As I sailed over the field on my broom, a ripple ran through the flowers to mark my progress. Bathed in sunlight, the blossoms streamed past with a shimmer and a sound like a babbling brook.
On the other side of the field stood a country surrounded by a wall.
Just how massive is this place?
I thought about trying to fly around the outside on my broom, but I doubted I would make it back before sunset, so I gave up on that idea.
More importantly, the gate was right in front of me, so there was no need to go out of my way to fly around. I kept straight on ahead, enjoying the scenery, and landed.
A gate guard came out and quietly bowed to me. "Welcome to our country, Madam Witch. Pardon the intrusion, but may I have your name?"
It was the usual immigration inspection.
"Elaina."
"How long do you intend to stay?"
"About three days, I think."
"What is your witch title?"
"The Ashen Witch."
"…The Ashen Witch?" The guard stared at me.
"Is something wrong?" I probably looked puzzled.
"Ah, no, it's nothing. Pardon me."
The guard looked flustered, but he left me without completely losing his composure.
That seemed to be the end of the questions. I paid one silver for the entry toll and passed through the gate. Behind me, I heard someone say, "Welcome to Royal Celestelia."
I was wary because of the country's formal-sounding name, but the city was bustling with energy.
Royal Celestelia was just another strange moniker.
The brick-patterned walkways were filled with people—happy-looking couples holding babies, older children chasing after one another, elderly folks out for a stroll. Everyone was going about their daily lives.
I walked on.
Tall buildings lined both sides of the street, with ropes stretched between them. Clothes were draped over the ropes in the sunlight; someone had put laundry out to dry.
I took a deep breath, and there was a slightly sweet smell. I spotted a flower vase on a windowsill, filled with beautiful multicolored blossoms.
The city before me was so wonderful that it seemed like I might lose track of the time.
I was wandering aimlessly around town when I happened upon a very elegant building. It had a tall clock tower, and the place was so large that I thought it might be a palace. The expansive grounds were enclosed by an iron fence, so I couldn't get close to the building itself.
Gazing at the clock tower, I walked along the fence and discovered the entrance.
ROYAL MAGIC ACADEMY
That's what's written on the gate, so I suppose that's what this is.
Interesting to find a magic academy here… There had been no such thing in my country. Certainly nothing this fancy.
It was enough to make me jealous of the children who lived here.
…I'm a little curious about the inside. Is it all right to go in? Should
I go in?
Well, I'm going in anyway.
I stepped onto the grounds.
"Hey, you. What're you doing?"
I hadn't made it far when someone grabbed me firmly by the shoulder.
"It's prohibited for unauthorized persons to enter. It's fine to look, but I'm going to have to ask that you stay outside."
When I turned around, there was a brawny man standing there. His clothing was stretched tight over bulging muscles. He seemed to be the gatekeeper.
"..."
"…Oh." He looked down at my chest, and his attitude changed completely. "Beg your pardon. I didn't realize you were a witch… Please excuse my rudeness."
"No problem." I shook off his hand and walked toward the school again.
"Terribly sorry, but please don't go in there." I was stopped again.
"Ah, so it's prohibited?"
"Yes."
"Even for witches?"
"My orders are that anyone from outside is absolutely forbidden."
"Who gave you those orders?"
"The great witch who runs this Academy."
"…Huh."
"She doesn't want the secrets of the Academy's curriculum to escape. She couldn't bear to have our methods stolen by an imitator."
"Well then, how about closing the front gate?"
"We can't do that. It's almost time for the great witch to arrive."
"…Huh." I left reluctantly.
Too bad.
It's still too early to find an inn for the night, hmm?
I continued walking aimlessly. It was fun just wandering around this country.
"..."
I looked up and saw a broom flying above the houses, but it didn't look like it was just drifting around. The man atop it was zigzagging over the houses, dropping things as he went. When I saw someone come out on their veranda and open it, I realized the man was delivering newspapers.
I walked down the main street and found a street packed with stalls on either side: fruit stands, grocers, butchers, and more. There was also a bread stall, with a sign that said FRESH BAKED!No bigger lie than that, huh? I bet it's all stale.
"Excuse me. I'll have one loaf of bread, please."
The friendly-looking woman behind the counter grinned at me.
"That'll be one copper."
I took a copper coin out of my wallet and handed it to her.
The woman grabbed my loaf and thrust it into a bag…with her bare hand.
"Here you go. Thanks."
"Yeah…thanks."
I took it and wandered the shopping district munching on bread. The long, thin loaf was clearly not freshly baked, as it was stiff and hard. I continued on, grappling with it, and eventually left the commercial area.
Then I saw another mage. This man had a large bundle tied to his
broom, and he was speaking with the proprietor of a café.
"Deliver this to the home of Miss Amana, who lives on the west side of town. Carry it carefully! It's got her lunch inside, okay?"
"Roger!"
"Oh, I'm not so sure about this…"
Giving the café owner a sidelong glance, the man slowly rose up on his broom and flew off somewhere.
