Afterword
Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 5 Volume 2.
This volume’s prologue was told from the perspective of Ferdinand, as so many of you requested. It focused on how he’s doing in Ahrensbach and on how the letters he receives from Rozemyne are dealt with. Please understand, though—he’s only able to do normal work because Detlinde is still at the Royal Academy.
The main body of the volume begins with a summons from the royal family before rolling into a trip to the library’s underground archive, a look at Dunkelfelger’s religious ceremonies, annoying tea parties, and a Dedication Ritual in the Royal Academy. Things then take a turn when Lestilaut taunts Ehrenfest into a game of bride-taking ditter, which is subsequently interrupted by the Sovereign Knight’s Order.
Truth be told, when I was first crafting the plot for this volume, there was a lot more time dedicated to making magic tools with Raimund in Hirschur’s laboratory. The ditter game kept taking up more and more space, though!
Rozemyne doesn’t have nearly enough common sense to understand why involving the king in a joint research project between students is so unusual, so, in the web novel, the Dedication Ritual was described through the eyes of Lueuradi. Here in the light novel, however, that was turned into an independent side story at the end. I hope you enjoyed seeing how an archnoble from another duchy felt about meeting the royal family and experiencing her first religious ceremony.
This volume’s epilogue was written from Hannelore’s perspective. It included a resolution to the bride-taking ditter match, a conversation with Anastasius, which took place after Rozemyne left, and a glimpse into how those from Dunkelfelger view Rozemyne’s actions. Naturally, these are all things that we wouldn’t have seen through Rozemyne’s eyes.
The first newly written short story was from the perspective of Sigiswald, the first prince, while the second was narrated by Sylvester.
The first short story offers a glimpse into the first prince’s relationship with Anastasius, and the way the Sovereignty views Rozemyne and the rapid growth of her duchy. As for how these things might change over time... please look forward to future volumes.
Sylvester’s story is another entry in the fairly popular series of chapters about headache-inducing reports from the Royal Academy. At last, Rozemyne’s antics have become so shocking that Florencia faints, and a new chapter begins with Sylvester taking over.
Leberecht, Florencia’s scholar and Hartmut’s father, is currently filling the hole left by Ferdinand. As an archnoble, he could not show his suffering in front of the archduke, but here we have another father struggling with his rampaging child—a child who, in this case, is fighting like a madman for any opportunity to visit the Royal Academy. (Hahaha.)
Three characters received designs from Shiina-sama for this volume: Sigiswald, Trauerqual, and Lueuradi. I asked for Sigiswald to look like a proper prince who nonetheless resembles Anastasius, Trauerqual to have hair of a similar length to Ferdinand’s and come across as someone so exhausted that he’s practically living off of potions, and Lueuradi to exude the air of a floaty, dream-loving young girl who makes for a killer duo with Muriella. The results were absolutely excellent.
At the time of my writing this, the anime adaptation of Part 2 has begun. It’s only recently started, but seeing Fran, Gil, and Delia as they were at the start was super nostalgic. I can’t wait to see Wilma and Rosina too.
This volume’s cover art shows the archduke candidates of two duchies in the midst of playing bride-taking ditter. Rozemyne is wielding Leidenschaft’s spear, while Lestilaut has Dunkelfelger’s secret treasure. There’s also Wilfried in full plate armor, and Hannelore looking distressed. It really makes you feel tense, doesn’t it?
I asked for the color illustration to show the underground archive, a very important place for Yurgenschmidt. Since the keys are normally managed by adults, I thought it best that the keyholes be hard for Rozemyne to reach.
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 3.
April 2020, Miya Kazuki
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