I don't understand the high ratings for this novel.

Right from chapter 1 the novel devolves into a typical slice-of-life romantic comedy.

The elf s*ave girl is just as stereotypical as they get: a pitiful s*ave who is designed to be as cute as possible, disregarding all logic and sanity. Forget about wanting freedom, or going back to her homeland/family/friends. Of course she won't have these, anything that might get in the way of the MC's s*xual desires must be removed from the girl's backstory.

The MC is said to have had little... more>> to no s*xual interest until now. He is supposed to have lived hand-to-mouth for most of his youth, his only purpose in life until the start of the story was to become as strong as possible so that he wouldn't have to live the life of a s*ave.

And then...He spends his entire fortune to buy a s*ave, about whom he knows nothing, just because she looks pretty. Let that sink in for a minute. This guy, who has lived by eating the worst food, surviving by stealing from people, who cared for naught except improving his magic, has finally acquired some modicum of wealth. He throws all of that away to buy a girl because of "love at first sight".

f*cking really?

And of course, chapter 2 is about finding the elf girl a place to live, and then it goes on to cooking and shopping, because this is a JP story and how can a JP story be complete without copious descriptions of cooking and shopping.

If the author really wanted to write a story about a MC who only cares about getting stronger and thinks that women are mostly a bother, he would have written WMW.

This MC feels like Leylin with some mind-control magic applied to make him act the way the author wants him to (doesn't give a sh*t about normal girls, but can't stop dribbling all over himself when it comes to this random elf girl). Doesn't feel realistic at all. <<less

This is about a (handsomely evil-looking) 18-year old mage who falls in love at first sight with a white-haired elf girl (white hair symbolizes lots of power that can be used as magic if she is sacrificed). Note, this is the first time this mage boy has fallen in love, therefore he is extremely tsundere unable to communicate his thoughts properly, which leads to the poor elf girl's fear (of being sacrificed) even though his only intention is to make her into his waifu wife. It's so fluffy and adorable.... more>> A definite must read. No reincarnation or much drama (I've only read 3 chapters). <<less

I am angry with the author of "An Archdemon's dilemma..." as the one messed up with my expectations of a story.

It has quite good background. There are two people who were rejected by their societies. They had to struggle to survive, they were starving and being tormented. Hard life made Zagan an evil sorcerer. In case of Nephilia she simply resigned, shut her feelings in and wanted to die. Story describes a twist of fate that made two young people met each other. Thanks to that they cured their wounded... more>> souls by exchanging love and kindness to each other. So we have got beautiful dark fantasy romance. And that's it.

Broken harts treatment is mostly finished in first volume. Main characters relationship evolves but author discribes it like it would be insignificant. More important for him are classic LN moments like lap pillow, tsundere behavior, romantic cleaning ears (!!????) etc. With every volume the story deteriorates to primitive slices of life pseudo comedy for shut in neets. Volumes 2-5 are quite readable. Zagain's family and number of his friends increases. There are some action, mystery and fights.

But in 5 volume logic is to heavily r*ped to turn a blind eye on it. It is caused by writer stubborness of describing strong women as weak at the same time who need Zagan's help. So Kuroka plot is very predictable and unreliable. Next two volumes are great disappointment. Volume 6 describes Zagan curse which is almost a copy of event that happened to Nephy earlier. Volume 7 is a simple playing on a beach with swimsuits.

Zagan appeares to be harmless small dog who just barks a lot. He killed only few people in 1st volume. Even the worst disgusting and dangerous villain survives. Most fights are ordinary sparrings with people who appeares to become main character friends. Zagan thinks about killing other archdemons and create safe and happy environment for Nephy but he is doing nothing to make it happen by himself.

LN becomes boring very quick because every volume follows with the same schema.

And last comment about translation. It is unbelievable that "An Archdemon's dilemma..." is payed licensed book. There are so many mistakes as it would be translated by someone who knows English from Google.

I will follow to read it as I am interested how Zagan and Nephy romance story will be solved but honestly speaking only 1st volume is worth to read.

PS.: I would rather not attach a tag "harem" to this LN.

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Absolutely, absolutely underrated read. Do not be fooled by the typical lengthy and "weeb"-ish title. The novel is adorable. Yes, it has a tinge of anime stereotypes, like stuttering, but it's all at acceptable levels.

The main character is not your like dense motherf**kers in manga and other novels, but is rather socially inept. He feels like a real person, not someone just cut out from cardboard. He has a reason for the way he acts, and it's explained almost in every chapter so far.

The plot itself is somewhat cookie-cutter in... more>> terms of background - OP MC vs the World, but that's done in quite a way that you don't mind having a badass MC. It's debatable about how the story goes along with the side characters and how the Church is the stereotypical "Evil" organization that has it out for mages and their ilk, because "Dur hur hur, all mages are evil, amirite"?