So they're doing deliveries by broom, I see. This country must have a lot of mages for some reason.
I guessed it was because they had a school teaching magic.
Mages weren't just handling newspapers and package deliveries, either; some were carrying people, too, in buggies attached to their brooms. Of course, it wasn't practical for one person to carry such a heavy load alone, so they worked in teams of two. One person appeared to be in charge of operating the broom, while the other
seemed to be lightening the buggy itself using magic.
There were mages not only in the sky, but on the ground as well.
Some were demonstrating magic on the shoulder of the main street, to the delight of the people around them. They were creating puppets with magic and putting on a play.
Some were singing as they livened up the place with magic effects (producing snow and the like), keeping the crowds excited.
All of the mages were working energetically.
By the way, there was something weighing on my mind a bit.
I think it's great that the mages here can enjoy their lives, but isn't it taxing?
So I decided to ask. Asking someone is the quickest way to find out something you don't know, right?
"Excuse me." I spoke to a mage girl who was sitting on a bench reading a book (she had neither a brooch nor a corsage, so she was probably a novice). I was in a plaza I had found by coincidence.
"Yes? What is it?" She turned toward me with a soft expression.
"I am a traveler, and there's something that's been bothering me. If it's all right, could I ask you about it?"
"My, what a cute traveler you are." She giggled. "All right, what is it? I'll tell you if I know."
I paused for a moment, then said, "Isn't it difficult for the mages in this country to fly?"
She tilted her head in confusion. "Difficult to fly…? No, not really."
"Even with those?" I pointed to the ropes strung between the tall buildings and the clothing hung from them.
Her gaze followed my finger, and she let out a knowing sound. "Ah… Those were put up on purpose."
"On purpose?"
"Yes. This country has many mages, right? That's why we make it so difficult to fly around."
"…?" I didn't know what she meant.
"Oh my. Was that not enough to explain?"
"Yes, if you could walk me through the logic…"
She laid her book to the side. "The farther you get from the ground on your broom, the more exhausting flying becomes, right? So everyone wants to fly as low as possible."
"Right," I agreed.
"But if everyone flew low to the ground, it would get congested. And someone might even crash into a house trying to avoid the other people passing by. That's a real risk when there are so many mages."
Ah, I see now. "So to keep people from flying in between the houses, you've put up ropes and clothing to block the way?"
She said with a smile, "Exactly. In this country, we believe mages must be considerate of those who cannot use magic."
"…And none of the mages have a problem with that?"
"Can't you tell just by looking at how things are here?"
I pulled my broom out and flew up into the sky. I wasn't going anywhere in particular. I just wanted to see the place from above.
"…Wow." The view from the air was totally different from the view from the ground. The multicolored roofs were lined up at about the same height in a pattern of red and blue, aqua and yellow. The wind blowing past me was pleasant, and I thought about how great it would feel to lie down on one of those roofs and gaze up at the sky.
It would be a good idea to search for tonight's inn from up here,
too.
I flew around aimlessly, nodding greetings to the mages I passed and waving back to the children who waved at me from the insides of buggies.
I was passing the time pleasantly enough when a thought came to me. This reminds me, in one of the countries I visited earlier, didn't a girl suddenly crash into me as I was flying through the air? I wonder what she's doing right now? Maybe she's in training to become a witch back in her hometown.
"..."
I stopped my broom in midair, yanking the handle up sharply. I had gotten sentimental remembering Saya… No, that wasn't the reason, of course. In fact, the two people who had pulled up in front of me had reminded me of Saya.
"Um, can I help you?"
A boy and girl were blocking my way, apparently on purpose. They wore black cloaks, white dress shirts with red ties, and either black pants or a skirt. No brooches, meaning they were both novices.
"Good day. You are the Ashen Witch, I presume," said the boy.
"Uh, w-we're students at the Royal Magic Academy," said the girl.
The Royal Magic Academy. Interesting. They're from the school that wouldn't let me in?
"Do you need something from me?"
"Um… Could we ask you to please come with us, without asking any questions?" The girl's voice was very timid for such a bold request.
This is about as suspicious as it gets. "Why?"
"Oh, I said don't ask any questions…"
"Absolutely not," I answered right away.
"Huh?! Why not?!" the boy was overly surprised.
"Something feels wrong about it, so I'm not going."
I may have revealed my identity, but why do I suddenly have to go with you? And without asking any questions? That's doubly
suspicious, isn't it? Forget it.
"Um, but…"
"First, let me hear your reasons. Then I'll decide whether or not I'll go with you," I said firmly to the very shy girl.
"That's…not possible."
"Well then, I can't possibly go with you."
The boy interjected from beside me, "Oh, come on! We're begging you, Ashen Witch! Come with us and please don't ask why!"
"I told you—if you won't tell me why, then I can't go. You're awfully persistent."
...
