Sincerely.

You who unintentionally or intentionally opened this book.

When I wrote this, I didn't know how many people would read the book, or how many people would read the foreword.

In this preface, I will talk about some things in general, some things related to the author, some things related to ideas. If you don't like the gossip, then turn to the next chapter and start reading the main text.

But if you'd take some time to look at it and get a feel for it, I'd be glad to do it.

Many years ago, the family was still using DV machines. When I was a teenager, I first learned about a fantasy world called Middle-earth on television.

It was the beginning of it all, and it's been out of control ever since.

I love fantasy stories.

I love their delicate customs, their rich background details, and their entangled fates.

I love reading novels, movies, anime, and comics, I like to listen to Soundhorizon's songs full of storylines, and an online game full of all kinds of Western fantasy flavors always attracts me to keep wandering around just to see the scenery everywhere.

At some point, I started to feel the urge to write my own story.

No, it could be a little deeper than that.

It's like Akihiko Kayaba, something buried deep in my heart somewhere drives me. Even if you know that this is a fantasy, you want to try to create one that allows you to feel the sun, feel the wind, feel the earth under your feet, feel the chirping of birds and the sound of the stream flowing, and feel the breath of the air in your mouth.

A world that can be touched to get every detail.

It's okay to say it's a secondary disease, but isn't it right for a man to be a teenager until he dies (laughs)

I've heard people say that fiction is something to dream about.

Give people who can't do it, but want it all, a window into the experience.

And the full title of this book should actually be "The Sage and the Maiden and Their Companions".

The first two words correspond to our protagonist, and the latter, in addition to the characters in the text, includes myself and all the readers, including you who are reading this passage.

I longed for it when I was young.

I've seen it in a dream.

I'm looking forward to being a part of it.

An adventure.

A journey.

A life.

Some food for thought.

I don't know if the world I've built will be approved by you, and it's not going to be so beautiful all the time, like a fairy tale. Along the way, we will encounter not only companions and wonderful adventures, but also all sorts of heart-wrenching facts - and how to deal with them is what we are trying to figure out on this journey.

I hope this story will make you think after reading it, and I hope this story will make you a better person than you are now, just as the stories I loved used to do to me.

But as YUI sings in aigain, enemies are welcome as well as companions if they are to move forward.

I still live to the tenets of my last book: I try to explain as much as I can when I am faced with critics and dislikes, because I believe that in many cases it is just a misunderstanding.

But the experience at that time also made me understand that there are some people that you can't communicate with.

I welcome companions.

Enemies are also welcome, provided you can speak with genuine criticism.

I hate people who just say "I don't like my abandonment" and "I don't read it anymore" in the style of a repeater, if you hate my books, you can just leave quietly, I don't force you to read them, and I don't care if you like my books or not.

This book is just for those who, like me, like fantasy and adventure, so if you want to see something else, you can't find it.

Please don't speculate on my thoughts or anything else, it's annoying, and it's not much more noble than just yelling at me for no reason. I've been in this situation many times, even though you may not realize that you are taking a humiliation on yourself, but rather be complacent.

Here's just one word of advice: be tolerant and don't always look at things with prejudice and pickiness. Use logical thinking, not habitual thinking.

Even after that, I'm afraid there will be a lot of people who don't know why they start attacking me, but what I say about that kind of person is probably useless.

The previous book, although it took a lot of energy, inevitably failed in the end.

At the end of the day, the mistake lies in inexperience and over-the-topping.

I was so obsessed with the level of detail and ornificence of the story that it almost became an encyclopedia (laughs)

A novel is a novel, and if it is not enough to resonate with the reader, then no matter how much effort is expended, it will fail.

This time, the story will be more simple than the people who have walked with me and are still with me today.

But it doesn't lose the emotions I've always wanted to express, and that's what I hope.

Here, I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I have always accompanied my readers.

I would also like to thank the new readers who have taken the time to read this patiently, and I hope that this story will appeal to you and allow you to accompany me to the end.

Don't you want to take a look?

What does the sunset look like on the other side of the distant world?

Go with me.

My friend.

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December 20, 2015 ROY