Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.11 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 5 Volume 11.

This time around, the prologue focused on Ferdinand and served as a continuation of the previous volume’s main story. It describes how Rozemyne’s retainers see the way she’s changed and how Ferdinand saw the goddess’s descent. I’m pleased to have managed to squeeze Lasfam in there as well.

As far as Rozemyne was concerned, the royals had failed to protect Yurgenschmidt’s foundation by not participating in the battle at the Royal Academy. Sigiswald disagreed, as he believed the most important parts of the country to be the palace and the royal villas. It should come as no surprise that they ended up butting heads; they didn’t understand each other at all.

The main points of this volume are the new Zent being chosen and the struggle to get rid of the gods’ divine power, but Rozemyne seems most invested in the memories the goddess took from her. Unable to remember her family in the lower city, she starts to think and act like a genuine noble. Only a select few notice the changes in her attitude toward her family and others. How do they feel about it? For now, that’s up to your imagination.

In this volume, I made sure to highlight the choices made by women. Rozemyne’s influence was obvious with her rampaging around, but Eglantine and Adolphine, among others, also made important decisions of their own. The paths these women chose weren’t all easy—especially by Yurgenschmidt’s standards—but I wish them well on their journeys into the future.

This volume’s epilogue was from Gretia’s perspective. I packed it with insights into the struggles Rozemyne’s attendants face while supporting her in Ahrensbach, Gretia’s past and loyalty as someone who chose to give her name, and the reactions of her fellow retainers to the large-scale spell.

The extra side story was written from Hannelore’s perspective. I hope you enjoy how mystical the transference ceremony appears to all the nobles in the audience. It should serve as a pretty big contrast to Rozemyne’s interpretation of the events.

In this volume’s first original short story, Eglantine has a conversation with Anastasius and then attends the transference ceremony. Do enjoy seeing a part of the goddess’s descent that Rozemyne was unable to witness.

The second short story focuses on Jiffy, an Ahrensbach fisherman. I tried to include how he and the other fishermen felt about the Purge of Lanzenave, the large-scale spell, and all the other changes their new aub brought about.

The cover art for this volume depicts the transference ceremony. There’s Rozemyne in her ceremonial robes with the Goddess of Light’s crown, Eglantine with the Grutrissheit, and Ferdinand with Gramps’s branches and feystone.

The color illustration shows the large-scale spell performed in Rozemyne’s new Alexandria. You can see Gretia from the epilogue in the center and the knights lined up. This is the first time Gretia and Laurenz have been shown in color. Shiina-sama—thank you very much.

And finally, my utmost thanks to everyone who read this book. May we meet again in the last installment: Part 5 Volume 12.

February 2023, Miya Kazuki