Hearing of Augusta's death, Lavinia fell into a brief silence. Now that she had news of her mentor Glinda and her enemy had been dealt with by the man before her, the two main goals of her life had reached a conclusion—even if it wasn't a happy one. At least there was nothing left for her to chase.
Rhode had no intention of staying out in the wild any longer. The mosquitoes were starting to get annoying.
"Thought about where you're going next? Back to the Okunoin?"
Lavinia thought for a moment before slowly shaking her head. "No. I don't think I'll go back. I was only staying there because of the magicians anyway. Now that the witches have retreated, I have no reason to stay. Besides... the Five Great Clans aren't exactly fond of outsiders."
She looked a bit lost. She had traveled the world for her master and her enemy. Now that both quests were over, she didn't know what to do with herself.
Looking at the blonde beauty, Rhode felt a pang of sympathy. If he let a girl with no one to rely on just wander off, she'd surely be targeted by someone with bad intentions. If they didn't come for her Longinus, they'd come for her body. So, Rhode decided to be "generous" and offer his own solution.
"If you don't mind, you can stay at my place for a while. My house is... quite large."
"Huh?"
Lavinia's doll-like face registered genuine surprise. In all her years of wandering, she had never met someone so forwardly hospitable. She didn't feel much wariness toward Rhode; he had literally snatched her from the jaws of death. Given her mental state at the time, if that black magic had hit her, she might have been lost forever.
Her intuition as a magician told her that without this "passing mercenary," she might not even be "Lavinia" anymore. Because he was her savior, she had a good deal of favorable feelings toward him—which was why she didn't react even though Rhode's eyes kept drifting downward.
Let him look, she thought. He isn't a stranger.
A woman's intuition in these matters is quite sharp. If Rhode had known she noticed his "auto-aim" was still active, he would have pleaded innocence. It was simply human nature, an innate passive skill that was incredibly hard to toggle off. It wasn't just Lavinia, either; this world was crawling with dangerously beautiful girls. Rhode felt like a saint just for maintaining his composure and not actively "fishing" for them on the streets.
"Well? Your answer?" Rhode asked, thinking the girl might be a little slow.
Still, she was generous—her long legs and "Southern Hemisphere" (cleavage) were on full display, so he was willing to be patient. If she refused, he'd leave immediately.
"Okay," Lavinia said after a moment's thought. She was homeless now; her master didn't want her, and her enemy was gone. Until she figured out her next move, following Rhode seemed like a decent option.
Rhode was slightly surprised by her easy compliance, but he quickly regained his cool. He'd been out long enough. The little nun he'd left at the hotel was probably worried sick.
"Mr. Rhode, can I go back to the Okunoin one last time? I want to say goodbye to my friends."
While most of the Five Great Clans were cold-hearted, there were a few individuals she considered true friends. She couldn't just disappear.
"Sure," Rhode nodded. "Meet me at this hotel when you're done."
He gave her the address, and after she memorized it, she used a teleportation spell to return to the sanctuary.
Once she was gone, Rhode thought about heading back to the battlefield under his "Hero Faction" identity, but the place was deserted. Even Augusta's body had been taken. The system map showed nothing; the Hero Faction had likely withdrawn after realizing the mission was a total failure.
With nothing left to do, Rhode finally made it back to his hotel at 2:00 AM. As he swiped his key card and opened the door, a dark object flew through the air in a graceful arc.
Rhode caught it. It was a pillow.
Soon, a timid, trembling voice came from the sofa. Asia's soft voice was laced with anxiety and the hint of tears. "Is... is that you, Lord Rhode?"
"It's me."
Rhode flipped the light switch. The girl was curled up on the sofa under a blanket, her eyes red and puffy from crying. She was pointing a TV remote at him like a weapon.
The moment she saw it was him, her expression shifted to pure joy. She tossed the blanket aside and sprinted to his side, as if only his physical presence could give her a sense of security.
"I... I followed your instructions! I didn't let anyone in!"
"Good girl." Rhode didn't know what else to say, so he just patted her head.
The girl had been traumatized by the events of the last few days. Having seen him fight stray exorcists, and being in a foreign land for the first time, she had clearly come to see Rhode as her only lifeline. Feeling the warmth of his palm, Asia relaxed, a tiny smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
"Go to sleep."
"Yes!"
With Rhode back, the tension that had kept her awake snapped. She yawned, rubbing her eyes, and headed toward the bedroom. However, as she looked at the room's layout, her face turned bright red. She seemed to make a decision and started to turn back, but Rhode had already entered the bathroom.
After a night of fighting high-level opponents, he was covered in sweat. Unfortunately, even as a superhuman, he didn't have the "automatic cleaning" mana-circulation skills of a typical wuxia protagonist. He still had to wash, sleep, and eat like anyone else.
The suite was top-tier, so the bathwater was kept at a constant temperature. He stripped down and sank into the water, feeling his pores open up in pure bliss. While soaking, he pulled out his phone and dialed Griselda.
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