《Majo no Tabitabi》 Volume 2 - CH 1 Chapter 1 ¨C A Country for Magicians Sunlight is falling upon the plains through the gaps that opened up between the clouds. The plants in the sunlit patches were caressed by a gentle wind, and they shook off the raindrops that clung to them. If you move through those sunlit patches, your body will be enveloped by the warmth for just a moment. I felt that it was warm for just a moment, but the next instant, I was once again beneath the cloudy sky. I wish that bright patch of land would keep pace with me, however, it was beyond my reach before I realized it. Although it¡¯s been a while since the rain stopped, the air is still humid and carries a hint of cold. It feels like the clouds will cover up the sun again at any moment, and the rain will begin to fall again. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I hate the rain. It makes everything damp and soggy, just being there makes me feel depressed, and most importantly, it forces me to temporarily halt my journey. It¡¯s really the worst. However, I like jumping into the puddles that are left behind once the rain stops and splashing the water around with my feet. I hate the rain, but I love the time that immediately follows the rain. It feels weird. This is troubling. It looks like it¡¯s going to rain, so I have no option but to hurry. I made the broom go fast while feeling slightly impatient. After flying for a while, a country came into view. A gate guard appeared to greet me soon after I landed the broom outside the gates. However, it was unusual for the guard to be wearing a tricorne and a robe instead of the equipment of a regular guard. ¡°Welcome to our country. Are you a witch-sama?¡± Isn¡¯t it obvious just by looking? ¡°Yes. I¡¯m a traveling witch.¡± ¡°Haha, I see. You¡¯re quite young for a witch-sama.¡± After saying that and nodding as if praising me, the guard continued to speak. ¡°Would you be so kind as to tell me your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Elaina.¡± ¡°Would you be so kind as to tell me if you have a lover?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± I unintentionally replied with a question of my own. Is this person really trying to hit on me in a place like this? However, it appears that there is a different reason. The guard slightly shook his head, and, ¡°My apologies. I didn¡¯t ask that with any vulgar intentions. However, if you have a lover who is not a magician, staying in this country will cause you to have some unpleasant memories.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°So, how is it? Is there anyone you¡¯re going out with right now?¡± The explanation is somewhat unsatisfactory, but I¡¯ll understand what it means soon enough once I¡¯m inside the country. Probably. ¡°¡­No, there isn¡¯t anyone.¡± After hearing that, the guard nodded and said, ¡°I understand. In that case, please feel free to enter.¡± The guard moved away from the gate, and the large iron gate opened while making the ground solemnly tremble. ¡°Welcome, to the Country for Magicians.¡± As I stepped foot inside, the guard bowed low and said that to me. ¡ð After passing through the gate, I saw the city¡¯s main street. There were many houses and shops of different size and structure lining the sides of the road. From what I could see, the city was full of magicians. They were walking together with other people, or doing some shopping. Looking into the shops that lined the street, I saw that magicians were living a completely ordinary life. However, there were people who were not magicians as well. They walked on the side of the street, avoided taking a path that might might cause them to obstruct the magicians, and hung their heads¡­ In short, they were being a lot more humble than they should. Their clothes were also quite seedy. It feels like this country only has people who are dressed in expensive-looking robes or people wearing cheap, threadbare clothing. This country seems to be a little strange. I started to walk while thinking that. After walking for awhile, I came to a sudden stop. There¡¯s something strange here. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± Those were the first words that came out of my mouth. A mysterious box of the kind I had never seen before had been placed on long strips of iron, and it was moving. Even more surprisingly, that large box was filled with people. I realized that it was a means of transportation when that box stopped in front of me. A flood of people stepped out of the box once the doors opened. At the same time, a number of other people also entered the box. It looks like many people use this means of transportation. How interesting. It really looks interesting. Should I try riding it? Let¡¯s try it out. I didn¡¯t really understand what was going on, but I decided to go ahead and ride it. I sidestepped the people and approached the box while fighting against the flow of people. However, it remained at just being an attempt at boarding, as I was not actually able to enter the box¡­ I was stopped just as I was about enter. ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± ¡°Gueh.¡± I made a strange sound. Someone had strongly pulled on my robe from behind. What the hell is this person doing all of a sudden? I turned around while feeling a bit angry, and saw a witch standing there. She was a strange witch, with a suspicious-looking smirk on her face. ¡°What are you doing all of a sudden?¡± ¡°You¡¯re a magician, aren¡¯t you? You can¡¯t enter the first carriage. It¡¯s not allowed.¡± I was full of anger, but the witch ignored me and continued to flap her gums. ¡°You belong in that carriage.¡± Saying that, the witch pointed at a carriage, as she called it, that was behind the one I had tried to enter. However, ¡°¡­But there¡¯s no one else in that carriage.¡± ¡°Yes, there¡¯s nobody else there. There¡¯s a good reason for that, though. So board that carriage, please.¡± ¡°I¡¯m allowed to board that carriage but not this one?¡± ¡°Of course. I¡¯ll explain the reason to you later, so come with me for now.¡± ¡°Ha¡­¡± I don¡¯t understand what she¡¯s talking about at all. ¡ð Apparently, that lady was the person who had created this moving box, and it¡¯s called a ¡®train¡¯. When I asked her how exactly it was moving, she gladly explained it to me. However, I didn¡¯t understand a thing she said. I felt like my head was about to explode from the relentless waves of technical terms she spouted. The only thing I managed to understand was that ¡°This train moves using magic as the driving power¡±, the rest of it went right over my head. Well, it should be fine even if I don¡¯t understand it. ¡°Right now, I¡¯m traveling to conduct an interview with the first magician to ride this train.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± I gave a meaningless reply while sitting with my legs stretched out on the long sofa that was installed in the train. ¡°Traveler-san, how does the ride feel?¡± ¡°It¡¯s quiet.¡± Looking out of the window, I saw a commonplace sight of a city moving by. In spite of being such a grandly-built box, it wasn¡¯t moving all that fast, and I felt that it was slower compared to when I flew on my broom. Maybe because of that, the interior of the train was really quiet. As a means of transportation, it was not a bad feeling. ¡°I know, right? I invented this so that people could go sightseeing around the town while viewing beautiful and interesting sights, it¡¯s something I have a have a lot of confidence in.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± ¡°But the reviews from magicians haven¡¯t been all that great¡­ A lot of magicians used it at the beginning, but by the time I realized it, they stopped using it altogether.¡± ¡°That makes sense.¡± It¡¯s slow, after all. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re the first customer today. Welcome to my train.¡± ¡°The first¡­?¡± I sunk lower into my seat while wondering what this person was talking about. Looking in the direction that the train was moving, I could see a carriage that was full of people. There are so many people riding this train, and yet I¡¯m the first customer? Why was that? ¡°Ara.¡± The lady looked in same direction and said, ¡°The ones in that carriage are not customers. You can ignore them.¡± ¡°Ignore them¡­ saying that just makes me more curious. If they¡¯re not customers, then what are they?¡± After that, the lady said this. ¡°Hmm? They are lesser beings. They¡¯re not humans, so I can¡¯t call them ¡®customers¡¯¡±. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You probably don¡¯t know this because you¡¯re from a different country, but people in this country who can¡¯t use magic are not considered human. They¡¯re the same as animals.¡± ¡°¡­Saying it that way is a little extreme.¡± So they¡¯re treated like animals just because they can¡¯t use magic. The lady continued to speak while looking at the carriage in front. ¡°Look at them. Don¡¯t you think they¡¯re pitiful? Unlike magicians, they have no other means of transportation, so they all travel in this train bunched up like that. Isn¡¯t it funny?¡± ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s particularly funny.¡± ¡°Really? This train was really popular in the beginning, though. The lesser beings would travel in that carriage, and we would travel in this carriage so that we could watch them. Watching their pitiful state was a great source of amusement. This train was famous for being a good way to get rid of accumulated stress in that way.¡± ¡°Lesser beings¡­?¡± I remember reading about it in a book a long time ago. If I remember correctly, that was a derogatory term used by magicians to refer to people who couldn¡¯t use magic. It¡¯s shocking to see that there¡¯s actually a country that uses this term. ¡°Popularity fades with time, though. Now, the only customers I get are people like yourself who visit from other countries.¡± ¡°¡­That makes sense.¡± ¡°What do you think I should do the get people to ride this train again? Maybe the people need more excitement?¡± ¡°Why not move away from the idea that it has to be exciting?¡± ¡°If I did that, this train would lose its reason for existing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, any ideas?¡± ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°You sound like you don¡¯t care at all.¡± ¡°Well yeah, I don¡¯t care about it at all.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say that. I really need an idea. At this rate, the train will be shut down.¡± ¡°An idea, huh¡­¡± I don¡¯t particularly have any, though. ¡°Don¡¯t you have any to share? It can even just be your impressions after riding this train.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, in that case, I have something for you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± I had already decided on what to say. I moved my sight from the boring and unchanging scenery outside to the face of the witch who had a flimsy smile on her face, and said it clearly. My honest opinion, in a condensed form. ¡°Unpleasant.¡± However, the lady didn¡¯t look like she minded it much, and, ¡°Unpleasant¡­ I see.¡± She drifted off into thought in that manner. ¡ð From the next day on, it started to rain heavily. I couldn¡¯t even go outside to see the country, so I lived inside an inn for a while. Although it was a cheap inn, I was able to live there quite well. However, I had nothing to do, and the time spent sitting around in that humid atmosphere was more boring than I had expected. It was at a level where I began to worry if moss might start to grow on me as well. In the end, the rain showed no signs of stopping even after waiting for a few days, so I decided to leave the country even though it was still raining. As I was walking down the street that lead to the gates while holding an umbrella in the incessant downpour of rain that I hated, the train slowly passed by me. The train was moving at a speed only a little faster than I was walking, and it came to a stop a little ahead of me. ¡°Ugh¡­¡± After the doors opened and a lot of people were expelled from the inside, ¡°Oh, it¡¯s the witch from the other day. How are you? Nice weather we¡¯re having, isn¡¯t it?¡± I ran into that inventor witch again. ¡°You call this good weather?¡± ¡°Sure it is. My train is really proving its worth, after all. What else can I call it, if not good weather?¡± ¡°It appears that we have differing values.¡± Leaving that aside, ¡°However, it does look like you¡¯re getting a lot of customers now. A lot of the customers who hadn¡¯t been riding your train earlier have come back, I see.¡± I said that while taking a peek at the carriage behind her. It was packed with magicians. The people getting out of the train and the people boarding the train were all magicians. The lady realized what I was looking at, and gave a big nod. ¡°Yes! So many magicians have returned to my train, and it¡¯s all thanks to you!¡± ¡°Me?¡± Did I do something like that? I gave her my frank opinion, but I don¡¯t remember doing anything that I should be thanked for. Just what was this lady talking about? While I was standing there under my umbrella with an increasing number of doubts, the lady said, ¡°Just like you said, I got rid of the unpleasant things from my train, and the customers all came back!¡± After saying that, she stepped to one side and continued to speak. ¡°Look, I removed the carriage meant for lesser beings, and turned the whole thing into a train reserved for only magicians!¡± She laughed after saying that. ¡°¡­¡­¡± There were magicians in the carriage behind her. The first carriage, and all the others, were also full of magicians. ¡°I guess having lesser beings traveling in the same train as us was too absurd a notion. There¡¯s nothing more unpleasant than that. I didn¡¯t realize that. It was a complete blind spot. Thank you, Witch-san.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°My train is really popular now. We can ride on the train and laugh at the pitiful state of the lesser beings who are walking while getting drenched in the rain. It¡¯s a good way to get rid of the accumulated stress, they say.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± The magicians who got out of the train had spread out on the street while holding umbrellas. There were people who were running by while vainly attempting to use a piece of cloth to protect themselves from the rain, and people who were running while almost bent over double, trying to protect the items that they were hugging close to their stomach. The magicians sneered at such people as they walked, spreading out into the city. ¡°What do you say, Witch-san? Do you want to take a ride while looking at those pitiful wretches from inside the train?¡± I shook my head. ¡°I don¡¯t have such a spiteful hobby.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a pity. We have different interests.¡± I shook my head once again. I gave a sigh, and spoke while looking at the rain that I hated so much. ¡°No, we have different values.¡± Different from this country, and you as well. Volume 2 - CH 2 Chapter 2 ¨C A peaceful way to use weapons ¡°Eh? Haa¡­ You want me to make your spears and shields the strongest¡­?¡± ¡°Tha¡¯s right! Or else we¡¯ll be sent a-runnin¡¯ by those guys from the village to the east!¡± The men of the village had gathered before me, kneeling down and looking at me with anxious eyes. Next to them was a pile of crude spears fashioned by attaching knives to some tree branches, and lids of pots that looked useless for protection from anything other than a cookfire. It looked like a pile of garbage. They want me to make these the strongest weapons? Hoho. ¡°No, that¡¯s a little¡­¡± ¡°Please, we¡¯re countin¡¯ on ya! Those guys from the village in the east, they seem to have got help from a witch who made all their weapons super strong! They¡¯ll kill all o¡¯ us at this rate!¡± I don¡¯t understand the circumstances, but apparently this western village is on pretty bad terms with the neighboring village to the east. After a while, it had become a situation where everyone thought, ¡°Aw, let¡¯s just settle it with fightin¡¯.¡± However, none of their weapons were anything special, so they decided to appeal to a witch for help with increasing their combative ability so that they could put up a fight. And unluckily enough, I happened to run into them at that time. That¡¯s what happened. ¡°Umm, well, it¡¯s not impossible. Making your weapons stronger, that is.¡± ¡°Not ¡®stronger¡¯! They¡¯ve gotta be the strongest!¡± Agreeing with the words of the man who appeared to be their leader, the other few dozens of men surrounding me nodded while breathing strongly through their noses. Ugh, they reek of sweat. ¡°Making them the strongest weapons is also simple¡­ but there¡¯s one problem.¡± ¡°Wuzzat?¡± ¡°Can you pay for them? I don¡¯t mind making them for you, but it¡¯ll be quite expensive, you know?¡± ¡°But the person who made them weapons for those guys in the other village did it for free! So we oughta¨C¡± ¡°Perhaps we should forget that we had this conversation?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, what will it be?¡± ¡°¡­How much money are we talkin¡¯, exactly?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I silently held up my index finger. ¡°Wow! Just one copper!? That¡¯s a bargain!¡± ¡°If you want me to strengthen your weapons, I¡¯ll do it for one gold coin.¡± ¡°You¡¯ll strengthen all o¡¯ our weapons fer a gold? That¡¯s really quite the bargain!¡± ¡°It¡¯s one gold coin per item.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not cheap at all¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I said it would be pretty expensive¡­¡± Judging by the number of items in that pile of trash, just strengthening the weapons alone will earn me around eighty gold coins¡­ Oh my, the trash is starting to look like a pile of shining gold. Ufufu. However, seeing as they were only able to gather junk like this for weapons, this village must be in dire straits financially as well. The men surrounding me were visibly falling into despair. ¡°C-Can¡¯t you find it in yer heart to do it for less, Witch-sama¡­?¡± ¡°No, I can¡¯t possibly make it any cheaper than this.¡± ¡°¡­T-That¡¯s right! Maybe we could pay ya afterwards! After you make the strongest weapons for us, we¡¯ll run over to the eastern village and loot all their gold! How¡¯s that sound?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry. Please pay in advance for strengthening the weapons.¡± ¡°¡­Why?¡± ¡°My motivation depends on it.¡± ¡°But payin¡¯ ahead is really impossible¡­¡± The person who appeared to the be the leader hung his head and said, ¡°Would you be willin¡¯ to accept somethin¡¯ else of equal value?¡± ¡°That would depend on what you have to offer.¡± ¡°Seriously!? Alright, you guys! Go bring that! ¡± After responding with a hearty ¡°Yes sir!¡± the people who appeared to be subordinates spread out and disappeared from my sight. And then they returned while bringing ¡°that¡±. I had been waiting for them to return, and what they respectfully offered me was a large quantity of vegetables. It¡¯s impossible for a single person to carry that many. With this many vegetables, I feel like I would be able to live for a month eating nothing else. ¡°These are pickin¡¯s of vegetables grown in our village! Please take ¡®em!¡± ¡°¡­No, receiving so many vegetables would be troublesome.¡± I can only imagine them going bad before I could deal with them. ¡°Please take ¡®em!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I let out a single sigh. ¡°Let¡¯s forget about this conversation. Not only can you not afford to pay me, you want to give me something like this instead. I have no obligation to strengthen your weapons under such circumstances.¡± ¡°¡­Please wait, Witch-sama!¡± The person who called out to me after I made my curt statement was the wife of the person who appeared to be the leader. The lady spoke to me while turning cold eyes upon the men who were wallowing in despair. ¡°We have prepared a special feast for you, Witch-sama. Can you not accept that as payment for this matter?¡± ¡°Ho.¡± ¡°When did ya¡­ As expected from my wife!¡± The person who appeared to be the leader was pushing his luck. The lady gave him a stern glare, then turned to me and smiled. ¡°What do you say, Witch-sama?¡± I replied, ¡°It depends on what you have to offer.¡± I decided to at least take a look, and accompanied the lady to the communal area of the village. It looked like a shabby, run-down building from the outside. It was so bad that I hesitated to go inside. However, the lady didn¡¯t allow me to escape. Saying, ¡°Please come in!¡± she half-dragged me into the building. ¡°¡­¡­¡± What was the interior like, you ask? It was a wonderful dining hall. Freshly picked fruit and vegetables lined the tables and a fragrant smell spread throughout the entire building. It looked like they were still in the process of preparing, as a number of ladies were busily moving about inside. In an attempt to improve the appearance of the run-down building even a little, the walls on the inside were hidden by curtains. It looked like the ladies had all brought their own curtains as they were of different sizes and materials, but the sheer amount of work that went into the preparation made me feel sympathy for them. However, there was one problem. As none of the pots had lids, the food would get cold if we didn¡¯t hurry. In fact, it was already getting cold by the time I arrived. What a pity that was. Due to that, the situation had become urgent. ¡°Let¡¯s strengthen your weapons right away.¡± After going back to where the men were waiting, I went to work right away. I ignored the men who were jumping with joy, took out my staff, and cast a spell on the pile of shabbily made weapons. The results appeared immediately. A soft, sparkling light enveloped the weapons and started to change their structure. By the time the light disappeared, the weapons had been reborn in a completely different shape. ¡°T-This is! Amazin¡¯, Witch-sama!¡± The men were ecstatic after looking at the weapons that had been remade. The crude spears that had been made by attaching knives to some tree branches were reborn as halberds with beautiful blades that looked like they were made of ice, and the ordinary pot lids obtained an intimidating shape that looked like they could be used to batter the enemy to pieces by themselves. That¡¯s right, the pile of trash turned into a pile of treasure. It¡¯s understandable that the men are so moved. ¡°Incidentally, these strong weapons are all lighter than they appear. You¡¯ll realise that when you pick them up. However they have one drawback¨C¡± ¡°Alright! Now we¡¯re sure ta win!!¡± Ah, they¡¯re not listening to me at all. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Right, men! We¡¯re going to give them folk from the eastern village a beatin¡¯ right away! Afta¡¯ me!¡± The men moved to pick up the weapons. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Pick up them weapons! Don¡¯t let Witch-sama¡¯s work go ta waste!¡± Saying that, they gathered at the gate. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Thankee, Witch-sama! We¡¯ll definitely win and come back!¡± After bowing to me once, they ran off towards the eastern village. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I was left behind there by myself. I didn¡¯t foresee this outcome. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± As they are using the strongest weapons and shields, at the very least, I would have liked for them to go about it more carefully. At this rate, they might end up using them wrongly. Perhaps it would be better to go and stop them. I was hesitating. ¡°Witch-sama. We have finished preparing the venue.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m on my way.¡± Oh well, it should be fine. It¡¯ll probably end up the way I expect even if I leave them alone. ¡ð ¡°Witch-sama, thank you so much. Now the village will become peaceful.¡± ¡°Not at all. I didn¡¯t do anything that great.¡± I shook my head while loading my plate with food. The only thing I did was alter the weapons a bit. It¡¯s not something that requires gratitude. ¡°By the way, this is your reward.¡± Saying so, the wife of the person who appeared to be the leader gave me a wrapped package. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°That contains ten gold coins. It¡¯s the rest of your reward.¡± I took a peek inside. As she said, there are ten golden coins inside. Ufufu. I took off my tricorne and bowed to her. ¡°Thank you very much.¡± ¡°We should be the ones thanking you. At last, peace will come to both the villages.¡± ¡°Right.¡± ¡°Now, please eat.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡­ It looks like I don¡¯t have that much time.¡± This is why I wanted to properly explain it to those guys before coming here. Oh well, it doesn¡¯t matter. I picked up my knife and fork and lightly cut my portion. The men returned quite a while after that. I had eaten my fill, left the communal area, and had just taken off on my broom when they arrived. Their attitude was clearly different from when they had left the village. They weren¡¯t carrying the spears or shields that I had made, and incidentally, there were about twice as many people compared to when they left. They saw me sitting on my broom with my legs swaying below, and shouted at me. ¡°What¡¯s the meanin¡¯ of this, Witch-sama!?¡± ¡°The spears and shields all broke afta¡¯ one hit!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mess with us! This is a scam!¡± ¡°Return the coin!¡± ¡°Return our knives and pot coverins¡¯!¡± ¡°And them branches too!¡± ¡°What¡¯s the meaning o¡¯ this? Explain yourself!¡± Oh my. ¡°Just as you asked, I created the strongest weapons for you. Are you dissatisfied?¡± ¡°We¡¯re more than only troubled! When we were about to fight, we saw the folk of the eastern village had the same weapons!¡± The leader of this village shouted that. ¡°Did you trick us, Witch-sama!? They looked good, but they were so darned brittle! The spears and shields crumbled to pieces the moment we clashed!¡± The leader of the other village also shouted that. Oh, that¡¯s terrible. ¡°No, the more powerful something is, the more brittle it becomes. Isn¡¯t the same true for gemstones as well?¡± That¡¯s what I told them. ¡°Besides, if the strongest spear and strongest shield clash, of course both of them will be destroyed. Both are the strongest, after all.¡± Seeing me making light of the situation, the leader of this village said, ¡°But Witch-sama, you hid the fact that the weapons were brittle from us!¡± ¡°No, you lot were just too hasty and left before I could say anything.¡± I had initially planned to explain that the weapons were brittle, and then allow the two villages to have a decisive fight, but because they ran away without listening to me, I had to hurry and eat quickly. How can they make up for this? ¡°Speaking o¡¯ which, Witch-sama, yer the one who provided the eastern village with weapons?¡± ¡°Hmm? Didn¡¯t I mention that?¡± Indeed, a few days ago I had visited the eastern village who were at odds with this village. I had used the same method to convert a similar pile of garbage into the strongest weapons. Oh well, putting that aside for now. ¡°I properly completed the work that had been requested of me. I have also received the reward, so I¡¯ll be leaving now.¡± I gently accelerated my broom and began to move forward. The abuse that came flying at me from below increased in intensity, and a few of them even threw stones. Not that any of them hit me. ¡°Well then, farewell~¡± What actually happened, was this. The dangerous request to make the strongest weapons was not my only task. In fact, it would not be wrong to call that just one of the methods to achieve what was originally requested of me. To be honest, my original task was to ¡°confiscate the weapons from the men of the two villages who were on bad terms¡±. That is why I used my magic to remove the weapons from the hands of the men. It looks like the men are on better terms now that they have me as a common enemy, so it¡¯s two birds with one stone. However, they lost some money, their knives, and pot lids as payment for that. Even then, that is a cheap price to pay for being able to end the fighting in a peaceful manner. I could still hear the complaints from the crowd that was becoming distant. Behind them, I was able to faintly make out the forms of my clients from both villages waving their hands at me. Volume 2 - CH 3 Chapter 3 ¨C A fleeing princess. Who is chasing her? It was a forest in autumn with the trees shedding their leaves. The bright crimson leaves fell to the ground slowly and gently, covering the path that linked two countries and turning it a deep shade of red. A single girl was walking along the path which looked like it had been covered by a red carpet. A black robe, as well as a black tricorne. A brooch shaped like a star on her chest. As it was a cold season, her thin legs were covered by black tights. This girl who wore quintessential witch¡¯s attire was a witch, as well as a traveler. ¡°¡­Fu.¡± The girl stopped, and looked upwards. What she saw there was a clear blue sky. The girl who stood there with melancholy hidden in her eyes was definitely a beauty by any standards. So beautiful, in fact, that anyone who happened to pass by would be knocked out by her beauty. Whether it was a man or a woman, they would probably become enamoured with her. Is this what was meant by indiscriminate terrorism? Who was this girl who held such a murderous level of beauty? Yes, it¡¯s me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah, it¡¯s a joke, okay? ¡ð I would usually travel from one country to another by flying on a broom like a proper witch, but I didn¡¯t do that this time. I felt that it would be a waste to just pass over this path which was surrounded by such wonderful scenery. Another reason was that I simply didn¡¯t want to fly since it was cold. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Moreover, the last country I visited¡­ was it called the Watermill Capital? I learned that the next country was close enough to reach by taking a short walk along this path. That country should be coming into view any time now. If I remember the correctly, the next country is¡­ ¡°Oh, my.¡± My thinking came to a halt. Before I realized it, I had also stopped walking. I saw a person coming down this path from the other side. It was a man riding a horse. The horse was ambling down the middle of the road in a relaxed manner. He noticed my gaze and flashed a smile at me. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He also wore clothing that looked very expensive, and looked like a gentle-hearted young man. If he was just an ordinary man with a good looking face, I wouldn¡¯t have stopped walking and thinking, and stared at him. At the most, I would have nodded as we passed each other by. ¡°Hello there. Nice weather we¡¯re having isn¡¯t it¡­ As greetings go, this one probably lacks originality.¡± However, the person who stopped his horse in front of me was clearly special. Should I say special, or rather he is is definitely, ¡°A Prince?¡± That¡¯s what he looked like. He put on a gentle smile and nodded. ¡°Oh, do you know who I am?¡± ¡°That coat of arms on your chest, I saw it in the Watermill Capital.¡± ¡°I see. As you guessed, I am the Prince of the Watermill Capital. My name is Robert. It¡¯s nice to meet you, Witch-sama.¡± He let go of the reins with one hand, and extended that hand towards me. So he¡¯s looking for a handshake? I see. I held his hand, said ¡°Hello,¡± and released it. ¡°Considering that we¡¯ve met here, are you perhaps on your way from the Watermill Capital to the Windmill Capital?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± I answered in the affirmative. This road was a single path that connected the two countries. The country I stayed at earlier was the Watermill Capital. The country I am heading towards is the Windmill Capital. This path was a trading route between the two. ¡°What did you think of my country?¡± ¡°There were a lot of watermills.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Eh? Is that all?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± There was nothing else special to talk about, in any case. ¡°I-I see¡­ So that¡¯s all¡­¡± Half-ignoring the state of the Prince who looked depressed, I asked him a question. ¡°By the way, Prince Robert. Considering that we met here, are you perhaps on your way back to the Watermill Capital from the Windmill Capital?¡± ¡°Eh? Yes¡­ Wait, that¡¯s not entirely correct.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°I am searching for my fiancee.¡± Hoho. ¡°I¡¯m a traveler, so I¡¯m not interested in marriage.¡± ¡°What are you talking about¡­¡± Prince Robert was clearly taken aback. ¡°My fiancee has vanished.¡± ¡°Vanished¡­ you say?¡± She didn¡¯t just run away? Prince Robert nodded. ¡°In truth, I was due to be wed soon, but my partner is the princess of the Windmill Capital. So we had to bring her to the Watermill Capital so that we could conduct the ceremony.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± So his partner is a princess from the neighbouring country. That¡¯s pretty amazing. ¡°Some people in their country apparently didn¡¯t like the idea of her marrying me, so when I went to the Windmill Capital this morning, they were on the verge of marrying her off to some other fellow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The masked expression he had prepared began to crumble. ¡°She was crying. She probably hated the thought of marrying that man. After seeing that, I threw away my position as a Prince and forcefully brought her away.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± My, what a romantic turn of events. ¡°When we left the Windmill Capital, I put her on a sled and pulled her behind me as I galloped out on my horse.¡± ¡°A sled?¡± What is she, luggage? ¡°And that¡¯s when it happened. When I looked back after coming some way, she was nowhere to be seen. I¡¯m certain that she was sitting on the sled and eating a croissant when we left the Windmill Capital together.¡± ¡°Maybe she fell off?¡± ¡°Yeah¡­ That¡¯s why I¡¯m searching for her.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Was she kidnapped, was it an accident, or did she run away? Which one was it? Judging by his story, it seems likely that the sled and the princess were accidentally dropped somewhere along the path. It¡¯s hard to make any sort of judgement at this moment. ¡°The princess of the Windmill Capital¡­ She is a beautiful young lady with wavy blonde hair and fiery red eyes. Have you seen anyone matching that description?¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been walking on this path starting from the Watermill Capital, but you¡¯re the first person I¡¯ve met, Your Highness.¡± I told him truthfully. He sadly lowered his eyebrows a little, and said, ¡°¡­I see.¡± It feels like the situation is somewhat complicated. Marriage with a princess of a neighboring country, it¡¯s obvious that there¡¯s something else going on in the background. For example, it might be a political marriage for the purpose of uniting the two countries. ¡°Where did you first meet the Princess?¡± I asked him in a roundabout manner. ¡°Hmm? I saw her at the party celebrating ten years of peace after the war ended, and fell in love with her at first sight.¡± ¡°Hoho, did you say end of a war? Hoho. The Watermill Capital and the Windmill Capital were once at war? I see.¡± So it was a political marriage after all? ¡°Well, that was more than ten years ago. Both Watermill and Windmill didn¡¯t like the idea of having a similar existence nearby, so war broke out.¡± ¡°Even though they were both similar?¡± ¡°It was because they were too similar. Wouldn¡¯t you feel disturbed if someone similar to you was beside you all the time? Due to that reason, the two countries would easily get into a fight over trivial issues, and in the end they went to war¡­ This path that we are standing on was the place where fighting was the fiercest during the war. At one point, the ground was drenched with the blood of the soldiers, and it was even called the ¡®Trading Route of Blood¡¯ for some time.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s a pretty distasteful name.¡± I unintentionally glanced downwards and saw the trading route that was deep red in color. However, it wasn¡¯t blood that gave it that color, but the fallen leaves. It was a vivid and elegant red color. ¡°It took a lot of time before the two countries were able to respect each other, but peace finally arrived. If the two of us were to get married, the good relations between the two countries should get even better.¡± ¡°Did the Princess see it that way as well?¡± ¡°Of course. She wouldn¡¯t have agreed to the engagement otherwise.¡± ¡°¡­Fumu.¡± I see. I had thought that Prince Robert had forced her into marrying him and she had run away because she was against it, but¡­ it looks like that isn¡¯t the case. I nodded. ¡°If I see her anywhere, I will tell her about you.¡± I said that while looking up at him. ¡°Ah, thanks. If you do see her, please ask her to come to the Watermill Capital. We need to have that wedding ceremony, after all.¡± And then Prince Robert continued to speak. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. If you find her, I will give you ten gold coins as a reward.¡± Oh, my. ¡°I understand. I will spare no effort in searching for her.¡± ¡°I¡¯ll leave it to you, then.¡± ¡°Yes, you can count on me.¡± I wasn¡¯t swayed by the promise of money. I just wanted to help the prince out. No, honest. ¡­¡­ Still, rich people use such dirty methods. They have the strongest weapon called ¡®wealth¡¯, so they can handle pretty much anything that comes their way. That¡¯s what I thought while watching Prince Robert from behind as he elegantly moved away from me. ¡ð A short while after parting with Prince Robert, I saw another person on the path that I was walking on. I felt that staring at them would be rude, so I discreetly peeked at the person from the corner of my eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a beautiful lady. However, I¡¯m certain that this isn¡¯t the Princess of the Windmill Capital¡­ her appearance is entirely too different. Her long, straight hair was fiery red in color. She wasn¡¯t wearing a dress like what you would expect from a princess, but an ominous-looking set of red armour. Rounding off the dangerous vibe, she had a sword at her waist. A red-haired woman standing on this red-colored path while wearing red armour. This was the lady who walked past me. Yep, she looks dangerous. ¡°You there.¡± ¡­is what she said. I heard a sharp voice that felt as if it was stabbing into me from behind. I stopped walking and turned around. ¡°Can I help you?¡± ¡°You looked at me just now, didn¡¯t you? Did you want something from me?¡± ¡°No, not really. I was just a little curious.¡± ¡°Curious? About what?¡± I lowered my gaze and looked at her armour. ¡°If you meet someone walking normally down a path while wearing such dangerous looking attire, isn¡¯t it only normal to feel curious?¡± ¡°You can just ignore them.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­Is something wrong?¡± I asked her shamelessly, even though I already knew the answer. She came from the direction of the Windmill Capital. Judging by the fact that she is wearing armour, it is unlikely that she is a wandering traveler. Also, judging by the fact that she is wearing armour, I can further speculate that she is a guard of some sort. In short, ¡°Actually, the Princess of our country has vanished.¡± That was the situation. ¡°Vanished? Oh my, that sounds serious.¡± ¡°Do you know anything? She is a beauty and her wavy golden hair is her characteristic feature.¡± ¡°No, I have no idea.¡± I haven¡¯t seen any young woman matching that description¡­. But it really looks like there is a fairly large rebellion going on. At this rate, I won¡¯t be able to rest peacefully even after reaching the Windmill Capital. There¡¯s a possibility that the whole country has fallen into panic. The lady furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth to speak, saying, ¡°¡­I see. If you happen to find the Princess, please bring her to the Windmill Capital.¡± Oh, that¡¯s in the direction opposite of where Prince Robert is waiting. ¡­¡­ I gave her a big nod. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ll make sure to do that. By the way, what¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Rosamia.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll bring her to you if I happen to find her, Rosamia-san.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± ¡°No problem.¡± I¡¯m not completely sure what¡¯s going on, though. ¡ð I¡¯m hungry. Is it time for lunch already? ¡°¡­¡­¡± For some reason, my sense of smell becomes extra sensitive when I¡¯m hungry. Even in this stinging cold weather, if the air carries the scent of food, I¡¯ll notice it right away. I will notice it and think ¡°Ah, something smells good¡±. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Anyways, I was standing still after having caught the scent of food coming from somewhere. It¡¯s smells really good. What is this smell¡­ Ah, it¡¯s bread. It¡¯s the scent of bread. The distinctive smell of bread, slightly sweet and mellow, is spreading through the air. ¡°There are no people in front or behind me¡­ which means¡­¡± Searching for the source of the smell, I stepped off the path and walked into the brush. The bread is certainly somewhere in this direction. Each time I take a step, the thick plants shake while making noise and the scent gets stronger. And then¡­ ¡°Hmm¡­ !¡± Within the thicket, at the base of a tree. I found a young lady sitting there and looking in my direction with a startled expression while still holding a croissant in her mouth. On her lap, she had a basket that held a large number of croissants. Her body was enveloped in an expensive looking wedding dress, and she had wavy blonde hair. Her deep red eyes were fixed upon me. ¡­Wow. I came here while following a good smell, and happened to run into an extraordinary person. ¡°You¡¯re the Princess, aren¡¯t you? From Windmill Capital.¡± ¡°¡­¡­!¡± The girl¡¯s shoulders shuddered sharply, and she munched on the remnants of the croissant in her hand. Is that more important than replying to my question? I see how it is. The girl swallowed the croissant after munching on it for a while, and then glared at me. ¡°Who are you? You should introduce yourself before asking for someone else¡¯s name. How rude.¡± I don¡¯t remember asking for her name, though. I just asked for confirmation. ¡°¡­I¡¯m the Witch of Ashes, Elaina. I¡¯m a traveler.¡± ¡°I see. Elaina¡­ that¡¯s a nice name. My name is Chocola. As you guessed, I am the Princess of Windmill Capital.¡± ¡°You¡¯re the princess of a country, what are you doing in a place like this?¡± ¡°Can¡¯t you see? I¡¯m having lunch.¡± ¡°By the way, may I have one of those croissants?¡± ¡°Ah, go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Sitting in the shade of the tree next to Princess Chocola, I asked about the circumstances surrounding her while nibbling the croissant. I¡¯ll keep the fact that I met her fianc¨¦, Prince Robert, a secret for now. I haven¡¯t yet discarded the possibility that this is a political marriage. I wasn¡¯t suspecting him or anything, but I felt that this would be the best method in order to find out what the two of them really thought about the matter. I started by asking a simple question. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go back to your country?¡± ¡°I¡¯m being pursued by a scary person. I can¡¯t go back even if I wanted to.¡± ¡°¡­A scary person?¡± ¡°Yes. A scary person who wants to destroy my happiness.¡± Fumu. This matches with what I¡¯ve heard from Prince Robert as well. In other words¡­ ¡°Could it be that this is the person who tried to forcefully marry you?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s the person¡­ You know about it?¡± ¡°Well, yes. I¡¯ve heard some rumors about the incident.¡± ¡°¡­Who told you, may I ask?¡± I saw that Princess Chocola¡¯s posture changed slightly. She wanted to marry the prince of a neighboring country, but someone from her own country¡ªto use her own words, a scary person who wanted to destroy her happiness¡ªhad appeared, so of course she would be on her guard. Seeing as the person was from her own country, there might be more than one enemy. Oh my, this might be bad. Let me correct her misunderstanding. ¡°Please don¡¯t worry. I heard this from your lover.¡± ¡°Oh, I see. That¡¯s a relief.¡± The girl patted her chest in relief and took another bite of croissant. Induced by her, I took a bite as well. Well then, let¡¯s ask more questions. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to go where your lover is waiting?¡± ¡°The scary person might be wandering around this place, correct? That¡¯s why I¡¯m waiting here.¡± ¡°While eating croissants?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°The smell will give away your position, though.¡± ¡°As far as I know, you¡¯re the only monster who can track down the smell of croissants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not true.¡± How rude. ¡°I mean, does this give off a strong scent to you?¡± Saying that, Princess Chocola brought the croissant piece in her hand near my nose. So I ate it. ¡°Delicious.¡± ¡°¡­Why did you eat mine?¡± ¡°The grass always looks greener on the other side.¡± ¡°The ¡®grass¡¯ is exactly the same.¡± ¡°All the more reason why it looks better.¡± Just like how two neighbouring countries could get into a fight because they were similar. I finished eating the remnants of the croissant that was in my hand, and stood up. ¡°Right then, enough joking. Shall we go?¡± Princess Chocola looked at me, ¡°¡­Go where?¡± And asked that in an anxious voice. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what I said earlier? I¡¯m going to wait for my lover right here. I don¡¯t want to meet the scary person.¡± ¡°If you keep staying in this place, though, that scary person might find you, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your lover has asked me to bring you to them if I happened to find you, Your Highness.¡± I stretched my hand out towards her. ¡°Consider it as thanks for the croissant. I will serve as your guard.¡± ¡ð Prince Robert and Rosamia-san. Both of them had one thing in common. They were both searching for the same person¡ªPrincess Chocola¡ªwho was currently walking next to me. This is just my hunch, but one of them is a collaborator of the ¡°scary person¡± that Princess Chocola mentioned. That¡¯s why they asked me to bring her to different countries. Which means that I might end up handing over Princess Chocola to the bad people if I make the wrong choice. Which one should I believe? If I compare my thoughts to Princess Chocola¡¯s frank opinion, the answer should become obvious. ¡°¡­Oh? We¡¯re heading towards the Watermill Capital?¡± ¡°Yes. Your lover is waiting for you there.¡± After thinking about it, I decided to head towards where Prince Robert was waiting. I don¡¯t know who ordered Rosamia-san to search for Princess Chocola, and what her intentions are. It¡¯s possible that she was ordered to search by the scary person who was trying to forcefully marry Princess Chocola. If I have to pick one of the two, I think it would be better to believe Prince Robert. Even if the two countries had gone to war at one point¡­ No, the war had already come to an end more than ten years ago and there was a fair amount of trade between the two countries, so this point doesn¡¯t need to be taken into consideration. I turned towards Princess Chocola, and, ¡°We should be there by sunset. Please treat this as going on a walk and come with me.¡± ¡°Yes¡­¡± Princess Chocola¡¯s expression was clouded. ¡°Why, though?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°Why is my lover waiting in the Watermill Capital?¡± Even if you ask me that question¡­ ¡°Probably because the person who wants to destroy your happiness is waiting to ambush you at the Windmill Capital?¡± Besides, he¡¯s the Prince of that country, so it¡¯s not particularly strange that he should be waiting there. Princess Chocola hung her head, and, ¡°We were so close to having our wedding celebration¡­ At this rate, we¡¯ll have to wait a long time until we can officially get married.¡± Saying so, she started to complain. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that. The ceremony will go ahead as originally planned.¡± ¡°¡­? What ceremony?¡± ¡°Your wedding ceremony, of course.¡± I replied to Princess Chocola who was tilting her head in confusion. ¡°You had planned to have the wedding in the Watermill Capital all along, right?¡± After hearing that, Princess Chocola suddenly came to a stop. ¡°What are you talking about?¡± She was looking at me with suspicious eyes. It was a strange feeling¡ªit felt like the two of us had misunderstood each other at some important point. For now, let¡¯s go back to the start. ¡°Your lover is Prince Robert, correct?¡± However, ¡°No.¡± Saying so, Princess Chocola shook her head. And then, she declared that, ¡°He is the scary person who is trying to destroy my happiness.¡± ¡ð It happened before I could reply to this statement that derailed the conversation that already headed down a strange direction. No, instead of saying that it happened, saying that it came flying would be a better way of putting it. ¡°Nuaaaaaaaaargh!¡± A man came flying towards the two of us from the direction from the Watermill Capital, where the two of us had been headed. He had blond hair and blue eyes. That man gave a hoarse yell and flew past us, fell on the path that we were walking on, and slowly came to a stop while scattering red leaves everywhere. That sight almost looked like his body had been scraped by the ground and he was spraying blood everywhere. ¡°I wonder if he is alright?¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s the scary man who is trying to destroy my happiness.¡± She spoke while clutching the sleeve of my robe. Well, it looks like his own body has been destroyed instead. ¡°But, just who did that¡­?¡± It¡¯s improbable that he had caught sight of Princess Chocola and came flying out of Watermill Capital on his own. Seeing as he came flying towards us, there must be someone who sent him flying. Was he kicked by a horse or something? I turned to look in the direction from where he had come flying¡ªin the direction of the Watermill Capital. ¡°¡­Woah.¡± After seeing it, I took a step back. There was a demon standing in that direction. ¡°Rosamia¡­!¡± Standing next to me, Princess Chocola whispered that name. The Knight from the Windmill Capital, Rosamia-san, slowly came walking towards us from the direction of the Watermill Capital. It looked like she was very, very angry, as she was releasing killing intent from her entire body. She gave off an atmosphere that made me think that I¡¯d get my head broken if I so much as touched her. Incidentally, she was all the more intimidating because she was carrying a log. Just seeing her approach made me feel like my head was about be crushed. ¡°Rosamia! Is it really you? Ah, thank goodness¡­¡± ¡°Eh? Ah.. Umm, Princess Chocola!¡± I have no idea what is going on. She went running straight towards Rosamia-san who was clearly oozing killing intent and looked like the personification of hostility. She ran straight towards her, disregarding my attempt to restrain her. She looked like a lady who was finally reunited with her lover. ¡­¡­ ¡­Hmm? I had a bad premonition¡ªbut come on, surely not. ¡°Princess!¡± I was still trying to make sense of what was going on, but the story continued to unfold while completely disregarding my presence. Rosamia-san stood with open arms to receive Chocola-san who was running towards her. What happened to the log that she was carrying, you ask? She had thrown it. With all her strength. ¡°Princess!¡± ¡°Rosamia!¡± The two of them embraced passionately. ¡°Guhe.¡± I heard the sound of something being crushed behind me, and also someone groaning, but I didn¡¯t look behind me as I was scared. ¡°Ah, Princess¡­ I¡¯m so glad¡­¡± ¡°Rosamia¡­! I was so scared¡­¡± Seriously, I don¡¯t understand what is going on. I just want to stop thinking about it. ¡ð I asked Princess Chocola and Rosamia-san for the details, just to be on the safe side. Summarizing their incoherent rambling, it was something like this. First, for the basic setting. Chocola-san, who was the princess of the Windmill Capital, and her close aide and knight, Rosamia-san, were lovers. They were both female, but they were still in love with each other. Well, love comes in many forms, so I¡¯ll let that slide for now. In any case, the two of them were so deeply in love that no one else could ever come in between them. Even a marriage between a princess and a knight would ordinarily give rise to protests, but in this case they were both of the same gender. When the King of the Windmill Capital¡ªPrincess Chocola¡¯s father¡ªcame to know about this, he was extremely displeased. If his daughter was homosexual, she could not give birth to children. So the King forcefully arranged a marriage on his own. The groom was Robert-san, who was the Prince of the neighboring Watermill Capital. Before they knew it, the matter of Robert-san and Chocola-san¡¯s wedding was decided and both Chocola-san and Rosamia-san objected. ¡°Father, I have no interest in men.¡± ¡°My King, I have sworn to spend the rest of my life with the Princess¡± ¡°Rosamia¡­¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡± Apparently, they went on like that in front of the King. They told me that while blushing. However, the King completely ignored both of their wishes. In fact, he had already decided the date of the marriage on his own. ¡°Prince Robert will come to pick you up in a few days. Go and have the wedding ceremony in the Watermill Capital.¡± That¡¯s what the King said. I can¡¯t help but think that the matter of Chocola-san¡¯s marriage with Robert-san had been going on behind the scenes for quite some time. I still think that it was a political marriage arrangement. Putting that aside, both of them panicked at the thought of her marrying Robert-san. And so, they arrived at a decision. ¡°That¡¯s right! If the two of us get married first, then we don¡¯t have to worry about the wedding with Prince Robert!¡± ¡°Well done, Princess!¡± And so, the two of them decided to have a secret wedding at a small church. The preparations for the wedding were progressing well, and Princess Chocola was shedding tears of joy at finally being able to marry the one she loved. However, he arrived at that moment. The scary person who wanted to destroy her happiness¡ªPrince Robert¡ªopened the doors of the church without waiting for permission, and took Princess Chocola away. He then put her on the sled that was attached to his horse (equipped with croissants) and set out for Watermill Capital. Princess Chocola dealt with the situation calmly. She calmly untied the ropes that connected the sled to the horse, and made her escape. She then sat in the forest and ate croissants while waiting for her beloved to come rescue her. All¡¯s well that ends well. ¡­¡­ No, it didn¡¯t end well at all¡­ ¡ð ¡°Rosamia!¡± ¡°Princess!¡± ¡°Rosamia¡­¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡± ¡°Rosamia¡­?¡± ¡°Princess¡­?¡± ¡°Rosamia!¡± ¡°Princess!¡± This exchange went on, back and forth many, many times. Can you imagine how painful it was to watch? They¡¯re just calling each other¡¯s names, so why is it so embarrassing? The sight of the two was so embarrassing that I felt like covering my eyes and ears and sitting down on the spot. ¡°Hey, give me a kiss.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t, Princess. People are watching.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that.¡± ¡°But¡­¡± ¡°Do you hate me?¡± ¡°No, of course not¡­¡± ¡°Then, please.¡± ¡°Princess¡­¡± ¡°Rosamia¡­¡± ¡­¡­¡­ I can¡¯t bear to watch. I quickly turned around. I did that to escape from the strange atmosphere created by those two ladies, and definitely not to look at him, but¡­ ¡°Hey, it¡¯s hasn¡¯t been that long since we met.¡± When I turned around, he was standing there. He had received a direct hit from the log that Rosamia-san had thrown at him, and yet he stood there while having a cheerful smile on his face. His clothing was ragged and blood was flowing from his head, but it was definitely him, without a doubt. ¡°You¡¯re the Prince, right?¡± I asked, just to make sure. ¡°Are you still alive?¡± ¡°Indeed, I am the Prince of the Watermill Capital. And this goes without saying, but I am still alive.¡± ¡°I thought you had received a fatal wound from having having a log thrown at you, but you are unexpectedly tough.¡± ¡°An attack of that level is nothing.¡± ¡°Just what are you¡­¡± ¡°I am the prince of the Watermill Capital.¡± No, I wasn¡¯t asking about that¡­ Oh, never mind. If I keep reacting to each and every little thing, it¡¯ll never end. ¡°By the way, what do you think after seeing this?¡± I showed Prince Robert, who had tragically misunderstood this situation from the start, the scene of the two ladies passionately embracing each other. ¡°Ah¡­ It makes my heart beat faster¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s not because of the blood you¡¯re losing from your head?¡± ¡°I feel like I¡¯m about to awaken to something new¡­¡± ¡°Haa, it was a fatal wound, after all.¡± ¡°Well, jokes aside.¡± ¡°That was a joke?¡± ¡°¡­Maybe I was half serious?¡± ¡°Yep, definitely a fatal wound.¡± ¡°Do you think it¡¯ll heal?¡± ¡°It¡¯s probably too late for treatment.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, what were you saying?¡± ¡°Ah, right. After seeing them like this, I have no choice but to admit many things to myself.¡± ¡°Like what?¡± Prince Robert was still smiling. ¡°That Knight-san said all sorts of stuff to me earlier while she was bashing me with that log. She said that I had been deceived by the King of the Windmill Capital, and that the Princess actually loved her and not me.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± ¡°I couldn¡¯t believe her at that time, but I understand it after seeing those two now. It looks like I was just playing the part of a clown.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Well, yeah. I couldn¡¯t say that to his face, though, so I elected to remain silent. ¡°They¡¯re both girls¡­ that¡¯s kind of nice.¡± The prince of a country is spouting strange things while standing next to me, but I choose to continue remaining silent. We stood there watching Rosamia-san and Princess Chocola carry on their incomprehensible exchange for a while, and then Princess Robert finally started to talk seriously. ¡°I¡¯m going to give up on marrying her.¡± ¡°Is that so? I see.¡± ¡°¡­Well, part of the reason is because I have no other choice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That girl seems to have no interest in anyone other than Rosamia-san, after all. ¡°Besides, I have to return to my country and do something extremely important.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°I¡¯m thinking of making homosexuality legal.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a pretty lukewarm response.¡± ¡°I felt a little repulsed.¡± ¡°¡­Well, I¡¯m sure there will be a lot of people who oppose it now. But there must be other people like those two, who love each other unfettered by gender. If I can make my country accept that, then I¡¯m sure we will have an even greater peace than before.¡± I see. ¡°¡­And what¡¯s your real reason?¡± ¡°Girls doing it together¡­ that¡¯s nice.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± When I stopped talking, I heard the voices of those two making a racket. As if only that place had turned into a flower garden. I thought that if I decide to stop traveling at some point in the future and settle down in some country, I¡¯m definitely not going to settle in the country that lies on the end of this path. ¡°Ah, that reminds me.¡± I called out to Prince Robert who had started to walk away. He turned around and gave me a cheerful (albeit bloodstained) smile. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I stretched my hand out towards him. ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± He apparently didn¡¯t understand my intention, so he stood there while tilting his head in confusion. So I gave him a smile and said, ¡°Please pay me my ten gold coins.¡± ¡°I found the princess, just as you asked.¡± I gave that as an additional explanation. ¡ð When I stopped at a certain country, I happened to overhear rumours about the Windmill Capital and Watermill Capital. I heard people saying that both countries unconditionally made homosexuality legal, and people were talking about whether that was a change for the better or not. At the very least, it appeared that diplomatic relations between the two countries had become far better compared to how it was before. In particular, people who had been in the closet until now became far more open because the Princess of the Windmill Capital married someone of the same gender. Marriage between females was encouraged in the Watermill Capital, and the Prince made announcements stating that, ¡°The country will offer financial aid to women who want to marry each other.¡± Due to that, there were a large number of cases where men disguised themselves as women to fake a lesbian wedding, so the Prince had a really hard time. In this way, the countries that only had watermills and windmills made a name for themselves in a strange fashion. The two countries apparently saw an increase in the number of visiting travelers. However, it appears that they are seeing a decrease in population. I wonder why that is? Volume 2 - CH 4 Chapter 4 ¨C The Eyewitness Report Umm¡­ When was it that I first met that man, again? Where did I meet him? My memories are vague. I¡¯m not sure. It just goes to show how unmemorable that place was, and I just happened to meet him there. No, we didn¡¯t really talk to each other directly, so I should probably say that our paths crossed there. If I remember correctly, I met him on the path that linked these two random countries in the middle of nowhere. I don¡¯t remember what kind of place it was. I just remember that it was on a path. Ah, but I entered this country by going through this gate, so I must have happened across him on the path that extends a long way outside the gate. Now that I think about it, I seem to remember walking along that path. The time was¡­ that¡¯s right, it was evening. Or was it morning¡­? It was probably morning. I arrived at this country around noon today, and I met that man while I was on my way here, so it must have been morning. How¡¯s that? A flawless bit of logic, if I do say so myself. What, you don¡¯t care? Ah, I see¡­. ¡­? Yes, it¡¯s true. I did happen across that man on the path. Why are you still trying to confirm that fact? Even though you¡¯re the one who asked me. I just wanted to relax and go sightseeing in this country¡­ The man you¡¯re asking about was certainly headed towards the country on the other side¡ªthat ordinary country with no distinguishing features. Well, it¡¯s nice to occasionally visit an ordinary country. I liked how they didn¡¯t try to show off. It really was ¡°just another country¡±. This country is not like that, though, is it? Eh? What¡¯s with that expression? Fumu Fumu. Please, you must be joking. Looking at how eccentric that man¡¯s clothing was, there¡¯s no way this can be an ordinary country. I¡¯m sure this country must have some incredible secret hidden away. It¡¯s enough to make my heart beat faster in anticipation. Eh? ¡­Ah, that¡¯s right. You people are dressed ordinarily enough. Why¡¯s that? That man is just weird? Ah, I see¡­ And then, the soldier in front of me spoke with a bitter expression. ¡°Just to confirm once again¡­ You really met a man who matches this description? On the path outside the country?¡± The man held up a sketch in front of me. The eccentric attire of the man that I happened across has been faithfully reproduced in it. That appearance is strange enough to make you want to blurt out something. What the heck is this? No, I¡¯m serious. What kind of man would walk around looking like this? If it was me, I would want to kill myself out of shame. This is a level of shame that would persist for all eternity. However, the important details of the face in the drawing were black and smudged, so I couldn¡¯t tell for sure. No matter how closely I look at it, the fact remains that I don¡¯t really remember that man¡¯s face. The soldier looked at the paper and the part I was staring at, and said, ¡°¡­Can you remember his face?¡± ¡°No, not at all.¡± In turn, I asked the soldier. ¡°By the way, what exactly did this man do?¡± ¡°He¡¯s wanted for theft. He stole money from the safes of several rich men in this country.¡± ¡°A man who was dressed in such a fashion?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t judge people by their looks after all¡­¡± ¡°Not his looks, but rather, his attire.¡± Good point. And then, the soldier sighed, folded the piece of paper into quarters, and put it away in his pocket. It looks like the investigation is over. The soldier said ¡°Thank you, Miss,¡± and gave me a salute. I imitated his pose and said, ¡°No problem. I only did what was natural¡ªby the way, was my testimony of any use?¡± Hearing that, the man once again went back to having a bitter expression. ¡°No¡­ I don¡¯t know. Knowing where the criminal is is certainly a step in the right direction, but¡­¡± The man let the sentence trail off ambiguously. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± He stopped saluting and said, ¡°We¡¯ve heard a lot of eyewitness reports, but unfortunately, none of them remember the criminal¡¯s face.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Ah, I see. ¡°So you mean¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. The only thing people remember is his eccentric attire.¡± Volume 2 - CH 5 Chapter 5 ¨C The Pioneers of Fashion As the flying broom cut through the desolate autumn atmosphere, the plants that spread across the ground with little balls of white fluff attached to them reluctantly swayed their heads. ¡°¡­Oops.¡± That was close. Thinking so, the girl riding on the broom reduced her speed a little so that it would not adversely affect the cotton fields. This girl, whose ash-grey hair was her characteristic feature, was a witch as well as a traveler. Wearing a black robe, a black tricorne, and brooch shaped like a star on her chest that was proof of her being a witch, the girl flew on her broom with an air of dignified freedom as usual. So, who was this witch who was enjoying her luxurious freedom to the fullest? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I took a deep breath while looking at the small country that was on the other side of the cotton fields. The hint of summer in the air felt as soft as the quivering cotton that was below me. ¡ð Oh my, this country certainly looks strange. I came to that elegant conclusion a while after I arrived at that country and walked around a little. I couldn¡¯t help but feel uneasy at this sight that I saw everywhere. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Wherever I look, I see princes and princesses. Everyone here has an appearance that suggests that they are wealthy. All the people walking around were either princesses who wore gorgeous dresses, or princes who wore outfits that resembled extravagant military uniforms. Just what was going on? ¡°Excuse me.¡± I caught hold of one of the princes who happened to walk near me, and asked him. ¡°I am a traveler. May I have a moment of your time?¡± ¡°Eh? Me?¡± The person who appeared to be the archetype of a timid young man stopped walking while looking bewildered. ¡°Yes, you. Is this country currently having a costume party or something of the sort?¡± ¡°No, why do you ask?¡± ¡°Then why is everyone dressed in clothes that make them look like royalty?¡± ¡°Do they really look like royalty¡­ This is pretty normal, if you ask me.¡± ¡°I see.¡± So this kind of magnificent clothing is normal in this country? It would be good to get some opinions from other people as well. It¡¯s time to end this conversation, then. ¡°I understand, thank you very much. Goodbye.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re welcome.¡± I parted ways from the pseudo-prince who still looked like he didn¡¯t understand what I was talking about. I walked all the way to the center of the town, and as expected, this area was filled with royalty as well. I saw princesses who were in the middle of doing their shopping, and princes and princesses who were having a friendly chat in cafes. Aaah, I feel like my head is spinning. There was no opportunity to rest my eyes. When I looked upwards into the distance, I saw signboards and advertisements which had paintings of people wearing nobles¡¯ clothing hung on a building that looked like a cathedral. The country itself had a stable atmosphere, but it felt overly opulent because of the people who lived here. I thought it would be handy to have a pair of glasses that could darken my field of vision to make it bearable. I wonder if someone could make something like that? And then. I was finally able to discover a reason for the state of this country after seeing the advertisements. ¡°Excuse me.¡± ¡°Yes?¡± This time, I called out to a young lady nearby who looked like a princess, and asked her. ¡°I am a traveler. Could you tell me if that kind of clothing is popular in this country right now?¡± That young lady looked at me with a dubious expression and answered. ¡°Eh? Yes, that¡¯s right. It¡¯s indeed currently in fashion.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± So that¡¯s why everyone is wearing the same kind of clothing. Looking at me who appeared to have understood something, the young lady who looked like a princess also came to an understanding on her own and nodded. ¡°I wondered why you were wearing something so strange, so you¡¯re not from this country after all¡­ Fufu.¡± Just what kind of conclusion did she come to? Why does her laugh feel slightly condescending? ¡°Is there something wrong with my clothing?¡± ¡°It¡¯s certainly a little unusual.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, is this the first time you¡¯ve seen a robe?¡± The young lady shook her head. ¡°No. The magicians of this country don¡¯t wear robes, though, so that¡¯s what I meant when I said it was unusual.¡± ¡°They don¡¯t wear robes?¡± ¡°Yes. They wear fashionable clothes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± That doesn¡¯t give the impression of being a magician¡­ ¡°Well, they do wear tricornes. To show that they are magicians.¡± But that wouldn¡¯t go well with the rest of their clothing¡­ However, just like she said, there were some people among those dressed like royalty who were wearing tricornes. ¡­¡­ They were very, very uncool-looking magicians. As I thought, it doesn¡¯t suit them at all¡­ ¡°So they go with whatever is popular¡­?¡± ¡°Yes. I mean, why would they want to wear something that is old-fashioned? Besides, don¡¯t they cut a dashing figure?¡± ¡°It¡¯s almost blinding.¡± ¡°Right?¡± I wasn¡¯t praising them, but the lady looked satisfied. ¡°By the way, can I ask you about something else?¡± The lady seemed to be in good humor for some reason, and gave me a big nod. That¡¯s perfect. ¡°What decides whether clothing is fashionable in this country or not?¡± ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t know. Some fashions just become popular overnight.¡± ¡°Ahh.¡± So everyone is just going with the flow? I see. ¡°Thank you very much. I learned something new today.¡± ¡°No problem¡ªah, speaking of which, you should go to that store over there if you¡¯re interested in the latest fashions, Traveler-san.¡± Saying so, the young lady who was dressed in noble clothing very kindly pointed me in the direction where I should go next. That place was across the main street from where we were standing. The building had many advertisements on it, and it was so large that you wouldn¡¯t be blamed for mistaking it to be a cathedral. ¡ð ¡°Welcome¡­ Oh, my. Are you perhaps a traveler?¡± When I entered the store, a lady wearing a plain suit came to greet me. She must be an employee of this store. I¡¯ll ignore how she instantly decided that I was a traveler. ¡°Yes, hello. I just heard that this shop is the most popular in the country, so I came to take a look.¡± ¡°Oh, my! That¡¯s indeed true. So you came to this country from outside looking for fashionable clothes? In that case, there is some merchandise I would highly recommend¡ª¡± As soon as she confirmed that I was an outsider, the store clerk¡¯s eyes began to sparkle and she started to explain things enthusiastically. So dazzling. By the way, does this shop sell glasses that darken the field of vision? Nope, it doesn¡¯t. I see. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s rare to see a traveler here.¡± While I was being led around inside the store, an old lady with a bent back and walking with a cane came out of the back of the store. ¡°Ah, Manager.¡± The shop clerk called her in that manner. The old lady moved her feet and cane while walking towards me, and asked, ¡°Are you looking to buy clothes from this country?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, not at all. I was just curious.¡± ¡°I see. Well, I can understand why you would be curious¡­ The clothing styles in this country keep progressing after all.¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°By the way, what do you think about the clothing in this country, Traveler-san? Despite appearances, we make enough of them to export them to other countries as well.¡± ¡°Honestly speaking, I think it¡¯s incredible. I think it¡¯s impossible to make so many clothes like these without having a high level of skill and a lot of materials.¡± ¡°Is that so?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± They have enough raw materials that even commoners can afford to buy clothes that would be fit for royalty, and their sewing techniques are also excellent. This much can be confirmed just by walking around the country. It would be impossible to progress the culture of clothing to this extent if the country was not peaceful and the people didn¡¯t have a lot of free time. This country must look like a treasure box to merchants who come here from other places. ¡°By the way, where are you from, Traveler-san?¡± ¡°From somewhere very far away.¡± ¡°How long have you been traveling?¡± ¡°For quite a long while.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ That¡¯s amazing.¡± The old lady looked at me with warm eyes, and, ¡°In that case, you must have seen different sorts of fashions in different kinds of countries. ¡± She easily asked that question in a piercing manner. I had a bad premonition. ¡°¡­No, I am not traveling to observe the differences in clothing styles, so I don¡¯t really know much about them.¡± I took a discreet step back so that the old lady wouldn¡¯t notice. However, the shop clerk who had been standing next to me all this time moved behind me, and held both my shoulders. I¡¯ve been caught. ¡°Traveler-san, even if you don¡¯t know much about clothes, you¡¯ve traveled all over the world and seen different styles of clothing, right? I¡¯m so jealous¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Oh my, things seem to be headed in a bad direction. My escape route has been completely cut off, and the senior citizen in front of me is slowly getting closer. Yikes, this is scary. ¡°Would you be willing to talk to me about the things you¡¯ve seen during your travels, Traveler-san?¡± ¡°Ehehe,¡± the old lady laughed creepily with her wrinkled face. And so, I was taken into the back room which was cluttered with prototypes of new clothes. ¡°¡­Fumu fumu. So those clothes had a design like this?¡± ¡°Well, yes. More or less.¡± ¡°I see¡ªwhat next? What kind of clothes did the people in the far eastern countries wear? An oriental person came to our country a few years ago and left some clothing here¡­ Ah, here it is. Do they look like this?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Apparently, they are called Kimonos.¡± ¡°They use considerably good fabric¡­ It¡¯s very hard to replicate this glossy color and feel with cotton. Do you know how this is made?¡± ¡°No idea.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ by the way, what about the neighboring countries?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve visited them.¡± ¡°Can you tell me whatever you remember about what kind of clothing was fashionable there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I don¡¯t know. Actually, all of them were just wearing ordinary clothes¡­¡± ¡°Ehehe, you say some strange things, Traveler-san. There¡¯s no such thing as ¡®ordinary clothes¡¯ in this world. As far as clothes are concerned, nothing is ordinary. There are as many variations as there are people.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that something unique to your own country¡­?¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Actually, if you use that logic, the people in this country have no individuality¡ª¡± ¡°Hmmmm?¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s nothing. I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°So out of all these prototypes¡­ which one do you think is good?¡± ¡°I like the one in the middle.¡± ¡°That¡¯s the dress I¡¯m wearing right now?¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re asking about the clothes you¡¯re holding up? I like the one on the right.¡± ¡°I see, I see. Right then, moving on¡ª¡± In that manner, they kept me talking about all sorts of things. As they forced me to extract knowledge from the corners of my brain that I usually don¡¯t think about, I became extremely tired. I feel like my head is about to break. After that, the days went by with me talking about everything I knew. It¡¯s probably time to head to the next country¡ªFive days had already passed when I thought about this while looking at the sunrise. I brushed my teeth, finished my breakfast, and prepared to leave the country. I climbed down the stairs to the reception desk in the inn and handed over my key. Just before I left, the lady at the desk said to me, ¡°Oh my, that¡¯s a fancy outfit you have on, Miss. Just what I would expect from a traveler.¡± Like that, she said something strange to me. Up through yesterday, people who passed by me all sneered at me while making fun of my clothes. ¡ð The doubt I had on my mind as I left the inn was soon cleared up. I walked back on the same path that I had taken to reach the inn yesterday, and when I reached the main street near which that clothing store was located, I saw that there were a few versions of me mixed in along with the usual people who were dressed like nobility. They were people who wore clothing that looked exactly like mine. When I looked upwards, the signs and advertisements on the store had changed as well. There were pictures of a girl who looked a lot like me, wearing a robe just like mine, with captions that said, ¡°This is the newest trend!¡± ¡­¡­ ¡°So that Traveler-san I saw before was even more advanced than us¡­¡± There was a young lady who was feeling regretful in that manner for some reason. There were men looking up at the signboards while saying, ¡°That¡¯s cute.¡± ¡°You know, those clothes do look more functional¡­.!¡± Saying that, some people rushed towards the store. ¡°I did it! I managed to buy the new clothes that just went on sale!¡± Some people came out the store in high spirits while wearing robes. Basically, there were a lot of such people. I think it¡¯s a good thing that there are fewer people wearing clothes that are so dazzling, but wearing clothes similar to mine¡­ I feel like covering my eyes. Actually, what on earth is going on? I don¡¯t understand what this means. ¡°Ehehe.¡± Before I noticed it, the cane-holding old lady was standing next to me while looking at her successful store with gentle eyes. ¡°Oh, hello. Is it okay for you to leave the store?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I worked really hard for the last few hours, so I want to take a break in the morning at least.¡± ¡°Ha, thank you for your hard work..¡± Okay, that¡¯s enough praise. Time to move to the main topic. ¡°So, how did this happen?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°This latest fad, it¡¯s clearly the same as what I¡¯m wearing.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re just imagining things. Ehehe.¡± She dodged the issue. ¡­¡­ ¡°Well, half of it is chance, and the other half is just because I wanted to. I had been planning to make similar clothes from the start¡­ but your clothes were so good that I decided to make the design closer to them.¡± ¡°¡­Are you going to pay me my fee for the design of the clothes?¡± ¡°Can you prove that you were the designer of these clothes¡­ Well, I apologize for putting you on the signboards without permission. I¡¯ll give you this as an apology.¡± Saying so, the old lady held out something that sparkled over my fingers. Something flat and shiny started to fall onto my outstretched hands. It was gold. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s an honor to be displayed on the signboards.¡± ¡°Right?¡± I nodded to her after putting the gold away safely in my purse. ¡°Still, it¡¯s amazing how you made that many clothes in just a few days.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because there are quite a few magicians in our country.¡± I see. It was easy to imagine the sight of magicians using magic to mass-produce clothes, or control paint using magic to create whatever image they wanted. Those magicians are now wearing clothes similar to mine, right¡­ It¡¯s a little creepy. ¡°Still, this is quite strange.¡± The old lady said while looking at the ruckus outside the shop. In her warm gaze, I saw a hint of sadness. ¡°I wanted to make this country the best when it comes to the culture of clothing, but every time I create and sell a new style of clothes, I feel like someone has attached heavy fetters to my legs. Although it is supposed to be more advanced than the clothing in any other country, I feel like it¡¯s lagging behind every other country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s obvious where we went wrong.¡± When it comes to clothing, you should just wear whatever you want. I am fond of the clothes my mother handed down to me, so I wear them often. If what the old lady said was true, and there are as many different variations of clothing as there are people, then perhaps the style of clothing someone chooses to wear reflects their own personality. Even if other people find it strange and laugh, it can¡¯t be helped because the clothes reflect who the person truly is. Maybe this was what the old lady had been trying to say all along. The people of this country only wore the latest styles, and this was precisely the reason why the old lady was so worried. That was equivalent to saying that the people had no individuality at all. It¡¯s a truly sorrowful state of affairs. ¡°Do you think I should change my methods, Traveler-san?¡± ¡°What do you think is more important, Obaa-san? This country¡¯s culture of clothing or the individuality of the people living here?¡± ¡°The culture, of course.¡± ¡°Then you probably shouldn¡¯t change anything.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. Ehehe.¡± Saying that, the old lady turned to me and laughed. Now then, I wonder how long this latest fad will last in this country? Unfortunately, I won¡¯t be around to see it by the time it changes. However, I¡¯m sure some other traveler will arrive here at some point and serve as the inspiration for rewriting the culture in this country again. Going from one fad to the next. Unexpectedly, it feels like this country has been doing this since many years in order to ensure that their culture doesn¡¯t die out. Volume 2 - CH 6 Chapter 6 ¨C Until the snow melts It was a cold winter day. Many people were walking through the alleyways while the snow was falling incessantly. Among them, one girl wore a seedy hood and walked while hanging her head. ¡°¡­It¡¯s cold.¡± The girl¡¯s name was Erize. She looked lovely, with her long, golden hair and skin that was as fair as snow. She was twelve years old. Still a child. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After walking for a while, the girl reached the baker¡¯s shop. The interior of the shop was quiet, and the only people there were the middle-aged male shopkeeper who was reading a newspaper and a young witch who looked at the rows of bread with a happy expression. Erize hurriedly picked up a loaf of bread, promptly took it to the counter, and took out some money. ¡°Oji-san, I¡¯d like to buy this.¡± The shopkeeper glanced at the money while folding his newspaper, and then looked at Erize with an irritated expression. ¡°You¡¯re here again? ¡­Sorry, but I¡¯m not selling anything to you. Go away.¡± ¡°Why? I have money, don¡¯t I? Please sell me some bread. I want my younger sister to eat something nice.¡± ¡°Who knows where you stole this money from? I can¡¯t accept it.¡± The shopkeeper put his hand on the money that Erize had placed on the counter, and pushed it back towards her. ¡°¡­Please sell me some bread.¡± ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear me the first time? I¡¯m not going to sell anything to a monster like you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the end, the girl left the shop without buying anything. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± The young witch in the store looked at that exchange of words with a mystified expression. After being rejected by the baker, Erize eventually reached a small roadside stall. ¡°¡­¡­¡± That stall did not have an attendant. There was no shopkeeper, instead there was only a box to put money in. The words ¡°One copper coin per apple. Please put in the corresponding amount depending on how many you want to buy,¡± were written on the box. As no store was willing to sell her food, Erize had only been eating these apples lately. ¡­Even though she wanted to give her younger sister something other than apples once in a while. While thinking that, Erize put the apples in her bag and put the appropriate number of coins into the box. However. ¡°Hey, you. What do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± She heard that voice, and then someone grabbed her hand. She looked up with a startled expression, and saw a man with a scary expression standing there. ¡°I put this box here for humans to use. Not for something like you¡ªnow, return those apples.¡± ¡°But I already put in the money¡­¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter. I don¡¯t want to sell anything to you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Now, give those back, you monster.¡± Saying that, the man gripped her arm tighter. At this rate, she would have no food left. They would not be able to make it through winter. Her younger sister might die. After such fears accumulated in her mind in a moment of silence, Erize resorted to wild tactics. She bit down as hard as she could on the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Ouch! What the hell are you doing, you brat!?¡± The man loosened his grip for a second and, taking that chance, Erize shook off his hand and ran off while carrying the apples. After running for a while, the girl looked around restlessly as she reached her own house. More than half the roof had fallen in due to a fire, and even the portion of the house that barely had a roof didn¡¯t have a floor. The walls also had large holes in them, and it didn¡¯t look like it would be able to keep the elements out at all. The girl called this place home. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In front of the house. There was a small parcel in front of the house that was just the right size to hold with the palms of both her hands. Every morning, afternoon, and night, a similar parcel would always be left in front of her house. Maybe the parcel contained something different this time¡ªthe girl picked up the parcel while looking a little hopeful. After opening it, ¡°Ugh! How horrible!¡± Erize immediately threw it away. The parcel that she had thrown away hit the wall of the neighboring house and expelled its contents onto the snow, namely, the dead body of a rat and several immobile insects. A brown coloured liquid slowly seeped into the snow. ¡°¡­Oh no. After all the trouble he took to make it.¡± ¡°Such a waste.¡± ¡°That¡¯s so rude.¡± The girl could see her neighbors who were saying such things while looking at what she had done. After glaring at them, Erize disappeared into her own house. ¡°Welcome back, Onee-chan.¡± Erize heard that voice come from a corner of the house. Walking a little deeper into the house, she saw a young girl who was huddled up in a futon that was made by patching different types of fabric together. She looked exactly like Erize, with her golden hair and skin as white as snow. She was Erize¡¯s little sister, younger by two years. Her name was Millina. ¡°I¡¯m back, Millina¡ªhere, I have something for you.¡± Erize went up to her sister and snuggled into the futon beside her, then took out a bright green apple from the paper bag and gave it to her. ¡°Wow! That¡¯s amazing. Where did you get it?¡± ¡°I bought it because I wanted you to get better quickly, Millina. Eat as much as you want, okay?¡± ¡°Yes! Thank you!¡± After seeing her little sister biting into the apple with a smile on her face, Erize¡¯s expression lightened as well. ¡°How do you feel?¡± ¡°I got better after eating the apple!¡± ¡°Really? That¡¯s great.¡± Erize felt something prickle her heart when she remembered how her hand had been grabbed at the roadside stall. ¡°¡­.I¡¯m sorry it¡¯s always like this.¡± ¡°Why are you sorry?¡± ¡°It¡¯s always the same thing, you must be bored of it, right?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­? But I like apples. I don¡¯t mind eating them everyday!¡± ¡°¡­I see. That¡¯s great.¡± Saying that, Erize put her hand into the bag and took out the apple that was her share. Once they finished eating these, then they would truly be out of food this time. The thing she had been relying on until now could no longer be used. While being depressed about the dark future that awaited them, Erize bit into the apple and took off her hood. There was no need to hide what was growing on her head while she was inside her house. ¡°¡­Haa.¡± After removing the hood that was a little too tight for her, two curved, sheep-like horns were revealed. She was a therianthrope that looked similar to a human. Sadly, the apples that she had bought only lasted them a day. The day after they had run out of food, Erize gently got out of the futon so as to not wake Millina, and went to the main street¡ªto the apple vendor¡¯s stand. After confirming that the stall owner was not nearby, Erize picked up a few apples and put them in her bag. After her bag was full, she took out some money and was about to put it into the box, but, ¡°¡­It should be fine even if I don¡¯t put any money inside, right?¡± She didn¡¯t put the money in in the box. Whether she put the money in the box or not, the result would be the same. In that case, she could steal as many as she liked. She was definitely not doing anything wrong. She was not at fault. While making many excuses to herself, she tried to move away from the stall. That¡¯s when it happened. A hand lightly fell on Erize¡¯s shoulder. Startled, she looked around and saw that a witch was standing there. ¡°That¡¯s wrong. You need to properly pay for what you take.¡± It was the young witch she had seen the day before yesterday in the baker¡¯s shop. Throwing a few silver coins into the box, the witch spoke. ¡°How about we talk for a bit?¡± Her ash-grey hair swayed lightly, and she gave a gentle smile. ¡ð I arrived at this country while continuing to travel aimlessly, and received a summons from the magistrate in charge of the city on my first day here, right after I purchased some bread at the bakery. I was often called upon to resolve problems in a country because I had the rank of a witch. ¡°Please take a seat, Elaina-sama.¡± After being guided to the reception room, I returned the greeting and sat down on one of the sofas that had been arranged around a table. ¡°So, what is your request? Ah, would you like some bread?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Is that so¡­ Would you mind if I listened to you while eating?¡± ¡°¡­Go ahead.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± I took out a roll of bread from the bag that I had just purchased at the baker¡¯s shop, and started to eat it. The magistrate started to speak after giving a tired sigh. ¡°This country is currently burdened with a certain problem¡­ we would like for you to solve that problem for us.¡± ¡°Fumu fumu.¡± I nodded while chewing. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The magistrate made a complicated expression and continued to speak. ¡°We would like to hire you to solve the issue regarding this therianthrope.¡± Saying so, he passed a drawing to me. It was a strange of drawing of a person¡­ or at least, it looked like a human. The most distinctive part of her appearance was the two horns that were growing on her head. They were curved horns similar to what you would find on a sheep. ¡°This therianthrope is currently living in our country, but there is a problem regarding this¡­ Simply put, there is a rift between her and the citizens of the country. Hence, I would like to request that you temporarily take this therianthrope out of the country¡ª¡± And so, he explained the whole story behind the request to me. It was a story of a horrible country, horrible people, and a pitiful little girl. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After hearing the whole story, I wonder what kind of expression I had on my face? It was probably not a very good expression. In fact, I was despising them. I was even angry. ¡°¡­So you want me to kick her out of the country for a reason like that?¡± After hearing my words, he clenched his fist tightly and slowly nodded. ¡°Even I feel bad about it¡­ but I don¡¯t see any other option after things have gotten to such a bad state.¡± And then, with a dark and bitter expression, he asked me, ¡°Please, can you do something to save her¡­?¡± I didn¡¯t want to decide on whether to accept the request or not based only on what I had heard from the magistrate. So I decided to take one full day to see the state of affairs for myself. I took the map that the magistrate gave me and went to the place that was marked on it¡ªwhere the therianthrope currently lived. Over there, I found a dilapidated house where more than half of the house was in ruin. ¡°¡­Oh?¡± After seeing the little girl who lived inside, I was very surprised. It was the little girl I had seen in the bakery yesterday. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After seeing that, I decided to accept the job. I did not meet with the therianthrope girl directly that day. I decided to do a little research before taking that step. I walked around and asked the baker I visited the other day, the owner of the roadside stall, people in the neighborhood, and other citizens who were walking in the street about the therianthrope child. Every one of them told me pretty much exactly the same thing. The next day. I was staked out in the vicinity of the dilapidated house since early morning, when I saw that girl come out of the house. She was headed towards a roadside stall that was on the main street. It looked like that stall was not manned, and instead it had a box for people to leave money in. Over there, the girl was doing something bad. That¡¯s why I immediately went over to stop her. I lightly laid a hand on her shoulder and said, ¡°That¡¯s wrong. You need to properly pay for what you take.¡± ¡ð I took the girl with me and went to a restaurant that was on a street corner. There were not many people inside, partly because it was so early in the morning. We sat facing each other at a table near the window. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ah, don¡¯t worry. It¡¯s my treat.¡± I said that to the girl who was hanging her head despite the many delicious dishes placed on the table in front of her, but she still had a depressed expression. Maybe she¡¯s tense? Or maybe she¡¯s feeling conscious about the dirty looks she¡¯s getting from the people inside the store? ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± ¡°¡­Erize.¡± ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re Erize-san. My name is Elaina. I am a traveling witch.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, what exactly were you trying to do earlier?¡± When I said that, the girl made a startled expression, pulled the hood deeper around her face, and hung her head even lower. ¡°¡­Umm, please don¡¯t tell anyone about what I did earlier.¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t ask you that to blackmail you. I asked you because I¡¯m simply curious. If I¡¯m not wrong, we saw each other at the baker¡¯s store the day before yesterday, right? You were acting strangely that day as well, so I became curious.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m asking, would you be willing to tell me more about yourself?¡± After I asked that, Erize-san talked to me properly for the first time. ¡°¡­You¡¯ll probably feel disgusted after hearing me talk about myself.¡± ¡°Is that because you have horns growing on your head?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Actually, I caught a glimpse of them through the gap in your hood earlier. They¡¯re curved like a sheep¡¯s horns and rather cute.¡± Startled, Erize-san looked at the window that was beside her. That window that was displaying a peaceful sight of the city outside, and was also reflecting the figure of the girl. A brown coloured horn was visible through a gap in her hood. ¡°I am a traveler. I have seen many different types of people so far. I won¡¯t be prejudiced or discriminate for no reason. I won¡¯t feel disgusted even if I see a person like you.¡± Actually, I thought she was kind of cute. After hearing that, she finally turned around and looked at me. And then, she started speaking as if she was resigned to her fate. ¡°Umm, I would appreciate it if you didn¡¯t tell anyone about this either¡­¡± She prefixed her tale with that sentence. Apparently, Erize-san used to live peacefully with her family on a mountain some distance away from human settlements. Her parents would hunt animals with a bow and clean the carcass, and she would cook the meat along with her sickly little sister. They were used to passing days in such a peaceful manner. However, something happened one day about one month ago. ¡°When we get back, I¡¯ll teach you how to use the bow.¡± Saying that, her father went out to hunt with their mother as usual. While waiting with her little sister for them to return, Erize-san was in high spirits about finally being able to come into her own. However, their parents didn¡¯t come back no matter how long they waited. Were they having trouble finding game to hunt? The two of them waited many, many hours while wondering if that was the case, but their parents still didn¡¯t come back. The next day. Some unknown people came to their house while riding in a large horse-drawn carriage. One of them introduced himself as the magistrate in charge of this country. The other three were merchants. The people who had arrived all of a sudden unloaded two large bags from the carriage and conveyed the sad truth to the girls. Erize-san¡¯s parents had died after falling off a cliff while they were hunting. The merchants from his country had discovered their bodies while they were traveling through the mountains. The magistrate spoke to them after opening the bags and showing them the battered bodies of their parents. The two of them cried. They clung to the bodies of their parents and cried loudly. However, their parents¡¯ bodies had gone cold a long time ago. The magistrate of the country made a certain offer to the girls who had lost their means of support. ¡°We can¡¯t just leave you two alone out here. I would like for you two to come to our country and take refuge there.¡± After that, the magistrate had the merchants who found the bodies dig graves for them and took the hands of the two girls who were still in a daze. The two of them were taken away to a different place before they were even able to come to grips with what had happened. After arriving at this country, a house was prepared for the two of them to live in. ¡°I¡¯ll leave food for you in front of the house everyday, so you can eat that. Also, this is for your living expenses.¡± The magistrate gave Erize-san some food and enough money to live for a few days and told her, ¡°I¡¯ll bring you more money at regular intervals. Feel free to use it as you wish. If you run out of money, let me know at once.¡± Until the two of you recover, the country will look after your needs¡ªhe also said that. The country accepted the two girls as citizens. ¡°¡ªBut apparently, the people living in this country thought differently.¡± Erize-san said that after letting out a breath. ¡°Right after we started living in this country, the house that was prepared for us was set on fire.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I remembered the condition of the place where the girl was currently living. It was a wreck, and more than half of the house was destroyed. ¡°The people of this country kept harassing us as if it was the natural thing to do, even after they burned down the house. They treated us as monsters every time they saw us, refused to sell us anything even though we had money, and they even ruined the money and food that the magistrate brought for us.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, we lived until the day before yesterday eating apples from the unmanned roadside stall, but¡­¡± Even that option was no longer available. I see. ¡°¡­I understand the situation.¡± Basically, ¡°At this rate, there¡¯s a high chance that you will die of starvation at some time in the near future?¡± ¡°¡­Yes. Well, that¡¯s basically how it is.¡± ¡°Hmm, I see. I pretty much understand what¡¯s going on.¡± I said that after nodding several times. ¡°By the way, I have a request for you. Would you be willing to hear it?¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing to listen to my request, then you can go ahead and eat this food. You can also take it back home, if you wish.¡± ¡°But you said that it was your treat earlier¡­¡± ¡°Ah, I take that back.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What do you say?¡± ¡°¡­What is your request?¡± The girl stared at me while being on her guard. After intentionally giving a long pause, I looked straight at her and asked for one single thing. ¡°Allow me to save you.¡± Perhaps that was the last thing she expected to hear. Erize-san stared blankly back at me. While waiting for the girl to answer, I touched my knife and fork. The food that had been prepared for us had gone cold because of our long discussion. ¡ð In the current situation, the girl had no viable choices. As they were not allowed to use money, could not obtain the things they needed, and could not rely on anyone within the country, her only option was to go along with someone from outside the country like me. Surely the girl wasn¡¯t idealistic enough to do nothing and let such a chance slip by. ¡°¡­¡­If I reject that request, what will you do?¡± ¡°I tell everyone in the country about what you were trying to do at the roadside stall.¡± ¡°¡­That¡¯s unfair. You said you weren¡¯t trying to blackmail me earlier.¡± ¡°Ah, well, I take that back too.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°So, what will it be? Are you willing to accept my request?¡± ¡°¡­Is it really okay to do that? I have nothing to give you in return, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I have a lot of free time. Besides¡ª¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not cold enough to leave things as they are after hearing something like that.¡± And so, I ended up agreeing to help Erize-san. However, taking action right away seems like a chore¡­ I mean, I needed time to prepare, so we parted ways for that day. And then, next morning. We met up at the gate leading out of the country. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s cold!¡± After waiting for about ten minutes like that while carrying some items and stamping my feet to stay warm, she slowly trotted out of the gate wearing the same clothes as yesterday. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m late¡­ wait, what is that?¡± Erize-san¡¯s gaze was drawn to the thing I held in my hands. ¡°Ah, this? It¡¯s a bow and arrows.¡± I gave an additional explanation while playing with the string of the bow by pulling it and making it hum. ¡°Erize-san, I think it¡¯s time for you to learn how to use the bow and arrow.¡± ¡°Why?¡± ¡°If you are able to hunt your own food, then you won¡¯t need to rely on the people in the country, right?¡± For that reason, I had spent the previous day preparing the bow and arrow, and gathering other items that they might need in the future. ¡°Witch-san, you know how to use a bow and arrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯m good enough to pierce through an apple that has been set on top of a person¡¯s head.[1]¡± ¡°Ehh, why would anyone do that¡­?¡± ¡°I¡¯m an expert who is good enough to reluctantly shoot through a fan atop a swaying ship after being told ¡°Entertain us by shooting through this fan.[2]¡±¡± ¡°Like I said, why would anyone do that¡­¡± I took the hand of the girl who looked doubtful and led her into the forest that had been covered in white snow. There was an archery range that gave off the impression of being handmade waiting for us inside the forest that had many tall trees. The surfaces of several trees had been scraped flat, and a round target had been carved into them. A little distance away from the targets, there was a sign that read ¡°Please aim at the targets from here (If you hit the center, you win a prize).¡± It¡¯s in my handwriting, by the way. ¡°You probably won¡¯t hit anything if you start with shooting at animals right away, so let¡¯s spend some time here honing your skill.¡± That was a place I secretly prepared yesterday. ¡°What¡¯s the prize?¡± ¡°Fufufu. That¡¯s a surprise for when you manage to hit the target.¡± After that, I stood next to Erize-san and showed her how to take a proper stance, and gave her hints on how to hit the target. ¡°To begin with, go ahead and take a shot.¡± ¡°Yes¡­. Ei.¡± And so, the girl fired off an arrow¡­ Or so she thought, but the arrow just fell to the ground. ¡°¡­¡­Did you perhaps think that the targets are buried under the snow?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The days of training started off in such a fashion. Everyday, we would go to the forest outside the country where Erize-san would shoot arrows until noon, after which we would return to the country while shivering and have lunch at the restaurant. Once we were full, we would go back to the forest and resume practice. Although she was bad at it in the beginning, it didn¡¯t take long for Erize-san to be able to hit the targets. Actually, she was shooting arrows with a beautiful form in just three days. The pace of her improvement was astounding. No, maybe my instruction was just that good? Perhaps I¡¯m suited to being a teacher? ¡°Ah, I did it! Look, Elaina-san, I hit the center!¡± Five days after we started training, I heard Erize-san shouting in joy after her arrow hit the target with a satisfying ¡°thunk¡±. ¡°So, what are you going to give me as a reward?¡± Erize-san smiled after running over to me and asked that in an excited voice. I told her after purposely dragging out the suspense for a bit. ¡°I¡¯ll buy you clothes that you like, as many as you want. That is your reward.¡± I thought she would be happy, but instead she made a complicated expression. ¡°¡­You mean, just my share?¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ I¡¯d like to get some for my little sister as well¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I gently patted Erize-san¡¯s head. ¡°It¡¯s okay, I¡¯ll buy any amount of whatever you want.¡± ¡°Yay!¡± As I felt the stiff cloth and the horns underneath, the girl looked at me and smiled. ¡ð After obtaining new clothes, the girl¡¯s training advanced to the next level. In the snow-covered forest, there was a set of cute footprints meandering around the trees. At the end of the trail, there was a single, pure white rabbit which was hopping while blending in with the snow, headed somewhere while twitching its nose and ears. This time, she was not aiming at a stationary archery target, but at a living animal. ¡°Is there another reward if I hit it?¡± ¡°If you manage to hit it, I¡¯ll let you eat my cooking.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Is that more delicious than the restaurant that we always go to?¡± ¡°It¡¯s rude to compare an amateur to a professional.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I would like something else as a reward.¡± ¡°You¡¯re too damn honest, Erize-san.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­¡± ¡°By the way, the rabbit will get away if you keep talking about unnecessary things.¡± Erize-san took up her stance and looked at the rabbit with a narrow gaze. After that, she let out a single white breath and let the arrow fly. The arrow flew straight into the snow and buried itself inside. ¡°¡­¡­Did you perhaps think that the rabbit was hibernating underneath the snow?¡± After that, we continued our daily schedule of going back and forth between the outside and the restaurant in the country. ¡°¡ªAh, I ordered too much food again today. It¡¯s my mistake. Here, Erize-san, take this as a souvenir and eat it at home¡± At the restaurant, I gave Erize-san the leftover food as usual. ¡°Thanks for always doing this, Elaina-san.¡± Erize-san gave me a faint smile while carefully accepting the parcel with both hands. When I first met her, she always had a depressed expression on her face, but before I realized it, she became capable of giving me a warm smile with a gentle expression¡ªor so it looked. Was it just my imagination? Was I being conceited? Despite my misgivings, I felt that I was helping to progress the story in a good direction, one step at a time. At this rate, I might be able to complete the job given to me in my own way. On the afternoon of the day that I thought that, the girl managed to bring down a rabbit successfully. It had stopped snowing, and it was a bright, sunny day. ¡°Look, Elaina-san! I did it! I actually did it!¡± A small rabbit lay on its side on top of the snow that was glittering from the light of the sun. A red stain spread on the snow as the rabbit¡¯s legs convulsed as if trying to escape from the arrow that had pierced its neck. ¡°You finally did it. It looks delicious.¡± I lifted the arrow without waiting for the rabbit¡¯s life to cease. A limp rabbit came up with the arrow, along with a corresponding sense of weight. ¡°¡­By the way, the reward you were talking about, Elaina-san¡­¡± ¡°Yes, my handmade cooking.¡± ¡°Are you going to cook this?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right.¡± ¡°Do you know how to prepare the meat?¡± ¡°Despite how I look, I¡¯m an expert when it comes to preparing rabbit meat. I¡¯m so good at it that it makes the rabbits tremble.¡± ¡°¡­But rabbits are always trembling, aren¡¯t they?¡± ¡°Also, I have a suggestion, although it¡¯s not part of the reward.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± I placed the unmoving rabbit on top of some clear snow that was not stained with blood. The snow crumbled and made way to accommodate the body of the rabbit. ¡°There was a house you lived in before coming here, right? Would you like to live there once again?¡± ¡°Go back home? But¡ª¡± ¡°You have become capable of hunting by yourself. There is no reason for you to force yourself to live in that country anymore. So, what do you say? Would you like to return to the house that you used to live in along with your parents?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The girl stayed silent. ¡°Of course, I won¡¯t force you to go if you don¡¯t want to.¡± I waited while looking forward to her reply. A silence came upon the forest, and after a little while, ¡°You¡¯re¡­ right. Yes. I want to go. It might be okay to leave that country now.¡± I felt relieved after hearing her words. With this, she would finally be safe¡ªor so I convinced myself. ¡ð We returned to the country after draining the blood from the rabbit on the spot and tying it with string. It was just before noon by the time we got back to the country, and there were a lot of people on the main street. Every time we passed by someone, they looked at us as if they were looking at something strange, and every time that happened, Erize-san¡¯s head would droop even further. ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about it anymore.¡± When I said that and touched her shoulder, she gave me a powerless smile. It appeared that Erize-san was fairly happy about being able to leave this country¡ªand the half-destroyed place that served as her home¡ªas she ran into the house to bring out her luggage as soon as we reached there. The country magistrate who had given me the job appeared over there at the same time. ¡°¡­Elaina-sama. How is the job going?¡± He gave me a short bow while holding a small parcel in his hand. ¡°It¡¯s going well. I think everything will be settled soon just the way you wanted it.¡± ¡°¡­I see. That¡¯s good.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look particularly happy after hearing that, though.¡± ¡°It might have been what we wanted, but that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s necessarily the best possible outcome.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After staying silent for a moment, I said to him, ¡°I think that I have done my best for her, in my own way. The girl has already reached a level where you won¡¯t need to leave that parcel for her anymore.¡± Even from where I was standing, I could see the magistrate¡¯s fingers tighten around the parcel. ¡°¡­Thank you very much. My apologies for getting you involved in our mess.¡± He bowed very low to me, and then turned his back. ¡°I know this is impertinent, but I have just one other request for you, Elaina-sama.¡± ¡°Depending on the contents, I may increase my fee amount, is that okay?¡± He did not reply to my words. ¡°If there is an opportunity, I would like to convey our true feelings to her someday.¡± After saying just that, he walked away. I did not reply to his words. That is because I did not know if I would be able to grant his request. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A while after he left, Erize-san came back. Carrying a lot of luggage in both her hands. ¡°Sorry to keep you waiting. It took a while to wake my little sister up.¡± She was carrying her little sister on her back. ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced her to you yet, right? Elaina-san, this is my little sister, Millina.¡± It looked like the time when I had to convey their true feelings to this girl was steadily approaching. It was approaching at a slow pace, but definitely getting closer. ¡ð ¡°I¡¯m home.¡± After reaching that place and lightly knocking off the snow which was sticking to her shoes outside the door, Erize-san just said those two words. She walked into the house while carrying Millina-san. ¡°¡­¡­¡± Following her example, I also knocked the snow off my shoes and went inside. There was a set of damp footsteps leading all the way to the dining room. In front of the kitchen, there was a table with four chairs set on two opposite sides. It must have been used by all four members of her family at one point. Only one of those chairs was currently drawn. Her little sister had been made to sit on that chair. ¡°Elaina-san, what are you going to make using that rabbit?¡± Erize-san was looking at my hands as she spoke. ¡°¡­How about a cream stew?¡± ¡°Yay! That¡¯s Millina¡¯s favourite!¡± Erize-san hugged her sister¡¯s shoulders from behind and expressed her joy. There was no reply. ¡°¡­Yeah! I can¡¯t wait!¡± She nodded to her little sister with a happy look on her face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I then said to her, ¡°I¡¯ll make it now, so wait here, Erize-san.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll be waiting here with my little sister.¡± Erize-san sat next to her little sister while having a big smile on her face. ¡°¡­Okay.¡± My voice echoed fruitlessly. As I was cooking, her cheerful voice reached my ears. ¡°Hey, it¡¯s kind of nostalgic, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°From now on, I¡¯ll take care of the work that Dad and Mom used to do. Ah, but I have to cook as well, so I¡¯ll have more work than they did.¡± ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be able to do it well.¡± It was the same even while we were on the way here. It was also terrible to see how Erize-san acted while she was carrying her sister and leaving the country. She had a happy expression on her face while listening to her little sister¡¯s voice that I could not hear. ¡°¡­¡­¡± A delicious smell wafted from the pot in which the stew was simmering. I was finally able to take a deep breath in the middle of this choking atmosphere. After taking a deep breath, I stirred the contents of the pot. The smell of carrots, potatoes, and rabbit meat that were mixed with the white cream wafted out from within. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It looked like all the things I had done after coming to this country were meaningless. I agreed to the magistrate¡¯s request, and got her out of that terrible country. I made a plan that would give her back her freedom, and at the same time, I prepared an environment where she could learn to hunt so that she could live by herself. I made it so that she would be able to return to this house. After doing so much¡ªgetting her out of the country and away from other people¡ªI had hoped that she would regain her sanity. It was useless, after all. It looks like I was just naively wishing for that to happen. The tragic circumstances surrounding that girl could not be erased by something of that level. I turned around from where I was standing in the kitchen, and looked at her. Erize-san, who had been smiling at her little sister, noticed my gaze. ¡°Ah, Elaina-san. Is it done already?¡± ¡°It just needs to simmer for a while.¡± ¡°Oh, so it¡¯ll be done soon!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± ¡°¡­No, it¡¯s nothing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Hey, something about you seems weird, Elaina-san. You didn¡¯t talk much on our way here, and even after getting here, you¡¯ve barely said a word or two.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°You haven¡¯t said anything to my little sister either¡­. Really, something is strange. It feels weird.¡± ¡°¡­You think I¡¯m being strange?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± When I continued to stay silent, ¡° ¡ªYou¡¯re really being strange.¡± Erize-san nodded at the voice that I could not hear. After that, she left me alone and returned to talking happily with her little sister. ¡°¡ªMaybe she¡¯s not feeling well?¡± ¡°¡ªAhaha. That¡¯s true. Maybe she¡¯ll feel better after eating the stew.¡± ¡°¡ªRight? I should cook something next time to thank her.¡± She kept looking at her little sister, with a happy expression on her face. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a scene that I could no longer endure. ¡°¡­Erize-san.¡± ¡°Hmm? What is it?¡± I winced a little as she mercilessly turned that bright smile towards me. It appears I started to become scared of her smile at some point. I looked away from her, and, ¡°¡­Erize-san, please stop doing that.¡± And then, I said it to her. I just described what I was seeing to her. ¡°Your little sister is dead.¡± She had been made to sit on one of the four chairs around the table. It was a girl wearing a long coat similar to the one Erize-san was wearing, and I was able to catch a glimpse of beautiful, golden hair peeking out from the gap in her hood. It was a corpse that was giving off such a bad smell, it was all I could do to keep from gagging. ¡ð ¡°It happened one month ago. Some merchants from my country banded together and did something very wrong.¡± ¡°Fumu.¡± What I had heard while sitting opposite to the magistrate that day was a horrible, tragic tale. ¡°There was a family of therianthropes living together quite close to our country¡ªand these merchants decided to capture and sell them. They said that they did it because they were in desperate need of money. The merchants first tried to capture the parents who were out hunting. They approached the pair, lying about being lost, and tried to capture them when they let down their guard. Of course, the couple did not let themselves get captured so easily. The two of them fought back strongly even though they had been surrounded by the merchants. As the fight broke out on a mountain slope with bad footing, the couple and some of the merchants unfortunately slipped and fell down the mountain. The remaining merchants climbed down to check on their condition, but all of them had died. The therianthrope couple had done nothing wrong, yet they lost their lives here due to the plot of the bad merchants. This is the main cause behind the sorry situation we are currently in. Of the band of merchants, three of them were still alive. They brought the corpses back to the country and explained the situation to me. Regrettably, they lied. They said that, ¡°Three merchants and two therianthropes who lived in the vicinity died due to an accident.¡± I believed their words, and seeing as how the therianthropes were a married couple, I wondered if they had any children. Perhaps those children were still waiting for their parents to come back¡ªthinking that, I took those merchants with me and returned to the mountains. After some searching, we found their house.¡± The things he said after that matched what I heard from Erize-san for the most part. The magistrate told Erize-san and her sister that their parents had passed away in an accident, and then brought them back to the country. However, there was a definite difference in what I heard from Erize-san and what the magistrate told me from this point onwards. ¡°A few days after the girls started to live in our country, there was an accident.¡± And so, he told me what had really happened. ¡°The surviving merchants attempted to go after the girls this time in order to sell them and make money. One night, they snuck into the house where the girls were living, equipped with torches and knives. The three merchants first came across the older sister. She¡ªErize, just like her parents, did not back down even though she was surrounded by the adults. She struggled mightily. However, she is still only a child. The difference in stature and strength was too large. She was quickly overwhelmed by the merchants. And so, the merchants began to take their revenge. The men dropped their knives and beat her. Kicked her. Even after she cowered in fear and begged them to stop while crying, they continued to hurt her. They probably planned to hurt her at the level where she wouldn¡¯t die, and then capture her afterward. It was then that one of the men was stabbed in the back by the knife that he had dropped. Turning around, he saw a girl who looked a little younger than Erize. The younger sister, Millina, had tried to save her older sister who was being one-sidedly beaten up by the men. The man shouted a wordless scream of rage and, releasing the older sister, he hit the younger sister with the torch that he was carrying in his hand. After that, he threw away the torch and picked up another knife that had fallen on the ground. He then advanced upon Millina who was holding her face and moaning in pain, and stabbed her over and over until she died. He had gone too far. That was the thought that went through the minds of the other two men, and so they tried to stop him. However, before they could take action, the man who was straddling the little sister ceased to move. Picking up the third knife that was lying on the ground, Erize had killed him. As Erize continued to stand there in a dazed manner, the fire from the discarded torch had begun to spread and the house was being consumed by flickering flames that kept getting larger. The two merchants who were still alive panicked and ran away from there. By the time I reached the house after hearing about it from the neighboring residents, the fire had already spread to the outside of the house. We immediately went to work and put the fire out, but more than half the house had already been destroyed. The cause of the fire was quickly ascertained. There were three knives at the scene, the burned corpse of one of the merchants, and eyewitness accounts from neighboring residents. Based on their testimonies, I came to the conclusion that the merchants were behind this, and had the two of them captured. After interrogating them, they finally told us the truth. However, knowing the truth didn¡¯t change the fact that it was too late to do anything about it. Ever since the day the fire broke out, Erize was changed. She refuses to let go of her little sister¡¯s corpse. In fact, she behaves as if that corpse is still a living person. She gives it food, dresses it up, and sleeps while cuddling up to it. Due to the acts of the merchants of this country and my mistaken judgement, the young girl ended up losing her mind. After the two merchants confessed to their crimes, Erize¡¯s activities came to light and the rumors spread throughout the country. The people feel sorry for her, but they still began to fear and avoid her. Erize also began to turn a deaf ear to what the people in the country were saying. She appeared to be frightened by them, and started to avoid the people as well. It has come to the point where we are incapable of doing anything more for her.¡± And so, the magistrate ended his story. While leaving out the most important detail. ¡°¡­¡­So, basically¡± I responded with a sigh. ¡°You took in a cute little girl, but now you want her to leave because she is causing problems for you. However, you are not able to get her to leave because she refuses to listen to what you say. You¡¯re afraid to get violent with her because you don¡¯t know what she¡¯ll do. So you want an outsider to deal with the situation. Is that right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Seeing how he stayed silent like a coward, I added some more words. ¡°¡­So you want me to kick her out of the country for a reason like that?¡± I went to the half-destroyed house while feeling conflicted about whether I should accept the job or not. When I saw you there, Erize-san, I was extremely surprised. And so, I decided to take the job. That¡¯s because I had already met you once before at the baker¡¯s shop. The day after I met you at the apple stall, I walked around the country talking to people about the situation. Every single one of them said the same thing to me. ¡°Such a pitiful child.¡± Even the people I talked to on the street said the same thing. ¡°I really feel sorry for her.¡± ¡°She ended up in such a state because of some bad people¡­ it¡¯s really deplorable.¡± The housewives who live in the houses neighboring the one you lived in were also frowning in displeasure. ¡°She ended up living in a place like that because of what some bad adults did¡­¡± ¡°Yes¡­ it¡¯s really quite pitiful. She even refuses to eat the food that the magistrate brings for her.¡± ¡°Look, over by that wall. See where she threw away that parcel of food? She always does that. Whether it¡¯s food or money, she just throws it away.¡± Even the man who owns the roadside stall said this while rubbing his bandaged hand. ¡°She¡¯d apparently been stealing apples from my stall for quite a while. Well, I know her circumstances so I wasn¡¯t going to hold it against her¡ªI just thought she should eat something other than apples once in a while, so I thought of taking her to some restaurant. After that, she shouted all kinds of stuff at me¡­ and that¡¯s how I ended up in this state.¡± The man who owns the bakery also said this. ¡°Ah, Witch-san. You saw what happened as well, right? She always comes in here and tries to buy bread with something like that. I understand that she¡¯s to be pitied¡­ but I run a business as well, so I¡¯m having trouble dealing with her.¡± The day I first saw you at the bakery, I saw something very strange. A little girl wearing a deep hood took a large number of dead bugs out of her pocket and tried to exchange those for bread. It was a strange sight. The girl called those dead bugs, ¡°money¡±. After talking for a bit with the owner of the shop who had kindly told her with a troubled expression on his face that he couldn¡¯t give her bread in exchange for bugs, the girl made a shocked expression and ran out of the store. After seeing that spectacle, I was quite confused. I found out that it was you on the next day. That is why I decided to accept this job, for your sake. ¡ð ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡± Erize-san just said that phrase after I told her everything I had seen and heard. She then raised her head while sitting next to Millina-san, and, ¡°It¡¯s a lie¡ªthe whole of this is just lies. Why? Why are you trying to make me suffer as well, Elaina-san?¡± ¡°Did someone order you to say this kind of stuff to me? Elaina-san, you saw it too, right? The people in that country are all evil.¡± ¡°The people of that country treated me as a monster. They burned down my house. But my little sister isn¡¯t dead. She¡¯s right here, sitting next to me.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, it¡¯s a lie. It¡¯s all just nonsense.¡± Saying that, she shook Millina-san¡¯s shoulder. The head of the girl who had died a long time ago swayed in a strange manner. ¡°See? She¡¯s still alive. My little sister isn¡¯t dead¡ª¡± However. As if to contradict and betray her words, the body fell from the chair after being shaken violently. With a loud sound, the thing that had once been Millina-san fell to the ground and rolled. ¡°Ah¡ª¡± At that moment, the girl seemed to have realized something. ¡°N-No¡­ My little sister, Millina is alive¡ª-¡± She stood up and stretched her hand towards the corpse, but stopped before touching it. Only her fingertips were violently trembling. Her appearance was incredibly pitiful. ¡°Erize-san.¡± ¡°No, no, no no¡­! It can¡¯t be, it can¡¯t be! Millina is¡­ but she was living together with me all this time! She can¡¯t be dead¡­!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Please come back.¡± And so, I told her. ¡°Please allow me to save you.¡± She didn¡¯t reply to my words. The only thing that escaped from her mouth was a wordless muttering. Her trembling fingers tightly clutched my robe. No, no, it¡¯s a lie, please stop. She just kept mumbling those words incoherently. Eventually, her muttering rose to a shriek, and she started to shed tears while clinging to me. I didn¡¯t let her go until her tears finally stopped. ¡ð ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Ah, Elaina-sama. Thank you for your efforts¡­ wait, you¡¯re eating bread again.¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve grown to like it¡ªalthough, this is probably the last time I¡¯ll get to eat it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± ¡°Meaning, I¡¯ve safely completed the job that you gave me. I¡¯m going to leave this country by the end of the day, and I don¡¯t intend to ever come near this place again.¡± ¡°¡­I see.¡± ¡°As usual, you don¡¯t look very happy.¡± ¡°As I told you earlier, we didn¡¯t want to kick that girl out of our country. It was just that we had no other choice.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that you gave up trying at some point along the way¡ªspeaking of which, about my reward.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ah, yes. That¡¯s right. Let¡¯s see¡ª¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to pay me. Could you deliver it to her house instead?¡± ¡°Excuse me?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to say it again.¡± ¡°No, but¡ª¡± ¡°In any case, I¡¯m not going to accept it. That¡¯s all.¡± ¡°¡­Elaina-sama, how is she? Has she gotten better?¡± ¡°Who knows? There¡¯s nothing I can tell you.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°Yes. Well then, I¡¯ll be going now.¡± ¡°¡­Please take care.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. There¡¯s something I forgot to tell you.¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°When that girls comes here again¡ªplease don¡¯t make that sort of expression in front of her, okay?¡± ¡ð I stayed with her for quite some time. The girl ran through the snowy terrain underneath the bright sun while hunting, and the two of us cooked together. We just kept repeating this. I lived pleasantly in the time that flowed in this manner. Once Erize-san became proficient at hunting all by herself, she suddenly opened her mouth one day, and, ¡°I¡¯ve come into my own now.¡± She said those words to someone while standing before the graves of her three family members. ¡°In that case, you don¡¯t need me anymore, right?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not like I don¡¯t need you¡­ but thanks for everything you¡¯ve done until now, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me¡ªI just did whatever I was capable of.¡± ¡°What are you going to do now?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll return to my travels.¡± ¡°¡­It¡¯s going to get lonely.¡± ¡°¡­I agree.¡± ¡°If you feel that way, I don¡¯t mind accompanying you on your travels.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s a little¡­¡± ¡°You¡¯re too damn honest, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°What do you plan to do from now on, Erize-san?¡± After I said that, she removed the hood that she was wearing and looked up at the sky. Her breath rose up into the air like smoke, and vanished. The sun floating in the sky gave off a faint sense of warmth, but it was still weak enough to be dispersed by the cold wind. ¡°I¡¯m planning to return to that country after some time passes.¡± Erize-san looked at me and said that. ¡°¡­Even though that place is full of nothing but bad memories?¡± ¡°Yes. But I feel like I¡¯ll be able to make some different memories if I go there now.¡± And then, she said this. ¡°Besides, I did something bad to the people of that country, so I want to apologize.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well, although I¡¯ve said that, I haven¡¯t decided to go there just yet. I just felt that it would be nice to do that.¡± ¡°I see. I think that¡¯s a good idea.¡± Saying so, I nodded. ¡°In any case, I¡¯ll go there once I¡¯ve made up my mind and properly said goodbye to everyone here. I just want to stay for a little while longer¡ªuntil the snow melts.¡± At that time, we heard a sound coming from the forest behind us. Looking around, we saw that some of the snow that was piled up on a tree¡¯s branches had fallen to the ground. A hint of green began to reappear in the world that was dyed a pure white color, gently shaking its head. The snow will probably disappear soon, a little bit at a time. However, ¡°Looks like it¡¯ll still take a while.¡± At my words, she gently shook her head and smiled. ¡°It won¡¯t be much longer now.¡± Volume 2 - CH 7 Chapter 7 ¨C The Bequeathed Legacy It happened one day while I was sightseeing in a certain city. A strange man started talking to me all of a sudden. ¡°Hey, you¡¯re a witch, right? Does that mean you can ride brooms and stuff?¡± What an incredibly idiotic statement. ¡°Seeing as I¡¯m a witch as well as a traveler, yes, I do ride them.¡± I wouldn¡¯t be doing something as troublesome as traveling if I couldn¡¯t ride one. The man nodded as if he was satisfied with something. ¡°That¡¯s awesome! Hey, would you be willing to do something for me?¡± Without even allowing me to reply, the man pulled out a map and continued to talk. ¡°Could you take me to this location on the map? I have something that I need to do there.¡± ¡°Haa¡­¡± He was enthusiastically pointing to a place on the map, but no matter how you looked at it, it was just an ordinary forest. He had some business in such a place? I wonder, what does he want to do over there? Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter. I replied, ¡°Well, I don¡¯t mind taking you there¡­ but you¡¯ll have to pay for the service, you know?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that! I¡¯ll properly pay you, so be at ease!¡± ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s great¡ªby the way, I can only pay you once the job is done, is that okay? Hehe.¡± ¡°Eh? I¡¯d prefer to be paid in advance.¡± Somehow, he doesn¡¯t seem very trustworthy. From his manner of speech, I get the impression that he¡¯ll run away the instant after I take him wherever he wants to go. ¡°Well, hang on. Don¡¯t be hasty! I¡¯ll pay you properly if you get me there safely. I¡¯m going there to retrieve gold, after all.