Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 3 - Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9

Object Lessons: Thriving Among the Ruins

Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening.

Which one is it? I guess it doesn’t really matter.

This is my first time exchanging words with you like this, so allow me to offer my sincerest greetings. It is a pleasure to meet you.

I am Elaina. The Ashen Witch, Elaina.

I am a witch with ash-colored hair and lapis-colored eyes. I wear a black robe and a pointy black hat, as well as a star-shaped brooch.

I think you already know all this, but just in case, I wanted to give you a little self-introduction.

For some reason, right now, I am imprisoned inside this very city—or rather, this thing that looks a lot like a city. Sadly, I must inform you that I committed quite the blunder. Perhaps because I underestimated the place, or possibly, I was just careless. I could give any number of explanations, but to make a long story short, I really put my foot in it.

It was already too late by the time I thought about running away, so I ended up being taken prisoner here. My only means of escape was completely cut off, and I’m sure that even while I’ve been attempting escape, the scraps of sanity that remain in my mind are being ravaged by some outside force. Sometimes I lose sight of myself.

That’s why I decided to send you out of this place.

I have a request for you, the one reading this letter far beyond the city walls.

Won’t you please help me somehow? No doubt, I’m somewhere in the strange city stretching out before your eyes, living my life as a willing slave.

There’s just one thing I would like you to do for me.

I want you to take me—trapped in this bizarre world—outside. If I make it out, the rest should fall into place somehow. I should regain my sanity.

It’s possible that I will refuse, maybe even forcefully, but somehow, you must make sure that I leave with you.

If you don’t do that, I will probably die here.

I understand this isn’t rightfully something I should ask of you.

However, it’s unlikely that anyone will conveniently come along to help me in this deep forest, even if I were to get out an SOS. Even if, by some good fortune, someone were to appear, would I even still be alive? No, if anything, the person who came to help me would probably meet the same fate.

What’s more, you are not human.

You’re an object, like the rest of them.

That’s why I decided to ask you.

I realize this is a bit of a gamble.

I haven’t used this kind of spell in a long while. I don’t even know whether you will make it as far as reading this letter.

Even assuming that you do read it, you might tear it up and throw it away on the spot. There’s nothing more shameless than me calling on you in my time of need after working you so harshly up until now.

Asking something like this of you is very selfish, and foolish, and obviously deceptive, so even if I’ve exhausted any affection you had for me and you throw this letter away on the spot, I have no right to complain.

But I couldn’t not ask.

Please find a way to help me…

When I awoke, that letter was lying by my side.

An apology and a request for me, all in neat handwriting.

“……”

The place where I was standing looked like a deep forest. In front of my eyes, as written in her letter, I could see a city stretching out before me.

Maybe because it had rained the other day, the ground was cratered with small puddles. When I peered briefly into one, I could see myself reflected in it.

I was wearing a confused expression.

I appeared to be in my early twenties. I had slightly messy, peach-colored hair and looked just like her, if you discounted the color.

My clothing also closely mirrored hers. I was clad in a black robe. I am not a witch, so I wore neither a pointy black hat nor a star-shaped brooch.

“……”

So I guess my human form really does resemble her, eh?

They say that pets resemble their owners, and apparently, the same goes for possessions. This is the first time I’ve seen it.

What an amazing fact.

If I ever do meet her again—that is, if I manage to rescue her—I suppose it would be all right to tell her that.

“…Well then. Let’s get going.”

I tried speaking, to no one in particular.

My voice was, as expected, exactly like hers—just like my owner, Mistress Elaina.

It happened just as I was flying through the forest on my broom.

“Ah, rain!”

Even worse, it was suddenly falling fiercely.

The sky had been gray all day. The clouds had been hanging heavily in the sky, looking like they might rain at any moment, so I wasn’t the least bit surprised by this weather. Actually, that’s the very reason I was flying through the forest, so that I could take shelter at any time.

The downpour was much stronger than I had imagined, though.

“Ah, hey…”

Come on, what the heck is this?! Thanks to the rain, which easily passed through the canopy of tree branches overhead, I was soaked in a flash.

I was in trouble.

If I keep going like this, I’ ll probably catch a cold. What should I do?

“Hmm…mm?”

I was feeling annoyed by my misfortune, with my cheeks puffed out, when, conveniently, I spotted a large structure hidden down a narrow, narrow forest path.

What good luck!

I immediately decided to enter that city.

“Hello! Pardon the intrusion!”

As the rain continued to fall, I put away my broom and pulled out my umbrella, then knocked on a door embedded in the short wall. Creeping ivy and the branches of closely nestled trees shrouded the wall, as if nature had recognized it as a part of the forest. I could infer that this city must be very old.

I could infer that, but I didn’t really care. I was begging for someone to hurry up and open the door.

It opened right after I made my wish.

With a loud creak, I got my first glimpse of what was on the other side of the gate…

“……”

…and I stiffened in shock.

I was blown away.

“……”

Beyond the door, a single book was floating in the air. It was flapping its pages with a flutter, like a butterfly.

I realized immediately this was no ordinary city.

“Uh, hello. Would you let me take shelter from the rain?”

I considered turning back as soon as I realized what was going on, but pressing any farther in the deluge was an even more unpleasant option.

“……”

Perhaps because the book could understand the meaning of my words, it bobbed its body up and down in the air, then proceeded with a flutter down the path that continued from the gate.

“…?”

I suppose it’s asking me to come with it?

“Thank you.”

