Afterword
Here we are with the second volume of Magian Company. I hope you enjoyed it.
This may come as a surprise, but this author has never been to San Francisco. At best, Hawaii. I was hoping to visit San Francisco for the purpose of writing the story, but unfortunately, due to the pandemic, I was unable to do so……. That's actually a lie, though. Even if there was no pandemic, I wouldn't have had time for it. Who said that "writers were free agents 81 "?
Well, not having enough time is surely better than being left with too much time to spare. Because it means you have a job.
Writers are contract workers. If you don't write a manuscript, you won't earn any money, and even if you do write a manuscript, if the publisher doesn't accept it, you still won't earn any money.
As I wrote in the book, "People don't live to eat, but if they don't eat, they can't live". Or to put it another way, "Man shall not live by bread alone. Even so, without bread, one cannot live".
I should spend more time reading instead of just writing. I've been short on this lately, and I don't feel like going out. I guess I have a hikikomori nature.
This time, the main character alluded to the existence of a prehistoric civilization with magic. I'm a believer of prehistoric civilizations. I think that mythology is a reflection of the memories of prehistoric civilizations.
Well, although I said that I believe in it, it's only wishful thinking, like "It would be nice if it were true". Frankly speaking, it's just a delusion of this author. I don't have the passion to try to prove the existence of prehistoric civilizations academically. Unfortunately, I didn't end up as a Schliemann 82 .
Not even speaking of fieldwork, I don't even have the patience to carefully read and understand the literature on the subject. Instead, I have chosen to create stories of my own. Perhaps I have always had a novelist's nature in this respect. I guess I really ought to read up on mythology, folklore, and old stories for my writing career.
I'm quite sure that my novels will continue to feature fictional prehistoric civilizations that are the figments of my own imagination.
I somehow feel that the world is going in a worse and worse direction. I hope that this is just a delusion of this author. I really want the arrival of the Dark Ages to be confined to the realm of fiction.
So, thank you very much for keeping up with me so far. My next volume will be the second volume of Maidens of Cygnus. I hope to see you again next time.
(Satou Tsutomu)
Translator’s Notes
In the paragraph from page 92 it says:
Fortunately, the concept of boundaries with regards to the Earth's surface and outer space didn't seem to apply when it came to telepathy. Thought exchange went without a hitch. In a sense, since it was dependent on countries, it should be the same thing as the high seas, but it seemed to be treated differently between the Earth’s surface and in outer space. He didn't know why, but it must have been like that. Minoru thought about that and felt satisfied with it.
Thoughts on the meaning of this paragraph:
I remember when Minoru couldn't contact or monitor the Parasite, that was sealed inside Minami, by telepathy whenever he was in the USNA and outside the borders of Japan in previous volumes.
I'm guessing that's pretty much what the paragraph above is talking about, but the way the paragraph is worded makes it hard to understand. I had to read the whole paragraph several times to figure out that this was what it was talking about.
Since something was preventing Minoru from using his telepathy until he crossed the boundary/border of Japan. Then, he was able to contact the Parasite sealed within Minami since he crossed into Japan's borders/boundaries.
I think he was saying since he's up in space he doesn't have the same limitations with his telepathy that he had whenever he was on the Earth's surface, with regards to not being able to use his telepathy to contact others across other countries' borders.
What Minoru is probably going through is related to psychological perception. Seeing things as boundaries in your head will make it harder to execute magic.
And the perception of the surface of the Earth and outer space would be another concept. There is no physical barrier or limitation that says that you are in space after a certain distance, it's all arbitrary. Since there are no borders or boundaries between the vacuum of space and the surface of the Earth it makes it much easier for him to use his telepathy with those who are on the Earth’s surface.
Types of relics:
A list of the terms for relics that appear in the novel, in case there is any confusion:
Artificial Relic (Magistore) [人造レリック (マジストア)] — The result of Tatsuya's effort to replicate the relic.
Original Relic [オリジナルレリック] — Unearthed artifacts that has been processed into artificial relics
Magatama [勾玉] — Comma-shaped gems from prehistoric Japan
Artifact [遺物] — Remains; mementos from the past
Sacred Relic [聖遺物] — The same as Original Relics
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Footnotes:
1
Out-of-place artifact - Wikipedia
2
Non-governmental organization
3
Magians
4
Functionl; serviceable; useful; practical; sensible; effective
5
Makouien is the nickname for Magian Company's Specialized Academy of Industrial Magic Technology or its commonly known name as Industrial Magic Academy.
6
bewitching
7
One of several Japanese words for monster.
8
A temporary stay.
