Upon hearing the news of Augusta's death, Lavinia fell into a momentary silence.
Now that she had learned the truth about her mentor Glenda, and her enemy had been taken down during her unconsciousness by the man in front of her, the two major goals that once weighed on her life, while not exactly resolved, had at least been lifted from her heart.
Rod had no plans to stick around in the wilds any longer.
After all, the mosquitoes out here were relentless.
"Have you thought about where to go next? Back to the Inner Sanctuary?"
At Rod's mention of the Inner Sanctuary, Lavinia thought for a moment, then slowly shook her head. "No… I don't think I'll be going back. I was only staying there temporarily because of those witches. Now that they've probably retreated, I don't really have a reason to remain."
"Besides, the Five Great Clans don't exactly have the best impression of outsiders."
Having said that, Lavinia looked a little lost.
She had set out on a journey around the world to find her teacher and track down her enemies.
Now that both goals had been met, she wasn't sure what to do next.
Rod looked at the blonde with the wild curls in front of him and couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.
Leaving a girl like her alone, especially one with no one to rely on, would surely invite all kinds of predators.
Even if they weren't after her Sacred Gear, they'd certainly be after her body. So Rod decided, just this once, to be the generous one and "reluctantly" offered to take her in.
"If you don't mind, you can stay at my place for a while. It's… pretty big."
"Huh?"
Lavinia blinked in surprise, her delicate, doll-like face showing a hint of astonishment.
After all her years on the road, she had never met someone this generous.
She didn't harbor much suspicion toward Rod.
He had saved her life from Augusta's hands.
Given the state she had been in back then, she didn't even want to imagine what might have happened had she been hit by that black magic.
But her instincts as a mage told her: without Rod, the wandering mercenary, she probably wouldn't be herself anymore.
Because he had saved her, she had a good impression of him. Otherwise, she wouldn't have ignored his shameless wandering gaze.
Let him look. It's not like he's a complete stranger to me now, after all of that.
Girls were perceptive about these things.
Of course, if Rod knew Lavinia had noticed he hadn't disabled his "auto-aim," he'd definitely cry foul.
After all, it was just a natural passive ability as a man, hard to turn off even if he wanted to.
And hey, it wasn't like he was only looking at Lavinia.
This world was filled with ridiculously attractive girls. The fact that he hadn't run around picking them up left and right already made him something of a saint.
"Well? Are you gonna answer?"
Rod felt this girl might be a little slow on the uptake.
Still, given how openly Lavinia flaunted her legs and cleavage, he decided to let it slide for now.
Of course, if Lavinia had said no, Rod would've left immediately.
"Okay."
After some thought, Lavinia nodded.
She was basically homeless now. Her teacher had abandoned her, her enemy was gone, and until she figured out her next steps, sticking with Rod seemed like a good idea.
Seeing her agree, Rod was a bit surprised, but he quickly composed himself.
He'd been out long enough already.
The little nun he'd left at the hotel was probably getting worried.
"Mr. Rod, can I go back to the Inner Sanctuary one last time? I want to say goodbye to a few friends."
Though most people in the Five Great Clans were cold and unfriendly, there were still a few worth keeping in touch with.
Lavinia didn't want to leave without a word.
"Sure."
Rod nodded.
"Thanks."
"When you're done, come find me at this hotel."
Rod gave Lavinia the hotel's address, and the girl memorized it before using a teleportation spell to return to the Inner Sanctuary.
After she left, Rod considered heading back to the battlefield in his Hero Faction identity to poke around, but when he arrived, the area was already deserted, Augusta's body had even been taken away.
Nothing showed up on the system map either. Most likely, they'd all retreated once the mission completely failed.
That's what he would've done, too.
With no loose ends left, Rod returned to his hotel around two in the morning.
The moment he unlocked the door with his room key, something flew at him in a perfect arc through the darkness.
He caught it and gave it a squeeze.
A pillow.
Then came a timid voice from the couch:
"Is… is that you, Lord Rod?"
It was Asia, her voice soft, uncertain, tinged with the threat of tears.
"It's me."
Rod turned on the light.
Huddled on the sofa with a blanket around her, the teary-eyed girl clutched the TV remote like a makeshift weapon, aiming it at him.
But the moment she recognized him, her face lit up.
Tossing the blanket aside, she bolted toward Rod and stood by his side as if being near him gave her a sense of security.
"I… I followed your instructions! I didn't let anyone in!"
"Good girl."
Rod wasn't sure what to say, so he just reached out and gently patted her head.
The poor thing was clearly still shaken from the past few days.
And after witnessing his battle with those rogue exorcists, it was no wonder she now clung to Rod like a lifeline.
The warmth of his palm seemed to calm her, and the edges of her lips curled into a tiny, relieved smile.
"Go to sleep."
"Mm!"
With Rod now back, the tension left her body, and the sleepiness that had been creeping in finally overwhelmed her.
She yawned, then slowly made her way toward the bedroom.
But when she saw the interior setup, her face flushed pink.
Still, thinking of Rod, she seemed to make some sort of quiet resolution and was about to turn back, but Rod had already stepped into the bathroom.
After everything that happened tonight, including back-to-back fights with multiple powerful foes, Rod was soaked in sweat.
Sadly, even after his supernatural awakening, he didn't get any convenient perks like instant self-cleaning energy surges.
He still needed to bathe, sleep, and eat like everyone else.
Thankfully, this was the hotel's most luxurious suite, so the tub was set to a perfect temperature at all times.
Rod stripped completely and slid into the bath. The moment the warm water enveloped him, his pores opened wide and his whole body relaxed.
After soaking for a bit, he grabbed his phone and dialed Griselda's number.
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