From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman: My Hotshot Disciples Are All Grown Up Now, and They Won’t Leave Me Alone - Volume 7 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

It’s good to see you all again. I’m Shigeru Sagazaki. Thank you very much for picking up From Old Country Bumpkin to Master Swordsman Volume 7. We’re already seven volumes in... I say this every time, but the fact that we’re still in publication is all thanks to you, the readers. Truly, thank you so much.

As ever, I had a lot of trouble writing this one. There were times when my pen simply wouldn’t move, and because of an accumulation of all sorts of circumstances, I ended up keeping all of you waiting.

First, I caught that widespread disease in July. That sent about two weeks of progress flying out the window. After recovering, I lost my sense of taste for a month longer, which took all the joy out of eating meals and stressed me out more than I thought it would. Honestly, I never want to go through that again. I’m sure everyone who’s caught it feels the same way. It was really rough.

Also, right around that time, my bad hips finally started reaching their limit. Just sitting in a chair is pretty hard on me. It doesn’t get better with stretching, showers, or soaking in a bath either. So, I’ve started going to an orthopedic clinic.

Maybe thanks to that, as I write this afterword, I’ve gotten a fair bit better. At my worst, I had to wear a back brace and go to the clinic three times a week. I think this book should be published around the new year, and I can only pray that I feel better by then. Everyone, please be careful with your posture.

Okay, so I wrote volume seven from summer into fall, but the book actually takes place during winter. As an author, it’s pretty strange to have the publication season be the same as the setting’s season.

As for the contents of the story, I made it to one of the more major plot points I had planned. There weren’t any big shifts from my original outline either. The overall plot is going mostly as intended, which is strange for me. The small details vary widely, though.

This volume ended up surpassing 180,000 characters. I never really focus on the character count when writing—I just have a general grasp of how long the whole thing will probably end up being. Needless to say, my calculations were way off this time.

But in exchange, I believe the story is nice and dense. I’m not the one to decide whether that’s the case, though—it’s ultimately up to the readers. I pray it measures up to your expectations.

The manga version published by Akita Shoten is also progressing smoothly, having recently broken 3.5 million sales. The numbers don’t even make sense to me anymore. I really can’t thank Sato—the artist responsible for the manga version—enough. Allow me to use this opportunity to show my thanks once more, and to thank all of you who’ve picked up the manga and light novel versions of this series.

Incidentally, volume five of the manga is planned to come out at the same time as volume seven of the light novel. This one will come out at the beginning of the month, while the manga will come out at the end. I hope you’re looking forward to both.

I’ve talked with Sato a lot about the interpretation of this series and future developments. There are parts that differ greatly from the light novel, and we largely discuss how to interpret things that can’t really be conveyed from Beryl’s perspective. I’m glad that the manga version has been well received. Please continue supporting the light novel and manga from here on out.

One part of the story has wrapped up nicely, but there are still plenty of things I want to write and other things I have to write. I’ll continue doing my best so that I can deliver these stories to you.

Until next time.