In this world, there are many mages.
Even if they are all called mages,
there are the novices who can only do simple magic,
the apprentice witches,
and the full witches, who are at the top.
Who is the beautiful girl wearing a brooch that signals her status as a witch,
whose ashen hair flutters in the wind, shining so much with beauty and talent
that even the sun's eyes squint involuntarily?
That's right, it's me.
The Land of Mages
Welcome to the Land of Mages.
Please, come in, Madam Witch.
You don't need to check anything?
No, since only mages can get here in the first place,
and that brooch is proof that you're a witch, Madam Ashen Witch.
I see. Thank you.
As you might guess from the name, only mages can enter the Land of Mages,
so I heard that witches, as the highest ranking mages, are especially respected
and are looked upon with envious gazes and fawned over.
I've been looking forward to visiting this country.
Flying in the sky is recommended, it looks like?
It's a very elegant city.
Now, first, I'll look for a place to--
No...!
Ow...
What's with this girl?
Um, are you all right?
Oh, um, um, um...
Wh-What should I do?
I can't fix this many roof tiles...!
Don't you think you should apologize first?
Oh, I'm sorry! I'm so, so sorry!
Are you all right?
I'm fine, but what about you?
Huh?
Oh, I'm fine.
As you can see, I'm fit as a fiddle!
Here.
But...
I'll fix the roof tiles, so please rest a bit.
No, I'll help, too!
It's fine.
But--
It's fine.
Right...
Ow...
A time-reversing spell!
All fixed.
Wow!
You're next.
Huh?
Wow, I'm healed!
Amazing...
Being able to do this much is normal for a witch.
Goodbye.
U-Um...!
Make sure you check your surroundings when you're flying.
P-P-Please, wait.
Madam Witch, is there anything I can do to apologize?
Well, take care of yourself, mage-whose-name-I-do-not-know.
Now, to find a place to stay...
Oh, that place looks splendid and fine.
What if they're like, "Madam Witch, no payment is necessary.
Please, won't you grace us with your presence?"
What to do?
Please, leave.
You cannot stay here.
Huh?
Miss, I'm sorry, but please find a place more suitable for you to stay at.
What?
What's this...?
What's going on?
Far from being fawned over,
I've been getting kicked out of every place I've tried.
This is the last place.
It doesn't look like there are any other hotels around.
A run-down place like this should take me, right?
It should, right...?
W-Welcome...?
You're the witch from earlier! I-I'm sorry!
Are you here for retribution?
You are, aren't you?
I'm sorry!
Please, just spare my life... just spare my life...
Um...
A-Are you going to tear off everything below my shoulder?
No...!
I'm just looking for a place to stay.
Huh?
Oh, is that it?
You saved me the trouble of going to look for you.
Please enter your name in the register.
I really am sorry about earlier.
Miss Elaina, I wanted to thank you properly.
"Miss Elaina"?
Oh, it's right there.
I see.
Um, my name's Saya.
Is there anything I can do to thank you?
Well...
It'd be great if you could give me more than just the normal witch's discount.
Yes, of course!
Then, I'll take your things to your room. Here's the key...
Huh?
It's gone... gone...
Gone, gone...
Gone...
I can't believe I lost my brooch...
That's why the other places not only didn't fawn over me,
but they also treated me coldly.
Miss Elaina!
I don't see it here, either!
We've looked so much, but we still can't find it...
Miss Fran...
What have I done?
I can't believe I lost something so important...
What are you doing in my room?
I have a favor to ask, so I was waiting for you.
I thought I'd locked the door, though...
Heh, you forget that I work here.
Just what do you think you're doing, coming into my room without permission?!
Huh?!
Meanie...
Well? What was the favor?
Oh, right!
Madam Witch, please teach me what I need to know to pass the apprentice witch exams!
Um, what's with that pose you've been doing?
This is a traditional way of prostrating yourself from my country called " dogeza ."
" Dogeza "?
That's a strange tradition.
But it does feel sincere.
Anyway, tell me about your situation.
Right!
I have a little sister.
She's the cute girl in the picture!
I see...
We're from a land in the east.
We came together from afar to become apprentice witches...
From afar...
We worked at this hotel to save up money as we took the exams over and over...
So the two of you are still novices after all this time?
Is your sister out right now?
She passed the last exams and went back home first...
So you panicked because your dear little sister got ahead of you,
so you thought you'd ask a witch you happened to meet for help.
Is that it?
Well... I suppose that's how it turned out...
When's the next test?
In one week...
A week...
Well, I can teach you until I find my brooch, at least.
Thank you very much!
Thank you! Thank you!
And so, I became Saya's teacher.
"Teacher"...
It has an unexpectedly nice ring to it.
In order for a novice to become an apprentice witch,
she must first pass a written exam.
I hate to say it, but you can pass the written test with a night of cramming.
The problem is the second test--the magic test.
