Talk:Demon Lord/@comment-38413939-20190204182343/@comment-10429980-20190215023506

Runya's point is that the limits on those heiromancy spells coincide with the "shackled human limit" and that this is unlikely to be a coincidence, but rather evidence that the shackled human limit is as artifitial as the limits on those heiromancy spells (which she points out should be able to perform greater feats than they do). The evidence that the abilities of unshackled humans is an ancient thing (making those born without shackles in essence a throw back) comes in part from how the abilities they gain come from their own bodies rather than outside forces (mamono or divine mana is used to unshackle their limits, but the powers they gain, save for spells dependent on monsters or gods, are their own and remain even if all divine mana is removed), and that this has been true for as long as heroes have been a thing.

I doubt that the orphan monsters Sasha took care of, or the monster villages she would warn ahead of time to evacuate would say the Order "lost" in those endeavors (though obviously when monsters evacuated all they could do was burn the village). But of course, given the nature of the setting, monsters are going to have a big advantage. They've had a big advantage all along (they were created to have it), and they are more powerful now than ever before.

You're overestimating how awful life in medieval times was. Yes famines and plagues happened, but they were not the norm. Many people, including peasants, usually ate and lived surprisingly well. A major reason for the low life expectancy was high mortality when young, after that things got much better as far as life expectancy went. For instance, in the thirteenth century if a boy made it to the age of 30 then he had a good chance of living into his 50s.

Since you appear to refuse to believe that what Sasha and Wilmarina became came from who they really were (and seem to ignore the stuff I've pointed out about how Wilmarina is still responsible and a good leader), I don't see how we can make any progress in this area of the debate. You either accept the author's statement that monsterized humans do not lose free will in any meaningful sense, and in a very real sense become their true selves, or you don't, but given KC made the setting I am inclined to believe him.