Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina, Vol. 1

by Jougi Shiraishi

  ……

  It was a lost cause. Truly. My instructions made no difference whatsoever.

  Time to kick things up a notch. I went around behind her and took hold of both of her wrists. Saya’s shoulders hitched in surprise, and I spoke into her ear.

  “Are you ready? I’m going to channel some wind magic into your wand. Remember how it feels.”

  “W-with my body?”

  “Yes, with your body.” I nodded, and for some reason, her ears were bright red. “Okay, here we go—”

  There, like that.

  We practiced until the sun went down on the third day, and Saya completely failed to master wind magic.

  Somehow she got even worse after I channeled my magic through her… How is that possible? I don’t understand.

  Obviously, I wasn’t attending to Saya constantly. Around midday, I went off by myself and flew around town searching for my brooch, talking to as many different people as I could.

  The task was to just keep asking and asking.

  Of course, it’s not like I expected to find information so easily, and in the end everyone I asked shook their heads and gave the same answer: “I don’t know.”

  “I saw a brooch,” said an older woman who looked like she was very experienced with magic. Looking closer, I could see she was wearing a star-shaped brooch of her own over her breast. However, it looked almost as old as she was, and it was quite worn and battered besides.

  Oh, it seems like I can expect something out of her. I’m not sure what that “something” is, though…

  “Wh-where did you see it?!” I latched onto this news immediately.

  The woman let out a very witchy laugh. “Hee-hee-hee… Hmm, I wonder…”

  “Please tell me, you wonderful woman!”

  “Hee-hee-hee.” Suddenly, she was shoving the palm of her hand at me.

  “…What does that mean?”

  “How much is this information worth to you? Hmm?”

  She just stood there with her hand extended toward me. I could read the gesture now: “If you want to hear more, pay up.”

  …She plays dirty. I’d expect nothing less from a witch…

  “……” I silently produced a coin from my purse and dropped it into the woman’s hand. When I did, she began moving again, like a windup doll come to life.

  “What I saw was—”

  The woman’s lengthy story only confirmed my suspicions.

  It was my fifth night in this country.

  As I was gazing up from my bed at the moon hanging in the sky outside the window, the door suddenly opened. I looked up and saw Saya staring at me timidly.

  “Um, Miss Elaina?”

  “What is it?”

  “C-can I sleep in here with you?”

  I looked down at the bed.

  ……

  “It’s a bit small, don’t you think?”

  “We run a cheap inn, sorry.”

  Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. This is a one-person room. And the bed is also meant for one person to sleep in. Alone. “Well, if you don’t mind being cramped, I guess it’s fine with me.”

  “Yippee!”

  Saya slammed the door shut and came into the room, then crawled into the bed. She smelled nice, as if she had just gotten out of the bath. Since this was an inn, we must have been using the same shampoo, but the scent was completely different from mine. I grabbed a bit of my hair and brought it close to my nose, but that tender, girlish fragrance wasn’t coming from me.

  How come she’s the only one who smells so good? …Oh well. Time for bed.

  I lay down, still gazing at the moon, and drew up the covers. Soon I felt the presence of someone behind me.

  “Isn’t the moon too bright to look at while you’re going to sleep?”

  “Somewhat.” I rolled over. When I did, my gaze met hers. “…Um, what was it you just said about the moon?”

  “I don’t mind, it’s not too bright for me.” She smiled slightly. In the moonlight, her smile seemed ephemeral, as if it would dissolve if I touched it.

  “Good work today. You’ve made big improvements compared to when you first started. Soon you won’t need my help at all.”

  “What? That’s not true. There are still so many things that I want you to teach me, Elaina.”

  “…I’m a traveler. Before long, I’m going to leave this country.”

  “But we’re going to be together until then.”

  I noticed her squirming and wriggling around under the blanket, and then something cool was on top of my hand.

  She gazed into my eyes and squeezed my hand. “Please, I want you to teach me so much more.”

  “……”

  Her eyes reflected the light of the moon.

  This naive little girl must truly idolize people like me. I know I’m about to do something cruel—but then, I have to do what’s best for myself.

  I wasn’t sure if the prickly feeling in my chest was guilt or disappointment, but I wanted to believe it was the former.

  “There’s no point in continuing this conversation, Saya,” I said, shaking off her hand. “So why don’t you give me back my brooch?”

  The truth behind the mysterious disappearance of the brooch had turned out to be really quite simple.

  “There was a young girl who ran into you, right? After you flew off in a hurry, she picked up the brooch.”

  Her eyes still glittering with the money I’d given her, the old woman told me she’d seen it all happen. And her story was the truth; a part of me had suspected the same thing. To not find it after searching around so thoroughly…someone must have picked it up.

  I’d suspected something was up from the start.

  ……

  Saya.

  Your broom control was almost too bad—enough to make me think that you were flying badly on purpose. After all, if you couldn’t fly your broom well enough, you wouldn’t even be allowed in this country.

