The original work is a short light novel by Shiraishi Jouki. In 2019, it was adapted into a manga with characters by Azuru, and an anime adaptation is scheduled to air from October 2020. The main character, Elaina, is inspired by a book called "Nike's Adventures" and dreams of becoming a witch and traveling. After becoming a witch, Elaina visits various places and people during her journey, and each story is generally self-contained in one episode. Additionally, "Lilielle and the Land of Prayer," published by GA Bunko, is a sequel that continues the worldview of this work. In this article, we'll introduce the plot of "Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina" ahead of the anime adaptation. Please be careful as this article contains spoilers if you haven't seen it yet!
Chapter 5: Bottled Happiness
Elaina once read a book about a couple. They were living happily until the wife fell ill. Feeling sorry for her suffering, the husband decided to use magic to bring the world's most breathtaking views home to her. While flying over the grasslands, Elaina encountered a boy named Emil. Emil transformed moments of happiness felt by animals and humans into magical energy and bottled them. Emil collected the bottled happiness for Nino, the household servant. Emil's actions impressed Emil, reminding her of a story she'd read a long time ago.
The Servant Nino, Always Gloomy
Emil showed Emil around the village. Upon discovering a large house, Emil claimed it was his. Apparently, Emil's father was the village chief, so the house was large, and Emil's claim that "my village" was not entirely wrong. Emil's somewhat forceful invitation led Emil to dine at his house. The house was surprisingly spacious and luxurious, something you'd never expect from such a humble village. After greeting Emil, the servant Nino went to cook dinner with Emil. Nino, who Emil's father had apparently picked up from the eastern country, looked frightened throughout their conversation.
Emil's Father Was a Slave Trader
Emil and Nino go to prepare dinner, leaving Emil's father behind. They exchange a quick greeting and engage in pointless conversation while waiting for the pair to return. After the meal, when the pair go to clean up, Emil's father and Emil are once again alone. With nothing else to talk about, Emil asks how she met Nino. Emil's father then tells her that he bought her in the Orient. She's what they call a slave. He bought her because he thought she had a beautiful face and could fetch a good price, but because she works hard, he keeps her as a servant. Emil doesn't know that her father is a slave trader. Emil can't forgive her for this, but when she thinks about Emil, she can't just say it so easily...
Elaina Treats Emil as an Equal
Surprised by Emil's appeal, Nino breaks a glass. Enraged, Emil's father becomes violent towards Nino. Emil tries to stop him, but is too frightened by his father's yell to move. Elaina, displeased by this, uses magic to mend the glass and comfort Nino. Nino cries and thanks him. Having always been treated like a slave, Nino must have been happy to see Elaina treating him as an equal.
The Outside World is Full of Happiness
Emil sulks, saying he wanted to help Nino too. Elaina then suggests showing Nino the Jar of Happiness. Emil summons Nino and opens the jar of happiness. Fragments of happiness, from the smallest to the most spectacular, spill out. The outside world is filled with so much happiness. "I'll make you happy, so don't be so gloomy," Emil says, trying to encourage Nino. Hearing this, Nino's emotions overflow and she breaks down in tears.
The End of the Story
After seeing happiness from Emil, Nino asks Elaina, "Is the outside world really filled with happiness?" Of course, there are many difficult times, but to give Nino courage, Elaina replies, "I have seen happiness in many countries." Hearing this, Nino returned home with a look of realization on his face. Elaina leaves the village hoping that Emil and Nino will live happily ever after like the couple in the book she read a long time ago. At that moment, she remembered the ending of the story. The husband imagines his wife rejoicing at the spectacular view, but when she is shown a view that she will never see again, her wife longs for the view and forces herself to go outside, only to fail and be dragged back by her husband. Gradually, the wife begins to harbor negative feelings towards her husband, and in the end, she throws a tantrum at him and passes away much earlier than she expected. What is meant by doing something for others is not necessarily right for that person.
Chapter 6: A Slow Approach to Death
Upon arriving at a small settlement, Elaina is mistaken for a woman named Nina by the villagers. The villagers realize they've made a mistake, but because she looks so much like Nina, they ask her to pretend to be Nina for a while. A boy named Abel is suffering from an incurable disease that the village doctor can't treat, and there's nothing he can do. Seeing this, his girlfriend Nina headed to the city two weeks ago to get a cure-all. Rumor has it that the cure-all is located in a large country two days' walk north. Although the information was uncertain, Nina, who cared about Abel more than anyone else, bet on the rumor being true. However, Abel only had three days left to live. Nina still hadn't returned, and the village chief, wanting to give Abel some last moments of happiness, wanted Elaina to pretend to be Nina and meet Abel.
Elaina Disguised as Nina
Disguised as Nina, Elaina heads to Abel with food and a panacea. In reality, what she had brought were sleeping pills, and Elaina was merely reading from a script. Abel was on the verge of death and asked for one last kiss. Elaina panicked, but Abel was joking. He had realized that Abel was not the real Nina. There was no point in finding out now. When Elaina told him the truth, Abel said he wanted to see some magic. If that was the case, it was no big deal, so she showed him the magic, which delighted Abel, and before they knew it, the two had become close friends.
