Chapter 41

Afterword Kuji Furumiya here. Thank you for your continued support. Thank you for picking up a copy of Babel, Volume 3! This third installment marks a total change from the previous one, where we started to unravel the truth behind how language works in other worlds. In this volume, we see Shizuku struggling by herself in a whole new land. It’s also the volume where Ortea, the heroine of this installment, finally makes her first appearance. I hope you’ll enjoy the story of these two contrasting characters. This New Literary edition of Babel has roughly doubled in length in comparison to the old one, which was released by Dengeki Bunko in 2016. (Each paperback still covers the same section of the story—it’s just that there’s twice as much happening in the new versions.) Putting all the added content aside, this third volume is still the sequel to Dengeki Bunko’s Volume 2. As such, moving on to this volume after reading the original two shouldn’t pose much of an issue. The only real difference is that Shizuku had a mysterious book from right at the start in the Bunko edition, whereas in the New Literary edition, she only obtains it midway through the volume. This is the same as in the original web version, so keep that in mind before you start reading. Shizuku has grown much stronger after traveling to all these different places, but her story is finally coming to a close in the next volume. This story revolves around the issues of language in parallel worlds and a realistic, powerless protagonist. Every time she moves on to a new place, she’s challenged by different ways of thinking, causing her to butt heads with all kinds of different individuals—and the final volume will be no exception. In the next installment, Shizuku will come head-to-head with somebody who’s capable of changing history. I hope you’ll stick with her until the end. Unnamed Memory, which is being published concurrently, will also reach its conclusion in its final volume, Volume 6. It takes place three hundred years before the events of Babel, so it doesn’t matter which one you start with. It’s fine just to read one of the two series, too! I’m going to keep putting my all into my work! Lastly, let me express my gratitude to a few people. I wasn’t expecting this volume to be so long, but I ended up submitting a thick manuscript nonetheless. I’d like to apologize to my editors for that—and also express my sincere gratitude! It’s because of you two that I’ve been able to publish the continuation of the story I began under the Dengeki Bunko imprint. I’ll work hard so we can keep powering through! Also, thank you very much to Haruyuki Morisawa for creating such beautiful illustrations once again! I can’t thank you enough for the stunning drawings of Ortea—which just scream “Bewitching Princess”—as well as the iron chains on the front cover, which really embody what this volume is about. I really appreciate it! I’d like to thank all the readers who’ve stuck with me, too. I feel so lucky that you’ve decided to follow Shizuku’s journey. I know it’s a little different, but I really hope that you enjoy the story. See you again—in another period in time, perhaps! Thank you so much! Kuji Furumiya