The “Revolution” arc is moving inexorably towards a climax. In Watashi no Oshi ha Akuyaku Reijou.,Volume 10 (私の推しは悪役令嬢。) we have set aside almost all of the happy-go-lucky Rae, as she shepherds her friends into what she knows must be a new world order. She is driven to make this the right new world order.

Rae, accompanied by Clare and Lily, have completed their investigation and Rae now knows who is behind the corrupt nobles….but there is a lot standing between her and her desired outcomes.  Rae still knows what the game has in store for her, for Clare and for Bauer Kingdom. Time is running out.

Together they confront Salas, and find themselves at a dead end. They go to the leader of the Revolution, Arla Manuel, where Rae negotiates terms the others cannot understand. And it becomes clear that Salas did indeed have an affair with the former Queen, and Thane is indeed his son, which makes Lily his sister. Thickly knotted ropes of fate pull tighter around our principles.

And then – too early by Rae’s calculations – Mt. Sassal erupts, throwing everything into chaos.

There is no more goofing around in this story, we are at the edge of the precipice and the ground beneath us is about to crumble. We know what will happen, in the larger sense. Individual scenes are changed slightly and additional content is given to us with every volume. Arla’s underlings have stories and faces, and that, and being able to see Arla as she talks about the corrupt noble who destroyed her family brings a lot of the horror of commoner life to the front. That forces both Clare…and us…to really look and think about it.  Which is all that more effective as we watch as our world stands on a similar and just as precarious edge. 

Ratings:

Art – 9
Story – 8
Characters –  9Thane is very relatable
Service – Not really
Yuri – 7 The love stories here have to be shelved. Revolution is coming.

Overall – 9

This volume is not an easy read, not if we’re paying attention. But it is an excellent, and deeply moving volume. I know we have a little more very hard stuff to read, but I can’t think of anyone better to tell it than inori.-sensei or better to illustrate it than Aonoshimo-sensei.