I could see that this was going nowhere. If we continued the conversation in this vein, we would simply keep talking past one another.
Time to run away?
Yes, I do believe so.
I abruptly wheeled my broom around. "Oh, I'm sorry. I just remembered I have something very urgent to take care of," I lied.
And then I flew away from them.
"…Huh?!"
Well, I tried to, but my way was blocked again by mages. There were a number of boy-girl pairs dressed exactly the same as the first one.
Oh, what do we have here? Things are getting stranger and stranger.
Looking left and right, I could see quite a few pairs of students in the same outfits closing in on me, one after another. Suddenly, I was completely surrounded by a mysterious group of about twenty students.
"Hey, you guys. Let's gang up on her."
"Yeah."
"If we all work together, we can catch her, probably."
"Okay."
"Got it."
"Don't hog all the glory."
"Same to you."
The students were swaying back and forth. I had absolutely no idea what was going on, but I knew one thing for certain. If I stayed here, they'd catch me. And I didn't know what might happen if I got caught.
"..."
I slowly tilted my broom downward, and then…
"Ey!" I struck the broom and took off with a burst of speed. I held on to my pointy hat with one hand so it wouldn't go flying off as I blasted through the sky over the city at full tilt.In other words, I made a break for it.
When I looked back, I could see the students coming after me, shouting something or other. And so began an intense chase, for reasons I did not entirely understand.
But to no one's surprise, a full witch had an overwhelming advantage over a bunch of novices.
"..."
They pursued me tenaciously, but I could tell that I was slowly pulling away from them. It was only a matter of time before I shook them off completely. But even if I could shake them, they would have a bird's-eye view of my movements against the background. No matter where I fled, they would spot me again immediately.
Well, what should I do? How about this?
"…Okay." I dropped my speed, turned to the side, and flew just below the rooftops. I could see the ropes strung between the houses, and the clothing hanging from them flapped in the breeze as I flew past.
At this height, the roofs made me harder to see from far away. If they lose sight of me once, it should be hard for them to find me again.
When I looked back, there were still several students chasing me persistently. There were about twenty of them before, so maybe the other students gave up?
But when I looked forward again, I realized that was not the case.
Several students were trying to head me off.
"…Ah!"
They had separated and anticipated my movements. They had the home territory advantage. No question about it.
I turned my broom to the left, speeding down a back alley.
If this is how it's going to be, let's really make our escape!
I flew onward a little, and the exit came into view.
However…
"Ah, I found her!" A girl pulled into view, blocking the exit, and stretched a hand out toward me.
They predicted my course again. But if they're this good…
"Just cooperate and let us catch you— Huh?"
Just as the girl got within about one broom-length of me, I jumped into the air. After it passed directly under the dumbfounded novice, I summoned my broom back to me and flew off.
It was a midair breakaway move. On top of being useful against surprise attacks, it looks kind of cool, so I like to whip it out from time to time.
Even after I lost the girl, my path was still blocked, and my pursuers were closing in from front and back. I had thought that flying low would hide me, but they had known my position exactly.
Well, in that case… I flew high up into the sky this time.
"..."
After achieving a certain height, I looked down on the city. The students had noticed my ascent, and now they were coming out from between houses and above the roads to assemble and come after me again. They were slowing down; I think they were getting
tired.
I continued to wait high in the sky until they gave chase.
Finally, one male student flew at me from directly beside me, yelling,
"Graaaaaahhh!"
I easily moved my broom and dodged him.
"Aaaaaaaaahhh!" With another weird-sounding yell, he flew right past me.
As if that was some sort of signal, the students attacked all at once from every direction. They numbered about…well, I stopped counting after ten. All of the ones who had initially surrounded me were there, probably.
They seemed to have lost the capacity for speech, as what came from their mouths was mostly weird screams.
"Gaaahhh!" "Nyaaahhh!" "Oraaahhh!" "Hyaaahhh!" "Shraaahhh!"
"Damnyaaaaa!"
And so on.
I calmly continued to evade my pursuers—left, right, up, down, and sometimes around in circles, dodging, dodging, dodging.
They hadn't started actually attacking me yet, so I also had not pulled out my wand, and I devoted my energy to simply keeping away from them on my broom.
"Gyaaahhh!" "Ahhhhhh…" "Ah…" "Wha…?" "Hah…" "Eeeeeek…" "Nno good…"
I don't really remember how long we kept this up. Before I knew it, the students were flying sluggishly, and then finally, no one was coming at me anymore.
Seems like they've had enough.
They all flew together into a huddle.
"I-impossible…," someone among them panted.
"I-I'm gonna die…" Someone else was white as a sheet.
"What exactly is your objective?" I demanded calmly. "What business do you have with me?"
But there was no answer except for heaving breaths.
"You ought to understand by now that you can't catch me even if you all gang up on me. Give up," I ventured, but I wasn't surprised when no one spoke back to me. Unbothered, I continued, "Well then, who on earth—?" Asked you to do this? I swallowed the words
that had been about to come out of my mouth.
