Volume 3 is out.
I’m aware that each volume is a tome all of its own, but did you enjoy the ride? There are some additions here and there that I hope will delight those who have already read the work online.
I write this in Kyoto, alone. I had assumed that I would have finished all the extra content by now, but that was dumb—I barely made it on time. I would advise against making plans anywhere near as reckless as my own.
Speaking of reckless, this volume saw a reckless, prodigious character make her exit. We saw one character pay the price for glory and another reap the rewards, if you can call them that.
We were able to get into a lot about reincarnation this time around, just as the title of the series hints at. For now though, we are left to see how a lost friend’s life and her work affects Karen’s life.
This volume was mostly centered around Karen and Ern, and we got to see how the two rely on one another. They were, after all, the only two reincarnated people they each knew, which meant that they shared certain knowledge and could understand one another on a level others could not. For Ern, her new life meant making her first-ever friend; an experience she had been denied previously. She was a woman used to being betrayed, and after she comments in volume 1, “I didn’t know you cared so much,” we see how her view of the world impacts her future actions.
And then there’s the bundle of eccentricities that is Emperor Karl. This was an especially awful volume for one particular citizen of Arrendle, but the vast majority never see the man, let alone interact with him, and so they praise him and the peaceful life he’s given them. Karen finds herself in extraordinary circumstances, where her life is often on the precipice, but I assure you that the empire is full of people who want only to live peacefully.
The whole idea with Karen is that her good luck is just as powerful as her bad, you see.
I also added short stories about Reinald and Six. I wrote them to help people better understand each character’s motivations, and I’m nothing but grateful to the publisher for adding them to the book. I always assume I’m going to be turned down when I send them the drafts, so I always feel some disbelief when the short stories are accepted.
From the next volume, you’ll start to see more in the way of fantastical elements. There are many mysteries that remain unsolved, and Karen is going to keep on clawing her way onward, little by little. What other choice does she have?
The story will move into the attempted release of Six, at which point we’ll also see more in the way of blooming romance, so I do hope you’ll stay along for the ride.
In closing, because volume three ended at the perfect point, I do hope you’ll voice your thoughts about the book online, or otherwise write to the editing staff. My future is more dependent on you letting the world know what you think than worrying about spoilers.
I hope to write you all again in the next volume.
April 2022
Kamihara