Malleus Maleficarum

Synopsis:

Hatsume Mei was a young inventor in the middle of the Modern Age with the dream of innovating the world with his creations. For Iida Tenya, she was revolutionary.

However, revolutionary women were never welcomed.

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..

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The small room was filled with incessant noises of metal, tools and sighs mixed with sweat and hard work. The gloved hand skillfully handled the new gears it had produced that Saturday morning; he knew exactly which pieces fit together and how the parts of something would be linked that he didn't even know the name, but he already loved. Creating and inventing has never been difficult; on the contrary, it was easier than breathing.

For Hatsume Mei, inventing was his air and his biggest reason for living.

She didn't have any big things to hold her down, actually. His father died in the war, like a poor peasant who was forced to enlist to honor his country; the mother, a housewife, fell ill and came to the same end as her husband who was already dead at the time. Mei - who, at that moment, should not have passed fifteen - was left with the arduous task of living alone. Young people of your age, and of your gender, would normally try to arrange a marriage with a noble or someone who was better off than the misery in which they lived, but Hatsume never thought about money, marriage, let alone an easy life.

Mei didn't need someone if he already had his inventions.

It was simple. He invented what came to mind and, in an instant, the thing was born. It was like that with everything he had in his humble home left by his parents, from kitchen utensils to the beautiful artifact that he would later call a coffee maker. He didn't need money or a good life to buy his stuff; if he needed anything, Mei would just go into his studio and create what he needed. It was as clear to her as the drops of drizzle; for others, it was the weirdest thing that could exist.

He let out a tired breath and leaned his back against the fragile wooden chair. Mei looked around. The spark of pride she felt when she saw hundreds of her creations stacked and organized, clean and shiny, was what made her have the strength to get up every day. Even though she was always hidden behind her gears and tools, Hatsume felt welcomed like a newborn child on her mother's lap.

- What do I do today? - He pondered. I had already created a little of everything and, even so, ideas always came to mind. It jerked backwards, almost falling to the ground. The foot of the chair had broken. - I can start with a new chair. - He got up and analyzed what he had. He messed up his pink hair and was slightly dirty from work. - I'm out of screws and my drills are almost out, I think I'll have to go out and buy more.

Hatsume hated to leave the house. Not that it was antisocial - even if it seemed. He had half a dozen colleagues and maybe one or two friends he could trust, but that was all. The judging looks on himself whenever he went to look for new materials for his creations were distressing, perhaps even machine guns. After all, in the middle of the Modern Age, women who created things were seen as strange.

And having the knowledge that Hatsume never set foot in a Church only increased the buzz.

A knock on the door caught Hatsume's attention. She smiled.

- Come in, Tenya.

The door was opened. It was his childhood friend, Iida Tenya. Unlike Mei, Iida's life has always been easy. Son of the nobility, he was born and raised in the golden cradle, destined to be the commander of some battalion in the Swiss army. Young, athletic and strong, he was desired by many nobles. Her father planned two or three weddings for the youngest, but Tenya rejected every opportunity he had. It wasn't for the girls, their suitors were really beautiful and demure, but none of them had the special he was looking for.

None of them were Hatsume Mei.

- Good afternoon, Miss Hatsume. - Iida carried a huge box in her strong arms. - I brought a gift. Where can I leave?

- Gift? He frowned, but pointed to a small space on his bench. Iida left the box there. - Why this one?

Tenya laughed.

"Did you forget what day it is, Miss Hatsume?"

It took a while for Hatsume's electrical neurons to remember what day it was. Mei laughed with the embarrassment of forgetting her birthday again, but she just couldn't help it. Being in his studio completely took away his sense of time.

In fact, he didn't even remember how many years he was doing today.

- Maybe I forgot. - Tenya shook her head. It was obvious that she had forgotten. - But that doesn't change much, Tenya. In fact, I already told you to call me by name. - He opened his mouth to argue. - Much less this business of miss. We are close friends, aren't we?

Maybe not as much as I wanted, he thought. Iida's feelings for Hatsume were obvious, she was the only one in her small group of friends that she didn't notice. Tenya's wish was to have done something, perhaps to ask for her hand in marriage - even if she didn't know who she would ask for, since Hatsume was an orphan pauper - but she couldn't. What would your father think when he saw his son, a nobleman, with a Jewish peasant woman?

Iida could not even think of dishonoring his family name.

- Of course, Mei.

She smiled, big and cheerful as she only did when she saw him. His eyes closed completely and the dimples almost imperceptible adorned the drawn face. Iida suppressed a sigh. Maybe your co-worker, Izuku, was right and it wasn't just a passion. What if you were really in love?