¡± ¡°Oh? From someplace so deep inside a forest? ¡­Are you going after buried treasure or something?¡± I said that in a joking manner. However, he replied with an energetic nod. On top of that, ¡°That¡¯s exactly right! The legacy my father left me is buried over there!¡± He even said something like that, so can you blame me for being surprised? ¡ð While alternatively looking between the map and the path, I proceeded to go deeper into the forest. A rope was tied to the handle of my broom, and the other end of the rope was tied to a sled. I was flying towards the place indicated on the map where the treasure was buried while having that man sit on the sled. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± I heard such screams from behind me as I continued to travel, but I didn¡¯t pay them any heed. It had been about an hour since I started flying on my broom. Right after we started flying, the man complained, saying, ¡°Hey, why am I on a sled? Let me sit behind you.¡± However, I honestly replied, saying, ¡°If you keep saying that, I¡¯m just going to leave you here.¡± However, as the time passed, even doing that became troublesome. To my regret, he appeared to be a person who was fond of talking. While sitting on the sled that was hanging below my broom, he kept talking about his adventures for some reason. According to him, his father was a legendary gambler. He was also a gambler who had earned a decent amount of money. He followed in his dead father¡¯s footsteps and, until a few years ago, he had made a lot of money through gambling. However, he recently had kept losing, and was now on a decline. ¡°I¡¯ll definitely return the money when I win.¡± ¡°I promise, I¡¯ll definitely return it.¡± Saying things like that, he racked up an enormous debt with his friends, but as he continued to gamble, the money and his luck continued to evaporate like hot water. What¡¯s more, his friends and acquaintances got tired of dealing with him, and people who had known his father even insulted him saying things like, ¡°The father was blessed, but his son is horrible.¡± At this rate he would die a miserable death while shouldering a massive debt¡ªwhile he was worrying over things like that, he recently had happened to come across a map at his home that showed the location of the treasure his father had buried. Unbelievable. God has not forsaken me! He had danced for joy while thinking that. And so, he caught a hold of me, a traveler, and used me as a guide. Perhaps this was something that would make any gambler excited. I don¡¯t understand it at all, but in any case, that was apparently the situation. ¡°I¡¯m going to get back at all those people who made fun of me! I¡¯ll show them that an apple doesn¡¯t fall too far from the tree!¡± Saying that the apple doesn¡¯t fall far from the tree was originally a way of implying that the child of a mediocre person would also be mediocre no matter how hard they tried¡­oh well. I let that slide without passing a comment. After that, he ceaselessly continued to talk about his life so far. Things like what was the most money he had earned in a single day, stories of his passionate love with beautiful women, and many other things in addition. I made sounds of acknowledgement in the beginning, but even that eventually became annoying. And so, I purposely chose to fly recklessly. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaargh!¡± Ah, this is such a pleasant change. We finally arrived at our destination. ¡°Gueeeeeeeeeh.¡± Soon after we landed, he threw up. While supporting himself by putting a hand against a thick tree. Ugh. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°No problem! My father¡¯s legacy is right in front of my eyes, so something like this is no big deal!¡± ¡°Speaking of which, where is the treasure?¡± ¡°Umm¡­¡± Wiping his mouth, he looked at the map. ¡°Maybe over here? Ah, no, it must be over there? Nope, that¡¯s not right either. Umm¡­¡± He walked around in circles while holding the map. At this rate, maybe he¡¯ll throw up again? He continued to walk all around me while I watched apprehensively. After some time, ¡°Ah. It¡¯s this tree. It looks like the treasure is buried under this tree.¡± Saying so, he pointed at a certain thick tree. ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was right beneath the place where he had thrown up. ¡°¡­Umm, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°¡­Ah, it¡¯s okay. Don¡¯t worry about it¡­¡± ¡ð I had already finished what I was contracted to do, so of course I didn¡¯t help him dig it up. Doing that would have been a pain, in any case. I just waited while watching him dig at the roots of the tree with a trowel. ¡°Treasure¡­! Treasure¡­! Treasure¡­!¡± He looked just like a thief. And so, the time continued to pass as I was feeling bored. As he continued to dig away, a hole was formed in the ground and a correspondingly large mound of earth had been made beside it, when finally his trowel made a loud metallic sound as it struck something hard. After I stood up in reaction to the sound, he turned around to look at me and gave me a thumbs up. ¡°I¡¯ve found it! Look here! It¡¯s the treasure!¡± He used his trowel to pry it from the earth, and then threw it towards me. A tin case rolled upon the hard earth. ¡°Hoho. So the treasure is inside this?¡± ¡°You betcha! Let¡¯s open ¡®er up!¡± Seeing me nod, he opened the case. After peeking inside, he said, ¡°Hehehe¡­ now I¡¯m also a wealthy man¡­ Hmm?¡± His laugh was transformed into an expression of doubt in a second, and the next instant, he turned pale. ¡°¡­? What¡¯s inside?¡± Stepping beside him, I peeked into the box. And then, I saw what was stashed inside. There wasn¡¯t a single coin inside the box. It was just filled with a large amount of paper. Friends, relatives, inns, pubs, butchers, and vegetable sellers. The case was filled with details of money his father had borrowed from all kinds of people, the date by when the money was to be repaid, and even the names of guarantors who were to pay in case his father was unable to return the money. It was filled with such details ¡°My son, please pay the money in my stead. Love, Dad.¡± That was the short letter that accompanied those notes. ¡°No way¡­ how can this be¡­!? This has to be a lie¡­! Daaaaaaad!¡± And then, he pulled out every note the in the box and threw them them out. Invoices were flying out one after the other. Amongst them, there was a letter. He apparently didn¡¯t see it, and threw it out along with the other notes¡ªthis is what was written inside the letter: ¡°I¡¯m sorry, there is no treasure. In fact, I wasn¡¯t some legendary gambler in the first place. My luck was good in the beginning, but eventually I wasn¡¯t able to win anymore and I am a horrible father who incurred a massive debt. Please forgive me. While you¡¯re at it, please return the money I owe. I¡¯ve properly explained this to the people I borrowed money from. I¡¯m sure they¡¯ll wait until you get the money ready. I¡¯m counting on you.¡± It was an excellent demonstration of throwing your troubles onto someone else. It was such a horrible way of dealing with the issue that it almost made you feel refreshed. ¡°Daaaaaaad!¡± Looking at the shouting young man from behind, there was just one thought that crossed my mind while I was pitying him. Indeed, the apple hasn¡¯t fallen far from the tree. Volume 2 - CH 8 Chapter 8 ¨C The Country of Honesty ¡°¡­The Country of Honesty?¡± I was standing in front of the gate of a small country that stood on a coast, and felt confused after hearing what the gate guard had said to me. ¡°That¡¯s right! Our country is called ¡ºThe Country of Honesty¡». As the name implies, there are no liars in this country! It¡¯s a crappy country!¡± ¡°¡­Haa.¡± ¡°The moment a person passes through the gates and enters the country, they will become unable to tell lies, even if they are a witch.¡± I felt a little curious after hearing what the guard said. That was my mistake. ¡°How exactly does that happen?¡± ¡°The sword that belongs to the King of our country has a mysterious power, and apparently that power was used to create a barrier over the entire country which prevents people from telling lies. I know, it sounds incredibly suspicious, but that¡¯s how it works, apparently.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°Well then, Witch-sama, what do you want to do? Do you want to enter our country?¡± After hearing what he had to say, I responded. ¡ð I applied for a stay of three days and two nights, and went through the gate. The early summer breeze that was blowing inside carried a faint hint of salt. The appearance of the city along the coast was excessively colorful, and the houses that lined the alleyways were painted in blue, red, yellow, green, purple, and many other colors. At any rate, the place was dyed with many vivid colors. There is no sense of unity in the appearance at all. However, the mixture of colors gave off a good feeling overall. This country gives off a good feeling. ¡°Witch-san! Please buy some of our bread! It¡¯s not particularly tasty, and it¡¯s gotten all hard because it¡¯s quite old. The stuff I have here at the counter is actually leftovers from the day before yesterday, but I¡¯m still selling it at the regular price! Come buy some!¡± ¡°¡­No, who would actually buy garbage like that?¡± A voice saying unbelievable things was directed at me from a street vendor I happened to pass by, and I unintentionally retorted. For some reason, my sharp comments are about twice as harsh compared to usual. Is this because I can¡¯t lie? ¡°What are you talking about? They¡¯ve been lying here for a long time, so of course the taste and quality are going to drop. They are still edible, though! Buy some!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Not being able to lie should be considered sinful. I had a bad premonition after that incident with the old lady who was manning the roadside stall right after I entered the country, and I was right. The people of this country often mess with other people in quite a similar way. ¡°Oh my, Witch-san, you¡¯re so cute! It¡¯s pissing me off! By the way, I developed a new perfume the other day, would you like to buy some? I¡¯d rather not sell any to a cute little girl like you but I¡¯m running a business here after all.¡± ¡°Hey, good afternoon. To be honest you¡¯re not really my type, you look too childish, and your breasts are also quite lacking, it¡¯s really horrible. I¡¯m kinda starved for women right now, though, so would you like to grab a bite to eat¡ª Ah, you don¡¯t want to?¡± Everyone was so honest that I wanted to just call them idiots to their faces. the people who passed by me in the streets were all giving off a dangerous aura because everyone just kept talking about stuff that shouldn¡¯t be said aloud. ¡°Hey, I see you¡¯re still bald, as usual.¡± ¡°And you, as fat as ever, I see.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking this for a while, but you have really bad breath.¡± ¡°¡­Hahaha.¡± ¡°¡­Hahaha.¡± The aggressive nature of the people was barely being contained, and was showing through the cracks in their facade. ¡­What the heck was the king thinking when he decided to turn this country into such a place? As I continued to walk through the city, the royal palace came into view. ¡°Half a year has passed since lies have disappeared from my country. What do you say, everyone? Isn¡¯t it wonderful to live in a country where there is no deceit?¡± At that moment, the young king of the country was in the middle of giving a speech that was receiving great applause. He held a sword of exceedingly strange design in his hand. It was so strange that I might have blurted out, ¡°Ah, you have bad taste,¡± if he were to ask me for an opinion. The people who were gathered outside the palace were shouting, and holding placards which said stuff like: ¡°The King is the best!¡± ¡°Thank you for giving us a country without lies!¡± ¡°I got a girlfriend thanks to His Majesty!¡± ¡°Long live the King!¡± Not a single one of them was saying anything coherent, I could only hear people shouting short phrases like ¡°Wa wa¡± and ¡°Kya kya.¡± The king nodded after appearing pleased with the reactions of his subjects, and pointed his sword at the sky. ¡°Lies are evil! They are despicable! I swear by this sword, I will continue to keep this country pure and free from lies and deceit!¡± ¡°I will follow you forever!¡± ¡°Your Majesty, I love you!¡± ¡°So handsome! Take me!¡± ¡°Long live our King!¡± The king¡¯s voice grew even louder, as he appeared to be very pleased with the praise from his honest subjects. ¡°True trust is born from straightforward feelings and words that carry no deceit! Let us lead our country down the proper path by facing each other head on!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ I was watching the speech from afar with feelings that were difficult to put into words, when all of a sudden, someone tapped my shoulder. Looking around, I saw a witch who was wearing a brown-coloured robe and a tricorne. That woman with messy, brown hair appeared to be in her early twenties. ¡°¡­Can I help you?¡± After I said that, ¡ºYou¡¯re the witch-sama dispatched by the Administrative Bureau of Magic, right?¡» The woman silently held up a sketchbook with those words written on it with a proud expression on her face. ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡± I shook my head. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡± By the way, the Administrative Bureau of Magic is the organization that conducts exams that make you eligible to become a trainee witch, handles incidents caused by magic, and conducts research into developing new kinds of magic¡ªputting it simply, it is a mysterious organization that is involved in all matter related to magic. ¡°By the way, people from the Administrative Bureau of Magic wear a moon-shaped brooch, you know?¡± The only brooch I had was the one on my chest, which was star-shaped and was proof of my being a witch. After taking the effort to explain this to her in great detail, the woman finally seemed to have realized her mistake¡ªshe blushed red out of embarrassment, and quickly started scribbling something with her pen while panicking. And then, ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, I mistook you for someone else, please forget about what happened earlier!¡» She once again held up the sketchbook towards me that had those words written on it, and ran away from me after bowing several times. What did she want, anyways? ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± Now that I think about it, what about writing on paper? Was the rule about being honest applicable to that as well? That question floated to my mind as I considered the strange witch who refused to speak, and the crowd that had gathered around the royal palace. From my experience, it should have been impossible to lie in this country even through writing. For example, a sweets shop that was selling a ¡°new¡± type of sweets would have a sign saying ¡°New sweets available!¡± but that would be followed by something like ¡°They¡¯re actually the same as the old ones, only the appearance has changed.¡± Other shops, whether they were candy shops, cafes, bookstores, or anything else¡ªthey all had signs which were equally horrible. ¡°New product, recommended by the shop owner! It¡¯s delicious! Sorry, that¡¯s a lie. It¡¯s trash. It¡¯s utter crap. You¡¯ll die if you eat this.¡± ¡°A mystery novel by a new author! Even the author of that bestseller was shocked! (at how horrible it was)¡± ¡°This new product will ensure that you get a forty percent salary hike! It just feels that way.¡± Et cetera, et cetera. The signboards all had such slanderous words written on them, but none of them appeared to have been written there from the start. They all looked like they were added to the sign later on. In addition, every signboard and advertisement bore signs of trying to erase the text or had been dirtied on purpose, making them very hard to read. After getting tired of the streets where people were leaking their true intentions in an easily understood manner, I walked towards an inn. The inn had a sign that read ¡°Extremely cheap lodging! It¡¯s cheap, but very beautiful,¡± and some other text that couldn¡¯t be seen because the signboard was too dirty. It¡¯s a country of honesty after all, so what¡¯s written on the sign shouldn¡¯t be a lie. Thinking that, I stepped inside. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, the room that was prepared for me was anything but beautiful. It was trash. It was the worst room I¡¯ve ever been in. I¡¯d probably die if I stayed here. Does this mean that the owner of this inn considers this to be beautiful¡­? Apparently, they didn¡¯t have very good eyesight. I shut myself in the room and pulled a memo pad and pen from by bag while feeling disappointed at this cruel reality. ¡°¡­What should I write about?¡± I decided to test the current situation and see how it would prevent me from writing lies. After holding my pen near my mouth and humming for a while, I decided to write about all the things I experienced today. And so, I wrote it down. I fussed over my writing and forced myself to remember all the details, but I just kept moving my pen. I see, the magic works in such a way that my hand automatically writes the truth even if I decide to lie. I thought about just making up some random lies, but after I finished writing and looked back at what I wrote, only the truth was written there. For example, I can think that I want to lie and write ¡°I am actually a man,¡± but I end up writing exactly the opposite on the paper. If I try to say it aloud, my voice naturally says the words ¡°I am actually a woman,¡± and there is no sense of awkwardness at all. What¡¯s more, any changes I make to to what I have already written or said cannot be lies either. If I try to write or say ¡°The previous statement was a lie,¡± I actually end up writing and saying ¡°The previous statement is the truth.¡± Even if I try to use a different sheet of paper, and experiment with different ways to word it, no matter how much I struggle, the magic was apparently setup in a way that would prevent me from using words to tell a lie. ¡°¡­.Hmmm.¡± This is a strange feeling. After finding that I was a little addicted to that feeling, I amused myself by experimenting with my body that refused to obey my will until I was exhausted. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± After continuing to write for a while, I noticed something strange. I discovered the implicit understanding that the people of this country were keeping silent about after being forced into honesty. ¡ð I went for a walk inside the country the next day. Walking around on the absurdly colorful streets, asking the vendors of the street stalls ¡°Is this tasty? Was it freshly made?¡± and making them give me a truthful confession, I went around buying a lot of tasty and freshly made food while humming a little tune. Seeing as it was a country on the coast, part of the city faced the sea. I could hear the gentle sound of waves lapping on the shore as I walked around while eating. This is a nice feeling. As I thought, this country has a great atmosphere. ¡°You asshole! I¡¯ll fucking kill you! Freakin¡¯ baldy with bad breath!¡± ¡°Shut up, fatass! Your body odor is just as bad!¡± ¡°Go die!¡± ¡°No, you go die!¡± ¡­¡­¡­ The nice atmosphere was destroyed in an instant. Looking over in that direction¡ªin the direction I was walking, I could see two men who were wrestling and hurling abuse at each other. One of them was a fat man who looked like he¡¯d explode nicely if I pricked him with a needle, and the other was a bald man whose head was reflecting so much light, it was almost blinding. By the way, they are also apparently suffering from body odor and bad breath respectively. ¡­¡­Actually, it¡¯s the same people I saw yesterday. ¡°¡­Ha.¡± The two of them were embroiled in a violent fight, and they didn¡¯t care about the fact that they were attracting attention from other people in the surroundings. The people who stopped to watch them just stood around while staring, and nobody tried to stop the two men. Well, the same holds true for me as well. ¡°Is it okay not to stop those two?¡± I called out to a young man who was near me and asked him that. It¡¯s obviously better to stop them but I didn¡¯t want to do it myself, so I was trying to throw the responsibility to someone else. However, ¡°Hmm? Witch-san, did you perhaps come here newly from someplace else?¡± Seeing me nod, the man laughed. ¡°Quarrels like this happen all the time in our country. Watching people fight is a good way to relieve stress, though, so nobody tries to stop them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± ¡°Our irritation just keeps building up because of that idiotic king, so this makes for a good diversion.¡± That was certainly a strange thing to say. There seemed to be a large, irreparable divide between the king¡ªwho said that true trust could only come from facing each other head on¡ªand his subjects. ¡°That¡¯s enough, stooooooooooop!¡± That was when a voice loud enough to make me want to cover my ears reverberated throughout the street. Looking over at the men who were fighting, I saw a young witch standing at their side, gripping a staff¡ªshe was using magic to forcefully stop their fists just before they hit each other. She appeared to be a little younger than me, and had star-shaped and moon-shaped brooches pinned to her black robe. Her short, glossy black hair swayed as she glared at the two men who had been fighting. ¡°Stop fighting in the middle of the day for stupid reasons. Can¡¯t you see how you¡¯re troubling the other people around you?¡± That girl had a familiar face, and she was wearing a tricorne. ¡°And you people as well, if you have the time to stand around watching, why not try and stop them? Why do I have to do something like this, when I¡¯m not even from this country?¡± It looked like the girl was quite angry. ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I had given my tricorne to a girl quite a long time ago, and that girl was standing right there. ¡°¡­What are you doing in a place like this, Saya-san?¡± I walked out of the crowd and stood in front of her. The girl saw me as well, and, ¡°Eh¡­? Elaina-san¡­?¡± Her eyes were wide open and her jaw dropped. Her surprise was so great that she loosened her grip on her staff, and the magic that was stopping the two men from fighting disappeared as well. Having been released from the constraining magic all of a sudden, the fists of both men crashed into each other¡¯s faces at the same time, and they both fell over. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± An extremely flimsy apology echoed throughout the street. ¡ð ¡°I never imagined I¡¯d meet you again in a place like this, Elaina-san. This must be fate. It must be fate, right? We should probably just go ahead and get married, right?¡± We left the two unconscious men to the people in that area and the two of us talked while walking around the city. ¡°It really has been a long while. How are you?¡± I decided to ignore her thoughtless remarks. ¡°I¡¯m perfectly fine and full of energy, thanks to this hat. I safely managed to become a witch as well.¡± Saya-san gently touched her tricorne. I¡¯m glad that she seems to like it. ¡°What is your witch name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the Witch of Charcoal.¡± ¡°Oh¡­. It¡¯s somewhat similar to mine¡­.¡± I am the Witch of Ashes. They¡¯re almost identical. ¡°I begged my teacher for a name with kanji similar to ¡®Ashes.¡¯¡±[3] Saying that, she proudly puffed out her chest. Due to that action, the two brooches pinned to her robe struck each other and made a noise like a metal chime. One of them was star-shaped, and the other was moon-shaped. ¡°So you joined the Administrative Bureau of Magic?¡± She nodded. ¡°Yes. I thought that this would be the quickest way to earn money while traveling.¡± If you register yourself with the Administrative Bureau of Magic, you will be given a brooch shaped like the moon and will be qualified to accept requests from regional branches of the Bureau. It looked like she was able to obtain a fairly stable source of income by doing this. Oh, I see. That means: ¡°So, you came to this country on a job?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. So I¡¯d appreciate any information you can give me. I don¡¯t really know much about this country.¡± ¡°You accepted the job even though you didn¡¯t know much about the country?¡± Is she an idiot? ¡°No, umm, I¡¯m short of money right now because I did some expensive shopping¡­This particular job has a really high reward, so that¡¯s why I accepted it and came here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I sighed at Saya-san¡¯s carelessness and lack of planning. ¡°What were you planning to do if that promise of a reward was false?¡± ¡°But this is the Country of Honesty, right? They wouldn¡¯t lie.¡± ¡°Apparently, that¡¯s not really true.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°Saya-san, do you have a spare piece of paper?¡± ¡°Yes I do¡­¡± ¡°Here, give that to me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± With a confused look on her face, she pulled out a thick piece of paper from her pocket and held it out to me. ¡°Here you go.¡± No matter how you look at it, the paper she gave me was the letter of request from this country. ¡°¡­It¡¯s not okay to scribble all over something like this, you know?¡± What¡¯s more, the paper had sentences written on it in beautiful handwriting, it¡¯s definitely not something that you would feel like scribbling on. By the way, the contents of the job were as follows: ¡ºTo the Administrative Bureau of Magic. We have a request. Our country has currently been transformed into a place with no lies due to the power residing in our king¡¯s sword. Not being able to lie is not necessarily a bad thing, but all of us citizens here are highly inconvenienced because of this. Would you please come to our country and fix this problem for us? We will provide the following reward in return for your service¡ª¡» Saya-san puffed out her cheeks as she watched me reading the request letter seriously. ¡°Certainly, this job has a high reward, but the request letter doesn¡¯t have the name of the client, their address, or any other contact information. Thanks to that, I have to start with finding the client first. So that paper has no further information that I need. It might look like an important document, but I don¡¯t need it anymore. Feel free to stew it, grill it, or eat it, I don¡¯t really care.¡± ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a goat or something?¡± After giving a sigh to the pouting Saya-san, I once again looked at the paper in my hands. I feel like I¡¯ve seen this somewhere before. The thick paper looks like it was taken from a sketchbook, and the beautiful handwriting also looked familiar. ¡­¡­¡­ Oh, my. ¡°I think I know the person who wrote this request.¡± ¡°Ehh? Really?¡± ¡°Do you remember what country we are in right now?¡± I said that while returning the thick paper to her. ¡ð We walked to the area near the royal palace. Unlike yesterday, there wasn¡¯t much of a crowd. People were just passing through the courtyard. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± We discovered the witch-san who we were looking for right away. ¡ºHas anyone seen the Witch-san dispatched by the Administrative Bureau of Magic? She should be wearing a moon-shaped brooch.¡» She was wandering around, shoving a sketchbook with those words written on it in the face of everyone who was passing by. She¡¯s behaving very suspiciously. She¡¯s being very conspicuous. ¡°Hey! You¡¯re here again!? You¡¯ve been banished from the royal palace, so don¡¯t keep wandering around here! You incompetent witch!¡± ¡ºHiii! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡» What¡¯s more, she was being pursued by a soldier. ¡°¡­.Is it that strange person?¡± ¡°Yes, it is indeed that strange person.¡± I nodded to Saya-san, who looked doubtful. And so, we chased the witch-san who was running away. ¡°What a horrible experience¡­.¡± After running around for a while, the running witch curled up in a back alley while clutching her sketchbook. Her eyes were full of tears. I stuck my head out of the alley to make sure that there were no soldiers in the vicinity, and then, ¡°Hello, how do you do? We met yesterday.¡± Saying that, I stood in front of that witch. She looked very surprised. ¡ºThe witch-san from yesterday! What¡¯s wrong?¡» ¡°If I remember correctly, you were looking for a witch from the Administrative Bureau of Magic, right?¡± ¡ºY-Yes, that¡¯s right¡­¡­¡» ¡°Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Saya-san. Apparently, she¡¯s the witch who has been dispatched by the Administrative Bureau of Magic.¡± I said that with one of my hands resting on Saya-san¡¯s shoulder, and pointing at her chest with the other hand. ¡°Ah, hello.¡± Saya-san gave a very half-baked response. The girl looked very surprised once again. ¡ºThat brooch! So you¡¯re the witch dispatched by the Administrative Bureau of Magic!? I see¡­ I am the Witch of Quicksand, Eihemia. I am the person who sent a written request to the Administrative Bureau of Magic.¡» Saya-san pulled out a thick sheet of paper. ¡°Are you talking about this letter?¡± After nodding several times, Eihemia-san flipped to a new page on the sketchbook and showed us the word ¡ºYES¡»on the page, then flipped to a different page and wrote, ¡ºI¡¯m sorry. I was in such a hurry to send it that I forgot to add my name and a meeting place. Tee hee~¡» She gave that as an explanation. It looks like she had prepared some simple words in the sketchbook beforehand. More importantly, ¡°Umm, can you not speak?¡± ¡ºYES¡» ¡°Why not?¡± ¡ºThe mouth is the source of all evil.¡» ¡°Would you mind answering seriously?¡± ¡º¡­There¡¯s a good reason for this.¡» So she wrote. ¡ºThat reason is also related to the present condition of this country. Would you mind listening to it, as part of the job?¡» ¡°Fumu.¡± ¡°Ah, please wait for a minute. I want to take notes.¡± I nodded, and Saya-san pulled out some paper and a pen. She looked just like a new worker, extremely serious about her job. After looking at both of us in turn, Eihemia-san started to write. ¡ºActually, the king¡¯s sword was made by me.¡» For some reason, she looked a little proud. Eihemia-san, who used to work in the royal palace, received the following request from the king. ¡°Please get rid of all the liars in the country. I wish to only have truthful people as my subjects.¡± When she asked for the reason, she found out that he had apparently been lied to and betrayed by a vassal, and he couldn¡¯t stand it anymore. So he decided to get rid of all the liars. Eihemia-san who deeply respected and one-sidedly loved the king immediately agreed to his request and set about making a plan to get rid of all the liars in the country. And then, she had an epiphany. ¡°That¡¯s right! I just need to make a barrier that prevents anyone inside from lying!¡± However, making the barrier would require an immense amount of magical energy. So, Eihemia-san sacrificed her own voice in order to create that enormous amount of energy. However, just her voice was not enough. After worrying over it for a long time, she decided to give up her ability as a magic user in order to create the energy. As a result she became unable to use magic and also lost her voice, but the sword had been completed. By the way, why had she decided to sacrifice her voice in the first place? When I asked her that in the middle of her story, she wrote down while blushing: ¡ºIf I couldn¡¯t lie anymore, I thought I might accidentally tell the king how I felt about him¡­¡» It looks like she was very shy. She then immediately took the completed sword to the king. ¡ºYour Majesty, as long as you grip this sword with your dominant hand, the people of this country will become incapable of lying. By the way, if you let go of the sword or touch it with any part of your body other than your dominant hand, the effect will disappear. Please accept it.¡» In this way, the king would always have to hold on to the present that she made for him. She¡¯s such a schemer. ¡°¡­Why must I only use my dominant hand?¡± ¡ºThat¡¯s because the effect will be stronger that way.¡» That was a lie. It was actually so that I could stay by his side and serve him after he became incapable of using his dominant hand. ¡°Fumu¡­. By the way, why do you not speak?¡± The king asked her after feeling curious about her behaviour, and she revealed all of what she had done. After hearing that, he lamented what she had done. ¡°To think you would go so far to follow my order¡­ If only everyone possessed the same level of loyalty as you, I wouldn¡¯t have had to do something like this¡­¡± ¡ºI am not deserving of such praise.¡» And then, when the king accepted the sword from her, ¡°Still, this sword looks so lousy. It¡¯s in such bad taste. I have to keep holding something like this?¡± ¡ºEh?¡» ¡°¡­Damn¡± His true feelings were exposed. That day ended with a subtly awkward atmosphere. Starting the next day, the king used that sword to change the country. To begin with, he used that sword to find his disloyal retainers and banished them one after the other. Following that, he used military force to subjugate the citizens who were displeased at having lost the ability to lie. And so, the Country of Honesty¡ªor rather, the country where only the citizens who couldn¡¯t stand up to the king were left¡ª was completed in this fashion. At this point, the only people left in the country were those who would obey the king, no matter what he does. By the way, Eihemia-san was labeled as an incompetent and banished from the royal palace because she lost her ability to use magic. ¡ºApparently, I had no value to him apart from the fact that I could use magic¡­.¡» After completing her story, Eihemia-san wrote those words in her sketchbook. Could she have been any more stupid? ¡°You were hired as a witch, so of course your magic would be the most important thing.¡± ¡ºI had hoped that he would allow me to remain by his side even after I lost my ability to use magic.¡» As Eihemia-san was feeling depressed, Saya-san spoke up while standing next to her. ¡°You gave up both your voice and magic power for his sake, isn¡¯t that kind of heavy? Maybe the king disliked that?¡± She delivered such a finishing blow. She hardly had any right to say such a thing, considering that she immediately started speaking about fate and marriage when we met after a long time. As I stood there feeling amazed, Saya-san looked at the request letter once again. ¡°Eihemia-san, your request is to turn this country back to the way it used to be, right? What needs to be done in order to make that happen?¡± ¡ºYou just need to make the king let go of the sword.¡» ¡°I see¡­¡± Saya-san said that while nodding, and I asked, ¡°What will happen if the sword is destroyed?¡± ¡ºThe power I put into the sword will disappear, and my voice and magical ability will return.¡» ¡°Hoho¡­¡± ¡°In that case, the fastest way to do this would be to destroy the sword when the king comes out to make a speech, like he did yesterday.¡± ¡ºThe king doesn¡¯t have any speeches scheduled until next month.¡» ¡°Elaina-san, let¡¯s share a room and stay here for the next month¡ª¡± ¡°Let¡¯s think of a different option.¡± ¡ºIf you plan to take the sword away from the king, you will need to enter the royal palace.¡» ¡°¡­But wouldn¡¯t it be really hard to get inside if we can¡¯t lie? The whole plan will fall apart the moment we are asked why we want to go inside.¡± That¡¯s true. ¡°It¡¯s the Country of Honesty, after all. We can¡¯t lie our way into the palace.¡± I continued to speak. ¡°But if we use what Eihemia-san is holding, then we should be able to manage. Sure, we can¡¯t lie in this country, but we can mislead people all we want.¡± Even if we can¡¯t speak lies in this country, we can manage it somehow when it comes to writing. Eihemia-san nodded and displayed the page with ¡ºYES¡»written on it. It looked like she had already discovered the loophole in the barrier that she had created¡ªthe loophole that was implicitly understood by everyone living here. Perhaps it had been created with such an intention from the beginning. ¡°¡­? What do you mean, Elaina-san?¡± Allow me to explain. I borrowed the sketchbook and pen from Eihemia-san, and, ¡°Now, pay attention. This is all we need to do¡ª¡± And so, I wrote down the strategy. ¡­¡­¡­ At some point, I had been roped into helping Saya-san with her job, but I decided not to touch upon that point until the end. That¡¯s because in this country where people cannot lie, they will not be able to hide their embarrassment either. ¡ð ¡°Excuse me. Please state your business. You may not pass beyond this point without His Majesty¡¯s permission.¡± As expected, we were stopped at the gate after walking up to the royal palace. The guard then realized that one of us was none other than Eihemia-san, and he exclaimed, ¡°Ah, you! What are you doing here!? You¡¯ve been banished from here, haven¡¯t you!?¡± ¡ºHiiii! I¡¯m sorry! I¡¯m sorry!¡» ¡°Hey, behave yourself.¡± Eihemia-san had turned around on the spot and I reached out to grab her by the scruff of her neck before she could run away, and, ¡°Saya-san, hurry up and explain the circumstances to him.¡± Saying that, I lightly pushed Saya-san forwards. Standing in front of the guard, Saya-san boldly pulled out a piece of paper. ¡°Ahem. Guard-san, do you understand what is written on this paper?¡± The dirty, stained paper had the following words written on it. ¡°The banishment of the Witch of Quicksand, Eihemia, has been rescinded. At the same time, right of entry is granted to The Witch of Ashes, Elaina, and the Witch of Charcoal, Saya.¡± Even the King¡¯s signature was properly present at the bottom. ¡°The banishment was rescinded? How suspicious. Is this genuine?¡± Oh, what¡¯s this? ¡°What are you talking about? This is the Country of Honesty, isn¡¯t it? There¡¯s no way lies could exist here. Or else, are you implying that His Majesty lied to us?¡± ¡°¡­Ugh, you¡¯re right.¡± ¡°Now, please let us pass.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The guard moved away from the entrance, albeit reluctantly. And so, we were able to boldly pass through the gate. While holding the fake document in hand. This country does not allow one to lie using spoken words. However, the circumstances are different when writing them down. Unlike speech, characters that have been written down can be erased. It¡¯s very easy to write a lie by jotting down a bunch of random characters in a line and then erasing some select characters. You can only correct speech with more speech, so it¡¯s impossible to lie while speaking, no matter how hard you try. However there are many ways to alter text even without using a pen. I discovered this fact while I was writing down random things in my inn room the other day. It appeared as if the dirty, stained signboards of shops in this country had been made in the same way, and I also understood how the inn rooms could be so dirty while the signboard insisted that they were beautiful. The people of this country had discovered how to lie using written words, but they were keeping that fact a secret. ¡°It went well. As expected of you, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°Why, thank you.¡± Saya-san was looking at the paper that I had forged while we were walking inside the castle. Incidentally, the King¡¯s signature was written by me while copying his handwriting. After writing something random like ¡°This is His Majesty¡¯s signature,¡± mimicking his handwriting and forging his signature next to that sentence was possible. Once that was done, the previous sentence could just be erased to complete the forgery. ¡ºTruly, the pen is mightier than the sword!¡» There was a person next me writing down things with a triumphant expression on her face, but I pretended not to see that. ¡°By the way, Eihemia-san, which way should we go now?¡± Saya-san pretended not to see that as well. ¡ºEh? The throne room, perhaps? His Majesty usually whiles away the time in there.¡» ¡°Hoho. So, where is this throne room?¡± ¡ºIt¡¯s still quite far from here.¡» ¡°I understand. Both of you, follow me! I¡¯ll protect the two of you!¡± ¡°You seem to be all fired up, Saya-san.¡± ¡ºAt any rate, I cannot fight at all, so I¡¯ll just hide behind the both of you.¡» ¡°Sure, just leave it to me. Taking the sword away from the king should only take me an instant.¡± Just where did her confidence come from? ¡°Do you have a plan?¡± ¡°Well, for starters, I¡¯ll go in from the front and say, ¡¸Hey there, I¡¯m a witch from the Administrative Bureau of Magic, and I¡¯m currently doing some research on magic. Would you mind letting me take a look at that beautiful sword?¡¹ Once I say that, he¡¯s sure to give me the sword. See, isn¡¯t that a perfect plan? Hehehe~¡± ¡°True, I have never seen a plan so perfectly full of holes.¡± ¡ºThere¡¯s no way he would let go of my sword for such a flimsy reason!¡» We have two witches here, so the best way to do it would be to have one of us distract him from the front while the other sneaks up on him from behind and steals it. Actually, we don¡¯t even need two witches for this. Well, it¡¯ll work out somehow if we make up some kind of a plan before we confront the king¡ªthinking that, we proceeded to walk deeper into the royal palace. And that¡¯s when it happened. ¡°What¡¯s all this noise about? What is going on¡ª¡± The king came out of the door directly in front of us. He actually came out at a time like this. Why was that, though? Wasn¡¯t he supposed to be in a place still far away from here? When I looked around while having a question mark floating above my head, ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, we have reached the throne room. It was unexpectedly not that far away.¡» So said the words, written by Eihemia-san. It was a very insufficient apology, in more ways than one. ¡ð ¡°Seeing as you¡¯ve already found us, I guess we have no choice. Your Majesty, please let go of that sword at once.¡± I instantly saw that it was impossible to end things peacefully, so I pulled out my staff and walked towards the king, and made him return to the throne room. However, while retreating, the king shouted, ¡°Intrudeeeeeeeeers!¡± Regrettably, he called for help. Immediately after, there was a large number of voices saying things like ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± and ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± and ¡°That was His Majesty¡¯s voice!¡± and a large number of guards entered the room through the open door. Our retreat was instantly cut off. Hmm. ¡°Saya-san. I will deal with the king. Please do something about the guards.¡± ¡°Leave it to me!¡± Saya-san also took a stance with her staff. As for Eihemia-san, she had ended up beside me by chance and was holding up a sign saying ¡ºAh, I am a non-combatant!¡» She has no intention to help at all. Oh well, I guess it¡¯s better than her just jumping in blindly. ¡°Your Majesty, please give that sword to me.¡± I slowly walked closer to the king. ¡°Silence! Shut up! Damn you, Eihemia¡­ What are you trying to do?¡± ¡ºYour Majesty, that artifact is very dangerous. Although that might sound ironic, coming from the person who made it.¡» Eihemia-san was holding up her sketchbook while standing behind me. ¡ºSo please, return that to me.¡» ¡°What are you saying? This sword is truly the perfect weapon to guide this country. As long as I have this, I can lead this country in the correct direction.¡± And then, the king said, ¡°Even if there are some bad people who are after my sword, I can take care of them by myself¡ªlike this! ¡± The king swung the sword horizontally in a straight line. A mass of magical energy was released from the hand of the king. A pale light in the shape of a crescent flew towards me, carried by the momentum of his swing. ¡°Whoops.¡± I dodged it like it was nothing. It hit Saya-san instead. ¡°Ouuuuuuuuuch!¡± An agonized wail echoed throughout the chamber. ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry.¡± ¡°Uuu¡­ So mean¡­¡± By the way, I didn¡¯t hear anything about that sword being capable of producing magical energy. ¡ºThat sword is capable of releasing accumulated energy by the action of swinging it, so be careful. It¡¯ll hurt like hell if it hits you.¡» Isn¡¯t that warning a little too late? ¡°Tch¡­ As expected, ordinary methods will not work against a witch¡ªin that case, how about this? Ei!¡± Saying that, the king swung the sword several times, shooting waves of magical energy at me. I carefully struck down each of them so that they would not hit Saya-san. From behind me, I could hear Saya-san shouting things like ¡°Orya!¡± and ¡°Damn you!¡± as she valiantly fought to protect my back. ¡°Your Majesty, has this country become a better place now that the lies have disappeared?¡± ¡°Of course it has! Can¡¯t you see how happy the citizens of my country are?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that because you only let the people who approved of your vision of a country stay behind, and kicked out everyone else?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the same thing. What¡¯s wrong with stamping out the seeds of rebellious intent?¡± ¡°You¡¯re right¡ªI agree with you on that point. On the other hand, there is a possibility that not all the people remaining here approve of what you¡¯re doing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What did you say?¡± As the king furrowed his eyebrows in doubt, I thought back on all the things I had seen after coming to this country; the signboards on the shops and the men who were fighting. ¡°This is the Country of Honesty, right? There are a lot of people who confess their true feelings, and sometimes come to blows when they express themselves frankly. But there¡¯s undeniably a sense of malice hiding in the background.¡± The people of this country often say things that are better left unsaid, but that¡¯s probably not out of good intentions. It might just be due to accumulated stress. It¡¯s the same with writing all those unnecessary things as well. Actually, that additional writing on shops might have been done by some malicious individual. Although the people were making a show of appreciation while gathered in the courtyard of the royal palace, not a single one of them actually said anything meaningful aloud. This was probably because they were hiding their true feelings. ¡°Being honest is not necessarily always the best option. That¡¯s why this world has the concept of lies¡ª¡± ¡°Elaina-san! Sorry to interrupt, but we¡¯re out of time! There are too many enemies for me to handle. My head is going to go flying! Iyaaaaaaa!¡± ¡ºGood luck, Witch-san from the Administrative Bureau of Magic.¡» ¡°You should help out toooooooo!¡± ¡ºI¡¯m sorry, I specialize in inspections and the like.¡» ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°It looks like we¡¯re out of time, so let¡¯s wind things up here.¡± However, the king snorted at my proposal. ¡°Wind things up? Who are you trying to fool? It¡¯s taking everything you have to just deflect my attacks.¡± ¡°¡­¡­No, I¡¯m sorry. I¡¯ve already completed the preparations necessary to take the sword away from you.¡± ¡°Hmpf. You¡¯re obviously bluffing.¡± ¡°Can you still say that after seeing what is behind you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What?¡± Without ceasing his attacks on me, the king quickly peeked behind him. When he saw what was there, his attacks abruptly ceased. The broom that I had secretly brought here was floating in the air behind him. ¡°What!? When did you¡ª¡± Without even allowing the king to complete his sentence, I moved the broom towards me. As fast as I could make it go. Right after that, a dull thump reverberated through the air and the broom impacted the king squarely in the back. The king gave a low groan and was thrown towards me. The sword that he had held up until that point, fell from his fingers. ¡°Ei.¡± Seeing that, I conjured up a large lump of iron using magic and sent it flying at the sword as it fell towards the ground. After making a heavy sound, the lump of iron easily broke the sword into two pieces and then made a small crater on the ground. Once the sword broke with a nice, clean sound, a large amount of magic was immediately released from the sword, and the pale light returned to Eihemia-san. The sparkling grains of light looked like the stars in the night sky. After being entranced by that sight for a short while, I leaned forward and said, ¡°People with evil intentions can still do bad things even if they cannot lie. All the people remaining in this country are not necessarily good people.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Similarly, not everyone who lies is a bad person.¡± If the truth is like a sword, then lies are the sheath. The truth is encased in lies to prevent it from hurting people for no reason. Lies can also be used in such a way. ¡°¡­¡­¡± The king slowly moved his body and crouched down on the spot. He just kept staring at one spot on the floor. Maybe he¡¯s thinking about something, or he¡¯s just depressed. After a few very long seconds passed, ¡°So what are you saying¡­!? Are you saying I was mistaken¡­?¡± He vaguely whispered those words. ¡°No, you were not mistaken.¡± An unfamiliar voice replied to the king¡¯s words. It was immediately apparent who had said that. It was Eihemia-san, whose voice had returned. ¡°Your Majesty, you were just a little too honest with your own feelings. From now on, why don¡¯t you relax a little and live a life where you can lie when needed and stay silent about things that don¡¯t need to be said?¡± Eihemia-san said that while smiling gently. Was that really the truth, or was it a lie to make the king feel better? Honestly, I can¡¯t tell anymore. ¡ð This is what happened afterwards. The king publicly apologized for turning the country into a place where people couldn¡¯t lie for more than half an year. He said that everything that had happened so far was his fault, and he sincerely asked the people to forgive him. The reactions of the people were surprisingly indifferent. There was no riot, and nobody booed the king while he spoke. They just accepted the apology while looking unconcerned, and once the speech ended, there was some scattered applause in the courtyard of the royal palace. Most likely, the king has not yet recovered the trust of his people. After recovering her voice and magic, Eihemia-san was reinstated to her old position and was now working in the palace. ¡°It¡¯s going to get busy from now on!¡± She was full of excitement while saying things like that. Her eyes were sparkling as she stood next to the king who was busy dealing with the aftermath of this event. It looks like it will still take some time until the king finishes his work and the country goes back to how it used to be. ¡°Elaina-san, about the reward for this job.¡± Saya-san held my sleeve and said that after we passed through the gates of the country and went outside. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°You helped out with this job as well, so I think¡­ I think you deserve to get a reward.¡± ¡°Eh, but I don¡¯t want it.¡± ¡°It doesn¡¯t work that way.¡± Saya-san said as she lowered her eyebrows. ¡°We need to share the reward with any magicians who helped during the job, that¡¯s the rule. I need to do something to thank you for your efforts.¡± ¡°If you keep doing everything by the book, you¡¯ll become an inflexible person.¡± Besides, I didn¡¯t do what I did this time because I wanted money. Not that I said that aloud, though. ¡°Still, please let me do something to thank you!¡± ¡°¡­No, really, it¡¯s fine.¡± This girl was pestering me saying she wanted to thank me, and I kept refusing. It was a strange feeling. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s do this. I need to thank you for giving me the hat as well, so I¡¯ll give you something nice!¡± After clapping her hands, she searched her bag and pulled out something small. She held two small necklaces in her hand, and pushed one of them into my hands. ¡°¡­What is this?¡± I asked while accepting the necklace, and she made a pleased sound. ¡°This is something I used all my money to buy, in preparation for when I would meet you again, Elaina-san. By the way, the reason I was broke was because I spent my money on these. That¡¯s the reason why I accepted this job, but I happened to meet you because of it, so it really is fate, isn¡¯t it!?¡± ¡°Eh, that¡¯s pretty heavy.¡± I thought it was heavy enough to equal Eihemia-san¡¯s actions. So she kept badgering me about wanting to thank me so that she could give me this? So cunning. ¡°Please think of that as me and keep it safe!¡± ¡°¡­¡­..¡± I don¡¯t really want to accept something like this¡­¡­ I mean, I would remember this every time I looked at it. It might make me sad. It is not good for a traveler to accept things like this. ¡­¡­¡­ After silently looking at that necklace and Saya-san for a few seconds, I said, ¡°Thank you. I will take good care of it.¡± Oh well, it should be fine. That¡¯s what I thought. It might not be bad to relax once in awhile and do things differently for a change. ¡°Well then, I guess we part ways here¡ªI¡¯m heading to the branch office of the Administrative Bureau of Magic, and you¡¯re going to continue your journey, right, Elaina-san?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I replied while putting on the necklace. ¡°It¡¯s time to say goodbye, Saya-san.¡± ¡°¡­I hope we can meet again somewhere in the future.¡± ¡°If that comes to pass, we will meet again. If not, this is the last time we will see each other.¡± ¡°I definitely won¡¯t let it be the last time.¡± Saying that, she held up her little finger and extended her hand towards me. ¡°¡­What are you doing?¡± ¡°This is a charm for making a promise, it¡¯s been passed down in my birthplace for ages! Please wrap your little finger around mine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Just how does wrapping my little finger around hers constitute a charm? I extended my little finger towards her while still holding some doubts. She wrapped her little finger around mine. ¡°Elaina-san, it¡¯s a promise. We must definitely meet again.¡± Saya-san smiled and said that. She also said that she would become an even better witch by that time. And so, I responded, ¡°I will patiently wait for that to happen during my travels.¡± Volume 2 - CH 9 Chapter 9 ¨C The Story of a Bomb It was a forest with many tall, thin trees. I was flying on my broom over a meandering path that looked like it had been made to follow the chance gaps occurring between trees. The leaves that had fallen on the ground writhed and made a rustling sound. The climate is cool, and the wind is gentle. Really, this is a great feeling. Taking a nap in a place like this would probably feel really good. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After continuing to travel through the forest for a while, I saw a horse-drawn wagon. The wagon was entirely devoid of any luggage, and deplorably, it was stopped right in the middle of the road and blocking the way. I could only see the back of the wagon from my position, and hence I wasn¡¯t able to see the driver. Is he taking a carefree nap? Or is he trying to say that he won¡¯t allow anyone to pass beyond this point? ¡°¡­¡­Ei.¡± I inclined my broom upwards a little as I had no other choice. The broom that had been flying close to the ground gradually floated upwards. Obstacles must be overcome, after all. When I was above the wagon, I looked downwards. What I saw there was the roof of the wagon, a horse eating grass¡ª-and a man who was collapsed beside the wagon. I immediately understood why the wagon was stopped in the middle of the road. The driver was not slacking off and taking a nap, nor was he blocking my path on purpose. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The man was covered in blood and wounds. He was collapsed limply beside the wagon. ¡ð Just what happened here? I had no idea what the circumstances were, but it was clear that the driver¡¯s life was in danger. I felt that flying off and leaving him in this state would be far too cold hearted, so I landed my broom, pulled out my staff, and healed his wounds with magic. A warm, white haze wrapped around him and erased the bloody wounds and bruises that covered his body. He looked quite young, but he was still older than me. I¡¯d guess he was somewhere in his mid twenties. His unkempt black hair looked dull as it was covered in dust. ¡°¡­¡­Ugh.¡± Just as the wounds on his body finished fading from sight, he opened his eyes. He stared blankly at the canopy of the forest, and eventually he spotted me. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I spoke to him while standing over him. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t receive an answer. ¡°Umm¡­ Are you okay?¡± I tried waving my hand in front of his eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡± He blinked rapidly, opened and closed his mouth a few times, and finally moved his body. ¡°E-Excuse me¡­! I¡¯m not sure who you are, but do you know how long I¡¯ve been lying here?¡± Perhaps he¡¯s not completely awake yet? He seemed a little hysteric as he asked that question. ¡°I just happened to find you as I was traveling, so I have no idea¡ªbut it was probably not a very long time.¡± The blood from his wounds hadn¡¯t finished drying, after all. ¡°T-Thank goodness! In that case, I can still make it on time¡­! Umm, I¡¯m not sure who you are¡ª¡± ¡°Elaina. That¡¯s my name.¡± ¡°Elaina-san! Would you please listen to my wish!?¡± He came towards me looking like he was about to grab my hand, so I courteously declined while avoiding him. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± ¡°P-Please, just hear me out first!¡± ¡°¡­¡­Ha.¡± I can hardly be blamed for sighing. I could sense some annoying problem closing in on me from behind. I was already half-weary of the incident and then he started talking to me desperately. ¡°I know that I¡¯m being very shameless, asking this of you after you saved my life. However, something horrible will happen at this rate! Please, I beg you! Please help me!¡± He knelt down on the dirt and bowed to me over and over again. He kept begging me to help him¡­ ¡­I feel like I¡¯ve experienced something similar in the past. After thinking about it carefully, it was a similar situation where I was entangled in some strange business after healing someone. I felt like it was my fate to be unable to escape. Is there something about me that makes me get mixed up in the issues of injured people whom I happen to heal? I surreptitiously touched the brooch on my chest to make sure it was still there, and replied. ¡°Well, I can listen to what you have to say, at least.¡± After hearing that, he quickly blurted out: ¡°At this rate, a lot of people are going to die!¡± He said that in a hysteric voice. That certainly caught my attention, although I still didn¡¯t understand what this was all about. In the end, I heard the whole story from him. Apparently, he was a merchant who drove his own carriage. Due to his job, he was currently transporting certain cargo to the country just ahead of where we were. However, his wagon suffered an unexpected trouble while he was on his way. To put it briefly, he was attacked by bandits. On his side it was just one horse and a weak man, and on the other side were dozens of robust men. There was no way he could win. He was easily pulled from the wagon and then beaten, kicked, and cut up by the bandits who then proceeded to strip him of all his valuables. ¡°Oh my, that sounds awful.¡± ¡°Yes, it really hurt a lot. The only silver lining is that I didn¡¯t end up dead.¡± ¡°¡ªSo? How does the fact that you were attacked by bandits lead to a lot of people dying?¡± Was he actually from a royal family, disguised as a merchant? When he said that a lot of people were going to die, did he mean that the bandits would be massacred as retribution for what they did to him? ¡°Umm¡­ My cargo was actually a bomb, which was ordered by the country that I was heading to.¡± ¡°A bomb?¡± ¡°Yes. They said something about using it to make a tunnel or something. I didn¡¯t really understand it. They agreed to pay an absurdly high price for it, so I had it made for them.¡± ¡°Hoho. How much?¡± ¡°It was about ten thousand gold coins.¡± I felt my head start to ache. It¡¯s just an explosive to open a tunnel, what¡¯s with that incredibly high price? Are they idiots? I could vaguely guess what happened next. ¡°So basically, these bandits have got their hands on an incredibly expensive bomb, and you¡¯re worried that they might put it to evil use¡ªis that what you meant?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. This is a serious problem. If the bandits take the bomb back to my country, a lot of people might die.¡± ¡°Yes, it¡¯s really a serious problem.¡± Judging by what he said earlier, it sounds like he doesn¡¯t particularly care about what will happen if the bandits take the bomb to the country ahead of us instead. What¡¯s up with that? Are they on bad terms? If they are, then why did he prepare the bomb? ¡°That¡¯s right¡­ More importantly, that bomb is dangerous as it will blow up instantly if you make even the smallest mistake in handling it.¡± ¡°What the heck¡­¡± ¡°As one of the people involved in creating the bomb, I can tell you that it has an extremely complicated structure. The explosive strength of the bomb is also quite high, matching the price that was paid for it.¡± ¡°You helped make the bomb?¡± ¡°Yes. I drew up the blueprints, and also wrote the user manual.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± He said that he just helped to make the bomb, but he actually turned out to be the most important man involved in the process. Should he be called a merchant, or an inventor? If he¡¯s the inventor, why did he lie and say he¡¯s a merchant? ¡°The operation of the bomb is fairly simple, but there¡¯s a chance that it could be used for the wrong purpose.¡± ¡°So basically, you¡¯re saying that even the bandits can easily use it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is. The bomb is easy to use, so I don¡¯t know what will happen in the future¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The man probably wants to prevent the bandits from using the bomb to attack his home. I see, now I understand why he was so hysterical. Having his own creation used to destroy the country he came from, there could be nothing sadder than this. ¡°Something very bad will happen at this rate. I need to get the bomb back from the bandits, no matter what.¡± What he said was true. It was clear that things would take a turn for the worse if nothing was done. There is no time to be indecisive. At this rate, some people will die for certain. After unconsciously taking my broom into my hand, I realized that I had become impatient as well. ¡°I¡¯ll try and track the bandits from above. You should go to the country ahead and report that the bomb was stolen.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The man looked bewildered for a second, and then, ¡°Ah, yes, I understand.¡± He said that and jumped onto his wagon. And then, ¡°Right then, let¡¯s go.¡± It happened right after I said that and mounted my broom. The dreadful sound of an explosion reverberated throughout the forest. The shockwaves that could be felt on my skin made the plants shake and sent the animals into a frenzy. Looking up, I saw that the birds were flying away while making a loud noise. We both looked at each other. He had several different types of expressions running across his face. At this point, I slightly regretted the time wasted by standing around talking in a leisurely manner. ¡ð I shook off the young man who panicked and kept saying ¡°Please wait, I want to come along too,¡± and went over there alone. I didn¡¯t want him to see the results of the bomb that he had designed himself¡­ or rather, that was just an excuse. To be honest, I was probably panicking and not thinking clearly at that time either. The explosion that had reverberated throughout the forest was just that powerful. After getting on my broom and flying above the treetops, I was able to see some thin, brown smoke rising into the air towards the south. After moving towards the place the smoke was coming from, I saw that there was a small village there. Or rather, it was a place where a village used to exist. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± There was nothing left alive. Blood, flesh, and viscera were spread everywhere. Both the people and the wooden structures that barely rated as houses had been completely destroyed. Everything there was in pieces, as if they had been cut apart by a sharp blade. Near the center of the village, there was a large hole that looked like a crater created by the impact of some large object. A large cloud of sand and dust had been expelled into the air from that area, and it was still rising up into the air like smoke. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After that, I found two scraps of paper among the debris over there. One of them was the user manual. The other was a letter. I went ahead and read it. ¡°¡­So that¡¯s how it is.¡± After putting those items into my pocket, I returned to where the man was waiting and told him only about the state of the place where the bomb had exploded. After hearing my report, he replied, ¡°I see¡­ That¡¯s unfortunate.¡± That¡¯s all he said. ¡°Are you okay, Merchant-dono!? We heard an incredibly loud sound from the direction of the forest¡­¡± After we followed the road to the country on the other side of the forest, the person who greeted us was not the gate guard, but a consul from the country. As is often the case, the consul was also flustered and panicking. ¡°Consul-sama¡ªI¡¯m extremely sorry.¡± After saying that, the man briefly explained what had happened to him while he was on the way here. The Consul showed a lot of grief when he heard the reason behind the sound of the explosion. ¡°What¡­ Such a thing¡­ Merchant-dono, are you uninjured?¡± ¡°I was healed by this Witch-sama who just happened to find me while she was passing by¡­ actually, my injuries do not matter. More importantly, I lost the bomb that was supposed to be used to excavate the tunnel. It happened because of my lack of ability. There is no doubt that this incident is entirely my responsibility.¡± ¡°Not at all! Please don¡¯t blame yourself. This was just an unfortunate accident. It is truly sad that some people lost their lives because of this¡­¡± Hmm. ¡°But those people were bandits, right? Wouldn¡¯t you say that they brought this upon themselves?¡± I interrupted their conversation with that comment. The Consul glared at me. ¡°Witch-dono. I cannot approve of such a statement. They were still people even if they were bad natured. It¡¯s only natural to feel sad when people have lost their lives.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Did he actually just say that? I touched the pocket where I had stashed the letter, but didn¡¯t say anything more. The young man ignored me and continued to give an explanation. ¡°In any case, I am really sorry for what happened¡­ Please, could you give us another chance?¡± ¡°Hmm? A chance?¡± ¡°Could you please allow us to prepare another bomb for you? You need not pay for it. In fact, we don¡¯t require payment for the first bomb either. There will be a considerable delay until we can deliver it, so I will use my authority to commission another bomb for you free of cost, as an apology.¡± The Consul showed an exaggerated look of surprise when he heard the man¡¯s proposal. ¡°No way¡­! We can¡¯t have that! Actually, we were ready to offer you a token of our sympathy instead.¡± ¡°Please, such a thing is not necessary. I just want to fulfill my responsibility. Please, won¡¯t you allow me to deliver the bomb for your country¡¯s sake?¡± ¡°No, really, that¡¯s¡­¡± ¡°No, this is just the right thing to do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That conversation where both of them were shamelessly spouting transparent lies finally came to a close, with the agreement that the man would prepare another bomb and the Consul would pay a token of their sympathy. That token of their sympathy was one hundred gold coins. The amount was far less than the original price of the bomb, but would the man¡ªno, the people from his country really be okay with this? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I just stayed silent the entire time and didn¡¯t say a single thing. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s meet here after a week.¡± I looked at the retreating figure of the man who said that while waving. ¡ð One week later, I once again met that man on the road in the middle of the forest. ¡°Hey, how are you? What a coincidence, meeting in such a place.¡± I stopped in front of the wagon and waved to him. The man looked at me from atop the wagon and, ¡°Hey, Witch-san. Thank you for helping me last week. I¡¯m really grateful to you for healing my injuries.¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡°Would you like to ride along on my wagon? I¡¯ll treat you to some food, as thanks for last time.¡± ¡°Ah, no thanks. I¡¯m in a hurry.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a shame¡ªIn that case, I guess we part ways here.¡± Saying that, he cracked his whip and got the wagon moving again. However, he came to a stop again almost immediately. The horse stamped its hooves in place and gave an annoyed snort. I had stopped it from moving. I stopped it a little forcefully, by patting the horse¡¯s head. ¡°¡­? What are you doing?¡± The man looked at me and gave me a smile tinged with a little fear. I was standing in front of the wagon, and blocking its path. ¡°Nothing, there¡¯s just something that I needed to let you know.¡± ¡°¡­? What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°Actually¡­¡± I spoke to him. ¡°About that bomb, the country withdrew the purchase order.¡± ¡°¡­What did you say?¡± ¡°Oh, my. Were you not able to hear me at this distance?¡± ¡°I heard you just fine, I just don¡¯t understand what you mean. Why did they withdraw the purchase order? And why am I hearing this from you?¡± ¡°Who knows? Perhaps they realized what you were attempting to do with that bomb?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It looks like your country was planning on doing something very insolent.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I continued to talk as I walked towards the wagon. ¡°There¡¯s a bomb in your wagon now, right? It is made similar to the last one?¡± Saying that, I opened the back and looked inside. What I saw inside was definitely a bomb¡­ or rather, it was a bunch of bomb components. Last time, when I had visited what was left of the bandits¡¯ village, I had found a user manual that explained how to assemble the bomb. There were also some strange warnings that said ¡ºCaution: This bomb might explode at the slightest mistake,¡»and ¡ºPlease assemble the bomb inside the country before taking it to the excavation site.¡» ¡°You intended to have the bomb malfunction from the start, didn¡¯t you?¡± ¡°No. That was truly an unfortunate incident.¡± ¡°What was unfortunate? The fact that it was bandits who died due to the explosion, and not people of that country?¡± ¡°¡­Just what have you been talking about since earlier?¡± It was pretty simple. There were many strange things about the bomb that he had been transporting. Despite his insistence that it was meant to be used for excavations, its lethality was absurdly high. In addition, it was in an incomplete state that would cause it to malfunction easily. What¡¯s more¡ªthis is just my own speculation, by the way¡ªthere¡¯s a good chance that the user manual itself had wrong instructions that could cause an accidental malfunction. All of this seems to indicate that the people who had built this bomb intended to have it malfunction and kill a lot of people right from the start. Perhaps they wanted to have it assembled inside the country, so that it would explode there and cause a great deal of confusion inside? ¡°I have a message from the Consul of that country. Would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I took his silence as consent and continued to speak. Seeing as he lied to me, I¡¯ll lie to him in return. ¡°¡®We will never order anything from that country again. We never want to be involved with them again¡­¡¯ That¡¯s what he said. So please take that bomb with you and go back.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ve got to be joking. Just how much money did you think we put into making this bomb¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that reminds me. Here¡¯s the money they said they would give you as a token of sympathy. It¡¯s not much, but please accept it.¡± I cut him off in the middle of his sentence and put a bag with one hundred gold coins in his wagon. It was unexpectedly heavy. Ridiculously heavy, even. I continued to speak to him while rolling my shoulders. ¡°That should be enough, right? Now, go back to your own country.¡± And then I said, ¡°Why not use that bomb to make a tunnel or something?¡± ¡ð This happened about a week before I saw him for the second time. It was right after he and the Consul had finished their conversation full of transparent lies. I pulled a certain letter out of my pocket. ¡°Consul-san, does this look familiar?¡± It was the letter that I had found amidst the wreckage of the bandits¡¯ village. ¡°¡­! That is¡­¡± Seeing the letter, the Consul-san turned pale. ¡°So you¡¯re familiar with this, after all.¡± I mean, of course he would be familiar with it. The Consul-san¡¯s signature was written perfectly at the bottom of the letter, after all. I wondered what business the consul of a kingdom had with a bunch of bandits, so I carefully read the letter. The more I read, the stranger it seemed. ¡ºI want you you to steal the bomb that is meant for excavating the tunnel. If you succeed, I will pay you one hundred gold coins.¡» Summarizing the contents of the letter, that was basically what it said. It¡¯s the sort of thing that makes you want to say, ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this?¡± ¡°It looks like that attack by the bandits wasn¡¯t just a coincidence.¡± Most likely, the ambush had been set up in advance. Perhaps he thought that it would be more profitable if he got the bomb from bandits whom he owed nothing to, rather than spend ten thousand gold coins on purchasing the bomb from a country they were already on bad terms with. How stupid can someone get? ¡°¡­What is it you wish for, Witch-sama?¡± Is he trying to bribe me to stay silent? ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll give me something?¡± ¡°If you¡¯re willing to say nothing about this matter, then yes.¡± ¡°I see.¡± And then, I decided to tell a lie. ¡°In that case, you should prepare something to give to the merchant as well. For what it¡¯s worth, he saw the corpses of the bandits, and read this letter as well.¡± ¡°What¡­? But, he promised to build a new bomb for us¡­¡± ¡°Oh? That new bomb might be something used for revenge against your country, you know? I¡¯d suggest that you refuse to accept anything that is brought over from that country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I then said to the consul who was silently thinking, ¡°Ah, that¡¯s right. About the price for buying my silence¡­¡± I put a hand on his shoulder, and said, ¡°How does one hundred gold coins sound?¡± ¡°Considering that it¡¯s for the sake of keeping this a secret from that country you hate so much, isn¡¯t it rather cheap?¡± I said that to him as well. ¡ð It¡¯s always sad to see people losing their lives, so I think I did my part in keeping any more sadness from accumulating. Even so, as a traveler, whatever became of those two countries in the end was not my business. If I had to guess, I¡¯d say they are still in a chilly relationship where both sides want nothing to do with each other. The country who wanted to use bandits to bring misfortune upon the other country that they hated. And the country who set up a bomb in such a way that it would kill the people of the hated country that used it. Both of them were incredibly stupid. Even so, having a chilly relationship with each other is probably better than having bombs go off. Given enough time, perhaps, both the bombs and the hatred they have for each other will be eroded. That is why, I sincerely hope that those two countries will keep waiting. Until the day comes when their current relationship ceases to exist. Volume 2 - CH 10 Chapter 10 ¨C Tales of Travels This happened a while ago, back when I met my teacher Fran-sensei once again. ¡°You know, there was a time when I, inspired by ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike¡», used to write a novel while traveling as well.¡± Sensei suddenly started talking about that, as if she remembered something. ¡°¡­Haa. I see.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look interested at all.¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m bursting with excitement.¡± ¡°Considering that, your reaction was fairly dull.¡± ¡°I was just wondering how I should respond, that¡¯s all.¡± I actually thought What on earth is this person suddenly talking about, but that¡¯s a secret. ¡°Judging from how you said that you used to write it, I assume you stopped writing it halfway through?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not it. Rather than saying I stopped writing it halfway through, it would be more accurate to say that the circumstances forced me to stop writing it halfway through.¡± ¡°Hmm? What do you mean?¡± ¡°It was something I wrote as a hobby and never showed to anyone else. I decided to re-read it after filling up roughly one hundred pages of manuscript paper, but it was so pathetic that I felt embarrassed and lost interest in continuing it.¡± Reading over it again sent a shudder down her spine. That¡¯s what Sensei told me while dropping her shoulders. ¡°So that was the circumstance that forced you to stop writing?¡± ¡°Yes. It made me think ¡ºYuck, is my sentence composition really this bad¡­?¡» I decided to never write something like that ever again, and sealed it away at the bottom of my bag.¡± ¡°Ah, you couldn¡¯t bring yourself to throw it away?¡± ¡°I still did my best while writing that manuscript, so I didn¡¯t feel like throwing it away.¡± ¡°¡­Despite what you said, maybe you actually liked it?¡± ¡°Well, I guess you could say that. Even that pitiful past of mine was also a part of me, so I didn¡¯t feel like throwing it away. At that time, at least.¡± ¡°Fumu.¡± I nodded. After that, Sensei¡¯s shoulder¡¯s dropped even further and she gave a deep sigh. ¡°Of course, I never intended to show it to anyone else. It was something I just wanted to keep as a personal memento, after all¡ªhowever, my luck took a turn for the worse.¡± ¡°What happened?¡± ¡°It happened when I visited a certain country. A merchant who saw the bag I was holding said this¡ª¡± ¡°Hey, you! Could that be the Legendary Traveler¡¯s bag? I¡¯m sure it is! There¡¯s no mistake! Without a doubt, that¡¯s the bag that was used by the Legendary Traveler. Hey, sell that to me! Please!¡± ¡ªApparently, he said something like that. Fran-sensei was perplexed, wondering what on earth he was talking about. It was a cheap bag that she had purchased at a low price from a pawnshop somewhere. She didn¡¯t have the faintest idea what he meant by a Legendary Traveler, and of course, she hadn¡¯t imagined that the bag might be something so important when she had bought it. ¡°Well, I guess the value of something changes depending on the person. That merchant offered me an incredible amount for the bag. I was very surprised. I even wondered if it was some new kind of scam.¡± ¡°Fumu¡­.¡± I slowly started to see where this story was going. ¡°At that time, I was very short on money¡­ so I sold it to him without a second thought. I pulled out my belongings, purchased another cheap bag on the spot, stuffed my belongings inside, and handed the old bag over to the merchant. Of course, I only did that after receiving the large amount of money in advance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°A manuscript that you have written by yourself is like a narcotic. Every once in a while, you get an urge to read it once again. A few days after I handed over my old bag to that merchant, I searched through my new bag for the bound pages of my novel which were full of pitifully composed sentences. And that¡¯s when I realized the terrifying truth.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Don¡¯t tell me. ¡°The novel wasn¡¯t in the bag?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Surprising, isn¡¯t it? I had handed over the old bag with the manuscript paper still inside.¡± ¡°Uwaah.¡± ¡°I immediately back to the place where I had met the merchant, but it had already been a week since I had sold him the bag. The merchant had already gone to a different country by then. Even then, I continued to search for that merchant, but never mind him, I could find no trace of the bag either.¡± So that¡¯s what happened. Fran-sensei covered her face with her hands. ¡°¡­Every once in a while, I think about it. What if that manuscript found its way into the hands of some person, and they read it? What if they make fun of me because of that¡­¡± ¡°Sensei¡­¡± Her ears are bright red. Is this person alright? ¡°Every time I think about the days when I used to travel and remember the time when I lost the manuscript, I can¡¯t help but feel incredibly embarrassed. I feel shudders run down my spine. Aah, aah, what should I do¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t have anything to say about the matter, so I elected to remain silent. After remaining silent for a while, Sensei removed her hands from her face and continued talking like nothing had happened. ¡°Anyways, I just remembered that something like that had happened. It¡¯s certainly embarrassing, but at this point it¡¯s just a memory from the past. It makes for a good tale about my travels.¡± ¡°¡­Haa. I see.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look interested at all.¡± ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m bursting with excitement.¡± By the way. ¡°So, why did you bring this up now?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± Sensei then said to me, ¡°As long as you continue your travels, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll experience many things.¡± After a brief pause, Sensei looked straight at me. ¡°If we happen to meet again in the future, please talk to me about your happy memories¡ªthe tales of your travels.¡± Sensei said that with a kind smile. ¡ð Just around that time, I remembered that conversation I had with Sensei. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was when I happened to visit a bookstore in a certain country. ¡°¡ºThe Adventures of Fran ¡»¡­?¡° The name I was familiar with was carved into the title of that book. Incidentally, the author was also Fran. So many familiar things here. ¡­¡­¡­ I immediately started reading the book on the spot. Reading it without buying might have been a breach of good manners, but that¡¯s just how much I was interested in its contents. The contents of the book were exceedingly simple. The whole novel was just about a Witch, Fran, walking around, sightseeing in different countries. The personality of the main character somehow feels identical to that of my teacher. ¡°Witch-san! If you want to read the book, then buy it.¡± I was discovered by the store clerk after reading the book for a while. The store clerk approached me while using a cloth duster to dust the books, and, ¡°¡­.Hmm. Hmm? Oh, you¡¯re reading the ¡ºThe Adventures of Fran¡»? Witch-san, you have good taste.¡± ¡°Is this book famous?¡± ¡°Well, of course. There¡¯s no one in this country who doesn¡¯t know about this book, it¡¯s a wonderful bestselling novel.¡± ¡°Is it really that interesting?¡± Reading this book is sending shivers down my spine, though. However, it appears that many people in this country have an opinion that is the complete opposite of mine. The shop clerk nodded several times in response to my question, and, ¡°Of course! It¡¯s really interesting! Witch-san, I haven¡¯t seen you around here before. Are you perhaps a traveler? You should take some time to go sightseeing. The whole country is overflowing with ¡ºThe Adventures of Fran¡» merchandise.¡± ¡°¡­Fumu.¡± ¡°By the way, will you be buying that?¡± I replied, ¡°Please give me three copies. One for storage, one for advertising, and the last for my own enjoyment.¡± I walked around and did some sightseeing while carrying the three books that I had just purchased, and it was just as the shop clerk from the bookstore had said. The city was full of merchandise related to the Witch Fran. There was a bronze statue that looked pretty similar to my teacher, and there was a plaque that had ¡ºA bronze statue of the Legendary Traveler Fran¡» written on it. As for the inns, there were quite a few that had signs that read ¡ºThe Legendary Traveler Fran once stayed at this inn¡». How fickle were you when it came to picking an inn, Fran-sensei? ¡°¡­¡­¡± However, why was she being called a legendary traveler? When I asked that question to the people I met while walking on the road, an interesting fact came to light. ¡°Eh? You¡¯re asking why the Witch Fran is so popular?¡± ¡°Around ten years ago, the King of this country purchased a bag from a merchant that apparently belonged to the Legendary Traveler.¡± ¡°When he looked inside the bag, he found the manuscript for a novel inside. Incredibly, that was apparently a novel written by the Legendary Traveler herself!¡± ¡°The king was deeply moved after reading it. That¡¯s why he decided to publish and sell that book within the country as a novel written by the Legendary Traveler.¡± ¡°We read it as well and found it to be so interesting¡ªreally, there¡¯s not a single person in this country who doesn¡¯t know about the Witch Fran.¡± That¡¯s what I heard. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Umm, so the Witch Fran is the Legendary Traveler?¡± I asked that question to all the people I talked with, but they all gave me the same response. ¡°Of course!¡± The Legendary Traveler that the merchant mentioned is probably different from the Legendary Traveler that the people in this country talk about. Even though ¡ºThe Adventures of Fran¡» doesn¡¯t really have that much value¡­. Well, I don¡¯t really need to go out of my way to dispute the fact. As my teacher said, the value of something changes depending on the person. ¡°¡­In any case, I managed to buy something good.¡± I rented a single person room at an inn that the Witch Fran apparently loved, and opened the book. The next time I meet Fran-sensei, I feel like I will be able to tell her a very interesting tale of my travels. I had a small smile on my face as I thought about that. Volume 2 - CH 11 Chapter 11 ¨C Those Who Hunt the Lazy People It was on a certain peaceful day. I was staying in a perfectly ordinary town, sitting at a table outside a cafe that faced the main street with an abundance of free time. ¡°¡­Fuu.¡± I took a sip of my cafe au lait, and sighed as I put down my cup. I¡¯m not dressed as a witch today. I¡¯m taking a break from traveling, and taking a break from being a witch as well. I¡¯m wearing a navy blue sweater and a white flared skirt, and in this relatively plain outfit, I mingled with the people in the streets. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I opened my newspaper. It looks like this country is extremely peaceful. ¡ºAn old man lost his dentures.¡» ¡ºBeware of the pervert who wears women¡¯s underwear on his head.¡» ¡ºAn escalation in the number of young people taking a break from work.¡» ¡ºHow do you cure people of laziness!?¡» Such mundane things were being written in the newspapers, after all. They have no wars to win, and no issues to speak about either. So basically, it¡¯s a very peaceful and boring place. You could say it¡¯s an ideal place for taking a break. I stretched out my hand towards my cup once again. ¡°¡­Huh?¡± However, in the next instant, both the cup and the table had vanished from my field of vision. More like, they were blown away. They were cleanly wiped away by something that came flying out of the shop with a loud sound. ¡°¡­¡­Eeeh.¡± Looking in the direction that my cafe au lait had disappeared in, I saw a young man covered in blood lying on the debris of broken tables and chairs, and saw that the contents of my cup had splashed all over him. Oh, my cafe au lait. You have died a pitiful death. ¡°Skipping work to play around with women, you¡¯ve got some nerve! Don¡¯t look down on work!¡± A boorish man came out of the shop while saying that, grabbed the young man by the nape of his neck, and proceeded to pick him up and shake him. The young man began to speak while his blood continued to flow. ¡°P-Please! Please forgive me! It was a date with my girlfriend, celebrating our one month anniversary!¡± ¡°No way. I¡¯m not letting you off the hook. All people who skip work will be judged by us regardless of their circumstances, that is the law of this country.¡± Saying that, the man began walking. ¡°Hiiiiiiiiiiii! P-Please stop¡­..!¡± He dragged the wailing youth outside the cafe, towards the main street. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Oh, what¡¯s this? I haven¡¯t received an apology for the honorable death of my cafe au lait yet. I had no intention of doing anything traveler-like or witch-like today, but I couldn¡¯t just stand around and watch as a man ruined something that I had purchased and then proceeded to depart without so much as a by your leave. I folded my newspaper and stood up. I looked around for a stone, picked it up, and, ¡°Ei.¡± I hurled it at him. The palm-sized stone went flying straight towards the back of the boorish man¡¯s head. And connected with the target beautifully. ¡°Ouch!!¡± The man stumbled exaggeratedly and then spun around with a demonic look on his face. ¡°Oi, which bastard threw a stone at meeee!?¡± Who, indeed? ¡°It was me. What about it?¡± Once he heard that, the boorish man started to walk back towards me while still dragging the youth. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve got some guts, picking a fight with me¡ªhmm?¡± All of a sudden, he lost his bluster and came to a halt. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I felt confused at the man¡¯s inexplicable behaviour. The man continued to just stand there and look at me for a while. He seemed to regain his senses after the wind blew and someone could be heard screaming at the disastrous scene that had occurred at the cafe. ¡°¡­.Ha. That¡¯s no good, I blacked out for a bit there.¡± Maybe he got hit in a bad place, he looked pretty agitated. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t get cocky just because you¡¯re a little cute. Don¡¯t you know who I am?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t. Who are you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Who are you?¡± I asked him once more. The boorish man purposefully cleared his throat, and, ¡°I am Rogred, from the Sabotage Investigation Bureau. Interfering with my work carries a heavy price.¡± ¡°I see. Thank you for the polite introduction¡­ By the way, do you know how heavy the price is for wasting my cafe au lait?¡± ¡°Cafe au lait?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± By the way, what exactly is the Sabotage Investigation Bureau? I¡¯m curious. ¡°My cafe au lait ended up being drunk by that young man¡¯s clothes as a result of your rampage. Please take responsibility.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That person called Rogred looked between me and the young man several times before saying, ¡°That¡¯s not my problem. Just recover the costs from this guy.¡± Saying that, he spat upon the ground. Disgusting. ¡°No, things wouldn¡¯t have come to such a state if you hadn¡¯t gone on a rampage.¡± ¡°It¡¯s his fault for making me go on a rampage¡ª¡± ¡°No, it¡¯s your fault for going overboard.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°That being the case, please properly take responsibility.¡± After I glared at him, the man gave a small laugh and said, ¡°¡­Fine. I¡¯ll pay. It¡¯s been three years since I started working at the Sabotage Investigation Bureau, so I make a decent amount of money. I have more than enough money to buy that for you.¡± I didn¡¯t understand why he started talking about himself all of a sudden, but unfortunately, his proposal was a little different from what I wanted. I shook my head and said, ¡°No, I don¡¯t want you to reimburse me.¡± I rejected his proposal. And then, I made a proposal of my own. ¡°Would you mind telling me more about this Sabotage Investigation Bureau? If you will, we can consider this matter as settled.¡± ¡°¡­?¡± His expression told me that he was wondering what kind of nonsense I was talking about. ¡°Is that okay with you?¡± I said those words as if delivering the final blow, and the man hesitantly nodded. It looks like the negotiations have concluded successfully. By the time I realised it, my tedious, yet wonderfully peaceful holiday had gone missing. ¡ð After returning the exterior of the shop to its original appearance and ordering a new cafe au lait, I sat down at a table outside the shop. Sitting across from me was Rogred-san from the Sabotage Investigation Bureau. As for the young man who was dragged around earlier, Rogred-san apparently gave him over to the custody of another investigator. Seriously, just how big is this Sabotage Investigation Bureau? ¡°I see. You¡¯re a traveler. In that case, I can understand why you don¡¯t know anything about my job¡ªby the way, would you mind telling me your name?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Elaina.¡± ¡°Elaina, huh? That¡¯s a nice name¡ªDo you have some free time now, Elaina?¡± No honorifics right off the bat, huh? ¡°Yes, I¡¯m free.¡± ¡°How about tomorrow?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll probably be free tomorrow as well.¡± ¡°I see. In that case¡­ You want to know more about my job, right? Would you like to tag along and see my workplace?¡± ¡°Sure, that¡¯s fine with me.¡± Although I think I would be satisfied with a simple description. ¡°Come now, don¡¯t be like that. If you want to know more about our work, tagging along with me would be the easiest way to understand. It¡¯s pretty complicated work, after all¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± While his words sounded vaguely hypocritical, I agreed that it would probably more efficient that way. It also sounds a little interesting. ¡­Fumu. ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind¡­ But before that, please tell me what kind of work you do in detail.¡± ¡°Hell yeah! Of course!¡± After raising his fist towards the sky, he went over the details of the Sabotage Investigation Bureau in great detail. The Sabotage Investigation Bureau is¡­ As the name suggests, it¡¯s an organization that investigates acts of sabotage, and is unique to this country. They monitor the attendance of people working in offices and stores, looking for people who seem suspicious and bringing them to light. Such unfortunate people will apparently receive a heavy punishment from their workplace. By doing this, they can put a stop to acts of sabotage by young people, or so the adults reasoned. There was even an article in the newspaper about ¡ºYoung people taking a break from work¡»which complained about people skipping work. Are the people in this country really that unprofessional? Is this because they are accustomed to peace? ¡°¡ªSo basically, our activities keep the people from slacking off.¡± ¡°I see. So you¡¯re basically an agent of the country, sent to correct the people¡¯s attitude towards work?¡± ¡°Putting it simply, that¡¯s about it.¡± ¡°Fumu fumu.¡± ¡°Incidentally, we¡¯re backed by the country so we don¡¯t get in trouble no matter how much we go on a rampage. I¡¯ve never lost a fight in my life, so this job is perfect for me. No matter what I do, it¡¯s justified.¡± Again, why is he talking about himself? While I was growing fed up with him, Rogred-san finished his cafe au lait, and, ¡°Well then¡ªwe should be on our way.¡± ¡°Where are we going?¡± After giving me a smile and trying to look cool, he replied, ¡°A place where you can watch me work, of course.¡± I felt that reacting would be too troublesome, so I just took a sip of my warm cafe au lait. ¡ð Starting that afternoon, I stayed close to him as he went about his work. The first place he took me to was a certain furniture store. The interior of the store was filled with the scent of wood, and the middle-aged man there spoke to us while he was assembling a bookshelf. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s very troublesome, Investigator-san. This week, his little sister apparently passed away.¡± Apparently, a young man who had been an apprentice at the furniture store under the middle-aged man for three months had stopped coming in to work. ¡°¡®This week?¡¯ Has something similar happened before?¡± I was not an investigator, but I joined their conversation because I felt curious. The middle-aged man nodded. ¡°Yeah. Last week, it was his father who passed away.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°Incidentally, his mother passed away the week before that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°And the week before that, it was his uncle.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°And the week before that¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s enough.¡± I stopped him because I didn¡¯t know how far back this went. In any case, I understood that if this wasn¡¯t a suspicious situation, then nothing was. After that, Rogred-san asked the store manager for some details, and we left the store. ¡°Still, this has turned into an interesting situation. Do you think that apprentice is under a curse that causes one member of his family to die each week?¡± ¡°That¡¯s why he came to our attention. Still, we have to determine if this actually true¡ªalthough I¡¯m fairly certain that he¡¯s just ditching work.¡± ¡°Agreed.¡± After that, we headed towards the young man¡¯s house, and discovered a young man in that neighborhood who was idly watching birds. Rogred-san apprehended him immediately. By the way, we did some interrogation and found that not a single person from his family had died. His parents and grandparents are still very much alive. Incidentally, he was an only child. So apparently, his little sister never existed in the first place. Is he really willing to go to such lengths to avoid work? An escalation in the number of young people taking a break from work, indeed. I continued to watch Rogred-san at his work for a few days after that. The excuses made by young people to avoid their work were fairly horrible. I couldn¡¯t even bear to look at them any more. Just what is driving them to go so far? The first person we visited was a man who worked at a library. He had disappeared a week ago with no contact afterward, so we had to pay him a visit. ¡°A week ago, you say? Ah, I took the day off because it was raining. And I continued to take time off from work after that for one reason or another.¡± The man responded to our call and said that with a straight face. While obviously irritated by the man¡¯s attitude, Rogred-san attempted to bring the matter to a close. ¡°So you¡¯re going back to work starting today, right?¡± ¡°Of course¡­ Ah, I¡¯m sorry. The wind is blowing strongly today so I¡¯ll be taking the day off.¡± ¡°Oi.¡± Obviously, he was arrested. The next person we encountered was a young woman who worked at an inn. Her workplace was not able to get in touch with her since three days ago. ¡°That¡¯s wrong. I haven¡¯t been ditching work for the past three days. It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been helping people out for the past three days, so I couldn¡¯t go to work even though I wanted to.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t explain why you¡¯re not at work today.¡± ¡°Ah, I plan to help people out today as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Shouldn¡¯t she be helping the people at her workplace instead? The third person was a man who worked at the grocery store. He had been taking many days off work for the past few months, but this time he finally earned the achievement of being absent for a whole week in a row. His excuse was as follows. ¡°I didn¡¯t feel like working, so I took some time off.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In that case, why not just quit? In any case, the people of the Sabotage Investigation Bureau apparently handled cases like this. Watching Rogred-san at his work was a difficult experience, but when he said that we would be going to check up on a teacher who had started ditching work recently, I stopped going along. I thought that I had had enough. At this rate, I felt like I would end up stuck doing this forever. To be honest, I was just tired of being led around so much during my holiday time. ¡ð A few days later. I was sitting at a table outside the cafe that faced the main street, pointlessly passing the time by reading the book of which I had purchased three copies in a certain country, while blowing on and drinking my steaming cafe au lait. However, my peaceful alone time was not fated to last long. ¡°Yo. So this is where you were.¡± Saying that, Rogred-san pulled up the chair opposite mine and sat down without permission. ¡°Hello.¡± He would occasionally come to invite me to watch his work even after I told him that I was going to stop. It¡¯s a little annoying. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come along today?¡± ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t really care anymore.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± He grunted and furrowed his eyebrows as if he disapproved. ¡°¡­In that case, Elaina, do you have some free time right now?¡± ¡°Yes, I do.¡± ¡°I see, you have free time.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°You¡¯re free right now, huh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s what I just said.¡± I¡¯m reading a book right now because I have some free time. I¡¯m reading a book, so I¡¯d rather not get caught up in some other work. If he asked me out on a date or something, I was ready to curtly refuse him, but, ¡°In that case, do you want to go somewhere with me and have fun¡ª¡± However, his words were cut off before he finished his sentence. They were cleanly wiped away along with a loud sound. I looked up from my book in surprise, but he had disappeared. Actually, the table had disappeared from my field of vision as well, along with everything on it. More like, they were blown away. After glancing to the side, I saw Rogred-san covered in blood lying on the debris of broken tables and chairs, and saw that the contents of my cup had splashed all over him. Oh, my cafe au lait. You have died a pitiful death once again. ¡°You bastard! Skipping work to play around with women while being an officer of the Sabotage Investigation Bureau, you¡¯ve got some nerve! You said that you were taking the day off because you had a high fever!¡± While I was lamenting my loss, someone was jeering at Rogred-san. ¡°N-No! I was going to go to the hospital right away. I wasn¡¯t ditching work!¡± Oh? I feel like I¡¯ve seen this exchange somewhere before. ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, brat! What kind of man would take his girlfriend to the hospital on a date after having a nice lunch at a cafe!?¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m not his girlfriend.¡± He must have misunderstood. ¡°¡­Having lunch at a cafe with a friend who is not your girlfriend¡ª¡± ¡°We¡¯re not friends either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°We¡¯re just acquaintances.¡± ¡°What kind of man would go to the hospital after having lunch with a mere acquaintance?¡± Saying that, the large man grabbed Rogred-san by the collar and said, ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m taking you in. Understood?¡± Saying that, he started walking away while dragging him along. ¡°D-Damn it¡­! Let me go! Let me gooooo!!¡± He dragged Rogred-san from outside the cafe, towards the main street. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Oh, what¡¯s this? Once again, I haven¡¯t received an apology for the honorable death of my cafe au lait. I closed my book after marking my page with a bookmark, and stood up. I looked around for a stone, picked it up, and, ¡°Ei.¡± I hurled it at him. The palm-sized stone went flying straight towards the back of the large man¡¯s head. And connected with the target beautifully. ¡°Ouch!!¡± The man stumbled exaggeratedly and then spun around with a demonic look on his face. ¡°Oi, which bastard threw a stone at meeee!?¡± Of course, the answer was, ¡°It was me. What about it?¡± Once he heard that, the large man started to walk back towards me while still dragging Rogred-san. ¡°Oh? You¡¯ve got some guts, picking a fight with me¡ªhmm?¡± All of a sudden, he lost his bluster and came to a halt. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I felt confused at the man¡¯s inexplicable behaviour. The man continued to just stand there and look at me for a while. He seemed to regain his senses after the wind blew and someone could be heard screaming ¡°Not again!¡± at the disastrous scene that had occurred at the cafe. In a way quite different from the time with Rogred-san. Actually, maybe it wasn¡¯t that different after all. ¡°So¡ªso beautiful¡­!¡± ¡ð The Sabotage Investigation Bureau was a state-funded organization meant to keep young people from ditching work, but by the time I left that country, that organization had to temporarily cease their activities. What on earth happened there? I heard that a number of investigators (mainly men) started to ditch their own work one after the other, and they had to be taken into custody. This situation of going out for wool and coming home shorn incited the populace of that country which previously had no wars to win and no issues to talk about, and I heard that the entire Sabotage Investigation Bureau received a lot of criticism. Incidentally, the male investigators who received severe punishment for forgetting their station all said the same thing. ¡°I was tricked by a beautiful woman. I regret nothing.¡± Apparently, they said something meaningless like that in their testimonies. Ah, beauty is truly a sin. Anyways, I hope they find a better way of dealing with people who ditch work. I can only hope that the adults can properly talk to each other and make calm decisions until the Investigation Bureau starts working again. If not, they might be led astray by some witch with bad intentions next time. Volume 2 - CH 12 Chapter 12 ¨C Paradise of the Resurrected Dead I was flying over the plains with the feeling of gentle sunlight upon my skin. I flew along the undulating terrain, passing by the flowering plants. The wind had a hint of warmth, and it felt like it was enveloping me as I flew on my broom. It was such a comfortable feeling that I felt like I might nod off. Looking further ahead, I saw a country before me. Ever since I found out that this place exists, it has been my dream to visit there some day. And now, that place is within sight. It¡¯s a small country surrounded by high walls. I can¡¯t see the inside of the country properly from here. However, I have a feeling that it is going to be a lot of fun. The wall surrounding the country shows decoration different from that of the other countries. Well, I call it ¡°decoration,¡± but it¡¯s basically just words written on the walls in large script. ¡°¡­Oh?¡± This is what was written. ¡ºThis country has been taken over by dead people. Do not enter.¡» My, they certainly know how to build the right atmosphere. I finally arrived at the gates, but they were closed. They don¡¯t respond even when a guest arrives? This is troublesome. How am I supposed to enter? The large gate didn¡¯t make much of a sound when I knocked on it, only a weak one. ¡­¡­¡­ Oh, I see. So that¡¯s how it is. The setting is that the country was taken over by dead people¡ªso of course the main gates won¡¯t open. Are there any entrances apart from here? I wandered around near the gate for a bit. ¡°Hmm¡­?¡± And found it quite easily. There was a small door to the side of the main gate. It was a regular-sized door, the size you¡¯d expect to see on a normal house. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I noticed that there was a sign posted on that door when I made to open it. ¡°This place has been fully taken over by dead people. Please do not enter.¡± That was written in bad handwriting, and below that: ¡°However, there might be some people who are still alive besides us. If you are a strong and brave person, please enter and save the people inside.¡± That was written there too. By the way, there was a sign saying ¡ºOPEN¡» hanging from the doorknob. ¡°Hoho¡­¡± Wow, they¡¯ve really put some effort into this. Just as I expected. They know just how to make it feel authentic. I opened the door without any hesitation. I am both brave and strong, after all. ¡ð This place, called ¡°Paradise of the Dead,¡± was a strange country. I¡¯ve heard that this is a wonderful and bizarre country that uses monsters known as ghouls as an attraction to entertain tourists. It appears to be fairly famous in this region, and when I asked people ¡°Are there any interesting countries nearby?¡± one in three people recommended this place to me. This place sounded so interesting that I came here without asking for more details, but it¡¯s overflowing with a very interesting atmosphere. Not only did they have a plan in place to entertain visitors even before they passed through the gate, the sights inside the country were also equally entertaining. Most of the buildings were partially destroyed and covered in ivy. The main road that stretched out from the gate was littered with rubble from the fallen buildings, and weeds were poking from between the pieces of rubble. It looks like this place has been like this for quite a while. ¡°¡­Hoho.¡± Like I said, the area immediately inside the gate was in a horrible state of disrepair, but it truly made for a great atmosphere. It makes me think that ghouls might show up at any time. I would like to take my hat off to the person who came up with the idea of turning an entire country into a place of recreation. I slowly drifted through the country while riding on my broom. Most likely, this country had been allowed to come to such a state on purpose. I looked about in admiration while flying past a large pool of water that had formed in a large depression in the street. And that¡¯s when it happened. ¡°Aaaaaaaah¡­.!¡± Something jumped around the corner of the street while screaming. ¡°Uwaaah!¡± I was unable to stop or avoid it in time, and my broom came to an abrupt halt while making a dirty, squishing sound. It looks like I scored a clean hit. I was thrown off the broom, and after fixing my posture as I flew through the air, I landed right in the pool of water. I was soaked from the knees down. Horrible. This is the worst. I was angry. I was really angry. ¡°Hey! What¡¯s the big idea, jumping out all of a sudden¡ª¡± However, when I turned around, I saw something even more horrible, impaled by the handle of my broom. ¡°¡­Uwah.¡± Right in front of me, my broom was drifting in the pool of water. And beside it was something that looked like a person. It was a man, and the handle of my broom had pierced his temple. He was holding a sword in each hand, for some reason he was naked above the waist (with plenty of muscles), and overall he gave off a dangerous air, but he was currently lying facedown in the puddle. Dead. With the handle of my broom still stuck in him. ¡°¡­Umm.¡± I hesitantly approached that man and touched his shoulder. And then, ¡°Uuuu¡­¡± He turned his face that was noticeably ruined by decomposition towards me, and started to make some noise. One of the eye sockets was empty, and drool was leaking out of his mouth. Oh, it¡¯s just a ghoul. ¡°Are you okay?¡± ¡°Aahhh¡­¡± Looks like he¡¯s fine. In that case, I should hurry and move on ahead. I put a foot on the ghoul¡¯s shoulder and tried to pull my broom out. I can¡¯t go on ahead without it, after all. ¡°Aaaah¡­..¡± However, I wasn¡¯t able to pull it out. Each time I pulled on the broom, it just created more ripples in the water along with the ghoul¡¯s head. ¡°Hnnnnnnn¡­!¡± I pulled even harder. And then, finally, the broom responded to my efforts and slipped free. Yay, I managed to pull it out! ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± Nope, I didn¡¯t manage to pull it out after all. The head of the ghoul was still attached near the tip of my broom handle. Apparently, it was his head which was pulled free from his body instead. Looking down, I saw his body twitching near my feet after it was separated from the head. ¡­¡­¡­ Ah, this is bad. It looks like I¡¯ve destroyed some property belonging to the country right off the bat. I could reattach the head with magic, but there¡¯s no point in doing that if the head is still stuck on my broom. Even so, the idea of removing the head from the broom by myself was somewhat repugnant. I didn¡¯t want to touch it, after all. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In any case, I should find someone in charge and apologize¡­ Obviously, I didn¡¯t want to walk around while holding a broom with ghoul¡¯s head stuck on it. So I used a piece of cloth I found lying around to wrap the head of the ghoul, and resumed flying. By the way, the ghoul¡¯s head still kept making noises like ¡ºAaaah¡» and ¡ºNuuuu¡» even after it was wrapped in a cloth, so I stuffed a rock in its mouth. Actually, this made for a good counterweight at the end of the broom¡¯s handle. ¡°Hello¡­ Is anyone there¡­?¡± Unfortunately, this country had the right atmosphere, if nothing else. No one came to help me even though I flew around asking for help. ¡ºAaahhh¡­¡» ¡ºUuuu¡­.¡» ¡ºOooh¡­¡» What¡¯s more, even the ghouls were ignoring me. The ghouls just looked up at me as I flew overhead, but none of them even tried to chase me. ¡°¡­Ugh.¡± It took some more flying around before I finally ran into another living person. ¡°¡­! Hey look! It¡¯s a witch! A witch is here!¡± ¡°Hey! Please save us!¡± There were two people waving at me from the windows of a very large house. Thank goodness. I¡¯ve finally managed to run into some living humans. I can finally say goodbye to this ghoul stuck to the end of my broom! With a light heart, I made my broom fly higher and headed towards those two people. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And then, I looked down at the garden of that large house. ¡°Really, they¡¯ve put too much effort into this.¡± I muttered that to myself while taking in the scene spread out below me. There were a large number of ghouls milling about right below me. There were about a hundred of them, raising an unpleasant chorus of ¡ºUuu¡¯s ¡» and ¡ºAaah¡¯s¡». ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I started to feel like breaking just one of them wasn¡¯t really a big deal. ¡ð I didn¡¯t notice it while I was looking at it from a distance, but the moment I entered the building, I was assailed by a sense of unease. The two people who had been leaning out of the window were a decidedly strange pair. ¡°Thanks for coming. You did well to find us here, but I suppose I should have expected nothing less from a witch.¡± One of them was a girl with messy brown hair. You might think that¡¯s pretty normal with just that description, but she had an extremely large sword hanging from her waist for some reason. She looks really cool. ¡°Seriously though, thanks for coming! We¡¯ve been under siege by them for almost a week. Our stock of food was starting to get dangerously low. ¡± The other was a young man who was wearing armor. He looks really cool. But he stinks. I took a step back. ¡°Do you people work in this country?¡± When I asked that, the woman nodded. ¡°Yes. Or rather, we used to work here. This country is no longer functioning as one. As you can see, it¡¯s been overrun by ghouls.¡± She gave a sigh after saying that. Really, I don¡¯t want to hear about that setting anymore. ¡°If you¡¯re people from this country, then that¡¯s fine. Actually, I came here to apologize¡ª¡± ¡°By the way, Witch-san! What¡¯s your name?¡± Armor-san interrupted me in the middle of my sentence. Ugh, he really stinks. ¡°Ah, my name is Elaina and I am called the Witch of Ashes it¡¯s nice to meet you could you please not come any closer?¡± ¡°I see! It¡¯s nice to meet you! By the way my name is Anthony, and this is my partner Anna.¡± I ignored the Armor-san who appeared to be in high spirits. ¡°This country has a lot of ghouls, doesn¡¯t it? Just how many are there?¡± I asked in a roundabout fashion, with a light jab to accompany my apology. ¡°If you¡¯re talking about the ones outside, they¡¯re all real. The artificial ghouls aren¡¯t active right now.¡± The brown haired girl with glasses, or Anna-san, said that. ¡°Umm, let¡¯s forget about your rehearsed script for now. How many are there?¡± ¡°¡­Well, if you¡¯re talking about the artificial ones, I¡¯d say about fifty?¡± ¡°Hmm? Are there really only fifty? There were definitely more than a hundred ghouls outside, though.¡± ¡°Those are real ghouls.¡± ¡°Is that a part of the setting too?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. They¡¯re really actual ghouls. We used to use crappy imitations to get by before but there was an idiot who said ¡ºReality is important!¡» and decided to use actual ghouls. Because of that, the ghouls started multiplying inside the city, and this is the result.¡± ¡°¡­¡­.¡± I want to think that the girl is lying, but for some reason I feel like she is telling the truth. ¡°Umm, is that part of the setting too?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the truth.¡± ¡°¡­Oh, come now.¡± She must be joking. It¡¯s a part of the setting for this place¡­ Right? ¡°Unfortunately, this is the undeniable truth. If you still have doubts, go and let those ghouls outside catch you. You¡¯ll learn the hard way whether those guys are real or fake.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve already said this many times, but I¡¯m not joking.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Our country has been destroyed by ghouls.¡± Anna-san said that with a smile like it was of no consequence. I couldn¡¯t believe it. The ghouls that I saw all over the city were all genuine? Seriously? For starters, I threw my broom away. ¡ð I saw that the issues beleaguering this country were not really that complicated. To put it simply, it was something like this. About a week ago from today, the magician living in this city said this: ¡°Why does this country insist on using such cheap knock-offs for business? Use the real ones, the real ones are better.¡± But wouldn¡¯t using real ghouls invite disaster into our midst? How do you even catch a ghoul, anyway? The people raised such concerns, and the male magician said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I¡¯ll use an incredible technique to make the ghouls obedient.¡± And laughed after saying that. And so, the man brought a few ghouls to the country at a later date. ¡°See! These are real ghouls!¡± The people of the country were overjoyed. ¡°Amazing! Magician-san is so great!¡± ¡°I see¡­ So real ghouls actually look this disgusting¡­¡± ¡°Compared to this, the ghouls in our country really do look fake.¡± ¡°Using real ghouls would probably excite the customers more.¡± ¡°No objections!¡± The man nodded towards the delighted people. And then he let it go to his head. He put his hands into a ghoul¡¯s mouth, and forcibly spread it open. ¡°By the way, I¡¯ve removed all the teeth from these ghouls. Ghouls infect living humans by biting them, right? If you do this, they can¡¯t spread any infection! So we can go ahead and use real ghouls without worrying about them attacking anyone! Besides, ghouls can stay alive forever even if you don¡¯t feed them, meaning there¡¯s no cost involved in their upkeep! What do you say, have you ever heard of a better idea than this?¡± The people were once again overjoyed. They once again raised their voices in approval similar to before. Of course, this made the man even more arrogant. The man reached out to a ghoul, put his neck in its mouth, and laughed. ¡°Look! No matter what they do, it¡¯s useless! I¡¯m not injured! How¡¯s that!? Isn¡¯t that perfect!? Hahahahaha¡ª¡± And so, ¡ºAhhhh¡» ¡ºUuuuuh¡» ¡ºOhhhh¡» This country was overrun by ghouls. And they lived happily ever after. If you¡¯re wondering what exactly happened, the male magician thought that the toothless ghouls were harmless, but that was apparently not the case and they were actually able to spread the infection. Just coming into contact with their saliva was more than enough. No matter how perfect it seems, all plans have a chance of failure¡ªor so Anna-san concluded. ¡°¡­So can I just assume that all the people involved were idiots?¡± That was all I could say after hearing that. Anna-san replied, ¡°Your interpretation is mistaken, because I am not an idiot.¡± ¡°¡­Putting that aside, what you¡¯re saying is that the two of you barely managed to escape with your lives and now you¡¯re the only ones left?¡± ¡°That interpretation is mistaken as well, because we are not the only two people left alive.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Seeing me tilt my head in confusion, Anna-san explained. ¡°From what we¡¯ve been able to see from here, there are around a hundred people still alive. Take a look out of the window. You should be able to see the messages written by the people who are still alive.¡± Saying that, she gestured towards the broken window behind me. Looking around, I saw a beautiful sky spread out before me. ¡°Wow, such nice weather¡­ Fumu.¡± Looking down over the devastated scenery of the city, I understood what she meant. I didn¡¯t notice them while I was flying overhead, but I now saw various signs posted all over the city with things like ¡ºPlease help!¡» ¡ºI¡¯m still alive¡» and ¡ºThere¡¯s a child here. Requesting aid.¡» written on them. ¡°The day the magician brought the real ghouls to the city, we accepted visitors as usual. Meaning the visitors who entered the city that day also turned into ghouls.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°We want to go around to those signs and save the people while they are still alive, but¡­¡± ¡°¡­That looks like it would be pretty difficult.¡± I looked downward. My eyes met the stares of an innumerable number of ghouls. Ugh. Seeing me staring at the ghouls with a depressed expression, Anna-san let out a laugh. ¡°No, getting past those ghouls is actually pretty easy.¡± ¡°Getting past those numbers? How?¡± While I was confused about what she meant, a heavy, clanking noise came close to us¡ªmeaning Armor-san came to join us. ¡°We are scholars who studied the physiology of ghouls back when this country was still functioning normally. By the way, Anna was at a pretty high position even among the other scholars, and she was even called the Ghoul Craftsman.¡± ¡°That¡¯s all well and good, but why are you wearing armor?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it cool?¡± ¡°It is.¡± But it stinks. ¡°Right? And so, according to Anna¡ª¡± Based on what Armor-san said, Anna-san was the one who had been creating the ghouls that had been previously used in this country. She knows ghouls and their behavior inside out. Anna-san snorted like it was no big deal and continued to speak. ¡°Well, I have enough samples down there to completely fill up the area around the building, so it wasn¡¯t hard to come up with a way to counter them. And so, I made something like this.¡± Saying that, she held out a small bottle towards me. ¡°¡­What is that?¡± The bottle was equipped with an atomizer, and it was filled to the brim with a dark red liquid. It looks dirty. For some reason, I think it may smell very bad. ¡°This is a perfume that will let you avoid ghouls. They don¡¯t eat each other, so I thought that they would ignore us if we smelled similar to them. Their sense of smell isn¡¯t all that great, so they can¡¯t tell the difference. This perfume is the result of that theory. If you use this perfume, the ghouls won¡¯t attack you as long as the smell persists. It¡¯s foolproof.¡± ¡°¡­Oh? That¡¯s incredible.¡± ¡°Meaning it¡¯s a chance to make a whole lot of money in one go. Fufufu.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Apparently, mental toughness and commercial spirit won¡¯t die even though the country is destroyed. I learned that today. I can only hope that she is not cut from the same cloth as that magician she was talking about. ¡°Oh? What, you don¡¯t believe me? Don¡¯t worry, it has already been tested. The two of us put on the perfume and walked around the city, but the ghouls didn¡¯t react to us. I won¡¯t make stupid mistakes like that male magician.¡± ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°In that case, why not just go around to all the places where the people are hiding and rescue them?¡± ¡°There¡¯s one reason why that won¡¯t work. After going out into the city, we discovered a certain troubling fact.¡± Anna-san fell silent after saying that and showed a depressed expression while clutching the perfume bottle, so Armor-san picked up where she had left off. ¡°The magician who brought the ghouls into the city is now a ghoul himself, and he¡¯s crazy strong.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°It appears to a mutation of some sort, but he¡¯s just insanely strong. What¡¯s more, the perfume doesn¡¯t work on him. Even if we hide among the ghouls, he discovers us and chases us around. Goddammit!¡± Armor-san stamped his feet in frustration. So noisy. ¡°Dammit¡­ If we could just do something about that magician¡­ If not for him, we could go and save everyone else¡­!¡± Anna-san glanced at me several times while saying that. So sly. ¡­¡­¡­ Oh? Wait a minute, are they trying to use me? I felt a bad premonition about where this was going as Anna-san continued to speak. ¡°That magician¡¯s ghoul is extremely muscular, naked above the waist for some reason, and what¡¯s more it wields a sword in each hand. We tried to fight back in the same way and took up swords as well, but we were no match for it. If only we had someone who could snipe it from a distance. We¡¯d be able to win easily. Then we can go and help all those people.¡± My bad premonition was right on target. Also¡­ ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± A strange coincidence seems to have occurred. Oh, my. Hmm? Extremely muscular? Naked above the waist? Wields a sword in each hand? I feel like I¡¯ve seen something that matches that description. To be specific, it wasn¡¯t long after I entered this country. ¡°¡­Umm.¡± I half-ran over to the broom that I had thrown away earlier and unwrapped the rags that were wound around the object at its front. ¡°This magician you¡¯re talking about, did he perhaps look like this?¡± After being freed from the cloth, the ghoul¡­ or rather, its head spat out the rock that had been stuffed in its mouth and greeted the other two people with a ¡ºNuu¡­ Ahh¡­¡» ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The two of them were silent for a while and looked at each other. Shortly thereafter, they exchanged a high-five with a loud sound. ¡°You¡¯re the best!¡± Said Anna-san. ¡°I get that a lot.¡± By the way, I took it out in close quarters rather than from a distance. ¡ð Right before we left the building, Anna-san sprayed the perfume on herself and Armor-san and said, ¡°Okay, here¡¯s the plan. To begin with, the two of us will go out into the city as we are wearing the perfume. Witch-san, you will guide us while flying from above. You should be able to see houses where there are people waiting for aid easily from up there, right? ¡± That¡¯s how it was. The perfume used for keeping ghouls away smelled so bad that you¡¯d think anyone who smelled that would run away after getting just a whiff. That¡¯s just how incredibly stinky it was. ¡°Ooooooohhhhhh!¡± Incidentally, there was already a puddle of vomit around Armor-san¡¯s feet. Ugh. ¡°Right. Now it¡¯s your turn, Witch-san.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, but I don¡¯t need it. I have this, so I¡¯ll be fine.¡± I rejected Anna-san¡¯s offer while showing her my broom which still had the ghoul¡¯s head attached to it. The rescue operations started off with such a lackadaisical feeling. ¡°There¡¯s a house around that corner with a sign that says ¡ºHelp!¡» By the way, there are five ghouls in the alley.¡± I gave out directions in that manner and the two of them replied with an ¡°Understood!¡± and went in the direction that I indicated. Surprisingly, it looked like the effects of the perfume were quite palpable as none of the ghouls assaulted them. They just looked on as the two of them passed by, occasionally making sounds like ¡ºAaaa¡». In this way, they two of them were able to rescue the people without any difficulty. ¡°Thank you so much! I didn¡¯t think anyone would actually come to save us!¡± ¡°The two of you really stink.¡± The people hiding in the house turned out to be a couple. Anna-san mercilessly doused the two of them with the perfume while they were embracing each other. They threw up. The rescue operation continued in this manner. I gave directions from the air while guiding the group of people who gave off a horrible stink, allowing them to rescue other people. However, the people who were being rescued¡ªno, the people who had managed to survive this long were all people with less than ideal personalities. For example, ¡°Hehehe¡­ So this is the last bottle¡­. Hehehe.¡± There was a drunkard who was drowning himself in alcohol. ¡°Ugh! I¡¯ll draw these ghouls away! The rest of you, go on ahead!¡± And a man who shouted something like that all of a sudden. We¡¯re here to rescue him, so what one earth is he saying? ¡°Like, I doubt these ghouls are really that tough in the first place.¡± ¡°Taking them out would be a breeze, for sure. They look like they¡¯d be really slow.¡± ¡°Anyone who¡¯s afraid of ghouls is a pathetic wimp.¡± ¡°Hell yeah!¡± We also found a group of youngsters who were in high spirits about the whole thing. I can¡¯t help but wonder how they managed to survive. ¡°She¡¯s not here! My Madonna-chan has been missing since yesterday! Madonna-chaaaaaan!¡± Oh, there was also a rich-looking old lady who was searching for her lost dog. Such people are not only often useless, they definitely would do something unnecessary and mess things up, so I advised against taking them along with us, but in the end, we ended up taking them along. ¡°Oh, no~ Ghouls are so scary. I can¡¯t stand them~¡± In addition, there was a woman who spoke in such a sweet voice that I felt like my ears would rot just listening to her speak. Of course, we rescued her as well. In addition, she was sprayed with the perfume and ended up covered in vomit. Yay. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And then. Before long, we had already rescued several dozen people. I felt that these people who would normally be expected to have died long ago are unexpectedly resilient when the going gets tough. Of course, not all of our rescue efforts went off without a hitch. There were some places where we were already too late. ¡°Hey! We¡¯re here to¡­ help¡­¡± ¡°Aaaaaah.¡± ¡°Uuuuuuu.¡± Anna-san opened the door enthusiastically, but was greeted by a group of people who had already been turned into ghouls. There were about ten of them. ¡°Tch. This place is no good.¡± Anna-san clucked her tongue in disapproval, as if she was annoyed by something. It was around this time that she and the others started acting strange. ¡°¡­This place is no good either.¡± Every time they found former citizens who had been turned into ghouls, and every time they added more people to their ranks, Anna-san and the others grew more and more haughty. ¡°Hey, they¡¯ve already been turned into ghouls. Oh well, let¡¯s just cut them down for now.¡± In the end, they began to attack ghouls if they found them in houses where they were looking for survivors. And then. ¡°Oraaaaaaaaaa! It¡¯s a bunch of ghouls! Kill them! Don¡¯t let a single one escape!¡± Eventually, they turned into a violent mob. I found myself wishing for a perfume that would keep ghoul-hunting humans away. ¡ð The few dozen survivors gathered near the gates of the city. Anna-san stood on a pile of rubble and looked down at the assembled people. ¡°Once you pass through these gates, you can return to the outside world. Those who want to escape, feel free to go.¡± Armor-san, who was standing beside her, also spoke out. ¡°The two of us intend to stay here and restore our country. We cannot allow our birthplace to stay a den of ghouls. We want to bring it back as a theme park.¡± ¡°If there are any among you who want to restore this country, then please help us. Let¡¯s work together and bring it back as the greatest theme park ever. Those who want to help, please raise your hands.¡± The people in the area were silent for a while. And then, in that place where inhuman creatures were wandering around while uttering groans of ¡ºOoooh¡» and ¡ºAhhhh¡», one man eventually raised his hand. ¡°Hey, if we work for you, will you continue to give us that perfume?¡± It was that drunkard we ran into earlier. Anna-san nodded right away. ¡°Of course.¡± ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll do it! Hehe¡­ I¡¯m addicted to the smell of that perfume now¡­ I can¡¯t live without it¡­ Hehe¡­¡± He seems to have gone off the deep end. Or maybe he was always like this. After him, many other people started agreeing with Anna-san¡¯s plan. ¡°I¡¯ll help as well! I still haven¡¯t found Madonna-chan!¡± Like the rich-looking old lady who was searching for her dog, for example. ¡°I¡¯ll help too~¡± And the woman with the sickeningly sweet voice. ¡°Hell yeah!¡± The group of clueless youngsters agreed as well. This group probably haven¡¯t even thought about it. They¡¯re just going with the flow. In the end, all the people assembled there raised their hands and agreed to Anna-san¡¯s plan. ¡°We did it, Anna! With this many people, we can return the country to how it used to be for sure!¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­ Now all I have to do is make this plan work and restore this country, and I¡¯ll be a billionaire¡­ Fufufu.¡± Anna-san was muttering some unpleasant things under her breath. ¡­She¡¯s money-mad. Right before I left the country, I had Anna-san take the ghoul¡¯s head off my broom. ¡°So in the end, you¡¯re the only person leaving.¡± Anna-san pulled the ghoul¡¯s head off with her bare hands, and tossed it away. The head landed near the group of clueless young people who started kicking it around as it moaned ¡ºOoooh¡» and ¡ºAhhhh¡». Ugh. ¡°It looks like I was correct in deciding to leave by the end of today.¡± ¡°If you¡¯d like, come back to visit us in about a month¡¯s time. By that time, I¡¯m sure our country will be back to how it was¡ªno, better than it has ever been.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I stayed silent as I looked at the scene behind her. At some point, all the survivors had started kicking the head around. At that point, I stopped looking. ¡°I might come again if I feel like it.¡± In the end, I left the country without giving a precise answer about whether I would come back or not. Well, I¡¯ll probably end up coming back at some point, though. I had been looking forward to seeing this country for so long, and I haven¡¯t even officially entered the country yet. ¡ð One month later. I followed the same path back, headed towards the same country which had those words carved into its walls, and opened the door which had an ¡ºOPEN¡» sign on it I once again got on my broom and flew through the country, but¡­ How do I put this? ¡°Aaaaahhhhh¡± ¡°Oooooh¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaa¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhuu¡± ¡°Oeeeeeeee¡± Really, how else can I put this? ¡°It¡¯s all gone to hell.¡± It had completely gone to hell. Putting it another way, all the people who I saw here earlier had been turned into ghouls. For example, Anna-san, Armor-san (I¡¯ve forgotten his name), the rich-looking old lady, the clueless young people, the drunkard, and the couple. Without exception, they had all been turned into ghouls. ¡°Ehhh¡­ How did this happen?¡± My jaw dropped due to amazement and my mouth remained open as I surveyed the scene. It¡¯s only been a month since I left. What exactly happened during that time? ¡°Aaaahhhh¡­..¡± ¡°Oeeeeee¡­..¡± ¡°Aaaaaaa¡­..¡± ¡°Oeeeee¡­.¡± In mute astonishment, I observed the ghouls for a while. After some time, I saw the Anna-san ghoul give some of that perfume to Armor-san, and receive a notebook in return. The cover of the notebook had ¡ºArmor Diary¡» written on it in large, bold letters. I quickly flew above them, snatched the notebook away while ignoring the Anna-san ghoul who let out a sad ¡°Aaah¡± sound, and flew up into the air again. I thought that I would be able to discover what had happened in the past month if I read the diary. