A Demon's Promise (2)

The afternoon eventually gave way to the evening as the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing the church in an orange hue. Henrietta set about preparing dinner, oddly excited to test her cooking skills by making extra portions for their new arrival.

“An anonymous individual, you say?” Mr. Stronoff gave the blond nun an inquisitive look as she finished distributing the plates and settled down with her own portion.

“Uh-huh. I spoke with my co-workers at the tavern about it, and they all heard the same story. You must have seen the wanted posters all over the place on your way here, right? The town guard are still looking for the guy responsible for that attack on the Disciples of Circe monastery.”

“I see. And has there been any progress?”

“None at all. The description the witnesses gave was vague and no one else was around, so there wasn’t much to go off of in the first place. But no one had ever heard of a person in Halloway so skilled with a blade that he could defeat two nobles trained in fencing at the same time without taking a single hit, and kill a young woman in the process, then flee without anyone seeing him. It just sounds so unfathomable, like something only a Hero would be capable of.”

The man nodded in understanding. “But Heroes have little business in Halloway. Unless it was for some sort of mission, but in that case the mayor would have been notified of their arrival in advance. Strange…”

“Very strange. Whoever the culprit is, it’s like he’s a ghost or something. I mean, if he’s here somewhere, then where does he live? What does he eat?” The irony of her questions made Micah sweat slightly as she munched on a piece of bread.

In your house, eating the food you just prepared for me. In fact, I’m sitting right across from you! And I’m also a 4-year-old girl with a mental age of 21!

“I know you’re, like, super into that stuff Miss Henrietta,” Josefine said while resting her cheek on her hand and lazily twirling her spoon over the surface of her porridge. “But seriously, what’s the point of talking about something that happened so long ago? Let’s talk about fun stuff instead!”

“Don’t play with your food, Josefine.”

“AAAHM. FHUN SHTUFF, I SHAID.”

“Don’t talk with your mouth full, either.”

“Muu~” Josefine pouted, cheeks full of porridge puffing up even more as she glared bitterly at Henrietta, but she eventually relented and continued eating in silence.

“...K-Kuhum. So, uh, to continue the conversation,” Mr. Stronoff said awkwardly. His eyes flickered about the table. “None of you know anything about this mysterious individual? Whereabouts, identity, physical description, nothing at all?”

“Unfortunately, not,” answered Bernadetta, as she wistfully poked at her cooked chicken breast with her fork. “I wish we could find a way to thank them somehow. If it wasn’t for them returning the property deed, we wouldn’t even still be living here. I hope they at least know that we’re very grateful to them for what they did, even after all of this time.”

T-Trust me, they know better than you think...

She happened to meet Brunhilde’s eyes in that moment, and the two shared a concealed, but knowing smile.

-----

Dinner concluded rather quickly, and from there the evening chores needed to be done. Tidying up the table, cleaning, bath, laundry (Another battle ensued. Micah won.), prayer, study time, and finally it was time to get ready for bed. As per usual, Micah waited until she could hear Bernadetta’s light snores before she carefully slipped out of the covers and out of bed.

Her goal tonight was the same as any other   experiment with [God’s Blessing].

[Otherworldly Scarf]
[A scarf brought over from another world. Grants the wearer unique powers.]

[Ability - God’s Blessing Lv. 3]
[An Ability imbued into the scarf by [God]. The scarf grows through experience and the more it is used. After a set amount of experience is gained, this ability will level up.]
[Leveling up will increase its potential and capabilities.]
[Every ten levels, the wearer can select a new Ability.]

{Default Abilities}
[The wearer’s physical capabilities, reflexes, and senses are enhanced. These traits will increase further as [God’s Blessing] levels up.]
[The scarf acts as a translator, allowing the wearer to understand foreign languages, both verbally and visually.]

{Added Abilities}
[The scarf can be manipulated according to the wearer’s will. Its potential length, as well as its offensive and defensive power, will increase as [God’s Blessing] levels up.]
[Unlocked at Lv. 10]
[Unlocked at Lv. 20]
[Unlocked at Lv. 30]
[Unlocked at Lv. 40]
[Unlocked at Lv. 50]

In the two years since her battle against Altheon, Barnabel, and Miriam, [God’s Blessing] had leveled up to Lv. 3. With the vague idea in mind that it grows through experience and continual use, Micah had made a routine out of sneaking off behind the church every night to go and practice using the scarf in order to discover more of what its capabilities were and level it up further at the same time, but the process had thus far been extremely slow. Still she kept at it, inwardly wishing at times that she could use real magic instead of the not-quite-as-impressive cheat ability she’d been given.

