The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases Vol. 2 Review

Synopsis

After being banished from the Duchy of Westfeldt, Allen continues his freewheeling journey, putting the powers he’s retained from his past life to good use in order to assist Princess Riese and her knight, Beatrice. As ever, his ultimate goal is to enjoy a quiet and carefree existence, but things change when the leader of a revolt in the royal capital is revealed to be Allen’s own brother! What exactly is the House of Westfeldt planning? And what familial trauma lurks behind their intrigue? As the capital overflows with madness, Allen is forced to put his dreams of a peaceful life on hold and leap back into the fray! (Source: J-Novel Club)

The Former Hero Faces His Family!

Tales of unrest and the undead.

After defeating a threat to the frontier, the second volume of The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases continues Allen’s adventures, beginning with a personal quest for Riese.

On the hunt for those spreading rumours about her uncle cheating death, their travels take them deeper into the frontier—to a village filled with strange customs. This journey turns out to be quite an emotional one for Riese, as she ends up having to confront Alfred, the uncle she once thought dead. These moments show a new level of weakness and fragility in Riese’s character. However, this shouldn’t be too surprising given how young she is in comparison to the duties she has to perform as a member of the royal family.

Alongside Riese’s emotional reunion, the group’s trip to the frontier village has some interesting tie-ins to the story’s climax. As in the first volume, the demons have been hard at work again, sowing the seeds of evil, but this time they’ve left enough clues for Allen to work out the true mastermind behind their actions.

In line with this deduction, the volume’s climax takes place in the royal capital, where the author draws a sharp focus on Allen’s former family. As is so often the case in the banishment sub-genre, forcing the protagonist into exile isn’t the only evil deed that can be traced back to the Westfelds. With Allen, Riese, and Beatrice away on the frontier, they’ve been putting their machinations into action in an attempt to overthrow the royal family.

Those who enjoy a ‘big bang’ style finale will find plenty to chew on here. The author pulls out all the stops to create an exciting spectacle that involves all the characters we’ve gotten to know over the past two volumes.

Of the points of view shown in this segment, it’s Edward’s that captures the most attention. Only shown a small amount during the previous volume, he gets his moment in the spotlight here as we discover the depths of dedication necessary to become one of the nation’s finest protectors.

My only problem with the climax stems from how early in the series it is. With a majority of the characters only just beginning their own journeys, it naturally feels out of place to immediately put them in a situation that would usually take place at their journey’s end.

Overall, The Banished Former Hero Lives as He Pleases’ second volume is a definite improvement over the first. With a clearer plan in mind, the author creates two great sub-plots that mix a healthy dose of character development alongside some well-placed action sequences.

I Give The Banished Former Hero: 8/10

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You can read the second volume of this series digitally on the J-Novel Club website.