Chapter 24: Girl, Fights
Closing Act: Flying Broom
Chapter 24: Girl, Fights
HOT winds dashed through the prairie as mana spun around Nichika, drawing a circle of fire as it followed her outstretched hand. Snapping her eyes open, she swung her hand straight down from over her head.
“Swirl into the skies, O tempest! FIRE STORM!” she shouted, unleashing the gates to hellfire. Panic-stricken monsters stampeded away from the blast as fast as they could. Once the flames had abated, Wolfie jumped out of hiding.
“That was so awesome, Nichika! I didn’t know you could use magic attacks like that.”
Yet, despite the awesomeness of the attack she’d let loose, Nichika sunk to her knees in the coarse grass. “I can’t take it anymore! Why do I have to be the one fighting these battles now?!” she whined.
Oswald came out of hiding next, taking down notes. “Don’t be absurd. It’d be a complete waste not to use your magic when you have full control over fire.”
“But I’m terrified! I’m on pins and needles thinking I might get bit by something!”
Unfortunately for Nichika, her display of shooting off a fire arrow at Lolo Village made Oswald consider her as a splendid addition to his fighting forces. Battles from then on unfolded with Nichika fighting on the frontlines as Oswald issued directions from the safety of cover—the complete opposite of the usual male-female combat roles.
“Monsters left us completely alone until now. Why are they coming after us all of a sudden?!” Nichika fumed.
Their group had departed from Lolo Village and traveled from the north to the east. Compared to before, their current journey on the road had taken a rather violent turn. Black beasts akin to huge dogs attacked them in succession.
Several more beasts appeared while they were bickering and ran with their tails between their legs from her tiny fireballs. The monsters were being recklessly aggressive.
“Before now, I was just keeping the monsters and enemies away with my Witch’s Items.”
“Then let’s use those! I can’t keep this up mentally! Eeek!”
Wolfie body slammed one of the black beasts that had snuck right behind Nichika, knocking it away. He skillfully landed on the ground, worriedly glancing back at her.
“You okay, Nichika?”
“I’ll die. I’m gonna dieeeeeeeee!” She wanted to bury her face in her hands and cry, but she didn’t even have the time for that. Jumping backward to evade an attack aimed at her jugular, she clumsily fell.
All the while, unhelpful commands to action were coming from behind in shouts of, “Fight! Take ‘em down! We’ll be in a real pinch when that dire moment comes, and we need your abilities if you can’t get used to the battlefield!”
“I’d like to hear YOU say that from the frontlines, you JEEEEERK!”
***
AT last, the wave of monsters left the area, and tranquility returned to the prairie. Emotionally exhausted, Nichika fell back on the grass and kicked her legs in the air.
“I’m so doneeeeee!”
“Good job! Good job! You were so cool! I was spellbound watching you!” Wolfie openly praised her without even an ounce of fatigue weighing on his lithe frame.
Envying his stamina, Nichika pulled out her water bottle. “I don’t think I killed them, but I wonder if I overdid my attacks…”
The prairie’s coarse grass had been cut short as if she had run it over with a lawnmower. Her attacks made it look like a clearing had been specially made just around her.
“I see. So this is what we get when balancing the output. Okay, time to go,” Oswald said heartlessly, closing the booklet he was recording her attack patterns in.
Nichika rolled her eyes and groaned, “Already?! Let’s rest a little longer!”
“Don’t get exhausted over such light work.”
She jumped to her feet at his hypocrisy, objecting, “I don’t want to hear that from the guy who was watching from the safety of a tree behind me the entire time!”
Wolfie plopped his butt down beside her and started fishing through the rucksack on his back with his teeth. “I agree with Nichika! It’s time for lunch, Master!”
“What am I gonna do with you two?” Oswald sighed, giving in to sit down with them. Their lunch for the day consisted of food from the flower festival’s feast the people of Lolo Village had shared with them.
“Anyway…mmph…where are we headed?” Nichika asked through a mouth full of cheese and ham sandwiched between rye bread.
Oswald made an unusual frown as he chewed on an identical sandwich. “I’m thinking of going to Elminage.”
“Elmi—what?”
“I know! I know! Isn’t that the academy you attended, Master?”
Surprised, Nichika put down her sandwich. “Academy? Like a witch academy?”
“It’s not just for witches. They also train wizards. I want to investigate something there.”
“B-But…”
Wasn’t the Witch’s Council after him? Memories of being hunted by the flock of witches when they had visited the first town were still fresh in her mind. Oswald must’ve glimpsed the worry in her expression, because the muscles in his face tightened as he reassured her, “Don’t worry about it. Nobody will know if I disguise myself.”
