No, but in all seriousness, I actually wanted to have another chapter in this Volume where you actually see what happens next, but that’d remove the tension! We finally got to see Ed and Lune reunited after three years, and now he’s suddenly so different! He changed his appearance, demeanor, and even identity! And hold on, he’s married to Marina of the adventurer party from Volume 3!? What the heck is going on here?!

There’s just too many unanswered questions, and I felt that having it resolved in just 2 chapters felt a bit wrong towards Lune. This is certainly a turning point for our protagonists, and I definitely want to make it feel impactful, so I believe that leaving out the last chapter for later was a smart move on my end. That being said, I changed quite a bit of things from this Volume’s initial draft.

First of all, we got to see a whole ‘nother side of Edward, which was kept hidden up until now. He’s quite egotistical and cunning, isn’t he? Paranoid as well, as he’s often seen overthinking things that aren’t all that complicated to begin with. He’s a bit selfish when the going gets tough, choosing himself and his close ones instead of being a selfless hero who saves people indiscriminately like Lune. This was another thing I wanted to showcase, his inferiority complex, the fear of staying in Lune’s shadow. I think he overcame it quite a bit in the span of this Volume, which I dedicated solely (heh, SOLely) to him.

He’s now become his own man, with Anna standing beside him. But did you know I was actually debating whether or not to have him and Anna be a thing until they ‘got drunk’? In actuality, much like for them, I kinda just went with the flow and surprised myself with it, but it all ended up working out, so who cares?

Oh, and don't forget the new Iro ability, Analyze, which we got to see Ed develop in real time! Isn't it exciting, being able to literally read the words coming out of someone's mind, be they man or animal? I feel like this ability suits Ed the most, as he himself always tries to accommodate for others, but always fears that someone else will peek into his own mind. Oh, and this was accidental, but I found it cute how the word 'Analyze' sort of has Anna's name in it. I guess it makes sense how Ed's mind came up with it!

Another thing I tried to incorporate into this world is the use of multiple languages. As you already know, I played around a bit with Hianic in Volume 2, but that was just a dialect of Entropic. That being said, with Ed finding out that animals have their own language, and Anna being somewhat proficient in Cardinic, I'm sure this'll only further add to the worldbuilding by quite a bit. I understand that not all of you know the languages presented in this world, but have no fear, because I made sure for it to be easily translatable using online translators.

One regret I feel is that I don’t believe I managed to properly explain how much time passed in between events. I feel like the reader might not realize that Ed and Anna’s trip took them a whole year, and by the time they came back, Nelly was already a certified toddler. It’s a bit wacky, so I’d like to revise that one day…

In any case, thank you for sticking with Ed and me in this Volume, and I hope you continue to support my work in the future!

Yours truly, Mikan-Sensei.

World Map (Continents):

World Map (Countries and Places Visited as of Arc 4):