Chapter 62

AFTERWORD A much delayed greeting to one and all. My name is Tôwa. Let me first begin by extending my deepest apologies to have kept you waiting for so long. At first, I had planned to include the decisive battle with the Simian Lord in this volume as well. However, as the page numbers continued to climb with every scene, it became clear our heroes’ adventures in District Five would have to continue in the next book, where I also expect to touch on the complicated relationship Elitia has had with the White Night Brigade since the very first volume. Hopefully, I can deliver this next installment much more quickly. Turning to this seventh volume, we got the first glimpses of how Madoka—who had until now served a secondary, supportive role for the party—may play a part in battles to come. Many readers of the online version wrote in to tell me they felt the pull of a certain tank RPG during the scene at the cart workshop where Arihito and the gang discuss how they would like to modify their vehicle. I deeply empathize with the way such moments can tug at the heartstrings. I myself love writing the sections involving equipment processing and modification, though it does take quite a lot of extra work to keep things consistent. Speaking of which, if it weren’t for all the dedicated proofreaders who check my work, I guarantee there would be many more contradictory details in such areas where they matter most. My editor urged me at the beginning to keep a running database for reference with all the skill and equipment specifics, but I made an excuse about how it was easier for me to search for those points directly in the prose. Now, I’ve put myself in a position that makes it very easy to mix up the minute details among the vast amount of data contained in this series. Every time our proofreaders point out specific issues to me, I feel an overwhelming guilt for making all the extra work for them. For example, I often wrote Simian King instead of Simian Lord; the latter is correct, but my final manuscripts have many mistakes as the autocorrect learned the former. I’m almost certain I got every one correct in this volume, but even rereading these two words makes me want to curl up in the fetal position. All this has taught me to keep names consistent and try to use words that cannot easily be confused. You may say I learned this lesson far too late, and to that, I cannot even groan in protest. Switching gears, I imagine many readers were curious about the identity of the character on the front cover. The answer: the mysterious young belle, Ivril the Seeker, whom our heroes first meet in District Five. She hasn’t had a chance to make an appearance on the battlefield yet, but I hope you remember her along with Huuka Kazabana’s incredible illustrations for next time. This volume’s bonus story is told from Kyouka’s point of view, though I rarely posted episodes from other party members’ perspectives to the web version. Mostly that was because I wanted to tell this story as Arihito sees it. At the same time, I decided the published version would be a great opportunity to include special scenes told from differing vantage points. In the serialized manga adaptation of this series, Rikizo includes a vignette from Suzuna’s and Misaki’s previous lives. This passage was also based on another bonus side story I wrote based on Suzuna’s experience. The only character from whose perspective I really can’t tell any stories is Theresia, as all the dialogue would end up as “……” That said, if you would like to read a story from her point of view, I encourage you to share your opinion in the web version’s comment section. We don’t keep a running tally, which makes it difficult to keep track of which characters are the most popular, but I do get the sense I see more posts about Theresia than the others. With that in mind, I intend to do all I can to continue the story until—and after!—she returns to her human form. I hope I can count on your support going forward. Now, I would like to move on to acknowledgments. I long ago passed the territory where any sort of “I’m sorry” directed at my editor would suffice; at this point, I want to offer my deepest apologies for even breathing. I will never be able to thank you enough for sticking with me throughout the process until this volume’s completion. However, my editor is also an irreproachably sincere person who I know would remind me I have more important things to expend my energy on than crafting apologies. So I hereby vow that I will do everything within my capacity to continue this series in a way that will satisfy my readers and nothing else. I look forward to your continued help with this mission. As for our talented illustrator, Huuka Kazabana, I can only say I grow ever more grateful you have agreed to keep providing these vivid depictions each time I admire them. Many of our readers, I believe, have encountered your work in other contexts, but I imagine they experience new, refreshing aspects of your illustrations with every new piece of art. Your portrait of Ivril on the cover of this volume is nothing short of groundbreaking within the Rearguard canon and, in a word, magnificent. I hope you will accept my deepest thanks once again. For my proofreaders, I have long passed all feelings of apology and have firmly entered crushing guilt territory. I’ll bet you may be thinking, “This jerk. All he does is apologize,” but truly, without your help, I never would have made it this far into the series. What with every character’s unique talents, the fluctuating skill points, and the set language used to display battle moves, this book can feel more like a video game than a novel, and I make no exaggeration when I say none of it would have been possible without you. I will do everything in my power to at the very least reduce even by a fraction the number of contradictions you need to correct in the next volume. Allow me once more to also extend my thanks to Rikizo for the incredible work on the manga adaptation of this series. Polaris has just made their grand debut in the manga, which also includes unique scenes and absolutely wonderful artwork. If any of my readers have not yet checked it out, I highly recommend and would be exceedingly grateful if you could read the latest chapters available on Bookwalker or Nico Nico Comics. I would also like to express my gratitude to everyone in the Kadokawa Books editorial department and all those involved in the process of delivering this book into the hands of readers. Lastly—and above all else—I thank each and every person who has picked up a copy of this book. Thank you so very much. Fondly, with my heart a few steps further into this thawing spring, Tôwa