Sifla, the Witch Who Guards Doras Hill

Doras Hill was basically a modest mound covered in long, unkempt grass. More like a clearing than a hill, really.

A short ways down its gentle slope, a forest enclosed the entire hill. Lotte told me thirteen sacred trees grew in a wide ring just before it.

When we got to the very top, I saw there were some big, bumpy boulders in another circle. You guessed it—thirteen of them. In the center of it all were two enormous rocks standing upright with a third rock lying across them, kind of like a roof.

“Wow, it looks like a torii gate,” I blurted out, puzzling Sucy and Lotte.

“Torii?”

“Uh-huh. You know, those ginormous gatelike things at the entrance of shrines?”

“Shrines?”

“Um, uh, that’s where the Japanese gods are… You know what? Never mind. What is that?”

“Stone Doras. It’s the symbol of Doras Hill. That’s what the professors said, remember?” Lotte flashed a dry smile.

“This thing? Huh. They kind of just look like plain old rocks to me.”

Torii gates generally have shrines behind them, but these boulders didn’t seem to lead to anything. They kind of just stood there uselessly.

Oh, did I mention there was nothing else to see on this hill?

I mean, there were some rocks lying around and a few shrubs with white flowers, but that was pretty much it.

What were we gonna do here of all places in the middle of the night? I want a refund! All that excitement for nothing!

As I sulked, Lotte pointed up over our heads. “Like I said, we’re going to bask in the moonlight. It’s better to do that in an open space where nothing gets in the way, right?”

Following her finger, I looked up to see a perfectly round moon shining brightly, surrounded by glimmering stars in the night sky.

Wow. Okay. This was pretty amazing.

If I reach out, I bet I could catch the moon and all the stars.

“Doras Hill was discovered three hundred years ago. It’s said the coronation ceremony of the fairy king was held here, under the protection of the thirteen sacred trees.” Professor Finnelan spoke with a stern face. Gah. I definitely hadn’t noticed her creeping up on us.

“A coronation ceremony, huh…? So the ceremony to crown a new king? How would they do that here?”

“I believe that was in the homework you submitted this morning. I was under the impression you copied down some facts about the fairy king?”

“Huh?! Um, yes…I think so. Maybe?”

Professor Finnelan gave out a big, long sigh, and I laughed awkwardly, hoping she would leave it there.

Like I’d actually remember details like that! I had forty whole pages to copy, remember? I never would’ve finished if I’d paid attention to the content.

“Well, if your textbooks don’t have enough information for you, I’d advise you to read Sifla’s The Origin of the Fairy King. They say she entered the Country of the Fairies over three hundred years ago. She was the first witch to make a contract with the fairy king.”

I kind of remembered reading that in the textbook. Maybe.

Let’s see… I think it said the sacred trees protected the peace on this hill.

Yeah, that was right. And the thirteen trees each served different purposes and roles.

Hey, look at that—I did remember. I’m a freakin’ genius!

“Professor Finnelan. If I recall correctly, Sifla went on to become the guardian of this hill, as the only witch to win the confidence of the fairy king,” said Diana. Even though we weren’t in class, she’d raised her right hand high in the air.

The professor nodded. “To be precise, it wasn’t her alone. The role of guarding the hill was given to her family, handed down from generation to generation. As a general rule, the fairies don’t welcome any meddlers, but successive generations of Siflas continue to protect their space so they may spend a few restful moments on this sacred hill.”

“Um, in that case, are you sure it’s okay for us to intrude in such a large group…?” Lotte had timidly raised her hand.

This isn’t class, people.

“No need to worry. Over the years, Luna Nova has signed a contract with each Sifla to provide her support should any trouble arise on the hill. In exchange, we have permission to bring our students once each year. That said, should we set foot on the hill without her permission or make an inordinate amount of noise, we’ll still be held accountable…”

“Yahoooooooo!!”

Just as Professor Finnelan’s eyes started to relax for once, this earth-shattering yodel reminded them to return to their usual scowl again.

Yeah. We already knew who this voice belonged to, but we looked up anyway.

“Amanda O’Neill!” The professor raised her voice to rival Amanda’s. “Get down here! I’m sure I said you’re forbidden to ride your broom without permission!”

“Oh, don’t be such an old stick-in-the-mud, Prof. I can’t keep my poor broom locked up on a night as nice as this one!”

She was spinning around one moment, hanging from her broom the next, flying through the night sky with the control of a seasoned acrobat.

“Never mind that! Come down this instant, or you’ll face disciplinary action!”

“Tch! Boooring.” Pouting, Amanda descended slowly.

