Within the ensuing chaos, Micah heard a scream.

It took her a few moments to realize it was her own.

The torrent of flames had come from her right, and collided with her so explosively that she’d been thrown to the ground. That was about all she could think in the brief few moments before the initial shock wore off and the pain set in.

And once it did, Micah was plunged into the pits of hell.

“AaaaaAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!”

“The worst pain possible” may not have been scientifically correct, but could not have been more true for her at that moment. Every one of her nerve endings were being flooded with such excruciating agony that she could do nothing more than writhe around in a frenzy as she felt her flesh melting and the scorching flames cook her alive. It was suffering unlike anything Micah had ever experienced. The horrifying pain, the fear and helplessness, it was enough to drive anyone to madness in a matter of seconds.

But her experience lasted even shorter than that, as her bloodshot eyes could just barely make out Zaheer’s figure as he positioned himself between her and the flames moments later, unperturbed even as the torrent scalded his backside. “Stay calm. Your clothes blocked most of the damage, so your wounds are not severe.”

“Agh…! My arm…! My arm!!!” Her mind was in a haze, but still had enough sense to understand that the pain was most extreme on her right side—namely her right arm which had been directly hit by the flames first. With just a glance she could see that most of the appendage had charred black, and she could barely even feel her fingers, let alone move them. Unable to sit still from the radiating sensation, Micah squirmed about while gripping a shoulder that was so stiff it may as well have been made of stone.

“Ugly, but reparable,” her partner replied. By that point the flames on his back had stopped, the caster having realized its futility against the dark-skinned man. Zaheer took Micah’s wounded arm in both of his hands, eliciting a sharp hiss from her, then closed his eyes as a blue light enveloped it a moment later.

It was the extremely versatile support magic spell, [Cure]—arguably one of the most vital spells to have in any mage’s repertoire. By applying one’s mana to an injured area, the body’s natural healing process is not only accelerated, but enhanced. However, it required a tremendous amount of precision, as applying too much mana could potentially disrupt the target’s body, affecting functions such as circulation, breathing and mana flow. In the worst case, it could render the target unconscious, comatose, or even kill them.

Still, in skilled hands this spell’s uses were vast. While conventional potions were still readily available in shops, [Cure] could be used to treat internal injuries without the need for operation, symptoms associated with various illnesses and diseases, and even certain poisons.

Due to its effectiveness relying upon multiple factors such as the caster’s skill, experience, and the type of wound or ailment being treated, as well as the present risk associated with its use, [Cure] is classified as an advanced ranked spell.¹Originally, I had it so that [Cure] was "one of the few spells to not have an officially classified rank". However, I couldn't think of other spells that would not have a rank and ended up scrapping the idea. If I think of any in the future, it's possible I may change this line to how I wrote it the first time.

Well, thinking about all of what Micah had learned about it in her studies helped calm her mind a bit, and as the pain faded somewhat from her arm and the rest of her body, she found that she could even move it with relative ease. Though her joints still felt extremely stiff.

“It is only a minor treatment,” Zaheer warned as he helped her to her feet. “Bear with the pain for now, our business here is not yet finished.”

“Tch, these guys…” The flame-user voiced his displeasure as he watched the two of them get into ready positions. “If they’re not Heroes, then what the hell are they? No way they’re actually…”

“Seems like it would be wiser to retreat,” noted the earth-user as his gaze roamed over the forms of his comrades, now mostly scattered corpses. The few who’d survived Micah’s onslaught had found corners and spaces to hide, too scared to flee at this point. “The others may not be so lucky, but if it’s the two of us, we can probably escape into hiding.”

“Fuck that!” the flame-user countered him. “After they busted in here, talking down to us, doing as they please, then butchering everyone like fucking cattle, like hell I’m running away!” In an impressive display of power, he ignited his tightly clenched fists, then jabbed one in Zaheer and Micah’s direction. “No matter what, I’m absolutely gonna roast them to a crisp. I’ll burn every last cinder till there’s nothing left!!!”

Watching him act so bravely, Micah couldn’t help but feel that he looked kind of cool for a moment. But it was still a stupid thing, recklessly standing up to an enemy that clearly outmatched you. No matter how you looked at it, running away should be the first thing on their minds.

