Angelica Barley

Angelica Barley (アンジェリカ・バーレイ, Anjerika Bārei) is a Mage and an Artificer with her own magic shop. She's also the wife of David Barley and the mother of Althea Barley.

Appearance
Angelica is a tall woman with a lean figure who has her hair braided and has sharp features. She often wears some form of sleeves when working due to having crystals embedded in her arms due to an accident.

Personality
Angelica is a kind, if stern at times, woman who acts as something of a distant mentor figure to Chise. She takes pride in her craft and her family, but is cautious of magic due to the incident in her past that led to gemstones being merged into her arms.

She also doesn't hesitate to tell off Elias when he does something he shouldn't, though this is due to the fact that she has known him since she was a child.

History
Born to an alchemist, Angelica was taught magic from her father due to having a natural affinity for it as a mage. However, due to the fact that they require different methodologies, she had to learn to do so in her own way. It was during this training she had an accident causing gems to merge with her flesh, serving as a warning against breaking the laws of magic and a reason that one should always study.

She has known Elias since she was a child, though not as his apprentice, and as such is one of the people who knows him best.

At some point in the past she knew her husband David when he was a child and he became enamored with her, despite the fact that she would likely outlive him. He courted her for years until she eventually decided to marry him and Angelica had a daughter, Althea, who inherited her gift for magic.

Plot
Angelica was first introduced to Chise when Elias came to her with request for supplies that Chise would need to start her apprenticeship. Since Chise was somewhat clueless about magic, she offered both a warning about going past your limits and a chance for her to experiment. However, due not knowing that Chise was a Sleigh Beggy and housing an enormous amount of magic, Chise ended up covering the floor of her workshop into crystal flowers.

After learning about the situation, Elias then commissioned her to create a magic tool that would inhibit Chise's ability to absorb magic, so that it wouldn't shorten her lifespan.

She checks on Chise later on and warns her not to strain herself by trying to do everything on her own after meeting Ruth, but also tries to encourage her not to rely so much on Elias.

Angelica later appears during the Summer, delivering supplies to the College. She notices that Elias has given her the loop tie he once wore, which he never did prior as it was a gift that he treasured from his mentor long ago. He explains he was worried about her not caring what happened to herself and hoped that giving her it would enable her to be more worried about herself.

Skills and Abilities

 * The Sight: Born as a magus, Angelica naturally possesses the Sight and thus can see the more supernatural entities.
 * Magic: Angelica uses magic by borrowing the power of spirits, thus allowing her to interfere with the natural laws of the world. She also has expansive magical knowledge to make use of magic.
 * Artificer: She specializes in imbuing tools with magic, or making them for the purpose of magic. She uses these skills to construct magical accessories that help to control Chise's magic production in order to prevent her from killing herself as Sleigh Beggy's absorb and produce far too much magic for their bodies to handle.
 * Familiar: She has a vodanoi, Hugo. Though she also has other neighbors in her shop, Hugo is the one bound to her.
 * Longevity: As a magus like Lindel, Angelica possesses an extremely long lifespan beyond that of normal humans. In a flashback when she and her husband first met, Angelica's appearance was the same as the present while David appeared as a young boy.

Quotes

 * (To Chise): "Magic" is just one term we can use. Whether you call it "Mana" or "Ki" or any of a bunch of other names, it's all the same energy. That energy is the world that makes the world go 'round. It's the currency you pay to interact with the laws of nature. It's the lifeblood of existence itself.

Trivia

 * In the English translation published by Seven Seas Entertainment, her surname is given as Purley.
 * Angelica's shop is hidden behind an old bookstore which she likely uses as a front in modern day London.
 * Angelica's parents are shown briefly in a flashback in the manga when she first meets Elias. It is unknown if her parents are still alive or if they were also mages.
 * Elias now makes teddy bears for her daughter Althea.
 * Possibly Scottish or Irish based on her dialect, using terms like "Lass" when referring to Chise.
 * She is from England.
 * In Official Guidebook: Merkmal, her height is 170cm (5'7") and weight is 68kg (150lb).

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Angelica Barley