This was the Little Witch's POV.
My name was Rufe.
I had been preparing almost every day for our upcoming trip to the Royal Capital with Alraune and the others.
Today was no different; I went for a run as part of my training. My travel mentor, the Flashy Man Master, always said that physical strength was the most important part of any journey. According to him, something terrible would happen if I didn't have enough stamina.
In fact, he claimed that during a long trip, those without strength were the first ones to drop out.
I was certain that out of everyone living in the forest, I had the least stamina. Treant was a powerhouse of a monster. Kiri was a Fairy, so she had already mentioned she planned to cling to Treant during the move to avoid being seen. And since Alraune and Mandrake couldn't exactly walk to begin with, physical strength didn't really apply to them.
That meant only Treant and I would actually be on our feet. Compared to Treant, the difference in our capabilities was like that of an adult and a small child. If anyone was going to collapse and be forced to drop out, it would be me.
I hated the idea of being the only one left behind in a strange land. I didn't want to be alone ever again...!
That was why I followed the Flashy Man Master’s orders and kept up with my running. Usually, I would just fly to the city, but I deliberately chose to go by foot instead.
At first, I would get winded immediately and couldn't keep a steady pace at all. But after doing it every day, I felt like the distance I could cover was slowly increasing.
Still, I sometimes wondered if this actually mattered. He called it one of the "Secrets of Travel," but part of me worried that physical training had nothing to do with going on a trip. Running was exhausting and such a chore. It was much easier to just fly.
Even so, it was an objective fact that I lacked stamina. If I didn't build up enough strength to at least try and match Treant, I wouldn't be able to keep up with her pace during the journey.
"I have to do my best so I can go with Alraune...!"
Spurred on by that thought, I finally reached Tower City. My destination was the house I had only recently been shown.
"Good morning, Flashy Man Master."
"Oh! You made it, Rufe. I’ve been waiting for you!"
This was the Flashy Man Master’s house in Tower City. It was more than spacious enough for one person to live in; I had been shocked the first time I saw it. Since I only ever saw him hunting bears in the forest, I had assumed he was a poor man who barely had enough to eat. In reality, it turned out he was quite wealthy. It was a surprising side to such a flashy person. Maybe he came from a rich family or something.
"So, did you run all the way to the city again today?"
"I did. I think I'm starting to get the hang of this."
"Don't get cocky. Stamina isn't built that easily. It's something you only truly earn after a long, grueling accumulation of daily training!"
"Yes, Flashy Man Master!"
He was a stickler for proper responses. Ever since I became his travel apprentice, he had scolded me countless times about greetings and manners. While it was a bit annoying at times, I found myself looking forward to our exchanges.
Mostly because they reminded me of my father.
Back when I first became a witch and was living as a fugitive, my father used to tell me to "always give a clear answer." After everything that happened later, I had completely forgotten his lessons, but my interactions with the Flashy Man Master brought those memories back. Every time he taught me something I didn't know, it felt like I was remembering my late father...
"Alright, good. Then it's time I taught you the Secrets of Travel - Part 2."
"The Secrets of Travel - Part 2...?"
"That's right! As a reward for my disciple’s hard work on her physical training, I’m giving you this!"
"Is this... a map?"
It was a map to the Royal Capital. Come to think of it, asking him for one of these was exactly how this master-disciple relationship had started.
"Without a map, you won't know which way to go. It’s an absolute necessity for travel, but high-quality maps are hard to find. I had to ask the Adventurer Guild Master to pull some strings to get this one specially prepared!"
"That's amazing. Um, how much do I owe you...?"
"I make it a principle never to take money from my own disciple."
"Master...!"
He really was the ultimate travel mentor. I was so glad I had consulted him about the trip...!
"You're the best, Flashy Man Master. I really mean it."
"Gahahaha! Right? Right? You can praise me more, you know!"
While we were talking about the secrets of travel, the door to the back room creaked open. A blond-haired man stepped out.
"Travel mentor? What kind of nonsense are you two prattling on about?"
It was the Prince. He wasn't some native of the forest; he was actual Royalty. I had never seen a prince in my life until I met him. They really did exist.
