A Demon's Promise (1)

“Give it here already!”

“No! Gimme!”

“Nngh- S-Stop pulling...! I’m just trying to wash it! You don’t want it to be dirty, do you?!”

“Nooo! Let go, let go! It’s MINE!!!”

“A-Ah, um…” Bernadetta smiled awkwardly as a drop of sweat slid down her cheek. She extended one hand out in a weak attempt to interrupt the tug-of-war going on between her childhood friend and adopted daughter over the latter’s scarf. It was hardly a rare occurrence, since it happened whenever it was time to do laundry at the church. “Please… please don’t fight…”

From the side, Josefine let out a cheerful shout as she watched the battle unfold. “Woo-hoo! Go Micah! Show that mean ol’ Miss Henrietta what’s what! Fight-o!”

“H-HEY! Stop encouraging her! If you have time to give a running commentary, then help me!”

“Sorry, but I’m on Team Micah for life~ I’m gathering as many Big Sister points as I can now so she’ll say I’m her favorite later~!”

“Big Sister Josefine is the best~!”

“Ufufu~ See, see? You better shape up if you wanna take the top spot around here, Auntie Henni~”

“Grr…! Like- like I care about that! I-I don’t care one bit if I’m not her favorite! I don’t! I’m serious! It doesn’t… b-bother me at all…!”

“Auntie Henni is a big ugly meanie face! Mlehhh~”

“Hah?! D-Don’t make a face at me! Why do I have to be the bad guy here?! I’m just trying to wash your stupid scarf for you!”

“Haa…” Bernadetta let out a sigh as she settled into a seat of her own. It seemed that, like all of the other times, there would be no assuaging either side until things settled down on their own. Lately, Micah had been getting more and more independent as her personality developed over time. For example, she’d never really been a fan of eating lighter foods ever since she was weaned (She was surprisingly eager to stop breastfeeding as soon as possible. ...W-Was her milk that bad?), but recently she’d been keeping up with them at dinnertime without much issue. Eating things like bread, meat, and eggs were no problem for her, and she even seemed to prefer it.

But more to the point, her relationship with the others began to change as she grew better at communicating with them. Josefine had taken it upon herself to tutor Micah in things like reading and math, an offer that hardly had any room for objection considering how part of the teen’s volunteer work at the library was doing the exact same thing to other children. Adding onto that the fact that she began to resemble Josefine physically more and more over the years, and it was no surprise the two became much closer as a result, almost like real sisters.

And when it came to Henrietta, Micah tended to be more submissive towards her, but would display the kind of fire that could even make her childhood friend back down whenever the woman tried to separate her from her scarf.

Though she was happy that Micah was getting along with the other nuns, Bernadetta couldn’t help but feel slightly lonely at the idea that her little babe was moving further and further away from her. How long would it be before she left to pursue bigger things? Her stomach twisted a bit just imagining little Micah all grown up and ready to take on the world for whatever dreams that would sprout in that head of hers.

“I see they’re at it again.” Brunhilde’s amused voice registered in her ears and broke her out of her thoughts as the old woman settled into the seat beside her.

“Yes. Micah’s usually so sweet and docile, but she gets so… zealous, whenever someone tries to take her scarf. I wonder why it is that she’s so fixated on it. She even wears it in the shower and when she sleeps.”

“Perhaps the answer doesn’t really matter in the grand scheme of things,” Brunhilde replied as they continued watching the two yank on the ends of the scarf. “If it’s something important to her   something that makes her happy   then perhaps that’s all that really matters. It isn’t a parent’s job to understand every little detail about their child.”

“Yes, you’re right. But perhaps if I knew why being separated from it makes her so upset, I could explain it to Henrietta and we can avoid fights like this…”

Brunhilde’s withered body rattled slightly. “Ha ha, fights like this are important for a family. Believe it or not, one day when she’s grown up and left us behind, she will look back on moments like these and smile fondly. In fact, I would say that our job as a family is to instill as many good memories of us within her before we’re dead and gone.” She smirked to herself. “Then again, perhaps I’m being rather presumptuous saying this to someone who hasn’t even reached the age of thirty yet.”

“N-No, that’s not true at all…” Bernadetta said awkwardly. “I think there’s some truth to what you’re saying.”

“...But you’re still worried about something.” Brunhilde replied, eyes flickering her way to notice her glum expression.

“I… y-yes. There has been something on my mind, but I wasn’t sure… Um, do you remember what happened two years ago? The day those men stole the property deed to the church?”

“Yes, it was a rather memorable experience. What of it?”

