Devils might be synonymous with evil to most people, but Asia still believed there could be good among them.
Under the miraculous glow, Diadora's torn wounds had completely healed.
His breathing became increasingly rapid, and his gaze toward Asia grew more intense.
But he knew—the time had not yet come.
Because the final actor in his little play had not yet arrived.
To bring the curtains down on his act, Diadora took his final step of the day—
He shed his disguise completely, unleashing his devilish aura and revealing his wings.
"Mr… Devil?"
Asia, startled, collapsed to the floor in fright.
"My apologies, Miss Asia. My healed injuries caused a sudden surge in magic power—I failed to control it. I'm sorry to have frightened you."
Shifting from leaning against the wall to crouching before her, Diadora spoke gently.
"Thank goodness… you truly are a kind devil!"
Asia's expression relaxed—she believed her trust had not been betrayed.
What she failed to notice was the eerie smirk hiding at the corner of Diadora's lips.
His ears twitched—his devil senses, far superior to human hearing, easily picked up the sounds coming from afar.
——Bang!
"Wicked devil, you—!"
The priest on patrol along this street was usually quite idle.
After all, in this era of peace, who in their right mind would attack the Holy Vatican?
Yet today, while conducting his usual patrol around the Holy Maidens' dormitory—
The sudden surge of demonic energy jolted him awake, and he rushed toward the source.
But what did he see?
The Church's revered Holy Maiden, peacefully sitting with a devil who had fully revealed his wings.
That devil still had dried blood at the corner of his mouth, his shirt torn open to reveal fresh, white flesh underneath.
Asia was the bearer of the Sacred Gear Twilight Healing, blessed by the Lord with the power to heal any wound.
And yet—what was this scene?
A Holy Maiden of the Church, using the Lord's sacred gift to heal a devil?
The repelling barrier had been lifted.
Diadora's expression contorted completely as he turned to leave—for he had seen the panic-stricken look on Asia's face.
In the quiet of the rainy night, the priest's alarm bell shattered the silence, and the area quickly became chaotic.
In a secluded field far from the Holy Maiden's dormitory, a young man with a sickly grin gazed down at the events playing out in a magical screen.
On the screen, Asia knelt on the ground with her hands folded, face full of remorse and repentance.
More and more priests were surrounding the dormitory, sealing off all escape routes.
Until, finally, an old man with silver hair appeared.
He was dressed entirely in white ceremonial robes, draped in a crimson mantle, adorned with gold-embroidered ornaments and a gold cross hanging from a golden cord.
But what most clearly marked his identity—
—was the triple-tiered tiara upon his head.
The Pope of the Catholic Church!
"Announce it quickly! Announce it quickly! That way, I can finally get my hands on my most precious toy."
Diodora's pupils were bloodshot, so much so that they were nearly fully congested and turning completely red.
"I wonder, tomorrow, when Asia announces that everything was done by me, what kind of expression will she show?"
He could barely wait for tomorrow to receive this toy he had painstakingly prepared for so long.
——***!
A crisp clapping sound rang out in the silence of the night, but instead of comfort, it sent a chill shooting from Diodora's tailbone straight to his brain.
"Who's there? Show yourself immediately!"
Magic power stirred the air, causing a wild tempest to rise around him. The magical mirror formed by mana shattered into pieces under the violent magical disturbance.
This place was the base specifically used to lure saintesses of the Church. It was usually protected by a high-powered barrier.
Even if a high-ranking exorcist from the Church accidentally discovered this place, they would need to launch relentless attacks for over ten minutes just to shake the barrier.
When he returned, he had hidden his tracks the entire way. Not a single exorcist had detected his movements before he returned to this stronghold.
"It's nothing. I was just expressing my admiration that such a laughably poor plan could actually succeed."
Under the pitch-black night sky, the silhouette of a man gradually emerged.
"Who are you?!"
Diodora's expression twisted completely.
The man had no trace of an exorcist's aura, nor did he appear to possess mana or spiritual power.
Impossible!
A normal person with no special powers had tailed a high-ranking devil like him and even strutted into his warded territory unscathed.
What kind of international joke was this?
"Oh… that's right. With your pathetic level of mana, it seems you can't even see through my current disguise."
Another round of crisp applause rang out, and Vitan put on a mock look of realization, making Diodora's fury shoot straight to his head.
But Vitan's calm demeanor and bizarre abilities kept him from acting rashly.
Cancel the disguise!
His appearance began shifting closer to his demonic form, and mana within his body started becoming more pronounced.
As Vitan gradually changed, Diodora's nervousness slowly faded.
Because as the mana became visible, he saw what unmistakably marked the identity of a devil behind Vitan — the bat-like demonic wings!
And the man's appearance slowly merged with the face from his memory.
Although he had never seen the man in person, he had frequently snuck into the Asmodeus family's territory over the past few years.
To be cautious, he had even sent people to Asmodeus City to inquire about the current head's appearance.
Combining all the information he had gathered, Diodora came to the most reasonable conclusion about this man's identity.
He restrained his confrontational aura and put on his most insincere smile once more.
Placing one hand to his chest, he spoke with a tone of respect that was neither humble nor arrogant.
"Diodora Astaroth greets Lord Asmodeus!"
"For my trespassing into your territory, I offer my sincerest apology."