She carefully opened the bedroom door and slinked out into the dark chapel, once eerie and mystifying to her, but now a more than common sight. Making sure to not make the same mistake as before, she stealthily peeked around the chapel to ensure that no one was present before creeping towards the back door. It was locked, as it was all of the other times, but that was easily remedied thanks to her scarf.

The area behind the church was rather spacious, with a large furnace and a copse of trees across from the door being the only noteworthy things in sight. The dim moonlight provided ample light for her to see, and it wasn’t long before she got into her usual rhythm for training.

First, she ran her mana through the scarf, activating [God’s Blessing]. Though her mana was still pathetically low, she’d gotten better at understanding how long she could maintain the enhanced physical state the Ability granted her. Just over five minutes of continuous use seemed to be the point where she would start to suffer from fatigue (it seemed as though the adrenaline from the life-or-death situation she was in two years ago prevented her from noticing her fatigue until later), but she found that she could last as long as 15-20 minutes if she pushed herself. However this would usually result in her suffering from the extremely painful backlash of Mana Depletion, in addition to a much longer resting period afterwards.

Which is why she’d limited her training to ten minutes per day, unless special circumstances prevented her from being able to practice on any particular night. Now, it was time to get started.

Using the ends of her scarf like a pair of hands, she carefully maneuvered them around the area while interacting with the various items she’d gathered early on to practice with. They pushed rocks, swung and tossed around loose sticks, and she even tried lifting herself up using the scarf ends as hooks on branches.

There was also her own physical training. Being stuck in a child’s body for so long made Micah extremely restless as she could feel her inner athlete longing to exercise and move around again. So she also used this time to do things like pushups, situps, and laps around the area to strengthen her body, among other exercises. Increasing her stamina seemed to help somewhat mitigate the amount of time she could maintain [God’s Blessing] before she began to feel tired, so she made sure to keep at it.

It was perhaps because she was so focused that she failed to notice the presence of a person before they spoke. “Um…”

Micah’s blood turned to ice in response to the sudden voice. She whipped around to see none other than Mr. Stronoff watching from the doorway with an awkward look on his face.

“G-Grampy?! W-Wha, what’re you-”

“Apologies, Micah. I, er, heard you leave and secretly followed you.”

W-What? Nowaynowaynoway, no way, NO WAY!!! Come on! I’ve been so careful all this time! How could he have found me out on the FIRST NIGHT?!

…

…

Unless… Did he suspect me from the beginning? No, that’s ridiculous, there’s no way he could have known about me when we’ve never even met. So a coincidence then? It feels a bit too convenient… There’s also the fact that [God’s Blessing] should have enhanced my senses, including my sense of hearing. So how did he manage to sneak up on me without me hearing it? Was it some sort of fluke? Again, I don’t like chalking things up to convenience...

“I-It’s alright. I’m not going to tell anyone if that’s what you’re worried about.” He smiled placatingly and waved his arms around in response to her accusatory expression. After glancing around nervously for a moment, he let out a small sigh. “The truth is… I was told to keep an eye on you by the demon I’d formed a contract with while I was in Demon Country.”

“Huh? Did you say… you formed a contract with a demon?!”

What the hell do you mean, contract?! So we’re dealing with Christianity now?! Just what ARE demons anyway?!

“Yes, I did… I know it was wrong of me, but I had no choice. You see, the expedition was intended to only last a year at most, but the group I was apart of ran into trouble almost as soon as we set foot into Demon Country...”

Even though we arrived peacefully and made it clear that we only had diplomatic intentions, the demons saw fit to capture us, strip us of our equipment and supplies, and bring us before the Demon King. Still, an audience with him was what we originally planned to ask for, so we humbly inquired about why they were performing raids and attacks on our settlements.

“Y-Your Grace… On behalf of the citizens of Magi, we have arrived only with placatory nonviolence in our hearts. As your associates that relinquished us of our amenities may be aware, we arrived bearing no weapons. Only tools and supplies for our own survival during our journey here.”

“Yes, yes. We truly mean you and your people no harm at all. We are simply here to negotiate, so that we may find a peaceful resolution to the issues our respective nations face.”

“...”

However, the Demon King did not answer our question directly, and instead ordered us to return them the previous Demon King, who he believed to be in our custody. Unfortunately, the previous Demon King vanished over sixteen years ago, and because none of us knew their current whereabouts, a deal could not be brokered.

“Tch. Lying scum, all of you! Get these worthless fools out of my sight!”

