Afterword
Afterword
(Looking around nervously)
Okay, she’s not here… better be quick!
Nice to meet you! I’m the author. Since there are no weirdoes getting in the way, I can show my face this time.
I want to thank you for making my last work so popular that I’ve been invited to produce a sequel. So thank you for reading Slayers: The Sorcerer of Atlas, thank you for sending fan mail, and thank you, Fujida-san, for giving me that commemorative Teacup of Justice. (Ah, tea tastes so much better now.)
Really, I can’t thank you enough.
Now, let’s talk about this novel—
(THWACK!)
Ugh!
(Thud! Rumble, rumble…)
L: … Gotcha! That’s what you get for thinking you can ignore me and give commentary all by yourself!
Minion S, you took it easy on him when you whacked him. Look! He’s not even bleeding.
S: He wasn’t even gonna let me come out this time. Sheesh. I don’t ask for much, but mentioning my name would be nice.
L: Yeah, I agree! Squish him again, just like last time, and
I’ll take over the postscript this time, as well.
Okay, um, everything you’ve read until now is strictly off the record. Hmmm… but what I said last time was off the record and it appeared in print, didn’t it? Well that won’t happen this time! Or I’ll have an editor’s hide!
Now, then… let’s try it again, shall we?
(A moment later…)
Hi, Official Author Spokeswoman “L” here! The author had intended to write the postscript this time, but it seems he isn’t physically up to the task. I wonder what happened? I’m a little concerned for him. He should start taking better care of himself.
(Minion S! Stop laughing behind my back!)
Er… never mind that. Anyway…
Thanks to our readers, the author has received lots and lots of fan mail. But, since the author s such a lazy dirtbag, he hasn’t been able to reply to it all. Everyone whack him like a pinata!
Some of you who wrote in tried to guess my true identity, but only one of you actually got it right. The author said he’d write back to the person who guessed correctly, but…
Well, that’s his problem!
This volume of Slayers: The Sorcerer of Atlas was altered to reflect the author’s birth date. So, aren’t you dying to know what it is?
The first ten people who actually know will receive a telephone card from Fantasia Collection, personally signed by Hajime Kanzaka. So do try to get it right.
Anyway, this time the author set up lots and lots of foreshadowing only to completely ignore it all, huh? Last time there was that embarrassing episode where Lina couldn’t use spells. This time he brought out Raugnut Rushavna and some pretty strong Mazoku. (Sheesh, it’s one thing after another!)
As for the next volume, the author hasn’t been one hundred percent firm on this, but it looks like it’s going to involve the legacy of the Red Priest.
Also, at some point Lina’s probably going to be setting out on a few solo adventures.
(That twisted author might have something really out of the blue in store for her.)
Anyway, in the next novel, when Lina’s destiny hits a rocky patch, is Gourry going to stick with her, or ditch her midway? Is Volume 3 going to include characters from the Dragon Magazine serials? Is the Ruby-Eyed Demon Lord going to return? And when shall I, “L,” make my first appearance? Damn you, Kanzaka! Let me out!
Ahem…
Well, in any case, do read Volume 3 when it comes out.
Oh, just like last time, all you people reading the author’s sloppy writing, cheer him on and buy more of his books.
From the Author’s Official Representative.
Thank you all very, very much.
—“L” (bowing head deeply)
In the Next Volume:
The whole world is after our favorite flat-chested sorceress Lina Inverse and her two priceless partners in crime—Gourry and Zelgadiss. It seems that a certain Red Priest, who they thought they’d defeated two months earlier, is not only alive but is also out for revenge. With a bounty placed on their heads, the trio sets out for Sairaag, where the Rezo is rumored to be hiding.
Lina’s travel plans usually include demon attacks, mind-blowing spells, and mass murder, and the voyage to Sairaag should be no exception. But what other surprises will Lina and her gang encounter? Will betrayal and unrequited love make the terrain even rockier? Is the Red Priest the real deal or a resuscitated replica? And, last but not least—how will you be able to function without the next installment of Slayers! Be sure to visit your local bookstores for Volume 3: The Ghost of Sairaag.