After memorizing his magecraft textbook in a single week, Louis is accepted as a scholarship student at Minerva's Mage Training Institution. But surrounded by nobles, the rough and rowdy boy from a poor, remote village is treated as a problem child and feared for the way he trounces his opponents in magic battles. And yet Louis still finds teachers he respects and friends he can rely on as he grows into the man who will become a Sage. Learn all about the notorious deeds of the Barrier Mage's youth in this two-part prequel to Secrets of the Silent Witch.
The origin of the Barrier Mage from 'Secrets of the Silent Witch' was a delight to read, showing more of Louis's character in a hilarious twist on My Fair Lady. Monica (Sir Not Appearing in this Book) is absolutely justified in her early fear of Louis. He's an absolute menace. Juxtaposed with the wholesome romance, it makes for an endearing read. My only quibble is I could have done with a little less corporal punishment, but it's a fantasy land so it is what it is. 4 'if anything happens to this jam, we riot' out of 5.
I enjoyed it except for the stupid self-pitting female character. If they removed her stupid face, the story would have been 5 stars. I despise people who constantly complain about their shortcomings but instead of doing something about it, they keep bathing in self-pity. Like the MC, he just kept moving forward no matter what life threw at him. They ruined the story with romance. Dropping the series. On to my next adventure, Happy Readings!!!
It was fun. This side story gave a ampler view on the world building where Monica was somehow unreliable narrator (she was such a cheat that she never did things right like Luis).
You can clearly see the difference with a ‘genius’ like Luis and a monster like Monica.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.