— — — — — —
"No plan survives reality, Ryo-san~" Akeno teased with a smile.
Ryo shot her a glare before turning back to the nervous Asia.
With a sigh, he said, "Reading is important, you know."
"I'm very sorry. I'll work hard."
Asia bowed repeatedly as if she'd committed some unforgivable crime.
Seeing that, Ryo lost all interest in complicated manipulation.
Forget the devil who wanted to abduct a nun. He could deal with that guy directly.
Once Asia received a proper education and matured a little, she'd naturally remember who had helped her.
As for now, being straightforward seemed like the better option.
"I'd like you to join Arcadia as a healer..."
"Okay."
"...One of the conditions is that I'll personally cover the cost of your education. The community will also treat you as a special talent and provide additional resources and support—"
"I understand."
Looking at Asia, who was nodding obediently through the entire explanation, Ryo suddenly didn't feel like continuing.
Recruiting her was far too easy. There was no sense of accomplishment whatsoever.
"Forget it." He sighed.
"Um... did I do something wrong?"
Asia looked worried the moment she heard him sigh.
"No, you didn't do anything wrong." Shaking his head, Ryo took out a bracelet and handed it to her. "This is a modified Gift. It will allow you to pray directly to God. Whether God answers is another matter, but the angels have approved it. Consider it a gift."
Asia's eyes immediately lit up. "Thank you very much! I was actually worried that after joining the Fallen Angels, I wouldn't be allowed to pray anymore."
"So thank you, really!"
Ryo waved a hand dismissively. "That's all, then. In a little while, you'll accompany me to the outskirts of Kyoto. There's some healing work that needs to be done at the Himejima estate."
"However, there needs to be an official reason for you to stay by my side. From this moment on, within the Three Factions, you'll serve as my personal secretary. Your loyalty is owed directly to me. Understood?"
"Understood."
Asia put on a serious expression and nodded firmly.
Ryo gave her a look before standing up and heading for the door.
Asia immediately hurried after him.
Just like Raynare earlier, she followed closely behind, step for step.
Akeno followed as well, though she stayed much closer, only about half a body-length behind Ryo.
"All those speeches you prepared turned out to be completely unnecessary," she whispered into his ear after quickening her pace.
Ryo let out a small sigh.
Anyone who had ever played games understood how valuable a healer was. From the very beginning, special talents like Asia had been people he intended to recruit.
Come to think of it, Arcadia's healing team had been steadily growing.
There was Orihime Inoue, Valerie, and now Asia.
And all three possessed extraordinarily unique abilities.
Orihime's healing rejected phenomena themselves, bordering on turning back time.
Valerie's Sephiroth Graal could reverse death and directly resurrect the dead.
Asia's ability restored injuries regardless of the target.
Together, the three of them covered almost every aspect of healing imaginable.
As for more specialized issues such as poisons and curses, Ryo already had another trump card in mind.
Algol.
After all, demons were famously skilled with poison and curses. That was practically common knowledge in Little Garden.
Back when Ryo had poisoned Zeus, plenty of people suspected that Algol had supplied the poison.
The suspicion wasn't exactly far from the truth, but it did reveal the stereotypes the gods of Little Garden held regarding her.
Akeno moved closer and whispered into his ear again. "Should I congratulate you on adding another girl to your harem?"
Ryo stopped walking and turned toward her with an exasperated look. "Is my image really that terrible in your eyes?"
Akeno looked genuinely surprised. "When exactly did you start believing your image was noble and dignified to begin with?"
"..."
Ryo fell silent for a moment, then said, "I don't make a habit of deceiving girls like her."
Akeno glanced at Asia.
The blonde nun looked back at her with complete confusion.
Then Akeno smiled mischievously. "Does she even need you to deceive her?"
With how innocent Asia was, a few sweet words from Ryo and she'd probably climb into his bed on her own. Wasn't that obvious?
At moments like these, Ryo found Akeno surprisingly annoying.
Mostly because she always insisted on telling the truth.
...
..
Two hours later— Himejima Estate, Underground Prison
"The experiment appears to have succeeded."
Standing before the exhausted Asia and Valerie, Ryo looked at the chestnut-haired girl lying on the operating platform in a white restraint suit and smiled faintly.
"According to the data, her life signs have stabilized."
Nearby, Suzaku Himejima let out a relieved breath while glancing at the exhausted healers.
"The combination of Sephiroth Graal and Twilight Healing works surprisingly well. We should seriously consider pairing them together in future treatments."
After all, they had managed to drag a test subject whose body had already collapsed back from the brink of death.
The Graal had been responsible for preserving her life. Twilight had removed the damage caused by various experimental drugs.
Even Ryo hadn't expected Asia's Sacred Gear to be capable of reversing drug side effects.
Considering the similarities between drugs and toxins, it was entirely possible her ability could counter poison as well.
That was an unexpected bonus.
"Here."
Akeno handed bottles of water to both Asia and Valerie before turning her attention toward the girl on the operating table. "Is this girl the shadow creature from before?"
"Her name is Sae Toujou," Suzaku replied. "According to Hanezu Himejima's confession, her physique was unusually compatible with magical beasts. That's why she was chosen as the vessel for a Wizard of Oz."
"Later, Hanezu discovered that she was even more suitable as a vessel for Primordial Power, which eventually led to her current condition."
Suzaku paused before adding, "Actually, she's my cousin Tobio Ikuse's childhood friend. After Hanezu abducted her, they lost contact. Tobio probably still believes she's dead."
"Oh?" Ryo looked down at the unconscious girl. "So I just saved your future cousin-in-law?"
"Tobio has probably forgotten about her by now." Suzaku's eyes carried a trace of pity. "They were only childhood neighbors. Calling them childhood sweethearts sounds better than the reality."
"And honestly, her condition is still extremely unstable. She could die at any time. Even if she survives, whether she'll be able to marry in the future is another question entirely."
"Hanezu was thorough. Their parents are already..."
Hearing that, Ryo's expression became rather subtle. "Why do I feel like you're hinting that I should execute your uncle?"
Akeno let out a cold laugh. "A scumbag who treats other people as tools for revenge deserves to die."
"Do whatever you want. He's yours." Ryo shrugged.
He didn't particularly care whether Hanezu lived or died. The experiment's success was what mattered.
"Try restoring the other two test subjects as well. Then organize all the data and send it to Grayfia."
"Yes." Suzaku nodded immediately.
Ryo looked once more at Sae Toujou.
"Afterward, make sure this girl receives proper treatment. She's been through enough."
He sighed.
But before the sigh had fully left his lips, a sudden ripple entered his senses.
Ryo's expression instantly turned strange.
Because the signal had come through Indra's secret communication channel.
.
.
.