Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.1 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 5 Volume 1. Thus begins the final chapter.

The prologue for this volume was written from Hildebrand’s perspective, though this one wasn’t exclusive to the light novel—it was in the web novel as well. The prince’s engagement was announced at the same time that he was debuted during the Archduke Conference, and as he was mulling in dissatisfaction over his future, Raublut, the Sovereign knight commander, gave him a magic tool.

Rozemyne became a third-year, and while the purge was being carried out in Ehrenfest, a lot happened in the Royal Academy. Students of the former Veronica faction gave their names, rituals for obtaining the divine protections of the gods were performed, and the specialty course finally started, leading to a much different experience than before. It seems that more things are happening around Rozemyne each year, so it’s no wonder that Florencia read all the reports with her head in her hands!

The epilogue was written from Lestilaut’s perspective. His relationship with Rozemyne started with a battle over Schwartz and Weiss, then gradually changed through their ditter game, the creation of the Dunkelfelger history book, his hairpin order, A Ditter Story, their joint research project on religious ceremonies, and then the dedication whirl. However, will that change be a pleasant one for Rozemyne...? As this was a chapter about Lestilaut, his retainers’ names were mentioned, but you don’t need to remember them if you don’t want to. They won’t have much to do with the main story.

The original short stories in this volume are from Muriella’s and Hortensia’s perspectives.

In Muriella’s short story, I wrote about how the nobles of the former Veronica faction who had to give their names view Rozemyne and the other retainers. I hope that Roderick’s explanation and everyone’s reactions helped you to realize just how strange Rozemyne really is.

Through giving her name, Muriella was able to make a new friend. Time passes in the blink of an eye when discussing a book you love with someone who feels the same, does it not? Their conversation may have been tricky to understand due to the many religious metaphors, but that should give you an insight into why Rozemyne does not feel motivated enough to discuss Royal Academy Love Stories with other people. As for those of you who actually managed to decipher it all, well, maybe you’d have an easy time becoming Yurgenschmidt nobles! (Haha.)

Hortensia’s perspective described her past and her reason for coming to the Royal Academy. In a sense, she knew what had happened at the beginning of the civil war, but she wasn’t that familiar with the middle.

After losing her reason to live, Hortensia was given a new role by her husband and the king. She resolved to become not just a normal librarian but a guardian of knowledge, hoping to give herself a purpose once again. The previous archnoble librarians and guardians appeared briefly in Royal Academy Stories: First Year, so I would recommend those of you who are interested to give that a read.

In this volume, the four characters to receive designs were Hortensia, Fraularm, Muriella, and Gretia—all women. Hortensia is a true beauty with a warm appearance, making her very much the quintessential Klassenberg woman I was envisioning. Fraularm looks as though she’s hung on wires and always on the verge of hysterics, and just looking at her face should give you an idea of how shrill her voice can be. Muriella has the homely cuteness of a girl who reads by the window. Gretia is cute and has big boobs, exactly as I ordered. She’s sensitive to looks from boys and is naturally a lot more on guard as a result.

This volume’s cover art shows Rozemyne at the ivory plaza where she obtained her schtappe—a place that one would normally reach through the guidance of the gods after obtaining one’s divine protections. Given the occasion, I asked for Part 5 to begin with an image showing an important location.

For the color illustration, I asked for the shiny, sparkly dedication whirl. Rozemyne was too focused on trying not to unleash another blessing to realize, but her whirling was mystical and ethereally beautiful—which I think was captured perfectly in the image.

Shiina-sama, thank you as always.

And finally, my utmost thanks to everyone who read this book. May we meet again in Part 5 Volume 2.

January 2020, Miya Kazuki