Well, she wouldn’t hesitate to impale their exposed backs if they tried it, so she supposed she had to credit him for not being cowardly enough to do so.

“Will you be alright?” Zaheer asked, eyeing up the two opponents with a critical gaze.

Micah’s response was a simple nod. Since Zaheer would be immune to flames, the ideal would be to split off like this:

{Zaheer vs Flame-User}
{Micah vs Earth-User}

The earth-user’s abilities weren’t known beyond the rock coffin he’d used on Micah, but she felt it was safe to assume he had more earth spells ranging from basic to intermediate rank, and maybe one or two advanced rank if she was being generous. If it was just that much, then she could manage to at least hold him off until Zaheer finished off the flame-user.

With the plan of action decided, Zaheer made the first move. His sudden rush caused the flame-user to instinctively shoot out another torrent of fire, but with Micah following close behind him she remained protected until they closed the distance, where Micah then leapt up and used Zaheer’s shoulders as a springboard to launch herself into the air, twirling gracefully over everyone’s heads.

The flame-user tried to swing his arms up to her, but Zaheer gripped his wrists and forced them apart before he could, then brought his head down in a powerful headbutt that caused a dull thud to echo throughout the warehouse.

The flame-user staggered back in a daze, and as Zaheer pursued him, Micah brought her heel down above the earth-user, who raised his arms to block it with perfect form. Thrusting her other foot out, she kicked off of him and into the air once more, as her scarf ends raced forward for a follow up attack.

The earth-user calmly evaded them with precise movements, with no change to his expression even as they attacked from various angles. After landing on the ground, Micah ran towards him and coordinated with the scarf ends to leave an opening for her to launch a kick, but it was seen through easily, and he turned at the last moment to stop her foot with both hands.

This guy, isn’t he too good at this? Calmly assessing the situation and paying attention to the opponent’s movements, he’s not the same as the others in here. A former Hero maybe?

If that were the case, based on his interactions with the flame-user, it wasn’t impossible to think that the two of them were former Heroes together. Not that it mattered what the actual truth was. In any case, as a former aspiring track and field athlete, Micah had been training her body to be like Mikasa’s since she was old enough to walk on her own, and was thus confident enough in her leg strength to develop a fighting style that primarily utilized kicks ever since she started learning magic.

She was no kickboxer or martial artist of course, so her moves were far from what would be considered professional back on Earth. But she’d seen enough battle anime to be able to mimic the movements, and with her body that was already beyond the level of even the best of Earth’s athletes, she had very little issue turning her imagination into reality. Even now in this situation where her foot was being held in front of her opponent’s body, she felt like she could win a contest of strength.

But as she tried to put more force into her foot to overpower him, the payout was minimal as the earth-user only slid back slightly. It seemed he was much sturdier than she thought, which may have been why he hadn’t yet tried to attack her and was simply relying on defense.

A somewhat scary thought. Regardless of who was actually stronger between them, at this rate Micah was likely to lose after becoming exhausted. That is, if her movements which would get sloppier and sloppier with fatigue didn’t leave an opening for him to exploit before then.

Instead of exerting herself heavily to push him away, she instead brought her other leg up to kick the exposed side of his head. But that was seen through as well, as he quickly diverted one of his hands to stop her foot just short of its mark.

Now standing horizontally, Micah crouched down to snag the wrist of his hand holding her first foot while using both scarf ends to hold his hand holding her second foot, keeping both locked in place. The earth-user seemed to sense her intentions and tried to free himself, but Micah held on strongly, knowing that it was now too late for him to avoid a direct hit.

Having used only one hand to hold his wrist and both scarf ends to hold his other wrist, Micah still had her injured hand free. And it was with this hand that Micah readied her first spell in this fight, [Harden].

In Magi, there didn’t exist things like the “elemental rock-paper-scissors” that Micah had been led to believe existed through light novels and manga. Some elements had natural weaknesses of course, such as fire being weak to water or earth being able to block wind, but generally speaking any element could be overcome as long as the opposing force was more powerful.