  At first, I had assumed that Saya was a local, but when I asked her about it, she said she was a mage from an eastern country who had come here under special circumstances. If that was true, it was even stranger that she couldn’t fly her broom. And so…

  …Here’s the truth. I doubted you from the very beginning. I waited and waited for you to give my brooch back. “But you hid it and never gave it back to me. Instead, you said you wanted me to stay with you forever. I’ve had it up to here with you,” I told her.

  Saya sat on the bed, hanging her head. I wondered what emotion was on her face, but I made no move to comfort her by touching her shoulder like I did when we first met. Unfortunately, I’m not that kind.

  She kept her gaze to the ground as if to avoid the moonlight, and I simply waited for her reply.

  I wonder how much time passed. One minute? Ten minutes? It might have been only ten seconds.

  “…question me?”

  I could just barely hear a very small voice. “What was that?” I asked.

  “…Why didn’t you question me?” This time I heard her clearly.

  “Because I didn’t have any proof. That’s the first reason. Even if I accused you and called you a thief, if you had denied it, I wouldn’t have had any evidence. My hands would’ve been tied.”

  “……”

  “Plus, I believed you’d give it back eventually. I don’t really think you’re a bad person, Saya.”

  This innocent, high-spirited girl reminded me of a child who had been spoiled by her mother.

  “So I waited,” I told her.

  Saya finally raised her head. Her pretty face was a mess, wrinkled up to cry. She wiped at her tears and tried to suppress her sobs as she said, “I was lonely.”

  “I’m not your little sister.”

  “I know that. I know that, but…I…I wanted to be with you.” Her voice had grown so small. I wasn’t sure whether she was talking to her sister or to me.

  If I were to write out what I’d learned about Saya in the short time since we me
t, it would be an awfully short list, but somehow, I believed I had come to understand what kind of person she was. She was a useless older sister who always let her sweet younger sister indulge her. I’m sure she had always been that way, which was why she couldn’t stand it when her little sister left her behind.

  “I hated being alone. I hated it, and I was scared, so I—”

  “Hey.” I flicked her forehead, and it made a firm twik. “That’s no excuse.”

  If you hate being alone, find someone to rely on. If you hate being ridiculed for being alone, get out there and find someone you get along with. If solitude is scary, do everything you can to escape it.

  “Does it really matter if you’re by yourself now? If you’re feeling alone? Can you become an apprentice witch while you’re still holding on to those fears? Whenever humans are really, seriously trying to accomplish anything, they’re always alone. You can’t get anything done if you’re not by yourself. It’s all over if you have a partner.”

  Your younger sister was probably trying to teach you that by leaving you. I can’t say for sure, though.

  “…But.”

  “Ah-ah-ah. No buts. I won’t hear any excuses.” I covered my ears with both hands and shook my head. No way. My hair flew around wildly and hit her in the face.

  Whoops, bet she didn’t like that.

  “Sure, struggling by yourself is hard. It’s scary. I understand that. And that’s why…” As I was speaking, I used magic to conjure up a pointy hat, exactly the same as mine, and plopped it on her head. “…I’m giving you this. Let me leave a little part of myself by your side. Then you’ll be all right even when you’re alone.”

  Gripping the brim of the hat tightly, Saya said, “But if I take this, you won’t have…”

  “Ah, it’s okay. That’s a spare.”

  I produced another hat and showed it to her before donning it myself. “Now we match. From now on, you’ll be on your own, but never truly alone. Your sister and I are always watching over you.” So give me back my brooch, I silently urged her.

  She pulled the hat way, way down on her head and gripped it very, very tightly, and with trembling shoulders, she gave a silent nod. She looked so weak and helpless.

  I hugged her thin shoulders and pulled her closer.

  The day had come.

  We had spent my final night in the country together. I had comforted Saya as she wept, given her some advice for passing the practical magical skills exam, heard all about the country she and her sister were from, discussed my future travels, and so on.

  Oh, and it turns out that Saya is actually a very powerful mage. I mean, I had known that all along, but I never did learn why she was so bad at wind magic. On that point, no matter how much I inquired, Saya only blushed bright red and refused to answer. What’s her deal?

  At the end of it all, we had fallen asleep together just as the sun was rising. It had been a long, long night.

  But a precious memory.

  I thought back on it several months after I had left the Country of Mages.

  Six months, to be exact.

  About half a year has passed since I met that girl, lost my brooch, and got it back—wow, time sure does fly. Truly.

  I had traveled to another country so far away that people would ask, “Huh? Country of Mages? Where’s that?”

  The reason I was reminiscing was that I happened to catch sight of her name as I was browsing through a bookstore.

  APPRENTICE WITCH ADVANCEMENT EXAM PASS LIST

  Printed on a sheaf of really cheap-looking straw paper was the newspaper put out every month by the mysterious organization known as the United Magic Association, which was responsible for conducting the apprentice witch advancement exams, among other things. The results for the exams given all over the world, plus a few words from the passing candidates, were displayed on the front page.

  Her name was there.

  “Hey, no reading in the store.” The shop owner appeared from the back and yanked away the newspapers.