Then I stepped foot into that city. Behind my back, I heard the door that had been open just a moment ago creaking shut. When I turned to look back, the outside world had already disappeared from view.

The place was too shabby to be called a city but too grand to be called a ruin.

It was awash with junk lying all over the place. I hadn’t been able to tell from outside the gate, on account of the intense rain, but now that I was passing through the interior, I could see it looked awful. Clutter covered the narrow road pinched between rows of houses—the walkway was buried under broken plates, smashed clocks, plush animals with their stuffing sticking out, and all kinds of other small knickknacks.

This was an awfully strange place.

“……”

Finally, the flying book hovered into one of the buildings. The word inn was scrawled across the threshold. I stepped over it and entered.

“…What is this?”

Inside, it was even stranger.

“……” “……” “……” “……”

Apparently, the book wasn’t the only inanimate object that could move on its own. For example, an armoire without any drawers, a chair missing some legs, and wands and brooms that had been smashed to bits were meandering about freely. Their legs moved as if they were living things walking about without a care. As soon as they saw me, the objects hopped up and down on the spot.

…I guess they’re welcoming me?

No, but…

“Um, are you saying it’s all right for me to stay here?”

“……”

The book bobbed up and down.

“Thank you very much for that. Where should I sleep?”

“……”

The book fluttered on and led me to one of the rooms. It had a certain antiquated charm, to put it kindly. To put it unkindly, it was falling apart. But I was still grateful.

In contrast to the shabby room, the bed and certain furnishings looked quite new, though they all had visible signs of repair. The strange state of the furniture somehow made me even more uncomfortable.

“What shall we do about money?”

“……”

The book shook itself left to right. The raindrops that had clung to it splashed against my face.

“…By the way, I just wanted to confirm, but the bed in this room isn’t going to start moving by itself, is it?”

“……”

“Why aren’t you saying anything?”

I mean, it hasn’t spoken this whole time, but…

“……”

Then the book slowly left the room.

“……!”

Of course, as I expected, the bed began to move by itself, so I chased it out of the room, along with all the other furniture while I was at it.

After getting my lodgings into a state of neat and tidy emptiness, I changed clothes, pulled a sleeping bag out of my bag, and took a nap on the floor.

When I closed my eyes, the sound of pouring rain gently filled my ears.

The next day was also rainy.

It was truly unfortunate, but I would have to take a break from traveling that day as well.

“……”

The flying book came to the room I was borrowing just to greet me in the morning.

“Oh, good morning.”

“……”

“I’m sorry. I’d like to stay until the rain stops, is that all right?”

“……”

The book nodded in agreement and then swung itself back and forth.

Come with me, it seemed to say.

After closing the door to the room and changing clothes, I reemerged to follow the book. We left the inn and headed outside briefly, before a castle-like building, conspicuously larger than the others in this city, came into view.

The flying book stopped there.

“……”

“What is this place?”

Even if I asked, though, the book didn’t answer. As if it was ignoring me, my guide disappeared alone to the other side of the open gate.

“Um…”

I had some objections, but as there was no helping it, I followed the book. I thought there must have been something it wanted to show me.

The book came to a stop in front of a door at the far end of a corridor on the first floor.

“……”

The door, of course, opened by itself.

Here, just as I had been after passing through the gate into this country, I was speechless.

I was blown away.

After I finished carefully reading the letter, I knocked on the door.

“Hello there. I am…a traveler. In truth, I am an object, but for some reason, I have assumed human form.”

I gave this strange greeting to the book floating on the other side of the gate. Who ever heard of a traveling object?

“Oh-ho. An object, you say? So that means, I suppose, that you are hearing my voice?”

“Indeed I am.”

“Hmm…well, this is interesting. You’ve lived a long time, haven’t you? You’ve been a good item.”

“Thank you.”

“But for what reason have you assumed human form? If you don’t mind, I’ d like to ask you to inform us of your circumstances.”

“Sure, I don’t mind.”

“Well then, I shall show you to my companions. By all means, I’ d like to hear you tell your story in front of everyone. The tales of an object from another land will be a fine source of amusement for us.”

“I see… Sure. That should be fine. In exchange, it would be helpful if you could prepare a place where I can spend the night.”

“Certainly. I shall prepare accommodations of the highest quality.”

With that, I successfully entered the city.

“Oh man. Hey, isn’t that girl cute?”

“I know.”

Behind my back, the gate added some colorful commentary as it creaked shut.

“Come to think of it, what form did you have originally?”

Up ahead, the book asked me something, and I returned my attention forward.

It was a natural question, and there was no need to hide the answer.

So I answered, “I am a broom. You know the brooms that witches carry? I’m one of those.”

We walked partway through the city, and I was shown to a castle-like building that was conspicuously larger than any of the other structures in the area.

“Now then, please go ahead, Miss Traveler. This way.”

The book showed me inside the castle, and we went up the staircase near the entrance to the second floor.

“What on earth is this place?”

“This used to be a city, a long time ago. This residence was used by the reigning monarch during those times. Well, in a word, it’s a royal palace.”

“Oh-ho!” I continued following the book. “Well then, where is the king now?” I cocked my head.

When I asked this, my guide didn’t slacken its pace one bit and said simply, “He is no more.”

Its voice was terribly cold when it said that.

Then, at the end of the second floor in front of a door, the book came to a stop.

“Well, please go ahead, Miss Traveler. I shall introduce you to my compatriots.”

I was stunned. Before me, there were people, live people—only a few of them, sure, but actual people.

