AFTERWORD
Hooray! That’s the end of Re:ZERO’s fifth arc!
Hello again, this is Tappei Nagatsuki, the mouse-colored cat.
Thank you very much for joining me for Volume 20!
However, for those of you who have already finished the book, you might be thinking, That wasn’t exactly a feel-good, hip-hip-hooray, happily-ever-after sort of ending! And you would be correct!
I hadn’t thought about it in great a deal of depth or anything, but looking back on previous arcs, the odd arcs have had particularly strong lead-ins to the next story, while the even arcs tend to have somewhat cleaner conclusions.
So with the fifth arc’s lead-in, I am sure the sixth arc will have a nice and clean conclusion.
Not even the author knows for sure whether that will be true, though! Surprisingly, works like this are a bit of a gamble!
Of course, the general progression of the story is more or less settled by the time I start writing in earnest, but it is not uncommon for things to take a sharp turn while writing. Characters speak and act for themselves, villains concoct plots that surpass the author’s imagination, more main characters die than expected, and all sorts of other things can happen!
And so the fifth arc was quite intricate, but it feels like the sixth arc will turn things up to eleven, so I hope you will continue to follow along!
A single page of afterword is really short! I can’t write anything! Because I wrote too much already!
Having reached this sadly familiar portion of the page, allow me to turn to the customary thanks.
To Editor I, we made it through the fifth arc. It was difficult weaving all the through lines together, but thanks to your help, we managed to get through it. Thank you very much!
To the illustrator, Otsuka, the cover illustrations for the fifth arc have been quite challenging from the Archbishops onward, but the cover for this conclusion of the arc this time was marvelous! Thank you so much!
To the designer, Kusano, the innovative illustration with the three generations of the Astrea family together was also a fitting conclusion to Theresia and Wilhelm’s story! Thank you!
In Gekkan Comic Alive, Matsuse’s manga adaption of part 3 reached its finale, and the Love Ballad of the Sword Devil series is doing well, too! Volumes of both are going on sale the same month, and I’m truly in their debt!
To everyone else at MF Bunko J’s editorial department, all the proofreaders, and all the bookstores, thank you very much for all your work as always!
And finally, my deepest gratitude to all the readers who continue to support this series.
The sixth arc will be starting next volume; the second OVA, The Frozen Bond, will start this fall; and the second season of the anime is very much on the way, so there’s lots more Re:ZERO content to come!
I hope you’ll continue to join me, and let’s meet again in Volume 21!
May 2019
<<The start of the Reiwa era! Time to turn over a new leaf>>
“Oh my, to think someone else would come here at a time like this.”
“…What’s a woman like you doing here?”
“Me? I was just waiting for someone. Would you mind chatting a bit while I wait?”
“…Go ahead and talk if you want.”
“In that case, I’ll take you up on your offer. First of all, the continuation of this book, Volume 21, is planned to release in September. The fifth arc finished this time, so apparently, the story will be entering its sixth arc. It’s hard to look away, isn’t it?”
“Sir Subaru and Lady Emilia are setting out for the far reaches of the desert where the Sage resides. It is the very same Pleiades Watchtower that even Re…the Sword Saint could not manage to overcome, so it will be interesting to see how they attempt the challenge.”
“Mm-hmm, mm-hmm, I understand what you mean. Also, the fifth collection of short stories is going on sale that same month. I don’t know what stories will be included in it, but do you suppose there might be a story about the two of us?”
“ ”
“Yes, yes, very well… Incidentally, the tenth volume of Re:ZERO’s third manga and the first volume of the The Love Song of the Sword Devil: True Name are all going on sale in June along with this book. I wonder if they will all be lined up together in the bookstores.”
“…Who can say? I don’t read books, as you well know.”
“That’s right, but I thought it was worth mentioning since I wanted you to know.”
“…Is there nothing else you wanted to talk about?”
“Hmmm, no, there’s still more. For example, MF Bunko J’s annual summer event is happening in July, and there is going to be a Re:ZERO stage there.”
“And?”
“I guess that the second OVA of The Frozen Bond will be airing in theaters in fall 2019.”
“And…”
“Ah yes. And also that I love you.”
“—Ngh.”
“Sorry, looks like I was first.”
“…You don’t need to apologize for something like that. I should say it myself—”
“You don’t need to say it. I know it perfectly well already. You—”
“I truly—”
“—love me.”
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