Asia was so overwhelmed by Gabriel's repeated apologies that she was on the verge of tears.
"From where you came..."
Suddenly, an impassioned tune rang out through the room, and everyone instinctively turned toward the sound.
Rod looked a little embarrassed. "I had my phone volume up too high. Please, continue."
But with Rod's interruption, the atmosphere between Gabriel and Asia could no longer continue as before.
"Asia-san, there was actually another fundamental reason we expelled you back then..."
At that point, Gabriel suddenly paused and turned to look at Rod.
"Sorry, Asia-san. I need to discuss this with Mr. Rod first."
Rod, who had been listening the whole time, didn't even lift his head as he said, "Go ahead. She was bound to find out sooner or later anyway, and with you here, she'll probably have an easier time accepting it."
"Mm."
Gabriel understood that this was true, so she turned back to Asia, whose face was full of confusion.
What could possibly be so important?
Even so, when Asia saw the grave look on Gabriel's face, a bad feeling immediately rose in her heart.
"Asia-san, you need to prepare yourself for what I'm about to say. No matter what happens, we'll be here for you."
Gabriel first gave Asia a little warning, and after seeing that she was ready, she told her the truth about God having already disappeared.
"I'm sorry. Because of that, when your Sacred Gear showed that it could even heal devils, we could only expel you to a place outside the system. If you had remained in the Church, it would have interfered with the system and caused even greater trouble."
Gabriel continued, confessing her sins to Asia.
But right then, Xenovia suddenly leaned in and said, "Lady Gabriel, Asia seems to have fainted."
Everyone in the room immediately fell into a flurry of panic.
Rod, however, had long expected this, so he remained completely calm.
Besides, with Gabriel here, comforting people was not something he needed to do.
Not long afterward, Asia woke up, and Gabriel immediately stepped forward to comfort and console her.
After some time, Asia accepted reality and calmed down.
"Although Heaven has been in decline ever since God left, things have already begun looking up since our alliance with the Three Factions."
Gabriel began painting a beautiful picture of the future for Asia.
In other words, the classic soft-sell routine.
"Asia-san, your faith is so steadfast. So, would you be willing to become one of my retainers and contribute to Heaven's future?"
The moment she heard that, Asia looked up in disbelief.
At the same time, Xenovia and Irina appropriately spread their wings.
For a nun, merely seeing an angel was already the greatest of blessings.
To be reincarnated as an angel was a miracle straight out of a dream.
For that instant, Asia almost opened her mouth to agree.
Yet after pausing for several seconds, she clasped both hands together and said, "Lady Gabriel! I... I really do want to become an angel. To me, that would be the highest honor. Even after I was cast out, I always believed it was a trial given to me by God, meant to temper someone as weak as I am. And becoming an angel might be the reward at the end of that trial."
"But... but during this time, I've been very happy. Because of everything that happened, I met many friends, and people precious to me. And now, being able to meet the Lady Gabriel I admire so much and even speak with you has already made me feel honored beyond words."
"So I... I won't accept. I want to stay with the people I cherish, to live with them, and do many, many things together."
"Because... once I become an angel, there would be many things I wouldn't be allowed to do anymore, right?"
Gabriel was a little surprised when she heard that.
But when she saw that Asia's gaze was fixed straight in Rod's direction, she seemed to understand something.
Although Asia had refused her, Gabriel held no resentment. Her warm smile remained as gentle as ever.
"That's true. Once you become an angel, there really are many restrictions."
At that, Gabriel glanced at Rod.
"Especially if you continue living with Mr. Rod."
As she said that, Gabriel folded her arms.
The Reincarnated Angel system was developed from the logic of Evil Pieces, a way of turning humans into angels.
Ever since God disappeared, Heaven had been unable to produce any new angels. But the appearance of the Reincarnated Angel system had solved Heaven's most pressing crisis.
And angels reincarnated from humans were no different from naturally born angels.
Unlike the Underworld, Heaven had never cared much about bloodline theory, so as long as the reincarnation succeeded, there was no real issue.
But by the same token, Reincarnated Angels could still fall.
And with Rod in the picture, even if Asia became an angel, she would almost certainly still want to continue living with him.
At that point, things between a man and a woman would be unavoidable.
And when that happened, Asia would inevitably fall.
"I understand. Even so, I will still leave a place for you. As for those restrictions, I will speak with Michael after I return and see what can be done."
Gabriel said this solemnly.
After her exchanges with the Underworld, she already knew that beyond Evil Pieces, the Underworld had also begun promoting marriage with humans.
If Heaven didn't want to be left behind, then relying on the Reincarnated Angel system alone would not be enough. Intermarriage with humanity to expand Heaven's ranks would also have to be put on the agenda.
...
After Asia's matter was settled, Gabriel continued touring the area with Rod.
But because the presence of a Seraph was simply too conspicuous, even with deliberate concealment, it was easy for devils to notice her, so strolling through the streets and experiencing the local devil culture was out of the question.
The public already knew that the Three Factions had shaken hands and made peace, but if they actually saw a Seraph walking down the street, it would still cause a massive uproar.
That night, everyone stayed at a hotel arranged by the Underworld.
There, they also got to enjoy one of the Underworld's specialty hot springs.
Rod had an entire bath to himself, but the constant laughter and playful voices drifting over from the women's side still left him restless.
To say nothing else, if he could just catch one glimpse of Gabriel bathing, he would gladly trade ten years of his life for it.
Honestly, if it were only Lavinia and the others, Rod wouldn't have minded mixed bathing with them. Unfortunately, Gabriel, Xenovia, and Irina were all there as well, so he could only entertain the thought in his head.
Fortunately, when night fell, Lavinia's half-asleep wandering habit came through once again, and in the middle of the night, she drifted into Rod's room.
Faced with Lavinia delivering herself right to his doorstep, Rod immediately declared that he had a very important matter to discuss. Then, under the girl's speechless gaze, he pulled out a huge pile of special-purpose equipment from his storage space.
"These are all gifts for you. Do you like them?"
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