After seeing off the hero, Satou and the party visit Parion Province's Village of Adepts. But soon after their arrival, students begin to go missing. The disappearances seem to be connected to a Holy Woman and a mysterious ritual. Can everyone’s favorite problem-solver crack yet another case?
And with this volume the Parion Province's arc is finished and with a bang at that. It had a bit of slow start, but I really liked what came after. So it remains an entertaining slow paced and light-hearted story with some very enjoyable characters. I do feel Satou's unwillingness to kill was a bit too extreme here even if it fits the character. I also find his reliance on the map feature a bit odd. It might be just how it is described, but he appears to be focusing a bit too much on finding specific cultists even though it has been shown several times by now that there are abilities that can hide their affiliation, but more importantly, you don't need to be part of a known demon cult to do evil things. All minor complaints though about an otherwise enjoyable read.
Turns what was one chapter of the web novel into a whole book. Deals with the corruption in the Parion church, paints the pontiff and church in general in a more sympathetic light, and introduces the depressed, shut-in demon lord. I like the characters, but it felt like some bits with the Sage dragged on.
Seems to be setting up to have the tourism of the smaller surrounding nations be the next volume, the only location I recognized was the Sage Tower from the Gods' Trials arc.
So the Pontiff of Parion Province had a unique skill and it almost irrevocably changed him into a demon lord. Then we get a rapid-fire series of events where the great sage Sorijeyro was stealing skills and he became a demon lord himself. Satou is starting to let his real abilities show more often.
This is the best volume that has come out for the series for a bit. This is a fun, relaxing read. I feel like it'll be boring after this cause this previous peak took a little bit to ramp up to get to it. Hoping for the best though.