As expected!
Asia had been completely moved by the persona Vitan portrayed with his words. Her eyes were full of emotion.
"I knew it. I always believed that Vitan-san would be a good devil. I believe the Lord would also support your ideals."
She traced a cross over her chest, pressed her hands together, and sincerely prayed for Vitan.
Everything is going according to plan.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he had expected.
"But still, I need to apologize to you, Asia! If only I had discovered this earlier, you wouldn't have been set up by Diodora and excommunicated by the church."
He gently sandwiched Asia's soft little hands between his own, as if holding a delicate hamburger.
And Asia didn't think too much about it—or rather, at this moment, she didn't even have the awareness to interpret such things differently.
She simply assumed that Vitan was trying to comfort her.
Although the gesture made her feel a little shy.
Still, there was something far more important on her mind right now—something she had to ask immediately.
"Um… Vitan-san, what about those saint sisters who were tricked by the devils…? What will happen to them?"
"You really still don't think about yourself first, huh? Even though you've already been exiled from the church and can't survive in this country on your own, you're still worried about others."
He flicked her forehead lightly with his finger.
Asia immediately cupped her forehead adorably and said with an innocent face:
"I'll manage somehow."
"As long as I can pray to the Lord every day, and find a part-time job to earn some wages—just enough to buy bread, that's good enough for me."
"But those saint sisters are so pitiful. After going through all that, their lives must be so hard…"
He sighed softly.
Then, the large hand covering hers gave her a gentle pat.
"I promise you—I'll help those poor saints find a new path. But right now, you should seriously think about what you want to do next."
Right now, Vitan truly resembled the Big Bad Wolf from a fairy tale, standing outside the door, gently coaxing the Little Red Riding Hood inside to open it herself.
"Me? Just as I said before! I'll work a part-time job to earn enough for daily living expenses, and then I'll pray to the Lord every day. If I can keep living like that, I'll be perfectly content."
Asia smiled sweetly, her eyes curved into crescent moons, and her slender little legs dangled in the air, kicking back and forth.
Her expression and body language clearly showed that she truly meant what she said — that was enough to satisfy her.
"Tell me, Asia, you don't dislike me, right?"
Vitan continued pressing gently with his question.
"Dislike?"
Asia tilted her head slightly, her delicate ears twitching just a little.
"Of course I don't dislike you, Vitan-san. You're a good person, after all."
Well now, not only did she not call him a "good devil," she had outright called him a good person.
"In that case, Asia, would you like to accept my offer? You can stay with me for now. Think of it as my way of making it up to you."
"E-Eh—!"
Such an unexpected turn of events startled Asia into an audible gasp. Her once calm and relaxed demeanor now gave way to frantic and flustered movements.
"B-But…"
When she met Vitan's gaze, her eyes quickly darted away, and her dainty body shifted back little by little, as if trying to put some distance between them.
"So in the end, Asia, you are bothered by the fact that I'm a devil."
That previously calm and deep voice now carried a hint of disappointment, which made Asia instantly feel like her hesitation was an unforgivable sin.
Vitan had helped her so selflessly.
He had punished the evil devil Diodora on her behalf, and helped the other saintesses as well.
And yet, just now, because of Vitan's identity as a devil, she had hesitated — even if only for a second.
That was, without a doubt, a betrayal of Vitan's kindness!
Asia reached out her small hand and grasped Vitan's larger hand in return.
"Please don't say that, Vitan-san. I accept your kindness. It's just… am I really not going to be a burden to you? I… I don't know how to do anything."
As she spoke, though she had intended to comfort a supposedly hurt Vitan, she instead ended up feeling even more downhearted herself.
She suddenly realized that aside from praying, there really wasn't anything she could do.
She was barely literate, clumsy with chores, and not particularly quick-witted.
And yet she'd boldly claimed just earlier that she could survive by working part-time.
"Well then, how about this? As it happens, I'm preparing to live in the human world for a while. Asia, you can help out with cleaning the house and cooking meals. That way, I can also send you to school."
"School?"
Asia's eyes widened in astonishment, as if she couldn't believe what she'd just heard. She reached up and pinched her cheeks that seemed like they might start dripping with emotion at any moment.
"Yes! Haven't you always dreamed of going to school, sitting in a classroom and learning new things?"
This time, Asia was truly shocked. She really did yearn for the school life.
But because the work assigned to saintesses by the Church was so burdensome — and the wages they earned were barely enough to live on — she never had the opportunity to attend.
That tiny dream buried deep in her heart — it shouldn't have been something anyone else knew.
"That was easy enough to notice. Back at the museum, I already saw it. You longed to dive into the sea of knowledge, didn't you?"
"Vitan-san!"
Asia was now completely moved.
She had only slightly revealed her desire with a wistful look, and yet this man beside her had seen through her wishes and was even planning to make them come true.
"So then, Asia, would you be willing to live with me for now?"
He extended his large hand again, then knelt down on one knee in front of her — the formal etiquette of a noble inviting a young lady.
"E-Eh!"
Asia panicked once more, her emerald-green pupils quivering.
She was just a girl abandoned by her parents at a young age, raised in a church. She had never experienced anything like this before.
However, as a saintess of the church, she had occasionally met nobles from human society, so she knew what she was supposed to do next.
After a moment of flustered hesitation, she timidly placed her small hand into Vitan's palm, then shut her eyes tightly, as if too scared to witness what would happen next.
Vitan chuckled softly, then slowly lowered his head.
— Smooch!
"From now on, please take care of me, Asia."