Heavy Object

Volume 13, Afterword

Heavy Object has reached its 13th volume.

This is Kamachi Kazuma.

For the first time in a while, it was a Mariydi Whitewitch volume. The story was finally set in the all-out Northern Restricted Zone. By the way, this was not the unreleased volume I mentioned before, so try not to get them confused. This is the one area in this Object-focused world where the Objects aren’t allowed, so what kind of distortions would develop there? And what kind of environment raised a special mercenary like Mariydi? But I couldn’t just do the same thing as in Festival of Death, so I reversed the relationship in the second half and had Mariydi the one tossed around. This was a much more severe and merciless story than normal, but I hope you were able to enjoy a battle different from those of Quenser and Heivia.

Weapons come in many forms, but when thinking of beautiful weapons, fighter jets are always the first to come to mind for me. Perhaps my heart is attracted to that streamlined form. Aircraft should be the end result of eliminating all fun and seeking only logic and efficiency, but I’m always dizzied by the same sense of unreality as seeing a concept car with a companion girl at a motor show.

The enemies also had a lot of bizarre weapons, but I gave them a hint of giant weapons that actually existed. I think I made some fairly crazy choices with the combat train and ground effect machine. It was refreshing to use a bunch of things I couldn’t with the usual Objects.

And the overall theme was what defines a success.

If you do to the other person exactly what they did to you, it might count as successful revenge, but if you haven’t escaped the chain of violence, have you really broken the yoke and escaped that quagmire of an environment? When Cinderella or Snow White are first seen by the prince who appears out of nowhere like a deus ex machina, have they truly acquired freedom and happiness? The fairy tale heroines were suffering in the first place due to the rulers’ poor ability to maintain order, so wasn’t it kind of a fixed game from the beginning?

In the Heavy Object world, all of their problems are shoved off onto the twisted colossal weapons in the center of everything, and that gives them temporary peace. Of course, the Pilot Elites also have great value. Their social standing rises, they are richly rewarded, and they obtain a glamorous lifestyle and great status. ...But does it really bring happiness to be dragged up onto the stage by the adults? I think posing questions like that is what makes side stories so much fun.

I gave this one the greatly ironic subtitle of Cinderella Story, but the other protagonist also has someone by his side known as a “princess”, doesn’t he?

I give my thanks to my illustrator Nagi Ryou-san and my editors Miki-san, Onodera-san, and Anan-san. From the girls to the weapons and everything else, this story was completely reliant on Nagi Ryou-san. Thank you very much.

I also give my thanks to the readers. It was finally Mariydi and finally the Northern Restricted Zone. What did you think? I can only write characters with fundamentally different worldviews in the same series because of all of your support and that has given the entire series more depth. I hope you enjoyed it.

Now, I hope this book will remain in your heart in some way.

Oh Ho Ho and the Martini Series might good choices too?

-Kamachi Kazuma

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