Sera and Nat's moment here is really cute

. I love how despite how much they've changed, their lives have changed, and their relationship has changed, we keep seeing these echos of how their relationship started. There's something almost nostalgic about seeing Sera looking after Nat's health.
It's also great to finally see a viable way that Sera might use the sword. I really love how this plot line has developed. It's been an almost constant source of motivation and even conflict between Sera and Nat for at least the last three volumes, so it's cool seeing how them finally finding a way to use the sword is tied to them coming to an understanding with each other.
The introduction of a new villain barely a week away from the already established impending, presumably arc ending, climatic monster incursion is really interesting. Is he going to show up soon and derail Sera and Nat's plans just as they were starting to have hope? Is he going to show up during the incursion and make a bad situation much much worse? Is he even going to have his big moment in this arc, or is he being set up as a villain for arc 2? If what Sera's father speculates is correct, and Nat is really is going to cut herself off from the spirits, I wonder if Leah's dad could be positioning himself as the new conduit of the spirits, given his reverence towards them.
Thank you for the TL!