Afterword

Afterword

 

THANK YOU for purchasing the third installment of Trapped in a Dating Sim: The World of Otome Games Is Tough for Mobs. I am the writer, Yomu Mishima. The only reason this volume even made it to print is because of your support. I appreciate all of you. And what a thick volume it is! (Oops…)

When I was writing it, I found myself thinking, Is the page count on this thing going to be all right? Forget it, just keep writing! And you can see how that turned out. If you line up the first three volumes, they take up as much space as a normal series would with four volumes. Well, you’re getting good bang for your buck, right?

Now, let’s talk about Volume Three. There were a lot of reveals this time about the otome game Leon is trapped in. We found out the reason why marriage is so warped and why the elves and other demi-human races were created. Through the battle with the principality, we also discovered what set all this into motion. And Leon got a surprise reunion with his little sister from his previous world—something I’m sure he’s not entirely happy about. He’s probably cradling his head in his hands, feeling guilty for leaving his parents behind the way he did.

I’m particularly attached to Volume Three, or Part Three as it’s known in the web version. There were developments for a lot of characters that might change how people perceived them. I was both scared and excited to see how the light novel version was received. I added more content to the novel version, including changing the part about Leon getting wrapped up in the power struggle. There might be some discrepancies for those of you who continue reading the web version instead of the light novel, but I hope you’ll read and enjoy the light novel as something separate from the web version.

Speaking of differences, I struggled over what to do with Hertrauda up until the very end. While I was writing, I found her to be such a tragic character. She shows up only briefly before dying. But in the end, I decided to stick with the way I’d handled it in the web version. I did feel a bit of regret when I got the rough sketches for the characters, though. I thought, Maybe I should have gone in a different direction after all. I feel even more attached to my characters after seeing drawings of them.

Maybe someday I can write an alternate route for Hertrauda. Anyway, I hope you will continue to support me!