In this instance, even though it wasn’t certain if Micah’s skill in earth magic surpassed his own, the way to deal the most damage to him was to target a vulnerable area while he couldn’t defend with the hardest object she could manage. And by blocking the use of his arms, there was no need to worry about any immediate countermeasures. The attack probability was 100% if she acted quickly.

With practiced efficiency, she channeled her mana into her hand, focusing on the sensation of encasing it in earth to reinforce her attack. The result was nigh instant, with solid rock forming around her knuckles and down her forearm as she made a fist. With a small shout, she buried that fist into the man’s stomach as deep as she could, grimacing as the remnants of stinging pain shot up her arm in protest.

“Guh…!” The impact made a small *boom* and the man’s face tensed as the sensation rippled through him. His body became airborne as he was unable to stop himself from being flung away by the force.

The rock shattered around Micah’s fist, protecting the slightly-injured appendage from anything more than minor discomfort and pain as it added extra power to the strike. And yet, Micah wasn’t finished just yet.

As she twirled her body to land safely on the ground from the horizontal position, her scarf ends which hadn’t let go of the earth-user and instead stretched along with him suddenly tightened, then rapidly reeled him back in while Micah readied her other fist.

“One more…!” [Harden] was prepared a second time, encasing her hand in rock as the earth-user was pulled in close. The target was his face, to hopefully kill him in one blow or at least knock him unconscious to end the fight.

“Haaaa!!!” An energetic shout erupted from Micah’s mouth and she punched with all of her strength. A wave of pressure exploded from her fist in response, throwing snow and other debris in the path of her fist towards the far wall.

And yet, Micah did not feel an impact.

“Eh…?” It was around then that Micah was grateful to have given herself her new Ability, else she would have been caught completely unawares due to the cloud of snow that had kicked up from her attack. Within the moments of low visibility, the earth-user had successfully slipped to the side, dodging Micah’s punch while simultaneously moving in for a counter hit. Micah’s mana-sensing eyes, though widened from the shock of having her attack evaded, picked all of it up, and so in the split seconds of time to react, she was able to put her arms up at the last moment to meet the earth-user’s punch.

The force of it was easily comparable to her own, and yet Micah buckled beneath it as she felt the pressure zero in on her wounded arm. She understood right away that he’d aimed for it purposefully, but any subsequent thoughts were cut off as a second strike followed shortly after the first. The damage to her arm had provided just enough of a gap in her guard for his fist to slip through and collide with her cheek. While gritting her teeth from the pain, Micah was unable to resist the subsequent pressure wave and was thrown into a violent tumble across the warehouse floor.

[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 37]

Somewhere within the dull ringing of her head as she slid to a stop several meters away, she heard the ping of a notification from [God’s Blessing]. It made sense, she supposed, since she hadn’t taken a punch like that in quite a long time.

But now’s not the time to focus on that. Right now I need to…

Forcing herself to her feet unsteadily, Micah shook her head to clear it of as much dizziness as she could before she slammed both palms against the ground. In response, the floor in front of her rumbled and splintered until a wall of solid rock sprung up around three meters into the air.

This was [Rock Wall], an intermediate ranked earth spell. It could only be used when earthen ground was nearby and required a good amount of mana control to utilize, but its uses were vast. Trapping opponents, footholds to reach higher areas, or a simple shield wall, all of it could aid a mage greatly in a fight.

Right now Micah had used it for the latter, and just in time to hear three crashes against the other side. She’d been expecting a physical attack, but it turned out he’d launched some sort of projectiles made of earth at her from afar. Now, in these precious few moments, it was time to go on a counterattack.

Using both hands plus her scarf ends, she gripped the bottom of the wall and, with great effort, hoisted it up off of the ground. One scarf end shot up to counterbalance the weight at the top as she leaned back slightly, then launched the entire thing through the air towards the earth-user.

The several-ton wall soared only slightly but still casted a great shadow above the earth-user, who stared unflinchingly at its approach. Instead, he got into a ready stance, and once it was close enough threw a punch into the air, shattering the center of the wall with surprising ease.

