The existence of magic was not widely known throughout the world. Words like “magic” and “witch”—people had heard such terms, but most people in the world thought such things were complete lies. In fact, even when people appeared claiming they could use magic, the vast majority were nothing but lies.
However, in very small numbers, there were humans like Aoi who could use real magic. Such people hid themselves from society and lived quietly.
With lies and nonsense flying about, magic was viewed with suspicion by society, and witch trials and inquisitions were being conducted. Real magic wasn’t dangerous, but to escape the sparks from such public sentiment, witches and mages like Aoi lived in hiding.
“Th-then, Witch-sama! The bear! How did you drive away the bear?”
“That was, I connected hearts with the bear.”
However, villages like this one still existed—villages that knew well of the witches’ existence and lived in mutual support. Over many long years, they had built trust with each other, villages that coexisted with the mages.
The village received the benefits of magic from the mages, and as compensation, the mages received crops and daily necessities made in the village. It was a mutually dependent relationship, complementing what each other lacked. The history of the mages was long, and several villages that had relations with them had built relationships of trust over a hundred years, through many generations.
“That bell sound and dance are a ritual, and it’s the type of magic that activates in combination with a magic circle. I can somewhat understand animals’ emotions, and I can also convey my thoughts to them a little bit.”
“You can have conversations with bears!?”
“No, it’s not something as delicate as conversation, it’s much more rough—more like I can generally understand their emotions, I guess……”
Magic was not omnipotent. The ignorant public feared and viewed magic with suspicion, but what magic could do was limited.
Still, there were many techniques useful for people to live normal lives. Proper magic was not dangerous. The real mages understood this, but the world didn’t think so.
“Witch-sama! Thank you so much!”
“Don’t get lost again, okay?”
“Okay!”
And so Aoi said her farewells and left that place.
The village was surrounded by vast farmland, and the villagers were working diligently in those fields. The wheat had just sprouted small, adorable shoots, and the vegetables being grown in the fields had lush foliage—every time the wind blew, that vast expanse of green swayed and danced.
Behind the village, several tall and steep mountains rose up. Beyond those mountains, and hidden within them, was Aoi’s village. The great outdoors served as a veil hiding the mages’ village where Aoi lived from general society.
Aoi walked slowly through the village while gazing vaguely up at the large mountains that concealed their village. Most of the village’s land was farmland, and Aoi walked through it.
“Ah……”
She spotted a woman standing in the middle of a wheat field that had just sprouted. She was slowly performing a dance offered to the gods while trying not to step on the wheat shoots. Though hard to see, a small magic circle was carved into the soil at her feet.
She wore a black robe similar to Aoi’s and had red eyes. She had long, straight golden hair flowing as she cast a blessing spell on the field with a serious expression.
She was a mage girl like Aoi.
“…………”
Several villagers stood at the side of the field, watching that mage girl’s dance. Aoi also blended into that crowd and watched the girl from her hometown.
Then, after a while, the movements of that golden-haired girl stopped.
“Fuu……”
After taking a breath, she looked toward the villagers. The villagers realized the magical ritual had ended and raised voices of joy.
“Now we’re set for this year too! Thank you, Witch-sama!”
“When the magic of the mages-sama is cast, crops really do become less susceptible to disease.”
“No, no……”
Praised by the villagers, the blonde girl laughed bashfully. There, Aoi called out to her.
“Iriasu!”
“Ah, Aoi……”
The golden-haired girl standing in the field was named Irias. She was a witch living in the same village as Aoi, a close friend of the same age.
Irias had been doing work to cast magical blessings on the village’s crops. Through ritual, she channeled magical power into the fields, casting spells so the crops would grow large without being afflicted by disease.
“How much work do you have left?”
“Ah, s-sorry……. I still have to visit several more fields……. Wait just a bit longer?”
“Nah, I still have a little work left too, so take your time.”
“A-ah, o-okay.”
Aoi waved from outside the field, and Irias nodded slightly. The villagers entered the field and spoke words of gratitude to Irias.
“Thank you, Witch-sama. Now this year’s crops will grow magnificently.”
“N-no, no……. What we can do is just spells. We can give you a push, but the reason the crops grow so well every year is thanks to everyone’s efforts.”
Irias said that and smiled at the villagers. Watching her from the corner of her eye, Aoi turned her feet toward her next workplace.
Aoi read future weather through divination. She divined and predicted things like days when rain would fall soon and the amount, temperature, the amount of snow that would fall in the coming winter. When the weather turned severe, it directly caused major damage to the village’s crops and livestock. If weather could be predicted, various countermeasures could be established accordingly. Weather prediction was synonymous with supporting the village’s lifeline.
“Fuu……”
And so Aoi’s work was also generally finished. Feeling relieved, she wandered around the village while looking for Irias. The blue sky was high, and it was a day with a pleasant wind blowing.
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“Ah, so this is where Irias was.”
“Ah…… Aoi, did you finish your work?”
Aoi found Irias near the village meeting place.
Irias was sitting on the grass, looking up at Aoi who had called out to her. That Irias was surrounded by many children.
“Nee-chan! Nee-chan! More songs! Teach us more songs!”
“Onee-chan, are there no more songs?”
“Eh? Ah, w-wait a moment……? Don’t pull……”
Irias had been teaching songs to the village children. She was being urged by those children and having her clothes pulled.
“Oh my, oh my, you’re really going at it. Irias is always teaching songs to the children, huh.”
“A-Aoi……, sorry, wait just a moment……?”
Irias made songs as a hobby. Unrelated to her magical work, she created songs herself and did volunteer-like activities teaching them to children in nearby villages. For children in farming areas with little entertainment, play and songs were precious, and the children adored Irias who taught them these things, swarming around her and roughhousing.
“Nahahaha.”
Seeing Irias troubled by being roughhoused by the children, Aoi laughed.
“S-sorry, Aoi. I’ll get ready to go home now……”
“Eeh!? Nee-chan, you’re going home already!?”
“Songs, teach us songs!”
“B-but Aoi is waiting for me……”
The children clung to Irias as if they wouldn’t let her escape.
“It’s fine, it’s fine. One more song or so. Take your time teaching them.”
“……Aoi, thank you.”
To Irias who looked at Aoi with a troubled face, Aoi grinned and waved her hand loosely, gesturing for her to teach them a song. Irias smiled apologetically and nodded slightly.
“Th-then, just one more song, okay……?”
“Yaay!”
When Irias said that, cheers rose from the children. Aoi leaned against the wall of a building a short distance from the group of children and watched the scene from afar.
Irias began to sing.
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A crystal-clear beautiful voice began to echo on the wind. The children listened intently to her song and immediately began singing along after her. Irias’s beautiful singing voice mixed with the innocent voices of the children and echoed, and Aoi listened to that peaceful song while lightly drinking some after-work alcohol.
The golden-haired girl’s singing voice permeated through the green of the small shoots sprouting sparsely from the wheat fields and the deep green of the mountains. The beautiful voice and the children’s cheerful voices melted into the vast nature.
Irias sang while having her clothes pulled and being clung to by the innocent children, laughing in a troubled way. Aoi relaxed while leisurely listening to her best friend’s beautiful song.
Irias finished singing.
“Fuu……. Everyone, how was that song?”
“It was great!”
“Thank you, Onee-chan!”
The children thanked Irias with sparkling eyes, and she smiled bashfully.
“But I also want to hear cooler songs!”
“Teach us songs from the city!”
“Witch-sama, teach us amazing songs that are popular in the city!”
“……?”
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