Tags: Action, Adventure, Fantasy, Comedy, School Life, Villainess, Isekai

Sub-Tags: Otome, Game Elements, Misunderstandings, Romantic Subplot

The Fake Saint’s Fated Battle!

The True Saint and the First Saint

Having fought off royal interference and the witch’s loyal knights, my latest review follows the Fake Saint’s story as a fated battle appears on the horizon.

As Fake Saint of the Year reaches its penultimate instalment, the story finds Elize finally ready to take action against the Witch. Unfortunately, her best-laid plans are about to go awry. Alexia’s latest scheme has shuffled the board, causing Eterna’s powers to be awakened. What’s more, the appearance of the first saint and Verner’s confession all put a spanner in the works as Elize attempts to stop the continent’s millennium of suffering. 

The third volume of Kabedondaikou’s Otome gender-bender is all about putting the final pieces into place. This starts when Eterna awakens. A shock to the titular protagonist at first, it doesn’t hinder her overall plan to have the strongest academy students weaken the witch. Things change, however, when Elize discovers the first saint whilst training her hopefuls.

An interesting addition to the series, Alfrea is the furthest thing from saintly. Whilst being a fascinating insight into the evolution of the saint’s image, she also provides much-needed information on the witch’s curse, especially given that the original witch was her mother.

Alfrea isn’t the only important source of information. Niito also discovers the truth behind the Otome Game. Confronting the scenarist, the author ultimately provides a satisfactory conclusion behind the transmigration.

The Unfortunate Witch

For the third volume’s grand finale, the focus falls on the battle between the fake saint and the witch, Alexia.

As the first volume to give major page time to Alexia, her overall mood can best be described as scared shitless – no wonder Elize had to turn to such a roundabout plan. Anybody would be willing to run away if their allies had been killed and they faced the strongest saint in recorded history. In a way, you almost feel sorry for Alexia, who has been forced into a vicious cycle where expectation and hatred ride hand in hand. 

In regards to the battle itself, it’s a team affair. What should’ve been an easy conclusion, however, is swiftly changed as Verner’s powers run wild, and the volume ends on a harrowing cliffhanger.

To conclude, Fake Saint of the Year’s latest outing continues the series’ strong writing style.

Steadying the narrative towards its conclusive battle reveals numerous highlights, including the first saint, Alfrea, and the Witch, Alexia. Both are interesting additions to the series not only because of their well-developed characters but also due to how they flesh out the Otome Game’s world-building.

With plenty of plot threads still hanging, I’m looking forward to more enjoyment of the series as it reaches its finale.