u/fork-shovel

I'm a new fan who started reading the manga. I'm still on Volume 1. I haven't watched the anime—though of course I am aware of ""Unravel"—but I am vaguely familiar with the main story beats until Jason.

Anyway, in Chapter 2, when Ken recovers in the hospital after the organ transplant, he walks into a unisex restroom. A restroom for both men and women.

I think it's a neat little thing that serves as a preview for the theme of body horror found in the story. Body horror that is sometimes manifested in Kaneki as body and gender dysphoria caused by his declining mental health and the fact that his whole life has changed because he received Rize's organs and is now metaphorically haunted by her, seemingly possessed at times.

I know I'm a bit late to the party and that the manga has most likely already been picked clean of these cool little moments, but in case you didn't know, now you do.

There is this moment in the novel where Will compares Elfie to a climbing cat. He also mentions she always liked to climb trees when they were kids. You know... like a cat.

This novel confirms beyond the shadow of a doubt that Will is a cat person, and that all he sees when he looks at people is cats.

The story is great so far. It provides a ton of characterization, background, context, and a great deal of supplementary lore.

Additional meanings that usually go untranslated found in Volume 6.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 楽園隔つ五杖の大境界 (rakuen hedatsu gotsue no dai-kyoukai) is the spell the Magia Vander use to restore the Barrier. Meant to be pronounced as "Vandes Terminalia", while its written meaning is "Great Boundary of Five Wands Separating the Paradise"

Interesting to note is the word "Vandes" is written in japanese as ヴァンデス, which is very similar to how (Magia) Vander is written as ヴァンデ.

The similarity is there on purpose, since the written meaning of the spell contains 五杖 (gotsue) which is also found in the written meaning of "Magia Vander" - 至高の五杖 (Five Supreme Wands).

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 鍋番の護人 (kaban no gojin) is the spell Clairie uses to summon multiple Guardians. Meant to be pronounced as "Keridos Gardinas", while its written meaning is ~"Guardian of the Pot".

"Pot" as in a "small cauldron". Pot is written as 鍋. While 大鍋 (big pot) means Cauldron.

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 青流の侍者 (seiryu no jisha) is the spell Rosti uses to blast away one of the summoned monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Crysto Wreath", while its written meaning is "Attendant of the Blue Stream"

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 黒禍の火番 (kuromaga no hiban) is a Lower Rank spell Edward uses to fight the monsters. It's the same spell he used against Will in their supplementary lesson. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Dax Darbicans", while its written meaning is ~"Fire Guardian of Black Calamity"

[Image 5]

[Image 5] 境界祭 (kyoukai matsuri) is the written meaning of Terminalia. It means Boundary Festival.

The "Boundary" (境界) part is present in the "Vandes Terminalia" spell.

[Image 6]

[Image 6] 戦車解禁 (sensha kaikin) is the code that lifts ban on combat by dwarves. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Gordvere", while its written meaning is ~"Chariots Unrestricted".

"Chariots" as in "a military machine of war", and "Unrestricted" as in "a restriction that's been set in place is now lifted".

[Image 7]

[Image 7] 至殺の王 (shisatsu no ou) is the name of the monster that Will ends up fighting. Meant to be pronounced as "Devander", while its written meaning is ~"Lord of Supreme Killing" or ~"King of Highest Murder"

The title directly refers to the Magia Vander which is written as 至高の五杖, meaning "Five Supreme Wands", and the fact that this monster has killed Magia Vander in the past.

[Image 8]

[Image 8] 魔狩 (magari) is the name for the "Mage Slayer". It's meant to be pronounced as "Sleime", while its written meaning is "Mage Hunter".

This sword is referred to both as Mage Slayer (メイジ殺し = meiji-goroshi) and as Sleime (魔狩り = magari = Mage Hunter).

And that's about all the additional meanings found in Volume 6.

The novel's really good so far. I'm about to finish reading chapter 1.

In the story, Elves don't see themselves as "Mages", but simply as "Elves".

\"You are Mages, and I am an Elf.\" 魔導士 = Mage / 妖精 = Elf (chapter 13)

When Colette called Wignall out for being rude for refusing to accept food from Will, he pointed out, "You are Mages, and I am an Elf."