With the professor right there, we didn’t dare burst into applause, but I had to admit we were all in awe over her broomsmanship.

That was Amanda for you. She could never sit still and loved getting her nose in mischief. Especially if she was on a broom.

Grudgingly, she landed beside Constanze and Jasminka. We all thought that was the end of it, until Professor Finnelan saw Amanda’s two friends and scowled again.

“Constanze Amalie! I know you’ve been informed that tinkering with machines is strictly against school regulations! And, Jasminka Antonenko, please put down your snacks!”

Even as the professor yelled at her, Jasminka was crunching away on her potato chips.

As for the machine fiend, Constanze… Oh, geez, she was welding again. Sparks everywhere. Wait, that looks like a bazooka. Uh, I wonder if that’s dangerous.

At her wits’ end, the professor turned to glare at me. “Honestly! Between you and that trio, this year’s class is riddled with troublemakers.”

“Huh? Me?”

“Why, of course! Mayhem follows wherever you go! Be on your best behavior tonight. If you do something to anger the fairies, you’ll have no grounds to complain about your punishment—or expulsion!”

“…Yes’m.”

Hold up. Why is she going after me now?

I had an issue with that, but I let it slide so I wouldn’t have to deal with an annoying, lengthy lecture. But you should know, Professor, the guardian’s gonna scold you for shouting and screaming!

“Tonight is particularly dangerous. The door to the Country of the Fairies will be easier to open,” said Diana, looking at me sternly. “If you circle Stone Doras nine times on the night of a full moon, it’s said you’ll enter the realm of the fairies.”

“What’s so bad about that? Sounds kinda fun.”

“Were you not listening to what the professor just said? The fairies aren’t very friendly, least of all to those who enter their territory uninvited.” Diana put a hand to her forehead theatrically as she let out a dramatic sigh.

I’m telling you, that right there was the definition of contempt!

“If the fairies find you, they’ll take you captive immediately. You’ll probably never return to your old world again. In fact, if taking you captive is all they do, you’re lucky. They say some are unfortunate enough to lose their lives.” As she spoke, Diana gazed at me with cold eyes. “After all, Akko, you’re rather foolish. Be very careful not to wander around and lose your way.”

“Even I wouldn’t accidentally walk around something nine times!”

“…Hmm, we’ll see.” She snorted, turning her back without waiting for me to respond.

“Sh-she makes me so mad…!” I clenched my fists, trembling, as Lotte gently patted my back.

“They always say to treat others the way you want to be treated,” suggested a voice.

“I don’t want to hear that from you of all people, Sucy!”

“Now, now. Since we’re here, let’s take a walk. Oh, and I brought some herbal tea! I thought we could let the moon reflect in our teacups as we drank,” Lotte said as she brought out a teapot.

“What’s that about? Is it some kind of spell?”

“No, no! In Volume 247 of Night Fall, there’s a scene where the heroine, Belle, goes on a nighttime picnic with Count Lancelot. Well, he’s actually harbored feelings for her for a very long time but just can’t bring himself to say so, and his longing for her is depicted in a terribly romantic way during that moonlit—”

“Okay, okay!” I cut her off hastily.

Most of the time, Lotte is calm, relaxed, and very well-behaved, but when she starts talking about the romance novel Night Fall, she always ends up delirious with excitement. If you let her, she’ll rave about it all night long.

“All right then, let’s all have tea together. Whaddaya think, Sucy?”

“I’d rather collect leaves from those sacred trees.”

“From the trees? Won’t they get mad at you for that?” I shot a glance at Professor Finnelan.

Oh, good. She didn’t seem to be listening.

“Not if they don’t find out. See, medicine can also be used as poison, which means I should be able to get all sorts of effects from the sacred trees if I put them in different compounds.”

“Ghk. Don’t go testing that on me.”

“We’ll see. Hee-hee-hee.”

Agh. She laughed only when she was plotting something diabolical. I’d have to watch my back.

Sigh. I didn’t understand why the professors got mad only at me. I mean, Sucy was a real problem child, too.

“Professor Finnelaaan,” called a voice from the distance. Professor Ursula came running up the hill toward us. “It’s no use. She won’t come out.” The professor was panting for breath, and her shoulders were heaving. She must have really booked it over here. “She answered me from inside the hut, so she’s definitely there, but…”

“Well, the child’s always been shy. She’s probably afraid of strangers, even if they’re teachers from Luna Nova.”

“Which child?” I interrupted the two of them.

Professor Ursula looked at Professor Finnelan for permission to explain. When she got a nod in response, Professor Ursula continued. “We’re talking about Sifla.”