I gave this novel a look because I liked the summary and thought it might be a good time killer. I ended up reading it all the way to the end of the translated chapters, and I can definitely say I will be coming back to read more. <<less

Dont be fooled by the title and premise. This isn't a half-assed elf s*ave wish fulfillment story.

It can be silly and cutesy at times, but the romance in this novel is really well done (so far) and surprisingly deep emotionally.

Although it starts off with "love at first sight, " the main characters support each other equally and have real reasons behind their actions. The world building is fairly well done and has never felt boring. I'm looking forward to see how the story will develop.

Kinda of ret*rded that all the 1-star reviewers or 4 stars kinda forget that Zagan is a guy who is brought up in a very rough upbringing, being so ridiculously stoic and emotionless at the start that the only possible guy he can conversate with is Barbaros who is over the top.

It's not a f*cking surprise that he's not used to women or anyone in general (he gave thought on women at some point when Barbaros brought them up) He's lived his life as this Demon Lord, Evil Mage, who... more>> can do any morbid thing to pursue his Immortality. Nephie just changed his life, he fell in love with her (for the first time) Therefore anything that can potentially make her hate him would be disastrous!

Beta cuck? More like an awkward stoic monster who fell in love with someone, therefore, doesn't know what to do with her.

My word, just read it. I never f*cking trust anyone who screams "BETA CUCK" because it's very likely that they're pieces of awkward human tr*sh in real life who never touched a girl's hand OR a douchebag who treats women like garbage but thinks of themselves as gentlemen, they should die. <<less

This is a cute and likable story. The MC is socially awkward generic anime protagonist, but he's got enough personality that he doesn't feel like a self-insert type. Elf Wife is adorable and has an actual character. Holy Knight Girl is an innocent maiden in love with the enemy, not a tsundere as some other reviewers have said.

Plotline seems decent. The MC's morals are... questionable, but they are presented as such. This is a saccharine story so far, so just enjoy it.

Protip: Skip Naked Singularity's two translated chapters, they're decent but Mountain of Pigeons' version is pretty much perfect.

Adorable and hilarious. It sticks to the premise well, and gives you exactly what you hope for in a story like this. Surprisingly well-written despite the fluff, though, and the author drops little hints of world building too. A short but excellent read.

It's good.

The writing, the development of chara, and the plot. From the title alone you should have guess it was mainly slice of life romcom with action as finishing move/spices. So if you are someone who liked a short, over the top, action oriented, lot of s*xual content, webnovel with edgy chara who always angry at some people this novel is not going to please you.

Definitely a refreshing read compared to most JP romance novels out there. It’s less focused on lust/looks and is more focused on love and emotion. Though the MC isn’t exactly selfless, he does prove to be very thoughtful and respectful towards the heroine. Not sure how the rest of the story will turn out, but if it continues like it had been, I’m sure you will enjoy this novel. In terms of power, the MC isn’t completely broken, though I dare say he will grow stronger to protect who he... more>> loves. <<less

Every time I read their interactions, my kokoro feels so warm and fluffy inside. I can't help but think: "I see, so this is what they call as love huh". Besides the heart-warming interaction between our MC and his lovely elf, you'll also get comedy as the side dish in this novel. If you want to read something warm and fluffy, I strongly recommended this novel for you.

I want to say that it's good but it kinda disappointed me. What do I expect? It's a beta jp male protag who have no balls... Well, I know that the MC is an awkward one but still... Just do it! It's exhausting reading this when their relationship doesn't progress at all, I'm like reading a shoujo manga which at least has drama and interesting Side Chara. This one introduces girls similar cliche harem works... Rather than some good lighthearted romance, I'm tortured to read a 'romance novel' with the... more>> main heroine but introduces other girls.

If you are tired of beta jp males, don't read this save yourself from disappoint. <<less

When reading the tags and synopsis I expected a generic Japanese beta wank. Actually surprisingly good for a Japanese novel even if the story drags due to the ever present hesitancy of jap mcs. The heroine is not a bundle of cliches, and seems to have potential to be useful beyond being a plot driver. The holy knight however seems to be a generic tsunderish girl knight.

I actually think the biggest flaw of this novel is the MC, he is the generic edgy loner genius MC who actually has a... more>> heart of gold that attracts all the ladies. Like most japanese novels, each chapter so far has been padded out by monologues of the MC hesitating over every single thing. I felt like screaming "GET THE STORY ROLLING!!!" but still was a relatively unique and cliche free novel. <<less

The main problem is the bait&switch - we are promised in the title and illustrations if not romance proper than at least a romcom. However 90% of volume contents is inane action/adventure with a side dish of "politics" with 10% at most of what we were all promised.

