The original work is a fantasy light novel by Kei Sasane, "You and I's Last Battlefield, or the Holy War That Begins the World," commonly known as "Kimisen." It has been published by Fujimi Fantasia Bunko since 2017, and was adapted into a manga in Young Animal in 2018. An anime adaptation is scheduled to begin airing in October 2020. After the great witch Nebulis plunged the Empire into flames, the military state "Empire" and the witch nation "Nebulis Imperial Court" engaged in an endless war for world dominance. On the battlefield, the protagonist Iska, a soldier of the Empire, and Alice, the "Ice Calamity Witch" and royalty of the witch nation, meet. Despite their antagonistic relationship, the two are drawn to each other and realize they share the same goals. However, their relationship is like that of Romeo and Juliet, and it was impossible for them to be together. Their fateful encounter leads them to the battlefield for their respective goals. Today, I'd like to introduce the heroine of this work, the Ice Witch, Aliceliese.
The enemy Iska is ordered to defeat: the Ice Witch, Aliceliese
Alice's real name is Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX, and she is commonly known as Alice. She is the second princess of the Nebulis Imperial Court, the witch nation, and a pureblood of the Nebulis, feared by the empire. Possessing the celestial spirit of ice, Alice, known as the Witch of Ice Calamity, can freely manipulate ice, its hardness enough to cut through anything and even nullify the firepower of the Empire's large-scale weapons. It's no wonder that Alice, a jack of all trades in both offense and defense, is feared by the Empire. Incidentally, in her first appearance in Volume 1, she calls herself "Iceliese," but from that point on, she is referred to as "Aliceliese," which is likely a simple misprint.
The True Face of the Witch of Ice Calamity
Each of Alice's celestial spirit magic techniques is powerful enough to cause natural cataclysmic disasters. Her appearance, combined with her low-slung hat and mask, made her nickname the "Ice Witch" seem perfectly fitting. However, once she removed her mask, Alice's face revealed a beautiful young girl with pure eyes. Even Iska, upon seeing her, was captivated. With an expression like that, even an enemy would have no chance of attacking her.
Aliceliese's Past
When Alice was a child, her life was saved by a man wielding a pair of black and white swords. Alice begins to take an interest in Iska, as the twin swords wielded by her savior seem to resemble those used by Iska. There's no way her savior could be from the Empire! She tells herself this, but deep down she wonders if it's Iska.
Aliceliese Loves Art
Alice's love of art is truly befitting of a princess. She's interested in opera and paintings, and particularly loves paintings by Imperial artists, which she collects in her room. Alice and Iska share many of their tastes, which is why they often meet by chance in neutral cities.
Sometimes her emotions show too much...
Alice and Rin went to the opera. Many audience members were in tears by the final scene, but Alice was bawling her eyes out, saying everything she was thinking out loud... It's hard to believe she's a princess (lol). Alice must have a very pure heart. Iska, who happened to be sitting next to her, dozed off during the performance, but Alice's voiced thoughts allowed him to get a general idea of what was going on.
Alice's beloved collection is burned by her mother
Alice loves paintings by the Empire's artists, but her mother and those within the Imperial Court view this as a problem. After her mother finds out that she had asked Rin to investigate Iska's identity, she is reprimanded for caring about him. In response, her mother instructs Rin to burn all the paintings hanging in Alice's room. Alice is beautiful, talented in astrology, and beloved by the people. That's why her mother was concerned that others might find out that she had paintings from an enemy country hanging in her room, which could lead to jealousy. However, this incident only deepened Alice's distrust of her mother and the Imperial Court, who rejected the Empire's paintings.
They're supposed to be the enemy...
After seeing the painting in the neutral city of Ein, Iska and Alice sit in front of a fountain on their way home. They chat about trivial things like their ages, and before they know it, they're both dozing off. When Alice wakes up and approaches Iska, Iska, who has fallen into a deep sleep, collapses into her chest. Rin has repeatedly warned Alice that Iska's presence is dangerous. Iska, leaning against her and sleeping defenselessly, was easily killed. However, even though Alice knew he was her enemy, she couldn't bring herself to kill him. They shared the same time and things, and Alice had fallen deeply in love with Iska.
Aliceliese's Goal
What Alice seeks... is a lasting peace without invasion or persecution. Fighting to end the century-long war, Alice is moved by the fact that Iska shares the same goal. She commands Iska to become her subordinate, so they can fight together as people with the same goal. However, Iska refuses. There are two reasons for this: one is that he has family within the Empire. The other is that the Empire is a clockwork nation. Even if they were to take the Eight Great Apostles hostage and pressure them into peace negotiations, the Empire would simply abandon them and prepare new Eight Great Apostles, without any intention of agreeing to peace negotiations. Refusing to become Iska's subordinate, Alice decides to fight him. Thus begins the unwanted battle between Iska and Alice.
Approaching the heroine of this work, the Ice Witch, Aliceliese! Summary
What did you think? Alice is the princess of the Nebulis Imperial Court and feared as the Witch of Ice Calamity, but her true nature is that of a pure and lovely maiden. What will become of her unrequited love with Iska? And is Iska the one who saved Alice's life? Find out for yourself!