“Oh, that’s terrible. All of your legs are broken, aren’t they? Don’t worry. I’ll make them nice for you.”

“Mr. Plate, Mr. Plate, you’ve nearly reached the end of your lifespan, so you’d better not push it too hard…eek! I’m sorry, I’m sorry! Please stop throwing fragments of yourself!”

“Ho-ho-ho. Master Stuffie, you’re quite busted up there. It’s fine. I’ll fix you.”

The people here were apparently tasked with repairing all manner of odds and ends. Spread throughout the cavernous room, people sat facing knickknacks that were very worn out or completely broken. There were men and women of all ages, and judging from their appearances, they came from all walks of life. There were people dressed very much like travelers, some who looked like mages, and so on.

It was quite a chaotic scene.

Puzzling over this curious sight, I approached one of the people working there, an old man. He had the appearance of a mage and seemed quite experienced.

“Excuse me, what are you doing?”

The old man looked at me. “Oh, a newcomer, eh? This one’s still young.”

“Huh?”

A newcomer?

“Hmm-hmm. So you’re a witch? That’s good. That’ll lighten our workload.”

“Um…workload and newcomer… What on earth are you talking about?”

“Hmm. From your attitude, I guess you don’t know much about this place yet.”

“I just got here yesterday.”

“I see…” The old man stroked his snowy white beard, and as he spoke, he continued sewing the arm of the small teddy bear hopping up and down in front of him. “This place is where we fix broken items, you see. Sooner or later everything wears out, so we shoulder the task of repairing whatever comes here.”

“Huh.”

“There are also things that arrive after breaking themselves on purpose before they reach the ends of their lives.”

Uh-huh.

Are the objects here masochists or something?

“Hmm…”

But does he mean that these people are being forced to repair things that are broken?

“Did the people of this city invite you all here to help them?”

I was thinking that, if possible, I would like to meet the people living here—because I wanted to know more about this strange place.

But the old man shook his head.

“I’m afraid that’s not it. We’re laboring here in this city.”

Now I understand.

“I see. So in other words, you all also got caught in yesterday’s downpour and came here to wait out the rain?”

And in gratitude, you’re fixing your hosts?

I see, I see.

“No—unfortunately, that’s not it, either. We all live here. We live on-site and offer our services to the objects of this city.”

“Live on-site, you say? What on earth for?”

“Well now, I plumb forgot! Ho-ho-ho.”

Apparently, this elderly individual’s memory was rather poor.

“…How long have you been here?”

“Well now. I know it’s been a very long time. You see, I was on a journey, searching for things I could sell as a merchant, when I found this place. Before I knew it, I worked here! Ho-ho-ho…”

“……”

At this point, deep in the conversation, I finally realized the odd nature of this place—it seemed like a city yet wasn’t one.

I mean, now that I thought about it, it was pretty strange to see all the objects moving about on their own.

I spun around and looked at the single book floating in the air. It stayed silent, as always, flapping around like a butterfly.

“……”

Perhaps noticing my gaze, the book came over by my side. It was mute and gave no indication that it might speak. I couldn’t even guess what it was trying to communicate.

Then the book stopped just before me.

“……”

That’s when it happened.

It was a feeling like I had been struck in the head with something hard—a sudden instability assailed me, like the ground was spinning round and round.

Before I knew it, I was lying flat on the floor, and when I looked up, the flying book was bobbing in the air above me.

My consciousness was rapidly slipping away, and my body felt as if it were turning to lead, until finally, I couldn’t so much as lift a finger.

I don’t really remember what happened after that.

“All of these are your compatriots?”

We were on the second floor of the castle. The room at the end was overflowing with all kinds of objects. From small things like pens, to large items like bookshelves, and everything in between. They were all talking to other books that had the same cover as the one that was by my side.

“You see? Hey, look right here! I’m totally broken! I’ ll never move again like this!”

“It’s because I’ve lived a very long time, you know. My body’s showing its age here and there. Come on and fix me, all right?”

“It’s too late for me… I’m just a defective item that can’t even move right… Ohh…”

The objects that were whining along with the books were all quite worn out and broken.

What on earth do they do in this place? I tilted my head in confusion, and the book told me about it.

“This is the reception area for the repairs room.”

“Huh.”

“This is where they submit repair requests and get regular inspections before being sent to the repairs room on the first floor.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Also, it’s a place where we can all get together and just chat.”

“So when the elderly have spare time, they tend to congregate in places like this?”

“Recently, objects have been…congregating more often. Look, you see all those groups hanging out in the corners?”

“Well, it just looks like a bunch of rubbish.”

The book laughed at my words.

“We have too much free time and not enough to do. It can’t be helped.” As it spoke, the book proceeded deeper into the room. “Well, come along, Miss Traveler. I shall introduce you to everyone.”

I walked along behind it, and as expected, since my current form was quite strange, I felt the gazes of all the aged furniture that had just been chatting there, as well as the aged books they had been chatting with, turning to me all at once.

When the book stopped in the center of the room, it whirled around me and spoke. “Everyone! Today a rare friend has come to our country. Look at her. She is an object in human form.”

A commotion spread through the room.

“What did he say? An object in human form?” “This is rare!” “She must be very long-lived.” “But how pitiful, to be turned into a human…”

“Everyone, quiet down. The fact that there is an object in a form like this is, to us, a serious situation. It’s the kind of thing we ought to be concerned about. Let us listen to the tale of how she came to be transformed. Beyond that, let us become her strength and uplift her.”

Then the book said, “If you would ask why we should do this, it’s because she is an object just like us. She is our kin.”