“Can the problem really be solved that easily…?”
They finished their lunch and resumed walking, doubts about his plan still lingering in Nichika’s mind.
***
AFTER two hours straight of brisk walking, Nichika started to lag behind. Birds were flying over her head with ease; meanwhile, she was dragging her heavy feet.
“Ugh, if only I could fly too.”
Her master caught wind of the words she had thoughtlessly muttered— and that’s when the tragedy began.
“That’s a good idea.”
“…Pardon?” She looked up from her feet to see what he meant. Oswald pulled a gold card out of thin air and flipped its gaudy surface over to its white back, where he started scribbling something with a pen.
“This should do it.” He pulled the pen away from the card, and it burst into light and disappeared with a light pop. Then Oswald sat down on a nearby rock and waited.
“What did you just do?”
“It’ll be here soon.”
“What will be?” Nichika prodded, when a shrill sound of something slicing through the wind rose from the distance. “Eh?”
The instant she looked up at the sky, something really had arrived right away.
ZOOOM! SKIIIDDDDDDDDDD!
“Sorry for the wait! Super Express Delivery at your service! Thank you for hiring Witch Express! With a single summon, I will fly to the end of the world delivering whatever your heart desires!” exclaimed a bubbly voice, as a broom scraped across the ground.
Nichika’s eyes widened at the familiar face of the person who hopped off the broom. “Miss Charlotte!”
“Oh? Nichika?”
“Miss Charlotte!” Wolfie ran up to her. “Hi! Hi!”
“Wolfie’s here too…which means…” The witch spun around, sending her golden locks whipping. When she spotted the man in all-black, her face lit up like the flame of a candle. “I knew it! Osy! Oh my gosh! How have you been?”
Ecstatic to see him, she hopped up and down and rattled on at remarkable speed, “I was worried to death! Hasn’t it been quite a while since you set off? Yet, I haven’t heard any rumors about you. So I thought you might’ve gotten caught, or were dying on the roadside somewhere, or tossed into a pigpen for fraud, or forced into a marriage with a hunchback, or a buncha other wild situations I started imagining. But anyway, what a relief it is to see your sadistic mug! I see you found somewhere peaceful to settle down faster than I thought you—”
Charlotte swept her eyes across the endless prairie and cocked her head. “Is this where you’re settling?”
“…And I see you haven’t broken the habit of failing to listen to others first,” Oswald remarked, incredulously folding his arms across his chest.
Ignoring him, Charlotte threw her arms around Nichika and rubbed her cheek against hers. “Well, that stuff doesn’t matter! How have you been, cutie? Are you feeling okay? Not hurt? If you’re ever in need, just let this big sister of yours know!”
“Th-Thanks…it hurts…”
Oswald cut to the chase as Nichika was being crushed to death between Charlotte’s voluptuous boobs. “Deliverywoman, aren’t you going to do your job?”
“What’s your problem? I’m just celebrating our reunion!” Charlotte sulked.
Oswald filled her in about everything that had occurred since they’d last met.
“Heh. So that’s what happened. Nichika is the Spirit Priestess, huh?” She studied Nichika carefully, much to Nichika’s discomfort, but then broke out into a grin. “That sounds neat. You’ve got a mission now, right? I suspected you were no ordinary girl.”
“So says the woman who tried to turn her into her own apprentice,” Oswald said wryly.
“Falling into another world and becoming a priestess sounds like something right out of a book,” Charlotte mused, dismissing him.
“Ahaha…” Nichika smiled dryly, slightly bothered by their conversation.
“Well anyway,” Oswald concluded, “I plan to have her gather the Great Spirits while I journey.”
“Oh, I see. Knowing you, Osy, you’re planning on abusing that power for your own good.”
“I’ll leave that up to your imagination.”
Though Oswald always made it a point not to trust people, he appeared fairly open and honest with Charlotte. If it wasn’t just Nichika’s imagination, his expression was softer than usual too.
Maybe he trusts her a lot? Sensing something strange about their relationship, she attentively observed their interaction. They weren’t acting like they were just a deliverywoman and her customer.
“…!” With a start, Nichika realized she was overly invested in figuring their relationship out.
Don’t be stupid! I don’t care either way! I’m just worried I’m in the way if they are actually a couple!
“What’s wrong?” Wolfie curiously peered up at the girl vehemently shaking her head.
Oblivious to his apprentice’s internal conflict, Oswald placed an order with Charlotte. “I can’t keep slowing my pace to match this slowpoke. Sell me a single flying broom.”
Nichika looked up with alarm. “A flying broom?! For me?!”