Everything is for Nina
Abel says there's no way Nina will ever return. When Elaina asks why, he tells her that the rumor about the cure-all was fabricated by Abel. Unable to bear the sight of Nina, who had devoted herself to him and never given up until the very end, becoming worn down because of him, Abel invented the rumor and had Nina go and retrieve it. Since such a thing doesn't exist, it's obviously impossible to find. When she felt lost, he told her to read his letter. In the letter, he wrote, "I hope you'll be happy in that country."
The choice Elaina made...
After telling the truth, Abel asks Elaina to kill him with magic. Elaina refuses, but her words, "If I'm going to be killed anyway..." are haunting. The villagers had long awaited the death of Abel, the village's breadwinner, but they had no opportunity to overcome their regrets and never killed him. However, meeting Nina, played by Elaina, relieved their regrets. Realizing that he was going to be killed, Abel thought it would be better to kill Elaina, who resembled Nina. Elaina gave Abel a special smile and left the village without looking back. As long as we live, we must overcome our sorrows.
Chapter 7: The Princess of a Country Without People
Elaina arrived in a new country, only to find that everything had been destroyed, and all that remained was the royal palace. As night fell, she decided to search for a place to sleep within the palace. Upon entering, she found a woman named Milarose. Milarose, apparently a member of the royal palace, had no memory of her past and had woken up in her bedroom a week earlier. A letter addressed to Milarose was left behind, explaining that she was a princess and the reason why her country was destroyed. The monster outside, Jabalier, is trying to destroy the country. Jabalier awakens at sunset and will destroy the country until sunrise, but he is not allowed to enter the royal palace. Milarose, who was both a princess and a witch, remained alone in the palace to defeat Jabalier, the enemy of her country.
Elaina Helps Milarose
Mirarose's final battle with Jabalier is tomorrow. Initially, Elaina had no intention of helping. However, as she begins to care for her and talks with her, she finds herself unable to leave him alone. Milarose's plan is a primitive one: creating a large trap, but it's more effective than a head-on battle. With preparations complete and Elaina arranging a meal with her, Milarose sets out to battle Jabalier.
Mirarose Remembers Everything
Elaina was worried when she saw Mirarose trembling before the final battle, but once the battle began, Mirarose won overwhelmingly. Standing before Jabarier's corpse was not the gentle Mirarose from before, but a cruel and ruthless witch named Mirarose. The former princess had been secretly having affairs with a servant and became pregnant. When the king found out, he tortured the servant and killed the child. Having lost everything, Milarose used her witch status to exile the king and take over the castle, creating a barrier that only witches could enter. After writing a letter to her future self and using up all her powers, Milarose fell into a long sleep, and her magical powers and cruel memories transformed King Jabalier into a dragon. The king who had taken her freedom and burned her country to the ground, and Milarose who had everyone she loved taken away from her. The pain of both was immeasurable to Elaina. All that remained was Milarose, now the princess of a country whose people had perished.
Chapter 8: Royal Celesteria
After visiting various countries, Elaina arrives in the city of Royal Celesteria. There, she finds something called the "Royal Magic Academy." Upon seeing it for the first time, she attempts to visit. However, she is told that only authorized personnel are allowed inside, so she reluctantly gives up. While touring the city, Elaina learns that magicians and non-magicians live together in Celesteria. She suddenly feels the urge to see the city from above, and as she flies, a student from the Royal Magic Academy invites her to join them. Unaware of the purpose and unwilling to get involved in any trouble, Elaina tries to decline, but then her mentor, Fran, appears.
Reunion with Fran
Before meeting Elaina, Fran was a teacher at the Celesteria Magic Academy. Elaina is surprised that she wasn't fired despite being absent from school for an entire year while Elaina trained. Fran says that this was because Elaina had become an excellent witch, proving that the year she had been away from school had not been wasted. Elaina must have been very happy to hear these words from her mentor. Elaina shares her experiences on her journey and says that as a witch, she couldn't have done anything. Fran responds by explaining that witches are merely skilled at using magic, but that magic doesn't save anyone, and that she shouldn't think of herself as special. Elaina, who had been blaming herself for her own incompetence, is comforted by these words.
Elaina's Reason for Traveling
What is travel...?! Having visited so many countries and people, Elaina begins to question it, but talking with Fran helps her realize why she loves traveling. Fran was planning to hire Elaina as a teacher, but after hearing Elaina's feelings, he decided to support her in continuing her journey. Elaina departs for a new country, seen off by Fran and her students. See you again someday. Until then, goodbye...
Summary of Volume 2 (Spoiler Alert!)
What did you think? Elaina became a witch, which gave her many abilities, but she couldn't help people on her journey, and she wondered what it meant to be a witch? What was the meaning of traveling? Elaina lost confidence in herself, but Fran helped her resolve all of these issues. Fran is indeed a great witch and Elaina's mentor! The story may shift back and forth and original episodes may be included in the anime.