After making this pronouncement, the book left my side, as if to say, “All right, go ahead.” It came to rest on the floor nearby.

I could feel the attention of all the items gathered in that room focused on me alone.

“……”

After a brief moment’s silence, I spoke.

As I did, I kept in mind what had been written in the letter from Lady Elaina and the plan to help her escape this place.

“I had a curse placed on me by an evil witch and was transformed into this.”

My memory after I collapsed was very hazy.

When I came to, I was lying in my room, and mysteriously, the bed and other furniture I was sure I had chased out were all back in place. I exited, though, without paying that any particular mind.

I was headed for the first floor of the castle.

There, just like the other people, I fixed things.

“My, you’re quite dirty, aren’t you? But don’t worry. I’m a witch, so I can easily clean up something like this!”

I applied my magic to the mute object in front of me, speaking with a tone of voice too sweet to be my own.

“Hmm. Newbie. You’ve got quite the knack for this. Ho-ho-ho.”

“Is that so? Oh-ho-ho.”

Unfortunately, that was me lighting up with a full-face smile when I was praised by the old mage working beside me.

In that place, I was no longer myself.

I was like that all day, my memory and consciousness hazy as if I were in a dream. My body didn’t listen to the things I told it to do, as if I were being controlled like a marionette.

The scary thing is, I had no doubts about my new reality.

My normal consciousness returned only late at night, after I was back in my room.

“Ugh…what in the world…?”

I couldn’t stop shuddering at the terrible truth of my situation.

Come to think of it, I had visited a place like this before.

A mysterious country where there were lots of cats and people’s hearts were stolen by them. That time, by pure coincidence, I had been able to escape unharmed due to my natural aversion to cats, but…

Assuming this place, in the same way as the cat country, could steal away people’s hearts, what on earth could have caused it?

……

That’s a no-brainer. The people here were infatuated with material possessions, right? No doubt, just like in that other country, they started showering them with endless affection.

“…Hmm.”

I’m in trouble here. No matter what it takes, I’ve got to escape. It doesn’t matter if it’s raining. This place is much more awful than being out in the rain.

If possible, it would be best to escape right away.

It happened immediately after I scrambled to take out my broom.

“Wah!”

Unnoticed by me, the bedsheets that had returned to my room stretched out toward me, grabbed my hands, and pulled—hard.

Ah, this is one of those places from which you can never escape.

I sensed this after having been dragged down onto the bed and covered with a blanket.

“…Uhhh.”

This is a prison.

The next day, as expected, I was in a dreamy haze and performed my work as usual.

“Okay! You’re all fixed. Take care!”

With a wide smile, I sent the stuffed animal I had just finished fixing on its way. I even waved good-bye. I wanted to ask who that strange girl was, but it was me.

When it was time for lunch, a pot and a cutting board (old, like everything else) served us a questionable meal. It was grass, grass, and more grass, which apparently grew in the area. In a word, it was weeds.

“Ho-ho-ho, delicious!” “The grassy taste of these leaves is so very juicy!” “Ah…to be able to enjoy such cuisine. It makes me so happy!”

But everyone ate it with the utmost satisfaction.

It was alarming, but my expression was as blissful as ever.

“……”

I was still smiling radiantly and tried to extend a hand toward the weeds, but sure enough, they were too repulsive, so I forced my hand to stop. Me and the thing that was not me fought each other in mid-gesture, and my hand, which was hanging halfway in between, was trembling.

“Hmm? It looks like your consciousness still comes back to you sometimes,” the old man said as he watched me suspiciously while munching on weeds.

“…Looks…that way…”

Oh, I spoke!

“Ho-ho-ho. I was that way at first, too. I hated being forced to work here and thought I had to escape no matter what.”

Oh?

“H-how…about…now…?!”

“Don’t talk in a husky voice while wearing such a big smile. It’s scary, you know.” After emptying his bowl of weeds, the old man continued, “Now I don’t really think anything of it. Far from it, I find I like being here.”

“……”

“Well, you’ll be the same sooner or later. The same as me and all our other companions.” Then the old man said, “Don’t vex yourself. Leave everything to the objects here. It’ll get easier.”

That is absolutely out of the question.

That was how I wanted to reply, but unfortunately, my consciousness had already surrendered.

That’s how it was at first.

Meaning that the more time passed, the more limited my chances to escape would become. Looking at it the other way, it meant that, at the present moment, my chance of escape was better than zero.

“…Hmm.”

That night, I pondered.

Ah, I wonder if I can escape on my broom?

Happily, since I hadn’t yet been confined here for very long, I could use not only my mouth but my entire body freely.

The same thing had happened the day that the rain, which had continued falling for several days, finally stopped. I found myself able to control my own body with complete mastery.

This is a good opportunity.

I wasn’t foolish enough to let a chance like this slip out from under me.

With great haste, I willed my body into motion. Well then, let’s hurry up with this escape plan, eh?

“Ohh…”

First step. The furniture and bed are in the way.

I chased them out of the room. While I was at it, I used a spell to seal the door with ice, locking them out. I could hear the sound of furious pounding on the other side, but I let it slide.

“’Kaaay…”

Second step. Take out my broom. Done.

“Okay…”

Third step. I cast two spells on it. The first was an easy one that any mage would have known: a simple spell but used in a way that I had never seen before. The second was a spell I had invented when I had too much free time during my training with Miss Fran. It was very peculiar.

I cast both spells.

“Here we go.”

Now, the final step.

