Afterword
I doubt many such readers remain, but I welcome any new readers who picked up the series with this volume. To those of you who have kept up with the series since volume one, it’s been four months since the last release in March. This is Ryota Hori, the author.
With the series going twenty-one volumes, I doubt anyone started with this one. But let’s stress consistency and tradition here, shall we? I’m sure these intros might have inspired some readers to pick up the series from volume one. I should hope so, at least. But who’s to say? With a long series like this one, I can only worry that readers might find the length daunting.
I’m ashamed to open the afterword like this, but allow me to apologize. During volume twenty’s afterword, I said that I intended to end Ryoma’s long-running rivalry with Queen Lupis, but that wasn’t the case. You have my sincerest apologies. This change was because I had to resolve some past foreshadowing. Otherwise, the payoff for it would have felt unnatural later on.
As I said, this series has been going twenty-one volumes strong. Ending the rivalry with Queen Lupis is a major turning point, so it’s important to tie up any loose ends before we get there, lest they remain unresolved.
In trying to resolve those bits of foreshadowing, I set up new ones instead. It almost feels like a fruitless endeavor. But it’s impossible to conclude all plot threads at once, and preparing new twists each time the story progresses takes effort.
I already know how I want the story to end. Figuring out the path to get there is the hard part, and when writing, I want to flesh out something more. Writing for a long time makes it so things don’t always go as initially planned. I wonder how other authors handle that?
By the way, my editor told me the other day that Record of Wortenia War has sold over one million copies! It is a great honor in this day and age where books don’t sell as well as they used to. This is a milestone for any writer. Back when I first became an author, said editor told me that only writers who handle multiple series break one million, and making it as a full-time author would be difficult. Indeed, I’ve heard that even authors who win newcomer awards rarely last five years in the industry.
It’s easy to see my privilege when thinking about it like this. Of course, there’s always someone better out there and room to improve.
Now, let’s touch on some of this volume’s highlights. First, it’s finally time for one of the series’s heroines, Asuka, to come under Ryoma’s wing. This is due to Rodney’s, Menea’s, and Tachibana’s dedication to making it happen. It took quite a bit of trouble, but somehow they managed.
With this, all the original cast members are on Ryoma’s side. I was quite worried about getting Koichiro and Asuka to regroup with Ryoma. Thankfully, they met safely.
But the other part of the story is a major turning point for our protagonist—something related to his family but not so much to war. At least not to the battle at hand with Queen Lupis... But it will influence upcoming plotlines, so keep up with the series to see where it goes.
Another major part of this volume was the negotiations between the Church of Meneos and a so-called Lord Bahenna who came out of nowhere. Do read the volume to discover his true identity.
Lastly, I’d like to thank everyone who helped make this volume and the readers that picked up this book. Next volume, the plan is to detail the final battle against Queen Lupis.
I intend to keep working hard to bring this series to you, so please continue supporting Record of Wortenia War.
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