Min-Maxing My TRPG Build in Another World - Volume 4 - Chapter Aft

Afterword

First and foremost, I dedicate this book to my grandmother for all her years of support. A year is quick to pass, and I’ve found myself accustomed to life after her great retirement, though pangs of sadness and loneliness still remain. Even now, there are too many things I can’t bring myself to throw away.

Next, I offer my deepest thanks to each and every one of my readers who graces me with the water of their impressions to prevent me from wilting; my patient editor who never raises their voice at my tardiness; and Lansane, who graces my humble world with beautiful illustrations.

I know it has been nearly half a year since the previous installment, and I am grateful beyond belief for all of those who have taken this book in hand.

Setting my routine rounds of thanks aside, I have cause for celebration. Not only have I been cleared for a fourth volume, but the fourth arc of this tale has been split into two—with this half boasting the largest page count to date.

Combined with the cleanup following volume three—which I’d put off because the page count had been as impressive as ever—the Familial Troubles Arc (working title) would have been far too long. Wanting to make space for new revisions and content, I suggested a two-book structure to my editor, who successfully managed to foo—ahem, my editor pulled off their Fast-Talk check and got the okay from the higher-ups.

That, or perhaps my comment about how my current work would produce a minimum of six hundred pages had been enough to succeed in Persuasion. Maybe my proposal had been the better of two evils when compared with pushing Japanese printing companies to their limits; whatever the case, my difficult request has been indulged.

My editor did admittedly question me with glazed eyes on whether I had any intention of completing the story in two books upon seeing over four hundred final pages in the first half alone. I couldn’t deny that my plan had been partially motivated by the promise of double the Lansane illustrations, but I truly wished to avoid charging over a thousand yen for a single paperback.

Now, I’m aware that the print publications often spur my readers to post comments online about my wanton additions to the text, but I have added even more than expected this time around; I suspect this is some sort of unconscious reaction to the conservative hand I employed in volume three. Though the overarching plot remains the same, the numerous additions have given rise to something completely different.

Specifically, I speak of the circumstances surrounding Miss Cecilia. In truth, I’d wanted to go down this route when first writing for the web novel, but I couldn’t quite manage to perfect the details—or perhaps I simply forgot to read through my own plot—and shelved the whole thing.

Since I had pages to spare, I figured that it was time to dig up the deceased ideas hiding in the graveyard of my mind to put them to work like animated corpses. I don’t suppose there are any upstanding eccentrics who would start reading this volume from the afterword, but I shall leave the finer details untouched to avoid spoiling the experience.

Suffice it to say, I simply believe that even the most ardent web readers will find themselves turning their heads more often this time. I hope you will all enjoy comparing and contrasting this final text to the original story.

Moving on, I originally began the web novel with the idea of dedicating one session to each heroine, bringing them all together in Erich’s time as an adult. However, this ended up causing those who appeared earlier on to see a disappointingly long period of absence in the meantime. I now consider this a great missed opportunity, and have added more scenes with Elisa and Mika as a direct result. Unfortunately, Margit’s physical location prevents her from joining the cast, but I plan to add a great deal of episodic material to the next volume; with any luck, I hope to satisfy those who miss the arachne’s presence.

Margit is a heroine, after all—and one tied to Erich by their earrings at that. It wouldn’t be fair to let him be the only one in danger, would it?

In the second half of this volume, I also hope to delve more deeply into the churches that have popped up throughout the story thus far, and the gods they extol. Where Erich shied away from Faith skills after likening the heavens to a shady workplace, Miss Cecilia is a devout believer. I prioritized forward progress in the web version, but now is my chance to deliver a richer tale through text.

When I work on depicting things that do not exist on Earth, or at least exist in very different forms, I ask myself, What do the people of this world think about this? Alongside the biological diversity of peoples, I believe their religious practices are paramount among the things I can consider. Trying to imagine rituals of worship in a land where higher beings make their presence unambiguously known is difficult, but incredibly fun.

I, like many in Japan, find myself rather removed from religion: not atheistic, so to speak, but rather I uphold a casual acceptance of spirituality without aligning with any particular dogma. The idea of holistic faith worthy of dedicating one’s life to is something I can only imagine through reading literature, but trying to visualize a world wherein the gods will extend their hands to their most zealous believers is enjoyable indeed.

