I wonder if this series has a The Dark Knight-esque hiding the truth for the greater good situation going on, we have this neat story about how long ago a cataclysm called Emissary of Wormwood wrecked havoc on the continent and then seven brave and talented Magi used their power to save people from the brink of devastation. Whenever the series talks about this history it’s always through the framework of that puppet theatre aesthetic and not an actual flashback, this is mostly the case for the attempted Haupi genocide as well except for one panel in Chapter 26 that shows a Haupi praying in a prison cell.
This history is so important that the old guard of the seven Magi passing the torch to a new generation is a huge and uneasy turning point in history, Komako and Taksha are discussing the possibility of war breaking out because of this in Chapter 13.
In Chapter 24 when talking about possible replacements for the Magus of the Library it’s brought up that “It doesn’t matter how many candidates we consider.” “Because none of them have saved the world” The Seven’s status as heroes who saved the world together makes them important political symbols that supposedly can’t be turned against without losing the people’s trust and destabilizing power structures.
Sedona’s book that they gifted to Theo also seems to have a dangerous secret. In Chapter 19 Theo says “The things that book says are dangerous!” “If it fell into the wrong hands…” “…That book could rip apart the society everyone worked so desperately to build!” I can only think of one thing that would have the power to do that.
One of the major themes of this manga is coexistence with different races and another is how books, texts and stories can effect us, we see this in Chapter 1, “The Adventures of Shagrazzat” gave Theo hope that one day a hero would come and whisk him away from his awful life.
Chapter 5, Chaak through reading the “History of the Rakta People” is able to learn about the culture of her sister’s fiancé and clear up the misunderstandings she had about him that were brought about through culture clash.
In the Volume 1 Omake we learn that “The Adventures of Shagrazzat” a story about a pirate captain with an eclectic crew composed of peoples from every land is being used by the Central Library in the hopes of easing the tension between the races.
So what if the history of the seven great Magi defeating the Emissary of Wormwood is just another piece of fiction just like “The Adventures of Shagrazza” told with the purpose of promoting coexistence between the different races. A story about a bunch of Magi each from the different races defeating a great evil would be perfect for that.
And just like in the sequel The Dark Knight Rises, someone is probably going to bring this secret to light and when people find out their society is built on a falsehood, it will create the conflict that the top brass of the Central Library are anxious about. |
