Despite her worries, the thing Asia had been dreading all night never came to pass.
Rod might've been interested in getting closer to some of the female leads, sure, but he wasn't that thirsty.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, as promised, Rod took Asia on a relaxing stroll through Milan.
And given how little of the world Asia had seen, even the most trivial trinket could light her up with childlike joy.
Rod kept an eye on the system map the entire time, but as expected, there were no updates, no threats.
Eventually, he just gave in and decided to enjoy the moment, playing the role of both tourist and guardian.
The following day.
Just as Rod was about to leave Rome with Asia, having given up on the mission triggering anytime soon, the hotel staff handed him a letter.
Apparently, someone had left it for them.
He opened it.
The contents were… suspicious.
The letter claimed to be from a support network formed by "independent exorcists", freelancers, in other words, offering assistance to exorcists like Rod and requesting a meeting.
Rod scoffed. A paper-thin excuse.
He'd been in this world for years and never heard of any so-called freelance exorcist alliance.
In truth, there were only two types of exorcists:
The first were Church-sanctioned, those who had been officially inducted, blessed by God and angels, using holy water and divine light to exorcise evil.
The second were the broken ones, the ones who had developed a sick pleasure in killing, whether it be demons, angels, or even humans. These twisted exorcists had either been excommunicated or… "discreetly dealt with" to prevent collateral damage.
Only the lucky few managed to escape punishment. These were the true rogue exorcists.
As for the concept of "freelance exorcists"?
Rod hadn't seen a single one besides himself.
In this world of the supernatural, survival came down to two paths:
One, be powerful enough to walk alone.
Two, join an organization and survive as a pack.
And for years, no so-called civilian network had ever reached out to him.
Which meant there was only one logical conclusion:
These guys were rogue exorcists.
At that moment, the system map updated.
New markers appeared, locations highlighted in red.
"They weren't here yesterday. So they just arrived?"
Rod folded the letter.
There was no need to overthink. He'd go to the meeting.
But he glanced at Asia beside him and stopped.
Better to bring her along.
Now that they'd made contact, there was a decent chance they'd try to abduct her the moment his back was turned.
Keeping her nearby would be safest.
At least then, if anything happened, he could respond immediately.
Rod found a quiet spot and read the letter's contents aloud to Asia.
"A group of exorcists?" she asked brightly. "Could this be the organization you belong to, Mister Rod?"
She looked genuinely happy.
Clearly, she had no idea what the term "rogue exorcist" meant.
Nor did she know what a fallen angel truly was.
If she had, there was no way a devout girl like her would've ever agreed to follow them to Kuoh Town in the first place.
Rod explained it plainly.
He laid out the facts, telling her the truth, that someone was targeting her Sacred Gear.
"But… why?" Asia looked puzzled. "I'm not the only one in the world who can heal people…"
"True," Rod said with a half-smile. "But you're probably the only one who can heal demons and fallen angels too."
Asia froze.
Her eyes widened as the realization sank in.
"So now you understand how valuable you are," Rod added. "And how far they'll go to get you."
"W-What should I do then…?"
"That's easy. Just stay close to me."
"…Okay."
Asia didn't argue. She simply nodded and accepted it.
Rod's plan was refreshingly simple:
Step one, head to the rogue exorcists' base in Italy.
Step two, improvise.
A flawless plan!
In his opinion, it was better not to overthink things. Plans could always go sideways.
Best to stay adaptable.
Soon, using the system map as a guide, Rod arrived at a rundown, abandoned factory on the outskirts of town.
The perimeter wall was crumbling, and the access roads were full of cracks and weeds.
The entire place looked like a budget horror movie set.
It screamed "definitely not legitimate."
As Asia opened her mouth to ask how they'd get in, Rod simply scooped her up by the waist and leapt.
He cleared the three-meter-high wall in a single bound.
A few more light jumps, and they landed on the roof of the dilapidated factory.
Peering through a broken section of the ceiling, Rod spotted several rogue exorcists lounging inside.
"Wait here," he told Asia.
He double-checked the system map, no hidden red dots.
"All clear."
Asia stood obediently where she was, covering her mouth with both hands.
Rod had told her in advance that a fight might break out.
She didn't like it, but she understood.
She wanted peace, but she wasn't naïve.
Once she was situated, Rod leapt down.
A whistle of air cut through the silence.
The rogue exorcists below, stationed here under the orders of a certain fallen angel, opened their eyes just in time to see Rod descending from the rafters.
"What the hell?! Did he jump from up there?!"
Before they could react, Rod whipped out his twin Desert Eagles mid-air and opened fire.
In a flash, several of them dropped, bullet holes blooming in their skulls.
By the time Rod landed, only one exorcist was left standing.
A silver-haired young man in a Church-issue exorcist uniform, complete with engraved crosses on the collar and back.
He looked to be about Rod's age and was the only one fast enough to draw his Holy Light Sword and block the incoming bullet.
His companions were dead.
But there was no sorrow in his eyes.
Instead, the guy chuckled.
"Whew… that was close."
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200 P.S / 1 Extra Chapters
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