Diodora couldn't believe his luck… Was it… Was it… Was it good or bad, he couldn't decide…
On one hand, looking at it positively, Asia was now free from that filthy dragon, and he could take her. Oh, Diodora wasn't arrogant. Well… maybe a little arrogant, but he knew his limits.
He knew Sona Sitri was a smart person, and that Rias Gremory was also quite talented for someone their age. Those two weren't called part of the "Four Rookies" alongside Sairaorg Bael and Seekvaira Agares for nothing.
However, after talking to them, he wasn't sure if their title and reputation really suited them…
When he asked about this Gilgamesh person, he received a VERY strong warning not to provoke him and to stay away. Even Sona gave him another stern warning before their meeting.
He really didn't understand them. Why? Why did he have to be careful? Even if Gilgamesh was truly a Longinus user, he was still just a human, a mere baby holding a sword, nothing more.
Compared to him, a high-class demon and brother of the current Beelzebub, Gilgamesh was nothing. Even if he possessed a Longinus, so what? Even if it was the [Boosted Gear], so what?
So far, no [Boosted Gear] user had been able to defeat a Maou or a God, despite its Longinus status. Most could only take down an Ultimate-class being, and even that required a highly skilled user.
In Diodora's eyes, the [Boosted Gear] was an imperfect Longinus, and its wielders were a bunch of weaklings who couldn't even use it properly! Sure, it could amplify power to the point of killing a God, but the problem was that no one could reach that level because their body would deteriorate under the strain!
What was the point of doubling your power if it started at zero? No matter how many times you doubled it, zero would always be zero! Even if you multiplied it a billion times, the result would still be zero! Ha!
Those users who managed to take on an Ultimate-class being were warriors from famous bloodlines or clans, and even then, they only reached Ultimate-class, nowhere near a Maou, unless they unleashed the Juggernaut Drive—a technique that consumed and killed the user in the process.
And Gilgamesh? What was so special about him? A simple man, about his age, from a human family? What could he do? He was just an ordinary person! At best, he might reach the level of a mid-class demon, and that was it! And let's not forget, the gap between mid-class and high-class was no small thing!
Diodora had obviously researched Gilgamesh and found out about his family. They were just ordinary humans, famous perhaps, but still humans. And even if he shared the same name as the King of Heroes, he couldn't be his descendant—after all, the original Gilgamesh had no children!
But if it was the [Divine Dividing]… now that was a different story… Between the [Divine Dividing] and the [Boosted Gear], it was no secret that people feared the [Divine Dividing] user more.
If Gilgamesh had the [Divine Dividing], Diodora would be cautious. Unlike the [Boosted Gear], which doubled the user's power, the [Divine Dividing] halved the enemy's power every 10 seconds.
That was dangerous… Very dangerous…
Even if the user's body was too weak to handle the stolen energy, it was far more effective than boosting one's own power. If you had zero power but possessed the [Divine Dividing], you could steal your enemy's power and increase your strength, turning zero into something greater.
That was a problem, but fortunately for him and unfortunately for Gilgamesh, the man had the [Boosted Gear], so Diodora figured there was no reason to worry about him.
Back to the matter at hand…
Yesterday, he received a call from Sona Sitri telling him to stop sending gifts to Asia Argento's house. He would've likely ignored her, but he didn't, because she said Asia Argento had been taken back to the Church.
That immediately caught his attention.
He instantly went to Kuoh City, stormed into Gilgamesh's place, and demanded to know what the hell had happened. How? How could the Church want her back?! It was the first he'd heard of it!
When he pressed that filth, he explained that the Church needed Asia's healing powers to cure a wounded cardinal. The injury was severe and cursed, and the Church had already tried to heal it themselves but failed. That's when they remembered Asia and wanted her back.
As expected, the filth fought back, but the Church overpowered him, leaving him injured and taking Asia away. There was no doubt the filth was weak—getting beaten by an exorcist was more than enough proof of that.
When he finished his story, Diodora immediately attacked him verbally, berating him for being so weak and useless, letting Asia be taken like a toy. Oh, how he enjoyed the man's silence and dark expression as he insulted him. That man had the audacity to call him a Flying Rat and Mongrel! Him! A high-class demon!
He truly felt better putting filth like that in its place.
In the end, that filth begged him to rescue Asia… Oh, Diodora felt so smug and gave him another tongue-lashing, but ultimately promised that Asia would be in good hands—his hands, a man capable of protecting her, unlike him.
If you called becoming a slave and falling for him "good hands," then yes… She'd clearly be in good hands…
To put it simply, on the positive side, Asia was now free from that filth, and he could "save" her! This time, the girl would surely fall for him and become nothing more than butter melting in a pan.
But on the negative side, he'd have to kill Church personnel again, and if he wasn't careful, it could spark conflict. Sure, he'd already killed an exorcist when he faked his injury so Asia could heal him, but that was well-planned—he knew the territory and his enemy's timing. This time, though, he didn't.
He hadn't had time to study the situation since Asia was being taken back, and there was no doubt that once she was in Italy, she'd be under even stricter security, making it impossible to get her.