\"A school for the likes of Mages...\" (chapter 14)

Not only that, but it seems the Elves look down upon the Mages. They see a "Mage" as something that is inferior to an "Elf". When Wignall was having flashbacks to getting bullied by his kin, they said, "Even though he pollutes himself by attending a school for the likes of Mages..." They see him being stuck in a school for Mages as a disgrace.

To be specific, they use the word 燻る (kusuburu), which can mean "being dirty from smoke pollution" or "staying at the same level of a certain social position". Both are meant as an insult towards the idea of a "Mage".

\"I will remain a bystander. This is a Mage's country, after all.\" (chapter 25)

During Terminalia, when the Magia Vander argue over their course of action, Ellenor says that she will remain a bystander because "This is a Mage country." She talks about them in second person. As in, "This is you, Mages' country (not Elves')."

I find this a little sad, because it means that she, as an immigrant, has trouble or is unwilling to assimilate. She doesn't recognize Rizanth as her home. Could be she feels unwelcome or alien in an environment dominated by humans. Maybe that is why her faction is comprised entirely of Elves.

Rizanth = Resident of Paradise (chapter 18)

The elven attitude towards Mages is especially confusing considering they view Rizanth as a sort of Paradise. When Wignall tells Lihanna that he has recognized Will as a friend, the word "Rizanth" is written as "Resident of Paradise". It's pretty interesting how the Elves view a "Mage" as something that is inferior to them, yet they view the home of the Mages as "Paradise".

All this does make me wonder if there are actually any fundamental differences, maybe even genetic, in the approach to magic between Elves and "Humans", or if it's just another unreasonable prejudice. Similar to how most Mages view Dwarves as inferior.

One of the most basic understandings of magic is "power to turn imagination into reality."

We all have dreams of a certain future; we imagine different scenarios, we hope to achieve something or become someone. But without action, those dreams will always remain just dreams. Nothing more than a fictional scenario.

Courage is the force that spurns us into action because we believe in the future or idea we have envisioned. It is thanks to Courage that we are able to take steps to achieve said future; to turn our fantasies into reality. That is what Magic is by the very definition.

So I really like how the true name of Will's magic isn't actually "Wis" but "Courage." He was able to envision himself climbing the Tower and becoming a Magia Vander to see the sunset together with Elfie. He believes in that future and strives to achieve it even if so many others mocked him for it. And it's because of his Courage that he is slowly turning that dream into reality.

「勇気」= Courage / 「魔法」= Magic

btw Will's Magic being Courage has been teased at since Chapter 1, though it is made much more clear in Japanese. When characters talk about Will's Courage, the word "courage" is written inside of**「　」** meaning there's meant to be a double meaning there, though the meaning wasn't fully clear until chapter 26.

When Finn tells Will what his「magic」is, he remembers the moment when Elfie said "I know that Will is「braver」than anybody."

Bravery / Courage = 勇気 (yuuki)

(images from chapters: 26, 1, 18, 26, 27, 28)

Julius has a sweet side to him.

Julius spots the danger up above...

Julius warns of the danger

I really like this moment when Julius screams for Gina to warn her as she's about to get jumped during Terminalia. Working at her inn really helped him develop some empathy.

I mean, warning someone of immediate danger sounds like it should be the norm, but to see Julius—who very much believes in magic supremacy—call out in fear for the safety of a dwarf—a race he ridiculed and humiliated not so long ago—is very nice to see.

I like to think him working part-time at the inn wasn't a one-time thing and that he actually helps her out from time to time. Not that he'll ever admit any fondness, of course. He'll always find some pretext as to why he "has to do it."

(images from chapters 11 + 25)

Additional spell meanings found in Volume 5.

[Image 1]

[Image 1] 黄土の隠者 (oudo no inja) is a Low Rank spell Colette uses as a form of suppressive fire against the Grand Duke to buy Julius time to cast his spell. It's meant to be pronounced as "Frubas Julies", while its written meaning is "Hermit of Yellow Ochre" or "Hermit of Loess"

Ochre is a natural earth pigment made of clay. It is sometimes used in oil paintings.

