AFTERWORD
Hi there. Yuu Miyazaki here.
I’m really, really sorry for the long wait leading up to this volume. There were a bunch of reasons for the delay, but it was ultimately my responsibility, so I’d like to offer my sincerest apologies.
Now, as usual, this afterword contains spoilers, so please be warned if you haven’t yet finished reading.
In the main story, the Golden Bough Alliance’s plan has finally been revealed, and the decisive battle against them has gotten underway. For that reason, I’d like to start there. First of all, we have the battle against Percival. In short, she’s just like Orphelia in a way. Percival’s sense of self-identity comes from her tremendous loss, while Orphelia manages to maintain her mental balance by surrendering everything—lock, stock, and barrel. From Dirk’s perspective, people like these two, who lean wholly on one major element, so to speak, are basically just pawns that can be easily entrapped. Kirin was once pretty similar—dedicated entirely to honing her swordsmanship—but since then she has managed to grow as a human being. If you consider this, I think it will give deeper meaning to their fight.
And then there’s the battle against Varda. The time has finally come for her—well, let’s say her for now—as the keystone of the Golden Bough Alliance and the root of all evil, to finally meet her fate. The way it played out wasn’t out of respect for the Gray Witch precisely, but a character who takes over other people’s bodies couldn’t meet their end any other way. Claudia hadn’t had an active scene for a while, so I decided to show her off using the most powerful cheat ability in all of Asterisk’s history. Drawing on the true power of the Pan-Dora, no doubt she would be able to snatch victory even on the stage of the Festa itself (although, of course, she would have to pay a considerable price in doing so). As for Varda’s end, I decided to leave that to Minato back when I started writing the side story volumes. The only question was whether to have her intentionally avenge her father’s death or have her do so unknowingly. In the end, I decided on the latter option, which felt more in keeping with her character.
As for the remaining three members of the Golden Bough Alliance—Dirk, Madiath, and Orphelia—I’ll leave that for the next volume, which will be the conclusion of the whole story. I hope you’ll keep reading until the very end.
Last but not least, I’d like to thank everyone who helped bring this volume to completion.
To okiura for the wonderful cover illustration, to my editor O, to the editorial staff and my proofreaders, and most of all, to you, my readers, for your continued support—thank you. I look forward to seeing you all again in the next volume.
Yuu Miyazaki,
October 2021
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