Ascendance of a Bookworm (LN) - Volume 5.12 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

Hello again, it’s Miya Kazuki. Thank you very much for reading Ascendance of a Bookworm: Part 5 Volume 12.

At long last, we’ve reached the end. It’s been ten years since I started publishing this series on Narou; how wonderful that its conclusion aligned with this momentous anniversary. Releasing such a long story has had its challenges. Back when I started working on the novel, I spent my days worrying that it might be canceled midway through, but here we are. Thanks to everyone’s support, we’ve actually done it.

Thank you, everyone. I really couldn’t be happier.

This volume’s prologue focused on Ferdinand. It picked up where the previous volume ended and revealed parts of his negotiation with the Goddess of Wisdom that Rozemyne never witnessed. I hope you enjoyed seeing him panic and whatnot; he would never have revealed those emotions to Rozemyne.

In the main story, Ferdinand showed Rozemyne his memories to help her remember all the people and events she’d forgotten. She got to glimpse his past and see how he viewed previous encounters with the people of the lower city.

Rozemyne eventually regained her memories, and then it was time to prepare the new duchy. There were the entwickeln, Eglantine’s visit, and the engagement ceremony to consider. From there, I added a substantial amount to the story compared to the web novel version. Everything from her return to Ehrenfest to the inauguration ceremony is entirely new.

These new chapters stem from the fact that when I was originally writing this part of the web novel, I was so busy with the light novel adaptation, the manga adaptation, the drama CD, and the upcoming anime that I simply didn’t have the time to write them. Thus, I chose to end the story as soon as I possibly could. I’m so glad that the light novel allowed me to finish the story as I originally intended. So many nostalgic faces from Ehrenfest made a return that the editor and I struggled to decide where to put this volume’s illustrations.

The epilogue was written from Lutz’s perspective. The web novel ended with the same chapter, and one could say that I’ve been building up to it since Part 1. Lutz knew about Myne’s connection to her lower-city family and the love she feels for them, so it was from his point of view that I covered her “homecoming,” as was the name of the chapter in the web novel.

There were no short stories this time around; the volume was simply too long to include any. This also allowed Rozemyne’s story to end on a clean note, so I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The original short stories that would have been here will instead be featured in the third short story collection. Please look forward to them.

And of course, there’s also a five-page comic drawn by Shiina-sama.

As for my future plans, I intend to publish a book version of the side story I’m currently writing on Narou, preemptively titled Ascendance of a Bookworm: Hannelore’s Fifth Year at the Royal Academy. It isn’t done yet, so it probably won’t be released until sometime next summer.

Then there’s the aforementioned third short story collection, which should include all the remaining store-exclusive sales bonus stories. Expect it next winter at the earliest. A lot of people asked me to fully dissect Rozemyne’s and Ferdinand’s engagement vows, so that’s exactly what I plan to do.

I also plan to write a series of what might be considered essays. I’ll gather together the columns I’ve published and make a “Let’s Write Novels” seminar for young adults.

This volume’s cover art shows Rozemyne’s inauguration as Aub Alexandria. At my request, Shiina-san drew it to match the cover art of the very first volume.

The color illustration depicts Myne’s grand return. She’s clinging to Kamil while Effa, Tuuli, and Lutz watch with smiles. You can see the men all drinking together on the right. There’s also an illustration of Rozemyne and Ferdinand as they appeared during their engagement ceremony. Shiina-sama—thank you very much.

And, as always, my utmost thanks to everyone who read this book.

October 2023, Miya Kazuki

Ascendance of a Bookworm: Concluded!

Ten years have passed since I first started posting this story on Narou. It became a media mix project through the novelization, manga release, drama CDs, and anime adaptation. It also received a Junior Bunko version and made it overseas thanks to its translations. I never expected this story to spread so far. It surprises me every time I think about it.

This marks the end of Ascendance of a Bookworm, but we’ve locked in another season of the anime. I also have plans for more side volumes and maybe something of a continuation of the main series.

I look forward to your continued support.

Miya Kazuki

The final volume is now on sale! Thank you for your support!

You Shiina, 2023