By Yuka Tachibana and Yasuyuki Syuri. Released in Japan as “Seijo no Maryoku wa Bannou desu” by Kadokawa Books. Released in North America by Seven Seas. Translated by Julie Goniwich.

A lot of being a fan of Japanese light novels is enjoying reading the exact same thing over and over and over again, and trying to find joy in how the author makes it very slightly different from everything that has come before it. The Saint’s Magic Power Is Omnipotent is no different, and so I found myself intrigued by the fact, hammered home several times here, that the “summoners” of the girls from another world really have no clue what it does or what it will do. They’re going by a legend. Other books have kids being trained by others, or at least have their situation explained a bit better, but when Sei asks about how her powers work here, no one knows, and when both Sei and Aira ask if there is any way for them to return to Japan, the answer is no, with a bit of a shrug. This helps explain why so much of what Sei does is just testing her magic and healing powers to see what they do.

In the first book, Sei succeeded in staying on the down low and enjoying her job as a researcher, but such halcyon days must come to an end here. The Grand Mage who summoned her has woken up, and he wants to experiment on her… I mean, get to know her. He is one of those cheerful sadists that we get so much of in shoujo titles, and it’s not a surprise that Sei is very reluctant to reveal to him that her holy magic level is “infinite”. That said, that isn’t her “Saint Power”, and can’t really help her level up her potions. What is her Saint Power? Well, when the army goes out to fight monsters, and brings her along, it becomes apparent to the reader what triggers it. But not to Sei or the others. Yet. It is, needless to say, strong emotions. Meanwhile, Sei also has to deal with the OTHER Saint candidate, who is having a very bad time at the academy.

The afterword says that the author had planned for Aira to be exiled with the prince, in a sort of “villainess” plotline, but decided not to because the readers asked for her to be saved. I’m glad she listened to the advice, as it makes Aira, who is set up to be a spoiled brat, a more interesting character – she isn’t spoiled at all, she is just relying on the only people around her that she can in a strange new world. She’s not the Saint – Sei is – but she clearly does have stronger powers than most everyone else there, and I hope we see her again. I also liked the reveal that Liz, the girl who Sei had been talking to in the library, is the prince’s fiancee – we’d guessed this, but Sei had not. Given Sei spends 90% of the book surrounded by hot guys, strong female friendships are important. The romance is a slow burn – Albert is clearly still in the lead, but it’s content to not worry about that right now.

It’s implied the next book will take place away from the main city, so we may not see as much of the regulars next time. Still, I’m content to walk along with Sei as she tests her theories, makes plants magical, and is generally super nice and lovable.