The 100th Time’s the Charm

Its full title is: The 100th Time’s the Charm: She Was Executed 99 Times, So How Did She Unlock “Super Love” Mode?!

Yes, it is the title. It’s that long.

Anyway, this is a light novel that started few months ago on J-Novel. Since I have a subscription with them, I happened to read it as the first volume was being translated. With how the title was worded, I didn’t give this story much of hope. I read it simply because it was there and was free to read.

Oh, boy, was I so wrong on that. Now, this review contains spoilers from first half of volume 1.

The story

Alphina is falsely accused of plotting to assassinate Saint Debonaire. She gets executed by beheading. But every single time she gets her head cut off, time rewinds back to some point in the past. It doesn’t remind back to the exact same point but nevertheless she gets executed every single time anyway.

As we read the story, she tells us that her head was disconnected 99 times so far. She tells that she did try to alter her fate with no avail. And soon enough, she gets executed 100th time and time reminds back as usual with a bonus this time. She is now able to read others’ mind. Actually, two bonuses. She now boosts superior physical strength as well as magic.

With so much advantages under her sleeves this time, she successfully deduces that the saint had cast powerful magic to everyone and was controlling them to her downfall. Regardless, she is sick of everything anyway and just decided to avoid her execution and retire into a peaceful life. She is able to escape her execution on 101th try by creating a body double and let it die instead of her. She intends to retire to a forest and spend rest of her life in peace.

As her final act as Alphina, as her double is executed, she dispels the saint’s control over others. Alas, this is perhaps her mistake although understandable.
Since she can read others’ mind, she finds out that those around her deeply loved her. Even her fiance who had always been cold to her almost loses his mind upon realizing what had happened. In fact, everyone loses their shit that Alphina was executed for a simple accusation.

The saint is arrested immediately but escapes to a rival nation. She was going to be executed, but she was a saint of a powerful religion, the church was getting in their way. Enraged further by their failure to act, those who deeply moaned princess Alphina’s unfair death, they begin to prepare for a war with the rivalling nation.

Alphina, now renamed herself as Arle, watches this from a sideline as she attempts to prevent an all-out war from starting. – This is the gist of the story.

The pain that is failure to act.

I don’t generally shed tears reading novels. I didn’t shed tears when reading this, but tears gathered in my eyes when I was reading how people reacted to Alphina’s execution.

One character attempted to commit suicide on spot which Arle stopped with magic. Her fiance cradling her head began to wail out loudly, shouting loudly what the fuck he had done. Her younger brother attempted to kill the saint with his own hands. And others …

It was a very powerful moment.

Supposedly, this is a comedy series.

Yep, it is supposed to contain a fair amount of comedy, and it does. However, it does have its serious moments just as I’ve pointed out above. This series mixes both elements very well. Most of comedic bits are generated from Arle being able to read others’ mind. For an example, a fine looking perfect gentleman prince on outside acts like a total fucking dork inside.

Conclusion

Give this series a shot. I really did not expect much from this and was pleasantly taken back how good the first volume was. I do not see this story being long however because the story feels essentially complete by end of volume 1. I think it will end on just 2nd volume. In fact, I think it should have ended on volume 1. But I can understand the desire to milk a little more dough.