I couldn't speak anymore.
A witch had arrived.
One of the students followed my gaze and murmured, "Oh, it's Miss…" As soon as they heard that, the other students hurried to straighten their uniforms and fix their hair.
The woman pulled up her broom close to the winded students, wearing a truly radiant smile, and said, "Everyone, good work. How was it? You tried as hard as you could to catch a witch, but you didn't stand a chance, did you? This is the gap in ability between a witch and a student. It has nothing to do with age. It's because the Ashen
Witch has genuine power, and you can't compare."
She had hair as black as midnight, a robe and pointy hat in the same shade, and a star-shaped brooch on her breast. She smiled at me, exactly the same as she was three years ago.
This was their teacher.
"It's been a while, Elaina."
Miss Fran.
"I'm sorry, Elaina. I'll explain everything. But first, would you please come with us to the Academy?" Miss Fran spoke apologetically, while leading me and the students to the Royal Magic Academy.
There was no way to turn down her request. After all, I had so many things I wanted to tell her.
The cluster of twenty young mages flying together must have looked like a flock of migrating birds.
I stared hard at Miss Fran's back, thinking to myself. She really hasn't changed at all from back then, huh? I mused. I wonder how old she is now?
Before I knew it, we had arrived at the Academy.
Landing her broom on the school grounds, Miss Fran said, "Everyone, this concludes today's extracurricular activities. Good work. Be ready to present your thoughts tomorrow morning."
After replying with hollow-sounding Yes, ma'ams and Thank yous, the students scattered. They were clearly exhausted; some of them wobbled unsteadily through the air, while others gave up on flying entirely and walked home.
Watching them go, Miss Fran smiled. "My, my. Do you think we went too hard on them, Elaina?"
"And that's my fault?"
"And mine."
"…So you're teaching at this school, too, Miss Fran?"
"Yes. Just before I was asked to take you on for training, the king invited me here."
"..." I had never heard about this. "You mean you were away from the school for a whole year? You're lucky you didn't get fired."
"Yes. Well, I'm not ordinarily in charge of any classes, you see. My specialty is mentoring other teachers, and sometimes I take on extracurricular lessons for those interested, like you saw today.
Moreover"—Miss Fran looked at me—"the other teachers were very understanding when I told them I had been teaching you magic," she added.
What does that mean?
"Teaching me?"
"Yes. If my pupil had been anyone else, I probably would have lost my job."
"I didn't think I was that important."
"I wonder," she said, smiling as always. And then she added, "Well, come inside. There's so much I want to discuss with you." She pointed to the school building behind us.
I felt the same way.
The interior of the school building was very plain.
Desks and chairs formed a neat array in a square classroom with a large blackboard at the front. Not a single decoration adorned the walls.
Similar classrooms were lined up along one side of the hallway.
Opposite them were windows looking out on the spacious grounds of the school.
"Originally, this school was a place for teaching ordinary subjects," she said. "But when a new one was built, this one became unnecessary. We got them to let us use it as a school for teaching magic, as well as more mundane subjects."
"So the students who were trying to catch me…they go to school here, right?"
She nodded. "Yes. As part of my extracurricular course, I instructed them to either bring you to me without telling you why, or drag you here by force."
"…Why?"
"Can you not figure it out on your own?"
"I don't know."
She was silent for a bit. Then Miss Fran clapped a hand on my shoulder.
"Because I wanted to see you," she said in a very small voice, almost a whisper.
"..."
Complicated emotions swirled inside me. This woman is cunning, I thought. She knows I can't stay angry if she says something like that.
Instead, I changed the subject.
"How did you know that I had come to this city?"
"Because you tried to waltz into the school without permission."
"…Ah."
The large gate was visible outside the window. Of course. I had been stopped by the burly guard near there. Miss Fran followed my gaze and nodded. "That's right. I was informed by the gate guard when I came to school. He said, 'A young witch with ashen hair was trying to get in. I think she might be a spy for another country.'"
"A spy…" He really jumped to conclusions, huh…?
"When he described you, I thought, 'Oh, that must be Elaina.' I went straight to the guard at the city gate and confirmed that you had indeed come here."
We reached the end of the corridor. Miss Fran turned the corner and went up the stairs, and I followed her.
"Your name was in the immigration records. You arrived this morning, didn't you?"
"Yes." I nodded.
"'…My apprentice is visiting,' I thought, and I just couldn't contain myself. I decided to search for you…using my students."
"..."
"When I got back to school, I was just in time for the extra class I hold with my highest-performing students. So I gave them a task."
We finished ascending the stairs, and a single door appeared before us. Miss Fran put her hand on the knob and opened it with a loud, unpleasant creak. Perhaps the door fitting was poor.
"'There is a girl in this country called the Ashen Witch,' I told them. 'Bring that witch here without letting her know why.' If they had, by some miracle, been able to force you to come with them, I was thinking about giving them extra credit."
