Afterword

Slayers — LNCrawler · All chapters

Afterword

Kanzaka Hajime + L

A: Hi, everyone! It’s been awhile! Well, I finally got Slayers Vol. 5: The Silver Beast out the door! L: Yeah, it has been awhile, hasn’t it? A: Ick! I know, I know, it’s been too long. Y-you’re not gonna sic S on me again, are you? L: I just might. Why? You nervous? A: Hmph! I’d like to see you try it! In case you don’t recall, your popularity was way down in the last poll. You wouldn’t dare harm your author and risk everybody hating you even more, would you?

THWAK!

L: Silence! That’s enough of that! A: Is that the best you’ve got? That punch didn’t even hurt. L: Guess you’re quite the boxing manga-ka. But this is the Afterword, so I’ll lay off. If anyone’s gonna harm the author, it’s gonna be Minion S. It’s his turn. A: Well, he doesn’t have to make an appearance after every volume, does he? L: Oh, this S is different from the earlier S. He’s the same but different, know what I mean? But it doesn’t matter; he’s S either way. A: I don’t think you have any business calling him Minion S. After all, you’re just a— L: Hey! I totally outrank S. I have way more power than S does! A: Well, that’s true. There sure is a lot of foreshadowing in this “Afterword,” huh? L: Well, you all oughta know, you read it! A: Guess it did. L: You guess? You planned the whole thing in advance, didn’t you? A: Sorta. I knew I wanted characters to pop back into the story later, but beyond that, I didn’t have too much planned out. L: That’s not planning! That’s just putting ideas together piecemeal and writing them in, isn’t it? A: I dunno. L: Oh, so you’re gonna play dumb now. That’s your game, huh? Anyway, to change the subject: the topic for this volume’s contest will follow along with the author’s current interests. A: Ah, yes! Summer! Sun! Tasty barley tea! If it’s gonna reflect my interests, then I think it oughta be called, “The Big Summer Horror Story Contest!” L: Sounds morbid. Are you into necromancy now? A: Like hell I am! What makes you say that?! By horror stories, I don’t mean “This Really Happened” kinda stuff. Of course, real-life stories are fine, and so are urban legends, or even fables you totally make up yourself. You can also submit your own “Scary Movie Scene” as long as it’s totally original, so no ripping-off of movies, TV shows, books, or anything else that’s already out there. L: Huh. I think I’ve cracked your code, Hajime Kanzaka! You just want material for your own writing, don’t you?! A: No, no, no! It’s just personal interest, that’s all. L: If this is personal, then you’re one sick dude. A: At the author’s discretion, winners will receive one of my ever-popular prizes, such as colored paper illustrations. And, also, I liked L’s suggestion that, if the author REALLY likes a particular submission, then it should be added to the Afterword of the next volume along with full credit given to the winning participant. L: My question is, why’d you choose horror stories as your topic? A: That goes back to when I read this foreign story called, “The Headless Horseman.” I’d never heard of it until I picked it up and started reading it, so I had no idea what to expect. Anyway, I REALLY liked it! So, I figured, Why not open up the field to more horror stories? It seemed like a cool idea. L: I get it. So you’re scratching the itch, huh? A: Oh, and another thing: “Stories that Seem Scary but Are Actually Really Funny” are fair game too. L: Fine! Fine! So what’s the deadline? A: Well, since it’s a summer contest, I thought using it as a kick-off to summer might work. But then again, making the deadline the day before we go to press on the next volume might be too soon. I could also keep the contest going ‘til we get three similar but somehow unfamiliar facial drawings published. So, what I’m trying to tell you is, there’s no set deadline. L: Okay, so what was the point of this Afterword? You’ve decided nothing. A: Well, nothing new there. L: You got that right. A: I like to roll with the punches. Ow! I don t mean real punches Okay, take care, everybody. L: ‘Til next time. Hopefully, we’ll be back before long. Isn’t that right, Mr. Author? A: Ugh! Ow! Stop it! Yeah, yeah, sure. Goodbye, everybody. L: (Don’t say anything! Don’t say anything!)

In The Next Volume

“Come to Vezendi, or someone will die,” warns Zuuma.

Looks like there’s no choice for Lina, Amelia, Gourry, Zelgadiss, and Xelloss but to set off for Vezendi—where lesser demons, bandits, and anything else you can think of—are ready and willing to take them down. Since Zuuma will stop at nothing to seek his revenge on Lina and Gourry, they finally decide that now is the time to finish him off once and for all… but will their efforts alone be enough?