But Micah had expected at least that much, and was quick to follow up from behind the shattered wall after leaping into the air after it. Having just put all of his momentum into the punch, the earth-user was unable to defend against Micah’s downward kick that came right after, which struck him across the temple and cocked his head to the side.

After landing before him, Micah pivoted her body and brought her other foot up, launching a series of kicks aimed at different areas. Alternating feet, spinning, never staying in one place or allowing him to predict the next one, like that she managed to land over twenty strikes ending with a high kick that knocked her opponent up into the air.

I hit him so many times, but he’s not flinching at all... I definitely have the advantage in speed, but it’s useless if I can’t hurt him. Then, let’s try-!

Immediately she crouched down and, with a twist of her hips, pushed her own body off of the ground using her hands to launch herself feet first into a powerful dropkick that connected with the earth-user’s stomach. But even then she wasn’t finished, as she prepared her next spell to finish him off.

With practiced focus, Micah ignited her boots with [Flame], then twirled into a second series of kicks with the flames enhancing her attacks. The intensity of the mid-air strikes kept the earth-user from defending properly, and the dancing flames made for a truly dazzling sight amidst the snowy landscape.

This was Micah’s own custom spell, [Flame Kick], that she developed with Circe’s help. Generally speaking, she was already somewhat adept with the four basic elemental spells [Flame], [Aqua], [Gust], and [Harden] once she got the hang of them and had enough mana in her scarf, but it was Circe who suggested she try to combine them with her kick-focused fighting style.

Per her suggestion, she began to train with the spells to see if she could cast them with her feet. And while it proved to be possible with all of them, [Flame] was deemed the most useful as it didn’t hinder her movements in any way and could be used in most situations when she wanted to incorporate extra damage into her attacks.

And between her onslaught of kicks she could see that it was definitely having more of an effect on her opponent, as burn marks continued appearing all over his body while he tried in vain to keep up and defend against the precise and powerful strikes. For the first time, Micah saw a change in the earth-user’s expression: Uncertainty.

Once the two were sufficiently high in the air, she sent both scarfs end out to wrap around his arms and pull herself close, where she planted her feet against his chest, gripped his shoulders with her hands, and yanked backwards to flip the both of them through the air until he was horizontal with her standing above him.

“See ya.”

While she issued a farewell, the scarf ends moved again, this time to pierce the ground beneath them and anchor there. Realization hit the earth-user in that moment, but he only had time to widen his eyes before the scarf ends rapidly reeled the two in, pulling them towards the ground at high speed.

Wanting to end it with this, Micah poured a large amount of mana into her feet to enhance [Flame] further, creating a cone of fire that rose up around her with her soles as the origin point. Another powerful shout erupted from within her as the intensity of the flames threatened to burn even her, but in the end, the two collided with the snowy ground.

What followed was an impact so great, the resulting fiery shockwave melted a good amount of the surrounding snow and kicked up the rest, blanketing the area momentarily as the earth-user’s back dug into the warehouse floor. As the snow settled, Micah panted heavily from her position atop him on all fours, the exhaustion from expelling so much mana at once having finally caught up to her.

[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 38]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 39]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 40]
[[God’s Blessing] has reached Lv. 40. A new [Free Slot] has been unlocked.]
[[God’s Blessing] has leveled up! It is now Lv. 41]

While regaining her breath, she idly listened to the repeated pings in her head, glad to once again see proof of her growth in this world. She hadn’t come as far as she would have liked, but defeating an opponent of this level all by herself would definitely not have been possible one year ago. However powerful God was in the end, victories like these made it seem as though it truly would be possible to reach him one day, as long as she never stopped growing.

As for the earth-user, his mouth hung open in perpetual shock and eyes had rolled back into his head, exposing the whites as he lay inert within the large crater they’d formed in the ground. Even with just a cursory glance, it was a safe bet to say she’d killed him instantly. Which was just as well since Micah would not have been able to maintain [God’s Blessing] for much longer had the fight continued.

Speaking of that, her mana level was dangerously low. Quickly deactivating the Ability, she pushed herself off of her fallen opponent and to her feet, where she finally relaxed her focus and glanced around for the first time since the fight began.

