Chapter 168 - Why did you suddenly run into those people?
Regarding Kiba's situation, since Roy knew the reason behind it, he didn't plan to intervene too much.
The hatred buried in Kiba's heart was like a powder keg, destined to explode sooner or later, it was only a matter of time.
Roy had never experienced such a dark past, so he couldn't fully grasp the pain in Kiba's heart.
Relying on verbal persuasion wouldn't play a critical role and might even come across as dismissive or sarcastic.
After school that afternoon, Roy, Rias, and Akeno stayed in orc for a while before returning to the villa together.
As for Koneko, Asia, and Ravel, they had made plans to go shopping with their classmates.
Both Roy and Rias supported these group activities with friends.
After all, Asia and Ravel had grown up in environments vastly different from those of ordinary people.
Everyone hoped they could quickly integrate into daily life at Kuoh Academy, build their own interpersonal relationships, and form strong bonds with their classmates.
When Roy and the others finished dinner, Koneko, Asia, and Ravel returned from their outing.
Strangely, however, the three of them didn't look happy, as one might expect after spending time with friends.
Instead, their faces carried a heavy, troubled expression.
"President, we encountered people from the Church," Koneko revealed before anyone could ask.
"Church people?" Rias was taken aback, her face showing immediate concern.
She rushed forward, looking the three up and down, and asked nervously, "Are you three okay? Are you injured?"
Since old times, the church and the devils have been opposing factions, locked in an unending enmity.
The war in the past, with its relentless bloodshed, had driven their relationship to a freezing point.
If not for the war's devastating toll, which forced a ceasefire, and the modern need for angels, devils, and fallen angels to remain hidden from the public, conflicts between church members and devils might still be commonplace in Kuoh Town.
The appearance of them encountering Koneko and the others made Rias worry they might have been harmed.
"We're fine," Koneko said, shaking her head.
Hearing this, Rias breathed a sigh of relief.
"What happened?" Akeno asked, her usual smile fading into a serious expression.
"Why did you suddenly run into those people?"
"We encountered them while shopping," Koneko explained. "They must have noticed that Ravel and I are devils, so they approached us."
"They?" Roy raised an eyebrow. "What did they look like?"
Koneko thought for a moment before answering, "Two girls, about our age. One had short blue hair, and the other had golden twin ponytails."
"The blue haired girl was carrying something that looked like a cross, wrapped in cloth strips."
"I could still sense a strong holy aura emanating from it; it's likely some kind of holy sword."
'It must be Xenovia Quarta and Irina Shidou.'
Roy thought, two names immediately coming to mind after Koneko's description.
"Coming to our territory with a holy sword? What are those people planning?" Rias frowned, her expression darkening.
"They didn't explain," Koneko continued.
"But they said that after school tomorrow, they'll visit Kuoh Academy to meet the President in person."
"Visit me? Are they serious?" Rias was momentarily stunned, then her tone grew serious.
"Church members personally visiting me? This sounds like trouble."
Though Rias held a high status among devils as the heiress of the Gremory clan, she was still a young devil who hadn't yet taken over her clan's affairs.
If the church needed to contact the devils, they would typically go through a higher ranking devil.
For church members to travel such a distance to meet a young devil like Rias, it couldn't be a simple matter.
"Rias, it looks like we need to prepare for tomorrow," Akeno said.
"Yes," Rias nodded.
"We don't know what these idiots are planning. We'll have to wait until tomorrow to ask them directly."
"Roy, um… I… I'm going back to my room," Asia said, her voice barely above a whisper. Since returning, her mood had been noticeably low.
She hadn't spoken a word, standing quietly with her head bowed.
After the discussion ended, she raised her head, forcing an unnatural smile.
"Asia, you've been upset since you got back. Did the church members say something to you?" Roy asked, noticing her trembling figure.
"Yeah, those two were awful," Ravel interjected, her tone quite indignant.
Asia's gentle personality had quickly won Ravel over, and despite knowing each other for only a few days, the two had become close friends who shared everything.
Ravel was aware of the grievances Asia had faced from the church in the past.
"The church arbitrarily labeled Asia a saint, then just as arbitrarily branded her a witch," Ravel said angrily.
"From start to finish, they exploited Asia's sacred gear to draw in believers."
"Now that she's finally free and living a new life, they have the audacity to blame her!"
"The worst part," Ravel continued, her voice rising, "is that they said Asia betrayed her faith by associating with us devils, calling it a degenerate act and telling her to die!"
"Argh, the more I think about it, the angrier I get!" Flames flickered around Ravel's body as she exclaimed.
"If there hadn't been so many people around, I would've burned them to ashes!"
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