Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina (魔女の旅々)

" The Adventures of Fran "...?

I wonder if it's like The Adventures of Niké ?

It's not just that the name is the same as Miss Fran's--

I feel like the face here looks like her, too...

As I looked at that book,

I remembered a country I stopped by six months before.

It was a big country, far away from here--

It was called Royal Celesteria.

Royal Celesteria

Oh?

The mages are doing tricks for everyone to enjoy.

It's wonderful.

Put your hands together!

"Royal Magic Academy"...

I didn't know they had a place like this...

I wonder if it's okay to go in?

Probably not, right...?

But... I'll just do it.

Hey!

No trespassers allowed here!

Oh, I'm sorry. You're a witch?

Please excuse my rude behavior.

Don't worry about it.

Well then, please excuse me.

No one is allowed inside without permission.

Not even witches?

Not even witches.

He could've at least let me look around a little bit...

Anyway, I guess I'll look for a place to stay.

Excuse me!

I wonder if that person is delivering newspapers?

The mages in this country are...

Um, did you need something?

Hello. You're the Ashen Witch, right?

W-We're students at the Royal Magic Academy.

Are you students from the school I was at earlier?

What business do you have with me?

U-Um, will you come with us without asking any questions?

Why should I?

I-I said without asking any questi--

I don't want to.

Why not?

Because I don't want to.

Come on, please?

Just trust me and come with us, please.

No way.

Later.

Huh?!

Hey, guys, let's do this as a team.

Yes, let's catch her together.

Catch me? Why?

Don't take all the glory for yourself!

Speak for yourself!

I don't know what's going on, but...

Hey, wait up!

The Ashen Witch?

P-Please don't run away!

You guys go toward the river.

And you guys go around from the state guest house!

Found you, Madam Ashen Witch!

Please come with us quietly!

They do have the advantage of knowing the lay of the land.

They're stubborn.

They're determined, at least.

Very well. In that case, I'll see this through to the end.

Madam Ashen Witch, I've got you!

Slip.

Huh?!

You should really open your eyes.

Madam Ashen Witch, I've got you!

I-I can't go on...

I-I'm dying...

You should know by now that you can't catch me even if you try as a group.

Please give up.

Goodbye.

Everyone, good work.

M-Ma'am...!

You all had no chance against her, did you?

N-No...

Age doesn't matter.

This is the difference between you and a witch.

Long time no see, Elaina.

Miss Fran...

That was the first time I'd seen my teacher, Miss Fran, in a few years.

That's it for today's extracurricular lesson.

Please turn in your report tomorrow.

Okay...

Thank you very much...

Oh my, they're all so unsteady on their feet.

Maybe you overdid it a little?

Are you saying it's my fault?

It's also my fault.

Are you a teacher at this school, Miss Fran?

Yes. The king asked me to teach here.

Well, let's not stand around here talking all day.

Let's go inside, Elaina.

As part of their extracurricular lessons,

I told them to bring you to me, even if they had to use some force.

How did you know that I was in town?

You tried to come into the school, didn't you?

A young witch with ash-colored hair tried to enter.

She might be a spy from another country!

A spy? He really jumped to conclusions...

I knew right away that it was you.

Then, I just couldn't sit still, so I used my students to find you.

I thought it'd be hard to find you myself in such a big country,

and it would be good training for them.

Because going up against a talented witch is excellent training.

Talented? Well, I guess you could say that, but...

It was a rare opportunity, so those kids were happy, too.

I was, too, though.

You've traveled a lot, haven't you?

Yes.

You knew that I was traveling?

Of course.

I heard from your mother.

Huh? You've seen her?

She's very worried about you, you know.

If you're ever near your hometown, you should go visit.

I'm planning to.

Oh, good.

So, why did you want to become a traveler, Elaina?

I expect it was because of your mother?

Mom?

Oh, it wasn't?

It was mainly because of a book called The Adventures of Niké ,

which I read when I was young.

Oh, really?

I like that book, too.

My favorite is the last story, "Foula, the Apprentice Witch."

That's my favorite, too!

It's the story of how the witch, Niké,

takes on the apprentice witch, Foula, and helps her grow.

In the end, Niké lives in the countryside as an ordinary woman,

and Foula becomes the new traveler as the curtain falls on Niké's adventures.

That takes me back.

Huh?

Oh, I was talking about this book.

Just between you and me,

I loved The Adventures of Niké so much that I wrote a novel as I traveled.

Oh, really.

You don't sound very interested.

No, no, I'm super interested.

And?

After I hit about a hundred pages of manuscript and went back to read it,

it was so pathetic that it made me writhe on the floor.

Huh.

I didn't take it out of my travel bag after that and forgot about it,

but when I was in a certain country, I sold my bag.

Apparently, that bag was the bag of a legendary traveler.

A legendary traveler's bag?

It was a cheap bag I'd bought in a pawnshop, though.

And you left your manuscript in that bag?

How did you know?

Who wouldn't have been able to figure that out?

I remember it occasionally, and it makes me so embarrassed.

What if someone found the manuscript and read it?

Miss Fran...

Anyway, it's something I can laugh about now.

So what was the point of telling me about it?

Isn't it obvious?

A lot of things will happen to you as you continue on your journey.

Someday, I'd like to hear stories of your fun memories.

Please tell me lots of stories about your travels.

That's what I wanted to say.

Very well.