Loess is a type of terrestrial deposit that's mainly composed of quartz particles carried by the wind or glaciers.

[Image 1] 紅貴の従士 (kouki no juushi) is a Low Rank spell Sion uses for the same purpose. Meant to be pronounced as "Ignis Rooks", while its written meaning is ~"Squire of Esteemed Crimson" or ~"Thane of Noble Red"

This is the same spell Sion throws at Will later on to trigger "Wis".

[Image 1] 深緑の狩人 (shinryoku no karyudo) is a Low Rank spell Wignall uses for the same purpose. Meant to be pronounced as "Verdes Lana", while its written meaning is "Deep-Green Hunter"

[Image 2]

[Image 2] 凍え哭け氷鉄の森 (kogoenake hyoutetsu no mori) is the spell Julius uses with his clones to rain hail on the Grand Duke to immobilize him. Meant to be pronounced as "Armenta Auliscus", while its written meaning is ~"Weep in the Cold, Forest of Iron Ice" or ~"Frozen Weeping Forest of Ice and Iron"

[Image 3]

[Image 3] 血統雷伝：騎士甲冑・雷装 (kettou raiden: kishi kacchu - raisou) is Lihanna's signature enchantment spell. Meant to be pronounced as "Owen Sique: Lisolde Dua", while its written meaning is ~"Thunder Bloodline Technique: Knight's Armor, Lightning Attire" or ~"Lightning Bloodline Tradition: Knight's Armor, Thunder Attire"

"Lightning" and "Thunder" are interchangeable. The 雷 (ikazuchi) character means both.

"Technique" and "Tradition" are interchangeable too. The 伝 (den) character can mean both. It can mean a lot of things, in fact. "Legend" or "Method" also work.

[Image 4]

[Image 4] 雷翔 (raishyou) is a technique / spell Lihanna uses to charge at the Grand Duke while using her Bloodline Technique. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Algiz", while its written meaning is "Thunder Flight" or "Lightning Soar"

[Image 5]

[Image 5] 血統地伝：巨兵の短剣 (kettou chiden: kyohei no tanken) is the spell Colette uses to create a giant sword. Meant to be pronounced as "Loire Sique: Golterre". while its written meaning is ~"Earth Bloodline Technique: Giant Soldier's Short Sword"

[Image 6]

[Image 6] 燃え盛れ焼滅の丘 (moesakare shouemtsu no oka) is a High Rank spell Sion uses to blast the Grand Duke. It's the same spell he used to start a fight against Will during the Magic Festival. Meant to be pronounced as "Iflamme Burdelyon", while its written meaning is ~"Burn Brightly, Hill of Blazing Destruction"

[Image 7]

[Image 7] 魔剣 (maken) is the spell Will uses when he eats Sion's flames. Meant to be pronounced as "Wis", while its written meaning is "Mageblade"

魔剣 can also be understood as "Magic Sword" to better fit with the "Wand and Sword" thing. 魔 (ma) in this context means magic, while 剣 (tsurugi) means sword / blade. I like Mageblade better.

[Image 8]

[Image 8] 炎貴の魔剣 (enki no maken) is a spell / technique Will uses to destroy the Grand Duke. Meant to be pronounced as "Ignis Wis", while its written meaning is ~"Mageblade of Exalted Flames"

[Image 9]

[Image 9] 秩序の光秤 (chitsujyo no koubin) is an ~Advanced Rank (高位) Light-type annihiliation spell Aaron uses to clear up the remaining rampaging monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Lois = (read as "lúa") Eluza", while its written meaning is ~"Illuminating Scales of Order"

[Image 10]

[Image 10] 黒死界・滅天誓いし 極夜の終王 (kuro shikai・metten chikaishi kyokuya no shuuou) or (kokushi kai・metten chikaishi kyokuya no shuuou) is the spell that's listed as Edward's first love on his character sheet that came with Volume 5. It's meant to be pronounced as ~"Kuro Shikai / Kokushi Kai・Arnade Darnatia", while its written meaning is ~"Black Realm of Death・Last King of the Polar Night who Swore to Destroy the Heavens", or ~"Realm of Black Death・Last King of the Polar Night Sworn to Destroy the Heavens"

黒死界 can be read as 黒 (Black = Kuro) + 死界 (Death Realm / Underworld = Shikai), or as 黒死 (Black Death = Kokushi) + 界 (Realm = Kai). There's no furigana attached to any of these, so as of Volume 5, both readings are correct.

