Majo no Tabitabi - Volume 5 - Chapter 7

CHAPTER 7

The Yellow Flower of Happiness

“That flower you’re selling—is it a Happiness Flower?”

It happened as I was selling artificial flowers in the middle of town. A traveler holding a large suitcase stood before me. “I heard a rumor about a Happiness Flower that will never wither.”

“Yes, that’s right. How about it?”

I cocked my head, and the man took an artificial lily from my hand. He touched the petals with his fingers, flicked them, and brought them close to his face to inhale the flower’s aroma. As soon as he was finished, his expression became severe, as if he had smelled something rancid.

“This is fake,” he objected. “It’s not even a real flower.”

It was, as he conjectured, an imitation—just a regular artificial flower.

Oh my.

“You speak as if you think a Happiness Flower truly exists.”

“Well—” The man nodded as if he did know, and there wasn’t a hint of deception in his eyes.

Huh, seriously? There is such a thing? Oh-hoh!

“If you’re interested, you can go and see for yourself. The Happiness Flower—lovely and sublime—grows far to the west… Uh, or was it the east? Oh, maybe it’s north… No, south? Well anyway, somewhere around there.”

“……”

There was something suspicious about the man’s story. But he continued in a flurry, recounting the whereabouts of the flower and calling it by its full name: the Yellow Flower of Happiness. Which was, according to him, a solitary flower that blooms only one to a flower field.

“The forest is cramped and the trees are overgrown, so it’s easy to get lost, but if you follow the signposts, you should be able to get there quickly—to the flower field, that is.”

The man who had told me about the Yellow Flower of Happiness had also told me how to find it.

As he had said, I found the signposts and followed them through the forest.

“Hmmm…” It was strange. The signs that I passed by had all been beheaded and were lying on the ground.

It was as if they were rejecting any visitors to the flower field.

I had a feeling that this was a bad omen.

“……”

And unfortunately, that bad premonition of mine was largely on the mark.

I flew through the forest for a short while, before finding my way to the place where the flower field was.

Or where it should have been.

“…It’s all withered.”

It was a tragic scene.

Where there should have been a field of beautiful flowers stood nothing but dried-out, earth-colored husks. There was not a single yellow blossom, or anything else alive, really. Just the shriveled-up remains of flowers.

“Whaaa…”

I was terribly disappointed. I had really been looking forward to this, and now what exactly had I flown all this way for? My shoulders drooped dejectedly as I alighted from my broom.

The dead flowers crumbled dryly as I walked over them.

By the way, near the flower field was a small village.

It looked like the villagers maintained the flower field. On the other side of the place that had been a flower field stood a sign with the name YELLOW FLOWER VILLAGE. This one hadn’t been torn down and still properly indicated the road to the settlement.

The same sign stood in front of a small gate that I reached by proceeding through the forest a short while.

“Oh, welcome, Miss Witch! Welcome to our village.”

When I got down off my broom in front of the village, a lone man came out to greet me.

“Yes, hello.” I nodded once and put my broom away.

“Did you also come to see the flower field over there?”

“Do I look like I did?”

“I can tell from your expression.” Apparently, I looked more disappointed than I thought I did. “The field has been in that state for two weeks now.”

“That’s too bad. I was looking forward to seeing the flowers.”

In that case, I suppose the Yellow Flower of Happiness is out of the question?

“The travelers and sightseers who came here in the last two weeks have all said the same thing—I, too, feel that it’s a real shame. It was a precious attraction.”

“I’m sure.”

“I hope it comes back soon, but…”

“……”

The Yellow Flower Village was now the Withered Flower Village.

I suppose they haven’t taken the sign down because they’re hoping the yellow flower might bloom again, huh?

“Why did the field get like that? Gross negligence?”

The villager shook his head. “Nothing like that, I’m sure of it. We would never allow the pride of our village to wither that easily.”

“Who is managing the field?”

“Well, I am now. Before, a different person was doing it, though.”

“So that person messed up?”

“No, he didn’t. He took perfect care of them. But the flowers withered even so.”

“And you don’t know the reason why?”

“Unfortunately not.”

“…Hm.”

I thought it was quite a shame. I had missed out on the flower field that I had been so looking forward to seeing. It would have to wait for another time.

The mysterious thing was that even though the flower field—the village’s sole attraction—had died, this villager did not sound worried at all. He was acting as if it were somebody else’s problem.

