Chapter 48

AFTERWORD Hello. It’s Taro Hitsuji. This is the third volume of Last Round Arthurs in published form. I can’t express my appreciation enough to those involved in the editorial process and its publishing and to readers who picked up a copy of the series. Thank you. I can’t believe we’re already on the third volume. It’s high time Rintarou Magami—our unconventional protagonist—started acting like an actual protagonist. In fact, I imagine readers have found it strange that I made him so eccentric. Maybe you’ve asked yourself if I’ve finally gone off my rocker. He’s not your average failure, like Glenn (from Akashic Records of Bastard Magic Instructor). It’s hard to sympathize with his character even based on his principles. Sometimes I catch myself wincing at his violent actions… And I’m the author! But it was all for the big reveal in this volume. I love this kind of character development. It’s almost a trope in manga and light novels. The protagonist starts off as the enemy…or a nonconformist…or just plain nasty…and bit by bit, they get undone by some cute girl…until they become the good guy. Like Hy—nkel from Dragon Quest and R—i from Fist of the North Star… I guess it’s all up to interpretation. It would take forever to list them all. They all have some change of heart, swooping in to save the main character in a pinch! I love to see it! When Hy—nkel came running into the battle against Demon King Hadlar, I almost died from excitement. Ha-ha-ha. It’s like we look at these evil characters with rose-colored glasses. Or maybe I love the concept of a dark hero… I just think they’re very cool. I mean, look at Hy—nkel! Based on first impressions, I never would have guessed he would be their ally—especially from his comically villainous character design. But after he turned his life around, I thought he was the coolest. I wanted to try it out. You can say I’m feeling good about myself. Everyone was doubting me, since light novels rely on a sympathetic character… But I told the haters that I didn’t care! If you couldn’t tell, I’m a chronic go-getter. Segue from our difficult main character… I wanted to put the spotlight on a real heroine in this volume. The main heroine is Luna, obviously. But I think this character is a true heroine. I know I’m just repeating myself. But how else can I describe her? Not the main heroine. The true heroine. I know I’m being super cryptic. But this is the most accurate descriptor. I think you’ll get it when you read the book… I hope… It seems Rintarou has been thrown in the middle of a motley crew. How will their stories unfold…? It would be my privilege and pleasure as an author if you followed along on their journey. Taro Hitsuji