Wortenia Senki (LN) - Volume 7 - Chapter Aft

Afterword 

I doubt there are many such readers left, but I welcome any new readers who picked up the series with this volume. And to those of you who have kept up with the series since volume 1, it’s been four months since the last volume. This is Ryota Hori, the author. 

By the time I write this afterword, half of the year has already passed by, and while I am grateful, June means I must celebrate my growing older by a year. I’ll admit I didn’t expect to receive any birthday presents, and this day is but a grim reminder that I’ve grown older by one more year. But that would make me feel all too pitiful, and so I went to an eel restaurant and ordered the first-class plus chopped kabayaki eel on rice. 

Personally, I find just about anything tasty, but eels have been a favorite of mine for a long time, and I often insist on eating eel only when it’s cooked over live charcoal. I don’t pretend to be some kind of gourmet, but I often have to eat eels cooked over gas, which I don’t like. 

Eels are considered a food that truly depicts the skill of the chef, and so I developed something of a preference toward them. Stores that use live charcoal are often considered famous, and the price is accordingly high. Except I’d gone to one such so-called famous store full of expectation, only to eat something that was closer to badly cooked grilled fish. That taught me you can never be too cautious... 

If any of you readers know of any good restaurants that serve eel, I’d gratefully appreciate it if you let me know! 

Now then, putting aside trifling matters like my age and eels, allow me to summarize the plot of this book for those readers who start reading from the afterword, as is customary with this series. 

Ryoma is only set to lock swords with the O’ltormea Empire at the next volume, but for some reason Ryoma is even forced to fight his allies, Xarooda’s knights. One characteristic of this series is its emphasis on examining internal power struggles and factional feuds, and as such our protagonist is always surrounded by opponents on all sides, forced to fight friend and foe alike. 

In truth, I wanted to incorporate more showy descriptions, but it turned out to be rather difficult. The actual strategies are something you’ll have to look forward to in the next volume. In terms of other highlights, there’re also developments in Ryoma’s relationship with the demi-humans. In truth, his bond with them hadn’t developed very far, as part of the series’s setting places humans and demi-humans as mortal enemies. Having that relationship improve all of a sudden would be too unrealistic and abrupt of a development. 

Ryoma seeks cordial relationships with the demi-humans in the name of his own values. Nelcius, on the other hand, puts his life on the line in the name of his tribe’s survival. And Dilphina seeks to support her father. All three of them have their own intentions, and their intentions and ploys tangle against one another. 

I would appreciate it if you pay attention to Nelcius and his daughter Dilphina as they start taking center stage starting in this volume. 

And one mustn’t forget the Kingdom of Myest and their actions. At volume 2, I introduced them as one of the three kingdoms of the east, and at volume 7 they finally rise to the surface. Starting with the next volume, they’re set to take a more central role, so do look forward to that. 

I would like to take this time to tell you about Record of Wortenia War’s manga adaptation. The first volume is on sale, and its second edition is being printed. The sales are looking favorable, and volume 2 should be on sale before the end of the year. As an author, I get to see my work being adapted into manga form, and as a fan I look forward to seeing the chapters being released monthly. The battle scenes are all so much more compelling in manga form, after all... 

I will have to work hard to make sure I match Yukari Yagi — the mangaka’s — level. I hope both the novel and manga adaptations remain together until their mutual conclusion. 

Lastly, I would like to extend my thanks to the editors who helped in the publishing of volume 7, as well as everyone who was involved in working on it. But in the end, this series can only continue thanks to warm support from readers such as yourselves. 

I should have volume 8 out by late November of this year, and so I hope you will continue to support Record of Wortenia War in the future.