Some of yall are overreacting. The artstyle change is hardly noticeable, it's not that bad. Be thankful that the new artist has been trying to adapt the old artstyle instead of completely remodeling the characters.
I think that the cat and dog were the original witches' trial run for switching souls. She probably swapped hers and mc's soul and that's why there were some measures of preparation before she left. Just a thought
Im at chapter 47 rn, there's so many names, factions, etc. Being mentioned that im losing track of who is which. Im getting by based on a loose memory and pure vibes
Just finished chapter 9. I'd be severely disappointed if shu and hess dont have an ending together