Official synopsis: Deep within the palaces walls lives the secluded and mysterious Raven Consort. Some say she is an old woman while others claim she is young and beautiful. What all stories agree upon is that she has the power to exorcise spirits lay fatal curses and find lost objectsfor a price. When the young emperor arrives at the door of the Raven Consort seeking magical assistance his request could shake up the palaceor perhaps even the entire kingdom. ========== Am I the only one who thinks this story takes place in a flatearthish world? ? If you have already watched the anime or read up to volume 3 you should have seen the world map. According to bits and pieces of info in later volumes it does feel like a flatworld Not that its of great importance though. When I said in later volumes above yes world building is indeed very slow. The first two or three volumes felt like a grounded realistic mystery pretty much like The Apothecary Diaries. We are not told about the lore and history of this world until halfway through the series. From there it heads towards a more adventure/fantasythemed direction and its an amazing ride too. That also leads to a very interesting development. The story begins with a lot of PvP conflicts and as we learn more about how dangerous and unforgiving this world is the story turns into more of a PvE struggle. And in the final volume it almost feels like its EvE is there such a thing? It certainly shows how insignificant and helpless human beings are when facing the big picture. Its horrifying yet hauntingly beautiful. The characters are all adorable with amazing arcs and development. As what I mentioned above this might not be a superhero saving the world story. Humans are fragile and everyone has their weaknesses and flaws. There are times we see how they overcome them but most of the times they just struggle and have to accept the fact that they are... helpless and incapable. This might sound cheesy but accepting who you really are or who you really are not is still some kind of redemption however painful it is. I particularly love the central theme of the story: freedom. Is freedom inherited or earned? How far would you go to seek for true freedom? And in the end does true freedom grant you true happiness too? Man thats really deep and thoughtprovoking and I was constantly in tears while reading the last two volumes. Volume 7 is one of the best final volumes I have read in a light novel series. Now I am going to shut myself off to mourn over the completion of this series. Its a terrific ride with lots of laughter and tears. And I am going to miss everyone.