Sariphi bids Princess Tetra adieu and worries about her best friend Princess Amit, but there may be another princess who needs her help most of all. But does she even exist, and will Saraphi even be allowed to search for her?
As the cover suggests, Amit’s feelings for Jormungand play a part in Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts volume 9. This arc only takes up about a third of the story here. Amit is relieved to see Jormungand and his entire platoon return from a mission. However, her joy turns to sadness when he returns the amulet she had made and tells her to give it to someone else.
Then, Saraphi and Leonhart travel to another country with a new king. On the way to the palace, a ram/goat boy begs for Leonhart to listen to him. Saraphi wants to hear what he has to say, but King Timul orders for the child, Neshiri, to be captured. Leonhart follows his lead since that’s the proper way for a ruler to act, but he admits he agrees with Saraphi. Meanwhile, Leonhart gets a dire message from Anubis back in Ozmargo and decides that he and Saraphi should return home right away.
Ultimately, the manga corrects almost every issue I had with the previous volume, and it shows how connecting chapters and still giving them room to breathe on their own can go a long way. That being said, the visit to another country was wrapped up a little too fast in my opinion. The story justifies this with Saraphi having a soft time limit (and a lot of help from her friends), but I expected a little more mystery and investigation. However, the final reveal regarding the princess was…uh, unexpected. Highly unexpected, and it was great!
In fact, despite the predictable truth about Timul’s kingdom, the rest of the volume was very good. Romance fans will have the Amit/Jormugand chapters plus some Saraphi/Leonhart moments. Saraphi also continues to grow as a character in order to be a good queen, and her determination versus Leonhart’s desire to protect her causes some conflict between the couple. It’s the sort of situation where you can see both sides: something is not right here, but Ozmargo also has pressing matters.
On the more humorous side of things, cocky Lante gets humbled by both Jormungand and a boat. So there’s a little something for everyone in regards to the story.
The best part, though, is that Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts is gearing up for a lot of drama — and probably action — as it enters double digits. This volume does a good job of hyping up the conflict, and I’m crossing my fingers that Tomofuji can deliver — and make it last longer than a couple of chapters. Saraphi muses at points that it feels like the calm before the storm, and the manga switches scenes to show both Anubis’ concerns and the next antagonist. So I don’t feel like the next arc will be solved quite as quickly as the King Timul one.
Also, a side note. Last volume, I noticed it was a bit weird how certain things had seemed to change (like Saraphi saying “Miss Amit” instead of “Princess Amit”), but I thought maybe the original Japanese had some changes. Now I wonder if it was some editing done since a new translator took over as of this volume. Not saying either choice is better than the other, but it does take some adjusting.
But despite the differences in the English translation and the manga’s own story missteps, volume 9 of Sacrificial Princess and the King of Beasts was a delight.