“How hard do you think I've worked for your sake?”—“Buchigire Reijou wa Houfuku wo Chikaimashita. Madousho no Chikara de Sokoku wo Tatakitsubushimasu” is a work where you empathize with the protagonist's anger so much that you can almost hear such a cry. While there are many young lady stories that begin with a broken engagement, the appeal of this work lies in how the betrayed protagonist doesn't just become happy and get back at them, but begins to move to retaliate against the “homeland itself” that trampled on her. An incident that started from a romantic complication eventually develops into a grand counterattack involving the economy, politics, and the nation.

The protagonist is Elizabeth Leiston, a duke's daughter in the Kingdom of Haldoria. From a young age, she made continuous efforts to become the future mother of the nation, making up for the mistakes of her fiancé, Crown Prince Friede, helping her father the duke with his work, and even supporting the king from behind the scenes. However, on the night of the Foundation Day party, Friede shifts his affection to another young lady, Sylvia Lockit, and unilaterally declares the cancellation of the engagement to Elizabeth. While that alone is a terrible enough story, she is even framed with false charges and imprisoned in a cell. The years she spent for the sake of the country, the royal family, and her fiancé are trampled upon in a single night by malice and irresponsibility.

From here on, the development unfolds just as the title of this work suggests. Elizabeth, who has endured for many years, finally snaps completely. And what she awakens is the powerful divine artifact she had kept hidden until now, [The Seven Grimoires (Grimoire Sevens)]. She does not quietly suffer in silence or quietly leave the country despite receiving unreasonable treatment. As if to say, “If you want to make me a villain that much, I'll become your enemy just as you wish,” she resolves to retaliate against her homeland. At this moment, there is an intense sense of exhilaration as Elizabeth transforms from a mere victim into a presence that moves destiny herself.

Elizabeth defected from the Kingdom of Haldoria with the help of Lucas Lebrick, the ambassador of the neighboring Yutear Empire. Then, changing her name to “Ellie Leis,” she begins a new life. What is interesting here is that she does not attack her homeland relying solely on the overwhelming power of the grimoires. Utilizing the abundant knowledge and experience she acquired while supporting the kingdom until now, she establishes the Traitor Company. While building connections, accumulating economic power, and even preparing military force through the grimoires, she steadily expands her influence. Rather than charging into the castle swinging a sword, the way of fighting that makes them realize “what happens when you turn an excellent person who was supporting the country into an enemy” is a charm unique to this work.

What is particularly impressive when reading is that Elizabeth's true strength is not just [The Seven Grimoires]. She was originally competent enough to support the crown prince and the royal family behind the scenes, and she also possesses knowledge regarding politics and the economy. In other words, the Kingdom of Haldoria banished an extremely talented person with their own hands, and sent that person over to the enemy nation's side. The more Elizabeth succeeds, the more the irony arises: “If they had treasured this person, wouldn't the kingdom have prospered more?” This structure creates a fascination that cannot be savored through simple “served-them-right” alone.

What I personally feel is satisfying about this work is how Elizabeth does not keep crying over past betrayals forever, but transforms that anger into her own growth and success. Of course, retaliation is the main objective of the story, but as you read further, you can enjoy it less as a “revengeful young lady” and more as a story of a woman who was once robbed of everything building up immense power by making the most of her abilities. And the structure where the side that abandoned her realizes the greatness of her value after the fact is also truly thrilling. Starting from an unreasonable broken engagement and scaling up to business, politics, magic, and diplomacy between nations, it is a work of particular interest for those who want to taste the exhilaration of young lady stories together with the enjoyment of nation-building and economic-themed works.