  “…Ah—” But I wanted to keep reading.

  “You wanna read? You gotta pay.”

  “How much?”

  “One copper.”

  I paid, then stuck the paper under my arm and went back to my inn, humming all the way. I pulled my chair up to the window and continued reading. In the article, the girl talked about her most difficult days and her hopes for the future.

  According to the article, she had moved to the Country of Mages with her little sister several years ago. Her sister—and only her sister—quickly became an apprentice witch and returned to their hometown without her. Then she met a certain traveler who gave her the courage to fight on her own, as well as one incredibly stylish hat. She attempted the exam many times after the traveler had left, but it proved too difficult. However, she kept trying and never gave up, and eventually, finally, she earned the rank of apprentice witch. Now she was going to return home, with plans to train hard and become a witch.

  I couldn’t help but smile.

  Her very long story concluded with one sentence: “After I return home and become a full-fledged witch, I’d like to pay a visit to my favorite traveler.”

  I put the newspaper down on the desk and looked up at the sky. Somewhere out in the endless expanse of that clear, pale-blue sky, she was there.

  “I’ll be waiting for you—Saya.”

  CHAPTER 2

  A Girl as Sweet as Flowers

  It was the start of an in-between season, not quite spring, not quite summer.

  Cutting through the cool, dry air, I flew among the broad-leaved trees of a forest. The forest seemed to be quite expansive; I’d been making my way through for some time now, but there was no end in sight.

  As I wove my broom right and left to dodge the trees overhanging the extremely narrow path, the pesky branches kept rubbing against me.

  I couldn’t see the sky from where I was. Far off in the distance, I could just barely make out something sparkling on the other side of the mesh of green. The trees were too overgrown for me to see anything more.

  “…Whoopsie.”

  Because I had been looking up instead of ahead, a tree branch had snatched my pointy hat. I stopped, went back, retrieved it, and then was on my way through the cramped forest again.

  These woods are so dense. I should’ve just flown over them, I thought regretfully, but it was already too late. I had come far enough that doubling back now would take too much time. I could try to force my way up and out, but I had a feeling my hat wouldn’t be the only casualty.

  Somehow, it felt like I was always running late these days. As for whose fault that was, it was…well, completely mine, but so what? I kept on flying, mentally complaining to no one in particular.

  I don’t know how far it was, but after a while, the path suddenly opened up.

  “Whoa…,” I murmured.

  There in the clearing was a field of flowers.

  As I approached, I saw flowers of red, blue, yellow, and other hues spread out below me. Every one of them was standing tall and proud, reaching for the sun. When the breeze from my broom brushed past the blossoms, petals scattered into the wind along with a refreshing aroma.

  The fragrance, sweet enough to cleanse the depths of my soul, wafted up as the vibrantly colored blossoms danced in the breeze. Holding my hat with one hand so it wouldn’t fly off, I slowed my broom.

  Here was a whole other world in the middle of the forest. My heart was captivated.

  “…Oh my.”

  Among the field of vivid colors, I saw a human form.

  I wonder if that’s the caretaker of this place? I turned my broom in that direction.

  “Um, excuse me?”

  When I called out from atop my broom, the person remained seated but turned to face me. She was a lovely girl about my age. “Oh, hello.”

  “Hello. Are you the caretaker?”

  She shook her head. “No. There is no caretaker here. I’m just here becaus
e I like the flowers.”

  “No caretaker…? You mean these flowers are wild?”

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  Wow.

  I had thought flower fields only grew under the supervision of humans. Although I suppose flowers existed before humans did, so it’s not like they needed us to grow. But to think such amazing scenery could exist just by the power of nature, without a helping human hand…

  Incredible.

  “Are you a witch?” Noticing my chest, the girl tilted her head.

  “Indeed. I’m on a journey.”

  “How wonderful— Oh, actually, in that case, I have a request.”

  “Sure, if it’s something I can do.”

  The girl picked a number of flowers, removed her jacket, wrapped it around them, and held them out to me. It was an impromptu bouquet. “If it’s all right, I’d like you to take this bouquet to the country you’re going to.”

  “Is there someone you want me to give them to?” I asked in confusion as I accepted the bouquet.

  “No one in particular. I only ask that they be given to someone who can appreciate their beauty. That much is important.”

  Meaning, I suppose, that you want to spread the word about this flower field.

  I certainly understood the desire to show this beautiful vista to someone.

  “In other words, you want me to advertise the flower field, right?”

  “Do you not want to?”

  “No, I don’t mind at all. In fact, I’m more than happy to,” I replied.

  The girl smiled with deep relief and said, “Thank goodness.”

  For a short while after that, we engaged in light but lively conversation. At least, I think we did. I told her about the places I had visited so far, and she told me about her favorite flowers.

  After we had passed some pleasant time together, I said, “Well then, I’m going to continue on, so I’ll give your flowers to someone in the next country, okay?”

  “I’m counting on you, Miss Traveler.” She shook my hand with a smile.

  “……”

  Something felt strange. “You can’t leave this place, can you?”