“Well… Actually, that night I happened to wake up, and I noticed that Micah wasn’t in my bed like usual.”

“Oh? How strange.”

“Mhm. Micah’s left the bed before to use the toilet during the night, and she was back in bed again when I woke up later, but something felt… very strange about it.” She brought her hands together, twiddling her thumbs as she stared into her lap. “I don’t really understand it myself, but… with what happened that night and her disappearing… Maybe I’m just thinking too much.”

“...” Brunhilde closed her eyes, leaving the two in a tense silence. However, it wasn’t long before she opened her mouth to respond. “Maybe, maybe not. But if such a thing has been plaguing your heart for so long, then perhaps you ought to put it at ease, and ask her yourself one day. The child understands more than you think, Bernadetta.”

“M-Maybe you’re right… Micah’s always been a bright girl. She learned so many more words than other children her age before she even turned two.”

“Ah, hey-!”

“Yaaayy~!!! TOTAL VICTORY FOR MICAHHHH~!!!”

As Henrietta stumbled back from the shock of having the scarf pulled out of her grip, Josefine let out a bellowing cheer and threw herself to the side in her seat on one of the chapel benches, falling on her backside and splaying her limbs out in all directions in the process.

Meanwhile, having reclaimed her precious possession, Micah shot a small glare at Henrietta, then stuck her tongue out brattily. “Pbbt~!” After blowing a raspberry, she quickly pattered off to Bernadetta’s side.

“You-! Get back here, right now! Micah!!!” Henrietta’s shouts went ignored as the girl quickly squirmed into her usual spot on the woman’s lap, and after Bernadetta’s arms instinctively went around her waist to pull her close, the blond nun could tell that any hope of salvaging the situation had vanished completely.

With the realization that she’d well and truly lost, she let out an exhausted sigh and collapsed onto the nearest seat while massaging her temple and muttering to herself. “Haa, that girl… Why does she always have to be so difficult at times like these? She insists on washing it herself when she’s bathing, but it’d be much easier to just let me wash it with the rest of the laundry. Geez...”

Micah’s innocent green eyes stared up at her mother with a big smile as she got comfy in her lap, and Bernadetta couldn’t help returning the expression despite her troubled heart.

Is there… something Micah’s not telling me? That’s the feeling I get when I watch her. It’s not that I mean to mistrust her, but something about her feels so… fake sometimes. I really don’t understand it myself…

In the midst of her thoughts, she barely caught the small, understanding smile from Brunhilde. It helped to remind her of the woman’s words, and she began to feel a little better.

‘...If such a thing has been plaguing your heart for so long, then perhaps you ought to put it at ease, and ask her yourself one day. The child understands more than you think, Bernadetta.’

I’m thankful for Madam Brunhilde’s advice… but there’s no need to rush things. I’m sure that if Micah has something to say, she’ll eventually say it when she feels she’s ready. My only job as her mother is to help her grow and prosper as best as she can. If I’m able to do that, well… I suppose I won’t ever need to know what she’s really thinking.

The conclusion she arrived at helped her worries to clear up, and soon her smile became that much more genuine as she gazed upon the child that had become hers and hers alone.

-----

Two more years had passed since that incident with the conmen, and Micah was now four years old. Ever since the two Circe acolytes Altheon and Barnabel had attempted to evict the nuns from the church in an elaborate scheme centered around stealing the property deed, life for her new family proceeded as normal.

Josefine was now sixteen years old, and in addition to her growing height but lack of any notable bodily development (much to her pride for the former and dismay for the latter), she’d begun taking her volunteer work at the library more seriously, training with the intent to eventually take over the position as Halloway’s librarian.

Henrietta hadn’t changed much at all. She was still domineering, snappy, but wholly reliable and protective over everyone in the church. As Micah grew older, she’d been cracking down on her more and more, allowing her to get away with less and resulting in arguments like the one they’d just had. The only ones Micah had been able to win lately were those that concerned the removal of her scarf   anything else and there wouldn’t even be a chance for her to protest before Henrietta had her way. Still, she couldn’t deny that the nun was the core of their family. She handled most of every chore in the church, from cooking, to legal matters (at least those that didn’t require the owner’s involvement), to maintenance, to finances, and she even seemed to have minor medical knowledge.

She’d heard Bernadetta once mention that Henrietta originally planned to work in the mayor’s office as a secretary, but after Bernadetta’s family fell on hard times, she reluctantly abandoned her goal and instead decided to support her closest friend by living with her in the church. Bernadetta still feels guilty about it to this day, and honestly even Micah felt a little bad for Henrietta once she learned about it, but it was the undeniable truth that her skillset was an invaluable asset for their life at the church.

