The First Heaven. Grassroots Administrative Office.
At this moment, Sister Griselda was sitting behind a large desk, reviewing one document after another.
"Sacred Gear Investigation Report?"
A voice suddenly rang out.
Griselda, who was focused on her paperwork, jerked her head up. She immediately saw a familiar figure leaning over, peering at the document in her hands.
Griselda: "..."
Her heart skipped a beat from the fright, but just as she was about to react, she recognized the intruder.
Feeling helpless, she rubbed her temples and said, "Haven't I told you? In the future, you need to knock before coming to see me."
"My bad. Let me try that again."
Rhode nodded, stepped out of the room, and closed the door. A moment later, Griselda heard a knock.
"Come in."
Despite having experienced Rhode's antics many times, the consistently serious Griselda still couldn't get used to it.
She was about to lecture Rhode again—reminding him that this was Heaven, her private office, and that while she didn't personally mind, there were other angels, nuns, and priests present. Being seen like this wouldn't be good for his reputation, and so on and so forth.
However, Rhode clearly wasn't going to give her the chance to start her sermon. He pointed at the stack of files on the desk and asked, "You guys are investigating Sacred Gears?"
"Yes."
Griselda nodded, making no effort to hide it. After all, any document left out on her desk wasn't considered top secret.
"We are currently actively investigating all humans who possess Sacred Gears. If we find suitable candidates, we'll try to bring them under the protection of Heaven."
"After all, it's not just us. The Grigori and the Underworld have also set their sights on humans holding Sacred Gears."
Sacred Gears were a power unique to humanity. Every human had a chance to be born with a Sacred Gear residing within them; once awakened, it granted them formidable power.
Among them, the most powerful were the Longinus—God-Slaying Tools that housed the souls of ancient beings or dragons. The "potential recruits" the Three Great Factions searched for were mostly Longinus users.
Griselda also suspected that Rhode possessed a Sacred Gear.
She had known Rhode for a long time, and he had frequently demonstrated very peculiar powers in front of her. For example, his ability to suddenly pull various weapons and equipment out of thin air, a strange "hand-wash liquid" that could instantaneously heal wounds—even reattaching severed limbs—and his unique ability to teleport directly into Heaven.
All of these led Griselda to believe that Rhode possessed a brand-new Sacred Gear that hadn't been recorded yet.
After all, Rhode was human, and it was perfectly normal for a human to have a Sacred Gear.
Rhode's "Sacred Gear" was, of course, his System. But he was perfectly happy to let her believe that; it saved him a lot of trouble explaining things.
"By the way, is the mission finished?" Griselda asked.
"All four Stray Devils have been dealt with."Rhode nodded.
"Good. The money will be transferred to your bank account immediately."
Griselda tapped away at her computer for a few moments. Suddenly, a notification chime rang out from both of them: "You have received a deposit of $200,000."
Griselda's lip gave a slight, involuntary twitch. "Rhode... don't you think you should turn off those push notifications?"
"No can do. The sound of money hitting my account is the only thing that keeps me in a good mood. And only when I'm in a good mood do I actually take my missions seriously."
"Fine, have it your way."
Griselda didn't feel like arguing. She knew that no matter how much she nagged him, he wouldn't change. After all, he was only a freelance exorcist, not a full-time employee of the Church.
"By the way," she added, "is the only reason you won't join the Church officially because you think the salary is too low?"
"Exactly." Rhode admitted it without a hint of hesitation. "Becoming an official means daily training, running all over the place, and being dragged into endless little meetings by the higher-ups. How could that ever compare to the freedom I have now?"
"When I feel like being lazy, I can stay in my three-hundred-square-meter bed and sleep until I wake up naturally. After I wake up, I can take a sports car out for a spin, grab a drink when I'm done, and then go right back to sleep until I wake up naturally again."
There was one more thing Rhode left unsaid. However, since Griselda was a nun, he figured some things were better left to his own private enjoyment rather than being spelled out.
"Ahem!"
Griselda let out a series of dry coughs. Yet, in her heart, she felt Rhode's logic was annoyingly sound. She even felt a twinge of envy toward this carefree guy. Unlike her, who worked nine-to-nine every day until late at night and often had to put in overtime.
No, I can't let myself go down that train of thought.
Griselda cleared her throat and rummaged through the stacks on her desk. She pulled out a new dossier and pushed it toward Rhode. On the first page was a photo of a young man. Below it, his identity was marked: Devil.
"Over the past few months, several churches have reported cases of female nuns being abducted. Footage of this man has been spotted near the crime scenes every time. I suspect he is our prime suspect."
"If possible, find his whereabouts and determine where those missing nuns are being held."
As Griselda finished speaking, a system notification chimed in Rhode's mind.
[Griselda has issued a new mission.] [Mission: The Fall of the Holy Maiden.] [Objective: Head to the Vatican, investigate the tracks of the missing nuns and the Devil. Completion grants a random reward.]
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