The 天 (heavens) character isn't the same as the 空 (sky) one. When people in the story talk about the "False Sky", they say 偽りの空 (itsuwari no sora). The "promise to destroy the Heavens" the spell most likely refers to relates to the Celestial Host, which is written in the story as 天上の侵略者 (tenjyo no shinryakusha) [Heavenly Invaders] = [Celestial Host].

And that's about all the unique spell names found in Volume 5.

When Zeo talks to Ellenor and Elfaria in preparation for the Terminalia ritual, he calls them アバズレ (阿婆擦れ) [abazure], which is a primarily derogatory term meaning ~"bitch," "slut," "tease," or "minx." In essence, "a shameless woman." "Shameless" as in "sexually attractive woman who will use her sex appeal to manipulate other people." I do find this ironic given how he is the only Magia Vander who always has his tits out. No wonder the girls don't like him and call him a "barbarian" (野蛮人).

It's worth to note, however, that "アバズレ" is what he says, but the written meaning of the word is different here. ABAZURE is written as "暴君" (boukun), meaning "tyrant" or "despot". As in "a person with great power who uses said power to oppress others". This most likely ties into how he views some Mage customs as ridiculous and counterproductive, such as oppression and discrimination of the Dwarves, or not seeing any worth in anything that isn't directly magic-related.

The anime uses multiple different terms to translate "ABAZURE". In this instance, they translated it as "brazen harridans", meaning "an angry unpleasant woman who shamelessly orders people around", which seems to be a combination of the two terms "abazure" (bitch / shameless woman) and "暴君" (tyrant).

He's an interesting character.

(image from chapter 20)

Additional written meanings found in Volume 4.

[Picture 1] 颶風の乱爪 (gufuu no ransou) is the wind spell Wignall uses to defeat many Ant monsters at once. It's meant to be pronounced as "Zephros Yubi", while its written meaning is "Typhoon's Frenzied Claws"

[Picture 2] 火頂の夢 (kachou no yume) is the illusion spell Wignall uses to create a ring of illusory fire around the party. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Nardrea", while its written meaning is "Dream of Fiery Summit"

[Picture 3] 深緑の狩人 (shinryoku no karyudo) is the wind spell Wignall uses to attack a Gergesa monster. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Verdes Lana", while its written meaning is ~"Deep-Green Hunter"

[Picture 4] 爆獣の臍緒 (bakujuu no heso-o) is the spell of the Magickal Item made by Rosti and used by Will against Balkar fire monsters. It's the same item he used against Frost Rex in Volume 1. It's meant to be pronounced as "Torus Navalde", while its written meaning is "Umbilical Cord of Exploding Beast"

[Picture 5+6] 王森の召界 (oumori no shoukai) is the spell Wignall uses against Balkar fire monsters. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Alfs Ringhul", while its written meaning is ~"Summoned Realm of Kingswood"

This seems to be the same spell Ellenor used when she was a little girl since it contains the same characters. Though her version is slightly more impressive.

[Picture 7] 聖女の処刑剣 (seijo no shokei-ken) is the spell Edward uses to decapitate many monsters at once. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Zogglus Hilde", while its written meaning is ~"Saint's Exececution Blade" or ~"Holy Woman's Exececution Sword".

There is a character 女 (woman) in 聖女 (saint), specifying that the saint is a woman.

And that's all the unique spells in Volume 4.

[Picture 8] 魔女の眼 (majo no manako) is the written name for the communication "devices" Rigarden mages utilize. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Maser", while their written meaning is "Witch's Eyeball" or just "WItch's Eye"

[Picture 9] 秘晶の守護獣 (hisshou no shugojuu). When Kiki protects Will from an attack, the name "Kiki" is written as ~Guardian Beast of the Concealed Crystal"

And that's about most of the additional meanings found in Volume 4.

