Rod had no idea how Griselda truly viewed him.
Even if he did, it probably wouldn't change the slightly lecherous image she had of him.
After leaving Heaven, Rod used the photo Griselda had provided to teleport near the Vatican, specifically, behind St. Peter's Basilica.
Unlike when he was doing missions in his official exorcist gear, this time he was dressed casually: a hoodie and camera slung around his neck, looking every bit the average tourist.
According to Griselda, for the sake of avoiding attention, Asia Argento would be leaving the church quietly tonight.
After all, with how many tourists there were during the day, and considering Asia's public exposure, having her walk out in broad daylight, wearing a nun's habit, dragging a suitcase with teary eyes, was just asking for trouble. It wouldn't take long before some overly enthusiastic netizens would start a viral campaign slamming the Vatican for "heartlessly expelling a saint."
Since it was still early, Rod decided to kill time playing tourist for real.
He wandered through the Vatican, snapping photos and sampling some local snacks.
Possibly because of the chaos from two nights ago, when Diodora was forced to go berserk by Rod, the city had noticeably beefed up security. There were more members of the gendarmerie on patrol and quite a few undercover exorcists pretending to be ordinary civilians.
Still, they gave off the same vibes as cops in crime dramas, always arriving after the criminal had been taken care of.
Given the recent incident, even without extra security, the Vatican was probably one of the safest places on Earth right now.
No one would be dumb enough to stir up trouble under the current circumstances.
After roaming all morning, Rod checked into a hotel and took a nap.
By late afternoon, around five or six, he stepped out for dinner, then slowly made his way to the rear entrance of St. Peter's to wait.
According to the church's internal schedule, even if they'd expelled Asia, they'd at least let her eat one last dinner.
And as expected,
Roughly thirty minutes later, the back door opened with a soft creak.
A blonde girl in a black nun's habit stepped through, looking exactly like the photo Griselda had provided.
She was alone, her small hands gripping an old leather suitcase that looked much too heavy for her.
No one came to see her off.
Not a single soul.
Even the door, she closed it herself.
But after it shut, she didn't move.
She stood there, frozen in place.
From Rod's distant vantage point, he couldn't see the tears glimmering in her eyes.
But they were there.
To Asia Argento, the Church was everything.
She knew her origins. As a baby, she'd been abandoned by her birth parents.
It was a nun from the Church who had found her and raised her at the convent.
She'd grown up immersed in holy teachings, always dreaming of one day becoming a gentle, kind nun like those who had raised her.
Half a year ago, she had accidentally awakened her Sacred Gear.
A priest had discovered her powers.
The moment they realized she could heal wounds and restore energy, everyone treated her like Heaven's chosen.
Her Sacred Gear was even given an official name: Smile of the Virgin Mary.
From that point on, she healed others constantly.
Whether it was devout believers or the priests and nuns who had cared for her, everyone revered her even more.
Life had grown busier, yes, but Asia was happy.
She had always intended to devote her short life to serving God.
And the appearance of her Sacred Gear had only made her conviction stronger.
To her, it meant God was watching.
But all of that had crumbled just two nights ago.
Her ability to heal demons led to accusations and suspicion.
Within a day, her title of "Saint" was revoked.
She was expelled from the Church, banned permanently from ever returning.
It was a devastating blow.
Her voice, her pleas, meant nothing.
Once the paperwork was filed, her name was erased.
And worst of all, the colleagues who once cared for her... not a single one came to say goodbye.
They were good people once.
Weren't they?
Now, with her future uncertain, Asia could no longer hold back her tears.
But she didn't blame anyone.
Not the Church that cast her out, not the colleagues who now treated her like a stranger.
Not even a whisper of resentment crossed her heart.
"…I'm sorry… If it weren't for me, none of this would've happened. The Church wouldn't be in this position. But I'm not… I'm not some evil witch…"
She murmured to herself, crying harder with each word.
Then she lowered herself to her knees, palms pressed together in prayer, her voice trembling:
"This must be a trial… Yes, a test from the Lord. I must endure it. It must be…"
Her sobs faded into the dusk, carried off by the evening breeze.
Rod watched quietly from a distance. He didn't interrupt.
If it were him?
His reaction would've been: Screw this place. I'm out.
But Asia?
She took all the pain upon herself.
Honestly?
He couldn't do that.
Especially since she'd done nothing wrong in the first place.
The reason her Sacred Gear could heal demons was due to the system malfunction that occurred after God disappeared.
It wasn't her fault.
"…Alright. Guess that's my cue."
Rod yawned.
He had no deep thoughts about it.
He already knew the plot. There was no point overthinking things.
Just follow the script.
He strolled over to the kneeling girl.
If one listened closely, one could still hear her whispering prayers through her tears.
Rod didn't pay attention to the words.
He simply stepped forward… and tapped her gently on the shoulder.
Asia flinched like a startled rabbit, her whole body trembling at the sudden touch.
Startled, she looked up, and saw a tall, black-haired man standing before her.
He was holding a photo.
He was staring at her face.
"Is this you in the picture?" Rod asked, voice calm.
"…Y-Yes."
Asia glanced up nervously and confirmed it.
It was a photo of her, full frontal, probably taken while she was doing chores.
She didn't even remember when it had been taken.
She certainly hadn't expected someone to show up with it now.
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