By Washiro Fujiki and Heiro. Released in Japan as “Eiyū to Kenja no Tensei Kon: Katsute no Kōtekishu to Konyaku Shite Saikyō Fūfu ni Narimashita” by HJ Bunko. Released in North America by J-Novel Club. Translated by Joey Antonio.

All I ask is for this book to be relaxing good fun, and this volume delivers in spades. It helps that we get a heaping helping of Millis, who I adore. She manages to be a ditz, a tsukkomi, and a savant all at the same time. Here we discover that her inscribing skills are self-taught, and that with proper training she could be legendary. We discover that, in the alternate universe that our cast go to in order to beat up the bad guys, her making friends with alternate-universe Eluria may have saved the world. And we also discover that she apparently has negative abilities when it comes to sensing her own love life, as even when the answer is handed to her about who her alternate self marries she still doesn’t figure it out. She’s goofy in the best ways, and I hope we get more of her in the next volume.

Raid and Eluria are now ready to go to the other world in order to take care of the Emperor whose fault this all is, Raid’s old boss. They’re taking Millis, Wisel and Alma, but that’s it – this is not an invasion, but a small force. Which is fine, because honestly Raid and Eluria are pretty much good enough to beat anything on its own. That said, the other world is on its last legs, poisoned by the mana left by Eluria’s alternate self, who was feeling really disillusioned. Fortunately, there’s a haven in the middle of this, called Paradise, which turns out to be Millis’ hometown. Her alternate self befriended the demon lord, and now years and years later her descendants help to keep this little slice of normal land active. Honestly, they’re better than the current regime. Why not switch the two?

There’s some attention paid to motivations here which I liked. One of the heroes in the alternate world is the daughter of the guy who betrayed and killed Eluria, and she’s trying to make up for being a family of traitors. That said, when talking with Eluria, it’s pointed out that defending your family honor is not going to mean much if the world ends, while betraying her superior AGAIN would actually be the better moral decision. Especially because this series is not really big on moral greyness. Most everyone in it is either good, or following the orders of a very bad guy of pain of death. Raid and Eluria are trying their damnedest NOT to have a lot of casualties – apart from the emperor, of course, who is scum. And for those who worried there would not be a lot of flirting in this book, fear not, these two are still adorable, in love, and planning to have seven kids. Which appalls the innocent Millis.

I suspect the next book may be the last, but who knows? I do feel we’re not getting back to magical academy days anytime soon, though. This is fun.