill casually talking about killing the saint or gouging her eyes, it seem someone influence is starting to show on him.

 

[Baelgun]

Little dude keeping it real with the future king.

 

[DirtEater21]

Thank you for the translation

 

[yoshiii]

Thanks for updating!

About time we get more character building for the ML.

 

[Colomopri]

the characters are so fleshed out here, finally without the need to depend on alicia

 

[Justking14]

So she is starting to understand her power that's the first step to stop the charm she is releasing on all thoses mobs.

and stop her engagement to Duke. Not even a prince can refuse an engagement ordered by the king, but if they can put an end to her saint powers (that I guess the royal family has been using for generations to brainwash the population into liking them), then there’s no need to stay engaged to her. of course, things are gonna get crazy hectic once everyone learns the truth but it’s not like they can just keep brainwashing People forever

 

[Hikineet]

Thanks for the chapter.

 

[BryanPliskin]

Thabks for the TL

 

[OWMWO]

Duke will go DUKE NUKEM, the end.

 

[UdenEmpati]

and stop her engagement to Duke. Not even a prince can refuse an engagement ordered by the king, but if they can put an end to her saint powers (that I guess the royal family has been using for generations to brainwash the population into liking them), then there’s no need to stay engaged to her. of course, things are gonna get crazy hectic once everyone learns the truth but it’s not like they can just keep brainwashing People forever

I ...do not think Durkis as a country has been brainwashing its citizenry, much less for generations on end.
The current Saintess, Liz, has magic that is basically "Charm" magic, yes, that influences the emotions and disposition of those around her toward favoring her - but that's not something that sounds like it can be weaponized by the kingdom at large, and there's no explicit indication that the "Legendary Saintess" had the same ability, nor that she or the Crown used it nefariously to control the population.
On the contrary, she is credited with having lifted the nation up and its people out of poverty, establishing it as a powerhouse on the geopolitical stage. She was beloved--yes, that could maybe be some sort of similar "Charm" magic at play, but she wasn't a net evil on the nation, and there's no indication that she was outright brainwashing the populace.

Also, there's no clear information on whether the Saintess is constantly reincarnated every generation or so; we only know of two thus far (the "Legendary Saintess, and Liz), so even if both of them were controlling masses of people, it's not something Durkis itself could do top to bottom for the entire time it's been a nation state.

Liz, for her part, isn't exactly doing it on purpose, either. She wasn't aware of it at all, other than having suspicions that something was up, but she's clearly being portrayed as a kind and compassionate person who truly believes in the concept of pacifism and reconciliation and general "we can all get along and work together to bettering everything" approach.
Prince Duke doesn't want to marry her, but that's because he's in love with Alicia, not because he thinks Liz is some abject evil entity that'll destroy his nation. Even the King wishes he didn't have to force his son into this situation, but because he's a believer in Traditionalism, he sees it as the Crown's duty to make the Saintess a Queen, which would help consolidate magical power at the helm of Durkis and maintain the status quo of nobility and royalty having potent magical aptitude.

And he's not wrong, except that Duke has ideas of reform for Durkis because he thinks the way forward can't be traversed by looking backward--just like his uncle, William. And now he's going to try and get Liz's help toward that general end.

 

[Kaarme]

The past saintess used her power to lift the country from poverty and the current royal dynasty legitimised their right to rule the country by associating themselves strongly with the saintess by marriage. However, forcing a marriage between the prince and the saintess at this point would also show weakness. It would indicate the royal house still needs the saintess to save the country and ensure its prosperity. That would place the prestige on the saintess. Of course you could also view it as the royal house claiming it's the only one worthy of the saintess. In reverse if some other house secure a marriage with the saintess, people might ask if that house shouldn't become the new royal house. That's the danger of literally marrying the saintess automatically into the royal house. Are they only royals because they can claim the saintess? Without the saintess, are they worthy of the king's position?

If Duke aims to fix this and reduce the saintess to a mere important figure, not the king-maker, it might indeed be wise.

 

[UdenEmpati]

The past saintess used her power to lift the country from poverty and the current royal dynasty legitimised their right to rule the country by associating themselves strongly with the saintess by marriage. However, forcing a marriage between the prince and the saintess at this point would also show weakness. It would indicate the royal house still needs the saintess to save the country and ensure its prosperity. That would place the prestige on the saintess. Of course you could also view it as the royal house claiming it's the only one worthy of the saintess. In reverse if some other house secure a marriage with the saintess, people might ask if that house shouldn't become the new royal house. That's the danger of literally marrying the saintess automatically into the royal house. Are they only royals because they can claim the saintess? Without the saintess, are they worthy of the king's position?

If Duke aims to fix this and reduce the saintess to a mere important figure, not the king-maker, it might indeed be wise.

