I really wanted to like this. There's a framework of a good story.
The art is easily the best part of this story. It's consistent and steady, with decent flow as long as we're not talking about the fighting scenes. The anatomy and angles look and nice dynamic.
It's also clear that the writer has some skills. The tone is consistent. Side characters are pretty varied and so far none of them are particularly stupid or evil. And I think the attempt to make the MC's background different than most Otome Isekai story is nice and appreciated.
But...
The tl;dr of my complaint is; the story is weightless. And not in a good way.
For one, it's too aimless. I've read through the end and there are plenty of moments where I'm like, "Wait is that it?? No development, no conclusion?? JUST THIS???"
There's a clear attempt to emulate Sousou no Frieren, with the basic 'what happens after defeating the Demon King' premise and the faint tone of the storytelling. However, the attempt is very skin deep.
Frieren's narrative may feel breezy and wistful, but it is thoughtful, the characters well-defined and vivid. This story... is not. It's just empty.
I know that "brilliant slacker who wants peace and calm keeps being thrown deeper and deeper into intrigue and drama" is a common enough subgenre, but... this story adds all these elements but doesn't really dive deep enough into any of them. Things keep happening. The protagonist keeps reacting. And yet, the feelings remain mostly flat.
The action is just there, the court politics is just there, the school politics is just there, the fantasy element is just there, the mystery is just there, the romance is just there. Even the slacking, which is the MC's raison d'etre, is almost never shown.
There's a conspiracy unfolding, and yet...it's like the story isn't even interested to go there. In fact, I don't think the story is interested at ANYTHING.
Worst of all, is that this flatness is also extended to the character bonds. This story is nothing like Frieren despite using the same framework; none of the original 'Hero Party' feels like good friends, much less comrades forged in fire and battle.
Story arcs are concluded without much changes. Secret villain has as much impact as neighborhood bully, and supposed best friends and fire-forged comrades feel the same as a random NPC introduced for the arc.
In the end, while the cast is introduced as these complex set of issue and trauma, the story doesn't do much about it. Everything is resolved without any significant change to the characters' personality and mindset.
Overall, I find that there is a significant restraint in the writing that results in every single plot landing softly, flatly, despite being paced with the same kind of pacing you'd expect in more serious stories.
But my praises still apply. For all its flaws, the story is very easy to read. Characters aren't being fleshed out, but at least they're not as stupid and frustrating as some other stories are.
It's....again, not the best...but...yeah.