You have to keep flying on your broom and exchange nonlethal attacks,
and only the one who wins in the end can pass.
She then officially becomes an apprentice witch.
I never want to take a test like that again.
Let me give it to you straight, Saya.
With your current abilities,
the likelihood of you passing the magic test is close to zero.
Don't give it to me so straight!
But since it's "close to zero,"
it's not zero.
So you're saying it's possible?
First, you need to be able to maneuver your broom as well as or better than me.
What? That's pretty tough...
Please don't act so spoiled.
Do you want it to end with you getting knocked off your broom
right after the exam starts?
Next is turning.
Shift your weight and turn adroitly.
Yes, ma'am!
Next are sudden breaks and starts.
After forcing the broom to a stop with your whole body,
pretend you're kicking the air and shoot back up.
Yes, ma'am!
Next is breaking away in midair.
After letting go of your broom in midair,
use magic to call it back to you.
If it looks like you're in danger,
I'll go help you, so you can fly without worry.
Yes, ma'am!
Saya was able to fly about as well as me in no time.
You can do it after all...
This must be how a mother feels when she's teaching her child to fly.
But,
to be able to do it so quickly...
What has she been doing up until now?
You practiced hard today, too, huh?
Well then, let's eat.
This is good.
I'm glad!
I-I didn't think it'd be mixed in...
You don't like mushrooms?
I hate them! I mean, they grow from trees!
Which means, they're trees !
I am not in the habit of eating trees!
If you're a picky eater, you can't become a witch.
Huh?!
If you want to become an apprentice witch,
you must have the ability to endure eating even foods you don't like.
Seriously?
Seriously.
So think of this as training and eat them all.
I'm in hell...
Now, I'll use wind magic to make the fruit from that tree drop.
Please try it.
Yes, ma'am!
You must be able to use attack magic precisely.
This is an actual, slightly underhanded--I mean, clever--
trick I used in the actual magic exams.
Use wind magic to change the flow of the air
and block the way of the other examinees.
It's unexpectedly effective.
I see! Just what I'd expect from you, Miss Elaina!
I don't know what you were expecting, but try it again.
Yes, ma'am!
To master it, you need your body to remember how to do it.
M-My body...?
Like this. Gently, softly...
P-Please be kind to me...
Okay, here we go.
Wind magic!
Why...?
And so, for the next few days,
I searched for my brooch in between Saya's training.
It's really nowhere to be found...
I saw your witch's brooch.
Where did you see it?
Please tell me, lovely lady.
I've been forgetting things a lot recently...
Oh? Look what I found...
Oh! I remember now! I remember--
This is what I saw...
Come in.
Um, Miss Elaina...
What is it?
C-Can I sleep with you?
There's not much space.
Sorry this is such a cheap place.
That's not what I meant...
Anyway, you can if you want.
Yay!
You've improved a lot, haven't you?
You don't need my help anymore.
Huh? No, that's not true.
I still have a lot of things I want you to teach me.
I'm a traveler.
I'll be leaving this country soon.
But until then, we'll always be together.
Please teach me a lot more,
about a lot of things.
You're asking for too much, Saya.
Huh?
Will you please return my brooch?
You improved too fast.
I thought it was because I was good at teaching,
but that wasn't the case.
You were able to ride a broom properly from the start.
You came from a faraway land, didn't you?
If you were bad at flying, then how did you get here?
Yes, when I heard what the woman said, everything made sense.
You...
All right!
You can't tie someone down using misguided methods like this.
I was lonely...
I'm not your little sister, you know.
I know that.
But...
I wanted to be together with someone.
I hated being alone so much...
I was scared...
That's why I--Ouch!
What are you doing?!
That's not a good reason.
When you are seriously trying to accomplish something,
you will always be alone.
You can't do it if you're not alone.
Once you start being friendly, it's over.
It's hard to fight alone, isn't it?
It's scary, right?
I know that, too.
That's why...
This is...
You may have it.
What?
So that you'll be fine even if you're alone,
please allow me to leave a part of me by your side.
But, this is yours...
It's fine.
That's my spare.
Now, we match.
After this, you will be by yourself.
But, you will not be alone.
People like your sister and me are all watching over you.
I'll pay for your whole hotel stay...
...out of my own wages.
If I don't have enough, I'll pay in installments...
And so, we spent our last night together.
I soothed the sobbing girl,
and taught her ways to make it through the magic exams.
She told me about her little sister,
and I told her of my journey.
Saya looked so fragile
and helpless...
I felt like I was looking at my past self.
Six months have passed since then.
I'm now in a country far from the Land of Mages.
Examinee who successfully passed the apprentice witch exams...
The article wrote about her days of anguish and her hopes for the future.
About her little sister,
about how she met a traveler and received courage to fight alone and a hat,
and how she finally became an apprentice witch.
And--
When I become a full witch,
I'm going to go see the traveler that I love!
I'm waiting patiently for you as I continue on my journey, Saya.