“Ahhh, so that’s what you want!” Indifferent to Nichika’s surprise, Charlotte flashed Oswald a knowing look and rummaged through the pile of bags tied to her broom. “Okey dokey, wait just a moment. I’m pretty sure I had one stuffed around here somewhere… Huh? That’s a snake, not a broom. Where’d it go?”
Digging out all sorts of weird items from her bags, she tossed them over her shoulder after she confirmed that they weren’t what she was looking for. She was evidently pulling more items out of her bags than what would be possible given normal physics, but Nichika didn’t comment on it since she had grown more accustomed to this world. Humans are adaptive creatures.
Oswald stood outside of the flying merchandise’s trajectory. “At least organize your stuff,” he grumbled.
“Shut up. I usually prepare the goods after I receive an order. It’s all your fault for abruptly demanding I sell you something without ordering first! FOUND IT!”
Delighted, Charlotte pulled her head out of the bag along with a single box, which she brought over to Nichika. It was wooden and no bigger than a lunch box. Nichika accepted and gingerly opened it. What she found inside was unexpected.
“A mini broom?”
The miniature broom was crafted with exquisite detail and was about the size of her palm—it definitely wasn’t big enough for a person to ride. Maybe a cat could ride it? Nichika took another look and changed her mind. It was hamster size.
“Now, now. Don’t judge a book by its cover, girlie. Grab the handle.”
“Okay, grabbed it.”
“Now, throw it!”
She did as told and tossed it in front of her. White smoke erupted from it, and a full-size broom appeared.
“Oooh!” Nichika uttered appreciatively. “Okay, how am I supposed to ride this thing?”
“How? You put it between your legs, silly,” Charlotte replied, with a wide grin.
Honestly, Nichika was embarrassed. Any elementary school kid who enjoyed fantasy novels would probably give it a try at least once while playing make-believe. But Nichika was close to becoming an adult—she couldn’t shake her internal resistance to looking stupid while testing out the broom.
“L-Like this?” She warily wrapped her hands around the shaft and straddled it. It floated into the air with her on it. “Whoa!”
Before she knew it, she was floating several centimeters off the ground. Panicking, she tried to get off by placing her feet on the ground, but that was a bad idea.
“!!!!”
BAM! She took off into the sky like she’d been shot from a cannon.
“OH MY GOSHHHHHH!”
Wind whooshed past her ears, the world spun around in circles, and she completely lost her sense of what was going on. The blue sky, brown ground, and green forest blurred together in a single strange color as she spun out of control. Somehow, Nichika managed to cling to the broom in her panic.
“Oh my, that’s a terrifying reaction,” Charlotte commented.
“MISS CHARLOTTEEEEE! STOP! STOP MEEEEEEEEE!”
“You just need to give it the command,” Charlotte told her mildly.
“Let me down this instant! GAH!” The broom instantly jerked down, falling headlong toward the ground at breakneck speed. “NOOOOO!”
The broom grazed the top of the ground, skidding on the emergency break. All the strength left Nichika, and she fell off the side of it.
“You suck.” Oswald’s merciless comment hit her where it hurt.
***
THIRTY minutes of broom flight practice went by, and Nichika was gradually starting to get the hang of it, but she instantly lost control anytime her mind wandered even a tad. Oswald sighed dramatically at her nth crash landing.
“You’re still crashing?”
“This thing is super hard to control! If you want to complain, show me how to do it the right way first!” she shot back, retaliating against his complaints.
But for some reason, Oswald turned red. “Stupid! There’s no way I could do something so embarrassing!”
“Huh?”
What’s so embarrassing about it?
Charlotte grinned evilly behind the confused Nichika. “Osy is embarrassed to fly.”
“Char, don’t teach her bad things.”
“What do you mean? Oh, wait, are you talking about how you said only women can use brooms?”
Nichika thought back to the conversation they’d had when she first met Charlotte. “It’s conventional wisdom that male witches can’t fly,” is what Oswald had told her at the time, but could male witches maybe fly after all?
“You see, wind mana is infamous for having a thing for girls,” Wolfie explained innocently, further adding to the crease in Oswald’s brow. “So they say the more attractive and girly the person, the better they can fly.”
“Wait, so—”
Charlotte cracked up and pointed a quivering finger at Oswald, laughing between her words, “Male witches who can fly have to be feminine!”
Oswald was certainly beautiful. He’d probably be an unparalleled beauty if dressed as a woman. But it appeared that cross-dressing was considered an embarrassing thing in this world.
“Let me get this straight. If Oswald wants to fly, he has to wear a skirt…?”
“Stop it! You’re making me sick!” Scowling, he chased Nichika back into the sky. “Get back to your practice!”