As it turned out, the Prince was living with the Flashy Man Master. Even though he was a prince, he didn't seem to have a home of his own. I didn't quite understand the details, but it sounded like being a prince was a rough gig. I hoped he'd find a place of his own soon.
"Kyle, stop teasing the kid. More importantly, it's time to eat!"
"Is it that time already? I hope you actually managed to cook something edible today."
"Don't mock me. I can handle something as simple as cooking!"
The dish the Prince presented, however, was charred black. For a member of royalty, he was shockingly bad at cooking.
"Hey, Leonhardt... this is completely burnt!"
"It can't be helped! I've never had to cook a day in my life before this!"
"I spent all yesterday teaching you! Honestly, as your Cooking Master, I'm heartbroken."
"Ugh... l-let me try again! I'm a guest here, so at least let me be useful!"
It seemed the Flashy Man Master was also acting as the Prince's Cooking Master. To be a mentor to a prince, he must have been a much more impressive person than I thought. Then again, I was surprised a prince couldn't even cook. Even Alraune, a Plant Monster born in the forest, was a great cook. I’d heard that Royalty were amazing, high-ranking people, but if they couldn't even manage a stove, maybe they weren't all that.
While the Prince went back to try cooking again, I was left alone in the room with the Flashy Man Master. I decided to try the burnt meat and vegetables the Prince had made. It was bitter and tough.
──But somehow, it tasted nostalgic.
It reminded me of the first burnt vegetable dish Alraune had ever made, and I couldn't help but smile.
"By the way, Flashy Man Master, where exactly is the Royal Capital?"
"You can see for yourself on the map!"
"The map... um, what does this mean?"
The map he gave me was covered in tiny little drawings. To be honest, I couldn't make heads or tails of it.
"What, you don't even know how to read a map? Look, this is Tower City, and way over here is the Royal Capital."
"I see... it doesn't look that far. Will it take about three days to walk there?"
"Don't be naive, my disciple. Maps are tricky things; somewhere that looks close can actually take months to reach."
"Wait, what...?"
That sounded terrifying. Maps were scary.
"Now you've built up some strength and gotten a map. Do you know what the next step is?"
"No. Tell me, Flashy Man Master."
"You really are a handful! Alright, as your mentor, I shall bestow upon you the Secrets of Travel - Part 3."
"Part 3...?"
"Exactly. No matter how good your map is, you'll be in trouble if you don't have local knowledge of your destination. We're going out right now to gather information on the Royal Capital!"
"Yes, Master!"
Alraune was born and raised in the forest, so she probably didn't know anything about the capital. I wanted to research everything I could so I could be the one to teach her!
"In travel, information is the most important thing after stamina. It was thanks to my big brother telling me about Tower City that I was able to make it here, after all!"
"You have an older brother, Flashy Man Master?"
"Yeah! My brother is incredible! He's so respectable I can't even compare to him. I want to be a great member of the Demon Race just like him one day!"
"..................Eh."
"Hm? What's with the shocked face?"
"Flashy Man Master... you're a Demon?"
"Ah, crap. I wasn't supposed to say that. Sorry, but keep that between us, okay?"
"............Okay."
He wasn't human. Even though he looked exactly like a person.
──I see.
I thought I had finally made friends with a human after all this time, but I guess I was wrong. In the forest, the only inhabitants were Plant Monsters and Fairies. As proof of that, Alraune had mentioned that my tutor, Teacher Pandia, was actually an Angel. Even the Adventurer Guild Receptionist, Alraune's friend, once had a tail peeking out from under her skirt. She probably wasn't human either.
But then again, I hated humans. I felt much more at ease being around non-humans. I had thought the Flashy Man Master was a rare human who was easy to talk to, but it turns out I was just mistaken.
"...So Master isn't human either."
Wait.
Now that I thought about it, was there even a single human in my entire circle?
And so, that was the POV of Rufe (the Little Witch).
I hope you’ll continue to watch over Rufe as she does her best (´▽｀)
Next time: Little Witch's First Travel Plan - Part 3.