Chapter 139: The Former Saintess Will Now Become a JK
The girl had been abandoned by her parents from a young age but was fortunate enough to be raised in a church-affiliated convent that also served as an orphanage.
As a result, she grew up to be a devout believer.
At the age of eight, she performed a miraculous act—healing an injured puppy with her power.
This ability caught the attention of the Catholic Church, drastically altering the course of her life.
She was proclaimed as the [Holy Pristess] with the power of healing, and thanks to this ability, she cured many people, earning the adoration of countless believers.
Yet, despite gaining such a revered status, she never became arrogant or complacent. She remained as gentle and kind-hearted as ever.
As long as her power could help others, she was happy—that was enough for her.
But one day, she healed an injured devil, and it just so happened that church officials witnessed it.
Thus, her life took another drastic turn.
The girl was excommunicated—the church could not accept that she had aided the enemy of God.
More importantly, the girl's healing power was no longer considered a divine gift, as the healing power bestowed by God was ineffective against fallen angels and devils.
Yet her power could even heal devils, so that power was not sacred. The priests branded her a heretic and even called her a witch.
Thus, the girl was cast out.
But an organization took her in—its name was [Stray Devil Exorcist].
Most of its members were people who had been expelled from the Church for being misunderstood, and they welcomed the girl.
Before she was to be dispatched to a location in a far-eastern island nation as an assistant to a priest belonging to the [Stray Devil Exorcist] Church, she wanted to offer one final prayer—the closest she could get to God.
So, she went to a sacred site established three thousand years ago by a great sage king to offer her last prayer before heading to her assigned post as a nun.
But there, her life was shaken once again.
In the past, she could not bear to see life extinguished before her eyes—no matter who it was, she would prioritize saving them.
Yet this time, the person she saved nearly killed two good people.
Indirectly, it was as if she had killed those two herself.
If she hadn't saved that wicked person, this wouldn't have happened.
So, her power had not only failed to help those around her—it had brought calamity instead.
She also thought of the devil she had once saved—was that devil now harming humans too?
What had she done?
That day, the girl nearly broke.
"What are you spacing out for, Asia?"
"Huh? Oh—"
Asia snapped out of her daze, realizing she had been lost in thought and hadn't noticed they were already stepping out the door.
Now, the two of them were no longer in the country where the sacred site was located—they had instead arrived at the other side of the world, in the office lobby of a government agency in a far-eastern island nation.
Asia's original assignment had been to serve as an assistant at a church in a town in this country.
As for why Renji was with her—he had said his situation was similar to hers. A wanderer, he had simply decided to accompany her to this country.
He never mentioned where he was from.
When boarding the plane, he had used a simple demonic hypnosis spell to get on effortlessly.
Normally, Asia would have scolded him and tried to help him properly.
But the shock from that day had left her in a daze.
Moreover, the two innocent people involved had been knocked unconscious by Renji beforehand, and their memories were later erased using demonic magic.
After all, ordinary people who witnessed such things would likely be traumatized—forgetting was for the best.
As for that devil, Renji had let him go afterward—though in a way that meant he would "never appear again."
So, Asia understood what "let go" truly meant.
And that devil had confessed his crimes—over a dozen lives taken. There was no way he could have been truly released.
Over a dozen lives!
That meant the devil she had saved might have committed just as many atrocities—which, in turn, meant Asia herself had committed them.
So, being expelled from her original church was truly what she deserved.
The more Asia thought about it, the heavier her heart became, to the point where she even contemplated suicide.
The only reason she was still shamelessly alive was that Renji had deduced from the information she provided that she might have fallen into a conspiracy.
It was too much of a coincidence—how she had saved a devil, only to be discovered by the Church immediately afterward.
After being excommunicated, she was promptly "found" and taken in by the Stray Devil Exorcist organization. Everything had gone far too smoothly.
It was almost as if someone had deliberately orchestrated these events to make her leave her original Church and join the Stray Devil Exorcist organization.
And now, it seemed the Stray Devil Exorcist organization wasn't any better. The devil Renji had captured earlier had revealed that it, too, belonged to the Stray Devil Exorcist.
How ironic—an organization supposedly dedicated to exterminating devils was actually collaborating with them.
The devils would attack their chosen targets, while the exorcist priests within the Stray Devil Exorcist would "drive them away," all in exchange for large sums of money.
That was why Renji believed her chance encounter with the devil, her act of saving it, and everything that followed had actually been orchestrated by the Stray Devil Exorcist behind the scenes.
Now, Asia wanted nothing more than to uncover the truth and find that devil.
As for why Renji wanted to help her? He simply said it was to repay a favor.
To put it bluntly, there was another reason—he wanted Asia to become his.
For a moment, Asia misunderstood it as a confession, making her heart flutter uncontrollably.
Little did she expect that he would later clarify it was purely because he valued her healing abilities, believing they could be useful to him, and even admitted he intended to make use of her.
Naturally, Asia felt disheartened again.
But she didn't blame him, nor did she have the right to. After all, Renji had taught this naive girl a valuable lesson.
Not everyone should be healed indiscriminately—good intentions could lead to bad outcomes.
As for how to judge, Asia had asked for advice. He told her to rely on her instincts.
One method was to look into the other person's eyes—the windows to the soul. If she sensed even the slightest discomfort, disgust, or similar emotions in their gaze...
In such cases, she should refuse to heal them without hesitation.
However, this method left Asia deeply troubled. She simply couldn't grasp it.
"Here, this is the new identity I arranged for you."
"Huh?"
Asia was taken aback. He had prepared student records for her.
She would enroll as a transfer student at Kuoh Academy, the high school in the town they were heading to.