But he did not accept that and instead became enraged. Believing us to be lying, he ordered for all of our deaths, and for our bodies to be sent back to Regalia as a message.

“No! No, please!”

“You-, you monsters! We never should’ve trusted you!”

“Damn it! I’ll kill you all!!!”

“I-I urge you to reconsider, Your Gra-gllhk!!”

“Shut your trap and move it. All o’ ya!”

We were forcibly taken into a separate room by a demon and systematically executed one by one. Those who attempted to escape were simply slain faster than the others. I was the last in line. As I begged for my life before my executioner, the demon considered me for a moment, then suddenly stayed his hand and instead offered me a deal.

“Please…! Please…! Nor, help me… Please, no…”

“Hmph. Pitiful. A man faces his death, yet does not even possess the strength to confront it with his head held high. Instead you grovel, like dirt beneath my heel. Is that how I should finish you then? Squashed like the bug you present yourself to be?”

“No! Save me, Nor… Save meee…”

“My, how unsightly; how utterly reprehensible you are. What would your human kin think to see you in such a state? ...You wish to live, you say?”

“Please… Pleeeease… I don’t want to die… Someone please, save me…”

“Very well then, human. I would like to offer you a deal, a… contract, of sorts. Accept my conditions, and you will leave Demon Country with your life this day.”

“Eh…?”

“Listen well, human. The conditions are as follows.”

He told me that he would allow me to live and return to my family if I agreed to become his contracted servant. By forming contracts, a demon gains a significant increase in power as well as the ability to command and control their servant through telepathic communication. In exchange, the servant also gains incredible power, but must obey the demon’s orders whenever they’re issued.

I wanted to see my family again, and it was clear that I would be killed like the others if I refused, so I had no choice but to accept. With the forming of the contract, I became eternally bound to him, which allowed him to fake my death and sneak me out of Demon Country among the bodies of my comrades.

Mr. Stronoff’s face was full of guilt as he concluded his story. “I spent the next four years living in Regalia under the order of the Norith council, nervous that they would discover that I had become a contracted servant. Contracted servants are rare, but dangerous, and are usually imprisoned for life or simply killed on the spot once they are discovered. I was incredibly lucky that I wasn’t found out before my forced citizenship was concluded.”

“And the first thing you did when you got out was come here.” He nodded sheepishly at Micah’s guess. “But why are you telling me this? You also said you wouldn’t expose me to the others, so what do you want?”

“I-I’m not really sure myself,” he answered. “I was just told to tell you the story.”

“Told? You mean by the demon?” Micah found herself leaning forward slightly with interest as she realized the potential solution to her questions was right before her. “Is he communicating with you right now? D-Do you think I could ask him some questions-... Wha, what’s wrong?”

Mr. Stronoff’s face had gone deathly pale, his eyes widening with terror. “What…? No, you… you can’t… You can’t make me… Why…”

“...?”

Unbeknownst to Micah, the demon that Mr. Stronoff had formed a contract with had just issued him a simple, chilling order.

‘Kill her.’

“I begged you to not to harm my family, so why-”

‘You begged me not to harm your daughter and her friends. You said nothing of a granddaughter. She shares not your blood nor the same relations to you as the other humans. Thus, she is not your family.’

“Th-That’s-!”

“...” Micah watched cautiously as the man began to anguish over seemingly nothing, sometimes sneaking terrified glances over to her.

Based on his body language, she more or less had an idea of what was happening.

But even so, she didn’t consider running away just yet. If she was about to be attacked like she was suspecting, then she was curious to know just how much power a human gained after becoming a contracted servant. If it was a significant increase, then it opened the door of possibly becoming one herself, provided she could find a demon that would allow her enough freedom to complete her goals.

Still, it seemed unlikely if her first impressions of demons were anything to go by. She decided to put a pin in the idea for now.

If things got dangerous though, she was confident in her ability to escape. Her movements with [God’s Blessing] activated were extremely quick thanks to her smaller body, and her reflexes were better than most normal humans. And that was when she was at Lv. 1.

She was Lv. 3 now, and her potential had increased since last time. With all of that taken into consideration, she was sure she could run away in the worst case scenario.

“I-I’m sorry… Micah…” Mr. Stronoff’s anguishing came to an end as his body seized up. If what she’d just learned and her suspicions were true, then the order that the demon had given him was taking effect, and his body would theoretically carry it out against his will. “I can’t… I have to…”

Micah lowered her body slightly, getting into a ready stance as her scarf ends fluttered around her side like a pair of snakes. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m stronger than I look. Come and kill me, if you can.”

