AFTERWORD

Pleased to meet you. I’m Kazuma Kamachi.

I feel fiercely embarrassed about introducing myself using my pen name. Think about the first time you told people your Internet username, and you get the idea.

Speaking of the Internet, that’s where the opportunity to write this book originated.

RPGs and the like have these magicians that can use MP to do anything from shooting fireballs to resurrecting the dead. They can do anything. It’s really convenient. But I thought: Well, what sort of people were the magicians who actually existed throughout history (or at least are said to have existed)? Everyone uses the term magic, but what kind of logic did that magic follow? I figured I’d clear up these questions, so I went on a search engine and typed in words like sorcerer and real to investigate. That’s where it all started.

What I got back were things like “how to control black cats using silver vine powder,” “voodoo shamans using the poison of a puffer fish to create a temporarily dead zombie,” and I was like, What? For occult stuff, this is all pretty scientific, isn’t it? That’s how I formed an interest.

Many Dengeki Bunko light novels use magic in them as if it’s an everyday occurrence, so I started thinking that a work that delved more deeply into the inner workings would be new and fresh.

…Well, this book is just basically entirely what I felt like writing, completely disregarding “marketing studies investigating reader thoughts (read: catchy themes).” I cannot be thankful enough for my editor, Ms. Miki, and my illustrator, Kiyotaka Haimura. Thank you both so much.

And a huge “thank-you” to the readers, the ones who picked up this book and read the whole, long thing straight through to the end.

As I hope that the Touma Kamijou and Index in your hearts can live on a little longer,

and as I pray that I can write a second volume,

today, at this moment, I lay down my pen.

………………………………It’s actually still December 26, 2003.

Kazuma Kamachi