LIGHTNOVELONLINE Volume 02 - Afterword
Hi, kentusrpg here.
The second volume is up and ends with much unresolved conflict. Kyou, who met her friends, but was unable to make up with them. Masahiko's group, who loathe Kenta and only see the worst, when it comes to him. Masahiko, who has to give up on Kyou for now. Kenta and Kyou, who hold grudges against each other. A lot of relationships are turning sour.
But there is always a bright side. Or a bright character, in this case. Katarine von Stolzherz, also called Rine. She brings a strong contrast to Kenta and Kyou, because she's actually a good person. But she also shares quite an egoistical side, which is expressed in stubbornness, tantrums, and the inability to compromise. Everything has to go her way. Despite that, she may still be the most likable person in this novel so far.
Putting a princess in the party is, of course, quite cliched and it's on purpose. Since princesses in fictions are mostly either spoiled or bad-ass, I just went with both extremes at the same time for fun. It's quite an unbalance, since she can't fight well alongside with others and doesn't think much about what may come in battle.
The really funny thing about her, is the fact that her and Kyou's personalities were originally switched, but after fleshing out Kenta, it seemed to be inappropriate for him to have an ally from the start. And of course, I thought of the cheerful healer as boring. So now we have Kyou-san and her princess-like attitude and a down to earth princess, who's a bit of a big idiot.
Rine is fun to write, since she's always extreme. She even persuades herself that she likes Kenta, and if this is left alone, she just assumes that both of them are legitimately married.
Inoue Masahiko and his party also have their first official appearance (I've written this volume before the Extra of Volume 1). Masahiko has everything you'd need for a main character: he's thoughtful, capable and trusts his friends almost blindly. He can even bear Kenta's behavior most of the time. He's such a nice guy, who's designated as the symbol of hate by the unpopular kids in school.
On the other hand, his friends aren't that pure-hearted. Is he tricked and is the friendship only a false pretense? Well, human relationships aren't that easy. But at least everyone is friends with Masahiko.
The curse shows its true color, it's not only about being lovey-dovey, but also about polygamy. And for some reason, the gods forbid this form of marriage. Why is it alright to be a mass-murderer, but if there are too many polygamists within a race, the entire race must be wiped out?
If you think back to old mythology, it doesn't seem that strange anymore. Greek gods are especially known for going overboard for small reasons, like transforming people to hideous monsters just because they thought themselves prettier than certain deities.
Now we have two heroines and we can gladly slap the harem tag on the story. Finally. Kenta's sanity is at its end, being tortured by an abusive wife and an overeager one. While being tormented by his physical needs as well, which are constantly stimulated.
Rine would probably gladly help him with it, but sleeping with her would be a lifetime error. Maybe he should simply ask Kyou, she’d give him a look that could kill any boner.
Next volume we'll leave the mountains and relocate to the forest. And we finally get to meet a fantasy classic, the elves, which might be very similar but also different to the ones in other fictions.
Like last time, there will be a break, which lasts for a few weeks. In this time, I plan to rework some of the older chapters with my new editor, prepare the artwork for Volume 3 with my artist, and, of course, write new stuff.
I’m still on and can answer to comments and such. So don’t hesitate, but for those who also need a break: We’ll meet again at the start of Volume 3!