To her surprise, all that remained was Zaheer, who stood off to the side watching her with his usual calm expression. A pile of bodies lay nearby, which Micah quickly counted up to match the number of people they’d seen when they walked in, plus the flame-user who she imagined her partner had no trouble dealing with. Upon making eye contact once again, he made his way over.

“You did well,” he commented with a small smile.

“If you were done that fast, you should have helped me,” Micah snapped in reply.

To that, Zaheer nodded apologetically. “Forgive me. Lady Circe instructed me not to interfere with your battle were we to engage the mages separately. In her own words, ‘I have no use for a lieutenant that can’t defeat one simple mage. Even if she dies, absolutely do not help her.’”

That woman, what the hell is she saying… If I die, then there was no point to everything she’s done to recruit me.

Well, it helped her out in the end since she got to gain four new levels, so she’d just leave it at that. With the situation now and truly settled, it seemed their work there was done.

By the time the people of Anderest took notice of the rising smoke of the warehouse and rushed to investigate, Micah and Zaheer were well on their way.

-----

“Haa~ This feeling of bliss that comes with a well-deserved bath after a job well done~” Circe let out a long sigh as she threw her head back, her long, black hair draping over the edge of her immaculately-designed bathtub.

Micah, sitting across from her in the tub clad in only her scarf, replied dryly. “No, we were the ones who did all the work while you sat on your ass this whole time. And also, hurry up and explain this.”

“Explain? Whatever do you mean?” The same cheeky smirk that had pissed Micah off the day they met was still pissing her off even now.

“Don’t play dumb. Who wants to take a bath with a troll like you, hurry up and let me leave.”

“Waa, Micah’s acid tongue is especially biting today, isn’t it? It’s a shame I’m the only one who ever gets to hear it.” As usual, Circe was unconcerned with Micah’s insults and brushed them off with a playful smile. Rather, this had become something of their norm, with Micah never hesitating to display her dislike for the woman openly, and often calling out Circe’s carefree comments or actions.

Put simply, they were basically a manzai duo.²https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BokeAndTsukkomiRoutine Still, no matter how she thought about it, it was just abnormal that a woman who was twice the age of her physical body could have such an odd personality. How would one have to be raised to become so self-centered and abrasive?

“Anyway, what’s got you in such a bad mood? Things went rather well on your assignment, right?” Circe asked while leaning on her elbow. “I even gave you that letter to take with you out of the kindness of my heart. Don’t tell me you’re still depressed.”

“Mind your own business.” Unlike with Zaheer, Micah was more than happy to speak her first immediate thoughts. “And don’t change the subject. I’m asking you why I have to bathe with you all of a sudden.”

“Muu~” Circe’s cheeks puffed up as she let out a discontented noise, once again contrasting her beautifully mature features with childish antics. “Micah’s such a party-pooper. Can’t, ‘because I said so’ be a good enough reason?”

“Maybe in your screwed up head it is, but to normal people that’s what’s known as ‘abuse of power’.”

“Oh!” The woman suddenly perked up, then smiled innocently while reaching out towards her. “Then, maybe I’ll just take that scarf from you and burn it-”

“I hereby withdraw my complaints,” Micah replied as she instinctively bowed her head. She hated the idea of capitulating to someone like Circe, but a very real feeling of danger had sent shivers running up her spine at the sight of the woman’s hand approaching her. Though her eyes were alight with playful joy, the woman had proved herself on multiple occasions to be a cruel and unpredictable person, often acting based on her own whims for better or for worse. Even if she was merely joking like usual, her threat was just too scary to ignore.

Thankfully, her near-immediate response brought out a small laugh from her boss as she leaned back against the rim of the tub once again. “Well, in all honesty I was already in the middle of preparing for my bath when you returned, so I thought, ‘Why not use it together instead of separately?’”

“Ugh…” Micah groaned as she similarly leaned back against her side of the tub. “I want to get more upset, but that sounds exactly like the kind of thing you’d do. As usual, you only act on your own whims without considering the feelings of others.”

