The mission was simple, so the reward was simple. Rhode stowed the "Hand Sanitizer" into his storage space.
"Does the Hero Faction have a headquarters or something?"
"It's currently under construction..."
"So, that's a no."
"Uh..." Jeanne gave a sheepish smile. "Since we only started recently, the headquarters hasn't been finalized yet."
"What about the salary?"
"?"
"I mean, is there a base pay for joining, or do we only get a commission after completing missions issued by the organization?"
"..." Jeanne felt a bit guilty. She turned her head away and started whistling, pretending she hadn't heard the question.
"Then, if there's a collective mission in the future, how do we handle the activity funds?"
"There... there aren't any. Basically, we pay out of our own pockets. But the Hero Faction is still in its development phase! There will be bread, and there will be milk!" Fearing that her hard-won recruit would run away, Jeanne quickly painted a rosy picture for Rhode.
"Paying to work? That's great." Rhode made a sour face.
He had been working for Griselda for two reasons: mission rewards and cold, hard cash. Now that he had been scouted by the Hero Faction, he was expected to pay for the privilege.
"Are you going to tell me next that I have to pay regular membership fees?"
"That... that... just do what you can. Contribution according to your means is fine." Jeanne was sweating buckets.
She had previously thought the Hero Faction was a high-end, prestigious organization. Why did it sound so pathetic once Rhode put it into words?
"Then how do I confirm I'm a member? Like a special magic badge, or even just an ID card. You guys don't tell me you don't even have those, right?"
"In... in the future, we will have everything." Jeanne's voice had become very small. Despite being the "senior," she was acting as humble as a shy child in front of Rhode.
"Fine. If there's nothing else, I'll be going." Rhode wasn't in the mood to care about Jeanne's feelings. His own mood wasn't exactly bright.
In the original series, when the Hero Faction first debuted, they were incredibly imposing. Not only were they all hero descendants, but they were all Sacred Gear users—including several high-tier Longinus. Even the strongest Longinus, the True Longinus, was in the hands of their leader, Cao Cao.
Looking at them now, it was a total "ragtag bunch" operation. They were entirely relying on their personal backgrounds and raw power. And the thing Rhode wanted to complain about most was how much Japanese authors truly loved the Romance of the Three Kingdoms.
Rhode stood up to leave but quickly turned back. "Let's exchange contact info."
"Eh?"
"Don't tell me you don't even have a phone? Oh, I see. Jeanne was illiterate, wasn't she?"
After saying that, Rhode turned around again. But as he turned, his sleeve was caught by a frantic Jeanne.
"I can read! I can definitely read! The 'Jeanne is illiterate' thing is just a rumor! I'll give you my number right now!"
In the end, Jeanne didn't just give him her phone number; she also sent him her social media handle.
There was no welcome party for Rhode joining the Hero Faction.
After leaving the bar, he and Jeanne went their separate ways. As an executive of the Hero Faction, she had much to do. If she hadn't been out for a stroll at night, happened upon the Vampires, and followed the trail here, it would have been a long time before she and Rhode met.
After leaving the bar, Rhode found an authentic beef noodle restaurant in Chinatown. Although he found the shop's name a bit much, he went in and had a taste of home. To be fair, the flavor was genuinely authentic.
Afterward, Rhode went back to his hotel and crashed. By the time he woke up, it was already noon the next day. Out of habit, he checked his phone and saw that someone had sent him a message.One message was a bank notification: a transfer of $200,000.
The other was a message on his communication app. Looking at the "chibi" style, cute nun avatar, Rhode knew immediately it was Griselda. He tapped it open to find only two words: "Meeting. In-person."
Rhode rolled out of bed and gave himself a quick once-over. Once ready, he pulled up the System map, selected the teleportation waypoint for Heaven, and warped.
He arrived in the familiar office. When Rhode pushed the door open, Griselda was already there, having clearly been waiting for a while. She didn't show any sign of annoyance at his lateness.
"I heard about what happened last night. I didn't expect a Vampire nest to be hidden right inside Rome, but fortunately, you discovered and cleared it out in time."
"Since it wasn't an official assignment, consider this your well-deserved bonus."
"Those Vampires just thought the base of the lamp was the darkest spot," Rhode remarked. "Did the investigation turn up anything afterward?"
"No. Those Vampires didn't have much contact with the outside world. They were most likely rogue Strays, so I didn't bother looking for trouble with the Vampire factions."
Rhode nodded at her explanation. "So, I assume you didn't call me all the way here just for that?"
Since she hadn't mentioned Jeanne, it meant Griselda was still unaware of the Hero Faction's existence. Currently, the Hero Faction was essentially a pyramid scheme mixed with a group of potential terrorists. Once the main plot officially kicked off, they would start causing chaos everywhere. Furthermore, there was a high probability the Hero Faction didn't know he was associated with Heaven, either.
"Yes. Actually, it's about the incident you handled last time. That deceased Devil was highly likely a high-ranking pureblood from a prominent family in the Underworld. If the Underworld finds out you killed him, you might have trouble on your hands. I've already warned the nuns not to reveal your existence."
"Additionally, the decision regarding the Holy Maiden, Asia Argento, has been finalized."
Griselda's voice turned low and slightly raspy.
"Because her act of healing a Devil was witnessed by many Church members—including several Bishops and nuns—the higher-ups have decided... to excommunicate her and expel her from the Church."
As I thought, Rhode noted internally.
Even though he had killed Diodora, as long as the fact that Asia could heal Devils was leaked, her fate of being exiled wouldn't change. After all, everything Heaven did was to ensure the stable operation of the "System."
Griselda watched Rhode's reaction. She felt helpless herself, but this was a unanimous decision from her superiors; she couldn't change a thing. Asia was a good child. Unfortunately, in this world, being a good person didn't guarantee survival.
However, there was more she could do than just deliver the news.
────────────────────────────────────────
My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (53 Chapters – Ongoing)
────────────────────────────────────────