- But what did you bring here? - Mei didn't wait for him to answer, already opening the huge box. The yellowed eyes flashed in ecstasy. - Tenya! - Embraced the brand new parts and tools. It was definitely the best gift an inventor like her could ever want. - Were you reading my mind or something? That was exactly what I needed!

- Ah, I ordered a little of each, since I didn't know which ones you used the most. - He scratched the back of his neck. - I hope you like it, it's just a souvenir.

- Souvenir? To like? I loved it, Tenya! - He dropped the wonderful pieces to embrace him. Iida tensed instantly, startled. - That was the best gift anyone ever gave me on my birthday. - Your family never had enough money for gifts. Hatsume usually got a few patches on old clothes or an extra piece of bread for breakfast. That was when they could stick to those luxuries. - Really, Tenya, I really appreciate it! - She looked up to face him. - You're very important to me.

Tenya seemed to come out of her trance when he calmly wrapped her in a warm grip. He tried to contain his rush and the desire to push his limits, even though he knew that, as a cultured and respectful nobleman, he shouldn't even have touched her.

- Izuku asked me to thank you for the new armor. - he said to try to hide his own shame. Hatsume looked at him with a frown, then smiling when he remembered the invention he made to his friend. - He said that she improved her movements a lot and that she wasn't even hurting herself as before.

- Another happy customer with my babies! - He released the embrace with excitement, smiling. - Ah, if I could, Tenya, I would put all my beautiful babies on display. - His eyes shone just to imagine. - I even tried to go back with the idea, but I couldn't get a sponsor. In fact - he sighed. -, I think I'm not well regarded by people.

- Why do you think that, Mei?

When Mei looked at him doubtfully, Tenya knew that she would have to be completely honest with her answer. And he knew even more that he could break it with just one word.

- Do you think I'm a witch?

- Of course not! - Denied quickly. I wasn't lying. - I think it's amazing what you do, Mei. Izuku and I both love the new armor. Your inventions are incredible!

- You and Izuku think so, but what about the rest of the people? - He hugged himself. - I heard that Tsuyu was killed. - Tenya looked away. - It is not because I spend most of my time here that I will not hear the news, Tenya. There's no point in hiding anything from me.

- Miss Asui really was killed - I felt a bitter taste in my mouth just saying that. -, but is different!

- What is different? Tsuyu also created amazing things like me! Wonderful medicines and potions that saved many people. - He took a deep breath. - I always knew that was the reality, Tenya. Everyone looks at me in a strange and not cool way when I go to buy my tools and even when I can, they are just a few pieces. But, look, you bought almost an entire store! - Iida clenched his fists. It was static. - Is it because I'm poor? Why am I a descendant of Jews? Or why am I a woman? Why do I invent things? Maybe it's the mix of everything, isn't it?

- I don't think that about you, Mei, and I'm serious. You are an amazing, intelligent and talented woman. - The consequences could be great, but he could not let Hatsume deprive himself of what made her happy. Not when her happiness was also yours. - Don't care about the opinions of others, they certainly wanted to have their impressive ability to create amazing things like this. Please, Mei, don't stop. - She smiled. Iida felt completely defeated by that smile. - Don't stop while this makes you happy.

That day, Iida was unable to stop Hatsume; on the contrary, it just encouraged her to create more and more incredible things with her constant skills and creativity. The studio was filled with mind-boggling inventions, some of which Tenya swore were impossible for the strongest of men to make. His love and admiration for Mei only increased, but the fear of losing her still existed.

His fear of losing her was no greater than the desire to always be by his side.

Mei was still at home creating his inventions while an old book circulated across the continent. Malleus Maleficarum - the "Hammer of the Witches" - had been created years ago and was even banned by the Church, but nothing escaped the eyes of the s fanatics. Theories and buzz just increased. The cases of deaths of likely witches and wizards were growing absurdly, even after the chaos of the Protestant order, which made Iida even more worried. He brought pieces, food and everything that Mei needed to his home in the hope of hiding it from superstitious eyes. What would they think of her?

What would they do with it if they found out what their curtains hid?

Later, Mei was in full swing with his inventions. I was working on something huge and that would certainly revolutionize the world. His invention - perhaps even his favorite baby - promised to exploit the thermal energy from steam. If his adjustments worked, she would call it a steam engine.

- It's hot here. He wiped the sweat from his frowning forehead. - And dark too, I'll have to provide a candle later. - He opened the curtains. He smiled. - I don't know why Tenya's fool tells me to leave them closed. Natural light is really wonderful - So you went back to your work.

Her neighbor, a woman Hatsume had not memorized her name, was walking down the street talking to her longtime friend. They were talking about the death of an acquaintance when they stopped in front of the strangely open window. As curious as they were, they decided to take a look.