“Ehhh, what’s with that. I thought I was being pretty considerate when I asked why you were in such a bad mood. But someone gave me the cold shoulder instead, and trampled all over my sincerity. Uuuu~”

“Stop it with the fake crying, that’s gross,” Micah quickly cut in, crossing her arms and shutting her eyes while ignoring Circe’s belly laugh. “And it’s like I said before—it’s none of your business. I don’t even think I’m in that bad of a mood.”

“Micah.”

Circe suddenly spoke with a serious tone, causing Micah to open her eyes and face her questioningly. What she saw was an equally-serious expression as she stared at her across the bathtub.

“It’s a boss’ job to understand who her subordinates are as people, and to manage both their physical and mental states properly to make sure there aren’t any issues that can hurt them or the group as a whole. It’s especially important in our line of work. Do you understand what I’m saying?”

Micah hesitated to respond, but ultimately buckled under her boss’ intense gaze. “That, you want me to tell you what’s bothering me.”

Her answer changed the mood immediately as Circe suddenly returned to her cheerful countenance from before. “Exactly! Now, Micah, come here~” She raised one hand to gesture Micah towards her happily, but the girl herself merely turned her body away while staring in suspicion and disgust.

“...I swear to Nor, if you try to molest me-”

“It’s fine, just come already~ Hurry, here, here~”

Red flags were going off in Micah’s head at Circe’s innocently-gesturing appearance, but the understanding that she couldn’t simply escape without facing consequences eventually caused her to relent and steadily crawl across the tub to Circe’s side.

Once she arrived, the woman tugged on her arm to turn her around, then pulled her into her embrace from behind until Micah was effectively sitting in her lap and Circe’s head leaned down above her own. The softness of Circe’s body enveloped her immediately from all sides, and she turned her gaze up to see a gently smiling expression on her face.

“Fufu~ See? I may be your boss, but don’t forget that I’m also your big sister.”

“W-Who’d want to be your little sister...” Micah’s normally scathing reply had lost its energy in the face of Circe’s radiant expression, leaving her only able to reply meekly.

Seemingly ignoring her protests, Circe continued. “Now then, tell Big Sis what’s the matter. Why is Little Micah so sad? You can tell Big Sis anything.”

“...” Micah found that she couldn’t answer right away, and so kept her gaze averted while wondering what her response should be.

While it was true that her feelings had been in turmoil lately, leaving her confused, unsure of herself, and riddled with guilt over all that she had done to get this far, she still wasn’t sure if Circe of all people was someone she wanted to show such a weak side to.

Even now, she still didn’t trust the woman. Whatever angle Circe had in expending so many resources to rescue Micah from incarceration and cover her tracks had yet to make itself known, and as long as it didn’t she would always remain suspicious of what her true motives were. Believing that she simply wanted another lieutenant felt too simple—too easy. Would she really go through so much trouble just for something like that?

Well, she supposed it didn’t really matter right now, because the Circe that was patiently waiting for her to say something didn’t feel like the same person at all. Maybe she was just bad at sensing the dishonesty in others, but her expression looked completely genuine. Plus it made sense from a logical standpoint that Circe would want to make sure her subordinates were in top condition to serve her.

Or… maybe she was just blinding herself to any falsehoods, because she really did want to talk about her doubts with someone. She wasn’t close to anyone within the Disciples of Circe—in fact she’d only really dealt with other members briefly and mainly just interacted with Circe and Zaheer—so it made her options rather limited when it came to who she could speak to on a personal level.

But she wanted to get better. She wanted to stop having these doubts, so that she could push forward on her path with no regrets and finally reunite with her brother like she’d promised herself when this all began. If confessing her inner worries to someone as shady as Circe would somehow help her reach that goal, then she had no choice but to do it. No, she wanted to do it.

“...There’s… someone I’m trying to find. This person, he’s really important to me.” Understanding registered on Circe’s face, but she didn’t say anything and let Micah continue. “But he’s missing. I don’t know where he is, or if he’s even still alive or not. So that’s why I decided I would get as strong as I possibly could and then set out to find him, destroying anything that tried to get in my way.

