Mother dear is here.
Creative Staff
Art: Dashio Tsukimi
Original Story: Ceez
Character Design: Tenmaso
Composition: Ryo Suzukaze
Translator: Leighann Harvey
Lettering: Elana Pizzaro
What They Say
Cayna is more than a little overwhelmed by all the changes to the world of Leadale during the unexplained 200-year gap from when she last logged in, but she decides her best move is to leave the remote village where she started to go seek more information. Next stop—the royal capital of Felskeilo, where all her children happen to be employed in various positions of power!
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
It was explained in the previous volume that Cayna’s ‘children’ were more like alts than actual characters. The fact that they became full-fledged people in the world of Leadale is just another mystery for Cayna to figure out. That is if she cared to. In the 200-year gap of time where she blinked out and back into existence the children lived their own lives and ended up becoming legends in their own right. Two high elves and a dwarf mean that they all have equally long lifespans and are adults with careers and spouses, in the case of daughter Mai-Mai.
For a teenage girl who didn’t actually have any children, Cayna falls into the motherly role quite easily. From the way she treats Lytt to her in-game offspring, she exudes motherly habits and mannerisms. The oddness of the fact she has children isn’t exactly lost on her, but she gives in to the role very easily. (Now I’m wondering if her kids have kids…)
Cayna continues to deal with problems both major and minor. She saves the life of a mercenary, becomes a member of the adventurers guild, and even finds a runaway prince and returns him to his minders. All in a day’s work for a level 1100 player. If Cayna wasn’t so naive about the market and the value of the local currency, she could be living in her own mansion rather than crashing at a non-human inn.
The ending of this volume has Cayna realizing that the game servers are likely offline, making her existence in a world matching a game even more confusing. I think back to all of the stories about becoming trapped in an MMO, and Cayna’s still most matches Orlando from Tad William’s Otherland series. Cayna was basically terminally ill and destined to die sooner rather than later, much like Orlando. Now we see where the two differ in that she doesn’t even have others from her own world around to converse with. Her shock is understandable. Would you wish for eternal life if it meant leaving behind everyone you know and love?
In Summary
Cayna remains the most powerful person most of the citizens of Leadale have ever met. If she had a mean bone in her body she would likely be able to take over the world. She’d rather try to help the people in small ways though, much to their confusion and consternation. There are a few more moments of self-realization when Cayna determines she is alone and separated from her original life not just in body but also in time. Turns out it’s lonely at the top. The pace of this story is currently stuck in slice-of-life mode and I wonder if some conflict will eventually rise to make Cayna take a more direct role as a living legend. For now, it remains a low-stakes adventure.
Content Grade: B
Art Grade: B +
Packaging Grade: B +
Text/Translation Grade: A –
Age Rating: Teen
Released By: Yen Press
Release Date: October 18, 2022
MSRP: $13.00 US / $17.00 CAN
