Afterword
IN THIS VOLUME of the final arc, Too-ka returns to the capital of Alion. Does it feel as if the final showdown is drawing near? Since we’re getting to the end, there are lots of illustrations of different characters popping up in each other’s company. With everyone getting together again, it’s starting to feel like an all-star team. And the enemies have taken the field, too—I decided to paint the three disciples a little differently from the other villains that have appeared in this series, so I hope they do well in their role as the bad guys.
As I was writing the scenes in the Divine Labyrinth, I pictured what was happening in there like a manga (which might be the reason I changed POV in shorter bursts, as, in my head, it was structured like the pages of a manga). At the same time, I think this volume is filled with the kind of description that only novels can provide. I hope that the writing added flavor to the experience.
I’d like to move on to some acknowledgments. To my editor O-sama, I know I have much to learn as an author, but thank you for your continued support. KWKM-sama, your hard work continues to capture the charms of the characters you’ve drawn for this volume. I’d like to thank you not just for your work on this book, but all the illustration work you have contributed to this series.
Uchiuchi Keyaki-sama, Uyoshi Sho-sama, I’m so happy that, thanks to your work, I can now read so many past scenes in manga form (and I’m so excited to read the new chapters too). I’d also like to give my thanks to everyone who has contributed to the publication of this work, and the many staff who have been involved with the production of the anime adaptation. Thank you so much for everything you have done.
Thank you to all of the online readers who have continued to support this series over its many years of publication. Thank you for choosing to buy this book and continuing to support the series. I’d appreciate if you could stay with us for just a little longer to see Too-ka and the others through to the end of their story.
Well, then, I hope we can meet again in the next volume. “Now that I’ve come this far, I suppose I’ve just got to do it,” I say, as we launch determinedly into the final (planned) showdown. Well, then, goodbye.
—Kaoru Shinozaki