“Even now that’s what I believe. For his sake, and for the sake of anyone I really care about, I’ll kill whoever I need to. That’s what I believe, but…” She trailed off as she stared down at her hands, balling them into fists as that painful thought returned to her. “Would he... forgive me for that? If I did reunite with him, and he somehow discovered all of the terrible things I had done to get there, would he forgive me? And not just him, but the nuns too. They were always going on and on about how they’d love me no matter what, but would those feelings ever change if they found out what I’ve actually been doing for the past year?”

Feeling more vulnerable than she ever had since coming to this world, Micah quickly buried her face in her hands to hide the tears building in her eyes. “I’m just so… confused…! I don’t know what’s right anymore. I don’t know what I’m supposed to do anymore!”

Her outburst was followed by a pregnant silence as she fought back the sobs that desperately wanted to leak out. It was only when she felt an immense warmth and softness envelop her entire body that she opened her eyes once again, and was shocked by the sight of Circe’s arms wrapping around her tightly in a hug.

“...I see.” Her voice was light and calm, barely a whisper in the spacious bathroom. “So that’s what’s been troubling you all this time, huh?”

“Y-Yeah…” The logical side of Micah’s brain was telling her to push Circe away—that all of this was some sort of act with a purpose she couldn’t discern, but the emotional side was overwhelmed with thoughts of just how long it had been since she had been hugged like this; since she had experienced the warmth of another human being, and the safety of being in another’s embrace. “Hey…. What do you think I should do? How do I get rid of this awful feeling in my heart?”

Where she had expected to hear some sage-like advice from the uncharacteristically serious woman, she instead got a response more in line with her personality. “Mmm… dunno.”

“Eh?”

“Well of course there’s no way I could just give you an answer. What’s right and what’s wrong, that kind of thing isn’t always black and white, you know? Their meanings change from person to person, so even if I gave you my honest opinion it might just end up confusing you even more.”

“Oh...”

“But,” she added, hastily following up after Micah’s deflated reply. “Even though I can’t give you an answer, I can at least do this much.” She hugged Micah even tighter, while reaching a hand up to smooth down her wet hair. “There there~ The Micah who tries to bear everything on her own is quite troublesome, isn’t she~? I bet you have all sorts of people worrying about you all the time.”

“Sh-Shut up…”

“Well, I can’t speak for those nuns or this important person of yours, but from my perspective you’re doing a really good job, Micah. You’ve been dealing with this kind of stress and these worries for so long, but made it this far all on your own. That kind of determination isn’t common, and it’s not something you should doubt.”

“What-, what do you mean?”

“Micah… I will now reveal to you a truth of this world.” Circe smiled as she eased the pressure of her hug, content to simply rest her head on top of Micah’s. “Power can be important, necessary even, to advance your goals, but it’s far from everything. I was once like you; someone who thought they needed only tremendous power and an unwavering determination to make my wishes come true. But that arrogant me who didn’t hesitate to crush everything in my way was eventually discovered by bigger fish, and was crushed myself.”

Micah’s eyes widened considerably as she received what was perhaps the biggest shock of the day. “W-Wait, you’re saying... someone like you was defeated?! By who?!”

“The Five Legendary Heroes. Oh but, I suppose they weren’t yet known by that name at the time, and their numbers were only four. Both Zahy and myself took them on, but even at such a young age those guys were real monsters. Far beyond the level of your average mage.”

So, the Five Legendary Heroes’ name has come up again… I suppose it’s not surprising considering her position and information network, but to think I’d meet someone who knew them before they disappeared...

Circe shook away the small tangent, bringing Micah out of her thoughts as she continued. “Well, setting that aside, I was taught a valuable lesson that day by the World Hero himself. In his own words, ‘It wasn’t because I was stronger that I defeated you. The reason I won is because my friends were here, supporting me, and fighting by my side. This bond of ours will surpass any level of strength, no matter what.’”

“Ehhh…?” Micah’s face warped into disgust as she felt her opinion of Alistaire fall just a bit. “He really said that kind of cringey line despite having a superior numbers advantage?”

“Hahaha, he sure did,” Circe replied. “And of course I told him right to his face how uncool he sounded, but he firmly believed in his own words. It wasn’t until much, much later that I too started to believe in them.”