“Nngh…” Mr. Stronoff suddenly lurched forward, his head hanging low. A few tense moments of silence passed before a small explosion shook the area. Actually, it was the sound of him kicking off the ground and rocketing forward in a burst of speed far faster than Micah could track.

The next thing she knew, there was an agonizing impact against her stomach. The power behind the blow from Mr. Stronoff’s knee forced a spray of spittle from her lips, along with a strained gurgle that caught in her throat as it tightened in response to the sudden pain. Her eyes had widened considerably, and yet her vision swam as blobs of light bounced around her trembling view.

She was quite literally seeing stars. With barely any time to register that she’d just been struck faster and harder than she’d ever experienced before, Mr. Stronoff continued his assault by grabbing her by the hair and yanking her up before she could collapse, followed by a brutal onslaught of punches to her face ending with an uppercut to her chin that brought her airborne, and then a powerful front kick to her chest as she came back down.

The force sent her careening across the length of the area behind the church to smash into the closest tree. She could feel her spine strain against the thick bark, threatening to snap but somehow holding in the face of the excruciating pain that enveloped her entire body as she slumped against the tree’s base. In the momentary relief from the ruthless barrage of attacks, her mind finally had a chance to catch up to her body.

And she realized what a fool she was.

He wasn’t just stronger than her   he completely outmatched her. He was out of her league. By forming a contract with a demon, a meek, unassuming father had become something that couldn’t even be called human. Were even the so-called Heroes of this world able to defeat something this incredible?

Gripping the bark in her shivering hand while cradling her stomach with the other, she eased herself back onto her feet. Though it was obvious that there was no chance she could ever hope to win a fight like this, there was still a chance she could escape if she played her cards right. But if she wanted to do that, she couldn’t stay on the defensive the whole time.

Outrunning him is definitely not an option… It’s a long shot, but if I can make it back inside the church, there’s a chance that the demon will revoke the order to kill me in order to keep Mr. Stronoff’s cover. I’m not sure why it is that he let Mr. Stronoff live and return to his family, but I have to bet on the possibility that it’s an important enough reason for him to call off the attack if it risks exposing him. It’s my only chance…

She took a few deep breaths, sucking air into her aching lungs, before pushing herself off of the tree to rush at Mr. Stronoff preemptively. Her scarf ends shot out ahead of her, one aimed low and the other remaining close to her side. Being unaware of her full potential in combat with the scarf (thank goodness she hadn’t been doing battle training that night), Mr. Stronoff put up a defensive stance to prepare for her counterattack, exactly as she hoped he would.

At the last moment before the first end reached him, Micah leaped into the air, using the second end as a foothold to give herself a leg up into a somersault over his head, reeling both ends in as she landed behind him and sprinted for the back door of the church with all she had.

“Stop, Micah!” A painfully hard yank on one scarf end cut off her air circulation for a moment, forcing her head back as she reached both hands up to her neck on instinct. Her heart pounded rapidly at the impending dread of what she was about to do, but her hands were on autopilot as they quickly worked to undo the scarf from around her-

“Micah, he says,” Mr. Stronoff’s voice started again. “He says that he’ll reveal your secret to Bernadetta and the others if you escape.”

Ah, shit…! I didn’t consider that at all! Fuck, fuck, fuck this is bad!!!

In her panic, she managed to rip the scarf end out of his grip and hop back, but he was already in front of her by the time she landed. She barely weaved out of the way of his punch as it drilled a hole into the wall of the church, and slipped around him to jump back towards the trees for cover.

However, he latched onto her foot as she took off, bringing her down in a hard slam against the ground that forced a pained grunt out of her. He raised her up again and repeated the motion several more times before pulling her in to collide against his other fist, sending her hurtling through the air again to the same tree as before, this time crunching against it hard enough to put a sizeable crack against the bark.

“Gaallghkk…!!” Having bashed it horizontally this time, her side thumped pitifully against the soil in front of the tree as she hit the ground. A spurt of blood shot out of her mouth moments later, in addition to the blood already streaming down her damaged nose from having her face slammed repeatedly into the ground, as well as the various wounds on her body from Mr. Stronoff’s previous attacks.

Can’t beat him, can’t run away… What the hell am I supposed to do…!

She could barely even move at this point, let alone formulate another plan. But if she didn’t do something soon, she was going to-

…

…

...Die? I’m gonna-... Am I… gonna die…?

She hiccuped, gasping for air with burning lungs as Mr. Stronoff’s approaching footsteps grew closer and closer. Her body twitched and spasmed on the ground, no longer responding properly to her commands to stand up, and a foreboding heaviness gripped her heart at the realization that this truly was where she would die.