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And so, I opened the diary. xx Month- xx Day: My armor is in perfect condition today as well. Especially the way it shines. I want to abandon my study of ghouls and dedicate my life to armor. Armor is seriously the best. I love armor. ¡°Ah, I don¡¯t need to know about this.¡± I skipped through the pages. xx Month- xx Day: Today, this country was able to take the first step towards being reborn thanks to a Witch-san. Anna is overjoyed as well. We had a party today to celebrate the upcoming revival of our country. That magician¡¯s head really made a good ball. Also, that lady who was searching for her dog disappeared at some point. Oh well. xx Month- xx Day: It¡¯s been three days since we started working to rebuild our country. Everyone is very enthusiastic about this. Anna is caught up in her research, and I¡¯m extremely busy with designing attractions for the theme park as well. Everyone else is doing whatever they can as well. That lady is still missing, but I guess it doesn¡¯t matter. xx Month- xx Day: The lady who was searching for her dog came back as a ghoul. The perfume probably wore off. xx Month- xx Day: Something horrible has happened. The group of young people were bitten by a ghoul while they were working on building the attractions. They were not bitten by a human ghoul, but by a dog ghoul instead. What¡¯s more, the dog had a collar tag with the name ¡°Madonna-chan¡± written on it. It looks like Anna¡¯s perfume doesn¡¯t have any effect on dog ghouls. It can apparently detect the scent of humans underneath the smell of the perfume. The people who were helping us rebuild the country started to get bitten one after the other. Anna was bitten too. In fact, I¡¯m the only one left. This is the worst. Incidentally, I¡¯m still safe because I was wearing armor. The dog ghoul tried to bite me, but its teeth couldn¡¯t pierce the armor. Thank god I was wearing my armor. In any case, I¡¯ll make my escape tomorrow morning. I¡¯m too sleepy¡­ right now¡­ xx Month- xx Day: I was attacked in my sleep. I never imagined that a dog would be able to remove my helm while I was asleep. This is the worst. xx Month- xx Day: ¡­Oh, crap. The diary ended at this point. Apparently, that¡¯s what happened. No matter how perfect it seems, all plans have a chance of failure¡ªthose were Anna-san¡¯s words. She was convinced that making a perfume to ward away ghouls was the best idea, but it all fell apart due to a possibility she didn¡¯t think of. ¡°Aaaaahhhhh,¡± ¡°Oooooh,¡± ¡°Uwaaaaaa,¡± ¡°Ahhhhhhhuu,¡± ¡°Oeeeeeeee.¡± And, so. Regarding what Anna-san had been doing earlier, it looks like she¡¯s still doing business with the other ghouls. She takes notebooks, rotten meat, and clothing from the ghouls, and gives them the perfume from a crate filled with the stuff. It looks like the perfume is a big hit with the ghouls, and the ghouls who received the perfume were all spraying it on themselves and letting out ecstatic ¡°Aaaaah¡¯s¡± while drooling. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Apparently, her mental toughness and commercial spirit are still alive even after she died. ¡ð After a little while, I left the country. I didn¡¯t do anything special, I just looked at how these people had ended up as I was leaving. In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to experience the country that I had looked forward to for so long, but I got to see something very strange instead. In the future, this country will probably continue to exist in its corner of the world as a country for the resurrected dead. Living people are no longer needed there, and it should remain a paradise meant for the dead alone. And so, to allow them to live in a world of their own, I¡ªas was my duty being one of the people involved¡ªflipped the sign on the smaller door near the main gates of the city as I left. I flipped the sign from ¡ºOPEN¡» to ¡ºCLOSED¡». Volume 2 - CH 13 Chapter 13 ¨C For the Homeland It was a range of low, sand-colored mountains. There were small patches of trees and vegetation on the otherwise desolate mountain range, offering a bare modicum of color. However, as the sky was overcast with gray-colored clouds, even those plants were currently hidden in shadow. A girl was flying alone on a broom in this dreary place. The girl was wearing a black robe, a tricorne, and a star-shaped brooch. As her attire implied, she was indeed a witch, and also a traveler. Her hair which was the same color as the clouds swayed in the sand-laden wind, and her azure eyes looked in the direction in which she was traveling. There were no countries in sight. However, she spotted something strange instead¡ªjust who was this girl who was gazing at this landscape that looked like the aftermath of a disaster? Yes, it was me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Lying in my path was the corpse of a huge fox-like creature that looked large enough to swallow a person whole¡ªif I remember right, it belongs to a species called the Giant Fox¡ªand there were several men and women crowded around it. They were climbing atop the fox that had fallen on its side, and were cutting off pieces of its sand-colored pelt. Sawing off its thick, luxurious tail. Forcing open its large mouth and cutting off the fangs. These people were attacking the corpse of the fox, without caring about the copious amount of thick, dark blood that was oozing from its corpse. They were speaking happily, saying things like¡ºToday¡¯s game is a big one¡» and ¡ºWe¡¯ll get a good price for this much¡». They had an expression that indicated that they were filled with a sense of accomplishment. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I slowed down my broom and stopped near them. Somehow, I just didn¡¯t feel like passing them by. Also, there was something I wanted to confirm. When I got off my broom, a small cloud of dust puffed up around my feet and disappeared in the wind. Those people noticed me at the same time. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± They stopped working and looked over at me. Eventually, the man who had been using his sword to cut up the top of the fox opened his mouth to speak. ¡°Hey. What is it, do you have something to say to us?¡± I did not detect any hostility or suspicion in his words. I was slightly relieved. I took a breath and spoke in a loud voice so that all of the people could hear me. ¡°Umm, I was hoping someone could give me directions.¡± ¡°I see, so you¡¯re lost. Did you run away from home or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a traveler.¡± ¡°Oh? So, are you lost?¡± ¡°¡­Well, yes.¡± I didn¡¯t want to admit it, but I had no idea where I was. Even when the weather is clear, you can¡¯t see very far ahead in this mountainous terrain. What¡¯s more, there weren¡¯t a lot of countries in this place as there wasn¡¯t a lot of water. It looks like it would be hard to live here, after all. For this reason, the countries in arid regions are often far away from each other. You might even have to camp out for several days before you reached the next country. There¡¯s a also a chance that you might lose your sense of direction and end up flying to some strange place. That was something I wanted to avoid at all costs, so I stopped here to interrupt these people in the middle of their hunt. The man on top of the Giant Fox said, ¡°Haha! I see. Sorry Witch-san, but we don¡¯t know much about this area either. We¡¯re not from around here.¡± After saying such words that threatened to make me fall into depression, ¡°But I know where the nearest country from here is. I¡¯ll tell you.¡± He laughed while saying that. It was a wonderful smile, but as his face, sword, and clothes were all covered in blood, it made for a strangely repulsive picture. Ugh. ¡ð A lady who had shoved her hands into the Giant Fox¡¯s mouth was the one who told me where the nearest country was. She was a beautiful woman with dark brown skin and elegant black hair. ¡°Umm, to begin with, we¡¯re right about here¡ª¡± Her finger traced along my map that I had unfolded on top of a convenient rock lying nearby. Maybe because she had had her hands in a corpse¡¯s mouth until just a little while ago, she was giving off an intensely bad smell. There are flies gathering around her, is this person really okay like this? ¡°And so, the country closest to where we are right now is this one.¡± Saying that, she pressed her finger on a spot on the map. ¡°Oh.¡± I urged her to continue while breathing through my mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know how fast your broom can go, but a horse-drawn carriage takes about one day to get there.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± Ah, so I can get there in a few hours. Thank goodness. ¡°There aren¡¯t any mountains between here and that country, so you can just keep moving in a straight line until you get there, like this.¡± Her finger traced a path on the map. ¡°Hee¡­¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯ve been breathing roughly from some time, are you okay?¡± ¡°It¡¯s nothing to worry about.¡± I nodded to her. ¡°So which way should I go from here?¡± After comparing the map to the surroundings several times, ¡°Umm¡­ Ah, it¡¯s this way. This way should be correct.¡± She smiled at me while pointing in a particular direction. Well, that¡¯s that. In such a simple manner, I was no longer lost. ¡°Thank you very much. Now I can get to the next country by the end of the day.¡± ¡°Oh, it¡¯s fine. There¡¯s no reason to hold back when helping someone with something as simple as directions.¡± The intense smell and cloud of flies around her mixed in with my impression of her as a good person to create a rather chaotic impression overall. Behind her, her friends had returned to their work. They were cutting off its pelt and carrying it off, and removing its tail. ¡°What are they¡ªI mean, what are all of you doing?¡± ¡°Hmm? We¡¯re hunting.¡± Her tone sounded like she wanted to ask ¡°Can¡¯t you tell by looking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a Giant Fox, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Yes. Have you seen one before?¡± ¡°Well, I haven¡¯t seen one that was alive.¡± Although, since they are said to be savage enough to attack and eat humans, I¡¯d heard about them before. ¡°The fur and fangs from a Giant Fox sell for a lot of money. That¡¯s why we came all the way to this land to hunt.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± ¡°We¡¯re going to take the money back to our hometown to help the people there.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I was confused at the sudden change in topic, and the lady explained their circumstances to me. According to what she said, their homeland was being ravaged by the spread of disease, and they had come here as travelers to try and help the people back at home. They were hunting Giant Foxes and selling their fur and fangs in the large countries nearby to earn the money needed to buy medicine to cure the epidemic in their homeland. As they carried out their hunting and got rid of the Giant Foxes that were menacing the area, rumors of their exploits traveled like wildfire to all the nearby countries, and soon enough, they were receiving commissions from those countries to wipe out the Giant Foxes in the area. In any case, in the three months since they had left their homeland, these people had amassed a considerable amount of wealth. The lady told me this with a proud look on her face. She also told me that she couldn¡¯t wait to use the money that they had earned to help their friends who were suffering back home. The lady went to cart that was waiting nearby, brought back a pouch, and placed it on my hand. I could feel that it was fairly heavy. Looking inside, I saw that it was packed full of some powder. It¡¯s probably some kind of medicine. ¡°This is the medicine.¡± I was right. ¡°By the way, Witch-san¡­ I¡¯m not asking you to return the favor for giving you directions, but would you be willing to do something for me while you continue to travel?¡± I tilted my head. ¡°If your travels bring you to our village at some point, would you be willing to deliver this to the head of our village? We need to stay here and continue to hunt for some time yet.¡± ¡°Are you really okay with handing this over to a traveler like me?¡± ¡°You don¡¯t look like a bad person, after all.¡± ¡°¡­You¡¯re too trusting.¡± Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯d steal it or anything. It¡¯s of no use to me. What¡¯s more, she was kind enough to give me directions, so there¡¯s that as well. ¡°Can you tell me where that country is?¡± Hearing me say that, the lady was overly happy. ¡°Thank you! That would really help a lot! Let¡¯s see, our country is¡ª¡± Saying that, she looked down at the map again. After several seconds, She frowned with her finger moving around a particular spot on the map. ¡°Hmm? It¡¯s not drawn on the map. It¡¯s supposed to be around here somewhere¡ª¡± Her finger was pointing to a place near the edge of the map. That was a place that I had visited once before. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I can¡¯t go in that direction. After I reach the nearest country, I plan to keep traveling in the direction opposite to the direction in which your home country lies.¡± I said that while putting on a calm expression. ¡°I see¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Even though you were kind enough to give me directions¡­¡± ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that¡ªI¡¯m the one who should apologize. I acted too rudely.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I returned the pouch with the medicine to the lady while she had a crestfallen expression on her face. The heavy feeling of the purse disappeared from my hands. ¡°¡­¡­¡± After spending a few moments unsure of what I should say to her, ¡°I hope that you manage to get back to your hometown safely.¡± I blurted out something foolish. I could only say something bland like this. ¡°Thank you. You¡¯re kind.¡± The lady gave me a sad smile. Seeing her expression, I felt a terrible pain in my heart. ¡ð Regarding the place that the lady had indicated, I had been there once before. It was about two months ago. This happened before I obtained my map of this region. ¡°¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a case of their hometown not being drawn on the map due to an oversight. That country no longer existed in that place. When I happened across that place two months ago, what I found there was a large number of corpses. There were several dead Giant Foxes, soldiers, and civilians, and their bodies were all piled up like a mountain of refuse. There were bodies of people who looked like they were merely lying still with their eyes open, while others had been partially eaten and their insides were spilling out. Some of the bodies couldn¡¯t even be considered human, and just looked like a mass of some unidentifiable substance. There were countless such corpses scattered around. The scene was so gruesome that I wanted to cover my eyes. However, there were still some people alive there. At one place that used to be a village, a bunch of people had gathered around the body of a Giant Fox, just like the people I met earlier. Just what were they doing? The men who had gathered around the Giant Fox told me. ¡°We are soldiers dispatched from the neighboring countries. We had received word that this area was infested with Giant Foxes, so we were sent to deal with it.¡± ¡°By the time we got the information, it was already too late for this village. As you can see, the villagers are all dead.¡± ¡°Some idiots somewhere have driven all the Giant Foxes out of their country¡ªGiant Foxes are not native to this region.¡± ¡°Even our country is facing problems thanks to those idiots. It¡¯s really deplorable.¡± ¡°According to some merchants I met, there is a group of people somewhere who are going around killing every Giant Fox they can find. That overhunting is probably the cause of this mess.¡± ¡°The damage won¡¯t stop here. After being chased out of the deserts, the Giant Foxes are slowly destroying this region. It¡¯s only a matter of time before our country is attacked as well.¡± After that, one of the soldiers begged me for a favour. ¡°Witch-san, if you come across those people who are hunting Giant Foxes during your travels, would you please let us know? I can¡¯t be at peace until I kill those idiots.¡± The man was almost clinging to me when he asked that, and I nodded to him. Back then, I still didn¡¯t know about the lady and her friends, or their circumstances. ¡ð I got back on my broom and resumed flying while creating a small cloud of dust. I followed the directions as were given by the lady out of the kindness of her heart. The next country should come into view soon. The landscape is still as dreary as ever and there are no signs of a country anywhere nearby. However, as long as it has not fallen into ruin, there must be people living there. ¡­¡­¡­ In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to fulfill the wishes of either side. The wish of the soldiers who were troubled due to their villages being attacked by Giant Foxes, and the wish of the lady and her friends who were going around hunting dangerous animals for the sake of their homeland. I wasn¡¯t able to grant either of them. I just averted my gaze from the terribly sad events and cruel reality. No one involved in this incident came out of it being happy, and no one would be happy in the future either. The reality of this situation was far too fruitless. However, I was incapable of doing anything about it. No matter how much they struggle, the only thing waiting for them is despair. Such a sad turn of events. ¡°¡­¡­I¡¯m sorry.¡± Those words I whispered were not meant for anyone in particular. They dissolved into the sand beneath the extremely clear sky, and vanished. Volume 2 - CH 14 Chapter 14 ¨C The Dilapidated Country and Cat God-sama¡¯s Rebirth I was crying. I was crying as I flew on my broom along the main street of a dilapidated city that was still teeming with people in the afternoon. The oncoming wind blew the teardrops out of my eyes. ¡°Stop right there!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let that witch escape! Capture her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her leave this place alive!¡± The people chasing me were soldiers of this country. There was also a magician among them, who was riding a broom and attempting to catch up to me. However, they were not my only enemies. ¡°Leave it to me!¡± ¡°Damn¡­! I nearly had her!¡± ¡°Don¡¯t let her get away!¡± ¡°After her! Keep up the chase!¡± All the people in the street were jumping at me from the sides and front, trying to drag me off my broom. People who had been fawning over cats until moments ago, people who had been having an animated conversation, people who were shopping, and some of them even came out of shops. Regardless of age and gender. I dodged all their attacks. At this point, the whole country considers me to be an enemy. They think I¡¯m an evil person who is going to bring their country to ruin. Unfortunately, that is the truth. ¡°Kuuuuuuh!¡± I wiped away my tears and looked forwards. I seem to be in very bad shape compared to usual. The movement of the broom was terribly unstable, and wasn¡¯t moving forward in a straight line. I feel like I¡¯ll crash into the ground instantly if I let my guard down for even a second. I put more strength into my right hand that was gripping the broom and forced it back on track. I focused on keeping the broom flying while avoiding the people who were trying to mob me. The girl I was carrying in my left hand probably felt uncomfortable because of my rough flying. ¡°I feel sick¡­¡± She softly uttered those words in a voice that only I could hear. ¡°Please try to endure it¡­ I¡¯m struggling to deal with it as well.¡± I wasn¡¯t able to breathe properly. Every time I sucked in a breath through my mouth, I felt like something hot and heavy was being poured into my lungs. The girl looked at me with her round, blue eyes. ¡°Well, do your best. Look, we¡¯re almost at the gate.¡± After saying that, she happily made a ¡°Nyaa,¡± sound. And rubbed her cheek against mine. I cried even more. Was I crying because I was happy? Or was it for some other reason? I really wonder. ¡°Bring Cat God-sama back!¡± I could hear such voices reverberating through the street behind me. The girl¡ªcat¡ªthat I was carrying once again said ¡°Nyaa,¡± as if to reject their words. ¡ð Let¡¯s go back in time for a little while. Around two entire revolutions of the hands of the clock backwards. Or one entire cycle of the sun and moon. In other words, about this time yesterday. ¡°Oh, so that country has some pretty strange customs.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I was at a village that I happened across during my travels. I casually asked the people there if they knew about any interesting countries nearby, and the the villagers told me about that country. ¡°What exactly do you mean by ¡®strange customs?¡¯¡± ¡°Apologies, Milady, but I know not the answer. Many souls have departed this place for that country, but nary a single one hath ever returned.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry, but can you please speak normally?¡± ¡°¡­I¡¯m not sure what exactly makes their customs strange, either. The only thing we know for sure is that that country is a mysterious place.¡± ¡°Hoho¡ª¡± Oh, my. That certainly seems strange. From what I heard, a few years ago this village used to attract tourists by marketing themselves with the tagline ¡ºThe village life is good!¡». Furthermore, they earned a lot of money by getting foolish people from the city who misunderstood that life in the village would be free and peaceful, without any conflicts, to move to the village and settle down there. However, a strange country came into existence nearby quite recently, and this village was all but forgotten. The village sent some spies to the country to discover their secrets so that they could imitate them, but even the spies were won over by that country. The remaining villagers panicked and decided on the simple strategy of, ¡ºWell then, let¡¯s try and appeal our rural charm by changing the way we speak,¡» and so drove their country further into obscurity. Apparently, that¡¯s what happened. ¡­¡­¡­ That sounds like a really interesting place. I¡¯m really curious about just how interesting it really is. ¡°So, how do I get to that country?¡± When I asked them that question, the villagers carefully explained the route to me in a forced, old-style manner of speaking. Under a midday sky, I took off from the village and flew with my broom pointed to the west. I flew over the plains, crossed over a small bridge that spanned a river, and continued flying over the plains again. The green lands seemed to infinitely stretch on , but I soon started to see a few thin conifer trees, and the landscape gradually changed from plains to a forest. At around the same time, the country came into view. The large walls were quite faded despite the fact that this country was supposed to have been formed recently, and the ivy growing on the walls made it blend in with its surroundings. When I flew closer while avoiding the increasing number of trees, I saw a large, iron gate that was closed. It looked like only this part had been recently refurbished as it looked brand new, and thereby stood out from the rest of the surroundings which had achieved a balance with nature. After I landed and dismounted from my broom, a small window opened in the gate. I saw the silver-colored helm of a guard through that window. ¡°Who goes there?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a traveler. I¡¯m also a witch. My name is Elaina.¡± ¡°What business do you have in this country?¡± ¡°I heard that there was a wonderful country here, so I came to take a look. If possible, I would like to stay for a few days.¡± The guard gave a small nod. ¡°¡­Very well. However, if you want to enter this country, you must answer a question.¡± And then, ¡°Do you love cat-samas?¡± He asked me that out of the blue. ¡°Eh, cats¡­?¡± ¡°Not cats. Cat-samas.¡± ¡°¡­What¡¯s the difference?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a matter of giving the appropriate respect to cat-samas. So, what¡¯s your answer? Do you love cat-samas?¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Well¡­ I guess I do love them, yes.¡± Although I¡¯ve never even touched one before¡ªI can¡¯t say that, no matter what. Well, I do think that they look rather cute, and I have no reason to hate them so it should be fine. ¡°¡­Very well. Enter. There are no bad people who love cat-samas.¡± ¡°I-I see¡­.¡± ¡°However, we will conduct a check of your belongings before you are allowed inside. Enter through the side gate.¡± ¡°Haaa¡­¡± After that, I finished the procedures required to enter the country, and finally got inside. I had no idea what I would find waiting for me inside. That¡¯s just how strange it was. ¡ð The streets inside the city which were being used by pedestrians were quite old. The brick-faced buildings that faced the main street were neatly lined up, but they all had a faded color and, just like the city walls, they were covered in ivy. I was a little curious about the fact that all the doors of the houses looked like square holes that you would need to crouch down and pass through in order to enter. The paving stones on the road were all covered in moss as well, and overall, this place gave the impression that it had been abandoned for a long time. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After looking around for a bit, I understood why the guard at the gate asked me that question before I was allowed to enter. This country is full of cats. If you just lower your gaze a little, you¡¯ll see cats everywhere. Weaving in between the people, sunbathing in the middle of the road, and playing with the weeds. Everywhere I looked, I saw more cats. It was so excessive that it could be considered strange. It would be a hellish experience for anyone who dislikes cats, so asking that question before letting someone inside makes sense. I was thinking of such things while attracted by a pleasant wheat smell from a roadside stall. ¡°Ah, I would like to buy some bread. This one, this one, that one, and the one over there.¡± The kind-looking man on the other other side of the stall replied with a ¡°Sure,¡± and nodded. He picked up one each of the breads that I pointed to with a pair of tongs, put them in a paper bag, and handed them to me. ¡°Four coppers.¡± ¡°Okay.¡± I paid. I got the bread. Yay. It happened right after that. ¡°¡ªMister, I would like to buy some bread too. This one, this one, that one, and the one over there.¡± At some point, another witch-san had appeared next to me and ordered the exact same breads that I had ordered. She was a grown-up lady wearing a blue robe and a tricorne. She exchanged four coppers for a paper bag, nodded to the man, and then turned towards me. Her light blue hair was cut short at the back, and swayed slightly in the breeze. Her bangs were longer than average in contrast to her short hair at the back, so I could only see one of her eyes. ¡°Good morning. I haven¡¯t seen you around before. Are you perhaps a traveler?¡± I pulled one of the breads out of the paper bag, took a bite, and replied. ¡°Yes, that¡¯s right. Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m a witch. Also, I live here.¡± ¡°Ho.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry for calling out to you all of a sudden. I¡¯m the only witch in this country, and there are not many magicians here in the first place, so I just started talking to you out of curiosity. I hope I¡¯m not bothering you.¡± ¡°Well, I was surprised when you started talking to me all of a sudden.¡± She gave me a bitter smile. ¡°Sorry about that¡ªby the way, have you already finished looking around this country?¡± After taking another bite of bread, I shook my head. ¡°I just got here a few minutes ago.¡± When I said that, ¡°I see¡ªdo you want me to give you a small tour? This is a fairly strange place by ordinary standards, so if you walk around without a guide you might get swindled out of your money or arrested for some reason.¡± She suddenly proposed that. ¡­¡­¡­ True, there are many questions I have regarding this culture that lets cats run rampant. If she¡¯s willing to give me a tour, that¡¯s perfect. It¡¯s very convenient for me. ¡°I would like that very much. As long as you promise to not swindle me out of my money.¡± ¡°Ahaha. Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t charge you for the tour or anything. I came here from a different country as well, so I went through a lot of hardship when I first came here. This country has several unique laws, and if you break one accidently you might be sent to prison.¡± ¡°Sent to prison¡­¡± This is the first I¡¯ve heard about that. ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll explain things to you to keep something like that from happening.¡± She said, ¡°We might end up living together in this country in the future,¡± and smiled. At that time, I still didn¡¯t properly understand what she meant by that. While eating our bread, we walked side by side around the city. ¡°I haven¡¯t introduced myself yet, right¡ªmy name is Rushie. The Witch of Fair Skies, Rushie.¡± ¡°I¡¯m Elaina. The Witch of Ashes.¡± I slightly bowed my head in greeting, and she said ¡°Nice to meet you, Elaina-san,¡± while smiling. I responded with the same. ¡°Well then, let me tell you more about this country while I¡¯m showing you around. To start with, there are three laws in this country that you must follow at all times.¡± ¡°Ho.¡± ¡°Well, I say that, but two of the laws are fairly simple and none who love cat-samas would even think of breaking those¡ªthe first law is ¡ºRegardless of the circumstances, thou shalt not cause harm to cat-samas.¡»¡± ¡°What happens if you break that law?¡± ¡°Eh? You¡¯ll be sent to prison, usually.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that a bit harsh¡­¡± ¡°Any person despicable enough to harm a cat-sama deserves that, don¡¯t you think? Also, the second law somewhat overlaps with the first¡­ ¡ºThou shalt only interact with cat-samas with feelings of endless love.¡»¡± ¡°That¡¯s pretty abstract¡­ By the way, what happens if you break it?¡± ¡°Prison.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I¡¯ve seen some bad laws, but this really takes the cake¡­ ¡°Umm¡­ So what exactly should¡ªachoo!¡± ¡°Are you okay? Do you have a cold?¡± ¡°Excuse me. I¡¯m fine¡ªso, what exactly should I do when interacting with cats?¡± ¡°Well¡­ I guess you can just interact with the cat-samas normally.¡± ¡°But does interacting with them normally satisfy the condition of showing endless love¡­?¡± I don¡¯t even know what¡¯s going on anymore. ¡°That¡¯s right, maybe it would be easier to understand if you see it for yourself. Let¡¯s see¡ªah! Look, over there.¡± While I was still perplexed, Rushie-san tugged on my sleeve and pointed at side of the road. I saw a stall that was selling fish, and a calico cat that was intently staring at the rows of fish in the stall. The calico cat stalked closer to the stall without attracting the attention of the shopkeeper, and rose up suddenly on its hind legs once it was directly beneath the stall. After adroitly snagging one of the fish with its claws, it popped the fish into its mouth. ¡°Ah!¡± However, the shopkeeper spotted it just as it grabbed the fish. The surprised calico cat glared at the shopkeeper. Uwaah, he¡¯s going to get angry. Or so I thought. ¡°Cat-sama! Thank you for coming! Please, take as many as you would like!¡± For some reason, the shopkeeper was overjoyed. What¡¯s more, he grabbed the fish that were lying on his stall and threw them on the ground. More cats gathered around right away, and started to fight over the fish. ¡­¡­¡­Huh? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± ¡°It¡¯s love.¡± ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my question¡­¡± I feel like the two of us are on different wavelengths. Are the people in this country changing the way they speak, just like those people in the village? How annoying. ¡°Ah, over there! Maybe you¡¯ll find that easier to understand.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± With her prompting, I moved my gaze. And I was shocked speechless. This was even worse. ¡°Ah! Cat-sama! Cat-sama! Thank you! Thank you so much!¡± There was a man lying on his back on the road with his arms and legs stretched out. He had an ecstatic expression on his face. Atop him was a single cat. It was sitting on him with its eyes narrowed, and looked pleased as it poked at the man¡¯s stomach with its forepaw. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± ¡°It¡¯s love.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I looked away from the reality that was beyond my ability to comprehend. However, the next thing I saw was also an incomprehensible spectacle in the making. ¡°Arararara you¡¯re so cute~ nyaa nyaa~¡± There was a lady carrying a cat like one would carry a baby, and speaking to it in a creepy voice. Why is she talking like that? ¡°What is that?¡± ¡°Love, of course.¡± ¡°What exactly is ¡®love¡¯ again¡­¡± I continued to walk around the city while feeling confused, but the more I saw¡ªas the number of cats increased, the state of the people plummeted correspondingly. People who took the effort to walk around cats that were lying in the middle of the street. A devilish cat that stole the main dish from the table of a couple who were having lunch in a restaurant¡ªand the victims in question did nothing but gaze upon it with happiness. Cats that were like the incarnation of evil gathered around clothes that were for sale, climbed up on them and reduced them to shreds¡ªand the shopkeeper and customers just watched them while smiling. Not a single person tried to stop the rampage of the large number of cats, and they let the cats do as they pleased. ¡°This is what is meant by endless love.¡± Rushie-san spoke proudly. ¡°It looks like you¡¯re surprised, but the people of the country¡ªno, even the people who come here from outside become that way eventually. Everyone starts to interact with the cats in a loving manner.¡± ¡°I can only see it as people losing their sense of reason and pampering the cats.¡± ¡°Well, the cat-samas of this country are especially cute compared to the ones outside. It can¡¯t be helped if people feel like pampering them a little. You¡¯ll understand soon enough, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever understand it¡­¡± Maybe it¡¯s because I¡¯ve never touched a cat? ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t even see how the cats here are different from the ones outside.¡± ¡°Eh? They¡¯re at least hundreds of times cuter than the cats you see in other countries. I originally came here for work, but I couldn¡¯t get away from here because of how cute the cat-samas here are.¡± ¡°What kind of work?¡± ¡°Eh? I came here to spy.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The people in the village where I used to live told me to come here and carefully observe the culture, and steal the ideas that could be useful as a reference.¡± I feel like I¡¯ve heard that somewhere before. ¡°¡­You say you came here to spy, but you look like you¡¯ve settled down quite nicely here.¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine! I¡¯m going to go back someday! I¡¯m just going to enjoy my life to the fullest while I¡¯m here until that day comes!¡± ¡°¡­Don¡¯t you think you¡¯ve lost sight of your original goal? Are you really okay?¡± ¡°Does it look like I¡¯ve lost sight of it?¡± ¡°Would I ask you that if it didn¡¯t?¡± ¡°Ah, a kitten-sama.¡± It looks like she has even lost the will to talk to me any more. As soon as she saw a kitten walking towards us with uncertain footsteps, she immediately bent down, stretched her hand out towards it, and started making ¡°chichichi¡± sounds with her tongue. I¡¯m not sure if the kitten reacted to that, but it managed to reach her hand. And then, it started to gnaw on her finger. It firmly clamped its mouth around Rushie-san¡¯s index finger and continued to gnaw at it gently. ¡°Ah¡­¡± Rushie-san started at it in blank amazement for a some time, and then, ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaah! So cuuuuuute!¡± She looked like she was about to faint. She was wriggling her body, and her breathing became rough as the kitten continued to suck her finger as if it was looking for milk. Isn¡¯t she enjoying this a little too much? Is this person okay? ¡°Ah¡­.. Ahhhh! Haaaaaaa!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It looks like she¡¯s done for. I couldn¡¯t help but draw away from her because of her sudden change. I felt very uncomfortable. She had been talking normally with me until now, but now her cheeks were red as she was fawning over a kitten. Looking at this made me feel itchy, and I felt like I wanted to scratch myself all over my body. It was so bad that I considered just leaving this place then and there. ¡ð ¡°Achoo!¡± I sneezed as I was walking. How many times does that make it today? Did I perhaps catch a cold? My body also started to feel strangely heavy since a little earlier. The back of my throat feels somewhat hot as well¡­ In any case, let me get a good night¡¯s sleep today. ¡°Does this country have any good inns that are equipped with the necessary amenities?¡± Rushie-san, who was in exceptionally high spirits after receiving the relentless attacks of the kitten, answered. ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I would recommend that inn over there. It¡¯s a heavenly place where you can entangle yourself with a large number of cat-samas.¡± ¡°Maybe I asked the wrong question. Please let me know if there¡¯s an inn which provides a high standard of living.¡± ¡°What about the cat-samas?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need any.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After slightly pouting as if she had found my answer to be boring, she pointed to a different building. ¡°In that case, that inn might be good¡ª¡± A little while later. We continued to walk around the city as before. I had Rushie-san show me a good inn, several good restaurants that served delicious food (however, they were all filled with cats, without exception), and several other things besides. At some point during our tour of the city, I realized that the sun was low in the sky. The sky is red. I suppose it¡¯s time to call it a day? Just when I was able to see the end of the city tour, I remembered that there was still something I needed to learn. ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the third law?¡± If I remember correctly, there were three laws that I had to follow at all times, right? ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry. I had forgotten.¡± ¡°Please tell me what it is. If not, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to sleep at the inn in peace.¡± I definitely don¡¯t want to spend the night without sleeping while in prison. ¡°Ahaha. But as for the final rule, it¡¯s pretty rare to even encounter that situation in the first place, so I don¡¯t think it will be a problem. Let¡¯s see, the third law is¡ª¡± It happened just as she had opened her mouth to tell me about the final rule. The people who were walking in the streets suddenly started to make a lot of noise. The agitation spread out like a wave, and voices of admiration could be heard from here and there. When I was looking around to try and understand what was going on, I saw that all the people were facing in one direction without exception. And then, ¡°Ahh¡­ It¡¯s Cat God-sama!¡± ¡°Cat God-sama has graced us with her presence!¡± ¡°It¡¯s been so many days since we last saw her.¡± ¡°She¡¯s so beautiful¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s wonderful¡­!¡± While saying things like that, all the people knelt down on the spot. Rushie-san was also not an exception. ¡°Ah¡­ How beautiful¡­!¡± She said that in a feverish tone while sighing, and also knelt down like the other people. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡­¡­What¡¯s going on? There was a single cat in the direction that they were all facing. It had black, glossy fur and blue eyes. ¡°¡­¡­¡­?¡± However, the atmosphere around this one was somehow different compared to the other cats. The cat that was elegantly walking towards us had two tails. I¡¯m pretty sure normal cats don¡¯t have those. Also, its fur looked exceptionally fluffy. It might feel nice to hold. ¡°Rushie-san, why does that cat have two¡ª¡± ¡°Elaina-san! What are you doing? Do the same as me, quickly!¡± She didn¡¯t give me time to complete my question. As soon as I spoke, she tugged on my robe. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She wants me to do what she¡¯s doing? I¡¯m supposed to kneel down and show respect to a cat? I really don¡¯t want to do that¡­ But if I don¡¯t do as she says, I might be thrown in prison. ¡°¡­Uuu.¡± It can¡¯t be helped. I reluctantly got down on one knee and respectfully bowed my head like the others. Just what am I doing in a place like this? ¡°¡­Umm, Rushie-san.¡± ¡°Be quiet. We¡¯re in the presence of Cat God-sama. Make sure you don¡¯t do anything to give offense.¡± Eeeh¡­. How am I supposed to react after being told something like that all of a sudden? There should be a limit to this unreasonableness, don¡¯t you think? I don¡¯t even know what might cause offense to a cat. What on earth is a Cat God-sama, anyways? I held back my words of bewilderment and annoyance in the back of my throat. It was a really bad feeling. At the same time. ¡°Nyaa.¡± I heard a voice. It was fairly close by. No, it was extremely close by. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Nyaaa~¡± The black cat with two tails¡ªthe one they called Cat God-sama¡ªhad come to a stop in front of me at some point. That cat with an elegant face was looking straight at me. ¡°Nya.¡± And then, it waved both of its tails once and suddenly jumped at me. It extended its claws and clung to my robe. ¡°Eeh¡­?¡± I was confused. What exactly am I supposed to do now? When I looked around at the other people, ¡°Wow¡­.¡± ¡°To think that Cat God-sama would jump up on somebody of her own will¡­¡± ¡°Cat God-sama must have recognized her as somebody special.¡± Voices of admiration were raised from all directions. ¡°I¡¯m so jealous¡­¡± I heard Rushie-san¡¯s murmuring as well. I don¡¯t really get what¡¯s going on, but apparently it¡¯s not a bad thing. Speaking of which, this is the first time I¡¯ve touched a cat¡ªno, it has two tails, so I¡¯m not sure if I should be calling it a cat. ¡°¡­Ei.¡± I pulled back the knee on which I was resting, sat down on the ground, and hugged the cat that was clinging to me. The cat acquiesced without struggling, and rested comfortably in my arms. When I lightly patted its head, it looked at me with a sleepy expression and started to purr. It felt like it was saying ¡°Pat me more.¡± It really is quite cute. I felt like I understood why the people of this country were attracted to cats so much. Well, I still don¡¯t feel like I love them enough to abandon all sense of reason. ¡°I-I-Incredible¡­.!¡± ¡°This is¡­¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡­!¡± While I was having fun patting the one they called Cat God-sama, I heard voices raised around me once again. The people stood up and slowly walked towards me to form a circle around me and Cat God-sama. What¡¯s going on? When I tilted my head in confusion, from the corner of my eye I saw Rushie-san also standing up. When I turned towards her, she was looking down at me with an incredibly cold gaze. ¡°¡­I-Impossible. Elaina-san¡­ What do you think you¡¯re doing¡­!¡± She muttered as if she was delirious, and while speaking, she pulled out her staff. ¡°Eh? Umm¡­¡± It was then that I realized that something was wrong. However, it was already too late. ¡°How rude!¡± ¡°How dare you pat Cat God-sama!¡± ¡°Get your dirty hands off Cat God-sama!¡± ¡°You¡­ Do you know what what you¡¯re doing!?¡± The people around me were extremely angry. ¡°Umm¡­ Please, wait for a bit! Just what did I¡ª ¡± I had no idea what I had done to anger these people, and was starting to panic a little. In my agitation, I raised both my hands over my head. The Cat God-sama whom I was carrying was suddenly tossed into the air, and landed on my lap. Landed neatly on all four legs. I felt pain as its claws dug into my thighs. That action caused further repercussions. ¡°How dare you toss Cat God-sama into the air like that!¡± ¡°Not only is she rude, she did something no one who loves cat-samas would do!¡± ¡°Put her to death! Guilty!¡± Rushie-san shouted loudly, in a voice that was almost a scream. ¡°Rushie-san, please explain to them that I was unaware of the circumstances¡ª¡± ¡°There is no point in arguing!¡± Ehh¡­ She¡¯s not listening¡­ Not only did she not explain my circumstances to the others, she hit my hands with her staff and used magic. My hands that were still raised in the air were suddenly pulled straight by an unseen force, and were bound by iron handcuffs created by her magic. What¡¯s more, the handcuffs also came with an unnecessary feature that bound the tips of my fingers to the handcuffs so that I could not clench my fists. I can¡¯t hold my staff like this. ¡°¡­Umm.¡± When I looked up again, I saw that Rushie-san was still extremely angry. She handed the key to my handcuffs to a soldier while glaring at me. ¡°Everyone! Let¡¯s throw this rude witch into prison!¡± Rushie-san shouted, and the people around us raised their voices in agreement. ¡°Umm¡­ Please, just listen to me¡ª¡± ¡°Now, stand up, Elaina-san! If you don¡¯t, we¡¯ll drag you there!¡± Rushie-san pulled me by the handcuffs as she started to walk. ¡°Umm¡­¡± ¡°Seriously¡­! Only people who love cat-samas are supposed to be able to enter this country, so how did someone so rude manage to slip in?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Apparently, my words were not reaching her. Still, her behaviour was somewhat strange. Compared to the time we spend walking around the city, she felt like an entirely different person. She looks like she¡¯s lost her ability to think calmly. Like she¡¯s lost all sense of reason. It was almost as if she was being manipulated by some invisible agency. ¡°¡ªI finally found you.¡± I felt like I heard that voice from somewhere as I was being pulled along by Rushie-san. ¡ð After that, I lost track of how much time had passed. I was in a cold prison cell. The only things I could see were the grey-colored dirty floor and walls, and the rusted iron bars of the cell. It looked like night had fallen, and I could see some faint moonlight and hear the sounds of insects through a small window in my cell. The moon in the sky probably looks really beautiful right now¡ªhowever, I am not able to see it directly. When I look upwards from my seated posture, all I can see is a stake driven into the wall, and my handcuffs that are attached to that stake. I have been sitting against the wall ever since I was brought here. I¡¯ve lost all sense of feeling in my hands. ¡°Why did this happen¡­¡± The words that slipped out of my mouth echoed sadly for a moment before fading away. Of course, there was no one here to reply. There are no people here. I¡¯ve been thrown into a prison where there aren¡¯t even any other prisoners. How can something like this be allowed? It¡¯s too much. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± No, there¡¯s no point in feeling sorry for myself. For now, let me think of how to get out of this situation. To begin with, I once again took a look at my current situation. As I can¡¯t bend my fingers, gripping my staff is definitely impossible. I¡¯m chained to a wall, so even if I was able to reach my broom, I wouldn¡¯t be able to ride it. Even If I was able to ride it, I feel like I¡¯d soon be discovered, and with my hands like this, it would be very dangerous in any event. I can¡¯t rely on my staff. Or my broom. In short, I can¡¯t rely on magic. Ah, this is checkmate. Ufufu. ¡°¡­What should I do¡­¡± I could only feel despair. It would be nice if I could resolve this situation with money. I wonder if that is possible. Maybe it depends on how the negotiations go? More importantly, there is something else. I should have just escaped the moment I was surrounded. Even though I felt that I was going to be sent to prison, for some reason I was unable to deal with the situation calmly. Why is that? As I thought, I seem to be in exceptionally poor form today. Is it because of my cold? My throat hurts, my eyes are itchy, I¡¯ve been sneezing all day, and my body also feels vaguely itchy all over and I have no idea what¡¯s going on. I don¡¯t think I have a fever, though. I don¡¯t think that I was unable to deal with the situation calmly because of my cold. Well, understanding that still doesn¡¯t do anything to get me out of this situation. ¡°¡­Haa.¡± I let out a sigh. That¡¯s when it happened. The moonlight vanished. ¡°¡ªHey there, Witch-dono. Is the prison cell to your liking?¡± A voice echoed in my jail cell that had become even darker. It was the calm voice of a woman¡ªI vaguely feel like I¡¯ve heard this voice somewhere before. I looked around, but didn¡¯t see any people. ¡°Over here, Witch-dono.¡± The voice once again echoed in the cell, but the moonlight returned. It was at the same time that something jumped into my cell through the window above. ¡°Nyaa~¡± The cat that had jumped into my cell made a cute sound and looked over at me. While waving its two tails in a pleased manner. ¡°You are¡ª¡± ¡°It¡¯s been a few hours since we last met.¡± Before me was the existence that the people of this city revered and worshipped as a god. The Cat Cod-sama, or whatever they called it, was here. Moreover, it just spoke. ¡­¡­ You were lazing around in my arms quietly even though you can talk? Such a wolf in sheep¡¯s clothing. Or should I say cat¡¯s clothing. ¡ð The cat looked up at me. ¡°I¡¯ve finally found you. I¡¯ve been waiting for a human like you.¡± After saying that, it tilted its head and said, ¡°Would you like to make a trade with me?¡± In this kind of situation? ¡°Since you called it a trade, I assume you mean that I stand to gain something from this?¡± ¡°Of course. I will free you from this place. That is what you stand to gain. In return, you will have to accept one of my requests.¡± ¡°Hoho. What is it that you want me to do?¡± ¡°I want you to get me out of this city.¡± ¡°¡ªAchoo! ¡­So my gain is merely a byproduct of your own request?¡± ¡°Still, I am the only one who can save you from this place.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°And in return, you are the only person who can save me as well. In short, we both want the same thing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I don¡¯t understand what this cat is saying at all. ¡°Umm, how about you start at the beginning.¡± ¡°Very well. Are you interested in taking up my offer?¡± ¡°It depends on what you have to say. I don¡¯t want to take the most important existence in the country outside without knowing the circumstances.¡± I don¡¯t want to increase my number of enemies any more. ¡°¡­Fumu.¡± Cat God-sama looked down for a while as though lost in thought. ¡°In that case, let me start from the beginning, as you asked.¡± ¡°Before this country fell into ruin, it had a long history spanning some few centuries¡ª¡± ¡°It would be helpful you just explain the parts that have something to do with me.¡± ¡°Nuu.. Such a selfish girl.¡± And then, the cat gave a sigh. ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll tell you¡ªputting it simply, this present country was formed because of me.¡± She started to speak as if remembering something from long ago. It was the story of this country. Very rarely, when a cat that has lived for a long time dies while still having an attachment to this world, it is reborn as a monster with two tails. This female cat was one such being. Around forty years ago, she was born in this city as a domestic cat. At that time, this country still interacted with the world outside. She was loved by the people, and lived in the country until she grew old. However, that all ended when she was fifteen years old. An epidemic spread throughout the country. The people of the country all died one after the other. Her owners were no exception, and they passed away quickly as well. A prosperous country that had existed for a long time turned into a place without people in just a few years. This country without people was abandoned and forgotten by the people outside, and she lived here in peace with other cats. She didn¡¯t have any interest in leaving the country. She felt that the country would be taken over by the forest and vanish if the cats were to leave as well. She fervently prayed and waited for people to once again come to this country and make it a lively place again. She kept waiting for a long time. Very rarely, people would happen across this country, but they would leave after capturing several of her compatriots, the other stray cats, or only stay for a few days before moving on. None of them showed any inclination to settle down here. She continued to wait while hoping for more people to come. And twenty years after she was born, she finally stopped moving. It was her time¡ªapparently, she was aware of that. At the very least, she wanted to feel loved by someone again. While holding on to that single regret, she surrendered herself to death¡¯s embrace. And then, she stopped breathing. Or so she thought. The next day, she woke up as usual. She wasn¡¯t dead. What¡¯s more, her old body that had become unresponsive due to age now felt light as a feather. It felt as though she had gone back to when she was still a kitten. What on earth had happened? Once she stood up, she saw that she now had two tails. Also, she was only able to say ¡°Nyaa Nyaa¡± before, but now she could speak the same language as humans. All the other cats had only one tail, but she had two. Also, she could speak. Incredible. Even though she was still confused, she went to show off her new skills to the other cats. Ever since that day, the environment around her started to change visibly. The people who came to the country became unable to leave. For example, a merchant who came to the country for vacation and only intended to stay for a few days. A traveler who got lost and somehow ended up there. Refugees who were driven away from their home countries. The number of people increased one by one, but not a single one of them tried to leave. Also, they showed a lot more love for her and the other cats compared to the people who had come to the country before. This must be due to the fact that she now had two tails. Both the other cats and she herself realized that. In fact, even just lightly touching her caused most people to love cats at a level far beyond what was ordinary. She had no choice but to use this power. There was no need to hold back, either. If this caused the country to become lively again, she had no reason to hesitate. Ever since she became an existence different from a cat, the population of the country steadily increased. Most of the people who just happened across this country ended up living here. Very rarely, there would be a person who was unaffected by her power. After some observation, she found that her power had no effect on people who rejected cats because they were allergic to them. It took a long time, but the people who had been entranced by her formed a new country. The people built a new gate, developed the country, and at some point started to worship her as a Cat God because she had two tails. She continued to live in that country while feeling the love from a large number of people. And then, twenty years passed since she had been reborn. ¡°¡ªThe population has grown too much. If it grows any more, the country will pop like an overinflated balloon. The country will fall into ruin once again. So, I have no choice but to leave.¡± That is the story that she told me. She said that it was the main reason why she had to leave the country. ¡°Do you understand the situation now?¡± Cat God-sama asked me while tilting her head. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In front of her, I sat with my eyes full of tears. ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re crying for me? You¡¯re a good girl.¡± I shook my head and said, ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I don¡¯t feel like crying, but my eyes are watering anyways.¡± ¡°Hmmph. I know. I was just making a joke. That¡¯s one of the identifying features of people who are allergic to cats¡ªyou¡¯ve been feeling under the weather ever since you came to this country, haven¡¯t you? For example, feeling that your body is itchy, or your eyes hurt, you have a runny nose, your throat hurts, you feel sick, and¡ª¡± ¡°Achoo!¡± ¡°¡­you keep sneezing. It looks like you¡¯ve already realized.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± I nodded while sniffing hard to stop my nose from running. I hadn¡¯t realized that I had this condition because I had never interacted with cats before, and never even so much as touched one. It looks like I¡¯ll have to avoid being near cats in the future. ¡°So what do you say? Do you feel like cooperating with me?¡± She once again prompted me to answer. Her blue eyes stared intently at me. Seeing her expression, I feel like she was silently saying, ¡°I told you about the situation, so just help me out already.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I looked up as if escaping from her gaze, and shook the handcuffs. ¡°You¡¯re a cat, right? How do you intend to remove these?¡± After hearing that, her eyes widened, and after a little while, ¡°Fufu. I have a plan regarding that¡ªgive me some time.¡± Even before she finished speaking, she had already turned around and slipped out through the bars on the cell door. I had nothing to do while waiting for her to return, so I amused myself by stretching out my legs and tapping my heels on the floor. It also helped to nicely stretch my legs since I had been sitting in the same posture for a long time. ¡°Can¡¯t you just wait quietly?¡± She returned after a short while. Holding a keyring in her mouth. I expected her to have some brilliant idea because she said that she had a plan, but it looks like she just went and stole the keys. I was a little disappointed. Just like she had done when she left the cell, she slipped in once again through the bars on the door, walked over to me, jumped up on top of me, and started to claw her way up my body. Just like before, it was quite painful because of her claws digging into my skin. ¡°The operation starts at noon tomorrow. I want you to take me out of the country while going on a rampage.¡± After reaching my shoulders, she jumped up on my tricorne causing the keys on the keyring to jangle. It felt like I was being pushed down from above. ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to leave right away? I think it would be much safer to leave the country if we go now.¡± ¡°That won¡¯t do. We need to publicize the fact that I have left the country. Otherwise, there might be people who will continue to worship me without realizing that I have left. We need to make the people realize without a doubt that I have left, and then it will be fine if only the people who still want to stay here remain. So feel free to rampage as much as possible.¡± ¡°¡­If I do that, I¡¯ll turn into a wanted criminal.¡± ¡°You¡¯re already a criminal. What nonsense are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you know? There are different degrees of sin.¡± ¡°I¡¯m saying that it doesn¡¯t matter as long as you manage to get away.¡± ¡°That¡¯s definitely the thought process of a criminal¡­¡± While making an unpleasant jangling sound with the keyring from atop my head, she snorted. ¡°I have cheated a large number of people, so I might be a criminal. Although I¡¯m not a person.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± Hearing her self-deprecating laughter, I laughed as well. ¡°I know a foolish person who said that even if you commit sins, it doesn¡¯t matter as long as you manage to run away.¡± ¡°¡­Sounds like that person is pretty strange.¡± ¡°Yes. It was a very strange person.¡± I heard the sound of something being unlocked above my head. ¡ð Well, that¡¯s what happened. After spending the night in the prison cell, we waited until noon and went outside after destroying the prison in an overly flashy manner. I went on a rampage, and made sure that this incident would be remembered for quite some time, but ensured that no one was actually injured. I flew slowly and at a low height on purpose to make it easy for the people to attack me. Maybe it was because I spent a lot of time here, but my allergies were getting worse and tears spilled out of my eyes only to be blown away by the wind. ¡°Dammit! I can¡¯t catch her!¡± ¡°Hey! Close the gates! Don¡¯t let her leave, no matter what!¡± ¡°Do whatever it takes to save Cat God-sama!¡± I was at the center of the vortex of chaos as I sped throughout the city, and my ears were assaulted by the shouts of the people. People jumped out at me many times, but, as expected, none of them managed to touch me. My chest feels hot as if it¡¯s on fire, my eyes are swollen, and at some point the itching had turned into pain. Even so, no matter how bad my condition, I was still a witch. There¡¯s no way any of them can catch me. ¡°Good, good. Go rampage some more.¡± However, please fly more safely if possible. That was the unnecessary comment by the cat, who was sitting on my arm, said after her words of praise. ¡°If I fly safely, we might get caught, you know?¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Look, we¡¯re nearly at the gates. Make sure you hold out until then.¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s pretty difficult. I mean¡ª¡± Just when I said that, ¡°Elaina-san! I misjudged you! I already felt contempt for you yesterday, but even so!¡± Rushie-san appeared. She dropped in on me from above. Sitting on her broom with staff in hand, she landed in front of me and blocked my way. She looked like she was guarding the closed gates. ¡°¡­¡­¡± So she showed up, as I expected. I was sure that she would come to get in my way. It¡¯s a major incident for this city, there¡¯s no way she would not come. She pointed her staff at me. ¡°Not only were you rude to Cat God-sama, you also broke out of prison! Really, what on earth were you thinking!? I will definitely never forgive you! You will be executed! Guilty!¡± She waved the staff. As if responding to the motion of the staff and her words, a circular portion of the ground immediately below Rushie-san started to glow white with her at the center. The light made an unpleasant sound as if something was boiling, and in the next instant, seven pillars of water appeared and headed towards me at high speed. ¡°¡ª!¡± I avoided them by tilting my broom to the side, but immediately realized that they weren¡¯t just made of regular water. Each one of the seven pillars moved independently as if they had minds of their own, and they twisted in the air to attack me again. They¡¯re like snakes. The more I avoided them, the more they continued to attack me from all directions. If I fly upwards, I get a concentrated attack from all directions. If I fly close to the ground, they coil around me and try to close in. I jumped around here and there like a small insect, and looked towards Rushie-san. She was holding her staff while sitting on her broom, and glaring fiercely at me. It looks like I can get the attacks to stop for now if I manage to get her staff away from her. Without a staff, a magician is no different from a regular person. There¡¯s nothing to fear from them. Well, the same holds true for me as well. ¡°Umm, Rushie-san. I¡¯m holding Cat God-sama right now. Are you sure you want to keep attacking me?¡± ¡°Shut up! Die!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I quickly glanced down at Cat God-sama. ¡°It looks like she¡¯s not ready to talk it over.¡± She was saying something like that, as if this didn¡¯t involve her. I ignored her, and continued to avoid Rushie-san¡¯s attacks, and then Cat God-sama spoke to me again. ¡°What are you going to do? Are you just going to stay on the defensive?¡± ¡°Both my hands are occupied right now, after all.¡± I made my broom fly up to a height where I could look down at Rushie-san¡ªbut not high enough to kill me if I fall. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry, though. I have a plan.¡± ¡°Ho. Judging by the way you said that, I assume you have a brilliant idea.¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I immediately started to prepare while twisting through the air to avoid the attacking water serpents. Well, I say preparation, but all I had to do was grab Cat God-sama in my hand. ¡°Please don¡¯t extend your claws.¡± Because that hurts. After I said that, ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± Her eyes widened as she said that. At the same time, she extended her legs as far as they would go. By the time Cat God-sama realized what I was planning to do, I had already done it. ¡°¡ªHyaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!¡± She left my hand, and slowly started to fall towards the ground while yelling. What I did was extremely simple. I don¡¯t know if it can be called a brilliant idea, but I simply threw her off the broom. I wonder if she was disappointed in me because of my simple idea? No, this action is guaranteed to have a great effect on the people of this country. ¡°Eh? A-Aah! Cat God-sama!¡± In that instant, Rushie-san who went into a panic below me weakened her attack on me. That is exactly what I had been waiting for¡ªI immediately turned my broom into a steep dive. I made my staff appear in my free hand, fired off magic in an instant while aiming it at Rushie-san¡ªand then immediately put my staff away. The magic I used was a wind-based magic. It whirled like a tornado as it agitated the dirt on the ground, and headed straight for Rushie-san. ¡°Cat God-sama¡ªeh?¡± Rushie-san had extended her hand to catch the falling Cat God-sama, but before she could manage that, she ended up taking my counterattack head on. Caught in the raging vortex of wind, Rushie-san was blown away while spinning out of control. With a loud noise, she came to a sudden stop as was slammed into a hard object made of iron. ¡°Aaaaaaaaaaaaah!¡± I flew beneath Cat God-sama who was still screaming and flailing her legs in the air as she fell. The tip of my broom scraped against the ground as I flew beneath her, and I grabbed her in one hand and held her close. After she returned to my hands, I could feel that her heart rate was abnormally high. ¡°¡­I-I thought I was going to die!¡± ¡°It worked, didn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°That¡¯s judging after the fact!¡± ¡°That holds true for most things.¡± I glanced at the gate, and saw that Rushie-san had passed out with her eyes rolled up in her head. After confirming that, I got off my broom. Some of the people were dumbfounded, and others were still emitting hostility towards me, but they were continuing to surround me. I put on my best evil expression and spoke to them. ¡°Right, then. The most powerful witch from this country just lost easily to me. Does anyone still want to have a go?¡± The people raised a commotion, but not a single one of them took a step forward. Very wise. ¡°In that case, I think I¡¯m just going to run away from this country as soon as possible. Now, please open the gates. If you don¡¯t, this cute cat will¡ªyou get the idea, right?¡± I quickly glared at the gate guard, and could tell that his shoulders were shaking, even under his flamboyant chanimail. He quickly started to open the gates. The scenery outside slowly came into view. ¡°Hey, what are you doing? I am going to leave as well. If you¡¯re going to treat me as a hostage, there¡¯s no point in doing all this.¡± Cat God-sama raised her voice in protest. ¡°Don¡¯t worry. I have a plan for this as well.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to believe in your plans anymore.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to throw you off the broom this time. Don¡¯t worry.¡± One the gate opened fully, I started to walk. I took each step carefully, while paying careful attention to everything around me. In the end, none of the people tried to do anything to me until I stepped over Rushie-san and out of the country. Looking around, I saw that the people all had frustrated expressions. Some of them were accusatory, and seemed to be hurling abuse at me, while others had dissolved into tears. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After looking at them for a while, ¡°Well then, we¡¯ll be on our way.¡± I mounted my broom after saying that. I called it a plan, but I was actually just lying. I didn¡¯t really decide where to go next. I just flew away in a random direction as fast as I could, while holding the black cat. I flew away so fast that no one would be able to catch up to me. The agonized cries of the people who had lost their god faded away as time passed and I left them behind. ¡ð I somehow managed to get away. I don¡¯t really remember how long I ran. After getting through the woods and running through the vast plain filled with greenery, we found ourselves in a gloomy forest. There are no people nearby, and no countries either. ¡°We should be fine after coming this far.¡± We¡¯ve traveled quite some distance. Looking up, I caught a glimpse of a red sky through the branches. ¡°Thank you for your help.¡± She jumped out of my hands and stood on the ground. I spoke to her while massaging my sore arms and wiping my eyes. ¡°What do you plan on doing now?¡± ¡°Nothing. I¡¯m just going to live quietly and avoid all contact with people.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m just going to continue my travels quietly and avoid all contact with cats.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good. Make sure you do that.¡± She snorted, and I spun around and sat on my broom. ¡°Well then, I hope we meet again¡ªthat reminds me, I don¡¯t know your name.¡± ¡°I have no such thing.¡± ¡°Weren¡¯t you a pet cat?¡± ¡°I already died once.¡± So I don¡¯t have a name now¡ªthat¡¯s what she told me. ¡°In that case, would you be willing to tell me what your name was when you were still a regular cat?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After looking conflicted for just a second, she opened her mouth and said her name, just that single word. It was incredibly ordinary and commonplace, but it was still a good name. I laughed and said to her, ¡°It¡¯s a nice name.¡± ¡°No one is going to ever call me by that name again, though.¡± After saying that, she laughed as well, and turned her two tails towards me. She turned her neck, looked back at me, and spoke. ¡°This is goodbye. I should be on my way¡ªI¡¯m glad that you¡¯re the last person that I met.¡± After just saying that, she disappeared into the depths of the forest. I flew up on my broom as well. I wiped my eyes, touched my sore throat, and flew towards the light. After I left the forest, I was greeted by the wind on the plains that were dyed a deep red color by the sun that hung low in the sky. ¡ð Let¡¯s talk about what happened just over a month later. I received a summons from a certain country¡ªand because I had promised to return, I once again returned to this land. I didn¡¯t really have any reason to do so, but I also stopped by at the village where I had told the people about the country full of cats. I went back there, but¡­ ¡°Greetings, nyan!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Traveler-san! Welcome, nyan! This village is a place that has achieved a harmony between cats and the countryside life, nyan! Stay as long as you like, nyan!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± They¡¯re talking in a weird manner once again. Along with that, the village has changed a little as well. I didn¡¯t see a single cat here before, but now cats are popping up everywhere I look. ¡­No. More importantly, ¡°¡­What on earth are you doing, Rushie-san?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­Please. Just don¡¯t ask.¡± The person who greeted me was none other than The Witch of Fair Skies herself. She¡¯s still wearing a robe like she was back when we met in that country, but instead of a tricorne, she¡¯s wearing a headband with cat ears attached to it. She was probably once again forced to do it by the other villagers, but it doesn¡¯t suit her at all. I feel sorry for her. I cannot keep myself from crying at this cruel reality. Rushie-san lightly rubbed her head. ¡°Elaina-san, thank you for what you did one month ago. Thanks to that, I came to my senses. It looks like I was acting quite strangely when I was living in that country.¡± ¡°I see.¡± You still look plenty strange to me¡ªI decided not to say that. ¡°What happened to that country after I left?¡± ¡°Everyone left the country, one after the other. After Cat God-sama was taken away, the people¡¯s love for cats also strangely disappeared¡ªmaybe we were all being controlled by that cat with two tails. There were even people who started to say things like that.¡± So, in that case¡­ ¡°Does that country no longer exist?¡± She gently shook her head in answer to my question. ¡°No. The are still quite a few people there who love cats, and people who really had nowhere else to go, so it¡¯s still functioning as a country. They¡¯re promoting themselves as a country where you can live together with cats, and right now the number of tourists visiting there is gradually increasing.¡± ¡°And this place is imitating that country, so that¡¯s how you ended up in such a state¡± ¡°¡­¡­I brought a few cats back with me because they were cute, but the other villagers also fell in love with the cuteness of the cats as well¡­¡± ¡°I hope it doesn¡¯t cause them to lose their sense of reason.¡± ¡°Seriously¡­¡± And then, after a short pause in the conversation, Rushie-san suddenly clapped her hands once. ¡°Ah, please wait here for a bit, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°Hmm? Ah, okay.¡± She hurriedly ran off and entered one of the houses. She came back in less than a minute while carefully carrying a large wooden box. ¡°Elaina-san, look at this!¡± She was very excited for some reason, and turned the box towards me. Looking inside, I saw a number of cats. The mother cat had a pure white coat of fur. Three of the kittens had fur that was randomly patterned in black and white. One kitten had jet-black fur. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°These kittens are less than a month old. Aren¡¯t they cute?¡± Most of the cats looked at me for an instant with a fed-up expression and went right back to sleep, but one of them seemed to have a surplus of energy. The kitten had black fur that looked like it would be nice to hold and blue eyes. Only this kitten stretched out its legs and tried to get out of the box. ¡°This one looks pretty energetic.¡± I just gave some random praise, but Rushie-san smiled and looked very happy. ¡°I know, right? Do you want to touch it?¡± ¡°No, thank you¡± I¡¯m allergic to cats, after all. ¡°Have you decided on a name?¡± ¡°The kittens don¡¯t have names yet¡ªthat¡¯s why I¡¯d like it if you picked out names for them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I replied while looking into the eyes of the black cat that had been born very recently. ¡°If it¡¯s just one of them, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡°Which one?¡± ¡°This one.¡± The black cat with a surplus of energy made a ¡°Nyaa¡± sound. ¡°Well then, the name I have in mind is¡ª¡± I said it. I told her a name that perfectly suited the black cat in front of me. It was incredibly ordinary and commonplace, but it was still a good name. Volume 2 - Epilogue Epilogue Clouds floated in the infinitely stretching sky, casting their shadow on the ground. There was a single tree growing in a spot where the sunlight was conveniently blocked, and the top of that tree was gently swaying in the breeze. The leaves, agitated by the wind, made a rustling sound as they were blown away from that singular tree standing on that peaceful plain, and flew through the air. The leaves that danced through the air bumped into a certain witch before flying off into the sky once again. ¡°¡­Mumu.¡± After lightly touching her cheeks that had been brushed by the leaves, the witch looked at the tree that stood before her. The girl with sleek, long grey hair was a witch, and traveled the world while riding a broom. She wore a black robe and a tricorne, and on her chest was a star-shaped brooch that signified she was a witch. She looked at the lonely tree and muttered ¡°Mumu,¡± while twisting her neck. She remembered seeing this tree before, that stood calmly amidst a patch of flowers. After moving under the tree and getting off her broom, she remembered where and when she had seen this tree before. ¡°This is the same tree that I took shelter from the rain under.¡± She remembered the scenery that was visible from that spot. It had started to rain while she was in the middle of her travel, so she had rested in this place for a little while. It appears she has returned to this place once again. Remembering the sight she had previously seen from this spot, her lips loosened slightly. After that, she got on her broom once again and floated up into the air. The view before her was colored in a pale green and a vast blue. It was beautiful. It was an ordinary scene, one that you might see anywhere. Even so, it was so beautiful that it took her breath away. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, the girl didn¡¯t stop here like she had done in the past. It was not raining this time, after all. There was no reason to stop. Instead of just gazing at the beautiful scenery, it would be far better for a witch and a traveler to travel amidst that beautiful scenery. She slowly floated around the tree as she considered where to go next. However, she gave up on that halfway through as she found it annoying, and once again returned to the sunlight after moving away from the tree. The fluttering leaves beneath her were gently glittering as if welcoming the witch. The wind was gently blowing as if it was caressing her. This commonplace scenery greeted the witch as it had several times before. It was as if the scenery was inviting her to places she had not yet seen in this world that seemed to stretch out infinitely in all directions. ¡°¡­I wonder what kind of place the next country is.¡± The girl whispered to no one in particular. She doesn¡¯t know the answer. And because she doesn¡¯t know, she wants to know it. The witch continued her journey through the gentle breeze with just a little excitement in her heart. Who was she, you ask? Why, it was me, of course. Afterword It is nice to meet you, or perhaps it has just been a while. I am Shiraishi Jougi. I have recently become a full-fledged member of society. When I was young, all the working adults looked like perfect and wonderful people to me, but now that I am part of that society, I see that it is not overflowing with wonderful people as I had thought, neither have I become such a person myself. It is just my environment that has changed, and I have not drastically changed in any way, and even though I have become an adult, I earnestly think that I will remain true to who I was unless I intentionally make the change. With that out of the way, I would like to thank you for purchasing Volume 2 of ¡ºMajo no Tabitabi¡». Just like the first volume, there were meetings between different people, a story that formed from that, and then they went their separate ways¡­ I understand that just having that as a single template might become boring! Because I was afraid of it being seen that way, I decided to change the idea behind Volume 2 a little. Also, she was previously just flying through forests, so I decided to change the scenery up once in awhile to give a sense of the seasons as well. Due to that, Elaina-san ended up having to endure marching through snow-covered countries and deserts in the span of a single volume. Also, the time I spent writing the manuscript for the second volume was something like a preparatory period for my first year as a member of society. Maybe because my misgivings about my new lifestyle had accumulated to such an extent, or my worries about the world I was living in had finally reached a peak, all the stories I submitted to my editor ended up being dark themed. Due to the fact that all my stories were so dark in nature, ¡°Jougi-san, have you gone over to the dark side? Are you okay?¡± I also worried my editor who then asked me such things. I am fine. I am doing very well. Incidentally, some of the stories that were too dark were edited to be a little more mild and included as a part of this book, and some of them were cast into the deepest pits of hell (meaning they were rejected). Now, it is time to say thank you. My editor, M-sama. Thank you for saving me when I was about to go over to the dark side. May the Force be with you. Azuru-sama. Thank you for continuing to provide the cute illustrations and character designs after Volume 1¡­ Princess Chocola¡¯s cuteness was especially lethal. I was about to fall in love. But that would be yuri. Goddamnit. Finally, I would like to thank all the people involved in the publication of this volume, and also all of the readers who read this book through its end, including this afterword with no real content. Thank you all so much. ¡­.I still have a few lines left, so I will post some spoilers from the next volume (assuming there will be one). A person called Shiraishi Jougi is reincarnated into a world from the present age. However, this person is not conveniently given cheat-level powers, nor are they served by beautiful women. They only happened to come from a world where the culture had advanced to a fair degree, so they don¡¯t have any technical skills either. In the first place, they don¡¯t even speak the same language. Due to these reasons, they die of starvation after a few days. I will be writing a story that ends in such a manner. As I thought, a change in environment will not cause the true essence of a person to change as well. I plan to make the story end with such a punchline. Of course, this is a lie. In case there is another volume, let us meet again! Author: Shiraishi Jougi After dirtying the toilet of a pub by vomiting, they ask to borrow a mop but only get a hand towel. Story of my life. Illustration: Azuru My remaining goal for this year is to properly digest all the games that have been piling up. Volume 3 - CH 1 Chapter 1 ¨C A Certain Woman¡¯s Troubles A witch was working as a seer at a street corner at night. The witch, whose ash-gray hair and azure eyes were her distinguishing features, sat quietly on a cloth that was spread over the ground. She was wearing a black robe, a black tricorne, and a star-shaped brooch that was proof of her being a witch. Far above the houses on either side of the street, the stars twinkled and imparted a dazzling radiance to the crystal ball that lay close at hand. The girl was a traveler, as well as a witch. ¡°Seer-san~ I don¡¯t know what to do anymore.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± The witch frowned as she looked at the drunk woman sitting in front of her. For certain reasons, she was currently working as a seer. The truth was that she was running out of money, so she was earning small change by pretending to be a seer. ¡°You¡¯ve got to listen to my story~¡± ¡°I will still charge you one gold coin just for listening to your troubles. Is that okay?¡± Who was this girl who was demanding an absurd amount of money while silently hoping that this annoying client would give up and leave? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. Unfortunately, the woman in front of me was quite wealthy. ¡ð In the first place, why does a seer have to work as a life counsellor? I wanted to make at least one complaint of that sort, but since I had already accepted the money, there was no choice. I decided to listen to her complaints. The woman looked like she was already too far gone, but no matter how annoying it was, I had to listen to her story because I had already received my fee. ¡°I~ work as a waitress in a nearby restaurant~¡± ¡°Haa.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to work there anymore~¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just quit?¡± ¡°Customers these days are horrible, you know? They always look for reasons to complain, if they find you making so much as a single mistake, they smugly complain about it, also, they make complaints, and then they make complaints as well.¡± ¡°Looks like they don¡¯t do much other than complaining.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right! What¡¯s more, the language they use is completely unwarranted. There are even people who have taken to using a phrase from a nearby country and saying ¡ºCustomers are Gods¡». ¡± ¡°Fumu fumu.¡± ¡°What do you think I should do?¡± ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll stay silent if you pray to them or something?¡± ¡°I¡¯m asking a serious question, you know? Hic.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really not sure how to respond.¡± ¡°I mean, it¡¯s true that I am an employee, and the customers are paying for service, but I just feel like saying ¡®So what?¡¯ Sure, we are receiving money from the customers, but we are also providing the items that the customers are looking for.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why, I think that we are on equal footing. If they are going to complain so much, we won¡¯t make any food for them either!¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think you¡¯re on equal footing.¡± ¡°Come on. Seer-san, I¡¯m paying you one gold coin, so listen to me properly. I¡¯m a customer, you know?¡± ¡°I think you should just take back everything you said earlier.¡± ¡°Uuu¡­ I can¡¯t take it anymore. I want to quit working.¡± ¡°Then why don¡¯t you just go ahead and quit?¡± ¡°But I have no money.¡± ¡°You just gave me a gold coin earlier, though.¡± ¡°That¡¯s my entire savings.¡± ¡°I will return it to you.¡± ¡°Seer-san, you¡¯re so kind¡­ Uuu¡­ I had no idea that there were such kind people in this world¡­ I suppose this world isn¡¯t beyond saving after all¡­¡± she sobbed. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Say, Seer-san, what do you think I should do?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I have just one piece of advice for you.¡± ¡°¡­? What is it?¡± ¡°I think you should be a little more honest with yourself.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°If someone makes a complaint to you, you should just say something back in return. Let them know how you truly feel.¡± ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be having such a hard time if I could do something like that!¡± ¡°I have just the thing for you.¡± ¡°Hmm? What¡¯s in this bottle?¡± ¡°It¡¯s magical water. It will let you reveal your true feelings.¡± ¡°Amazing¡­! I had no idea such water existed¡­!¡± ¡°It does. Here, take it. I¡¯ll let you have it for free. Drink this, and work hard at your job from tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­Uuu. No. I don¡¯t want to work.¡± ¡°Come on, don¡¯t be like that.¡± After that, the woman spent several tens of minutes complaining about things in front of my stall, and eventually said, ¡°Ah, I need to use the restroom,¡± and then left. She had gulped down the water I gave her and exclaimed, ¡°Amazing! I feel like the real me has returned at last!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, that was actually just regular water. Once the alcohol wears off and she calms down a little, I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll return to her original self. Later on, a waitress from a certain restaurant became famous throughout that country. She was apparently a horrible woman who hurled abuse at customers. When customers indicated that they wanted to order something, she would click her tongue while going over to the table, and present them with a contemptuous gaze when bringing them their food. When collecting the money, she never forgot to say ¡°Ha? Don¡¯t ever come back, you hear?¡± For some reason, this eccentric behavior was very popular with customers (mainly men) who flocked to the shop, saying, ¡°I want to be abused!¡± thereby causing the restaurant to become prosperous in the blink of an eye. It appears the people of this country are a little off. No doubt they are so hard on the waitresses because they take some sort of strange pleasure in watching a girl get depressed. This country is full of people who are a little off. That woman is now the main attraction of that restaurant. The restaurant is very crowded every day. I wonder, what caused her to become like this? There was an interview that was published in a certain newspaper. She said, ¡ºI think it¡¯s really important to reveal your true feelings.¡» Volume 3 - CH 2 Chapter 2 ¨C A Peaceful Sleep It was the season where cold and warmth mixed. The wind blowing over the plains still carried a hint of the smell of winter. The first rays of the spring sun were warm, which only served to make the chill in the air all the more noticeable. The girl who was flying over the flowering weeds on her broom looked forward while occasionally rubbing her arms. She was a witch, as well as a traveler. She wore a black robe and a tricorne, and had a star-shaped brooch on her chest that was the proof of her being a witch. The gray hair that peeked out from under her tricorne fluttered in the cold wind. Her azure eyes were turned towards a small country that stood inconspicuously between the blue sky and the plains. ¡°So that¡¯s the next country.¡± Oh, and by the way. Who was this girl who continued to travel as usual through this usual scenery? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. As usual. ¡°Excuse me, is someone there?¡± I raised my voice and said that after getting off my broom in front of the gate, but there was no reply. The gate was wide open and looked like it was inviting travelers inside; however, the interior of the country was filled with a persistent silence, which was troubling. What¡¯s this? Can I just go ahead and enter without permission? I was expecting a guard to be at the gate, at least. Well, if no one is going to come out, then it must mean that I can just go ahead and enter. And so, I decided to step inside the country. ¡°¡­Hoho.¡± I was greeted by the sight of traditional-looking houses. They had brick walls of a subdued color and the roofs were tiled, and they stood in rows on either side of the street. The walls had small cracks running through them and were a little dirty, and although the dirt was conspicuous, it felt like part of the scenery of this city which had a sense of unity. As if to emphasize the calm atmosphere, the interior of the city was wrapped in silence. It felt like there was nobody in this country at all. After walking through the city for a little while, I came upon a large plaza. I came to a stop over there. There was a large hole in the plaza, and the dirt that had been dug up from there was piled to the side like a mountain. Although the city was entirely devoid of people, I could see traces of people having been here. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± When I looked into the hole, the reason why I didn¡¯t see anybody in the country was made readily apparent. People wrapped in scraps of cloth had been piled inside the hole. There was a massive number of them. The reason why I didn¡¯t see anybody in the country was because they were all gathered here. ¡°¡ªNnn. Who¡¯s there?¡± When I was dazedly staring into the hole, I heard a voice. It was a woman¡¯s voice. When I looked around, I saw a woman riding a broom and looking down at me while holding a staff in one hand. Her hair was made up in a single ponytail at the back of her head, but she was not wearing a robe or a tricorne. However, it was obvious that she was a magician, and there were several people floating behind her broom. It looked like she was levitating them with magic. She spoke while gently lowering them inside the hole. ¡°You¡¯re not from this country, are you?¡± I nodded and replied, ¡°I¡¯m a traveler. I came across this place while I was riding on my broom.¡± ¡°I see¡­ Did you perhaps intend on staying here for a while?¡± ¡°Yes, I did.¡± Until I saw this disastrous scene, at least. ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t do that.¡± ¡°Yes, that appears to be the case.¡± The woman nodded and gently landed in front of me. She was about one head taller than me, so I was looking up at her while she gazed down at me. ¡°You¡¯ve seen what kind of state this country is in, and this place will be closed down by tomorrow.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What happened here?¡± It looks like everyone is dead¡­ As if she guessed my thoughts after seeing me look towards the hole, she also looked at the hole that she had just added more people to a moment ago and said, ¡°These people are all asleep.¡± And then, ¡°They are in a sleep resembling death.¡± Saying that, she lowered her gaze. ¡ð Apparently, there used to be a famous seer in this country. From a young age, the seer worked for the sake of the country and predicted things like the weather, whether the harvest would be abundant or they would have a poor crop, the location of pets that had disappeared from their homes, what kind of fortune people would have on any given day, and even things like a person¡¯s lifespan and the person they were fated to marry. Although not all of his predictions were accurate, it appeared that there was a strange magic in the seer¡¯s words as his predictions very rarely failed: most of them came true. Apparently, even if his prediction failed to come true, it would be settled with a convenient explanation like, ¡°The prediction must have failed because we had already heard about what was going to happen.¡± It appeared that the people of this country were a superstitious bunch. The people were intoxicated by the power of the seer, came to rely on his predictions, and ran to him for advice as soon as something happened. By the time the seer got on in age and his face became creased with wrinkles, he was apparently the most important person in the country. The woman I met earlier¡ªher name was Charlotte¡ªwas also apparently a believer of that seer. However, even though he was called a seer and had the power to see the future, he could not resist when it was time for him to die. About half a year ago, the seer passed away peacefully as if he was just going to sleep, while surrounded by a large number of people. His death caused the people of the country to become terribly afraid. It wasn¡¯t because they had lost the seer. On the verge of death, the seer had left behind a terrible prediction. ¡°This country will fall into ruin half an year from now,¡± he said. Nobody knew the precise time after half a year when the country would be ruined, or even why it would be ruined. However, due to the seer¡¯s track record, his vague final words sowed an unbearable fear within the hearts of the people. After that, most of the citizens abandoned the country before half a year came to pass. They must have been afraid of dying along with the country more than anything. In the end, less than a hundred people remained in the country. They must have loved their country more than anything. They lived quietly, even as they trembled in fear of their death, which might have visited itself upon them at any moment. And then, four days ago. Charlotte-san said that when she went to bed as usual, she saw a strange dream. ¡°Hey there. You¡¯re Charlotte, aren¡¯t you?¡± She saw a demon in her dream. The demon was strange. It looked just like her, but it had twisted horns growing out of its head and bat-like wings on its back. ¡°Who are you?¡± ¡°I¡¯m the one who will fulfill your wish. You¡¯re living in this country so that you can die here, right? I¡¯ll fulfill your wish in your dream because I feel so sorry for you. It can be anything. Just tell me what your wish is. I will show you an ideal world.¡± ¡°Eeh, that seems really suspicious¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m a demon, after all.¡± Although the logic was questionable, it was a dream after all, so she thought that such absurdity was only to be expected and ceased to pry too deeply into the matter. ¡°Now, what is your wish? I will give you three days in your ideal world.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± It was a dream after all, so she didn¡¯t retort. And so, she made her wish. ¡°In that case, I want to be a magician.¡± She told me that the next three days in her dream were really perfect. She flew freely through the sky on her broom, levitated all sorts of things with magic, and lived while using magic however she wished. The time she spent in that dream went by in a flash as one would expect from a dream, and at noon on the third day, the demon once again appeared before her. ¡°Well, how was it? Did you have fun? By the way, you can continue to stay in this dream if that is your wish. Even if you go back to the real world, there¡¯s nothing to do there except wait for your death, right? In that case, wouldn¡¯t it be more fun to keep living in this dream?¡± That made sense. Even if she woke up from the dream, the only thing waiting for her was a sad life where she could only wait to die. However, she did not consent to stay within that dream. ¡°Why not?¡± After hearing her story up to that point, I asked her that out of curiosity. In reply, Charlotte-san said, ¡°Just think about it. True, continuing to live inside that dream sounded wonderful, and there was no need to wait for my death. But can you really call that living? No matter how pleasant it is, a dream has to end eventually, right? At some point, you have to return to your real life. Even if death is just around the corner, I think that shutting yourself away in an ideal dream world can¡¯t really be called living.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You may be right.¡± ¡°That¡¯s why I rejected the demon¡¯s offer.¡± The demon looked at her shaking her head, and just said ¡°I see,¡± as if it understood what was going through her mind. It was a really indifferent response. And then, ¡°If you¡¯re going back to the real world, I¡¯ll give you a parting gift. Something to remember me by.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haa.¡± Charlotte-san nodded while thinking that it really was a strange dream. ¡°You became a magician in your dream, right? So I¡¯ll make you capable of using magic in the real world as well. When you wake up, you should be able to use magic, just like you did in your dream.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Haa.¡± Charlotte-san said ¡°Thank you,¡± while thinking to herself that there was no way something like that could really happen. She appeared to be only mildly interested. Perhaps she had given up on everything because she thought that it was only a dream, and once she returned to the real world, the only thing awaiting her was death. ¡°I¡¯ve made enough of a profit from all the human lives I¡¯ve taken here that I can afford to make you a magician¡ªso this is a gift. Feel free to use it as you wish in the real world.¡± In the end, the demon smiled. Charlotte-san told me that it was clearly a fake smile. And so, she was released from her dream. ¡°Although it sounds incredible, I became capable of using magic, just like the demon told me in my dream. I can fly through the sky on a broom, and can levitate all manner of things using magic.¡± Charlotte-san talked like she wasn¡¯t really interested in the matter. ¡°I¡¯m sure the others have also woken up from their dream and received something wonderful¡ªor so I thought as I flew around the country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°The result is what you see here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­None of them had woken up?¡± She calmly nodded. ¡°They appear to have breathed their last inside their blissful dreams.¡± ¡ð By the time she had woken up, the other citizens had passed away while looking like they were still asleep. The reason for that was obvious. Charlotte-san dug a hole for the citizens who had passed away, wrapped their soulless bodies in cloth, and threw them inside. ¡°By the way, the ones I put inside earlier were the last. I¡¯m the only person left in this country.¡± ¡°What do you plan to do from now on?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see. For now, I plan to leave the country once I finish covering up this hole. To tell you the truth, I intended to die along with this country. I intended to accept the destruction that was sure to come. But instead, I obtained magic. It would be wasteful to just wait to die.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°I¡¯m going to leave this country.¡± Saying so, she waved her staff. A large amount of dirt covered the piled bodies, and eventually, all traces of the hole disappeared. ¡ð I decided to leave the country on the same day. Although there was no one around and the country was basically done for, I didn¡¯t want to stay for long in this country with a creepy atmosphere. And so, after saying a brief goodbye to Charlotte-san, I went out of the gate and once again headed towards the plains. ¡°¡­¡­¡± In the end, that country would probably cease to exist by tomorrow. As the Seer had predicted, every citizen of the country had disappeared in the six months after his death. If the Seer hadn¡¯t said anything, perhaps the country would not have been ruined. Or perhaps the ruin of this country was inevitable. This conclusion was most likely brought about by the trusting hearts of the people who lived here, and the demon that took advantage of them. No matter what the circumstances, if you only think about bad things, then you will end up seeing everything negatively. However if you only focus on the things that are convenient to you, you will be blind to the world and might lose your life before you know what went wrong. Just like the citizens who were trapped in their dreams and lost their lives. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I suppose that the moral of this story is that everything should be done in moderation, and if you allow your feelings to swing too much to either extreme, you¡¯ll end up breaking. And so. I¡¯ll leave aside the good and bad things for now. I continue my unchanging, indifferent journey. As usual. Volume 3 - CH 3 Chapter 3 ¨C The Newspaper on One Particular Day How do you do!? I¡¯m Elaina! The Witch of Ashes, Elaina! I¡¯ve been going on one journey after another for the past few years, and I¡¯ve been staying in this country for the past few days! I¡¯m a super-beautiful witch with my characteristic beautiful grey hair and azure eyes! I usually wear a black tricorne and a black robe. If you see me around town, don¡¯t be afraid to say hello! Ufufu. By the way, this country is really amazing! By all means, the food is delicious! I¡¯ve never been to a country that has had such delicious food! The food from this country is undoubtedly the best in the world! It is simply wonderful! Everything gets a three-star rating! The restaurants that serve food, the cafes that sell coffee, and even the street stall vendors who sell bread, they can undoubtedly be proud of the fact that they are the best in the world. What¡¯s more, the scenery is also amazing! The sky is extremely clear, and at night you can see a sky full of stars. From the viewing platform, you can see a range of mountains decorated with snow-capped peaks, and if you listen carefully, you can hear the gentle breeze. It¡¯s really just too wonderful! The food and scenery alone already make this place unbelievably wonderful, but this country still has more to offer! The streets of the city and the people who live here are so wonderful that everything else pales in comparison! There are rows of buildings, each one with a long history, and every resident speaks to me with a smile. Should I get lost they come to help me right away, and the people in every store treat us customers as if we were gods. When I tried to leave a tip after eating, I was told, ¡°That¡¯s not required, we only did what was natural.¡± This is the first time that that has happened! Amazing! Such wonderful customer service! I am so impressed that I don¡¯t even have the words to describe it! Also, the men who live in this country are all handsome! No matter where you look, there are handsome men everywhere! I have to be careful not to accidentally fall in love with them, so I¡¯m really having a hard time! Ufufu. In any case, I really enjoyed the few days I spent in that country. It was really a great experience. I will probably never come across such a wonderful country ever again! ¡ð ¡°¡­¡­¡± Cafes usually have a newspaper stand near the reception, and I make it a point to read through all of them in order. You can never have too much information, and it is interesting because depending on the newspaper, they may take different stances on the same issue, and sometimes you even see a completely opposite opinion. What¡¯s more, they are a perfect way to pass the time until my coffee arrives. Depending on the country, you might find newspapers from other nearby countries as well. ¡°¡­¡­¡± I just happened to be in one such country that day, and there was a newspaper from a nearby country¡ªone I had visited only a few days ago. Of course, I read it. ¡°¡­¡­What the heck.¡± I was completely dumbfounded. Or, more accurately, it made my blood boil. My anger reached the maximum level. I gripped the newspaper so hard that it crumpled. My expression must have become quite fierce as well. The waitress who bought my coffee said, ¡°Thank you for waiting, here¡¯s your coffee¡­ Hiii!¡± and let out a scream. ¡°Aah, I¡¯m sorry. Thank you.¡± I put paper aside for now, and took a deep breath. ¡°Ah, that¡¯s okay¡­ is there something about the newspaper that upset you?¡± The waitress put my coffee on the table while looking at the expression on my face. ¡°I¡¯ve visited this country once before.¡± ¡°Oh, that country? Haha, I understand.¡± The waitress looked like she was convinced of something as she held the platter with both hands and nodded. ¡°Were you also one of the people who took a survey when you were leaving that country?¡± Hmm? ¡°What do you mean, one of the people?¡± She¡¯s right, I do remember filling out a survey. Actually, we¡¯re using the opinions of people from other countries as material for our newspaper articles¡ªthey even promoted the survey like that. ¡°I went on a trip to that country once before¡­ A few days later, after I came back here, I saw a similar article in the newspaper filled with lies.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± I see, so that country publishes fictitious articles in their newspaper on a daily basis. I can¡¯t trust them at all. A newspaper that can¡¯t be trusted is not worth reading. It would be far more useful to just dump it into the fireplace. ¡°Until very recently, that country didn¡¯t allow foreigners inside. That¡¯s why I was curious about it and went to see¡ªit¡¯s only natural to feel curious about how popular other places are. Although I wrote ¡ºI didn¡¯t see anything particularly novel¡» in the survey, it was altered to read that I had said ¡ºIt was a wonderful country!¡» instead.¡± ¡°Haah? You want to order? Write the order slip yourself! What, you have a problem with that? You pig!¡± I heard someone shouting that from the other side of the restaurant. After glancing in that direction, the girl in front of me slumped her shoulders and said, ¡°¡­¡­Even if we took that kind of attitude, I¡¯m sure it would be twisted around in that country to say something else.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± After looking at the expression on the face of the angry waitress on the other side of the restaurant, I pulled my tricorne lower to cover my face and asked, ¡°But what do they gain by modifying the opinions in that way?¡± ¡°Who knows? I don¡¯t have the answer to that.¡± ¡°Fumu¡­¡± ¡°By the way, there¡¯s something else I¡¯ve heard about that place¡ª¡± The waitress spoke. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that even though the gates of the country are now open, not a single citizen of that country has ever set foot outside.¡± ¡°Oh? Why not?¡± ¡°Maybe because they believe that their country is better than anywhere else?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± They don¡¯t want to leave their country. They lack the courage to go outside. In order to gloss over those feelings, perhaps the people of that country had taken to falsifying the articles in their newspapers to try and make their own country more attractive. If they were already living in a wonderful country, there was no need to go outside¡ªthat¡¯s probably what they thought. ¡°By the way, have there been any people who took up residence in that country?¡± Hearing my question, the waitress laughed as if the answer was obvious. ¡°Of course not. At least, as far as I know.¡± Volume 3 - CH 4 Chapter 4 ¨C The Grape-stomping Girl Two neighboring villages celebrate a joint harvest festival, and this is the tenth year since they began. I heard that they used to quarrel, resent each other, and fight over pointless things before, but now there is no trace of that. To the children who were born there in the last ten years, it was as if the two neighboring villages were actually one large village. ¡°Hey, Grandpa, is our village really on good terms with the other village?¡± However, one young boy was somewhat skeptical about the situation of the two villages¡ªor one big village¡ªthat seemed to get along so well. It was no surprise he felt that way. After all, the harvest festival that was being celebrated today felt like an event designed to tear the two villages apart. There were old people who carried over wooden crates full of grapes, set them down in the middle of the road, and massaged their waists. ¡°Are you curious about why we carry out this festival?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± ¡°Hohoho¡­ It¡¯s to maintain the relationship between the two villages.¡± ¡°Eeeh? But¡­¡± The boy looked at the contents of the crates. The grapes that had just been picked that morning were shining like jewels in the light of the sun. There were a large number of similar crates¡ªso many that it wasn¡¯t possible to count them all¡ªsitting on the narrow and short road that separated the two villages. There were crates being brought there by both villages. This was the main event of the harvest festival. After preparing the crates packed full of grapes, the villagers would throw them at each other and become covered in grape juice¡ªit was the kind of event that just seemed like a waste of perfectly good grapes. At face value, it appeared to be a festival where people prayed Let us have a plentiful harvest so that we can afford to be covered in grape juice, but the people who participated in the festival were quite savage. For example, last year there were cases where men from the other village, rejected by girls from this village, took revenge by covering them in grape juice from head to toe. Even married couples from the same village unleashed their bottled-up dissatisfaction by shouting insults and complaints at each other while rubbing grapes into each others¡¯ faces. The people, who usually lived comfortably with each other, for some reason changed completely on this one day and behaved like they were possessed by demons. There was even a feeling that the two villages would split apart by the next day. Surprisingly, however, apart from the road covered in grape pulp, everything went back to normal the day after the festival. Perhaps the festival acted as a pressure valve that let people blow off steam at regular intervals. Even the boy understood that very well. However, that was why he was still skeptical. If the villages really were on good terms, they would not need to hold such a festival. ¡°Your thinking is correct. Our village is most certainly not on good terms with the other village. Not only do I think they¡¯re annoying, I also consider all the people of that village to be my enemies.¡± ¡°Then why are we holding such a festival?¡± ¡°We¡¯re holding it precisely for that reason. We clear away the grudges by throwing grapes at each other. The two villages are certainly not on good terms. However, we just found a day on which we could be honest with our feelings. On that day, ten years ago.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­¡± ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve never told you about what happened ten years ago, right? Do you want to know?¡± ¡°Yeah! Tell me! Tell me!¡± The old man looked into the faraway sky. He could see birds flying through the sky without a sound, and that view was unchanging, no different from what he had seen ten years ago. ¡°On that day, ten years ago¡ªa traveler came to our village.¡± ¡°Hoho?¡± Ah, this was definitely going to turn into a long-winded tale. The boy realized that in an instant. He also wished that his grandfather had waited until they went back home, if he wanted to tell such a long-winded tale. ¡°That traveler was a witch with ash-grey hair that gently hung over her shoulders. She was like an angel but also like the devil.¡± ¡°Hmm.¡± ¡°In that way, a witch, who are rarely seen around these parts, came to visit our village. That day became an unforgettable day for our village¡ª¡± And so the old man spoke of what happened on that day, ten years ago. ¡ð The witch, who appeared to be an angel but also looked like the devil should you take a closer look, was on a journey. Who was she? Yes, it was me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was a peaceful country road. The clear blue sky seemed to stretch out infinitely, and the birds appeared to be flying joyfully without making a sound. The path that ran in between the greenery on either side was brown in color, and led towards two villages that were visible a little way ahead. I flew on my broom, following the winding road. The gentle breeze that was common here touched me with pleasantly cool fingers every time I accelerated. Feeling just the right amount of comfort, I took a deep breath and looked ahead. There were two small, neighboring villages. These villages that were small and looked inviting were known elsewhere as the two wine-making villages. ¡°Welcome, Witch-sama! You are really lucky, choosing today of all days to visit us! Please come on in. The chief of our village is delighted to have you as a guest.¡± I received a great welcome when I reached one of the villages. People came out of their houses to get a look at my face, and smiled happily. I followed my guide and was taken to the village chief, and received a great welcome here too, from an old man who laughed with a ¡°Hohoho.¡± ¡°I must say, you¡¯re quite good looking.¡± He¡¯s saying I¡¯m cute, right? ¡°Ah, yes, I know. Thank you.¡± I had no idea why he complimented me all of a sudden, so I just forced a smile for now. Even if you don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, you can get through most situations by smiling vaguely. This is the secret to success, and it¡¯s what smart people do. Anyways, getting back to the point. ¡°This village is famous for its wine, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Indeed. Wine is the speciality of this village¡­ by the way, you look quite young. Do you like wine?¡± ¡°Mhm.¡± Actually, I¡¯ve never drunk wine before. In fact, I only came here because I heard that the wine is very delicious. It¡¯s my first time drinking something which contains alcohol, after all. I¡¯d prefer to drink something delicious. ¡°The wine made in our village is exquisite, without a doubt. It¡¯s incomparably more delicious than the wine produced by that other village! One might even say that our wine was made by the gods themselves!¡± ¡°Oh?¡± By the way, according to what I was told, ¡°The wines from both villages aren¡¯t really all that different. Rather, they¡¯re pretty much the same thing.¡± However, there might be something that only the locals can understand. ¡°Still, the folks over at yonder village are quite stubborn. They don¡¯t want to lose to our village, so they recently started doing that. They¡¯re so shameless!¡± ¡°Hehee.¡± ¡°And this is wine I was talking about!¡± The village chief banged a bottle of wine down on the table with a loud sound. It had a label that read ¡ºEven better than the wine made five years ago, which was called the best harvest in all of history¡». I¡¯m not really sure whether it¡¯s saying the wine is delicious or not. The name of the wine was ¡ºThe Wine From Yonder Village¡». What kind of name is that? ¡°By the way, our village is called Hither Village.¡± Oh, so they¡¯re the names of the villages. I see. However, rather than that useless bit of trivia, I was more interested in what was in the center of the label. It was a picture of a smiling girl, whose golden hair had a bit of a wave to it. ¡ºI stomp-stomped on the grapes with all my love.¡» It had that written in a speech bubble. In addition, it also said ¡ºOrigin: Yonder Village¡¯s grape stomping girl, Rosemary-chan¡». ¡°¡­¡­¡­What the heck is this?¡± When I said that, the village chief banged the table with his fist. So noisy. ¡°This is what I was talking about! Yonder Village was unable to win against us, so they resorted to this desperate strategy! Look! Look at Rosemary-chan on the label! The other village has set up Rosemary-chan as the origin!¡± ¡°Shouldn¡¯t it be ¡®manufacturer¡¯ instead of ¡®origin?¡¯¡± ¡°Writing it as ¡®origin¡¯ works better to arouse the buyers.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­.¡± Arouse, huh? ¡°In any case, Yonder Village is steadily increasing their sales of wine by selling such an item that incites fetishism!¡± ¡°Hehee.¡± This sells? Something like this actually sells? ¡°Hither village is in a serious predicament because of this. It¡¯s a very big problem!¡± ¡°They¡¯re just changing the label, though, right? Is it actually delicious?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Y-You¡¯ve never drunk it, so you wouldn¡¯t understand.¡± Oh look, you¡¯re getting flustered. You drank it, didn¡¯t you? Wait, that bottle is empty. Did you drink it all? Looking at my judgemental stare, the village chief averted his gaze. ¡°Wine made from a cute girl¡¯s stomp-stomping is delicious as expected¡­¡± ¡°By the way, what does this ¡®stomp-stomp¡¯ mean?¡± ¡°In our villages, the girls use that term to refer to pulping the grapes with their feet.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± Why use such a strange term for something like that? ¡°Then why don¡¯t you compete by having a cute girl stomp-stomp for you as well?¡± As usual, I gave some random and vague advice. I just wanted to end the conversation that appeared to be going nowhere. Truly, this is the smart people¡¯s secret to success. Yes indeed. ¡°Well said!¡± However. The village chief banged both his hands down on the table and leaned forwards. ¡°You¡¯re exactly right! If we get a good looking girl to stomp-stomp for us, we can win!¡± ¡°Y-Yes¡­¡­¡± ¡°And so, without further ado! Please help us out.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Mu mu?¡± ¡°A good looking girl like you should do just fine, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Mu mu mu?¡± ¡°Actually, just do it. This is something only you can do.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Mu mu mu mu?¡± Oh, what¡¯s this? Did my secret techniques for success attract trouble instead? ¡ð ¡°Everyone! Listen up! This Witch-dono here has agreed to be our grape-stomping girl!¡± The village chief dashed out of his house and shouted that to the people who were gathered in the village. As soon as they heard that, the villagers raised both hands into the air and let out three cheers. ¡­¡­¡­ No. No no no no no. ¡°Excuse me, I didn¡¯t say anything of the sort.¡± ¡°Everyone! Witch-san is just raring to go!¡± No, I¡¯m not. I have absolutely interest in doing that, you know? ¡°Umm¡­ This is really hard to say, but¡ª¡± ¡°Alright people, bring me a big tub and all the grapes you can find! I¡¯m going to make her stomp them until her legs fall off!¡± Oh, so you¡¯ve finally revealed your true nature. Yeah, I should probably just leave. I spun around on the spot, picked up my bag, and started walking. The villagers are running around preparing a tub and other things. They¡¯re overflowing with the intent to make me stomp grapes. I don¡¯t care. I¡¯m just going to ignore them. Thankfully, the villagers seem to be intent on their tasks, so I should be able to sneak away safely. If it comes to it, I can just fly away on my broom to escape. ¡­Or so I thought while I was walking away. ¡°Oh my! If it isn¡¯t the outdated people from Hither Village. Whatever are you doing? Hmm?¡± I did not expect anyone to appear and block my way. A golden haired girl, who looked vaguely familiar, stood there with an arrogant expression and one hand near her mouth while looking down at the villagers. She had a number of men with particularly good physiques pulling carts behind her, so she gave the impression of a female boss, or a queen of some sort. ¡°Y-You are¡­ Rosemary-chan!¡± ¡°How do you do, Village Chief-san? What are all of you doing?¡± ¡°That¡¯s none of your business! In fact, I¡¯d like to know what all of you are doing here! This is Hither Village!¡± It felt like a dangerous situation was developing, but seeing the village chief still clutching the wine bottle with the Rosemary-chan label, I could only think that he was putting up a brave front. Rosemary-chan turned up her nose at him and spoke. ¡°We are returning from making a sale of wine. Several carts¡¯ worth of wine, in fact. Haven¡¯t I told you many times before to keep the road clear because we will be using it at this time? What is all this racket about?¡± ¡°Why you¡­ Taking me for a fool¡­!¡± ¡°Oh my, what¡¯s that wine bottle you¡¯re holding in your hand?¡± The village chief hid the wine bottle immediately. Looking closely, you could see that it was signed by Rosemary-chan herself. So he must be a fan. ¡°Also, who¡¯s this midget of a girl? She seems to be cosplaying as a witch.¡± How rude. ¡°Despite how I look, I am a real witch.¡± After giving me a glance, Rosemary-chan turned to look at the village chief once again. ¡°Oh, I see.¡± She seemed to have figured something out after seeing the villagers making preparations for grape-stomping¡ªher expression turned unpleasant. ¡°I see. You can¡¯t win against me, so you planned to use this seedy-looking girl to stomp-stomp the grapes, is that it? Fufufu.¡± ¡°Seedy-looking?¡± ¡°Her face is average, and her body is like that of a child.¡± ¡°Average? Like that of a child?¡± ¡°Actually, let me correct myself. You don¡¯t just look like one, you are a child. You can¡¯t win against me even if you get a child like this to stomp-stomp the grapes, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Okay, now I¡¯m mad. Why do I have to be ridiculed to such an extent by someone I¡¯ve just met? ¡°Oh well, try your best. I have more grapes to stomp-stomp, so I will take my leave¡ªplease move aside, seedy-looking Witch-san.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hoho. I certainly can¡¯t just back down after being looked down upon so much. ¡°My name is Elaina. Pleased to make your acquaintance.¡± I took a step forward and glared at Rosemary-chan¡¯s smirking face. ¡°Did you not hear me? I asked you to get out of my sight.¡± She just said that, without changing her expression at all. Her expression was triumphant. She seemed to think that she had already won, or that it wouldn¡¯t be much of a fight at all. ¡­¡­How annoying. I suppose I¡¯ll just have to beat her. Completely and utterly. I got caught up in the situation, and ended up helping the people of Hither Village by working as their grape-stomping girl. I agreed to help them, but¡­ ¡°¡­What¡¯s with the cosplay outfit?¡± According to the village chief, the girls who stomp grapes must wear a particular type of outfit. A wine-red flared skirt, and a similarly wine-red tunic with long sleeves. There are frills on the sleeves, and the whole ensemble looks a lot like a red colored maid uniform. Why do I have to wear something like this? According to the village chief, it is more arousing this way. I don¡¯t understand his logic. ¡°Well, anyways, please start stomp-stomping, Witch-dono.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was obvious that my long hair would get in the way while stomping the grapes, so I tied it up into a single ponytail at the back of my head and extended my bare feet into the tub. ¡°By the way, how should I go about stomping the grapes?¡± ¡°It¡¯ll be fine as long as you stomp on them thoroughly while putting your love into it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± What should I do if I have no love to put in at all? ¡°For now, I will stomp on them while remembering my hatred for Rosemary-chan.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®stomp!¡¯ It¡¯s ¡®stomp-stomp!¡¯¡± His words sounded like nonsense, so I ignored him. ¡°¡­Ei.¡± I pinched the fabric of the skirt with both hands, pulled it up to knee-level, and lowered my feet into the tub. The pale green grapes that filled the tub transmitted a cool feeling to the soles of my feet. When I put my weight on them, they were immediately crushed and a clear liquid gushed out of them. A concentrated sweet smell rose up from below me. I raised my wet feet like I was going to run, but there was no place to run to, and I once again stepped down on the disgustingly soft grapes. As I kept stepping on them, the crushed skins of the grapes got in between my toes. Crush the grapes, release the juice, and crush them yet again. The feeling of stepping on the rounded and soft grapes gradually turned into a strange feeling, as if I was walking on wet sand. It felt a little disgusting, but it was also weirdly addictive. A strange feeling. To put it concisely, it was very exciting. ¡°Die¡­ Die¡­ Die¡­ Die¡­!¡± And so, I was slightly motivated. Seeing me that way, the villagers around me started to take a lot of pictures and let out shouts of joy. I think the curses I was currently muttering were also directed in part at those villagers who were taking pictures of me without permission. After a while, my legs were completely drenched in grape juice. The villagers continued to crowd around me, and stress levels continued to rise. During the latter half, I stomped on the grapes after completely shutting away all my emotions. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I wonder how difficult it must be for Rosemary-chan, who is forced to do this every day? Most likely, she is being forced to bear all the expectations of the people from Yonder Village and stomp on the grapes everyday. ¡­¡­ Well, her struggles and her attitude towards me are different matters. ¡ð ¡°¡­¡­So tired.¡± I was resting in the village chief¡¯s house after stomping the grapes for a while. According to the village chief, he wanted me to stomp on grapes one more time. He apparently wanted to take this chance to manufacture the wine in bulk. ¡°You¡¯ve done a fine job, Witch-dono. Here, take a look. We will be using this kind of bottle to hold the wine that you have helped make.¡± The village chief put down a bottle in front of me. ¡ºThe best wine from Hither Village¡» ¡ºMade with my feelings of hatred and irritation¡» ¡ºOrigin: The Witch of Ashes, Elaina-san¡» Along with that text, the label on the bottle had a picture of me stomping on the grapes with a smile steeped in darkness. ¡°¡­¡­Will this really sell?¡± I don¡¯t think anyone will buy this. ¡°The people from Hither Village have decided to take a different approach from Yonder Village. If they want to use Rosemary-chan¡¯s beauty as a selling point, we¡¯ve decided to get rid of that factor altogether and use a different strategy to make our sales.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± ¡°It will probably be a big hit among the people with those kinds of tastes.¡± ¡°Do the people who buy wine all have such an interest in sexual things?¡± ¡°Well, considering how well Rosemary-chan¡¯s wine is selling, you might have a point.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± What is so great about getting drunk on wine made from something a girl has stomped on? I don¡¯t understand it at all. I felt a headache coming on. That¡¯s enough of this topic. ¡°By the way, how much wine can be made with that amount from earlier?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ About half a cask, would be my best guess.¡± ¡°Eeh. That¡¯s all?¡± I thought I stomped on quite a lot of grapes. ¡°And that¡¯s why I want you to stomp on enough for the remaining half as well.¡± Hearing the truth just makes me lose my motivation even more. However, if I run away now, ¡ºOh, my! As I thought, she ran away! Of course she did, the work of a grape-stomping girl isn¡¯t so easy that even a newcomer can keep it up for long!¡» I get the feeling that she¡¯d make fun of me again by saying something like that. Umumu. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°¡­Hmm?¡± At this point, I suddenly realized something. ¡°Umm, that bottle you¡¯re holding so dearly¡ªhow well does it sell?¡± ¡°It sells quite well. It¡¯s so popular that all the wine being sold by Yonder Village belongs to Rosemary-chan.¡± ¡°All of it, you say¡­¡­?¡± Does that mean she¡¯s stomping on grapes every day from morning till dusk? ¡­¡­ Hang on. If that¡¯s the case, then something doesn¡¯t add up. Actually, a lot of things don¡¯t add up. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After thinking about it for a while, I started to talk. ¡°Village Chief-san. How much longer until we get back to work?¡± After that, I left the village chief¡¯s house and ran towards Yonder Village. I kept the grape-stomping outfit on, but wore my shoes. There were many things that I felt were strange about this situation. It was such an obvious ploy, I seriously wondered why nobody from Hither Village had realized it. I followed the cart tracks on the path until I reached Yonder Village, and then ran inside. One of the points that I¡¯m curious about are these wheels. It looked like Rosemary-chan was leading a number of men and personally selling the wine to the customers, but would a girl who is tasked with stomping grapes really work to sell the wine as well? If all the wine being sold by Yonder Village is supposed to come from Rosemary-chan¡¯s efforts, that makes it even more suspicious. How many grapes would she need to stomp on in order to significantly improve the income of an entire village? How much time would she need to spend on that? If she was really spending that much time and effort to stomp grapes, would she have enough spare time to help with selling the wine? Actually, isn¡¯t it just plain impossible for one person to be responsible for manufacturing all the wine? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In other words, putting it simply. ¡°Fufufu¡­ Alright you trash, keep working for my sake! You want to sell the wine with my label, don¡¯t you? Well, answer me!¡± Following the cart tracks, I reached a building that looked like a factory. There was a tough-looking man guarding the entrance, so I put him to sleep with magic and slightly opened the door. The voice that was leaking outside the building apparently belonged to Rosemary-chan. She had her arms crossed, and was swilling some wine about in a wine glass while relaxing on a chair. It was pretty much just as I had imagined. ¡°¡­¡­As I thought.¡± She was not a grape-stomping girl. She was not stomping on any grapes. In that case, who was working to manufacture the wine? ¡ºLeft! Right! Left! Right! Left! Right!¡» The answer was simple. It was evident with just a glance. The tough-looking men who pulled her carts were, in local parlance, stomp-stomping the grapes. Wine made from the efforts of sweaty men crushing the grapes¡ªthis was the true nature of Rosemary-chan¡¯s mass-produced wine. In other words, she was lying about the manufacturing method. This is already enough reason for a lawsuit. ¡ð ¡°No, that¡¯s wrong! It was only today! I just happened to not feel like doing it today! On other days, I work from morning till dusk stomp-stomping the grapes!¡± After tying up all the people there with rope on the spot, I dragged them over to the road that ran in between Yonder Village and Hither Village. The people from Hither Village seemed to have realized something after seeing her and her helpers trussed up, so they gathered around while still holding the grapes they had prepared for grape-stomping. The people from Yonder Village also seemed to have arrived at some sort of conclusion from that sight, and they too assembled around the area while bringing their own grapes, albeit while fidgeting slightly. Apparently, the people from Yonder Village knew that Rosemary-chan¡¯s wine was just the product of the efforts of sweaty men. ¡°Crap¡­ they finally found out about it?¡± ¡°Kuuh¡­ It was such a good business too¡­¡± ¡°Hey, what do we do about this?¡± Their voices were clearly audible to me. I gave small cough to clear my throat, gently swayed the wine glass that I had plundered from Rosemary-chan, and sighed at the sweet smell that rose from it. ¡°You know, Rosemary-san, you can hardly expect us to believe that you alone were responsible for all the wine made in Yonder Village. The amount of wine made clearly doesn¡¯t add up, and you most certainly wouldn¡¯t have had the time to help with sales as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Umm, that is¡­ I mean¡­¡± Rosemary-chan became flustered. ¡°Actually, Rosemary-san, how can you bear to drink the wine that you forced men to make for you? Don¡¯t you feel any guilt or discomfort?¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s not a problem. That wine was made from grapes that I stomp-stomped a long time ago.¡± ¡°That wine? A long time ago?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Oops.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Is she really that dumb? I took a sip of the wine that I held in my hand. ¡°What is the meaning of this!? Is this what I think? Rosemary-chan¡¯s wine was actually made from grapes stomp-stomped by those sweaty men over there!?¡± The village chief from Hither Village was almost frothing at the mouth from rage. The other villagers also started to make a ruckus a few moments later. The agitation slowly began to spread through the crowd comprised of people from Hither Village. ¡°¡­¡­Tch. Why does it matter if I lied about the manufacturing method? These men are so annoying.¡± Rosemary-chan muttered those words. ¡°Hey, I heard that! How dare you make fools of us, you little girl!¡± ¡°¡­Hmph. I know that you¡¯re actually my fan.¡± ¡°That¡¯s a different matter! In the first place, I only bought wine from Yonder Village because I thought that you had stomp-stomped the grapes for it!¡± ¡°How disgusting.¡± I had to agree with her. However, the village chief from Hither Village didn¡¯t seem to agree, and his face went red as though he was drunk. ¡°It¡¯s not disgusting! Don¡¯t mess with me, you brat!¡± Saying that, he grabbed some grapes from a person who was standing close by, and threw them at her. Most of the grapes that were sent flying scored a direct hit on Rosemary-chan. The ones that missed her hit the tough-looking men, and myself as well, releasing their juice. ¡°¡­¡­Haa?¡± Why do I have to share in the damage as well? Seeing Rosemary-chan drenched in grape juice, the people from Yonder Village got angry as well. ¡°You bastard! What do you think you¡¯re doing to our Rosemary-chan!?¡± ¡°Go to hell, damn geezer!¡± ¡°Die!!¡± The people of Yonder Village imitated the village chief, and started throwing grapes at the people from Hither Village. After that, the situation devolved into something that was hard to even look at. The people of Hither Village and Yonder Village began throwing grapes at each other, with Rosemary-chan, the tough-looking men, and myself caught in between. I¡¯m sure they had intended to throw the grapes at people from the other village. However, being caught in between, we were hit by a lot of the grapes that missed their mark and were soon drenched in grape juice. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Why do I have to get mixed up in this as well? I took another sip of the wine. It was delicious. ¡°¡­¡­What are you going to do about this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± We were gradually covered in grape juice from head to toe. My irritation mounted each time I was hit, and eventually, I stopped caring altogether. The blood rushed to my head, and before I realized it, I had my staff out. I feel a little hot, maybe I¡¯m drunk as well. ¡°Fufu. Ufufu. Seriously¡­ You¡¯re all making fun of me, aren¡¯t you?