With the flower field gone, they should have been busy planting new seeds or creating a new sightseeing spot, so why was he so detached from this whole situation?

Don’t you get it? Your village will die, too, unless you do something.

“By the way, Miss Witch,” the man said, “while it is true that our village’s flower field has been like that for two weeks now, there’s still more to see here.”

Hm?

“Meaning?”

“You can no longer see the flower field. But in its place, something even more amazing has appeared. I never noticed it before the field withered, though.”

“Uh-huh.”

“It’s decorating my house. Will you take a look?”

I tilted my head quizzically. “What on earth do you have?”

“The Yellow Flower of Happiness,” he revealed. “A miraculous flower that never withers.” He looked at me as if to say, “Isn’t that amazing?”

“Interesting.”

I don’t think there was any surprise on my face.

We passed through the gate into the Yellow Flower Village, and I marched behind the man.

Inside the village, homes dotted across the land, but there were no people.

I wonder if this is what “ghost town” means? Wait, this is a village, so does that make it a “ghost village”?

Anyway, there were absolutely no people to be found, not even figures inside the houses. When I entered any other village, there would be people around somewhere, and even if they were all holed up inside, there would at least be some voices or sounds leaking out onto the streets.

But this place didn’t even have a lived-in feeling to it. All the windows of the houses were shut, and there was no laundry hanging out. The village was wrapped in silence; the only noise was the quiet sound of our footsteps.

“As you can see, this village is not that large. It’s about the same size as the flower field over there. Though the flowers are all dead, so I suppose it’s hard to make the comparison.”

“The village is dead, too, isn’t it?”

“I’m still here.”

“…Why are you the only one in this village?”

“Everyone left. Apparently, most of the people in this village were only interested in the yellow flowers, so as soon as the flower field was lost, they cried out that it was a disaster and that it was the most awful thing that happened to them. Before I knew it, everyone was gone.”

“But you stayed?”

“Because I still have a flower.”

“……”

We arrived at his house.

“Whoa! It’s massive!”

Standing before us was an enormous house, looking comically out of place in the deserted village. Honestly, it was just ridiculous in size.

What’s this? Are you royalty or something?

“Hah-hah-hah. Incredible, right?” The man spoke with pride. “By the way, this house used to be the residence of the man who originally managed the flower field.”

“Was he royalty or something?”

“No, just your regular rich man. Because he managed the flower field, you see.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, do come in. Please, be my guest.”

Then the man opened the door to the house.

Inside the spacious mansion, I was shown to the dining room.

“Please, go ahead. This is a rich man’s dining room, and this is a rich man’s chair. Do have a seat. And this is a rich man’s tea. It’s delicious.”

“Oh…incredible.” Bidden to sit, I took a sip of the tea that was placed before me.

Mmm.

“Suit your tastes?”

“Yes. It tastes like money.”

“It’s even better with a dollop of honey.”

“Oh-hoh. What happens then?”

“It’ll taste like honey.”

“……” I dribbled the nectar into the tea as I was told and took another sip.

“How is it?”

“Tastes like money.”

Well. Let’s put down this stupid exchange and the teacup and get to work.

“So then, where is this miracle flower of yours?”

“Miss Witch, please look atop the table.”

I looked.

In a vase, garishly glittering gold, stood a single flower.

And it was yellow.

…Could it be?

“This is it.”

“Ah.”

Not exactly secure…

“Since I’m the only person left in the village, there’s no need to lock it up tight.”

“…But if you leave it sitting here like an ordinary flower, it might be stolen in an impulsive moment? By an evil traveler or someone.”

“That’s no problem. This flower possesses the incredible power to bring good fortune to its owner. It won’t be stolen. Because if this flower were stolen, that would spell bad fortune for me.”

“……? I’m sorry, I don’t really understand what you’re saying.”

I’m sure I was wearing a very skeptical expression.

The man put on a wide smile and sat down across from me, sandwiching the flower vase between us. “Ever since I acquired this flower, my life has been headed in a fantastic direction. To tell you the truth, before I got this flower, I was just a worthless deadbeat.”

“Huh.”

He told me dispassionately of his life until now.

According to him—the flower field had withered two weeks earlier, but it wasn’t like all the florets had suddenly died on the same day.

At first, the blossoms facing the outside of the field had shriveled up all at once. This was a baffling phenomenon, but the manager at the time just cocked his head in confusion and didn’t take this development seriously.