W-Well… at least if I die now… There’s a chance… I can meet God again… And then I can… see Yuu...

With the realization that she could no longer worry about her goals in Magi even if she wanted to, she felt an odd sense of relief at having the choice of whether to stay or not be made for her, and thus decided to accept her fate. However, as she closed her eyes and relaxed her body as much as possible in preparation to be killed, a plethora of images began to play through her mind.

And who are you, Little One?

WHAT is that?

If Miss Bernadetta really wants to, then I think we can make it work somehow. What’s one more orphan in this lonely old place, right?

Did you hear that? You’re all mine now, babe. I’ll keep you safe and make sure you grow up as best as you possibly can. No, even better. I promise from the bottom of my heart, nothing’s gonna stop you.

Micah~ Micah~ Micah~ So cute~ So cute~

N-No one’s around, right…? *glance* *glance* ...Chu~ ...Th-That’s for being good and eating your vegetables today, a-and for not crying during the night. Don’t tell ANYONE about this or I’ll sure as hell give you a reason to cry, got it?!

Look, babe! This is your nun outfit. I bought it for cheap at the market. Isn’t it just the cutest thing? It’s a little big for you right now, but you’ll grow right into it in a few years. And then the two of us can match~!

I was talking to you actually.

Fufu~, see? Micah and I make the best team.

Welcome home, Micah~

I’m nobody, girl. Just an old woman who’s seen more than her fair share of strangeness over the years.

Isn’t that great?! Everything’s gonna be alright now!

Even if they’ll never come to know the truth about you, I want you to know that we’re all grateful.

Micah~ How about you play with Mama today? ...E-Eh?! Why not?!

Hey, your scarf isn’t wrapped properly Micah. Geez… fine, just c’mere and let me do it. If you won’t let me wash it, then I’ll at least keep it from getting any dirtier by sagging all over the floor wherever you go.

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~!

All of my close friends have already passed away. These girls are kind to take care of me, but none have the time to listen to the ramblings of an old woman. Thank you, Micah. I don’t even know how old you really are, but talking to you has made me feel like I still have a real friend left in this world.

Micah!

Micah~

Micah.

I love you, Micah.

Her memories with the people that had become her new family after she awoke in this new world were flashing nonstop, like a kaleidoscope playing out in her head. Even though she’d convinced herself that they weren’t real   that they belonged to a world that was no different than a book, and thus were no different than endearing book characters   it became apparent to her that at some point, a crack had formed in her heart   the heart that was supposed to truly belong to one person and one person only.

And a group of four nuns had managed to slip their way inside without her notice.

No… No… I don’t wanna die… I don’t wanna… leave them… Not like this...

Micah squirmed in place, clutching desperately at anything in an attempt to put strength into her body. Tears built in her eyes, clouding her vision, and her teeth clenched as she did her best to fight her fading consciousness.

Bernadetta… Mom will cry again… And Josefine’s radiant smile will disappear… Henrietta would probably try to act tough, but she’ll be sad too… And Brunhilde will have lost another close friend, and be all alone again...

“I’m sorry… Micah.” Mr. Stronoff was now before her, bearing a sharp stick he’d procured and raising it above his head in preparation to finish her off, all the while muttering apologies. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…”

No… Damn it… No…!

*Whoosh!*

The stick came down with enough force to split the air around it, and Micah shut her eyes tightly.

However, a sharp voice cut stopped him in his tracks. “That’s enough!”

Eh…?

“Huh?”

Turning, the both of them laid eyes on the form of Brunhilde, standing with her hands clasped behind her back in front of the church’s back door. Her expression was stern, angry even, as she gazed upon the scene of their battle. “I am beyond disappointed. I can’t believe the kind man I helped birth from infancy would do something so cowardly as to offer his soul to a demon in exchange for his life.”

“N-No, that’s not-” Mr. Stronoff’s gaze fell shamefully. “I only… I only did it so that I could see my family again, and so that Bernadetta would not have to bear the pain of losing yet another parent-”

“Liar!” she bellowed. “If you really cared about your daughter, you would never have brought the presence of a demon into our home and allowed it to kill her precious child.”

“Th-That’s not… I-I don’t- I can’t sto-, I- Gllghk?!” In the midst of his stammering, one of Micah’s scarf ends forcefully wrapped around his throat from behind, strangling him with all the strength it could muster. Still, he ripped it away with ease and whipped around to deliver a powerful kick to her stomach, followed by a series of vicious stomps to her head.

