"So that's what happened... Should I call it the will of the universe?"
Inside the shop, Ren suddenly looked up, as though sensing something. A faint glimmer flickered in his eyes.
No matter what world it is, there are always strange twists where events seem to align with some mysterious force.
Just like now. In the original timeline, it was Issei who met Asia and got involved in her situation. That ultimately led to her becoming Rias's servant. But now Issei's gone, and on top of that, Ren's side caused a huge stir with Examon. And yet, Asia still ended up encountering Rias on the road.
All of it—still leading to the same outcome.
You really could call it... the will of the universe.
If Ren didn't plan to intervene, then this outcome would probably still come to pass.
Thinking that, Ren slowly walked out of his shop. Upon seeing him, Raynare quickly followed behind.
Raynare had become much more obedient than when they first met.
One reason was because Ren possessed the ability to completely erase her bloodline at any time—she wanted to live!
The other was because this place was full of monsters. Besides the strange creature Fou she had never seen before, there were also Kuroka, Lucemon, and Examon. All of them were monstrous…
Not to mention that Lucemon, if she wasn't mistaken, should be a Big Planetary Cross level being…
And Ren had casually shattered that Big Planetary Cross with a single slap.
At that moment, Raynare felt her worldview collapse.
Knowing how weak she truly was, she no longer dared to resist.
Working as a clerk here didn't seem so bad after all… She suddenly found herself thinking.
Ren, meanwhile, seemed to be deep in thought as his gaze pierced through all obstacles, landing on the ruined church in the distance.
"My master… that Lucemon seems to be picking fights again..."
"Whatever. That one's never been the type to sit still. If she had even half of Examon's patience, that'd be nice."
Ren had zero intention of reacting to Kuroka's small report.
This made Kuroka a little disappointed, though she didn't say anything.
She simply felt Lucemon was too domineering. Just when she thought her own position had improved, she realized she was still far beneath the others—she couldn't beat either of them.
Examon was a bit easier to deal with. After being beaten into submission by Ren and realizing he could gain benefits here, he behaved.
Lucemon, though also subdued, still retained his deep-rooted arrogance.
[Note: I'll temporary make Lucemon a 'he' instead of she like in the previous chapter cause raw is confusing as fuck in the gender part. And Lucemon is also genderless but often associated as a man in the series, and I don't know if the raw made Lucemon a 'she'. So, I'll just change it and inform you if thier real gender is proven]
Kuroka wouldn't be fooled by that cute exterior.
Since Ren didn't plan to step in, she wouldn't bring it up again either. As she studied her master's personality, she also learned what not to do to annoy him.
Suddenly, Ren raised his head and glanced at Raynare with a playful smirk.
"Raynare, interested in seeing your old subordinates again?"
Raynare blinked in surprise, not quite following his meaning.
---
Meanwhile, Rias and Asia had arrived outside the ruined church.
Looking at it, Rias turned to Asia and said,
"Alright, Asia, this is as far as I go. Time for me to leave."
"Eh? Rias-neesan, you're already leaving? Don't you want to go in and sit for a bit?"
"No, no..."
Go inside? I'd rather stay alive… Rias silently groaned.
After all, she was a pure-blood devil.
Waltzing into fallen angel territory like this was basically suicide.
"Then… Rias-neesan, can I still come find you in the future?"
Asia looked up at her with hopeful eyes.
Like an affectionate older sister, Rias gently ruffled Asia's hair.
"Of course you can. I attend Kuoh Academy nearby. If you ever want to see me, just drop by anytime… I'm always free, as long as you don't mind."
"Of course I don't! I'd never mind, Rias-neesan!"
Asia's response made Rias smile wryly. If she knew I was a devil, I wonder how she'd react…
Even though Asia had treated injured devils before, she was still labeled a witch because of that.
Rias couldn't help but worry that Asia might harbor hatred toward devils because of it.
And if Asia found out who Rias really was, her attitude would probably change too.
"Well then, see you later, bye-bye, Asia!"
"Bye-bye, Rias-neesan!"
The two of them waved at each other.
After watching Rias leave, Asia turned to look at the church.
But the truth was—Rias hadn't left at all.
The moment she was out of sight, Rias snuck back and hid in the shadows, observing Asia's every move.
It felt a bit manipulative, but as the overseer of Kuoh Town, Rias had the duty and responsibility to monitor what the fallen angels were up to here…
Still… was it really okay to leave that little creature with Asia?
Rias looked at Asia's shoulder with a flicker of doubt in her heart.
But it was already too late…
---
Meanwhile, Asia knocked on the church's door.
Bang bang bang bang————
With a series of knocks, the door slowly creaked open.
Out walked a silver-haired priest. Just from his face, one could sense a deeply sinister aura.
Upon seeing Asia, the priest grinned widely—but his smile only made her uneasy.
"Hmm~~~~~? Is this the cute new nun?"
"H-Hello…"
Asia replied timidly.
"Oh my… even the little animal on your shoulder is adorable."
In that instant, the priest's gaze shifted to Fou.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like the creature hated him.
He wasn't wrong…
Fou, despite feeding off emotions like jealousy and comparison, didn't like those emotions. It even despised people like this priest.
Just like right now!
In an instant, the priest became angry.
He couldn't touch the nun—the fallen angels needed her. But a little animal? Surely that was fair game!
After all, they only wanted the Sacred Gear inside Asia anyway.
Just as the priest prepared to act, several fallen angels burst out from inside the church.
One of them glanced in Rias's hiding direction and shouted,
"Devil! This is our turf! Since you're here, leave your life behind!"