Afterword

To those reading me for the first time: Nice to meet you. To those who've joined me before: Thank you for your continued support. I'm the author, Ishino Yassan. I truly appreciate you picking up I, Who Had Everything Stolen by the Hero, Formed a Party with the Hero’s Mother! NOVEL 2.

And with this, we've reached the second volume of the novel series—while the manga adaptation hits its fourth. When I first received the offer to turn this into a published work, I never imagined it would go this far. Your support has meant the world to me. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

If NOVEL 1 focused primarily on the romance elements, then NOVEL 2 ramps up the action with a heavier emphasis on battles. And at last, that infamous Black Dragon and Mammon make their grand entrance. Mammon, in particular, was a fan-favorite from my serialization on Kakuyomu, where I received so many comments about her—she's one of my absolute favorites, too. There's a phrase that appears in myths and folktales: "Countless heroes and brave souls challenged the beast, yet none could prevail." I believe this speaks to the idea that, before the true hero destined to slay the monster, the demon lord, or whatever unimaginable evil arises, many brave warriors must fall in sacrifice. From that concept, I wanted to create an entity that even heroes couldn't defeat—and that's how the Black Dragon and Mammon came to be.

Battles against beings that heroes can't overcome? That's one of my most cherished episodes as the author. I hope you enjoyed it just as much.

And to answer the question on everyone's mind: What does Mammon actually look like...? Well, she's finally illustrated in all her glory. You can behold the beloved Mammon in the artwork. Plus, we've included the popular side story featuring Rudy, The Legend of a Certain Hunter ~Don't Go with Lili the Hero~ (I Wanted to Write This Far). This NOVEL 2 is packed with everything I poured my heart into up to this point.

I couldn't have reached this milestone without the unwavering support of you readers, the incredible illustrations by Mr. Kuon, and the editor who helped polish this into an even more captivating tale. And to the voice actors who brought the moms to life in the YouTube promo video—never in my wildest dreams when I started writing did I think I'd hear all the heroines' voices brought to such vivid reality. I don't think Volume 2 would have seen the light of day without the contributions of so many talented people. Oh, and the manga's fourth volume drops the same month! It features that epic showdown with the Black Dragon in all its intensity. There are plenty of subtle differences between the novel and manga versions. Lately, I've been seeing comments on Nico Nico Seiga where fans are poring over both the manga and the original novel, comparing them side by side for extra fun.

Who knows? Maybe that's part of the enjoyment.

(Not that I'm saying this because I want you to buy both... sweat.)

From here on out, I'll keep pushing boundaries with stories that other authors might not dare to tell. So please, keep cheering me on.

Ishino Yassan