‘Not human.’

These were the two words that came to Mariel’s mind as she emerged from the alleyway in a daze.

Despite looking and acting normal during the brief interactions they’d had, the girl, Micah, did not behave like a child in the slightest while fighting. Her movements were like those of a trained athlete’s, her intuition was near-flawless, and her strength and speed surpassed both hers and Leo’s by a wide margin, and she hadn’t even seen her use any body enhancement magic. Without the use of it themselves, they would have been no match for her.

There was simply no way a human like that could exist. Even the rumors about the World Hero, Alistaire that she’d heard did not speak of him being such a monster during his childhood.

Mariel prayed from the bottom of her heart that the girl was down for the count as she returned to Leo’s side. She’d scooped up her baton on the way and casted a quick healing spell on the both of them as the town’s guards rushed towards Micah and began assessing her condition.

“...Hey, Mariel,” she heard her partner say. “What just happened?”

“I… I don’t know. I don’t know, but…” She paused to take a deep breath. “We did it just like you wanted. We stopped the ‘Nor’s Angel’.”

There was a reason why it was generally considered taboo to teach a young child magic—as the power that came with being able to manipulate the world could easily corrupt their innocent hearts.

If this girl, who not only had the capability but the willingness to commit murder at the age of two, were allowed to grow her power without proper supervision, then who knows what kind of chaos she could cause in the future. Even if she bore no malice, all it would take is one wrong word to upset her or to convince her someone is worth killing, and there wouldn’t be much anyone could do to stop her.

It was sad, but this girl simply could not be left alone.

-----

Over the course of the next few hours, a discussion was held in the mayor’s office of Halloway over what should be done with the girl. All the while, Mariel was hyper-aware of her unconscious form, restrained and being watched over by the guards.

She did not believe that they would hold her in the event Micah woke up, but decided not to say anything and simply prayed that she didn’t.

“This is all very troubling,” said the mayor with a worried expression. “I have known Bernadetta and the nuns for many years now. The townspeople favor them considerably, and I’m not sure how they would react to knowing all of what you’ve just told me.”

“Regardless, it’s the truth,” Leo responded, a rarely-seen serious look on his face.

“Yes, so you say. But, to hear it so suddenly is…”

“I’m telling you old man, it’s the truth!” The room shook as Leo sat up suddenly and slammed his fist into the mayor’s desk. Mariel winced at the cracks. “That little bitch attacked us! She almost killed me! If Mariel hadn’t sent that [Flare] out, I wouldn’t even be here right no-!”

“Leo!” Mariel called her partner’s name to calm him. Under her stern glare, he reluctantly settled back down before she faced the mayor once more.

“The source of her power seems to come from her scarf,” she explained. “My Ability allows me to detect mana with my five senses, and I noticed from the moment I met her that the scarf has a mana pool inside of it. That pool is what she seemed to draw from while fighting us, since her own body’s mana looked to be too small to properly utilize. If we take the scarf away from her, she should theoretically be powerless.”

Leo made an annoyed sound and leaned back in his seat. “Scarf or not, she’s still a sociopathic murderer.”

“I see… And you say she admitted to it herself?” The mayor still looked hesitant, but Mariel couldn’t blame him. If she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes, she would have had a very hard time believing that a child could commit murder and fight on the level of two Heroes too.

But no matter how much she, or anyone else, wanted to deny it, such a thing really did happen. “It’s true. The damage to the alleyway should at least confirm that a battle took place, and Leo and I will both vouch for it. We have no reason to lie either.”

“Haa…” The mayor took a long breath. “Very well then. We’ll have her stripped of the scarf and incarcerated until she can receive a proper trial. On behalf of Halloway, I thank the both of you for keeping our town safe.”

Neither she nor Leo responded to the man’s bow of gratitude. Instead, she moved onto a more pressing concern. “Actually, mayor. There’s no guarantee that being separated from the scarf will make her completely powerless. Her Ability might have something to do with controlling its movements or being able to use the mana inside of it without needing to wear it in the first place. To be safe, I think the girl should be transported to a maximum-security prison in the north, where more powerful mages can stop her in the event that she breaks free.”

“I-I see… You mean she should be taken to Regalia?”

“That is… Y-Yes, I do. It would be safer for the people of Halloway.”

“We’ll even take her there ourselves,” Leo added. “But only if you offset the transportation costs.”

“Leo!”

“What?” He raised an eyebrow her way. “Didn’t you say you wanted to get back to Avarick by the end of the month? Well this’ll definitely make that impossible, so what’s the problem with compensating us for it? Besides, if that brat wakes up part way through the trip and goes on a rampage, someone’s gotta be able to stop her again.”