He only had some information from the filth: the exorcist taking Asia was a middle-aged man, highly skilled with a sword. They were planning to catch a plane today and were likely already on their way to Italy.
The window of opportunity was very small, and he had no chance to make a solid plan other than directly attacking the exorcist when they reached the airport.
Truth be told, he was quite worried but ultimately brushed it off. He'd done this several times before. He'd infiltrated Church territory, stolen nuns, and corrupted them, so he was confident it would be fine this time too. Not to mention, he was bringing his entire peerage. No matter how strong this exorcist was, there was no way he'd stand a chance against him and his entire peerage.
So, it was fine. He believed in his luck too—it had never failed him before. Why would it fail him now?
**Scene Change**
Ewald was driving the car with an impassive face as he looked at the forest scenery around them. His hand steered the wheel as he navigated a curve in the road.
In the seat to his left was Asia Argento, wearing a nun's outfit like the one she wore during her time as a Holy Maiden.
They were currently on their way to the Church to meet Vasco and some others who were ready to welcome him for completing his mission to bring Asia Argento back to the Church and restore her title and reputation.
"Tell me your plan first…"
It was yesterday when Asia told him her decision and what she wanted, after which they immediately executed the plan Gilgamesh had devised. He explained it to everyone, detailing how the plan would work and what role each person would play.
Ewald had to admit, the plan was quite simple yet effective at the same time… Sometimes simple was better. It was straightforward… Very straightforward and commonly used…
"It's very simple… Are you sure it'll work?"
He asked the boy if it would work. The plan was quite simple, and yet… The boy just shrugged and gave a smile.
"It's simple, yes, but you should know that it's not uncommon to achieve great things with a simple plan."
Well, when he put it that way, it was clearly true. Sometimes the simple things turned the tables. Besides, rethinking the plan now, it was indeed quite effective, with a high chance of success.
It was a simple and clear plan, but well-thought-out, he had to admit.
"Nervous, Miss Asia?" Ewald asked when he saw Asia fidgeting in her seat.
"Y-Yes," Asia stammered. Honestly, she was quite nervous about this plan. It wasn't that she didn't believe in Gilgamesh-san—she knew and trusted that it would work—but she couldn't help feeling nervous.
Ewald gave the nun a reassuring smile, knowing how the experience felt.
"Don't worry, Miss Asia. Take a deep breath and let it out slowly through your mouth. It'll calm your nerves," he comforted her.
Asia did as the cardinal instructed, taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly through her mouth. As she did, she felt a small part of her mind relax a bit.
"Thank you, Father…"
"You're welcome, child," Ewald replied kindly, continuing to focus on the road.
There was a momentary silence between them as they kept their eyes on the vehicle's path. Ewald's face was calm and impassive, while Asia's held a hint of nervousness. The only sound was the car's wheels rolling.
Ewald broke the silence, his eyes narrowing at the road ahead. He stepped on the brake, stopping the car, causing Asia to let out a surprised 'EEK.' The Excalibur wielder looked down the street from their position.
To most naked eyes, it was empty—nothing but cement and a smooth road. However, out of nowhere, a green magical circle appeared, and the Astaroth clan symbol came to life.
The light engulfed the entire street for a moment, and as quickly as it appeared, it vanished. When it did, standing in the middle of the road was Diodora Astaroth in all his glory.
**Flashback**
"The plan is simple, Cristaldi-san. Right now, we have something he wants," Gilgamesh said, looking at Asia.
"E-Eh?"
Ewald's eyes gleamed with understanding, as did Valerie's and Mordred's, though Mordred also had a slight look of horror.
"Gilgamesh!" Valerie said in horror. "You can't be thinking of—"
"Why not? It's our best advantage," Gilgamesh cut her off, his face stern. "Diodora wants Asia. We bait him using her. It's that simple. We'll lure him out and then deal with him for what he did to all those nuns and maidens," he stated.
"But using Asia is—"
"I won't do it unless Asia agrees," Gilgamesh interrupted again, turning to Asia with softened features. "Asia, I clearly need your help for this, but if you don't want to, that's fine. I'll come up with another plan…"
Asia felt very uncomfortable. Not only had the Church come to recruit her back, forcing her to choose between Gilgamesh-san and returning to the Church, but it was also revealed that the demon she had helped had indeed manipulated her.
Asia wasn't a bad girl; that wasn't her nature. She was kind. Even if she'd been manipulated, if Diodora asked for forgiveness, she'd likely give it to him.
However, after talking with Sebastian-ojisan during her stay, she realized the world wasn't just black and white. Not at the level of a sage or elder, but she at least knew there were gray lines between black and white.
She preferred to choose the white path, of course, but it was inevitable that the gray path would follow, no matter what you did. Even a "white" action could affect the gray. For example, rescuing someone from a thief would be seen as noble.
But what about the thief? What if the thief had a family waiting for him, starving for food? What if he had children only a year old? It was clear that if the thief was caught, his children's fate would be sealed.
When Sebastian asked her what she should do, she had no answer except silence.
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