Afterword.
Hi, this is D, formally known as Kalliel.
[Mistress of the Evil Forest] has finally concluded with 296 chapters, including interludes and an epilogue. After two years, I'm happy to say that Aurora's journey ends on a positive note. Well, it wasn't like I intended it to go in any other direction anyway.
First off, I'd like to say thank you to all the readers who stuck with me until the very end. I appreciate the support and interest you showed—they are what keep me going. Thank you to all the supporters over on my Patreon for your generosity.
Now, let's talk a bit about the story.
MOTEF's initial conception was that of a more horror experience, as I had read something of that genre during the time and got inspired, though I can't really remember which book it was. As the premise said, the story went in that direction for a while... until it stopped.
I only realized this toward the end, but the book somehow came out differently than what I had intended to write. I decided to try my hand at a LitRPG, but I soon found out that I sucked at writing this genre. I was and still am too lazy to keep track of numbers and stats, and you'd notice the obvious lack of that element as the chapters pile up.
Even the horror side took a hit for some reason. Taking a look at it now, I'd unconsciously abandoned the 'horror' identity at some point and focused on a more conventional hero tale, albeit with a slight twist for Aurora. I also introduced too many characters and struggled to wrap up their sides sufficiently. Perhaps thanks to that, the horror became almost non-existent.
If someone asked me, ''Is the book well-written?'' I'd say no. ''Is it horror?'' Not really.
But despite all the flaws, I greatly enjoyed writing the fight scenes in the novel, and overall, it is nice to be able to tell a story like this. For me, it is a good experience, a good example to learn from.
I still have lots of passion for the horror genre, and you bet I'd make another novel with that theme. This time, no LitRPG, and I promise I'll make it actual horror... my next project isn't one, though. Still, stay tuned for its release—it should be soon.
Anyway, that's probably enough for ramblings.
I'll think over the possibility of an after-story for this novel, but it'll take a while. For now, this is it.
Once again, thank you to everyone who's been with MOTEF, and let's hope Aurora's horror army can flourish further.
Have a good day.
This is D.
''Hm... what kind of horror should I summon next~?''