I wrote a letter.

Done.

The plan was going off without a hitch.

“……!” “…!” “……!” “! …!”

However, there was no way the gang outside the door was going to let me escape that easily. No sooner had I finished the letter than the bed and furniture I had chased out, along with a pack of their compatriots, finally burst through the frozen door. Ice crystals scattered about the room with a crunch as the bed, desk, chair, plates, cutlery, rope, blankets, and sheets all came flying in.

I fled immediately. Gripping my broom, according to the plan, I broke the window and flew directly over the ruined city.

Of course, they weren’t going to let me escape without a fight, and one after another, objects flowed out of the broken window, chasing me. Strangely, they were joined by a number of shards of the very window I had just shattered.

Gripping my broom with one hand, I used my wand to summon big gusts of wind and blow them at my attackers, knocking them down one after the other. Unfortunately, there were just too many. More and more knickknacks were joining the swarm, not only the ones that had pursued me out the broken window but also things that had been lying scattered around town.

“Wahh…!”

Pulling hard, I focused on the path forward. The exit to this strange place was just ahead. I was hoping I could say good-bye here.

…But it didn’t go so well.

Just as I was closing in on the exit, as if it had made up its own mind to do so, my body stopped listening to what I was telling it to do. No matter how hard I tried to exert my will over it, my body just trembled, rendering itself useless.

Before long, regardless of my intentions, I fell from the broom.

“…So I failed after all, huh?”

I crashed atop a roof and landed in such a way that I was staring up at the sky. At this point, my body had even stopped shaking. Only from the neck up was I still managing to hold on to my consciousness.

“……”

Well, I knew it. I thought this was how it would turn out anyhow.

It would have really been something if I had managed to escape on my broom, but from listening to what the old man said, I had known that a simple escape was unlikely to work.

Even if I had tried to run, whatever force was prevailing over this country was likely to pin me down in my mind and take control of my body. The same result was probable even if I went around destroying each and every one of my captors with my magic.

However…

That’s precisely why I had cast those two spells on my broom.

The first had been a simple spell…

…a simple spell that would keep the broom flying on its own for a certain length of time.

The second was key.

The second spell gave life to inanimate objects. It gave them life and transfigured them into human form. An incredibly odd spell that never really saw any use. A spell I had developed just to kill time when I was supposed to be training with Miss Fran.

I had never thought that it would come in handy at a time like this.

The gang of objects was chasing me and me alone. None of them would go out of their way to chase down a broom. I was certain it would be able to escape to the outside world without incident.

Looking up, I could see my broom flying by itself through the sky.

“I’m counting on you…”

Whatever it takes, please save me…

There was more to the letter.

Mistress Elaina had drawn up an escape plan in great detail. It was so detailed that you would never think it had been written in a hurry. This is what she wrote:

I think it’s likely the objects of this city have been driven mad by the constant magical energy radiating from the surrounding forest.

For some reason, there are no longer any human residents here. The only people are the unfortunate souls who, like me, happened to get lost. Every one of them is being treated like a slave by the living objects.

I’m certain that the items in this place must hold an extreme prejudice against us humans.

So I had this thought.

Surely, the objects here will take pity on you, an object in human form. They’ll lavish compassion on you. When they meet you, they’ll definitely want to ask you how you came to be in such a poor state.

When they do, tell them this:

“I had a curse placed on me by an evil witch and was transformed into this.”

Lie and tell them an evil witch turned you, an object, into human form and is tormenting you.

After that, ask them this:

“That witch is incredibly evil. She’s so evil, she has even killed people. Right now, I’m on the hunt for her. Does anyone know anything about her? She’s a young witch, with ash-colored hair and lapis-colored eyes.”

I’m sure the objects who hear this will become agitated. There will probably also be some who reveal their anger.

There’s no way they won’t remember seeing me. They won’t be able to contain themselves upon learning that the detestable human who just entered their country the other day is actually extremely evil.

The rest is just to seal the deal.

Try saying something like this to them:

“If, by any chance, anyone has seen her, would you be so kind as to hand her over to me? I’ve got to take her back to my hometown so that she may be executed.”

I’m sure they’ll be thrilled.

They seem like the sort who delight in human sorrow more than anything.

…And so on.

I proceeded according to the plan that Lady Elaina had laid out.

Just as she had predicted, the objects assembled reacted seriously to every single word I said, lamented my circumstances even as I lied to them, and showed their resentment and hatred toward the Ashen Witch.

Up to that point, everything was going fine.

“I see… No doubt it has been difficult, being transformed into the likes of a human. You have my sympathies.”

“Thank you for that. I appreciate it.”

I returned only superficial thanks for the misdirected sympathies of the book, which had no idea what was really on my mind. This lot could not possibly understand someone like me, who had been overjoyed to assume my mistress’s form.

“So then, did the witch come to this place?” I decided to move the conversation along. I wanted to get her out of here as soon as possible.

“Yes. She’s here. Right now, I believe she’s being made to help with repairs downstairs.”

“Well then, I’d like to ask you to bring her out.”

When I said that, the book shook itself in response to my words.

Side to side.

“That won’t be possible.”

“Uh…”

I was shaken by the unexpected development. The book went on to say something I couldn’t believe.

“We will be executing the witch. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to fulfill your request to hand her over.”

“……………………Huh?”

I couldn’t hide my surprise.

Mistress Elaina, what am I supposed to do now?

I pitched a fit, saying that, first of all, I wanted to confirm that the witch they had was indeed the Ashen Witch herself. I was shown to the first floor.

