Occult Research Club.
The moment Genichi pushed open the door, everyone in the clubroom raised their heads and looked at him.
Then their gazes all landed on the timid blond girl behind him.
Asia Argento followed behind Genichi, her hands nervously clasped in front of her chest. Her blue-green eyes uneasily surveyed the unfamiliar room.
She was dressed in a nun's habit, and in this clubroom filled with the presence of Devils, she looked especially out of place.
Rias set down the grimoire in her hand and raised an eyebrow.
Akeno's smile turned meaningful.
"Ara, ara."
Himejima Akeno was the first to speak, her voice so gentle it gave people goosebumps.
"Kōhai-kun, kidnapping girls is a crime, you know."
There was obvious teasing in her tone. Her eyes swept back and forth between Genichi and Asia, as if to say—It's only been a few days, and you've already brought back a nun?
Genichi glanced at her and ignored her barbed sarcasm.
He knew that was just how Akeno-senpai was.
If he didn't let her say a few words, she probably would never get that frustration out of her system.
He walked straight over to Rias and went directly to the point.
"I brought you back a Sacred Gear user."
Rias's eyes lit up slightly.
A Sacred Gear user?
In the Devil world, Sacred Gear users were extremely valuable.
Especially those with special abilities. They were targets that the major Devil families would fight to obtain.
"Asia Argento."
Genichi gestured to the girl behind him and introduced her.
"She's the wielder of the Sacred Gear Twilight Healing. She was exiled from the Church because she healed a Devil."
Rias's eyes instantly brightened.
A healing-type Sacred Gear!
In Devil society, people with healing abilities were extremely rare.
Battles between Devils were often brutal and intense, so injuries were commonplace.
A servant with powerful healing abilities was undoubtedly something any Devil master would dream of having.
And on top of that, this girl's Sacred Gear was called Twilight Healing. Just from the name, it was obvious this was no ordinary healing ability.
Rias had already begun calculating how much help this girl would provide in future Rating Games if she became her servant.
However, she still had one question.
"Genichi, how did you know?"
Her voice was calm, but her crimson eyes stared straight at Genichi, carrying a trace of scrutiny.
Genichi looked at her, fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"That isn't important, is it?"
His tone was flat, as though he was merely stating a fact.
"What matters is whether you're willing to take Asia Argento in. Right now, she has nowhere to go. The fallen priest and Fallen Angels at Kuoh Town's church are also eyeing the Sacred Gear inside her."
Rias looked at him, a complicated light flashing through her eyes.
She knew Genichi was avoiding the question.
But she also knew he was right.
The most important thing right now was not asking how he knew, but deciding how to handle the girl's situation.
If what he said was true, and there really were Fallen Angels and a fallen priest in that church, then this girl was in serious danger.
Rias stood up and walked over to Asia, looking down at her.
The timid blond girl raised her head and met the gaze of the red-haired Devil princess, her body trembling slightly.
"Of course I'm willing."
Rias's voice was firm and warm.
Then she looked at Asia and asked, word by word, "Asia Argento, are you willing to become my servant—Rias Gremory's servant?"
Asia froze.
Gremory.
That name was like thunder to her ears.
It was the family line of one of the seventy-two Pillars of the Demons, a prestigious noble house in the Devil world.
This beautiful red-haired woman in front of her was the next head of the Gremory family?
She wanted Asia to become a Devil's servant?
Asia's mind went completely blank.
She was a nun. A believer in God.
Although she had been exiled from the Church and branded a heretic, she had never imagined becoming a Devil.
That would be betrayal.
Betrayal of the God she had believed in since childhood.
Betrayal of everything she once had.
But…
Where else could she go?
The Church did not want her. God did not want her. The entire world did not want her.
There were Fallen Angels in that church. If she went there, she would die.
She had no home, no family, no friends.
She had nothing.
"I…"
She opened her mouth but did not know what to say.
Rias looked at her hesitation, and a trace of sympathy flashed through her eyes.
She knew what this girl was struggling with.
For a nun to become a Devil, it naturally required tremendous resolve.
At that moment, Genichi spoke.
"Asia."
His voice was very calm, yet it made Asia's body tremble slightly.
She raised her head and looked at him.
"You've already been exiled from the Church."
Genichi's voice carried no emotion. He was simply stating the truth.
"You have nowhere to go and no one willing to take you in. Those so-called churches either reject you or want your life."
Asia's face grew paler and paler.
"You've already fallen so far that you were about to associate with a fallen priest and Fallen Angels."
Genichi continued, his tone still calm.
"So what's the difference between that and associating with Devils?"
His words were blunt, even somewhat cruel.
But Asia knew he was telling the truth.
She had already been abandoned by the Church. Abandoned by God.
She had tried to seek refuge at a church, only to learn that it was a Fallen Angel trap. She truly had nowhere left to go.
"…As long as you agree, you'll be our family."
Genichi's voice softened.
He glanced at Rias, then looked back at Asia.
"Rias treats her Devil servants as her family."
Asia instinctively looked at Rias.
The red-haired Devil princess looked at her, nodded, and showed a gentle smile.
"That's right."
Rias's voice was firm and warm. "All my servants are my family. Here, you won't be abandoned. You won't be used. You won't be hurt. I'll protect you."
Family's protection.
Something flickered in Asia's eyes.
Ever since the day the Church exiled her, she had never heard that word again.
Family.
What a distant word it was.
She looked at Rias, then at Genichi, then at Akeno, Kiba, and Koneko.
These Devils, these beings she had once believed she should see as enemies, were giving her a warmth she had never had before.
Asia lowered her head and remained silent for a long time.
The clubroom was quiet. No one spoke. Everyone waited for her answer.
After a long while, she raised her head, and there was no longer any hesitation in her blue-green eyes.
"Okay."
Her voice was soft, but it carried a kind of resolve.
"I agree."
A radiant smile blossomed on Rias's face.
She stepped forward and gently took Asia's hand.
"Welcome."
Feeling the warmth of that hand, a complicated emotion welled up inside Asia.
There was relief, unease, anticipation, and a thread of hope even she herself had not noticed.
From today onward, she was no longer a nun of the Church.
She was Rias Gremory's servant.
She was a Devil.
Genichi stood to the side, watching the scene, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.
He knew that from this moment on, the plot had already changed.
But this was a good change.
At the very least, this kindhearted girl would not repeat the same tragedy as before.
(End of Chapter)
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