But if one were to talk about the heart and soul of their family, Bernadetta undoubtedly took that spot with ease. Her kind, caring nature hadn’t waned even the slightest bit, and she never failed to show endless support for the others if they ever felt sad or upset. It was thanks to her that their spirits never fell when things got worse, and that their smiles brightened even more when things got better. Even though she was still rather clumsy and simple-minded, it was in times like those that Micah was always reminded of how awesome it was to have been adopted by someone like Bernadetta.

And then there was Brunhilde. Ever since the night the old nun had revealed that she’d known that Micah was more than just a child, their relationship had changed for the better. No longer were there any suspicious stares or awkward silences between them. Now they could have conversations   real conversations about things she could never talk about with the others. With Brunhilde, Micah could let her guard down somewhat and remember what it was like to be Sawatari Mikasa instead of the persona she’d had to put on since her rebirth. It was honestly her favorite way to spend her time in this new world.

Brunhilde was her favorite of the nuns. Without a doubt.

That was why she’d made the decision to tell her about who she used to be   about Earth and Japan and school and her former identity as Mikasa, about her friends and family, and about her most important person, Yuu.

And it wasn’t just Micah who shared her story, Brunhilde also talked at length about her past, her friendship with Bernadetta’s grandfather, his confession to her and their eventual relationship (which unfortunately didn’t last long), the establishment of the church and the Kindness of Nor by Bernadetta’s great-grandfather, and many other things.

Of course, Micah made sure to omit everything related to her death, God, and her goals in this world, and she was sure that Brunhilde was similarly withholding certain details herself, but it was enough that their conversations could become more relaxed and natural. She genuinely felt as if she’d made a friend and confidante in the woman.

It was thanks to this relationship that Micah was able to inform her of the events of that night two years ago, in order to ask her about something that had been bothering her ever since. Specifically, something the woman who acted as an accomplice to the brothers Altheon and Barnabel in their plot to steal the deed, Miriam, said:

“Hope you two enjoy the taste of hell! That’s what you get for messing with a demon!”

A demon… there were demons in this world too? It sounded so unbelievable, but Micah had already learned to accept lots of strange details about Magi rather quickly, and so set her focus on finding out just what these “demons” were. The reason was simple:

If Miriam had mistaken her, a two-year-old child, for one with the abilities she displayed that night, then just how terrifying were they? Were there demons as young as her that could do what she did, or maybe even more? If it was true, then she needed to seriously re-examine just how strong she would need to be in order to survive in this world.

Unfortunately Brunhilde didn’t have much to say beyond what she was able to find in the books at the church. “You were mistaken for a demon? I suppose I can’t blame them for thinking so, considering demons are known for their incredible strength and horrendous brutality. Hearing threats along the lines of the ones you gave from the mouth of such a young child would make anyone think they were facing a true monster. Regrettably, the only information I can give you about them is likely things you’ve already read.”

Her response made Micah’s expression sour at the time. If she couldn’t find any detailed information on demons at the church, then the only options left were to check in the library, or leave Halloway entirely to find another source of information. However, the latter was obviously out of the question as long as she remained truly uninformed about what was out there. If push came to shove and she was killed, there was at least a chance she would be able to meet God again, but she didn’t want to take that chance unless there really was no option for survival left.

After all, it was also possible that clues about a way to return to Earth and check on Yuu   or perhaps even her brother himself   existed in this world. And as long as that possibility existed, she couldn’t simply cast this life away so easily.

Okay, so the next time Josefine heads out to the library, I should ask if I can come with her. Then once we get there, I’ll see if I can discreetly look for books on demons and-

*Knock knock knock*

The sudden sound of knocking broke her out of her thoughts and brought everyone’s attention to the front door of the church.

“Hm? A visitor?” Henrietta raised an eyebrow, as if the idea was so unbelievable.

“I’ll get it!” Josefine hopped up from her seat and trotted towards the front door to open it. The moment she did, she greeted the person on the other side with a wide smile. “Hello~! Welcome to the Church of Nor! Would you like to offer a prayer or… eh?” However, her words trailed off as she finally laid eyes on just who’d appeared on their doorstep.

The man gave her a gentle smile, stretching a few of the wrinkles on his face. “It’s been a long time, Josefine. My, how you’ve grown!”

“Pa… pa... Papa…?” Josefine stumbled back a step, her eyes wide as saucers as they gazed upon the form of the man in front of her. A few moments passed before her mind finally caught up to her, and she immediately leaped forward to throw herself into his arms while shouting, “Papa! Papa! It’s really you! You guys, Papa’s here!”

