Chapter 99

AFTERWORD Hello, it’s me, Hasekura…I feel like I’ve written a very similar afterword introduction recently. It’s been three months since the newest volume of Spice and Wolf, and nearly nine months since the previous Wolf and Parchment—I have put out a lot of books this year, haven’t I? That might be normal, though, or generally on the slower side… Well, this volume of Wolf and Parchment turned out to be quite long. The opening itself was more than one hundred pages long! It’s been a very long time since I found myself getting excited over that. It was not meant to be a terribly complicated plot, but there were many things I wanted to write, things that would be exciting for the plot, and things I had to write, and I truly get the sense that we’ve reached the middle part of the overall story. Surprisingly, I think things have made great progress forward. I have a general sense of how things are going to go in later volumes, so I am very pleased. Pleased, yes, but that does not mean I’m not a little anxious over whether I’ll ultimately be able to tie it all together with my own skill. And so, as an author facing the rising action of his series, I can sympathize with the fear Col feels in the face of the great movements of the world. And for those who have already read Spice and Wolf Spring Log, I am relieved that I was able to call on the foreshadowing as to why Myuri was famous in those volumes. To tell you the truth, when I wrote Spring Log first, I kind of went along with the vibes, and afterward I really did not know what to do with myself. If I have one regret over this novel, I suppose it would be that I wasn’t able to introduce a new female character. Sometimes I’m proud that I introduced so, so many female characters in Spice and Wolf who led Holo to being jealous. In contrast, I’ve brought in characters like Sharon in Wolf and Parchment who have fun bantering with Myuri, and I think that has its own kind of charm, too. Miss Sharon is a very reliable character when it comes to storytelling. And as I write, I have run out of space. I’m going to work hard and pray that the next volume will be within nine months, or even six months…I hope you pick up the next volume of Wolf and Parchment. Isuna Hasekura