Chapter 175

Afterword Thank you very much for purchasing Volume 7 of Secrets of the Silent Witch. This volume featured the Seven Sages resolving the Galanis incident and Monica getting closer to the mysteries at the root of the story. The Seven Sages in action was one of the things I particularly wanted to add when making improvements to the print version. I hope I can keep showing off how cool they are. Nanna Fujimi, thank you once again for your wonderful illustrations. The cover is just so cool. So incredibly cool… Thank you for depicting the Seven Sages like heroes in some holy war. The difference in vibes between the cover illustration and color inserts in this volume is especially fun, and I find myself looking at them again and again. The passing lumberjack is so murderous, while the passing gardener is much too giddy for the situation. And the passing poet looks like he’s about to keel over. Meanwhile, the passing old guy is so cool! Tobi Tana, thank you for your manga adaptation. It’s always so much fun to read. The way you draw all the characters is so charming, but Lana is particularly cute. Every time she appears, I’m moved. I always think, “Her face is just so Lana…!” And it’s heartwarming to see how her expressiveness draws Monica into expressing herself more, too! While her part of the story hasn’t yet been compiled into a single volume, Casey and her expressions are so perfectly Casey that every time I looked over the draft, I said, “Wow, the way she smiles is so Casey…so incredibly Casey…” Monica’s school life has gotten very lively, with a prince so sparkling he could blind you, a vice president whose annoyance seems to radiate off the page, and an incredibly energetic Glenn. The manga adaptation is currently on sale up through Volume 3 in Japan via B’s LOG Comics. And apart from the main story, you can also grab the first volume of Silent Witch –another–: Rise of the Barrier Mage, a spinoff featuring the ax-wielding Louis as the main character. The second volume is scheduled to wrap things up when it goes on sale in Japan in spring 2024. In the spinoff, you can see First Prince Lionel, who still hasn’t appeared in any insert illustrations in the main story. My character design request was a difficult one—a noble golden gorilla with kind eyes—but Nanna Fujimi met my demands perfectly. When I saw the character design for him, I was filled with emotion. I thought, “He has such gentle eyes… And yet it’s wonderful how he’s also so refined…” The spinoff story features Louis as an annoying brat, his wife when she was still young, and the golden gorilla of a first prince all having a rowdy time, so I hope you’ll support that series as well. Last but not least, I want to sincerely thank my readers for their unending support. I’d like to keep giving my all to this series, so I hope you’ll continue to stick with me for the next volume. Matsuri Isora