"Why did you take such a roundabout approach…?" You could have just searched for me normally.
Miss Fran snorted. "Don't you think it would be nearly impossible for me to search this huge country all by myself?" She leaned back against the door. "Well, go ahead," she prompted me.
I walked past her and went inside. Inside was a room that looked like a combination study and reception room. In the center was a pair of sofas facing each other over a table, and a desk piled with a mess of papers and books stood against the far wall. I heard another ear-splitting creak as the door closed behind me.
"What's wrong? Have a seat." Miss Fran walked by me and sat on one of the sofas.
"Ah, okay." I sat down on the other, facing my former teacher. The couch was soft and fluffy.
"I knew you had become a traveler, but I was really surprised to learn that you had come to this country, you know?"
…? Huh?
"You knew that?"
"Yes. I knew."
"I don't think I ever talked to you about traveling, Miss Fran."
After all, it had been several years since I had seen her. The only people who knew about my journey lived in the Peaceful Country of Robetta, like my parents. It was awfully strange that Miss Fran would know.
My former teacher must have seen my confusion. "Elaina, do you still remember what I said to you when you finished your training?"
"Good-bye, Elaina. I'll come see you again someday. Please look forward to it and wait for me." I mean, yeah, she did say that, but…Miss Fran smiled impishly. "I had some business there, so the year after your training I went to Robetta again. While I was there, your mother told me that you had gone traveling."
"You saw my mother?"
"Yes. She was quite worried about you. If you're ever close to home, be sure to pay her a visit."
"I'm planning to."
Though I've come very far, so I suspect it'll be a while before I can go see her again.
"That's good." After pausing for a moment, Miss Fran asked, "Come to think of it, why did you want to become a traveler, Elaina? Was it your mother's influence?"
…? Why is my mother part of this conversation? My head tilted in confusion
"Uh, no it wasn't… When I was little, I read a book series called The Adventures of Niche. That's what had the biggest influence on me."
"...Oh my." Miss Fran's eyebrows rose just a bit. "Hmm…I see." She seemed to be mulling over that information. It was a strange reaction.
"Um, what is it?"
Miss Fran shook her head at my question. "No, it's nothing. So The Adventures of Niche, was it? You've got good taste. I like those books, too."
"Oh-ho-ho. I've read them so many times, I can recite every story from all five volumes from memory," I boasted.
"My, my. In that case, what's your favorite story? I quite like the last one, 'Fuura the Apprentice Witch.'"
"…! That's my favorite, too!"
If I remember correctly…in that story, Niche the witch visits a certain country, takes on an apprentice, a girl named Fuura, and helps train her to become a witch. At the end of the story, Niche abandons the life of a witch and goes to live in the countryside as a normal woman.
Then Fuura becomes a witch herself and begins a new series of travels.
"By the way, the apprentice witch Fuura and I are a lot alike." Miss Fran said something strange.
"What are you saying?"
"Let's see—what am I saying?" Miss Fran laughed. "The Adventures of Niche is a famous work. It's very popular even in this country."
"But it's a very old story, isn't it?"
"Good books stand the test of time."
"…I suppose that's right." Nothing sparks more joy for longstanding fans.
If I wanted to, I could probably spend part of my travels going around and directly promoting The Adventures of Niche… Though my budget constraints would likely cause setbacks in the end.
"Anyway," Miss Fran interrupted my thoughts. "When are you planning to leave, Elaina?"
"…I was thinking the day after tomorrow."
"The day after tomorrow?"
"Yes."
I can't stay too long. Especially since Miss Fran is here.
"What are your plans for tomorrow? Is there anything you have to get done?"
"Tomorrow? No, not really…"
"So you're free?" Miss Fran asked enthusiastically.
What is going on?
Still a little confused, I answered, "Well, I am free…but…" It wasn't
like I had nothing to do, but my plans were just sightseeing.
Technically, I did have the time.
"That's great." Miss Fran smiled.
"What is?"
"It's just that tomorrow, there's something that I want you to help me with."
"Oh. Sure, I don't mind—what can I do?"
"I want you to help me teach."
"..."
That's a little suspicious…
"I want you to help me teach."
Why did she say it twice?
Very suspicious…
After that, we talked about all sorts of things. I got so engrossed in the conversation, I completely forgot about the time. We talked about all the different people I had met on my travels, I told her about the places I had visited, and she told me about people from
elsewhere, whose names I didn't know. The conversation never stopped for a moment.
I wished that time could stand still, but time flies when you're having fun. Before I realized it, the world outside was dark.
"Oh my, it's so late already. Shall we stop here for today and go home?"
I wanted to talk more, though.
As we left the school building, Miss Fran invited me to stay at her house, but I declined. The more she took care of me, the harder it would be to get back to my travels. Parting would become that much more painful.
I walked around searching for an inn in the darkness. During my search, the window of a house caught my eye. Illuminated by the moonlight, the window cast a clear reflection, like a mirror.