Sure enough, there was Mistress Elaina. She was in the middle of repairing a broom.

“My! This is terrible, huh? You’re all split ends, aren’t you? Your brush end is all tattered and torn, and your adorable curl is messed up,” said Elaina.

“Oh, this girl’s cute. Heh-heh. Show me your panties,” snickered the broom.

“Okay, I’ll fix you right up. Just hold still!” said Elaina.

The two of them could not actually communicate, of course.

The book lined up next to me and watched what was happening.

“Is she the evil witch?” it asked.

“…Yes. She is. But why are you going to execute her?”

“She was too violent, and she has proven very stubborn on top of that. She’s not easily affected by our city’s spell. She seems likely to regain her full consciousness sooner or later.”

“So you’re executing her? You’ve got an awfully messed up way of thinking about things, haven’t you?”

“Actually, we’ve become quite docile with age. In the past, every object here would have killed a human on sight.”

“……”

Then, having touched on that subject, I had a realization.

I asked, “What on earth happened to the humans who originally lived here?”

The book answered dispassionately, “They left. We drove them out.”

“There you go. Good as new!”

“How ’bout it, baby? Wanna go on a date with me? Heh-heh.”

“Next, please!”

Lady Elaina continued her task, completely indifferent to us.

The book told me the truth about what had happened there.

It had taken place some ten years earlier.

Back then, when this was still a thriving city, many rich people made their living here, and in its own way, the land was prosperous, and humans abounded.

However, the people were cruel and did not take care of their possessions.

They were surrounded by forests and flush with resources. They could make new things whenever they wanted simply by cutting down nearby trees. There was little consideration given to repair and reuse. Whenever anything broke, they would just make a new one.

The humans found it inconvenient to carry old junk outside for disposal, so they piled everything they no longer wanted together in one forgotten corner of the city. Even though they were still useful, even though they were still alive, these former treasures were discarded just because of a little scratch or because the humans had lost interest in them.

The objects, forsaken in their prime by humans, resentfully watched their former owners go on living while they were piled atop a trash heap.

The mountain of rubbish forming in the corner of the city gradually grew larger and larger, and the pent-up resentment of the discarded objects swelled along with it.

Eventually, around the time the pile surpassed the trees in height, the humans began to wonder what they ought to do with all the junk.

“If we keep going like this, we’ll run out of space.” “It’s in the way.” “The view is getting worse.” “How about burying it instead and making a real mountain?” “Let’s dispose of it somewhere else.”

The talks continued for a long time, but during the discussions, not once were the words let’s reuse them uttered.

In the end, the people decided on a compromise. They would take half of the things they had thrown away with no regard for whether they were still useful and dispose of them elsewhere. The other half they would bury.

At that point, the anger of the discarded belongings reached its peak.

That’s when the changes began.

The objects, which had been treated so cruelly by the humans, learned to move by themselves, and the people became devoted to them. It was just like that country where everyone started loving cats.

Perhaps the magical energy that thrived in the deep forest gave them the disposition to toy with people’s hearts.

Anyway, all of the people present in that place started serving the objects. The former possessions gained the ability to walk around under their own power, using resentment as one driving force.

However, the rage of the objects was not appeased. The things, which had been treated like garbage and thrown away, could no longer trust human beings.

“From now on, this is our country. All of you, leave right now and take nothing with you.”

The objects gathered together all the people living in the city, made their declaration, and chased them out.

In reality, the humans couldn’t hear their former possessions’ voices, so they probably all just ran away because they were afraid of the objects that could suddenly move on their own.

Anyway, that was how the city of objects came to be.

However, there had been one grievous oversight.

Being objects, they would lose the ability to move when their life span was up. For some ten years, they lived alone in their new city, without any visitors, but one after another, the objects began to fall still.

When they broke, there were no humans to fix them.

Without a plan, they were in trouble.

The desperate objects opened the gate and started beckoning humans in.

The occasional traveler who lost their way.

Or a traveler who just came seeking shelter from the rain.

Without exception, the new masters of the city welcomed their visitors, waited for their wills to break, then forced them to fix broken objects, all while treating them as slaves.

Then, the other day, she had shown up—apparently, that was the situation.

This is what happened that evening.

“Huh? The witch with the gray hair? Ah, she’s staying in that inn over there.”

Late at night, I slipped out of my high-class lodgings (though thanks to the passage of time, the palace was more like a run-down hotel) and spoke to each object I met that was still awake to determine where Mistress Elaina was located.

I had feared she might have been transferred from the inn to the jail, on account of her rampage yesterday, but somehow, she was still in the same room the book had shown her to initially.

“I want to watch that witch suffer a little while longer. Please allow me to visit her.” I talked a big game, and the objects quickly showed me to her.

I appear in the form of a human, but I’m really an object. There’s no need to worry about the magic here messing with my mind, like it messed with Lady Elaina’s.

In other words, until the spell wore off and I turned back to normal, I was able to walk around under my own power.

“All right. This is my chance.”

Then, for the first time since yesterday, I returned to Mistress Elaina’s side.

“Pardon the intrusion.” I opened the door after knocking, and Mistress Elaina was there, sitting on the bed in a daze, looking up at the moon floating outside the window. A slight breeze was blowing through, as we had broken that same window the day before, and the wind lightly stirred her beautiful hair.

The window, which had yet to be repaired, its fragments scattered around the floor, was shouting its complaints, “Um…I’ d like you to fix me!” I ignored it.