“Stop!” Brunhilde shouted as she took a step forward with her arms out in front of her, noting how Micah had gone inert after the fourth stomp. “You say you’re no longer in control of yourself, but have you really tried?! Think about the people that would weep for the death of this girl, how many hearts you would shatter, how much pain you would cause! Fight it!”

“I can’t! How many times do you think I’ve tried?!” he cried, gripping his head as he turned back to her once again. “It’s impossible! The contract is stronger than any mortal influence! It takes hold of not just your mind, but your very soul itself, and bends it to the demon’s will! I don’t have the power to resist it-”

*Spl’urch!*

“Eh… Wha…” The sudden sound of steel biting into flesh made him pause, even more so as a strange sensation overcame his body. Looking down, he could see a red splotch of blood staining his shirt from beneath, steadily growing in size. “Huh…?”

He turned his head to look over his shoulder, eyes widening at the sight of a large kitchen knife embedded in his back, right where his heart was. And gripping the hilt of said knife was none other than one of Micah’s scarf ends. When he met the eyes of the girl he’d just been brutalizing   the girl who clearly had not possessed a knife of that size just a few moments ago   it was to see a weak smirk on her bruised and swollen face. Really, it seemed to be all she was capable of from her position on the ground.

‘Oh-ho.’

The demon commanding Mr. Stronoff had been watching the entire battle with interest through the man’s eyes, and let out an amused noise at the sudden turn of events.

‘I see. The old woman was the one who brought the knife. They must have communicated somehow beneath my notice, and the strangulation was used as a diversion in order to retrieve it.’

He saw the truth play out in his mind: Brunhilde arriving with her hands behind her back, a silent signal to Micah with their eyes, the sudden attack from one of her scarf ends, and the retrieval of the knife with the other as Mr. Stronoff was busy attacking her.

‘Yes, quite a clever tactic indeed for having been concocted without a single word uttered between them, and with such brevity too. I suppose all that was left at that point then was to create a moment of opportunity to strike.’

A moment that was obviously Brunhilde’s attempts to induce Mr. Stronoff to resist his control. In the end it wasn’t a sentimental attempt to get him to stop what he was doing, but merely a distraction to take his focus off of the girl so she could utilize her newly-acquired weapon.

‘Absolutely brilliant…’

A grin slowly formed on his face at the realization that he’d been fooled in such a manner by both a child and an old woman.

“Kaaghk-!!” Mr. Stronoff coughed out a stream of blood and gripped his chest, his knees weakening as he slowly slumped to the ground. He writhed around for a few moments, struggling against his fast approaching death, before going still.

Both Brunhilde and Micah remained silent for a long while after his death, waiting for any signs of deceit. Eventually Brunhilde decided that they were in the clear and made her way over to help Micah up from the ground. As her gaze briefly passed over Mr. Stronoff’s body, she looked at him with nothing but pity in her eyes. “May Nor smile upon your soul, for you deserve no kindness from us for having forsaken it to such evil.” she whispered.

She bent down to support Micah, and began to carefully walk her back towards the church. “You’re lucky my room is just on the other side of the wall. If not for that impact, I would not have noticed anything until it was too late.”

“Th… Thanks…”

The rest of the walk continued in silence. As Brunhilde opened the door for the both of them to step inside, they heard a sudden voice that made their blood run cold.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

It was Mr. Stronoff’s voice, most certainly, but there was something explicitly different about it. They both turned around to see the body of a man that should have been dead, standing upright and seeming completely healed of his injuries despite the knife still sticking out of his back. The most chilling thing about the sight were his eyes though, which had somehow become an endless black void save for red slits staring at them with such power and intensity that it completely rooted them in place, unable to even move a muscle.

“Worry not. Had I seriously wanted the both of you dead, you would have died long ago. Instead, I will allow you   the child specifically   to live.” The demon speaking through Mr. Stronoff brought his tongue out to wet his lips unnervingly slowly. “Yessss… The child is much more capable than I originally perceived. To think that such potential lies in someone so young, and a human at that…”

“W-W-Wh-Wha…” Micah stammered, her gaze unfocused as she struggled to move her heavy tongue inside of her dry mouth. “What… do you… w-want from me…?”

“To put it in simple terms, power,” he answered. “The kind of power that can only be acquired through amassing a sizeable army of contracted servants. And of course, the more powerful the individual, the more powerful the servant they become after the contract is formed.”

Micah shivered at the demon’s implications. Did he intend to turn her into a contracted servant? She was just considering it not too long ago, so why did the idea frighten her so much now?

