Arthur knelt gently, meeting Asia Argento's wide, terrified blue eyes.
He had just knocked out the cruel Fallen Angel, Dohnaseek, but Asia was still shaking, her small body curled around the holy cross.
Her face was pale and streaked with dirt and tears, and she was clearly injured both physically and spiritually by her exile and torment.
"Hey. I'm Arthur. You're safe now,"
He said, his voice dropping all traces of arrogance, settling into a tone of pure, calming warmth.
"I'm sorry that took me so long."
He didn't wait for her to respond. He needed to eliminate the fear and pain immediately.
He extended his hand, hovering it gently over her head.
He channeled his Dragonic Heal skill, an ability usually used for instantaneous regeneration on a massive scale. Here, he focused on it precisely.
A gentle, gold-green light flowed from his palm.
It wasn't harsh Holy energy; it was pure, life-affirming essence, the very concept of wellness.
The effect was instantaneous and profound. Asia's cuts and bruises vanished, but more importantly, the soul-deep exhaustion and existential coldness from her persecution were washed away.
The overwhelming, crushing fear that had paralyzed her moments ago simply evaporated, replaced by a profound, radiant calm.
Asia gasped, not from pain, but from the sudden, breathtaking feeling of peace.
She looked at Arthur, her eyes filling with tears of pure gratitude rather than fear.
"You... you healed me,"
She whispered, her voice fragile.
"And... and you're not a Devil or a Fallen angel. You're so kind..."
"Yes, that's me, alright."
Arthur replied, offering her a hand.
"This neighborhood is still pretty dangerous for someone with your power. I'm taking you somewhere safe, where you can get a hot meal and meet some good people."
Asia, feeling an absolute, instinctive trust in the powerful but gentle youth, placed her small hand in his.
Arthur stood, lifting Asia gently. He looked down at the unconscious Dohnaseek.
"You stay right there, dirtbag. Someone will come collect you."
He didn't need to report to Rias; the sheer Magicule displacement from his focused healing would have already registered on her senses.
Arthur activated his Reality Blending one final time, focusing on the coordinates of his mansion—the safest place he knew.
They vanished, reappearing directly in the elegant living room, where Sona, Kuroka, and Koneko were still discussing the previous debriefing.
The sight of Arthur suddenly appearing with a small, beautiful, terrified girl in his arms instantly silenced the room.
"Koneko, Kuroka, watch the girl,"
Arthur commanded softly.
"She's a Holy Maiden named Asia Argento. She's safe now, but she's exhausted."
Asia looked up at the fierce, beautiful Devils and the stern student council president, feeling a flicker of fear, but the unwavering calm placed in her heart by Arthur's healing prevented her from panicking.
She instinctively knew she had found her protector.
"Sona, I need a quick political briefing. I just complicated Rias's life by protecting a Holy Maiden, and we need a strategy to integrate her without starting a war."
Arthur didn't wait for the usual political channels to churn.
He had an exiled Holy Maiden—a target of both Fallen Angels and the Church—sitting in his living room, surrounded by high-level Devils.
He needed to coordinate with the local authority, Rias Gremory, immediately.
"We need to contact Rias and the Maou Council, but Rias first. This girl, Asia Argento, is a genuine Holy Maiden with a powerful Sacred Gear. She's been excommunicated, but the Church will still try to retrieve her, or worse, assassinate her to maintain secrecy."
Sona nodded, pulling out her high-security communication device.
"A Holy Maiden under our roof will escalate the situation with the Church far beyond the stolen Excaliburs. We need to secure her affiliation."
While Sona was making the urgent call, Kuroka and Koneko had already moved.
Kuroka gently fetched a blanket for Asia and a cup of warm milk, while Koneko sat guard, her posture stern but her gaze reassuring.
Arthur looked at Asia, who was still clutching her cross but looking at the Devils with growing curiosity rather than fear.
"Asia, the people here are not from the Church. They are Devils, but they are my friends, and they are good people,"
Arthur explained gently.
"They can offer you protection the Church took away. Rias Gremory is a noble, and she can offer you a place in her peerage if you want to."
The word "Devil" made Asia flinch, but she looked back at Arthur, whose gentle power had healed her soul.
"But... I've been told Devils are bad..."
"I'm a Dragon, your savior but I'm a Devil's ally, Am I bad?"
Arthur countered with a knowing smirk.
"Evil is subjective, Asia. The people who hurt you were from the Church. The people who will protect you are the ones you're looking at."
Sona cut in, having patched Rias through on a holographic display. Rias Gremory appeared, her eyes wide with shock and alarm at seeing Arthur with Asia Argento.
"Arthur, what is the meaning of this? You have a Holy Maiden in your house!"
Rias Gremory exclaimed from the holographic display, her beautiful eyes wide with shock and alarm at the chaos Arthur had delivered to their secure residence.
"I saved her from Dohnaseek, who was about to harvest her Sacred Gear. She is now my responsibility and a liability,"
Arthur stated simply.
"We need to integrate her into your peerage to avoid a war."
Arthur turned back to Asia, who was bundled in Kuroka's soft blanket and sipping warm milk, her eyes wide as she watched the interaction with the red-haired Devil Noble.
"Asia, Rias is talking about giving you protection—a way to permanently shield you from the people who hurt you,"
Arthur explained, pointing to the holographic image of Rias.
"She would give you a place in her peerage as a Devil."
Asia looked at Rias, then at the earnest, serious faces of Sona and Koneko.
She considered the words, her mind clear now thanks to Arthur's healing.
She knew the power they represented was immense, but she also knew the risk.
She put the cup down and looked at Arthur, her eyes filling with a genuine, resolute determination.
"Arthur-san,"
Asia said softly, her voice still quiet but firm.
"Thank you for finding me a place where I'm safe. But... I don't want to be a Devil. I don't want to be under anyone's control ever again."
She gently clutched the fabric of his jacket.
"I want to stay with you, Arthur-san. You are the kindest person I have ever met. Please... can I stay with you instead?"
The unexpected request instantly silenced the room, freezing the complex political maneuver Rias was about to attempt.
Rias stared from the hologram, aghast.
"Arthur, she cannot! A Holy Maiden cannot simply align with a Dragon! That complicates everything! Her Sacred Gear is too dangerous for her to simply be a dependent!"
Arthur sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose.
He looked at Asia, seeing the profound, innocent trust in her eyes.
She wasn't asking for power; she was asking for sanctuary, and she had chosen him over an entire political faction.
"Rias, calm down,"
Arthur instructed, his voice firm, cutting off her strategic panic.
"She is not merchandise, and she chose her guardian. Asia is now under my direct protection. She is my retainer."
He then looked at Asia and offered her the simplest, most sincere reassurance.
"Asia, you're not going to be a Devil. You're going to be a guest and it's my responsibility. You are free to do whatever you choose, whenever you want. You have my word. I will protect you."
Arthur then turned back to the flustered Sona and the angry Rias on the screen.
"Here's the new strategy, Rias. You will still use your political connections to cover this up. The story remains: a Holy Maiden was attacked by Dohnaseek. But you will tell your brother, Sirzechs, that the True Dragon has taken her into his custody. She is now officially an Unaffiliated Protected Asset under my name. That will deter the Church far more than her joining your peerage would. No one dares attack me directly."
Rias recovered, recognizing the immense power move.
"Understood, Arthur. But this makes you a prime target for the entire Church hierarchy, not just the local factions. And you owe me a massive favor for cleaning up this political bomb."
"Noted,"
Arthur replied with a nod.
"Now, cut the feed. I have more pressing concerns than your political ledger."
....ADVANCED CHAPTERS...
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