Some manga can pull off three full or partial arcs in one volume. Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts isn’t one of them.
Sariphi has finally arrived at her destination for the signing ceremony, but the lord is attacked, and her new guard, Lanteveldt, is fingered as the culprit! Of course, he denies this, but he’s still detained as the suspect. Sariphi, of course, believes in him and sets out to prove his innocence.
But while it sounds like I’m describing a mystery arc, the search is off-screen. Rather, the manga mainly sticks to Lanteveldt in jail, thinking back on his past and why he’s reluctant to believe in Sariphi. Considering other beastkind are prejudiced against hyenafolk, his story is about what you’d expect. Not that it isn’t sad or poignant, but it isn’t surprising. What is surprising is how Sariphi helps solve the case. Again, we only hear about it after the fact, and I really wish we could have followed her adventure as she works with the captain of the lord’s guard. The resolution was solid, as while as readers we’ve gotten accustomed to the idea that beastkind is stronger than humans, this serves as a reminder that humans have their own physical advantages.
Then the manga has a rather weak section that serves as the conclusion to Sariphi’s mission, the romance part of the story, and setting up for the future. On the latter point, I found these two chapters intriguing. Tetra stops by for a visit, and she may have stumbled upon something she wasn’t supposed to see. But the princess also wants to affectionately meddle in Sariphi and the king’s relationship, as Sariphi suddenly is nervous about seeing Leonhart. The whole situation might have been super sweet as her friends try to make Leonhart fall for her even more, but it just kind of…ends. They talk, they hug, and…scene change! (More on that in a moment.) While the author was trying to show how their bond is deepening, the whole situation just seems like a repeat of their previous moments. At this point, I want to see something different and with a little more oomph to strike at my heart.
Speaking of hearts, the last two chapters is about a returning character having a change of heart. Waaay back in volume 3, we met Sariphi’s only friend, Ilya, who hates beastkind. As he continues his work as a hunter, he strikes at some beasts making off with a young’un. But it isn’t a human child like Ilya was expecting; it’s a Sandshrew. (He doesn’t say his tribe, but he looks exactly like a Sandshrew, trust me.)
The little beastkid isn’t put off by Ilya’s attitude, as he’s happy to have been saved. This encounter, of course, shows Ilya’s worldview getting opened up. While it does take place over two chapters, it still felt a little rushed to me. It almost feels like a one-shot a newbie author would write in hopes it will get picked up for a serialization. For Ilya, who had a burning hatred of all beastkind, the fact he even showed mercy in not killing the Sandshrew right away is already a significant development. For someone we haven’t seen in five volumes, it all comes across as a huge, sudden change even though Sariphi’s engagement to the king of beasts and her friendship with various beastkin is on his mind.
I mean, I can understand why Tomofuji wouldn’t want to spend the entirety of volume 8 of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts on Ilya, but like the other parts of the volume, it just comes across as not enough for me. It needed a little more breathing room and a little more pizzazz.