I was positively beaming.
Morning came.
After waking up in the inn I had found after a lengthy search the night prior, I quickly changed into witchy clothes and set out.
Outside, I mounted my broom and rose up into the sky, headed of course for the Royal Magic Academy. I flew on, exchanging simple greetings with the young men who had been flying around dropping newspapers on houses all morning, as well as the courier pairs who had replaced horses and carts. I had been a little sleepy still, but the chilly early-morning breeze ensured I was wide-awake.
With the large tower to serve as my landmark, I was able to reach my destination quickly, without getting lost. From my bird's-eye view, I could see a bunch of people around the campus. Those were the students.
There were about twenty, the same number of people who'd chased after me the previous afternoon. Miss Fran was there among them.
I brought my broom down next to her and stood beside her. I could feel solid ground under both feet.
"Oh, good morning. You're quite early. I don't believe I gave you a specific time." Miss Fran smiled at me.
"That's why I came early."
"Oh my. You aren't upset with me, are you?"
"Oh, no. I just want you to praise me."
"Excellent. Great job."
"Thanks."
"Well, in that case, it seems we can get started earlier than planned."
And then she clapped her hands twice. Clap, clap.
When she did, the students hurriedly stopped their drills and gathered around. In fact, it might be better to say they sprinted over with all their might. I also saw some students dump the water they had been using in their practice onto the ground in their hurry.
Turning to the assembled students, Miss Fran introduced me.
"Everyone, this is Elaina, the Ashen Witch. You met her yesterday, too, so you know that already, right?"
I gave a quick bow. "Ah, hello."
"Today I'd like to have her conduct a special seminar. She may not be much older than you students, but she is a splendid witch. Don't underestimate her." Then, after all the students nodded in agreement several times, Miss Fran asked them, "Do you have any
questions for her?"
A smart-looking, eloquent young man immediately raised his hand.
"Me, meee! Do you have a boyfriend? Do you?"
Oops, my mistake. It was a dumb-looking, crude young boy.
"I do not. I'm a traveler, after all."
"Only questions related to magic," Miss Fran cut him off flatly.
"Anyone else?"
The next student to raise her hand was a timid-looking girl. I thought she might have been one of the two who had first approached me.
She looked at me nervously and asked, "Um… What kind of magic is
your specialty…?"
I was relieved to have a normal question. "I don't really have a specialty. I can perform attack spells, manipulation spells, and transformations of all kinds."
"Any other questions?"
Someone put a hand up. "Out of all the places you've visited so far, which one is your favorite?"
"This one."
"Oh my. Do I smell flattery?" Miss Fran chimed in.
More hands went up, one after another. There was no end in sight.
"What made you want to become a witch?"
"I read a book called The Adventures of Niche… That's my favorite reason anyway."
"What country are you from, Elaina?"
"The Peaceful Country of Robetta—it's very, very far away."
"Tell me the secret to doing magic!"
"It's just hard work."
"Is it fun being a traveler?"
"Yes. Very fun."
"Me, meee! How about your underwear? What color are they—?"
Miss Fran pinched the rude, dumb-looking boy to within an inch of his life, and as soon as that was done, the Q&A period came to an end.
The morning's extracurricular lesson proceeded without incident.
However, since I was completely unsure about how best to instruct the students, I convinced Miss Fran to let me observe for a while from a distance and see how she taught them.
"Oh my. The flow of your magic is all out of whack. Work on calming your mind and stabilizing your energy."
"You're sending out too much magical energy. Hold back a bit more."
"Hey! Don't make the water into swords. Stop playing around."
…In this vein, she walked around to each and every student, giving very proper guidance as she went.
Hmm, hmm, I see. All right then, let me try to imitate her. I wandered around among the students at an unhurried pace.
They seemed to be in the middle of a series of drills for handling magic. As before, the students were making water inside vases move. It was a basic drill, but the first step to achieving a high level of skill in magic is being able to move things the way you want to.
I was walking around casually when a male student asked, "Uh, Miss Elaina? My water ball won't stay smooth. What should I do?" The water at the end of his wand was indeed floating in the air, but it was bubbling like it was moments away from boiling.
I see, I see.
"You're putting way too much energy into it. Ease up a little bit."
"Okay!"
Immediately, a puddle of water formed at the boy's feet with a splash.
"…I lost control of it."
"You eased up too much."
Too bad, I thought, looking at him with pity. He seemed very disappointed.
Behind me, I heard a small voice, lacking confidence. "Uh, um…"
When I turned around, there was the timid girl.
"What is it?" I tilted my head a little bit.
"Um, yes… Um, there's something I'd like you to teach me…"
"Of course. What is it?"
After a short pause, she answered, staring at the ground. "Um, no matter what I do, I can't really control the water… I can just barely lift it up… What should I do?"
Mm-hmm.
"Let me see you try."