“Huh? You mean the guardian of this hill?”

“Yes. She lives in a hut at the foot of the hill, but…” Looking troubled, she folded her arms. “The previous Sifla… Her grandmother passed away a month ago, and she’s been living on her own ever since. Now that she’s inherited the name and become the new Sifla, we need to renew our contract with her, but she’s refused to meet with us.”

“And she doesn’t have any other family members?” Lotte asked.

The professor shook her head. “From what I’ve been told, her mother died in childbirth… And so the current Sifla is only six years old.”

“Six?!” I shrieked.

And she was a guardian? Not only that, but she lived by herself?!

“Yes, that’s right. We’re just as worried as you are. We’d really like to meet her and talk with her, but…”

“Nothing can be done. We’ll call on her once more before we leave, and if that’s no good, we’ll simply come again another day… That said, if we don’t make haste, the contract will expire. We’ll have to come up with a plan of some sort,” Professor Finnelan said.

Professor Ursula just looked down somberly.

“Can you believe that? Six! She’s still a little kid!”

We were drinking some of Lotte’s herbal tea next to Stone Doras.

“I’d run away right off the bat. I mean, there’s nooothing here and nobody to talk to.”

“Well, yeah, you probably would, Akko.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You only ever sleep, eat, and talk.”

“I mean, duh. Those three things are the basics of life!”

“…She must be lonely,” mused Lotte. Until now, she’d been entranced by the reflection of the full moon in her cup, but she abruptly looked at us. “Growing up, I didn’t have any siblings, and I was constantly reading, so I didn’t have a lot of friends. When I was a kid, I spent most of my time at my family’s secondhand shop, talking to spirits with my grandma, so I guess I wasn’t alone in the real sense of the word, but I was a little lonely.”

When I heard that, I stood up. “Okay, then! Let’s go see her!”

“Huh? Go see who?” Lotte blinked rapidly.

“Sifla, of course!”

“…You’re just going to get yelled at again,” Sucy said with a glower.

I smugly laughed at her. “Well, the hut’s down the hill, remember? You might be able to pick up some leaves from the sacred trees if you go.”

She twitched.

“Besides, if you make friends with Sifla, maybe you’ll be able to get leaves without collecting them on the sly.”

“That doesn’t sound half-bad.”

“Right?”

Now that Sucy was on board, Lotte was disconcerted. “B-but Professor Finnelan said she’d be going later. And if we barge in beforehand and put her in a bad mood…”

“Oh, come on. She’s a six-year-old girl! I’m sure she’d be much happier playing with super-cute students instead of that scary-faced teacher!”

“…Are you seriously calling yourself cute?” grumbled Sucy, but I paid her no attention.

That was because my mind was already full of thoughts about how we could help out the professors if we could manage to pull Sifla outside. Like, they seemed really troubled that they hadn’t been able to meet her.

And they’d definitely think a little better of me then!

“You’re concerned, too, aren’t you, Lotte? We still have some herbal tea left. Let’s invite her to have some with us. They wouldn’t get mad about something like that! Probably!”

As I said probably with a whole lotta confidence, Lotte and Sucy exchanged an uneasy glance. But with one look at their faintly flushed cheeks, I could tell they didn’t plan to object—as a matter of fact, they were all for this plan.

“Okay, now that we’ve settled that, let’s hurry up and go!” I waved my fists wildly.

We were going to visit Sifla, a witch who’d made a contract with the fairy king.

I was betting she could teach me an amazing spell or two…but let’s keep that a secret between you and me.

I mean, I was mainly worried about a little girl living by herself, of course!

We all trotted down the hill, secretly following Professor Ursula’s footsteps until we found a hut hiding at the edge of the forest. Did I say hut? I meant to say cellar. It was basically some dirt piled up into a small mound—probably just a little shorter in height than the professor.

At the center of it, there was a single door.

…Did she really live in this?

I went to stand in front of the hut and knocked anyway.

“Hello! It’s nice to meet you. I’m Atsuko Kagari. I’m a new student at Luna Nova!” I called out loudly, banging on the door. “Do you know Shiny Chariot? She’s a witch, and I really love her and respect her, and she’s, like, my idol! I admired her so much, I decided to become a witch when I was six years old. That’s the same age as you! There are still a ton of things I can’t do, but my dream is to one day perform in a magic show full of hope and dreams, the way Chariot did! Tell me: What’s your dream?”

“A-Akko… You’re gonna startle her with a big speech like that out of nowhere,” warned Lotte.

“Really? Isn’t it better to give her a proper self-introduction?”