“Eh? It’s…” As the other nuns stood from their seats to see what was going on, Henrietta’s eyes also widened once she laid eyes on him. “Mr. Stronoff!”

“Henrietta. How have you been?”

The man’s smile didn’t fade as he stroked the top of Josefine’s head while greeting the blonde nun, who in turn walked up to him with a small smile on her face. “You…” she muttered, her voice cracking slightly as her head dipped down to mask her eyes with her bangs. Her steps were heavy as they made their way towards him. “Seriously, you…”

“Hahaha, there’s no need to cry. I’ve missed you to-”

“DUMBAAAAAAASS!!!!!!”

*BAM!*

“Habuu?!”

What no one was expecting was for her to throw a perfectly-executed corkscrew punch against his cheek the moment she reached him, sending him spiraling through the air to land at the bottom of the church steps in a heap.

With one hand on her hip and the other fist that she’d hit him with raised in front of her, she stared down with a vindictive expression. “What the hell do you think you’re doing, showing up out of the blue with such a carefree smile on your face?! Do you know how much sleep we’ve lost wondering if you were okay?! If you’re alive, then hire a messenger or something! It’s been almost FIVE years you know!”

From his position on the ground, the man gingerly massaged the side of his face, his smile now warped into a more awkward one. “A-Ahaha… I just… wanted to surprise you~”

“‘Surprise’?!” she gawked derisively. “I oughta kill you myself for-”

“Fa… ther…?” Bernadetta emerged from the church while speaking in a hesitant voice. She gazed down the stairs at the man wiping away the blood trailing from the corner of his mouth, who smiled back up at her.

“It’s been a while, Bernadetta.”

Meanwhile, Micah remained inside next to Brunhilde, having watched the entire display with a look of complete and utter confusion.

Uhhhh…

…

…

With a delayed response, she suddenly tilted her head to the side, smiling cluelessly as question marks floated above her head.

Who dat???

-----

With the group having moved inside, Henrietta set about preparing lunch for everyone to eat while they spoke. Once it was ready and they gathered at the dining table, Micah was able to learn just what was going on through the explanation the nuns practically begged him to give.

Mr. Stronoff is the biological father of Bernadetta, and the adoptive father of Josefine after she lost her parents (that technically made Josefine her aunt, but she somehow guessed that the teen would prefer to be seen as an older sister instead). While Micah had been assuming that he’d died or disappeared with how the nuns spoke of him, it turned out that he had merely left a year before she arrived to join an expedition to Demon Country, a plot of land located in the center of Magi that the four nations surrounded to complete the Circle.

The expedition was organized by the government of Norith, the northern nation in Magi, who asked for assistance from various other nations to help them establish contact with the demons in the hopes of finding out why they’d been attacking cities and towns all over the world in recent years.

It also turned out that as the leading religion of the world, the Disciples of Circe had been offered the position of providing holy support first, but apparently declined the offer. Mr. Stronoff, who represented the Kindness of Nor, was then chosen as a second option, and he accepted with the hopes that being apart of such an important mission would bring more popularity to the Kindness of Nor.

However, having considered the possibility that he may not come back from the mission, he decided to revoke his ownership of the church and pass it on to Bernadetta. Though she argued for him to stay as she didn’t want him to be in danger, she eventually relented on the condition that he promise to come back to accept ownership of the church again one day.

But that was just over five years ago. There’d been rumors of the expedition’s failure and the disappearance of the members, but where the rest of the world seemed to give up on any hope of seeing them again, the nuns continued to look after the church while awaiting Mr. Stronoff’s return with hope in their hearts.

Most of this information was gleaned through Brunhilde’s careful steering of the conversation, which Micah was grateful for. It helped her understand just why everyone was so relieved and happy to see him. Seeing her new family so excited over something, she couldn’t help the smile that spread across her own face, as if she too had missed the man as dearly as they had.

“Ah, yes. Micah, was it?” Mr. Stronoff suddenly changed the subject from whatever the group had been chatting about as he faced the girl in question. “Uwahhh, she looks just like Josefine   the same hair and eyes. What a beautiful girl she is.”

“Ehehe~” Josefine beamed from the neighboring seat, obviously taking the comments as direct compliments to herself.

Deciding to play the part of the naive child, Micah opted to answer in a way that implied that she hadn’t been able to keep up with the conversation at all, and tilted her head in confusion. “Are you… Mama’s Dada?”

“Mhm. I’m your Grandpa. It’s nice to meet you, Micah.”

“Grampy?”