Mariel couldn’t find it in her to argue against his logic. At her very core, she knew that she’d been thinking of making the exact same offer from the moment they entered the office. Just the thought of how much they could make for this simple escort job and from the reward for bringing in a criminal to the Regalian super prison was enough to make her heart rate skyrocket.

But I was trying to find a tactful way of broaching the subject, unlike this idiot…

“So what’s it gonna be, mayor? We got a deal?” Leo asked.

The mayor didn’t answer right away, but Mariel could tell by his expression that he’d already decided. “...Very well. Take her. I’ll have an escort transport you to Regalia, but from there you’ll have to travel to Avarick on your own. However, I will only cooperate on the condition that she remains unharmed. You’ll be compensated properly of course, but make sure that not even a single hair on her head is damaged, understand?”

“O-Of course. We’ll do our best to get her to Regalia safely,” Mariel answered. Leo looked like he wanted to speak, but she grabbed his wrist and stood up before he could get a word in. He seemed to understand, and kept his mouth shut as he picked up the unconscious Micah bridal-style.

The mayor waved a hand to one of his assistants, who handed her yet another hefty sack of coins. Mariel did her best to keep herself from screaming out in joy at the jackpot they’d made in this town. “Thank you. We’ll leave at once.”

“One more thing,” The mayor stopped them partway through the door. “It seems that rumors were spread through the town of what happened today. I suggest you leave as quickly as possible.”

Right… Her family probably won’t react too well if they catch us on the way out of town...

“...We understand, mayor. We won’t linger any longer than we have to.”

The man nodded to himself, and it seemed the conversation was over.

-----

From there, Mariel and Leo had split up their duties. Leo would work with the escort to arrange a transport out of town for the two of them and the girl, while she quickly ran through the market gathering any supplies they’d need for the trip. But by the time she’d rushed towards the gate where they’d agreed to meet with bags in hand, a crowd had already formed.

“D-Did Micah really… kill someone?”

“I heard she attacked two Heroes, one of which being that guy…”

“Hey! Tell us clearly, what happened today?! Where are you taking Micah?!”

“Argh, shut the hell up already! You’re all being a nuisance!”

“Ehh, what’s that! You sure talk big for a lousy, two-bit Hero!”

“What was that?!”

“Ah-! Um,” Mariel quickly cut it just before Leo reached his breaking point. “Leo I’ve got it all. Let’s just go, okay? Quickly.”

“Tch. Fine.” With a sulking expression, Leo took the bags from Mariel while she moved to support the restrained Micah. As he went around the side to load the bags with the other supplies, Mariel heard a voice call out to her as she began to climb into the carriage.

“Wait-!” It was a loud, booming voice that easily carried over the cacophony of the crowd. Mariel turned around to see a group of women burst through the front of the crowd and run towards her.

The one in front, the one who’d shouted, was a blonde woman in a waitress’ outfit. Flanking her were two nuns—one of which was the woman they’d spoken to at the church earlier, Bernadetta. The other was a younger woman whose features were fairly similar to Micah’s, who seemed to be supporting an old woman that was also in nun robes.

Four of them. There were four women in total that suddenly appeared.

And all of them looked absolutely livid.

“Stop!” Bernadetta shouted as her eyes landed on the girl—her adopted daughter, if she was remembering the rumors correctly. “What is this?! Where are you taking Micah?!”

Under their furious gazes, Mariel struggled to find the words to respond with. “Th-That is… um… I’m sorry-”

“Keep your apologies, we want an explanation,” the blonde woman said as she stepped forward. “What crimes are she being accused of? What proof is there? Who approved her being taken out of town?”

Mariel took a peek around the carriage to see that Leo was still loading the bags, and so she reluctantly decided to tell them the truth. About how she and Leo were attacked while being escorted by her out of town. About how they managed to defend themselves with no severe injuries despite her seriously trying to kill them. About how her murderous attitude appeared only after they’d exposed her as ‘Nor’s Angel’.

And while she was at it, she also explained the process by which they deduced her identity; the delivery job at the town hall leading to the discussion with the trio about the Angel, then the chance encounter at the market with Micah herself where she noticed the mana pool inside of her scarf, and how after following her to the church they were able to confirm that she was a mage through a slip of the tongue on her part.

Naturally, the four of them looked to be in shock by the time she finished recounting the details.

-----

“...so that’s how it is. The mayor approved of her transportation to a prison for mages in Regalia, and commissioned us to escort the carriage.”

Even after hearing it explained to her, Bernadetta still couldn’t quite believe that what she’d just been told about had actually transpired.

When Henrietta had come bursting through the chapel doors in her work uniform, panting and visibly distraught, she knew that something serious had happened. And she was even able to somewhat understand that a customer had come into the tavern and spread a rumor that Micah was being arrested for assaulting two Heroes.