***
ANOTHER thirty minutes of flying practice passed. Finally getting the knack of it, Nichika softly landed at Charlotte’s side.
“Riding sitting sideways is a lot more stable for me.”
“True. That method is probably best for you, Nichika.” Charlotte tugged her witch’s hat back in place and patted Nichika on the shoulder, flashing her a big smile. “I officially declare your training as over! You did such a good job.”
“Thank you so much for teaching me!”
“Sorry for making you boys wait. She’s all good to go,” Charlotte called.
Her voice brought Oswald and Wolfie back from dreamland. Rubbing at his sleepy eyes, Oswald taunted, “Did you improve that unsightly flying of yours so we don’t have to see your panties anymore?”
“Don’t look!”
“Don’t flaunt them.”
Watching the master and apprentice bicker reminded Charlotte of her other items. “Speaking of panties…that reminds me, here’s some fresh underwear for you, Nichika.”
“Yes! You’re a lifesaver! I’ve been hoping to get a few more pairs.”
Nichika’s voice trailed off, the underwear reminding her of something else personal. Red coloring her face, she tugged on Charlotte’s sleeve and led her away from the boys.
“Hm? What’s the matter, cutie? Want to talk about something the men shouldn’t be a part of?”
“There’s something I wanted to ask your advice on…um…” Nichika hesitated, then, with her expression grim, she confided, “My period hasn’t come.”
Charlotte stared blankly back at her. Then her expression rapidly shifted into an ever-widening grin. “Oh! Oh! Oh! I know what this means!”
“What? Wait!” Guessing what conclusion Charlotte had come to, Nichika rushed to correct her. “I-It’s not what you’re thinking! It’s not because of the normal reasons they stop! I have no idea why it’s not coming.”
“Aw, shucks. It’s not because of Osy? Too bad.”
Does that mean he hasn’t laid his hands on her yet? Charlotte blinked in surprise. Does he actually care for her a lot? That man, who cares about no one?
“That’s surprising…” she muttered, more in response to her own thoughts than to Nichika.
“It’s really not that reason! It’s been late for about a week now. I’ve always been right on schedule with it, so it’s really got me worried.”
Charlotte hummed thoughtfully and smiled to comfort her. “I’m sure it’s just from the stress of coming to this world. It’ll come eventually, whether you want it to or not. Don’t let it bother you.”
“You think it will?”
“If it bothers you so much, you could have Osy whip you up something to stop ovulating—”
“Please drop that sort of talk!”
Charlotte cackled, but prepared the necessary supplies regardless. From the looks of the items Nichika received, women in this world attached a cloth sanitary pad to a garter belt that they would wear during their period.
“It’s going to take a while before I get used to this thing…” she murmured, holding it up with a look of disgust.
“What did you use in your world, Nichika?”
“Disposable pads made of plastic and cotton, with sticky tape on the backside. You remove a paper to reveal the sticky side and just stick it to your underwear like that. Then when you’re done, you peel it off and throw it away,” Nichika informed her. The pads she normally used on Earth were much more convenient.
Charlotte appeared extremely impressed. “Disposable! That’s a revolutionary design! I’m going to try my hand at making something like that next! You must try out prototypes when I finish them, ‘kay?!”
“Sure,” Nichika agreed.
The witches of this world went to work whenever it came to creating something that interested them. Greed and passion fueled their actions.
I envy them. I wish I could get that passionate about something.
“Oh yeah,” Nichika blurted, “How should I pay you for the broom and all the things you’ve—”
“Oh, right. I forgot about that. I don’t really mind because it was all stuff I had in stock anyway, but…”
They walked back over to Oswald and Wolfie to discuss the payment. Charlotte put her finger to her chin in thought, then lifted the lantern hanging from the tip of her broom.
“In that case, can you imbue this lantern with fire magic?”
“Is that all you want?”
“I’m terrible at fire magic, no matter what I try. The fire I imbue it with won’t even last through the night, and I get stuck recasting it midflight.”
“Well, if that’s good enough for you, I don’t mind doing it,” Nichika replied and concentrated on the lantern sitting on the ground as she closed her eyes. When her eyes snapped open, she shot the energy surging in her hands into its open lid. “O flames, light the night! FIRE!”
Flames leaped from her hands, striking the lantern dead center. Charlotte kicked the lid shut and stared in awe of the bright light shining within.
“Wowee! This looks like it’ll last for ages! Maybe it’ll turn out to be semipermanent!”
“Ehehe. You think so?”
“Now that’s what I’d expect of the Spirit Priestess! For this, I’ll give you a bonus item!” Charlotte tugged a belt out of her bottomless bags. “If you hang your broom and magic orb from this, you’ll be able to pull them out right away without losing them.”
