Leviathan of the Covenant

Volume 8, Afterword

Asya: "So with that, the concluding Volume 8!"

President M: "Finally on sale."

Asya: "It's been so long... since the previous volume."

President M: "This is a secret, but the manuscript itself was done a long time ago."

Asya: "Specifically, it was ● months ago...?"

President M: "Pretty much before ●●● when the weather was officially starting to warm up, I suppose?"

Asya: "I don't think the author remembers clearly anymore."

President M: "Oh well, although there were many things to prepare, taking a lot of time, at least they succeeded in bringing Volume 8 to release for sale!"

Asya: "Woohoo!"

President M: "No need for manners tonight, just cut loose."

Asya: "But Prez, this is the final volume. My presence need no explanation, but why is it that even you, President M, are showing up in the afterword? Wouldn't it be better to have main characters?"

President M: "Fool. This is approved by the author. There is no problem at all."

Asya: "Why!?"

President M: "The author suddenly realized what Volume 8 lacked was screen time for me. Since it's already the end, might as well take this opportunity to write more of what he wanted to write."

Asya: "Is it because a character that's difficult to pin down like you, Prez, reminiscent of 'super famous person in real life' can't casually show up anymore, so he has to make the most of this opportunity?"

President M: "Yes yes yes, that's it."

Asya: "Then it can't be helped. Okay, it's the last volume, let's go full gusto!"

President M: "In this series, the developments were not planned in much detail in advance... Only the ending was decided early to define the general direction."

Asya: "Oh, I heard that none of the editors believed it."

President M: "When the author said he'll go the Uru● ●●ra route in the end, everyone thought he was joking."

Asya: "Surprisingly, it really went down that route."

President M: "There was that sudden Angel-chan special, but only things of this sort tend to go according to plan."

Asya: "I heard that what the author really wanted to write was a relaxed romantic comedy that's popular in the industry."

President M: "He definitely did say that."

Asya: "'Battle scenes are exhausting to write. Let's make it more relaxed'."

President M: "Then a few years went by... Popular trends went to 'accidentally ending up in an alternate world and easily setting off on a path of success' so no matter what, this story isn't going anywhere along the popular route."

Asya: "I can't believe a story where the author kept doing whatever he wanted actually concluded with the planned ending."

President M: "It's all thanks to the caring readers."

Asya: "Please let us thank all of you right here and now."

President M and Asya: "Thank you very much!"

Asya: "By the way, I heard that editing of Volume 8 took place simultaneously with a certain series that's being published by a certain publisher."

President M: "Oh, the one that can even kill gods."

Asya: "When the author first transferred to another company in the same industry, his first editor, a certain Mr. I, said 'You could write a story in the same style as Ca●●●●ne!, you know?'..."

President M: "A certain godslaying series, right?"

Asya: "Even if the setting is similar, if the story develops and ends the same way, it won't be interesting anymore, so the author placed some kind of curse on Haruomi over here."

President M: "In other words, the main character is a weak boy with empty knowledge who could never kill a god."

Asya: "It just so happens that a certain series reached the point when the godslayers are in a battle royale. If Haruomi was in it, he'd most likely get kicked out right away."

President M: "The author did mention before that's the kind of existence Haruga is."

Asya: "But getting kicked out instead of killed is even more..."

President M: "But you're not one to kill a god either, right?"

Asya: "Oh!? I think I'm not that bad, actually! In-story, I've been praised as the genius witch many times!"

President M: "The author apparently said 'Asya is too good at using cheap tricks'."

Asya: "I-I-It's clearly a description of the female protagonist played by Gakki in the current popular television drama, hearing that really pisses me off!"

President M: "A prodigy who has reached the limits of humanity but totally not cut out to exceed limits. Using this kind of lineup as the main characters, this series would be a so-called unconventional battle story."

Asya: "By the way, Leviathan of the Covenant has a lot of references paying tribute to entertainment from a past age, such as table-top RPGs. If those totally sailed over your head or if you're interested, please go search up what kind of game they are."

President M: "In the past, there were many specialized monthly magazines about them."

Asya: "Recently, The Call of Cthulhu has gotten pretty famous... Right?"

President M: "The likes of Nyarlathotep or Tsathoggua get mentioned all over the place, it's pretty widespread right? Anyone who got all the references the author borrowed from D&D, Rune Quest, GURPS, Shadow Run, Foreigner, etc etc, would be pretty hardcore."

Asya: "Actually, the biggest reference is the dragonslaying game, Road to Kingship."

President M: "Translated to English, it'd be something like Roads to Lord."

Asya: "Back during the author's student days, he frequented Yuuentai, a game company, that had created a game with that same name."

President M: "But back then, the production line had already stopped. Later on, the author went to another company and participated in TRPG creation with a certain Mr Itou Hiro to earn pocket money—Apparently something like that happened, or maybe not..."

Asya: "So even that experience got turned into a reference to use in his work, how incredible."

President M: "By the way, although it's not a game, Hannibal-san's election is inspired by the foreign novel Wild Cards which is apparently receiving a television adaptation."

Asya: "Oh, it's the same guy who wrote the super popular series A Game of Thrones."

President M: "Yes yes yes. It's a shared universe of novels using Japan as a stage with G. R. R. Martin as the organizer. It started with American writers playing a table-top RPG with American comic superheroes and then novelizing it... I could keep going about this all day long."

Asya: "There's never enough time to say everything, but—"

President M: "It's time to say goodbye."

Asya: "Everybody, My reincarnations, the second and third Asya will probably make their active appearances in the author's new works. Please continue to support us...!"

President M: "I don't think the author is going to write another character with as little feminine charm as you, right?"

Asya: "W-What the hell are you talking about!?"

President M: "Or maybe he'll accidentally create this kind of female character again...?"

Asya: "Ngggggg! W-Whatever, anyway. Dear readers, thank you all for the support you've given for so many years, and all the best for the future! I shall return! Hey Solomon, I will definitely be back—!"

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