Afterword
Hello, this is Hitsuji Taro.
This time, the eleventh volume of Akashic Records of the Bastard Magic Instructor has been published.
I offer my infinite gratitude to the editors, everyone involved in the publishing process, and to all the readers who have supported Bastard Magic Instructor.
Roughly speaking, if we consider volumes one through five as the first part and volumes six through ten as the second part, then from volume eleven onward, we’re entering the third part, I suppose?
For this new start of Bastard Magic Instructor, the spotlight falls on Eve-san.
Thinking back, despite her grand entrance as the strongest close-range magic combatant, 《Lord Scarlet》, and the elite head of the Special Missions Annex, she’s had a rather rough go of it. This volume can finally be said to be her moment to shine.
Somehow or other, she’s a character I (as the author) find myself particularly fond of (in the sense that I can’t help but want to tease her), so writing this volume was incredibly fun.
However—every time I depict Eve in the story, I can’t help but wonder.
Why is she so popular? (She ranked eighth in the popularity poll, by the way.)
It’s… it’s strange… Even though I personally like her, I designed Eve Ignite to be a “hated woman who’d earn nothing but scorn from readers.” She was supposed to be a character who’d gradually claw her way back from rock bottom. I still remember the heated phone arguments with my editor, who told me, “Don’t make the head of the Special Missions Annex such a petty, annoying woman—make her a cute loli girl instead.”
In fact, when Eve first appeared in volume seven, even rereading it myself, she was an awful woman. The popularity poll happened at a time when she had not a single redeeming quality… and yet, she still placed eighth.
What’s going on? It’s honestly one of the greatest mysteries of my life. Is there some kind of “hysterical woman moe” or “underdog moe” out there—some appeal I can’t even begin to comprehend?
…Kuh, the light novel industry… its darkness runs too deep…!
Huh? What? Could it be that Eve-san would be better off staying as a hysterical, unlikeable underdog with no redeeming qualities? B-but, that would ruin the story arc I had planned for her…! What am I supposed to do?!
Well, I hope you enjoy the story of Eve-san, who continues to torment her author in all sorts of ways.
Hitsuji Taro
