It's probably worth mentioning that the author of the original light novels this show is based on has repeatedly said that she's sorry that the romance plot moves at a glacial pace. The slow progress between Sei and Albert is one of the more frustrating elements of this story, and that's something exacerbated by season two, where we might reasonably have expected otherwise. By the end of season one, it was all but established that Sei and Albert were in love, and Sei's reluctance to admit that fact even to herself serves as both relatively believable character development and something that would have worked better in a story about middle school students. (In fact, in episode twelve, Sei notes something similar, although she views the nobility's fascination with her love life as the middle school moment…which it kind of is.) But by skipping large swathes of the novels, this season does manage to resolve the issue, and it ends at the finale of volume eight, which is a very satisfying place.

That's not to say that this season isn't enjoyable. Although the greater part of the episodes better fit the slice-of-fantasy-life description than the battles Sei and Aira were originally summoned for, they serve as a good reminder of why the king of Salutania has suddenly decided that Sei's marriage needs to be arranged quickly. Even without others being fully aware of what Sei calls her 50% Bonus Curse, keeping her status as the Saint under wraps is becoming increasingly difficult. Not only are the miasma swamps vanishing (and the monsters along with them), something which other nations will surely notice at some point, but Sei is remarkably bad at not showing off her skills. Mostly, this is borne out of her desire to help others; in her mind, if she can do something, she probably should. It's a mindset that's hard to argue with, especially in two situations presented in these episodes. Both deal with life-or-death scenarios and Sei's drive to help people shows that she's a human being before she's a summoned Saint.

Interestingly (and dangerously), both situations also involve foreigners, which puts the Salutanian government in a difficult position. In the first case, a trip to a port town, where Sei hopes to discover familiar foods, such as rice and miso, results in her presence when a sailor on a foreign ship is crushed by falling cargo. The young man is at risk of dying and losing the use of his limbs permanently, and with the dearth of people who have high-level healing magic and the scarcity of high-grade healing potions, there's nothing that anyone besides Sei can do. But, as her companions point out, if Sei does step up, she'll reveal her identity (and her slim disguise will have been for naught) and leak information on just how powerful Salutania's Saint actually is. She does it anyway, but her attempts at subterfuge don't deter a prince from another nation from learning about what happened, at which point he shows up as an "exchange student." His real goal isn't nefarious in the least, but it does show a potential result of word of Sei's powers getting out, which means it's in the kingdom's best interests to tie her to them through the bonds of matrimony.

That's a bizarre idea to Sei, coming from her life as an ordinary Japanese citizen. Her modern-day upbringing means that she's not keen on an arranged marriage while also instilling in her an understanding that good people help others when needed. She's also, as she's noted throughout both seasons, not particularly experienced in or interested in romance; her life has mostly revolved around work, and that's what she's comfortable with. She has mostly come to understand that her powers react to her love for Albert, but she's not on speaking terms with the idea, which suggests that she may not be emotionally ready for a relationship, something age has little to do with. Albert is trying to respect that, but he's more aware of the need for Sei to marry someone, and as others begin to plot who that will be, we can see him getting nervous.

If I'm talking a lot about the romantic subplot, that's because it is the driving force behind all of the other events of this season. That can be a little frustrating, but ultimately, I think it's a decent choice for the adaptation; at least one excised plot from the novels would not have made for an exciting or interesting viewing experience. It's also a testament to how incredibly patient Albert is with Sei, because her "shy" behaviors could be interpreted as "uninterested," which is likely why other families think they may have a chance to snatch the Saint. The trip to the port town aside, most of the plot points in the series leading up to the fulfillment of the romance, from Albert's unease at other men's interest to Sei's debut into society to having to go on one last mission in Albert's home province. It works as a throughline, although it also sidelines characters like Aira, Liz, and Jude, who don't have much of a role to play in any of them.

The Saint's Magic Power is Omnipotent's second season isn't going to blow anyone's mind with its story, art, or animation, although it must be said that the one battle does look good. It's a cozy series through and through, and it does that well. As of this writing, there's only one light novel past where this ends (volume nine), so I suspect we're done with the anime version for now, and this isn't a bad place to stop. We can rest assured that Sei will be happy from here on out, and given where the series started in season one, I think that's a perfectly good place to be.