She's a real monster slaying mage-knight.
images from chapter 17

Is Edward the one who beheaded Headless?

In chapter 16, both Edward and Headless have pretty big moments that add heavily to their characterisation, which led me to see them as sort of reversals of each other. Both of them seem to use some sort of Dark Magic, but while Edward is serious and dutiful, Headless is carefree and sociopathic.

In the chapter, we see Edward rush to his students' aid and use his magic to behead many monsters at once. The spell he uses also has an incantation saying "Blessing of Decapitation" (断頭の祝福). Soon after that, Headless stumbles into Lihanna's party and sees it as a perfect opportunity to behead them and collect their heads. This is already after he beheaded the other teachers.

Since he possesses a wand, Headless does seem to be a "mortal" Mage. He's also incredibly powerful, as he's the one who summoned the Duke like how you would call a dog. Edward is no joke either, though, since he actually meets the qualifications of being a Magia Vander.

All this makes me wonder if those two have some sort of history together and if it's because of Edward that Headless lost his head.

Translated spell meanings that usually go untranslated because what the characters say isn't the same as what's written.

[Picture 1] 氷炸 (hyousaku) is a spell Julius uses to blow up one of his clones. It's meant to be pronounced as Glast, while it's written meaning is "Ice Burst" or "Ice Explosion"

[Picture 2] 十二の氷秘法 (jyuuni no koori hihou) is a name for the series of spells Elfaria invented. Meant to be pronounced as "El Glace Frosse", while its written meaning is ~"Twelve Secrets of Ice", or "Twelve Secret Ice Arts"

[Picture 3] 一の法・「白の芸術」 (ichi no hou shiro no geijutsu) is the spell of the El Glace Frosse series Julius uses to create clones of himself. Meant to be pronounced as "Ichi no Hou: Ars Weiss", while its written meaning is ~"First Act: Art of White" or ~"First Act: White Art"

[Picture 4] 氷嘆の塔塊 (hyoutan no toukai) is the spell Julius uses to drop a small comet. Meant to be pronounced as "Xelunea Caulis", while its written meaning is ~"Embodied Tower of Icy Lament" or ~"Embodied Tower of Frozen Sorrows"

[Picture 5] 氷壁 (hyouheki) is the spell Julius uses to create a wall of ice. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Frall", while its written meaning is "Ice Wall"

[Picture 6] 蒼氷の詩人 (souhyou no shijin) is the spell Julius uses to fire a barrage of glacial spikes. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Glace Itier", while its written meaning is "Poet of Azure Ice"

[picture 7] All the spells Julius uses except for the El Glace Frosse are Low Rank (下位) and Medium Rank (中位) spells, as per his character sheet. El Glace Frosse is its own classification, presumably on a similar or higher level than High Rank (上位) spells.

[Picture 8] 花の夢 (hana no yume) is the spell Wignall uses to break the fight. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Fleuria", while its written meaning is "Dream of Flowers"

[Picture 9] 血統雷伝：騎士甲冑・雷装" (kettou raiden: kishi kacchuu, raisou) is the enchantment spell Lihanna uses to clad herself in lightning. Meant to be pronounced as ~"Owen Sique: Lisolde Dua", while its written meaning is ~"Thunder Bloodline Technique: Knight's Armor, Lightning Attire"

And that's all the unique spells in Volume 3. Here's a bonus.

[Picture 10] When Lihanna invites Will to discuss the All Student Praxis, all the characters present have a (double) title associated with them.

• Lihanna's is pronounced as "Miss Perfect", written as 完璧才女 (kanpeki saijyo) meaning "Perfect Genius"

• Sion's" is pronounced as "Serfort Killer", written as 瞋恚の炎 (shin-i no hono-o) meaning "Flames of Wrath"

• Julius' is pronounced as "Serfort Killer 2" written as 瞋恚の凍土 (shin-i no toudo) meaning "Frozen Soil of Wrath"

• Wignall's is pronounced as "Magick-Using Elf" written as 絶対的魔法種族 (zettaiteki mahou shuzoku) meaning "Absolute Magical Race"

• Will's is pronounced as "(Book) Learner" written as 筆記のみの優等生 (hikki nomi no yutousei) meaning "Honor Student only at Written Exams"

And yes, Me x Sarisa is in fact the best ship.
She stole my heart, I'm afraid :(

Just some thoughts I had reading the manga.