It's as if the author thinks that if Nephie appears too much she would lose her appeal. Moreover the main relationship progresses but very slowly - again due to the lack of focus on that.

A decent read still, but could have been 5/5... more>> if the author actually delivered on the premise. <<less

I really love the sweet romance between the Demon mage lord, Zagan who looks cold & evil on the outside but is actually shy & kind on the inside & his poor cursed s*ave Elf, Nephie who had lost her reason to live as she had never receive any warm or kindness in her life.?❤

Even if it doesn't look like it from the title. The characters do actually have believable reasons for their actions.

Yes the main character and his love interest are both kind of awkward and some people might not like that. But if you look at they background it kind of make sense for their relationship be like that.

Include unexpectedly interesting world building at this deserve 5 stars

The description made this story sound better than it actually is, but it isn't bad by any means either.

Premise: The protagonist is a mage. Mages are practicing a kind of "scientific magic", where they use formulas and magic circles to hack reality. They have a bad reputation, because they are often research-obsessed amoral jerks who kidnap and sacrifice people for materials and such. The thirteen most powerful mages are called the Demon Lords, each possessing a crest that makes them head and shoulders above the rest of the mages, and... more>> they are opposed by a church with their twelve holy swords that have the power to disrupt magical circles. The protagonist is a young, antisocial, but accomplished mage who gets invited to an auction held after the death of on of the Demon Lords, selling off some miscellaneous things he had that wasn't related to his heritage and the other Demon Lords didn't want. One such miscellaneous "item" was a freshly acquired white elven s*ave girl. The protagonist immediately falls in love with her at first sight and, using pretty much all his liquid wealth, he outbids everyone and buys her, then takes her to his mage tower/castle... only to realize that, due to his bad attitude and ineptness at communication, he has no way to convey his feelings to her.

Now, when I first read the title, I thought this was going to be about a "demon lord", with a big evil castle, a bunch of minions and all the other tropes. Instead what we have is a socially awkward hermit researcher, who is also a misunderstood jerk with a heart of gold, living all alone in the middle of the wilderness, and when he becomes a demon lord (not really a spoiler, it's in the title), the only thing that changes is that he becomes stronger, but he gets no new obligations or anything.

What this story is about is pretty much slice-of-life comedy, a bit of magical action, more slice-of-life comedy, lots of UST between the two main characters, and some more slice-of-life comedy. Thankfully the writing is pretty good, the humor is enjoyable (though sometimes it veers a little too close to misunderstanding-comedy shenanigans), the characterinteractions are adorable,

Spoiler

hell, in the second volume, they even get a loli dragon adopted daughter who is pretty much a Kanna expy for Maidragon

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and overall it is a pleasant reading experience.

However, there are two parts where the story falters. First off, the world-building is piss-poor. We never really get a proper scale of the world, the power-scaling is inconsistent, the social-hierarchies are ill-defined and it is just generally very lackluster. The other problem is with the "villains". So far we had two, and both of them had idiotic motivations, went ass-backwards when trying to achieve their goals, and in the end the MC not only spares them, but they pretty much become part of the household, with all their crimes and actions swept under the rug.

That said, I would overall recommend this story as a light read between heavier novels. It's cute, it's clichéd, it's light, but that's what makes it enjoyable. Not every story has to be a full course meal, sometimes you just want a quick snack and move on, and this story fulfills that role to a T. <<less

A refreshingly nice read. The characters develop at just the right pace, the background setting is good and logical, magic system and mages make sense and even fan service and gags feel pretty natural. Overall a well written story I would recommend any day.

It is a sweet romance featured by a MC with communication difficulty. You will see how the elf and the others gradually change their attitude toward the MC as they discover what he truly is under that dense, villain-like appearance and speaking tone.

It has surprisingly good world building. The world's "power system" got very well explained, as the author takes his time and explain how magic comes to be, and how sorcerers gain their power. It even goes as far as explaining the subtle differences between different sorcerer practices, just... more>> to clarify the MC's code of conduct and OPness. I very well appreciate this part; in my opinion it distinguishes itself from many other of the same genre. <<less

I can see the ending even though the premise is good unless it was change by the author and that is:

Nephie will be sacrifice at the end because of her kind and Zagan end up saving the world at the price of his wife. Still I read many tragedy and love story as one and I see where this is going so I don't feel hopeful for a good ending even though tragedy wasn't tag in NU.

But I still appreciate the heartwarming content given by author, and gives off a... more>> radiant feeling especially their conversation.... every conversation is a M.U.S.T., you read it? It's a M.U.S.T.

I don't usually write a review if it's something mediocre but there's no reincarnation and fanservice or whatsoever so somehow it's new to me. But I admit that it's still another world that was something that is same as other novels <<less