“What? You mean you…?”

“This organization of mine, even though it’s nothing more than a well-managed criminal network, it was made with the understanding that nothing can be accomplished in this world on your own. I wanted a life of comfort where I could have all of my needs met, and so I sought out people who would be willing to do such things and gave them what they wanted in return. For most it was security and a comforting guide amidst the fear and chaos brought on by the existence of demons and the injustices within our society. In order to provide such security, I created an entity that could fill that role.”

“The goddess, Circe…”

“Mhm. By gathering so many people who believed in this goddess that could make their worries disappear, I was able to attain my own happiness in the form of revenue through donations. Of course, I took it a step further and established an organization that would take a more direct role in providing services to those who request it, but the core idea remains the same—without all of the people who depend on me and who I depend on, none of this would have been possible.”

Micah nodded, finally understanding the point that Circe was making to her. Though he’d said it in the most arrogant way possible, Alistaire’s belief was shared widely even among the people of Earth. At the end of the day, there really was a limit to what one person could do on their own, and sometimes the support of others was needed in order to accomplish one’s goals.

That someone like Circe, who was one of the most selfish people Micah had ever met, was sticking closely to that belief herself spoke volumes of how important it was. Somehow, Micah’s opinion of the woman had risen a little through this conversation. Just a little.

“Well, do with that what you will.” Circe concluded her speech with a small shrug. “Like I said, it’s not my place to tell you how to live your life. Just know that whatever you decide to do, you still have to stay in my employ for another four years to make up for me saving you.”

“Y-Yeah, I know that already...”

“Good.” With the conversation seemingly ended, Circe’s attitude changed as she abruptly pushed Micah off of her and stood up while stretching her arms above her head. “Nooo~oow then, your fifteen minutes are up. We’ll prune in here if we stay any longer, so let’s be on our way already. I still plan on having you massage my shoulders before bed. Ooh, and maybe my feet too.”

Annnnd, she’s back. I guess it really was just an act after all.

While taking back any rise in opinion with every fiber of her being, Micah sighed as she too stood up and began to drain the tub. “Yeah, yeah… The shoulders are one thing, but if you think I’m touching those nasty troll feet of yours, you’re out of your mind.”

“Fufu~ Well we’ll just see about that, won’t we?”

“...”

Having expected yet another biting remark from Micah, Circe stopped wiping her body down with a towel momentarily to glance back. “What is it? Out of comebacks already?”

Micah felt the woman’s eyes on her, but refused to turn her head to meet her gaze. That was because Circe’s words had floated to the forefront of her mind all of a sudden, and it occurred to her just how much she had appreciated them, and appreciated the way Circe had gently treated her when she was suffering so much. Even if it was just an act, even if she was still somewhat confused about what she should be doing, Circe’s comfort had still helped her feel quite a bit better.

And that alone was worth expressing her gratitude. “...Nothing, just-... you know… Th-Thanks, I guess. What you said, it-, it made me feel… a little bit better.”

“...”

This was the second time Micah had ever thanked Circe, and just like when she’d done it a year ago her reaction was the exact same silence. Expecting to be attacked, Micah immediately put her guard up as she whirled around to face her. “H-Hey, don’t you dare touch me-”

“You’re very welcome, Micah.”

But what she found instead was another gentle smile. Seeing it much more clearly now, Micah could see that—unlike her normal childish or sadistic expressions—this one suited her much better. It was calming and beautiful, almost picturesque beneath the bathroom lights. She was sure any man that bore witness to this expression would instantly fall for her, and was even more sure that many already had.

Was it an act? Was it genuine? What was Circe really thinking about as she interacted with her? Even after a year, Micah still had no idea what to make of her boss, or any insight as to what her true motives in recruiting her may have been. All she could say for certain was that the woman known as Circe was made up of many mysteries, and that what she’d experienced today and for the past year was likely just a small fraction of those mysteries.

Would Micah be able to understand her better within the next four years? Would she ever learn the truth at all by the time their professional relationship came to an end? The answer to that was perhaps the biggest mystery of all.