"Huh? Um, okay…"
She gripped her wand in both hands, faced the vase full of water, and projected her magical energy. The vase began to move about ten seconds later.
First the whole vase lifted off the ground, then, as if she had remembered what the actual task was, the water rose into the air out of it. Then, as it reached the height of the girl's face, the sphere of water immediately crashed back to the ground.
"Oh my."
"…What should I do?" Her eyes were filling with tears. She looked like she was taking the situation awfully seriously.
"Looks like you don't quite have the hang of it yet. I think that at first, you should spend more time practicing getting the water out of the vase."
"O-okay…"
"After you get the water out of the vase, put it back right away, then take it out again. As you practice that over and over, I think you'll get quite used to it. Don't rush things and find your own way of working.
That's the shortest way to success. Do your best, okay?"
"…Y-yes, ma'am!"
That was the best advice I could give. After watching her run off to go scoop water, I started walking around again. As I did, I heard a voice call me from behind.
"Oh, ohhh! Look at me, Miss Elaina! Isn't this cool?" That stupidlooking, rude boy was wearing a crown he had made out of water. I ignored him.
The students were very enthusiastic (all except one) and came up to me to ask my advice themselves. Of course, we were close in age, so it may have been easy for them to ask me questions.
It didn't feel half-bad.
The drills continued until Miss Fran clapped her hands twice again.
As soon as the morning's extracurricular lesson had concluded, Miss Fran's work for the day was also over, apparently.
Based on what had happened the previous day, I would have thought she also had an extracurricular lesson in the evening, but according to her, "If we have it in the morning, we don't have it in the evening. If we don't have it in the morning, we have it in the evening. Basically, it was a once-per-day extracurricular lesson.
"Why do you only do it once?" I asked.
She answered, "Exhaustion, of course."
"You're concerned that doing it twice in one day would exhaust the students?" I see, I see.
"No, we don't do it more than once because I'll get tired."
"..."
I had no name for the emotion I was feeling.
After the extracurricular lesson was over, I followed Miss Fran out of the school building. We flew leisurely through the sky, headed for higher ground. Eventually, Miss Fran landed her broom.
I did the same, and the tender grass swished quietly. The light green of a wide meadow stretched out around us, drawing a gentle arc against the sky. On the other side of a simple wooden fence was the city and its multicolored houses. The trees near us fluttered in the wind, sending leaves floating off into the distance. Beyond the trees
stood the school building with its oversize tower, which I had been using as a landmark. There were clouds floating across the clear blue sky, smooth and white.
"Isn't it beautiful? This is a place very dear to my heart," Miss Fran said.
"Yes, I can see why."
"I'm glad you like it." Miss Fran's black hair fluttered softly in the gentle breeze. With a smile, she said, "I wanted you to see it once, before you left the country. I love this view."
Her smile was contagious, and I felt the corners of my mouth tugging upward. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it. So you're leaving tomorrow morning?"
"Yes. I can't stay too long."
"That's too bad… My students really seem fond of you."
"That's just because they're not used to seeing a young witch." Not to mention a young traveler.
"Even so, it's wonderful that they took a liking to you. My students often seem to avoid me."
"..."
They don't avoid you; you just don't understand the sense of distance your elusive nature creates. I won't say that, though. I can't say that.
"What is it?"
"…No, nothing."
As if to escape Miss Fran's gaze, I turned my eyes to the school in the distance. "Anyway, you're teaching magic at the Academy, right?"
"Yes."
"What do the students do when they graduate?"
"Usually they work here in the country. For example, delivering packages, or flying people around. If you did any sightseeing here, you must have seen quite a few mages en route above the rooftops, yes?"
I see.
"Were the people putting on magic demonstrations in town Academy graduates, too?" I remembered the street shows, people singing and using magic to operate puppets and create special effects. I wondered if all the mages I had seen in town had in fact
studied at the Royal Magic Academy.
Miss Fran nodded. "Yes, well, those people are pursuing their hobbies. Those aren't real jobs."
"Hobbies, huh…? But they get money for it, right?"
"Well, I suppose they do, but I doubt it's very much. Those people aren't performing magic because they want money."
"Then why?"
"It's because they love it," Miss Fran said flatly. "You're traveling because you love to, right, Elaina? It's the same thing. They're doing it because they like to make people happy."
"..."
Not for the money, for themselves, or for someone else. Because they like it.
Ever since I'd stepped across the border of this country, the thought had crossed my mind more than a few times that this was a wonderful place. The cityscape was lovely, and the scenery was lush.
People spent their days with smiles on their faces. My heart felt a little tug whenever I saw those happy locals. Perhaps that was because my time in this country of Royal Celestelia had, in some way, reflected my travels themselves.
"Come to think of it, what is something that you love, Elaina?" Miss Fran suddenly asked me.
"Traveling, of course," I answered.
"Besides that."
"..."
If not travel, then what? Well, I suppose the thing that inspired my journey.
"Books, I guess."
