This isn't character development from where she was. This is character re-write. She didn't develop into this, it was literally forced to happen.
I really don't understand that. We're told that Louise struggled for all her life against her Evil nature, due to Good nurture:
... really, the de la Valliere girls are a triumph of Nurture over Nature
[Centurion] is, after all, where Louise gets her "look, girl, your heritage is telling you that you're born to be an evil queen and let's face it, it's what you're good at" genes from.
But she certainly has a strong inherited tendency towards Evil, yes.
For 16 years, despite Eleanore being incredibly mean to her, her relationship with her mother being not ideal (to say the least), being harshly bullied at school, having no positive relationships besides Henrietta/Cattleya, Louise fought off Evil. The most she ever did was get angry at people. And then she put on the Gauntlet, and it changed. And the Gauntlet seduced her, and she allowed herself to be convinced that what she was doing was not Evil, it was alright because she was fighting Evil, it was for the Greater Good.
Despite this, she still was (as people called it) 'barely Evil'. Yes, she was going through all the motions, but on the Evil spectrum, she was still Delusional Evil. She still thought she was doing Good, and frankly she did a great deal of good, as well as some actual Good.
And then the Gauntlet, the insidious influence that turned her to this path was taken off, and she no longer had a veil on her mind. She could think clearly. And you're surprised she went back to being Good? Louise was always good, and was also strongly influenced by Good. With self-assurance, knowledge of her power (she just discovered she's a Square-classs Wind Mage), assurance of her Good (the Unicorn) nature, you're surprised she went back to
what she always was?
This was no more forced to happen than Louise's descent into Evil was forced to happen. Just as Louise's progression into Evil was realistic, in character and excellent character development because the fundamental part of it was that she was still good and still thought she could be Good, so her ascent into Good is realistic, in character and excellent character development because the fundamental part of it was that she
is still good and discovers she
can again be Good.
And sure, maybe Louise doesn't need the gauntlet, but that's completely besides the point even you were making here. The Gauntlet didn't make her like that. And even if she doesn't need it, guess who can't be allowed to keep it? And guess, in turn, how much more doable it is to finish off the extensively corrupt council with what the gauntlet provides? She needs an Army, the Gauntlet gives her one.
I think you completely missed my point. The Gauntlet did make her Evil. It's explicitly stated in the text. Admittedly, it didn't cause an abrupt volte-face as it did for Eleanore, but it basically is what made her descend into Evil, even if only very slowly. Proof positive - before the Gauntlet, she got along excellently with her horse, after it, all equines attacked her, after it's removed, a Unicorn helps her. The only reason Louise 'slowly accepted her heritage' is because the Gauntlet pushed her into doing so.
Obviously the Gauntlet needs to be removed from Eleanore. But Louise has just discovered she's a Square-Class Wind Mage, and that her alignment is clearly Good. She can actually make a meaningful choice now between her nature and nurture - to go about it the Good way, which would be harder, without the Gauntlet, without the Evil Magic, or the Evil way, which would be easier, but against all she was taught. I find that much more powerful, and with much more potential for character development.
But under this hypothesis, her use of the Gauntlet was merely an acceptance of the mantle of the Void - and it would have happened even if she hadn't taken the Gauntlet had she beaten Louise and accepted the mantle of the Void some other way.
I really liked what you say here
@Aleph, but I think the former theory is sounder than the latter. What other way would there have been to accept the mantle of the Void? I'd like to think that that's one of the most powerful and unique powers of the Gauntlet - that if you have the potential to be a Void Mage, it also makes you a Void Mage, in addition to Overlord. That it was part of Brimir's plan, perhaps, to make sure his legacy of Evil would be passed on, so that even were such a thing like a Good Void Mage possible, The Gauntlet could either turn him Evil or find a new master more suited to the mantle.
I myself was still on the verge with the whole Evil = Void thing.
If I may source:
Also, it helps that her [Louise's] magic, you know, is sort of made out of pure Evil
Now, admittedly,
@EarthScorpion was cagy about this for a while, as we can see here:
Is she a Void mage and reality just reads Tsundere as Evil? Is she an Evil mage? Is Void Evil? Is she a Void mage and an Evil mage as well? Well, some of the precise implementation details might be argued over.
But since we now see Louise does have Wind Magic when her alignment is good, I think it's safe to say Void magic=Evil Magic.
Similarly, I had the idea the whole Good and Evil things were more like political alignments, and that Evil alignment was not necessarily related to Louise's Evil magic. We find out only now that apparently Evil is a very concrete object you can touch, and taste, and play ball with if you wish so. And maybe even feed to babies. And it still wouldn't have been clear if not for Aleph.
Already answered above, but allow me to source:
human-scale good and evil which is messy and subjective doesn't line up with Good and Evil exactly
Yeah, denying the existence of Good and Evil in Overlady is approximately as stupid as denying the existence of fire and water. And only slightly harder to contradict. The only people who make that kind of argument are people who haven't encountered real Evil before, or sometimes people who are secretly Evil and want to tempt people by going "There's really no such thing as Good and Evil".
As a side note, something that doesn't really make sense to me is why on Earth would the Void, in all of its Evilness, choose to posses the naturedly good-hearted Louise when the standard measure for meaness was available right there, probably in the next room.
Also answered above, Louise had higher potential, Eleanore wasn't as mean as she is now, allow me to source:
Louise wants to be something she's not.
Not one of the most Evil people to ever walk Halkeginia in raw potential.
(emphasis mine)