9
留守 house-sitting; house-sitter; being left unattended
10
to conquer; to subjugate; to subdue; to leash
11
Shinkansen - Wikipedia (Bullet Train)
12
Lina's line in the colored illustration
13
Part of Miyuki's line in the colored image
14
Radio-frequency engineering - Wikipedia
15
training; drill; practice; discipline
16
casual response; routine response; aizuchi; back-channeling; interjections indicating that one is paying attention
17
“Bent of mind” means inclined to something and fixed on to it and so on.
18
another; re-; again; repeated;
19
Production site of Jade
20
ability to sense the supernatural
21
the old man
22
of the original manufacturing/processing.
23
person related to magic
24
Meaning that it was in the preparatory stage or it was at the mid-process of being turned into a Relic.
25
Head of the Family
26
The Head of the Family
27
transformation; innovation; reform; revolution; revolutionizing; upheaval
28
Teenage; impatient; ill-mannered; bad-tempered
29
to take (someone) by surprise; something unexpected
30
remade, remolded; converted; reconstructed; adapted
31
The first mention of “relic” refers to a standard artifact. and the second means Relic, as in, but not limited to, the Original Relic and Tatsuya's Artificial Relics (Magistore).
32
natural; right; proper; just; appropriate; deserved
33
地相:geographic features; divination based on the lay of the land
34
pay (someone) for services rendered or work done.
35
“it's reciprocal in this regard” in other words meaning that it's a win-win
36
See back cover of this volume. It pretty much depicts what is written here.
37
Vertical Launch System
38
as in being in the middle between male and female in appearance
39
See ”Translator’s Notes” page for an explanation on this.
40
Extra-Sensory Perception.
41
Mayumi’s line in the colored illustration.
42
the state of being behind in the discharge of obligations; an unfinished duty.
43
Consolidate | Definition of Consolidate at Dictionary.com
44
once you've committed a crime, commit to it; in for a penny, in for a pound; if you've eaten poison, (lick) the plate
45
A group of students with a common interest.
46
Monocoque - Wikipedia
47
A "Tsukaima" (使い魔), the japanese "familiar". As in sort of the same as the western familiars, such as a black cat etc.
48
亡霊: Ghost/Apparition of the past; (fig.) What is supposed to be a dead past, but feared that it may have revived.
49
to fetch (e.g. CPU inst.); to read (data into a system); to load. Probably before it became a magic sequence.
50
combat magician or magician who is a soldier
51
A signal of a recurrent sequence of events in pop culture.
52
幻 phantom; vision; illusion; dream; apparition
53
generation; formation; derivation
54
Members of the Genrouin
55
Genrōin - Wikipedia; Genrōin, written like "玄老院", describe a national assembly whose members were theoretically appointed directly by the Emperor.
56
Japanese name for monsters.
57
His Excellency Toudou
58
blessing; permission; (lit) to borrow the power of their suffix
59
術 (jutsu) isn't something limited to ninjas/shinobis. It's a general term for technique/arts. Go to the “Translator's Notes” page for a more detailed explanation.
60
Boundaries for religious practices; fence between inner and outer sanctums in a temple; mystical barriers
61
invisibility (through magic)
62
The American comic book hero is “The Flash”, and the classic manga is probably "Cyborg 009"
63
Subjective time is Kurenai Anzu's time when she uses her ability. The objective time is the time for the rest of the world.
64
Most likely in reference to the movie series Men in Black
65
to make plain or understandable; simplified; clarified; explained
66
"Counting one's chickens before they've hatched”
67
an intuitive feeling about the future, especially one of foreboding; premonition; intuition; hunch
68
Technological knowledge of magic
69
Letting them enjoy their freedom
70
What is depicted in the colored illustration.
71
足払い: Ashibarai
72
Hojōjutsu - Wikipedia
73
The author is referring to the Yakuza.
74
Young Master
75
Apéritifs are drinks, typically alcoholic, that are normally served before a meal. Digestifs are drinks, typically alcoholic, that are normally served after a meal.
76
An hors d'oeuvre, appetizer or starter is a small dish served before a meal.Hors d'oeuvres may be served at the dinner table as a part of the meal, or they may be served before seating, such as at a reception or cocktail party.
77
Ryōtei - Wikipedia 料亭 A type of high-class, luxurious traditional Japanese restaurant.
78
to be secretly working or planning something with someone, usually to do something bad
79
襖 Japanese sliding screen.
80
It pretty much means that they couldn't find anything to prove that she was the one who ordered or instigated the members to commit the crimes in the series of incidents in question.
81
Meaning a person who doesn’t have any commitments that restrict their actions. (Example: a sports player who isn’t bound by a contract and so they’re eligible to join any team.)
82
Heinrich Schliemann - Wikipedia
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