The spell Julius uses to drop a comet on Will is called Xelunea Caulis, with its written meaning being "Embodied Tower of Icy Lament".

The Tower is called Mercedes Caulis, with its written meaning being the Mage's Tower.

Both of these are written with the character 塔 (tower) present, and in the anime, both are called Caulis. There is a tiny difference in the way "Caulis" is written in Japanese, though it is pretty trivial. The mage's Tower is written as カウリス, while the comet is written as カウリース. This change doesn't really mean much in terms of how it's pronounced; it's pretty much the same. The change is most likely there to account for the presence of the 塊 character.

All of this did make me think, though, that in-universe, the word "Caulis" most likely means or is synonymous with the word "Tower". And if that is the case, then you could argue that the word "Mercedes" means or is synonymous with the word "Mage". The word "Mercedes" (メルセデス) does correspond to the word 魔法使い (mage) in 魔法使いの塔.

I do like the idea that the Mage Queen Mercedes was so legendary and so revered by other Mages that her very own name became synonymous with "Mage".

Additional spell meanings that usually go untranslated because the pronunciation of the word is different from the written word.

[Picture 1] 血統地伝：巨兵の指装 (kettou chiden: kyohei no shisou) is the spell Colette uses to create a Stone Gauntlet. It is meant to be pronounced as Loire Sique: Goltlet while its written meaning is something like Earth Bloodline Technique: Giant Soldier's Hand Gear

[Picture 2] 血統地伝：巨剣の斬骸 (kettou chiden: kyoken no zangai) is the spell Colette uses to create a bunch of Stone Swords. Meant to be pronounced as Loire Sique: Argeorath, its written meaning is something like Earth Bloodline Technique: Giant Sword's Beheaded (or slashed) Corpses

[Picture 3] 燃え盛れ焼滅の丘 (moesakare syoumetsu no oka) is the Upper Rank spell Sion uses to attack both Julius and Will. Meant to be pronounced as ~Iflamme Burdelyon, written meaning is Burn Brightly, Hill of Blazing Destruction

btw, Julius' smile here as he's about to be blasted to hell is something else.

[Picture 4] 追い穿て (oiugate) is most likely a Lower Rank spell Sion uses at the beginning of the fight against Will. Meant to be pronounced as ~Lansear / Ranza, while its written meaning is Chase and Pierce Through. True to its meaning, its a homing spell.

[Picture 5] 火鷹の護人 (hiyou no gojin) is most likely a Medium Rank spell Sion uses to conjure a Fire Hawk Guardian. Meant to be pronounced as ~Hogrus Gardinas, its written meaning is Guardian of the Fire Hawk

[Picture 6] 竜殺しの焔叫 (ryuugoroshi no enkyou) is most likely a Medium Rank spell Sion uses to rain heavy fire on Will. Meant to be pronounced as ~Dragos Nowl, its written meaning is Dragon Slayer's Flaming Shout

And that's all the unique spells in Volume 2. Well... there is that one spell the Elf Faction uses to create the environment for the game, but it's not very interesting. It just means "Great Circular Natural Landscape". Yep, that checks out.

BTW.2 On Sion's character sheet [picture 7 + 8], it's said that he knows 下位 (low rank) and 中位 (medium rank) Fire Spells + 1 上位 (high rank) spell. It's just my speculation, but I believe (with Sion at least) that the amount of incantation necessary determines the rank of the spell. Lansear didn't require any incantation, so I believe it's a Low Rank spell, while Hogrus Gardinas and Dragos Nowl did. Iflamme Burdelyon also had the longest incantation and is directly confirmed to be a High Rank spell.

The incantations preceding the spells themselves are very interesting as well. There is a bit of wordplay happening there but it's really kind of impossible to translate correctly. The point is the double meanings and switching one character for another while not changing the pronunciation or the meaning, but adding an extra layer to it. It's something that only really makes sense in Japanese, I'm afraid.

though I may give it a shot at some point

Just some crazy thoughts I had. Might be reading too much into this, but in chapter 5, the word "Dwarf" is written as "incapable race", as in "race incapable of magic". It directly contrasts with the way the word "Elf" is written as "magickal race".