- What are those things? - I saw inventions with fear and maybe even fear. - I never saw that around. They're huge!

- There are some small ones too, look! - He pointed to the small objects, including the huge glasses that Mei never removed from his head. - What are they for? They're weird! Look how grotesque they are and they shine. It seems that they are seeing my soul!

- That one looks like a person! - She pointed in horror at something that, in the future, would be called a mannequin. - Is it a person over there? But it looks like metal!

- Did she turn someone into metal ?!

The friends looked at each other, trembling. They quickly pushed themselves away from the window and ran out of the room to the inner group that had been created just for such complaints. They needed to stop Hatsume Mei. After all, they didn't want to become metal or one of those strange things that were piled up in the studio.

- Miss Hatsume!

Mei woke up with the door to her house being broken into. He had slept on his bench, completely aerial to everything when armed men entered his studio. She tried to stop them, even explaining that her inventions were harmless and that they had no connection with human bodies - which she found very strange - but they were adamant, especially when one of her babies threatened to explode. The penalty was obvious and there was no possibility of change. There were hundreds of inventions and a young woman accused of creating unlicensed things, with bizarre appearances and non-medical or religious background. That was his sentence.

That day, Hatsume Mei was accused of witchcraft.

Tenya ran through the busy streets of the city. He carried the dirty helmet from the last battle he had in hand and abused his exhausted legs as much as possible. He was coming home when he saw the sheets of newspapers taped to the walls of the houses. There would be an event and the whole people were being invited to attend it. Iida was not an idiot, much less uninformed, he knew what was really going on.

How he wanted to be wrong at least once in his life.

- You will not let the witch live! - the executioner said at the end of his speech. Iida had arrived just in time to see its outcome. - May your will and the people's be fulfilled! The evil of this black world will be fueled by the fire!

The people vibrated in agreement. Tenya's helmet fell to the floor, trampled by the old soles of her worn shoes. His breathing stopped, he couldn't feel his heart beating, much less his eyes blinking. He was glazed at the scene. That day, there were five people, four women and a man, being accused of witchcraft. One of them cured an entire leprosy family with its rituals; two others sold hidden medical teas to a neighboring city; the only man, a wealthy Jew, had done nothing, but his shoe trade was growing more than he should have; and, in the middle and in front of everyone, Hatsume Mei, an inventor accused of transforming people into huge pieces of metal and grotesque objects.

- No ... - He started to shake. - Not…

Mei saw him in that crowd. He smiled, happy and light as Iida had never seen him. Tenya swallowed the urge to climb onto the platform and untie it by force, because he knew that Hatsume did not want to object. Her legacy was being left for a future in which she would know that everything she had done, however small, would be admired.

Just a young dreamer who wanted to change the world with her inventions, Tenya closed her eyes when the executioner threw a burning piece of wood at the accused. After all, the penalty for non-noble, poor and secular sorcerers was always greater and more painful.

Lida left before I could see Hatsume's beautiful face amid the flames of the fire.

- Tenya?

Izuku dodged the door lying on the floor. It was strange to break into a property that was not his, but he could not remain still when he learned that his friend had slept in Hatsume's old house. He walked a little lost through the narrow corridors, finally finding the studio. The inventions were still there and, in the midst of all that chaos, Tenya wore Mei's glasses inseparable.

- Tenya?

- You know, even with those glasses, I feel like I can't see the world she saw. - sighed. He took off his big, shiny glasses, just like his beautiful gold eyes. - I thought my pain would lessen if I tried to get closer to her, but it seems that the guilt only increases. He growled. - If I had tried to stop you, maybe ...

- Maybe she would die sad and without doing what she loved so much. - Iida hated that, but had to agree with his words. - What are you going to do?

Tenya put the glasses in a box.

- I'll take the babies with me. - Izuku looked at him with surprise. - I will let the world know about Mei's inventions, even after death.

Iida kept her promise, managing, after many trials and errors, to have a chance to show Mei's inventions one by one. Some were silly things; others seemed to serve something; but it was undeniable that the steam engine was simply amazing! However, an invention of that size could not be patented by a witch, so some changes - and bribes - took place and its patent was given to any man.

Years later, one of the greatest and most important moments in the history of mankind would appear, the Industrial Revolution. The landmark created the basis of a witch's inventions.

Tenya wanted to be able to do more, but that was beyond her reach. He wanted to have had courage before; perhaps, if he had said everything he felt getting stuck in his throat, things would have been different. He would probably also be accused of witchcraft, but his sentence would certainly be reduced.

After all, the man, noble and rich, who invented was a revolutionary; the woman, peasant and poor, who invented was a witch.