"This… counts as some unexpected extra income, I suppose?"
Having unexpectedly resolved Fafnir's housing issue, Raize walked home holding an ancient, heavy book. He opened it and skimmed through the contents, which recorded many special spells.
Fafnir had said he was very satisfied with the living arrangement and casually tossed Raize a comprehensive magic tome as payment. Before Raize could say anything, he had already gone back to gaming.
It really was worth maintaining good relations with a treasure dragon swimming in wealth. The things he casually gave away were immensely beneficial to Raize.
For Fafnir, something like a magic compendium was already engraved in his memory. Tossing it aside meant nothing to him.
"Um, excuse me, sir. May I trouble you for a moment?"
Raize slipped the magic book into his storage space. As he walked along the roadside, he heard a gentle voice calling out to him.
Raising an eyebrow, he turned his head and saw a girl around sixteen or seventeen years old. She wore a neatly adorned and rather beautiful nun's outfit. Compared to the usual black outfit, it carried an extra sense of holiness and ethereal grace.
On her head was the veil typically worn by nuns.
Even at night, Raize could clearly see her waist-length golden hair, reflecting a beautiful glow under the streetlights.
The girl was carrying her luggage behind her, which made it clear she had only just arrived in this place not long ago.
After the blonde girl came up to him and called out to him, Raize's gaze suddenly froze for a moment. It was not because of her beautiful appearance, but because, inexplicably, a voice identical to the girl in front of him appeared in his mind.
'Lord, please guide me… Asia got lost again. W-wuwu… I'm so hungry. I hope the kind gentleman in front of me can help me. I'll pray to God to bless him…'
What was going on!? This sudden female voice—did he suddenly gain some kind of mind-reading ability?
The sudden appearance of a strange voice in his head made Raize both alert and confused.
"Um… e-excuse me. Could you tell me how to get to Kuoh Town? I-I just arrived in this country, so I'm not very familiar with the roads…"
The blonde nun—Asia, who stood before Raize—asked timidly and introvertedly. Her Japanese was clearly not very fluent.
However, Raize did not focus on her spoken words. Instead, the voice that echoed once again in his head made him look directly at the girl in front of him.
'Eh? Why isn't this handsome gentleman reacting? Is my Japanese that bad? Did he not understand me?'
That settled it. The voice in his mind definitely came from the blonde girl standing in front of him.
Why could he suddenly hear this girl's thoughts? Did she have something special about her?
At that moment, the system inside Raize spoke up and resolved his confusion.
[You have a soul contract with a certain God of Bible. Her source power resides within you. This girl is an extremely devout believer of that god. As long as a believer is sufficiently devout, thier diety can hear the prayers within their heart.]
[Because you share this contractual relationship with the God of Bible, when facing believers of her divine system, you can naturally hear their inner wishes.]
So that was it…
After hearing Nep's explanation, Raize finally understood the situation. He had not expected that his contract with Sei would have such an effect.
This girl was a nun of the Biblical God's system. In her heart she called herself Asia, and she was asking him for directions to Kuoh Town.
Putting aside the sudden voice in his mind, Raize quickly finished analyzing the situation before him.
As well as the true identity of the girl in front of him.
Her full name was Asia Argento, a nun from the Church who possessed the sacred gear known as Twilight Healing.
By coincidence, she had once discovered and healed a severely injured devil. Because her ability was effective even on devils, she was regarded as a heretic and a witch, and was exiled by the Church.
In truth, she had been framed by a perverted devil who had an abnormal fetish for nuns. That devil had deliberately injured himself in front of Asia and intentionally allowed others to witness her healing a devil.
The purpose was to have Asia expelled from the Church, and then…
After quickly thinking it through, Raize spoke to the nun in front of him.
"Sorry, I zoned out for a moment. It's just rare for me to see a foreign nun, so I was a little surprised. Miss Nun, didn't anyone come to receive you when you arrived here? Did you come to Japan all by yourself?"
"Y-yes."
Asia seemed very nervous. Even though Raize's handsome face looked rather cold and his tone was quite gentle, her timid personality still made her feel uneasy.
To be honest, she herself did not know why she had chosen to ask this unfamiliar young man. She had originally planned to ask the taxi driver after paying the fare, but the moment she saw Raize, she felt an inexplicable urge to approach him.
By the time she came back to her senses, the taxi had already left. With no other choice, Asia had no option but to gather her courage and ask this gentleman for directions.
"This place is quite far from Kuoh Town. Even if you travel through the night, you wouldn't arrive until tomorrow noon. Would you like me to help you find a place to stay for the night?"
Raize spoke to the foreign nun in fluent English. Since she was a devout believer of the little saint, there was no reason not to help her.
That said, he had no intention of letting her head to Kuoh Town—the territory of devils. Such a devout nun later becoming a reincarnated devil would be nothing but a waste.
Sei's nuns were worth helping. Raize disliked devils. It was that simple.
"Thank you, but I don't have enough money left. Taxis in Japan are so expensive… I-I'll just continue traveling through the night…"
Asia also wanted to rest for a while, but her funds were insufficient. She could only continue onward, hoping that the church in Kuoh Town would accept her.
Gurgle…
Before she could finish politely refusing, an untimely sound came from Asia's stomach. Her words stopped abruptly, and her small face was instantly dyed red.
"Well… if you trust me, my home isn't far from here. You can at least fill your stomach before continuing on your way."
"R-really!? Thank you so much! The Lord will surely bless you always!"
Raize had expected the little nun to refuse out of politeness. After all, he was still a stranger in her eyes. He did not expect her to accept without any suspicion at all.
A hint of joy flashed through her eyes as she offered heartfelt thanks to God in her mind—every single word of it was clearly heard by Raize.
'Lord, is this your guidance? Letting me meet the first kind and friendly person in a foreign land…'
'Lord, Asia…'
The girl was fervently thanking God in her heart. She believed that the reason she had unconsciously approached Raize was because the Lord was guiding her.
Listening to her devout inner voice made Raize click his tongue inwardly. This level of devotion could practically be called fanaticism—thanking God the moment anything good happened.
"Meeting a stranger in a foreign land who invites you to his home, and you don't even show a hint of caution. Aren't you afraid I might be a bad person?"
Listening to her thoughts and looking at the sincere joy on her face, Raize asked with a somewhat strange expression.
She really looked easy to deceive. Raize was not sure whether to call her innocent or foolish.
"Bad people don't tell others that they're bad people. Sir, you're reminding me to be careful in unfamiliar places. Someone who worries about a stranger like me definitely isn't a bad person!"
Hearing this, Asia froze for a moment. After she understood his meaning, a gentle, healing smile appeared on her face.
He took back his earlier thought. This girl was not foolish at all. She clearly understood what Raize had meant.
"You really are a kind nun. My name is Raize Yotsuki. Just call me Raize."
Looking at the smiling little nun, Raize also smiled slightly and nodded as he introduced himself.
"Raize… Raize Yotsuki… Raize…"
The little nun softly repeated the young man's name. After a moment, as if she had finally gathered her courage, she bowed deeply to him, somewhat flustered.
"N-nice to meet you. I-I'm Asia. Asia Argento."
After calming herself down, the little nun's innocent expression turned resolute as she introduced herself to Raize.