Becoming a Shadow in the New World

Asia's eyes regained their clarity.

"Oh, Mr. Sid, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to get distracted."

When she came to her senses, she didn't realize that her soul had almost drifted away. She just realized that she had been daydreaming and felt that she had done something very rude, so she quickly apologized.

"fine."

Sid said he didn't mind Aisia's apology, since, strictly speaking, Aisia's soul almost left her body because of him.

"More importantly, do you have a place to stay right now?"

"No, no, Mr. Sid."

A slight smile appeared on Sid's lips.

"Are you interested in working for me (are you interested in being an assistant to the Shadow Warrior)?"

Chapter Seventy-Seven: The Greatest Sorrow is a Dead Heart

“A job? Really, Mr. Sid?”

With his hands on the table, crossed to support his chin, Sid looked at Asia, who was beaming with excitement at the unexpected surprise, with a flirtatious smile.

"I never lie."

This statement itself is a lie.

"But... I don't know how to do anything."

Asia was initially excited to receive Sid's reply, but quickly calmed down.

She knew very well that Sid was probably only taking her in because he felt sorry for her, and that working for him was just an excuse to make her feel better about it.

She claimed she came to repay her savior, but now she's causing trouble for him instead. Asia, when did you become so shameless?

Now that I think about it carefully, the idea of ​​finding her savior was absurd. What could she possibly do for her savior?

She didn't know that she had come up with this idea on a whim, and her body immediately acted on it. In the past three months, she hadn't thought about this issue at all, and had always been thinking about finding it first.

But now that she's found it, she's starting to feel lost.

power?

Although she was a wandering nun with no powerful connections willing to take her in, she still knew that her savior, Shadow, was a world-class wanted criminal who had stormed into the first joint meeting of the three realms, fought for several hours with the gods and the three true ancestors, and was finally defeated and severely injured by the gods.

Perhaps his individual strength cannot compare to the combined strength of the world's top combatants, but he is still recognized as one of the world's top five combatants.

The power granted to her by the artifact was a joke in the face of such a being.

wisdom?

She was quite self-aware; if she were truly wise, she wouldn't have done something as foolish as using a divine artifact to heal a demon.

You have to understand, a nun who possesses a divine artifact and has been expelled from her home by the church is a highly sought-after person. It's just that she was still on church territory at that time and the news hadn't spread, otherwise she would have been captured by some force to study the artifact long ago.

money?

Putting aside the question of whether trying to bribe the incarnation of God with money would send her to hell, she doesn't have much money. The money and antiques given to her by the fallen angels will ensure she has enough to eat and wear for more than ten years, but if she wants people to do things for her, she will go bankrupt in no time.

Artifact?

Isn't it ridiculous to use a divine artifact made by the Lord to heal the Lord?

Therefore, the idea of ​​seeking repayment from one's savior is absurd, because she can't help her savior at all; in fact, she might only cause trouble for him.

When they met earlier, Sid looked at her with a look that suggested he was annoyed by her presence.

Is it better to pretend you don't know Sid's kindness and accept his help without a care in the world, or to bring it all up and admit that you are of no use to your savior?

Isn't the answer obvious?

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

For the first time, Asia gripped the hands that were under the table so tightly. Asia had never known that it was so difficult to say a word.

"Mr. Sid, I'm very sorry to have caused you trouble."

One must press on with one effort, then weaken with each attempt, and exhaust oneself with each subsequent one. Asia is currently in this state.

The first time she was expelled from the church was when she was a child for trying to save a demon. That time, she was able to muster the courage to seek hope for survival.

She was taken in by a fallen angel, only to discover that the angel had only taken her in because he coveted her artifact. This was the second time she had been taken in. This time, the thought of repaying her savior made her feel that she still had things to do. Like quenching thirst with the sight of plums, she struggled to survive and take action.

Now, having found Sid, she has personally unveiled the veil of her own heart, and this is the third time she has shut herself out in her inner world.

Although this third one was like a flower in a mirror or the moon's reflection in water—an empty shell, so fragile that it could not be broken.

Ultimately, it's because she's too idle. If Asia never finds Sid, she'll remain in that busy three-month period, and as time goes by, she'll unknowingly meet someone who can accept her along the way.

Unfortunately, there are no "what ifs." Asia has already found Sid, which gives her a little time to think about how to repay his kindness. In the end, she concludes that she is of no use to Sid and will only cause him trouble.

The greatest sorrow is a broken heart; that's the perfect description of Asia at this moment, having ripped away the fig leaf from her own heart.