“Your definition of self-introduction is a little off base, Akko,” Sucy warily interjected.

“Why? My dream of catching up to Chariot is, like, an essential part of me! How am I supposed to introduce myself without talking about that?”

“…Just do whatever you want. I’m going to look around over there.” Sucy crouched down in front of the towering sacred tree nearby and began picking up fallen leaves to scrutinize them.

Once she gets like that, Sucy won’t budge, no matter what.

“Listen, I’m here with my friends Lotte and Sucy! Sucy’s obsessed with collecting poisons, and she’s honestly kinda weird, but she says she’s interested in the sacred trees, so you might actually hit it off. Oh, but I think you’ll get along better with Lotte. She can talk to spirits. We also brought some herbal tea to drink together. Come talk with us!”

After I’d said all that without pausing, I stopped pounding on the door and fell silent.

…There was no response, not even a single sound… Was she out? But Professor Ursula had said she was definitely home.

As I tilted my head and wondered what to do next, Lotte stepped closer to the door.

“Um… It’s nice to meet you. I’m Lotte Jansson. I’m sorry for intruding on your space so suddenly, Sifla.” Lotte started to speak in her haltingly gentle way. “I brought some homemade herbal tea, based off my favorite novel. I blended chamomile and juniper berries and also thyme, but there’s actually a special secret ingredient in it as well. It’s…”

“…Indigo?”

Lotte’s eyes grew round as a whisper filtered out to us from the other side of the door.

“That’s right! It’s indigo. How did you know?”

“…Indigo has purifying powers…and it’s particularly effective on the night of a full moon. It’s the same way Lancelot made herbal tea for Belle in Volume 247 of Night Fall.” She said this all very fast in a voice as high and clear as a ringing bell.

For a six-year-old, she sure sounded like she knew her stuff.

The door opened just a crack, and we could tell someone was peeking out at us from the other side.

It was Sifla!

I almost launched myself at her, but Lotte reached out and grabbed me in the nick of time. She shook her head and silently mouthed: Not yet.

“So you’re a Night Fall fan, too. Sifla… May I call you that?”

“…Uh-huh. Lotte. Who’s your favorite character?”

“I’m all for Arthur! I feel so sorry for him. He’s never rewarded for his efforts, but he’s just so sweet. And I think it makes him all the more dashing, don’t you?”

“I get it. But I’m more of a Colin fan. He may be a womanizer and a narcissistic mad scientist, but he’s unexpectedly reasonable. And I really like how he somehow ends up as one of the good guys, even though he doesn’t mean to be.”

“Oh, I know! Sifla, I bet we’ll really get along.”

I couldn’t follow their conversation at all, so I just kept glancing from Lotte to the door and back.

Oh, Lotte, you’re amazing. All she did was talk about a book, and now she was friends with Sifla.

“Thank you. It’s been a long time since I talked to anyone like this.”

“Then let’s talk some more. Would you like to come out and have some tea with us?”

The door slowly swung open. Illuminated by the moonlight, Sifla finally appeared in front of us.

She was a delicate girl with long silver hair—the color of the moon, as soft as cotton candy. She covered her head with a hood and wore a pure-white dress under her coat. I swear she could’ve stepped right out of a fairy tale.

And her beauty gave Diana a run for her money.

But I was more surprised by the color of her face: She was so pale and white, she looked as if she might vanish at any moment. Her large eyes were red and bloodshot, and there was a dry, salty residue on her cheeks. I could tell right away she’d been crying until we came.

I felt my heart tighten.

It’d been a month since her grandma died.

Had she been crying by herself that entire time?

Oh, I couldn’t even imagine how lonely she must’ve been. It made me sad just thinking about it.

Sifla gently shook her head upon seeing my reaction. “I wasn’t crying because Grandmother died. I mean, of course that’s very sad as well, but…”

“Then what’s the matter? Was somebody bullying you?”

“No. That isn’t it, either.” She solemnly hung her head.

As her mature profile darkened, her eyes started brimming with tears. Then she sighed softly through trembling lips and looked straight at us.

“…My friends are gone.”

“Your friends?”

“Feoras and Alan. They’ve been with me since I was born! They’re like family to me. But they ran off a few hours ago, and neither of them has come back.” Sifla sniffled. “I’ve been looking for them, but I just can’t find them. This has never happened before… Say, Akko and Lotte, would you look for them?”

“Huh?! Us?”

“Yeah. If you find them, I promise to talk to the Luna Nova teachers.”

As Lotte and I exchanged looks, Sucy was still off collecting her leaves.