The night deepened over Kuoh Town's suburbs.
Freed's team of stray exorcists, brought from Europe, had shattered its usual quiet.
Some preparing a ritual, others patrolling the perimeter, guarding against intruders who might disrupt their plans.
In the dense woods outside, atop a tall tree, Mittelt sat bored on a branch.
Her eyes scanned the darkness, alert for suspicious movement.
"No one's out here!" Mittelt grumbled, finding only insects and birds.
After another sweep confirmed the quiet, she hopped down and strolled into the church.
"Mittelt, I told you to stay on guard outside. Why're you in here?" Raynare snapped, spotting her leisurely entrance.
Amid the bustling exorcists, Raynare was the only fallen angel present.
"Guarding's boring, Lady Raynare," Mittelt said.
"I've been out there forever—no enemies in sight."
'With those stray exorcists watching, me slacking won't hurt."
"If you saw an enemy, we'd have bigger problems," Raynare said, exasperated.
She wanted no disruptions especially now.
"What's the big deal?" Mittelt shrugged.
"Enemies would at least kill the boredom. I'm sick of tree views."
"True, but I need focus these next few days," Raynare said, her confidence unshaken.
"No interruptions during the ritual."
As fallen angels, their arrogance dismissed most threats.
Ordinary foes were beneath them.
"Speaking of, where's Freed and that nun?" Mittelt asked, frowning.
"I sent Dohnaseek and Kalawarner to keep an eye on them," Raynare said, shaking her head.
Asia Argento was the key to her plan, and Raynare couldn't afford mistakes.
To avoid spooking Asia before the ritual, she'd let her move freely with Freed, under Dohnaseek and Kalawarner's watch.
"What if something went wrong?"
"They're just dealing with a high school brat," Raynare said dismissively.
"You and Kalawarner checked him out, right? He's a nobody. Freed can handle a human easily."
"Maybe Freed's old habits kicked in, picking fights with devil contractors," Raynare added.
"But I've got a bad feeling," Mittelt said.
"The brat who planted that monitor in the church—could someone be backing him?"
"With Dohnaseek and Kalawarner there, they'd handle any mastermind," Raynare replied, though Mittelt's nagging stirred doubt.
"Fine, we'll wait a bit longer. If they're not back soon, we'll check."
"You know where that brat lives?" Raynare asked.
"Of course," Mittelt nodded.
Two hours later, the moon glowed bright, but no sign of Freed, Asia, Dohnaseek, or Kalawarner appeared.
"Let's go, Mittelt," Raynare said, her calm fraying.
She didn't care much about Dohnaseek or Kalawarner, but Asia's Twilight Healing was her ticket to rising among the fallen angels.
Losing her would doom Raynare to a mediocre existence.
"Yes, Lady Raynare," Mittelt spread her wings, leading the way to Roy's villa.
Raynare followed closely.
After killing Freed, Dohnaseek, and Kalawarner, Roy took Asia into Kuoh's urban center.
They grabbed dinner, then hit the mall for daily necessities and clothes, spending nearly three hours.
By the time they returned to the villa, it was past eight p.m.
Setting up a room for Asia took more time.
Her face drooped with exhaustion—she'd flown from Europe, been dragged around by Freed, and then spent hours with Roy, all without rest.
"Go sleep," Roy said, noticing her drooping eyes.
"I've got stuff to handle."
"The fallen angels?" Asia asked, aware Raynare and Mittelt would come looking for her.
"I'm not that sleepy. If Lady Raynare shows up, I can help."
He fiddled with Freed's items—a Light Sword hilt and holy pistol.
The weapons stayed inert in his hands.
"Those are church-made for exorcists," Asia explained.
"They need power of light to work. Without it, they're just junk."
"Only angels or fallen angels have that power," she added.
"Unless you contract with one, you can't use it."
Acquiring power of light was simple—replicate it from a fallen angel.
Asia sat beside Roy, fighting sleep.
Ten minutes later, exhaustion won, and she slumped against the sofa.
Roy stifled a laugh, grabbed the remote, and muted the TV.
Instead of waking her, he fetched a blanket from his bedroom and draped it over her.
"Hm?" Roy's eyes flicked to the window. He grinned.
Outside, two figures sped toward the villa, wings flapping, shedding feathers in their wake.
They hovered above, glaring down.
"Lady Raynare, this is his place."
"I sense Asia's aura inside," Raynare narrowed her eyes with a dangerous glint.
"But Freed, Kalawarner, and Dohnaseek's auras are gone."
"Gone?" Mittelt exclaimed.
"Asia's here, but not them? Did something happen?"
Normally, the trio wouldn't leave Asia unguarded, given her importance.
Their absence suggested trouble.
"I don't know," Raynare shook her head.
"We'll ask Asia what happened. Only her aura's in there—no one else's. I want answers."
"Mittelt, go check," Raynare ordered.
"Be careful. Something's off."
The lack of other auras unsettled her. Traps were a risk.
Mittelt nodded, conjuring a Light Spear, adopting a cautious stance.
As she folded her wings to descend, the villa's door swung open.
A pink-haired boy stepped out.
It was the human who'd snuck into the church, the one she and Kalawarner had tailed.
"Why didn't I sense his aura?" Raynare muttered, looking a bit puzzled.
She'd only detected Asia's presence, yet this boy emerged, catching her off guard.
Mittelt shared her confusion.
"Simple," Roy interrupted, looking up at them with a smirk.
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