"Rod, can I ask you for a favor?"
Griselda's voice carried a hint of hesitation.
Rod was a bit surprised by her tone. "C'mon, we know each other well. What's there to be shy about? Don't tell me you're planning to rob the cradle?"
It was clearly meant as a joke.
"…If I weren't a nun, maybe I would."
Griselda leaned lazily against the desk. Beneath the shadow of her hood, her exquisitely beautiful face curved into a playful smile as she looked at Rod.
That made him freeze.
I thought we were just friends… You were thinking of riding me like a horse?!
When Rod first met Griselda, he'd definitely harbored some naughty thoughts, as any self-respecting virgin would. After all, DXD's world was packed to the brim with busty beauties. The original protagonist constantly got his face smothered in fanservice.
But that was protagonist privilege.
Anyone else? They were just like the background nerds in the anime.
Think you can flirt with a school idol like Rias Gremory? Think again. Just saying "hi" would be a miracle. Not to mention, as a devil, she naturally carried an aura that kept commoners away. Even standing near her made ordinary students feel inferior.
Rod had long since figured out, after the bitter grind of early-game suffering, that if you wanted main character perks, you had to earn it. Be strong, stand tall, make people take notice. That's the only way.
And of course… you had to be good-looking.
If you looked like a mutant and pulled off a heroic rescue, at best you'd get, "In the next life, I shall be your loyal servant."
You wouldn't get the classic, "Take me, I'm yours."
Fortunately, Rod didn't have to worry about his looks.
Otherwise, Griselda probably would've hesitated to even approach him that first time.
"…Relax, I'm just joking."
"…"
Rod didn't say anything more.
But honestly, he didn't think Griselda was entirely kidding.
If she weren't bound by nunhood and its vows, he might very well have been… propositioned.
Thinking about how she could've cornered him and said something like, "You wouldn't want to lose your mission rights, would you?" gave him a strangely dangerous thrill.
As he was imagining this questionable scenario, Griselda's voice brought him back:
She sat upright, her expression now serious, like the flirtatious version from before had never existed.
"It's about Asia again. I'd like to make a personal request, could I ask you to take care of her for a while?"
"She's extremely devout. Even after being expelled from the Church, she hasn't abandoned her faith."
"Oh? And you're sure this won't get your bosses pissed?"
Rod raised a curious brow.
After all, this wasn't something that had happened in the original timeline.
So this was the beginning of a butterfly effect?
Griselda didn't answer directly. Instead, she shook her head and said, "The higher-ups don't know about this. It's just my personal request. I won't force you, of course. I know you're used to working alone."
[Griselda has issued a Personal Request]
[Mission: Asia Argento]
[Objective: Protect Asia Argento from fallen angel persecution.]
[Reward: Church Reputation +10, Random Reward ×1]
If it had been anyone else, Rod might've passed on this hassle.
But Griselda was an old friend, and Asia was a key character in the main storyline.
Naturally, he had no reason to say no.
And judging by the mission description, it was clearly part of the canonical plot.
After Asia's Sacred Gear was exposed, more than just Diodora with his twisted nun fetish had his eyes on her.
The fallen angel Raynare was another danger, seeking to climb the ranks using Asia's power.
Come to think of it, since transmigrating here, Rod had run into devils, vampires, angels, even ghouls,
but strangely enough, no missions related to fallen angels yet.
"Rod, are you willing to accept?"
Griselda looked at him, her expression a little resigned. From her perspective, someone as free-spirited and unrestrained as Rod probably wouldn't want to take on such a troublesome task.
But she truly had no one else she could turn to.
She couldn't risk using Church resources to protect Asia, not anymore.
Outside the Church, the only person she could ask… was Rod.
"Huh? What were you just saying again?"
Rod blinked, clearly having spaced out.
"…Never mind. Skip it. I accept."
…
"Um, please don't mind the amount. It's everything I can spare in cash right now."
Rod glanced at the deposit, fifty grand USD, and then at the slightly flushed Griselda. His feelings were… complicated.
Griselda was considered middle management in Heaven. And this was all the liquidity she could offer?
The Heavenly Realm really was strapped for cash.
"Actually… Heaven's benefits aren't bad. The pay is just a little low. And the Church is going through a hard time right now, but it'll pass soon!"
"You don't have to explain it to me."
Unlike the Underworld or the Divine Overseers, the Church didn't have much in the way of commercial ventures on Earth.
Aside from churches, most of Heaven's institutions were philanthropic: orphanages, nursing homes, the like.
Their biggest sources of revenue came from worshipper donations and religious tourism.
In contrast, the other two major factions could build hotels, malls, and other lucrative businesses in the human world.
Naturally, they raked in the cash.
Rod remembered that the wealthiest of them all was probably the Underworld.
Take the Gremory clan, for example.
Rias's family's territory in the Underworld was said to be the size of an entire island nation.
They lived in a literal castle and commanded tens of thousands of private soldiers.
Peak extravagance.
And there were dozens of families just like that.
Like Riser Phoenix's family, the House of Phoenix, richer than the Gremorys by far.
The kind of wealth you couldn't spend in ten lifetimes.
"Well, it's not like this task is difficult anyway."
Rod shrugged.
"Thank you, Rod."
Griselda's expression softened, subtly, but noticeably.
She had once thought Rod was not only greedy, but maybe a bit of a pervert.
At the very least, she'd caught him sneaking glances at her chest several times.
But looking at him now, she realized she'd been too narrow-minded.
After all… what's so wrong with a man liking beautiful women?
As long as he didn't do anything vile, wasn't that just natural?
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