It seems to be common knowledge in the story that the Dwarves immigrated to this world from their own to escape the Celestial Host. I wonder how they managed to travel between worlds assuming they can't use magic. Elves are also said to have immigrated to Rhizanth from their own world. Maybe both Elves and the Dwarves come from the same world? It is interesting how two races from separate worlds found their way to the same place. Or maybe the Dungeon is somehow involved?

The Mage Queen Mercedes said about the Dungeon that "All is born from the Dungeon" and that "all is connected". The Dwarves are also most often called 土の民 , as in "People of the Earth", and the entrance to the Dungeon in the manga is called 深界の門 (Gate to the Deep World / Depths), which naturally leads underground. I wonder if it's possible that the Dwarves somehow found their way to this world through the Dungeon. Maybe the Dungeon is a thing that connects multiple worlds?

I don't really know yet what happens in the story beyond the events of season 2, but it definitely seems like the Dungeon is one of the most important set pieces given how that's where everyone—be it students, teachers, bad guys, or even Magia Vander themselves—goes to for some purpose. Could be just for practice and ingredients, or could be something else.

All spells and many words in the manga have an additional meaning that usually goes untranslated because it's meant to be pronounced as something other than what is written. It's a practice known as Gikun (義訓). A lot of them are made up words that don't exist in the Japanese language proper. Here are some of those meanings from Volume 1.

[Picture 1] **黒禍の番人** is the offensive spell Edward uses against Will. It is meant to be pronounced as ~ "**Dax Darbicans**", which is a fictional word, of course, but in Japanese the written meaning is something like "**Guardian of Black Calamity**".

[Picture 2] **黒檻** is the defensive spell Edward uses. It is meant to be pronounced as ~ **Darge**, while its written meaning is "**Black Cage**". Bit of a personal observation from me, but Edward creates a "Cage" around himself with him at the centre. I feel like it fits his obsession with magic well. He loves magic, but he does not seem to enjoy it much. It's an unhappy kind of love. He literally closes himself off in a jail cell of magic.

[Picture 3] This is the final unique spell in Volume 1. **爆獣の臍緒** is a "spell" / technique of the magical item Will uses against the Frost Rex. Pronounced as ~ **Torus Navalde**, written as "**Umbilical Cord of the Exploding Beast**".

[Picture 4] When Iris meets Magia Vander to recommend Will, Ellenor uses two words that don't exist in the Japanese language. It's a bit of Neologism / worldplay. The words are **優種** (yuusyu) and **劣種** (ressyu). 優種 has been translated in the anime as "promising seedlings," and that's valid, since 優れる means "to excel / to surpass", while 種 on its own means literally "seed." When 種 is combined with another character though, it most often means "race," "kind," or "species," especially in fantasy settings such as these. So, another valid interpretation here is that Ellenor says she wants more of either the "superior race", as in "Elves", or more "superior mages", as in mages who are already naturally superior to non-mages.

劣種 makes all of this less open to interpretation, though. After Iris recommends Will, Ellenor says, "**Do not further increase the number of "inferior people" (劣種) I have around me.**". To Ellenor, Will isn't much different from her fellow Magia Vander or other mages at the Tower. Just another someone who is inferior to her. All of this ties into how the word "Elf" is often written in the manga, but that's in later volumes.

[Picture 5] Dwarves in Wistoria are always called "Dwarves" but are written as multiple different things. The two most common writings are **ドワーフ**, which literally means "Dwarf", and **土の民**, which means ~ "**People of the Earth / Soil / Dirt / Mud**". Earth as in the element.

[Picture 6] Will's nickname "(book) learner" is most often written as **筆記のみの優等生** (hikki nomi no yuutousei), which means "model student only at written exams". I find this particularly mean, since the nickname openly acknowledges Will's strength—his theoretical knowledge and unique insight into applications of magic—yet they still turn it into something that is to be ridiculed.

There's other stuff too, but it's all kinda trivial, so I didn't bother adding it here.

Made this this morning. Chapter 5.