No! This development was completely off!
Diodora's eyes widened like copper bells, for he saw something completely unexpected.
The sound of chains shattering rang in the air!
"—Structure recognition complete. Now forming!"
A silver-white firearm, glowing with a metallic sheen, materialized in the man's hand.
And that dark barrel—was aimed right at his forehead.
A devil's regenerative ability was indeed powerful, but only if the wound wasn't in a vital spot.
Just like with humans, destroying the heart or brainstem would kill even a devil instantly.
"Wait, wait, what are you doing?"
"I'm the bloodline of Satan Beelzebub! If you kill me, aren't you afraid of incurring his wrath?"
"I can apologize, I can compensate you…"
That blatant killing intent was unmistakable. A moment ago, Diodora had felt no concern for his own safety, but now, every hair on his body stood on end.
Diodora shouted with a mix of false bravado and panic. Bluffing or begging for mercy was a natural instinct for any intelligent life when facing mortal danger.
In the end, it was still the behavior of a child. Diodora chose the most powerless and useless method of all.
But the problem was—Vitan didn't even give him the time of day.
A sharp pain pierced his forehead.
—Squelch!
An orange beam of light unerringly penetrated Diodora's brain stem.
His vision blurred, and his body began to fall slowly. He tried with all his might to lift one of his arms. It seemed like he wanted to say something.
But in the end, all he saw in his final moments was a fountain of crimson blood spraying across the green grass.
"Recording complete."
Leaving behind just that sentence, Vitan took out a tissue to wipe his hands, and once again disappeared into the night.
…
This was the tree-lined boulevard leading to Saint Peter's Basilica!
During the day, it was usually very crowded, but at night, it seemed particularly desolate.
Aside from the streetlamps glowing along the sidewalk, there were only two exorcists standing guard at the entrance to the church.
And in front of those two exorcists stood a little girl with long golden hair, wearing only pink pajamas.
She appeared to be passionately explaining something to the exorcists, but they only waved her off impatiently.
In fact, one of them eventually raised his crucifix, preparing to strike the girl.
With no choice, the girl's eyes welled with tears as she turned and walked away, looking back with every step.
Hidden in the shadows, a man watched the scene unfold and showed a subtle, inexplicable smile before following the girl into the distance.
…
The order to expel her from the Church was issued the moment the Pope arrived.
After all, it was an indisputable fact that she had used a sacred gar to heal a devil. Even though she had explained herself desperately—saying she believed the devil she healed was a kind gentleman—
The order still came from the mouth of the Pope himself, whom she had always respected.
From a revered Saint to a wicked Witch!
The entire transformation was decided in just three hours.
But Asia felt no regret for saving the devil, nor did she harbor resentment toward the Church for casting her out.
To save an innocent life—devil or not—was, in her heart, the duty of a Saint.
And since devils were the enemies of her Lord, and she, a Saint of the Church, had healed that enemy, she could not complain about losing her title.
However, she had grown up in the Church.
She had no survival skills whatsoever, not even a basic education. Now that she had been expelled, where could she go?
She dragged her suitcase, which contained only a few yellowed old clothes. Her saintly robes had been taken back, and the funds she had were the meager allowance given by the Church—barely enough to live on.
A blank, confused expression filled Asia's face.
Under the lonely night sky, the girl wandered aimlessly through the streets, eventually turning into a park within the city.
Sitting on a bench, Asia looked up at the starlit sky, and her sorrowful thoughts began to spill forth.
"I wonder… would I disappoint Mr. Vitan now?"
Asia was surprised by her own feelings.
After being expelled from the Church, aside from the pain of no longer being able to serve her Lord at all times—
The remaining emotion was the fear that the young man who had made her feel so comfortable earlier that day would now loathe her for being a witch.
"No, you wouldn't! If anything, I should be the one apologizing to you, Asia."
The man's voice rang out with striking clarity in the quiet night.
It was a voice she knew very well—the kind and pleasant tone she had heard many, many times today.
"Vi… Vitan-san, you… why are you here?!"
Asia sprang up from the bench and stared at the man who had just crossed her mind moments before.
"Didn't I say it already? I came specifically to apologize to you, Asia!"
With an apologetic smile, Vitan naturally placed both hands on her shoulders.
"Apologize… to me?"
If someone were to take a photo of Asia's current expression, the picture would definitely show a face full of confusion.
Pressed back onto the bench by Vitan's firm hands, Asia wasn't even paying attention to how close she was sitting to a man. Instead, her mind was completely occupied with just one thought—what exactly had Vitan done that required an apology?
Her delicate young face scrunched up as if trying to solve a puzzle, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't come up with an answer.
"I don't think Mr. Vitan has done anything to apologize for. On the contrary, I..."
As she spoke, Asia bit her rosy lip and glanced at Vitan from the corner of her eye, her face turning a bit pale.
But upon seeing Vitan's gentle, smiling profile, she suddenly regained confidence.
Confidence that this man in front of her could understand her, that he wouldn't hate her even now that she had been cast out by the Church and labeled a witch.
She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to summon her courage.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Vitan. I've made a grave mistake and am no longer the Church's saint. I won't be able to go with you to the Vatican Museum like we promised. Someone like me is no longer allowed to step into such a sacred place."
Just those two short sentences seemed to drain all her strength. When she finished, her entire body slumped weakly against the bench's armrest.
At that moment, a large hand steadied her thin shoulder, and a deep voice echoed beside her ear.
"Asia, don't apologize just yet. Take a look at what I've prepared first."