Chapter 15

Afterword Hello, Kuji Furumiya here. Thank you so much for picking up a copy of Babel, Vol. 1. I think some of you may have been surprised when you saw the title of the series, since it’s a reboot of a story with the same name that I published two volumes of with Dengeki Bunko back in 2016. This story originated as a fantasy novel that was serialized online, but when it was adapted for that initial paperback edition, I condensed it to about half its original length and restructured the story. This time, though, it’s being released in the modern literature category. Instead of trimming down the online original, I expanded on the story for its publication. Although there’s still some overlap, this version diverges significantly from the earlier paperback and web editions. I hope you don’t mind joining me on this journey again. My gratitude goes out to anyone who found out about this series because of Unnamed Memory. This story takes place around three hundred years after that tale, which centered on a king and a witch. A great deal of time has passed since the Age of Witches, but Oscar, Unnamed Memory’s main character, survives as something of a legend. People on the continent still talk about that famous king from Farsas who lived centuries ago. From time to time, you might come across pieces of information you recognize, and toward the end, some moments might make you go, Huh? How come? These things should add an extra layer of enjoyment to your reading experience, so have fun. The story revolves around a college student from Japan who ends up on a continent where magic exists. Her journey leads her to discover the truth about this strange other world. I wonder if any readers have picked up on anything bizarre about this world. There were clues even back during the days of Unnamed Memory. I hope this series will give you some answers. Please allow me a moment to express my thanks to a few people. Thank you to my editors, who’ve been with me since Unnamed Memory. When someone came to me and suggested that we publish Babel, I went, “Huh, seriously?” which was a pretty goofy way to respond. I really appreciated it, though. The full story of Babel needed to be told, and my two editors have given me the opportunity to share it once again. While I was working on a pair of novels, one of them said to me, “There’s two of us, so we can share the workload. Too bad there’s only one writer! Ha-ha-ha!” True enough. The simultaneous release was quite a challenge, but I’ll keep doing the best that I can. Words can’t express my gratitude for Morisawa, who’s done illustrations for me since I was with Dengeki Bunko. I’m sincerely thankful that he was so eager to join this reboot. Your illustrations just get better and better! They’re so beautiful and sweet! Thank you so much! Lastly, I want to thank my readers for their continued support. To everyone who’s supported me since my Dengeki Bunko and web novel days, and to those who’ve recently discovered my work, I invite you to join me in this tale of language and cross-world travel. I think we might be able to learn a few things from stories like this one. See you in the next volume! Kuji Furumiya