Perhaps it was because she’d gotten to see firsthand the effects of being under a demon’s control. Mr. Stronoff seemed to be suffering from a great deal of pain in his attempts to resist the commands he was issued. Not to mention the psychological strain of being forced to hurt your loved ones...

If the price of gaining power was to become the tool of beings like this one, to be used to hurt the people she cared about, then Micah didn’t need it. She was confident enough in her own ability to gain strength. She would never let herself stoop so low.

But… if it was for Yuu’s sake, then… m-maybe...

“You’ve witnessed yourself how powerful I can make even an average, unremarkable human. Imagine how strong someone like you would become if given the proper time to develop   how much you could accomplish with the kind of power that rivals even the strongest demons in existence, or perhaps even the Demon King himself.”

With a simple flick of his wrist, Mr. Stronoff’s body began to disappear, fading away like an illusion. “And so, I will withdraw, for now. However, I promise you child, I will without a doubt appear before you again to test your strength in the future. And when that fortuitous day does indeed arrive…”

He suddenly grinned as the last vestiges of his form vanished into nothingness, his voice lingering to deliver his final threat. “You should not expect this level of mercy a second time.”

And just like that he was gone, having departed so suddenly that it was as if his arrival was nothing more than a dream for the nuns who’d all been waiting so long for this day to come. The wonderful day they’d spent together, reliving old memories and forging new ones, laughing, smiling, it had all gone as quickly as it came.

That was Micah's first and only confrontation with Mr. Stronoff as a child. Their next encounter would not happen for quite some time.

-----

“EHHH?!?!?! MICAHHHH~!” As soon as the nuns entered the room where Micah was being kept, Josefine gasped, flung herself over to the girl’s bedside, and wrapped her arms around her shoulders, sobbing dramatically. “OHMYGOSH your face! What happened to your adorable face?! Ahhhh, but it’s still really cute even with all of those bruises~”

“Babe…?” Bernadetta asked tenderly. Her voice was hoarse, and her eyes were red and puffy. Henrietta’s handkerchief was clutched in both hands, and the blonde nun herself supported her childhood friend’s unsteady movements as they too appeared at her bedside next to Josefine. Brunhilde went and found the same chair she’d used the previous night when Micah first arrived.

“Hi, Mama.” Micah did her best to show her that everything was fine through her smile, but she really did hurt all over from her injuries. Not only had she been punched numerous times in the face, she’d also been struck in the chest and stomach, and even had her head stomped on repeatedly, all from a man with supernaturally augmented strength.

Being admitted to and having to spend the night at the local clinic was nothing; she was lucky to still be alive after having endured all of that.

“I’ve already spoken to the doctor,” said Brunhilde, her eyes passing over the contents of a novel she’d brought with her. “Her injuries were severe, but easily treated. Nothing life threatening. She’ll recover in six weeks’ rest   two months to be safe.”

“Two months… What in the world happened last night?” Henrietta’s brows were furrowed with worry, shocked that Micah was in such a state over the course of a single night.

“A robber,” the old woman explained smoothly. “broke into the church from the back door. Poor child was caught returning from the restroom. To keep her silent, he saw fit to attack her. Fortunately, she managed to flee outside, where she was rescued by… an anonymous individual.”

“Anonymous…” Henrietta’s brows shot up. “You don’t mean-!”

“Yes, the very same. It seems we have a guardian angel watching over us,” Brunhilde smiled slightly as she closed her eyes. “The robber was chased off and I was woken up by knocking on my window just in time to see their fleeting steps. When I went outside to investigate, I found the girl there, half-dead. I saw no point in sending you all into a fit of needless panic over this, so I brought her here in silence and waited until this morning to relay the news.”

“Aww…” Josefine pouted as she gently stroked Micah’s bandaged cheek. “I can’t tell if we’re cursed or blessed at this point. But I’m glad you’re alright, Micah~”

“Ehehe, thanks Big Sis~”

“...N-No, see, that’s not fair. If you tempt me with cute smiles I’m gonna hug you really tight. And if I hug you really tight I might kill you in the state you’re in.” Her fingers found a gap in the bandages, pinching and tugging slightly at the undamaged skin. “You want me to become a murderer, Micah? Huh? That what you want?”

“Wahhii~ Nuh-uh, nuh-uh~!” Micah fell into a mess of giggles in response to Josefine’s horseplay.

“H-Hey, is now really the time to be messing around…?” Henrietta asked.

“W-What about my father…?” Bernadetta stepped forward to ask Brunhilde with a worried expression. “I tried to find him in his room before we left, but he wasn’t there.”

