Chapter 24: The Nun’s Favor Maxed Out

Returning to the present, the battle in the church had finally ended.

Black crow feathers fell like flower petals.

Under the moonlight, the nun Asia lay dazed in the boy's arms, her head still spinning from the series of events that had just unfolded.

It wasn't until Keikain Fukuki's voice came from above that she snapped out of it.

"Come back to your senses. It's safe now."

"Ah…"

It was as if her consciousness had been yanked back from another world. Asia trembled slightly at first, her eyes regaining clarity. After glancing around the area, she finally realized her current situation.

The once pale face of the girl flushed like a boiling kettle, a soft hiss of white steam seemingly rising from her head.

"I-I-I'm so sorry! And… um… thank you, Mr. Fukuki, for saving me…"

Asia scrambled out of the boy's arms in a fluster, bowing repeatedly in apology and gratitude.

At the same time, Rias and Akeno entered from the rear, joining Koneko as they stood behind Keikain Fukuki, curiously observing the blonde nun in front of them.

Although the underworld and heaven had been bitter enemies during the past great war, fighting to the brink of mutual annihilation, their current relationship was more of a wary truce. On an individual level, devils and angels—or their subordinates—generally harbored no deep-seated grudges. Encounters didn't usually escalate into immediate life-or-death battles, except in cases involving extremists like Freed.

"This girl… Could she be the nun you mentioned meeting this morning, Fukuki?" Rias asked with a slightly surprised expression, scrutinizing the girl carefully.

"Yeah, that's her," Fukuki replied, picking up the nun's dropped veil and holding it up for emphasis as he turned to the trio. "This morning, it was something like this—"

"Don't!"

The three girls instinctively stepped back in unison, each flashing polite yet guarded smiles. The sight of him holding a sacred cloth imbued with holy blessings was about as comforting as someone brandishing an electrified mosquito racket at them.

For lower-tier devils, such a garment would sting as much as a live wire. Even for someone like Rias, a pure-blooded devil, it wouldn't inflict actual harm but would be profoundly uncomfortable—akin to having their hair washed in stinky fermented noodles.

Watching him wave the veil around was no different than witnessing someone gleefully shovel up something unpleasant and insistently trying to show it off.

It was… hard to describe.

In a word, it was jarring.

"Sorry…"

Asia's soft voice broke the awkward silence.

Her head hung low, hands clasped nervously against her chest.

"This morning… I lied to you, Mr. Fukuki. I'm not a nun anymore. I'm… an excommunicated heretic."

"Huh?"

Heretic?

Fukuki froze, confused by the unfamiliar term.

He knew about rogue devils and stray exorcist, but those were combat-capable individuals who had forsaken their faith and wreaked havoc in society. But a nun? Wasn't a nun inherently powerless? How extreme could a heretical nun even be?

It's not like this was the Warhammer universe.

"Yes," Asia nodded gently, continuing in a soft tone.

"I was abandoned as a baby and raised by the Church. They cherished me as a saint because I had the power to heal humans and angels alike. But one day, I discovered by accident… my powers could also heal devils."

As she spoke, Asia raised her hands. A soft green light emanated from her palms, accompanied by the faint appearance of a matching pair of rings on her middle fingers.

"Wait a minute… could that be the Sacred Gear Twilight Healing?"

Rias' voice rose in astonishment as she noticed the glowing rings on Asia's fingers.

"That would explain it. Sacred Gears themselves are neutral and don't discriminate by faction. Whether you're an angel, human, devil, or fallen angel, their effects apply universally."

"I know," Asia said, her voice tinged with bitterness as a faintly sad smile replaced her usual gentle expression.

"But some things can't be explained away with logic. That's why I left the Church and fled from Europe to Japan, hoping to live quietly in a remote chapel, even if it meant being labeled a heretic. Even Raynare said so. She told me that those of us here had been abandoned by God. But she also said that if we endure the trials God has set before us, we might one day be welcomed back into His grace…"

"Do you actually believe her nonsense?"

Fukuki shrugged.

"If God were truly so benevolent, He should've intervened when that lunatic priest was slaughtering civilians. He should've revealed Himself when you, Asia, were falsely accused of heresy and explained everything clearly. And He definitely wouldn't have let you almost lose your sacred gear to a Fallen Angel... Such a useless god. Believing in Him is less reliable than believing in me."

"Mm! I think so too!"

The young nun nodded vigorously. She raised her face, stepping forward until she was nearly chest-to-chest with him, and declared firmly.

Huh?

This time, it was Fukuki's turn to be confused.

Wait a minute, what did this nun just say?

He thought he must have misheard her, but Asia's voice continued:

"When I was captured by the Fallen Angels, I prayed to Mr. Fukuki for help, and then Mr. Fukuki really came to save me! From now on, Asia will be part of the Fukuki Church... No, Asia will be Mr. Fukuki's one and only believer!"

Although she still addressed him as "Mr.," her tone had shifted, directly focusing on "Fukuki" with every word.

"Ara, ara~"

Behind them, Akeno Himejima gently held her face and let out her usual catchphrase.

Beside her, Rias also sighed helplessly, raising a hand to her forehead.

"Honestly, to go this far for someone you just met this morning and have only spent a few minutes with... How extreme..."

"Jealous, President?"

The black-haired girl with a high ponytail tilted her head playfully.

This remark made the red-haired girl freeze, then immediately fluster. "Huh? N-no, of course not! Akeno, what are you talking about?"

"Hehe~ Just joking."

Akeno covered her mouth as she chuckled, masking a fleeting expression she didn't want others to notice.

Hmm, how should she put it... Actually, she felt a tiny bit jealous too.

"No need to worry."

Koneko suddenly looked ahead and said calmly,

"If it were President Rias or Senior Akeno in danger, Senior Fukuki would step in to help them as well."

"Eh?"

"Huh..."

The two girls, who had been laughing and teasing just a moment ago, fell silent at her words. Although Akeno had claimed it was just a joke, their gazes unconsciously turned toward the boy in front of them.

Sensing the stares behind him, Fukuki turned back to meet their eyes.

"Right, Senior Fukuki?" the white-haired girl added.

"Mm, of course."

Fukuki thought for a moment and added, "That includes you, Koneko."

"W-well... Even if Senior Fukuki says that, I won't be happy about it." (Her cheeks slightly flushed.)