Chronicle Legion:Volume 1 Afterword

Afterword

The new publishing label of Dash X Bunko has finally arrived.

Chronicle Legion has also entered the market as part of the label's initial lineup.

In fact, it was one year ago when the editorial department asked me to write a proposal for a fantasy war story as part of the label's launch.

I was very lazy at the time and said I was in no mood to write this type of story.

Rather, it would be better to say that there were many similar works in the market already (wry smile.)

By the time Dash X Bunko launched, there would surely be even more works of the same genre. Either way, there will always be other willing authors even if I didn't write one.

During my discussion with the editor, I said "at least let me use an outrageous setting, like 'the ancient Roman hero Caesar establishes a new empire in the modern world' for example, then I'll write it. Oh, you're really okay with that?"

"Then collective fights between armies of giants are okay too? And I don't mean robots."

"Ah, but it doesn't feel lively enough unless there are showdowns between heroes from various time periods—Oh? You're okay with that too?"

In the end, I decided to use these ideas to create my own Romance of the Three Kingdoms, thus giving birth to this series.

Volume 1's plot is about the heroine, who plays the part of Liu Bei, recruiting the protagonist who is in Guan Yu's position.

Volume 2 will begin by expanding the stage beyond Suruga and the fights will get more intense. However, the school madonna, (tentative) Zhang Fei, has yet to awaken while the protagonist's circle hasn't gotten too familiar with the katana girl who plays Zhao Yun either.

Will the school festival and beauty contest in December actually take place without issue?

It is still unknown how many volumes this "Romance of the Three Kingdoms set on a fictional 20th century stage plus armies of giants" can go on for. I am hoping I can count on your strong support, dear readers.

Now, let's talk about Campione! which is also published by Shueisha.

In that series, I added in a lot of little known facts related to mythology from around the world.

In the case of this series, the content includes collective battles between giant soldiers and depictions of warfare, strategy and tactics from ancient, medieval and modern times.

Please look forward to it... is what I would really like to say. In the event that it's not your cup of tea, I won't be offended if you simply skimmed through it. Of course, I sincerely request your loving support (smile).

Personally, exploring the military theme of "back in the time of the ancient Greeks, the number of rows and columns in heavy infantry formations was the key to deciding victory in war!!" is really up my alley. Anyway, I will be careful to avoid putting in knowledge that's way too esoteric (wry smile.)

The stage for this story is set in Imperial Japan.

It is a world whose culture and conventions are slightly different from reality. For example, the prevalence of traditional Japanese-style clothing is far higher than in the real Japan. After all, the parallel world elements of giants, fairies and spirits are all present, yet Japanese proclivities and living standards happen to be similar to the late twentieth century in the real world. Likewise, anime and doujinshi exist (laugh).

Also, I decided on many setting details from the Bakumatsu to the Meiji Restoration as well as the fictional history of how the Great Empire of Japan transitioned into Imperial Japan. It was only later when it occurred to me that "a war story about Hijikata Toshizō surviving the Boshin War to go on and lead the Wolves of Mibu to fight across Hokkaidō and the northeast" would be a nice idea too... But it's too late for all that now.

Having caused trouble for the various departments involved in editing, design and proofreading, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest apologies and gratitude.

Illustrator BUNBUN-sama, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to complete these exquisite illustrations. Personally, the color illustration of the Crusade Legions in a showdown against the Kamuy Legions, featuring no girls at all, is my favorite.

Well then, everyone, let us meet again with Volume 2.

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