¡± Saying that, I waved my staff. I used my magic to catch the grapes that came flying towards me, and used all my power to send them flying back at high speed in the direction that they had come from. While taking sips of the wine, I ensured that people from both villages were entirely covered in grape juice. The grapes that I was reflecting were basically moving like bullets at this point. ¡°Haha! Ahahahahahaha! Hahahahahaha!¡± By the way, who was this girl who was relentlessly attacking the villagers while laughing like a demon? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. In any case. I¡¯ve been told that something like that happened to me in that village, but I don¡¯t remember it at all. However, it¡¯s true that there was such an incident. When I woke up with a pounding headache, I saw that I was underneath a sky that was far too dazzling, with the people of both villages strewn about and covered in grape juice, and Rosemary-chan in tears saying ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I won¡¯t do it again.¡± After talking to the fearful girl, I learned what had happened to me. In fact, my memories from when I had taken her out of the factory were absent, and the next thing I knew, I was waking up under the blue sky. However, looking at the scene around me, I could tell that people had indeed been throwing grapes at each other. ¡°¡­¡­Uuu. My head hurts. I feel like it¡¯s going to break.¡± I stood up while holding my head and walked unsteadily towards the village chief¡¯s house. There¡¯s no way that I can stomp grapes while experiencing so much pain. Actually, all the villagers are collapsed and covered in grape juice, so there¡¯s no reason for me to stomp on any grapes in the first place. Rather, there are no grapes left to stomp on. They¡¯ve all been crushed, and are strewn over the ground. Most of the people here are unconscious, except for a few like Rosemary-chan. I should use this opportunity to escape. ¡­¡­¡­ Maybe I caused the situation to take such a turn because I was tired of stomping grapes, but I can¡¯t really remember because of my headache. Well, I should just be glad that things turned out for the better without me having to do anything annoying. ¡°¡­My head hurts.¡± I changed my clothes at the village chief¡¯s house and flew away on my broom while still smelling of grapes. My first experience with drinking alcohol just left me with a horrible headache and uncertain memories. ¡ñ ¡°¡ªAfter that incident, both villages started the practice of throwing grapes at around this time.¡± ¡°Eh. Sorry Grandpa, I don¡¯t really understand how that story led to this.¡± The old man gave a simple explanation to the boy who struggled to understand. ¡°The throwing of grapes was more fun than we had thought, so we decided to do it every year right after the harvest to release our stress. I¡¯m not really sure why, but after we started doing that our harvests became more plentiful, and the efficiency of our work increased as well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± After nodding several times the boy tilted his head. ¡°Ah, by the way. The Rosemary-chan who you talked about in your story, is she¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s the same Rosemary-chan who works as a grape-stomping girl in Yonder Village. After that incident, she apparently started working properly. That¡¯s a good thing.¡± ¡°So she still stomps grapes?¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°She¡¯s past thirty now, isn¡¯t she?¡± ¡°Yes, she has ripened very well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡± The boy was unable to hold back his tears after considering the bitter things Rosemary-chan had gone through. ¡°In any case, the annual event carried out by our villages is now finally at its tenth year.¡± After nodding, the boy asked, ¡°By the way, Grandpa. What¡¯s that wine bottle you¡¯re holding?¡± It was a different bottle from the one his Grandpa had mentioned in his story. It had a label with the words ¡ºThe best wine from Hither Village¡», ¡ºMade with my feelings of hatred and irritation¡», ¡ºOrigin: The Witch of Ashes, Elaina-san¡» printed on it, along with a picture of a girl stomping on grapes with a smile steeped in darkness. ¡°Oh this? This is it¡ªthe wine made by the witch-san I just told you about.¡± ¡°You didn¡¯t drink it?¡± ¡°No, it would be a waste to do that.¡± A cute exterior, with an unspeakably evil smile. And since it has a picture of her actually stomping the grapes, there are people who will buy it in spite of the ridiculously high price. In the end, the Witch of Ashes¡¯ wine that was marketed as a super high quality product was sold out in no time at all. Seeing as it was a rare opportunity, the village chief secretly bought one for himself. It is said that the village chief is still carrying it around carefully without drinking it. He was even saying something about making it a heirloom. By the way. About that wine that sold out in no time. As it was a legendary product of which only a few bottles were ever sold, it is said that they are still being traded amongst hardcore fans for a high price. Volume 3 - CH 5 A Tale of Items: The Cunning Master and Intelligent Disciple I¡¯m Elaina! An apprentice witch, Elaina! Right now, I¡¯m living with my master, Fran-sensei, and gathering the experience I need in order to become a witch! My master bears the title of Witch of Stardust, and is apparently a very great person! Her long hair that is as black as midnight shimmers beautifully in the light, and as you would guess from the gentle look in her eyes, she is very kind when she teaches me about magic! Most people with an amiable personality are powerless or good for nothing, but that¡¯s not true for my master. She is so flawless that she can be called a perfect person who is unimpeachable in every way. Of course, as someone who is being taught by such a master, it¡¯s only natural that I am a perfect person as well! I¡¯m just joking, by the way. Especially about the description of my master. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I suppose I should stop being in strangely high spirits, and just tell the truth with a straight face. It truth, this person who is my master is always playing hooky and kidding around, and even today, ¡°Elaina, what are you doing? Eh? You¡¯re developing a new magic? Wow. That¡¯s amazing. You¡¯re so studious.¡± She said that with a surprised expression, and when I thought she was going to give me some advice, ¡°Well, do your best~¡± She just said that and started reading a book. Back when I first started my tutelage, I was confused by her easygoing attitude and thought things like, ¡°Ah, she¡¯s testing how independent I can be? I¡¯ll do my best!¡± I was fired up in as such, but it turned out that she was only instructing me in magic because my parents had asked her to do so. After that fact came to light, there were times when she would say things like, ¡°Elaina, let me oversee your training.¡± And teach me about magic like it was only natural. However, there were also times when she would say things like, ¡°Elaina, let me oversee¡ª Oh look, a butterfly¡­ Ufufu¡­¡± And go missing for a while, and even, ¡°Elaina. I¡¯m hungry.¡± Irritate me often in such a manner. In short, to put it positively, my master was a carefree person. To put it negatively, she didn¡¯t think anything through. ¡°By the way, what kind of potion are you making?¡± For better or for worse, she was capricious. Fran-sensei suddenly appeared beside me and gazed at the various research materials on the table as well as the blue-colored potion that was contained in a small bottle. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I am always being led around in circles by this capricious woman. ¡°This is a potion that gives ¡ºLife to Items¡». I was just mixing some stuff together and happened to make it.¡± ¡°Giving life to items¡­? What kind of effects does it have?¡± ¡°If you pour the liquid in this bottle over an item, you will be able to have a conversation with it. By the way, I¡¯ve already tested it.¡± For example, when I used it on a pen, it cried out, ¡°Thank you for always holding on to me! Ufufu.¡± And when I used it on a washrag, ¡°Allow me to let you in on a little secret. I¡¯m not really a washrag, I¡¯m actually a towel. Oh, I have become dirty¡­¡± I came to learn that unexpected fact. By the way, when I used it on the scrubbing brush, ¡°I, the scrubbing brush, have become dirty¡­¡± It just whispered that back to me. You get the idea. I had managed to successfully make such a potion that would let people communicate with items. I just made it by accident. However, it was the kind of thing that would unexpectedly sell for a high price. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s amazing.¡± After staying silent for a little while, Sensei continued to speak. ¡°By the way, Elaina, I¡¯ve heard that there is a nearby village whose residents are troubled because they are unable to communicate with items.¡± She brought up a strange topic. ¡°Oh?¡± That¡¯s an oddly specific trouble to have. Why would not being able to communicate with items cause trouble to anyone? I should certainly like to meet with these people and ask for more details. ¡°By the way, if you let them talk to the items, they¡¯ll bake bread for you.¡± ¡°Eeh.¡± Well, that certainly sounds very suspicious. ¡°So, Elaina, won¡¯t you lend me that potion for the day?¡± ¡°What are you going to do if I lend it to you?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? I¡¯m going to go and procure some top quality bread.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± My suspicion reached such a level that it caused me to frown. ¡°In that case, tell me where the village is. I¡¯ll go there myself and get the bread.¡± ¡°Oh, you can¡¯t do that. The people of that village don¡¯t trust anyone except me.¡± ¡°Eh? There are people apart from me who trust you? ¡°That¡¯s mean.¡± No, it¡¯s not mean at all. It¡¯s been almost a year since I met Sensei, so I had a pretty good idea as to what she wanted to do. No doubt she wanted to sell my potion for a high price in a nearby village, and use those funds to buy bread. A cunning plan, indeed. ¡°Just leave it to me, Elaina. I¡¯m sure that I will be able to get a lot of tasty bread.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, even though I knew what her intentions were, I didn¡¯t particularly feel like reproaching her, and neither did I feel like flat out rejecting her request. Doing that would just cause more problems, and despite the circumstances, it didn¡¯t change the fact that Fran-sensei was making an effort to go to the neighboring village to get bread for me. For someone as carefree and capricious as her, this was an exceedingly rare offer. ¡°¡­¡­Here you go.¡± For that reason, I entrusted the small bottle with the blue colored liquid to Sensei. ¡ð And then, later that evening. ¡°I¡¯m back, Elaina.¡± Fran-sensei came back home. ¡°Ah. Welcome¡­ back¡­?¡± For some reason, Fran-sensei was carrying only a single loaf of bread. What¡¯s more, it was a loaf of plain bread. And it was completely cold. It didn¡¯t look tasty at all. I had been looking forward to eating tasty bread, just what had caused such a turn of events? ¡°My apologies, Elaina. Due to various reasons, this is all I could get. By the way, I used up most of the potion.¡± That¡¯s what she said. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Ehhh.¡± I received the small bottle from Fran-sensei. As she said, it was almost empty. There was just enough potion left to stain the bottom of the small bottle. However, what Sensei said is pretty suspicious. Looking closer, I can see bread crumbs clinging to the corners of her mouth. Her whole body smells of bread. It¡¯s so suspicious that I feel like punishing her. ¡°Hey now, Elaina. Are you doubting me, perchance? I¡¯m not lying, you know? I¡¯m telling the truth, this was all the bread that I could get.¡± ¡°What are these various reasons you speak of?¡± ¡°Due to various reasons, I cannot tell you.¡± ¡°How did you manage to use up so much of the potion?¡± ¡°Due to various reasons, I cannot tell you that either.¡± This ¡®various reasons¡¯ excuse is indeed convenient. But still, it¡¯s so easy to tell when someone is lying. It looks like my master and I are birds of the same feather. The kind of lies we tell are almost exactly the same. Is it because we¡¯ve spent so much time together? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, putting that matter aside for now. I was already aware that Fran-sensei was similar to me when I had handed over the potion bottle to her. Also, I¡¯m not foolish enough to not come up with a plan for dealing with this obvious outcome. And so, I decided to spring the trap that I had set up in advance. While swirling around what was left of the potion in the small bottle. ¡°Bottle-san, Bottle-san. Can you tell me what exactly Fran-sensei was doing during the time I wasn¡¯t watching?¡± The bottle replied to my question. ¡ºYes Ma¡¯am. This witch went to a neighboring village and traded the potion that was inside me for a large amount of bread. And then, on the way back she said ¡°Eating one piece can¡¯t hurt,¡± and proceeded to eat more than ten of them all by herself.¡» ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡ºIndeed. This woman is unbelievable.¡» I nodded an affirmative. Even the small bottle was an item. Since I poured the potion into it, it was able to talk. That¡¯s how the potion works, after all. Now then. ¡°Sensei, is there something you want to say to me?¡± However, Fran-sensei was just avoiding eye contact with sweat beading on her forehead, and didn¡¯t say anything at all. She was as mute as a regular item. Maybe she¡¯ll say something if I use some of this magic potion on her? Volume 3 - CH 6 Sweets and the Newbie Traveler The sounds of a trumpet and accordion rang out in the plaza in the middle of a noisy town. There was nothing elegant about that sound. It was fragmented, and sounded like someone was screaming. You could even say that it was just noise layered on top of even more noise. Following the sounds to their source on the other side of the main street, where people had gathered to do their shopping, I found a street performer who was greeting passersby with a fake smile on his face, and he would occasionally revert to a serious expression while gazing into the instrument case that lay at his feet. The empty instrument case that waited with an open mouth had only a few coins inside. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Fuaah.¡± I let out a yawn while sitting down on a bench. The scene of this road lined with white-painted buildings was so beautiful that it was entertaining to just stay for a while and look at the environs. The shrill music and noise did not match the milieu, but oh well. To begin with, this country was apparently a place where more than half the population was comprised of a wealthy, privileged class, and apart from this plaza, most of the other places I saw had a calm atmosphere. In fact, the sight of soldiers boldly patrolling the streets in groups gave a sense of opulence, rather than security, and apart from this one street corner, the rest of the areas had a soothing atmosphere. So why was only this plaza so noisy, you ask? That¡¯s because people who came in from outside the country were gathered here. This country is commonly known as the country of sweets. In fact, even this plaza is full of shops that live up to that name and specialize in selling sweets such as macarons, chocolates, and waffles. The sweets from this country are apparently quite popular elsewhere as well, as evidenced by the merchants, travelers, and tourists who gathered here from other countries to buy them. Some of them will resell them elsewhere. Others are buying them for themselves. ¡°¡­¡­Fufufufu.¡± There¡¯s a bag full of sweets beside me on the bench. I used up most of the money I had on hand to buy as many as I could. They were insanely expensive, perhaps because they were made with the intention of selling to foreigners, though they did have an excellent reputation. They look as delicious as their price would suggest. I¡¯ve heard that these sweets were made using liberal amounts of expensive ingredients and they were delicious enough to make your cheeks melt. Going by the old axiom of ¡ºI paid a lot of money for this, so it is obviously going to be delicious,¡» I can only hope that it wasn¡¯t just bragging. ¡°Hello there, Miss! Oh look, your shoes are dirty! How about letting me clean them?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± A place where a large number of outsiders gather is a breeding ground for weird people like this who are looking to earn some small change. However, there is no reason to worry. Such people usually leave without another word if you show them a (spare) empty purse. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± If you add on that simple phrase, this method is exceptionally effective. ¡°¡­¡­Tch.¡± By the way, even after I take the effort to do all of this, there are occasionally rude people who click their tongues at me. I wish they would just turn to ash. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Even though this town is filled with people from high society, I guess there are still quite a few people here who can¡¯t afford a decent meal. It looks like there is a wide disparity in wealth of the citizens. Weaving through the noisy street, I saw children who were walking around and selling fruits that lacked lustre. They wore tattered clothes, and had a sign around their necks that said ¡ºUltra special fruit. One gold coin per fruit.¡» The boy who offered to clean my shoes is there as well. Although he doesn¡¯t appear to be old enough to work yet. I also saw the street performer who was playing broken music. The instrument is in such bad shape that it can¡¯t even produce a proper tone. Just as this location is a place of business for foreigners, it is also a place of business for the poor people of this country. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, most of the foreigners didn¡¯t spare so much as a glance for them. I could see people looking annoyed while brushing aside the hands of the poor people. It¡¯s like they had completely ceased to exist in their field of vision. Although it seemed cold-hearted, most people were like that. Most of the foreigners who were used to wandering from place to place did not show any interest in such pitiful people. ¡°¡­¡­Mumu.¡± That¡¯s why it¡¯s easy to tell when someone is a newbie traveler. ¡°Kyaa~! Such wonderful music! This broken melody is especially amazing! It moves my heart more than any other music that exists in the world! We are so impressed!¡± There was a young girl who was dropping gold coins from her purse while dancing happily in front of the aforementioned street performer. She had golden hair, was dressed in a very flashy set of gothic-style clothes, had a brown rucksack on her back, and a beret on her head. She was also a weird girl who referred to herself as ¡°We.¡± It was apparent that she was newbie traveler, as she went around doing all the things typical of a newbie traveler. For starters, she never failed to pay a street performer. Apparently, the newbie had some notion that she had to pay for every bit of music that reached her ears, regardless of what kind of music it was. I used to be like that in the past as well. ¡°Oh my! That girl is working despite being so young¡­ how admirable! It¡¯s one gold coin for a fruit, yes? We will take the lot.¡± Every time she saw a pitiful child selling fruit, she would buy from them. Apparently, when faced with a pitiful child, the newbie¡¯s sense of the value of objects underwent a dramatic change, and after causing a deflationary spiral, it could be said that her purse strings did not just loosen, but disappeared altogether. I used to be like that in the past as well. ¡°Eh? Shoe cleaning? Oh my! We were just thinking that our shoes were dirty!¡± Of course, she had her shoes cleaned when they had no need for cleaning. The excitement of visiting a new country tricked her into thinking that even unnecessary things were necessary. I used to be like that in the past as well. In this manner, the newbie traveler¡¯s money started to disappear without her realizing. Once a person¡¯s sense of values has been skewed, it won¡¯t return to normal until they hit rock bottom. Incidentally, the girl hit rock bottom pretty quickly. ¡°Oh? There¡¯s no money left. I¡¯m sure we had quite a few gold coins until just a while ago.¡± However, the girl looked fairly unfazed despite hitting rock bottom. ¡°Oh well, that can¡¯t be helped. We suppose we will just go around tasting sweets¡ªah, you there, in the shop. Give us one of everything, and we mean everything.¡± The salesperson in the shop looked surprised at her bold manner of speech and request, but he did as she asked and went about packing the merchandise. By the way, the salesperson had said ¡°That¡¯ll be ten gold coins.¡± I heard it loud and clear. That was a ridiculously high price. ¡°Thank you. Here you go.¡± The bold girl handed over ten fruits to the salesperson like it was only natural. The salesperson was very surprised. He looked like he wanted to say ¡°What is this person thinking?¡± ¡°Do you not understand? We bought these earlier for ten gold coins. That means they are worth ten gold coins, correct? So please trade us the sweets for them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The salesperson was flabbergasted for a while. And then, eventually, ¡°This is baaaaad! That wicked woman we¡¯ve heard about has finally appeared! Everyone, help me catch her!¡± He shouted that. On hearing that, the music stopped playing and people stopped talking. In the next instant, middle-aged men dressed as cooks came running out of all the shops in the vicinity and pounced on the girl. ¡°Eh? Eeh? What is this? Stop this, at once!¡± The girl was captured easily. She was held down by the men and had her cheek pressed against the pavement. ¡°So you¡¯re that wicked woman we heard about!¡± ¡°I heard that you¡¯ve been going around laying waste to our shops with your evil ways!¡± ¡°Do you take us for fools!?¡± ¡°We won¡¯t give in to your threats!¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ you¡¯ve quite a nice body, Miss¡­.¡± ¡°Should we make you use your body to pay for insulting us!? Hehehe¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hehe¡­¡± ¡°Hihihi¡­¡± What¡¯s this? It looks like things are taking a turn for the worse. ¡°What are you people doing? We were just trying to purchase some sweets!¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± A salesperson who came running from another shop looked down at her with a hard expression. ¡°I know that you¡¯re the one who has been using despicable methods for the past few days to lay waste to our shops! So you¡¯re trying to trade cheap fruit for our wares this time? We won¡¯t let that happen! You are going to be executed!¡± ¡°Executed? Oh my! What are you going to do?¡± ¡°Hehehe¡­ Do you really have to ask¡­?¡± The men¡¯s eyes were glued to her chest. The girl followed their gazes, realized that the men were staring, and finally seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. The girl shouted while her face turned bright red. ¡°So that¡¯s it! You people intend to play a lewd prank on us, is that right? Right here and now!?¡± ¡°Eh, right now? Nonononono.¡± ¡°Of course we won¡¯t do anything in a place like this, that¡¯s only common sense.¡± ¡°Even we wouldn¡¯t do something like that.¡± ¡°Stop this at once! We are not the type of woman who is good at such things!¡± ¡°What the heck is that supposed to mean?¡± ¡°What is this girl talking about?¡± ¡°Oh I see, she must be an idiot or something.¡± The atmosphere crumbled a bit, but there was no change in the girl¡¯s predicament. After being restrained by the men, the girl was securely wrapped in a length of rope It felt like if things were allowed to continue, she would be taken to one of the nearby shops and assaulted by the men. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± No, I can¡¯t just let this go. I stood up from my spot, took a bite out of a yellow macaron, then threw the whole thing into my mouth, and went to stand in the way of the men. ¡°Hello, everyone. Is something the matter?¡± I said that while chewing on the macaron. One of the men looked at me strangely and said, ¡°Who are you, are you a traveler?¡± I nodded, and, ¡°Yes, I¡¯m a traveling witch. I¡¯ve been watching the situation for a while from the bench over there¡­ Did this girl cause some sort of scandal?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. She¡¯s a wicked woman who has been laying waste to the shops in this area for the past few days.¡± ¡°Ho?¡± ¡°We¡¯ve heard the rumors. The wicked woman does not pay a single coin, and instead tries to trade some random fruit or something for our sweets.¡± ¡°Hoho. And so you captured the girl who tried to exchange fruit for sweets?¡± Seeing me agree with the men, the golden-haired girl shouted, ¡°It¡¯s some sort of mistake! We merely attempted to trade fruit that we purchased for ten gold coins!¡± Well, she¡¯s not wrong. ¡°I saw the whole thing. This girl is just a fool who purchased the fruit from a child for an exorbitant price, and then thought that she could exchange the fruit for sweets. She is not a wicked woman, nor does she seem intelligent enough to carry out any evil deeds.¡± ¡°¡­Hey, that¡¯s uncalled for.¡± ¡°Actually, all of you said that you heard rumors about a wicked woman, but didn¡¯t you hear anything about what she looks like?¡± I ignored the girl who butted into the conversation and asked that question to the men. Hearing that, the men ground their teeth and started to discuss it amongst themselves. ¡°That¡¯s right, I feel like the wicked woman who came to my shop the other day was a little younger¡­¡± ¡°She wasn¡¯t golden-haired.¡± ¡°Did she have black hair?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t remember her breasts being quite so large.¡± ¡°I feel like she was more composed as well¡­¡± I see, I see. ¡°So it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s not the one you¡¯re looking for, isn¡¯t it? Now, let her go. If you don¡¯t, I¡¯m going to shout for help.¡± Actually, there was no need to shout for help; a lot of people had already gathered around. We were in the plaza where a lot of people ordinarily gathered, at a time when there was a lot of pedestrian traffic. Our dispute had gathered a lot of attention, and everyone heard our discussion as well. From the perspective of the surrounding people who didn¡¯t know the circumstances, it must have looked like a bunch of men who were trying to unfairly capture a woman and do something unspeakable to her, and a witch who had appeared to stop them. The foreign merchants, the high class people who had gathered in the plaza to buy sweets, and the tourists were all looking at the men with cold gazes. ¡°¡­¡­Guh.¡± The men faltered. Not only that, they must have understood that there was absolutely no way for them to turn this situation around. They removed the ropes restraining the girl and said, ¡°¡­¡­Well, you know. Next time, use money to purchase something instead of fruit. Do you understand?¡± They started acting like reasonable people, hurriedly pushed their way through the crowd, and returned to their respective shops. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The girl, who had not entirely processed the situation yet, had simply and weakly collapsed to the ground, and was looking up at me. ¡°Umm¡­ Well¡­ Thank you¡­?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. What¡¯s your name?¡± Seeing me extend my hand out to her, the girl hesitantly took hold of it. ¡°We are called Sabine.¡± ¡°I see. I¡¯m Elaina. The Witch of Ashes, Elaina.¡± This might seem like an abrupt change in the topic, but regarding that wicked woman those men were talking about earlier. Just who was she? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. ¡ð ¡°Eh? Sorry, we didn¡¯t hear you properly. Can you repeat that?¡± Once things were settled, I felt that it would be a waste to just part ways with the girl in that manner. I thought I should at least explain the situation to her, so we were currently sitting opposite to each other and sipping coffee in a cafe located in a corner of a peaceful residential district, a little distance away from the plaza. Of course, I was paying. She went through all that because she was mistaken for me, after all. This was the least I could do. ¡°Like I said earlier, I¡¯m the one that those people are searching for. I am the one who is laying waste to the sweet shops in town. So I¡¯m sorry that you had to go through that because of me.¡± To think there would be a girl optimistic enough to try and trade fruit for sweets. It was completely outside my expectations. Actually, I¡¯ve been giving a small amount of money along with the fruit¡­ but it looks like the rumors mention only the fruit. ¡°Why would you do something like that¡­ Do you not have the money to buy sweets?¡± ¡°I do. However, I didn¡¯t feel the necessity to pay for them, so I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°Oh my! How arrogant!¡± ¡°Not at all. If anything, I¡¯m very humble.¡± ¡°But you¡¯re cheating people when you buy the sweets, aren¡¯t you? That¡¯s horrible. How can you do something like that without feeling anything?¡± Sabine-san was glaring at me. I looked away from her as if trying to escape that gaze, and, ¡°Well¡­ Let me just say there are various reasons for that.¡± ¡°Oh? And what might those be?¡± ¡°You really want to know?¡± ¡°We would like to know.¡± That suits me just fine. ¡°By the way, Sabine-san. Do you have some free time now?¡± ¡°We are a traveler.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°The only thing we have is free time.¡± ¡°Hoho.¡± In other words she has a lot of free time and no money. That makes things even better. After walking some distance from the cafe and flying along with her on my broom, we passed over the roofs of many houses and eventually reached the back gate of the town. Unlike the majestic front gate that the high-class people would like, this one had a very plain appearance and was barely wide enough to allow one cart to pass through at a time. I found this place on my first day here, when I was killing time by flying around the town on my broom. ¡°Take a look at that.¡± Peeking over the roof of one of the houses, we saw a retailer from this country who had been waiting for a cart. ¡°Hey, I was waiting for you. Thank you for your hard work today as well.¡± After a slight bow in greeting, the merchant got down from the cart and started unloading wrapped bundles. ¡°I¡¯ve brought them today as well. As you can see, they are all items that were acquired under special circumstances. I gave them a quick examination, so I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll have a problem with any of them¡± The retailer looked inside one of the bundles. It was full of things like fruits, butter, sugar, milk, wheat flour, and cacao; namely things that were indispensible for making sweets. ¡°What is all of this?¡± Sebine-san looked puzzled by that sight. ¡°It¡¯s just like that merchant said. Those commodities were all obtained under special circumstances. For example, being rejected due to issues during manufacture or failing the taste test¡­ what you see here is a collection of such failures. Of course, they are not high-quality products.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Wait a minute. The people of this country were singing praises about how the sweets are prepared from carefully selected ingredients.¡± ¡°In a way, they are using carefully selected ingredients.¡± It¡¯s just that they are selecting ingredients with certain issues. ¡°But the people of this city are famous for making delicious sweets. We only came here because we heard about that.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been going around buying up all the sweets I can find for the past few days, and I¡¯ve occasionally tried eating some of them. They were all exceedingly plain. Would you like to try one?¡± I pulled a macaron out of the bag I was holding and handed it over to Sebine-san. After taking it hesitantly, she took a small bite out of it and carefully chewed it. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She had a very complicated expression on her face. ¡°¡­¡­Well, it¡¯s not bad. However, we would not pay gold for something like this.¡± ¡°Right?¡± At the most, it would be worth one copper. ¡°The people who come to this country to buy sweets are just being fooled by the ¡®high-quality ingredients¡¯ catch phrase. In reality, they are just cheap products.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, in summary¡­. Let me put it as clearly and concisely as I can. ¡°In other words, I have been buying sweets in exchange for fruits and a small amount of money while casually letting the shopkeepers know that I am aware of the truth.¡± ¡ð ¡°¡­We are in shock. We thought that we would be able to obtain the ideal sweets here¡­ but they are just cheap items¡­? Compromised ingredients¡­? There is such a thing as going too far!¡± ¡°It looks like you¡¯re taking this pretty hard.¡± ¡°Of course! What is this!? Are they trying to make fools of people from other countries? Rather, why are they selling cheap products despite being so rich? We struggle to understand their motives!¡± After we returned to the cafe, she puffed up her cheeks in anger and started slapping the table. Her vigor caused ripples to spread across the surface of my second coffee of the day. While picking up the cup, I asked, ¡°Well, I think you¡¯ve got the order of things wrong. Most probably, it¡¯s not that they are selling cheap products despite being rich¡ªrather, they were able to cleverly find a way to sell cheap products for a high price, so this place ended up full of rich people.¡± ¡°¡­What do you mean?¡± ¡°Exactly what I said.¡± Most likely, the people of this country were able to build up their country¡¯s image to the current level because they kept stubbornly selling cheap products for a high price. By selling cheap sweets branded as high-quality items and using poor children to sell fruit, the adults of this country must have become rich and obtained an elegant, upper class life. However there was definitely a disparity in wealth here. The poor people earned a daily income by working as shoe cleaners, street performers¡ªor selling fruit on the orders of rich people, and were living their lives in this way. I took a sip of coffee. A slightly bitter taste spread through my mouth. ¡°There is no guarantee that you will only ever see righteous and good things, Sebine-san. You may not know this because you are still new to the life of a traveler, but the world is overflowing with people who attempt to earn money through crooked means.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She was visibly shocked. ¡°How did you guess that I am new to being a traveler?¡± ¡°Seasoned travelers don¡¯t buy fruit for an exorbitant price just because they were being sold by a little child, and they clean their boots themselves.¡± As for paying the street performers, well, maybe occasionally. However, they would certainly not shower them in gold coins. ¡°I see¡­ But don¡¯t you feel sorry for those children? If carefree travelers like us don¡¯t help them¡­ Especially that child who was selling fruit, she looked like she would collapse at any moment if we did not extend a helping hand.¡± I calmly shook my head. ¡°Giving them money in exchange for fruit will not help those children at all. The truth is that there are adults who are directing those children from the background. ¡ºA poor child walking around selling fruit,¡» isn¡¯t that something that would move strangers to tears? It¡¯s not just this country, there are crooked adults all over the world who earn money by using children. Of course, most of the money earned by the children is siphoned off by the adults, and the children are only left with a pittance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°If you truly wish to help the children, you must not give them any money. If the practice of using children to earn money stops being profitable, then the children will no longer be forced to sell items in such a manner.¡± At any rate, buying fruit from the children only provided temporary peace of mind. For both the children as well as the travelers who gave them the money. ¡°¡­Yes, I see.¡± I wonder what¡¯s going through her mind right now. She was just staring at her cup with furrowed eyebrows. I too received a major shock when I learned that there were evil adults controlling the children from the background. ¡°Why did you start traveling?¡± When I asked that question, the girl suddenly smiled and said, ¡°There are no sweets worth talking about in our country. That is why we decided to go on a journey centered around sweets. This happened only a few days ago.¡± ¡°Hoh.¡± ¡°I also planned on studying the sweets from various countries so that I could go back and sell sweets in my country as well.¡± ¡°Hohhoh.¡± ¡°¡­However, it looks like We cannot learn anything from this country.¡± ¡°At the very least, you¡¯ve learned what it takes to live as a traveler, right?¡± ¡°Well, perhaps.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After that, we just drank our coffee and spent some time in silence. ¡°Pardon the intrusion! We are soldiers from this country. We will be carrying out an inspection of this shop.¡± The peaceful atmosphere was shattered abruptly. A soldier with a menacing air had violently opened the door and raised his voice. The sound of his heavy leather boots striking the floor reverberated throughout the shop. ¡°W-What is that about? He looks incredibly menacing. Was there an incident of some sort?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I moved my face closer to Sebine-san who was sitting opposite to me, and whispered, ¡°They are searching for the wicked woman who has been popping up frequently over the past few days. Her existence is a problem for these people, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean that they are after you?¡± I raised one finger and put it near my lips. ¡°Shh.¡± ¡°No, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I most likely won¡¯t be found out.¡± I pulled out my staff from under the table and cast a small spell on my own hair. ¡°When I was going around all the sweets shops, I was changing the color of my hair like this.¡± I turned my hair black for just an instant, and then returned it to its usual ash-grey color. Of course, when I do it for real, I don¡¯t only change my hair. I also change the appearance of my clothes. There is no way I¡¯ll be found out. And so, basically, ¡°Excuse me. We¡¯ve received reports of a woman committing wicked acts in the area lately, do you know anything about that?¡± I was able to keep a calm face even when the soldier came to our table and asked that question. The soldier was holding up a painted likeness of a girl with pitch black hair. The girl did not leave any impression of being a witch, she was just plain girl with black hair. ¡°I see, you have no idea. How about you?¡± I had just shook my head, but, ¡°Eh? Umm¡­ That is¡­¡± It looked like Sebine-san was the kind of person who wasn¡¯t good at telling lies. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I stomped on her foot under the table. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen her around either, have you?¡± ¡°Hiyaaa! N-No, I haven¡¯t seen her.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. Sorry we couldn¡¯t be of help.¡± The soldier who came to our table looked dubious, but he nodded in assent. I would have been very happy if the soldier just left at that point, but apparently that was not all he wanted to discuss. The soldier showed me one more portrait. ¡°By the way, a princess from a nearby country has gone missing recently, do you know anything about that? She looks like this.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, that was a surprise. It was a portrait of a pretty girl with golden hair. She was looking towards the viewer with a beautiful smile, and if you put a beret on her head and dressed her up in gothic-styled clothes, she would look exactly like the girl who was sitting opposite of me. ¡°Oh, and her name is Princess Sebine.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Actually, it was Sebine-san herself. ¡°She apparently disappeared all of a sudden a few days ago. Seeing as there¡¯s a good chance she might have been kidnapped, we are looking around for her in our country as well. If you have any information about that, could you please tell¡ªhmm?¡± Sebine-san¡¯s eyes met the soldier¡¯s at that point, and he immediately held up the portrait and compared it to her many, many times. He also shot several glances at me. If Sebine-san was a princess who was thought to have been kidnapped, then I wonder just how I appeared to the soldier. ¡­¡­¡­ Ah, this is bad. ¡°You must be the one who kidnapped Princess Sebine!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Just as I figured, it ended up like this. There¡¯s nothing else for it. Since things had come so far. I pulled my staff out from under the table. ¡ð After I gave the floor of the cafe a couple of hard taps with my staff, vines sprouted up and started twisting their way across the ground and, as if they had a will of their own, they captured the soldiers. Immediately after that, I grabbed Sebine-san by the hand and left the store, but there were soldiers waiting outside as well. I could hardly expect to talk my way out of this, given that I had just covered the inside of the store with vines. I cocooned all the soldiers in the street with vines as well, and then escaped towards the city plaza. While pretending to be calm, I hid myself in the crowds of people and continued to pull the girl along by her hand. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She was still coming along with me because she was overcome by the pressure of the situation, but thinking about it calmly, there was no reason for her to run away along with me. ¡°Thank you, Elaina-san. You were looking out for us, weren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Eh, ah, that¡¯s right. That¡¯s exactly what happened.¡± That was a lie, of course. ¡°More importantly, I didn¡¯t know that you were the princess of a country.¡± ¡°Yes, We started our sweets-centric travels for the purpose of bringing sweets to our country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Such a frivolous motive. ¡°Still, there¡¯s the fact that we were discovered in this country¡­ This is bad.¡± ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be settled if you just went home?¡± ¡°We cannot do that! There are no sweets in our country! For the sake of the women in our country, We cannot afford to stop here!¡± ¡°By the way, what excuse did you give for leaving your country in the first place?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± Well, the soldier had also mentioned that she had gone missing, so it was likely that she had slipped out without saying anything. There should be a limit for recklessness. ¡°What do you intend to do now?¡± ¡°Of course, We will continue to travel. Our travels have only just begun, after all!¡± ¡°That¡¯s assuming you actually manage to leave this country.¡± ¡°You¡¯re right. That is something We are also worried about.¡± By this time, the garrison must have received word that Sebine-san was somewhere within the country. Even if she tried to boldly walk out of the gates like this, I doubt they¡¯d just let her go. ¡°We would like to make a request of you, Elaina-san. We will certainly repay you someday. Could you please get us out of this country?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ Well, I suppose that would be okay¡­¡± ¡°Seeing the magic you used earlier, Elaina-san, we feel that it should be possible for both of us to escape safely.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I¡¯m not sure how I should feel about that. ¡°Well, we should probably¡­ be¡­.fine¡­¡± ¡°What was that? We could not hear you clearly.¡± ¡°I can only feel a sense of foreboding about taking you along.¡± ¡°Oh my! That¡¯s rude!¡± Oh, she¡¯s angry again. However, it feels like Sebine-san is not good at dealing with sudden developments, so for now I should move things forward without allowing her to speak. Hmm. ¡°There¡¯s no choice, now that things have come to this. I suppose we¡¯ll just have to use my secret trick.¡± ¡°A secret trick? What do you intend to do?¡± ¡°For starters, it¡¯s a wonderful trick that will at at least make you be silent.¡± Saying that, I pointed my staff at her. ¡°Halt, stop right there. We need to conduct a search of your belongings. There have been dangerous things happening on our country as of late¡­ apparently, there is a woman hiding here who kidnapped the princess of a country. So we are conducting baggage checks.¡± Since it was daytime, there was a line of people waiting to leave by the main gate (the extremely flashy one) and soldiers were climbing into the carts belonging to merchants to check if a pair of women were hidden away inside. The soldiers went down the line, and finally arrived before me, who was last in the line. One of the soldiers squatted in front of me. He probably did that so our eyes would be on the same level. ¡°¡­Hmm? Why are you trying to leave the country, Miss? Where¡¯s your mother?¡± My current appearance was that of a young girl, not much older than nine years of age. I was holding a staff in one hand and a teddy bear in the other, and was wearing a gothic-style dress. As usual, my hair is ash-grey and eyes are azure, however, I look about half as old as I usually do. There¡¯s no way I will be found out. ¡°My mother is waiting outside the country.¡± Staying true to my role, I answered the soldier. ¡°Oh? So you¡¯re going to go outside by yourself? Such a brave young girl. Do you want me to go with you?¡± ¡°No, thank you.¡± ¡°Eh, I see¡­¡± ¡°Please allow me to leave as soon as possible.¡± Magic that changes my appearance is very tiring. Moreover, right now I also have to keep up Sebine-san¡¯s altered appearance. I¡¯m exhausted just by waiting in line. ¡°You¡¯re quite something¡­ you have a pretty sharp tongue.¡± It looked like the soldier had too much free time. ¡°By the way, that stuffed animal you¡¯re holding is very cute.¡± ¡°Really? She¡¯s called Sebine.¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s also the name of the princess we are searching for.¡± ¡°Oh, I see.¡± The teddy bear attempted to move, and I secretly put more strength into the arm holding it as if to restrain it. ¡°Maybe this stuffed animal actually is Sebine-san.¡± I said that with a laugh. ¡°Hahaha, as if. Oh, the line is moving. Go on ahead, little girl.¡± At that moment, the merchants in front of me had finally moved ahead. After giving the soldier a small bow, I walked forwards. In this manner, the two of us left that country. ¡°Well, that was easy.¡± I whispered in a low voice so that no one else would overhear. ¡°Yes, it was easy.¡± She whispered back, from her place within my arms. Hey, you didn¡¯t even do anything. In that way, the two of us snuck out of the country and parted ways outside. I¡¯m not sure what kind of path that girl, who was a newbie traveler, took after that. However, I felt like we would meet again somewhere, for sure. ¡ð Now that I think about it, this is just a story about how I tricked people to escape from a country that tricked other people into buying all their sweets. Not only is it lacking in excitement, there are no dramatic plot twists and even remembering it is difficult. However, I certainly remember what happened after I left that country¡ªthe incident that occured a year ago. That streets of that city were extremely normal, and whether it was the alleyways, the city plaza, or even the royal palace, there was nothing worth mentioning. It did not have a single distinguishing feature, and it was the kind of place that one would soon forget about. The population was neither too large not too small, and the country was not particularly prosperous. All the people I met there just lived dispassionate lives. Even so, I remember being invited to the royal palace in that kingdom, and the incident that happened after I was shown into the reception hall. ¡°What do you think of our country?¡± After I had been shown into the reception hall, the person who came to meet me was none other than the princess of that kingdom. She was a girl with golden hair, whom I remembered meeting at some point. ¡°It¡¯s quite ordinary.¡± Hearing my concise answer, the girl suddenly laughed and nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. It¡¯s ordinary.¡± She started to set down sweets on the table. The table was loaded to capacity with sweets like macarons, chocolates, and waffles. ¡°However, I realized it after traveling. This ordinary life is actually a blessing.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°When we saw children walking around with dirty clothes, we would think ¡ºAh, this country has a disparity in wealth.¡» However, if we only saw people who were dressed in pretty clothes, we strangely did not feel anything about it. People have a tendency to pay attention to only the bad things. Even if a person sees a fresh and beautiful spectacle, their feelings will fade with time and it will eventually become just another sight.¡± ¡°Well, that is true. The reason why travelers find every sight to be beautiful is because they are only there for that instant.¡± ¡°After that, we had a thought. When a country becomes monotonous and does not make a strong impression on anyone, that is when that country is truly blessed.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°There is no need to force oneself to make speciality products to stand out. Being ordinary might very well be the most difficult thing to achieve and also the happiest state of being.¡± ¡°¡­¡­So did you give up on trying to popularize sweets in your country?¡± Hearing my question, the girl slowly shook her head. Right now, we are in the middle of distributing books about sweets to people all over the country. Wouldn¡¯t it be wonderful if everyone could make the sweets they liked by themselves? ¡°Hoh.¡± ¡°We are in the middle of preparing for that. We are trying to negotiate with a nearby country to send us the ingredients required to make sweets. They are all inferior goods and ingredients that have special circumstances, but depending on how they are used, we will be able to spread cheap and delicious sweets throughout the country.¡± ¡°Hohoh.¡± I see, that¡¯s certainly a valid strategy. ¡°So, are these the sweets made with those cheap ingredients?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°And you want me to sample them and give you my thoughts.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I pretended to look reluctant as I picked up one of the macarons. When I tossed the bright yellow macaron into my mouth, the taste of lemon spread throughout my mouth. It felt identical to the taste of the macarons I had eaten in that country a year ago, when I had first met her. It was a nostalgic, calming taste. ¡°How does it taste?¡± After swallowing the macaron, I answered her question. Smiling. ¡°It¡¯s quite ordinary.¡± Volume 3 - CH 7 A Tale of Items: The Intelligent Disciple and the Living Items ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Sensei, it has been a while. Since I am currently training in the forest near Robetta, I should be meeting you in person to provide a progress report, but I really do not feel like moving from this spot¡ªI mean, I am unable to leave here for certain reasons and thus I am sending you the update through this letter. As I mentioned in my report a few days ago, your daughter Elaina, who happens to be my favorite student, created a ¡ºPotion that lets you talk with items.¡» Although she says that she made it by accident, it is still something worthy of praise. Despite the fact that she is usually calm and collected, she has a tendency to get carried away if I give her even the slightest bit of praise, so I didn¡¯t praise her all that much. However. This is about what happened today, a few days after that. ¡°Sensei, that ¡ºPotion that lets you talk to items¡» I created earlier was a defective product. I¡¯m currently working on something much better. Would you like to see?¡± ¡°Ah, okay¡­ What exactly are you making?¡± ¡°It¡¯s an improved version. This magic will give the item a human appearance.¡± ¡°Hoho¡­ That¡¯s quite something.¡± ¡°Hang on, you can¡¯t misuse it, okay?¡± ¡°Of course I won¡¯t. I¡¯ve learned my lesson after what happened last time.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Sensei, we have a problem. Elaina has started to get carried away even though I didn¡¯t praise her. A potion that gives items a human appearance? Even I¡¯ve never made something like that. ¡ºDear Top Student,¡» You needn¡¯t do anything. Just leave her alone and the problem will somehow sort itself out. ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Seriously? Ah, I¡¯m enclosing a sample of the ¡ºPotion that lets you talk to items¡» that Elaina created the other day. Please take a look at it. ¡ºDear Top Student,¡» I¡¯m completely serious. Also, could you stop sending me packages that are to be paid for on delivery? I¡¯ll get angry. Besides, what¡¯s with this bottle? It¡¯s talking. Creepy. Don¡¯t you think her hobbies are a little too abnormal? ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» That part of her is just like you. ¡ºTo my former Top Student,¡» You are excommunicated. ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Ah, hang on. Sensei, I¡¯m sorry, it was just a joke. ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Umm, it¡¯s very upsetting to be ignored. ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Sensei? Senseeeei~ Are you there? ¡ºDear Top Student¡» By the way, how¡¯s Elaina? Is she still getting carried away? ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» Ah. Actually, it turned out exactly like you said it would, Sensei. ¡ð There were many problems with the ¡ºPotion that lets you talk to items¡» that I made the other day. First, it¡¯s nigh impossible to store. Even if I put it in a bottle, the bottle is still an item so it will become capable of speech. It¡¯s too noisy. There is certainly room for improvement. Next, it¡¯s hard to tell if the potion is really working or not just based on speech. There are rare cases where the item just doesn¡¯t want to talk, and stays silent even after using the potion. I used the potion on Fran-sensei¡¯s tricorne out of curiosity, and maybe it was shy, or it just didn¡¯t want to talk to me, it barely spoke. At this rate, it will be hard to know whether the potion worked at all. There is certainly room for improvement. The potion I made to enable items to talk is a liquid, of course. There was one time when I accidentally spilled the potion and it got on the table and floor. That was a horrible experience. I don¡¯t even want to remember that. Again, there is certainly room for improvement. And, so. ¡°Mumumu¡­¡­¡± I was in the process of making improvements. If I manage to improve this potion, maybe I¡¯ll be considered to be more talented than my master. I was thinking of such things. I soon found a solution that would fix all of the problems. ¡°A spell that turns items into people¡­ That¡¯s what I need. That¡¯s the best answer.¡± There¡¯s no mistake. If I make it a magic spell instead of a potion, then there is no danger of spilling it, and if it changes the item into a person, then it will be easy to verify whether it worked or not. Also, if I make it a spell, then I can avoid listening to the annoying voice of the bottle. There would be no need to store it, after all. Oh? Could it be that I¡¯m a genius¡­? ¡°This¡­ This will work!¡± Once that was decided, I immediately went to work. I opened the book I used for research last time, when I had accidentally made the potion, and was absorbed in developing the magic spell. I came up with a trial version of the new magic spell right away. ¡°Sensei, that ¡ºPotion that lets you talk to items¡» I created earlier was a defective product. I¡¯m currently working on something much better. Would you like to see?¡± Fran-sensei made a slightly surprised expression, and then started to write a letter to somebody. ¡ð The spell was completed in a few days. ¡°I¡¯ve completed the spell I spoke to you about before.¡± As soon as I completed it, I went and captured Fran-sensei who was worriedly waiting near the mailbox. While frequently opening the mailbox and looking inside, Sensei asked, ¡°Hoho. That¡¯s quite something¡­ Exactly what kind of spell did you complete?¡± ¡°You¡¯re definitely going to be surprised when you hear this. It¡¯s ¡ºMagic that changes items into people¡». It¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°Ah, that magic you spoke of the other day. You finished it?¡± ¡°Yes. It¡¯s pretty amazing¡ªlook at this!¡± After saying that, I fired off a blast of magic. The light was released towards the mailbox, and the mailbox began to shine after receiving the magic. After a short while, the shape of the mailbox started to change. It turned into a cute girl. ¡°Hey. It¡¯s nice to meet you. I¡¯m the mailbox. Thank you for making good use of me. By the way, Witch of Stardust-dono. You¡¯ve opened me forty two times today, but there are no letters that have been delivered today, you know?¡± The girl looked up at Fran-sensei with a smile on her face. ¡°I see, so this is¡­¡­¡± Fran-sensei looked down at the girl with a very complicated expression on her face. Perhaps I got a little too carried away at that time. I used the magic on items and had them do all my chores. For example, I turned one plate into a person and ordered it to wash the dishes, and similarly left the cleaning of rooms to a cleaning rag. I turned a grimoire into a person and had it explain the parts that I couldn¡¯t understand. I led an incredibly self-indulgent lifestyle. ¡°Ei.¡± And then, one day. As usual, I sat down in my chair, and tried to turn Fran-sensei¡¯s mug into a person and make it fill my own mug with coffee. I wasn¡¯t paying attention, and made a mistake. The magic that was supposed to be fired from my staff instead came to stop floating just above my staff. ¡°¡­¡­Ah.¡± The light that was floating over my staff eventually coated the whole staff and turned it into a person. ¡°Ufufufufu¡­¡­ How I¡¯ve waited for this day!¡± A strange character appeared in front of me. She was a young woman, a little older than me. The young woman who was born from the staff grabbed my shoulders and brought her face close to mine. ¡°Ufufufu. Elaina-san. What cute child. All this while you¡¯ve been making me work so hard, I¡¯ve been waiting for the day when I could become friends with you. You¡¯re so cute, after all.¡± ¡°Ah. Yes¡­ thanks.¡± ¡°By the way, do you have a lover?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡± ¡°Well then, let¡¯s become lovers!¡± ¡°No, we¡¯re both women. Also, I¡¯d prefer a human partner.¡± ¡°What are you talking about!? Gender doesn¡¯t matter when it comes to love!¡± ¡°Eh, hang on¡ªwah!¡± The young lady put more strength into her hands that were holding my shoulders and pushed me down. Wait, you¡¯re not even a human. It¡¯s not even a matter of gender. There were a lot of comments I wanted to make, but unfortunately I didn¡¯t have time for that. The young lady was straddling me and had an ecstatic expression on her face as her breathing grew rough. Ah, this is bad. ¡°Don¡¯t worry! I won¡¯t hurt you!¡± Saying that, she pinned both my wrists with one hand and slowly brought her face closer to mine. Once they lose their staff, a magician is just a small fry with no means to retaliate. And in this case, my own staff is assaulting me, so it¡¯s even more¡ªuwaaaah scary, scary, scary! ¡°Stop¡­ Please stop¡ª!¡± And then, that young woman¡ª Just when she was about to kiss me, she turned back into a staff. ¡°¡­Seriously. Just what were you doing, Elaina?¡± I moved the staff that was blocking my vision, and saw Fran-sensei looking down at me with an exasperated expression. ¡°That was dangerous. In more ways than one.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you okay?¡± I took hold of the hand Sensei extended towards me and allowed her to pull me up. ¡°I¡¯m okay, for now¡­¡± ¡°Thank goodness.¡± I hurriedly fixed my slightly disordered clothes while being filled with shame. Perhaps this is my punishment for getting carried away. I hadn¡¯t imagined that I would be assaulted by one of my own possessions. Perhaps she understood what I felt, so instead of lecturing me, Fran-sensei just said one thing. ¡°People and items aren¡¯t the same. Things don¡¯t always go the way you want.¡± Saying that, she knocked me on the head. ¡ñ ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» ¡­¡­¡­That¡¯s what happened, and ever since that incident, she hasn¡¯t used the ¡ºMagic that changes items into people.¡» ¡ºDear Top Student,¡» The next time I meet my daughter, I will make sure to snap that staff in two. ¡ºDear Sensei,¡» You¡¯re too late, I¡¯ve already done that. Volume 3 - CH 8 Chapter 8 ¨C Ceasefire after a Decade With every step I took, I could feel the soft earth squishing beneath my feet. The unceasing overnight rain that fell in this region had stubbornly left its traces in the form of moisture covering the forest. The raindrops on the foliage every so often slid off the leaves and fell while reflecting the midday sun, only to be absorbed by the sodden ground or my tricorne. The path through the forest was damp, and the air was hot as befitting the early summer season. It¡¯s way too hot. So irritating. ¡°¡­¡­Uuuu.¡± A weak breeze gently shook the fallen leaves near my feet. Walking through the forest while feeling annoyed was the last thing I wanted to do, but if I used my broom to fly in such a situation, I would no doubt be drenched by the remaining raindrops while trying to fly above the trees. However, I¡¯m getting drenched in sweat by continuing to walk like this nonetheless, so there is no reprieve at all. ¡°So hot¡­¡± I held my staff in both hands, and continued to walk while directing a weak breeze in my direction. ¡°Aahhhh¡­ The air is so clammy¡­¡± I don¡¯t wear a robe on days as hot as this. I¡¯ve taken it off. I¡¯m wearing a shirt and skirt and my tricorne, getup that would make people look twice and wonder whether I was actually a witch or not. Due to that, the air directed from my staff was able to flow over me without any restriction, and it was barely strong enough to make my ash-gray hair flutter and caress the nape of my neck. However, instead of making me feel better, it only served to irritate me further. On the list of things that I hate, this damp climate comes right after rain. I really want to reach the next country soon and let my body rest at an inn. Let¡¯s see. Just how much further until the next country? ¡°¡­¡­Mumu.¡± It looks like I¡¯ll be there in another thirty minutes. ¡°Another thirty minutes to Selial Kingdom.¡± There was a signboard helpfully posted along the path that told me so. ¡°Please feel free to take a break here.¡± There was even a small bench placed nearby as though it was an afterthought. Although in this climate, it is more like an unwelcome favor. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, it looked like there were people in this world who were tolerant enough to accept even unwelcome favors such as this. There was a man sitting on the bench, absentmindedly fanning himself with a folding fan. From what I could see, it appeared he had been sitting there for a while. The dampness of his sweat had left patterns on his shirt, and a trace of fatigue could be seen in his expression. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, and there was some grey mixed in with his otherwise black hair. Don¡¯t tell me he has been patiently sitting here for a long time? By the way, there was a large amount of water and food set aside next to him, so maybe he planned to continue sitting there for a while. That is what I thought, but there was no way that could happen. Also, there was a strange creature at his feet that had mop-like hair. I wonder if it is a pet. It looks like a giant moss ball. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Are you a traveler?¡± After walking up to the bench, I called out to the man who was sitting there. I stood there while proudly blowing air at myself with my staff; and forced a refreshed expression on my face. It seemed my conscience was incapacitated by the heat. The man slowly shook his head in answer to my question, and, ¡°No. I¡¯m a resident of that country.¡± Saying that, he pointed in the direction from which my freshly made footprints extended. At present you could only see the forest in that direction, but quite a distance away, there was a place called the Melnel Kingdom where I had stayed until this morning. By the way, there was nothing noteworthy about that country. ¡°So you¡¯re from that country¡­ Are you perhaps a merchant? It looks like you¡¯ve been working hard.¡± ¡°No. I¡¯m not a merchant either. I¡¯m just a regular citizen of that kingdom. Also, it¡¯s not like I have any particular work in the Selial Kingdom either.¡± ¡°¡­¡­?¡± I tilted my head in confusion. ¡°Then what are you doing in a place like this?¡± ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone.¡± ¡°Oh? It looks like the person you¡¯re waiting for isn¡¯t very punctual.¡± I mean, he¡¯s completely drenched in sweat, after all. ¡°Seriously. That person has no sense of punctuality at all.¡± ¡°How long have you been waiting here?¡± I was just curious to hear his answer. I didn¡¯t particularly mean anything by it, nor was I overcome with feelings of admiration for his tolerance in waiting even after being drenched in sweat. However, the man said, ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting here for the past ten years.¡± After saying something that bothered me a little, he continued, ¡°Also, I plan to keep staying here in the future.¡± And he said something that interested me greatly. ¡ð ¡°Of course, I have to work as well, so it¡¯s not like I¡¯m here around the clock. But whenever I find time, I always wait here like this. I¡¯ve been waiting here all this time for that person. About ten years have passed in that manner.¡± Since my interest was stoked, I sat down on the bench as well and listened as the man, who introduced himself as Nord, started speaking to me. To ensure that he didn¡¯t have to look twice before realizing it, I introduced myself as a witch, and then, ¡°Who are you waiting for?¡± I asked that while feeling curious. ¡°My wife. She went to the country down the road ten years ago, and hasn¡¯t returned since then. So, I¡¯ve been waiting here all this time.¡± ¡°Why don¡¯t you just go to that country yourself and look for her there?¡± However, the man slowly shook his head. ¡°That country and mine had a war ten years ago, and we are in a situation where we have no dealings with each other. The current state is such that if someone from my country goes to that country, they won¡¯t even open the gates.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s why you can¡¯t go.¡± ¡°Yes. So I¡¯ve been waiting here.¡± For ten whole years? Hang on, more importantly¡­ ¡°The fact that your wife went to that country ten years ago ¡ª does that mean she defected or something like that?¡± ¡°No. My wife is a witch. So she went to the other country to fight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I can guess what you want to say. Since she hasn¡¯t returned even after waiting for ten years, you think she might be dead, right?¡± I nodded. ¡°I think that might be the case as well. But if there¡¯s even the slightest chance of her still being alive, I have no choice but to wait, do you see?¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is?¡± ¡°That¡¯s how it is. We are a married couple after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I was sitting silently, thinking of something to say to him, when it happened. The creature that was lying beside him got up and started moving around. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That creature with long, mop-like hair lifted its round, moss ball-like body off the ground and started moving around on legs that were too numerous to count. The legs of the creature, what I had previously taken to be hair, were easily taller than me, so sitting on the bench as I was, I had to look up to see its face ¡ª or the portion of its body that appeared to be one. I couldn¡¯t see any eyes. It was just a round, fuzzy hairball. ¡°¡­¡­Umm, what exactly is this creature? I had been vaguely wondering about it since earlier, but¡­¡± The fuzzy hairball stretched its innumerable legs between the man and me, and eventually settled down on the bench between us. The man patted the fuzzy hairball that came to sit beside him and replied, ¡°Oh, so you were curious about it after all? This here is some sort of mysterious creature.¡± ¡°Ah, that is apparent just by looking at it.¡± ¡°Also, this creature lives here, on this bench.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± I unintentionally nodded as if I understood, but¡­ ¡°Umm¡­ that means¡­¡± On second thought, I don¡¯t understand it at all. It lives on the bench? Huh? ¡°To tell you the truth, I don¡¯t know much about this creature either. After the war ended and my wife had still not come back, I started waiting here on this bench. Since that day, this creature has always been here, on this bench. It¡¯s always here, from morning till night.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Maybe this creature is waiting for someone here as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That may be the case.¡± ¡°The reason I¡¯ve been able to patiently wait for my wife here for all this time is because of this guy. I feel strangely comforted when it is by my side, so I am able to wait here like this.¡± Saying so, the man once again patted the fuzzy ball. The fuzzy ball shook slightly. ¡°¡­¡­Does it dislike the touch?¡± ¡°No, this is how it shows happiness.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I tried to pat it as well. Once again, the fuzzy hairball shook a little. From under its tufty texture, I could feel a vibration. ¡°Ah, now it¡¯s unhappy.¡± ¡°I can only see it as having the same reaction as when you patted it.¡± ¡°Well, you¡¯re a beginner, so that¡¯s all you see. However, I can tell.¡± ¡°So that¡¯s how it is?¡± ¡°Yes, that¡¯s how it is.¡± ¡°You share an understanding like a middle-aged couple.¡± ¡°We¡¯ve been together for ten years, after all.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The man fanned himself with his folding fan as he calmly said, ¡°And we will be together in the future as well.¡± And that¡¯s why he understands everything about that creature ¡ª that¡¯s what he told me. A gust of wind heavy with moisture blew through the forest at that time. The wind that was neither cool nor hot blew in between us, and the fuzzy hairball shook gently. I had absolutely no idea what kind of feeling that signified. ¡ð In that manner, after taking a short break, I finally reached that country. However. ¡°Mumu¡­?¡± It was strange. What I saw before me was at odds with what I had heard from that man. ¡°Welcome, Witch-sama! Are you from the other country?¡± The man had told me that the gates of the country were firmly shut, but not only were they open, the guard at the gate also welcomed me with a beaming smile on his face. ¡°I am a traveler. I¡¯m not a citizen of the other country.¡± ¡°I see! How long do you plan on staying here?¡± After asking me that, the guard said, ¡°We would appreciate it if you could stay for a minimum of three days, at least¡­¡­¡± ¡°Hmm? Why is that?¡± That was a pretty strange request. Why three days? The guard replied, ¡°In three days from now, this country is going to declare a ceasefire!¡± He said something even more strange. I felt my head start to hurt. I spent the next two days sightseeing in that country. I had been asked to stay for at least three days, after all, and I was also curious about what was going to happen. It looked like the residents of this country were eagerly looking forward to the declaration of ceasefire. ¡ºFinally, the war is ending!¡» ¡ºAfter ten years, the day we¡¯ve been waiting for has finally arrived!¡» ¡ºWe can finally put this behind us!¡» There were signboards and posters with things like that written on them, posted all over the city. By the way, why was the ceasefire to be announced after three days? When I was staying in the other country, I had heard that the war had ended a long time ago. Why did only this side think that the war was still ongoing? I wanted to walk around and get some answers, and in fact I managed to kill some time doing exactly that. However, the people of this country weren¡¯t able to answer to my satisfaction at all. ¡°It¡¯s okay, you¡¯ll understand it after three days.¡± They just avoided my questions with vague hints like that. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And then, before I knew it, it was already the day when the ceasefire was set to be announced. However, after those three days had gone by, I still had no idea what was going on. ¡°¡­¡­Why?¡± I had no idea what the reason was. The people had gathered in the plaza of the city. It looked like everyone there was just a spectator, and they were all staring at the center of the plaza like they expected something to happen. There was a group of soldiers standing there in a circle, armed with rifles. And they were aiming those rifles inwards, at what was inside the circle. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However. Why were they aiming their rifles at a large number of strange creatures that looked like fuzzy hairballs? They resembled the fuzzy hairball that was with the man I met on the road in the forest, why were they being surrounded? To me, it looked like the people of this country were ganging up to torment them, and making a show out of it. That was because the fuzzy hairballs had gathered together and appeared to be trembling in fright. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± I tapped on the shoulder of a person who was staring at the fuzzy hairballs, and asked that question. And then, that person answered like it was a perfectly natural thing. ¡°What, isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s the witches from the other country.¡± ¡ð I finally heard the truth about what was happening in this country. It had happened ten years ago. The effects of the war were felt inside this country as well. A group of around ten witches from the other country appeared in this country. On the other hand, this country had only a single witch. From the beginning, she had no chance of winning. The ten-odd witches went on a rampage within the country. They destroyed buildings, weapons¡­ in a methodical fashion, they started to rob this country of its ability to fight. Driven into a corner, the people of this country left the fate of the country to the only witch from this country. ¡°Is there no way to destroy that large group of witches in one go?¡± They asked her. That witch, who loved her country more than anything else, gave her life to stop the attacks of the enemy witches. She gave her life, and in exchange placed a curse on them. The curse affected the witches who were flying around the country. It turned them into those strange creatures. After losing their only witch, who was the last ray of hope, this country rushed to prepare for a defensive battle. However, the other country didn¡¯t launch any assaults after that. The war naturally ended in this manner, and the two countries stopped interacting with each other. ¡°By the way, those strange creatures have some unique features.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°They are closer to objects than living creatures. They apparently have no need to eat, and they don¡¯t die, no matter what happens.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°They were unfazed after being drowned in water, and for some reason didn¡¯t burn when thrown into a fire. If hit by a stray bullet, they¡¯ll just spit the bullet out. Those things are immortal.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It looks like the witch from our country planned this so that we would not be able to forget about the war and put the past behind us. However, there is a limit even to immortality. There is a time limit to the curse placed by her. After ten years, they stop being immortal.¡± ¡°¡­¡­So you mean¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. Today marks the end of those ten years.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is why we are celebrating. That is why today marks the end of the war.¡± That¡¯s what they said. The cheers from the gathered populace increased in intensity, and their voices joined together in a countdown. The sound of the people clapping to the beat of the countdown seemed to urge the soldiers to take action. On the other side of the crowd of people, I caught a glimpse of the soldiers steadying their guns. And then. The sound of loud gunshots reverberated throughout the plaza. ¡ð Amidst cheers and applause, lovely red flower petals bloomed in the middle of the plaza and danced through the air. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It wasn¡¯t a metaphor. It was simply and actually just red flower petals floating in the wind. When I held out my hand, one of the petals, blown by the wind, landed on my palm. The petals were shot out of the guns. They did not spew fire, and of course, no one died. Not only that, but, ¡°¡­¡­Finally! I¡¯ve finally managed to turn human again!¡± ¡°Aaah¡­ Those ten years felt so long¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯ve finally been released from hell¡­ Each and every one of those days was so hard to get through¡­¡± ¡°Wine! Someone bring me some wine!¡± ¡°I want cake!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll take a man instead.¡± The strange creatures that were huddled together in the centre of the ring of soldiers turned back into humans ¡ª into witches. Amidst the red petals, they were hugging the soldiers and other citizens of the country and rejoicing. ¡°Umm, what just happened?¡± Once again, I was very puzzled. ¡°What, isn¡¯t it obvious? Everyone is rejoicing because the war has ended!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Huh? What? ¡°Umm, I thought that since ten years have passed and they are not longer immortal, they would be killed. I was fully expecting a serious situation like that, but¡­¡± ¡°What are you talking about? Of course we wouldn¡¯t do something like that. Over the course of ten years, we mended our relations with those witches. We decided to forgive each other and live together in peace.¡± ¡°¡­¡­But then, why did you close the gates and refuse to establish contact with the other country?¡± ¡°That couldn¡¯t be helped. Once the war was over and both countries tried to reconcile, what do you think would happen if we just handed over the creatures that the witches turned into? Do you think they would forgive us if we said something like ¡ºWe turned all your witches into these weird creatures, but we don¡¯t have the will to fight anymore?¡» It would be like throwing fuel on a fire. That is why we waited for the ten years to pass.¡± ¡°Have you forgiven the people from the other country?¡± ¡°We forgave them, and received forgiveness in return. It took a long time. That is why we are rejoicing together with the witches.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Thinking about it, it felt anticlimactic. Saying that they would no longer be immortal after ten years, simply meant that the curse would come undone after ten years. The fuzzy hairballs weren¡¯t shuddering in fear when they were surrounded by the soldiers, instead they were trembling in delight. What an incredibly anticlimactic ending. I was completely let down. ¡°By the way, you¡¯re a traveler, right? Do the people of the other country still bear a grudge against us?¡± After hearing that question, I smiled wryly and replied, ¡°In the other country, today apparently marks the tenth year since the end of hostilities.¡± ¡ð After that, I stayed for a few more days in that city filled with joy. I spent my time interacting with the witches who were finally able to go back to being humans after ten years, and telling the people of the country about the state of affairs outside. Apparently, the people of country had already decided on what they wanted to do next. Along with properly opening the country to outsiders after a decade, they planned to return the witches to the other country and send a formal declaration of peace. I hope it goes well. Well, it doesn¡¯t really matter to me either way. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± A few days after that incident, I left that country. The gloomy rain clouds that hung over the forest had disappeared, and a crisp and dry wind blew across my collar. It was a pleasant breeze. It would probably feel really good to fly on my broom on a day like this. ¡°Alright, time to go.¡± Taking a break is fine, but it should be done in moderation. I stood up from the bench that had been placed in the forest, pulled out my broom, and sat on it side-saddle. Below the gently rising broom, dust swirled on the parched ground and settled on the bench. The empty bench continued to stand there, as if patiently awaiting the next person who would come to sit on it. Volume 3 - CH 9 Chapter 9 ¨C A Tale of Items: The Overgrown Ruins Good morning. Good day. Good evening. I wonder which one is the correct greeting? Not that it matters. This is the first time the two of us have had a correspondence like this, isn¡¯t it? That being the case, allow me to introduce myself properly. It¡¯s nice to meet you. My name is Elaina. The Witch of Ashes, Elaina. I am a witch with ash-colored hair and azure eyes. I wear a black robe, a tricorne, and a brooch that is shaped like a star. I¡¯m sure you already know all of this, but I decided to introduce myself, just in case. Due to some reasons, I am currently trapped in a country that is right under your nose ¡ª or rather, something similar to a country. Sadly enough, I messed up. I wasn¡¯t being careful enough, and I made a mistake. I can make any number of excuses, like my evaluation of the situation was too naive and I let down my guard, but in the end, it was my blunder. By the time I decided to run away, it was already too late and I had become trapped in this place. My escape routes were completely sealed. Even now, I can feel the slight remnants of sanity in my head being violated by some external agency. Soon, I will lose all sense of self. And so, I¡¯ve decided to throw you outside for the time being. I have a favor to ask of you, the person who is reading this letter on the other side of this large gate. Would you please save me? I am most certainly in a strange country right under your nose, probably experiencing joy while being treated as a slave by some strange beings. There is only one thing I want you to do right now. Would be so kind as to take me ¡ª the one who is being manipulated by these strange beings ¡ª out of this country? If I am able to leave, I think everything will work out. I will probably regain my sanity. I might probably resist the idea fiercely, but please, take me outside by force if you have to. Unless you do that, I might end up dying here. Under normal circumstances, I know that this isn¡¯t something I should be asking of you. However, even if I send out a message from here asking for aid, I don¡¯t think there would be anyone who would conveniently come into such a deep forest to save me. By chance, should someone actually come here, would I still be alive at that time? More importantly, would they not end up sharing the same fate as me? Besides, you are not human. You are a thing, just like them. That is why I decided to ask you for help. This is a once-in-a-lifetime gamble. It¡¯s been a while since I used this magic, so I don¡¯t know if you will actually be able to read this letter. Even if you do read it, there¡¯s a chance you might just tear it up and throw it away. Asking you for help after all the time I¡¯ve spent working you to the bone, there can be nothing more shameless than this. That is why I am aware that my request is extremely selfish, ridiculous, deceitful, and if it causes you to tear up this letter and throw it away out of irritation, I can¡¯t really complain. However, I cannot keep myself from imploring you. Please, save me¡ª When I woke up, I saw that letter lying beside me. In neat handwriting, that letter contained an apology and a request for help. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The place I was standing in looked like a deep forest. Just like what was written in her letter, I saw something resembling a country. There were puddles of water near my feet, probably because it had rained recently. Peeking into one of the puddles, I saw my reflection. I had a befuddled expression on my face. My age was somewhere in the first half of my twenties. I had pink hair that was slightly messy, and apart from the color, I looked exactly like her. My attire was also shockingly similar to hers, as I was wearing a black robe. However, since I am not a magician, I am not wearing a tricorne or a star-shaped brooch. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I was surprised that my human form resembled her to this extent. It is said that pets resemble their owners, but apparently that principle holds true for possessions as well. I learned something new today. This is an amazing revelation. If I manage to safely reunite with her and save her from her predicament, maybe I should share this revelation with her. ¡°¡­Right then. Time to go.¡± I spoke out aloud to no one in particular. As expected, my voice was identical to the voice of that person ¡ª my owner, Elaina-sama. ¡ð It happened while I was flying through a forest on my broom. ¡°Ah, it¡¯s raining.¡± What¡¯s more, it was a strong rain that started to fall all of a sudden. The sky had been overcast and grey throughout the day, and the clouds gave off a feeling that it would start raining at any minute, so I wasn¡¯t surprised when it started to rain. In fact, that is why I had been flying beneath the trees, so that I could take shelter at a moment¡¯s notice. However, the force with which the raindrops fell exceeded my estimations. ¡°Eh, come on¡­¡± Well, there was no other way to describe it. The rain easily penetrated through the tree branches that extended over me like a ceiling, and I was soon drenched. This is certainly annoying. At this rate, I¡¯ll catch a cold. ¡°Ugh¡­ Hmm?¡± While I had puffed my cheeks in irritation at my misfortune, I saw a large building conveniently sitting at the end of a small path between the trees. Such good luck. Without any hesitation, I decided to enter that country. ¡°Hello~! Is anyone there?¡± I had put away my broom, stood in the rain while holding up an umbrella, and then knocked on a gate that was built into a wall shorter than the nearby trees. The branches of the trees and ivy appeared to embrace the walls, and looking at how they appeared to be one with the surrounding forest, it was evident that this country had been around for a long time. I was waiting patiently, but in my heart I urged them to open the gates quickly. Right after I silently urged them, the gates opened. The doors opened with a creaking sound, and I caught a glimpse of the other side of the gate. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Seeing what was there, I stiffened. I was dumbfounded. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» On the other side of the gate was a single book, floating in the air. It was flapping its pages like a butterfly to remain in the air. I immediately realized that this was not an ordinary country. ¡°Ah, hello. Could I stay here for a while to take shelter from the rain?¡± I thought about turning back, but I liked the idea of continuing to stay outside in the rain even less. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» It looked like the book understood my words, as it bobbed up and down once and then turned to follow the path that extended inward from the gate. ¡°¡­¡­?¡± Is it asking me to follow? ¡°Thank you very much.¡± And so, I entered that country. Behind me, the gate that had only opened moments ago made a creaking sound once again. By the time I turned around, the view of the world outside the gate had already been cut off. This place looked too decrepit to be called a country, but not quite enough to be called a ruin. There were things lying around everywhere. I didn¡¯t see it from outside the gates because of the heavy rain, but after coming inside I saw the terrible state of the place. The road that ran in between the houses ¡ª the road I was walking on ¡ª was filled with things like broken crockery, broken watches, stuffed toys with their stuffing leaking out, and other such small items. This was definitely a strange place. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» Eventually, the flying book entered a certain building. There was a signboard lying on the ground near the entrance with the words ¡°Inn¡± written on it. I stepped on the signboard and went inside. ¡°¡­¡­What the heck is this?¡± The inside was even stranger. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» It looked like the flying book was not the only thing that could move by itself. There was a chest of drawers (without the drawers), chairs that were missing a few legs, a broken staff, and a broken broom moving about freely as well. They were moving like living creatures. As soon as they saw me, they started hopping up and down in place. ¡­¡­Are they welcoming me? No, but still. ¡°Excuse me, may I stay here for a while?¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» The book moved up and down. ¡°Thank you very much. Is there a room where I can sleep?¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» After I said that, the book moved by flapping its pages and showed me to a room. If you wanted to say something good about it, it could be called quaint; or it could simply be called a worn-out single room. Even so, I was thankful. Despite the worn-out condition of the room, the bed and other furniture appeared to be as good as new, and I could see that they had been repaired. The contrast gave it an uncomfortable feeling. ¡°What about the payment?¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» The book moved horizontally from side to side. The raindrops that were still on the book splashed on my face. ¡°¡­¡­Just to confirm, the the bed in this room won¡¯t just start moving around by itself, right?¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡°Why aren¡¯t you saying anything?¡± No, it¡¯s not like it ever said anything in the first place. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» After that, the book slowly left the room, and then, ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡» As expected, the bed started moving about by itself, so I kicked it out of the room. Incidentally, I also threw out the other pieces of furniture that were in the room. After ensuring that the room was completely empty, I changed my clothes, pulled my sleeping bag out, and went to sleep. On closing my eyes, I could hear the sound of the rain gently echoing inside the room. It was still raining on the next day. Unfortunately, I would have to put my traveling on hold for today as well. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» The flying book came to my room, as if to wish me a good day. ¡°Ah, good morning.¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡°Ah, I¡¯m sorry, but can I stay here until the rain stops?¡± ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» After nodding once, the book moved back and forth. Is it asking me to follow? After that, I shut the door to change my clothes, and then followed the book. After leaving the inn and walking for a while, a castle-like building that was larger than the other buildings in the country came into view. The flying book stopped there. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» ¡°What is this place?¡± Even though I asked that, the book didn¡¯t reply. As if it was ignoring me, it moved and went through the open gate by itself. ¡°Hmm¡­¡± I was somewhat dissatisfied, but followed it inside as I didn¡¯t have any other choice. I thought there was something it wanted to show me. The book again stopped in front of a door that was at the end of the corridor on the first floor. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» As expected, the door opened by itself. After that, I was once again lost for words, just like I was when I first entered the country. I was dumbfounded. ¡ñ After carefully reading through the letter that she had sent, I went up to the gate and knocked. ¡°Good morning. I¡¯m¡­ a traveling item. I am actually an item, but due to certain reasons I currently have the form of a person.¡± From the perspective of the floating book on the other side of the gate, this must have been a very peculiar greeting. What on earth is a traveling item? ¡ºHoho? An item, you say? Then perhaps, can you also hear my voice?¡» ¡°Indeed I can.¡± ¡ºFumu¡­. Yes, this is very interesting. It was worth living for such a long time after all. I got to see something good.¡» ¡°Thank you for the compliment.¡± ¡ºBut why have you taken the form of a human? If you don¡¯t mind, would you mind telling us about your circumstances?¡» ¡°Sure, I don¡¯t mind.¡± ¡ºIn that case, I will guide you to the place where my friends are waiting. I would like for you to tell your story in front of everyone. Hearing the tales of an item from outside the country will be good entertainment for us.¡» ¡°I see ¡ª very well. In return, I would appreciate it if you could prepare room for me where I can stay.¡± ¡ºNaturally. We will prepare the highest grade room for your use.¡» In that way, I was able to openly infiltrate that country. ¡ºDamn, isn¡¯t that chick totally cute?¡» ¡ºI know what you mean.¡» The gates were saying things like that while they shut behind me with a creaking sound. ¡ºBy the way, what kind of form did you originally have?¡» Hearing someone speak from ahead of me, I turned my head back to the front. It¡¯s only natural that they should ask. Also, there is no reason why I should hide it. ¡°A broom.¡± So I told them the truth. ¡°You know how witches carry brooms? I am one of those.¡± After walking to the approximate center of the country, I was shown into a castle-like building that was larger than the surrounding structures. ¡ºPlease come this way, Traveler-sama.¡» Following the instructions of the book that was guiding me, I used the staircase near the entrance to climb to the second floor. ¡°What kind of castle is this?¡± ¡ºThis place once was a country. It was governed by a king, and this building is where he lived. In short, it was the royal palace.¡» ¡°Hoho.¡± I continued to follow the book. ¡°By the way, where is that king now?¡± I asked with a puzzled expression. Hearing that, the book replied without even the slightest hesitation. ¡°He is no longer around.¡± The book only gave me that simple answer. In a strangely cold voice. It then stopped in front of a door at the end of the second floor¡¯s corridor. ¡ºPlease enter, Traveler-sama. I will introduce my companions.¡» ¡ð While I stood there dumbfounded, I saw that there were a few people there, right in front of me. There were only a few of them, but it looked like there were still people living here. ¡°Oh my. All your legs are broken? Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ll fix you up as good as new.¡± ¡°Plate-san, Plate-san. You¡¯re not exactly young anymore, so you should probably show some restraint ¡ª Hiii! I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry! Please don¡¯t throw the broken shards at me!¡± ¡°Hohoho. Plushie-dono, you are in a sorry state indeed. No matter, I will fix the damage.¡± Apparently, these people were tasked with repairing the items here. They were spread out inside a large room, and were sitting in front of items that looked very old and damaged. There were both men and women from different age groups. They looked like they came from various walks of life, as there were some dressed as travelers and some others dressed as magicians. In short, it was a room filled with chaos. While wondering what was going on, I walked over to an old man who was in the middle of working. He was dressed like a magician, and gave the impression of being an experienced veteran. ¡°Excuse me, what exactly are you doing?¡± The old man looked at me, and, ¡°Hou, a newcomer? A cute one to boot.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± What does he mean by ¡®newcomer?¡¯ ¡°Fumu fumu. Are you a witch? That is good. Our workload will be reduced by quite a bit.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ What do you mean by ¡®workload¡¯ and ¡®newcomer?¡¯ I don¡¯t understand.¡± ¡°Hmm. It looks like you still don¡¯t know what sort of place this is.¡± ¡°I only arrived here yesterday.¡± ¡°That explains it.¡± The old man stroked his snow white beard, and then spoke while sewing on the arm of a small bear plushie that was hopping up and down in front of him. ¡°This is a place where broken items are fixed. All items eventually reach the end of their life span, and we are tasked with repairing the items that come here.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Incidentally, items that were broken on purpose before reaching the end of their lifespan also come here.¡± Hoho. Are the people here masochists or something? ¡°Fumu¡­¡± However, why are these people being made to repair the broken items? ¡°Did you come to work here after being hired by the people who live in this country?¡± If possible, I wanted to meet with the people who lived here ¡ª I would like to understand what is happening in this strange country. However, the old man shook his head. ¡°Unfortunately, that is not the case. We are simply working here in this country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I suddenly had an idea. ¡°I see. So you were all also caught in the torrential rain yesterday and came here to seek shelter?¡± And so, they are repairing the items as thanks for being allowed to stay. I see, I see. ¡°No ¡ª Unfortunately, that is not right either. We are all living here. We are living here for the purpose of dedicating our time to the items in this country.¡± ¡°So you¡¯re staying here full time? Why go to such an extent?¡± ¡°No idea. I have forgotten the reason. Hohoho.¡± It looks like this elderly gentleman¡¯s memory has declined quite a bit. ¡°¡­Since when have you been living in this country?¡± ¡°No idea. It was probably since quite a long time ago. I found this place when I was working a traveling merchant in search of popular products. At some point I had started toiling away in here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After hearing what he had to say, I finally realized what was strange about this place ¡ª a place which seemed like a country, but wasn¡¯t actually one. Thinking back, just the fact that items were moving about by themselves was more than enough reason to feel that things were strange. I turned around to look at the book that was floating in the air. It was still completely silent while hovering in place like a butterfly. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» It looked like the book noticed my gaze, as it came up to me. As usual it was silent, and showed no signs of wanting to speak, so I had no idea what it was trying to tell me. And then, the book came to a stop in front of my eyes. ¡º¡­¡­¡­¡» That¡¯s when it happened. A feeling like my head was hit with a hard object ¡ª and then I was assaulted by a sense of instability as if the world had flipped upside down. When I recovered my wits, I realized that I was lying down on the floor, and the flying book was looking down at me. My body felt as heavy as lead and I could feel my control over my body slipping away, until at last I wasn¡¯t able to move so much as a finger. My memories of what happened after that are quite vague. ¡ñ ¡°So, these are your companions?¡± The second floor of the castle. The room at the end of the corridor was overflowing with all kinds of items. From small items like pens, to large items like bookcases. There was a wide variety of them. They were looking at a book that had the same cover as the book that was hovering beside me, and were talking amongst themselves. ¡ºNo, it¡¯s like I said. Look at this! It¡¯s completely broken! It will never move again.¡» ¡ºI¡¯ve lived a very long life after all¡­ my body has broken down in several places over the years. Hey, why don¡¯t you try fixing it?¡» ¡ºThis is the end of the road for me¡­ I am a defective product that can¡¯t even move properly¡­ Uuu¡­¡» Those items that were pathetically complaining all at once to the books all looked to be fairly old and were in bad shape. Just what kind of place is this? Seeing me look puzzled, the book gave me an explanation. ¡ºThis is the reception desk for items looking to be repaired.¡» ¡°Hoh.¡± ¡ºAfter taking requests for repairs or periodic maintenance here, we send them to the repair room that is located on the first floor.¡» ¡°Hohoh.¡± ¡ºIt is also a place where my companions gather to talk about useless things.¡» ¡°Do all old people have a habit of gathering in such places when they have nothing to do?¡± ¡ºIn addition, it has become something of a fad lately for different items to combine their bodies together. See, over there in the corner of the room where the items are piled up.¡» ¡°I see it. But it looks like nothing more than a trash heap to me.¡± Hearing that, the book started to laugh. ¡ºSince we have no way to amuse ourselves, we have an overabundance of free time. It can¡¯t be helped.¡» While speaking, the book moved towards the back of the room. ¡ºCome this way, Traveler-sama. I will introduce you to everyone.¡» I followed behind the book as asked, but maybe because my current appearance was very strange, I could tell that the gazes of the old household items, and the gazes of the books that were keeping them company, were all focused on me. The book that was guiding me stopped in the center of the room, and spoke while flying around me in little circles. ¡°Hello, everyone. Today, a companion of ours with an unusual appearance has come to our country. Please take a look. It is an item with the form of a person.¡± A commotion spread throughout the room. ¡ºImagine that, an item with a human form.¡» ¡ºThis is highly unusual.¡» ¡ºIt was worth living a long life, just to see this.¡» ¡ºPoor thing, being forced to take the form of mere humans¡­¡» ¡ºEveryone, please remain silent. The fact that such an item exists is a grave situation that we should all be concerned about. Let us hear from her about how she came to take such a form. After that, let us offer her our support.¡» And then, the book said, ¡ºThe fact that she is an item just like us is reason enough. She is our companion.¡» After saying that, it left my side and came to rest at a spot away from me, as if urging me to go ahead and talk. I felt like all the gazes in that room were gathering on me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After staying silent for a while, I began to speak. I spoke while going over the plan that Elaina-sama had outlined in her letter, a plan that would help her escape from here. ¡°I was turned into this state due to a curse that was cast on me by an evil witch¡ª¡± ¡ð My memories from after I fainted were very vague. When I woke up, I saw that I had been returned to my room. Strangely, the bed and other furniture that I had pushed out of the room had returned their original places, but for some reason I found that I didn¡¯t particularly mind that as I stood up and walked out of the room. My destination was the first floor of the castle. Just like the other people there, I was working to repair the broken items. ¡°Uwaah, you¡¯re so dirty. But it¡¯s okay. I am a witch, so I can take care of this amount of dirt, no problem.¡± The voice that came from my mouth had a sickeningly sweet tone, wholly unlike my usual voice. I was talking to the item that was not really an item while using magic on it. ¡°Fumu. Not bad, newcomer. It looks like you have a knack for this. Hohoho.¡± ¡°You think so? Ufufu.¡± The girl who had a broad smile on her face after being praised by the old male magician who was working nearby was also unfortunately me. In that place, I ceased being myself. I spent the whole day in that manner, with my memories and consciousness vague as if I was within a dream. My body refused to obey my will, it was as though I had been turned into a puppet. Perhaps the most frightening thing was that I didn¡¯t even find that to be strange. I came back to my senses only once night had fallen and I returned to my inn room. ¡°Uuu¡­ Just what is going on¡­.¡± When I thought of my scary reality, I couldn¡¯t stop trembling. Now that I think about it, I¡¯ve visited a similar place once in the past. It was a strange country that had a lot of cats, and the people were all entranced by them. Back then, I was able to escape because I coincidentally happened to be allergic to cats, but¡­ If this place is similar to that, and there is some property that causes people to become entranced ¡ª just what could be the source of this power? ¡­¡­¡­ There was no need to even think about it. This was a place where people were entranced by objects. No doubt the people here are made to love objects without any limits, just like what happened in that other country. ¡°¡­Mumumu.¡± This is a problem. I need to escape from here, no matter what. Even if it is still raining, that doesn¡¯t matter. Compared to being outside in the rain, this place is even worse. There¡¯s no time like the present, I might as well make my move right now¡ª Just as I was getting anxious and pulled out my broom, ¡°¡­Uwaah.¡± Before I could react, the sheets from the bed that had returned to the room shot out and bound my hands, and pulled me down unmercifully. Ah, there¡¯s no way I can run away from here. That¡¯s what I thought after I was unceremoniously dumped into the bed and covered with a blanket. ¡°¡­¡­Uuu.¡± This place is like a prison. The next day as well, I spent the day working in a dreamlike trance as if it was entirely normal. ¡°¡ªThere you go! You¡¯re all fixed up. Take care!¡± With a big smile on my face, I was seeing off a stuffed toy that I had just repaired a few minutes ago. I was even waving my hand. I felt like asking that girl just who the heck she was. Even though it was me. When it was time for lunch, we were served food that was barely sufficient by the the frying pan and chopping board (as usual, they were quite old). The food they gave us, without exception was grass, grass, and even more grass that was probably growing somewhere nearby. In other words, they were weeds. ¡°Hohoho. This is delicious.¡± ¡°This raw leaf is so juicy!¡± ¡°Ahh¡­ to think I would be eating so well¡­ I am so fortunate.¡± However, everyone was eating it very happily. I was taken aback. However, my expression was still stuck in a smile. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± My face still had a smile on it as my hand reached for the weeds, but that was really too much to bear, so I put my entire will into stopping my hand from moving. My hand was trembling in mid air as my will and something else fought a desperate battle for control. ¡°Hmm? It looks like you are still able to regain your sanity occasionally.¡± The old man spoke to me while looking at me doubtfully. While munching on the weeds. ¡°Looks¡­ like¡­ that¡¯s the case¡­!¡± Ah, I was able to speak. ¡°Hohoho. I was like that in the beginning as well. I didn¡¯t want to work in this place, so I tried my best to slip out somehow.¡± Oh? ¡°H-How¡­ about¡­ now¡­!?¡± ¡°Stop talking in a hoarse voice with that smiling face, it is scary.¡± After finishing all the weeds on his plate, the old man spoke. ¡°I don¡¯t particularly feel anything now. In fact, I am happy from the bottom of my heart that I can stay here.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t worry, you will feel the same way sooner or later. Just like me and the other people here.¡± And then, the old man told me this. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. Just surrender yourself to the items here. You will be able to live in peace.¡± There¡¯s no way I¡¯m going to do that. That is what I wanted to say to him, but unfortunately that was when my consciousness lost the fight. It was like that in the beginning. Which means that the more time passes, the harder it will be to find a chance to escape. Looking at it another way, it means that there is still a chance for me to escape right now. ¡°¡­Mumu.¡± That night, I had a thought. Ah, I can just use my broom to escape. Fortunately, as it hadn¡¯t been too long since I was locked up here, there were times when I was able to exercise control over my whole body. It was the same on the day that the persistent rain had finally stopped, and on that day I regained full use of my body once again. ¡°This is my chance.¡± Or so I thought. I was not foolish enough to waste such a chance. I immediately took control of my body and prepared to escape as quickly as possible. ¡°Ei.¡± First things first. The furniture and bed would just get in my way. I pushed them out of the room immediately. While I was at it, I froze the door solid with ice and made it so nothing could enter the room. I could hear loud noises coming from the other side of the door but I just ignored them. ¡°Hiyaa¡ª¡± The second step. I pulled out my broom. That¡¯s it. ¡°Haa!¡± The third step. I cast two spells. The first was a simple spell that any magician can use, but it was also a spell that people rarely had any use for. The second was a spell that I invented back when I still had a lot of free time on my hands, during the time I studied under Fran-sensei. I cast both those spells. ¡°Eiyaa!¡± And now for the last step. I wrote a letter. That¡¯s it. My preparations went without a hitch. ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡» ¡º¡­¡­¡­!¡» However, there was no way that they would let me escape so easily. As soon as I finished writing the letter, the bed and other furniture that I had kicked out of the room gathered a large number of their companions and broke through the frozen door. After the ice shards went flying everywhere, I saw a bed, a desk, a chair, a plate, a kitchen knife, rope, a futon, and sheets fly into the room as a group. I immediately ran away. Just as I planned, I broke through the window and flew over the area outside that looked like an abandoned ruin. As I thought, they didn¡¯t seem to want to let me escape so easily, as a flood of items came through the broken window and chased me. Strangely enough, even the shards of the window glass that I had broken only moments ago were also chasing me. Holding onto the broom with one hand, I used my staff to shoot many of them down with blasts of wind, but unfortunately there were too many of them. Not just the items that had come through the broken window, even the ones that were lying around in the area started to chase me. Eventually, the group of items turned into a giant swarm. ¡°Uwaaah¡­¡± While feeling somewhat repulsed by the sight, I turned my gaze to the front. I was only a short way away from the gate of this strange place. It would be good if I could just leave this place behind like this. ¡ªHowever, things didn¡¯t go that smoothly. Just when I drew close to the gates, my body stopped responding to my will as if this was the plan all along. Even though I tried my best to force my body to listen, all I managed was to make my body tremble. Eventually, my body jumped off the broom against my will. ¡°¡­¡­So I failed, after all.¡± I crashed into the roof of a building and lay there, looking up at the sky. At this point, my body even stopped trembling as I lost control entirely. Only the part of my body from my neck up was still able to maintain my consciousness. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± No, I expected this to happen. I knew it would end this way. It would have been for the best if I was able to actually escape on my broom, but from what the old man said, I understood that even if I tried to escape in such an ordinary manner, it would not work. Even if I tried to escape, the strange power that filled this country would interfere with my mind and immobilize me. Even if I used magic to destroy every single item I saw, it would have ended in the same way. However. That is why I cast those two spells on my broom. The first was a simple spell. It was a simple magic that would let my broom fly by itself for a certain amount of time. The second spell is the important one. The second spell gives life to items. It gives them life, and changes their appearance to that of a person. It is a very strange spell that has very few applications. Back when I was studying under Fran-sensei, I used this spell a lot to pass the time. I never imagined that it would come in useful at a time like this. I was the target of the items that were chasing me. There should not be any reason why they would chase after a mere broom. Surely, my broom will be able to safely escape from this country. Looking up, I saw my broom flying away by itself through the sky. ¡°Please¡­¡± Please, save me¡ª ¡ñ The letter that was written in that manner had some more details as well. The letter explained in great detail about how exactly Elaina-sama planned on escaping from here. It was written in such great detail that it would be hard to believe that it was written in a hurry. It is my belief that the items in this country have been driven mad due to continuously being exposed to the magical energy that is pouring out from the surrounding forest. For some reason, there is no sign of the original residents of this country. The only people here are those like me, who have wandered in here by accident. And every single one of them have been enslaved by the items. Most probably, the items in this area hold feelings of dislike towards humans. So here¡¯s what I think. I am certain that when the items here find out that you are an item with the appearance of a person, they will start to feel pity for you. They will likely show you unneeded sympathy. Once they meet you, they are certain to ask about how you ended up in such a state. When they do, here¡¯s what you should say. ¡°I was turned into this state due to a curse that was cast on me by an evil witch.¡± You will need to lie and tell them that you were given human form because of a curse cast by an evil witch who wanted to torment you. And then, ask them this. ¡°That witch is so evil that she has even taken the lives of other people. I am currently searching for her whereabouts. Everyone, have any of you heard about her? She has ash-grey hair and azure eyes, and is fairly young.¡± This will almost certainly cause the items who heard that to feel shaken. There might even be items that react with anger. There is no chance that none of them will remember me. When they find out that the hated person who came to their country just a few days ago is actually a personification of evil, they will not be able to stay calm. And then, for the final act. This is what you should tell them. ¡°If any of you remember seeing such a person, can you please bring her to me? I need to take her back to my home country and have her executed.¡± They will most likely be happy to hand me over to you. The suffering of humans is their greatest delight, after all. ¡­And that¡¯s what was written in the letter. I proceeded according to the directions laid out by Elaina-sama. As per her plan, the objects who were listening to me set great store by my words, lamented over my fake circumstances, and cursed and showed hatred towards the witch with ash-grey hair. So far, things went according to plan. ¡ºI see¡­ You must have had a very hard time after being turned into such a horrible form. Truly, I feel for you from the bottom of my heart.¡» ¡°Thank you for your consideration.¡± I made a show of being thankful towards the book that was totally off the mark with regard to my actual feelings. They will probably never understand my true feelings of being happy at having the same appearance as my owner. ¡°So, did that witch come here?¡± I tried to move things along. I want to help her escape from here as soon as possible. ¡ºYes, she¡¯s here. Right now, she¡¯s probably helping with the repairs downstairs.¡» ¡°In that case, I would appreciate it if you would hand her over to me.¡± When I said that, the book shook sideways. ¡ºThat is not possible.¡» ¡°Eh?¡± I was wavering at this situation that was different from what was expected, and the book explained further. ¡ºUnfortunately, we cannot hand her over to you. We have already planned to execute that witch ourselves.¡» ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..Eh?¡± I was shocked this sudden turn of events. Elaina-sama, what should I do now? ¡ñ In the end, I raised a fuss saying that I wanted to check if that person really was the Witch of Ashes, and I was taken to the room on the first floor. And sure enough, Elaina-sama was there. ¡°Uwaah. This is horrible. Look at those split ends! Your hair is an absolute mess. Oh, and the cuticles are a mess too.¡± She was in the middle of repairing a broom. ¡ºOh? You¡¯re a cute one. Hehe. Show me your panties.¡» ¡°Alright, let me fix this~ Please stay still for a bit~¡± By the way, it looked like their attempt at talking to each other was a failure. The book approached my side and asked while looking at that scene, ¡ºIs that the evil witch?¡» ¡°¡­¡­Yes, that¡¯s her. Still, why were you planning to execute her?¡± ¡°She has rampaged too much within this country. Also, she seems to be quite stubborn and her mind refuses to conform to our country¡¯s standard. If she is left alone, she might completely regain her consciousness someday.¡± ¡°And so you want to execute her? That¡¯s a rather violent way of thinking.¡± ¡°Compared to how we used to be in the past, we have actually become quite peaceful. Back then, most items would just try to kill humans on sight.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± At this point, I remembered something. So I asked a question. ¡°By the way, what happened to the people who originally used to live in this country?¡± The book answered my question. ¡ºThey¡¯re all gone.¡» The reply was deadpan. ¡ºWe threw them out.¡» ¡°There you go, now you¡¯re as good as new!¡± ¡ºHey, how about going on a date with me next time? Hehe.¡» ¡°Next customer, please~¡± By the way, Elaina-sama was continuing her work in an indifferent manner. The book told me the truth behind what had happened in that country. It was a little over a decade ago. He said that back then, this place was still a proper country where a lot of rich people lived. It was a fairly prosperous country with a large population. However they were all horrible people who did not treat things with care. The country was surrounded by a forest. They had an overflowing source of raw materials, as all they had to do was chop down a nearby tree and they could make more items. Items were rarely repaired in that country; if something broke, it was usually just replaced. The people were too lazy to even transport the old items out of the country, so they were all just thrown away in one corner of the country. Even though they were still usable and were still alive, the people made up reasons like ¡°they are scratched up¡± and ¡°were bored of using the same old things¡± to throw them away. With their feelings of resentment growing ever stronger, the pile of items that were thrown away while they were still in the middle of their lifespans observed how those people were living their lives. The small pile of items that were thrown away in a corner of the country eventually kept getting larger and larger. Their hatred and pent-up resentment also naturally grew over time. Eventually, once the height of the heap of items grew higher than a tree, the people started saying things like, ¡°What should we do with all this trash?¡± ¡°It¡¯s just taking up valuable space inside the country.¡± ¡°It¡¯s in the way.¡± ¡°It¡¯s ruining the view.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s just bury it under a mound of dirt and call it a hill.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s throw them out somewhere else.¡± The conversation on this topic lasted for a long time, but the word ¡°reuse¡± did not appear even once during the discussions. In the end, the people of the country agreed on a compromise wherein half of the objects would be disposed of elsewhere, and the other half would be buried. Despite the fact that the items were still in usable condition. At that moment, the anger of the items that had been buried reached the bursting point. And that is when the change occured. The items that had been mistreated by the humans gained the ability to move by themselves, and the people started to adore items. It was just like what happened in that country where the people had turned into cat lovers. Perhaps the magical energy that resides inside deep forests has such an innate ability to mess with minds. In any case, all the people who happened to be there at the time turned into servants of the items. Meanwhile the objects used their resentment as their driving force and became capable of moving around by themselves. Despite the change in the people¡¯s attitudes, this was not enough to sate the anger of the items. After being thrown away like common trash, the items had lost all faith in humanity. ¡ºThis place will be our country from now on. You bastards get out and leave behind everything you own.¡» The items gathered the people of the country in one place, said those words to them, and kicked them out of the country. However, since people are unable to hear the voices of items, it is likely that they just ran away after being creeped out by the sight of items moving around on their own. In any case, that was how this country made up of only items came to be. However, the items had made a grave mistake. Even items will stop moving once their lifespan is over. For about ten-odd years, no people approached the country and the items lived in seclusion, but then their comrades started collapsing one after the other. If any items broke, there were no people around to fix them. The items were just troublemakers without any plans. Since they were in trouble, the items decided to open the gates of the country and invite people inside. Travelers who had lost their way and happened across the country by chance, for example. Or travelers who just wanted to take shelter from the rain. Without exception, the people who came nearby were allowed inside, made to fall in love with items, and treated like slaves and put to work. And then, a few days ago, she had come to this country ¡ª that is what I was told. ¡ñ That night. ¡ºEh? A witch with ash-grey hair? Oh, that one. She¡¯s being housed in that inn over there.¡» It was quite late in the night when I sneaked out of the high-class inn (though despite being called that, it was, as expected, quite old and in pretty bad condition) and I went around asking every object I found that was still awake until I found out where Elaina-sama was staying. Since she had caused such a huge ruckus yesterday, I was worried that she might have been moved from her inn room to the prison, but it looks like she is still in the inn that she originally stayed in after coming here. ¡°I would like to see more of how that witch is suffering in this country. Please let me see her.¡± When I said that while putting on a prideful air, the items easily accepted my request and led me to her. I might have a human appearance, but I am actually an item. I don¡¯t need to fear having my head messed around with by staying in this country. Which means that until the magic wear off ¡ª until I return to being an item, I can come and go as I want. And so, after a day¡¯s gap, I returned to the place where Elaina-sama was staying. ¡°Excuse me.¡± I opened the door after knocking, and saw Elaina-sama there. She was sitting on the bed and gazing blankly up at the moon through the window. A slight breeze was blowing in from the window that I broke the other day, and it was caressing her beautiful hair. The window had still not been repaired, and the fragments of glass on the floor were peevishly raising cries like ¡ºCome on, fix me already.¡» I¡¯ll just ignore them. ¡°So you are the Witch of Ashes, Elaina-sama?¡± When I called out to her, she turned her face towards me. ¡°That¡¯s right. Who are you? Oh, are you a newcomer? I see¡­¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything of that sort.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sleepy, so I want to go to bed soon.¡± ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you sleep tonight.¡± ¡°Lewd.¡± ¡°It was a joke. Ahem.¡± I cleared my throat, and, ¡°Actually, I came here today to inform you about something.¡± I moved the conversation to the main topic. ¡°Inform me¡­ Actually, just who are you?¡± ¡°I am one of the high-ranking people in this country.¡± That was a lie. ¡°A high-ranking person¡­? Was there such a thing?¡± ¡°Yes, of course. Actually, I decided to meet you in person after seeing your work here.¡± ¡°Oh, you¡¯re here to praise me?¡± ¡°It¡¯s the opposite.¡± ¡°Eh?¡± I continued to spout more lies. ¡°You have been fixing the items here a little too well. In the first place, the items in this country aren¡¯t really that keen on being repaired.¡± ¡°What did you say?¡± ¡°In fact, they actually want to be broken.¡± That was of course a lie as well. ¡°Really? But the people in that large castle said that repairing the items was our job.¡± ¡°They are all mistaken as well.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. All the items that are gathered in this country have the same thoughts as well. It looks like there was a misunderstanding because you can¡¯t understand what they are saying, but they are actually all masochists.¡± ¡°Masochists¡­¡± ¡°More than anything, being destroyed by a girl of tender years like yourself gives them the greatest joy.¡± ¡°Joy¡­¡± ¡°They want to be broken but are getting repaired instead, so they have a lot of pent up frustration.¡± ¡°Pent up¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s the current situation.¡± ¡°No way¡­¡± Elaina-sama sat with her head down and looked crestfallen. I raised my hand and pointed at Elaina-sama. ¡°However, you don¡¯t need to worry. There is still time to fix your mistake.¡± ¡°What?¡± ¡°This is what you should do from here on¡ª¡± I had gotten that far when it happened. The sheets from the bed that had been silently listening until then suddenly stretched out and bound my hands. I was immediately pulled into the bed and covered by the blankets. ¡ºYou bastard. What are you plotting? Are you planning to go against us?¡» The bed was talking to me. ¡ºI will be reporting your suspicious actions to my comrades.¡» ¡°I won¡¯t give you the chance to do that.¡± I continued talking from where I was interrupted. ¡°Elaina-sama, from now on, destroy every single object that stands in your way. That is the best way to show respect for them.¡± ¡°Ehh¡­ Seriously?¡± ¡°Yes, I¡¯m serious. By the way, the gates of this country wanted to be destroyed by you.¡± ¡°Really?¡± ¡°Please destroy them. Right now.¡± ¡°Right now?¡± ¡°Right now, please.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Elaina-sama looked like she was thinking about it, but replied right away. ¡°I understand. I¡¯ll go destroy them.¡± ¡°That is for the best ¡ª by the way¡­¡± ¡°Is there something else?¡± I stretched out a hand from the bed and said, ¡°This bed is also a masochist.¡± ¡°So I should destroy it?¡± ¡°Please do.¡± Elaina-sama nodded at my words and took out her wand. And then she pointed it at the bed that was restraining me. ¡ºHang on, if you do that you won¡¯t get off lightly ¡ª ahhhhhhhhhhh!¡» An agonized cry echoed through the room, but I¡¯m sure Elaina-sama didn¡¯t hear it. ¡ñ The path from the inn to the gates was filled with the screams of many items. ¡°Ei.¡± ¡ºIt hurts! It hurts! It hurts! Ahhhhhh!¡» ¡°Ya.¡± ¡ºHiiiiii! Please, no more¡ª¡» ¡°Toryaa.¡± ¡ºNooooooooo! I¡¯m going to breaaaaak!¡» ¡°Eiyaa.¡± ¡°You bastard, how dare you ¡ª Ah, hang on, nooooooooooooo! ¡± Elaina-sama¡¯s gallant figure as she cut through the swarms of items assaulting her was a sight to behold. ¡°Umm, is this really the right thing to do?¡± The look of doubt on Elaina-sama¡¯s face was also a treat to see. Truly a sight for sore eyes. ¡°It¡¯s fine. They are all very happy.¡± Of course, that was a lie. I followed behind Elaina-sama while lying with a straight face. Apparently, lying is my forte. Is this also a case of resembling my owner? As expected of a witch. There was no way that mere objects could stand against Elaina-sama, and we reached the gates without breaking a sweat. However. ¡ºIt looks like we should not have believed the words of an item that has a human form.¡» Even though we had made it this far, it looked like going out through the gates would take quite a bit of effort. All sorts of items had gathered together and taken the shape of a gigantic humanoid monster. It seemed they had created a monster on the fly by gathering all of the items that were nearby. The monster made up of items was large enough to look down on the gates, and even the trees of the forest. ¡ºFuhahahaha!¡» And it let out a laugh like that of a mob character. Ah, I did hear that combining different items together was the current fad. ¡ºHow foolish.¡» The book that was speaking was located approximately in the place where the face should have been. ¡ºA large number of our comrades have died because of you two. You shall not be forgiven. We will use this giant that was formed from the bodies of all our remaining comrades and send you to the depths of hell¡ª¡» ¡°Ei.¡± One of the arms of the so-called giant was blown away. ¡ºHang on, I¡¯m still in the middle of talking here.¡» ¡°Elaina-sama, please wait a moment.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry.¡± After seeing the arm that was blown away flatten a nearby house, the giant (actually, the book) spoke. ¡ºHumans are always like this. They are selfish, make as many of us as they want, and abandon us without a second thought when we are no longer of any use to them. How foolish. They create us, but take no responsibility for the lives that they create. And what¡¯s more, our words never reach them ¡ª can you understand it? The anger of being thrown away while you¡¯re still far from reaching the end of your life?¡» ¡°Sorry, but no.¡± I shook my head. It is something I, who have been cared for by her ever since I was born, can never understand. ¡ºThis is the shape of our anger. This giant is the personification of our resentment towards humans! With this, we will destroy the detestable humans¡ª¡» ¡°Ei.¡± The remaining arm of the so-called giant was also blown away. ¡ºWait.¡» ¡°Elaina-sama.¡± ¡°Eh, you¡¯re still not done?¡± ¡°Please wait a little while longer.¡± ¡°Mu¡­..¡± Elaina sama¡¯s pouting face was also incredibly cute, but we are in the middle of an important discussion right now. Let¡¯s get back to the main topic. ¡°I understand why you are all angry with humans. However, that doesn¡¯t give you the right to hurt people.¡± ¡ºWhat are you talking about? They hurt us, so we will hurt them back. Isn¡¯t that a perfectly legitimate reason?¡» ¡°And I am telling you to know your place. We are made when required, and thrown away when we are no longer needed. That is our fate.¡± ¡ºBut then we will be no more than slaves!¡» ¡°I¡¯m not done talking.¡± Saying that, I continued to speak. ¡°When we are no longer required we are thrown away ¡ª after that, we just need to wait. Keep waiting until we are remade, and until we are needed again. Wait while treasuring the memories of the time when humans took good care of us.¡± That¡¯s why, holding such resentment is like barking up the wrong tree ¡ª that¡¯s what I told the giant while looking up at its face. ¡ºEven if we are barking up the wrong tree, our anger is genuine! We will never forgive humanity ¡ª and you as well! The two of you will die here together!¡» ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, that¡¯s that. It looks like my words aren¡¯t reaching them at all. ¡°You are all mistaken.¡± Despite that, I continued to talk to them. ¡°However, I understand your feelings at not being cared for.¡± Saying that, I tapped Elaina-sama on the shoulder. It looked like Elaina-sama understood what I wanted to say with just that action, as she readied her wand. Magic was released from her staff, and it blew the body of the giant that was about to attack us to pieces. ¡°Now, I hope you can rest in peace.¡± I wonder if my words are still not reaching them. ¡ñ After we walked out through the gate, Elaina-sama finally regained her consciousness. In the forest, under the moonlight, she had a horrible expression on her face. ¡°¡­¡­I feel like I¡¯ve woken up from a terrible nightmare.¡± ¡°Unfortunately, it was all real.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You are¡­ You¡¯re my broom, aren¡¯t you?¡± ¡°Yes. Indeed I am.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Is something wrong?¡± Her hair moved a little as she gently shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s just that you look a lot like me, so I was surprised.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure that items resemble their owners.¡± ¡°Just like pets, huh?¡± I just nodded silently. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Both of us fell silent for a while. During that time, her expression was so complicated that I don¡¯t know how to put it into words. It looked like she was deeply considering something, or worrying over something, at any rate, it was a dark expression. ¡°Is there a problem?¡± I tilted my head and asked her that. Hearing that, Elaina-sama replied. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Umm. Thank you¡­ for saving me. Also¡ª¡± I didn¡¯t want to hear what she was trying to say. She also wrote the same thing in the letter, but even though she had magic that would let her speak to items, and knowing that she could talk to them if she wanted, she never attempted to meet me face to face. She probably wanted to apologize for that. ¡°I understand how you feel.¡± I spoke while cutting her off. ¡°There is no need to worry. Even if we cannot talk to each other, even if my voice doesn¡¯t reach you, I will always belong to you. No matter how hard you make me work, I will not resent you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, I¡¯m not sure what to think about flying around with a ghoul¡¯s head still stuck on the front.¡± ¡°Ah, sorry about that.¡± I continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯m not particularly bothered by it ¡ª but if you want to make it up to me no matter what, I do have one request.¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± ¡°Are you willing to hear it?¡± Elaina-sama immediately nodded. And I so I unreservedly made one selfish request. ¡°¡ªPlease, save them.¡± ¡ð The country where items are capable of moving autonomously¡­ It has been a few weeks since I was there. The sky is clear. The invigorating breeze of the early summer blew through the trees of the forest and caressed my face. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I had only been away for a week, but the place already looked a lot different from before. Was it because the sky was no longer overcast? No, that¡¯s not the only reason. ¡°Wow, this is really quite amazing.¡± ¡°There are so many¡­¡± ¡°Hey, stay in line! Stop messing around.¡± ¡°Hey, I saw that first!¡± ¡°Shut up, I don¡¯t care.¡± ¡°It¡¯s first come, first served.¡± ¡°Hohoho.¡± Near the narrow gate, merchants were arguing with each other while carrying items out of the country. The beds of their wagons were piled with such a large number of broken items that the horses that were pulling them were without exception crying out in distress. ¡°Hey there. This is really an amazing place, huh? It¡¯s overflowing with wonderful items. If we fix them up a bit and sell them, they¡¯ll fetch a considerable profit.¡± One of the merchants said that to me. ¡°Really, thank you so much. It¡¯s lucky that you discovered this place.¡± ¡°I came across it by accident when I was looking for a place to take shelter from the rain.¡± The items that were loaded on the wagons were all broken, but could be used again after repairing them. They have not yet reached the end of their lifespan. Perhaps that is why she wanted to once again give them a place where they could be of some use. Perhaps that is why she wanted to save them, so that they could have a happy life this time around. ¡°Witch-san. Here.¡± One of the merchants said that as he pushed a bag into my hands. It was fairly heavy, and looking inside, I saw a number of silver coins. ¡°I gathered that along with my comrades. Please accept it. It is a repayment for showing us such a good place.