Unnamed Memory, as this volume explains, is divided into acts; volume 3 heralds the end of Act One. You are almost certainly able to guess what happens here because of the cover and the subtitle Vows for Eternity, but trust me…you won’t see what’s coming post-wedding.
Yes, Tinasha the witch and King Oscar become husband and wife here. Despite having kissed Oscar previously, training him, and generally always thinking about him, it takes others’ prodding for Tinasha to realize she loves Oscar. Then, she is reluctant to actually marry him, as she’d be fine being Oscar’s mistress.
So considering how much Oscar has wanted Tinasha to become his, you’d think the confession scenes and the wedding would be highlights of the novel. Surprisingly, not so much. As with other volumes (and light novels in general), there are some opening color pages that feature what I think a lot of people will want to see: the introduction of another witch. And even better, a witch vs witch fight.
Tinasha is considered the strongest of the five, and even though she’s technically lost some power, she’s still OP. But at least facing off with another witch, one with fast regeneration powers and many, many years on Tinasha, feels more like an equal battle compared to some of the previous fights. And, quite frankly, it’s just exciting to meet another witch, one who just isn’t a pure, somewhat eccentric kindhearted soul like Tinasha or Lucrezia. Not saying people won’t have some sympathy for Leonora, but she’s an active agitator who gets her jollies from making nations unstable.
We also meet the demon lord of this world, and he’s quite a character. While we get some info and strong inclinations about why he’s hanging out in the human realm, there seems to be quite a story there, and I want to know more.
But I don’t know if we’re going to get that chance because of the last chapter. And if you don’t want to know why, look away and jump to the final paragraph!
Here it is, two words:
Time travel.
Yes, time travel. The light novel has mentioned before this is when the Age of Witches would come to an end, but I don’t think anyone expected that to involve messing with timelines. There are a few connections that could have been explained in just about any way, so basically, this twist comes out of nowhere. And this is not going to be a short visit to another time.
My first impression of this development is…not good. Unnamed Memory: Vows for Eternity is another long volume, so up to that point, across three volumes, the series is probably what, 750 pages? So readers get through all of that just for the series to say, “Okay, don’t get too comfortable with the characters and setting you’ve read!” In a note from the author of Re:Zero, Tappei Nagatsuki assures readers author Furumiya is able to pull off this new development well, and maybe she can. I personally, however, don’t think I would have been disappointed if the story had just continued with Tinasha reuniting with her fellow witches, especially the Witch of Silence who had cursed Oscar in the first place and has yet to make her appearance.
But if you like your stories to completely shake things up and make it so you have no idea where the plot’s headed, Vows for Eternity does just that. If this new plot doesn’t pan out, readers can just totally ignore the final chapter and pretend Unnamed Memory ends with an epic desert battle and a wedding full of the happily-ever-after spirit.