The Bugle Call: Song of War - Vol. 9 Ch. 29 - The World of Zoe
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So proud of Zoe, she's really growing 😊 It'll be terrifying when she fully understands she's been killing people all along, can't imagine she's gonna take that well.
The whole job hunt was fun, it was cool to see what life in Terumi is like for the bottom rungs of society.
I can't believe Udo WON so hard! He got out, he made it! When he first appeared saying he was just here for one last job, I was certain he'd be dead in a few chapters. Sad to see him go, but good for him!
The Pope really showed his colors this time though, what a bastard. He may be amicable most of the time, but when it comes to the war and the rami, he's utterly cold and calculating.
BTW I think that board game they're all playing at the end is supposed to be the game of the goose?
The whole job hunt was fun, it was cool to see what life in Terumi is like for the bottom rungs of society.
I can't believe Udo WON so hard! He got out, he made it! When he first appeared saying he was just here for one last job, I was certain he'd be dead in a few chapters. Sad to see him go, but good for him!
The Pope really showed his colors this time though, what a bastard. He may be amicable most of the time, but when it comes to the war and the rami, he's utterly cold and calculating.
BTW I think that board game they're all playing at the end is supposed to be the game of the goose?
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This one is an actual translation. The other is MTL drivel that resembles a translation. They even admit to it.
To be honest, he's been clear about it for a while. That's why Udo wasn't trying to leave the city openly but was sneaking away. And his Rami are okay with his tactics on a broad scale, even if personally they know they have to watch their backs. They all, even Udo, know his ruthlessness comes with the job. What sets him apart from, for example, Akira and the Erin folk, is that he backs down, takes a loss with grace and moves on with the greater goal. He's even shown in this chapter entertaining doubts about the Tower's clairvoyance. He listens to his subordinates, even Zoe. Yes, it's because he has no option other than preserving the cooperativeness of his Rami. But the very fact that he acknowledges this reality (rather than being inflexible about his goals like garden variety shounen villains) keeps him from becoming a full-fledged antagonist. He's not nice, or someone to be friends with, but he's reliable to work with if you know how he operates.
I'm more worried about the consequences of Zoe's emotional development to the progression of the war. Yes, I'm glad she's breaking out of her childish coping mechanism, but the Papal States' crew still need her to face the more powerful Rami from Erin, to say nothing of Akira. Considering the stakes are the victory of a side that engages in human sacrifices, I'm afraid using Zoe up to now falls into the scope of contingencies of war.
A minor peeve of mine: if Coura can replace full body parts, why didn't Udo ask her to restore his chopped-off nose tip? Is he keeping his face like that as a memento of the limits of his own strength, or something of the kind? Besides the aesthetic factor, nose tips have a function…
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Zoe's job hunting was morbidly hilarious, never seen a shitstorm rainbow before lmao. Her future is worrying though.
Man the fucking Pope is definitely going to be the end game antagonist right? Hes such a looming figure, always gives ground when reasonable but gives you enough rope to hang urself, guessing Lucas will have to change his mind in the future. What a fantastic character.
Thanks for the chapter.
Man the fucking Pope is definitely going to be the end game antagonist right? Hes such a looming figure, always gives ground when reasonable but gives you enough rope to hang urself, guessing Lucas will have to change his mind in the future. What a fantastic character.
Thanks for the chapter.
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Totally agree with everything you said about the Pope, especially this last part. He's a complicated figure, like most of the characters in this series. I wonder what kind of person he was back in the future. I assume the whole reason he was chosen for his role was because he is ruthless enough to see the mission through no matter what, and he's smart enough to know when to hold 'em and when to fold 'em.
I love the FREAK on p. 25 who's just open arms basking in it
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The worst (or best) thing about that panel is that I wouldn't ascribe it to coincidence that he's making exactly the same pose as that of the protagonist in the better-known cover of The Shawshank Redemption, in which he escapes the prison by wading through shit.
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Thanks so much for the chapter 🙏
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Chapter 29 (First Read thoughts)
T'was only a matter of time. If Zoe is to grow as a character, then at some point she will have to wake from her delusions, be it her enemies not being human or her age not being 9.
And when that happens, will she ever step onto the battlefield again? That'd be a quandary to be sorted by Lucas and the Pope, and an intriguing if unfortunate handicap to the Papal forces.
---
I'm disappointed that the Pope did want to kill Udo, so as to keep his power on hand. I was half-right that he'd prefer him alive for his prowess, but outright leaving fighting behind was too much for his tastes it seems. At least he can and knows when to give up.
That, and he actually finishes explaining the deal with there being a Ramus in the Empire's Tower, like Lucas wanted him to in Ch 24. I was right about the answer being the Sapling Candidates, although "sapling" made me think of growing a whole new tree (rather than replacing the core of one).
I also really like this explanation since it helps circle all these revelations back to the core premise of the story: yes this is future magitech with dueling predictions and it's really messy, but for all the additional context and answers to the background mysteries Lucas' goal remains as it was at the start, slay the Garland, prevent the Empire from getting what it wants and he gets to be free to become a musician, nothing nobler. The story hasn't changed its destination, all it is is the journey to get there has perhaps gotten more unexpected.
---
So if the Empire succeeds this round, the Pope will have to wait another 300 years or so for another chance like this. And I assume it's because the alternative of crossing the seas in masse to the Imperial homeland hasn't been so feasible thus far in the history of the Arborian Calendar?
(Keep in mind the handmirror can only open like 1 more portal before its power is depleted. At the start of this arc, it was said it could open around 5 portals, and 4 have been used in this campaign)
But the Pope explaining something so final just feeds into my feeling that he will perish for the cause and Lucas will have to succeed him. Incidentally, he strikes me as a military career man who makes the cold calculating rational decisions for his mission and has gotten used to treating people like numbers after 1000+ years; however there's still an emotional side to him that can be appealed to.