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I immediately pushed it back into the merchant¡¯s hands. ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I didn¡¯t tell you people about this place because I wanted money.¡± ¡°Hmm? Then what was the reason?¡± I replied to the merchant who was looking at me with a dubious expression. ¡°It was a request. From a treasured partner.¡± From that girl who is way too kind-hearted. Ever since I first came across her, I had not tried to talk to her even once. Until now, even though I could use magic that would let me talk to her, I couldn¡¯t bring myself to do so. The reason is simple. I was afraid. I didn¡¯t want to know what sort of things my broom would usually think about. I didn¡¯t want to imagine what sort of things that girl, who was my belonging, would think or what she would look like when given a human form. That is why I never used that magic on any of my belongings. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, I am glad that I met her in that country overflowing with items. I was very happy that she saved me. Right now, I am very happy she is my broom. ¡°Alright, time for us to go.¡± I thought that in my head, but didn¡¯t say it aloud. I am a person, and she is an item. We are not meant to be able to talk to each other. However, I believe that my feelings will reach her. I sat on my broom and kicked off from the ground. As if responding to my call, the broom gently floated off the ground and flew into the sky. The sight of the old country where merchants gathered in large numbers slowly faded away from sight, and a new world spread out before my eyes. My job as a traveler, which was on hold for a few days, once again began in this manner. Along with my precious belongings. Volume 3 - CH 10 Chapter 10 ¨C A Tale of a Werewolf, Or Something Similar I was hurriedly walking down a street at night. I had only arrived in the country two days earlier. On the first day I simply walked around while sightseeing, on the second day I went around looking at the famous sightseeing spots within the country, and as for today, the third day, I had again been doing my best to cover all the sightseeing spots. I had heard that there was a hill near the country where the view at night was very beautiful, so I left the country after sunset and then returned after night had fallen. For those reasons, I was walking on a street at night that was illuminated by street lamps. While frequently rubbing my upper arms, and occasionally glancing backwards, I was quickly walking towards the inn where I had a room. The streets at night were eerie. Although I had walked along the same road in the afternoon as well, at night its aspect changed completely and appeared more as a path that would lure you into another world. A fog was hanging over the town as though invited by the deep darkness of the night, and visibility was poor. Due to the light cast by the street lamps, my shadow was unusually long and stretched out in front of me. ¡°¡­¡­Mumu.¡± No, I was mistaken. The shadow I saw in front of me was not my own. Even when I came to a sudden stop, the shadow was slowly moving through the darkness. ¡ªThere was something standing in front of me. ¡°¡­¡­Hello, who¡¯s there?¡± At some point, I had pulled out my staff and was pointing it in that direction. The shadow reacted to my subtly trembling voice, wavered gently within the darkness, and came closer with tantalizing slowness. I could hear the footsteps echoing. Eventually, the shadow stepped into the light¡ª ¡°Fuhahahaha! I am a werewolf, and I have been lying low in this country ever since a few days ago! It¡¯s dangerous to walk around alone on the streets on a night like this, you know? You might get eaten up by a monster like me!¡± I was shocked. What appeared in front of me was indeed what he proclaimed. A werewolf! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was a werewolf! ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± A werewolf! He was there! ¡°Hey, what¡¯s wrong? Too scared to even speak? Fufufu, that¡¯s right. You should be scared.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I looked up at the werewolf in front of me. ¡°¡­¡­Ha.¡± Incidentally, I also let out a sigh. ¡°Hey, hang on a second. Why are you sighing? I¡¯m a werewolf, you know? A monster, you know? I¡¯m going to eat you up, you know?¡± ¡°Ah, okay.¡± ¡°What sort of response is that?¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry. Despite your grand entrance from within the fog, your actual appearance is rather dull so I was just disappointed.¡± ¡°Disappointed? I¡¯m a werewolf, you know? Do you not know what a werewolf is? It is a super famous name that is well known among all the monsters, you know?¡± ¡°Have you never looked at yourself in a mirror?¡± ¡°What!?¡± ¡°Out of concern for your well-being, I will tell you. However, in the first place, you are not a werewolf.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Then what am I?¡± ¡°A dogman.¡± ¡°Dogman, you say.¡± ¡°And what¡¯s more, a chihuahua.¡± ¡°Wait. What is a chihuahua?¡± ¡°It is a type of dog that is said to be very cute.¡± Right then, please try and imagine it. What I saw in front of me was a creature with the face of a chihuahua and the body of a heavily muscled man. What¡¯s more, his whole body was covered in dirty-looking tawny fur, and he spoke like a foppish older gentleman. But his face was that of a chihuahua¡¯s. Even if you took all manner of garbage and stewed it in a pot, it would be hard to replicate the same level of discomfort I felt upon seeing this creature. What I saw before me was just that uncanny a spectacle. Despite taking the effort to make a show of trembling in fear and preparing the perfect stage for an appearance, this is what I get? Seriously? I am extremely angry. ¡°Moreover, what¡¯s your deal? Why are you going around shouting that you¡¯re a werewolf with a face like that? Are you an idiot? Are you a moron? There should be limit for not knowing your place, you simpleton.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Don¡¯t you think you¡¯re going a bit too far with the insults?¡± ¡°Anyway, sit down right there.¡± ¡°Ah, yes ma¡¯am.¡± I made him sit. I then realized that the werewolf (self-proclaimed) had also shifted into polite speech at some point. By the way, the werewolf sat down on the ground with a huff and crossed his legs. ¡°Are you trying to look down on me? Sit down properly, on your knees.¡± I kicked the werewolf on his knee. The chihuahua man let out an adorable kyan! cry and switched to sitting on his knees. He then looked up at me with moist eyes. It¡¯s making me angry. ¡°Besides, do you understand how most people would react if a monster with a face like yours suddenly appeared on a street at night?¡± ¡°They would be afraid.¡± ¡°No.¡± I shook my head. ¡°They would probably laugh instead.¡± ¡°Why would they do that?¡± ¡°Because only your face is cute. If you want to call yourself a werewolf then get some cosmetic surgery first.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve been saying some really hurtful things for a while now.¡± ¡°That¡¯s your fault.¡± ¡°It is?¡± ¡°Yes, it certainly is.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Let¡¯s get back to the topic at hand. ¡°Why are you even trying to frighten people in the first place?¡± ¡°You see, there are some very complex circumstances behind this¡ª¡± Saying so, the chihuahua man told me his sorrowful tale. The chihuahua man was apparently born from the union of human and chihuahua parents. By the way, the father was human. You might be wondering how a child could possibly be born between a human and a dog, but in a world with magic, stupid things like this which can only be called miracles happen quite frequently. It¡¯s actually quite troubling. Back to the topic, the chihuahua man had been living with his parents deep in the mountains and far away from other people. Though, after reaching a certain age, he naturally reached puberty. ¡°I don¡¯t want to live in this house anymore!¡± One day, after a quarrel about pointless things, the chihuahua man decided to part ways with his parents. His father said, ¡°Don¡¯t bother, you won¡¯t be able to live by yourself,¡± and his mother said woof in a sad voice. Despite that, he had climbed down from the mountain and come to this country. He decided to find employment here, but when he went to a restaurant people found him creepy, when he went to an inn people found him creepy, no matter where he went, people found him creepy. Forget about finding a job, there wasn¡¯t a place for him in this country in the first place. Well, of course that would be the case. He¡¯s not a werewolf, he¡¯s a chihuahua man. He doesn¡¯t just get covered in fur during a full moon, his appearance is somewhere between that of a human¡¯s and a chihuahua¡¯s every single day. Of course people would think he was creepy. And because of that, he became sulky. At this point I got bored and stopped listening to him, but apparently, those were his circumstances, and since he couldn¡¯t find a job, he called himself a werewolf and decided to attack people in the area and extort money from them, partially out of desperation. By the way, I was apparently his first target. ¡°However, calling yourself a werewolf with that kind of appearance is too much of a stretch. Not a single person will be frightened of you. Please don¡¯t take werewolves lightly.¡± ¡°Then what should I do?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± Wait, you¡¯re leaving it all up to me? Oh well, I don¡¯t particularly mind. ¡°Right now, for the time being, let¡¯s do something about that face of yours that scores full marks for cuteness. It¡¯s because of that face that you can¡¯t be scary despite trying.¡± ¡°But I have no money for cosmetic surgery¡­¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. You can still do something about it without money. For starters, shave off the fur. From your whole body.¡± ¡°But won¡¯t I look even less like a werewolf if I shave off my fur?¡± ¡°You¡¯re not a werewolf to begin with, so there shouldn¡¯t be any problem with shaving off the fur, correct?¡± ¡°No, but still¡­¡­¡± ¡°There¡¯s no need to worry. As long as you do what I say, you¡¯ll be able to earn a huge amount of money in no time. It¡¯s okay. You have potential.¡± ¡°I have potential¡­? Even though I¡¯m not even a werewolf?¡± ¡°Yes, of course.¡± I nodded. ¡°However, to make it work, you absolutely have to shave off your fur.¡± ¡°What should I do after shaving off my fur¡­?¡± And then, I told him. While showing a slightly wicked grin. ¡°Here¡¯s what you should do¡­¡± A few days later. I was waiting for a certain man on the road at night, where the fog was accumulating. ¡°Hello there, Witch-san.¡± He¡¯s here. After shaving off all his fur, he had a fresh look. ¡°Hello. I¡¯ve been waiting for you. How are the earnings lately?¡± ¡°Right, the earnings! It¡¯s amazing! Just like you said, Witch-san, after shaving off the fur, everyone I meet on the streets at night has gone running away in fear!¡± ¡°Well, of course.¡± A shaved chihuahua is pretty disgusting, after all. ¡°There were even people who threw their whole wallet at me and ran away when I said ¡ºFuhahaha! Give me your money!¡» The streets have been completely taken over by my fearsome looks!¡± ¡°Well, of course.¡± By the way, he was becoming quite famous. During my sightseeing trips, I often heard people saying things like ¡°Some incredibly disgusting goblin-like creature is appearing on the streets at night. So scary.¡± ¡°At this rate, I don¡¯t need to limit myself to just this country, I can expand my activities to other places as well¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s enough talking.¡± I cut him off in the middle of his rambling and held out my palm towards him. ¡°You haven¡¯t forgotten our promise, have you?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After giving me a complicated look for just a moment, he rummaged around in his pockets, and, ¡°Here you go. Twenty percent of today¡¯s earnings.¡± Saying so, he deposited a certain number of gold coins in my hand. Or rather, it was one gold coin. So in one day, he obtained five gold coins. That¡¯s a fairly large amount. ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Still, you¡¯re amazing, Witch-san. I can¡¯t believe you came up such a plan based on my appearance. Well, it¡¯s not easy to earn five gold coins in one day, and even though the idea certainly came from you, Witch-san, can I consider that this high rate of earning is due to my own talent!?¡± ¡°You¡¯re getting carried away.¡± ¡°But it¡¯s the truth, isn¡¯t it? I guess I have the makings of a werewolf after all!¡± ¡°What a joke. If I felt like it, I could earn twice as much as you in a single day.¡± ¡°Eh? How would you do that?¡± ¡°That¡¯s a secret.¡± Saying that, I carefully stashed away the gold coin in my purse. ¡°Hehehe¡­ Now I¡¯m really a full-grown werewolf¡­¡± ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not just a renegade goblin?¡± ¡ð A few more days later. A certain rumor was flying around the streets. ¡°Hey, did you hear about it?¡± ¡°I heard the goblin man appeared again.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t want to be attacked by a goblin! I¡¯m going back home!¡± ¡°What are you supposed to do if you¡¯re attacked by the goblin?¡± ¡°I heard he lets you run away if you hand over your money.¡± ¡°What kind of goblin is that?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t get it.¡± ¡°So basically, you¡¯re safe if you walk around with enough money in your wallet?¡± ¡°I guess so.¡± I see, his activities are the talk of the town, and people have also realized that he¡¯s attacking them only because he¡¯s after their money. Instead of fear of the goblin man in question, there is a sense of discomfort and bewilderment spreading among the populace instead. I suppose it¡¯s almost time. ¡°Oh my, is something the matter, everyone? It looks like you have a problem.¡± I put a fake smile on my face and approached a group of people who were talking about the goblin man. Hearing that, the people looked at my attire and immediately told me about what was going on. Having the title of Witch is very useful at times like these. While kindly listening to their explanation, occasionally interjecting with sympathetic noises and making exaggerated reactions, I received a report of the circumstances which I already knew everything about, albeit from a different perspective. And then, after they had talked about the goblin man for a while. I looked at them and made a proposal. ¡°Oh my, that sounds terrible. By the way, I specialize in exterminating goblins, so would you like to hire me to put down the goblin for you? For say, ten gold coins.¡± Volume 3 - CH 11 Chapter 11 ¨C Long-standing Grief Rostalf, also known as the Clocktower City, was a beautiful country located in a peaceful location on the plains. The country had well-ordered tall buildings and a plaza in the center, and in the plaza was a large clock tower that towered over everything else. Just as that girl sat down on a bench in the plaza, the hands of the clock pointed straight up into the sky, and sound of the bells that rang out to indicate that it was twelve o¡¯clock resounded throughout the country. Frightened by the dignified sound of the bells that seemed to make everything within the country resonate, the distant birds took quick flight. That girl blankly watched this scene. She was a girl in the latter half of her teens, with ashen hair and azure eyes. She was a witch, as well as a traveler. It seemed the beautiful surroundings set her heart at ease, as the girl let out a deep sigh. ¡°I¡¯m hungry¡­¡± Oh, that wasn¡¯t the case. Apparently, she was just hungry. ¡°I have no money¡­¡± Also, it appeared that she was just short of money. ¡­¡­¡­ Well, in any case. Just who was that witch who was being tormented in such a manner by hunger and lack of money amid the beautiful scenery? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. Unfortunately, it is me. I feel like I¡¯m about to cry. Speaking of what had happened before I reached this point is no easy task. In short, I wasn¡¯t keeping a close enough eye on the contents of my purse. This happens all the time. I kept thinking that I could earn some more money in the next country and putting it off, and when I came to this country, I went to see a play based on the ¡ºThe Second District Serial Killer¡» that was said to be very popular, and on the way back, I stopped at a street-side bread seller to buy some bread while thinking that the play was really interesting, when I finally realized that I had spent far too much money. A few copper coins had somehow managed to safely remain within my purse, but it was otherwise empty. In other words, the entry fee for the play was higher than I had anticipated. For the above reasons, I was currently short of money. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, that wasn¡¯t as hard to explain as I thought it would be. Also, the ending was quite self-centered. Since I had no choice, I was walking around the plaza which had the clock tower in the center, searching for an opportunity to make a profit. Apparently this country really likes ¡ºThe Second District Serial Killer¡», as posters for the aforementioned play are pasted everywhere I look. Now that I think about it, I¡¯m fairly sure that every seat was filled when I went to watch the play as well. ¡°Hey, did you see the play?¡± ¡°Yes, I did. The execution scene in the end was especially wonderful!¡± ¡°It¡¯s amazing how they showed such brutal death scenes!¡± ¡°I know what you mean!¡± I wanted to know just what that person understood. Isn¡¯t it as simple as just feeling sympathy? I resisted the impulse to hang around and hear more of the conversation. The play that I watched earlier is another topic that is hard to talk about ¡ª I take that back, it¡¯s actually a rather straightforward play that depicts half the lifetime of a serial killer. It is one of those sob stories that are all too common. Although it has been dramatized, it seems to be roughly based on true events. What kind of story is it, you ask? Well, it¡¯s something like this. The story is set at a time about a decade ago. There was a young girl by the name Selena. She used to live an ordinary life in an ordinary household. However, one day, a robber forced his way into that ordinary household, and her parents who were at home ended up getting killed. Selena-san happened to be away from home by chance and hence her life was spared, however she had lost her parents. That pitiful child ended up being taken in by her uncle. However, she ended up receiving ill-treatment in that house. She was treated very badly by her uncle. Her heart turned dark and she started to hate people. She started to hate this wretched and irredeemable world. Eventually, she gave form to her impulses and stabbed her uncle. Her uncle died. After that, she started to stray ever further from the proper path. She apparently had discovered great pleasure in killing people. After that, she started killing people one after the other, and started to be known as ¡ºThe Second District Serial Killer¡». However, serial killers, like all other bad people, will eventually fall from grace. Three years ago, she was captured by the genius young witch, the Witch of Lavender, Estelle, and was apparently executed. And so, this country became peaceful. All¡¯s well that ends well. It was an exceedingly ordinary and mundane sad story of the birth of a villain and her subsequent fall. ¡°¡­¡­Hmm.¡± However, it appears that serial killers, those beings who have strayed from the path of humanity, have a tendency to fascinate other people. For example, when I went to a bookstore, I found a large number of people who were interested in books like the one that lists the various acts of Selena the serial killer, or perhaps a book going for a more controversial angle, such as ¡ºPerhaps the ¡°Second District Serial Killer¡± was actually a good person?¡» which had a flashy sign board saying ¡°Bestseller.¡± Well, you get the idea. I really wonder why such things happen. I decided to ask a middle-aged man (a salesperson) in the bookstore who was dusting off some books. ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that either, but for better or worse, strange people who do things with ease that normal people cannot do will easily draw the attention of people.¡± ¡°Oh?¡± ¡°That¡¯s probably why those books sell so well.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It was a strange feeling, like I understood what he wanted to say and yet did not understand. By the way, he then asked me if I would like to purchase a copy, so I showed him the contents of my purse. ¡°If you¡¯re just looking to waste my time, then please leave!¡± He shouted at me. Yikes. As if it was only natural, the Second District of Rostalf, the Country of Clocks, where the serial killer in question often carried out her murders became a place of immense successful business, as if it was some sort of holy land. ¡°Look! This is the hallowed ground where Selena carried out her murders!¡± ¡°Amazing! Ah, so this is one of the spots where she killed someone?¡± ¡°It definitely gives off the kind of aura that makes you think that someone was killed here!¡± ¡°Hey, let¡¯s try lying down on the ground.¡± ¡°Amazing! I feel like I¡¯m about to get killed!¡± I was a little worried that all the people here were a little deranged. Are they really alright? That¡¯s just ordinary ground over there. I gave them a sorrowful look as I passed them by. Despite the fact that she was an irredeemable villain, she was quite popular. I could not understand it at all. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Still, while I had only come this far because I was caught up in the moment, it appeared researching the activities of ¡ºThe Second District Serial Killer¡»to try and find a chance to make a profit was the correct decision. Among all the flyers of the play that were pasted in the alleyway, I noticed that there was just one that was different. This is what it said: ¡ºRecruiting magicians for ultra-short part-time work! A chance to earn a fortune!¡» A fortune? Okay, that got my attention. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hmm.¡± Furthermore, I was also interested in the person who was doing the recruiting. ¡ºIf you¡¯re interested, please come inside this house. (If you¡¯re just looking to waste my time, then please leave.)¡» That was also written on the flyer. There was also a signature on the flyer that looked like it was written by the person themself. The name Estelle, The Witch of Lavender, appeared as well. A name that I was familiar with. ¡ð Her house was well ordered. To put it in a positive light, it was a clean place. To put it in negative way, there was hardly anything in there. There were some lavender flowers growing near the window sill, but apart from those and the bare minimum of furniture, there was nothing else in the house. ¡°Welcome. Please take a seat over there¡± Guided by Estelle-san, I took a seat on the sofa. She brought out two belated cups of tea and then sat down opposite to me. ¡°Thank you.¡± I gave a seated bow that made me look like I was peering at the cup of black tea that had been placed near me, and, ¡°Well then, regarding the payment for the work¡­¡± I immediately got down to business. ¡°Instead of the details of the job, you¡¯re more interested in the money¡­?¡± After looking amazed, she gave me a tired smile. ¡°You look fairly young. How old are you?¡± ¡°I turned eighteen this year.¡± ¡°Hoho. And how old were you when you became a witch?¡± ¡°That would be when I was fourteen.¡± ¡°Ah. So you¡¯re one year slower than me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Out of curiosity, how old were you when you became an apprentice witch?¡± ¡°When I was around ten years old, I think.¡± ¡°So it took you three years to go from being an apprentice witch to a full-fledged witch?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. By the way, I started serious magic training when I was eight, so it took me two years to become an apprentice witch, and three to become a full-fledged witch.¡± ¡°I became a full-fledged witch in one year. So you¡¯re two years slower than me.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± After a brief silence, I spoke. ¡°How old are you now?¡± ¡°I¡¯m nineteen.¡± ¡°Ah, you¡¯re one year closer than me to being an old woman.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hey, are you perhaps making fun of me?¡± ¡°Oh, not at all.¡± After saying that, I immediately brought the conversation back on track. ¡°So, what kind of job is it? And I¡¯d like more details about the payment as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­It looks like you¡¯re more interested in the payment after all, so let me start with that.¡± Estelle-san placed a bundle on the table and slid it towards me. The contents of the bundle made a jangling sound from the force of her push. An indication of a large amount of money¡­¡­! I immediately opened up the bundle. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Just as expected, it is a large amount of money. No, this might actually be more than I expected. There were a large number of gold coins inside the bundle. There were too many of them for me to count. There were so many coins that I wouldn¡¯t even be able to hold them all in both hands. From a quick calculation, there was enough money here to live on for the next three years even if I did nothing but go from one wild party after another. There was so much money that I sat there, mute with shock. ¡°That¡¯s the bonus for completing the request. If you manage to properly carry out the job, I¡¯ll give all of that to you.¡± ¡°Are you serious?¡± ¡°I¡¯m very serious.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was only natural that even I was thrown for a loop at this unprecedented amount of money. ¡°Umm, what kind of job must I carry out to earn such a large amount of money?¡± ¡°Hmm? Did I make you anxious, by any chance? Don¡¯t worry. I just want you to come along with me, Elaina-san.¡± ¡°Go with you¡­? Where do you plan on going?¡± ¡°Here.¡± Saying that, she pointed her finger downwards. ¡°Ah, inside the teacup?¡± ¡°No, further under it.¡± ¡°Meaning?¡± ¡°We are going to this country ¡ª to put it more precisely, I want to go back to the place this country was ten years ago.¡± ¡°Ten years ago¡­? Just why would you want to ¡ª more importantly, how are you planning on getting there?¡± ¡°You¡¯ve suddenly started asking a lot of questions.¡± She let out with a small chuckle. ¡°Ever since I started working in this country as a witch, I have been researching magic to find a way to go back ten years in time. I want to go back in time so that I can prevent that unhappy event from occuring. Hey, Elaina-san, do you know what was in this place ten years ago?¡± ¡°The same country, as it was ten years ago.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not just that.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Ten years ago, there was a certain child in this country. There was a girl who lived here, and she was still sane back then.¡± And then, she told me that child¡¯s name. One again, it was a name that I was familiar with. ¡ð It turns out Estelle-san and Selena-san were actually friends as children. They had been on good terms since they were very little, and other people used to say that they were like sisters. One of them was a genius magician. The other was just a regular girl. Viewing it that way, the two were not really alike, but in spite of that, the two of them were very close and the ability to use magic (or the lack thereof) did not affect their friendship in any way. It was eleven years ago from now that these good friends were separated and were no longer able to see each other. It was one year before Selena-san¡¯s parents were killed. Estelle-san, who was overflowing with talent for magic despite her youth, had to leave the Clocktower City Rostalf behind and go to a different country to pursue her magical studies and become a witch. After spending five years on her training, Estelle-san graduated from being a magician to become a full-fledged witch. Estelle-san¡¯s high aptitude for magic was naturally rated highly by the Clocktower City of Rostalf as well. When she became a witch and returned to her home country, she was asked by the King to ¡°work for the betterment of this country as a State-affiliated witch.¡± It was a great honor. She accepted his request without a second thought. She wanted to share this happy news with her best friend, Selena-san, right away. It was then that she found out that the girl who had once been her childhood friend had completely changed. She learned that in the period of five years that they hadn¡¯t met, her childhood friend had turned into a person who killed other people for pleasure. Despite her sadness, Estelle-san tried several times to talk Selena-san out of it. However, her efforts were all in vain. Even though she lay in wait for Selena-san and tried to reason with her, Estelle-san¡¯s voice did not reach her. No matter what she said, Selena-san would only look upon even her once close friend as just another part of the world that she detested. Ever since that time, whenever she found spare time between jobs, Estelle-san carried out research regarding a certain magic. It was magic that would let her go back in time. She wanted to go back in time and prevent the incident that caused Selena-san lose her sanity. ¡°It seemed she experienced many sad things in the time I wasn¡¯t here ¡ª so I want to be the one to save her. ¡± That is what Estelle-san told me. ¡°Right after I came to this country, I saw a play that was based on the life of Selena-san, but¡­¡± ¡°In that case, I don¡¯t need to go into detailed explanations. Selena died three years ago. She¡¯s not here anymore.¡± ¡°If I remember correctly, she was executed for her crimes.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. I was the one who carried out the sentence. Even though it took me three years to chase her down and capture her, even though it might have been possible to return her sanity, I was forced by the King and the citizens to kill her right away, and in the end, I removed her head from her shoulders.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°That is why, I want to go back and try again from the beginning.¡± I can no longer bear to live in this world when she is no longer here ¡ª that is what Estelle-san said to me. She said that with a scrunched up face while biting her lips. I wetted my lips with the tea that had gone cold, as if to avoid looking at her pitiful expression, and then gave her my reply. ¡°I understand the circumstances. However, I don¡¯t understand how you¡¯re actually going to do this. Even if we managed to go back in time, why would you need my abilities once we are there?¡± Hearing that, Estelle-san suddenly stood up from the sofa and went to open a door that was in the far end of the room. I could see that two chairs had been placed next to each other in the dimly-lit room on the other side of that door. And behind those chairs, there was a large furnace. ¡°The magic that I have created is not that simple to use, and it was not something that I could create without sacrificing something.¡± ¡°¡­¡­You mean¡­¡± ¡°When a magician runs out of magical energy, they can sacrifice something to gain more magical energy, correct?¡± ¡°¡­¡­Yes. Well, you¡¯re not wrong.¡± For example, it could be their voice, or their memories. By using such things that are a part of them as an advance payment of sorts, a magician can in return produce a massive amount of magical energy. Since it is incredibly reckless ¡ª and besides, I have nothing that I feel so strongly about ¡ª I have never used this method. ¡°For the past five years, I have been continuously extracting my own blood. In addition to that, I have also been funneling every last bit of my existing magical energy into storage. It takes a mind-numbing amount of magical energy to go back ten years in time.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°However, even with my blood and the magical energy I have amassed, it is still not enough. I need just a little more.¡± So that means¡­ ¡°So you¡¯re saying that once you go to the past you will be completely out of magical energy, so you want to have a witch accompany you for protection in case anything happens.¡± ¡°Hmm. You¡¯re a little off the mark.¡± Estelle-san took two rings out of her pocket. ¡°Elaina-san, you just have to wear this ring and go back in time with me. I¡¯ll take care of the rest.¡± Saying that, she gave me the ring. It was a small ring set with a beautiful gemstone. It was just the right size to fit on my little finger. ¡°What is this?¡± ¡°I made it back when I was still in training, hoping it would make Selena happy. As long as we are wearing these, we can share our magical energy. Back then, I thought that Selena would be able to use magic as well if we used these rings.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I slipped the ring on to my little finger. ¡°So you want me to wear this ring so that you will be able to use magic once we go back in time as well?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. If possible, I would like to meet that girl after she has regained her sanity without having to sacrifice anything else from my body.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± She nodded at my words and continued to speak. ¡°What do you say? Are you willing to take the job?¡± She spoke, and asked me that question. I responded to her question while extending the palm of my hand towards the ceiling and looking at the ring that glittered on my little finger. ¡°I am a little interested in what this country was like ten years ago.¡± I am a traveler after all ¡ª that¡¯s what I said. The two of us sat side by side in the chairs placed in the dimly-lit room. I had more or less formed a vague guess about them, but apparently we would be able to go back in time by sitting in this chairs. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Estelle-san looked at me while holding her staff in both hands. After seeing me nod, she said, ¡°Well then, here we go¡ª¡± and pointed her staff at the furnace that was behind us. I saw that her hands were slightly trembling. ¡°¡­¡­Are you okay? Your hands are trembling.¡± ¡°I¡¯m fine. This is due to anaemia.¡± ¡°You seem to sweating as well.¡± ¡°That¡¯s because of anaemia as well.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Doesn¡¯t that mean you¡¯re actually not fine at all?¡± ¡°Even so, I¡¯m still doing this. If I don¡¯t do this now while I am still able to, I¡¯ll easily lose this chance.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Are you ready?¡± she again asked me. ¡°How about you, Estelle-san?¡± ¡°I¡¯m ready. I have been ready for the past five years.¡± She waved her staff and sent a pale blue light towards the furnace. As soon as she did that, the door of the furnace popped open and a thick stream of energy with the same pale blue color twisted about like a snake as it flowed out. The stream of energy started to spin around in a circle with us at the center, and eventually we were enclosed inside a hemisphere of light. My vision was filled with a strange light that seemed cold and yet warm. As I was blankly watching this sight from my place upon the chair, Estelle-san said, ¡°Ah, sorry. There¡¯s one thing I forgot to say.¡± ¡°What is that?¡± When I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she closed her eyes, saying just that. ¡°Thank you.¡± Seeing that, I let out a laugh. ¡°You¡¯re welcome.¡± ¡ð I woke up to the clamor of ringing bells. Apparently, I had fallen into a deep sleep. What I saw before me was a view that had little changed from what I saw earlier. For better or worse, it was just a room without anything in it. Did we actually go back ten years in time? I only remember being released from inside the hemisphere of light. ¡°It looks like it was a success.¡± However, unlike me who had doubts, she seemed to be fairly sure of the result. ¡°Look, Elaina-san. The room is back to looking like it did ten years ago.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I see no difference.¡± ¡°It¡¯s completely different. Like this bit, that bit, and that bit over there.¡± ¡°It all looks exactly the same to me.¡± ¡°To me, it looks entirely different.¡± Well, she has been looking at this room for a long time, so I guess that is only natural. Unless you¡¯ve been looking at it every day, you wouldn¡¯t be able to see any difference. ¡°At any rate, since I¡¯m seeing it for the first time, I see no difference.¡± ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go outside and confirm it.¡± Estelle-san¡¯s light purple hair gently waved as she stood up from her chair and headed out of the house. I followed her out of the house and shut the main door behind me. ¡°Hmm.¡± Well, there was nothing left to say on the matter. ¡°You¡¯re right, it does look a little different.¡± Outside Estelle-san¡¯s house ¡ª in the alleyway, to be exact, there was supposed to be a depressing number of flyers about that play pasted on the walls, but right now I couldn¡¯t see a single one. It wasn¡¯t just that. Although the view of the surroundings was pretty much the same, there were some areas that were strangely at odds with what I remembered. For example, the shop that had tables outside spilling over into the alleyway had a different name. Also, the flowers blooming near the window of the house had a different color. The view of the surroundings that I saw now had accumulated a number of such small changes. The clock tower that I could see rising up behind the houses was the same as when I had been blanky gazing at it earlier, just continuing to mark the passage of time. The sound of the bells that signified that it was five o¡¯clock reverberated in my ears. After following my gaze, Estelle-san said, ¡°Our time limit is one hour. When we hear the sound of the bells for six o¡¯clock, we will be returned to the future, ten years from now.¡± ¡°We can only stay for one hour?¡± ¡°With my magical energy, staying for one hour after traveling ten years into the past is the limit. However, that should be more than enough.¡± And then she said, ¡°As long as I have that much time, I can easily wipe away what is going to happen in the next ten years.¡± While we walked in the alley, Estelle-san opened a memo pad. ¡°The robber should attack Selena¡¯s house twenty minutes from now. So let¡¯s go over there and stop him.¡± ¡°What is that memo pad for?¡± ¡°I worked for the country, after all. By making full use of my authority, I was able to collect a number of facts about that incident.¡± ¡°Hoh.¡± ¡°I¡¯ve compiled all the information I could find regarding that time, including eyewitness reports, in this memo pad. In about twenty minutes, a degenerate wearing a black cloak will apparently force his way into Selena¡¯s house. Once he¡¯s there, he will slaughter her parents and then proceed to strip the house of all its valuables.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°If we ambush that degenerate before he reaches the house, then the entire issue will be settled.¡± ¡°You mean to drive him away?¡± ¡°Of course. That¡¯s why I came here.¡± Estelle-san gave a big nod. ¡°If Selena¡¯s parents didn¡¯t die, then I¡¯m sure her life would not have been messed up so badly.¡± ¡°I see.¡± If the root cause of the whole issue is removed, would that mean that all the people who were killed by Selena-san would also return? Should that happen, I wonder what effect that will have on the future. By just preventing the birth of one serial killer, I wonder how much the future would have changed once we return? At the very least, that play will no longer exist. While I was deep in thought, Estelle-san spoke to me in a disinterested manner. ¡°Well, no matter what I change here in the past, it will have no effect on the future that we return to.¡± ¡°¡­¡­? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Basically, even if we interfere here in Selena¡¯s past, the future where I killed her will not change. I went through a lot of literature when I was researching magic to travel back in time, but every person who managed to create magic to travel back in time said the same thing. They said, ¡ºEven though I returned to the past, it didn¡¯t change anything.¡»¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Although only a little, I have also looked into magic that allows people to travel back in time. Depending on how you look at it, the magic that I use to heal wounds can also be considered a variant of such magic, after all. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that even if you change the past, something else will occur that will cause the same outcome in the end?¡± It is said that all things will end as they were meant to, so no matter what you do, even if you change the past, you will still end up with the same result in the end? However, she shook her head, causing her light purple hair to sway. ¡°That¡¯s not it. In the first place, we will not even be able to confirm if the past was changed. Our past has already been set in stone, after all, and there is no way to change it.¡± ¡°Ummm¡­ I¡¯m sorry, but I don¡¯t understand it at all.¡± I¡¯m frowning so hard that there are wrinkles all over my forehead. Estelle-san let out a long breath as if she was annoyed. ¡°Okay, then let me put it in simple terms. Let us call the world that we have lived in so far as ¡®A.¡¯ The ten years of past that have already occured in that world are fixed and there is nothing we can do to change that. I mean, that future exists only because we didn¡¯t interfere in its past.¡± ¡°In that case, what exactly is this past that we have traveled to?¡± ¡°I suppose we should call it the past that we can affect. Let us assume that this world is called ¡®B.¡¯ The two of us are originally from world ¡®A,¡¯ ten years in the future. However, the past that we traveled to belongs to the world ¡®B.¡¯ And when we return, we will go back to world ¡®A,¡¯ which is where we came from.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°In other words, no matter what we do in this world, we will not have any indication of it in our world.¡± After that explanation, I finally understood what she was driving at. However, in that case¡­ ¡°So no matter what you do, the past can¡¯t be changed?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± She nodded to show that I was right. ¡°Umm, this might be really rude, but in that case, does what we are doing now have any meaning?¡± ¡°That really is a rude thing to say¡­¡± ¡°If your theory is right, then that¡¯s the obvious conclusion.¡± What was the point of changing the past, if it had no effect on the future? That would be the same as thoughtlessly and carelessly winding time back, and I feel that it achieves nothing more than to pointlessly increases the despair of living in a world that cannot be saved. However. In spite of my uneasiness, she shook her head. ¡°It is not meaningless. After all, doing this will at least make me feel better.¡± And then, she said, ¡°Just thinking that there is a future where that girl can be saved is more than enough to make me feel better.¡± ¡ð After that, the two of us walked for a while, observing all the things that were different between now and the future. ¡ªThat house over there is running a bakery, but in the future that shop no longer exists. Apparently, the owner¡¯s wife ran away with someone. ¡ªSee that child doing practice swings with a sword over there? In the future, he will grow up to be a splendid soldier. It looks like he dreamed of being a soldier from when he was this young. Estelle-san talked about such things with a happy expression, and I watched her from the side as we continued to walk. ¡°By the way, we¡¯re nearly at Selena¡¯s house¡ª¡± Estelle-san cut her sentence off in the middle and suddenly stopped in her tracks. When I looked back to see what was the matter with her, I saw Estelle-san standing with her eyes widened and mouth agape, staring blankly. Her gaze was directed toward the opposite side of the alley that we had just stepped into a moment ago. ¡°¡­¡­? What¡¯s wrong?¡± I craned my neck and looked in the same direction as her. There was a single girl there. It was a girl in her teens, with long hair the same color as my azure eyes. It appeared that she was on her way back home from shopping, as both her hands were full of bags. ¡°Selena¡­¡­!¡± Estelle-san called that girl by that name. She called her name out in a hoarse voice as if it took a great effort to wring out that word, and in the next instant she had run up to that girl, fell to her knees in the alley, and was gently embracing her. ¡°Eh¡­? Wha¡­ Miss, who are you? You¡¯re scaring me.¡± The girl had her eyes widened at this sudden turn of events. She was obviously frightened. ¡°Selena. It has been so long. I¡¯m so sorry. Even though you were going through such scary experiences, I wasn¡¯t there to save you. I¡¯m really, really sorry.¡± ¡°Umm¡­ Miss, who are you¡­¡± ¡°Just wait a little longer, I will definitely save you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Are you a recruiter for some new religion or something, Miss?¡± Despite her age, Selena-san had a good head on her shoulders. After letting go of Selena-san who was looking at her with obvious suspicion, Estelle-san said, ¡°Hmm. I guess that was strange. Sorry.¡± ¡°Not ¡®was,¡¯ the strangeness is in present continuous tense.¡± ¡°I¡¯m really sorry. I just wanted to give you a hug.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Are you some new kind of pervert or something, Miss?¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m a person from the future.¡± ¡°Hee.¡± Selena-san pretended to be astonished, and told a lie to quickly escape the current conversation. ¡°By the way, I¡¯m busy right now so I have to go. I don¡¯t have time to talk to you.¡± ¡°¡­I understand. Sorry.¡± After being coldly rebuffed, Estelle-san furrowed her eyebrows while looking a little lonely, and moved away from her. After being freed from Estelle-san, Selena-san looked back multiple time to ensure that the strange lady who had appeared out of nowhere was not following her as she walked out of the alley. ¡°¡­¡­Just wait a little longer, Selena.¡± Estelle-san muttered those words to herself. I felt like an unshakeable resolve was contained within those words. ¡°It looks like she turned you away quite harshly.¡± ¡°She was always like that. However, despite her manner of speech, she¡¯s a very kind girl deep down.¡± We used to see each other every day when we were children, so I know that to be a fact ¡ª that¡¯s what Estelle-san said to me while looking in the direction that Selena-san had gone. Her gaze was overflowing with kindness. ¡ð After reaching Selena-san¡¯s house, the two of us immediately put our plan to save her parents into action. The plan went as follows. To begin with, Estelle-san knocked on the door of the house. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± Saying that, Selena-san¡¯s father opened the door and showed himself. ¡°Hey there. I¡¯m Estelle¡¯s sister, although we have different mothers.¡± ¡°Ah. It true, you look a lot like Estelle-chan. But what do you mean, you have different mothers?¡± ¡°Well, let¡¯s just set that matter aside for now.¡± ¡°Is it really okay to put that aside?¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. More importantly, I have a message from the two of them. Would you like to hear it?¡± ¡°Very well¡­ What is it?¡± ¡°There is something important she wants to do concerning Estelle, and so she wants you two to come over right away.¡± ¡°What is this important thing?¡± ¡°No idea. I¡¯m not sure about that either.¡± ¡°You came all this way to deliver a message that you don¡¯t understand?¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. In any case, it seems to be something important, so please come with me right away.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hmm. I wonder what it is.¡± In that way, it was a plan to get Selena-san¡¯s parents out of the house. And the plan succeeded admirably. The plan from here on out is extremely simple. Taking advantage of the time when Selena-san¡¯s parents were getting ready to go out, Estelle-san whispered it to me in secret. ¡°Elaina-san, please wait inside Selena¡¯s house. I¡¯ll give you this memo pad, so please read it carefully and make sure you prepare for what is about to happen.¡± ¡°And what will you be doing, Estelle-san?¡± ¡°I will keep watch over Selena¡¯s Papa and Mama. I have no idea what will happen by changing their fate. I have to protect them.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In other words, the troublesome part of the work was pushed to me. And so. I was one in Selena-san¡¯s house, waiting for the robber to show up. To kill the time, I was blankly look through the memo pad that Estelle-san had left behind, while listlessly waiting for the time to come. ¡°¡­¡­I see.¡± Estelle-san¡¯s memo pad contained information about the incident that occured ten years ago ¡ª which is to say, now ¡ª in minute detail. The incident is supposed to happen a few minutes from now. A degenerate wearing a black cloak will boldly enter through the front door and kill Selena-san¡¯s parents, after which he will proceed to steal every single item of worth from the house and make his escape. Apparently, Selena-san was from a fairly wealthy family, which was why her house was targeted. True enough, even in the closet I was currently hiding in, I could see a number of expensive-looking clothes. The dining room that I could see through the slight opening in the closet door was also exceptionally beautiful, and had been decorated with a number of over-the-top gold ornaments. I see, so it was one of those robberies for money that were fairly common. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, there is one point about this incident that makes me feel uneasy. Apparently, both of Selena-san¡¯s parents had been stabbed repeatedly by a sharp blade. They died after receiving dozens of wounds in different parts of their bodies. It seems like an excessively violent act for a mere robber. It appears that Estelle-san also felt that this was strange, as she had written down the following sentence at the end. ¡ºThere is a chance that the robber had some sort of grudge. The robber was not after the valuables, but actually her parents?¡» I see, in that case I can understand why Estelle-san went along with them as a guard. She left me behind here because she was unable to entirely discard the possibility that the robber was just an ordinary robber. ¡°¡­¡­Hmm.¡± And now, it appeared that the possibility she didn¡¯t want to discard could be discarded entirely. The ring that I was wearing on my little finger started to glow, and a pale blue light extended out and away from closet. I felt the sensation of magical energy being sucked of my body. In other words. Estelle-san is using magic. Most likely, Estelle-san is currently confronting the robber. ¡ð Despite her flaws, Estelle-san is still a witch. She is a genius who was able to find a way to go back ten years in time. Would a mere robber give her any trouble? I can¡¯t help but think that the fight will be over before it even begins. If the information we have regarding the attack on Selena-san¡¯s parents is true, then there is only one perpetrator. Even if he is armed with a blade, there is no way he will be able to put up a fight against her. Due to these reasons, I was very relaxed. I walked in a carefree manner through the city illuminated by the setting sun, and followed the thin stream of pale blue light that extended from the ring on my finger. I don¡¯t want any trouble, so it would be nice if everything was settled by the time I reached her. ¡ªI suppose that was too optimistic. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However. When I reached the place I was heading to¡­ I reached there just as the ring stopped emitting the stream of magical energy. I had just turned into a dimly-lit back alley with a number of trash cans lined up on one side. I was immediately forced to accept that all of my preconceptions were flawed. The two of us were mistaken about everything, right from the start. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Both Estelle-san and I had misread the situation completely. ¡°¡ªAh, you were with this woman earlier, weren¡¯t you, Miss? Aah, this could be a problem.¡± She had not lost her sanity after her parents were killed. ¡°What should I do about this? Maybe I¡¯ll just kill you too.¡± If she had been insane to begin with, and just acted normal in public, then there was no way to tell that she was actually insane even if they met everyday. ¡°I can¡¯t let you live now that you¡¯ve seen me, you know?¡± That young girl was standing with a twisted smile on her face in the back alley where even the slanted rays of light from the setting sun could not reach, and looked over at me. She was holding a knife in her hands, and her face and clothes were splattered with blood. That young girl who was drenched in the blood of the three people who lay at her feet was dyed in a deep red color from head to toe. ¡°Sorry, but won¡¯t you die for me as well, Miss?¡± That young girl was the same one we had happened across just a little while ago. It was Selena-san herself. ¡ð It was easy enough to guess what had happened before I got here. Estelle-san was on the lookout for a robber dressed in a black cloak. Of course she would not have her guard up against Selena-san, who appeared before her without even bothering to disguise herself. ¡°This person was saying some strange things about having come here from the future. Are you also the same as her, Miss?¡± It is likely that Selena-san had understood something when she had been hugged by Estelle-san earlier. ¡°¡­¡­What would you do if I said that I was?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t particularly care, I guess. Either way, I need to erase any witnesses.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°This person is wearing a witch¡¯s brooch, so I was on my guard thinking that she would be incredibly strong, but she was unexpectedly nothing special. She was a weakling. It was way too easy.¡± She was talking while directing an unbelievably cold gaze at Estelle-san who lay at her feet. ¡°¡­¡­Why did you kill your own parents?¡± Hearing my question, Selena-san replied without changing her expression even a little bit. ¡°To tell you the truth, my parents had been mistreating me. So I killed them. Hey, do you think I¡¯ll be forgiven for this?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Since the day I was born, I was raised while my father constantly tormented me and my mother constantly scolded me. My father only ever looked at me with lustful eyes, and my mother always saw me as another woman and felt jealous. Despite that, we acted as a perfect family in public. We were that sort of warped family.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Since they were already broken, I just finished the job.¡± The girl had a bright smile on her face. It was not a cute smile befitting a girl her age, that smile was an incredibly twisted and repulsive. Selena-san slowly walked towards me. ¡°¡ªYou gave me a scare. The two of you showed up with unbelievable timing to wreck my plan, after all. ¡± ¡°By plan, do you mean putting on a black cloak and pretending to be a robber?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. As I thought, you¡¯re well-informed. Is it because you¡¯re from the future?¡± Even though the appointed time had passed, no robber had turned up at Selena-san¡¯s house. That was probably because the person who was supposed to come into the house as a burglar had gone somewhere else instead. ¡­¡­¡­ The bags that Selena-san had been carrying earlier when we happened across her were strewn about on the ground. I could see some black fabric sticking out of one of the bags. ¡°Hey Miss, if you are really from the future, would you mind telling me something? What kind of person am I in the future?¡± ¡°I am a traveler. I haven¡¯t been in this country for very long, so I don¡¯t know what kind of person you turned into.¡± I pulled out my staff and stood ready. ¡°Actually, in the future ten years hence where I come from, you were already dead.¡± ¡°Eh? I was killed? By whom?¡± ¡°By your best friend.¡± ¡°Eh? But I don¡¯t have any friends, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Oh wait, are you talking about Estelle?¡± Seeing me nod, Selena san clapped her hands while looking extremely happy. ¡°Ah. I see, I see. Now I get it. This dead woman here is Estelle from ten years in the future, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I knew it! That¡¯s what I thought.¡± I didn¡¯t answer her, but she probably took my silence as affirmation. While clapping her hands in enthusiasm, she said, ¡°But why did she kill me?¡± She tilted her head in confusion. ¡°It was because you became a mass murderer.¡± ¡°Me? A mass murderer?¡± ¡°Well, yes.¡± The Second District Serial Killer. That is what she was called in the future. Ironically enough, we were presently still in the second district. In the end, Estelle-san and I were unable to prevent the birth of the serial killer. ¡­¡­¡­ No, instead of saying that we weren¡¯t able to prevent it, I should probably say that were already too late to do anything about it. ¡°I see, I turned into a mass murderer. I suppose that makes sense.¡± Going back ten years was not enough, Selena-san had already been broken long before this. Pointing the knife in her hand at me, Selena-san kicked the ground and ran towards me. ¡°I mean, killing people is so much fun!¡± She ran at me while saying that. ¡°¡­¡­!¡± I had also raised my staff towards the girl who was running towards me, when it happened. The trash cans that were lying on the ground suddenly attacked Selena-san from the side and pinned her to the wall. They flew at her one after the other, spilling their rotting contents and releasing a smell while crashing into Selena-san. ¡°¡­¡­I won¡¯t forgive you.¡± From the other side of the rising stink, I heard a low voice. Holding her staff in one trembling hand and using the other to support her abdomen that was still leaking blood, Estelle-san was standing up. Despite being in a horrible condition of being wounded all over her body, she was still alive. ¡°Aha.¡± Standing in the middle of the rotting garbage, Selena-san looked at Estelle-san. ¡°What, you¡¯re still alive? Maybe I should have stabbed you harder¡ª¡± Estelle-san didn¡¯t let her finish her sentence. She swung her staff as if to interrupt her words, and a pale blue mass of magical energy sped sped towards Selena-san relentlessly like a bullet. The ring on my finger began to shine so bright that it was almost blinding. ¡°Aaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!¡± Estelle-san screamed as she swung her staff again and again. ¡°Ahahahaha! It hurts! It hurts!¡± Selena-san was still laughing, even after being pelted with spheres of magical energy. ¡°You were deceiving me all along? Making a fool of me all along? Even though I thought we were friends!¡± ¡°Ahaha! Estelle is trying to kill me! Ahahahahaha¡± ¡°I thought we were friends! I thought you could go back to being a good girl! All this time ¡ª all this time you were just deceiving me!? Say something!¡± ¡°Ahahahaha! It hurts! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Ahahahaha!¡± ¡°You ¡ª monster¡­!¡± And then, Estelle-san stopped moving, with her staff still pointed at Selena-san. The pale blue light emitted from the staff extended towards Selena-san like a stream of smoke, wrapped around her neck, and started to constrict. ¡°Hahahahaha! Hahaha! Ha¡ª¡± Her staff steadily moved to point upwards, and Selena-san, who had collapsed onto the ground, started to float into the air. ¡°¡ªHaha, haha.¡± The repulsive laughter little by little lost its vigor, and started to wither away. However. Even while struggling to grasp the smoke around her neck that couldn¡¯t be touched, even while she was frothing at the mouth, Selena-san¡¯s smile did not disappear from her face. While looking down towards Estelle-san who was standing below her, she was definitely smiling. ¡°¡ªYou murderer,¡± Selena-san whispered. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Her back suddenly straightened. At this point, the horrifying sight that I saw before me could only come to the worst possible end. ¡°Estelle-san, please wait. Stop, this is¡ª¡± This is very wrong. Even if opponent was a mass murderer, would anyone wish for such an ending? I immediately put my hand on the ring. If I pulled it off, our magical energy would no longer be shared. At the very least, I can stop Estelle-san from becoming a murderer. If I do that, then¡ª What should I do after that? What sort of ending should I give to this sorrowful tale? ¡­¡­¡­ I wonder if it was because of my hesitation. The ring on my little finger seemed to be fixed in place and showed no signs of coming off. What¡¯s more, my hand started to tremble and I found it hard to even get a grip on the ring. Apparently, I was more afraid of being in this place than I thought. While I was wasting time, Selena-san¡¯s fading laugh turned into a cry of pain, and her hands that were on her neck started to flail around. Her cries of agony just increased my sense of desperation. It took me several, long seconds of agony to remove the ring that was feeding a continuous stream of magical energy to Estelle-san. After bouncing on the ground that was drenched in blood, the ring drew a red arc in the air before finally coming to rest. ¡°Estelle-san, stop this. This is wrong. You can¡¯t¡ª¡± I immediately tried to persuade her. I tried to get her to reconsider what she was doing. However the smoke that was strangling Selena-san did not disappear. ¡°I don¡¯t need any memories of you. I don¡¯t need any of it. They should all just disappear, along with you!¡± The ring was indeed no longer on my finger. I had stopped supplying her with magic. Just where was this magical energy coming from? ¡°I should have never tried to save you. I should have never looked back. I should have never lamented your death.¡± Her eyes, brimming with resentment, looked similar to Selena-san¡¯s eyes. At a loss for what to do, all I could do was to stand there blankly with my staff gripped in my trembling hand. My confusion and fear bound me hand and foot, and kept me immobile in that place. ¡°Goodbye, Selena.¡± And then¡ª It happened just as Estelle-san, whose face was set in a twisted expression like she had given up on everything, whispered those words. ¡ªthe bell began to ring. The ringing of the bell announced that exactly one hour had passed since we came here, and both Estelle-san and I started to be enclosed in a cocoon of light. The view of the surroundings started to blur, and eventually disappeared altogether. We were out of time. The smell of blood, and the sounds of the girl being strangled also disappeared. Everything before me dissolved into a vague, white color. And then. In this way, the tale of going back to save a single girl ended with not a single person being saved in the end. ¡ð The sound of the bells was still echoing. When I opened my eyes, I found myself back in the original world ¡ª the world she had called ¡®A,¡¯ or in other words, the world we originally came from. Everything I saw before me looked familiar. The empty room. Two chairs lined up next to each other. Lavender flowers growing near the window. And next to me, was Estelle-san. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She was staring at the ceiling with a blank expression. She was in a daze, with an expressionless face. I didn¡¯t know what she was thinking, or what I should say to her. I just waited there as the time continued to pass. ¡°¡­Hmm? What was I doing?¡± After a while, she finally opened her mouth. ¡°Why am I sitting in a place like this¡­? Hmm? I can¡¯t remember.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Estelle-san.¡± ¡°Ah. You are¡­ Elaina-san, right? What exactly was I doing until now?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I wasn¡¯t able to answer her. ¡°I feel like I¡¯ve forgotten something important¡­ someone important¡­ What¡¯s going on? I can¡¯t remember. What was it again?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I spoke up. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember anything about Selena-san?¡± ¡°Hmm? Who¡¯s that?¡± She had forgotten it all. By the time she returned to the future, she had forgotten about everything that had happened ten years ago, even the fact that she had traveled back in time. As we spoke, I understood what had happened. At that time ¡ª by the time I had removed the ring, she had already started to generate magical energy by herself using a reckless method. She had gone and converted all her precious memories of her best friend into magical energy. She had thrown away the memories that formed such a large part of her personality. After returning to the future, all she did was stare blankly into space. She had become wholly apathetic. ¡°I can¡¯t seem to remember it at all¡­ My head feels really fuzzy. Did you say Selena¡­¡­? Who was that?¡± She just looked more and more confused as she continued to think. ¡°Elaina-san, I can¡¯t seem to remember her at all. What was her relation to me?¡± She looked at me with a puzzled expression. I stood up as if avoiding her gaze, and gave a short reply. ¡°No relation. Not anymore, at least.¡± ¡ð The country had well-ordered tall buildings and a plaza in the center, and in the plaza was a large clock tower that towered over everything else. While I was passing through the plaza, the clock struck three o¡¯clock and the bell rang out. Looking back, I blankly stared at that sight. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± In the end, I left that house as though I was running away. Of course, I didn¡¯t receive the payment. There was no way I could accept money from her for the work we did in the past, when that past had ceased to exist for her. And besides, even though I went to the past with her, I didn¡¯t do anything that would deserve a reward. And moreover. Thinking that people would definitely be able to live happily if they could turn back time and redo their past, that was an an extremely careless way of thinking. Perhaps, even if you can look back on time that has already gone by, trying to redo it is wrong. Going back in time to change the relationships between people is on an entirely different scale from using magic to manipulate the bodies of people to heal their wounds. However, even with that being the case, I was far too helpless in that world. I was frightened. I was overwhelmed by the despair, and the tragic sight of a person being killed before my eyes. I think that perhaps my senses were numbed because I had been traveling for such a long time. I am a witch, and a traveler. That¡¯s all I am. I am not capable of doing everything by myself, or handling all problems with competence. After traveling to the past, I was reminded of how inexperienced I am. It was made painfully clear. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Lukewarm tears ran down my face. I had started to cry before realizing it, and I stared up at the clock tower, as if to avoid looking at myself. The echoes of the bell had faded away, and the clock tower stood there as always, just marking the passage of time. It relentless moved ahead, marking the passage of time without ever looking back. ¡°¡­¡­I suppose I should get going.¡± And so, I started to walk again. I took one step at a time, without ever looking back. Volume 3 - CH 12 Chapter 12 ¨C The Wall Inscribed by Travelers Apparently, the people in the left half of a certain country were on bad terms with the people on the right half, so they had built a wall running through the middle and decided not to have any dealings with each other. Of course, the wall was already in place when I arrived at the left side of the country, and just like the other side of the country that rejected this side, the neatly maintained ash-grey wall stood there boldly while also giving off a cold feeling. When I touched it, I found that it was pleasantly cool ¡°No matter how I look at it, it is dull. It¡¯s very dull. This is the worst.¡± While I was killing time by rubbing my cheek up against the wall, a government official from the left side of the country came up behind me whilst grumbling that. While keeping my cheek pressed against the wall, I asked him ¡°What is the matter?¡± with a puzzled expression. ¡°Just what are you doing over there¡­¡± The official looked at me with an exasperated expression and said, ¡°You see, the right side and left side of this country are on very bad terms, to the extent that we each wish for the people on the other side to go to hell, but take a look at this. Don¡¯t you think this wall is a little too dull to be the separator between this side and the other side?¡± ¡°¡­? What do you mean by dull?¡± After I heard what he had to say, I nodded to myself as his logic was satisfactory. Moreover, it seemed that the left side and the right side could also not endure the thought of losing to each other. Both this side of the wall and the other side were the same dull grey color, but this was exactly the reason why the official was drowning in despair. There was no doubt that this side of the wall was clearly superior to the other side. However, there was no clear evidence to prove that this side was superior. In short, what the official was trying to say was, ¡°Look at this wall. This wall itself is the absolute proof that this side is superior to the other side ¡ª We want something we can boast about like that.¡± Apparently, that was the situation. Well, that¡¯s simple and straightforward. A truly easy to understand problem. It was a problem quite suitable for the people of this country who raised up a grey wall despite their burning desire to clearly delineate everything into either black or white. ¡°I hear that you are a traveling witch. Do you have any good ideas?¡± Without missing a beat, the official threw that question to me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I let out a groan after keeping my cheek pressed against the wall for a little while longer. After letting out the groan, saying ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any ideas at all,¡± I made him an offer. Incidentally, the people of this country had a tendency to want to clearly delineate and classify everything in a proper category, but this trait was also shared by the people on the other side of the wall. ¡°Hey there. I hear you¡¯re a traveling witch. By the way, take a look at this wall. Don¡¯t you think it is a rather selfish thing? Actually, there is something I¡¯d like your opinion about.¡± I had gone to the other side of the wall ¡ª in other words, the right side of the country, and just as I had done on the other side, I had my cheek pressed up against the wall. A government official from the right side of the country came up to me and, as expected, he made the same request of me as the official from the left side. I groaned again in the exact same way as I did previously, pretended to think about it for a while, and made an offer to this side as well. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any ideas at all.¡± After saying that, the official was extremely happy, and shouted, ¡°Is that true!?¡± with his eyes sparkling. ¡°Yes, it¡¯s not like I don¡¯t have any ideas. However, there is one condition ¡ª Official-san, do you have a knife?¡± ¡°Hmm? Aah, I do have one, but¡­¡± The official gave me the knife he wore at his waist, while looking at me suspiciously. ¡°What do you intend to do with that?¡± Saying ¡°This is what I wanted to do,¡± I stabbed the knife into the surface of the wall. With a scratching and scraping sound, I started carving shapes into the wall. Just what is this girl planning to do? As the official was furrowing his eyebrows and thinking that, I had finished carving a sentence into the wall. ¡ºThis side of the wall is a very nice place. ¡ªA traveling Witch¡» ¡°¡­¡­What is this?¡± The official was continuing to furrow his eyebrows. It looked like he was slow on the uptake. ¡°In short, while this wall acts like a symbol to separate this side of the country from the other side, it also serves to prove how wonderful this side is, right? So you should just have visiting travelers carve their impressions into the wall like I just did. The more inscriptions you have, the more it will serve to show how wonderful this side of the wall is.¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ But I can¡¯t really say that I like such an approach very much¡­¡± As he said this, the official from the right side of the country deepend his frown, forming a crease in between his eyebrows. I actually gave a good idea because he came to me and asked, but this is the response I get. While resisting the urge to droop my shoulders in disgust, I acted like I suddenly remembered something and said, ¡°Ah, I forgot to mention something.¡± I used a certain magical phrase on him. ¡°The other side of the wall already has many such inscriptions on it.¡± I heard about this later, but after I left that country, it apparently became a custom to give every visiting traveler a knife and have them carve a sentence into the wall. However, I wonder why it is that the citizens of that country belonging to the different halves are constantly in conflict, but on just the single matter of continuing that conflict, their opinions matched so well. The above was an excerpt from Volume 5 of ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike¡» ¡ñ It had not been very long since she had become an apprentice witch when that girl visited that country along with her teacher Her teacher spoke, as though she had just remembered something. ¡°Ah, by the way, that country has really delicious food. Aaah¡­ I want to eat some delicious food¡­ Well then, let¡¯s go. To that country.¡± This was the main cause of the entire incident. At her sudden proposal, the girl wondered what this person was talking about all of a sudden, but it wasn¡¯t like she had any particular place she wanted to go instead. And so, the girl nodded to her teacher¡¯s sudden proposal, and prepared to go there along with her teacher. However, since it was her teacher who had proposed this plan, she used the fact that she was being pushed around on short notice as an excuse, and said, ¡°Ah, if you¡¯re going to treat me to some food, then I¡¯ll go,¡± and received a slightly displeased expression in return. And so, after several days of flying on their brooms over grasslands, they reached that country. Just as her teacher had said, the food in that country was so delicious it felt like your cheeks would melt. What her teacher had failed to mention, however, was that there was a large wall that ran through the center of the country, dividing it into two parts. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± The two of us looked up at that wall. One of them was a youthful witch with ashen hair. She was probably somewhere in her mid twenties. The other one was that witch¡¯s disciple. She was an apprentice witch with beautiful long hair as black as night. Right then, now for the real issue at hand. That girl ¡ª the apprentice mage. Who was that girl who was always being pushed around by her teacher, while her desire to become a full-fledged witch only grew stronger with each passing day? Please answer the question in no more or less than four letters. ¡­Alright, time¡¯s up. Right then, let¡¯s compare answers. Who was that girl? The correct answer is¡­ ¡°Fran.¡± That is the answer. Hearing my teacher call my name, I turned around. ¡°What is it, Sensei?¡± ¡°Take a look at this wall. Isn¡¯t it amazing?¡± My teacher¡¯s voice was slightly excited. ¡°Haven¡¯t you already visited this country before?¡± When I asked that question, my teacher slumped her shoulders as if she wanted to say Aah, this kid doesn¡¯t get it at all. ¡°I¡¯m saying that it has become a lot more impressive since the last time I was here.¡± On the wall were a number of ¡ª an innumerable number of ¡ª inscriptions carved into it. There were things like: ¡ºThis country is the best!¡», ¡ºThis is the best country I¡¯ve seen in my life!¡», ¡ºThe two of us are going to get married soon¡», and ¡ºWe, partners in travel, will live on forever¡» and other completely unrelated words carved into it. In this way, there were traces from all sorts of travelers carving their inscriptions into the wall. Apparently when my teacher was last here, the wall was completely plain. When I replied with a ¡°Oh, is that so?¡±, she said in an even more boastful manner, ¡°Do you know who started the practice of carving sentences into this wall? That¡¯s right, it was me.¡± I didn¡¯t really understand what she said, so I ignored her. ¡°But what is the point of this? Is there any meaning to carving sentences into the wall?¡± ¡°There¡¯s no real meaning behind it. The people of this country just like to compete with the opposite side. They want some way to prove that they are better than the people on the opposite side. So that¡¯s why people who visit this side and think that it is a nice place will leave a message on this side of the wall. Similarly, people who visit the opposite side and think that it is a nice place will leave a message on the opposite side of the wall.¡± ¡°Fumu fumu¡­¡± So putting it frankly, it is a kind of popularity contest. I see. However, if it is a popularity contest, there is something that I¡¯m curious about. I tugged on my teacher¡¯s sleeve and asked, ¡°So, which side is currently on top?¡± ¡°Oh, you want to know which side is more popular?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that only natural? It¡¯s obvious that the more popular side will have better food.¡± After a brief silence, ¡°¡­¡­Eh? You¡¯re still going to eat?¡± My teacher once again made a slightly displeased expression. Although this might be presumptuous of me, I would like to announce the results of looking at that ash-grey wall from both sides. The answer is¡­ ¡°They¡¯re both pretty much the same.¡± The number and type of sentences were the same, and they were similarly laid out on both sides of the wall. There were small differences, like instead of ¡ºThe two of us are going to get married soon¡», there were things like ¡ºScrew this, I want a divorce!¡» carved into the wall, and instead of ¡ºWe, partners in travel, will live on forever¡», I saw ¡ºScrew this, I¡¯m leaving this group!¡»However it was basically the same. In other words, it was not possible to use the wall alone to measure the difference between the two sides. ¡°Well, maybe the difference between the two sides lies in how they prepare their food.¡± I had that thought, so I dragged my unwilling teacher along and went to a restaurant on the opposite side of the wall, but the food on the other side was delicious as well, and as expected, I wasn¡¯t able to rate either one over the other. Feeling a sense of contentment from having full stomachs, the two of us once again returned to the other side of the wall. ¡°I ate too much¡­ I can¡¯t walk anymore¡­¡± Incidentally, I was the only one feeling contentment from having a full stomach. My teacher was nearly out on her feet. ¡°Sensei. The other side of the wall looked nearly identical to this side, how can that be?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± My teacher rubbed her belly, let out a sigh, and replied. ¡°It just means that a lot of people who thought that the other side was wonderful felt the same way about this side as well.¡± That means that even though the two sides are competing with each other, there is basically no difference between them at all. Still, I suppose that¡¯s only natural. Even though they were divided into left and right halves, the two were originally part of the same country, and only their desire to not lose to the other side caused them to end up in this state. The two sides of this country are like mirror reflections of each other, and they serve to spur each other on to greater heights. ¡°¡­¡­Why is it that neither the right side nor the left side have realized that the other side is developing in a similar fashion to them?¡± Hearing that question that I unintentionally spoke aloud, my teacher smiled gently. And she gave me this answer. ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? It¡¯s because neither side has ever tried to see what is on the other side of the wall.¡± ¡ñ ¡°There is supposed to be a strange country with a large ash-grey wall that runs through its center.¡± Trusting such rumors, a certain witch touched down in that country. She was a traveling witch. She was wearing a black robe, a black tricorne, and a star-shaped brooch that was proof of her being a witch. She looked to be in her late teens. Despite that, her face looked like that a much younger girl. ¡°Wow, this is amazing.¡± Standing in front of the soaring wall, the girl said that in a low voice. That wall was full of messages from all sorts of people who had visited the country. By the way, speaking of that traveling witch. Who is that girl who is living as a traveling witch just because it suits her tastes? That¡¯s right it¡¯s me ¡ª too bad! It is I, Saya! ¡°Hey there, so you¡¯re the Witch from the ¡ºAdministrative Bureau of Magic¡»? What do you think of this wall?¡± An official from that country came to stand beside me. I was dispatched to this country to fulfill a request from the officials of this country. ¡°It¡¯s amazing. I can see that a lot of people have come to visit this country.¡± I¡¯m living as a traveler partly because it suits my interests, but my job involves traveling to places all over the world to resolve problems. The Administrative Bureau of Magic basically works to resolve issues caused by magic, but we also take on other requests that can only be completed by using magic. For example, the current job. ¡°Witch-dono. I assume you have already read this in the request form, but ¡ª can you please do something about this wall? About a decade ago, we started to have travelers carve their messages into the wall based on the suggestion of a traveling witch, but it looks like the novelty has worn off over time, and visitor traffic has fallen along with the number of people who are interested in writing a new message on the wall. The wall has been abandoned.¡± Since it was a witch who started the practice, I suppose they want a witch to develop it further. In other words, the present condition of this country was such that they arrived at the naive idea of borrowing the wisdom of a traveling witch, hoping that it would somehow fix their problems. Was it really worth making making an official request to prevent this wall from being abandoned? If you ask me, this wall is pretty amazing even the way it is now. ¡°What do you say, Witch-dono? Do you have any good ideas?¡± ¡°Hmm¡­.¡± I stared at the wall for a while and thought about it. It was a wall where a lot of travelers had left behind their marks. There were a great number of words and opinions engraved here ¡ª huh? What¡¯s with this message? ¡ºThis side of the wall is a very nice place. ¡ªA traveling witch¡» It looks a lot older than the other messages, and it is surrounded by a golden border and looks to be treasured more than all the other messages. ¡°Ah, that message was written by the witch who first made the suggestion of letting travelers write their messages on the wall. Due to her idea, our country was able to develop this far.¡± Oh? That¡¯s pretty amazing. Looks like she was an incredible witch ¡ª eh? What¡¯s this? ¡°This handwriting, I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before¡­¡± The details of the handwriting were subtly different, but I feel like I¡¯ve seen it somewhere before. To be precise, I saw it at an inn in some country a number of years ago. What¡¯s more, those words seemed to exude a sense of kindness and beauty. There¡¯s no doubt about it the person who carved this sentence must have been a witch who had ashen hair and azure eyes she was likely related to my dear Elaina-san moreover when I look closer I can feel that the presence those words give off is about fifty percent similar to Elaina-san¡¯s so it was probably Elaina-san¡¯s mother or someone similar wait don¡¯t tell me Elaina-san has a daughter who wrote this? Of course there¡¯s no way that can happen so it was definitely her mother and her mother was probably the first person to carve their message into this wall how amazing how wonderful what are the odds of meeting Elaina-san¡¯s mother in a place like this, this is definitely the work of fate, yes now we have no choice but to get married my beautiful and lovely angel Elaina-san you¡¯re so wonderful oh Mother it is so nice to meet you my name is Saya your daughter has always been looking out for me by the way you are also dreamy and beautiful you look just like Elaina-san but even so Elaina-san is more dreamy and wonderful as expected of Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san v v Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa ¡°¡­Uehehe.¡± ¡°Witch-dono, are you okay? Your eyes are exuding madness.¡± ¡°Ah, I¡¯m fine. I was just in a trance.¡± ¡°Ah¡­ I-I see¡­¡± I was drawn to this wall for some reason. But I¡¯m fine. In fact, I¡¯m in top form. Due to coming across traces of Elaina-san¡¯s mother, my brain started working at a furious pace. In other words, I instantly thought of a solution to the problem concerning this wall. ¡°Mister, can I borrow your knife?¡± ¡°I hardly feel comfortable with the idea of giving you a knife¡­¡± ¡°Come on, it¡¯ll be fine.¡± ¡°Mu¡­¡± The official handed over his knife, while looking obviously reluctant to do so. I immediately used that knife to carve some words into the wall while saying to him, ¡°You see? This is what you must do. This is the best solution.¡± ¡ºI love Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina-san Elaina¡» If you¡¯re curious why the last one has no honorific, it was because the official used all his strength to stop me. ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, you fool! This wall is our important treasure with a long history! It is not some foolish thing you can play with by writing about your carnal desires!¡± He was extremely angry. I was just nonchalantly ignoring his words of anger. ¡°What are you talking about? This is something very important.¡± ¡°Important, my foot! This wall is meant for people to write about how wonderful this country is when they visit here!¡± ¡°Ah, about that rule. How about changing it from today?¡± ¡°¡­¡­What are you talking about?¡± It looks like he didn¡¯t understand what I was trying to say. And so, I explained it to him in detail. ¡°Starting today, you should allow the citizens of this country to write whatever they want on the wall. Things like their passionate feelings about the person they love, or their dreams for the future. You should let them write about the things they love, as much as they want.¡± ¡°Why? What is the point of doing that?¡± I thought I had explained it pretty clearly, but it looks like he still doesn¡¯t understand. Or maybe it is just because his anger is almost beyond control. He¡¯s such a straight-laced person. And so, I explained it even more clearly, in a soothing manner. ¡°After all, it is the people of this country who built this wall, correct? In that case, the wall should be used for the sake of the citizens.¡± The wall does not belong to the travelers. I told him that they should make it a wall that they could look at with pride. ¡ð A certain witch arrived at that country. She had ashen hair and azure eyes. She was wearing a black robe and a tricorne, and that girl, who was wearing a star-shaped brooch proudly on her chest, was a traveler as well as a witch. She appeared to be in her late teens. Incidentally, she was the kind of lovely young woman that certain people might describe as a beautiful and lovely angel. Just who is that girl? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± One of the literary works that influenced me the most as a child was ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike¡». The witch who appears in those stories had carved a sentence into a wall, and among the fans of the series, it was said that there were many such countries around the world where such a wall was presumed to exist. This was one of those countries. As the author was said to have actually visited the country and carved a sentence into the wall, any true fan of the series would want to see that writing in person and pay homage. It was at the level of a customary pilgrimage where people would regularly come to this place. I happened across this country while I was in the middle of my travels. Despite that, I entered the country with a fairly high level of anticipation. ¡°¡­¡­It¡¯s been destroyed¡­¡± The wall had been destroyed. There was no massive wall in that country, it had become just a regular country. What¡¯s going on? Don¡¯t tell me, did I make a mistake and come to the wrong place? I tilted my head in confusion, but there was no doubt about it, it was definitely the same place that the author had visited. ¡ºThis side of the wall is a very nice place. ¡ªA traveling witch¡» ¡ºThis side of the wall is a very nice place. ¡ªA traveling witch¡» Two copies of the same sentence had been placed there, as a memorial. Those sentences were enclosed in golden borders and placed in the center of the country, where the wall once stood. ¡°Welcome! Would you like to buy a piece of the wall? It¡¯s cheap!¡± ¡°Would you be interested in buying a souvenir?¡± ¡°It¡¯s not ordinary wreckage, it¡¯s wreckage from that wall! It¡¯s rare, I tell you!¡± The wall had been removed and the country had become just another ordinary country. And in the center of that country, the citizens were walking around selling pieces of the wall that had been broken down into hand-sized pieces that were small enough to carry. It looked like they were unexpectedly popular, as there were a lot of travelers crowding around those salespeople. Still, it¡¯s just rubble, right? Those stones only ever had value because the were part of the wall¡­ As I had no interest in rubble, I left that place quickly. Right now, it was no longer the case where the country was divided into right and left sides, each with their own officials. Instead all the officials were now gathered in one place. While I was walking along the street, I saw a building that was in the middle of being built. ¡ºNew town hall currently under construction¡» I saw a sign which said that. Well, since that¡¯s what is written on the sign, it must be so. ¡°Hmm. I¡¯m not sure how to feel about this building. The entrance is on the right side.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? The windows are on the left. You have the better deal.¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°What are you talking about?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± There were two old men who looked like officials, looking at the building under construction and having a quarrel about something unimportant. While pushing down the anger that threatened to rise from the depths of my heart , I asked, ¡°Are you officials from this country? Or are you just a pair of wrinkled old men?¡± ¡°We are indeed government officials.¡± ¡°Although it is also true that we are wrinkled old men.¡± ¡°That¡¯s fortuitous. Actually, there is something I would like to ask¡ª¡± And so, I told them what I had seen after coming to this country, and my reason for coming here. ¡°Fumu fumu. I see. That is certainly a valid question.¡± ¡°In fact, there are still quite a few people who come here, saying that this place is a holy land from that book or something of that sort.¡± ¡°Why did you destroy the wall?¡± When I asked that, they told me the reason. Here¡¯s what they said. About ten years ago, due to a suggestion from a certain witch, travelers had begun to write their opinions about the country on the wall. However, quite recently, the citizens had also started to write about their feelings on the wall as well. The names of the people they loved. Their hopes for the future. Their absurd wishes. Things that could definitely not be said aloud. Descriptions about the shape of the king¡¯s ears. And other wild delusions. Alongside such things, the people of this country wrote about many other things as well, without holding back. They went to town on the wall, gradually scraping it away bit by bit. A great many travelers had already carved many things into the wall, so in no time at all, the wall was filled and there was no space left to write anything. It just goes to show that the people of the country had many things that they wanted to write on the wall. However, now they had a problem Before a few weeks had passed, the people of the country had become unable to bear looking at the words that they had written based on whatever happened to cross their minds at the time. ¡°Oh gods, what is this, it¡¯s so embarrassing.¡± ¡°Who the heck wrote this nasty stuff about me!?¡± ¡°I broke up with that person the day after I drew a lovers¡¯ umbrella on this wall! I don¡¯t want to see it anymore!¡± ¡°Ugh¡­ I wrote some pretty outrageous things here when I was drunk¡­¡± You get the idea. The complaints from the citizens increased with each passing day. Well, that was only natural. Unlike travelers, the citizens had to live in the same country where the wall stood. They had to keep living there, while looking at that wall everyday. Well, it¡¯s said that ¡°You should leave your shame behind when you go on a journey¡±, after all. However, if the citizens do that and start writing whatever they want, it will become preserved as an embarrassing memory that they can¡¯t get rid of. In the end, with the number of complaints increasing every day, they finally decided to tear down the wall quite recently. At some point, the people of the country realized that they had stopped resenting the people who lived on the opposite side. It is likely that they saw themselves reflected in that massive wall. Their preoccupation with thinking that they were better than the people who lived on the other side had been wiped away by the shameful things that they had written on the wall themselves. We are not superior to them. After all, see how foolish we are. We should be apologizing to the people on the other side. For the first time in their long history, the people of that country crossed over the wall and had a discussion with each other. Surprisingly enough, it looked like both the left and right side had been thinking the same thing, and so the process of destroying the wall after the discussions were complete went very smoothly. ¡°In the end, it turned out that there was no need for a wall in this country. From the start, we were all the same in every way.¡± ¡°Well, we will probably live as an ordinary country from here on.¡± They finished their story by saying that. Oh well. In this manner, the citizens had destroyed the one reason why travelers would want to visit their country. ¡°Oh hello there, pretty Witch-san. How about buying a souvenir?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ I suppose it might be okay to get one as a souvenir.¡± ¡°Thanks for buying!¡± After returning to the center of the country, I purchased a piece of rubble (pocket edition) from the wall and started walking towards the gate of the country. The piece of rubble that I purchased had the letters ¡ºElai¡» carved into it. ¡­¡­Wait, it can¡¯t be that someone decided to carve my name into the wall, right? Right?? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± While feeling a sensation that couldn¡¯t be put into words, I stuffed that piece of rubble into my bag. In the end, I wasn¡¯t able to see the thing that I was looking forward to see. This country is still barely able to function as a tourist spot by selling the rubble from the wall, but I¡¯m sure that once they run out of rubble to sell, this country will become just another ordinary country. It will turn into just another mediocre country, existing in one corner of the world where no one is under the impression that they are superior to someone else. Oh well, maybe that is a good thing for this country after all. A country does not exist for the sake of travelers or tourists. There is no need for a country to go to extraordinary lengths and adjust itself to travelers¡¯ needs just to make them think that it is a wonderful place. Instead of working to ensure that tourists are kept happy, it might make more sense to make the country a place that is convenient for its citizens to live in. A country belongs to the people who live there, after all. Volume 3 - CH 13 Chapter 13 ¨C The Slasher By the time I had arrived in that country, in every alley and every shop, if more than two people happened to meet up, they would start exchanging rumors about the Slasher as a conversation opener. ¡°Hey, have you seen that Slasher?¡± ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it, but I know for a fact that it has taken the lives of five women.¡± ¡°Yes, I saw him with my own eyes. It was on the night of the full moon. It was a man with a terrifying appearance¡ª¡± ¡°No, the culprit is a woman. I saw her with my own eyes.¡± ¡°What did you say? I saw it as well, and the Slasher was a transsexual.¡± ¡°Oh my, I heard it was a puppet.¡± ¡°It¡¯s terrible! This is so terrible! So basically someone in this city stole the lives of five women, is that right? I can¡¯t so much as walk outside without being afraid! I¡¯m going to shut myself away inside my house!¡± Well, it was something like that. The whole city was in an uproar, and all the residents who were walking in the alleys between red-bricked walls were trembling with fear. As I walked along the bright red road while listening closely to the conversations around me, I heard that a woman had been assaulted that morning as well, which was causing the people to be consumed by fear. Despite that, the people who were not residents of the country looked fairly calm. ¡°Hey there. It looks like things are pretty bad.¡± Who was that witch who said that in a carefree tone, walking around while nibbling on bread? That¡¯s right, it was me. I was not bothered about the incident at all. It looked like the string of incidents perpetrated by that Slasher were a fairly big deal, as there was a witch from the Administrative Bureau of Magic walking around and carrying out her investigation. The witch was an adult woman, with long, golden hair that glittered like stardust. She was wearing a white robe and tricorne, and had two brooches, one shaped like a star and the other shaped like the moon. ¡°¡­¡­Dammit. Everyone I ask just spouts whatever nonsense they want.¡± By the way, it appears that the investigation is not going very well. It looked like she was extremely irritated, as she was holding a smoking pipe in one hand while roughly blowing out white puffs of smoke from her mouth. The smoke that had a disagreeable smell was continuously leaking out from her mouth and the long-stemmed oriental pipe that she was holding. However, I had no idea that this country was the kind of dangerous place where people get randomly assaulted on the streets. Maybe I should limit my stay here to just today, and leave as soon as possible. By the way, the smell is starting to get on my nerves so maybe I should just get away from this place right away as well. ¡°¡­¡­Hmm? Hey, you over there. Do you have a moment?¡± It was right after I started walking away hurriedly. My shoulder was tapped on from behind, and the bad smell peculiar to smoking pipes wrapped itself around me. I really hate this kind of smell. I wrinkled my nose without realizing it. Taking no pains to hide my disgust, I waved my hand to disperse the smoke and turned around to find the witch from the Administrative Bureau of Magic looking at me. ¡°You there, are you a citizen of this country?¡± ¡°I am a traveler.¡± ¡°Hmm¡ªBy the way, do you know about the series of incidents that have occured in this country recently?¡± ¡°That thing about a Slasher being on the loose? Well, I¡¯ve at least heard about it. You¡¯ve been going around asking everyone about it, after all. Unfortunately, I don¡¯t know anything else about it.¡± Hearing my reply, she put on an expression that told me she was not amused. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s unfortunate. Well, if you come across any information, please pass it on to me. I¡¯m going to the place where the people of this country gather together to see if I can find any information on this Slasher. Well then, I¡¯ll see you around.¡± ¡°I doubt I¡¯ll come across anything like that, but sure.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Why are you pinching your nose?¡± ¡°Please don¡¯t mind me.¡± I replied in a nasal voice. The witch slightly tilted her head to the side in confusion and pulled out a piece of paper from her shirt pocket. ¡°My name is Sheila. I am a witch from the ¡ºAdministrative Bureau of Magic¡».¡± The same words she just said to me were written on that piece of paper that thrust towards me. Along with the title ¡ºWitch of Midnight¡». ¡°My name is Elaina. The Witch of Ashes, Elaina¡ªbut don¡¯t think we will ever meet again.¡± Even so, I accepted the scrap of paper from her. ¡ð I felt that it would be a suicidal act to roam around carelessly in a city that was thick with rumors about a Slasher, so I went straight to an inn and booked a room for myself. As all the buildings and houses in this country are uniformly built with red colored bricks, it took me a lot of effort to find an inn. Besides, I felt that I was gathering a lot of attention¡ªthe bad kind¡ªby walking around dressed in a witch¡¯s attire. It¡¯s probably because of the ¡ºWitch of Midnight¡», Sheila-san, has been snooping around the city and bothering people while looking for clues about the incident¡ªbecause of that, I was getting a lot of dirty looks, just because I was a witch. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It started to get annoying, so I decided to take off my brooch and walk around as just an ordinary magician. Still, no matter how far I walked, the surroundings all looked identical. In one way that was a lovely sight, but when walking around in search of something it was just extremely tiring. As I kept walking through the city, I found a bunch of different shops, such as a bookstore, a cafe, stores selling dolls, and many others besides. It looked like dolls were the speciality of this country, so I saw many stores that sold them. Seeing as this country specializes in dollmaking, I thought of buying one as a souvenir and walked into one of the stores. ¡°Fufufu¡­ welcome. The dolls in my store are something else, they are all amazing. They are rare items that I ordered from a different country a very long time ago. They are vintage. Take a look at this one, she is a particularly splendid piece¡­See how the quality of the hair is so good that it feels almost real? Isn¡¯t it just the best? She smells so good too. Do you want to take a sniff? ¡± ¡°Ah. Sorry, I seem to have come to the wrong shop by mistake.¡± I immediately beat a retreat. As that place had a really questionable atmosphere surrounding it. In the end, I just trudged through the city until I finally found an inn. I walked into that red brick building that looked identical to all the others, paid for a room for one night, and shut myself away inside. Even I am slightly fearful of that so-called Slasher, so I made sure to lock my door and close the window. ¡°¡­¡­There¡¯s one in here as well.¡± As expected of the country¡¯s speciality, there was a doll sitting on my bedside table. It was a doll modeled to look like a young girl with golden hair and wearing a gaudy dress. The corners of its mouth were slightly raised in a smile, but its eyes were just staring in the direction of the dilapidated old room. It¡¯s kind of creepy. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t relax with that doll looking at me, so I lifted it up and tossed it into the closet. ¡°Oh well, I should probably go to bed early today.¡± After that, I took a bath, munched on some bread for dinner, laid face up on the bed, and read a book until night had completely fallen. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Isn¡¯t it strange how you feel sleepy when you have nothing to do? At some point, I had fallen into a deep sleep. It was the next morning. ¡°¡­¡­It looks like I dozed off.¡± After putting the book that was lying on top of me on the bedside table, I got out of bed. I could see that the sky outside the window looked bright and clear, and the red colored buildings were illuminated by the sunlight. A warm breeze blew in through the window, causing the curtains to shake as it coiled around me. I closed my eyes while enjoying the pleasant feeling of the breeze for some time¡ª ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± What¡¯s this? I don¡¯t remember opening the window. Hmmmmmmm? I guess I must have opened it at some point? Unfortunately my memories from last night before I fell asleep are somewhat vague, and I don¡¯t remember when I fell asleep. I can¡¯t even remember how far I had gotten in reading the book. Did I open the window at some point, and forget about it? That would be quite careless. ¡°Oh well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± Seeing as I¡¯m still alive, I didn¡¯t become the next victim of the Slasher, at the very least. The fact is, even though I¡¯m a witch, I don¡¯t stand a chance if I¡¯m attacked in my sleep. I was a little relieved by the fact that nothing had happened even though my window was open. However. ¡°¡­¡­I feel somewhat strange.¡± I felt like my body was strangely light, or as if something was missing. There was a slight feeling of having lost something, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it was. ¡­¡­¡­ ¡°Oh well, I guess it doesn¡¯t matter.¡± In the end, still half asleep, I ignored that feeling of uneasiness and headed towards the bathroom after taking my toothbrush out of my bag. Now, what should I do today¡ªI was thinking something like that. However. When I turned my eyes towards my reflection in the mirror, I instantly came fully awake. An unbelievable sight was reflected in the mirror. I found out what was causing the uneasy feeling. ¡°Eh¡ªwhat¡¯s going on?¡± I dropped my toothbrush into the washbasin and touched my hair with trembling fingers. My glossy, ash-grey, waist-length hair had been cleanly cut off. There was no sight of it anywhere. My long hair was gone. During the time when I was asleep, my hairstyle had abruptly changed from long hair to short. ¡°¡­¡­I don¡¯t even recognize myself.¡± At this point, I suddenly remembered. The rumors that were exchanged in the city yesterday, The Slasher. The one who stole the lives of five women. A woman¡¯s life. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± By the way, I¡¯ve heard about hair being called a woman¡¯s life before. ¡ð ¡°It¡¯s just as you suspected, this is certainly the work of that Slasher. One girl was suddenly attacked on her way home from shopping. Another was attacked when taking her ease at a cafe¡ªAnd in your case, it looks like the culprit got to you while you were asleep.¡± This is what happened after I realized that my hair had been chopped off. The first thing I did was to walk unsteadily to the front desk of the inn while still in my pyjamas, explain the situation to the old woman there, give her the visiting card that I had got from ¡ºThe Witch of Midnight¡» Sheila-san, and ask the old woman to bring her here. The loss of my precious long hair was such a big shock that I didn¡¯t feel up to going outside. By the way, I threw a gold coin at the old lady because she appeared to be hesitating. After that, I returned to my room, lay on my bed face down, and sulked until Sheila-san arrived. And then, when Sheila-san saw me after she hurried over, she let out a snort of laughter. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that even a witch has become one of the victims of the Slasher¡­. Ahem.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I didn¡¯t have the energy to say anything back to her, so I settled for glaring at her from atop my bed. She slumped her shoulders as if to show that she wasn¡¯t bothered in the least by my glare, and spoke while putting on a pair of gloves. ¡°Well, I¡¯ll be taking a look at the scene of the crime.¡± ¡°What should I do?¡± ¡°Just keep sitting there and don¡¯t move.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It looks like I just need to wait without doing anything, so I¡¯ll do just that. While sitting on the bed, I observed Sheila-san as she went about her work. With an experienced air, she went about the room and turned the furniture upside down. She turned over everything, from the shelves to the table, the closet, and even the flower vase. Of course the bed was not an exception either, and I, who was following instructions and not moving a muscle, was dropped off the side when the bed flipped over. ¡°Hmm¡­ There¡¯s nothing that looks suspicious.¡± ¡°I think the most suspicious thing in this room is you, Sheila-san.¡± I spoke from my place on the floor where I had fallen. ¡°I¡¯m not being suspicious. This is part of my investigation, I tell you.¡± Sheila-san was looking down towards me. ¡°By the way, did you see anything suspicious? Is there anything about the room that looks different compared to yesterday?¡± ¡°Every single thing looks different.¡± Everything is upside down, after all. ¡°Enough with the jokes.¡± ¡°Well, even if you say that¡­¡­¡± However, it was true that I had a good view of the room from my place where I lay sprawled on the floor, so there was one thing I noticed all of a sudden. ¡°¡­¡­Ah. The doll is missing.¡± ¡°A doll?¡± I nodded and pointed a finger at the closet. ¡°I took the doll that was sitting on the bedside table and put it inside the closet yesterday, and now it¡¯s missing.¡± ¡°Fumu fumu¡­. I see.¡± Sheila-san nodded as though she was convinced of something, and muttered ¡°I knew it!¡± under her breath. ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°This string of incidents all have one common feature. Every one of the girls just got their hair cut and were not otherwise harmed in any way¡ªso I spent the whole day yesterday walking around and talking to the victims, and every single one of them insists that they were attacked by the same thing.¡± ¡°And what is that?¡± Hearing my question, Sheila-san gave me a concise answer. ¡°Dolls.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°It is likely that the culprit is using magic to control the dolls and make them cut off womens¡¯ hair. With that in mind, I went walking around the city trying to find the real culprit¡­ well, I¡¯ve not made any progress with that.¡± After all, depending on who you ask, the culprit is a terrifying man, or a woman, or a transsexual. Picking out the truth from a sea of rumors is obviously going to be difficult. ¡°In that case, what was it that you realized just earlier?¡± ¡°I went around talking to the victims¡ªas I mentioned just earlier¡ªand thanks to that, I managed to find out where the dolls are coming from.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± I see, I see. ¡°In that case, let¡¯s go and crush the source where these things are coming from. I will send them to the depths of hell, where they can atone for the crime of cutting off my hair.¡± I stood up from the floor. I¡¯m feeling very motivated all of a sudden. I am overflowing with motivation and a desire to kill. ¡°Hey, calm down a bit. I¡¯m not done talking yet.¡± ¡°What is it? Did you already snap the culprit¡¯s neck?¡± ¡°I can¡¯t follow that leap in logic¡­¡­¡± Sheila-san let out a big sigh. ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. I¡¯ve figured out where the dolls are coming from, but that place is a little troublesome.¡± ¡°What do you mean by troublesome?¡± Sheila-san spoke after glancing at my chest as I changed out of my pyjamas. ¡°Apparently, rare dolls are sold in black market auctions in this country. None of the dolls being sold are regular products, they all come with shady histories attached. Due to that, both the sellers and the buyers use fake names while carrying out their business.¡± Why is she saying that while staring at my chest? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, I got the gist of what she was trying to say. I quickly put on my shirt and skirt to escape from Sheila-san¡¯s gaze, and said, ¡°So the dolls that were purchased by the victims also came from there?¡± Sheila-san nodded. She was still staring at my chest. ¡°By the way, it looks like the that old lady who owns this inn is quite an avid collector herself. I threatened her earlier and made her spill the beans, but it looks like she buys her dolls from the same source as the other victims.¡± After saying that, Sheila-san started rummaging around in her bag. And then she said, ¡°Ah, here it is¡± as she pulled a doll out of her bag. It¡¯s a golden haired doll that looks a lot like the one that was sitting on my bedside table last night. ¡°This is something I pillaged from the old lady here after threatening her some more. It looks like this one and the dolls that belonged to the other victims were made by the same dollmaker.¡± ¡°It looks just like an ordinary doll. Although it has a creepy air around it that makes you think it might start moving about any second.¡± Sheila-san put on a boastful expression as she held the doll by the scruff of its neck and shook it. ¡°Does it really look ordinary to you? Take a closer look. The person who made this must have quite a twisted nature.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hmm?¡± I moved my face close to take a better look at the doll. As it shook, the doll with a creepy smile seemed to look back at me. After the doll and I stared at each other for a while, ¡°Ah.¡± I realized what she was getting at. ¡°Is it the hair?¡± Sheila-san nodded in affirmation. ¡°That¡¯s right. This thing¡¯s hair is real, it came from a person. That¡¯s what makes it look so realistic.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s more, it is was probably made from the hair of one of the Slasher¡¯s victims.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Indeed, that person sounds really twisted. ¡°Well, that¡¯s how it is. That¡¯s why they are being sold in the black market auctions.¡± Sheila-san spoke while continuing to shake the doll. ¡°Speaking of the black market auctions, it looks like there¡¯s one being held today as well.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± ¡°Do you want to go?¡± Instead of answering her, I silently put on my robe and tricorne, and gathered my luggage. Pushing my hair out in one smooth motion after putting on my robe was something I was used to doing, but my hair that was cut sorrowfully short was already outside my clothes. ¡­¡­¡­ That doll maker shall not be forgiven. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s go.¡± I left the room along with Sheila-san who nodded at my words. ¡°By the way, why did you keep staring at my chest earlier?¡± ¡°Hmm? Well¡­ I was just thinking about how pitifully small they were.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Also, if you¡¯re going to the place where the black market auction is being held, take off your robe and tricorne. Wearing such noticeable clothes increases the risk of someone finding out who you really are.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡ºThe Witch of Midnight¡» shall not be forgiven. ¡ð Apparently, the entrance to the black market auction was behind a shop that would take a bit of a walk to reach after going through several back alleyways in the city. The whole thing reeks of sneakiness. There are three requirements we would have to fulfil before entering the black market auction venue. The first was that we could not reveal our identities to anyone. In other words, while we are inside the premises, we are just customers; nothing more and nothing less. We have to play that part to perfection, even though it is beneath us. Due to that, I was dressed very plainly in just a shirt and skirt, and Sheila-san was wearing a dress for some reason. I thought we weren¡¯t supposed to dress gaudily as it would draw attention? The second requirement was that we had to wear masks. It looks like we will need to wear these masks that just cover the area around the eyes to hide our identities. We are being sneaky, after all. ¡°¡­¡­These masks just cover the eyes, so won¡¯t we be found out right away?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t say it. It¡¯s more about creating the right atmosphere. Don¡¯t you feel like you¡¯re doing something wrong when you wear a mask?¡± ¡°Well, just the fact that we are at a black market auction already makes it plenty wrong.¡± What the heck is this person talking about? ¡°Oh well, let¡¯s get inside, for starters.¡± Wearing costumes and masks to disguise our true identities, we stepped into the premises where the black market auction would take place. Incidentally, the third requirement was that we needed to pay an entrance fee. Although the black market auction was being held in a basement, it was a really beautiful place, and it could even be called dazzling. A dazzling chandelier was giving off a golden light while hanging from the ceiling that had a mysterious painting on it. Below that were rows of seats that appeared to be lined with red cloth, and overall, it looked more like an opera house than a black market auction house. ¡°I heard that this place used to be an opera house in the past.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± Correction. It didn¡¯t just look like one, it actually was an opera house. Well, perhaps in the past this place used to be filled with people who were dressed appropriately and indulged in their noble pastime, but¡­ ¡°Hehehe¡­ I¡¯m going to get that doll for sure today¡­ Hehehe¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m definitely going to get it, I¡¯m definitely going to get it, I¡¯m definitely going to get it!¡± ¡°I¡¯ve been saving my money all this time for this day. I¡¯m not going home until I get what I came for.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± What can I say, wherever I look, I see only people with bloodshot eyes who don¡¯t suit this place at all. While keeping an eye on the strange behaviour of the people around us, the two of us took or seats. Sheila-san, who was sitting beside me, spoke while fiddling with the bidding paddle that she had received. ¡°Every single person here looks desperate.¡± She sighed after saying that. ¡°They¡¯re just dolls, I wonder why they are all so worked up.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t really get it, but maybe they are just drawn to the allure of owning items that cannot be purchased legally.¡± ¡°Haa.¡± I don¡¯t really understand this kind of passion. We waited for several minutes inside that noisy venue, until a man finally appeared on the stage. ¡°Thanks for waiting, everyone! We have some wonderful products today as well, made by our artisans just for you! Everyone, do you want one of these for yourself? You do, don¡¯t you? Of course you do!¡± Despite that poor attempt to stir up the crowd, the whole venue went crazy. It was like a pot on the verge of boiling over. I mean, if they didn¡¯t want one, they wouldn¡¯t have bothered coming all the way here, now would they? That¡¯s pretty obvious, right? After that, the man on the stage spent some time going over the important points of how an auction is conducted, and a simple explanation of the rules. If you are interested in an item, raise your bidding paddles and state your price, and the person with highest offer will win the bid. If the price goes beyond what you can afford, give up. Under no circumstances should you do something like digging your own grave by going over your budget, so be careful. Well, it was a bunch of stuff like that. Although this stuff is pretty obvious as well. ¡°Well then, let¡¯s begin! The first product is this one!¡± And then, after waiting until the time was ripe, the doll was presented on stage. It was a female doll. Life-sized. ¡°Ah, so that¡¯s what they meant by illegal products.¡± ¡°I see.¡± It looked to be very popular, as a number of paddles went up and a fierce bidding competition began among the people in the venue. After a close contest, a rich-looking old man won the bid for a high price. ¡°I wonder if all the dolls are of that type?¡± ¡°No, I don¡¯t think that is the case. If my information is not wrong, then the dolls that caused this series of incidents were also purchased here.¡± However, from what I saw on the stage, the second doll was also a life-sized female doll, as was the third one. What the heck is up with this auction? ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I started to show an interest in the dolls that were being presented on stage after the voices of the people around me gradually started to get more and more annoying. ¡°Alright everyone, here¡¯s what you¡¯ve been waiting for! Here it is! Our featured product this time around!¡± It was a normal sized doll, about the same size as the doll that had been placed in my inn room. Looking closer, I saw that it was wearing the same kind of gaudy dress that the doll in my room had been wearing, and was overall quite similar in appearance. Well, to put it simply¡­ ¡°Isn¡¯t that the one?¡± That¡¯s how it was. ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Since she was correct, I nodded. ¡°¡­¡­Actually, what¡¯s with that doll? Are they trying to pick a fight with me?¡± ¡°Calm down, calm down.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± As expected, the doll was another one of those twisted creations. ¡°Please take a look at this one! In order to make it realistic, this doll uses actual human hair!¡± The man on the stage seemed somehow excited as he shouted that. ¡°And what¡¯s more, it¡¯s ash-grey in color! Not only is it a rare color, the hair is glossy and extremely beautiful!¡± Well then, just who is the owner of that beautiful hair? That¡¯s right, it¡¯s me¡­¡­probably. No, I¡¯m almost certain that it is mine. The audience went crazy over how beautiful it was. People started shouting in a frenzy from all sides, and it it got so bad that I could no longer tell if they were shouting in appreciation or just screaming. What the heck is going on? That¡¯s my hair, you know? ¡°They¡¯re messing with me. This calls for a slaughter.¡± ¡°Well, calm down a bit. Those customers don¡¯t know how the hair was acquired. They are not to blame.¡± Selena-san made a show of soothing my tempter. However. ¡°What¡¯s more, this entry was submitted to the auction by the Slasher who has spread fear among the public! What do you say? Isn¡¯t it amazing!?¡± The people at the venue got even more excited on hearing the man¡¯s words. ¡°Dammit, they make it so hard to take their side.¡± Sheila-san slumped her shoulders. Perhaps she got tired of trying to be rational. ¡°By the way, Sheila-san. We¡¯ve discovered that that doll has been put up for sale by the Slasher, so now what?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious? We win the bid, and then discover the identity of the seller.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± As I was nodding to her idea, the auction had begun. The man on the stage banged his wooden mallet on the table. ¡°Well then, the starting price is one gold coin!¡± With that sound as the start signal, bidding paddles started going up all over the venue and the shouts of people came from all directions. Two gold, three gold, five, seven, nine, ten, twelve, fourteen, fifteen¡ª The price for the doll which had hair that was stolen from me continued to rise at an insane rate. The inflation in price was unreal. It was skyrocketing. ¡°It looks like winning the bid is going to be difficult.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I guess so.¡± As the price for the doll crossed the twenties and started to approach thirty, my stress increased proportionally and I was about to reach my limit. All of a sudden, something within me snapped. Probably because of my hair that had been cut off. I stood up from my seat. ¡°Sheila-san. We don¡¯t need to win the bid, there is a much more convenient method available.¡± ¡ð ¡°Twenty nine gold! Any other bids? No one else? In that case, sold for twenty nine¡ª¡± Oh no you don¡¯t. I won¡¯t let you do something like that. Just as the man shouted the final price in a loud voice and was about to swing his hammer down, ¡°Ei.¡± A beam of light extended from my staff and blew the hammer away. After spinning a few times, the hammer that was blasted out of the man¡¯s hand fell onto the stage. ¡°Huh? What the heck¡ªOwaaaaaaaaaah!¡± While I was at it, I sent the man flying as well. He was in the way. As the venue became noisy because of unexpected incident, my footsteps echoed coldly. I could feel the stares directed at me increasing as I approached the stage. What¡¯s going on? Hey, look at that hair. It¡¯s same color as the doll¡¯s. Don¡¯t tell me that¡¯s from her? Hey, isn¡¯t this starting to look pretty bad? The people were saying things like that. ¡°Do any of you know the identity of the person who submitted that doll to the auction? Are you aware of where the hair used to make that doll came from?¡± As I walked towards the stage, I raised my voice and spoke to the entire venue. ¡°No, I¡¯m certain that you knew it. You knew that the Slasher is the person who created that doll, and that the hair was from one of his victims.¡± That hair, which happened to be mine. ¡°Now, listen closely. Maybe you lot think that you¡¯re innocent because you¡¯re just purchasing the items, but the instant you purchased these dolls you are guilty of the same crime. No, the instant you set foot into this venue, you became guilty of the same crime. This is a crime that deserves death.¡± With a loud footstep, I stepped on to the stage. ¡°The culprit is probably here, in the crowd. They are the kind conceitful person who takes great pains to make beautiful dolls and then go to the effort of putting them up for auction, after all. So I¡¯m certain that they are here, waiting to see what kind of price their doll will fetch.¡± After saying that, I lifted that doll up by its neck. ¡°However there are a considerable number of people in this place. There are likely a few hundred people here. Finding the culprit among all the people here would be a daunting task¡ªand that being the case, I gave the matter some thought.¡± I thought about how to catch the criminal. However, despite that, I could not find any answer. More accurately, it is impossible to do. And to be frank, I stopped thinking about it halfway through. ¡°I¡¯m sure there is only one culprit, but all of you here are accomplices, right? A person who steals hair from other people, uses that to make dolls, and then sells them without so much as batting an eyelash is of course a sinner, but you people who want to buy them even knowing about that are also equally sinful.¡± And so. ¡°That makes me very angry, and I want to do something to get rid of this anger, so I have decided to send everyone here to the afterlife. As for how, well, it will probably be something like this.¡± The doll¡¯s neck broke with a loud sound. ¡°As for the rest¡ªit will be something like this.¡± Once more. The doll¡¯s hair cleanly came out of its head. ¡°And then¡ªmaybe something like this as well.¡± The doll¡¯s four limbs were separated from its body and the pieces fell to the floor. ¡°Right then, who wants to get erased from existence first? Are there any volunteers? Ufufu.¡± Hearing my voice echo throughout the venue, I realized that the venue was bigger than I had imagined. I also realized that the other people present had all gone silent. I waited a little while, and then I waited some more, but nobody said anything. Do they think they can get away by remaining silent? They are taking me lightly indeed. ¡°Ei.¡± I stepped on the broken doll, and then continued to slowly grind my heel into it. ¡°I see the culprit is staying silent. Well then, let¡¯s start one person at a time from the right side, you will end up with the same fate as this doll. ¡± Right after I said that, ¡°How could you do something so horrible?¡± I heard a voice, coming from somewhere in the venue. It was the voice of a woman. ¡°That doll belongs to me, you know? Do you understand what that means? It¡¯s vintage. It¡¯s not something that you should be handling so roughly.¡± It sounded like that woman was quite angry. With long strides, she walked from the customer seats and up to the stage. ¡°Hmm? Have we met somewhere before?¡± Her face looked familiar. ¡°Ever since you came to my shop yesterday, I¡¯ve been thinking only about that hair of yours.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Now I remember. This person is the owner of that doll shop. She¡¯s the owner of that doll shop that gave me nothing but bad vibes. ¡°Your hair is very beautiful and rare. I¡¯ve never seen such wonderful hair, so I couldn¡¯t resist taking a little for myself. Are you angry?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I continued to grind my heel into the doll, to show her how I felt. ¡°Oh my! You look wonderful even when you¡¯re angry!¡± The lady was wriggling her body around like a young maiden in love. ¡°Why do you insist on putting real hair on dolls?¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t that obvious? It¡¯s because I want to make these beautiful and wonderful creations even more popular! When you put real hair on a doll, they become so much more lifelike. That¡¯s why, in the beginning, I cut my own hair and put it on dolls. But after a while, I started to want something more, and I started using hair from other people. I manipulate the dolls from a distance and have them cut hair from girls. The expressions of despair and anger that girls make when they lose their long hair are really wonderful! At some point, the very act of cutting the hair became so much fun that I couldn¡¯t stop! Ah, such a wonderful feeling!¡± ¡°Uhh, okay.¡± I felt disgusted. I drew away from her in disgust. My poor hair is so unfortunate, being cut off for such selfish reasons. ¡°Right then, Magician-san. Are you going to give into your anger and attack me? Just so you know, I¡¯m a witch. Do you know what that means? We witches stand at the top among all magicians. You have no chance of defeating me. Are you going to give in to your anger and attack me, in spite of that?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Umm, I¡¯m a witch too. Since I had taken off my brooch before entering her shop, she probably misunderstood that I am just an ordinary magician. ¡°Come on. Hey, come on. What are you going to do? Show me how your face looks when you are overtaken with rage!¡± The woman just continued to get worked up by herself. I just gave her a pitying look and said one thing to her. ¡°¡ªUnfortunately, this is the end of the line for you.¡± Immediately after I said that, A cage just large enough to hold one person dropped down from above and trapped the woman. Her hands were bound with special handcuffs that had chains to restrain the fingers, to make it impossible for her to grip her staff. The whole process took only a second. In just one second, the woman who was ranting by herself on the stage turned into some kind of freakish exhibit. ¡°Hey there. Thanks for the help, Elaina.¡± Sheila-san¡¯s voice echoed from some place within the venue. By the way I saw a coil of smoke rise up as well, but after an announcement over the PA that smoking was not allowed inside, the smoke disappeared. The cage was created by Sheila-san¡¯s magic, to capture the criminal. ¡°¡­¡­Huh?¡± Taken by surprise, the woman banged on the bars of the cage with her hands that were forced open by the handcuffs. ¡°What are you doing? What do you think you¡¯re doing? You¡¯re angry, right? Are you satisfied with such a dull ending? You should be more angry!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I couldn¡¯t tell what made her so angry. I couldn¡¯t understand why she would use human hair to make dolls, but her desire to see the despaired and angry expression of girls was even harder to understand. Even so, it gives me a bad feeling. People like her really don¡¯t understand anything. I put the biggest smile I could on my face, and told her one thing. ¡°Obviously, I¡¯m putting forward my best effort to do the thing you hate the most, precisely because I¡¯m extremely angry with you.¡± ¡ð Let me give you a brief account of what happened after that. The incident was safely resolved. And so, having safely recovered my lost hair, I immediately used magic to repair it and turned my hair back into its usual silky and glossy long hairstyle. Welcome back, my hair. Also, we managed to capture the criminal. Oh wait, I guess you already know that. Her modus operandi, in brief, was to use magic to control dolls from a distance. If she wanted to, she could have probably operated that doll that was on the stage as well, but since I smashed it to bits without wasting any time, she had no choice but to put in an appearance herself. After being captured, she was taken out of the country by Sheila-san¡ªto a nearby branch of the Administrative Bureau of Magic. Once there, she will be dealt with appropriately. ¡°I recommend that she be given a death sentence.¡± Sheila-san, who was escorting the criminal, furrowed her eyebrows when she heard me say that. ¡°Unfortunately, the only thing she did was to cut people¡¯s hair, so I don¡¯t think she will face very heavy charges. At the very least, there is no chance of her being given a death sentence.¡± ¡°That is not acceptable. Please execute her.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t ask for the impossible, you idiot.¡± ¡°She should pay for her sins against my hair. So an execution is appropriate.¡± ¡°But your hair is back to normal, isn¡¯t it?¡± ¡°Then I¡¯ll cut it off again right now.¡± ¡°What is driving you to go so far¡­?¡± Well, if I had to put it shortly, it¡¯s the anger I feel for the criminal? Even while Sheila-san and I were talking, that criminal was saying things like ¡°Fufufu¡± and ¡°How nice¡­.¡± while drooling. She¡¯s not repenting for her actions one bit. I¡¯d love to give her a good beating with all my strength, but I get the feeling that it will just make her even happier. So troublesome. Hmm¡­ ¡°You look like you¡¯re thinking pretty hard about something.¡± Sheila-san slumped her shoulders as she said that. ¡°Well, don¡¯t worry about it. Once we reach our destination, she probably has a more harsh punishment than execution waiting for her.¡± ¡°¡­¡­? What do you mean?¡± ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t know. What do you think?¡± After trying to pass it off with a vague smile, Sheila-san levitated the cage with magic and got on her broom. ¡°Well then, I should get going. I¡¯m in a bit of a hurry.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Let¡¯s meet again, Witch of Ashes-san.¡± She is a witch of the Administrative Bureau of Magic. And I am a traveling witch. I doubt that we will ever meet again, but sure, why not. ¡°See you around, Witch of Midnight-san.¡± Once again, I put a wide smile on my face. ¡ñ And now, for some further facts about what happened later. The ¡ºWitch of Midnight¡», Sheila , hung the large cage from the handle of her broom and flew away over the grasslands to the nearest country that had an Administrative Bureau of magic branch. There are branches of the Administrative Bureau of Magic all over the world, so the Slasher was on her way to a branch the very day after the incident was settled. Once Sheila reaches a branch office, submits a report, and hands over the criminal, she will receive a fairly sizeable sum of money from the branch office. This is how those magicians who wander from place to place while resolving problems live their lives. ¡°Ah! I was wondering who it was, so it¡¯s you, Master!¡± By the way, there are many such magicians who wander from place to place while resolving problems. Sheila¡¯s student was also one of them. ¡°Oh, so you were here?¡± ¡°I just got here. I¡¯m a little short of money, so I wanted to check if there were any jobs available.¡± With her black hair waving slightly, Sheila¡¯s student looked at the cage that stood beside her. ¡°¡­¡­If you¡¯d like, I could take that job off your hands.¡± ¡°What are you, an idiot? The job is pretty much already done.¡± ¡°Which is why I wanted to take it off your hands.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Sheila let out a sigh. ¡°What did this person do? Her eyes are sparkling strangely.¡± The woman in the cage looked exhilarated at the sight of the new person. ¡°Ahh¡­ So cute! I¡¯m sure she¡¯d be even cuter when she¡¯s angry!¡± She was saying things like that, but luckily those words didn¡¯t reach the student¡¯s ears. ¡°This one? Umm, well you see¡­.¡± Sheila thought for a bit about whether it was okay to tell her the details and then, ¡°This woman here is the Slasher who went around cutting off people¡¯s hair.