“Is it really okay for me to have this too?”
“Don’t mention it! This is nothing in comparison to receiving a lantern enchanted by the Spirit Priestess!”
Nichika had almost lost her magic orb more times than she’d like to count, so she was deeply grateful to receive the magic belt. Gaining one more piece of handy equipment brought a smile to her face.
“Char,” Oswald started.
“Hi, Osy. What can I do for you?”
“Time for you to do business with me. Can you make fake acceptance letters to Elminage?”
What outrageous things is this guy asking for now with that straight face? Nichika slapped a hand to her forehead, shaking her head at her master.
“Now that’s nostalgic! We did it before too—you know, when we attended there.”
“You did?” Nichika doubted her ears, but Charlotte didn’t look the least bit guilty about it.
Seriously, what did these two do together in the past? Better not ask. Don’t ask. I see nothing! I hear nothing! I know nothing of their crimes! She desperately tried to convince herself, while the conversation quickly progressed without her.
“What do you want for the class? Wizardry? Witchery?”
“Combined course would be best. Getting too close to the Witchery Department will give us away.”
“Hmm. I hope I can prepare good papers for you, but it’ll probably take a while. You good with that?”
“As long as you have them ready by the time we arrive.”
“Easier said than done.” Charlotte chewed the tip of her nail as she stressed over whether she could pull it off in time, when suddenly the front of her dress flashed. “Oh, somebody’s summoned me for a delivery.” She procured a card just like the one Oswald had written on from between her breasts. “Let’s see, if I remember right, this handwriting belongs to…” Her face lit up as she read it. “Oh, could it be?!”
“What is it?” Oswald asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Can you wait just a tad? I’ll be back in a flash! I might be able to bring you back some amazingly awesome news!” She nimbly straddled her broom and shot off into the distant skies as if catapulted from the ground.
“I wonder what came up,” Nichika marveled.
“Beats me.”
After they watched Charlotte fly off, Nichika faced Oswald and asked out of curiosity, “Why are you readmitting to that school if you’ve already graduated once?”
“Why’re you asking such a dumb question?”
“Well, excuse me for being dumb.”
Turning his icy blue eyes on her, he pulled a face as if what he was going to say was self-evident. “You’re going to attend, obviously.”
“Whaaaaaaat?!”
Yet again, things were proceeding without her consent.
Wolfie started wagging his tail at her feet. “Nichika’s gonna attend school? Lucky!”
“I’m not lucky at all!”
“Don’t be a spoilsport. You attending school is the most natural way for us to infiltrate the academy without getting detected.”
“Listen here, you!” Nichika was about to level him with her complaints, but Charlotte returned at that moment with the full force of a whirlwind.
“Big news!” she squealed, “We’ve got seriously perfect timing! I got my hands on the admittance papers!”
“That was fast!” Nichika blurted.
Before Nichika could complain that she hadn’t even decided whether she wanted to attend or not, Charlotte hopped right into reporting how she’d gotten the papers. “The job summons I just got was from a regular client who’s a rich young lady from an important family. She said she’d just narrowly escaped from being forced to attend Elminage. So she ordered a buncha equipment for her journey. I wonder what use she has for that collar though…”
“And? Did you receive her admittance papers in return for that equipment?”
“Bingo! Ta-da!” Charlotte proudly held up a golden envelope sealed with red wax. “She said she had no use for it. Boy, oh boy! Aren’t we lucky!”
“Basically, you’re telling me to take that rich young lady’s place…?” Nichika asked hesitantly.
“Yay! You’ll be young mistress Nichika! Young Mistress Nichika!” Wolfie cheered childishly.
Nichika held her head in her hands. “There’s no way I can do that!”
“Pft,” Oswald snorted, “Remember to act like a lady. If you can even pull that off.”
Charlotte flashed a wicked grin at Oswald. In a teasing voice, she said, “You too, Osy.”
“Excuse me?”
“These are academy and dorm admittance papers, but they are registered for two people—the young mistress and her attending butler. So, you’ll become Nichika’s butler by default.”
Nichika and Oswald awkwardly jerked their necks and exchanged looks. There were no words capable of expressing how they felt.
Muscles tight in his face, Oswald exhaled once and tossed out his pride. “Please forgive my insolence in requesting that you allow me to serve you, but I do hope you will have me, my dear lady.” He elegantly bowed, magnificently donning a butler’s persona.
Behind that fake smile, he was one-hundred percent simmering with anger. Imagining the horrors of her upcoming school life, Nichika was rooted to the ground until Oswald dragged her away kicking and screaming.
~VOLUME 1 END~