But rushing over here with her, Josefine, and Madam Brunhilde, seeing the crowd and the two Heroes loading Micah’s unconscious form onto a carriage, and finally having the full explanation told to her was just a bit too much. Surely there was some kind of misunderstanding somewhere?

...Well, that was what she wanted to believe at least. But even if she wanted to pretend that she didn’t, deep down inside she knew the truth.

The truth that she didn’t know anything at all. About the situation, about her feelings…

And about Micah.

“N-No way… Micah was Nor’s Angel?” Josefine looked at her and the others with a heartbroken expression.

“No, of course not! It’s impossible no matter how you look at it!” Henrietta seemed to be in complete denial by contrast, but Bernadetta could tell by the way her brows furrowed that she was just as concerned. It made sense; her childhood friend had, after all, been trying to solve the puzzle of Nor’s Angel herself for many years, and it looked like the pieces were finally starting to fit into place for her. “It-, it’s impossi… She wouldn’t…”

“Haa…” She’d expected Madam Brunhilde to be the most worried of the group due to how close she and Micah had gotten over the years, but perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised the old nun remained her usual stoic self even under these circumstances. Rather, she looked more… disappointed? “Is that all? Then let’s go back.”

“W-What!” Both Henrietta and Josefine whipped around to face Brunhilde with wide eyes, and the former exclaimed in shock. “What do you mean, ‘let’s go back’?!”

“W-With all due respect Madam Brunhilde,” started Josefine. “Haven’t you been paying attention? Micah’s gonna go to jail-”

“For a crime she committed,” Madam Brunhilde countered. “Therefore, it can’t be helped that she has to receive punishment for her actions. That girl isn’t the kind to run from things like this, so just be patient. She’ll serve her sentence and come back before you know it.”

Her words seemed to placate the two somewhat, as they didn’t offer any response despite their troubled expressions. Bernadetta also kept her true thoughts to herself. After all, there was no point in distressing everyone further by doubting her claim.

But even so, Bernadetta couldn’t help but wonder if Micah really would come back to Halloway after serving her sentence—or if she would even serve it at all. Would Micah escape and go into hiding? Would she try and make her way back to Halloway on her own as a fugitive? Or would she simply forget about all of them and go to find her own path out in the big, wide world?

She didn’t know. She didn’t have a clue about what Micah was really thinking, or about what she would think when she regained consciousness. She just didn’t know.

The thought made her want to cry.

“I’m done.” The male Hero suddenly called out to his partner from around the side of the carriage. “Mariel, let’s go.”

“Ah, right,” Mariel called back, then turned to face the others. She bowed slightly. “We’ll be going now. Goodbye.”

Before anyone could try and stop her further, she climbed into the back of the carriage and gently placed Micah down next to her.

“Uuu~... Micaaaah…~” Josefine looked to be on the verge of tears as she watched the carriage start to move. “Micah don’t goooo…~”

“Tch. What did I say about leaving without a word…” Henrietta muttered, fists clenched so tight that her knuckles turned white. “You… You better come back someday, understand? Or so help me Nor I’ll come looking for you myself.”

Brunhilde turned away as she closed her eyes, and only Bernadetta who was near her caught her whisper. “What a troublesome child you are, leaving us out of the blue... But if it’s you, I know I have nothing to worry about. Even an old woman like me believes in trivial things like ‘destiny’.”

Bernadetta too, after realizing that the others were saying their farewells, turned back to face the carriage as it began to pass through the gate, soon to be out of their reach forever. Though she wasn’t sure if it would be appropriate with her recent behavior towards her adopted daughter, she decided to do so as well.

“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.”

Did I… do a good job, Micah? In the future, when you think back to the time you spent here with us, will you smile fondly? I know I haven’t been the best mother to you—far from it, even. And lately I’ve been experiencing these… horrible thoughts about you. Thoughts like, ‘This girl isn’t my child’, or ‘This girl isn’t human’. Thoughts that I hate myself for even having, but just can’t control when I’m around you.

But... I want you to know that I really did… I really do love you. And you are my child, no matter what I or anyone else may think. So… if I were still allowed just one wish, just one… I would want you to wake up in that carriage, hear about what happened and… feel something, even for just a single moment. It’s alright if you show a smile, or cry tears of sadness, or shout in anger, or even if you fall into despair. I just want the time you spent with me, Henrietta, Josefine, Madam Brunhilde, and all of the other people you met in this town to have… meant something to you. Just… just a little is fine so, please…

But she didn’t voice any of those thoughts, and instead condensed them into a single phrase spoken with a bitter smile. “...Goodbye, Micah.”

And as the doors to Hallway’s gate closed shut, so too did the first chapter of Micah’s life in Magi.