“You are Miss Elaina, the Ashen Witch, correct?” I asked her, and she turned to face me.

“That’s right. And you are? Oh, a newcomer? I see.”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“But I’m already sleepy, I want to sleep.”

“I can’t allow you to sleep tonight.”

“You suck.”

“It’s a joke.” I coughed once and cleared my throat, then got back to the main topic. “Actually, I’ve come today with some information for you.”

“Information…? But just who are you? And from where?”

“I am an important person in this city,” I lied.

“An important person…huh? Are there such people?”

“There are. Actually, I’ve seen you at work and decided to come meet you in person.”

“Oh, to praise me?”

“The opposite.”

“Ah…”

Everything from this point on is a lie.

“You’ve been fixing the objects of this country too well. Our citizens don’t want to be fixed in the first place.”

“What did you say?”

“They actually want to get broken,” I lied.

“What? But the people in the castle said we’re here to perform repairs.”

“All of them are mistaken.”

“Seriously?”

“Seriously. The objects that thrive in this country actually have a plan, every last one of them. You can’t understand what they say, which has apparently caused a misunderstanding, but they are all masochists.”

“Masochists?”

“Yes. And to be broken by a young girl such as yourself would be their greatest joy.”

“Joy?”

“To go to you to be broken, only to be fixed instead…there’s a lot of frustration building.”

“Frustration?”

“That’s the situation.”

“I never…” Mistress Elaina hung her head, crestfallen.

I extended my hand and pointed at her.

“But rest assured, it’s not too late. You can still mend your ways.”

“What do you mean?”

I said, “From now on—”

It happened right after I said that. The sheets on the bed must have been listening. Now, they shot out and grabbed my hand. I was quickly pulled down onto the bed and smothered with a blanket.

“Hey, what’s the big idea? Are you planning to betray us?” the bed asked. “I’m going to report your strange behavior.”

“I won’t give you the chance.” I continued where I had been interrupted. “Mistress Elaina, from now on, please be sure to break any object that stands before you. That is how you can show them that you truly care.”

“Huh, seriously?”

“Seriously. While we’re on the topic, the city gates in particular want you to break them.”

“What?”

“Go knock them down, please. Now.”

“Right now?”

“Right now, please.”

“……” Mistress Elaina looked to be lost in thought for a moment. Eventually, she said, “I understand. I’ll go break the gate down.”

“That would be wonderful. And by the way…”

“Was there something else?”

I wriggled one hand out of the grasp of the blankets and said, “This bed is also a masochist.”

“Should I smash it?”

“By all means.”

Mistress Elaina nodded at my words and pulled out her wand. Then she moved toward the bed that was holding me captive.

“Wait a minute. You can’t think it’ ll be over just like that if you do such a—ah, aaaaaahhh—!”

A heartbreaking death wail filled the room, but it never made it to Lady Elaina’s ears.

The road from the inn to the city gates was filled with the screams of many objects.

“Ohh…”

“Ow! Ow! Ow! Aaaaaaaaahhh!”

“’Kaaay…”

“Eeeeeekkk…! Have mercy—”

“Okay…”

“Noooooo! I’m being smaaaaaashed!”

“All right…”

“How dare you—ah, wait, stop it, noooooo!”

The gallant figure of Mistress Elaina, knocking down swarms of knickknacks one after another, was truly magnificent.

“Um, is this really making them happy?”

Even wearing a dubious expression, Mistress Elaina was superb. She was a sight for sore eyes.

“It’s fine. They’re very happy.”

Of course, this was a lie. I accompanied Mistress Elaina, calmly deceiving her the whole time.

Somehow, it seemed I was quite adept at lying.

I wonder, is this another point on which I resemble my mistress?

She was every bit the witch. The swarms assailing us were no match for Lady Elaina, and it did not take us long to reach the city gates. However…

“It seems we should never have trusted an object in human form.”

Apparently, it would be harder than I thought for us to escape to the outside world.

Every available object had stacked up together, transforming into a giant humanoid monster. Somehow, they had assembled and created an impromptu behemoth.

The monster, large enough to tower over the city gate and the nearby trees, laughed. Its voice was made of many small voices all laughing together. “Mua-ha-ha-ha!”

Come to think of it, the book did say that objects had been congregating a lot lately…

“What deplorable behavior,” the book embedded in the face of the monster said. “Thanks to you two, a large number of our kin have perished. You shall not be forgiven. Those of us left alive have formed this giant and are going to send you straight to he—”

“Yaah!”

One arm of the rubbish giant was blown off.

“Wait, I’m still talking!”

“Mistress Elaina, please wait a moment.”

“Oh, sorry.”

After watching the discarded arm flatten a house, the giant (and the book) said, “Humans are always like this. They selfishly bring us into existence, then throw us away as soon as they no longer need us. How foolish they are! They create us, then take no responsibility for the lives they have created. On top of that, our words never get through to them—don’t you see? Can’t you understand our rage at being cast aside halfway through life?”

“I’m afraid not.” I shook my head.

I had been valued by my mistress since the day I was born, so I could not possibly understand.

“This is our fury. This giant body is the embodiment of the grudge we hold toward humans! With it, we shall eradicate the humans we so despise—”

“Okay!”

The other arm of the giant was blown off.

“Wait!”

“Mistress Elaina.”

“Hmm, not yet?”

“Please wait a little longer.”

“Geez…”

Mistress Elaina was still incredibly cute, even when she was sulking, but right now we were in the middle of an important conversation.

Let’s get back to the main portion of the story.

