[Falkor]

Volume 4, chap 1 (44%)

After reading the prologue (which I found a bit confusing, no surprise here), I was not entirely sure of what kind of story to expect, more or so because of the revelation last volume. However, I have to say that I'm pleasantly surprised by the turn of events. Iroha has totally grabbed my interest and attention, not only because of her awesome and twisted display of leadership, but also because of her rather crude resolve to gain the trust of others. she won quite a good amount of points for doing what she did, right there.

Kazuki, on the other hand, has shown more resolve and determination, but he doesn't have the luck, or perhaps the confidence, to have things go his way. I think it's a huge blunder not to depend more on Maria. she may look like a helpless princess in this new installment of the game, but she has the brains and the composure, both of which he lacks. Leaving our favorite heroine in the dark, when all kind information is crucial in order to win, can end up becoming his most counterproductive course of action---and we need more Maria, too.

Spoiler for Speculation and thoughts (Volume 4, chap 1 (44%)):

Past Information

So one of the things I have been wondering about has been finally answered: the npcs do not remember past rounds, while the human player does. There are so many ways to use this kind of information. I strongly believe that Zero's presence is not absent from this new installment of the game. As has been the case in the first two volumes, I want to think that he is disguising as one of the characters (or npcs). and if by any chance this turns out to be true, the person in question must remember information from past rounds---perhaps, information about the characters themselves---or show any odd/strange behavior that cannot be easily explained in direct comparison to what he/she did before. This is one of the reasons, why I believe that this fourth volume, as things stand now, is probably not the last we will see of this game, more or so because this idea/concept hasn't been explored in great detail.

Kingdom Royale

Now that we have a new view of what Kingdom Royale is, the dynamics of the game have slightly changed. I don't think this is any longer an invitation to kill, but an scenario where one can and should control the others in order to win the game---just another facet of human nature. Placing your trust in someone is important, as important as being able to gain the trust of others and be trusted. That's why, I still think that Kazuki is making a huge mistake by not confiding his current situation to Maria (together with all the information she is not aware of). The killing aspect of this game may have lost its momentum, but I'm pretty sure it will show up sooner or later. As things are presently developing, people are more likely to doubt and distrust others, and it will eventually come down to what this game is all about. Plus, I want to believe that there's going to be another round of this game, and for that to happen, killing must occur.

Who is Zero?

One of the most interesting aspects of this novel is finding the identity of Zero. While it's not entirely clear whether his presence has been confirmed in Kingdom Royale, we can deduce, from past installments of the novel, that he will surely find himself amidst the situation, involved in one way or another. He is the kind of being who enjoys pulling the strings of the characters; he will not take direct participation, but will do anything in his power to carry the purpose of the box and the will of the owner. Yuuri, Iroha, Kamiuchi, Daiya, even Maria and Kazuki have all shown very odd behaviors, perhaps influenced by the will of the box and the real threat to their lives. but any of them can be the disguise of Zero...

Kamiuchi's madness and thirst for blood are the two most prominent aspects of his character, making him someone whose actions people will think particularly strange, only because no sane human will enjoy so much as to being in this kind of situation as him---at least, not to the point where he finds a morbid amusement in killing others. This peculiar behavior and the way he feels amused by the environment and the people surrounding him, are aspects I will surely associate to Zero. However, there's something about him that makes me think that he is not Zero. He's involved himself, thus far, in more than direct direct ways to propitiate a winner of the game, by physically murdering. also, he is not particularly manipulative, or cunning enough, to deceive, control and persuade others---something you will expect of Zero's character.

On the other hand, I will suspect of Daiya only because the npc and his human character appear, on the surface, to be so mutually exclusive. While Daiya (the human player) created the game and surely wants to see it continued, Daiya (the npc) has expressed in more than one occasion that he does not wish participate in it, and rather wants to see some form of conclusion being reached---which somehow contradicts with the thoughts of Daiya (the human player). I find this especially odd, given that you will expect a common goal between the two, at least, in order to kill boredom (which this game surely provides the means to do so); and I don't want to think that this dissonance between the human player and his npc came about only because of the real threat to his life. I get the feeling that there's something else Daiya is hiding, though I'm not sure as to what...

I'm finding Iroha to be the most realistic character, and the one I will suspect the least for being Zero. Her character introspection during the third round confirms that she is someone intelligent, with no ulterior motive, and who hasn't found any enjoyment in playing the game---going as far as to ending the threat to her life as fast as possible in order to guarantee her victory. To her, the end can justify the means, and approaching it the way she did is a testimony of her strength and determination---something you will not expect of Zero's character.

The one I'm suspecting the most just happens to be Yuuri. I have this feeling that there's something really strange and odd about her character ever since the third volume, ever since the first round. She may appear to be an innocent and harmless girl on the surface, but during her turn, she was someone capable of manipulating, controlling and deceiving others. Even so, when it was not her turn, she was already giving hints of this behavior, or at least, affected the game in indirect ways: her death was the "signal" to begin the first round (and she somehow propitiated it); she is the person who has so far interacted the most with both Iroha and Kamiuchi, the ones to have taken direct participation in changing the flow of the game. And not only that, her name has a connection to Kazuki's past, and there's no coincidence in this world. Manipulating, deceiving and controlling others... sounds like something Zero would do; that's why, I'm suspecting her the most.

Yuuri will agree

Yes, I want to think that Yuuri will agree with Kazuki's idea (at least on the surface), only because it will spice things more, by creating the distrust that will further the purpose of the game and lead to the inevitable killing.