Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 3 Chapter 7

Chapter 7

A Tale of Items: The Intelligent Disciple and the Living Items

『Dear 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—I 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 『Potion 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 『Potion 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.
『Dear Top Student,』

You needn’t do anything.

Just leave her alone and the problem will somehow sort itself out.
『Dear Sensei,』

Seriously?

Ah, I’m enclosing a sample of the 『Potion that lets you talk to items』 that Elaina created the other day. Please take a look at it.
『Dear 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?
『Dear Sensei,』

That part of her is just like you.
『To my former Top Student,』

You are excommunicated.
『Dear Sensei,』

Ah, hang on. Sensei, I’m sorry, it was just a joke.
『Dear Sensei,』

Umm, it’s very upsetting to be ignored.
『Dear Sensei,』

Sensei? Senseeeei~

Are you there?
『Dear Top Student』

By the way, how’s Elaina? Is she still getting carried away?
『Dear Sensei,』

Ah.

Actually, it turned out exactly like you said it would, Sensei.

There were many problems with the 『Potion 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

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 『Potion 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.

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 『Magic 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—look 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.

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. Elainsan. 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 when it comes to love!”

“Eh, hang on—wah!”

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—uwaaaah scary, scary, scary!

“Stop… Please stop—!”

And then, that young woman—

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.

『Dear Sensei,』

………That’s what happened, and ever since that incident, she hasn’t used the 『Magic that changes items into people.』
『Dear Top Student,』

The next time I meet my daughter, I will make sure to snap that staff in two.
『Dear Sensei,』

You’re too late, I’ve already done that.