“I understand your anger. However, that’s not a good reason to harm people.”

“What are you saying? We hurt them because they hurt us. Is that not justice?”

“I’m telling you to learn your place. To be used when you are necessary and discarded when you are not needed. Such is our fate.”

“Well then, how are we any better than slaves?”

“I’m not finished talking yet,” I said. “If you are discarded because you are no longer needed—you should continue to wait. Keep waiting until you are born anew or until you are needed again. If you hold on to your memories of when you were treated as important, you should be able to wait forever.”

So your grudges and hatred are utterly misplaced. This was the message behind the look I gave the giant.

“Whether they’re misplaced or not, our anger is real! All humans—including you! We will never forgive them! The two of you shall die here!”

“……”

Apparently, my words were not getting through to them.

“You all are mistaken.” Despite that, I continued. “However, I do understand your sadness at not having been taken care of.”

With that, I clapped a hand down on Mistress Elaina’s shoulder.

As if she understood just what I wanted to say, she prepared her wand.

Magic blasted forth from her hand, blowing the body of the giant to pieces.

“Rest in peace.”

I don’t suppose my words made it through to them this time, either.

When we passed through the gate, Mistress Elaina finally regained control over her mind. In the forest, beneath the moonlight, she wore a pained expression.

“…Somehow, I feel like I just woke up from a very long, very bad dream.”

“I’m sorry to say that it was all real.”

When I gave that answer, Mistress Elaina said, “…You’re, um…my broom, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I certainly am.”

“……”

“Do you find me unpleasant?”

She shook her head, enough to make her hair sway slightly.

“I was just thinking that you look a bit like me. I was surprised.”

“A possession always resembles its owner.”

“Like a pet, huh?”

I just nodded and didn’t reply.

“……”

Silence descended between us.

Her expression at the time was complicated, so much so that I’m not sure how to describe it. It looked as if she was thinking hard over something, or worrying, but in any case, there’s no doubt that it was dark.

“What is it?” I tilted my head.

In response, Mistress Elaina said, “……Um. Thank you, very much…for, uh…helping me. And also—”

I didn’t want to hear the words that were coming after that.

As she had written in her letter, I suppose she wanted to apologize for never trying to meet me, despite having a spell that could let her converse with objects and despite knowing that I could talk to her.

“I understand your feelings,” I interrupted. “It’s nothing to worry about. Even if I can’t speak to you, even if my voice doesn’t make it through, I am your possession, through thick and thin. I will not resent you, even if you were to abuse me.”

“……”

“But I’m not thrilled about things like flying around with a zombie’s head stuck on me.”

“Oh, sorry about that.”

I said, “I’m not especially concerned about it, but… But if you really want to apologize to me for something, I do have one favor to ask.”

“…?”

“Will you hear it?”

Mistress Elaina nodded immediately.

And so I, without hesitation, made one selfish request.

“Please help me with something.”

The city where objects could move on their own…several weeks had passed since we visited that place.

The weather was clear. A pleasant early summer breeze blew through the trees in the forest, brushing past my cheek.

“……”

I could see quite a change in the state of the place, visiting it several weeks later.

Maybe it’s because the weather’s nice?

No, that’s not the only thing.

“Well, well. This is really incredible.” “There’s so many…” “Stay in order! Don’t fool around!” “Hey! I saw this one first!” “Shut up, who cares!” “It’s first come, first served, I think.” “Ho-ho-ho!”

The merchants gathered around the narrow gate were fighting among themselves as they carried treasures out of the city. They piled many broken items onto their carts, and the horses pulling them let out strained whinnies.

“Say, but this is really an incredible place, isn’t it? It’s full of such amazing things. If we fix them up and sell them, they should fetch quite a price.” One of the merchants turned to me. “Thank you, truly, for finding this.”

“I came across it by accident, when I was seeking shelter from the rain.”

The objects piled up on the carts may have been broken, but they could still be used if they were fixed. Their lives were not yet over. My broom had hoped to provide them with a chance to flourish once again, to give them another shot at true happiness.

“Miss Witch. Here!” One of the merchants pressed a package into my hand. It was quite heavy, and when I peeked inside, I saw the shine of many silver coins.

“All the merchants here pooled our money. Please use it. As thanks for showing us such a trove.”

I pushed it back to the merchant without hesitation. “There’s no need. I didn’t show you this place for the money.”

“Oh? Well then, why did you do it?”

To the merchant wearing a puzzled expression, I only said, “I was asked to. By a dear friend.”

By a very, very good-natured girl.

I hadn’t exchanged words with her the whole time since I first met her.

Even though I had developed a spell that would make it possible, for some reason, I had never used it.

The reason was simple.

I was scared. I didn’t want to know what kind of things my broom was usually thinking. I didn’t want to imagine what shape she would take or what she would talk about when my prized possession took human form.

So until now, I hadn’t used that spell on any of my own things.

“……”

However, I’m glad I met her in that city of broken objects.

I was very happy I could get her to help me.

Now I feel truly glad for who my broom turned out to be.

“Well then, let’s go, shall we?”

I didn’t put my thoughts into words.

I am a person, and she is an object.

My voice wouldn’t reach her.

But I believe she understood my feelings anyway.

Sitting on my broom, I kicked off the ground.

As if answering me, my broom softly lifted off into the sky.

Gradually, all traces of the old city and the merchants below disappeared from view, and a new world spread out before my eyes.

After a few days of rest in my travels, I was finally ready to resume my journey.

Together with my precious possession.