“In that case, do you think she could boil down some elder and make some holy water super-fast?” “I think she probably could, but…” Why elder? That was the thirteenth sacred tree, wasn’t it? Her comment had come out of the blue, so I was still trying to process it as Lotte suddenly cried out, “I see! Akko, don’t you remember? Sifla mentioned it before we went to the Country of the Fairies.” “Huh? Um…” Come to think of it, it was when Sucy had said she wanted elder leaves. Sifla had said it presided over death and rebirth, and it was perfect for breaking curses. “Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!” “Eep! Akko, you’re being loud!” “S-sorry.” The broom rocked back and forth, and I clung to Lotte’s waist. We had to get back to Sucy, fast. As we tried to descend, Alan’s thick, fluffy tail whooshed toward us. At the very last second, we somehow managed to avoid it, but that took us right into the path of Feoras’s long, slim tail, curled around like a whip. G-geez, that was dangerous! But the impact made me remember something: the reason we’d been trying to revive the sacred trees in the first place. “Sucy!” I shouted down toward the ground. “Gather leaves from the sacred trees! Boil them all down together and make the panacea!” “…Ah yes, I see.” Without looking particularly surprised, Sucy nodded to herself a few times. “Okay. Hang on a minute,” she responded in an easygoing voice. “…I really like that side of Sucy,” I said. Lotte nodded. “It is nice, isn’t it?” Then, even though this really wasn’t the time to do so, we looked at each other and laughed. “Loperial Phasmorl!!” A brisk voice echoed around us, and the little trees on the hill began to glow abruptly. Their trunks swelled, and their branches wriggled, growing at a terrific pace. “Wh-what?!” The branches shot up to twine solidly around Feoras’s and Alan’s legs. The startled pair froze as the branches continued to crawl up them, winding around their arms. “Diana, what was that?!” “It’s a secret spell, handed down within the House of Cavendish. I simply provided the trees with nourishment, making them grow longer branches to trap those two.” “…That’s amazing!” “It’s nothing special. In any case, it’ll only buy us time. Once they tear their way out, it’s over.” Diana sounded as undaunted as ever. Then she shot me a sidelong glance, testing me. “And? You do have some sort of plan, don’t you?” I nodded vigorously. What’s going on? I’d done magic with the Shiny Rod only once, and yet…for some reason, I felt as if I’d be able to use it right now. The time was exactly midnight. Maybe that was why I felt this way: At this hour, the magic in moonlight was at its peak. I raised the Shiny Rod firmly above my head as I continued to think. The first Sifla had gotten angry and transformed those two into their massive forms, but…she must still want them to go back to normal and grant her wish properly. I think. I felt as if she had shown me these dreams, too, so that I could convey these wishes to them. What do you wish for? My wish was obvious. It’d been so ever since that day when I was six. I wanted to become a fantastic witch like Chariot, to excite and thrill people all over the world. I wanted to let everyone know that if they believed in themselves, everybody could perform magic. And if the first Sifla entrusted me with her desires…then there must be something I could do, too. After all, a believing heart was my magic! At warp speed, I handed Sifla the cure-all that Sucy had made. “Drink this.” “Is it…?” “The source of the fairy king’s power, apparently. We couldn’t get all the trees to revive, but we got most of them. I think it’ll probably work—at least a little.” “It has elder in it as well, so I’m sure it’ll break the curse on those two and return them to normal.” Lotte smiled, trying to cheer her up. “…Thank you.” Sifla’s eyes grew damp, and pulling herself together, she took several gulps from the flask. Then she looked straight at me. “Hey, Akko. Will you drink this, too?” “Huh? Me? Why?” “Well, you had that dream about the first Sifla, too, didn’t you?” “I did, but I’ve got nothing to do with the fairy king.” “No, you do. After all, your words inspired me to try my very best.” “Sifla…” “So drink. And then, if you wouldn’t mind…come with me. I’m sorry to keep dragging you into this mess, but I want to have you close to me, Akko.” Sifla smiled shyly at me. I saw an aura around her—fragile yet somehow majestic. She made a splendid guardian of the hill. I nodded and took a single swig from the flask. “Let’s go.” With that, Sifla mounted her broom. I got onto the back of Lotte’s, then glanced at Sucy out of the corner of my eye. “…Aren’t you coming?” Sucy gave a resigned shrug. “I suppose I should stay close to see how effective my potion is.” “That’s my Sucy. That’s the spirit!” All four of us soared up into the sky. Bound tightly by the branches, the two animals continued to struggle, flailing their arms and legs. Little by little, the vines were snapping, and Sifla approached the pair cautiously as we anxiously watched her from behind. She tried to pour the concoction into their open mouths. At that moment, I noticed that the Shiny Rod in my arms had begun to sparkle and gleam. Just like the revived sacred trees. It was as if it was absorbing the moonlight, and I gingerly held it up, raising it into the sky. For some reason, Feoras and Alan’s song echoed in my ears. A wish shall become your strength on a blessed night of falling stars. I felt like I finally understood. I knew what my role was. A believing heart was my magic. In order to turn a wish into power… …I’d show my magic to those three, to my new friends: Feoras, Alan, and Sifla. “Awoooooooooooooo!” “Mroooooooooooowr!” Once Sifla got them to drink the potion, the pair began yowling again. Their combined vocal force nearly sent Sifla flying, but she pointed her wand at the two of them. The amulets on our wrists were shining silver. Under moonlight, our magic grew stronger and stronger. I could feel it welling up from the pit of my stomach, and at this point, I felt like I could do anything. “Arnei Tolskal!!”
✦ ✦ ✦
Without realizing it, at the exact same time I had brought the Shiny Rod down under the moonlight, Sifla had pointed her wand at Feoras and Alan. Right then, the stars in the night sky seemed to puff up, swelling larger and larger, and I gulped. They continued to expand, bubble, and sparkle. It was hard to think these stars were once just scattered dots in the sky. They were now so bright, everything else was dark. And then, when it didn’t seem as though they could possibly get any bigger… Baaaaang! With an earsplitting noise, all the stars burst into countless fragments falling toward us. They scattered silver powder as they fell, whizzing through the night sky at an unbelievable speed. Still clutching the Shiny Rod, I stretched out my arms. “L-look!” someone shouted as I simultaneously gasped. The old man and the lady had disappeared earlier, but there they were, up in the sky again. They beckoned the first Sifla to climb up through the falling stars, and she turned to look back at us, smiling. Next to her were two familiar figures: a cat and a dog. They were her friends, the ones I’d seen in the dream. Nestling close to one another, the three figures faded away against the moon. I was sure they were bound for a paradise of love, a place where everyone got along, where all their wishes would come true. “That’s the fairy king…,” I murmured. Lotte nodded emphatically, looking enraptured next to me. …Incredible. Magic was so awesome. As the silver dust from the falling stars showered over them, Feoras and Alan shrank back to their normal size, slowly and quietly. The silver dust sifted down onto Sifla, Feoras, and Alan and shone like crowns on their heads. The Cait Sith and Cu Sith had finally returned to their four-legged forms, their eyes gentle and filled with tears.