"O Lord! Please help us spread Your sweet fragrance wherever we go!"
The petite nun knelt on the ground as usual, her eyes closed as she prayed toward the heavens.
Her name was Asia. She was a nun of the Church and the saintess spoken of by others.
It was precisely because of this status that she was being groomed as a leader of the next generation and had been assigned to this exorcism squad.
Prayer.
It was something Asia did every morning after waking. No matter the weather or her mood, she would calm her heart and pray in silence.
She might even feel uncomfortable if she went a single day without praying.
Today, Asia had once again risen earlier than most of the others at dawn, so she began praying earnestly. This time, however, her prayer seemed somewhat different.
"O Lord..."
The instant Asia spoke those two words, the light around her seemed to flicker.
"Huh?"
The sudden change frightened Asia so badly that she sprang straight up from the ground, only to fall heavily back down a moment later.
"What... is all this?"
She should have been resting with the other members of the exorcism squad at the ruins of an abandoned church, but now...
Asia looked around at her surroundings and found everything astonishingly novel. She had never seen scenery this beautiful before. What was the right word for it?
Multicolored? Brilliantly iridescent?
In any case, it was a color formed from countless hues blending together, as beautiful as a magnificent river of stars.
"Excuse me, is anyone here?"
No matter how one looked at it, Asia was still only a teenage girl. Being suddenly separated from everyone familiar and appearing in a place she had never seen before was more than enough to terrify her.
Judging by her appearance, she was practically curled up on the ground.
Could this be... a devil's trap?
Cold sweat immediately appeared on Asia's forehead.
She had heard that devils used special methods to lure prey into traps, which meant...
Am I the prey now?
"No! Mr. Devil, please spare me! I don't taste good at all!"
Even though Asia shouted so loudly, there was still no response whatsoever.
"Mr. Devil?"
After an unknown amount of time, Asia finally came back to her senses. She patted her legs and hurriedly stood up.
"Is there really... no one here?"
Don't worry, Asia. There definitely isn't anyone here. You've been calling out for so long without receiving a response. The devils must have already left!
Asia nodded frantically in her heart, trying her best to drive away her fear.
Unfortunately, contrary to her hopes, a certain being truly did respond to her.
"Of course there isn't anyone here!"
A cheerful voice sounded from behind Asia, causing the girl, who had only just overcome her fear, to tense up all over again.
"Eeeeeh?!"
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude!"
Before she could even see the other person clearly, Asia immediately spun around and bowed, wanting to apologize and beg to be allowed to leave. However...
Boing!
A soft, gentle swell pressed directly against her face.
"Mmph!"
What is this? I can't breathe!
The frightened Asia hurriedly took several steps backward, distancing herself from that dangerous place.
Once she recovered, Asia finally got a clear look at the person who had been standing behind her.
Dazzling golden hair, exquisite features, and a voluptuous figure. Without question, this was a peerless beauty unlike anyone Asia had ever seen before.
"So beautiful..."
The instant she saw the woman, Asia's expression changed for a brief moment. However, she soon came back to her senses and shook her head vigorously.
"I'm terribly sorry. I didn't mean to intrude..."
Before Asia could finish speaking, the beautiful woman tilted her head and moved closer to her.
"So you're the Church's saintess. You certainly look the part!"
"Not bad, not bad. Very impressive!"
"The Church is truly fortunate to have a saintess like you!"
The sudden praise left Asia completely at a loss. Her small face turned bright red, yet she did not dare meet the blonde woman's eyes directly...
In the end, she could only shyly look away.
"Um, thank you very much for your praise, but who are you...?"
Perhaps because the other person was such a beautiful woman, the atmosphere between them gradually changed. Asia slowly grew bolder and began asking about the woman's identity and name.
Of course, the main reason was that the beautiful woman before her had not done anything excessive.
"Me?"
The blonde woman pointed at herself, a puzzled expression appearing on her face.
"How should I explain this to you?"
"I do live here, and I've lived here for a very long time. But as for my name..."
"Sorry. Due to certain special circumstances, I can't tell you my name."
"You can just call me Eli."
Perhaps it was her imagination, but Asia felt that the woman before her seemed to become slightly excited when she said the name Eli.
Could that title hold some special meaning for her?
Asia had no way of knowing, but she still summoned her courage.
"Miss Eli, could you tell me what this place is? And why did I appear here?"
Under normal circumstances, with the other members of the Church beside her, Asia certainly would not have taken the initiative like this.
But now, she could not sense anyone else nearby at all. Anyone unaware of the situation might have thought they had simply left her behind.
That meant Asia had to pull herself together!
"O Lord, please grant me the courage to overcome everything!"
Asia took a deep breath and was about to ask Miss Eli a few more questions when something unexpected happened.
Asia suddenly felt an immense power surge into her body, instantly restoring her body from the tension caused by keeping watch through the night.
What kind of power is this? Isn't it far too miraculous?
"Oh! I imagine you're wondering why this happened, aren't you?"
The blonde woman known as Eli approached Asia with a gentle smile.
She gently lifted Asia's hand and carefully examined her palm.
"This is resonance!"
"The Sacred Gear within your body resonated with this place because of a certain special energy. That's why you appeared here."
Eli explained, "But don't worry. This isn't a bad thing for you. On the contrary, this is something every member of the Church dreams of!"
"What... do you mean?"
Asia looked confused, but Eli soon explained everything.
"Welcome to Heaven, Miss Asia!"