A Certain Compiler’s Afterword

Thank you so much for taking this book into your hands. Thanks to everyone who bought the first volume compiled of the original text from Ash’s point of view and the perspectives of other characters, we were able to bring you this second compilation. I hope you enjoyed this one just as much.

Once again, there are so many people who helped make this publication possible. The illustrator, the proofreaders, the binders, the printing staff, and all the other specialists whom I forgot to mention. Also the editor who helped me organize the text. I can’t thank all of you enough. This book would not have been possible without you.

Just like last time, I decided to celebrate the publication of the second volume by visiting the location of Ash’s activities. This time it has brought me to Itsutsu city in the Sacula region. You can still see Ash’s influence in a lot of places here, so it’s difficult to choose where to start...

First, let’s take a look at the dormitory! Currently, it is used as an archive alongside the administrative hall and the main mansion. Some parts have been restored by modern technology, but others remain intact as they were. Ash and Arthur’s shared room has been recreated with a two-story bed and desk like the ones they used. I wonder how many evenings they spent chatting away there. I imagine they had warm exchanges, with one of them getting all fired up...

There is a nice smell floating from the cafeteria where Maika begged Ash for a Hamburg steak. A cook who carries the torch of the long-standing shop “Cinnamon” is running a café restaurant in that same place now. After giving me permission to enter the kitchen, he explained that “This has always been a school cafeteria” while talking about the history of the buildings before they turned into archives. (It should be said that he is a much calmer person than the famous former owner).

Apparently, the dormitory had always been used as an educational facility. The chef then boasted that this cafeteria had continued to fill up the stomachs of bright, young students up to this day. Nowadays, it is used by university students doing research at the archives. A part-time student worker, who was doing the dishes in the kitchen, added with a smile that “It’s popular because of the student discount.”

Of course, the archive is not just known for its food (although it is delicious). It is a haven for fans of the well-known figure and researchers of that time period. I wonder how many documents have been authenticated through comparison with the handwritten notes stored here. Above anything, this is the place where Ash’s name was first written down on an official document. I’m talking about the name register for the count’s army academy. The old piece of paper is kept inside a special showcase. The entry simply reads, “Ash — from Noscula village.” Back then, he really was only “Ash.”

By the way, his name is preceded by a set of slightly round letters reading “Maika Noscula.” It almost feels as if I can see a very young Ash and Maika stand in the room. Alongside Arthur, Reina, Glen, Hermes, and everyone else.

—From the former dormitory surrounded by the echoes of laughter past and present.