Village of the Wind — Haruki

I’m still curious about why Madame Meilin decided to leave Earth, nya.

But judging by the way she switched topics quickly, I guess she doesn’t want to talk about it.

I would never leave my home world. Ever.

Elysium is the best place in the universe, nya!
There’s magic to keep things interesting, but not too much that it goes out of control.

“Let’s start by taking a walk to the village nearby, nya—the village of the wind— Kazemura.

I’ll explain everything you need to know on the way, nya. Feel free to ask any questions.”

“Remember to bring your staff and orb with you, nya!”

As we walked out the front door, I noticed something strange about Madame Meilin’s appearance. A swell of laughter crept up my throat, and I burst out laughing, bouncing around in the air.

“You’re still in your pajamas, nya! Please go back to your room and change into more appropriate attire, nya!”

I filled Madame Meilin’s closet with clothes I thought she would’ve liked when Madame Cecilia announced that she would be my new owner.

I was overjoyed by the news and bought a bunch of clothes with Madame Cecilia on her day off. But now that I’ve gotten to know Madame Meilin, it feels like I’m taking care of a child!

Madame Meilin did as she was told and returned with the plainest black dress imaginable.

Stare—

“I couldn’t find any pants.”

Ugh! Such an ungrateful child nya! If a girl from Kazemura got access to this wardrobe, she would be overwhelmed with joy by the enormous selection of dresses!

“A witch must wear a witch’s proper attire, like how a student wears a uniform, nya. Witches wear dresses like the one you are wearing, as well as hats. But you did choose a rather depressing colour.”

“Don’t witches like black? Black clothes, black hats, black cats…”

This child has no knowledge of witches, but speaks as if she knows everything, nya!

I ordered Madame Meilin to change into a slightly more pleasant set of clothing, and we set off to Kazemura.

“Madame Meilin, I suppose the sudden change must be very stressful and overwhelming for you—”

Nya! She’s still adjusting her dress!

“The waist part is a bit tight…”

“MEILIN nya!” I meowed angrily, “Listen to a cat speak for once!”

“Oh, so you finally dropped the formalities.”

“Anyways, nya. I suppose the change of setting might be quite confusing, so I’ll explain everything from the start. In the universe, there are many universes, such as Earth and Elysium, as well as the world of warriors—Bellicus — and the world of knowledge—Sapientia, which is located next to Elysium. The beings of Sapientia gave us the knowledge of how the system of the multiverse worked, and allowed Madame Cecilia to ascend to a guardian.”

Madame Meilin seemed to be confused by the big words, but at least she’s listening attentively, nya.

“Guardians— like Madame Cecilia, are guards at the gates of each world, they are in charge of guiding souls inside and out of worlds. Madame Cecilia is the guardian of Elysium nya!”

Madame Meilin’s hand shot up, like an eager student in a lecture hall.

“Yes, Madame Meilin nya?”

“Is there a guardian guarding Earth? And do you refer to everyone as madame?”

“Yes, there is a guardian on Earth, but I’m not familiar with them, nya. And no, I only refer to my owners both in the past and future as madames.”

Madame Meilin nodded.

“Alright. Back on topic. What was I saying again, nya? Oh right. After you know about Guardians, it's time for the fun part. Magic!”

My eyes gleamed with delight. Nya, my favourite topic ever!

“Orbs, nya control magic in Elysium. That way, everybody’s weak spot is clear. And to defeat someone, the key is to separate them from their orb— that is, if the person is a magic user, of course nya!”

“Orbs have different rarities. The higher the rarity, the more powerful. Since you are new to magic, handling more powerful orbs can be dangerous, as I don’t know your capability yet, nya. I decided to give you the energy orb. It’s commonly used as a power source. One of the safest orbs to use, as well as one of the most common nya.”

I pointed at Madame Meilin’s staff.

“The cage on top of your staff is a container for orbs. The cage can convert the orb’s energy to cast spells.”

Madame Meilin got distracted by something shiny in the distance. She crouched down to pick it up, examining it carefully.

“Hey, Haruki? Is this one of the orbs you were talking about?”

I squinted at the orb Madame Meilin found.

Goodness…

That star.

That shines.

I recognised it immediately.

“The wish orb.” I was instantly hooked by the orb, mesmerised by its glow, even though it wasn’t the first time I had seen it.

“One of the rarest orbs. No. Exactly the rarest orb!” I felt like my heart was going to explode with joy! What extreme luck.

“Any wish could be granted by it, on one condition. The wish must be wished for in the Hieron Shrine. Which is through a portal on Aokaze Peak, guarded by a dragon.”

Madame Meilin chuckled, “Oh. I see. Your typical fairytale. Fight a dragon, then save the day, of course. Seems like a very tiring job. Besides, I’m a witch. Why not find a hero to slay the dragon?”

I frowned, “Nobody needs to be saved from a dragon, nya! The wish orb is yours. It’s your journey to make a wish to benefit you or others. My previous owner was given the Wish Orb, the highest reward, and she used it to become a deity. But she chose to help people like you, nya.”

“Previous owner? Deity? Help me?” Madame Meilin made a face of confusion again. “Ohh. You mean Cecilia. Well, good for her, I guess, but I have no plans to become a deity.”

“Oh come on, nya! You have the most powerful object in your hands! Don’t you have at least one wish? To become wealthy? To restore world peace? To create a kingdom of your own? “

Madame Meilin’s shoulders slumped. “I guess…If I were to make a wish, I would wish to see Haokei one last time.” She blushed slightly. “What a useless and embarrassing wish.”

I didn’t speak for a moment.

So that’s what this child carries in her heart, huh…

“Not at all!” My eyes shone with joy, “You got it! Nothing is embarrassing about wanting to see someone you love, nya! Let’s go! I cannot wait to revisit the places, nya!”

“First stop, Kazemura! Go, go, go! Time to go!”

The town of Kazemura is beautiful—a gorgeous small village. Children running around, playing. Adults are chatting and laughing. It was the perfect place for a vacation. The red and white houses are all perfectly aligned. The wind gently carried the flower petals, scattering them all over Kazemura, on rooftops, in gardens, and in the hands of children.

“Welcome to Kazemura! Wind-blessed village of the mountains, nya~”

“What a pretty village.” Madame Meilin kept looking around.

As usual, as soon as the people noticed a witch, they stopped laughing and shot filthy looks at us. The parents ushered their children away from the witch. The lively, carefree spirit of the village suddenly turned into a solemn and unwelcoming atmosphere.

It seemed like Madame Meilin had noticed. She pulled down her hat, covering most of her face, and she seemed to have shrunk into the size of an ant.

“They hate me, don’t they?” Madame Meilin’s voice was small and distant; she seemed to have lost all the confidence she had just a moment before.

A teenage girl ran towards us, panting heavily. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her legs trembled.

“Please help me. I beg of you.”

Did she just ask a witch for help?