---
So at the end of Ch 25, what I thought was Lucas' imagination was... perhaps not? Given his explanation of a voice and was part of the lead-up to his Flowering, was it a prediction? An actual glimpse into a possible future, one disastrous enough to panick him into Flowering?
Did this voice grant him this vision, so as to bend the futures calculated by most algorithms? Was the light depicted during Zoe's argument with the Pope also the same voice, likewise scaring her with a possible future and pushed her mind to Flowering range?
Could this voice... perhaps have come from a Tower? But the only one that was in range was the Empire's...
---
And so the Land of Slaves arc comes to a close. I'm glad Udo actually lived through the campaign, and it was a smashing success for the Papal State.
Most of the Rami Squad are rallying behind Lucas, and only Poppy remains the unstable and distant factor. I do hope she'll get friendly soon.
The Land of Slaves arc strikes me as designed to be slower so that we have room for fleshing out our core cast. But since that's mostly done, I expect the next arc to be back to a faster rhythm, wouldn't be ideal for a monthly to have two slow arcs back to back.
Mainly agree with you on the Pope, though I never saw him as an antagonist, but an anti-hero who serves as a strenuous and contentious mentor to Lucas. I love that while Lucas does disagree with him on a lot of matters, he will listen and ponder and won't just outright ignore everything, and in turn the Pope does respect his desires no matter how unpreferable they are.
Still, if he's placed in charge of governing the Papal States and has basic military tactics down, he probably was someone with both army and state administrative experiences. So a high government official at some point?
T'was only a matter of time. If Zoe is to grow as a character, then at some point she will have to wake from her delusions, be it her enemies not being human or her age not being 9.
And when that happens, will she ever step onto the battlefield again? That'd be a quandary to be sorted by Lucas and the Pope, and an intriguing if unfortunate handicap to the Papal forces.
---
I'm disappointed that the Pope did want to kill Udo, so as to keep his power on hand. I was half-right that he'd prefer him alive for his prowess, but outright leaving fighting behind was too much for his tastes it seems. At least he can and knows when to give up.
That, and he actually finishes explaining the deal with there being a Ramus in the Empire's Tower, like Lucas wanted him to in Ch 24. I was right about the answer being the Sapling Candidates, although "sapling" made me think of growing a whole new tree (rather than replacing the core of one).
I also really like this explanation since it helps circle all these revelations back to the core premise of the story: yes this is future magitech with dueling predictions and it's really messy, but for all the additional context and answers to the background mysteries Lucas' goal remains as it was at the start, slay the Garland, prevent the Empire from getting what it wants and he gets to be free to become a musician, nothing nobler. The story hasn't changed its destination, all it is is the journey to get there has perhaps gotten more unexpected.
---
So if the Empire succeeds this round, the Pope will have to wait another 300 years or so for another chance like this. And I assume it's because the alternative of crossing the seas in masse to the Imperial homeland hasn't been so feasible thus far in the history of the Arborian Calendar?
(Keep in mind the handmirror can only open like 1 more portal before its power is depleted. At the start of this arc, it was said it could open around 5 portals, and 4 have been used in this campaign)
But the Pope explaining something so final just feeds into my feeling that he will perish for the cause and Lucas will have to succeed him. Incidentally, he strikes me as a military career man who makes the cold calculating rational decisions for his mission and has gotten used to treating people like numbers after 1000+ years; however there's still an emotional side to him that can be appealed to.
---
So at the end of Ch 25, what I thought was Lucas' imagination was... perhaps not? Given his explanation of a voice and was part of the lead-up to his Flowering, was it a prediction? An actual glimpse into a possible future, one disastrous enough to panick him into Flowering?
Did this voice grant him this vision, so as to bend the futures calculated by most algorithms? Was the light depicted during Zoe's argument with the Pope also the same voice, likewise scaring her with a possible future and pushed her mind to Flowering range?
Could this voice... perhaps have come from a Tower? But the only one that was in range was the Empire's...
---
And so the Land of Slaves arc comes to a close. I'm glad Udo actually lived through the campaign, and it was a smashing success for the Papal State.
Most of the Rami Squad are rallying behind Lucas, and only Poppy remains the unstable and distant factor. I do hope she'll get friendly soon.
The Land of Slaves arc strikes me as designed to be slower so that we have room for fleshing out our core cast. But since that's mostly done, I expect the next arc to be back to a faster rhythm, wouldn't be ideal for a monthly to have two slow arcs back to back.
Perhaps Udo never requested it since he saw his wound as a memento on the battlefield. That was a "mercy" wound from the Mirror, an encounter that turned his life around into what it is now, worthy of remembrance?
Mainly agree with you on the Pope, though I never saw him as an antagonist, but an anti-hero who serves as a strenuous and contentious mentor to Lucas. I love that while Lucas does disagree with him on a lot of matters, he will listen and ponder and won't just outright ignore everything, and in turn the Pope does respect his desires no matter how unpreferable they are.
A better question is "was he this ruthless in the beginning?" Think about it: though he signed up for this mission to defend his nation's future from the Empire, he and many others probably never thought they'd be fighting for over 1200 years. 1200 maddening years, as a middleman and diplomat between the peoples of the past and future every single day. Heck, Akira comes across to me as barely holding on as a "forever soldier", so how must it feel for the Pope who also has to manage a whole country from its bronze age days?
Still, if he's placed in charge of governing the Papal States and has basic military tactics down, he probably was someone with both army and state administrative experiences. So a high government official at some point?
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