Holy wars as we know them would never occur. Leaving the first three aside, a catastrophe like the Fourth Crusade would cause any god to go ballistic. To use the deity’s name to further their own interests by turning on fellow worshippers in this world would incur more than just the wrath of the god: the mastermind would be smote where he stood, and apostles would round up all those that followed him. Those who remained pious would surely go on to speak of the travesty for generations, just as they record a verse in their holy text.

Speaking of which, holy texts in such a world would be radically different. There would be no need to bludgeon others over the interpretation of a divine quote here or there, and ecumenical councils would be unnecessary. The concurrence would also mean believers of the same god wouldn’t be driven away as heretics.

Furthermore, I suspect the heavens would be unwilling to forgive self-described holy men refusing the spread of their teachings in vernacular tongues to maintain their social status. The history of Earth has countless examples of such men abusing the illiteracy of their faithful to line their own pockets. If nothing else, the gods of this series have powers proportional to the devotion of their followers; any fool that would impede that source of might would be swiftly and directly brought down by Their hands.

Huh. Now that I spell it out, they sort of sound like the yakuza. The god is the mob boss, and the clergy are the hustlers who collect their dues from the faithful on their turf. The government calls in a few favors to keep their position comfortable... Oh dear, this is a better analogy than I’d thought.

Well, I ought to think it through and flesh it out in the second canto as opposed to this afterword. I believe the biggest appeal of reincarnation as a trope is how it gives us reactions from a character with sensibilities similar to our own when faced with an altogether alien culture; my wish is to come up with an entertaining way of presenting that dynamic.

As of the time of writing, it is May 31, 2021, and Osaka has announced extensions to its period of self-quarantine. Yet again, I find myself sighing over another ill-fated release date. Looking back, I feel as though the coronavirus has haunted me since the release of volume one.

From what I hear, the shift from web novel to print publication—for so-called Narou series, that is—will eventually see more sales from passersby glancing at the cover than from readers of the original uploads. I’d been confused: weren’t they releasing this to capitalize on an existing audience? But apparently, that isn’t the case, and a spot in a real bookstore is worth more than I’d accounted for. With that in mind, I can’t help but feel as though this series has come out in a trying time.

Speaking of trying times, the same can be said of my beloved board games, card games, and TRPGs. Practically every event has been canceled, and I can hardly find any opportunity to try out a new release with my friends.

As the main pastime I drowned myself in years ago and the original impetus for my writing, the inability to indulge in tabletop games is seriously taxing. Worse still, the overwhelming nihilism that fills my heart when I gaze at the pile of games I’ve yet to try is astounding.

New online services have popped up, but—call me old-fashioned if you will—I haven’t been able to get over my desire to play at a real table, in person. Without any means of playing, my days have been spent flipping through rulebooks and scenarios, scribbling out characters with the muted longing to use them to ruin a GM’s day.

I pray more than anything else that these days of cooping ourselves up in our homes will end, and we’ll return to the table to laugh and curse over the mystifying world of dice.

Once again, I thank all of you who have gone out of your way to purchase this book in times as hard as these. I believe I’ll be able to bring you the second half of volume four far more quickly than I did the first; a direct continuation like this has to come out before the setup is forgotten.

Last but not least, this series has begun publication overseas: I believe it’s already on sale in Taiwan, with Korea and North America to follow. I may come off as detached, but that’s because my editor is less directly involved, and I personally am far removed from finer details of the worldwide releases; I don’t quite have the full picture.

Regardless, I would be overjoyed if the series continued to spread internationally, and happier still if that helped secure a manga or anime adaptation. That said, I’m not very well versed in looking myself up online, so I haven’t been able to pick up many comments made from readers abroad.

Hrm... Maybe it’s this long title. Or maybe I really am just bad at searching. While it’s difficult to determine which is the truth, I can only hope to connect with my global readers going forward.

With all that said, I shall close this afterword with an earnest prayer that, as always, we might meet again in the second half of this volume.

[Tips] The author uploads side stories and world-building details to @Schuld3157 on Twitter as “extra replays” and “rulebook fragments.”