The following day, flowers farther inside had withered.

As the days went by, the rest of the flowers dried up gradually. As if stricken by some pestilence from the outside, they lost their lives.

As you would expect, the manager at the time eventually recognized the danger and, though a little late, took what countermeasures he could. Apparently, he tried all kinds of tactics. But no matter what he did to the flowers, he couldn’t save them. Bit by bit, they all inevitably wilted.

In just two weeks, the whole field had turned brown.

This man, who had been a deadbeat, heard a rumor that the field had wilted and, for some reason or other, decided to make his way there.

Sure enough, the flower field was dead. Everything in it had drooped. Cementing it as a pitiful scene, a sign had been erected: ENTRY PROHIBITED.

The man ignored the sign and stepped into the field. That was when he discovered, in the very center of the field, a single unwilted flower.

“It seemed obvious that this one flower was defying its withering fate to the very end. And so I took it home. I took it home and stored it in a flower vase.”

“……” You mean you straight-up stole it?

I was interested in the rest of the story, so I stayed quiet.

“From the day I brought that flower home, I’ve grown happier and happier. The nasty lot of villagers that used to abuse me and call me a deadbeat got sick one after another, or their marriages soured, or they started to quarrel among themselves.”

“……”

“On top of that, I was entrusted with the management of this mansion, which stands in the center of the village. It seems the man who owned it ran away. Well, in short, I’m no longer a deadbeat.”

“But the management of the mansion…didn’t include the flower field, right?”

“Right. But it’s been two weeks since the flower field withered. I’m the only person in this village. Surely it’s not an overstatement to say that I’ve already been entrusted with the care of it as well. Oh, this really is all thanks to this one flower. This one single flower was the turning point for major changes in my life.”

“……” I felt like I had just sat through some sort of suspicious seminar. “So then, in the end, are you really happy? Even though there’s not a single person around you?”

“Of course I am!” The man leaned forward enthusiastically. The flower on the table swayed gently. “Every single one of the jerks who ridiculed me is gone, you see? Nothing could make me happier!”

By the way…a wise person from long ago once said that there are two types of happiness.

One comes from unforeseen fortune befalling oneself.

And the other—from unforeseen misfortune befalling others.

I remember nodding in understanding.

That’s why the misfortune of others tasted so sweet.

Just like the teacup I had set to the side, it was sugary, like nectar.

I left the village that same day.

I didn’t feel the need to be there for long. I didn’t think it likely that the man was going to part with his Yellow Flower of Happiness at any rate, and I didn’t find the story about his sudden rise in status particularly interesting.

He had risen in the world just by picking through leftovers, like how some have traded paperclips for houses, and his successes only inflated his ego to terrible proportions. The best thing I could do was cut all ties with him as quickly as possible.

And so I flew on my broom again, away from that place, and landed once more at a nearby village.

“Hello there!”

On the periphery of my vision, I could see a lone girl waving at me.

When I stopped to look, the girl asked with her head tilted questioningly, “Are you a traveler?”

“……”

Now that I took a careful look around, I could see that this village was really a simple camp. The “buildings” I had seen were nothing more than simple, hastily erected tents.

It was probably too shabby to be called a village at all.

“Are you all refugees or something?”

The girl shook her head. “No, we all used to live in a village, but everyone ran away from that place.”

“……” Oh-hoh! “Where did you run away from?”

My interest was once again piqued.

“Do you know of a place called Yellow Flower Village?”

Immediately after she said those words, another voice said, “Ah, I was wondering who it was. You’re that witch who was selling artificial flowers, aren’t you?”

A man had appeared suddenly behind the girl. He was wearing an expression like he could see right through me.

“How’s that other guy doing?” he asked. “Is he still full of himself, living in my house?”

I was led into the tent village and shown to the man’s house.

I say house, but it was really just a tent.

Once inside, the man, who was now living in squalor, introduced the woman beside him briefly—“This is my wife”—and smoothly explained himself as well. “And I’m the person who used to care for the flower field.”

He continued, “That man stole the village from us. We managed to escape here. Now, because of him, we are living this way, like deadbeats. It is unfortunate.”

The man was unexpectedly calm and collected.

“That guy is really enjoying his solitary lifestyle, you know.”

“Huh… I suppose he’s saying he feels refreshed now that there are no more difficult humans around?”

“How very perceptive of you.”

“It figures.” He shrugged.