Asia is a good person, and precisely because she is a good person, knowing that her existence would only cause trouble for others, she would not shamelessly choose to stay; she would silently accept this fact and then leave.

Sid: ?

"Wait a moment……"

Seeing Asia suddenly get up to apologize and leave, Sid was stunned, almost thinking that he had done something to offend Asia and upset her.

In the end, it was Asia's expression and demeanor that made him realize something was wrong. He didn't know anything about psychology, but Asia's current state seemed very familiar to him; he had seen it in Alpha, whom he had defeated in the counterfeit money war...

In fact, he had seen this state in some of the Seven Shadows before. The main reason for using Alpha as an example was that Alpha left a very deep and pleasant impression on him at that time.

“Mr. Sid, I’ve thought it through. I’m really sorry to bother you today. I know you offered to take me in because you felt sorry for me, but I’ve realized that staying here would only cause you trouble. So I’d better not bother you. You’re a good person, and I shouldn’t trouble you like this.”

???

What on earth are you imagining? Why are you suddenly giving me the friend card? Never mind, that's not important. I should think about how to fool Asia first. Luckily, he learned some verbal skills from anime.

“You’re being a bit arrogant, Asia.”

"Mr. Sid?"

In response to Asia's question, Sid chuckled and shook his head.

"Who told you you have no value, Asia?"

In this life, don't overestimate yourself and think you have great abilities, that's arrogance; nor should you underestimate yourself and think you're insignificant, that's also arrogance.

What right do you have to decide what others think of you?

How can you know how important you are in other people's eyes if you don't ask them yourself?

Chapter Seventy-Eight: Asia's Past

Asia was a person with a difficult life.

Born in Europe, she was abandoned by her parents at the moment of her birth and left at the gate of a monastery, where she was adopted by nuns.

Because there truly are gods in this world, the church cannot be said to be without any darkness, but it is absolutely on the side of humanity and represents the force of justice.

Let's ignore for now the fact that they used force to break into the territories of other pantheons to preach, and then called themselves a monotheistic religion, while conveniently labeling the gods of other mythologies as heretics.

At the very least, influenced by the biblical pantheon of God's love for humanity, the angels under His command genuinely feel a responsibility to teach and protect humankind.

In short, influenced by the angels, there may be some people in the church with filthy and dirty desires, but most are kind, especially the nuns in Europe, the church's stronghold, who are certified by the church and run their own convents.

At first, Asia, like other abandoned orphans, was raised by nuns.

Because she had always lived in a monastery and was raised by the nuns, Asia was very "devout" and a believer who strictly adhered to religious rules.

Perhaps the girl's kind heart caught the attention of the celestial system, and when she was eight years old, a mysterious power was placed upon her.

Since it was the church's headquarters, not long after, when the girl used that power to heal an injured puppy, she was coincidentally seen by people from the church.

The girl was taken to the church headquarters, where the church's leaders told Asia the true nature of the mysterious power within her that could heal others—a gift created by God and given to mankind, a divine artifact with healing power called "The Smile of the Virgin Mary".

The church allowed young girls to heal the discomfort, illnesses, and pains of believers who came to the church seeking help, calling it a blessing.

The word spread like wildfire, and the girl's fame grew. Eventually, her life was transformed; she went from an abandoned, uncared-for orphan to a "saint" of the church.

At first, Asia was very happy about her changed life. She was not happy about the rights and status she had gained. The reason why the girl was really happy was that her power could be put to use.

But as time went by, the girl gradually felt lonely.

The ugliness of human nature exists everywhere. Because of her own excellence and her inability to get along with others, the girl was subjected to passive-aggressive treatment after receiving the title of saintess.

They wouldn't bully Asia, nor would they be able to bully Asia enough.

Even so, Asia felt bad. The girl didn't understand why these nuns her age were unwilling to get close to her and be her friends.

The reason is simple: jealousy.

The others were jealous of the girl's extraordinary treatment, but Asia, who was treated like a treasure by the church's higher-ups, knew that even her food, clothing, and shelter were different from others.

The nuns residing at the church headquarters had all undergone extremely rigorous spiritual practice in their original convents before being selected to come to the church to compete for the title of saint. (Calcia...)

They are excellent and have good personalities, but they just refuse to be friends with Asia.

In their eyes, it was as if they had cheated, since they had worked so hard and practiced so diligently, while Asia had become a saint by virtue of the "Smile of the Virgin Mary" given by God.

They weren't unaware that such accusations were unreasonable, but they were still human after all. Even knowing their thoughts were wrong, they still harbored resentment towards Asia.