Majo no Tabitabi Vol 24 - Amnesia and Avilia are back! This was great.

Volume 24 of Majo no Tabitabi (The Journey of Elaina) is a surprising entry in this long-running series. Instead of focusing entirely on Elaina, the volume switches the protagonist role for about 70% of the story to a trio of interesting characters returning from previous volumes. The first two are Amnesia and Avilia, sisters who escaped their home country and are searching for a place to settle. The third is a slime girl named Slimeko, who is attempting to recover the scattered pieces of her body.

This story centers on Slimeko finding a starving young girl who fled her country after it fell into ruin due to war. The girl was searching for a rumored paradise called the "Nemuri no Kuni", which supposedly only accepts humans who are neither wealthy nor magicians. However, she runs out of food on the road and is near death when Slimeko rescues her.

Slimeko decides to help her by going to this country herself, but she is barred entry because she is not human. After many failed attempts, she decides to use the detached pieces of her body that she left behind during her travels to lead others to the country so they can help her enter. She chooses two sisters who were also searching for this location: Amnesia and Avilia.

Elaina is still the stunning girl that we know. Just look at her smile! You wouldn't believe she has THAT personality.

Slimeko is actually quite good looking too, shame she has those eyes that give away she's not human immediately.

In this country, a powerful witch named Nemuri puts everyone who enters the city to sleep. The city itself is plain and far from the paradise the girl envisioned. Inside the dream, people live in a sort of virtual reality where their every wish is satisfied. This world is populated by NPC-like entities that act as partners or maids, and they appear with blackened-out faces to those not yet accustomed to the dream world.

This is essentially a form of brainwashing that the three girls want nothing to do with, but Nemuri is not going to let them escape. Avilia manages to avoid being trapped in the dream because she is a magician herself and engages Nemuri in battle. Meanwhile, Amnesia and Slimeko attempt to find a way to break out from within.

While doing so, Slimeko finds the memories that Nemuri discarded in the world's "unwanted items" storage. These memories reveal a tragic past that led her to distrust people. It is a familiar story of being bullied by more talented or wealthy magicians, finding someone she truly cared for (the real creator of this dream world), and then having that person killed. Nemuri was not a real villain after all.

Elaina appearing at the last minute thanks to the support from Slimeko to save the day. She loves to steal the spotlight at the right moment.

Amnesia's happiness couldn't be contained at seeing Elaina again after so much time. I want a yuri relationship between these two so much.

As the battle continues, Nemuri eventually gains the upper hand and is about to trap Amnesia in the "sweet dream" forever. Fortunately, Elaina appears within the dream, guided by Slimeko, and destroys the tower sustaining the virtual world. With her magic, she frees everyone trapped inside.

The moment Amnesia realizes the Elaina she is seeing is real, and not just a figment of her imagination, is incredibly emotional. She has longed to meet her again for so long that she immediately hugs her and starts crying. The two are a great fit, and I have always felt that Amnesia could rival Saya for the role of Elaina's primary companion.

I also quite liked Avilia, as she served as an excellent narrator in the scenes where she took the lead. Her adoration for Amnesia is just as strong as I remember it from earlier in the story. I wonder if they will ever find a place where they can settle and be happy together.

Poor Avilia, always been teased by Amnesia. Admittedly she would've probably got jealous if she knew that Elaina was there...

Avilia fighting hard to save her oneechan from the overwhelming Nemuri. She may be just a magician, but she's good!

The volume includes other interesting stories as well, such as one where Elaina is hired by a overweight wealthy girl to create a love potion for the man she loves. In a comedic twist, Elaina provides a fake potion made of fruit juices and forces the girl to engage in physical activity to "activate" the effects, claiming the potion requires a slim body to work. Eventually, the man appears and reveals that he actually prefers her original appearance.

I really liked this volume and am excited to see what the author does in the next one. This installment set a high bar with Amnesia’s story. Perhaps it is time to return to Saya and explore her character further? I am sure there is more that can be discussed there.