“Why did all of you leave the village? Disease was spreading, and human relationships were souring… At least, that’s what I heard.”

“Mm. That’s right. That’s what happened. After the flower field withered, we were cursed.”

“……”

“Most of the people here are folks who ran away from their misfortune in the village. Though my case is different.” He lifted one of the parcels that was sitting along the side of the tent and held it in front of my eyes. “Right now, I’m going around to neighboring lands, searching for seeds. So that we might grow flowers again after this.”

“You’re planning to grow them again? I heard they started withering all on their own.”

Even if you regrow them, won’t they come to the same end?

“No, that won’t happen. That was caused by the forest. If we cut back the forest a little bit, everything should go back to normal.”

“…What do you mean?”

“I suppose you know that the forest hides an almost unlimited supply of magic, right?”

“……”

It’s said that what we know as magic is produced by the trees in forests. That’s precisely why mages are able to freely manifest their powers if they’re in a forest. As a matter of fact, even I completed my magic training while living inside a forest.

However, while all that bottomless magical energy can bring about many blessings to humans, it can also be very dangerous and cause a lot of harm.

It can give cats the ability to talk or give objects consciousness.

Or it can cause sudden mutations in flowers—

In that way, the magic concealed in forests is a strange thing that can give rise to phenomena that are normally unimaginable.

“What happened to our flower field was because of a sudden change in the forest’s magic. A single flower blooming in the field apparently picked up on that energy and caused the destructive changes you saw.”

“Trying to make people happy, you mean?”

“No, you’re wrong.” The man shook his head automatically, as if to collect himself. “The sudden change that came over the single flower that bloomed in the center of the field was more troublesome. That thing’s not a flower that makes people happy. It’s a flower that brings misfortune.”

He told me he had felt a strange discomfort in the flower field when it first began to suddenly wither. He had left the village right away, wandering from country to country in the area, investigating the cause of the blight.

In one nearby country he had come across a branch office of the mysterious organization known as the United Magic Association, so he commissioned an investigation and had them look into just what could have caused the flowers to start withering.

The witch dispatched from the United Magic Association reached a single conclusion after investigating the site.

“Considering the present condition, it looks like a flower is blooming which causes misfortune for everything around it. This kind of thing is recorded in the ancient texts.”

It seemed the terrible blight that had swept from the edges of the field toward the center was all caused by the single flower blooming at the center of the destruction. In other words, everything within a certain range of it would gradually die. Such was the nature of the damage that had befallen the field.

Hoping to stop it, the man decided to pluck the cursed blossom, but the witch had said, “It’s best not to touch it so carelessly. That flower will not wither so long as there is something nearby that it can curse, and it can also cause harm to humans. The flowers in the field will all wilt, and once there is nothing around which can be infected, that flower should disappear on its own. So it’s best to leave it alone. It would be a real problem if it were carried out of there, so you should keep anyone from entering the field.”

That’s what he was told.

And so the man decided to leave it be. He told the residents of the village about what was happening, forbade anyone from entering the field, waited for every single one of the flowers to fall, and then left the village again to buy new seeds.

This is where the man had made his blunder.

“When I went to confirm that all the flowers in the field were wilted, that one pesky flower had already been taken away by a deadbeat. Nobody seemed to have told him about the changes that were taking over the flower field. He was always shut away alone, so I guess he never heard what was happening.”

“……” I see.

“We only discovered that he had taken the flower out of the field after illness began spreading through the village. Terrible misfortune befell the villagers, one after another. But we knew if we tried to confiscate the flower from him, the bewitched flower would continue blooming as long as there were targets around it that it could curse. Everyone was afraid of the ominous flower, which was why we weren’t able to snatch it away from him. Ultimately, we decided to leave the village altogether.”

“……” So you’re saying it was better to abandon the place?

“Based on what you’ve said, he’s still somehow alive—but that, too, is only a matter of time. After several days, even he will be claimed by the sickness. He will face his punishment for bringing such a terrible tragedy upon the village.”

It was a simple matter.

The supposed miracle flower—believed to bring about great happiness—was actually a mutant plant that deluded the holder into thinking they were happy relative to everyone else.

The one man ignorant of that fact was the only person left in the village.

It was a simple story—and a cruel one.

The man in front of me was smiling now.

“Oh, I hope we can return to the village soon.”

What he was really saying was that he wished, from the bottom of his heart, for misfortune to befall the man who had been left behind in the village.