Volume 3 - CH 5

A Tale of Items: The Cunning Master and Intelligent Disciple

I’m Elaina! An apprentice witch, Elaina!

Right now, I’m living with my master, Fran-sensei, and gathering the experience I need in order to become a witch!

My master bears the title of Witch of Stardust, and is apparently a very great person! Her long hair that is as black as midnight shimmers beautifully in the light, and as you would guess from the gentle look in her eyes, she is very kind when she teaches me about magic! Most people with an amiable personality are powerless or good for nothing, but that’s not true for my master. She is so flawless that she can be called a perfect person who is unimpeachable in every way.

Of course, as someone who is being taught by such a master, it’s only natural that I am a perfect person as well!

I’m just joking, by the way.

Especially about the description of my master.

“………”

I suppose I should stop being in strangely high spirits, and just tell the truth with a straight face.

It truth, this person who is my master is always playing hooky and kidding around, and even today,

“Elaina, what are you doing? Eh? You’re developing a new magic? Wow. That’s amazing. You’re so studious.”

She said that with a surprised expression, and when I thought she was going to give me some advice,

“Well, do your best~”

She just said that and started reading a book.

Back when I first started my tutelage, I was confused by her easygoing attitude and thought things like,

“Ah, she’s testing how independent I can be? I’ll do my best!”

I was fired up in as such, but it turned out that she was only instructing me in magic because my parents had asked her to do so.

After that fact came to light, there were times when she would say things like,

“Elaina, let me oversee your training.”

And teach me about magic like it was only natural. However, there were also times when she would say things like,

“Elaina, let me oversee— Oh look, a butterfly… Ufufu…”

And go missing for a while, and even,

“Elaina. I’m hungry.”

Irritate me often in such a manner.

In short, to put it positively, my master was a carefree person. To put it negatively, she didn’t think anything through.

“By the way, what kind of potion are you making?”

For better or for worse, she was capricious.

Fran-sensei suddenly appeared beside me and gazed at the various research materials on the table as well as the blue-colored potion that was contained in a small bottle.

“………”

I am always being led around in circles by this capricious woman.

“This is a potion that gives 『Life to Items』. I was just mixing some stuff together and happened to make it.”

“Giving life to items…? What kind of effects does it have?”

“If you pour the liquid in this bottle over an item, you will be able to have a conversation with it. By the way, I’ve already tested it.”

For example, when I used it on a pen, it cried out,

“Thank you for always holding on to me! Ufufu.”

And when I used it on a washrag,

“Allow me to let you in on a little secret. I’m not really a washrag, I’m actually a towel. Oh, I have become dirty…”

I came to learn that unexpected fact.

By the way, when I used it on the scrubbing brush,

“I, the scrubbing brush, have become dirty…”

It just whispered that back to me.

You get the idea.

I had managed to successfully make such a potion that would let people communicate with items.

I just made it by accident.

However, it was the kind of thing that would unexpectedly sell for a high price.

“……That’s amazing.”

After staying silent for a little while, Sensei continued to speak.

“By the way, Elaina, I’ve heard that there is a nearby village whose residents are troubled because they are unable to communicate with items.”

She brought up a strange topic.

“Oh?”

That’s an oddly specific trouble to have.

Why would not being able to communicate with items cause trouble to anyone? I should certainly like to meet with these people and ask for more details.

“By the way, if you let them talk to the items, they’ll bake bread for you.”

“Eeh.”

Well, that certainly sounds very suspicious.

“So, Elaina, won’t you lend me that potion for the day?”

“What are you going to do if I lend it to you?”

“Isn’t that obvious? I’m going to go and procure some top quality bread.”

“………”

My suspicion reached such a level that it caused me to frown.

“In that case, tell me where the village is. I’ll go there myself and get the bread.”

“Oh, you can’t do that. The people of that village don’t trust anyone except me.”

“Eh? There are people apart from me who trust you?

“That’s mean.”

No, it’s not mean at all.

It’s been almost a year since I met Sensei, so I had a pretty good idea as to what she wanted to do.

No doubt she wanted to sell my potion for a high price in a nearby village, and use those funds to buy bread.

A cunning plan, indeed.

“Just leave it to me, Elaina. I’m sure that I will be able to get a lot of tasty bread.”

“………”

Well, even though I knew what her intentions were, I didn’t particularly feel like reproaching her, and neither did I feel like flat out rejecting her request.

Doing that would just cause more problems, and despite the circumstances, it didn’t change the fact that Fran-sensei was making an effort to go to the neighboring village to get bread for me.

For someone as carefree and capricious as her, this was an exceedingly rare offer.

“……Here you go.”

For that reason, I entrusted the small bottle with the blue colored liquid to Sensei.

○

And then, later that evening.

“I’m back, Elaina.”

Fran-sensei came back home.

“Ah. Welcome… back…?”

For some reason, Fran-sensei was carrying only a single loaf of bread. What’s more, it was a loaf of plain bread. And it was completely cold. It didn’t look tasty at all.

I had been looking forward to eating tasty bread, just what had caused such a turn of events?

“My apologies, Elaina. Due to various reasons, this is all I could get. By the way, I used up most of the potion.”

That’s what she said.

“………Ehhh.”

I received the small bottle from Fran-sensei.

As she said, it was almost empty. There was just enough potion left to stain the bottom of the small bottle.

However, what Sensei said is pretty suspicious. Looking closer, I can see bread crumbs clinging to the corners of her mouth. Her whole body smells of bread. It’s so suspicious that I feel like punishing her.

“Hey now, Elaina. Are you doubting me, perchance? I’m not lying, you know? I’m telling the truth, this was all the bread that I could get.”

“What are these various reasons you speak of?”

“Due to various reasons, I cannot tell you.”

“How did you manage to use up so much of the potion?”

“Due to various reasons, I cannot tell you that either.”

This ‘various reasons’ excuse is indeed convenient.

But still, it’s so easy to tell when someone is lying. It looks like my master and I are birds of the same feather.

The kind of lies we tell are almost exactly the same.

Is it because we’ve spent so much time together?

“………”

Well, putting that matter aside for now.

I was already aware that Fran-sensei was similar to me when I had handed over the potion bottle to her.

Also, I’m not foolish enough to not come up with a plan for dealing with this obvious outcome.

And so, I decided to spring the trap that I had set up in advance.

While swirling around what was left of the potion in the small bottle.

“Bottle-san, Bottle-san. Can you tell me what exactly Fran-sensei was doing during the time I wasn’t watching?”

The bottle replied to my question.

『Yes Ma’am. This witch went to a neighboring village and traded the potion that was inside me for a large amount of bread. And then, on the way back she said “Eating one piece can’t hurt,” and proceeded to eat more than ten of them all by herself.』

“Seriously?”

『Indeed. This woman is unbelievable.』

I nodded an affirmative.

Even the small bottle was an item.

Since I poured the potion into it, it was able to talk. That’s how the potion works, after all.

Now then.

“Sensei, is there something you want to say to me?”

However, Fran-sensei was just avoiding eye contact with sweat beading on her forehead, and didn’t say anything at all. She was as mute as a regular item.

Maybe she’ll say something if I use some of this magic potion on her?