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± ¡°Not only did she go about it in a pretty horrible way, She was even vicious enough to cut a traveling witch¡¯s hair, so I captured her and was about to deliver her to the branch office here.¡± ¡°Oh? She cut a traveling witch¡¯s hair?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right¡ª¡± Sheila suddenly gave a bright smile. ¡°It was a witch with beautiful ash-grey hair.¡± ¡°A traveling witch with beautiful, ash-grey hair? Hmm¡­..¡± ¡°Also, she was wearing a tricorne identical to yours.¡± ¡°A tricorne identical to mine? Hmmmm¡­¡± ¡°Oh, and she was also wearing a necklace identical to yours.¡± ¡°Oh, really? I see.¡± Sheila felt that with every sentence she said, her student¡¯s smile started to get more and more eerie. She also heard the cage next to her leaking words such as ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on, but I can see that she is angry!¡± in a tone filled with anticipation. The student spoke with a smile still fixed on her face. ¡°Could you tell me more about that, in detail?¡± By the way, the student¡¯s name was Saya. Afterwards, the Slasher found out. She found out just how lukewarm the despair and anger of girls who had their hair cut off was in comparison. Volume 3 - CH 14 Chapter 14 ¨C The Tale of the Witch of Ashes, Filled With All Manner of Commonplace Things Let me tell you a tale about myself. Well, I suppose all the tales I¡¯ve told so far are about myself, but even so, I will call this a tale about myself. I wear a black robe and a tricorne. I am a witch, as well as a traveler. I am always traveling all over the world, wandering around aimlessly as I meet strange people, visit strange countries, or get caught up in strange events. However, it is not as if I always encounter precious experiences like that. If the stories of my travels were to be published as a book, it might appear that I am always caught up in strange events, but that is not actually the case. Of all the countries I have visited, the places where I was able to complete my sightseeing and leave without any incidents are overwhelmingly greater in number. It is really only very rarely that I get caught up in strange events. Even if I want to encounter some strange or exciting events, most of the time it doesn¡¯t end up that way, and when I feel that it would be a pain in the neck, the strange events come after me relentlessly. To travel means to be faced with continuous meetings and partings, and at the same time, it is a continuous series of choices as well. Looking back on my choices, there have been times when I missed meeting some strange and interesting people, and times when I got to know some strange and weird people as well. However, there is no point in feeling regret. As long as you travel, you have no choice but to push forward. And so, I am continuing my travel today as well. I had a premonition that I would have another one of those strange meetings a little while later, after flying on my broom for some distance. ¡°¡ºThe Country That Will Grant Your Wish¡», is it? Hmm¡­.¡± It was a place in the middle of wide plains. I found a country with those words written on the gate. Oh my, now this is certainly something. The wording of that interests me greatly. How does it work? If I wish to become wealthy, will I actually become wealthy? Also written on the gate was the sentence ¡ºIf you¡¯re curious, please come inside¡». It looks like they are welcoming everyone with open arms, no matter who they are. Still, just how are they granting the wishes of people? What exactly is this country? The gate that was built into the walls of the country was not very big, but I still couldn¡¯t see what was inside from here. I couldn¡¯t tell what kind of country it was either. At this point, I have many questions, but no answers. However I could tell that this promised to be fairly interesting, and so, ¡°Excuse me~¡± That¡¯s exactly why I opened the gate of that country. ¡ð There was certainly a country on the other side of the gate; however, for some reason, there was not a single person to be found. It was as silent as the grave, with just rows of houses standing next to each other. Not only could I not hear any people, there was no sign of any people there at all. The only sound I heard was the echoing of my own footsteps. The city didn¡¯t seem to be abandoned. The houses that lined both sides of the street were quite mismatched as they were either faced with brickwork, or had white plaster walls, or were finished in a riot of colors. It was a chaotic city that looked like sights from all sorts of different cities had been stuffed into one place. Despite the fact that there is no sign of people anywhere, there are clothes lines with laundry hanging to dry strung up between the buildings, and I can see what look like street stalls on the sides of the street. The stands have things like fruit and other food on them as well, but it looks like they are all self-service. Signboards that said¡ºPlease leave the appropriate amount of money for your purchase¡» stood leaning against the stalls. However, I still haven¡¯t seen a single person. No matter if I look to the left or the right, I don¡¯t see people anywhere. All I can see are signs that people were living here. Wait a minute, weren¡¯t they going to grant my wish? What¡¯s going on? I tilted my head to one side in confusion at this mysterious reality. At any rate, there is no doubt that I have come to a strange place. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Hmm.¡± After walking for a while along the street, I saw a royal palace. It was a weathered old palace, and doesn¡¯t match the rest of the city which has traces of human habitation. There are so many cracks running through the walls that it looks like it will collapse if I hit it. There was a clocktower standing near to the palace, and it was relentlessly marking the passage of seconds. According to the clock, it was currently a little past noon. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Hang on. Why am I feeling such a sense of deja vu? Everything I¡¯ve seen so far looks vaguely familiar. The surroundings looks like an aggregation of the various sights I¡¯ve seen during my travels so far, And the royal palace looks identical to the one in the ruined country where only the princess had been left behind. As for the clock tower, it looks a lot like the one I saw just recently in the Clocktower Country, Rostalf. Just what is going on here? It looks like the whole city was designed just for me¡ªhowever, that wasn¡¯t the only strange thing. Despite the fact that there were many buildings that were clearly taller than the gate, why didn¡¯t I notice any of them until after I entered the country? At this point I started to feel like this country is made up of nothing by strange things. While tilting in head in confusion, I was groaning from the sense of bafflement and took a right turn on the street, when, ¡°Huh? Are you perhaps one of the residents of this country?¡± I ran into that person all of a sudden. It looked like she was a traveler like me who happened to come across this place, and as soon as he saw me she came over while speaking in a carefree tone and waving her hand. ¡°Hmm. Looks like I was wrong. You¡¯re not a resident of this country, right? For some reason, your face gives me that impression.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± By the way, the girl who appeared before me was quite strange, just like the rest of the country. She was wearing a black robe, a tricorne, and a star-shaped brooch. She appears to be a witch. She has ash-grey hair and azure eyes. She looks about as old as me¡ª Just who was that witch? That¡¯s right, it was me. She appeared to be me but was not me¡ªa girl whose appearance was exactly the same as mine is standing before me. She was like my doppelganger. ¡°Hey there. Are you like one of my fans or something? Oh look, you¡¯re cosplaying as me! Cosplaying without permission is a bit annoying, though. I should charge you for copying my dressing style, you know?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± By the way, it looked like the similarity was restricted only to the appearance. A severe lack of intelligence could be felt from the way she behaved. ¡ð ¡°My name is Elaina. The Witch of Ashes, Elaina. I am a traveler.¡± ¡°My name is Elaina too. I am the Witch of Ashes and a traveler. Ah, cosplaying as me without permission goes against that copyright thingy and the fine is one million gold coins, so take care of that, would you?¡± I ignored the second half of that as it was just silly talk. ¡°Actually, I wonder why there are two of me here¡­¡± ¡°Eh? I¡¯m me, and you¡¯re a cosplayer, right? What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Right back at you, what are you talking about? Are you an idiot? Is your skull filled with nothing but air? ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but could you list out the countries that you have visited so far?¡± I decided to focus on finding out if the version of me in front of me is an impostor or not. To make sure I don¡¯t forget about the countries I¡¯ve visited, I keep a hidden diary in the pocket of my robe. I¡¯ve never told anyone about it, and I definitely don¡¯t take it out when other people are around. If she really is me, I thought that she should be able to use that to list out the countries she has visited so far. However. ¡°Why are you asking me about that? Wait, let me guess, you want to turn all those places I¡¯ve visited into holy sites and go on a pilgrimage, is that right? You¡¯re such a nerd.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What¡¯s with this person, she¡¯s so annoying to deal with.¡± Nothing she says makes any sense. I was sorely tempted to conclude that this kind of person was definitely not me. And then, unfortunately, the girl pulled out a diary from the pocket of her robe. What¡¯s with that, after rejecting my question? Everything about her is so hard to understand. ¡°Right then, to start with¡ª¡± And then, after listening to her list out the countries she had visited, I had to conclude that she was undoubtedly me, although there were a few minor differences. I had no idea what was going on and I felt like I was going to get a headache. However, considering how my surroundings were like the epitome of strangeness, I decided to stop thinking about it for the time being. ¡°Oh well, it must have been some strange quirk of fate that we met here like this, so would you like to go around and look at the city together?¡± ¡°Oops, did you fall in love with me after seeing how cute I am? Or maybe you already fell in love with me before, seeing as you¡¯re cosplaying as me? Oh well, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll soothe you for a while, although I don¡¯t particularly want to.¡± After another five hundred words or so of such depressing one-sided conversation, she said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll tag along¡± and so that¡¯s what we ended up doing. We walked side by side through the city. Since it was around lunchtime and I was feeling a little hungry, I was eating an apple and the carefree girl who looked identical to me was eating a kebab¡­hang on, why a kebab? More importantly, ¡°Umm, what should I call you?¡± ¡°Eh? My name is Elaina.¡± ¡°Yes, but my name is Elaina as well.¡± I furrowed my eyebrows to show that I was perplexed, but the carefree girl who looked identical to me puffed up her cheeks in annoyance at the same time. ¡°Hey. That¡¯s because you¡¯re getting into character as me, right? I¡¯m the real me, okay?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± From my perspective you¡¯re the imposter¡­ No, if we start arguing here we will never come to an agreement. Just like a foreigner would see me as a foreigner instead, it is obvious that arguing about something that holds true from the other person¡¯s perspective will just go on without end. As it¡¯s getting annoying, I¡¯ll just give the carefree version the temporary name of ¡°High Me¡±. Seeing as she¡¯s constantly in high spirits. ¡°By the way, what was the wish you wanted fulfilled when you came in here? This place is ¡ºThe Country That Will Grant Your Wish¡», right? Did you have a wish in mind?¡± ¡°What I wish for? That¡¯s obvious!¡± She spoke after chomping on the kebab in a wild manner. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything in particular!¡± Uwaah, how idiotic. ¡°By the way, I came here thinking that it would be nice if I could become wealthy.¡± ¡°Uwaah, how idiotic.¡± ¡°Sorry, but you¡¯re the last person I want to hear that from.¡± ¡°What? Continuing to travel based on your feelings and without thinking about anything is the real fun of being a traveler! Isn¡¯t that right?¡± You have a point there, but in your case it¡¯s just that the inside of your head is completely empty, right? Still, our wishes are completely different, and more importantly, I wonder why the two of us were made to meet each other even though what I wished for was to become rich? I felt like there was some unseen connection at work here. After exploring the country for a while, there are two things that I understood. Firstly, I confirmed that the surroundings here were indeed replicated from places that I had visited on my travels until now. And as for the second thing¡­ Apart from those things, there is absolutely nothing else here. There is not a single thing that is new to me. No matter how many times I looked around my surroundings, There is not a single thing that I don¡¯t know about, and it was indeed looked like a city made from my deja vu. ¡°This is starting to get boring.¡± High Me, who just finished eating her seventh kebab skewer of the day, said that. She¡¯s eating too much. ¡°Well, that¡¯s because there is nothing here which is new.¡± I replied to her. We had already completed a few laps, repeatedly going around the country. In spite of that I couldn¡¯t find out a single thing about what kind of place this was, which was troubling. The idea of a city where there is nothing new is certainly interesting, but if that¡¯s all there is to it then it can be visited in one¡¯s imagination as well. No matter how strange it is, after seeing it several times, you get used to it. ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯m full already.¡± ¡°You¡¯ve eaten too much kebab.¡± ¡°Maybe. That could be part of the reason, but these surroundings are to blame as well. It looks like a replica of the different cities I¡¯ve seen so far, but putting it another way, that¡¯s all there is. I¡¯m getting sick and tired of it.¡± ¡°¡­¡­I agree.¡± It looked like she was quite similar to me, despite usually being in such high spirits. She was pretty much thinking about the same things as me. However. This city had apparently been constructed based on my thoughts. Just as our boredom was reaching the limit, there was a new development in the tale. A woman suddenly appeared before my eyes. There are two twisted horns on her head, and on her back are two bat-like wings. Unfortunately, this being who appeared before me was not a stranger either, she just looked like another version of me with horns and wings. ¡°Sheesh, you two are so greedy. Acting like this after i took the trouble to make this city and show you a good time.¡± Her voice and intonation were basically the same as mine. She just looked like a fairly older version of me, and had a composed demeanor. Despite the fact that she looked like me, I could tell for sure that she was definitely somebody else. ¡°Are you one of the residents of this country?¡± She nodded. ¡°That¡¯s right. This ¡ºCountry That Will Grant Your Wish¡» is a country that was built for travelers like yourselves.¡± ¡°Hoho. Then that makes things simple. What exactly is up with this place? The only things here are those that I have already seen before.¡± High Me pulled out the eight kebab. ¡°It¡¯s ¡ºThe Country That Will Grant Your Wish¡», right? In order to grant your wish, iit is necessary to look into the minds of travelers and replicate the things that are there. In that case, it is obvious that everything will look familiar.¡± I see. ¡°But my wish was not to revisit all the countries that I had seen before. I came here with the wish to become wealthy.¡± ¡°Sure, maybe that was your wish on the surface, but nobody knows what they truly yearn for. Perhaps you were wishing to visit these countries once again, somewhere deep in your heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I see.¡± High Me who was standing beside me and munching on her kebab stated her understanding. ¡°In other words, this is a country that grants the wishes that are hidden away deep inside a person¡¯s heart. Make sure you have a good time. The time limit for this country is another three days. Feel free to relax until then.¡± ¡°Hou.¡± ¡°That¡¯s very generous of you.¡± That last line was again said by High Me who was chomping on her kebab. ¡°By the way, you don¡¯t need to pay a fee.¡± ¡°Seriously?¡± ¡°That¡¯s amazing¡± ¡°Well, I am the person who founded this country, after all.¡± That version of me who gave a small cough and stood with one hand on her hip. I¡¯ll give her the temporary name of ¡ºImp Me¡»for now. That¡¯s because she looks like a small fry despite being a demon. And then, Imp Me said, ¡°Well, that¡¯s how things are, so please use the time to take a break from your traveling. My wish is to give travelers a place where they can relax.¡± After saying that, she opened her wings and flew off into the sky. She appeared all of a sudden and disappeared in the same way. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± However, it sounded almost too good to be true. It feels somewhat suspicious. Her appearance is obviously that of a demon, after all. ¡°¡­¡­What do you think about the person from earlier?¡± After she had disappeared beyond the horizon, I turned towards High Me and asked that question. ¡°She¡¯s really generous! Just as I would expect from someone who looks like me!¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Not only is High Me carefree, she is also far too trusting. I was surprised that she could still continue to live as a traveler despite this. ¡ð Right, then. Even though I was told to take it easy and relax, I couldn¡¯t seem to get in the mood to do that at all. I was staying at a cheap hotel (also unmanned) with High Me, but even then I would stay up until late in the night, unable to fall asleep. Just think about it. There is a person who looks just like me, but her personality is something completely unexpected and she¡¯s carefree to a fault. However, when I spoke to her, I realized that she had also begun her travels in the same way as me, and visited various countries, just like I did. It¡¯s all so mysterious that I can hardly bear it. However, there aren¡¯t enough clues for me to look more closely into that mystery. I wonder what kind of wish led me to meet another version of me in this manner. Even though it¡¯s about me, I have no idea what kind of wish it was. On the next day as well, I started exploring the city. ¡°How about we try going to the royal palace today?¡± ¡°Royal Palace? Oh, the place where I met Milaros¨¦-san?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right. We just spent the whole day yesterday looking around the city and didn¡¯t go into any of the buildings, right? So let¡¯s take the time today to go through all the buildings that we saw so far.¡± ¡°Hoho. You think we¡¯ll find something?¡± ¡°We¡¯re going in there to find out.¡± In that way, the two of us ended up heading towards the palace. Just as I had done in the past, I used magic to turn the wooden gate into ash, and the two of us entered the palace. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Immediately after that, ¡°Don¡¯t move!¡± I understood who that was immediately from the voice. It looked like there was another version of me here as well. Standing in the courtyard on the other side of the gate was me, holding a staff and pointing it in my direction. By the way, she was wearing nerdy looking black-rimmed glasses. I guess I¡¯ll call her ¡ºGlasses Me¡». ¡°Are the two of you safe me? Or are you bad me?¡± Glasses Me glared at us while asking that question. However, I had no idea what she was saying. ¡°What the heck is a bad me? I am myself. I am not a bad person or anything.¡± ¡°How much did you pay for those glasses~?¡± Those were our replies. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It looks like she understood something from our responses. Glasses Me slowly lowered her staff and said, ¡°I see¡ªtell me something, how many other versions of me did the two of you meet so far? Assuming that the imp version of me with the horns and wings is not me, how many versions of me have you seen including me?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± There were so many ¡®me¡¯ in that sentence that I felt a headache coming on. ¡°You with the glasses would be the second one. We haven¡¯t met any other versions of me~¡± Actually, hang on. ¡°Excuse me, but how many version of me are there in total?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know how many there are in total¡­but until now I¡¯ve met fourteen others.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°Woah, that¡¯s awesome.¡± ¡°By the way, adding the two of you would bring the count up to sixteen.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°There are so many people cosplaying as me¡­? Wow, don¡¯t tell me I¡¯m actually famous¡­¡­?¡± ¡­¡­¡­ Oh come on. Sixteen people? That¡¯s just way too many to handle. ¡ð Just like Glasses Me said, there were multiple me¡¯s in the throne room of the palace. While Glasses Me was showing us around, she made us stand in front of all the others, and said in a loud voice, ¡°Everyone, let me introduce these two. They are Me No.15 and Me No.16.¡± I heard several replies in my voice coming from various corners of the room. Stuff like, ¡°Ah, nice to meet you.¡± and ¡°Seriously, No.15 and No.16? Don¡¯t even think about trying to assert your individuality here, you low-rankers.¡± and ¡°I don¡¯t caaaare~¡±. You get the idea. I see, well I certainly understood that we are not particularly welcome. ¡°Okay then, newbie me¡¯s. Let me introduce the others to you.¡± And then Glasses Me started pointing them out one by one. ¡°That¡¯s Simpleton Me.¡± ¡°Hey there, No.15 and No.16! I¡¯m the cutest me here! Ehe~ ¡î¡± A loud one appeared right off the bat. ¡°The one acting suspiciously over here is Girl-loving Me.¡± ¡°Ufufu¡­¡­ Sixteen me¡¯s¡­. Ah, there are so many me¡¯s¡­ This place must be heaven.¡± Rather than saying she loves girls, saying she loves herself might be more appropriate. ¡°This here is the me who has a bizarre complex about the size of her chest.¡± ¡°Oh, what¡¯s this? The two of you are supposed to be the same as me, but for some reason your breasts are even smaller than mine. What happened? Are you making sure to drink milk regularly? Hmm?¡± I honestly came close to falling into despair. By the way, she apparently pads her chest with balls of cotton. How fruitless. ¡°This here is Slightly Delinquent Me.¡± ¡°Huh? Could you not stare at me like that? Know your place, newbies. What is it, assholes? You wanna go? You wanna have a go at me right here? Huh?¡± Wow, she looks weak. ¡°This here is Disgusting Me.¡± ¡°Fufufu¡­ If I steal the money from all the me¡¯s here I¡¯ll be rich in no time¡­..¡± Isn¡¯t she¡¯s already pretty much the same as my usual self? ¡°This here is Unfortunate Me.¡± ¡°Uwaah! The Black Dragon thingy that is trapped in my eye is going on a rampage! Everyone, run away!¡± True, she is unfortunate, in more ways than one. She¡¯s wearing an eyepatch for some reason as well. ¡°This here is Maiden-in-love Me.¡± ¡°Ehehe¡­. Saya-san, Saya-san, Saya-san, Saya-san¡­..¡± ¡­¡­? Why Saya-san? ¡°Hiding over there is the me who is carrying a deep despair within her heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­.I want to die.¡± What happened to make her that way? ¡°Over here is the me who is carrying a deep despair within her heart (version 2)¡± ¡°Don¡¯t wanna¡­ Outside is scary¡­¡± Then why is she a traveler? ¡°The one over there is also the me who is carrying a deep despair within her heart (version 3)¡± ¡°I can¡¯t take it anymore¡­ I just wish all the other me¡¯s here would die¡­¡± How many of them are there? There¡¯s way too much despair over here. ¡°This one here is Foreigner-influenced Me.¡± ¡°Khorosho~¡± What is that supposed to mean? ¡°This here is Gelatinous Me.¡± ¡ºUgyuuuu¡» This one is not even human. ¡°And this one is Ghoul Me.¡± ¡ºAaaaau¡» What on earth happened? Nevermind, I have a pretty good guess. ¡°And finally, I am Genius Me.¡± ¡°You¡¯re saying that about yourself?¡± ¡°Well, it¡¯s the truth after all.¡± She was puffing out her chest and looking proud of herself. It was somewhat annoying. Glasses Me, now called Genius Me (self-proclaimed), said, ¡°I¡¯m sure you already understand, but I¡¯ve been giving all the other me¡¯s here special nicknames to keep from getting them mixed up. In accordance with their individuality.¡± ¡°Hohou.¡± ¡°So I¡¯d like to think of nicknames for you two as well, but¡ªeveryone, what do you think would be good? What kind of character do you think No.15 has?¡± Genius Me put her hand on my shoulder and called out the others in the room. A number of replies came back from all over the room. ¡°Individuality? I don¡¯t think she has that.¡± ¡°No individuality to speak of.¡± ¡°No breasts to speak of.¡± ¡°No individuality.¡± ¡°Yep, no individuality at all~¡± ¡°Her lack of personality knows no bounds. She¡¯s not even wearing an eyepatch.¡± ¡°Saya-san.¡± ¡°I want to die.¡± ¡°Me too.¡± ¡°I want a death resembling sleep.¡± ¡°Khorosho~¡± ¡ºUgyuuuu.¡» ¡ºUaaaaaah.¡» ¡°I see, I see. Everyone, thank you for the feedback. It was very helpful.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I see, these bastards have no intention of having a serious conversation. Genius Me put on a proud expression and looked at me. ¡°In that case, I want to give No.15 the nickname ¡®Protagonist Me¡¯. What do the rest of you think?¡± ¡°What kind of train of thought leads to coming up with such an ambiguous nickname?¡± ¡°I tried to forcefully show the demerit of having no individuality in a more positive light.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I really can¡¯t be happy about it after being told that I have no individuality so many times.¡± And then, Genius Me said, ¡°But isn¡¯t it nice to have no individuality? It means that you can become anything you want, right? It¡¯s the perfect trait for a protagonist.¡± It feels like she¡¯s somehow making fun of protagonists. ¡°By the way, what about No.16?¡± ¡°I call her High Me.¡± Although this is the first time I¡¯ve said that aloud. ¡°I see, then we will call her that as well.¡± Despite being a genius, it looked like Genius Me was quite irresponsible. ¡ð ¡°By the way, why are all of you holed up inside this place?¡± As I went around introducing myself, I asked each of the others about their journeys so far, and confirmed that although they had traveled to various countries just like me, their experiences varied somewhat from my own. Genius Me answered my question. I think I touched upon the reason for that a little when we first met¡ªit¡¯s because there is apparently an evil me who snuck into the country and is hiding somewhere. She is a violent me who attacks the others the moment she encounters them. ¡°Hou.¡± ¡°Seeing as she¡¯s violent, the rest of us call her Violent Me.¡± ¡°Quite an obvious name, I see.¡± From what I heard, it looked like while High Me and I were wandering around the city, the others were being attacked by this Violent Me. Luckily, the two of us were spared from meeting her. ¡°And so you¡¯re staying in here to avoid running into that Violent Me, is that right?¡± I was exasperated. ¡°But the opponent is also the same as us, right? If you fight head on, you should at least be able to force a tie, correct?¡± Hearing that, Genius Me slumped her shoulders as if it was her turn to be exasperated. ¡°Come on, Protagonist Me. Think about it properly. Since the opponent is also me, fighting her would mean hurting myself. If she happened to die, can you imagine what would happen?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°At the very least, the fourteen of us here had no idea what sort of consequences that might have. As there was nothing we could do, we gathered here to discuss the matter and find some solution. Right now, we are split between waiting out the time limit which is another three days, and taking the initiative to go out and fight.¡± ¡°I see. By the way, what do you plan to do if this place is attacked?¡± ¡°If that happens we will fight, albeit reluctantly. However that is our last resort. Basically, our choices right now are to either continue to stay holed up in here or to capture Violent Me. In other words, we are discussing whether to run away or make a move ourselves.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Fumu.¡± ¡°Now that you have all the facts, which choice do you think is better?¡± ¡°Asking me to decide something like that is troubling.¡± ¡°What are you talking about? You¡¯re Protagonist Me, aren¡¯t you? If the protagonist doesn¡¯t take the helm at such a critical time, we would be troubled.¡± By the way, I am the advisor who assists the protagonist¡ªAfter adding on that additional comment, Genius Me pushed her glasses up with her fingers. ¡­¡­I see, so she orchestrated things from the start and gave me the name Protagonist Me on purpose so that she could make use of me. Her tactics are brilliant. As expected of me. However, if that¡¯s how they want to play, then I have a surprise for them as well. I sat down on the throne and looked down towards the others. ¡°In that case, everyone here except for me, go out into the city and start the search. I¡¯ll sit here and wait for you to return¡ªHow¡¯s that for a plan?¡± Almost immediately, the booing started. ¡°What does this asshole think she¡¯s saying?¡± ¡°I am opposed to dictatorship!¡± ¡°Stop fooling around, is your brain even below that of a flea?¡± ¡°I cannot agree to that.¡± ¡°Completely out of the question.¡± ¡°Please resign from being the protagonist.¡± Et cetera. My one statement caused a massive reaction. Look at them, saying whatever they want. What the hell, after arbitrarily setting me up to the protagonist, this is what I get when I act like one and take command. There should be a limit for looking down on people. I might turn into a Violent Me as well, you know? ¡°In that case, let me hear what ideas you have come up with¡ª¡± That¡¯s when it happened. Sitting on the throne, I locked away the murky feelings that threatened to rise to the surface and raised my voice, when, ¡ªBoom! The door to the throne room was opened quite violently¡ªno, it was blown off its hinges, and fell heavily on top of two of me who were relaxing in the chamber. Splat. Along with the roar of the explosion, a wet sound could be heard. ¡°Aah! Ghoul Me died! She got squashed!¡± ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s so gross!¡± ¡°Uwaah, the rotting smell is so bad.¡± ¡°I bet she died in an instant.¡± ¡ºAaaauuuuu¡» ¡°Oh, she¡¯s alive.¡± I¡¯m glad she¡¯s okay. ¡°Oh, Gelatinous Me got squashed as well and turned into some sort of gel.¡± ¡°Wasn¡¯t she gel to begin with?¡± ¡°Good point.¡± ¡°Yeah, I suppose so.¡± ¡°Sorry for making a scene, it looks like both of them are fine after all.¡± I¡¯m glad they¡¯re fine. ¡°Aah, no wonder I couldn¡¯t find any of you. You were all gathered here, huh?¡± In this sort of loose atmosphere lacking any tension, an extremely cold voice echoed from near the door. Of course, this was my voice as well, and the one who blew open the door was also certainly me. ¡°That¡¯s perfect. I¡¯ll just dispose of all of you here without letting a single one of you escape.¡± After saying that, she showed a slight smile and walked over towards me. Her hair had been cut short¡ªin fact, it looked to be about the same length as when my hair had been cut off by a doll in a certain country. She was also giving off the same sort of sullen atmosphere that I had back then. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ ¡°Excuse me. Is that Violent Me?¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Genius Me nodded once and replied. ¡°¡­¡­The one sitting in the throne over there, are you the leader of this lot?¡± Violent Me glared at me. ¡°I don¡¯t know whether I am the leader or not, but the others here call me Protagonist Me.¡± ¡°I see, I see¡ªso that¡¯s how it is. You¡¯re the protagonist, are you? You, sitting there and laughing frivolously, are the protagonist?¡± Saying that, she pointed her staff at me. Immediately after that. A number of spears appeared from the tip of the staff, and, ¡°This displeases me. Please die.¡± Along with Violent Me¡¯s cold declaration, the spears came hurtling towards me. As the spears rushed straight toward me as if they were being drawn towards the throne, I created the same number of spears and shot them out in the opposite direction while following the same trajectory, thereby intercepting all of her attacks. As the sound of metal objects colliding echoed, the fragments of what had been spears rained down and were scattered all over the room. I looked down towards her. ¡°I have no idea what is driving you to attack all of us, but¡ªdo you think you can win against all sixteen of us?¡± ¡°Ah, Gelatinous Me and Ghoul Me were crushed by the door, so it¡¯s only fourteen of us.¡± Genius Me interjected with a correction from beside me. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Do you think you can win against all fourteen of us?¡± However, despite the fact that she was obviously at a disadvantage, Violent Me laughed. It was a daring and cold laugh that made me unable to feel anything. ¡°I don¡¯t live in the sort of carefree world that all of you are from. I am different from all of you.¡± What on earth is she talking about? ¡°Don¡¯t tell me, haven¡¯t any of you looked in a mirror? Are you all really supposed to be me?¡± ¡ð And so the war had officially begun. Me and the the thirteen others threw ourselves at her in an attempt to subdue her. Violent Me took that scene in calmly, and started to deal with us one by one. The first victim was Simpleton Me. With a dull ¡®Eiyah¡± shout that lacked any will to fight, she created iron chains from the tip of her staff, but the chains were reflected back towards her immediately and she ended up bound head to toe in iron chains, squirming like a caterpillar. Next was was the one who had a bizarre complex about the size of her chest. Violent Me closed the distance with her in an instant, ripped the cotton pads out of her chest, and sent her flying with a kick. ¡°Aaaah, my breasts¡­¡­¡± And so, her consciousness was taken away along with her cotton pads. Goodbye. After that came the three who were carrying a deep despair within their hearts. These three actually put up a decent fight. ¡°I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m scared, I¡¯m scared!¡± ¡°Hiiiii! Don¡¯t come any closer!¡± ¡°I want to go home!¡± Despite saying such things, they created a beam of fire, a beam of water, and a beam of lightning from their staffs respectively. The three beams writhed and entangled with each other, and fell up Violent Me. Violent Me retreated as she avoided their attacks and ran outside the castle. I found out that her movements were actually a trap when the three who were carrying a deep despair within their hearts chased after her. When the three of them ran outside, they found that the ground outside the palace had been turned soft like a swamp. The three of them sank into the ground up to their necks, at which point the ground turned solid again. ¡°¡­Fufufu. It feels like we are about to be executed.¡± ¡°The ground feels nice and cold, I feel like it¡¯s calming me down.¡± ¡°I want to just become part of the soil like this¡­¡± After glancing at the three who were feeling relaxed for some reason after getting trapped easily, the rest of us took to the sky on our brooms. However, Violent Me was nowhere to be found, and we kept looking all over the surroundings for her. And then, out of the nine of us who remained, four were suddenly ensnared by rope that came flying out of one of the houses, and were pulled down and smashed against the roof of the house. By the time Violent Me appeared in front of us once again, Foreigner-influenced Me, Maiden-in-love Me, Disgusting Me, and Girl-loving Me had been taken down in one swoop. The remaining five of us tried our best to fight against her, but for some reason there seemed to be a great difference in ability between her and us, as she was able to stay calm and composed even when taking on five of us at the same time. ¡°Why you¡ª!¡± Slightly Delinquent Me let out a cute war cry like that and attempted to close the distance with her while flying on her broom, but Violent Me easily dodged her, and almost like it was an afterthought, she knocked the staff out of Slightly Delinquent Me¡¯s hand, thereby rendering her harmless. Violent Me then hit her on the back of her neck with the staff in her own hand and rendered her unconscious. Seeing Slightly Delinquent Me fall down on the roof of a house like a rag doll, Unfortunate Me, Genius Me, and High Me surrounded Violent Me and started firing magic towards her from their staves. A rain of spears, a writhing dragon made from water that moved like it was intelligent, and a mass of magical energy that gave off a pale blue light all flew towards her, but Violent Me still dealt with all of them in a calm and composed manner. She intercepted the rain of spears by hitting them with spears of her own just as I had done in the palace, turned the writhing water into ice and smashed it to pieces, and dodged the mass of magical energy. She then escaped from the sight of the three of them, and hit them with magic of her own to restrain them. Unable to move and stuck to each other, the three of them fell to the ground near the palace entrance. The three of them slightly nodded their heads in greeting towards the three who were carrying a deep despair within their hearts, who were stuck in the ground with just their heads above the surface. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And then. After taking care of all the others except for me in a few minutes, Violent Me landed on one of the roofs that resembled the ones from a certain country where I had taught magic to a certain black-haired girl, and got off her broom. That was because I was there. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to fight? Although all the others were being defeated, you chose to just watch?¡± She looked at me with a reproachful expression. ¡°That¡¯s because you appeared to be very confident about yourself. If you¡¯re confident, that means you have some sort of plan. It¡¯s obvious that I don¡¯t stand a chance if I just rushed in towards you without thinking¡± ¡°Well then, what is the result of your observation?¡± ¡°I thought that you are not the sort of opponent whom I have no chance of beating.¡± In the end, the enemy opponent is still me. ¡°How impertinent.¡± ¡°Indeed. Just like you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Violent Me just glared back at me without saying anything. I looked straight back into her eyes, and asked, ¡°¡ªBy the way, why is your hair cut short?¡± Oh wait, let me rephrase that. ¡°Why is your hair still cut short?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± If I remember correctly, that incident where my hair was cut short happened a few weeks ago when I visited that country where the buildings were all faced with red bricks. After my hair was cut short by the Slasher who used dolls to cut off the hair of young girls, I had managed to capture the criminal on the very next day. Why is Violent Me still stuck with that appearance? ¡°You know the reason why my hair was cut off like this, correct?¡± ¡°Well, yes, as mine was cut off too.¡± On the other hand, in the stories of all the others, there was no incident of having had their hair cut off. I spent some time to ask every one of them about their stories when we were inside that palace, but although they had met Sheila-san, it was apparently after she had settled the issue by herself. It appears that while we are all me, we did not follow the exact same paths in life. ¡°It is true that my hair was cut off in that country. However, I lacked the willpower to return my hair to normal. That¡¯s why I have continued to travel like this, with my short hairstyle.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She lacked the willpower? Why was that? ¡°Did you visit the Clocktower City, Rostalf?¡± Violet Me was looking at me with her eyes clouded with darkness. They were like the eyes of a dead person. ¡°Yes, I did.¡± I naturally nodded in answer to her question. I even pointed to the clocktower that stood to the side of the roof we were standing on and added, ¡°It was a good country.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­It was a good country? That place? You call that a good country?¡± ¡°Well, yes¡ª¡± It was a lovely country with a clocktower standing in the heart of the country with popular plays. In particular, the play about ¡ºEstelle of the Second District¡» was perfect for passing the time. It was a play about the life of a witch called Estelle, who came to detest evildoers after her close friend was killed by a random attacker when she was a child. The fact that they cheaped out on the ending and just said¡ºHer fight will not end until the day she finds the one who killed her best friend¡» was slightly regrettable, but it served quite well to keep me from getting bored. ¡°Was there something else?¡± I tilted my head and looked towards her. That¡¯s when I realized that Violent Me, who was standing in front of me, was acting strangely. ¡°As I thought, I am different from the rest of you.¡± She spoke in a matter-of-fact tone while gripping her staff tightly. ¡°In that country, I went ten years back in time. I went back in time to save a person. However, what I saw there was a reality that was more horrible than anything, and in the end not a single person was saved¡­..have you ever seen it? The instant when love turns to hate, right before your eyes? The instant during which a person tries to kill a person whom they loved until just a short while ago¡ª¡± ¡°No, I haven¡¯t.¡± I interrupted her before she could finish. ¡°I have no idea what happened to you, but in short, because of those horrible things that you saw, you didn¡¯t have the willpower to restore your hair when it was cut off and have been living like that in self-abandonment?¡± In the next instant. She pointed her staff at me and fired off several spheres of ice. And what¡¯s more, she also said, ¡°I am not living in self-abandonment. I am so angry that I can¡¯t control myself.¡± ¡°Hou. What are you angry at?¡± I asked her that while dodging all the ice spheres. ¡°That¡¯s obvious¡ªI¡¯m angry at myself.¡± She continued to speak. ¡°I¡¯m angry at the others who are nonchalantly continuing their travels unlike me. I am angry at myself for not being able to do anything even when those horrible things were happening right before me.¡± What a horrible temper tantrum. As expected of me. ¡ð After that, the two of us began a small war. To begin with, she created a number of icicles using her staff and shot them towards me. After dodging them, I paid her back in kind by lifting the roof tiles at my feet with magic and firing them at her from all directions. As if she had known all along that I would do that, she shot the roof tiles out of the air with icicles and then created a massive ball of ice in mid air. It looked like Violent Me really liked to attack using ice. The large sphere of ice fell straight down toward me, but big attacks like that just look flashy and are actually not that hard to handle. I got on my broom and easily avoided it. The house it landed on ended up getting crushed instead, but that doesn¡¯t really matter. Seeing as roof tiles weren¡¯t of any use, this time I lifted up an entire house with magic and threw it at her. However, she came out of that without a scratch. It looks like she made a wall of ice around herself just before impact. Damn this ice-loving maniac. The fight after that was extremely simple. She would use magic to create ice and throw it at me. I would dodge that, and use magic to throw one of the several houses that were around that area at her. Since it looked like she liked flashy attacks, I chose to respond with flashy attacks as well. Still creating ice as she had been doing since before, she shouted, ¡°People like you¡ªPeople like you should just disappear!¡± ¡°Who are you saying that to? Is it me? Or yourself?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡­Shut up.¡± She continued to speak. ¡°Don¡¯t you understand why I was led to this country? This is a country that grants wishes. I¡¯m sure that I came here because I could not forgive you for traveling nonchalantly without experiencing any painful memories. I came here to make sure that all of you experience the sort of things that I did¡ªThat¡¯s why you¡¯re here as well.¡± ¡°That may be your wish, but it is not ours.¡± I tried to stay as calm as possible while I replied in that manner. ¡°While it is true that this country will grant my wish, it will also grant all of our wishes. That is why, your perception of the situation is flawed. It is very, very flawed.¡± After coming to this country and running into so many other versions of me, there is one thing I thought of. Didn¡¯t Imp Me¡ªin other words, the creator of this country¡ªsay it as well? ¡ªNobody knows what they truly yearn for. ¡ªPerhaps you were wishing to visit these countries once again, somewhere deep in your heart. In other words, there might be something that I wished for more strongly in my heart, than the frivolous wish of ¡ºwanting to become rich¡» that I was thinking about on the surface. ¡°Even if that is true¡ª¡± Her voice was trembling. ¡°Even if that is true, so what!? What caused all of us to assemble here, in this place!?¡± ¡°Do you not understand?¡± I gave a simple answer to her question. ¡°Or are you pretending to not understand?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t look down on me!¡± And then. She started firing masses of ice towards me one after the other. As for me, I continued to endlessly turn the inside of the country into rubble. Unfortunately, our abilities were basically the same, and no matter how much magic we threw at each other, there was no clear end in sight¡ªalthough since I was equal to her even though she had fought with and defeated the others before me, I might be just a little bit weaker in comparison. Right then, this might sound like a question out of the blue, but do you know how the wars that have been fought in history came to an end? In my opinion, most of them ended in either of two ways. The first is where one side obtained a perfect victory. The one who is stronger becomes righteous, and the loser becomes the bad guy. It is a way of winning that leaves a very bad aftertaste. Fortunately, the fight between us did not come to such an end. Our abilities were completely equal, so there was no way that one of us could dominate and win against the other. In other words, the battle between us came to the other type of ending. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was probably a few hours since we had started fighting. By the time we realized it, the two of us were staring up at the sky in the country where half of the buildings had been turned into rubble, and the country was quite literally half destroyed. The sky was somewhat refreshing, like a storm had just passed. There was a light grey cloud floating in the sky and spreading out. Both of us were almost completely out of magical energy. We both exhausted our stores of energy, and the concepts of good and evil became blurred as we both ran out of strength. This was the second method I was talking about, and it was also the way in which our fight ended. And every once in a while, this sort of conclusion will only lead to one thing. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Just why did I come to this country?¡± She muttered those words. ¡°Before I answer that, let me tell you what I vaguely wished for in my heart.¡± I answered her while gazing at the sky. ¡°I¡¯m sure that I came here to meet all these different versions of myself.¡± It is said that this country grants wishes. I¡¯m sure that I strongly desired to explore more possibilities. To travel means to be faced with continuous meetings and partings, and at the same time, it is a continuous series of choices as well. Looking back on my choices, there have been times when I missed meeting some strange and interesting people, and sometimes when I got to know some strange and weird people as well. However, what would my life have been like if I didn¡¯t miss meeting those interesting people? What would my life have been like if I managed to avoid meeting those weird people? What would my life have been like if I had other possibilities instead of my own? I¡¯m sure that I was wishing for those possibilities. That is why I came to this country and met the other versions of myself. ¡°That still doesn¡¯t explain why I came here.¡± Oh, that is not the case at all. ¡°It explains it perfectly. You, just like me, were yearning to see a different side of yourself. What led you here is your yearning to find a version of yourself who wasn¡¯t caught in the whirlpool of sadness that you found in the Clocktower City, Rostalf.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°I don¡¯t think you hate us as much as you think you do. You came here because you wished for different possibilities¡ªa version of you that did not experience those sad events. By no means did you come here to hurt the rest of us, you came here because you wished for those different possibilities somewhere in your heart.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± She definitely did not come here because she wished to hurt the rest of us. She came here to be healed instead. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s the same for the rest of us. We all came here because we wished to explore those other possibilities. ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s pretty selfish.¡± She pretended to not understand as she spoke in a critical tone. ¡°It¡¯s not wrong to wish for other possibilities for yourself, you know.¡± Also, ¡°You said it was selfish, but the only people here are yourself, right?¡± Saying that, I held her hand. Her slender, white fingers initially twitched as if rejecting my touch, but then intertwined themselves with mine. ¡°¡­¡­Are you willing to hear me out? About what I experienced in that country, when I traveled ten years back in time?¡± She stopped gazing at the sky, and looked at me instead. I also looked back at her. ¡°That¡¯s why I came here.¡± And so, our battle came to an end. The second method of finishing a battle, where there are no winners or losers. We reached an amicable settlement. ¡ð Let¡¯s talk about what happened afterwards. I walked around with Violent Me, now renamed to Short-haired Me, and looked for the other versions of me. Seeing as the city had been basically reduced to rubble, we were worried that some of them might have been crushed by falling buildings or masses of ice, but every one of them somehow made it out of that just fine. ¡°Still, it was an amazing battle.¡± ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it was to pull everyone out of that mess?¡± ¡°Please keep the idiotic horseplay to a minimum.¡± ¡°Fighting with ourselves, we¡¯ve done some pretty silly stuff, haven¡¯t we?¡± ¡°You idiot.¡± Or rather, they had already been found and recovered. The others had already been taken back to the royal palace before we had a chance to do anything. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± By the way, the ones who were scolding us a moment ago were other versions of me whom we hadn¡¯t met yet, and they had retrieved the others from the rubble. If you¡¯re wondering what they had been doing all this while, apparently they had been hiding somewhere in the country and waiting for the time limit to expire. Since there are so many version of me, I¡¯m sure that these were the ones who wanted to remain as bystanders during this incident. ¡°Still, seeing so many versions of me in the same place is pretty strange. It¡¯s kind of unsettling.¡± Hearing that, High Me responded, ¡°It¡¯s a little late for that. Actually, you¡¯re all just cosplaying as me, right? I¡¯m sure you are all just getting into character as me.¡± It looks like her head is still in the clouds. ¡°So, what do you plan to do now? According to Imp Me¡ªthe one that looks like a demon, we still have around one day of time left.¡± As Genius Me said that while touching her glasses, the versions of me who wanted to be bystanders made suspicious expressions. ¡°In the first place, is it okay to trust that demon-looking version of me?¡± ¡°That girl is pretty shady.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s hiding something.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s been controlling everything from the shadows.¡± They were all valid observations. However. ¡°Putting it another way, it means that we can do whatever we want for one more day, right? Since she said the time limit of this country was another three days, then that means something bad will only happen after those three days, correct?¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°As expected of the one who proclaims herself to be the protagonist.¡± ¡°That means it should be fine to stay here until those three days end, right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m saving a lot of money on inn charges, so it¡¯s great.¡± It looks like the bystander versions basically had no interest in earning money but they were also against wasteful expenditure, and greatly liked this country where everything was free of cost. And so, we all went into the city and had fun to our hearts content. We ate whatever we wanted, and drank whatever we wanted. After going wild as much as I wanted, I held up a glass of wine and stood in front of the others. ¡°Everyone, playing around is fine and all¡ªbut may I suggest something?¡± It¡¯s not everyday that so many versions of me all assemble in one place. Just spending our time playing would be a waste. ¡°Everyone, do you have a diary in the pocket of your robe?¡± That is why, while we are still basking in the memories of our travel, let¡¯s do something to remember it by. All of us brought our diaries out and collected them together. It looked like all of us had indeed walked different paths in our lives. For example, a particular day that I spent while just being bored turned out to be a day when another version of me had a destined meeting, etc. Just like Short-haired Me had experienced very painful memories in the Clocktower Country of Rostalf whereas I had just spent several days there sightseeing, even though we were all the same person, we each had different tales to tell. I had been thinking that it might be unexpectedly interesting to collate the stories from everyone¡¯s diaries, ever since I met High Me and we went to the palace together. Since I have one day left over in any case, I decided to implement that idea. All of us assembled in the hall of the palace, and read each other¡¯s diaries in turn. ¡°Oh I see, in that country where the prices of commodities were being jacked up, it would have been fine to just pretend to be a fortune teller¡­¡± ¡°It looks like Fran-sensei was the same, no matter which version of us she was dealing with.¡± ¡°Her personality as a worthless person is unshakeable.¡± ¡°Ah, the Country of Honesty¡­¡± ¡°Saya-san was so incredibly cute in that country, it was the best.¡± ¡°What the heck are you talking about?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t you mean incredibly crazy?¡± ¡°You say that, but weren¡¯t you happy when she gave you that necklace?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡ºAaaauuuu¡» ¡°I wonder how Ghoul Me turned into a ghoul.¡± ¡°She probably didn¡¯t manage to escape from the Paradise of the Dead.¡± ¡°How stupid of her.¡± ¡°Indeed.¡± ¡°By the way, why are you wearing an eyepatch?¡± ¡°This is because of the Black Dragon¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s enough.¡± ¡°Hey, aren¡¯t your breasts kind of large?¡± ¡°This is because I used cotton pads¡ª¡± ¡°Ah, that¡¯s enough.¡± I sat in the throne while looking at the others sitting on the ground and talking noisily. ¡°As promised, I will listen to your story.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Sitting on the armrest of the throne and leaning her shoulder against the backrest, Short-haired Me pulled her diary out of her pocket. ¡°In that country, I¡ª¡± And so, I accepted her diary from her, and gave her mine instead. For a little while after that, the two of us were engrossed in reading each other¡¯s tales. There were several things that we all had in common. In every country we visited, we met those people that we were fated to meet without fail. For example, all of us met Saya-san in the Country of Magicians, and we all met her again in the Country of Honesty. In that manner, we all met the same people in the same countries. And we also parted from them in the same way. Also, this might be only natural, but we all started our travels for the same reason, and we all had the same teacher. The differences in our tales regarding these were trivial, and the manner in which we all aimed to become witches because of ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike¡» and then trained under Fran-sensei was identical. After we had finished reading each other¡¯s tales, one of us suddenly made a proposal. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t this make for a pretty interesting book? It would kind of be like ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike ¡».¡± Not a single one of us was opposed to that idea, and as if it was something that we all wished for, we nodded in unison. In the end, we managed to agree upon a title for the finished book. There were multiple contenders, but in the end, my suggestion was picked by a majority vote. Since our favorite book was called ¡ºThe Adventures of Nike¡», it would have been okay to call our book ¡ºThe Adventures of Elaina¡», but if we did that we would just be repeating the mistakes of a certain person somewhere who wants to erase their embarrassing past. Moreover, the title would just be lacking in originality. As expected, a contrary title would be best for a contrary person like me. And that is why we ended up with this title. ¡ºMajo no Tabitabi¡» ¡ð On the morning of the third day. There were many versions of me (especially the bystander versions) who strongly refused to leave the country, but there was no way to tell what would happen here after this. And so, we ended up (somewhat forcefully) giving all of them a copy of ¡ºMajo no Tabitabi¡» and chasing them out of the country. As reparation for turning the country into rubble, Short-haired Me and I stayed back in the country and went around looking for other versions of me who might still be hiding somewhere. ¡°Looks like there wasn¡¯t anyone else, after all.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± I nodded to Short-haired Me. After looking at me for a while, she turned back to look at the country. The morning sun shined on us from one part of the city that we had barely managed to keep from destroying, and gave her ash-grey hair a pale scarlet sheen. Looking at the beautiful spectacle, she had a slightly lonely expression on her face. ¡°What do you plan on doing from now on?¡± When I asked her that, she lightly stroked her hair that had become short. ¡°I think I¡¯ll go back and retrieve my hair. It¡¯s probably still implanted in some doll.¡± ¡°I see.¡± ¡°Yes¡ªThe criminal is already in custody, after all, so all that¡¯s left is to find the doll.¡± ¡°I hope you find it.¡± ¡°Thank you.¡± Neither one of us said goodbye. Since we are both the same person, calling it a parting would be strange. I felt that it would be strange to say goodbye to someone whom I would see every time I looked in a mirror. ¡­¡­¡­ Or at least, that was the reason on the surface. The truth was probably that we just didn¡¯t want to say goodbye. And so. She said, ¡°Thank you, Elaina-san.¡± And I replied, ¡°You¡¯re welcome, Elaina-san.¡± After just exchanging those words, she went out of the country. ¡ð There was one last thing that I had to do. ¡°I¡¯m alone now.¡± I spoke out to nobody in particular. My voice echoed loudly in the country that had fallen completely silent, I felt like it would have carried throughout the country even if I didn¡¯t raise my voice. As if to prove that, the girl I was waiting for heard my voice and came to me. The girl, who possessed two twisted horns, flapped her bat-like wings as she landed in front of me. ¡°You called?¡± It was Imp Me. ¡°Yes. There was something that I wanted to talk to you about, no matter what.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have anything I want to talk to you about in particular, though.¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± I shot a glance towards the girl who trying to crack jokes. ¡°Somewhere along the line, I realized your true identity.¡± ¡°Rather than talk about my true identity, I want to make you take responsibility for wrecking my country instead.¡± Hah, very funny. ¡°This place is inside a dream, isn¡¯t it? I don¡¯t think there is anything to take responsibility for.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Hou.¡± Coming to a country that is said to grant wishes, meeting several different versions of myself, and moreover, the country is patterned after the various places I had visited in the past. There was one conclusion that I drew from this place where so many impossible events overlapped. This whole place is inside my dream, and this entire dream is being shown to me by this Imp Me. That is my line of reasoning, although I had no proof. However, this argument was pretty convincing. ¡°From the appearance of this country¡ªthe appearance of this country that seems to be crammed full of ideal things, I remembered what happened at a certain country.¡± It was the sad incident that happened in a certain country where all the citizens fell into their dreams and became lifeless husks¡ªexcept for one young woman who was left behind all alone. All the citizens of that country who fell into a peaceful sleep were lured into their ideal dreams that were created by a certain demon, and once three days passed, they died for no apparent reason. Three days. It was the same as the time limit that Imp Me had indicated. ¡°You were probably feeding on the lives of people by interfering with their dreams and locking them away in their ideal dreams. I am also one such person¡ªAm I wrong?¡± ¡°Hohou.¡± After giving a slight smile, she shook her head. ¡°Close, but not quite. You are not one of them yet.¡± ¡°Well, that¡¯s true. Strictly speaking, it hasn¡¯t been three days yet.¡± There are still a few hours left. ¡°So, what do you plan to do? Stay here and become food for me?¡± ¡°Of course not. Why do you think I wrecked the country to such an extent and drove all the others out from here?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± Well, the fact that the country was wrecked so badly is more or less a coincidence, but the reason I drove all the others out of the country was because I had a plan. Most likely, the other versions of me that I met this time were created from other possibilities that she saw in my memories. In other words, they are all my imagination and I created them because I longed to explore those other opportunities. ¡°If this place is solely within my dream and no one else¡¯s, then this place no longer contains any of my hopes or wishes. There is absolutely no reason for me to stay within this dream.¡± ¡°¡­¡­Well played. That¡¯s quite unfortunate. I thought that a witch¡¯s life would be quite delicious.¡± ¡°Playing this sort of underhanded trick on witches to feed on their lives will have the opposite effect.¡± I took out my staff. ¡°Now, let me out of this world right now. Or else¡ª¡± ¡°Or what, you¡¯re going to punish me? Hahaha, are you an idiot or something?¡± After cackling, she continued to speak. ¡°You can go back to the regular world if you just go through the gate. In the first place, I accept everyone who comes to me, and don¡¯t chase those who wish to leave. If you want to run away, feel free.¡± Saying so, she waved her hand as if telling me to run along. ¡°¡­¡­¡­Have you consumed the lives of many people in this manner to date?¡± Has she been giving three ideal days to people, and devouring the lives of those who want to stay even after the time limit is crossed? ¡°Well, of course. If I didn¡¯t do that, I¡¯d starve.¡± ¡°¡­..So human lives are your food, huh. Don¡¯t you feel any guilt about ruining the lives of people who have done nothing wrong?¡± ¡°To me, human lives are nothing more than ingredients. It¡¯s not like you feel sorry about eating meat from livestock, right?¡± ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± ¡°Your expression tells me that you can¡¯t sympathize with me. I didn¡¯t particularly want you to sympathize with me either. Beings like me are fundamentally different from humans. I never expected that we would come to an understanding in the first place.¡± ¡°¡­¡­That¡¯s unfortunate. If you used that power for a better purpose, you could have helped a lot of people.¡± ¡°Hahaha, as I thought, you¡¯re an idiot. Why would I want to work so hard for the sake of mere livestock?¡± She said it frankly. ¡ªFundamentally different from humans. I see, it appears that demons are indeed that sort of beings. ¡°Oh, I remembered something. I don¡¯t mean to hold you back here, but I have a little bit of good news for you.¡± ¡°¡­¡­What is it?¡± She spoke out to me just as I was about to leave the country. She spoke in her usual light-hearted manner. ¡°¡ªYou were not the only version of you to come to this place.¡± Every version of you that you saw here was real¡ªthat¡¯s what she told me. ¡ð The sky was somewhat refreshing, like a storm had just passed. There was a light grey cloud floating in the sky and spreading out. The wind blew over the grass-covered plain while making a rustling sound, and caused a light-green ripple to spread out. Underneath the warm sunlight, the scent of the newly arriving spring that still had traces of winter in it tickled my nose. The only things that I saw were blue, green, and just a little bit of white. ¡°¡­¡­Where am I?¡± It looks like had fallen into a deep sleep, right in the middle of a wide prairie. How long had I been asleep? My memories from before falling asleep are vague, and I can¡¯t really remember. Why on earth was I sleeping in the middle of a prairie? However, my memories of the time when I was asleep are very clear. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± And so, I had a sudden idea. Since I can¡¯t remember what happened before I fell asleep, let me check my diary. It¡¯s the perfect tool for when your memories are vague. It should be right here, in my pocket. ¡°¡­¡­This is¡ª¡± When I was fishing inside my robe, I found my diary, along with one other book. On the front page of the simply bound book were the title and my name. Handwritten. ¡°¡­¡­¡­¡± It was, without a doubt, the book that we had created inside that dream. Ah, now that I think about it, I seem to remember that people who manage to leave the dream are allowed to take any one thing with them when they leave. I see, so in my case it was this book. I stared at the two books for a while, and eventually returned one of them to my pocket. ¡°¡­¡­I can read the diary later.¡± I can go back to traveling after I finish reading this book. Spending that amount of time for my leisure should be fine. Besides, right now I feel like immersing myself in my memories a for a while. And so, I sat down on the prairie with my knees bent. I turned the cover page of the book, as if the cool wind was hurrying me along. What was written inside was certainly my tale. CH 1 There existed a quiet country on savage mountains. Because it was surrounded by tall walls, it was not possible to examine it from the outside. At the top of the stone surface hot from sunlight, a single broom was flying and cutting through the lukewarm atmosphere as it advanced. The one manipulating the broom was a single lovely girl. Clad in black robe and a tricorne, her ashen hair was shaking in the wind. If there were people there, certainly anyone would turn their head wondering who in the world was this breathtakingly beautiful girl. That''s right, It¡¯s me. Just kidding. "...Just a bit is left." The tall walls appeared to be constructed by shaving off what was originally a mountain. Slightly shifting one''s line line of sight down, a gate can be seen. I am facing my broom towards it. Well, it seems like a troublesome place for a country, but, this is their consideration©¤©¤To not make a mistake and carelessly enter it. After all, unless circumstances called for it, no one would ever come in a country built in such a place. After arriving at the gate, I descended with the broom. One gate guard who carried out inspections for entering the country came to greet. After slowly examining me to the tips, he returned his gaze at the brooch on my chest and showed a wry smile. "Welcome. To the country of Magicians. Please proceed inside, Witch-sama" "? Eh? That examination was enough to understand whether or not I''m a magician?" I asked that kind of question. All visitors should show a Magic to pass. If there is not even a single ability, it''s not permitted to enter the town. "It''s because I saw you flying here. Besides, that brooch undoubtedly belongs to a Witch. Please proceed inside." So that''s it. That''s what it was. Looks like properly flying on the broom was the minimal condition to enter the country. Thinking about it, my location was clearly visible from this gate. So embarrassing. After giving a small nod to the gate guard, I proceeded to pass through the gate. Here is the country of Magicians. Mages, Apprentice Witches, Witches©¤©¤In short, it''s a country with a strange rule of not letting anyone other than magicians enter it. After passing through the gate, I got puzzled. There were two signboards lined up together. One of the signboards was an entirely concealed magician extending a broom. Next to it was a walking soldier surrounded by a triangle. What are these signboards. But I immediately understood the answer as I looked above©¤©¤Above the crowded brick houses, or perhaps below the sun, magicians were flying about. I see - I got it. It seems to be a special rule of a country that allowed just magicians to enter. Everyone was flying in vicinity, and only a handful of people walked on the ground. Understanding the meaning of the sign, I took out my broom and sat on it sideways. Kicking the ground, I started to gently float. If you want to express the meaning of the sign with simple words: "It''s an endorsement to fly in the air, isn''t it©¤©¤" And thus, the country of magicians truly appeared. Magicians were flying above the reddish brown roofs that were spread out like a withered land. Starting from people who stopped brooms and had a friendly chat, people who tied luggage to brooms, an old woman who looked like a suspicious Witch, even the figures of children who dashed in the air having a contest of speed - They seem to be enjoying a life in the sky. It''s a very warming scene. To the point of breathtakingness. Blending with them, I soared above the country. As I was absentmindedly flying about, I suddenly caught a sight of a signboard that was put above a roof. "Inn" it seems. After passing it, next appeared a word "Greengrocer". Aside from it, there were things like "Butcher" and "Jewelry". As expected, they were for the life among the skies alone. Putting a signboard above the rooftops seems to be a common thing. Looking closely, there was a window that could pass people one by one embedded on the roofs of most houses. As I gazed at it blankly, a man suddenly jumped out from the inside, through the window gap, and got on his broom. In short, It''s something like that. I leisurely flew about, enjoying the scenery of the country. Something that could be called a change occurred after a little while. "Nooooooooooooooooo!" A scream from behind. I held the broom with one hand and looked back as I held my hat down so it wouldn''t fly away. And then, "T-Too late" I thought. "Aaaahhhhhhhh!" Someone was flying towards me in a straight line while screaming and scattering the tears, but the moment I saw that, there was only one roof distance between us. Avoid it? Impossible. Although I instinctively bend my upper body, as expected, the clash was unavoidable. With unladylike screams like "Ugyaa" and "Uge", that person and I entangled and fell towards the rooftop. We peeled away some of the arranged roof tiles and, before long, we stopped just on the verge of falling from the roof. Looking down, one broken roof tile lay upon the ground. It''s fortunate that there were no pedestrians there. Because of the inadequate angle, I avoided the head-on collision, and thanks to this mysterious flying person who took the damage from collision with tiles, I haven''t sustained injuries. I stood up while brushing off the reddish brown fragments attached to my black robe. "............" "Ugogogogo........" Leaking a strange groan with closed eyes was a teenage girl that seemed to be slightly younger than me. She had average features and evenly-cut, short black hair. She wore a white blouse and checkered skirt under the black mantle. Because she got caught up below me, they got splendidly torn apart. Since there was nothing like a brooch attached on her chest, perhaps she is a mage. "........Um, are you alright?" As I touched the shoulder of the collapsed girl, she opened her eyes. "¡­¡­¡­¡­" ".............." And, silence. Even though I don''t understand the circumstances, I said "A poor handling of a broom, eh?" I think it''s cynical. Yes. "........Ah" "It seems your head finally started working." I made a smiling face. "Awawawawa." She once again closed her eyes. "W-w-w-w-what to do. What should I do? I can''t fix so many roof tiles alone....." Oh? "Before that, shouldn''t you apologize?" "Ah, I-I''m Sorry! It was not on purpose! I swear!" I can see that. "By the way, you, are you alright? Given that you flew so splendidly." "Ah, I''m alright! I look this lively after all!" That. She was saying that while red fluids spilled from her since she started talking. She was looking with clear, unwavering eyes. "Blood is coming out you know. Moreover, it''s coming out from your head." "This is just sweat!" "There''s a sweat with such Iron smell?" "Errr, well, errr......... It''s a sweat!" "I got it already, so please come down a bit." "Yes!" ".............." Why did this happen? I''m dead tired after getting blown off all of a sudden. After the scolding, there''s a need to fix the roof tiles¡­ oh I''ve had enough already. I would be a demon if I let a girl with such dangerous circumstances do it. I took out a handkerchief from my pocket. "Here, use this. Hold it down on the head." "Eeh......But." "Also, while I repair the tiles here, please go and rest somewhere for a bit." "No, I will also help out!" "In such condition, rather than help, you''ll be a hindrance. Please go and rest." I clearly declared it. "But©¤©¤" "You. Are. A. Hindrance." "......Okay." After that, she sat at on the rooftop and held down the handkerchief on her head while feeling despondent like an abandoned cat. Although she was looking lively, it was unreasonable to let her do it, after all, as soon as she sat down, she lost her strength. Let''s put her aside for now. That degree of injury won''t cause death. Now, let''s do something about this disastrous scene©¤©¤I charged magical power in my hands. In a moment, along with the faint light, a long staff appeared in my hand. This is a special privilege of magicians. Each of us ©¤©¤ Magicians, can take out various Magic Tools like a broom or staff with the use of ©¤©¤Magic. Putting magic power in my staff, I started to invoke Magic. Time Reversal Magic. As its name implies, it''s a Magic to reverse the time flow, repairing the broken things with it and healing injuries, however, it''s a Magic that requires a slightly high skill. But if it''s the Witches of this country, then probably all of them can do it. But it might''ve been difficult for the collapsed Mage behind me. After getting showered with Magic, the tiles started moving. The broken tiles started connecting one by one, and just like a pieces of puzzle, they returned to their original state. Then the fragments disappeared, and the traces of breaking also completely disappeared from sight, and at that point, I stopped releasing the magic and looked back. Next is the girl''s turn. "Well then, you are next." "Umm, Err......." After approaching the nervous girl who raised her body while holding her head, I started casting the Magic. Wrapped up in a tender light, her injuries along with her clothes started to heal up. "Uwah......" Amazing - I heard her mutter. No, if one is a Witch, then it''s normal to be able to do this much. After confirming that she returned to her original appearance, I hurriedly went to pick up my broom that had fallen on the rooftop. I think it''s a good plan to escape from here before it gets noisy. "H-Hey!" Partly ignoring her who was trying to say something else to me, I got on my broom. "Thanks is enough. It''s not good to disregard the surrounding when flying on the broom you know?" "Please wait, I want to somehow apologize©¤©¤" "No need. Because, I''m in a hurry. Good bye. Mage-san whose name I don''t know." Then I flew away with broom. Speaking simply, a Mage is a person who can use Magic. Not everyone can use it, and in most cases, it is hereditary. My parents were also Mages. Apprentice Witch ranks above the Mage and is one step below the Witch. Just like the name suggests, it''s a title given only to women. For what reason is it like that? It''s because, the ability to create magic is stronger in women than in men. Because of that, only women are placed above the rank of Mage. There''s just one way to become an Apprentice Witch: it''s to pass the examination and receive a corsage that is a proof of Apprentice Witch. But this is not all. Having said that, there are many who give up in the middle of the examination because of receiving deadly injuries. After becoming an Apprentice Witch, there awaits a training for the sake of becoming a person worthy to be called a Witch; under the genuine Witches, putting in a great effort day after day until you get recognized. That can happen in a day, or it could happen after a decade. It all depends on personal effort and the consideration of the Witch-sama that becomes your teacher. If you are recognized as an official Witch, you will get a star brooch with your name inscribed at the bottom and the title of a Witch gifted from the teacher. In my case, it''s "Witch of Ashes." To end the long explanation: in short - I am among the top ranking beings in this country. In other words, I am a Witch. When flying in the skies, people would look with envious gazes, or in the restaurant they would say something like "Witch-sama! You have a discount on every cuisine of this store! Please choose whatever you like!" and things like that... at least that was the expectation. "Eh? Discount? There''s nothing like that. Perhaps you have no money? Ojou-chan?" "¡­¡­¡­¡­" Well, It''s that, huh? If they treat every Witch with special treatment, it would turn out bad for the store. Leaving the restaurant, I went towards the jewelry store. I wanted to sell the jewels that I gathered from the countries I previously visited. While thinking that I''d get a splendid price for them, I entered the merchant''s store. "Ah, these are complete imitations. I can''t offer any price for them." "That''s absurd! Please look properly, once more!" "It''s the same no matter how much I look at it. What will you do? If you don''t need it, should our store deal with it?" ".......For you to be saying something like that, you actually have ulterior motives to snatch it from me, isn''t it?" "Of course not, Ojou-chan. There''s no way I would do that. So, what will you do?" "Please return it." I was very angry as I left the jewelry store. But, well, even if that shopkeeper seemed a bit of a scoundrel, he didn''t do anything to be despised by me right? That should be the case, right? While feeling anxious, I went towards the inn. after all, It would get dark soon. However. "Aahn? This place is not for the brats like you. Now, scram." .......Huuh? Why? Maybe this inn is for the rich adults only? Mhmm. There''s no choice. I''ll choose another place. And so, I descended with the broom towards the inn that had a cheap-looking worn-out signboard. This one should be all right I guess. From the open window on the roof, I descended the ladder leading to the inside. But on the way down, I got carried away, and jumped. thud, a sound as if an iron ball was dropped reverberated. Of course, I''m not that heavy. How rude. The place down there turned out to be the reception. The woman sitting at the counter, after seeing me©¤©¤ "Welcome......" Became stiff. She, as well as me. Evenly-cut black hair. Average features that were similar to a boy in some respects. Sitting there, was the girl that ran into me (Physical Meaning) a few hours ago. "............" "............" The one who broke the frozen atmosphere between us first was her. "Hi-Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-! I-I-I''m s-s-sorry! I''m sorry! Is this a revenge? It''s revenge isn''t it! I''m sorry! Please spare me! Anything but my liiiiife!" "No, um." "Uwaaaaaah! I don''t want to dieeeeeeeee!" "Errrr....." You don''t have to be frightened that much. "Please anything but my life........" - as she sobbed while rubbing her head on the counter, I gently touched her shoulders. "Heeeeeeee-! You intend to start by tearing off my shoulderrrr! Nooooo-!" "Please quiet down a bit." Ah, that came out wrong. "Umm, Are you alright? I just came here to stay for a day." "Nooooo©¤©¤oh, is that so. So that''s what it was. Then, please fill out these forms~." ".............." There are a lot of things I want to say, but I must endure. I don''t want to cause more racket. I accepted the blank forms from her and took the quill that was lying on the counter. There were simple things like number of people, amount of days and the name of the representative written on the entry form. Being a traveler, this form is already familiar to me. As I glided the quill across the paper, she said with a very cheerful voice: "I''m truly sorry for today. I started thinking in the middle of training and somehow ended up not managing to fly skillfully........." "I see." In short, she is clumsy with broom handling, eh? "I wanted to properly thank you but you suddenly headed somewhere else©¤©¤Ah, so your name is Elaina? I''m Saya." she said as she stared at my hand with a bright smile. As I was writing, "Just thanks is enough. Besides, it''s common to get someone caught up when practicing magic." I said. Come to think of it, I once got scolded by parents when I was trying to light a candle and set the house on fire. Ahh, so nostalgic. "But don''t you want anything from me? It will be terrible if I don''t do anything after getting you in such trouble and even making you heal my injuries.¡± "It''s nothing much though......." "There must be something! Please! Elaina-san!" I shook my head as she was trying to show her gratitude. It''s quite an odd scene. Well, there''s nothing in particular that I want, but there''s no need to refuse it unreasonably like that either. I thought a bit as I kept writing. "Hmm......Is that so, then©¤©¤" Can I get a lodging discount? Is what I wanted to say, but I stopped. An entry on the form caught my eye. Special discount for Witch-samas(Half per night) - was written there. Hohou. Look what we have here. "Ah, that, that''s a reduction not covered by those who are Witch-samas. Other Magicians must circle the one on the general prices." She declared while knitting her brows. "I see" I circled the Witch-sama exclusive discount (half price). "Eeh? Eh, umm......, uhh©`?" What''s with that strange reaction? So rude. "It''s because I''m a Witch." "But that''s. You are joking....... Ah, no, I caused you trouble after all.....Yes! Then, you should get the discount!" She clapped her hands as she declared that. Because the conversation drifted to a delicate thing, or perhaps because I remembered this strange uncomfortable feeling, I shook my head. "No no no no, that''s not it. It''s because I''m a Witch. That''s why I have this attire." "Eeeh©`?" She uttered. Then pointed at my chest. "But, there''s no brooch of a Witch-sama." "Eh?" I dropped my gaze to my chest. The brooch that was supposed to be there has vanished. The brooch of a Witch, so to speak, are their identification documents. Without it, I''m just an ordinary traveler who can use magic. That''s why I was treated like a child in the inn from a while ago. I see, I see. More importantly, why didn''t I notice it till now. Although the Witches are not rare, if I thought about it a bit more, I should''ve noticed faster. Am I an idiot? I''m an idiot right? I should just die. As I cursed at myself, I immediately left and went to search for it¡­.However. ".......It''s nowhere." It wasn''t seen anywhere. I searched around where I clashed with Saya-san, but it was already dark outside, and the object in question was a tiny brooch that could fit in-hand. It wasn''t something you could find by walking around for a bit. ".......Uhh." After moving in zig-zags on the rooftops while even checking the cracks, I descended towards the ground and started searching around the houses. But, just like before, I couldn''t find it. I want to cry. "It''s no good©`! Elaina-san, it''s not here either©`!" From above the rooftops, quite a loud voice came down and reverberated throughout the alley. Looking up, there was a figure of Saya-san illuminated by the moonlight. Immediately after I noticed that the brooch was missing, she said "I''m the one responsible for it, let''s go together!" and after insisting on it, we came to look for it together. I somehow entrusted the side of the merchant''s home to another person. As I walked down, she was in charge of searching above. There was a possibility of me overlooking it. However, it seems that the outcome was the same. I floated up to the roof with broom. "Not finding it after all this searching means that there is a potential that someone picked it up....." I leaked a sigh without thinking. "I think it might be because it''s getting dark. Wouldn''t it be better to search here once more tomorrow morning?" As I dropped my shoulders, she called out to me with a cheerful voice. I''m a bit grateful. "Let''s do that......" As I meekly nodded towards her, I decided to return back. I''m flying on a broom. Floating unsteadily, like a magician with clumsy broom handling skills. Yeah, if someone was flying nearby, I might have crashed into them. That brooch is something I obtained after a lot of trouble, and it also contained the memories of me and my teacher. The shock from losing it is unimaginable. If it was the time when I became a Witch, I would''ve immediately noticed it after losing it. But now, because I carried it for two years, it became a normal thing that I had on me. ".......Haah." Anyhow, I feel down. After that, I returned to the inn and ate a meal in a half-fainted condition, took the key from Saya-san and entered the room. However, remembering that I haven''t taken a bath, I quickly went towards the large public bath. Absentmindedly I immersed myself in hot water. Ahh, either way, I can''t think of any other place where it could''ve dropped except where I crashed into Saya-san... There''s no other explanation... It''s such a mystery¡­ . . . thoughts like that passed through my head for nearly one hour. Remaining in the bath (Just me) until feeling dizzy, I dragged myself out the after almost melting in the water. Then. "Ah, hello©`" After returning to my room, there was a figure of Saya-san for some reason. I closed the door. Taking a step back, I confirmed the room number. Hmm, It definitely matches the number written on the key. Strange. Maybe I imagined it? I opened the door once more. "Ah, Hello©`" It would''ve been good if it was a bad dream, but there actually was the figure of Saya-san in my room. She was happily waving her hand from above the wooden bed. "......Why are you in my room?" - I asked as I closed the door with my hands behind my back. "I thought I''d talk to Elaina-san for a bit, so I was waiting." "But it should''ve been locked." "Fufu, I''m working at this inn you know?" Saying that, she proudly showed off the ring with a bundle of keys on it. Staying silent, I walked towards her, "............" And pinched her cheeks with both hands. "I-ish hurts! Ish hurts!" "Going in other''s rooms as you please, what''s the big idea. Ah?" Guriguriguriguri. "Shey will be shorn! my sheeks will shear off!" - They will be torn, my cheeks will tear off! Is what she was trying to say. "Ah? What was that? I didn''t hear it." "Awawawawah......" After I got tired from stretching and playing with her soft cheeks, I decided to release her. As she covered her slightly reddened cheeks with both hands, "How terrible......." She said, but which one of us is terrible I wonder. "So, what business do you have? Since you sneaked in my room, you must¡¯ve had some kind of business with me, right?" Saya-san started speaking as she stroked her cheeks. "Elaina-san, you really are a Witch right?" "Yes. I guess." I consented to answer. "Brooch is missing, but I really am a Witch." "Then, that means you successfully passed the Apprentice Witch examination, right?" "That¡¯s right." I still remember the disappointment from easily passing it. After Saya-san stared at me for some time, she suddenly lied down and folded her legs on the bed, and then touched the bottom of bed''s headboard with both hands. "Please! Somehow, please teach me the secrets of examination!" "........Umm, What''s with that posture?" "This is a traditional prostration handed down in my hometown! It''s a killer technique for apologizing towards others." It''s quite a strange culture....... Apologizing towards someone was that great in her hometown? However, the sincerity is clearly seen. Somehow, I felt..........chills, or perhaps I should say, some kind of mysterious sensation. I held back the urge to trample on her saying "Aah? Is that the attitude you should have when requesting something from someone, aah?" and kneeled down. "Um, for now, please raise your head." "Alright!" She suddenly raised her head. "You don''t have to do it that fast." I added. "But first, won''t you explain your circumstances?" Let''s talk after that. As she sat on the bed once more, I took a cheap-looking chair from the desk and sat at the opposite side. Saya-san''s black hair jolted as she weakly shook her head, and¨C "Err........." she shyly opened her mouth. "I have a little sister. A very cute little sister, but¡­¡± "Haa........" That was a very strange way of introduction, but whatever, let''s hear it. "We are from the eastern country. Me and my little sister came from a far away to this country to become Apprentice Witches©¤©¤Because there''s no organization that performs examinations in our country. So as we worked at this inn to earn money, we have been living here for years to take the examination, however......" "But both of you are still mages, right?" At that, she cast down her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Last time, only my little sister passed the examination. So only she returned back." ".........mhm." I see, I see. Somehow, I feel I can see what happened. In short: "Since you were beaten to a punch by that cute little sister, you asked the Witch you just met for help. That''s the case, right?" "Well..........It''s something like that." Saya-san muttered as she scratched her cheek embarrassed. "When is the next exam?" "It''s in one week.......There''s no time anymore......" Well, the Apprentice Witch examination can be taken any number of times so I think there''s no need to rush, but. . . You want to meet your little sister that much, huh? "............" After staying silent, I declared "If it''s until I find my brooch, then it''s fine." In any case, I can''t leave the country until I find my brooch, so I think it would be fine to do it in the meantime and I might even get to stay at the inn free of charge. To achieve the rank of Apprentice Witch, you need to pass the written examination first and then pass the magic examination. The written examination, bluntly speaking, is the easiest thing if you fill your head with things like history and magic theories, but with the magic examination, that won''t help with anything. If your skill is lacking, you have to redo it many times. Magic examination mainly looks at the ability to fly with booms and operate Magic, and with each examination, only one person can pass. That will also be unchanged in the exam that''s held in one week. Flying unstoppably with broom, at the same time obliterating opponents while receiving deadly attacks, and at the end, only the winner passes, becoming an Apprentice Witch. The ugly part of the contest, is truly a cruel thing. It feels like it plainly displays the ugliest parts of humans. I don''t want to go through it a second time. "Let''s speak frankly. Saya-san. With your current power, the probability to win against other contestants in a proper fight is endlessly close to zero." The next morning after I made a promise with her. I spoke to her while sitting on the broom, "However, that doesn''t mean that it''s absolutely impossible to win against them. Please relax." "W-What should we do!" Being lively despite the morning, she was looking with shining eyes. Like a sun that awoke just a little while ago. I drew my broom towards her who was squatting on top of the roof tiles. "For starters, you should learn to operate the broom at my, or even above my level." "Eeh©` That''s a bit too hard......." She made a bitter face as she said it. Just what is hard? What a spoiled child. "There''s no other method to survive the magic examination. Or rather, the current you will end up falling off the broom right after the examination begins. Better avoid that at least." "Uggh......." It feels like that. For start, I decided to train her in the fundamental magic skills. In the end, just as I imagined, she''s unskilled to the point that she can''t even fly normally (To the point that you might hesitate calling her a magician), so it''s very troublesome. Ahh, so this is the feeling of mothers teaching their children how to fly, earnestly teaching from morning to evening as long as time allows it. As children point at us while making fun along with sneering adults, we are putting effort in this special training. Of course, we didn''t forget about searching for the brooch. She is slowly improving her results but on the contrary we aren''t making any progress with the other thing. My brooch, just where did it go? Seriously. "Next is the rotation. Shift your body weight and bend skillfully." "Yes!" "Next is rapid braking and rapid takeoff. After forcefully stopping the broom with your entire your body, dash out with the feel as if you¡¯re kicking the air." "Yes!" "Next is aerial separation. Let go of broom in the air and then summon it with Magic. If it gets dangerous then I¡¯ll come to save you, so fly with a peace of mind." "Yes!" "Next is©¤©¤" and so on. Just like that, in the blink of an eye, Saya-san got to the point of using the broom close to my level. To be asked how many days it took to reach this point, the answer would be 2 days. This terrific growth of Saya-san raised some questions. What in the world was she doing until now. Or is it simply because my way of teaching is splendid, I wonder? When I asked, "Because I was self-training until now." She answered, while looking embarrassed. What the hell. And now, the fourth day of staying in this country©¤©¤Third day of teaching. On the contrary to the usual unsuccessful search for the brooch (just information gathering), Saya-san''s special training was refreshingly favorable. It seemed she could still reach even higher. "Next, let''s memorize the offensive Magic©¤©¤How about Wind Magic?" "Wind Magic?" To her who was standing on top of the roof that was burned reddish brown and quizzically bending her head, I swiftly nodded and said. "Yes, Wind. By manipulating the air currents, it can hinder the other participants." This actually was a dirty technique on my Magic examination. I still remember the effects of manipulating the air currents, like the people who lost balance and fell down, and people who staggered and collided with buildings. Wind manipulation is easy to handle, and can become a powerful weapon. Because of the time left, she must memorize it by all means. "Then, please hit that bottle on the opposite side with the wind." I pointed at the bottle that was put on rooftop opposite from us. From here, it''s just a one house distance, so it shouldn''t be hard at all. "Imagine gathering the air and strike with it, and it will work out.©¤©¤ something like this" I swung the staff. In a moment, the bottle grew hazy from the wind, and then its top shook with rattling sound. It didn''t fall right? Was it a failure? Saya-san turned around with the face that seemed to ask that, but that was done on purpose. It really was, you know? "Well then, go ahead and try it." "......L-like this?" With a whoosh, Saya-san swung the staff. Since Wind Magic itself is a Magic that is taught at the beginning, she was able to call it forth. But, the wind that she summoned passed by the bottle''s top. Regrettable. "The way you hold the staff is wrong. And also the way of directing. Wind Magic is a very delicate thing, so swinging it too strongly will not do the trick." "Err, then, how about this?" Whoosh. The wind passed by. It didn''t change at all. "Wrong. Like this." I swung the staff and the bottle shook with a clatter. After noticing the reason I didn''t throw the bottle down, "Wow!" - Saya-san leaked out a voice. And, she once again grasped her tender staff. "Ei!" This time she completely imitated what I did, but it was too weak. Only a gentle breeze blew. ......It didn''t go smoothly. "Wrong. Like this." "Like this?" It missed. "That''s completely wrong. Like this." "H-how about this!" The wind didn''t even graze. "Totally no good at all. It''s like this, this." "Is it something like this!" Totally hopeless. Totally. No response at all. Let''s use the strong measures. Getting behind her back, I seized it with both hands. Saya-san''s shoulders shook instantly, and I whispered close to her ear. "Are you okay? Right now I will launch Magic through your staff. Please learn with your body." "W-with my body?" "Yes. With your body." I nodded to her whose ears were bright red for some reason. "Then, here I go©¤©¤" And. That kind of thing. We continuously trained till dusk on our third day. Instead of saying that she mastered the Wind Magic, it ended up totally hopeless. Rather, after I showed it to her from behind, it seemed like it got even worse......? Why did it happen? I don''t Understand. I can''t always supervise Saya-san constantly. When noon arrives, I also go separately. For the sake of searching for my brooch, I fly downtown and listen to stories of various people. Speaking honestly, it''s nothing but information gathering after information gathering. Without saying, I can''t even find any simple information and in the end everyone shakes their heads while saying "I don''t know". The progress appeared on the fourth day from the day I became Saya-san''s teacher. In other words, on the fifth day since I stayed in this country. "I saw it." Saying cheerfully was the oba-sama that looked skillful with Magic. A star-shaped brooch was seen on her chest. But, from many years of service, it was splendidly worn-out. Ooh, this is expected (Just what is?). "W-Where did you see it!" As I snapped at her, Hihihi - she laughed with a voice truly fitting to a Witch. "Now, where did I see it......." "Please tell me! Beautiful oba-sama." "Hihihi!¡± Without hesitation, oba-sama displayed her hand to me. ".......What''s up with that hand." "How much are you willing to pay? Hm?" Currently Oba-sama was quietly presenting her hand to me. Pay to keep asking questions, is it? .......So filthy. As one would expect from a Witch. "¡­¡­¡­¡­" I quietly took a single gold coin from the purse and put it in Oba-sama''s hand. And with that, oba-sama restarted like a wound up doll. "The place I saw it©¤©¤" Oba-sama started talking. Vaguely, I myself also feel like I''ve known about it somehow. The end of a loose tale was told easily like this. Nighttime between fifth and sixth day since I arrived. From the bed, I looked out the window at the suspended moon, but suddenly, the door opened. As glanced there, the girl there timidly looked back at me. She©¤©¤Saya-san. "Umm, Elaina-san" "What is it?" "I-is it alright to sleep together?" I dropped my gaze at the bed. "Isn''t it small?" "We are a cheap hotel so sorry about that." Ah, no, I didn''t mean that by it. This is a one person room. And only one person is supposed to sleep on this bed as well. "Well, If you don''t mind the narrow feel, then I don''t really mind." "Yay!" Saya-san entered inside and roughly closed the door, then crawled in the bed. Sweet fragrance of someone who just got out of the bath drifted in the air. Although we used the same shampoo since this is an inn, it differed from my fragrance quite a bit. Holding her hair and bringing my nose close to it, different from my hair, it had the fragrance of a lovely maiden. Why is it that only she has such a nice fragrance? Well, it''s fine. I''ll also lie down. I lied down, facing to the side of the moon and covered myself with a bed sheet. I immediately noticed the presence behind me. "Isn''t it bright to face towards the moon while sleeping?" "Just a bit." I turned around. And at that moment, our eyes met. ".......Wasn¡¯t that a contradiction of what you just said?" "It was not too bright to me." She smiled faintly. Somehow that smile illuminated by the moonlight looked as if it would be broken from a touch. "Good work for today. It''s a great improvement compared to the beginning. To the point that you won''t be needing my help anymore." "Eeh, it''s nothing like that. After all, there are many more things I want to be taught by Elaina-san." ".....I am a traveler. I will leave this country shortly." "But we will be together all the time before then." After some stirring under the futon, something cold touched my hands. It was Saya-san grasping my hand. She looked straightly at me and started talking. "Please teach me many more things." "............" The moonlight wavered inside her eyes. An innocent girl like her was truly looking up to a person like me. However, I have to choose what is best for me from now on©¤©¤even if it is something cruel for her. This bitter feeling in my chest, is it from the guilt I wonder? Or is it because of the disappointment? I believe it''s the former. "This is an unreasonable discussion, Saya-san." I declared. Then, as I pushed her hands off mine, I said: "Won''t you return my brooch?" The disappearance of my brooch that seemed so complicated at a glance, in truth, was something really simple. "Isn''t the girl you collided with responsible for it? After you hurriedly flew away, she picked it up." Oba-sama said as she was brightly glancing at the gold coin. That was something I also thought about. If I couldn''t find it all from all these searching, then probably someone picked it up. From the start I had an uncomfortable feeling. Saya-san. You were unskilled in operating the broom to the point that I wondered about whether you were flying poorly on purpose. Given that the lowest requirement to enter this country was to be able to fly properly with broom. At first I thought Saya-san might be a native of this country, but then I heard her story saying she was a magician who expressly came here from the eastern country... And with that, it would be even strange being unable to fly on broom. So©¤©¤. So, honestly. I... I was suspicious about you from the very beginning. And, I kept waiting. For you to return the brooch to me. "But while hiding it in your hands, you didn''t hand it over to me. On the contrary, you ended up talking about your wish of always staying together." This much is already a limit©¤©¤thinking that, I started talking. Sitting on the bed with her head hanged down, I wonder what kind of expression is she making? She didn''t scream like she did at first when I touched her shoulders. Sorry, but, I''m not a kind person to that extent. I just continued waiting for her. For the girl hanging her head to avoid the moonlight. I wonder how long has passed since then? One minute? Ten minutes? It might even be just 10 seconds. "......Why?" Small voice, that was barely audible. "What is it?" "Why didn''t you press me a question?" - This time, it was clearly heard. "First reason is because I didn''t have a positive proof. Even if I said "You are the culprit!", If you feigned ignorance, then it would''ve ended there." "............" "And also because I believed that you would return it to me at one point. To me, Saya-san didn''t look like a bad person at all." Just like a child spoiled by the mother. In my eyes, she was reflected as an innocent cheerful girl. "That''s why, I was constantly waiting." I told her. With that, she finally lifted her face. Her pretty face was ruined from the wrinkles of tears. Saya-san wiped her eyes, and along with sobbing: "I was lonely." "I''m not your little sister." "I know. I know that, but.......I-I wanted us to be together." It was a voice that seemed like it would disappear anytime now. Was that towards her sister? Or, was it towards me? After meeting Saya-san by chance, what do I even know about her? It would be same as not knowing anything, but I somehow understood what kind of person she was. A hopeless elder sister who was always spoiling her cute younger sister. Surely, that''s who she was. But she couldn''t endure going with her little sister. "Loneliness felt bad, bad, and frightening, that''s why I©¤©¤" "Ei!" I flicked her forehead. With clink!, a rough sound reverberated. "That is not a reason." Feeling bad from being alone, you rely on someone. From the unpleasantness of the ridiculing loneliness, she desperately searched for someone who would get along with her. Feeling scared from the solitude, she franticly ran from place to place. Honestly, I think it''s a very detestable behavior. "So what if you are alone? And what if you feel lonely? If you are afraid of them, then you won''t become a Witch Apprentice? Truly, no matter what you accomplish, a person will always be lonely. It''s no good if you are not alone. If you start getting along with others, then that''s the end." I wonder if her little sister said the same to her when leaving. I won''t know that truth. "......But" "Aaahhhhhh. I don''t want to hear it. Your sorry excuse won''t reach my ears!" I covered my ears with both hands and started shaking me head. Making the shaking sounds. I swung my hair with a force that it hit her face. Ah, I got a little irritated. "Surely, fighting alone is painful. It''s scary. I can understand that. That''s why©¤©¤" Saying that, I took out a tricorne with Magic. It was really similar to the one I use. I put it on her head. "That''s why, take this. In order to be alright, please take this part of me and carry it with you." Saya-san tightly grasped the visor of the hat and: "But, to take something that''s Elaina-san''s......." "Ah, It''s fine. That''s a spare one." I showed her another hat I took out with Magic. It was a hat really similar to mine. "With this, we are the same. From now on, you will be alone. But won''t be alone at the same time. Me and your little sister as well, we will always be watching over you." That''s why, return the brooch to me©¤©¤I said in order to persuade her. While covering her head with the hat, and holding it very, very tightly as her shoulders trembled, she quietly nodded. That form looked so empty and frail. I embraced her slim shoulders. That day. We spent our final night together. After she stopped crying and calmed down, I instructed her about ways to pass the Magic examination, then heard stories about her and her little sister''s country, as well as telling my own tales from journeying, and other various things. Ah, speaking of which, Saya-san seems to be a splendid magician. Well, I knew about it. But I wonder why is it that only at the time of using the Wind Magic, she started to get worse in it? No matter how much I asked about that, she just turned bright red and didn''t answer. What the hell? In the end, we fell asleep after the sun started rising. It was a long, long night. But, it became a precious memory. I wonder how long has it been since I left the Country of Magicians. Should be about six months. After I met her, and after she returned the brooch, half-year has passed already it seems©¤©¤Hah, the thing called time flow is a very fast thing. Really. I already drifted so far that I''d say "Eh? Country of Magicians? Where''s that?" if asked. What reminded me of that person I met in that country, was her name that I saw when I casually entered a bookstore. ¡¸List of people who recently passed the Apprentice Witch exam¡¹ It was the bundle of cheap-looking papers that was a monthly newspaper of the mysterious organization called the Unified Magic Organization, which held the ceremonies of Apprentice Witch promotion exams worldwide. Its cover was decorated with the results of the promotional examination results, and with the comments of the successful participants. And her name was also there. "Hey! Look at you standing and browsing it." - The newspaper was confiscated by the shopkeeper-san that came out from the store. ".......Aah©`" I wanted to keep reading it. "If you want to read it, then buy it." "How much is it?" "One copper coin." I paid. Then. Taking the newspaper in hand, I came back to the inn while humming, then took the chair near the window and continued reading. Written there was her everyday troubles and her aspiration towards the future. About her coming to the Country of Magicians few years ago along with her sister. About her sister easily passing the Apprentice Witch exam and returning home. About the meeting with a certain traveler, receiving a beautiful hat and a courage to fight alone from her. About attempting the test several times after meeting that traveler but ending up failing. Yet, continuing with great effort without giving up, and finally becoming an Apprentice Witch. About planning to return to hometown from now on, and starting training in order to become a Witch. I unintentionally loosened my face. Her drawn-out story came to a finish with these few words. "When I return to the hometown and become an adult, I will go to meet that traveler I love so much." Dropping the newspaper on the desk, I looked up at the sky. Thoroughly clear light blue sky that kept continuing far across the distance without end. I wonder if she''s there, on the opposite side. "I''ll wait patiently as I continue my journey©¤©¤Saya-san." CH 2 It was the middle of a season that won''t be called neither spring nor summer. Cutting through the cool and dry atmosphere, I was flying in the broadleaf forest. This forest seems to be quite vast, as I can''t see the end no matter how much time passes. In order to avoid the trees that block the path on the very narrow road, I shift my broom left and right while noisily rubbing against branches. After that, I saw the sky. This forest was so full of trees that I just merely saw something dazzling at the opposite side of the greenery. ".....Oops." While looking up, my tricorne was swept away by a tree''s branch. After stopping, turning back, and recovering it, I once again started my advance. If it''s so difficult to fly in this forest, it would''ve been better to fly above it©¤©¤But unfortunately, it''s too late now. I already came this far, and turning back would take too much time. If I tried to forcefully fly up from here, then I have a feeling that this time, my tricorne won''t be the only thing that ends up being damaged. I feel like I''ve fallen into a somewhat difficult situation. Whose fault is it you ask? Well, it''s entirely my fault, so what? While such complaints directed towards no one in particular drifted in my mind, I continued flying. I don''t know how long it was before the path finally opened up. "Wow......" I leaked my astonishment without thinking. What I saw there was a garden of flowers. I was flying above the garden. There were red, blue and yellow flowers spread along the earth. All of them were vividly stretched out, facing the sun. The wind from the broom''s movement was grazing my face and showering me with petals along with a refreshing fragrance. Good fragrances that touched the bottom of my heart soared up along with the distinctly colorful flowers. Holding my hat not to be stolen by the wind, I lowered the speed of my broom. There, in the middle of the forest, was another world. I was completely captivated by that sight. ".......Oh." Within the flowers¡ªI saw the silhouette of a person mixed in within the dazzling colors. Is this person caring for this flower garden? I pointed my broom towards them. "Um, excuse me." As I called out from above the broom, that person turned their head while sitting. It was a cute girl the seemed to be around my age. "Ara, hello." "Hello. Are you tending to this flower garden?" She shook her head. "No. I''m not the caretaker of this flower garden. I''m here simply because I love flowers." "You are not a caretaker......? Then, all these flowers bloomed here on their own?" "Yes. That''s how it is." Is that so? I thought. I thought something like a flower garden could only be made through human effort. Then again, the flowers were on earth before humans, so it''s not like they won''t exist without human interference. But, how can such magnificent scenery exist by nature''s power alone, without human assistance? Amazing. "Are you a Witch?" Tilting her head, she asked as she gazed at my chest. "Yes. I am traveling." That''s so amazing©¤©¤Ah, that''s right, in that case~ I have a favor to ask." "If it''s something in my power." With that, she plucked some flowers, wrapped them with her jacked, and presented them to me. It was a bouquet made on spot. "If it''s all right, I wanted you to deliver these flowers to the country that''s up ahead from here." "Is it fine to give it to anyone?" I cocked my head in puzzlement as I accepted them. "Anyone is fine. Handing them to people is considered a beautiful act and it''s important." In other words, she wants to spread the word about this flower garden. I feel like I can understand her feelings to show this beautiful scenery to everyone. "So in other words, you want me to be a publicist of this flower garden, eh?" "You won''t?" "No, it''s fine." Rather, it would be my pleasure©¤©¤As I replied, she looked relieved from the bottom of her heart, and answered "I''m glad." while showing a smile. After that, we engaged in light conversation for a short while. About countries I visited up till now, and about flowers she liked the most. If I''m not mistaken, we talked about subjects like that. Then, afterwards we spent a lot of time enjoying the moment: "Well then, I have to hurry now©¤©¤I''ll deliver the flowers to someone in the next country." "Please do, traveler-san." She smiled and waved her hand. "............" Suddenly, I got an uneasy feeling. "You are not going to leave this place?" "That''s right. There''s nothing bad in being in this flower garden. Soon, the day will end from just playing with flowers. I become happy just from basking in the sunlight. Isn''t this just lovely?" She said it with a clear voice. While continuing to sit. "Halt, little girl. Hey, I told you to stop, didn''t I?" After traveling for a few hours on my broom from that flower garden, I, who arrived at a certain country¡¯s gate, was greeted by the black clothed guard-san with a nervous tone. Taking such an oppressive attitude towards a stranger, and what''s more calling me a little girl. While there were no people that made a good impression on me until now and this should be a natural thing for me, against him my anger raised if only just a bit. But, I didn''t show it. I''m an adult after all. "Traveler you say?" "Yes. Can''t you see by looking?" "What''s that bouquet?" "It''s nothing important." "............" "What is it?" "Show that to me for a bit." He rudely approached me and snatched the bouquet from my hands. "Ah, hey!" As expected, I can''t close my eyes to this. I quickly got down from broom and tried to take back the bouquet. But, he shook off my hands and stared at the bouquet©¤©¤As if trying to drill a hole in it. As if my resistance was insignificant to him. To make it worse, "This.....Could it possibly be that person''s......" he ended up muttering something as his facial expression changed. I didn''t get it. ........This gate guard fellow. "You, where did you get this." "Why does it matter. Please return it." "Per chance, isn''t this picked up from the flower garden?" "That''s none of your business." I am completely underestimated huh. What should I do? Should I turn him to ashes?©¤©¤I took out my staff. "Hey, what are you doing?" It was at the moment I decided to throw him down with a gust and prepared my staff: a voice resounded from behind me. And it had another oppressive attitude. Just what is this? Are there only arrogant fellows in this country? Haah? Getting angry, I turned around. "That is a traveler-san''s possession. Return it at once!" There was a middle aged man©¤©¤Clad in the same black cloth as the gate guard©¤©¤ He wasn''t glaring at me but at the young guard. As I turned around, that young guard was grasping the bouquet with an awkward face. "But, sensei, This......... This is........." "I get it from looking. I''ll handle it from here so get back." "That''s not it, This is©¤©¤" "Get back I said. Didn''t you hear it? You should rest for a bit." ".....Tch." While smacking his lips, he bitterly glared at me and went away. "Ah, please return the bouquet." "............" He came back with a weak expression on his face, and: "........Here." He pushed the flowers at me. "Thank you." He didn''t reply back. And now, he went off somewhere. That gate guard felt irritated until the very end. Lets leave this behind now. After watching until he disappeared, that person who was called a senpai made a troubled face. "Sorry, Witch-san. It''s because his little sister went missing recently. He''s been like that ever since. Please forgive him." "I don''t mind it." Even though that''s a lie. "By the way, those flowers, I''m sorry but can you dispose of them here? It is prohibited to take them in the country." "Prohibited to bring it? You mean these flowers?" I didn''t understand the meaning and intention. I unconsciously embraced the flowers tightly. "There is a poison in those flowers." He indifferently said it instead of unreasonably snatching them away. "Since you are a Witch they are harmless to you, but they contain magic power that makes the hearts of people who can''t use magic go mad©¤©¤I also don''t understand the details, but it''s something like that." "......Poison." He nodded. "Charmed by those flowers, people go to their original field and spend their whole life nourishing them. That''s why taking them is prohibited." "............" "Is something wrong?" ".....No." Supposing that there is a poison inside the flowers in my hands, then. . . could it be, I started thinking. The girl that gave these flowers to me. Why didn''t she try to stand up even once?©¤©¤Why was she sitting in the flower garden? I kept wondering about it. But, was that not trying to stand up, or being unable to stand up? Maybe her lower body was not her''s already? ............... "Um, then the little sister of that guard from before." "Yes. Ever since going to the garden of aforementioned flowers a few days ago, her whereabouts have been unknown." He dropped down his gaze to the flower bouquet from before. "Hey, Ojou-chan. Who are you planning to give them to? Perhaps©¤©¤" "No." I interrupted his speech. "I plucked these flowers for myself. The cloth they are wrapped in is my spare one." That''s why, I don''t know about his little sister. I shamelessly declared. After that, without doing any notable sightseeing, I went to the hotel and rented a room for one night¡¯s stay, then went took a bath and crawled in bed as if trying to disappear. I started thinking while staring at the thin wood boards lined up at the ceiling. About the flower garden. And about the girl that was sitting there. In the novel "Adventures of Nike" that I read long ago, there was a mention about a strange plant. As I remember, the circumstances in that tale were that a mutated plant obtained a self ego from absorbing the magic power that was originally breathed out and started acting violently©¤©¤It was something like that. In the first place, something like magic power exists everywhere in the world. Plants like trees and grass in particular, after getting basked sunlight, they breath out the magic power. But, I don''t understand why in the world it''s like that. Then, those who take in that magic power that''s not originally in the human body, and are able to manipulate it at will are called Magicians. So, Magic can be used at its strongest inside a forest that is overflowing with magic power. The place I trained at with my teacher in order to become a Witch was also in the forest. I''d say we Magicians are also mutated existences like that plant in the "Adventures of Nike". After all, we are able to use something that is not usable by humans. .......No, perhaps the ones who can''t use Magic are the abnormal ones. I don''t understand who is who. I had such casual discussion in head, but thinking about it is useless. That discussion is the same as what came first, the chicken or the egg, it''s absolutely useless to think about after all. ".......Fuah" I yawned and rubbed my eyes. I can''t sleep yet. It''s okay. Don''t sleep, don''t sleep. ©¤©¤The flower garden from before. I fear that from that much magic power, the flower garden will evolve in a strange way. Similar to that flower in that novel that obtained a self awareness. If i think about it, that forest where the flower garden was so dense with trees that you could barely see the sunlight if you looked above from there. The magic power that was created was befitting of it. Under that much piled up magic power, it wouldn''t be strange even if that flower garden turned into something different. And the flower garden that spew venom with its nectar that started tempting people©¤©¤What in the world brought it forth. "............" What would become of people that were tempted by that flower garden? The hazy feeling was constantly attached to my mind without leaving. "Oya, Witch-san, are you leaving already?" The next morning. The one protecting the gate was the middle aged guard from yesterday. Seeming to remember about me, he greeted with a casual smile. While making the same smiling face: "Yes. This wasn''t a too big country so one day was enough for me." "It''s a boring country isn''t it?" "No no. It was very enjoyable." "Hahah. That was a funny joke." Was I seen through? "By the way, where is the young guard from yesterday?" "Hn? He''s taking a rest today. He left the country yesterday evening and hasn''t returned since then. Why? Did you wanted to meet him?" "So funny." I don''t want to meet him, so listen. "Well he said he''d return till night, so if you want to meet him, then you should wait." "No thank you." "Hmm. Then, are you still going?" "Yes. I would say that there is no need to hurry, but unless you leave at morning, you might have trouble reaching the next country before sunset." Besides, there is a place I must go. More than this country, my mind is at that place. "Is that so? Well, take care." "Alright. Thank you." Thus, I left the country. Then. I faced towards the forest visible at the distance©¤©¤Towards the place from yesterday and flew with my broom. As I approached the trees that were sprouting from the forest just a bit, everything got dyed by green in front of me. The violent wind was blowing and twisting around, cooling down the hot vast land. The clouds gathered in the sky, interrupting the rays of sun. The ashen sky, already began to dye with a lead color. Immediately after that, it started raining. Passing through the trees that were pressed together, I was met with the opened space. There was the flower garden. Similar to the sky, they were quite dull compared to the vividness from yesterday. "............" Not just colors, even that appearance was giving off a slight uncomfortable feeling. I followed the same path from yesterday in reverse, so this should not be another place, and, this uncomfortable feeling that can''t be wiped of is a proof of it. Descending with my broom, I met with the source of this uncomfortable feeling. Kusha! - With the sound that lacked elegance, the flowers underfoot felt like they were dead. The flower garden with pleasant fragrance. In front of it was a person''s figure. The true shape of this uncomfortable feeling was that. That human figure itself was what gave off uncomfortable feeling. "............" The girl who gave me the bouquet. And if front of that figure was a single man©¤©¤The attire was different from yesterday but the person who''s face I clearly remembered was sitting in the flower garden and looking at the girl with a smiling face. It was the gate guard from yesterday. "Hello." "Ah, are you that traveler from yesterday? Greetings." He showed a very light reaction. "Is this your little sister?" He nodded to my question. "Yes. I finally found her. Who''d think she would be at such a place." Making a kind face, he grasped her hand. It looks strange more you look. For some reason, I can''t perceive the girl whose hand he''s grasping as a human. Green specks are visible on the skin, and the ivy is crawling throughout her body, she was looking stagnantly towards the sky with blank eyes without blinking. Her mouth was open widely and drool spilled from there since the start. Her lower body was even stranger. Her body below the hips was wrapped in giant red petals. As if a human was growing from a giant flower. As if the human and a flower were forcibly connected. It was very bizarre looking. He was looking with fascinated eyes towards such girl. "So lovely. To become so pretty at such place." ".............." "? What is it?" I shook my head. "No, you look surprisingly different from yesterday so I was surprised." "Aah, from yesterday? My bad, yesterday I was perplexed from not knowing my little sister''s whereabouts. looking slightly down, I saw Ivy that was coiled around his leg. Surely, he is unable to move just like her. Rather than unable to more, it might be more like he has no intention to move. "............." He was paying my presence any mind either. If I didn''t call out to him, he would turn towards her and continue to talk to her with emotionless eyes. "Good grief, to be monopolizing such lovely place." "Ah, that''s right. Hey, let''s invite everyone from the country here together. If we show it to everyone, they''ll surely be pleased." "What''s more, I want to show you to everyone now what you became so lovely." "Hey, is that okay?" "I see. Thank you." Perhaps he was able to hear words that I was unable to hear. To me it only looked like a one-sided talk to his little sister about something, however. The girl that I talked with yesterday, couldn''t even make facial expressions anymore. Nor could she express anything. It looked like both emotions, body and everything else was casted away somewhere by the flower garden. She couldn''t do anything other than to be admired. Just like a flower. Above the grasslands, I was flying with broom. Fortunately, it hasn''t rained every since I got on broom. I want to reach the next country before it starts raining, but what should I do? "........Oh?" Under the ashen sky. I saw something wriggle towards my direction. As it approached, I vaguely understood that its shape belonged to a human. Without dropping my speed, I passed side by side with that person. "............." I didn''t really understand whether it was a man or a woman. Age is also unknown. I only understood that it was a human. That person was walking towards somewhere. Heading ahead, perhaps towards the country. In those vague things, I only understood one thing clearly. There was just one thing I saw. It was the important-looking thing that they were carrying in hands. The flower bouquet. CH 3 There''s a shortcut ahead of here. There was a signboard indicating that put up so I meekly followed it. The road was narrow©¤©¤Or better yet, it wasn''t something that would be called a road, but something more like an animal trail where I couldn''t even use the broom. It was impossible to fly, so I continued advancing while bending around forcefully. It couldn''t be helped so I continued walking as I pushed the grass aside on the trackless road that didn''t have any pavement. From the grass that was wet with morning dew, the droplets scattered as they came in contact with me. The hem of my clothes was already wet and started to get heavier. This is a shortcut when walking on foot, but if I could use my broom, I could easily take a detour. Damn it. Speaking of which. What kind of country would the next one be? Since it has such uncivilized road leading to it, I think it''s probably not very popular with trading. In short, It might be a country as uncivilized as this forest. No, that is just my guess to the end. ......Hmm, somehow, I lost the mood to keep going all of a sudden. Should I return back? Well, that was just a joke. As such complaints flowed in my head like the wind, I kept walking for some time. After continuing into the forest with the unchanging scenery, finally a change appeared. ".......Oh my." A tree has fallen down. A several hundred years old giant tree was fallen down on its side. And, not just one, but countless of them. Uhh. So troublesome. But, it''s not like I can''t continue ahead. I climbed above the fallen tree. I walked with both hands spread out as if walking on a rope, then I caught sight of something black crawling in the forest''s shadow. Eh, bear? Too bad. It was a human. What''s more, it was a giant with bulging muscles. So scary. "Every tree in this forest was knocked down by my hands. What do you think, it''s cool right?" Humph - He took a pose to show off his muscles. Did he throw down the trees with just his muscles? I¡¯m not interested in that, but anyway, enough about that. "Are you perhaps from the country ahead?" As he started posing for no reason, he said "That''s right. I am native of that country. How did you know? Did you figure out from these muscles?" "Eh? Don''t tell me all guys in the country are brawny fellows like you?" I took a step back. "No. It''s not like that. Rather, in that country, there''s a muscle shortage." "What are you trying to say by that?" "Rather than that, these muscles, what do you think about them?" I see, mutual understanding can''t be reached. I decided to go along with him. "Ah©`They are amazing muscles~. Can I touch them?" "Go ahead, go ahead. Look!" The giant man presented his bended arm to me. I didn''t know how it would feel so I poked it with a finger. "Uwaa, amazing." It was stiff like a rock. "............" "Um, why are you turning red? "......I''m sorry. It''s the first time a girl has touched me except my little sister......." From that speech, it seems to okay to be touched by a little sister? Is that it? What''s up with that shitty reasoning. Just perish. Throwing aside my dark thoughts, I said. "By the way, what are you doing in a place like this? Are you working?" "No, I was in the middle of a training now." Then, he started talking. About his sister that was kidnapped by the strange people the other day. That because he was absent, he was unable to save her. About hearing that his little sister''s kidnappers were a brawny bunch according to the eye-witness. And in order to take down those brawny people, starting to train, in other words, chopping down the trees. ........At the same time, working part-time as a lumberjack to earn the money. ".......In the end, isn''t it just working?" "What are you saying. I said it''s not just for money. I have to accumulate much more muscles." From that reputing with rough breezing, I got a slight uncomfortable feeling. "What about the true objective of saving your little sister?" "That''s something I''ll do someday. My muscles are not yet sufficient to take down my sister''s brawny kidnappers." No, you already transcended humans, so please go and save your little sister already. ......If I said it, I think I would share the same fate as that fallen tree. Thinking so, I made an exaggerated nod. Then he went on: "But first, I need to defeat the bear©¤©¤A boss of this forest. This is the first objective." "Bear you say?........" "Yes. That fellow is terrifying. And is able to catch fish barehanded in the river. I can''t do that sort of thing." "Haa......." "Next would be a duel with that oddball at the backwoods of the forest that carries axe on shoulder. That weirdo can take down the bear that''s boss of this forest in wrestling. It''s a fearsome person." "Haa........" If it lost in wrestling, than that bear would no longer be the boss of this forest would it? "Then after that©¤©¤" After that, I kept hearing about his plans for an hour, without even a word about his little sister. I wonder if he really plans to ever go save his little sister? I wonder if his brain was polluted by muscles from overtraining himself? He seems to have forgotten about his real objective. Rather, he put its priority far too low. When will he remember about his true objective and go save his little sister I wonder? Well, that story is something that has no relation to me. CH 4 "......Yea, this is quite bad." It''s a small country without any characteristics. The reason I sighed was not because of the stale townscape. It was because of the disastrous contents of my purse. After paying three silver coins to enter the country, there was a lonely huddle of just three copper and one silver coins there. Moreover, sadly, from the many years of lying there, you would have trouble distinguishing the silver from the copper coin. It was also unknown whether I could use it or not. The value of a copper coin, in general, was that it could buy you one bread. A silver coin could let you stay for a night in a cheap inn, but if it''s the gold coin, you could get yourself a high-class one with decorations. Speaking about my current possibilities, it would be to enter a cheap-looking inn with a noisy door, eat just bread, and sleep wrapped up in a thin sheet while enduring the hunger. Simply put, I''ll die soon. "....What should I do." I''m troubled over money but I have to spend it. I kept walking while holding my growling stomach. From the lined up pastry stalls on the street, the fruit and vegetables were shining like jewels in order to tempt the starving me. Aah, I want to eat...... I want to eat©¤©¤ "Excuse me, a bread please." Without noticing, I ended up standing in front of the stall that had a rich aroma of wheat drifting around it. The prices were not written there. A lively granny, sitting at the opposite side of the bread looked at me and smiled. "It''s three coppers." Whoops, that was impolite. I was mistaken. It was a dirty old woman who was ripping money from the poor person. "Eh? Excuse me. It seems I didn''t hear well. Can you repeat it one more time please?" "It''s three coppers." "I see, so three coppers for three breads right?" "It''s for one. Are you a half asleep or what?" Are you yourself half asleep or what are you saying? Are you an idiot? How can you charge three copper coins for the crusty breads that seem to have been lying outside for a while. Although I wanted to leave at least one complaint behind, unfortunately I didn''t have enough energy to do so. In the end, I left that place without saying anything completely exhausted. Gulping air and saliva all together, I left the evil stall that tempted me behind. As I advanced on the main street, I ended up on a plaza. A giant fountain was stretching up to the sky. It was a totally ordinary sight that you can see anywhere. And on the bench at the side of the fountain, there was a couple merrily chattering not minding the surrounding stares, it was truly an ordinary scene. ............ For some reason, I got irritated and thought about burning them to cinders, but casting the thought aside, I started walking towards the fountain. Then, I drew the flowing water with both hands and started drinking. Cold water went down my throat and filled my body with the moisture it lacked. "Hey look darling! That Witch is drinking the fountain water." "It''s true, such a shabby appearance! Hahahahaha!" "............" I loaded magic in my hand and silently swung the staff I took out. A moment later. Along with a plain sound, the bench got split in half. "Kyaa! What happened to this bench?!¡± "It probably got too jealous from our passionate love! Hahahahaha!" "............" Somehow my anger also completely vanished. My feeling of hunger disappeared a little, so I put away my staff and started walking. After all, I needed to find the inn to stay for tonight. "Inn cost? It''s thee silvers." "For three nights? Sorry, but I plan to say for one night only." "No, it''s three silvers for one night." "............" This place was already the sixth one. I was walking around in hope of finding a satisfying hotel, but why did this happen? No matter which inn it was, the price was three times that of a general market price. In this crumbling inn that had a hole in a wall and no bath, the innkeeper asked three silvers for the night. You have to be kidding me. I hanged my head down. "Can''t anything be done about it? I only have a silver and three coppers with me....." I turned my purse inside out on top of the counter. A Lifeless sound reverberated. "Aren''t there just 4 coppers there?" "Ah, that''s a silver coin." ".........It''s true. It''s too unclean." "Can''t there be done anything?" "There''s no way" - The innkeeper uncle let out a sigh. "Please understand, Ojou-chan. This is also a business." "Is ripping the money from a poor person a business?" "Business is usually such a thing." "Fununununu......." I can''t deny it. Somehow, it feels unreasonable to ask for the shelter in this inn. I shifted my attention to the innkeeper while collecting the coins one by one. "I have a question if you don''t mind." "What is it?" "Aren''t the prices in this country a little too high? The town scenery is also nothing extraordinary, and there doesn''t seem to be things worth raising money for." "Ah......" ¡°Since you are a traveler, you don''t know, huh, Ojou-chan?¡± ©¤©¤ The innkeeper said those words. Looks like there are circumstances after all. The innkeeper seemed to be worrying about the surroundings, so I lowered my voice. "The foolish king that was crowned recently, started fabricating large quantity of coins." "Fabricating? You mean making fake coins circulate in the market?" The innkeeper nodded. "Yes. And with the appearance of the money in the market, the value of coins was dropped. For you who are a traveler, the prices seem to be a bit high, but for the people living here, they are valid prices." "Valid you say...... But, you are using fake coins right? Wouldn''t you receive punishment for using them?" "The one who circulated the fake currency was the king himself. There''s no way that we would receive punishments." I see. I think I saw the true colors of this country. I don''t understand what the king''s objective was, but if he circulated the fake currency to liven up the country, then that would be befitting for a moron. But there are no one who would oppose the use of fake currency in the country, huh? "To us, it''s not really important whether the coins we use are genuine or fake. If the money inside the country increases, then it would be fine even if the prices are raised, and whether they are fake or not, the citizens won''t have a problem with it. The only ones troubled will be you travelers." "......That''s right. I think people coming from outside will have their hearts broken from such high prices." Just like me. The Innkeeper glanced behind me. Looking back, there was another customer standing behind my back and holding three silver coins in hands©¤©¤ Seems like they plan to stop for the night here. The prices that are three times higher than general, certainly do seem like they are valid prices for the people of this country. "We should be done, Ojou-chan" "Yes. Thank you very much for the important story." I bowed and left the inn. I decided to work in order to earn income for the inn charges. I returned back all the way to the street where I couldn''t buy the bread. Then I sat on the side of the street for a bit. Looking at the people passing by, they seemed to be shopping with completely carefree faces. Their shamelessness knew no bounds even though they were aware of the fake currency. "........." Since I''m a traveler, my funds will hit the bottom sooner or later. It was not work in order to settle down here, but an essential thing to do. That being said, I''ve had problems with fundraising many time until now. If money runs out, I won''t even be able to enter the country after all. Usually, I would save a person from merchant''s shams and earn few coins from it. But, I started to think. But, since for this country, it''s fine whether it''s real or fake coins, then there are no disadvantages. When I think that I would receive the threefold amount as well, then just like the people of these country, I also won¡¯t feel bad in the least about using fake coins. "Hey, you." I called out to the youth walking along the road with sullen face. His shoulders flinched and he looked at me, "Eh, me?" I nodded and beckoned him. "You seem to have troubles right?" "Umm, who are you?" "Oh my, I was so rude. I forgot to introduce myself. I am a traveling fortuneteller." As I shamelessly declared that, I pushed up my tricorne and looked at the sullen-faced youth. He replied without erasing the dubious expression. "Troubled you say..... Do I really appear so troubled?" "Yes. To me, you seem to be full of troubles." "Is that so......." "That''s right." I made an exaggerated nod. From personal experience, wavering in the middle of business leads to failure. The moment I wavered©¤©¤The moment I opened up, they would start to hold suspicions towards me. In short, the number one rule is to make an impression. I began: "You yourself can''t fully understand what you are troubled over. ©¤©¤For example, it could be because you don''t have confidence in your looks, or maybe something didn''t go smoothly at work, or perhaps you feel anxious after being unable to meet your destined person no matter how much time passes©¤©¤" ".........!" His face twitched just for an instant, but I didn''t miss that. I see, so he is worried about not having a lover, huh? I see. "You are feeling anxious about not having a lover©¤©¤Am I wrong?" "......Well. Probably." He said that to me while averting his eyes. "I shall offer you a divination©¤©¤About the day your destined person would appear before your eyes." I took out my staff and loaded magic power into it. Poh - With a sweet sound, fire was produced. "......Aah" And immediately after being born, it was swept away by the wind and faded. It seems the magic power was too weak. Regretfully, I raised the staff that had smoke coming out even above. Truthfully speaking, I wanted to have a development where I tell fortune while looking at the flames, but that''s already impossible. After blowing off all steam from it with my breath, I put the staff away. "I see, I understand." "Eh? With just that?" "Yes. The smoke divination just now was a method of divination where you look at the shape of the smoke and predict the fortune." That''s a lie though. "I never heard of it." "Even so, it''s like that. After all, this fortune telling is a secret art that has been passed down in my family for generations. It''s not possible for others to be aware of it." I forcefully ended the talk in order to not let the lie be found, "By the way, about your destined person." "Y-yes. What? When will I meet her?" "Today it seems." "Eh, Today? In other words, that means you are©¤©¤" "Tonight, your destined person will appear right before your eyes." I feel like he was trying to say something ambiguous, but it''s better to disregard it as nothing but nonsense. Before he ended up saying another verbal slip, I opened my mouth. "There should be a plaza with a fountain up ahead right? There should be a broken bench on it''s side." I took out something from the purse and started talking as I presented it to him. "If you put this on your hand and stand near the bench, your destined person will show up before you without fail." After he took it from my hands, he got puzzled. "......This is? All I see is just a normal string." "That is nothing like a normal string. That''s a magical string that is loaded with my magic power. It holds the power to draw in the destiny." Of course, I didn''t do something like loading my magic in that string, and in the first place, even if I did, it wouldn''t have power to pull in destiny. Speaking of which, if I''m not mistaken, this is the string that I picked up near the stalls. "If I have this string...... Then, the destined person...." "That''s right. You will surely meet her. Well then, it would be sufficient if you wait till night with a neat appearance. So that way you don''t disappoint the destined person." Somehow, the youth who was hesitating started to tightly grasp the string before long. "I understand. I will wait near the bench while wearing this." He tried to depart with a refreshed smile. But, I hurriedly stopped him. "Customer, the combined price of the string and fortune is one gold coin." I began saying magical words to the frowning youth. "Don''t worry. If by chance you can''t encounter the destined person, I will return all of it." It was about one hour after the sullen faced youth left. One woman passed in front of my eyes. She was a plain woman with plain appearance and features. Her age was approximately same as mine. Her base features weren''t bad, but her good points seemed to be killed by her unkempt hair and her attire looking as though it were just thrown together from her closet. Just like that darkened silver coin. Anyhow, I decided for that girl to be my next customer. "Hey, you...... You are worried for being unable to find a lover right?" I called out to her who was walking with her head down. Her shoulders flinched and she turned towards me. "......M-Me?" "Yes. You." "Umm, who are you?" "Oh my, I was so rude. I forgot to introduce myself. I am a traveling fortuneteller." As I shamelessly declared that, I pushed up my tricorne and looked at the her. While shivering just like a herbivore under the gaze of a predator, she asked me timidly. "H-how did you know?" "I understood it. I am a fortuneteller after all©¤©¤I saw everything about you starting from your troubles to your destined person." "E-even the destined person? Is that truee!" "Yes. I saw it clearly with these eyes." Obviously, it was a lie. "Then, when will my destined person appear?" "It seems today." "To-today......?" She who throbbed from the word "destined person" was also greatly shocked from such a sudden development. But I didn''t panic. Because up to this point, everything was going according to my plans. "There should be a plaza with a fountain up ahead right? There should be a broken bench on it''s side." Then, with extremely calm tone, I added. "Tonight, a person wearing a string on his arm should appear there. He would be your destined person." And so. Just like that. While saying "For the improvement of fortune", I gave them a stone that I picked up nearby and arranged the fated meetings. And the result of continuing such superb business for a few days: my purse is now crammed with lots of gold coins. If it''s this much, then I can live next few month with enjoyment. Oh no-no, I have to thank the king who fabricated the coins first. Thanks to the fact that the prices in this country are high, the consumption of money just for staying is high, however in return, there are unusually high rewards in business so everyone is happily doing it. In any case, money¡¯s value in this country is lower than other countries. "©¤©¤Yes, so, in other words, if you decorate your store with this ¡ºHalf Price¡» signboard that''s loaded with my magic power, the bread will start selling like hot cakes." "Really? I''ll do it without delay!" "Is that so? Ah, the signboard cost and consultation fee is 3 gold coins." "Is that for 3 signboards?" "It''s for one of them. Are you sleep talking or something?" Coins in my purse have increased yet again. I forced a signboard onto the old lady from the bakery who came after hearing the rumors, and with that, my work for today is done. Joyous clinking sounds were heard from the purse that became completely full. Well then, time to return to that worn-out inn. I stood up and lightly stretched, then started collecting the luggage. "Wait, you." It happened suddenly. Someone grabbed my shoulder from behind©¤©¤I got surprised and turned my head around. There was a soldier standing there. No, it seems soldiers. About ten soldiers of similar appearance slowly spread out and enclosed me. They had spears in hand and guns on their backs. It was a little out of place situation. "You are a traveling fortuneteller right?" Man who stood before my eyes opened his mouth. "No, you are mistaking me for someone." "No use lying. We were watching your trades with customers from behind the scenes." "........." Sweat started to pour down my cheeks. This is bad. This is bad, this is bad, this is really bad. What should I do. Looks like someone complained about my scamming work©¤©¤But, still, I haven''t really cheated or anything. But, ahh, what to do...... I''m surrounded so I can''t escape. I could probably escape if I use Magic, but want to avoid making enemy of the whole country.... "Please come with us," the man in front of me declared it indifferently, "The king wishes to meet with you." It goes without saying that I didn''t believe my ears. After I walked through the street of no real character surrounded by knights, I arrived at the palace without any special features. Aside from the high prices, there wasn''t anything peculiar in this country. In the biggest room of the royal palace, a single young man was sitting on a tall chair of the throne. The young king sitting above the stairs looked down on me and uttered: "Are you the traveling fortuneteller? You look very young." "King-sama is also very young. I was thinking king-sama would be older." The soldiers sent cold glares at my words. No, I didn''t say that with sarcasm at all. It''s true. King glanced at the soldiers and said, "That''s enough, of all of you. Withdraw," and sent them off with hand motion. After soldiers left the vast room and only two of us remained in it, the king started once again. "There''s a rumor that your predictions are very accurate, is that true?" "Yes, well©¤©¤Those who said that it''s accurate are probably right" "Are they effective only towards humans?" "? What do you mean?" "I want to hear whether it''s effective on things in general." He declared that in a completely calm tone©¤©¤I don''t understand what he''s thinking at all. Does he believe in my abilities? Or is he suspicious of them? Or is it that he already saw through my lie? I approached in a roundabout way. "What object''s future do you wish to see?" "The future of this country" - the king immediately replied. "Future of the country..... is it?" That''s right - he nodded with a humble expression, at that point I began to think. Predicting the future of this country doesn''t require something like fortunetelling. It''s a simple thing. No, in the first place, I don''t have any powers for fortunetelling. "Before I answer that question, there''s one thing that I wish to ask you, king-sama." "? What is it?" I started by saying, "Please tell me the reason of spreading fake coins in this country." After hearing that, he frowned and leaked a sigh "That''s nonsense." "Eh, are they genuine coins?" I looked at the coins that were filling my purse. If all of these are real ones, then I''m an absurdly rich person now. Yaay. ".......Indeed. What I spread were genuine, real coins©¤©¤No, I''m not the one who spread them though." "Was it by someone''s instructions?" Young King nodded. "It was done by the right-hand man of the previous king. I have been crowned just recently, so I left all economic policies to him. It was the idea of that person to spread the newly made coins inside the country to stimulate the economy. Well, in the end it didn''t go as planned." "........." I have a feeling that it going smoothly is out of the question though...... "Because the money inside the country increased all at once, the talks about fake currency fabrication started spreading, but that''s complete nonsense." "......Isn''t there a possibility that that adviser has lied to you?" "There isn''t. I secretly summoned a specialist in palace without him noticing and made him investigate, but all newly produced coins were genuine without a doubt." That''s why, the rumors saying I spread the fake coins within the country are nonsense©¤©¤The king stood up as he said that. He slowly came down from stairs and approached me. "That adviser truly did well. Truthfully, I even think that he should have become a king instead of me. ©¤©¤However, that didn''t come true because of the hereditary system. Before advancing the political measures, he would always come to my side with advices. If not for him, I would have been thrown down from the King''s seat long ago." "............" He stood before me and made an unpleasant face. "But, I just don''t understand him lately©¤©¤I don''t think that the things he made me do are connected to prospering the future. I don''t want to doubt him, but looking at the present situation, the economic state of this country is too grave. Although the rumors about fake coins appearing in the market aren''t true, the travelers are growing distant because the prices are high. The diplomacy is also lost." Hearing his troubles, there''s only one thing that came to my mind. This young king wants to have a peace of mind. By looking at the future of the country, he wants to obtain a peace of mind. If the future of the country is peaceful. If the adviser didn''t lie after all. What an honest person©¤©¤No, describing him by simple honesty might not be correct. "That''s why, I want you to show me the future of this country. Can you do it?" he declared. My answer was already decided. "It is possible." He nodded with gleaming eyes, "Is that true!?" After he forcefully grasped my hand, I withdrew my hand while stepping back and said. "Yes. I do not say lies." Telling lies like breathing is surely said about this. "But before telling the future of the country, I have a condition." "What is it." I raised the index finger. "First. Please let me stay here for a day. Telling the fortune of the country is very hard work. First, it''s necessary to grasp the whole country from the royal palace that is located at its center." "Yes. I understand. I will immediately make arrangements." The young king made a big nod. I raised a middle finger next to the index. Staying one night is just an additional thing. For the thing I will do after this doesn''t require preparations for it to go smoothly even though I said so. What is important is the next condition. "And the second©¤©¤" After that, while thinking about my strategy, I''ve been lying on the bed for a while in the room King-sama gave me. Waiting for the time when I need to carry out my plan. When the sun had finally sunk below the window and the outside was dyed by darkness, I finally opened my eyes. It''s about time it seems. I took out my staff and hit my head with it''s tip. "Eii!" With silly pop sound, I turned into a single small mouse. I temporarily changed my form by applying Magic on myself. It''s a tiresome thing and I didn''t want to do it, but there''s no other choice. Taking a form that''s easy to move in, I recalled the blueprint of the royal palace that young king showed me and dashed towards the desired location. If I go through the corridor, I might end up slaughtered by passersby, so I decided to move by attic. I advanced briskly on the attic that was so dusty that it it couldn''t be compared to the dazzling interior of the castle. And, I arrived just above the room of the adviser. As I looked down from the gap, I saw an adviser with his elbows on put on the writing desk. Opposite of him stood a single soldier. He had an appearance similar to the soldier that surrounded me today. I guessed from the atmosphere that they weren''t having a friendly chat. "So, how is it father?" - Said the young man. "How you ask?" The adviser replied while scratching his head, "It''s certainly going favorably. Soon that king will fall." "Soon you say, and when is that? Isn''t that what you''ve been saying for a while?" The young man raised an agitated voice. That last voice seemed to be asking about something©¤©¤But thinking about it with this small head, only one person that sounds like that comes to my mind. Perhaps, the young man who is having a conversation with the adviser is that soldier from daytime who grasped my shoulder. It might be my misunderstanding, but. "That king has summoned the traveling fortuneteller to the castle. Surely, it''s for predicting the future of the country. Our plan might be revealed to the king." The advisor laughed. "There''s no way that the youngster who adores me would do something like that right? Most likely, he wants to hear about his fortune in the near future." "............" "What''s more, the fortunes told by that traveler are also suspicious. She might be a little scoundrel that makes money by tricking people." Kuuh! "......The fortuneteller is just a little girl." "I want to see the person myself." That''s right. Everything is exactly like that. But I''m not a little girl. I''m a Witch you know? A Witch. Perhaps he was tired to return the words, the young man just sighed and replied, "Keep the promise." "Yeah, I will keep it. That''s why you should also do your job properly. After all, your actions are essential in my plan." "......I understand." Saying that, the young man decided to leave the room. The ceiling broke with loud tearing sounds, and the ashen-haired Witch holding the staff jumped down from there. Who in the world was that? That''s right, it was me. "......Haa, haa, fuuh......." Aah, what an awkward appearance. The Magic wore off midway. This situation was familiar. It seems that the ceiling where I was peeking from was too narrow for my body to fit. It broke the moment I returned to my original form. Or maybe it was rotten from the long age? At any rate, it wasn''t because I was heavy. ......Probably. "W-Who are you!" While I was standing up and brushing off the dust stuck to my body, the adviser was alert with a rifle in hand. He was probably hiding it under the desk. Thoroughly prepared. "Nice to meet you." I swung my staff. In a moment, a flowers bloomed from the gun. They were quite lovely flowers at that. "You©¤©¤! T-This!" Because the flowers I made turned out to be so pretty, I completely forgot about the other person behind me. But since turning around was troublesome©¤©¤I tapped the floor with the staff and bestowed life to the scattered wood fragments. The fragments turned into ivies. And the ivies dashed towards them. And it seized them both. "You are the adviser of the king-sama right?" The middle aged man whose limbs were restrained by the ivy looked at me. He directed eyes full of hatred and bewilderment towards me. "Who are you!" "Father, this is the traveling fortuneteller!" the young man replied from behind. I frankly nodded, "That''s how it is. I am the traveling fortuneteller." adviser wriggled like a bagworm while unable to move. "......What business do you have with me." "Oh, you should know that yourself right?" "............" Silence. I turned around. The man who brought me here at daytime was glaring at me. "What do you intend to do!" I answered. "I intend to predict a peaceful future for this country." After that, those two were seized by the guards that came after hearing the noise, and were made to spill everything in front of the king. It seems that the father and son planned to seize the country. And the coins that were spread inside the country turned out to be fake in the end. It seems that the expert who told the king that the coins were genuine was a dirty imposter who was bribed by that adviser. In order to distort the hereditary system, he purposely made the country fall into crisis. He confessed that he put all the blame on the young king and planned to overthrow him. Probably after the advisor-san became a king, he planned to make his son succeed him. But, it ended with a failure. Right now, they are locked in prison, but I don''t know what would happen to them from now on. It''s not a question I should be concerned about. Then after their questioning has ended, I was summoned to the throne and received the promised thing. "Thank you very much" I nodded as I confirmed the contents. Large quantity of old gold coins went inside my purse. As a second condition for predicting the country''s future, all earned gold coins were exchanged for the old ones. Fake ones were completely removed. "Collect all fake coins that appeared within the country" The king weakly ordered. "The coins inside your purse are most likely fake too." "As I thought." The promise to predict the country''s future was still not fulfilled. The problem that the young king was worried about already disappeared, therefore there was no need to predict it anymore. I feel relieved that I stopped telling lies. Although the future of the country was weighing on my mind a little, I''m a traveler so I have to depart from here at once. What kind of road would this country follow from now on? That question is not something that someone could answer or predict its future. The same goes for me. "But, it''s regretful. To think that he kept lying to me." I replied to the lamenting young king, "A liar is someone who looks composed all the time." CH 5 As I flew above the gentle grasslands with my broom, the sounds of wind gently brushing the flowers reached my ears. The moderately warm sunlight and fresh wind was a pleasant combination, so much that I wanted to keep on flying at this place. Whoosh, whoosh, the sound of the wind could be heard as I manipulated the broom, following the wind left and right - I started enjoying it just a bit. But enjoying moments always end up being easily disrupted. This time was also not an exception, and I stopped after catching some voices in the wind. "Aahn? What was that? Say that one more time you shitty big brother." "Aahn? As I said, I was the one who was better you shitty younger brother." This precious refreshing mood was ruined. As I turned my head to confirm the source of the voices, I saw shapes of two men who were arguing about something. The two wore colorful closes, and guessing from their previous conversation, they are brothers. "Wrong, I''m(orecchi) better that you. I''m absolutely better." "Wrong, It''s decided that I''m(oresama) better. Because there doesn''t exist a little brother who can surpass his older brother." "Hahaa! That logic is too old. It''s the antique way of thinking. Over the ages, there have appeared little brothers who grew as they witnessed the blunders of their older brothers. Little brothers who can avoid blunders in advance are the strongest." "Hahaa! Such foolish talk. Isn''t that the talk about good for nothing old brothers? But I''m already a perfectly flawless human. If I had failures, just for argument''s sake, those failures would be something too high for you to succeed with!" Those two cursed for some reason and kept glaring while groaning like "Aah?" and "Wanna have a go?" towards each other. By the way, what exactly is the antique way of thinking I wonder? Or what are the high level failures? While I was puzzled about that, my eyes meet with one of the brothers (who was probably older one) who referred to himself as oresama. He immediately declared with a loud voice. "In that case, we should let that girl judge which one of us is the superior!" The brother (probably younger) who referred to himself as orecchi nodded in agreement. "That''s fine with me. Well, the one who wins would be me in the end anyway." I have a very bad premonition about this. "So, what are you two quarreling about anyway?" I asked the two while sitting on the grasslands. The two of them had similar facial features and hairstyles. Only difference between them was the color of the clothes. Older brother wore red while younger brother wore blue. And then red and blue brothers said at the same time. "Magic tricks!" "Haa, magic tricks is it?" "Magic tricks!" "I got it already so no need to say it for the second time" "Mag©¤©¤" "Hey didn''t you hear what she said? This is why brats are...." "Aahn? Don''t get carried away just because you were born mere three years before me, you shitty brother." "Exactly because you don''t know the difference between three years is what makes you a brat, you brat." "Even though there is three year difference, you can''t even use magic tricks on the same level as me? Ah?" "Won''t the two of you quiet down for a bit?" "Yes" "Okay" I made them shut up. They became silent. Good, it finally became quiet. However, magic tricks huh..... Since I am a Witch, I''m too unfamiliar with magic tricks. This is troublesome. Umumu..... Talking to both of them at once would be troublesome so I''ll talk to one at a time. I started talking towards the younger brother. "Why magic tricks?" "In your country, there''s not even one magician. There''s also the fact that it''s a small country, but, for some religious reasons, it has a history of banning Magic." "Mhmm" I have a feeling that some serious talk is about to start. The older brother continued the words of his younger brother. "But there''s an instinct that attracts ones to prohibited things right? There are many young people like us who admire magicians." "So the two of us started thinking. ¡ºEh? If we pretend to be magicians, wouldn''t we make a sum?¡» so we thought." "After that, we performed as the ¡®Illusionists who are really close to the Magicians¡¯ on the way." Ah, it really was a serious story, huh? I cut into the story that those two were proudly talking about together. "And, didn''t anyone get angry?" The one who answered was the one in blue ©¤ In other words, the younger brother. "They got angry, and we got caught. But, it''s not like we can use Magic. They are magic tricks. So, no matter how many times we were caught, we were immediately released." "Such thing......" That''s like a treatment of a hero. Also, they added "The government of our country is no good! They are incompetent!" at the end...... "But, wouldn''t the magic tricks end up being banned because of you two?" It just a simple question. "Ah. It was." "And, we were exiled. Completely broke." "Eh? You were exiled huh?" They both nodded. They really act the same. "The decision to exile us was decided one month ago." "After that, in order to earn money, we ended up becoming traveling entertainers." "I see, I see." "However, before becoming the traveling entertainers, one problem popped up." "Our team didn''t have a name" "Team name is it?" "We decided to make the team name from our names, but you see, we started arguing about which one of our names should be first" "Then, we decided that whoever was better at magic tricks would be the first one" I see, so that''s what it''s about. "By the way, what was the outcome?" Onii-san was the one who answered. "Currently it''s 0 wins, 0 loses and 15 draws." "The outcome isn''t decided at all......" "That''s why we want you to decide the victor among us." "I want for my draw to end today" Two of them glared at each other while shouting things like "What you looking at?" and "Haah?" Oh? Could it be that I have a serious responsibility? The magic tricks of those two was truly a wonderful performance. They did things like taking a bird out of nowhere, teleporting coins, finding the card I drew and so on. I got surprised and excited over and over. Magic tricks are amazing. But what was troublesome, was that the skills of those two were so great that they couldn''t be distinguished. Certainly, I understand why the victor couldn''t be decided from this contest. "How was it? I was great right?" - said younger brother while putting on airs. "No, my magic tricks were way better right? It''s like that without a doubt" - Big brother also said exaggeratedly. I looked at the two who kept glaring at each other at the same time, and declared. "It seems it''s a draw~" Just that. Both of their skills are amazing so there''s no way for me to tell who''s better ©¤©¤ That''s my stand on this. Honestly, it would be just too troublesome to speak my mind. I will let some other person conclude it. I was ready in case they started raging from my answer, but as one would expect, because they already had 15 draws, they were unexpectedly calm. "......Is that so. Well, It can''t be helped. Deciding the team name is still ahead." "Weeell, my name would be the one that ends up as first anyway" "What what that?" "What!" "Please stop it both of you" "Okay" "Alright" While they became silent, I took some distance. "Well then. My role ends with this." I am a traveler after all, so I need to reach the next country soon©¤©¤ saying so, I made a forced smile and began to depart. But at that moment. "Ah, hey. Wait a minute." "Won''t you pay the price?" I was stopped by them. Eh? Price? "The magic tricks we just did has a price right?" As I turned around, both of them started shrugging. "It''s should be quite pricey, right?" "Seeing our tricks for free isn''t really a good thing right? Right?" "Right?" Where did the two who were quarreling since a while ago go? Now they appeared to be quite in sync with each other. I have some bad feeling. "Wait, no one said anything about it costing money......" "I don''t remember saying it was free either," the younger brother started acting like a child. "Wait a second. Let''s confirm the situation. You asked me to watch over your contest of magic tricks©¤©¤ Then I acted as a judge of that contest. Is this correct so far?" "Yes. That''s how it was." Older brother nodded. Then, I continued. "Right? Isn''t that right? In that case, these magic tricks weren''t for the business but for the sake of deciding your match right? Should there be a necessary for paying the money?" "Don''t say foolish things. Our magic tricks are always our matches. Right?" "Right?" .......These two. They set me up. I had a feeling that I was being tricked since the beginning. They lure travelers with their quarrels, then make them see their tricks and ask for money....... Probably, they repeated this kind of play for the past 15 times as well. What shameless bunch. "......By the way, how much is the price?" I''m just making sure. There''s no way I''d agree to their complaints. "It''s four silvers" "It''s 8 silvers all together" "Ehh. So high" One silver coin is needed to stay one night in the inn, so in other words, they are asking me to give up eight days worth money to them. Such a thing. "You saw the magic tricks of best traveling entertainers after all. Rather, that should be cheap right?" big brother declared. Well, the skill of their magic tricks were most certainly high, however. "............" I''m just unwilling, but certainly, their complaints aren''t really wrong. I who didn''t agree would be in the wrong, but that''s it. ........... I don''t wanna pay. I don''t wanna pay the money for such useless thing©¤©¤ Etc.. I kept thinking about such things over and over. "Wait a second!" I heard some voice, that sounded like it was asking about something. As I looked ahead, there was a giant from a while ago standing there like a saviour. Ohh, what a coincidence. "Ah, hello" Nodding hastily, he began to get embarrassed. "It''s been a while, Witch ojou-san" "It''s been a while. Brawny man." It was the guy with cool muscles that I met few days ago. The brawny man. Since I never heard his name when I met him last time, I reflexively called him a brawny man, but it looked like he started throbbing when he heard word about muscles: "Fufun, that''s right. I am the brawny man" He puffed his chest. Uwaa, he looks like a fool. With the sudden appearance of this mysterious brawny guy, those two swindlers were clearly trembling in fright. "H-Hey....... Who is this guy" "What? Could it be her boyfriend?" "That''s wrong" I firmly declared. A guy whose muscles reached up to his brain is a bit much. He, without understanding the meaning behind my behavior©¤©¤Or perhaps not even hearing it©¤©¤turned toward the two and said with quite a bit of volume. "By the way, you two! Doing things like tricking people to earn money, even if God allows it, I for sure won''t. Prepare yourselves." It became something that was too much for me in every sense of the word so I turned my face away. "......Why did you turn away." My actions were seen. "No, it''s nothing," I answered. "By the way, why is brawny man here?" "Ah. I was on my way to take down the legendary dragon as the country up ahead calls it. Then, I saw your figure as I was competing with the wind in a running contest©¤©¤" "What about Imouto-san?" "Imouto?" After a short silence, "Ah, Imouto...... Imouto, right. I was thinking of going on a search for her after I defeated the legendary dragon. Hahahaha!" - He started laughing in a visibly forced way. He totally forgot about her, huh? It seems his head was packed by nothing but muscles. "......How should I say, Isn''t this guy unrelated to our and her business?" "Yeah. For sure. S-should we send the outsider away?" Both of them were clearly frightened. Well, if someone with bulging muscles like this suddenly appeared, it would be totally normal for the body to feel fear. "Shut up!" The brawny man flatly declared. Hii - Two of them leaked a small voice, and I unintentionally burst into laughter from amusement. "To be ripping money from such lovely girl, it''s not a good thing to do! I will now beat your character into shape! Come!" Saying so, the brawny man caught both them by the napes and started running. "Eh, Wha...... that, I don''t want it! Stop!" "Anything but muscles! Anything but muscles!" "I will teach you both the magnificence of the world of muscles! Fuhahahahaha!" "No! Let go! Let me gooo!" "Uwaaah! I''m sorry! I won''t ever tick another person!" "Fuhahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!" ............ I who was left behind, continued waving my hand towards their screaming figures. Even after their shapes became as small as a grain of rice, the voices of agony of those two continued resounding on and on throughout the vast grasslands. And they all lived happily ever after. What would become of those two and the brawny man from now on? In the end, that''s a story that has no relation to me. CH 6 Calm plains. The wind was blowing across the grassland that seemed like it was dyed in faint green color. The flowers shined from receiving the sunlight, and swayed from the wind just like the water surface. Looking up, a cloud so small it seemed like it could be touched by hand was leisurely swimming through the sky. Among such breathtaking scenery, one Witch was flying upon a broom. Her age was in later teens. She was clad in a black robe and black tricorne, and on her chest was a star-shaped brooch. There''s no need to say who that was, right? ©¤©¤That''s right, it''s me. While I was enjoying the pleasant scenery with a view that seemed to clean my heart, I saw a figure of a person standing alone in the middle of grasslands. When that person saw me, they started waving their hands. There were no signs of hostility. I also waved back. With utmost elegance. "Heey! Heeey!" That person was jumping up and waving hands to make his existence known..... Come, is that what they mean? I slightly shifted my broom and headed towards him. "Ohhh! You came!" The person standing there was a single boy. He was holding a jar in one hand. "Hello." I got down from by broom and bowed. "Hello. Onee-san, so you were a Witch. That''s amazing." The boy glanced at the brooch on my chest and smiled widely. "What are you doing here?" "I''m searching for happiness." "What''s that supposed to mean?" "Searching for happiness is what it sounds like," the boy said. "By the way, Onee-san, do you have some spare time?" Is he inviting me on a date? Nono, there''s no way it''s that. "If you are asking whether I have spare time, I have it, but if you are asking if I''m busy, I am." "So then, you do have a spare time!" ......... "By the way, isn''t there a village or a city around here?" If there''s no place I can stay at, I will have to sleep on the grasslands.¡± I can''t say if that choice would improve my mood. "If you are looking for a village, it''s over there." At the place he was pointing at..... there certainly appeared to be something like a village standing there. "Houhou" "Incidentally, that''s my village." "So you are a village head? Nice to meet you. I''m called Elaina. A traveler." "Ah, nice to meet you, I''m Emil©¤©¤ That''s not it! I mean, that''s the village where I live," Emil-san said with swollen cheeks. "I know. I was just joking." I gave a smile. The sulky Emil-san held the jar with both hands and became silent. As I dropped my line of sight to that jar, I saw something wriggling inside of it. Straining my eyes to look closely, it was a white mist. White mist seemed to be floating inside the jar like a living thing. "What''s that?" I pointed at the jar. Maybe he wanted me to ask that. Emil-san answered back acting proud. "This is a jar that collects happiness! When people or animals experience happiness, it transforms to magical power and gathers in the jar." "Oh?....." With magic, one can move things, change its form to fire or ice..... and manipulate it for all kinds of things, so it''s possible to reproduce the thing in front of me. Using that to fly with broom, alter the wind, or change one¡¯s appearance into a mouse is called Magic. Collecting happiness when it''s experienced, what that means is that emotions are converted into magic power, huh? It seems a little interesting. "Can I open it and see?" "O-of course you can''t!" As I extended my hand, Emil-san gripped the jack with both hands even tightly and retreated back. He declared with eyes baring hostility. "This is something made for the person I love, so Onee-san can''t touch it!" "Houhou." "A-are you angry?" "No, I was just impressed." I remembered a book I read long ago. It was a tale about a husband, who for the sake of wife who couldn''t leave house due to illness, wandered the world outside, and returned home to show his wife the beautiful sceneries he saw by reproducing them with Magic. How did that story end again? It''s a story from long ago, so I seem to have forgotten. "Who''s the girl you like?" "Hm? It''s the servant called Nino who works in my house. Her face always looks gloomy, so I want to bring her happiness" ¡°That''s why I''m collecting happiness in a jar,¡± ©¤©¤Saying that, he raised the jar up and displayed it. His expression looking at the jar like a lover was the very happiness itself. To the point that if his emotions were reproduced with magic, it would be able to easily fill up the jar with happiness. After that, we got on broom and headed towards the village. I talked about how magic power worked from a while ago so I never got to ask, but he was a Magician. That reminds me. What in the world was Emil-san doing in the middle of grasslands? "I was testing whether I could extract happiness from plants as well" "How was it?" I asked to Emil-san flying behind me. "It''s complicated. I managed to reproduce something like the emotions of plants, but for some reason, their color became impure so I abandoned it" "My my" Well, they were plants in the end, huh. If you asked whether plants had distinct emotions, I would only bend my head in wonder. If by chance I learned that they had emotions, there''s a chance that I would not eat salad from now on, so I want to avoid clarifying that fact as much as possible. "Ah, it''s that." He pointed at the village that appeared in front of us. It was a tiny village. To the extent that if you walked along the fences full of shortcomings that were lined up instead of outer walls, you would return to the same place in less than one hour. The amount of houses was about several dozens. Houses of similar appearance were scattered, and as if to fill up the gaps, small fields and wells were placed in between. Well, it''s how it is. "It''s a quiet village." "Right?" Getting down off the broom, we passed through two trees that were there instead of a gate and entered the village. Up ahead the straight road, there stood a fine mansion which was clearly bigger compared to other houses. Although I said big, it was to the degree of inns of other countries. "Is that the house of village head?" As I pointed at the mansion, he assented. "That''s right. And it''s also my house." "Oh?" Then saying this village was Emil-san''s wasn''t necessarily wrong. "...That reaction was quite weak, Onee-san." "Would it be better if I was surprised? Wow, amazing! You are so rich!" "Yea....... whatever, never mind already......" Emil-san became gloomy, as if shadow was cast on him. "By the way, Emil-san, when are you going to give that jar to her?" Instantly, his face was lit up. He''s an interesting boy with extreme jumps in emotions. "Now! I will give it to her after today''s meal at noon. Ah, that''s right, Onee-san should also come to eat. The food made by Nino-chan is absolutely delicious!" "I''m thankful, but I already ate just recently." "Then try just a little from Nino-chan! Ah, do you have any food you dislike? I will request to avoid it." It looks like I have to eat by all means. However, I have no reason to refuse right? "I don''t have anything I dislike, but I really ate just recently so just a bit, okay?" "Leave it to me! I will give you food that''s absolutely delicious!" No, the one who''s going to make the food isn''t you but Nino-chan, right? Like that, I ended up visiting the village head''s house. Compared to its outward appearance that was quite big, inside it was pretty ordinary. In the dining room where Emil-san guided me to, there was old-looking furniture lined up. Just like the modest situation of the village, the village head didn''t live in prosperity it seemed. Rather, there was an impression that they couldn''t handle the place that was too large. "Now, lets sit." Emil-san pulled a chair and urged me to sit so I sat. "That you©¤©¤By the way, where is the servant?" "Who knows? She will probably come soon." "How about the village head?" "Will come soon, I guess?" "What''s with that nonchalant expression?" It was a time when Emil-san and I exchanged such words. I felt a presence behind©¤©¤no, to be more accurate, I just heard the sounds coming from behind. In any case, I turned around. "......Ah." There was a girl standing there. Just as our eyes met, her shoulders flinched, so she gave a small nod, seeming as if she was scared of something. It was quite an innocent attitude. Judging from the attire, she was a servant. She wore a slightly largish apron dress (Maid clothes, in other words) on her petite build. "Why hello©¤©¤Are you perhaps a person of eastern origins?" She had charming, straight black hair and dark brown eyes. She had an appearance like that Apprentice Witch-san of eastern origin that I met in some country once. That Apprentice Witch-san''s hair was a bit shorter though. "Ehh? U-Um......" Asking about someone''s origins was impolite after all, huh©¤©¤As if asking for help, her gaze shifted to Emil-san. "That''s right. My father picked Nino-chan from an eastern country." "And then had her work in this house as a servant." The girl called Nino-chan gave a small nod. "Y-Yes...... I have received a great amount of kindness from village head-sama." That reply was so mechanical that it seemed like she was reading an already prepared manuscript. "Where is that village head-sama right now?" "Ah, erm.... Now, he is in the office, doing work......" She said while grasping the hem of her dress. "Um, would you like to order something?" "Nothing in particular," I shook my head. In any case, it seemed I would meet him at dinner, and there was no need to expressly meet him either. After she ended the talk with me, she downcast her eyes as if trying to avoid making any eye contact with me. It seems talking to people isn''t one of her strong points. However, the boy in love wasn''t worrying about that at all. Walking as if jumping, Emil-san rushed over her side and cut in her line of sight. "Hey hey, Nino-chan, what''s for lunch today?" His back was turned towards me so I couldn''t see his expression, but it was probably no different from a wide smile. "Ah, t-today...... We have a grilled fish as demanded from village head-sama." "Ohh! Hey, if it''s alright, can you make a portion for her as well? Emil-san pointed towards me, and Nino-san quickly glanced towards me and made a small nod. "How about it, Onee-san?" "That would be good. Thank you very much. But, I''m not really hungry so only a bit would be enough." "......Y-Yes" Just as Emil-san said, Nino-san''s expression was gloomy indeed. Judging by her expression, it looked as if we were teasing her. "Ah, that right. Nino-chan, I have a present for you after this meal" "Eh, f-for me......?" "Yes. Look forward to it." "N-no...... It''s okay. If you give present to a servant like me...... village head-sama will be angered......." Her expression changed to the point that it went beyond humbleness. "It''s fineee, I will properly explain it to father." "But......" Getting tired of Nino-chan''s indecisiveness, Emil-san took a forced action. "Then, this is an order from me. How about this?" "........." His honest feelings should have reached her for certain. Nino-san slowly gave a nod saying, "If it''s an order...." and faintly smiled. Looking at her, I felt that he also smiled. After that, I got very bored. Emil-san went to lend a hand to Nino-san and left me, the guest alone in dining room. I also headed towards the kitchen to help, but he refused with a smiling face saying "Onee-san just sit! The two of us will make the food!" There was no one to talk to, nor was there anything to do, there was just time that ticked and ticked, in short, it was extremely unproductive. I couldn''t ease my mood. I wanted to read at least a book. But I wasn''t carrying any, so I couldn''t do that. In the end, I just sat on the chair and passed the time in idleness. I waited several minutes. "It''s unusual to have visitors." Saying so, a plump man sat on the opposite side from me. He couldn''t be called old, nor was he young, and his age seemed to be somewhere between mid-thirties to forties. Probably. Maybe. "Hello. Are you perhaps the village head?¡± I asked while holding such firm conviction. "That is so." As I thought. "I am a friend of your son, Elaina. A traveler. Nice to meet you." "You are quite polite. I''m Emil''s father." I know. However, he appeared with great timing. I have too much spare time after all. "How long have you been acting as a head of this village? "I have been a village head ever since this village was built." "Is that so?" "Yes." "It''s a lovely village." "Yes." "By the way, are there any special things in this village?" "There aren''t." "At all?" "Yes." "......Is that so?" I think I continued the useless talk with village head after that, but honestly, I don''t remember what we talked about at all. In short, it was somewhat fine conversation. Then, after a short while, Nino-san and Emil-san returned while carrying the cookery. While two of them were setting up the dining table, along with the faint sense of hunger, I felt unease because of that which couldn''t be seen. "........." I think I asked for a small portion of food, but... "Eh? Have you sized it down it properly?" To my question, Emil-san blankly answered. "Look, it''s a little fish, and the salad isn''t much either." Well, now that he said it, it indeed appears to be small. But I would''ve been fine if it was about half of your portion. "Um..... I-Is it perhaps a bit too much......? If you can''t eat it all, it''s fine to leave it......" "........." I was silenced. Next to Nino-san, Emil-san was narrowing his eyes as if trying to say ''don''t leave anything!'' So in the end. I ate it. I ate it all without leaving anything. It was certainly delicious cookery, but I only enjoyed it at the beginning. And ended up cramming the remaining part into my stomach. It was too much. "Thank you for the food! It was delicious, Nino-chan." "T-Thank you.... very much," Nino-san bowed shyly. "I will tidy up the tableware......" Then she stood up and collected plates and glasses. Emil-san also assisted with it as if it was natural. In that case, I''ll also help©¤©¤ Thinking that, I stood up, but I was once again stopped with a smile saying, "Onee-san, it''s okay." As both of them went towards the kitchen, I asked to the village head "Where did you meet Nino-san?" While pouring the remaining glass of water down his throat, the village head, "In the east, I bought her," said that as if it was natural. Bought her. In short, that means: "Is she a slave?" "Yes. It''s a matter from few years ago. It was a time when my wife left the house, and I was troubled about housework." "........." There were things I wanted to say, but I endured. Staying silent, I urged him to continue. "At that time, I was in some business on eastern country and met her there. She was slightly expensive, but she could somewhat do housework, and what''s more, she had a face which seemed like she would become a beauty in future. That''s why I bought her without wavering. Just as I anticipated, she became a good servant." The village head laughed indecently. "Is Emil-san aware of that?" "I should''ve told him, but he seems not to particularly mind her being a slave." Emil-san said village head picked her up so there''s a probability that he isn''t aware of her being being a slave. Even if Nino-san was a girl bought as a slave, I feel that if it''s him who isn''t two-faced, he wouldn''t change at all even now. Nino-san, who quietly came back from kitchen while our conversation was in halt, confirmed that our glasses became empty and took them away one by one. The fact that she was constantly looking down while doing that means that she overheard our conversation. "Nino-chan, where should we put the big plate again?" "Hii......!" She made a ear-piercing sound. Emil-san, who suddenly came out of kitchen, and Nino-san, collided directly with each other, and the glass she held fell down. Fragments of various sizes have scattered below their feet. "What are you doing?!" An angry voice came from the opposite side of me. The village head quickly stood up and gripped the collar of dumbfounded Nino-san. "Clean it at once! Can''t you even manage this?! When will you be able to finish any work perfectly?!" "I-I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry......" "Stop it father! Wasn''t it my fault just now?! Stop blaming Nino-chan alone!" "You be quiet!" Flinching his shoulders, Emil-san hung his head down. Perhaps he was tired of yelling, he let go of her and jerked his chin while saying, "Clean it up!" With tears in her eyes, Nino-chan nodded over and over and bowed towards them and me many times, "I''m sorry, I''m sorry, I''m sorry......" while repeating that like an incantation. To be honest, I couldn''t watch it. It was extremely unpleasant. It was disagreeable. I pulled the chair, squatted down next to the glass fragments, and took out my staff. "If I fix the fragments, there would be no need to clean." Time reversal magic is convenient for things like healing injuries or repairing things. Something white as the mist grazed the fragments gently and turned back their time into it''s original form. I handed the glass which became same as before to Nino-san. "Be careful not to drop it from now on, okay?" The girl in question had an expression that said she didn''t understand what just happened. "No, my bad. I showed you a shameful thing and you even repaired the glass," butting in the conversation, the village head said in a calm tone. "Hey, you thank her properly as well." No, thanking isn''t something to do by being enforced. "......I''m sorry" Furthermore, Nino-san who was interrupted quietly said something completely different. That''s not it. "It''s not ''I''m sorry'', It''s ''Thank you'', Nino-san," I told her. Then, Nino-san raised her face that seemed about to burst into tears at any time and squeezed a voice, "Thank you, very much." "I can also do that level of Magic." After the village head went to reading room, and Nino-san returned back to dish-washing, Emil-san''s face became sullen. Even though it would be fine if he stopped forcefully acting tough. "Oh dear. I''m sorry. Was that unnecessary?" "No, I wasn''t able to do anything after all. Thank you, Onee-san." "You are welcome." "But, even I could do that much." "........." It was probably embarrassing to show such shameful sight to the beloved girl. "You shouldn''t worry about it," I hit his shoulders with both hands. "By the way, Nino-san is feeling down now right? Isn''t this the best chance to give her the present?" "! Onee-san, are you perhaps a genius......?" "Fufufu. You can praise me some more." Emil-san, who found a hope, had his mood easily brightened. What a simple kid. It''s nice. Emil-san, with the jar held behind his back, was waiting for Nino-san to finish her work. "......" Nino-san, who came out of the kitchen with a dark face, flinched from Emil-san''s sudden appearance. It was a reaction like that of a small animal. She surely remembered about the moment they collided. Emil-san stopped at one step¡¯s distance. "Nino-chan. I said I had a present for you after the meal right?" "......Y-Yes." Nino-san answered back hesitantly. "Here. This is the present." Emil-san took the jar he was hiding and carried it before her eyes. Having no idea what it was, Nino-san stared at the white mist wriggling inside with a puzzled face. "This is a jar filled with happiness." Emil-san touched the jar cap. "Inside, It''s packed with happiness of various people that I met in various places." "......Happiness, of people?" Nino-san inclined her head and Emil-san smiled. "You won''t see it with just a glance, so look carefully." With a pleasant sound, the cap came off. From the jack that had lost cover, white mist leapt out and reached to the ceiling. Then, as it covered the ceiling in white like a cloud, it started to slowly rain down in small drops. The glass-like drops reflected the sunlight and shined, and created an illusion. These were the fragments of people''s happiness. The grains of light reflected the happiness that he gathered. The happiness from the childbirth. The happiness from seeing a beautiful scene. The happiness from lovers walking together. Meager happiness from discovering pretty flowers. The happiness that resembled pleasure felt when overcoming hardships. The gentle happiness felt when falling asleep when reading a book on a day off while basking in sunlight. "You see, the outside world is full of such happiness," Emil-san said while holding Nino-san''s hand. "That''s why, stop having a gloomy face. Because I will make you happy" Nino-san... Looked at the grains of light in pure amazement, and before long had started to quietly cry. She shed tears while holding a hand over her mouth so that her voice wouldn''t leak. Emil-san, who laughed as if troubled, had silently embraced her. The flowing tears... Burst and shone just like the fragments of happiness. "It would be alright even if you stayed a bit longer." A pair of trees lined up instead of a gate. Emil-san, who expressly escorted me to the village exit, felt despondent like an abandoned puppy. Next to him stood the servant Nino-san. Since her expression wasn''t great since the start, I couldn''t see whether she was saddened about parting with me. I shook my head. "I''m sorry. But, I can''t remain for too long." Saying so, I took out the broom. "......Come and stay again okay? At that time, me and Nino-chan will treat you to even more delicious feast. Right?" "Y-Yes...... We''ll be waiting." Nino-san bowed. "Yes. I''ll come again©¤©¤I will for sure one day" Perhaps when I finish the journey. They waved their hands as I grew distant. Emil-san waved his hands in full spirits. Nino-san quietly waved just the part up to the elbow. ".........?" Suddenly, my eyes met Nino-san. They were eyes like deep darkness. However, that wasn''t simply the dark color, but like the kind of dark that seemed they essentially carried the darkness. As if full of some kind of despair. Just like a dead person. They seemed to be different from when I saw them for the first time in village head''s residence. ......What was it? While I was recalling that, the next town became visible. It was the end of the book I read long ago. The tale about husband who for the sake of wife who couldn''t leave house due to illness, wandered the world outside, and returned home to show his wife the beautiful sceneries he saw by reproducing them with Magic. Even though it left quite bad memories as an aftertaste, why had I forgotten it until now? The wife, who deeply yearned for the dreamy sceneries, unreasonably moved her body which originally couldn''t be moved, and died far earlier than what was left of her lifespan©¤©¤That was the conclusion of that tale. In the end, "Believing that you are doing something for someone isn''t always correct," - it was a story that had hints of such preaching. When Nino-san saw the contents of that jar, I wonder what she felt. What did she decide? Perhaps... "........." No, it can''t be. There''s no way right? Turning around, the wind was blowing through the grasslands that stretched and dyed everything in a pale green. The flowers shined from receiving the sunlight, and swayed from the wind just like a water surface. It was truly a beautiful scenery. But I will never visit it again. After all, I would most likely end up feeling nothing but sad even if I come. CH 7 Early morning, I have arrived at a certain country. It was a country I saw by chance while flying on broom, so I had no information about what kind of country it was. It was unneeded for such small village that didn''t even have gate, but normally when you enter the country that owns the land, almost always there is an inspection done by the gate soldier. That said, aside from special cases, they would just ask pretty general questions. "Who are you?" "Elaina." "Country of origin?" "It''s known as the peaceful country of Robetta." "Reasons for entry?" "Sightseeing." "What''s the duration of stay?" "Probably around three days." Usually, the questioning would end at this, if it was a country that required toll, you would pay the money and the gate guard would step aside saying "In that case, please take care." "For breakfast are you in bread faction? Or rice faction?" It seemed the questioning was still ongoing. And it was a vague question. "......Excuse me?" I frowned and asked again. The gate guard answered without changing his expression even a bit, "Again, for breakfast are you in bread faction? Or in rice faction? It''s a necessary information when entering the country so please answer honestly." Are there food competitions happening in this country? But if it''s a necessity, let''s answer honestly. Though I do think that it''s a little improper question for the formal procedure setting. "I''m not in either faction. I am a traveler, therefore I change the faction to match the culture of the country." I can''t eat anything but bread! - You can''t say that in the country with rice-centered culture right? Same goes for opposite. So, I have decided to maintain a neutral standing. "I see...... That''s unusual," Gate guard stroked his chin and said. "I see, I understand. Then, let''s put in both of them as your decision." After that, the gate guard moved aside and said: "Take care, Witch-sama." I bowed to the gate guard and passed through the gate. I immediately understood the reason of that strange question. It seemed that this was a country where two cultures had mixed together. There was a giant waterway near the gate entrance. And centering on that waterway, there were eastern houses lined up on its left side and western ones on its right. What''s more, there were two roads before the gate. On the right, "Eastern district: People of rice faction, this way!" and opposite to it, "Western district: People of bread faction, this way!" were written. Looks like the country is divided as rice and bread factions on the inside. "...Hmm." I hesitated. I don''t really mind either of them. But thinking about it, wouldn''t this be the first time walking to the eastern townscape? It''s always just western style. Then, it''s decided. I turned to the right. The road there was composed of well-arranged rectangular stones. Looking up from it, there were formal wooden houses lined up in a row. The Royal Palace was visible ahead. It seemed to be right at the center of waterway, so I guessed it was the center of the divided country. The road leading to the Royal Palace had a bridge built about about halfway. The new bridge seemed mismatched when compared to the historic townscape. Below the bridge''s arc, one could see the reflection of a small boat passing through. ".........?" I ended up being puzzled because of the strange appearance of the person on top of it. It was a boy having a breakfast while sitting on a handrail. It was obvious that he was a person of eastern district from the fact that he was clad in kimono, but no matter how you looked at it, what he held in mouth was bread. A person of rice faction was eating bread. Next to him, there was a figure of a woman who was appetizingly stuffing her cheeks with onigiri. It seemed she was from the rice faction. Despite wearing a one-piece dress. I became curious. Somehow, it was a very unusual sight. "Um, excuse me." I called out to the two. Two of them exchanged glances, then the boy replied to me "Is something wrong?" Bread in his hand. But wearing a kimono. As expected, it''s strange. I asked after quickly introducing myself, "Just what kind of country is this?" "What kind of country you ask.... hmm." after folding his arms, he asked to the woman next to him, "Hey, what kind of country is this?" "Isn''t it a lovely country." "Yeah, that''s right. It''s a lovely country. Yes, Traveler-san, it''s a lovely country." What I want to know isn''t that, it''s more..... "The townscape is lovely, but you are lovely as well." "Oh stop it, you are even lovelier." "Ufufu." "Ahaha." ......... Looks like I''m just a hindrance here. It would be better to leave at once. Yes, I sensed that I wouldn''t get any useful information from them, it''s not that I wanted to wrap it up quickly or something you know? No, really. In any case, I quickly thanked them and left. I walked about the east and west districts, while talking to people to obtain the information I was seeking. However, the more I walked around, the stranger I felt. I didn''t notice it earlier in the morning as there were few people about, but once the number of people increased around noon, it became hard to differentiate between the two districts as the people freely intermingled between east and west using the bridge. What was even strange, was that the shopkeepers whose stalls had notes saying, "We don''t sell to people of rice faction," despite saying so, were handing over the goods to people dressed in fine kimonos. It wasn''t just the stalls. It seemed there was some official regulation in effect, as all stores, regardless of whether they were general stores or greengrocers had signboards saying that customers from the opposite side wouldn''t be served. But not a single person was minding that. It was as if the signboards held no meaning. After I returned from the western side to the eastern district, I passed under the sign of the dumpling seller. "Welcome. What would you like to eat?" As I sat on the chair, Onee-san wearing Japanese clothes leaned over in front of me. Facing the "We don''t sell to people of bread faction" sign that was outside, "I am in a bread faction." I said that. "What kind of joke is that?" After covering her mouth with hand, Onee-san started leaking the giggles. It was a refined gesture. "What do you mean joke?" Gazing up at me with narrowed eyes, Onee-san said, "There are no people who mind such decorations are there?" Certainly, if you look at the situation on the streets, I can surely say that there are no people who mind the signboards. But if that''s the case, then what''s the purpose of the signboard? "So, what is your order?" "Ah, three mitarashi dango please." "Coming right up!" While feeling uncomfortable, I searched for an inn at the western district. Although there was an inn on the eastern district as well, it was no good for me there. I can''t sleep if there''s no bed. In other words, eastern inns are disturbingly difficult to deal with. the feeling of walking barefoot on grass just doesn''t sit well with me. I walked about in the district and finally entered the cheapest looking inn. "People of rice faction aren''t allowed to stay." It was an inn with such signboard put on. Well, let''s ignore that. "Welcome." When I entered, on the other side of the counter, there was a shopkeeper who seemed to lack motivation resting his chin with hands. "I want to stay for a night," I said as I took out a silver coin. "Thank you for staying. Now, fill out the form." "Okay." I''m already used to this. I finished writing really quickly. Then, while I handed the filled paper back to the shopkeeper, "If it''s alright, can you please tell me about this country?" I asked him. "......Don''t think I''ve seen your face before miss customer, are you perhaps a traveler?" "Yes. That''s why I can''t help but be curious about this country." To my question, the shopkeeper stayed quiet for a while¨C¨C "What do you want to hear?" ¨C¨Cand said so. Oh, he''s easy to talk to. Still, it''s just doing business with a traveler. "In that case, please tell me the reason of different situations between east and west?" The shopkeeper told me the things I wanted to know. "Originally, this country was two countries who were side by side to each other across the waterway. The country on the east followed the eastern culture, and the one on west side followed western. Each of the two countries had a king controlling it. Those two kings were on good terms, and interaction between them was also popular©¤©¤Well, the situation wasn''t much different from now." "Hmm, I see." Easy to understand. "One day, the two kinds started discussing. On whether they should turn the two countries into one. There came no opposition to that, since both western and eastern countries had the same intentions. Rather, it felt like this took too long." "Was the bridge connecting two districts built at that time?" Shopkeeper gave a nod. "Yes, That''s right. That''s something those kings built to celebrate the merging." "I see." So that''s why it looks unusually new. "At around that time, each of the kings had a child born. The Eastern King had a girl, while western king had a boy. Just like the kings, they were close to each other and before long, they got married and ahead of the waterway©¤©¤Or in other words, in the country''s center, they built a royal palace and lived there. Even now, those two are the symbols of this country." That''s the kind of feeling this country has judging by what I know about it. The shopkeeper spoke while putting the room''s key on the counter. While taking it, I said, "Thank you. By the way, can I ask one more thing?" "What could it be?" I talked about the strange question they asked me at the country''s entrance, about the strange banners put in front of the gate and stores, and also about the pair on the bridge. "I first thought that the country was divided in two parts, but looking at the situation, it appears as if people don''t care about things like signboards at all. Crossing the bridge, the exchange between them is strong. But that being the case, what reason is there for the signboards?" Shopkeeper quietly listened to my talk and then nodded with affirmation. "Those signboards are prepared for the contest." He said that rather easily, so I doubted my ears. "A contest? What the heck is it for?" "It seems that those two want to unify the country to either eastern or western culture ©¤©¤So, in any case, the reason of gate guard''s strange question and the signboards is something like that." A move to destroy the country which the previous kings unified while leaving their respective merits, is that how it is? But, why? "Those two don''t know the word called compromise." Shopkeeper laughed. Incidentally, he demanded a fee for the information afterwards. After that, I stayed for a few days and then started preparing to depart from the country. The country which mixed western and eastern culture together was truly fascinating, but if I had to say it, that''s all there was to it. There''s wasn''t anything else particularly interesting, that''s the kind of impression I had. In the end, the most important parts were left unanswered, but well.... that''s that? It''s not something I would get bloodshot eyes over. But if someone were to tell me how the signboards came to be I''m all ears. Well, that''s that I guess©¤©¤While forcibly coming to agreement, I passed through the gate. "Ah, please wait a moment Witch-sama." And I stopped. The spear held by gate guard was set up horizontally, blocking the path ahead. "......Is something wrong?" I made a confused face. "If possible, can I take a bit more of your time?" "......? Why?" Depending on the time, place, and circumstances, one won''t be as reluctant to listen to what they''re told. If it''s just some trivial thing, I would just decline and depart from the country, but... "His majesty the King and Princess have summoned you." "......Eh." It seems that it''s not a trivial thing. In the place far along the waterway. I was guided to the Royal Palace built as if to overlook the two cultures. After walking within the ambiguous castle which was a mix of east and west, I arrived in the hall. The hall felt as if eastern and western rooms were cut in half and glued together. It''s quite unsettling... Feeling the door getting shut behind me, I started advancing. Two thrones were visible just up ahead. Man and woman sitting there were having a quarrel©¤©¤And didn''t even seem to notice my existence. "Didn''t I say that the contest method should be a shogi? Anything but that is impossible!" "Isn''t your side advantageous in shogi! It should be chess, how many times should I say for you to get it!" "How many times should I say that chess gives advantage to your side!" "Gununu...." "Fununu...." They gave off such a dangerous atmosphere that it seemed like they would start fighting anytime now. Sitting on thrones, the two of them glared at each other. To make my existence known, I coughed once. It''s purpose couldn''t be clearer. But the two have noticed me. "Oh? Are you perhaps..." "The aforementioned traveler? oh my..." I bowed. "I was told that you two had business with me, so I was invited here©¤©¤that said, what business do you have with me?" "Yes. Actually©¤©¤" King who opened his mouth to speak was stopped by the Queen. "I will tell it to Witch-sama myself." "What? from here, I will..." "No. I will say it." Either is fine so hurry up and start talking would you? Come on. In the end, after they quarreled over and over, it was decided that King would be the representative to tell me everything. "You see, presently this country is having a war©¤©¤Because me and that woman are on bad terms as you can see. However, before having the match, we haven''t decided its method. From what we heard, you don''t belong in either faction and have a neutral standing right? That''s why, we wish that you would decide its fate." "...Won''t you decide the method?" No, before that. "Why did you even decide to have a context in the first place?" As I said that, the King raised his voice. "That''s because this woman insulted the people of west side saying ''People who don''t eat rice for breakfast aren''t even humans.''" Queen instantly objected to King''s words. "No. It''s you who said ''Those who don''t eat bread for breakfast are nothing but animals.''" "Okay, that''s already enough. Be quiet for a while you two." "......" "......" It''s annoying so be quiet. Then, as I got the grasp of the situation, I first addressed the King. "Your Highness, the first thing that caught my eye when I entered this country were the signboards. They were strange things that divided into rice and bread factions, but just what kind of meaning did those have?" "It was for easily seeing which side was larger." "Established to understand with our own eyes which of them was more prominent." Why did Queen respond as well I wonder...... Well, it''s fine. It''s bothersome so I won''t delve in it. "So what was the result?" To my question, "People of west are more in number." King answered. "The east had more influential people." Queen also said. "So I said it''s good to have rule of majority." "No. As I said, we have to decide the match from investment." "In the end, looks like you don''t get it at all." "Same goes for you." "......" "......" Two of them started glaring at each other once more. And there, I suddenly thought. What was the topic of their conversation at the start when I entered in this hall I wonder? I recall they were yelling chess and shogi. They were fighting over majority rule and investment, so how did board games emerge there? Without asking that question, they started talking on their own. "It can''t be decided after all, huh. Then, how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide how to decide, I think I want to decide it by chess, but..." "No. Shogi." "........." "What a thick-headed fellow. Shogi would be advantageous for you" "What a dull-witted person. If it''s chess, you will always excel at it!" "......" Somehow, I have the feeling that I can totally see the bottom of it. To make sure of it, I asked the two. "By the way, when did this quarrel start?" Two of them looked at me at the same time, gathered their voices and said. "Two years ago." That. "Ah. I see." Then it''s already impossible so just give up please. Saying that, I left the royal palace. Without detaining me, the two of them continued to make racket. I also understood why people got tired of the signboards and ignored them. After they started contest about which culture should the country be unified to, already two years had passed. While the discussion wasn''t advancing, only time had kept flowing, and perhaps there wasn''t even a single person remaining who remembered that the signboards were put up for the contest. At this point, they were just decorations. But looking at it from the other way, it can also be said that King''s influence had become meaningless to that degree. Because in this country, there is not a person who would earnestly listen to what king had to say. "Aah, Witch-sama. How was this country?" Gate guard welcomed me who came from the royal palace all the way to the gate. I passed next to him without stopping, and looked back as I took a step towards the world outside. Then I spoke as I gazed at the strange country with mixed cultures. "It''s a nice, peaceful country." That said, I don''t know what would happen to it in the future. Maybe those two will notice the time they spent so pointlessly until now and focus on the country. Maybe at this rate, the country would be slowly dragged towards the wrong direction. Or perhaps, it will continue to stay this way. Either way, that is something that no one knows. "Isn''t it? It''s indeed a nice country." The gate guard nodded with satisfaction. CH 8 Chapter 8: During the Journey: The Tale of Two Men Competing Over a Woman It was the post-rain forest where flowers shone from the lights spilling from the trees. The beautiful girl mounted her broom and flew off in a straight path that stretched from there through the horizon. A star-shaped brooch on her chest. One hand on her three-pointed hat to keep it from being blown away by the wind. A black robe wrapped around her body. No matter how you look at it, she''s a Witch. Who is she? That''s right, it''s me. Leaving the country that was divided into the two cultures of west and east a few days ago, I aimed at the nearest country, and mounted on my broom. It was just an ordinary country with nothing strange in it, or so I had heard. The builds of its citizens were leaning towards muscle loving, but otherwise they were pretty normal. Just what part of that is normal I wonder. Well, if it was that muscle head who I¡¯d met once, he would gladly settle in that country©¤©¤But as for me, I would only be staying there for a day before departing. I thought of such things as I watched the scenery passing by. In other words, I had nothing else to do for the moment. That''s why even the faint gossip coming from the silent forest were clearly reaching my ears. "Then, let''s confirm the rules once more. We will do one lap on the forest road up ahead, and whoever returns first will become her lover. Are you with me so far?" "Y-Yeah. No problem so far, yes." "......There''s nothing unfair." "O-Of course. T-There''s no way I would do something like that." "......I wonder about that." These were the voices of one cheerful and one emotional men. It appeared that they were having a competition. As I thought about it, this time came the voice of a girl. "Eh? In other words, I have to wait here all alone? Eeeh, I don''t wanna!" Her sentimental voice was heard very clearly, so I got surprised. Then as I shifted my consciousness from my mind to the outside, I was surprised yet again. Our eyes met. Mine and hers. A girl with seemingly lovely looks and black hair, "Ah, lucky." She muttered so. ......Right. Since our eyes had met, passing by her just like that would be awkward, so I dropped my speed. Regretfully, that was a clear miscalculation. Because that black-haired girl who had rushed up to me, forcefully dragged me down from the broom. "Kyaa! So cute! Ah, that brooch, it''s something only Witches carry, right!? So amazing! That means Onee-san, you are a Witch." "Ah, yeah......" "Amazing! You are this cute and a Witch, so amazing!" "Uh, thanks......" "Are you perhaps planning to show some Magic? Wait, just now you were flying right! Amazing!" "Well, yeah......" "By the way, do you have some time now?" "No, well......" "The two of you! I''ll be waiting with this Onee-san here!" "Umm......" Hey, listen to me for a bit. In the end, while being called things like "Cute" and "Amazing", I was slowly dragged along and brought before the two men. The two of them stared at me and spoke. "Together with Witch-sama you say? In that case, you don''t need to worry about getting attacked by a bear or something. Very good," the Man with good looks said in a refreshing voice. "Y-Yes. It''s a relief, whew," said the plump man with rough breath. ......... I whispered to the girl next to me. "Wait, what kind of situation is this?" "What do you mean?" After making a wondering face, "I''m sorry, I haven''t explained yet, huh. You see, those two are fighting over me." She explained. No, that much I know. Because I heard it while flying. What I wanted to ask wasn''t something so trivial. "Are these two fighting over you?" I said in an extremely small voice so as they wouldn''t hear it. "Yes, so?" She replied as if wanting to say ''Isn''t that natural?''. While having complex, indescribable emotions in heart, I once again looked at the two guys. The spirited man''s white teeth shone as he smiled. So radiant. And the plump man standing next to that tidy man wiped his sweat. Stinky. He was a dirty man. Even though there was a hopeless gap between their appearances, is she making these two fight over her? What is this idiocy? I don''t really get that train of thought. But, maybe the plump man is hiding some sort of special ability? Or perhaps, the eloquent man''s character is extremely bad? ......... Unfortunately, my interest grew a little. "I see, I understand. Then, I will take on the task of protecting her." In the end, I went along with the flow. "Okay, ready, go!" On my clap, the two of them broke out into a run at the same time. "Uoooooooh! Her heart is mine!" The tidy man started running with passion. "U-ugh...... Haah, Haah." The dirty man grew tired the moment he started to run. Eh? Isn''t this strange. I had expected that the dirty man would show some terrible physical power and overtake him, but... After both of their figures were no longer visible, I asked her a question. "Why are you making them compete?" She who was happily drinking the water, muttered "hmm?" and pointed at the bottle of water. "This water, who do you think was the one who provided it?" "Wasn''t it provided by you?" She shook her head. "You see, this was provided by chubby. His outward appearance is untidy, and yet he is attentive to the smaller details, that guy." "By ''Chubby''..." It was most probably the dirty man. It''s quite a direct nickname. No, I agree on it, totally do, but. "Ah, by the way, there''s your share too." "......How come there''s my share?" I became perplexed. After all, I passed by here by chance. "Some time ago, before the competition began, I secretly conveyed it to him. It seems he brought a spare one. So, here." She pushed the bottle to me. It''s not that I''m particularly thirsty, but, well, let''s accept it. The water inside the bottle reflected the sunlight and shone. But, I get it. He is certainly attentive. To think he even prepared my share. "So in other words, you are saying that you fell in love with both inner self of fat guy and outer appearance of the spirited guy. What luxurious troubles." Not that I''m jealous. In that moment, she showed a dry smile, "It''s not like I particularly like Chubby, you know?" And spoke those words. ......Hmm? "What does that mean?" I most certainly thought that she made them compete because she was unable to choose from the two. As she drank all of the water from the bottle, and made an ecstatic expression with a "Puhaa", "I had some free time so I just played with Chubby." She said. "........." "But, he''s useless, that Chubby. There''s no way this much water could quench my thirst." She threw away the emptied bottle towards the forest. After going on monologues about how dirty he was and stuff, saying something like this was totally the opposite thing to do so I didn''t like it much, however, at that moment, I thought from the bottom of my heart. I hoped. God, bring the judgment upon this woman. Oh dear. The judgment, it came. It happened a few minutes after she threw the bottle away. All of a sudden, just as I thought that she was making a big yawn, she fell towards towards her back in that position. With a bang. Luckily, because the thickets acted as a good cushions, her head didn''t take the blow. Let''s leave the fact that I smacked my lips within my mind a secret. Since she fell senseless all of a sudden, I panicked, thinking whether she was dead, however there was nothing like that, and as I rushed to her, her sleeping breaths reached my ears. Just like that, I was now taking a rest under the shade of a tree with her head on my lap. "Uehehehe...... Muscles, so many muscles......" She was not only a person with bad ideology, her sleep-talking was also bad. Just muscles, what kind of scene from hell is that? Ten odd minutes had passed while I looked at her drool-smeared face and listened to her sleep-talking. The shadow of a person appeared to be approaching from far away. Who in the world was that? No, there''s no need to even think about that, the one who had returned was©¤©¤ "......Eh." I looked at the running silhouette as I blinked my eyes. However, no matter how many times I confirmed it, the one approaching was him. The dirty man. Chubby-san. ......Why? Fuaah, haaah, He who had finally arrived after a long struggle covered in sweat had a face overflowing with a sense of accomplishment. "H-Haah......, I did it, I-I won....ha hah......" Yeah, my foolish self who had sympathized with him some time ago. His expression as he looked around, confirming that virtuous guy hasn''t returned, was nothing but disgusting. Physically impossible. Such words traveled inside my head. Yes, physically impossible. But, where is the the guy who had overtook this dirty man now? The answer to that, I discovered as I followed the sweat of the dirty man with my eyes. I saw the shape running here with unbelievable speed. It was the tidy Man. Seeing the dirty man smiling broadly, the Tidy Man burst into tears. The gentleman ran while crying. It would have made a good picture if he was alone or if a beautiful girl was waiting for him at the destination, however the fat guy was ahead of him, so that earnest scenery took the surrealism to the extremes. And the finish line. With lamentation following it. "D-Damnit...... Why, why......! Why did I fall asleep while I was running!?" Fall asleep you say? Are you an idiot? The tale about a dunce turtle and quick-legged rabbit having a competition passed through my mind. If I''m not mistaken, the conclusion of that tale was, ''The careless rabbit ended up sleeping, and the turtle who kept steadily going took hold of victory, and left unpleasant emotions like ''Uwaah, the turtle is suspicious!''. Maybe, it''s same for him? "Was it carelessness?" Thereupon, the tidy man wiped the sweat and tears, "No...... On the way, I became sleepy and when I came to, I had been sleeping there." He dropped his shoulders. ......Hmm. Could it be, I thought. Following the same trains of thought as me, the tidy man pointed sternly at the dirty man and raised his voice. "You, you mixed the sleeping drugs in that water didn''t you!?" That''s right, that''s right. Indeed, the other person who had drunk the water provided by him is now releasing sleeping soundly on my lap. The dirty man exaggeratedly shrugged his shoulders as if treating the tidy man with contempt. "Fu, Fuhe...... Do you have some evidence?" For some reason, the fact that only second part was excessively fluently spoken was endlessly irritating. But it seems he had brought calamity upon himself. In order to not wake the girl sleeping on my lap, I slowly moved her head from my knees and stood up. "If it''s proof you want, here it©¤©¤" I came to my senses in the middle of saying it. What I had thrust out was an already empty bottle. ......Naturally, the proof was no more. Speaking of which, its contents made me feel unpleasant, so I discarded it. Such mistake. Seeing such a miserable appearance, the dirty man''s mood improved more and more. "See! There''s no evidence anywhere! I did it, she became mine! Hihii." "......Kh." "......Kh." Unfortunately, there was no strong evidence that he had cheated©¤©¤Ah, that''s wrong. Isn''t there one more? Putting down the bottle, I lifted the sleeping girl up. "Please wait. This is the evidence." "Fuhi...... If you think about it normally, wouldn''t it be that she simply got sleepy and lied down?" "No, she fell asleep because she drank the water you gave her." "Where''s the proof? Is there some proof of that I wonder? Hey, is there?" "........." S-So irritating......! She who had played with that dirty man was plenty guilty herself, but this guy went beyond even that and was a genuinely bad person. Rather, should I just blow him away with Magic? ......Ah, that might be good. Perhaps my composure was lacking, however that dirty man who picked a fight with me was irritating to no end. Resentment. Taking out my staff©¤©¤ "Wait a minute!" The voice was heard from above. It was I voice which I might or might not have heard before. Looking up, there was a certain giant from sometime ago standing there. On his sides were standing two men who could only be distinguished by the color of their clothes. Ooh, what a thing. Just this time, I thought if it was a savior who had appeared. "Hello." As I bowed at the three who descended, he loosened his face muscles. ......In other words, he laughed is what I meant. "It''s been a while, Witch ojousan." "It''s been a while. Brawny Man." It was the man with lovely muscles I had met few days ago. Brawny Man. I don''t know his actual name. I think I don''t really care, though. He is a strange guy who throbs on the word muscles, that''s why, ¡°Fufun, that''s right. I am indeed a brawny man," he replied so while puffing out his chest. After all, the fact that he has muscles even on his brain never changes. "You two as well, it''s been a while." I also bowed to the two people standing by his sides. "It''s been a while, huh." "Yes, it sure has." I somehow feel like their muscles have increased. They were two bad people who had tried to deceive me, but seeing their current selves with bulging muscles, I felt bad for them for some reason. "Big brother, your skin became somewhat tanned didn''t it?" "I would say the same about you." "Hahaha." "Hahaha." Correction. It seems they are leading a completely brawny lifestyle. Ignoring the two who had become moody from such trivial conversation, I secretly explained the matter to the brawny man in detail. *mumble mumble* Brawny Man became enraged. "Oh? I wonder which rotten Chubby fellow that was. Huh? "W-Wrong! I-I-I-I did nothing wrong! I honestly excelled with my ability!" "Don''t lie!" the Brawny Man caught him by the collar. Hii, the dirty man raise a groan resembling a shriek. "I-It''s not a lie!" "In that case, let me examine you and find it out!" "S-Stop! You mean people! You laughed in your hearts, thinking there was no way someone as ugly as me would ever obtain that girl, didn''t you!? But, I worked hard and won! That is a fact! Accept it!" He said while scattering the saliva. I overlooked the fact that the Brawny Man''s expression was a little irritated. At this rate, the unfair dirty man might be put on a public lynching. Well, not that I mind it that much. ".........Hm." As I blankly looked at the Dirty Man who was being reeled in by the Brawny Man, a voice resounded from behind me. Maybe it was because of the Dirty Man making a racket, or maybe because she had enough sleep, but with that perfect timing, she woke up. "......So noisy." While fixing her slightly disordered black hair, she listlessly rose up. And, after looking around, she spoke. "Ah, was the winner decided?" I kept silent for a while, but seeing that no one was saying a word, I informed her of the outcome. "Ah, yes. Chubby ended up winning." She had no reaction. Then, after looking up at the sky, "But I don''t want to go out with Chubby." She simply concluded so. Simply, yet cruelly. From such words that froze the atmosphere, the dirty man became motionless like a dead fish, the Tidy Man became nervous, the two brothers went on their happy talk about muscles without change, however, there was just one man who uttered words towards her. It was the Brawny Man. "You, what are you doing at such place?" ......Hmm? "O-Onii-chan. What are you doing here?" ......Onii-chan? "You, weren''t you kidnapped by the brawny men?" "Aah, those were the boyfriends I dated at that time." That plural, what''s up with that? "I see, then what about now?" "I was looking for a new boyfriend." "Did you find one?" "No good at all. There are only guys with meager muscles." She said, glancing at the tidy man. I put my hand on tidy man''s shoulder who was growing pale by the minute. He started to cry yet again. "Um, could it be that the sister in question..." I asked to make sure. The brawny man nodded. "Yeah. This is the one." "........." What the hell. Like this, as the brawny man had found his sister, the three of them returned to his hometown, spending the time in happiness. And they all lived happily ever after. Eh? Who was the third person you ask? Of course, it was the tidy man. "P-Please wait! I-I will try my best to be acknowledged by Onii-san, that''s why, can you please take me along with you?" That gallant figure of his as he stepped forth while wiping away the tears as he said that was truly refreshing. Everything he did was worth picturing in one way or another. After exchanging the looks, the brawny siblings, "Fumu, you want me to train your muscles is it? I understand." Saying so, the brawny man nodded as if giving his consent, then, as I wondered what reaction sister would give, she simply gave a yawn as if anything was fine. Just what part of her is good I wonder? Well, they say love is blind, so perhaps one day he would wake up from it and his heart would also settle down. That said, at that time, he might already be covered it muscles. As I waved my hand to the three who departed, I heard a strange groan behind me. Ah, I forgot about this person. Looking back, the dirty man was unsightly lying on the ground. I don''t feel like comforting him, so let''s leave leave without noise. "Hey, big brother, what is that pig thinking?" "He''s probably thinking ''My muscles are lacking''©¤©¤Ah, hey, wait a minute. The brawny nii-san is gone." "It''s true. The brawny nii-san is gone." "Could it be that he left us behind and left somewhere?" "That''s bad." "Yeah." The illusionist brothers who had to end their their muscle discussion at last seemed to not understand the situation around them. That''s why I decided to give them the explanation out of kindness. Bla bla bla bla bla. "What! That means the brawny nii-san quit his journey already?" "What a thing? This is a serious situation, isn''t it?" "Well, it was something like that. He accomplished his ultimate goal in the strangest way possible." Surely, after returning to the hometown, those three would lead a muscle-covered life. But, isn''t that quite fine? "Now that you have been freed by the brawny man, aren''t you going to get back to being illusionists again?" To my such suggestion, the two made quite complicated expressions. "Illusionists?" "Illusionists?" Could it be? "No, when you met with me, you were illusionists. Did you forget that you tricked people and made money from it?" "......Ah." "......Ah." "That''s right...... We were indeed illusionists......" "Kh...... Because of spending our muscle-covered life, we forgot......" Muscles are great. Well, they went with such flow. Remembering their original roles, the three of them started to perform as an illusionist group, or so I heard. And they all lived happily ever after. ......... Yes. As you might have guessed, the third one was the dirty man. "Hey, you, won''t you come with us?" "That''s right. You fit well with us. I''m sure you''d become a great illusionist." The two of them with their hands on the shoulders of the crouching dirty man, proposed it to him quite simply. Speaking of the dirty man in question, he was simply muttering some incomprehensible things with his face smeared in snot. So unsightly. However, it seems they understood him. "It''s okay. It''s okay©¤©¤Don''t worry. You don''t have to worry about it. We will properly teach you everything." "You have a talent in you, that''s what I thought from the moment I saw you. That''s why, come along." Before long, the dirty man agreed with a nod. Thus, their illusionist group of three started their journey just like that. Starting their activity with the name "We and the Barrel", they skillfully solved the problem about combining their names, and before long, they grew into a circus that wandered the world...or perhaps they didn''t. Whether it''s truth or not, I do not now. That, after all, is a story that has no relation to me. CH 9 Chapter 9: The Apprentice Witch Elaina I think the reason for the beginning of this story was surely because of this conversation. "Congratulations on passing the Magic Exam, Elaina." "Isn''t it amazing that you became the youngest Apprentice Witch? You are our pride." I, who had returned with a bellflower corsage attached to my chest, was congratulated by two of them without reserve. However, I still remember just how complicated my mental condition was back then. If I''m not mistaken, I said such thing after sighing: "But, I don''t have much sense of accomplishment." It wasn''t because I was hiding my embarrassment, but rather it was how I truly felt. I didn''t have the feeling that I had won, or maybe I just didn''t feel anything at all. In other words, I wasn''t particularly delighted. "Hm? Did something happen?" To father''s question, I answered as such: "Everyone around was way too weak so it was a disappointment. At this rate, it won¡¯t be long before I become a Witch either." ".........Oh." "Oh dear......" The two of them had difficult expressions on their faces. Perhaps it was because of this conversation, or perhaps the situation was called for because of the optimism and harsh tongue I had back then. Because of it, I gained quite unpleasant memories. Today however, it is but a reminiscent story. It was about four years ago from today. At that time, I didn''t have black tricorne and robe like today, but instead wore a white blouse and black skirt©¤©¤it is a story of the fourteen-year-old me. The me of that time had passed the Magic Exam in one try, and immediately decided to apply as apprentice under a Witch-sama. However, for various reasons, I didn''t make that request with the Witches that lived in the peaceful country of Robetta which was my birthplace©¤©¤or more accurately, it would be useless even if I did. Therefore, I decided to use underhanded methods. ....No, rather than underhanded, I should say that I just heard some gossip. It was the following: "There lives a mysterious woman called the Witch of Stardust in a forest near Robetta." The moment I heard it, I immediately hopped on my broom and went there. If it''s not a Witch from Robetta, they might accept to become my teacher, I thought as such. According to that rumor, the Witch of Stardust seemed to be a vagrant who had settled in a deserted tree house located deep in the forest. I was half-doubting whether such person really existed. That''s why, the moment I saw her demeanor in the forest, I was really surprised. "Ufufu...... Ahaha......" "........." Her hair was dark as the dead of night, and as if to to match with it, she wore dark robe and tricorne with the star-shaped brooch on her chest. That woman of unknown age©¤©¤whose appearance was clearly Witch-like©¤©¤was playing with the butterflies on the bush in front of the tree house. Shall I turn back, I seriously thought so. However, there weren''t any Witches aside from the strange person before my eyes who I of that time could rely on. ".....Err, excuse me." That''s why, after some wavering, I called out to her. She, who noticed me, bent her head while floating a smile. "Ufufu...... Oh? Ohh? Could it be that you are...... Elaina-san?" I was surprised. After all, this person who I was meeting for the first time knew my name. "Do you know of me?" Considering her disposition, I had a foreboding premonition. And unfortunately, it hit the mark. "Yes, you are quite famous. You are that cheeky brat who despite being fourteen years old won easily won in the Magic Exam by overwhelming all other Magicians." "........." "Of course, that''s not my personal opinion. I''m sorry if I offended you." "......It''s fine. I''m used to it." Since the Magic Exam was a narrow gate where only one person was accepted with each exam, I was conspicuous by having passed it at youngest age. Of course, in a bad way. It seemed that my appearance, as I easily defeated Magicians older than me, didn''t fit well for the Witches living in my homeplace. All of them simultaneously rejected my request. That''s why I bet on the mysterious Witch that lived in the forest. However, thinking that it would be hopeless since the gossip about me had reached this place, I had half-lost hope. "So then, what business do you have with me?" "......It''s nothing." I was about to take my leave. After all, I thought that it was already impossible. She, however, said this to me: "Were you perhaps trying to ask about apprenticeship? If that''s the case, then I don''t really mind. I have spare time anyway." "Eh!" I was surprised. So much that for a moment, I didn''t comprehend what she was saying at all. "Why are you so surprised? Oh, could it be that you had some other request?" "No, I certainly came to request to be taken as an apprentice, however......" "Oh my. Since that''s the case, then it''s settled already. Starting today, you are my apprentice." "No, but... uhhh, wha?" With such an unexpected development, my confusion grew all the more. I had thought that since she knew about me, she would reject me just like Robetta''s Witches did. "Hm? You have quite complicated expression. I know what you are thinking. But be relieved. For I''m different from those fragile Witches from your hometown. To me it''s irrelevant whether the other party is just a cheeky brat or whatever." She spoke in a way to settle the topic. Even to this day, I still remember how moved I was at that moment. Aah, I was finally able to meet someone who has recognized my ability, I thought. "So then, are you going to become my apprentice? Or are you going to bow your head to the Witches of your hometown?" Towards her, I bowed my head. ".......... I©¤©¤ won''t return home. Please make me your apprentice." This was how me and the Witch of Stardust©¤©¤Fran-sensei©¤©¤met. Then, a few days after the training started. Generally speaking about the training of Apprentice Witches, it would be their master teaching them Magic and further raising their Magic ability. Naturally, I thought it would be the same with me. However, my relation with Fran-sensei was slightly different. ......Rather, it was actually quite different. If I had to describe how a normal day was for the me of that time, it would be something like this. "Good morning, Elaina. I''m feeling hungry so please make something." "......What would you like?" Making food for Fran-sensei had become my daily routine. "Let''s see...... I feel like eating a steak." "It''s morning, so wouldn''t that be a bit too heavy?" "Then some of the weeds growing out there would be fine." "Aren''t you compromising a bit too much?" In the end, it concluded by eating the bread I baked yesterday. And so, until lunchtime, I self-studied Magic. Speaking about Sensei, she was doing some suspicious research, had been going to the forest to gather some edible plants, and did as she pleased. "Sensei, I wanted to be taught Magic......" "Oh. I''m sorry, I''m a little busy at the moment, can we postpone for some other time?" Even if I earnestly requested it, she usually dodged it in such manner. She didn''t even once teach me Magic. But instead, "Elaina, you will get worn out if you study too much. How about you take rest from time to time?" She kept saying such things. The condition for an Apprentice Witch to become a Witch was to be recognized by the person who became their master©¤©¤however, I had not the slightest idea whether she recognized me no matter what I did. Because she didn¡¯t teach me. Speaking of what one who had become an Apprentice Witch could do, it would be to work as hard as they can. At what you ask? Surely, that would be at everything. Thinking that not teaching me Magic was so that I would become independent, I henceforth never asked a question even if there appeared something I did not understand. However, Fran-sensei''s requests started to worsen by the day. ¡°Elaina, we''ve run out of ingredients. Please go and buy them." "Elaina, please head to the forest and catch about five geckos. I need them for research." "Elaina, is dinner ready yet?" "Elaina, there''s a spider in bath. Please get rid of it. I''m scared of it." "Elaina, please massage my shoulders." Telling myself that this was also essential for becoming a Witch, I wordlessly complied with Fran-sensei''s trivial requests day after day, just like a slave. I still think that I did well enduring it. I naturally had doubts of whether she simply wanted to use me. However, while it is true that I doubted her, I had no reason to run away. After all, there was no one at my home who would become my teacher even if I did return. Endure it, endure it. I just kept on studying and practicing by myself. One night, before heading to bed, I indirectly asked to Fran-sensei: "Why won''t you teach me Magic?" To my question, Fran-sensei while yawning, "It''s because you don''t require teaching," lightly replied so. As expected, the me of that time didn''t fully understand the meaning behind her words. As I continued to endure it, before I noticed, one month had passed since becoming her Apprentice. It happened when I was doing my usual strange training of chopping up trees with Wind Magic, then setting fire to the created firewood with Fire Magic and finally extinguishing it with Water. "Oh my. You are quite violent aren''t you." Fran-sensei stood behind me. Thinking about it, this was the first and the last time she visited the place where I practiced Magic by myself. Stopping my hands, I ran towards Fran-sensei. After all, I believed she finally felt like teaching me Magic. However, "Hm? What''s wrong? There isn''t really anything to teach you, you know?" My slight expectation was momentarily crushed. In the end, it seemed that she really didn''t feel like teaching me Magic, and merely gazed at the practice site behind me. There must be some meaning behind it©¤©¤While repeating such words in my mind like a chant, I earnestly continued my meaningless practice. "It should be about time......" I had a feeling I had heard such a muttering. On the next day. She clapped my shoulders and spoke. "Starting today, I will be testing you." Perplexed by her crazy proposal, I seriously thought what was this person even thinking. However, more than that, I was overcome with happiness. If I fare well on this exam, she will surely teach me Magic©¤©¤I thought so. Following Fran-sensei, we arrived on grasslands. The vivid greenery fluttered to the wind and was spread as far as the eye could see. Facing me, she grasped her staff and said without erasing her usual smile: "Right now, I will have you fight with me." I was at loss. She was obviously not someone I could defeat. Something like that was obvious without even trying it. "......Are you joking?" "Oh dear. There''s no way I would joke at such serious scene now would I?" She didn''t even teach me Magic at all and yet she wants to fight all of a sudden? This is insane. "But Fran-sensei, no matter how you put this......" "Alright, let''s begin." She easily disregarded my modest objection. As she clapped her hands to signal the start, she closed the distance between us in one go. And then, released her Magic from a point-blank range. I became flustered. And panicked. Being told about the exam all of a sudden. Fran-sensei purposely drawing near and attacking. Thinking about it now, she probably did that on purpose in order to disturb my pace. It was quite underhanded. "......Kh!" However, the me of that time was nicely toyed with those underhanded tricks. She used Magic attacks with a clear intent to kill. Magic mass. Heat beam. Wind blades. Rain of rocks. Lightning spear. The battle result was naturally me being at disadvantage and defending one-sidedly. At times I rolled on the grasslands, and at times repelled the Magic. At any rate, I just kept waiting for the opportunity to strike back. "What''s the matter? Is the ability of someone who overwhelmed everyone on the Magic Exam only to this degree? It seems it''s nothing much." Without loosening her attacks, Fran-sensei calmly said so with her usual smile. It was just too ominous. ©¤©¤It was as if she was enjoying tormenting me. Then I thought. In the end, this person is the same as the Witches of my birthplace... So that means, she took me as her Apprentice just so she could crush me, is it. And not teaching me anything would also be in order to shun me, wouldn''t it? During this one month, deep down I constantly had that doubt, but averted my eyes from it. This person alone is different. It will be fine if I just believe. I endured it while telling myself such words. And yet... "............Tsk." I felt like everything before me turned dark. Before I noticed, I stood still, dumbfounded. Fran-sensei also stopped her attacks, "Oh my. Is that all?" and sneered at me. That became the final blow. The various emotions that had accumulated until then burst within me, becoming unable to be suppressed. The despair of being betrayed by the person I trusted. The frustration of being unable to return the attack even once, although the opponent was a Witch. The sadness that despite trying my best, I was shunned, avoided, and wasn''t recognized just because I was young. The various emotions flowing endlessly shrouded my reasoning. My patience reached its limit. "U-Ugh...... Uwaaaaaaaaaaaah......" I cried. I sank down at that place and cried hard. The large drops of tears flowing from my heated eyes overflowed heavily, and didn''t cease no matter how much I wiped them. I bit down on my lip wanting to at least suppress the leaking of my miserable cries, but I lost the way to put power to it. I just kept crying in the middle of the grasslands. It was quite unsightly. "Huh? Eh? Hey......" Fran-sensei looked at my image while darting her eyes about. Then it turned into something bewildering. With suspicious movements, she rushed towards my side, "I-I''m s-s-s-sorry! I didn''t think you''d really cry......" And while apologizing as such, she nervously waved her hands about. "Uuuuuuuuuuuuuu......" "Oh my, oh my......" She covered her eyes with both hands, not wanting to see my teary face. And the tears didn''t stop at all. I put strength to my chin thinking I would be able to bite my lips this time, but it only did as much as tremble so it was no good. I gave up on my willpower and just kept crying. Then, thinking about something, she started to search for a way to stop me from crying. "I-I know......! Hey, please look Elaina. I made your favorite butterfly!" Fran-sensei shaved the ice she made with Magic into the form of a butterfly and showed it to me. Even though it wasn''t me who liked butterflies. I continued to cry. "Eh......? It failed......? Then, how about this? A crown made from weeds!" Fran-sensei cut the surrounding weed with Wind Magic in one go and made a round crown. She came to put it on top of my tricorne so I avoided it with all my might. "I-Is it no good......? Then, how about this? Look, a fireball!" I did not know what I wanted anymore. "It can''t be helped then...... I''ll make funny faces! Please look at me, look at mee!" I ignored her. "Uhhhh, then...... in that case...... Ah, I know!" After exhausting every other way, she came to embrace me. Thinking there was nothing else she could do, this seemed to be her last resort, but the effect was immediate. My raging emotions and tears have stopped in one go. "Funununu......" I immediately rejected her with all my power. "Now now. Calm down now, Elaina." "Stop it......! What, what are you planning......!?" Perhaps she thought that I was acting embarrassed. She was off mark. I rejected it because I really found it unpleasant. However, with the power that came from god knows where, her arms coiled around me and I wasn''t able to escape. "Really, I''m sorry. It seemed I overdid a little." "......Stop messing with me! Even though you enjoyed yourself by tormenting me, now you are acting kind? Even though you had no intention to make me a Witch from the start!" "What...... enjoyed myself.......?" "Please let go of me......! I can''t take this anymore, I hate everyone! The Witches of Robetta, and also you! Aren''t you all the same in the end?! And you said you were different from the Witches of Robetta so I trusted you!" "............" "You don''t even know just how hard I worked! You are scorning me by just looking at the results! Why won''t anyone ever look at myself!? Even though, even though I only wanted...... to be recognized©¤©¤" The strength of hands embracing me had increased. "I''m truly sorry, Elaina. I perfectly understood your true feelings," she said and gently brushed my hair, "You¡¯ve endured it well until now." "Didn''t I say to stop it......!? Acting like that again, are you trying to deceive me!?" My voice trembled. "©¤©¤No, I won''t deceive you anymore. Lets talk about everything." Because you see, I myself am at the limit as well©¤©¤saying that, she placed her hands on my shoulders and started directly at me. Her usual smile appeared to have traces of some sorrow. And then, she slowly opened her mouth. "You see, I came because of a request from your parents." After returning to the isolated house in the forest, Fran-sensei told me everything. "About one month ago when I met with your parents, they came to me with large amount of money along with such a request. ¡®Please give the hardest test you can to our daughter.¡¯ I didn''t understand what they were trying to say at all. As I listened to their story, they said they were concerned about Elaina''s future. If she continues on like this without learning of a failure, then when she strays from the right path one day, she could very well not get back from it. I will say this for your parents, but please know that they did not propose this because they wanted to bully you, okay? There was also a reason on why they came expressly to me. Your home©¤©¤it is the Peaceful Country of Robetta, right? The Witches living there were intimidated by your ability. ¡®I won''t be able to teach someone like her,¡¯ it seems they were saying such things. Well, as the name suggests, that country is far too peaceful, so it can be said that there aren''t any Witches with real power there....... So, anticipating that the country''s Witches would reject you, they decided to come to me. Well in a word, because you were getting ahead of yourself, they proposed to quickly teach you a lesson. Reluctantly, I went along with their story. And then, you came. You did not have an impression of a mere cocky little brat unlike how your parents described it, so at first, I planned to give you an extremely difficult exam and completely break your spirit. However, as we were together practically all the time, I noticed that you were completely different person compared to my image of you. You are an extremely covetous person who is willing to work as much as possible in order to achieve your goal. And you have the ability to match your actions. To the degree that you were as good as a Witch since the very start. As I spent time with you, I gave up on the ¡®Letting Elaina who got carried away from nothing but success learn failure¡¯ that I initially planned. Surely, your parent''s wanted to teach you that "Sometimes things don''t go as planned", however they realized that it was futile. As soon as I forced you to make a mistake, the result was visible. I was sure you would stand up to me once more without giving up: enduring your failure. I did not expect that I would break your heart. And because of that, because I''m your teacher, I was able to discover it ¨C your weakness. Elaina, you are enduring everything too much. Exactly because you understood of your youthfulness and ability well, you endured things that were more or less unreasonable. No matter how insincere I was or how absurd my requests were, you didn''t complain about them even once, right? Why was that so? Was it because you thought that you had no one else to rely on? What did you think when Robetta''s Witches rejected you? Wasn''t it that you told yourself that ¡®It couldn''t be helped¡¯? Did you even once object to those Witches? And so I waited, until your patience would run out. And yesterday, as I looked at your Magic, I guessed that it would come soon. Today''s exam was the end of it. By the way, if the exam went on like I had planned and I won, and yet you still endured it without a word, I was planning to preach you about it. Because what I did was simply unreasonable. It''s no good to merely endure it all and hide your true feelings. Because, you see, one day you would have ended up falling apart. That said, I didn''t really expect you to cry..... So you went through such painful experiences, huh. Because of you being unusually mature for your age, I completely forgot that you were still a fourteen year old girl. So I''m truly sorry." Then finally, Fran-sensei added this at the end. "It''s no good to endure everything. If there''s something that doesn''t sit right with you, then oppose it. You should learn to clearly say what you don''t like. Please let your feelings out sometimes and protect yourself." What I felt back then when I accepted those words from Sensei is something I can''t recall anymore. However, it was the first time in my life that anyone had ever said those words to me. Do not endure. It could be thanks to those words©¤©¤that I am here now. But well, even now, I sometimes end up accumulating a lot of stress. My training under Fran-sensei lasted for one year. After being told not to endure everything too much in the first month, the real training had finally begun. "Good morning, Elaina. I''m feeling hungry so please make something." "Here, have some weed." "......Umm, what is this harassment?" "You told me not to endure it, so I settled with my feelings that ¡®Making breakfast for Sensei is a pain¡¯.¡± "............" "Just kidding." In the end, we decided to eat the bread from yesterday. The thing about me looking like Fran-sensei''s slave continued on, but taking in mind that she compensated me by teaching Magic, it wasn''t all that bad. Ehem, so I''m not enduring it, okay? it''s tuition fee. According to Fran-sensei, "You both have skills and talent. If there''s something you don''t have, that would be experience." I was told as such, so I competed with Fran-sensei many times in order to gain experience. Those were very fulfilling days. Those days felt so short compared to the hellish first month. Almost every day, I had special Magic training while studying Magic after returning to the forest house. It was fun, very much so. There is one particularly memorable event from among the training sessions that Fran-sensei gave me. This is about one time when I as usual was practicing Magic in front of the forest house. "Elaina." Fran-sensei said abruptly, "There''s a bottle over there, right? Can you see it?" Certainly, there were two sake bottles in the direction she was pointing. "Yes, I can see it©¤©¤but what about it?" "Try to hit one of them with Wind Magic." "............" The distance to the bottle was about one tree''s length. To put it simply, it was quite easy. To the point that I thought if she was messing with me. "Eii!" I swung my staff and moved the wind. With a whoosh, the ball of wind went straight at the bottle I was aiming at and hit it. The bottle flew away while spinning, and began to towards the bushes. "I did it, so?" However, Fran-sensei shrugged her shoulders looking somewhat disappointed. "Did anyone say to send it flying?" "......No, but you said to hit it, didn''t you?" "Is that okay? If you are an Apprentice Witch, then sending it flying would be counted as a success. However, for Witches, a more reliable and accurate skill is essential." "......Haah." "If it was a Witch, rather than knocking the bottle down, they would instead aim for the situation where the bottle would end up in between falling and not falling. In other words, something like this©¤©¤" Fran-sensei swung her staff. The wind produced from the staff plunged straight towards the remaining bottle and directly hit it. But the bottle didn''t fall, and instead stayed standing with it''s top shaking from side to side. Fran-sensei revealed a smiled and said. "Ah, great, it was a success......... Well for Witches, it is essential to be able to control their Magic precisely just like that. That''s why making it fall down is not good." "............" I understood what she was trying to say, and there was also reason behind it. However, was it really necessary for her to make me fail at it at start......... After one year had passed since becoming her Apprentice, I became able to compete with Fran-sensei fairly well. And just once, I was able to win against her. That day became the final day of my training. "There is nothing to teach you anymore," she told me with the usual smile, "You have become strong, really strong." I still don''t get why was I able to win at that time. Probably, it was just luck. Fran-sensei took away the bellflower corsage from my chest, and attached what was the proof of being a Witch in its place. That was the star-shaped brooch. "Congratulations, Elaina. The Witch of Stardust has now officially recognized you as a Witch©¤©¤speaking of your Witch Name, what do you say about the Witch of Ashes?" "......Isn''t that a bit too plain?" Did you decide it while looking at my hair color? "Eeh? I thought it sounded really nice......" "Speaking of which, why is Fran-sensei called the Witch of Stardust?" "Because it sounds cool, isn''t that given?" "............" "S-So how is it? The Witch of Ashes." "That''s fine with me." I didn''t have anything against it. "In that case, it''s settled. You are the Witch of Ashes, Elaina. Please do your best from now on." She hit my shoulders with a clap sound. Taking a deep breath, I replied with "Yes." While having a reminiscent talk, we returned to the isolated house in the forest and Fran-sensei immediately collected her luggage. In truth, although she called herself vagrant, she actually was the great Witch of a certain country. That was the first time I heard about it. That''s why, ¡®it might be quite bad that I have left the country for a whole year¡¯, she said with a smile. Although that was no laughing matter, was it......? I was the one at fault, however. In that case, why did she come to a place like Robetta, I thought. I tried to indirectly ask her about that, but the only reply I got was "Because there was someone I had to see by any means." "I would very much love to take it easy some more, however I have to go now. For there are many who await me in my country." And so, this is goodbye©¤©¤Saying so, she turned her head towards where she used to chase butterflies one year ago. "Goodbye, Sensei." Those parting words chilled my body just like a cold wind. "Goodbye, Elaina. I will come to visit again someday. Please look forward to it." "......Yes!" Then, Sensei got on her broom and ascended in the sky. I continued to wave my hand. Towards her silhouette slowly becoming smaller, on and on. Until it faded within the blue sky. At that moment, I didn''t hold back my tears. CH 10 Chapter 10: The Gently Approaching Peaceful Death It was a primeval forest with tall trees lined up one by one. Moss densely grew on the underfoot that I passed. From within the gaps of bright greenery spilled the bright sunlight, the dim light illuminating the narrow road. I followed that road while avoiding trees by skillfully operating the broom. The lukewarm wind that accompanied the fast traveling brushed passed me as if it was licking me, and it felt really bad. "............" After advancing for a while, I arrived at the open space. At that place, there was a village. It was extremely small©¤©¤so small that the whole village could be seen just from the entrance. "Eii!" Descending down from my broom, I sank foot in the moss-smeared ground. There didn¡¯t seem to be a gate, so after passing through the gap in fence, I easily entered the village. There were wooden houses lined up in the village. Since they were very simple constructions made by lined up timber, there were no useless ornaments to them. They left me the impression of the houses used merely for lodging. Well, in any case, it was a splendidly empty village. Shall I rethink about staying here©¤©¤No, in the first place, it''s questionable whether there''s even an establishment for staying here. Or rather, it was difficult to tell whether people really lived here to begin with. Could this place be abandoned? As I walked aimlessly at the deserted village, one of the villagers came out of their house. Oh good, so people do live here©¤©¤along with slight feelings of relief, I directed my attention towards that villager. It was a young man with axe on his shoulder. ".........!" Strangely enough, when that man saw me, he opened his mouth in pure wonder. It was a reaction as if he had seen something unbelievable. Hm......? What happened? He thrust his shivering finger towards me who stood puzzled, "......Mina! Hey, aren''t you Mina!" and called out to me. Huh......? What? The man cast away the axe and rushed over to me. "Thank god......! Thank god! You found the panacea right? You made it in time right? Abel-kun will surely be pleased as well! Mina!" "Huh? Eh? Hey, um......" I immediately understood that he was having some kind of misunderstanding. Who in the world is Abel? However, when I tried to ask that, he called out. "Heey, everyone! Mina has returned!" The strong voice, as if livening up the primeval forest, had resounded within the village in a flash. From some rustling tree, I saw the birds flying away. The village was really small. If one raised their voice, it would surely reach everyone©¤©¤and people started to appear from the all the village houses. One after another. Old people, children, and spouses. The villagers who saw us, as if they had conspired beforehand, have all started to run towards us with agile and unhesitating movements. Before I noticed it, they had surrounded me in a perfect circle. Oh no, I''m scared. The people who bustlingly gathered mercilessly directed their pure gazes at me as if praising a hero who just returned from war. Oh no, I''m scared. "Hey, Mina onee-chan! Did you bring back a souvenir from town?" "Oh my, in the short time we haven''t met, you have become quite a beauty." "Didn''t you shrink in size a bit?" "Besides, what''s with that getup?" "Look, father. Aren''t they the clothes that are popular in town?¡± "So, did you buy panacea?" "Now now, give her some space." The villagers said whatever came to their head. I can''t take this anymore. As I judged it so, I detached part of my consciousness, and ignored the voices of rowdy villagers as if it was a noise. The cheers stopped after some time. The man who gathered the villagers yelled, "You are too noisy. Be quiet!" towards them. You are the noisiest here. Be quiet. "......Good grief, Mina should also be tired from the long trip. She looks quite pitiful." Oh my? What are you saying like a good person? Aren''t you the ringleader here? No, rather than that. "Everyone, aren''t you misunderstanding something?" As it became quiet, I revealed the truth. I would be troubled if the misunderstanding went on like this after all. "Misunderstanding? What is?" the man said blankly. I felt the murmuring spreading within the surrounding villagers as well. Gathering strength, I spoke indifferently. "I''m a simple traveler. I''m not the villager Mina you all are referring to." I intended to say it seriously, but there seemed to be few who took it as such: because of the laughs followed right after it. "What is this girl even saying?" they said. So you won''t believe me? Or should I rather use Magic and make you kneel? Judging from the conversation of the villagers, it doesn''t seem like a Witch has ever visited this village before, so that should be shocking in it''s own right. Well, the final means it is. "............" And so. After everyone aside from me laughed happily. One villager spoke. "Eh? Now that you say it, you seem even younger than Mina-san......" Following that, the person next to him also spoke. "Looking closely, your chest seems smaller......" The anxiety that was born out of nowhere started to grow large. "I thought she¡¯d become quite a beauty in the short time I haven''t seen her, but could it be......" "No matter how you put it, it''s usually impossible for someone to shrink in height......" "Or rather, what''s with this getup......" "Granny, where''s my rice?" "No way, didn''t you eat it yesterday?" "............" It took no time for anxiety to cover the place. Before I knew it, the gloomy atmosphere drifted within the surrounding people as if it was a funeral. "......Are you really not Mina?" The man before my eyes raised a pathetic voice. "That''s what I''ve been saying since some time ago. That you guys are having a misunderstanding." "......There''s no way." The man sank down on the spot. Then, in a shaking voice, "Can Abel-kun not be saved anymore......?" He said that. What in the world is going on? In the first place, who is this Abel? "......No wait. There''s still a way." Aside from my doubts, someone muttered from somewhere. Several of the people surrounding me separated and regrouped at a different place. And then, after returning back, "We want to talk to you about something so please some with us." And they said that at the same time. Perhaps because they had so much persuasive power that I couldn''t say anything, or perhaps because the faces of adults were dead serious, before I noticed, I gave them a nod. After being led by that man and several other adults, where I arrived was the largest house of the village. Persuading me for a meal, "Please have a seat," said the young man and he pulled out a chair for me. So I sat. Opposite of me, only two people sat down. The left one, from my perspective, was the young man I met at the start. ......Because he became silent like an extinguished flame, he looked like a different person. The white-bearded old man (perhaps the village head) sitting on the right crossed his hands and started to talk. "We have well understood that you aren''t Mina. Sorry about that." "It''s alright." As long as you get it. "However, you look so much like the girl called Mina that it confused all the villagers. So much so, you could say you are like two peas in a pod." The young man nodded greatly. The old man brushed his white beard and said: "First, let us talk about our request. Miss traveler, Just one day...... no, it would be fine even for a bit. Would you pretend to be Mina?" "......For what reason?" It seems it has something to do with this Abel fellow, I somehow understood this fact. "Mina had a lover. A man called Abel. A very serious and great man. For that man, we want you to pretend for a bit." So you see. Let''s suppose the next development as well. "The life of that Abel-san is in danger, so you want me to pretend that her lover who moved to the city had returned, is that it?" However, the old man slowly shook his head. "No, Mina didn''t move to the city or anything. She merely rushed towards the city to get the panacea." "......I see." That reminds me, the villagers and the young man also said such things. Asking whether I got the panacea. "Abel is currently succumbed to the illness." "......I see." I urge for him to continue. "What is eating away Abel seems to be an incurable disease©¤©¤to the point that the village doctor had decided to give up on him. There was virtually no effect, no matter what medicine we administered. On the contrary, Abel''s condition was only worsening. At first, he only had a mere fever, and yet he can''t even properly get up now." I see. "And that''s where panacea comes in?" "Yes. After understanding that the village medicine was useless, Mina rushed out of the village saying ¡®I''m going to get the panacea.¡¯" "And where did she want to obtain that panacea?" "If you advance far north from here, there is a large country. There was a rumor that panacea could be obtained there. However, to reach that country, you have to walk for two whole days. There was no one in this village who could ascertain the truth." "Relying on that uncertain information, Mina-san rushed out of the village, you say?" "She probably bet on the chance that it was real. Her feelings of wanting to save Abel were strong to that point©¤©¤however." The young man followed up on those words. While powerlessly hanging his head. "But it''s been two weeks even since she left. Mina©¤©¤my daughter©¤©¤should have returned long ago, but she still hasn''t." ......Daughter? So she''s your daughter? "Eh, so you were her father huh?" It was a shocking truth. The young man silently nodded. Isn''t it really bad to be confusing your own daughter with a complete stranger? ©¤©¤No, I guess he was exhausted to that point. "The more time goes by, the closer Abel approaches death," the old man said, "According to the village doctor''s words, he can only last three more days." Three more days. Would Mina-san return I wonder? Arriving to the country that has panacea needs two days. And buying the medicine and returning back takes two more days. And yet, two weeks have passed. To be late with return by over ten days, it is certainly far too long. I can only think of some trouble coming up©¤©¤or perhaps... Will Mina-san make it within the verdict of remaining time. No, the two before me already understood something. Mina-san will surely not come back anymore©¤©¤ "Abel has been earnestly fighting with the disease until now. And yet©¤©¤wouldn''t it be too sorrowful for him to die without meeting with his loved one who was always beside him like a family member?