Everyone at the table shared an amused chuckle, with Henrietta and Bernadetta stifling theirs with their hands, Brunhilde and Mr. Stronoff laughing softly, and Josefine bursting into a fit of giggles while gripping her stomach.

After a few moments, Mr. Stronoff was the one to respond with a gracious nod. “Yes, you can call me Grampy if you like. I hope we can get along from now on.”

“Mm. Nice to meet you, Grampy. Please treat me well.” she responded with a slight bow, immediately flinching as she regretted doing so.

Ack, w-was that too polite? Old habits, I guess… I’ve talked so much with Brunhilde lately that I sometimes forget that I'm supposed to be just a child.

“Oh-ho, such a polite young lady,” Mr. Stronoff didn’t seem off-put by the greeting, and instead looked amused as he returned the bow. Suddenly, his expression softened as he turned to face his daughter. “Isn’t that great, Bernadetta? You finally have a child to call your own. Congratulations.”

In response to his heartfelt felicitations, Bernadetta smiled sweetly. “Thank you, Father.”

Eh…? “Finally have a child to call your own”... What’s that supposed to mean?

-----

The rest of the day proceeded as normal, with the family spending the entire afternoon talking, playing games, and catching each other up on recent events. The nuns listened intently to his stories of traveling to Regalia to join the expedition, and the subsequent journey to Demon Country, and in turn he was happy to hear that the nuns were doing well here in Halloway in his absence.

“Ah! Get this, Papa!” Josefine said, leaning forward from her very unladylike position on the floor with her hands between her criss-crossed legs. “We started getting donations again! It’s only been a little bit over the past couple of weeks, but the amount has been increasing more and more lately! Isn’t that great?”

“Is that so? I’m happy for you all. You must have worked hard to make such a wonderful impression on the townspeople.”

In the midst of their lively talking, Bernadetta had made many offers to return the church ownership back to her father, but he refused every time, saying that she’d been doing a good enough job on her own that there was no need to go through the trouble. He also explained that the Regalian military had him incarcerated as soon as they got word that he’d survived. In addition to interrogating him for a full report on what happened, he was subjected to a lengthy screening process to determine whether or not he’d allied himself with the demons   a process that included forced citizenship in Regalia for a period of four years, with no outside contact.

“What!” Henrietta shouted at the news. “I know those arrogant old crocks in the Norith council like to enforce their will on others, but that’s just ridiculous!”

Bernadetta offered a sympathetic smile. “Well, it is what it is. We can’t do anything about it. I’m just glad that it’s all over now.”

As they continued to bask in joyful laughter and nostalgic memories, Micah took the opportunity to sneak away from the group. Catching her eye, Brunhilde too made her way over and sat down, beckoning her to do the same.

Only once she had did the old woman speak. “You had something to ask me?”

“Uh-huh. It’s about-”

“About what Bernadetta’s father told her before, I know. I assumed you would have questions.” The old woman let out a sigh and leaned back in her seat, taking a deep breath to prepare herself. “Very well. It’s a story that I doubt she would ever speak of again, let alone tell you. It’s… not something I imagine she wants to remember.”

Micah nodded slightly, silently urging her to continue.

Nodding in return, she closed her eyes and spoke. “Many years passed, during a period when she was besotten the same as any young woman her age, that girl decided that she would bear the child of the man she loved. However, they soon discovered the unfortunate news that she was infertile, and after many tries, her lover eventually became frustrated at the idea that he would never gaze upon the face of his offspring and left her for another woman. The experience wounded her heart and left her greatly depressed, as she too despaired over the idea of never having a child to call her own. It was only through the support of her father and the rest of us, as well as her commitment to the church, that she could find the strength to move on.”

Brunhilde faced her, a serious look to her expression. “So as you can imagine, finding you on our doorstep that night obviously meant a lot more to her than simply taking in a child who’d been abandoned. For her, it was the chance to obtain the one thing this world would not grant her, as if she’d been blessed by Nor Herself.”

“...” When Micah didn’t immediately respond, the two fell into a still silence. All she could do was nod her head in acceptance while staring at Bernadetta as she laughed at a silly joke Josefine told along with Henrietta and her father. Seeing her innocent smile as she enjoyed her time with the people she loved, Micah couldn’t help but see her mother in a new light. She could feel herself believe that the woman was more than just the fake book character she’d been seeing everyone in Magi as thus far. For just the briefest of moments, Micah felt that Bernadetta Stronoff, the nun raised in the Circle of Magi’s western nation Westra in the town of Halloway under the faith of a religion called the Kindness of Nor, was “real”.