By MOJIKAKIYA and toi8. Released in Japan as “Boukensha ni Naritai to Miyako ni Deteitta Musume ga S-Rank ni Natteta” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

At the start of this book Belgrieve is preparing to go and search for his old comrades, and by the end of the book he has only JUST set off to do so. That’s not to say that nothing happens in this volume, there’s actually quite a big threat. But this series is content to take its time with its ongoing plots, and the author freely admits we’re only about halfway done. What this means is that the first half is very slow life and leisurely, as our extended family are back in the country and farming and fishing… along with teaching the town how to fight, and sparring with the occasional adventurer who came along because, well, they’re all legends. If you’re wondering what stops them from going on their trip right away, well, the trees are on the march, and they’re not nice trees. They’re after Mit, and will do anything to get him, even if it means destroying the town.

Mit is theoretically an interesting character, and I hope gets a bit more to do after “growing up” a bit post-crisis at the end of this book, but unfortunately the lack of interiority and the suddenness of this growing up means he still falls far more on the “plot device” end of the spectrum, especially when compared to someone like Charlotte. It’s mentioned a couple times how he and Ange look like siblings, which of course is meant to remind the reader of Ange’s demon heritage, but I wish the growth in Mit had been handled better. On the bright side, we do get a new character in this volume, and she’s a tsundere! That said, she’s also a sword. Graham’s sword ends up with Bell by the end of this book, and can also speak to Ange and Graham (though not Bell), and I find her amusing.

Where the book is strongest is in the horror aspect this time around, as the moving trees are scary, and while we don’t see it actively take any lives in the present, we see the spirits of those they have killed in the past, and they’re also pretty scary, as the “please avenge us!” spirit can rapidly become “…by dying!” if you aren’t quick enough. The party all gets a lot of cool fighting to do, but (of course) the big final kill is saved for Belgrieve, who even has to temporarily give up his pegleg in order to get the job done. Frankly, by the end of the fight you’ll be inclined to agree with Ange about the coolness of her father. There’s also an excellent short story calling back to the first book, where Mit and Charlotte, both still scared of the woods after the events in the main volume, are taken by Ange to see the spirit fire. It shows how much father has taught daughter, and I really enjoyed it.

This is a solid series, and continues to have no romance at all, it’s a pure family story. Recommended for that alone.

By MOJIKAKIYA and toi8. Released in Japan as “Boukensha ni Naritai to Miyako ni Deteitta Musume ga S-Rank ni Natteta” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

I’ve said this before and I will say it again: I greatly appreciate that the publisher has let us know that the books are done in Japan and that this is not one of THOSE Daddy/Adopted Daughter series. Mostly because I can thoroughly enjoy the angst that both daddy and daughter are going through right now without having to worry about a future trap door. Belgrieve is worrying about the fact that his daughter has grown up, and he doesn’t know the right way to balance out being her dad vs. letting her go off on her own. It’s extremely identifiable. As for Angeline, well, she’s just starting to worry about the whole “I probably have some demon in my parentage” thing, which is less relatable, but as an adopted daughter curious about her parents while also not really wanting to know because she loves her dad, that resonates a lot. They’re a great parent-child couple.

Everything is smiles and happiness at the start. Angeline and Belgrieve are once again in the same place at the same time, and are reveling in it, even if it means having to find a new house because they just have too many houseguests now. The whole group then, once spring comes, returns to Turnera in one big group… joined by two extra women, who are tagging along as they say they have business where they’re going. Unfortunately, the business turns out to be them, as Charlotte is once again suffering the consequences of her own actions, as well as her own background as royalty. Now Belgrieve and Angeline have to figure out a way to make everyone happy and smooth things over… and this isn’t even getting into the overarching plot of the demons, or finding Belgrieve’s old party.

I really liked the two adventurers we met in this volume, and I am relieved that things could be taken care of without turning them into enemies. In particular, one of them speaks in an odd combination of normal speech and lyrics from Western rock songs (I wondered if it was a localization thing, but no, the afterword says it’s Western rock songs), and its noted to be because the beastmen in her country are treated much worse, and they use that speech as a form of coded language. This is the sort of world building I can absolutely get behind. I also liked reminding Charlotte that sometimes apologies, even when meant in earnest, won’t solve everything that she did before, and sometimes it’s best NOT to apologize in person as the wounds are still fresh. It’s literally mentioned by Angeline’s companions that Belgrieve collects daughters rather than love interests, and Charlotte is one of the best examples.

Some hinting at the end of this book suggests we’ll be tracking down the rest of Belgrieve’s old party soon, and I expect that will probably mean he and Angeline are separated again. it’s fine. I’m sure they’ll work out the right distance while staying a loving family.

By MOJIKAKIYA and toi8. Released in Japan as “Boukensha ni Naritai to Miyako ni Deteitta Musume ga S-Rank ni Natteta” by Earth Star Novels. Released in North America digitally by J-Novel Club. Translated by Roy Nukia.

Easily the best in the series to date, despite the fact that we’re now at the second round of “I have gotten everything planned out to see my dad again but something comes along to screw it up at the last minute”. Angeline is still a big-time Daddy’s Girl, but she’s put into a situation where that’s mostly irrelevant, and when it is relevant she actually manages to use it as a force for good. Belgrieve is finally forced to admit to himself that he may actually be as good at fighting as Angeline says he is, after going toe-to-toe with a top-ranked adventurer and … not winning, but lasting far longer than a 40-year-old with one leg should really be lasting. And the overall plot is finally coming into focus, giving us more ongoing bad guys, as well as an idea of what they’re going to do. Which I suspect is “kill Belgrieve and then watch Angeline destroy the world”. Best to stop that.

Angeline and company are ready to take Charlotte and Byaku back to her hometown. Unfortunately, the nobles have finally gotten around to noticing her, and have called her to the capital to come get an award… which means she’ll get back too late to make the trip before winter sets in. She is… unhappy. Meanwhile, Belgrieve has settled in with his new mini-family back in Turnera, but some of them are leaving as well, mostly as they have the adventure lust in their blood. It’s also reminding him of his past, which we get brief glimpses of here, and we see how even as a younger man he was cautious and careful. As for Angeline, when she arrives at the capital she not only finds a pile of nobles but also a mysterious guy in a dungeon… who may be more connected to her than she thinks.

This is not really a big fighting volume. Belgrieve gets into a couple of spars, but that’s not the same thing. As for Angeline, as I noted above, the best part of the book is the fight she doesn’t get into, especially as it’s supposed to be used as the excuse for a coup. It’s actually the second time she avoids this, the first being in the middle of her awards ceremony, where a noble attempts to taunt her into fighting and she responds by pointing out exactly what battling monsters and demons should be for, and it’s not “to show off my strength against some noble jackasses”. That said, they aren’t all bad here, and I really liked the young spunky noble girl, who I hope we see again. Plus Angeline gets her reward at the end – her dad came to see her rather than the other way around, and he’ll be there all winter.

Despite once again keeping its two leads separated most of the book, this time it did it in exactly the right way. This is a solid fantasy series.