¡± "............" "Ever since he lost family when he was a child, Mina-san was the only person he relied on. Mina is the only one who can save his spirit." Even a fake would be fine©¤©¤I want for him to feel happiness at least in his final moments. The old man said. While I didn''t immediately agree, I still went with the old man''s proposal. There were no risks for me, and I would be a terrible person if I refused him there. Be that as it may, I am a traveler. I don''t want to spend a whole day in this village where there is not even an inn on top of it having no characteristics. If possible, I would want to fly on my broom towards that country which is said to have that panacea at once. So I gave my conditions. "I will cooperate. However, it will be just one time. Once I meet with Abel-san, I''m immediately departing on my journey." The two of them replied that it would still be fine. After settling that, it was followed by immediate preparations. There were several women waiting for me who were led from that large house to another one. Their ages were different, from younger girls to older women. The oldest granny among them seemed to be the one who managed that place. While showing the wrinkles on her face, she said, "Now, let''s prepare. All men get out!" And, with a violent strike of her staff, all the men who came to watch including the old man and Mina-san''s father were kicked out of the room by women. But the way, although I said staff, It wasn''t like the Magic Staff that I have, but rather the one that you use as a third leg. The granny, who closed the door and blocked it with the pole to make sure no one entered, sent the eye signal towards other women. And immediately following it, every woman aside from me started to act and started to close the curtains and the backdoor of the house. Then, in the house that became dim, the granny approached me from the front. "Now strip." The granny suddenly grasped my robe. "Eh?" "Remove your strange outfit at once! If you wear such thing, Abel will immediately notice it!" Ah, so it was that. My heart skipped a beat. After removing the brooch that was the proof of being a Witch from the robe and grasping it in hand, I stripped everything I wore except the underwear One very young girl received my clothes and she gently folded them on the side. "Now, put this on." The women who received the pack from granny walked towards me in quick steps and took out the clothing from within it. "Now everyone. I''m going to put this on miss traveler, so lend a hand." Eeh? I can put it on by myself you know? However, before I returned the words to her, several women were already surrounding me, and I once again closed my open mouth from their indescribable pressure. And it turned into me acting as a dress-up doll. "Okay, raise your leg." "Will sleeves pass in this blouse I wonder? Oh, the size doesn''t fit." "However, she looks so much like Mina-chan." "She''s even prettier than Mina-chan isn''t she?" "Yes." "What would be okay for the ribbon color? It should be red after all, huh." For some reason, everyone was motivated. They were having a lot of fun. When I gazed down after dressing was mostly over, I wore a dark brown flare skirt on white blouse. Although I could have managed this much by myself....... "Then for the finishing touches©¤©¤it will be a little painful, but endure it, okay?" As the woman behind me said those words in a refreshing tone, she wrapped something black around me. "............?" As I wondered what it was, it turned out to be a corset. I was wrapped in a corset before I noticed. "Eh, hey, wai©¤©¤" Ignoring me who had become bewildered from the sudden development, the surrounding girls took hold of me, and forcefully pulled the string on my back. Before long, I felt as if I was being crushed around the stomach. "I-It hurts! It hurts! Even if you want to tighten it, at least do it more gently!" "Ah, hey. Stop struggling." "Endure it, endure it." "You''ll get used to it in a bit." "Traveler Onee-san. Hang in there." Like this. While everyone aside me was engulfed in a harmonious mood, the dressing operation had finished. After that, the granny presented a bundle of pads with serious face, saying, "Your chest is lacking, so won''t you wear some pads?" so I threw them on the ground. There was a hut just out of the village. As if it wasn''t tended at all, the knee-high grass was noisily being crushed as I walked. Compared to the houses that were gathered together, this hut looked old, and walls so thin that it would probably make a hole if you hit it. Rather than a house for living, it instead looked like a storage room for items one doesn''t usually use. I was told Abel-san was isolated here. Abel-san suddenly fell to an illness on day. It was unknown for the villagers whether that illness was infectious or not. That''s why, in order to decrease the possibility of infection as much as possible, they confined him in this hut. It appeared it was Mina-san and her father who were helping him. It seems that at first, Mina-san being his lover, had nursed him from day to night, however, as his condition worsened, she rushed out of the village. Could it be that she just ran away, it seems there were also villagers who thought so. Whether that was true or not is not known. After taking a deep breath in front of the hut, I opened the door. It made a ear-hurting sound. "........." Entering inside, I closed the door from behind. A man was lying on the bed. He was a young man with black hair. Without a doubt, he had looked very handsome when he was still healthy©¤©¤but there was not a trace of it now. And now, the man who looked at me with vacant eyes had no light in his eyes and his cheeks were all loosened. "......Mina?" His weakly moving lips have uttered the name of his loved one. "Yes. It''s me. Have you been well?" I told a lie. As I walked while making the floor give out creaks, I sat down on the chair next to the bed. He faintly laughed. "So you returned...... I thought you''d never come back again." "I''m your lover, right? Isn''t it given that I would return at all costs?" "......That''s right, huh." He directed his gaze outside of the window. There wasn''t anything there. But only thick weeds and the primeval forest seen afar. Not just the outward appearance, but as if it really was completely tattered, the draft that got in from somewhere had shook his hair. "I found the panacea." Then I said so. Just like reading a prepared manuscript. "I will bring panacea together with today''s dinner, so please take one pill after filling your stomach. It might take time, but you will surely get well." Of course, that was a lie. This was the proposal from Mina-san''s father. If Mina-san returned, it would look strange if she didn''t bring the panacea with her. That''s why pretending as if she had obtained the medicine would give him a peace of mind. The contents of the medicine they would give him with food are actually sleeping pills. What the villagers planned to do with him after letting him talk with his loved one©¤©¤I didn''t ask. No, rather, I guess I should say that it didn''t even require asking. "Hey, Mina." The man looked in my eyes. "Can you hold...my hand?" With difficult movements, he pulled his hand out of the futon. It by no means looked like a muscled hand befitting of a youth, but instead it was a hand that was withered to the bones. I must not waver©¤©¤immediately, I grasped his hand with both of mine. It had grown so cold as if there was no blood flowing in it at all. "It''s warm." It''s proof that my heart is growing cold©¤©¤He said so. And then, "Hey, Mina." He, once again, called out the name of his beloved. "Won''t you kiss me?" "Eh, kiss you say?" I unintentionally returned the question back. And, I immediately regretted it. "......That''s right, a kiss. You don''t want do?" I felt like there was a grain of suspicion floating in his eyes. And I thought. Thought and thought. What should I do? Of course, if it''s a lover, then kiss is only natural thing to do, but I''m©¤©¤ Ahh, he''d notice if I hesitate for too long. What to do, what to do....... As I was locked up in maze with no answer, he looked at me with a smile. And giggled. "My bad. I was just joking. Please don''t worry about it." Somehow, it looked as if he had regained his vitality even if only a bit. Then, he said, "I''m not seriously going to pester a girl who''s not my lover to kiss me," and showed a wide smile. Did my acting get exposed because of my carelessness? Thinking so, I denied it many times in fluster, but his belief was firm. "You aren''t real Mina. You don''t have to force yourself," he said. Still, towards me who tried to keep acting in spite of it, he uttered words filled with confidence. "In the first place, there''s no way Mina would ever return to me. What a fool." I did not know towards who were those words directed at. It appears there were different circumstances©¤©¤I gave up on Mina-san act, and revealed everything about me. That I was a traveler. That I was a Witch. And that I was requested to act as Mina-san since I looked like here. I told him all that, without hiding anything. He said while pondering: "You certainly do look exactly like Mina." "Is it really that much?" "Yeah. You could say you are like two peas in a pod." That said, he continued. "What''s a Witch?" "So the villagers here don''t know about Witches huh." "That''s right. First time hearing it." Well, it certainly is a remote village two days away from the nearest country, so I guess it''s not too unnatural for them to not know about Witches. I politely explained, while taking out my staff and demonstrating Magic to make it simpler. "Amazing......! Hahaa, so there are such people in the world!" Albel-san laughed with all his might. His dry laugher that forcibly made his stomach move, before long turned into coughs. "Are you okay?" "Yeah, sorry. I became a little too excited©¤©¤And so, about me and Mina..." "......Yes. What is the matter? The thing about not returning back." And so he said, looking up at the ceiling: "I''m the one who made up the story about panacea. Something like that doesn''t exist." "Doesn''t...... exist?" He gave a nod. "Mina, you see©¤©¤" Then, he quietly began to talk. She was a girl so kind, so lovely that she was too good for me. She was my only support. Even after I fell to the illness, she nursed me without once looking troubled. Every day she came to my room, and fed me her handmade cooking, and brought me books to not get bored while being bedridden. Staying next to my side until I fell asleep. I was saved by her who nursed me with all her power. However my illness just kept worsening. No matter how long I kept taking the medicine or how much I slept. Before long, I couldn''t even eat properly. And even when looking at the food that she brought to me, the sense of it looking delicious had also disappeared. But instead, I only felt nausea. Probably, I didn¡¯t have much time left. I somehow understood that fact. However, she encouraged me with all her might. That appearance of hers was just lovely. I wished that she would live in happiness. Then, one day, I told her, "The village medicine is useless against my illness. It won''t make me better. You know that there''s a large country to the north two days walk from here right? I heard that there''s an all-curing medicine there. If it''s not much trouble, can you go and bring it?" Mina was bewildered. Does such medicine really exist, she said. Besides, you will definitely get better if you do your best, she said. But I ignored her words. And on top of ignoring them, I pushed large amount of money I was secretly saving up for going on a trip with her in future, along with one letter. "This much should be enough to buy it. Take it. And until you obtain the panacea, never return©¤©¤and if you can''t obtain the panacea no matter what and be at loss, open that letter." And said that. Mina was truly a good girl. After a lot and lot of worry, she finally agreed to my proposal. "I will definitely, absolutely find it and come back," she said. Even though such medicine doesn''t exist. My environment changed from the next day. Because Mina went to obtain the panacea, the fact about my illness not improving had spread among the village. The villagers who wondered whether my disease was infectious appeared, and you can see the result. I was isolated. And only Mina''s father started to take care of me. But I thought it was fine nonetheless. ©¤©¤You see I, love Mina with all my heart. So much that it''s unbearable. Being separated from her was, as expected, painful. But causing her to be sad was even more painful. I didn''t want her to grieve over my corpse. I wished for her to remain smiling. For that reason, I decided to drive her away from the village. "It''s better if you don''t come to see me again." If I rejected her with such words, there''s no way she would obediently agree to it. That much, I understood. But even if I still rejected her and made sure she wouldn''t return to me, she would surely be sad nevertheless. On the contrary, there was also the possibility of other villagers butting in our problem. Above all. I didn''t think that she would truly be happy in a village where my dead body lied. It might be presumptuous, me being conceited, but I thought she might be dragging me along too much. but wasn''t she pulling me along with her, I thought. She would surely arrive at that country after two days. And would start searching for panacea there. But no matter how many days and hours she walked throughout the country, she would naturally still not find it. Then, she would open the letter. That letter is filled with all my feelings©¤©¤and I thought that when Mira finally read that letter, I would already be dead. I hope that you would find happiness in that country. I wrote that in it. After all, in that big country where she headed to, there must be a great man somewhere who will heal her wounds. There should be someone, who will make her smile once again. Isn''t it pretty selfish talk? However, since the start I had thought that this cramped village didn''t suit her, and that she had to see a world much more vast. By the way. Since miss traveler was acting like Mina, that means she still hasn''t returned, right? Even though it should already be about two weeks since she left. In that case, it must be like that. ©¤©¤She surely found happiness there. At the end of his story, he looked outside the window with worn-out eyes. Just absentmindedly. The wind blew, the tree leaves danced, and before long disappeared from view. "And you are really fine with that?" Those were some common words. But I couldn''t find any other words to offer him. "Of course I''m not. Parting with your loved one is a sorrowful thing." "............" In that case ¨C I started, but stopped. For both Mina-san and Abel-san, the parting would be just as sad. But she must overcome that sadness©¤©¤This was the result of thinking what to do for that. An outsider shouldn''t butt in the problem of these two and two alone. "I''m glad that I met you, miss traveler. Albeit not real, I was able to meet with her once more." "......I also think that meeting with you was nice." Glad to hear it©¤©¤After muttering so, he said: "Miss traveler, miss traveler Witch. If you are a Witch, that means you can use miraculous power that we aren''t able to, is that right?" "Hm? Eh. Well, that''s correct." I was a little surprised from the sudden question, but affirmed it. Magic, after all, is not something available to anyone. The Magic you showed me some time ago was absolutely amazing. It was as if I was in a dream world." "Why thank you. I''m glad that you enjoyed it." "Hey, can you do something like this with Magic? Like for example©¤©¤" Immediately after leaving the hut, I returned to the house for changing clothes and had the corset removed. It was too tightly fastened around my back, so I couldn''t remove it by myself. "Did it go smoothly?" The granny asked to me as I changed back to my robe. I answered something that didn''t happen. "Yes. He was under the impression that I was Mina-san to the end." "That''s a relief. Meeting with Mina at his final moment should''ve surely brought him happiness as well." "............" His final moments...... you say? "So, how is Abel-san now?" "He told me he wanted to sleep because we talked for a long time. Please leave him be until the night." "I see... Understood. I will convey that to the village head as well." The village head should be the old man with white moustache. "If you would." Attaching my star-shaped brooch and putting on a tricorne, I finished changing. I returned back to my usual self. "What are you going to do from now on? If you plan to stay in village, we have space......" It was a pleasant proposal. However, I shook my head. "No. I''m departing from this village soon. I have to hurry ahead." Besides, I want to see that large country for myself. "......That''s a shame." "Sorry for that." "Will you go without meeting with the village head as well?" "I might be detained here if I do, right? That''s why I''ll vanish like this. Give my regards to the village head and Mina-san''s father when you see them." So you are going already. It''s a shame. Come again sometime. The women who helped me remove the corsage said those words at the same time. And I, "Yes, I''ll surely visit again." Said something I didn''t plan to do. And so, I left the village. Within the primeval forest, I flew north. I simply looked straight ahead, without once turning back. It felt that the sensation of Abel-san''s cold hand was still remaining on my hands that were grasping the broom. He©¤©¤ "......Are you seriously saying that?" Hearing his proposal, I was greatly perplexed. "That''s right, I''m serious. ......I''m going to die soon. I''ll surely die very soon. And that is scary and unbearable. Every day, I think that if I sleep today, maybe I won¡¯t wake up again. I am afraid, scared, I can not help it." He continued as he lied on bed. "Besides, I know. That Mina''s father and villagers think of me as nuisance. Deep down, they wish for my death. They are thinking that if I die faster, the need to take care of me would disappear. That''s why I''m done. It''s my limit. That''s why©¤©¤won''t you answer my request? Won''t you kill me?" He wasn''t joking. He said that with full seriousness. So he was already at a limit huh. However. "I refuse." There is no way I would accept such request. I did not become a Witch in order to kill people. Even if that was his final request©¤©¤for me, it would be impossible. "......It''s a shame." He became quiet. As if he didn''t expect it from the beginning. "I''m sorry." "No, you don''t have to apologize©¤©¤at any rate, even if I don''t die by your hand, I will still be killed by the villagers sometime tonight. They will kill me by putting poison in my food or something, and pretend that I passed on peacefully.¡± "......Such a thing." "No, I get it. I won''t be able to stand up anymore, and someone who''s just lying on bed is worthless to this village. There''s nothing left at this point but waiting for death." "........." "Even so, the reason I lived to this day was because the villagers hoped that Mina would return. They seemed to be under the impression that I still had lingering feelings for her©¤©¤but that is no more." So that means, "......Is it because I came here?" "It''s not like I''m blaming you, so don''t get the wrong idea, okay? Ending up like this someday was my fate." "............" And then, he smiled. "Well, if I had to speak of my desire, I wanted to die while being taken care by a girl that looks like Mina©¤©¤but I don''t want to insist on it. Sorry for asking such a strange thing of you." "No, please don''t mind it©¤©¤" I said so. CH 11 Chapter 11: The Country that Oppressed the Uglies It was a straight road with trees of similar height on both sides. There was no pavement or such, it was simply an uneven ground where trees weren''t growing stretching ahead. Above it was a girl flying on the broom. Back where she had passed by, the trees whispered whilst shaking branches, throwing leaves as if raise a toast of something. That lovely girl was both a Witch and a traveler. Her ashen hair received the sunlight and reflected it dazzlingly, and her azure eyes didn''t look at the road ahead, but instead seemed to be gazing somewhere afar. It wouldn''t an exaggeration to say that her Witch-like appearance of black robe and tricorne and a star-shaped brooch existed for the purpose of enhancing her charms. Who in the world was that girl that anyone and everyone would only describe as lovely? Right, it''s me. "............" I already got the information about the country up ahead. Such as that among the merchants that do their business around it, they have come to call it with strange names such as "Big yet small Country", "Country with just handsome guys and beauties", "Country with walls", "Worn out Country", "Somewhat hard to enter Country" and "Country of every strangeness". I wanted to say, at least make them more compatible to each other. At any rate, the only thing certain about the country up ahead is that it is abnormal. Maybe there''s something strange in it, or maybe mysterious. I didn''t discover anything regarding that when listening to the merchants. Anyway, if I want to learn about that country, then I have no choice to ascertain it with my own eyes. I started to look forward to it a bit. In a short while after that, I saw the country. Along with it having not high walls as I expected, its gate, made from wood, was open. I descended in front of it. Thereupon, the gate guard promptly approached from nearby and bowed. "Why hello©¤©¤oh, a Witch-sama? Now that''s unusual." Looking at the brooch on my chest, the gate guard widened his eyes. "What business do you have to come here?" "I''m a traveler." "Hohou. That''s also quite rare." "Is that so?" The gate guard nodded two, no three times. "Yes©¤©¤By the way, Witch-sama, are you aware of this country?" "Well, more or less..." "Is that so? It''s alright in that case." "......?" Oh my, what? Did he want to say something, this is puzzling. "Well then, Witch-sama, please answer these simple questions to enter the country. First©¤©¤" Cutting off my meager doubt were the usual questions. Such as where I heard about it, or my name. My age. The duration of stay and the journey purpose. I simply answered them all. "Understood. Well then, go ahead." "Alright~" While urged by the gate guard, I set foot towards the country. Now, what kind of country will this be? It was impossible to judge whether or not the country was reputable just through a bit of walking. Passing through the gate, the country inside was spreading a relatively usual sight, with no particular change in appearance. It''s just, rather than a country, I feel that calling it a village surrounded by walls would be more suitable instead. This country had way too many wooden buildings, after all. Every house you looked appeared as if it was made by carving out the trees. Perhaps they were houses made by cutting the trees that grew on that road that I followed. Furthermore, every house was completely wrecked up. They were tattered in a way that gave off a feeling as if an evil wolf targeted them from front and blew them away. By the way, the ones living inside weren''t pigs......... but actual humans. Well, that should be natural. Coming out of one of the houses was a woman, slender like a thread. The woman who came out with a basket under her arm shifted her attention to me just for an instant, and headed somewhere without change. That reaction was one that you would direct towards an object of no interest. Perhaps it''s not so unusual for travelers to come here. Not only the women who had a basket, but the reaction of the people of the country was really indifferent. Rather than indifferent, I guess normal fits better. For example, a woman who put a stick between two trees in the garden and was drying laundry there. Or the guys who had a friendly chat while surrounding and sticking branches in a faintly burning bonfire. Or maybe the youth who was wholeheartedly cutting up the firewood with axe. I was able to look at the country residents from afar, but whenever our eyes met, "Ah, a traveler? I see." They immediately averted their eyes in that manner. And now that you mention it, I feel like there are only beautiful boys and girls here, and it can also be said that it''s worn out. But at the moment, the only thought I held about it was a "Normal to the point of boring country". I have to disagree with it being reputable. "Oh my. This is rare." As I absentmindedly walked, someone called out to me. As I turn my face towards the voice, I saw a magician walking up to me. As our eyes met, she made a bright smile. It was a smile overflowing with enigmatic tenderness. It was apparent, but her age seemed to be about the same as my parents. Just in case, as I turned my head, I made sure that it wasn''t some sort of embarrassing misunderstanding, "Do you mean me?" And so I asked. The woman nodded. "Yes, you. You are a traveler right? It''s quite strange to be coming to this country." "Is that so?" "That''s right." "I heard that this country was different so it caught my eye." "Hmm, you sure are an oddball." "Is that so?" "Yes." For some reason, I ended up in a friendly chat with this sudden Magician, and was treated as an oddball with strange tastes. What is this? I don''t get the reason. "However, I can''t see anything too unusual. I can''t think of anything but absolutely, completely normal country." "By the way, I wonder if you heard what kind of country this was?" "Uhhhm......" I told her of the nicknames that the merchants have been calling this country. "......Hmm. Country with only beauties huh...... ufufu. I feel embarrassed." "............" Did she just pick out the good part? This Magician, "Then, are you feeling disappointed that it ended up being too normal despite your expectations?" "Well, yes. Something like that." "......I see. In that case, you should come see the country from the inside. Perhaps you will discover what you were expecting." "Inside of the country......? What do you mean?" "Just like it sounds. Come here for a bit." "Eh, w-wai©¤©¤" Pulling my sleeve, I was dragged along by the Magician whose even name I didn''t know. ......Why? The place I was dragged to was the front of the gate. Not the gate we passed when entering the country, but a more extravagant one. On top of a wooden gate, iron frames were added to it. Deep down, I felt that it was taller than the castle walls as well as the other one I saw when I entered. The gate was open and the cart was stopped near it. Packages of various sizes were carried by overweight old men from the cart which was attached to the horse that was plucking grass in a bored manner. Now, what could this be? "......Is there another country inside a country?" With my question, the Magician let go of my sleeve and said: "Yes. What''s more, beyond this gate is the real country." "Huh? In that case, what is this side?" I pointed at the ground. "I will tell you if you hear what I have to say." "............" I have a bad feeling about this. "Won''t you do a trade with me?" "A trade you say?" "That''s right." "Depends on what it is." As I said so, the Magician''s eyes sparkled as if saying "I''ve got it!" "A request to go and buy a book. I will pass you the money." "......Book?" As I thought about what it could be, it turned out to be a normal thing. "Won''t you be able to buy it yourself? Or are there circumstances that prevent you doing so?" "That''s right. I can''t buy it due to circumstances. Can I entrust it to you?" When I asked what was it about, she clearly dodged it by saying "That, let''s leave it to after you buy it, okay?" Well, it fine as long as it''s at the level of an errand. I didn''t feel like becoming the Magician''s errand girl, but I was really curious about the other side of the gate. "I will take up the request." I said. Slipping by the listless horse and the working oily old man, I passed through the second gate. And what awaited there was a different world. The state was different to the point that I became wanting to say what in the world was that worn down place until now. The ground on which I walked was not a ground that''s is not even paved©¤©¤rather it was made from what looked like hard rust-colored bricks lined up in a fixed manner. No, rather than hard-looking, it was really hard. Even the houses that followed along the slightly winding road were upgraded from wooden to bricks. With this, it should be fine even if the wolf attacked. As I walked, the the aroma of coffee came from somewhere. There was a coffee shop©¤©¤And every person from inside of it was smiling while looking towards me. As I walked on, I even found my favorite bakery. There didn''t seem to be stalls in this country, so there were no people doing business by the road. Bakery-san was also opened up inside a pretty ordinary house. Because of the good fragrance assaulting my body, my stomach raised a growl as if it came to a realization. That reminds me, I haven''t eaten anything since the morning. But let¡¯s eat after doing a quick round of the country. It''s a good chance, so I want to eat this country''s specialties. "Hey hey, mommy. one of the uglies is walking. Despite being ugly." "Shh! Don''t look." ............. ......Oh my. What was that just now. As I looked towards the direction where that absolutely rude remark came from, I saw fat parent and child holding hands while looking towards me with disgusted expression. Did they just say that about me? The moment I met eyes with those child and parent that were moving away, "Hyaa, the ugly glared at me!" "Hey, stop it! You''ll be turned ugly!" They followed up with such words. ............. What in the world just occurred? Even if I thought deeply over it, there would be no answer to it, so in the end, I concluded in my mind that it was just my misunderstanding. The more I advanced, the more it grew. Or perhaps, the more people I passed by, the more numerous the unpleasant eyes directed at me grew. People, at times pointing and scorning at me and at times whispering to each other, have said: Ugly. "Goodness! Such ugliness!" "Such a terrible face. It''s something unable to look at." "How can she even walk so calmly? I feel respect." "She''s too slender, huh." "She''s like a skeleton." "It''s bad for the kids¡¯ education, so why won''t she just disappear." "What''s more, a Witch." "Aah, that''s right. it''s an ugly Witch." And so, something like that. As expected, I wouldn''t become angry when it''s this plain. Oh me, oh my? Could this be jealousy? I became wanting to say such things. However, after walking around a place with such plain discrimination as this, it''s natural that something troublesome would happened. For example, being laughed by a man (that looked like fat pig), saying, "Hyahahaha! Too ugly! She''s just like a slave!" Or making an old man (that looked like a fat pig) frightened, saying, "Hiii! It''s a death god! Does this mean that my death is drawing near......?" Or being thrown rocks at by kids (that look like fat pigs) saying "Go away you ugly!"©¤©¤Although their power was weak compared to their physique so avoiding them was easy. Incidentally, in order to reduce my stress, I blew away the kids who threw those rocks with wind, but they had fat on their bodies so there should be no problem. But even if I do a bit of revenge, the inconvenient incidents wouldn''t end. "Hey, you are a hindrance! step aside, ugly." Neither would the words uttered at me when passing by me and hitting my shoulders. Now, just how beautiful is the person who ascertained me as ugly? Turning away with that thought, waiting there was a meat-like woman. Oh, such lovely meat. Just like a pig before shipping it away. To express it in different words, it was an overly fat Ojousama with an overly crude face. That round girl, wearing a fluttering dress on her body, was walking in the middle of the road while displaying a proud face. But for some reason, she was bathed in cheers. "Oh how beautiful!" "The girls should be like that after all." "Isn''t she a bit overweight?" "It''s fine that way. You don''t get it huh." "What a beauty......... I want her to be my bride." "Compared to her, what''s with that Witch?" "She''s all bones." "She''s too slender." Something like that. It was very unpleasant that the flames somehow reached to me. "......Fuuh." For the time being, I turned around the way I came from, and rushed towards the coffee shop. I escaped. Because it was too unpleasant. "Welcome. Your order? ......pff." The dog-faced man (which was the very fatness itself) said so with a disgusting smile on his face. "Umm, how about the morning set." I chose the topmost thing on the menu. I choose the cheapest thing. "As you request." The employee quickly went away and started to whisper something with another employee. Well, they should be ridiculing my appearance. "............" Needless to think, needless to say. Apparently in this country ¨C the other side of the gate seems to be a place where the concept of ''ugly'' is far from ordinary. "Hey look...... the ugly is sitting there." "You fool! Don''t talk so easily about the ugly ones. You''ll get infected!" "D-Damnit! ......My bad." "Good grief......" Putting aside whether ugliness was infectious, it seems that even inside the coffee shop, the other customers were showering me with piercing glares. I don''t really get it, but it seems that I somehow belong to the objects of discrimination in this country. "Thank you for waiting. Here''s your morning set." The employee that looked at me as if belittling left behind a coffee and a bread. And also jam. A very modest amount. As expected from the cheapest thing. Then, while displaying an unpleasant smile, the employee said, "Ms. customer, I''m sorry but could you leave the shop quickly after eating this? We''re getting complaints from other customers......" "Alright......" The laughter leaked out from some seat. After eating the morning set extremely slowly and elegantly, I headed towards the bookstore. I wanted to promptly escaped from here, but I can''t because I made a promise. Reluctantly, as I walked while being pointed and laughed at, I finally arrived to the bookstore. The inside of the bookstore was engulfed in silence. As expected of the sacred place of ladies and gentlemen. The people inside (All fat without exception) were engulfed in bookshelves, or perhaps in the books they held in hand, so they didn''t start looking towards me. So this is a safety zone. "Lets see......" I loitered inside the store while recalling the book title requested by the Magician. After a while, I finally found it. It was stacked in the corner of new books. Taking one copy in hand, I went towards the counter. "Weeelcome." The shop assistant that gave off unserious feeling accepted the book. "Shall I wrap it?" "Please do." She didn''t take a blatant attitude, but she might be laughing deep down. As I leisurely moved my eyes away, I saw the bookmarks of books with bad taste piled up on the counter. They were crushed and flattened spider husks that were disgusting to even look at. They had "Bookmarks" written on them so they must be one. There is no doubt. "Ah, could you put one of these bookmarks into the book every fifty pages?" "Customer has a bad taste, eh." Then why are you even selling those bookmarks. When I left the store, I was surrounded by the adults. I don''t know what I''m saying, but I myself didn''t understand what had occurred. Surrounding me were the fat gentleman I remembered. "Hey, you are the traveler who slipped in this country aren''t you?" The oily fat man spoke towards me. As I recalled who it was, it turned out to be the guy that was carrying down the luggage from the cart near the second gate. "What do you mean by slipped in?" I frankly said. "You secretly entered while we gate guards were carrying the luggage didn''t you. It''s a misdeed to enter this country while knowing that uglies aren''t allowed." "What?" I shouldn''t have entered? "Don''t play dumb. When you passed the first gate, the guard of that side should have given you the explanation. That the second gate is a special location where only select few can enter. Still entering in spite of that is extremely bad deed." "Haah." Now that I think about it, I think the gate guard asked me whether I knew of the country or not. "What''s with your attitude!? In the first place, it will make the citizens troubled if someone like you stays here. Get out at once!" "I intended to do just that even without you telling me." I already finished my business here. "......Hmph, and don''t come back." I don''t plant to come back even without you telling me that so relax. I wanted to say that. But I''m not stupid enough to add oil to the fire so I just replied with "Is that so~". "Oh my. So you finally returned." It was the worn out place outside the prospering country. She stood before the second gate as I left it. It was good that it saved the trouble of searching her, but I think that my timing to go meet her was predicted somehow. It was as if I was dancing on her palm all this time. It''s probably just my imagination. "Hello. I obtained the promised item." "Oh. Thank you." She tried to take the book from my hands. "But before that, won''t you let me hear about this country? Handing the book over comes after that." I said while raising up the book. She drew back her extended hands, and said, "That''s right©¤©¤then, shall we go sit somewhere?" So the place I was led to was a bench that didn''t have any life in it. It seemed to have been neglected outside for a long time, as it had moss twined around its legs, and the wood on it also had holes here and there. It gave of a cracking sound as we sat. It was a little scary. It felt like the plank would break with a ''Baam!'' any time now. Opposite to me whose heart was pounding as if holding a time bomb, the Magician gazed calmly at the tranquil scenery and spoke. "Compared to the other side, it feels good here. It''s calm." "......Well, that''s true." Though I wonder if it isn''t a bit too calm. "So, what do you want to hear?" "You know what I want to hear, don''t you?" The Magician, for a short while, became silent. Then, she started to speak bit by bit. "©¤©¤You see, in old times, when this country was yet undivided, there lived one really ugly princess." "Huh? Ugly princess you say?" I inclined my head. With the meaning of "What do you mean?" "Well, she would be a beauty by the standard of that other side©¤©¤well, in short, it was a princess that would be ugly by your standards." "That was pretty harsh." "But it''s true." "............" "Let''s return to the topic©¤©¤that ugly princess was self-conscious about her own ugliness. At that time, the general idea of a ''beauty'' was still normal, so she didn''t have self-confidence in her appearance." Fumu Fumu......? The Magician continued the talk. "That''s why, the princess asked one traveler Witch. "Make my appearance beautiful". However the Witch refused. She didn''t know of a Magic that could tamper with person''s looks, and she also thought that it wasn''t right thing to do ethically." "Was that traveler Witch you?" However, she shook her head. "No. I''m but a mere Magician. Look, I don''t even have a brooch, right?" Saying so, she pulled the chest of her robe and showed me. There wasn''t anything there for sure. "Then, how do you know of the request that the princess gave to that traveler Witch?" "Because I''m the friend of that Witch©¤©¤we got to know each other when she came to this country. But she is a traveler, and we were together only for a little time." "Haah." "Both mine and her age were exactly the same as yours, and our appearances were also just like yours. We were absolutely bright and beautiful." "Haah......" Was she admiring me? I don''t understand. "Well, anyway, the traveler Witch turned town the princess'' request. It seems that she was quite persistent and eventually even turned into a quarrel. Then, the angry princess exiled the traveler Witch from the country saying "You have some nerve to deny my request"." "By the way, I was just exiled as well." "I thought as such." "............" It seems she used me despite knowing how it would all end up. "Then, the princess reversed the concept of ugly and beautiful and drew away everyone who was ugly from her perspective outside of the gate. And thus, the princess lived in harmony. And they all lived happily ever after." "............" "How was it?" "No well, even if you ask how......" It somehow became a headache. For now, let''s ask what I want to ask. "However, was that okay? All of you were driven away from the gate, right? I don''t think it would be strange if dissatisfied people appeared from there." "And they appeared of course. Although there wasn''t anyone who thought of revolt." "Is that so?" "The dissatisfied people grabbed a large sum from the country and left from this place. Right now, they are starting their lives from scratch at some other place I guess? Can''t say that it''s a wise idea though. If you want to leave in comfort, then staying in this place would be the best choice©¤©¤You get minimum amount of money and food without even working after all. This side is seems poor, but it''s actually the other side that''s poor." "............" "Thanks to the bad-looking princess who forced her sense of values, we are all living peaceful and ordinary lives. On the other side as well, the people are living a life with no discomfort©¤©¤and by scorning at people like us, they vent their daily stress. "......Yeah." I see. Looking from the other side, the people here are depraved existences that make them think "I don''t want to become like that". So, by mutually keeping the existences lower than themselves on the other side of the gate, they are maintaining the peace, that should be it. It''s skillful, or maybe poor, or indirect. "©¤©¤Well, my talk is done with this. How was it? Did it answer all your questions?" She held her hand out to me. I said while putting the book I bought in her hand. "Yes, more or less. My questions are done." Although I''m still stressed. "By the way, why did you want this book?" "This is a new edition book, but they don''t really distribute it here from the other side of the wall that. So I thought I''d use miss traveler." "............" I see. I was used with quite worthless reason. "Well, you got to know the other side, it''s fine, right?" "That''s right huh©¤©¤although I got somewhat angry while getting openly discriminated on the other side. "Oh...... sorry about that." She honestly apologized. "Don''t mind it." I already inserted my small revenge once every fifty pages. "What did you think after traveling this country?" Suddenly she asked while opening the book. The two in one countries, they were really peaceful yet with really strange relationships. If I had to express it in a word. "I think it''s a strange country." I guess that word would sum it up. And she, "That''s also what I think." Said so and turned over the page. CH 12 Chapter 12: The Princess of a Country Without People If you follow this map, you''ll be able to arrive to the nearest country. Do your best, Ojousan. The chief of the village where I stayed the other day gave me a map while saying such words, so I decided to obediently follow it. It''s been a half day since I''ve been flying on my broom at low altitude, barely above the ground while holding that map in hand. Certainly, I was able to reach my goal without a hitch. I was able to, however... Good grief, just what is this. "............" Isn''t it all wrecked? It''s..... not a country is it? Anything and everything. All things were dead. The gate that separated country from the outside was also left open, so I was able to pass under it without stopping while on my broom. The scenery inside the country stayed unchanged. Houses without roofs, what were once houses burnt to the ground, houses with just outlines remaining, houses that turned to a mere debris... debris, debris, and more debris. As for people, there was not even a sign of life. It seems that this country had been deserted by people long time ago. And while the Royal Palace that could be said to be the symbol of this country was comparatively normal in appearance, it was still ruins in the end. The outer wall was full of cracks, so much so that it seemed like it would fall apart with a strike. The wooden gate wouldn''t budge even if you pulled or pushed it. "......Ughh." I''m at loss. Truly at loss. Well, what shall I do? I sat on the stairs that stretched towards the Royal Palace with a truly depressed expression, however, there was naturally no one who could call out to me out of concern, so I merely hung my head. Should I turn back on the road, taking another half-day? Or should I instead stay here? These two were the choices presented to me. And I didn''t want to choose either of them. If I try to follow the road I came at this time, it will definitely turn dark. Even if I safely return to the village, there''s also a question on whether there''s any lodging place that will let me stay. Even if you tell me to sleep here without returning to the village, that would be troubling on it''s own right. After all, it''s all ruins here. "......Haah.¡± But unfortunately, staying here in these ruins seems to be the better choice out of the two. And so I chose it. After all, the problem wouldn''t be solved without a sacrifice. I''m very reluctant, but there''s no other choice. Let''s stay here. And so I stood up. In order to search for a bed. As a result of flying around on the broom in the skies of the small country, the Royal Palace turned out to be the place that retained the most decent appearance. Private houses were no good. They were, after all, crumbled to the point of being practically useless. The gate of the Royal Palace was locked, but if you thought about it, there was no one there. .......... It''s fine right? ......It''s fine to do it, right?" "......Eii." After confirming once again that there was no one nearby, I burned that gate with Magic and it turned to ashes. "Sorry for intruding......" Then, I entered. Compared to its outside that was full of cracks, the interior had kept its beautiful appearance. Although it was covered by dust, there were shortcomings with lodging. Now, let''s begin the search. First comes securing a bed. The castle devoid of people had an ominous atmosphere drifting about. There was a faint air of unrest, feeling like some unknown thing would jump out any moment now. While feeling a strange chilliness, I searched for the stairs. Being a traveler who wandered many countries, I knew that the room I was aiming for wasn''t on the first floor. If there was a bedroom, it would be on the second floor. Or even further above, there should be a bedroom used by royalty. In less than a few minutes after beginning the search, I discovered the stairs. Stepping firmly on the dust-covered carpet, I headed upstairs. And then, "Who are you?" I heard a voice. I reflexively raised my head while being attacked by a heart-piercing feeling. Thereupon, I saw a woman standing at the end of the stairway. I was about to cry. In every sense of the word. "I didn''t expect for someone to live here." "I didn''t expected that someone would come here." The place she lead me was a bedroom full of elegance. Although there was only a bed and desk that could be called furniture in it, if you were to speak of it''s vastness... I wonder if it would be enough to fit one whole house from the village I stayed the other day. What is this even? Just what is this? Are you supposed to sleep at such place? Such extravagance. "Where did you come from I wonder?" As she pulled out a chair from the desk (an expensive-looking thing shining in gilded splendor) and sat on it, she directed a soft gaze at me. "I came from a country far far away," I said. "I''m a traveler." "Can I hear your name?" "It''s Elaina." "I see. I''m Milaros¨¦. Nice to meet you." She smiled. Her hair was red as blood and ruffled as if lightning passed through it. As she wore a tattered dress, I felt uneasy thinking whether she was a person with wild temperament, but she turned out to be a gentle person. "Milaros¨¦-san, why are you here?" "......I don''t know." "Huh? What does that mean?" "I don''t know why I''m here." Milaros¨¦-san warped her expression. "When I came to myself, I was in this ruined country." ".....That is..." I wonder if it''s something like amnesia©¤©¤ But how? The ruin of this country shouldn''t be something that happened today or yesterday. Roughly estimating, it was already in this state a month ago. I put my questions into words as is. "Why don''t you leave from this country? Rather than staying here, living in another country should be much better. If it''s money, it''s scattered all around here." The valuable things could be stolen from the castle if push came to shove. "............" After looking like she was thinking for a bit, she stood up. Then, she took out a single sheet of paper from the desk drawer, and beckoned to me. Come here, that must be what she meant. "This is the reason why I can''t leave this place." She showed me that paper. Messy characters that looked as if bugs crawled on it were tightly lined up from top to bottom. It seems it was a letter. While being urged by her, I read that letter. You, who are reading this letter, Princess Milaros¨¦ is who you are. Even if you don''t know anything, I know it. Why are you here? Why is everything outside the windows ruined? Why don''t you have your previous memory? I''m sure you are perplexed from all the things you don''t know, but I want you to calm down. I will explain everything in a little while. To say that all the puzzles swirling in you will be solved, that isn¡¯t the case. But at least it will avoid your death by making a wrong choice. In other words, read this if you don''t want to die. By the way, is it day over there, or a night? I''ll assume that it''s a night and advance the topic from there. If it''s day by chance, well, it would be good if you just put it in the corner of your head that such things will continue to occur from now on. Now. I want you to look outside the window. Surely, the monster should be going rampant. That monster is the demon that destroyed this country, and also the cause of your amnesia. That monster has no name. If I take this opportunity and give it a name, I would call it Javillier. It wakes up along with sunset and continues to destroy the country until sunrise. If you decided to go out to get food supplies, I recommend you do so at daytime. The castle is safe. Inside the castle is the only place where Javillier can''t enter. Javillier''s goal is to massacre everyone in this country. It comes to this country every night, and rages in search for the last remaining person. The remaining person, in other words, is you. It''s aiming at you who became a Princess of a country without people. I''m begging you, don''t leave the country. If you leave the country, Javillier will also leave the country in your pursuit. For you, I have a sole request. I want you to kill Javillier with your strength. Although, unless you kill that monster, you won¡¯t be able to leave the country, so I don''t think you have much of a choice. If it''s your, a Witch''s, Magic, then something like defeating Javillier should be an easy matter. Please, for our sakes, I want you to defeat that monster. So that you live. And for those who were unfortunately murdered. Then, at night. The thing referred to as Javillier, was undoubtedly a monster. Its giant body could be compared to the decayed buildings, and was covered with scales as black as dead of night. It was named Javillier, but from outward appearance, it was just like a dragon. If you plucked the wings off of a dragon, I think it would end up with that form. I don''t know if it''s because of that, but that dreadful of a monster spewed fire. Its appearance as it was destroying buildings with its giant muscular arm and burned down houses by spewing fire, rather than searching for the lone survivor Milaros¨¦, it appeared as if it was just in a fit of rage. "Rather than that, Milaros¨¦-san, so you were a Witch?" "Rather than that, Elaina-san, you are a Witch." "No, well, me being a Witch should be obvious from my appearance." My appearance is that of a Witch no matter how you look at it. Did she not see this brooch of mine? "Just kidding." Milaros¨¦-san leaked a laugh while gazing down at the monster that rampaged as it liked outside the window. I also followed her line of sight. "But the person who wrote that letter also makes quite unreasonable requests, huh." "That''s right. Because to fight a monster like that and winning...... it''s just ridiculous." "......That reminds me." There''s something bothering me. "Why was it written that only this castle was safe." "Even if you ask me, I don''t know the answer." Well, that true. I said. "Wasn''t that letter kind of strange? In the end, wouldn''t the only things we learned after reading that letter be that the monster comes out at night, and that you must kill it?" That''s right, while it''s tediously written down regarding the situation Milaros¨¦-san is placed in at the moment, there''s not a word written about the crucial part. Why did Javillier appear and destroy the country? Why was she the only survivor? What is the relation between amnesia and Javillier? All of that is truly a mystery, mystery, mystery. As if intentionally avoiding to inform her, they were splendidly omitted. But for what reason? "While it''s true that there is a mountain of things I don''t understand, I learned that I was Milaros¨¦, the Princess of this country©¤©¤and that this country was destroyed by the monster. If all that is true, than it is my mission to defeat that.........don''t you think so?" "Have you fought it?" As I pointed at the monster rampaging outside, she shook her head. "Not yet." "That is an opponent I wouldn''t wish to fight in a lifetime." "Indeed." "Milaros¨¦-san, how many days would it be today that you¡¯ve seen that monster?" "It''s only seventh day. It hasn''t been that long ever since I woke up. Well, the country was already ruined a week ago though." She looked up towards the sky. On a jet black sky with shining stars, the round moon was producing a little light. What would she be feeling at the moment? I do not understand, and I can not understand. "............" After being silent for a little while, she opened her mouth. "At night tomorrow, I''ll be fighting that monster." "Do you have a chance of victory?" Even if it''s me, I don''t know whether I would be able to win if I challenged that monster. Probably the power difference is at a level where you would finally win after dying twice. "There is, of course. You see, I remembered how to use Magic one week after I woke up. Perhaps I was a capable user before losing my memory." She put her hands on her back. "Do your best. I''ll cheer for you from a safe place." "Ah, won''t you give me a hand?" "Is there some advantage for me if I aid you?" "......That absurdly frank way of speaking of yours, I don''t hate it." "Why thank you." After that, we indulged ourselves in an ambiguous act called friendly chat while looking at the gallant figure of the Javillier that raged in the neighborhood, after which we went to bed. As for my bed, Milaros¨¦-san lent me the bed that seemed to be used by employees formerly. I''m thankful. It was all soft and fluffy. Early morning of the next day. I was woken up by the extraordinary thunderous roar. Enemy! Enemy-! Something kept screaming inside my head. My heart was also thumping just like when you sprint with all your might. Having somewhat bad premonition, I jumped up, grasped my staff, and went towards the first floor that was the source of the roaring sound. "Oh, good morning." The one who greeted me as I was walking on the first floor of the castle full of wariness was the the widely smiling Milaros¨¦-san. Her dress was different from yesterday, but it was just as torn up as that one. Doesn''t she have anything but the torn-up dresses? I pity her. No, now''s not the time for that. "What was that sound just now. Is it an enemy attack?" "Enemy......?" She inclined her head in wonder. "I was just cooking. Was the sound really that loud?" "......? C-Cooking?" Perhaps the cooking that you are referring to is just an imaginary event. "Yes. It will be done soon." Nodding, she turned around and started to walk. Following behind her, I arrived to the kitchen. "Wait in the next hall. Please wait." "......Umm, do you need help?" "It''s fine." "......Umm, but." "It''s fine." "............" I, who lost to her indescribable intimidating air, stepped back as she said. I was forced to step back. Then, as I faced towards the hall, I sat to one of the lined-up chairs. Then, I failed huh ¨C I thought so. I shouldn''t have stepped back. I thought. The sounds coming from the kitchen were like the noises of construction done at top speed. Baribari. Guchagucha. Gorigori. Bekibeki. Bokiboki. P-Please, spare at least this girl''s lif©¤©¤Gyaaah. Goshigoshi. Pechipechi. Something like that. It was obviously not the sounds of cooking. To make it worse, I even heard a scream of something at the end. My appetite was completely lost due to (something that took the name of) a fierce cooking. It goes without saying that I greeted her, who brought food from the kitchen with satisfied expression, with a pale face. "Oh my, are you alright? Your face seems to be pale." "......Just what in the world were you doing?" "As I said, I was cooking©¤©¤Here, look at this." The plate was put before me. On top of the white plate were placed two pieces of bread. One of them was a bread baked to full brown with a muddy red jam on top of it. Another one had a sunny-side-up fried egg placed on it. .........Cooking? What was that sound......? "Itadakimasu." Sitting opposite of me, she bit into the bread with jam after holding her hands together. "......Itadakimasu." Imitating her, I also joined my hands. The more deeply I thought about it, the more my head grew crazier it seemed, so I didn''t pay attention the minor details. Probably, it would be considered a loss if I mind it. Opposite to her, I bit into one with sunny-side-up fried egg. The faint appetizing soft taste of the wheat and the egg with just right degree of frying spread out throughout my mouth. It is a simple taste that can be eaten whenever you want to eat, but exactly because of that, it''s been a while since I ate such cooking. My cheeks loosened up without me noticing. In a word, it was really delicious. "I''m thinking of talking about the night matter without delay." Milaros¨¦-san said. "Night matter you say?" "Yes. I want you to help me prepare a plan." I replied while eating the egg, avoiding the the yolk. "I received bed on top of breakfast, I will help you with that much without you asking." "Then, how about defeating Javillier?" "That''s a little..." In the first place, why is it that she must fight it? It seems to me that there won¡¯t be any problems even if she doesn''t. Probably expecting that I would firmly refuse, Milaros¨¦-san''s facial expression was calm. "Well, I''m joking so don''t worry. I''ll deal with the matter of my country on my own. The person who wrote that letter would probably want that as well." "..........." Now, how to accomplish that? I stayed silent. It''s not like it was because I was desperately trying to eat the the egg yolk without part of it spilling from my mouth. No, really. "It would be good to hear what Elaina-san thinks. It''s not certain that the content of that letter is truth. It would be stupid to believe everything when there''s not a single thing written about important matters, wouldn''t it?" I got surprised, wondering if she could read my mind. Ignoring me, who had words stuck in throat, she continued. "However, as there''s no basis to judge that now, this is the only thing I can do. Besides©¤©¤to me, it just doesn''t seem like that letter has lies in it. They truly hated that Javillier, wanted to kill it, that''s why they wrote that letter to me©¤©¤that''s how I feel." As I hit my chest and choked, Milaros¨¦-san wordlessly handed over the cup with water. Ah, so kind. "......Fuuh, thank you." After catching my breath, I said. "No matter what you choose, it doesn''t have any relation to me as I''m but a mere traveler. However, if you allow me to say one thing, if I was in your place, then I''d completely disregard the contents of that letter." "Why is that?" Milaros¨¦-san smiled. That wasn''t a scornful smile, neither was it bitter, it was just a gentle smile of someone who was enjoying the conversation. She''s truly a great person. "Because it''s suspicious©¤©¤nothing more, nothing less. Even though you are in a state of amnesia where you can''t tell left from right, you would be crazy if you just swallowed the contents of the letter with ''Oh, is that so''. Of course, I''m saying this while I haven''t actually experienced it myself." "In that case, what would Elaina-san do?" "I would run away. I would run with all my might and take refuge in another country." I said. "It was written in the letter that Javillier would come chasing after me were I to leave the country." "That exactly why it''s suspicious. Would that monster that doesn''t even have a fragment of intelligence and merely seems to be raging in the surroundings actually be capable of that? What''s more, it being unable to come to this castle is also incomprehensible, and the sender didn''t write about it either......... it''s really a letter with nothing but mystery in it." "That''s why you can''t believe the contents, is that what you are saying?" "That''s right©¤©¤And Milaros¨¦-san, do you still intend to choose the route of fighting that monster despite that?" "Of course." She nodded. In that case, what I have to do is also decided. I took a bite on the bread with jam on it. It was mysteriously delicious jam, but it stuck inside my mouth. We started preparations without delay. That said, it was just by my actions alone. "............" ......It''s hard. While elegantly drinking the black tea and watching over my work, Milaros¨¦-san asked "How is it, do you think you''ll finish it?" in a carefree manner. As I turned back while trembling my staff, I said. "......B-By the way, how much until it''s over?" Looking into the hole, she said in a cheerful manner. "Let''s see, it needs half more digging perhaps." "......I feel like I''m about to die." I wonder if it''s my imagination that the work amount and the reward appear to be obviously unbalanced. If you ask what in the world am I made to do, I''m digging a hole. In the most spacious street of the country, I want to dig a hole with Magic, large enough that Javillier would fit in it completely©¤©¤that was the preparations that she spoke of. According to her, it appears that since Javillier doesn''t have wings, if it fell into a pit, it would take a while for it to climb back up to the ground. In the meantime, if we continuously fire Magic towards that hole, wouldn''t we be able to bury Javillier alive? ¨C This was the plan that she told me. It feels like a reckless attempt at glance, however, it''s also true that against that unidentifiable monster, there''s no other measure other than a primitive method like this. If she suffered the damage of only a single hit, it seemed that it would still blast apart her body into countless pieces, and I think that just by preventing it from counterattacking, the effect could be expected to be plenty enough. The drawback was that the preparation was tiresome to death. "Fuh, Fuuh....... Gunununu......." From there, I gathered every scoop, shovel, and every little thing like a bucket, manipulated them with Magic, and started to dig with them. Oh how heroic. This effort and hard work, I want someone to compliment it. Well, I''m also the holder of a title "The Witch of Ashes" and am a Witch with quite good ability, so naturally, it was possible to dig the hole in a more skillful way. For example, gouging out the ground like a cylinder. However, the Magic Power consumption would be unreasonable that way. After comparing Magic Power consumption with working by myself, I readily chose to work. And the result of that is this. "......Guoooo......" By the way, I''m regretting it with all my might. This is hard to the point of dying. In the end, we finished the work after Milaros¨¦-san lent me a hand. But still, it took time, and by the time the pitfall was finished, it was already evening. The two of us were happily standing in line before that magnificent hole. I feel like some strange friendship has sprouted between us as a result of us working together. Or is it just my imagination? "......It''ll be soon now." Milaros¨¦-san said. Her expression appeared to be somewhat stiff from tension. "Are you alright?" "I''m a-a-a-a-alright. Yes, I''m alright." It appears that you aren''t alright at all. "Though you are shaking all over." "T-T-This is called trembling from excitement. You didn''t know?" "............" You won¡¯t be able fight properly like this, will you? After continuing to think about how to loosen her tension, I thought of a change of subject. It was a bright idea. "By the way, I forgot to ask one thing." "Hm? What would it be?" I said. "Milaros¨¦-san, why are you wearing torn up dresses? Could it be that you don''t have any clean clothes?" "That''s not it. They become like that whenever I cook, so since changing them is troublesome, I''m just wearing them as is." "What kind of cooking?......" I was disappointed by that unexpectedly stupid reason. And yet I thought it was hiding some more important secret. "By the way, today''s clothes are my best." "They are already muddy on top of being torn though." "Actually, I''m also wearing my special underwear." "Are you intending to show it off to Javillier?" "It''s called sex appeal strategy." "It would be nice if it was effective." While we were having such trivial conversation, a smile returned to her face. I''m glad. My strategy was a success. However, she said to me who was feeling relieved: "Thank you." "......Eh? What might you be meaning?" I turned my face away from her. My reddened cheeks must be because of the setting sun, that must be it. "Your feelings have been transmitted. You were trying to loosen my tension right?" "My my, I was only chatting, but to think that it would be considered that. It doesn''t feel bad." "Although you are absurdly frank, you are so dishonest." Milaros¨¦-san poked my side with her staff. it was ticklish. "It''s okay. I won''t die," she said. "Let''s meet again after this. I''ll treat you an evening meal with my cooking." "No thank you. I''ll be the one making meal this evening," I said. "So, please don''t die." "Of course." While saying such words, Milaros¨¦-san covered the hole''s surface. With this, Javillier wouldn''t know about the hole and openly walk into it and fall. The setting sun, dying the sky in red was shining faintly. The sky in which red and blue were clearly separated would soon set in darkness. And before long, Javillier should arrive here. "Now, go." Milaros¨¦-san pushed my back. "......Let''s meet again later." As I said so, she once again showed me a soft smile. Just like that, I turned by back on her and started to walk. Oops, did anyone say anything about leaving? Just kidding. If I left like this, it would be the end of me as a human. No, well, I do think that refusing her at the beginning was really cold. Right now, I was inside the private house on the opposite side of the pitfall, and was silently waiting for the right time. It''s a pincer-attack strategy. To say the truth, I really didn''t intend to help her at first. After all, it was unrelated to me. Because I didn''t know whether it was worth risking my life for, or if that monster was really necessary to defeat. However, I changed my mind. The reason is that, just for a bit, I thought that I didn''t want to let that lovely person die. That''s why I fight. Of course, to the extent of avoiding death. I would like you to forgive me who can''t honestly say "I will help you!" at this late hour. "............" Before long. A repulsive roar sounding as if it crawled up from the depths of hell resounded extremely nearby. As I peeked at the situation outside, I saw black scales slowly passing by. If it continues like this, it should have a perfect fall into the pitfall. "......Fuuh." I took a deep breath, that was almost unending. It''s strange. After all, even though I''d just met her yesterday, I ended up thinking that I want to let her live. When this is over, let''s make a meal together with her. While I''m at it, I''ll take a look at her fierce cooking. That''s really on my mind. As I thought about this and that, the time has finally come. The howl of the monster was heard. It seemed to be acting violently, and although it was faint, the vibration traveled up to the place I was at. As I stealthily peaked at outside, I saw Milaros¨¦-san engaged in a fascinating battle. She was mercilessly attacking Javillier that was trying to climb up from the hole with Magic one after another. Ice spear, fireball, swords, axes, and such manipulated by Magic, blades of wind and lighting, and many other things. Eh? Oh? Seems like she''s winning? I thought so for a moment, but it wasn''t like that. It was only a little, but Milaros¨¦-san was being overpowered. Javillier was spouting fire towards the sky and negating Magic fired by Milaros¨¦-san, while trying to climb up from the hole. If I''m going to go out, this is the best moment. If both of us attack, we should be able to return it back to the hole once more. And then bury it. Closing my eyes, I once again took a deep breath. I strongly, really strongly grasped my staff. Let''s do this. "©¤©¤Milaros¨¦-san!" It happened the moment I made up my mind and vigorously jumped out. Something unbelievably fast passed by my side. After splashing something on my face, it crashed into the private house behind me. A thunderous roar reverberated. As I touched my face with my hand, there was a slight smell of iron. The viscous warm liquid was blood. ......Blood. It can''t be. No, there''s no wa©¤©¤ I turned around while holding down by heartbeat. "............Eh." Buried in the mountain of debris was... It was... A dragon-like black head. It was Javillier''s head. Blood spilled from the clean cut that seemed to have been done by a sharp-edged tool, and the pool of blood started to corrode the earth. Why is Javillier''s head here? Eh? Could it be, it was defeated without my turn? As I was having trouble understanding the situation, "......While I was attacking Javillier, I remembered it." I heard a voice. It was a voice so cold it froze my spine. So much that I wondered whether it wasn''t Milaros¨¦-san but someone else who was talking. But as I turned around, the one standing next to the headless Javillier was unmistakably Milaros¨¦-san. "Everything. Everything. Everything, everything, everything©¤©¤I remember it. Aha...Ahahahaha...haha!" Was the one standing there really the person I knew? Milaros¨¦-san invoked her Magic while disheveling her hair. Instantly, the limbs of headless Javillier had it''s limbs cut into pieces and blown off. The blown off flesh, while bleeding, covered the street that was already turned into ruins. "............" That made me tremble. She laughed while being bathed in blood©¤©¤It wasn''t a gentle smile she showed me this morning, but rather a thoroughly warped, dark, dark smile. "Aha...ahahahahahahaha! Hahahahahahahaha!" No words came out. I wasn''t able to do anything but to merely stand there. After returning to the castle, I was told everything. For one thing, it was a tale, and it was also a fact. A few years ago from today, Milaros¨¦-san had a lover. But his existence was a secret for everyone. That is, the lover was her servant. If her father heard that she fell in love with a man from different social standing, she would surely be disinherited©¤©¤fearing that, she lead a stealthy relationship so that no one would find out about it. Both of them mutually loved and trusted one another. But secrets get eventually exposed. Their secret was also no exception. The truth of her being in relationship with the servant got exposed to the public in the worst way possible. Milaros¨¦-san became pregnant with his child. The two of them, who had realized that it was impossible to keep it hidden any longer, told everything to Milaros¨¦-san''s father who was the king. Quietly listening to their story, the king who seriously listened, while nodding several times, announced at the same time they finished their talk: "Execute that servant." No one was able to calm the king''s anger. The king dragged him by horse while riding it himself, thoroughly peeled off his nails one by one, broke his teeth, submerged him in water, gave him just enough meals to stay alive, caused him to loiter between life and death for two months, torturing him in every possible way until he went insane, and finally killed him by burning him at stake in front of Milaros¨¦-san and his citizens. Then, after he finished dealing with the servant, it came Milaros¨¦-san''s turn. Since she was his own daughter and the sole Witch of the country, he didn''t kill her, however, he couldn''t allow a servant''s child to be in her belly©¤©¤and it seems that the king paid large sum of money to the doctor who lived in the country, and made him kill the child in her belly. Naturally, no matter how many months she waited, her child was never born. Then, she who lost everything made a vow. I''ll kill everything. After that, she carefully polished her plan. The first thing to do was to put a barrier around the castle. For her plan, the castle must have been absolutely safe place. Since they were a bother, it seems that she had gathered all the people living inside the castle and locked them up in the basement. All but the king, however. She who seized the country, threw the king outside of the castle and put up the barrier. It was a barrier that repelled everyone aside from those with strong Magic Power©¤©¤this is the reason why I ¨C who am a Witch was able to enter. Then, next, she addressed a letter to her future self©¤©¤no, made someone to address it. It seems she dragged out a person from the basement, and made them write a letter while issuing instructions from the side. She thought it would be inconvenient if it was written by her. Then, as she hid the written letter inside a desk drawer, from the room window, she looked down at the king who was trying everything to enter the castle. The king, as soon as he saw her figure, flew into a rage. "It''s because you became pregnant from someone like a servant, you are no longer my daughter", it appears he told her such things. She silently directed her staff towards the shouting king, and put a curse on him©¤©¤with her memories as a compensation. The king who basked in the Magic Power mixed with memories and despair changed his form. That appearance of his with his body became enlarged, scales grew on his skin, and he lost his intelligence as a human. It was a black dragon. The king''s name was Javillier. It wasn''t a mere coincidence that he had a similar name to that monster. And by creating a monster that became active only at night, her plan was completed. She who had exhausted most of the Magic Power that dwelled in her body fell into a deep sleep for a short while. The next time she opened her eyes, she had forgotten everything. However, everything was pre-established. Everything was simply following a fixed path. Her confronting the black dragon was also included in her plans. And also the fact that while attacking it, the memories that spilled from the monster would return to her. However, the problem was born here. Why did she go out of her way to use her memories as a compensation? Milaros¨¦-san should have been extremely troubled because of losing her memories. Besides, wouldn''t she feel better if she maintained her memories, I also thought so. As I asked, she smiled unintentionally. "The reason I transferred my memories to that king was so that I could show him my despair." King Javillier, who had become a black dragon, did by no means lose his intelligence. It appears that he certainly retained his consciousness as a human while just his body was hijacked by a monster. Milaros¨¦-san planned so that it would become so. She probably wanted to torment the king, even intentionally taking such roundabout methods. King Javillier, who had become, a monster crushed his own people, while memories that Milaros¨¦-san forced on him drifted in his head, he killed, killed, and continued killing his beloved citizens, and then©¤©¤ Then, the tale that went entirely according to her plan, finally met it''s end. By her own hands, who had now become the Princess of a country without people. Early morning of the next day. I left the castle without touching the cuisine that she made at all. "So you are going already," she said in a calm manner, without making especially sorrowful face. "I''m sorry. I''m a traveler after all. I must hurry ahead." "Oh, is that so©¤©¤such shame. Even though I enjoyed talking with you a lot." "............" "Why don''t you take it more slowly?" "Please stop." "Just kidding." She laughed. There was not a bit of gentleness in, but it was merely a distorted smile swirling with dark emotions. The girl I knew is nowhere to be found anymore. "What do you plan to do from now on, Milaros¨¦-san?" "I wonder what I should do©¤©¤if anything, maybe I should go on a journey?" "I wouldn''t recommend that." "Would it be fine if we go together I wonder?" "Really, please stop." "That was also a joke©¤©¤truthfully, I haven''t thought of anything yet. Right now, I want to immerse myself in the aftertaste of the revenge. " She stroked a place near her stomach. Just like a mother who carried a new life in her belly. There was nothing to say. That''s why I decided to quickly round it up. "Well then, farewell. Be safe." While saying so, I got on my broom. "You as well." I flew on my broom. Cutting the wind and advancing in a straight line. I bet she is waving her hand. However I don''t feel like turning around. Faster and faster, rushing as much as I could, I left the country. While flying over the ruin that was once a country. CH 13 Chapter 13: The Start of the Journey As a child, I loved books. I don''t remember when exactly I started to read books. However, I think I was already a bookworm by the time I gained awareness. As long as I had time, I would take out a book from the bookshelf in my house and read it, and whenever I went out with my family, I would always ask for a new book. Perhaps because of that, I didn''t have many friends from the same generation. I didn''t play much outside, and instead just stayed indoors, so I caused my parents to worry, however, my daily life was fulfilling. Because books were always next to me. Among them, my favorite one was the novel called "Nike''s Tales of Adventure". It was a tale of adventure, all five volumes of which were collections of short stories that told about a Witch called Nike who travelled all over the world and experiencing it. The author''s name, just like its title, was Nike. However, since it''s just a pen name, their real name is totally different. In the afterword at the end, "I wrote this book based on the events I personally experienced" was written. The me at that time, who hadn''t taken a step outside of the Peaceful Country of Robetta, saw Nike who wandered around the world, touring the beautiful world, as dazzling. I really loved it, so I read it multiple times. So much that the book became worn-out. Before long, I began to harbor admiration towards Nike. ©¤©¤I also want try going on such journey. I started to think so. For that reason, the young me declared to my mother. "When I become older, I will go on an adventure just like Nike." While gently brushing my head, mother said, "Is that so, when you grow older, huh." And while smiling, "However, if you want to go on a journey, you must first become a Witch like Nike, don''t you think?" She added that. "Will I become traveler if I become a Witch?" "That''s right. That''s why it will be no good if you don''t do your best in Magic studies." "If I study and become a Witch, will you let me go on a journey?" "Of course." "Really?" "Yes. Really." "Really really?" "Yes. Really really." "Yaay!" My motive was such a trivial thing. And because of just that reason, I spent so many years to become a Witch. For the sole reason of wanting to go on a journey, I continued working hard. At any rate, I studied alone almost every day. My mother kept me company with Magic practice. Mother, who was proficient in Magic to the extent that one could not believe she was just a Magician, was also skillful at teaching, and in the blink of an eye, I became able to skillfully operate Magic. So much that I became an Apprentice Witch at the age of fourteen. In the process of working for my goal to become a Witch, not even once did I think about giving up. I merely continued to work hard. Then, after undergoing Fran-sensei''s training, I became a Witch. I went back to my parents'' house with a star-shaped brooch attached to me, I guess it was a few days after that. After finishing breakfast, I told to the two sitting on the opposite side of the table. "I became a Witch. So let me go on a journey." Raising his face away from the newspaper, my father frowned. My mother did not even show a surprise, and was calmly tasting an after meal black tea. After stealing a glance at mother''s face, father forcefully cleared his throat, after which he folded the newspaper and put it besides the table. Then, with a really distant attitude, "W-Wouldn''t it be fine even if you don''t rush so much?" He said such a thing. I became a bit sullen. "That wasn''t what you said, was it? I thought we made a promise that it would be fine if I went on a journey if I became a Witch?" "No, we may have promised...... but to think you''d become one so soon......" "It doesn''t have relation with time. I desperately tried my best in order to go on a journey." "......Muu." Father, who was pricked at the weak spot and faltered, "Gununu" while groaning as such, touched the shoulder of mother who continued to drink her black tea with elegance. "H-Hey, mother should say something as well." After putting down the tea cup, she spoke. "Oh my. Aren''t you the only one who''s opposed to Elaina going on a trip? I personally think it would already be fine if she left on a journey you know?" "......No, but." "Besides, going on a trip once she became a Witch is a promise from her childhood, right?" "That promise was something you decided on your own©¤©¤" "You also agreed to it. Did you forget?" "......But still." "You agreed right?" "............" Father became silent. Or rather, he was forced to. "Elaina, you are serious, right?" Mother asked me. I nodded, "Of course," and replied so. "Then, go on that journey." "Yes!" She paused a little, then said: "However, I want you to promise me three things." "......? Promise?" Towards me who was looking puzzled, mother raised three fingers. "That''s right. If you don''t keep these promises, you can''t go on a journey even if you are a Witch. It''s dangerous after all." "......What do you want me to promise?" There''s no way I could pull back at this late hour. "Well©¤©¤listen up." Then, mother folded her ring finger. "First. To prioritize escaping as much as possible when you are likely to face dangers. Don''t poke your nose in unnecessary things©¤©¤because you might die if you do." "Okay." I would naturally keep that promise even without being told. I don''t want to die anytime soon, after all. Continuing, mother folded her middle finger. "Second. Do not think of yourself as someone special©¤©¤Witch or whatever you may be, you are a traveler. Don''t ever be conceited, and don''t forget that you are just like anyone else." "Okay." Because of training under Fran-sensei, the me who was strangely arrogant and caught up in the moment is already a thing from the past. I also thought I didn''t have any problems with this. "Third©¤©¤" She lowered down her loosely formed fist. Then, mother smiled. "Come back without fail. Please come back and show us your cheerful face." "..............." "Will you keep it?" ".........Yes." I slowly nodded. With that timing, father burst into tears. "A-Are you really going Elainaa......!?" "Father dear, it''s something that child decided on her own. Don''t we have to support her back? What''s more, we were the ones who made a promise with her. Tearing up isn''t what a parent should do." "Although father was trying to void that promise some time ago©`" I said in a small voice. Fortunately, it seems he didn''t hear it, and while wiping his tears, "My only daughter who I raised with care is already leaving the house.....it feels so empty. It feels like a wide hole opened in my heart......." "No, well, I will come back sooner or later." "You will probably die from shock when Elaina gets married." "Stop it! We do not have to talk about my daughter''s marriage now!" Father started to tear up yet again. ............. Well, it was something like that. The beginning of my trip was officially decided this way. Next day. "Un. The size is just right." I dressed myself in a new outfit. Black tricorne and black robe. It was handed to be by mother. "Isn''t it it a bit too plain?" I checked it while turning around in front of the mirror. "Oh my. For a traveler, something plain is just right. What''s more, it matches you perfectly." "Why thank you." "Do you have money?" "It''s all set." "I hope you don''t waste it needlessly." "Of course." "Next is©¤©¤ah, that''s right. Just in case, take this with you." "......?" What appeared on top of her hand with a pop was a black tricorne. It was of the exact same design as what mother put on me just a moment ago. ......why? "In case your tricorne gets stolen by the wind, use this one," said mother to the puzzled me. To put it simply, "So it''s a spare?" "Yes it is." In that case, I shall receive it. And after I finished my long preparation, I stood at the entrance. Looking back, the two of them stood there. "Take care, Elaina." Mother waved her hand with a smile. "U...Guh........ Uwoooooo......" Father started to cry again. While caressing father''s head, mother spoke to me. While floating a gentle smile. "Whenever you return, please let me hear the story of your journey." "Please look forward to it." "I will©¤©¤Then, take care." After bowing, I said. Said, while producing the best smile I could. "I''m off!" CH 14 Chapter 14: The Royal Kingdom of Celestellia As I advanced above the prairie with my broom, the flowers dashed as if opposing it. The grass that received the light of sun wilted away with a gentle sparkle and a sound similar to a burbling stream. Taking a deep breath, I opened my eyes. The opposite side of the grasslands. Located there was a country surrounded by walls. Just how far does it spread out I wonder. I did think about circling around the walls with my broom, but it didn''t feel like I would get back before the day darkened, so I gave up. What''s more, the gate was just before me, so there was no need to intentionally fly around it. I advanced forward for a short time while enjoying the scenery, and then I descended from my broom. The gate guard came out and silently bowed. "Hello and welcome, Witch-sama. Excuse me, but may I hear your name?" This was the usual inspection for entering the country. "It''s Elaina." "How long will you be staying?" "I think I''ll leave within three days." "And your Witch''s Name?" "The Witch of Ashes." "......Witch of Ashes?" The gate guard stared at me. "Huh? What is it?" I think he became puzzled. "Ah, no. It''s nothing. Excuse me." The gate guard, who had fixed his appearance, withdrew from my front. It seems the questions ended with that. I payed one silver as a fee for entering the country and passed through the gate. "Welcome to the Royal Kingdom of Celestellia." While receiving such words behind my back. I was put on guard because of its formal name, but the district before my eyes was overflowing with liveliness. Royal Kingdom of Celestellia is still quite a strange name. People were coming and going on the ground patterned like interwoven bricks. Happy-looking married couple with child in hands. Children chasing each other. The elderly having a stroll. Just about everyone was immersed in daily life. I walked. The tall buildings were lined up on each side of the road and ropes were going between them. Clothes hanging from the rope were sunbathing. It seems they were drying their laundry. As I took a deep breath I felt a sweet fragrance. There was a vase by one of the windows. The beautiful flowers of various colors could be seen to be shining. A lovely town was spreading before me, seeming to make me lose my sense of time. As I walked aimlessly around the district, there appeared one quite imposing building. On that building which was so big that made me think whether it was a Royal Palace, a clock tower was standing. It seemed that the site was quite large, and as it was obstructed by iron fences, I wasn''t even able to draw near it. I looked at the clock tower while strolling along the fence. Then, I discovered the entrance. ¡®Royal Magic Academy¡¯ That''s what was written on the gate, so it must be such a place. So such institution also exists....... there was nothing as kind as this in my country. I''m quite envious for the kids of this country. ......I''m slightly interested about the interior. Would it be fine to enter? Should I just go in? Let''s go in. I set my foot on its grounds. "Hey, you. What do you think you are doing?" Then after walking only a little, I was stopped. My shoulders got firmly caught. "Only authorized people can enter here. It is fine to look from the outside, but let''s not go into the premises, okay?" Turning around, there was a robust man standing there. He had swelling muscles and wore a tight suit. It appears he is a gatekeeper. "............" "......Oh?" After dropping his sight to my chest, his attitude underwent a complete change. "Pardon me. So you are a Witch...... please forgive my impolite speech." "It''s okay." I shook of his hands and started advancing towards the school once more©¤©¤ "I''m sorry, but I''d rather you don''t go inside." I was stopped. "Ah, so it''s no use after all?" "No use." "Even for a Witch?" "The order was to unconditionally keep outsiders from entering." "Whose order was that?" "It was the order of the noble Witch-sama who manages this academy." "......Haah." "I''m told that it is in order to not let the knowledge about the ways of teaching leak out outside, because she can''t bear the act of being imitated by foreign countries." "Then, would it be fine if you just closed the gate?" "We can''t have that either. The noble Witch-sama is supposed to arrive at this school anytime now." "......Haah." Reluctantly, I left. Bad luck. It''s too early to search for an inn right now. I continued to loiter around the country. This country is enjoyable just by walking. "............" Looking up, there were brooms flying above every house. And they didn''t seem to only be flying, but the men sitting on brooms were dropping something down while flying above the houses in zig-zag. I realized that they were newspaper delivery men after I saw a person coming out onto a balcony and opening up a newspaper there. As I walked down the main street, I arrived at a street with stalls. Fruit stores, greengrocers, butchers, and so on were crowding the both sides of the road. There also appeared to be the bakery-san. There was a "Freshly Baked" signboard on it. There''s no lie greater than this. Because it was all crusty. "Excuse me, bread please." The granny with good spirit smiled gently. "It''s one copper." I took out a copper coin from my purse and handed it over to her. The granny grabbed one loaf and shoved it into the bag. ......Did you grab it with bare hands? "Here you go. Thank you for buying." "Yeah......thank you." After accepting the bread, I strolled the stall street while biting into it. The bread that was clearly not freshly made was hard as a rock. While walking with bread in hand, I got out of the street stall district. Then, the figure of a Magician appeared once more. A man with large luggage tied to the broom was talking with the shopkeeper of a cafe. "I want to deliver this to Amana-san''s house on the western district. Transport it with caution, okay? Because it contains an important lunch in it." "All righty!" "Will it really......?" The man gave the grimacing shopkeeper a backward glance and slowly rose up, then flew off to somewhere. I see, so he''s doing delivery by using broom. It appears that the Magician population of this country is quite high. I also understand the reason of there being an academy that taught Magic. Not only delivering things like luggage and newspapers, there were also Magicians who transported people. They were flying in the sky while fastened in the luggage carrier of the broom. ©¤©¤That said, it appears that transporting people alone was impossible, so they were working in pairs. It seems that one side was managing the operation of the broom, while other was lightening up the luggage carrier¡¯s weight with Magic. There were Magicians not just in the sky but also on the ground. On the shoulder of the main street, there were those who entertained people by demonstrating Magic. People who moved puppets with Magic and did drama plays. People who offered excitement by singing while livening up the place with Magic (by producing things like snow). Every Magician was lively. By the way, there''s something that has been on my mind. I do think that it''s a good thing that these Magicians were living full of smiles, but isn''t that difficult? So I decided to ask. Asking about something you don''t know is the most efficient path, right? "Excuse me¨D" I found a square of the district by chance. I called out to the Magician woman (she didn''t wear robe nor had brooch, so I figure she is a Mage) who was sitting on the bench and was reading a book. "Hm? What is it?" The woman looked at me with a gentle expression. "I''m a traveler and there''s something weighing on my mind. Can you inform me if you don''t mind?" "Oh my, what a lovely traveler." The woman giggled and revealed a smile. "So then, what is it? As long as it''s something I know." After pausing a little, I said. "Don''t the Magicians of this country find it difficult to fly in the skies?" She bent her head. "Difficulty with flying......? No, there''s nothing like that?" "Even though such thing exists?" I pointed my finger. In that direction was a rope going in between tall buildings. With clothes hanging on it. As she looked at that, she muttered ''Ahh......''. "Well, that''s something made intentionally." "Intentionally?" "Yes©¤©¤There are a lot of Magicians in this country, right? So, it''s hard to fly that way." "......?" I don''t get the meaning. "Oh my. Was the explanation insufficient?" "Please give me a bit more details." She put the book beside her and said, "When you are flying with broom, the more you are distant from earth the more tired you become right? So everyone wants to fly as low as possible." "That''s correct." I assented to it. "But if everyone flies at a low height, it will get congested. They might even plunge into the houses when trying to avoid a passing by Magician. There being many Magicians brings about same level of risk." Ah, I see. "So, in order for them not to fly in between houses, it''s being obstructed by ropes and clothes, right?" She said with a smile. "That''s right. In this country, it was thought that Magicians should be considerate for the people who can''t use Magic." "......Were there no Magicians who complained about it?" "Won''t you understand that if you take a look at the state of this country?" Taking out my broom, I flew in the air. It''s not like I flew with some objective in mind. It''s just that I felt like seeing the scenery from above as well. "......Wow." In the sky, the scenery was quite different from the one on earth. Roofs of various tinges like red, blue, light blue, or yellow were lined up at exactly same height. The blowing wind felt comfortable, and I thought it would''ve been really nice to admire it while lying on the roof. It might be good to search for an inn to stay at for today from here on. I flew around at random. Greeting passer-by Magicians, returning waves to the kids who waved at me from the luggage carriers. While having a pleasant moments like that. That reminds me. In the country I visited before, didn''t I abruptly collide with a girl all of a sudden. I wonder what she''s doing alright now? Is she still undergoing training in order to become a Witch in her birthplace? "............" I stopped my broom. While forcibly stopping by broom, I stayed still in the sky. Because I became sentimental after remembering about Saya-san...... of course it wasn''t because of that. Rather, it was because they appeared before my eyes that I remembered about her. "Umm, what?" A pair of boy and girl appeared in my direction as if to obstruct my flight. Black pants, or rather, a skirt, worn underneath black mantle and white cutter shirt. A red necktie hanging from the neck. If you looked at their chests, it would become clear that they were Mages. "Hello. You are the Witch of Ashes right?" the boy said. "Ah, w-we are the students of Royal Magic Academy," the girl said. Royal Magic Academy. I see, so that academy that didn''t let me in. "And what business do the academy students have with me?" "Umm...... Err, would you come with us without asking anything?" The girl said such thing with hesitation. It''s extremely suspicious. "For what reason?" "No, as I said, without asking anything......" "I refuse." I gave immediate reply. "Eeh! Why!?" The boy became excessively surprised. "I don''t really want to, so I refused." Although my identity was known, why do I have to go along with them? What''s more, without asking anything? Doesn''t that make it double suspicious? No way, no way. "Umm, but......" "Let me hear the reason first. I¡¯ll decide whether to follow you or not after that." I resolutely said this to the girl who clearly seemed to be on the verge of fainting. "That''s...... impossible." "Then, it''s impossible for me as well." The boy butted into the conversation. "Please somehow! I beg you, Miss Witch of Ashes! Please follow us without asking for a reason!" "Again, I said I wouldn''t if you don''t tell me the reason, didn''t I? You are persistent." ............. I feel like we weren''t making any progress. The conversation would just continue without change if we keep it going like this. Shall I escape? Let''s do it. As I changed the direction of my broom, "Ah, I''m sorry. I remembered an urgent business," I told a lie. Then, on the side opposite of them©¤©¤ "......Eeh¨D?" I tried to advance towards the opposite side. However, the Magicians once again obstructed my path. In addition, they were several men and women with entirely different getup than the other two. Oh no, what''s happening? It became more and more ridiculous. As I looked left and right, I saw people with the same appearance gathering near me one after another. I was quickly surrounded. By the mysterious student group. They were about twenty in number. "Hey, you guys. Let''s play with cooperation from now on." "That''s right" "If all of us do it, we will catch her, probably." "Un." "Understood." "Don''t monopolize the achievement." "Same goes for you." The students moved slowly. While I was in a state of complete unawareness, there was just one thing I clearly understood©¤©¤At this rate, I''ll be caught. I have no idea what would happen if I was caught. "............" I slowly descended my broom slowly, and then, "Ei!" Hitting the broom, I did a fast takeoff. While holding the tricorne in one hand so that it wouldn''t be blown away by the broom that suddenly dashed into the sky with full power, I flew about above the district. In short, I escaped. Looking back, I saw the students shouting something while coming towards me. Thus, the curtains to the chase with unknown objective opened up just like this. However, it appears that the difference between the ability of a Witch and Mages was, after all, too big. "............" Although they persistently chased after me, I saw the distance between us gradually grow bigger. It''s also a just matter of time before I shake them off completely. However, even if I shook them off, my movement was completely visible in this beautiful scenery. It would be quite obvious as to where I escaped. So then, what should I do? Let''s do this. "......Tou." I lowered my altitude, turned towards the horizontal direction, and flew slightly below the roofs of houses. I saw the ropes going between the houses. As I passed through, the entangled clothes started to sway. At this altitude, being obstructed by the roofs, I won''t be seen from a distance. If they lose me once, it should be difficult to discover me again. Looking back, there were still several students persistently chasing me around. There were supposed to be about twenty in all, did others give up? However, I realized that wasn''t so as I turned to face forward. There were shapes of several students on the path I was supposed to advance. They were facing towards this way and flying. "......Ahh¨D" They anticipated it. The students moved in scattered manner. The advantage was theirs. Completely. I turned my broom towards the right and entered the back alley. Since it had become like this, let''s thoroughly escape. After advancing for a bit, the exit became visible. However. "Ah, found her!" The girl coming from that side blocked the exit and extended her hand towards me. They also anticipated this. But, if it''s just this much. "Please get obediently cau©¤©¤eh?" When I got to one¡¯s broom distance from her, I jumped down from the broom. Then, after passing right under her, I called back my broom and continued flying. It is a technique called aerial breakaway. On top of it being used as a surprise attack, it''s also somehow cool so I use it once in a while. Even after I dealt with the girl, my path was blocked and I was trapped from the both the front and back. I had planned to hide by flying at low altitude, however it seems my position was completely exposed. In that case, thinking so, this time I ascended towards the sky. "............" After rising to a certain degree of height, I overlooked the townscape. From among the houses, or perhaps from the road, I could see that the students who noticed my movement had gathered. Apparently a little fatigue seemed to be accumulating as their speed wasn''t much. I waited in the sky until they approached me. Before long, one male student from directly besides me, "Doryaaaaaaaaaaaaa!" leaped at me while raising such strange voice. I avoided him by lightly moving the broom "Ahhhhhhhhhh!" Again, the boy raised a strange voice while passing by me. As if that was a signal, this time, the students from every side made their move all at once. Their number©¤©¤I counted up to ten and then gave up since it was bothersome, it was probably everyone who surrounded me at the beginning. It seems their composure already didn''t let them speak human words, and the voice escaping from their mouths were nothing but strange. "Gyaaaaaaaaa!" "Nyaaaaaaaa!" "Oruaaaaaaaa!" "Hyaaaaaaaaa!" "Shaoraaaaaaaa" "Konakusoooooo!" Like that. I composed myself and avoided the rushing students. To the right, left, above, and below, sometimes even while turning around. Anyhow, I continued to avoid. They didn''t start attacking me, so I didn''t take out my staff either and simply continued to stick with just avoiding them. "Gyaaaaaaaaa!" "Ahhhhhhhhhh......" "Aa......" "Ua......" "Haa......" "Hiiiiiiiiiiii......" "I-It''s hopeless......" I don''t know just how long that continued. Before I noticed, the students'' movements became slow, and eventually no one was coming toward me. It seems it was already their limit. They all gathered in the same spot, "I can''t do it anymore......" Someone from them said while being out of breath. "I-I''m about to die......" Someone said with a blue face. While maintaining a calm tone to the end, "Everyone, just what is your goal? What is it you want from me?" I asked them a question. However, there came no answer. But only breathing escaped from their mouths. "I think you should understand it plenty enough now that you won¡¯t be able to catch me even if you form a group. Please just give up." Although I tried saying that, they didn''t return the words after all. Without minding it, I added, "So then, you guys, just who©¤©¤" ordered you? ¨C I swallowed the words I was about to say. Because I lost my words. There appeared... a Witch. Someone from the students was looking at the same thing as me and leaked a voice, "Ah, Sensei......" Caught by that voice, all the students fixed their appearances at once. The girl who came approached us on a broom, faceing towards the out-of-breath students and spoke, while floating a truly wide smile. "Good work everyone. How was it? Even after you tried to catch a Witch with all your might, you were no opponent to her, right? This is the difference between you and a Witch. Age doesn''t have relation to it. Because the Witch of Ashes over there is so powerful that she can''t even be compared with you©¤©¤" Hair, black as the dead of night. And a matching dark robe and a tricorne. Shinning on her chest, was a star-shaped brooch. She who hasn''t changed a bit in the past three years smiled at me. That person was my teacher. "It''s been a while. Elaina." It was Fran-sensei. "I''m sorry, Elaina. I''ll explain the full details myself©¤©¤but first, shall we go to the academy?" Fran-sensei said apologetically while guiding me and the students to the Royal Magic Academy. Refusing her request wasn''t even a choice. After all, there were mountain of things I wanted to talk about with her. Perhaps the appearance of the twenty frail Magicians gathered up and flying together looked quite like migratory birds. While I blankly stared at Fran-sensei''s back and thought things like, ''she hasn''t changed at all, huh, how old is she now I wonder'', before I noticed, we had arrived at the academy. Then, Fran-sensei spoke while coming down from the broom on the academy grounds. "Everyone, today''s extracurricular lesson has ended with this. That''s enough for today©¤©¤I hope you submit your thoughts about today at morning tomorrow." "Yeees!", "Thank you very much!" After giving quite spiritless responses, the students dispersed. It appeared they were quite tired, as some where unsteadily flying in the sky, while others gave up on it and were returning home by foot. Fran-sensei revealed a smile in such situation. "Oh my. Did you torment them too much, Elaina?" "Is it my fault?" "It''s not my fault either." "......You are acting as a teacher at this academy, Fran-sensei?" "Yes. I was invited by the King-sama of this country a little earlier than when I trained you." "............" First time hearing it. "That means you left school for a whole year? You are lucky you didn''t get yourself fired." "Yes. Well, it''s because I''m not usually in charge of the lessons. Occasionally like this, I give extracurricular classes to just interested parties, or give guidance to teachers, that''s my specialty. Besides©¤©¤" Fran-sensei, while looking at me, "When I told them I taught Magic to you, all the teachers understood it." And added that. Huh? How come? "To me, you say?" "Yes. If the other party wasn''t you, I might perhaps have been fired." "Although I''m not supposed to be such an outrageous person." "I wonder about that." She said in her usual smile. Then, "Well, come inside. There are lots of things I want to talk about with you." She said and pointed at the academy building behind her. My feelings were the same. The inside of the building was extremely modest. Desk and chairs were lined up at equal intervals in square rooms. In front of them was a large blackboard. There were no useless ornaments on it. Similar landscapes were lined up on one side of the corridor. On the opposite side was a window. The vast academy grounds could be seen from here. "You see, this academy was originally a place where they taught normal scholarship." Then I was told, "But the new school buildings are being newly established©¤©¤So as this place became unnecessary, they let us use it as an academy that taught both Magic and scholarship." "The students who tried to catch me...... are also students from here, right?" Sensei nodded. "Yes. As a part of the extracurricular lesson, I asked them to bring you to me without letting you know about the circumstances, or even forcibly drag you here." "......Why did you do such a thing?" "You won¡¯t get it unless I tell you?" "I wouldn''t." "............" After staying silent for a short while, Fran-sensei hit my shoulders with both hands, "Because I wanted to meet you." And said so in a tiny voice, as if whispering. "............" I felt gloomy feelings being born inside of me. I thought this person was sly. If you tell me something like that, I can''t get mad anymore. I changed the topic. "Why did you notice that I came to this district?" "You tried to enter the academy on a whim didn''t you?" "......Ah." A huge gate could be seen outside the window. I was certainly stopped there by a robust man. Fran-sensei followed my sight and nodded. "That''s right. The gatekeeper told me when I returned to academy. "A young Witch with ashen hair tried to enter here. She might be a spy from a foreign country." ¨C Is what he said." "A spy......" That was quite a leap in logic...... "I realized it the moment I heard about your characteristics. "Aah, that''s undoubtedly Elaina," I thought. I then swiftly went to the gate guard and confirmed whether you had really entered the country." We came to the end of a corridor. Fran-sensei turned around the corner and went upstairs. I also followed her. "There was indeed your name in the country entry records. You came to this country this morning, right?" "Yes." I nodded. "......My apprentice came to this country. After realizing that, I couldn''t contain myself. So I decided to search for you©¤©¤by using the students." "............" "When I returned to the academy, it was just in time to do extracurricular lessons for just the most prominent students. So, I gave the students the following instructions." After climbing the stairs, what appeared was a single door. Fran-sensei touched and opened it. Perhaps the fitting was bad as it gave an unpleasant creaking sound. "There is a Witch of Ashes in this country. Bring that Witch here without telling her of the circumstances. Or, if you are even able to forcibly drag her here, then I''ll raise your grades©¤©¤" "Why did you use such roundabout ways......" Wouldn''t it be fine if she just normally searched? Sensei released a sigh and spoke. "Don''t you think it''s close to impossible to search for you in this vast country by myself?" Then, as she stood next to the opened door, "Now, come in." She said. While urged, I passed by her and entered inside It appeared to be a room that served as both reception and a study room. In the middle of it was a sofa across the table. Opposite of it was a desk, and various documents and books were piled up on it without order. I heard the door behind me closing. Again, it was an unpleasant sound. "What''s wrong? Sit down." Sensei passed before me and went towards the sofa. "Ah, okay." I sat on the sofa in a way to face Fran-sensei. It was soft. "I was really surprised when I discovered that you came to this country, you know? Although I knew that you became a traveler." ......? Oh? "You knew it?" ¡°Yes. Of course I knew." "I don''t believe I''ve talked with Fran-sensei about becoming a traveler." To begin with, I¡¯ve just met her for the first time in several years. The people who know about me becoming a traveler only include my parents and the residents of the Peaceful Country of Robetta. Fran-sensei knowing about it is really strange. Fran-sensei told to me who was bewildered, "Elaina, do you still remember what I told you when the training was over?" ©¤©¤Goodbye, Elaina. I will come to visit again someday. Please look forward to it. No, well, she certainly said that, but... She revealed an impish smile. "I had business so I went to Robetta once more in the year following training. Then, Elaina''s parents told me, "She left on a journey"." "So you met with mother?" "Yes©¤©¤she was really worried about you. If you pass close to your birthplace, please visit home once." "I plan to do so." However, I have come quite far from it, so meeting them once more is still a thing of future. "Then that''s good." Then, Fran-sensei paused for a bit, "That reminds me, Elaina, why did you think of becoming a traveler? Was it your mother''s influence after all?" She asked me. ......? Why did mother appear here? I inclined my head. "No, that''s not it...... I read the novel called "Nike''s Tales of Adventure" as a child. It had the biggest influence on me." "............Oh." Fran-sensei raised her eyebrows just a little, "Hmm...... I see," and started to ponder on something. That was a strange reaction. "Um, what is it?" Fran-sensei shook her head towards my question. "No, it''s nothing©¤©¤rather than that, "Nike''s Tales of Adventure" was it? You have a nice taste. That book is also my favorite." "Ufufu. I have read it so many times that I can recite all five volumes of short stories from my memory." I boasted. "Oh my. ......By the way, which was your favorite story? My favorite was the last story "Apprentice Witch Foula"." "......! That''s also my favorite." If I remember correctly, that story was about a Witch Nike visiting a certain country and taking an Apprentice Witch girl called Foula as an apprentice and raising her to be a Witch. At the end of that story, Nike abandoned her way of life as a Witch spent her life in a rural area as a simple woman. Then, Foula, who had become a Witch, became a new traveler©¤©¤that was the content of that story. "Apprentice Witch Foula, by the way, could be talking about me." Fran-sensei said something strange. "What are you saying?" "Now, I wonder what indeed." Ufufu, Fran-sensei smiled. ""Nike''s Tales of Adventure" is a masterpiece, and is greatly popular even in this country." "But, it''s quite an old novel, right?" "Good works live long." "......That''s true." As an old fan, there''s nothing as delightful as that. If something, personally advertizing "Nike''s Tales of Adventure" as a link to my journey might be good. ......It would probably fall into a setback due to budgetary reasons. "That reminds me." Breaking my thought process, Fran-sensei said abruptly, "Elaina, when do you plan to leave this country?" "......I was thinking of departing on the morning the day after tomorrow." "Day after tomorrow huh?" "Yes." I can''t stay for too long, after all. ©¤©¤All the more if Fran-sensei is here. "Do you have plans tomorrow? Is there something you have to do?" "Tomorrow? No, nothing in particular......" "Then, do you have free time?" Fran-sensei nibbled. What is it? While being slightly in a loss, "Well, I do have...... free time." I replied so. I don''t mean that there is nothing to do, but it wouldn''t be mistake either to say that I don¡¯t have a free time because I''m just going sightseeing. "That''s good." Fran-sensei smiled. "What''s the matter?" "Well, there''s something I want your help with tomorrow." "Ah, okay. I don''t mind©¤©¤What is it you need help with?" "I want you to help me with guiding the students." "............" It sounds somehow suspicious. "I want you to help me with guiding the students." I was told that twice for some reason. Super suspicious...... After that, we talked about lots of things. We forgot the time and engrossed ourselves in talking. It was a talk about various people I met across the journey. The tales of countries I had visited. Tales of some others, even names of some whose I didn''t know. On and on, our conversation didn''t know of interruption. How good it would be if time stopped like this? I thought of such thing. However, it seems the fun time passed in the blink of an eye, and before we noticed, the outside darkened as if it was painted over. "Oh. It''s already this late. Shall we head home for about now?" Honestly speaking, I wanted to keep on talking some more. "Do you want to stay at my house?" I was invited by Fran-sensei when we got out from the academy building, however I refused. Because I''m sure that more I get spoiled by her, the more difficult I would find to return back to journey. The parting would become painful. In the midst of the darkness, I walked in search for the inn. In the middle of it, a window of some house suddenly caught my eye. The window illuminated by the moonlight was vividly reflecting the outside scenery. And there. Was the appearance of me with a face brimming with smile. Early morning of the next day. I, who woke up at the cheap inn that I found after walking about, quickly changed into the Witch-like outfit and went outside. I mounted on my broom in front of the inn''s exit and ascended into the sky. My direction was, of course, the Royal Magic Academy. I flew while exchanging light greetings with the young men who dropped newspapers in houses from morning, and the pair who acted as the carriage and flew. The morning wind was chilly and my still-remaining drowsiness was blown far away. Thanks to the large tower being a landmark, I was able to arrive at once without losing my way. As I overlooked the academy from the sky above, I saw the shapes of people scattered throughout the its grounds©¤©¤they were students. Their number was approximately twenty. It was practically the same number as the people who chased me yesterday. There was also the shape of Fran-sensei among them. I got off the broom and stood on the ground beside her. The hard sensation of the ground traveled through both legs. "Oh, good morning. You are quite early. Although I don¡¯t think I have specified the exact time." Fran-sensei gave me a smile. "I came early because you didn¡¯t specify the time." "Oh my. Are you blaming me?" "No no. I just want you to praise me." "You are great, great." "Why yes, thank you." "However, with this we can start earlier than usual©¤©¤" Then Sensei clapped her hands twice. With that, the students hurriedly finished the Magic practices and gathered. Moreover, with full speed. Perhaps because of hurrying, there were also students who threw the water that had been used for training on the ground. "Everyone, this is the Witch of Ashes, Elaina. You meet her yesterday so you should know her, right?" Fran-sensei introduced me while facing the gathered up students. I swiftly bowed, "Ah, hello," and said just that. "I was thinking of letting her act as a guest lecturer today. Although her age is near yours, she''s a splendid Witch. I hope you don''t look down on her." Then, after confirming that students have nodded few times, "Are there any questions for her?" She addressed them. The one who quickly raised his hand was a bright-looking, refreshing young man. "Me mee! Boyfriend? Do you have a boyfriend?" Whoops, I made a mistake. He was a slow-witted, impure young man. "I don''t. I''m a traveler after all." "Please only questions related to Magic," Fran-sensei rounded off with a clap. "Any others?" Next one to raise hand was a timid-looking girl. If I recall correctly, I think it was the girl from the first pair that confronted me. She hesitantly looked at me and asked. "Umm...... What''s your specialty Magic......?" I''m glad it was a normal question. "I don''t really have a particular specialty. Attack Magic, Manipulation Magic, Transformation Magic, and everything else, I can use it to some extent." "Anything else?" Someone raised their hand. "Which was your favorite from the countries you have visited so far?" "This country." "Oh, is that a flattery?" Fran-sensei interrupted. Then someone raised their hand once more. One after another, without ceasing. "What was it that made you decide to be a witch?" "I read the novel called "Nike''s Tales of Adventure"......that would be my biggest reason." "What''s Elaina-san''s country of origin?" "It''s a far, distant border country called the Peaceful Country of Robetta." "Please teach me the secrets to Magic!" "It''s only about putting effort." "Is being a traveler fun?" "Yes, amazingly so." "Me mee! How about panties? What''s the color of your pan©¤©¤" Fran-sensei physically put an end to the slow-witted boy''s question time. The morning extracurricular lesson went smoothly. However, I didn''t know how to guide the students at all, so for the time being, I looked at what kind of teaching Fran-sensei was doing. She was: "Oh my. Your Magic flow is disordered. Calm your mind some more, stabilize your Magic Power." "You released too much Magic Power. Suppress it some more." "Hey. You shouldn''t play with a sword-shaped water." ......Like that, she was walking among the students one by one and giving them proper guidance. Fumu fumu, I see. Then, let''s mimic her actions©¤©¤I walked between the students at a slow pace. It seems that Magic control training is ongoing. Just like before, the students were moving the water that was inside the bottle. It''s just a basic practice, but freely moving objects like this is the first step to improving your Magic ability. While I was walking around in proper manner, "Ah, Elaina-sensei. I can''t turn water into a perfect sphere, what should I do?" Asked the male student. Although the water was floating on the tip of the staff he held in hand, the water was swaying around as if it was boiling. I see, I see. "You seem to have added a useless amount of Magic. Remove some more power." "Yes!" Following that: With a splash, a puddle of water appeared under the male student''s feet. "......Looks like suppressing it didn''t go too well." "You suppressed it to much." Too bad. As I gave a compassionate look at the dejected male student, "U-Um......" I head a small voice that lacked self-confidence from behind. Looking back, it was the hesitant girl. "Hm? What''s wrong? I bent my head in wonder. "Ah, yes...... Um, there''s something I want you to teach me......" "Sure. What is it?" After pausing for a little, "Um, my water manipulation never goes well...... I can just barely elevate it....... what should I do?" She said while looking down. Fumu Fumu. "Let me see it for a bit." "Eh? Ah, yes......" She clasped the staff with both hands and sent Magic Power towards the bottle with water. The bottle moved in about ten odd seconds after that. At first whole bottle had parted from earth, but then, as if remembering it, only the water was raised after it. Then, the lump of water raised up to her height and stopped. ©¤©¤When I thought so, it suddenly splashed into the ground. "Oh?" "......What should I do?" She teared up. The situation appeared to be grave. "It seems you haven''t got the grasp of it yet©¤©¤I think it would be better if you work on getting the water out of the bottle for start." "Y-Yes......" "After taking the water out of the bottle, quickly return it back, then take it out once more. If you continuously repeat this process, I think you will get used to it to a certain extent. Carefully take your time, find the best way to do it for yourself. That''s the biggest shortcut. Do your best." "......Y-Yes!" That was the the most what I could give as advice. As I saw her running off to fetch the water, I once again continued walking. Thereupon, someone called me from behind. "Hey hey! Elaina-sensei, look! Doesn''t this look cool?" The slow-witted impure male student made a water crown and put it on. I ignored him. All students (except one) were very enthusiastic, so they asked for advice without me even calling out to them. It looks like they found it easy to ask me who was around their age. It wasn''t a bad feeling. Their training continued on until Fran-sensei clapped her hands twice. Looks like Fran-sensei''s work for today ended with the end of morning extracurricular lessons. From how it was yesterday, is there extracurricular lesson in the evening? I thought so, but according to Sensei, "When we do it in the morning, we don''t do it in the evening. And when we don''t do it in the morning, we do it in the evening," seemed so be the case. In short, it was a once-a-day extracurricular lessons. "Why don''t you do it more than once a day?" I tried asking her. "Wouldn''t it be tiring?" Was the immediate reply. "So you are being considerate that the students would get tired if you did it more than once?" I see I see. "No, I''ll get tired so I''m not doing it." "............" I feel something indescribable. After the extracurricular lessons were over, I was led by Fran-sensei and left the building. Then, we calmly flew in the sky, and ahead was a high hill. Fran-sensei descended on top of it. I followed after her. The soft lawn raised sounds. Looking down, the greenery stretched while drawing a gentle arc. The townscape was spread beyond the wooden fences. The private houses with various tinges. The trees before us drifted by the wind and their leaves were stolen somewhere far away. Opposite of it was the academy with tower that became a landmark proudly claiming its presence. In the sky of fine blue, the clouds drifted. They were white clouds with no stagnation. "This is my favorite spot." ©¤©¤Isn''t it a nice view? Fran-sensei said. "Yes. Absolutely." "I''m glad to hear it." Fran-sensei''s black hair faintly swayed by the gentry blowing wind. Then she, "I wanted to show it to you once before you left this country. My favorite spot." Said so and smiled. Tempted by her, I also felt my cheeks loosen. "Thank you very much." "You''re welcome©¤©¤you are living tomorrow morning right?" "Yes. I can''t stay for too long after all." "That''s a shame...... Because my students appear to be extremely fond of you." "A young Witch is only rare." Or maybe a traveler. "Even so, being liked is a wonderful thing. I''m being avoided by students even now." "............" Rather than being avoided, I think it''s just them not understanding the sense of distance because of Sensei''s ungraspable character. I won''t say it though. I can''t say it. "What''s wrong?" "......No, nothing." I looked at the academy that was seen distantly in order to avoid Fran-sensei''s gaze. "That reminds me, you are teaching Magic at that school, right?" "Hm? That''s right?" ¡°What will you do after the graduation?" "I''ll just normally work in the country. For example, luggage delivery work, or giving rides to people. If you went for sightseeing, you should have seen it several times, right? The Magicians flying above the roofs. I see. "Are the people who performed at downtown also the graduates from this academy?" Demonstrating Magic on the shoulder of the road. Manipulating puppets. People singing while surrounded by Magic productions. Was every Magician who I saw on streets the people who studied in Royal Magic Academy I wonder? Fran-sensei assented. "Yes©¤©¤But, well, they are just doing it as a hobby. It''s not an official business." "A hobby you say...... But they are receiving money, aren''t they?" "Well, they are receiving it. Although a very small amount. But they aren''t showing Magic because they want to earn money." "Then for what?" "Just because they love to," Fran-sensei clearly said, "Elaina also loved journey and went on it because of it, right? It''s the same. They also do it because they like to make people happy." "............" Not for the money but for themselves. Or maybe for others. Because they like it. After entering this country, I thought many times that it was a lovely country. It had a beautiful townscape and a vast territory. People spending time full of smiles. I was moved so much that my breath escaped every time I came across them. It might be because the country named Royal Kingdom of Celestellia©¤©¤overlapped somewhere with my journey itself. "Speaking of which, what is Elaina''s favorite thing?" Fran-sensei abruptly said. "Travelling." I gave an immediate reply. "Aside from travelling." "............" Aside from travelling, what else it it? After all, it would be what became a trigger for my trip. "It would be books I guess." "Books......" After a short pause, "Aside from that?" Fran-sensei asked once more. She''s quite suggestive. "Um, what is it? Since some time ago." "No, well, something was slightly on my mind." "Are you planning to give me a parting gift?" I jokingly said it. "Well, yes." To my embarrassment, it was affirmed readily. Ooh. Such thing. "......Ah, no, it''s fine, something like a parting gift. Your feelings alone are enough." "Now now, you don''t have to say that. How about you try to talk about your favorite things? How about flowers for example?" "Aren''t you taking the leading role already?" "How is it, the flowers? Ah, maybe something like a butterfly as well?" "That''s Fran-sensei''s favorite thing." "Since it''s my favorite, then you who''s my pupil should also like it, right?" "What''s with that unreasonable theory?" "You don''t like butterflies then?" "Just normally." "I see. You just normally like it." "It seems it would be better if I said it''s somewhere between liking and disliking." "So how about it? The flowers." "You went back to them." "How about them?" "Well, I do like them......" "Then that''s good." "......? What is?" "It''s a secret." Fran-sensei said with the ever unchanging smile. While I was bombarded by questions by her, she didn''t answer the one thing I asked. After living together with her for a year, even after meeting her after a long time, Fran-sensei was the same as ever. Even now, I don''t fully understand what kind of person she is. But not understanding her is the point that makes her her. I already got used to it. "What is it? Won¡¯t that make me curious?" I expected the returned words, but I still tried asking. Then, predicting my words, Fran-sensei said, While impishly closing one eye, "Look forward to it tomorrow." Let''s see, I wonder what you''re saying. "I''m planning to depart tomorrow morning though......" "Yes. That''s why, I''m saying to look forward to it before you leave the country©¤©¤tomorrow morning, let''s meet up in front of the gate. Then, time passed and the next morning arrived. I slowly walked on the main street©¤©¤following back on the road I came with and headed towards the gate. While passing through the shopping district, watching the Magicians flying in the sky. While passing under a rope passing through between buildings like an arch. While feeling the sweet fragrance of the blooming flowers from somewhere, I continued to walk. So reluctant to part with it. "............" But it''s natural that if you walk, you will arrive at your destination. And I arrived near the gate. Noticing me, the gate guard bowed. I also gave a delayed bow. If I advanced just a bit more, I would be leaving this country. However, looking around, there was no sight of Fran-sensei. ......As we had not specified the exact time, she might have not yet arrived. "............" Unexpectedly, it may be better to leave the country without saying anything like this. I don''t know what Fran-sensei will give me©¤©¤but, well, judging from yesterday''s talk, she probably plans to give me flowers. However, I will only become troubled by receiving it. When they rot and I have to discard them, it will feel empty. Also, whenever I see similar flowers, at that time, I would probably be reminded of Fran-sensei and this country. That''s not a very good tendency as a traveler. Because I would become sad. "............" If I leave like this, then it probably won''t leave bitter feelings. In that case, it''s after all better for me to leave like©¤©¤ "......Eh?" I stopped the foot I was about to step forward in its tracks. It was because flower petals started to fall from the sky. Red, blue, yellow. Pink, violet. The petals of various colors fluttered down just like snow. Fluttered silently, while drifting a sweet fragrance. I immediately realized that something like this was impossible if you thought about it normally©¤©¤and as I looked up, there was after all, her figure. "You were quite early©¤©¤Elaina. Our preparations barely made in time." ©¤©¤Our. Around Fran-sensei who was waving at me, there were shapes of the students. They flew in the sky while dropping down the petals from the baskets they held in hands. Each and every one of them was smiling. "Elaina." Fran-sensei said from above the broom. "I do not have right to detain you who became a traveler by your own desire. This is the most what I can do." "......Sensei." "Have you been pleased?" "............" I replied. While Inhaling air with all my might, "Yes, absolutely!". And then, I started to walk. I passed while the multi-colored flower petals whirled around me. "Elaina." Fran-sensei called out to me, "The academy students and I will be cheering for your journey with all our hearts. Please don''t ever forget that." "............" I replied as I gazed up at the sky, "I also won''t forget about everyone!" Before long I stood in front of the gate. The gate guard bowed and opened the doors. Stretching beyond it were the gentle plains. "Elaina." Just one last thing©¤©¤Fran-sensei said from the sky, "Let''s meet again someday. Until then, farewell." She said such thing. Surely, she was smiling just like usual. That''s why, I also returned the smile. "......Yes!" A broom traveled across the plains. The flowers shined as they received the bright sunlight and swayed to the blowing wind. The cloudless blue sky continued without end. The one mounting the broom was a Witch and also a traveler. Her age was still young, being in latter teens. Her ashen hair swayed and her azure eyes were directed towards the boundary between the never-ending grasslands and the sky. Wearing a black tricorne and a black robe, with a star-shaped brooch attached to her, she continued to fly while scattering the flowers. Pointing the broom towards the direction where there is the world yet to be seen. What kind of country will the next one be? What kind of people will I meet next? Will it be a country full of Magicians? Or will it be the country with excessively high prices? Or perhaps, the country that might be destroying itself. With such thoughts in mind, the traveler continued to fly. Who in the world was that traveler? It was me. Epilogue Nice to meet you, I''m Shiraishi Jougi. This book "Majo no Tabitabi", the novel of a complete amateur like me, privately published in the Amazon Kindle store at the end of 2014, had underwent a drastic editing and revision by the hands of GA bunko''s editorial department-sama. They spotted mistakes that I could not find by myself, and even though the book was already released in the Kindle store, they went through the manuscript and found every last typo and missed word. After rereading it, there appeared lots of ridiculous parts. Incidentally, among the impressions of people who read it at the time when it was self-published, the most frequent was "I can''t read the title". Forgive me for that, "Âá©" from "ħ٤ÎÂá©" is read as "Tabitabi". At first I I simply thought "Since it''s about a traveling witch, let''s call it "Majo no Tabi" shall we? Would that be fine? Let''s go with that," however, on top of it being too simple, it was apparent that the situation was likely to develop into a direction where it would be overlapped with another book when looked up, so I went with "Tabitabi". It was made with such feelings. There''s no deep meaning behind it. And there''s also no such word. My pen-name from the time of self-publishing was "Jougi", but I didn''t appear when people searched for me, just as I guessed.[1] So because of that, I added the surname to my pen-name. That being the case, thank you for taking "Majo no Tabitabi" in hands. This work is composed of weird stories with nothing but weird people appearing it them. In short, it''s a weird story and a weird book. However, if a copy of such story was added to your bookshelves, nothing would make me happier. By the way, just between us, it seems it''s a good thing to add this book to the bookshelves. (Personal opinion) If this book ever has a sequel, it might be even better to add it next to this book. (Personal Opinion) Now to express my thanks. The person in charge, M-san. As always, thank you very much. I will be troubling you from now on, but I would be happy if our association lasts long¡­... Starting from the editorial department of GA Bunko, everyone from SB Creative. I can not thank you enough for picking me up. What more, I never even dreamt that it would be added to the launching line-up of a new label. This is off topic, but when I saw the launching line-up, I became truly anxious and wondered whether it was really okay to be side-by-side with such amazing people.... Rather, I still think so. For Azul-sama who was in charge for the illustrations. Thank you very much for the lovely pictures. Ah, Ahh...... Elaina-san is so cute...... No, every character is cute already...... I''m spending days in smiles while looking back at the cover and illustrations with exceedingly lovely art. Thank you very much. And lastly, everyone who took this book in hands. I''m glad I was able to meet you here. Let us meet again somewhere someday. Until then!