"Books…" Miss Fran was silent for a brief moment, then asked again,
"Besides books?" She was as frank as ever.
"Um, what is this? Why are you asking?"
"Oh, I'm just a little curious."
"Are you getting me a farewell gift or something?" I asked jokingly.
"Yes, well," she quickly assented, putting me in a tough position.
Oh no. What have I done?
"…Uh, no, that's all right, I don't need a farewell gift. Just your well wishes are plenty."
"Now, now, don't say that. Tell me, what do you like? Perhaps flowers or something?"
"You're already leading me to an answer."
"How about it? Flowers. Ah, and butterflies, that would be good."
"Those are things that you like, Miss Fran."
"I like them, so my apprentice must like them, too, right?"
"Your logic makes no sense."
"You don't like butterflies?"
"They're fine."
"I see. You like them just fine."
"I don't hate them, but I don't like them, either."
"How about flowers?"
"And now we're back back to flowers."
"Well? How about them?"
"I mean, I like them…"
"Great."
"What's great?"
"That's for me to know," Miss Fran said with her usual smile. Despite asking me all kinds of random questions, she wouldn't answer any of mine.
Even after living together for an entire year, even after meeting again after all this time, she was the same old Miss Fran. I still couldn't tell just what kind of person she was. But I'm not sure that she really knew, either. I was used to it.
"What is it? Are you planning something?" I knew exactly what she was going to say, but I asked anyway.
And Miss Fran answered just as I expected, winking mischievously.
"I'm looking forward to tomorrow."
Let me see, how should I put this…
"I'm leaving this country tomorrow morning, so…"
"Yes, and I'm looking forward to seeing you right before you leave. Let's meet in front of the gate tomorrow morning."
Time passed, and morning came.
Strolling leisurely down the main street of the city, I headed for the gate along the same path I had followed the previous day. I walked through the shopping street, gazing at all the mages flying through the air. I passed under the ropes strung between the buildings like so many arches. I could smell the sweet scent of a flowers blooming
somewhere.
I walked on—and I didn't really want to leave.
"..."
Soon I arrived at the gate.
The guard bowed when he noticed me. I lowered my head, too, a little late.
If I continued just a bit farther, I would leave the country. However, looking around, I couldn't see Miss Fran anywhere.
…We didn't specify a time, so she probably hasn't come yet.
"..."
It would probably be best to leave now without saying anything. I don't know what Miss Fran was going to give me, but guessing from what she said yesterday, she was probably planning to give me flowers. But even if I take them, they'll just be a burden.
They'll rot eventually, and then I'll have to get rid of them, so there's no point in taking them in the first place. Plus, if I ever see that kind of flower somewhere else again, it'll probably make me think about Miss Fran and this place.
And that's not good for a traveler. It would just make me sad.
"..."
If I leave now, I should be able to finish here without taking any painful memories. So I'd really better get going—"...Huh?" I suddenly halted.
Flower petals were dancing down from the sky. Red, blue, yellow, pink, purple, and every color you could imagine, fluttering like snow flakes. A sweet scent wafted on the breeze as they drifted down.
Everyone knows something like this doesn't happen naturally. And when I looked up, there she was.
"You got here very early, Elaina. We almost didn't finish our preparations in time."
"Our."
Miss Fran was waving at me, and her students were flying around her, dropping flower petals from the baskets they held in their hands. Every single one of them was smiling.
"Elaina," Miss Fran said from atop her broom, "you chose the life of a traveler for yourself, and so I have no right to hold you back. This is about all I can do."
"Miss Fran…"
"Did it make you happy?"
I answered, sucking in a breath decisively, "Yes, very much so."
I started walking and stepped through the flower-petal rainbow swirling around me.
"Elaina," Miss Fran called out to me again. "As you travel, my students and I will be cheering you on with all our hearts. Never forget that."
I looked up into the sky and replied, "I'll never forget you!"
Finally, I was standing right in front of the gate.
After bowing, the guard made way.
The gently sloping plains stretched out into the distance beyond the wall.
"Elaina." Miss Fran spoke from the air one final time. "Let's meet again someday. Until then, safe travels." Of course, as always, she was smiling.
So I smiled back.
"…Okay!"
A broom sped over the plains.
Flowers shimmered in the brilliant sunlight, swaying in the breeze beneath an endless clear blue sky.
Riding on the broom was a witch—a traveler. She was still quite young—in her late teens, to be precise. Her ashen hair billowed behind her, and her lapis lazuli eyes were focused on the horizon dividing the vast plain and the great blue sky. Wearing a black pointy hat and black robe, as well as a star-shaped brooch, she flew on,
scattering flower petals in her wake.
She turned her broom toward parts of the world she had not yet seen. What kind of country would she visit next? What kind of people would she meet next? Perhaps a country full of mages, or a country with unreasonably high prices, or maybe the country itself would be in ruins.
Pondering such things, the traveler flew on.
That traveler…who in the world could she be?
That's right. She's me.