“Poor man couldn’t catch a break,” the old woman answered coolly. “I briefly encountered him early this morning as he was preparing to leave. A messenger arrived from Regalia to summon him for more interrogations about the expedition. It seems new evidence was uncovered, and they want the opinion of one who’s encountered demons and lived to tell the tale. Unfortunately, it isn’t clear when these interrogations will end, so we shouldn’t expect him back any time soon.”

“I-I see…” Her gaze fell at the news. “I wish I could have had the chance to at least say goodbye, but I’m relieved to know he’s alright. It was so… so nice to see him again after so long… *sniffle*”

“Hey…” Henrietta rubbed her friend’s back tenderly. “See? Everyone’s alright, so there’s no reason to worry.”

“I was so afraid… When I heard something happened to Micah, I thought… I thought…”

“C-Come on, don’t cry. I’m sure Micah feels bad enough about it as it is. But even so...” Her sharp gaze flickered to the child. “No more going out at night by yourself. Wake Bernadetta up if you have to use the bathroom from now on. Got it?”

“B-But-”

“No buts,” she hissed. “You could’ve died last night. Do you understand that? Died. Gone forever without even so much as a goodbye from any of us. Do you think that’s fair to the people who spent so much time and effort raising you? To the woman who picked you up from a box on our doorstep and treated you like her own? DON’T let anything like this happen again, or so help me, I-” she paused. “...If you die, I’m gonna have to be the one who stops your mom from trying to join you. And the last thing I, or any of us want, is to see what that’s like.”

“...” Guilt was evident on Micah’s face from Henrietta’s scolding, and her head dipped low to stare at her sheets. Still, she nodded silently.

“P-Please don’t talk to her like that…” Bernadetta managed to keep herself from breaking down, and shakily gripped onto Henrietta’s forearm with both hands. “She’s only four…”

“On the contrary, it was more than deserved,” said Brunhilde as she eyed Micah knowingly. “As I said before, the child understands more than you think. And I believe that she’s properly learned her lesson now, yes?”

“Y-Yeah. I’m really sorry, everyone…”

“I-It’s okay!” Josefine quickly stammered. “Everyone makes mistakes! And this was hardly your fault   it was just a little bad luck! But just remember that if you’re gone, I’m gonna be the youngest again. THEREFORE you must absolutely positively never leave us. Okay?”

“O... Okay.”

The nuns seemed placated with that, and the atmosphere became somewhat more relaxed with the revelation that she wasn’t in any serious danger. Micah smiled sheepishly, somehow ashamed of having caused her new family such trouble, and found her gaze meeting Brunhilde’s once more.

She was more than grateful for the old woman’s help, and for once again lying on her behalf. If she hadn’t shown up when she did, the demon really would have had Mr. Stronoff kill her there and then, and this reunion   though bittersweet due to her injured state   could have taken place in a funeral home instead. Not to mention that her quest to find Yuu in this world would have come to a very abrupt end before it even truly began.

And so, she made sure to convey everything she was feeling in one huge, appreciative smile. The old woman shook her head once, then returned her attention to the book in her hands as if the interaction hadn’t even taken place. Micah could tell that she was trying to say that it was more for Bernadetta’s sake than for hers, but she was still thankful for her help nonetheless.

Steadily, the nuns fell into their usual bickering as Josefine decided to brighten the mood by throwing an impromptu party, and even Bernadetta seemed to calm down once the teenager returned with drinks and decorations she quickly burned her allowance on at the market.

Whilst they told jokes and chatted about how much fun they’d had the other day, Micah was lost in her own thoughts about what transpired the previous night. About how impossibly strong Mr. Stronoff had become just from receiving what only felt like a fraction of a demon’s power. It was scary, terrifying even, how close she’d come to death that time.

Forget about God; if she couldn’t even handle monsters like that, how could she possibly hope to see Yuu again? Thinking about it like that, she felt that this experience was rather valuable for her in the end despite how it turned out. It taught her a truth she was glad to know sooner rather than later.

She needed to get stronger. Much stronger than she originally thought.

Fifty? A hundred? Maybe a thousand? [God’s Blessing] needed to reach its absolute limits if she had any hope of destroying anything that tried to get in the way of her goals.

And considering the stream of messages she’d received in her head after she woke up, she felt as if she might have been off to a good start.

[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 4]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 5]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 6]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 7]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 8]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 9]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 10]
[[God’s Blessing] has reached Lv. 10. A new [Free Slot] has been unlocked.]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 11]