There's an argument to be made that the Saintess is the legitimacy behind the Crown, given the (I assume First) Saintess was the Queen of Durkis after it was fully established and empowered.
In that sense, it's not so much "the Crown's only legitimized by marrying the Saintess into the royal family", but that the act itself is intrinsic to the Crown. We don't know if there's been more than two saintesses, but if Durkis got its start under one, then the reemergence of another slots right into that notion of tradition that the King and his advisor were discussing at the start of the chapter.

That said - I believe Duke is doing the correct thing, (ostensibly) seeking to avoid a marriage to Liz. Not simply because he should be getting married to Alicia whenever she completes her Spy Games arc, but because he has a vision for the future of Durkis that would seek to shore up and potentially eliminate entirely glaring systemic issues that go beyond "matters of the Saintess".
The fact that power is concentrated in the nobility by virtue of them having potent magical capability is in itself a problem--as Gil points out, magic isn't an inherent source of geopolitical might, and Durkis' saving grace all this time has been the relative ignorance of its neighboring countries. As things progress in time, it'll become harder and harder to keep that secret from getting out, and Durkis is apparently woefully unprepared to weather any concerted showing of force by any rival nation.
The notion of Liz and a marriage into the Crown is important, precisely because of the precedent set by way of tradition within that nation. But I think it stems less from a question of legitimacy where the Saintess is concerned, and more Duke's vision that Durkis' continued adherence to traditional practices simply because of their established precedent is fundamentally insufficient as time continues forward.

 

[Kaarme]

That said - I believe Duke is doing the correct thing, (ostensibly) seeking to avoid a marriage to Liz. Not simply because he should be getting married to Alicia whenever she completes her Spy Games arc, but because he has a vision for the future of Durkis that would seek to shore up and potentially eliminate entirely glaring systemic issues that go beyond "matters of the Saintess".

There is also the fact that by marrying Liz and spending every day with her, could Duke assume that after a year he would still be the same Duke? The scene of the ancestor king suffering so much after the first saintess's death would have been there to suggest the brainwashing had been in effect for decades. If we ignore Duke potentially fearing for his sanity, the effect could also erode his own vision for the country's future and replace it with Liz's naive vision. That's the last thing they need when they are already concerned about lacking military power compared to neighbours.

 

[Freman]

I like the characters.

Liz is a nice person, but the problem is that she's hopelessly naïve and her charm ability forces that view onto everyone around her, unconsciously on her part.

She demonstrates, perhaps, that a good person can be a terrible ruler, because they lack the pragmatism necessary to deal with the world as it is rather than the world they would like it to be.

 

[Psychronia]

Some proper development with Duke. It was always hinted to be there, but we gotta see this stuff directly.

But uh...would Duke actually be in trouble if he tries and fails reform? I forget. Is there actually anyone in the line of succession?

 

[UdenEmpati]

But uh...would Duke actually be in trouble if he tries and fails reform? I forget. Is there actually anyone in the line of succession?

I don't believe there's anyone else directly in line for succession, but he'd likely be heavily neutered by advisors and things if he pushed for reforms and they failed. Like, he'd be king, but his best chances from there would be as little more than a figurehead.

Hell, it could cause actual widespread havoc among the aristocracy, even trigger a coup against the Crown itself by nobility, who might seek to usurp him and take control themselves, or something. Not unheard of in these sorts of settings by any stretch, and the nobility currently holds a monopoly of force in terms of military might within Durkis--meaning they'd have all the power to do so, and the common folk wouldn't really have a say, either.

That said - it's still important that he tread carefully. Will got ousted because there was another candidate, and he also went about things in a way that, as Duke intimates, was rather short-sighted in how they ran aground of "Tradition" which is far too entrenched in the minds of the upper echelons of Durkis. So even if Duke's not in danger of getting the same treatment as his uncle, unless things were really going to change from a governance standpoint for Durkis, he'd do well to plan meticulously and push slowly & gradually, just for better chances at success overall.

 

[Ruruskadoo]

I know it wasn't the main focus of this chapter, but I really like Liz as a character. The fact that she's noticed something is wrong, took what Alicia told her to heart, and is determined to act on it even though doing so could potentially put her at great risk (whereas she'd be perfectly safe and everything would likely go well for her as usual if she did nothing) really shows some great character growth.

Sure, she addressed this in her typical earnest and overly idealistic manner, but she's still making efforts to change things and take accountability for the potential negative effects of her charm powers instead of pretending everything will work out if she's kind and cheerful and simply encourages everyone around her.

She's such a refreshing change from the typical cartoonishly evil OG!FLs who entirely dominate this genre or the occasional bland sycophant who exists only to fawn over the reincarnated FL.

 

[Guolker]

You know this is not the best situation to set a cliffhanger like this.
Because... Because... 😭