"112: Kanzaki Kaori, The Fallen Angel Ecchi Maid Outfit"

What the Pope didn't realize was that Fiamma of the Right had no such petty ambitions. Grooming successors to maintain his own authority? That was far too small-minded for him. His goals lay far beyond what the Pope could imagine, and his strength far exceeded even that of most members of the God's Right Seat. Though the formulas of the God's Right Seat were formidable enough to surpass nearly every other magician, not all members were equal. Fiamma of the Right stood at the absolute pinnacle, far beyond his peers.

That was why he didn't care whether Su Mo obtained the formulas or not. Even if Su Mo had the compatibility, so what? At best, he'd become a backup candidate for the God's Right Seat. But Fiamma of the Right himself stood in a completely different league. He was a man destined to save the world. Compared to his grand salvation plan, the God's Right Seat's formulas were merely trivial.

Thus, under the Pope's bitter gaze, Fiamma of the Right personally forwarded the formulas to Su Mo using his notebook. Still, he wasn't entirely generous—he made it clear that in exchange for this privilege, Su Mo's mission could not be allowed to fail.

Back in Academy City, inside Su Mo's apartment, Su Mo stared at the notebook's reply with mild surprise. "They actually agreed?"

Frankly, he hadn't expected this. Knowing the Pope's temperament, he had assumed that, at most, they would promise to release portions of the formulas only after Index had been captured. Su Mo had already braced himself for a long negotiation. But to his surprise, they had not only agreed, but even sent him the full formulas in advance—a completely unexpected windfall.

As for the final condition that the mission must succeed, Su Mo simply ignored it.

Without wasting time, he immediately began transcribing the formulas. With Index standing nearby, her perfect memory ensured that not a single detail would be lost or overlooked. Before long, the transcription was complete.

"These are angelic formulas… amazing!" Index exclaimed. "Using these formulas to purge original sin to its lowest levels… no wonder they're the Roman Catholic Church's secret techniques."

As Index carefully studied the formulas of the God's Right Seat, she couldn't help but let out a soft exclamation. Even with the knowledge of 103,000 grimoires stored within her, none of them contained these angelic formulas. For her, too, this was entirely new knowledge.

"I wonder if I possess the right compatibility to use any of these," she mused.

After roughly reviewing the contents, Su Mo had already gained a basic understanding of the nature of these formulas. Compared to technical difficulty, the God's Right Seat's formulas placed far greater importance on innate compatibility. Only those who possessed the corresponding nature could even qualify to use them. Without the proper alignment, no amount of magical aptitude could make up for it.

However, this wasn't the time to test that. Carefully preserving the copied formulas, Su Mo turned his attention back to his primary goal and resumed his inquiry with the Roman Catholic Church through his notebook. He hadn't forgotten why he started this to begin with—he still needed to figure out why Index was being hunted by magicians from the Anglican Church.

Unfortunately, the Roman Catholic Church had no particularly detailed information to offer. The Pope merely confirmed that Kanzaki Kaori, Stiyl Magnus, and Index were all indeed members of the Anglican Church. None of them had defected. As for the specifics of what transpired between them, that was something even the Vatican's intelligence network hadn't uncovered yet; their investigations simply hadn't reached that depth.

"Looks like the Roman Church doesn't know the truth either," Su Mo remarked, glancing toward Index. "But if those two come after you again, perhaps we can get some answers directly from their mouths."

Index nodded. This time, there was no trace of the previous unease in her expression. A while ago, the uncertainty might have driven her into despair. After all, for the past year, finding refuge under the Anglican Church had been her only spiritual support. If even that collapsed, she wouldn't have known what to do anymore.

But now, with Su Mo by her side, the fear had faded. She didn't understand why Su Mo, despite being a Roman Catholic spy, was helping her. But one thing she was sure of—he was on her side. There was no need for doubt or anxiety. All she had to do was stand with him and face the truth together.

With that thought, she cheerfully stuffed another pastry into her mouth, entirely carefree. Seeing her like this, Su Mo couldn't help but suspect that perhaps he didn't even need to be completely honest with her. Judging by how easily food swayed her, he might very well be able to win her over with snacks alone.

Since the Roman Catholic Church offered no more useful information, Su Mo ended the exchange and prepared for what was to come.

Though they had initially considered letting Index sleep in a guest room, Su Mo chose instead to let her rest on the couch in the living room, since they were still waiting for their would-be pursuers to arrive. He kept watch nearby, ready for the arrival of Kanzaki Kaori and her companion, Stiyl Magnus.

Su Mo didn't harbor much personal animosity toward them. True, their logic was often baffling and completely irrational—like the insane plan to continuously hunt down their own friend just to prevent any future sadness from parting ways. What kind of twisted reasoning even conceived of that? And yet, they had stuck to it for an entire year, like obsessive lunatics from some psychiatric ward.

Still, aside from that absurdity, Kanzaki Kaori wasn't all that bad. At the very least, she had long legs—and very nice ones at that. She was also someone who knew how to repay favors. If Su Mo successfully exposed the Anglican Church's conspiracy and saved Index, he was already considering what to ask in return: perhaps he could finally get Kanzaki Kaori to wear that legendary Fallen Angel Maid Outfit he'd long dreamed of seeing.

And if, afterward, he managed to save the Amakusa-style Church as well, surely Kanzaki would owe him enough that—even if marriage was out of the question—becoming his personal maid wouldn't be too much to ask. Having a Saint as his personal maid… even without considering any physical perks, just the prestige alone would be off the charts.

As for Stiyl Magnus… Su Mo didn't have much interest in him. That's just how it was for someone like him—a straight-up old pervert, unashamedly single-minded.

Around midnight, the guests he had been waiting for finally arrived. Index had already been asleep for over an hour, her small head resting comfortably on Su Mo's lap. Sensing a familiar presence, Su Mo opened his eyes. Through the large glass window, he could see a tall figure standing atop a nearby rooftop, bathed in moonlight—a mysterious and dangerous silhouette.

He gently patted Index's head. "Mmm… Su Mo, I can't eat any more, I'm full…" she mumbled in her sleep. Even in her dreams, she was still eating—proof that her title of "Gluttonous Nun" was well deserved.

Seeing that simply patting her wouldn't wake her, Su Mo thought for a moment, then softly whispered, "Index, there's a big feast waiting for you."

"A feast?! Where?!" she instantly sprang up like a revived corpse, her eyes sparkling as she scanned the room eagerly. It was almost comical how no amount of shaking or calling her name could wake her, but one mention of food snapped her awake like lightning. Su Mo couldn't help but wonder if her brain had developed a special sensitivity just for food-related information.

"If you don't wake up now, you might end up becoming someone else's feast," he teased, tapping her head lightly. Then he gestured for her to look outside. At some point, Kanzaki Kaori had silently moved from the rooftop into the courtyard.

"A magician!" Seeing Kanzaki, Index instinctively hid behind Su Mo, a trace of fear in her eyes.

Amused by her reaction, Su Mo gently reminded her, "Didn't you want to uncover the truth? You won't learn why you've been hunted like this if you keep hiding."

Index paused, then summoned her courage. "With you here, Su Mo, I'm not afraid! Tonight, I, Index, will finally ask them why they've been hunting down one of their own!"

Her voice grew stronger, her confidence returning. After all, from both a moral and practical standpoint, she was in the right. They were comrades, yet she had been relentlessly pursued for a year. And now, with Su Mo at her side—and the Walking Church protecting her—she would not be a burden.

There was no need to fear the opponent.

With that conviction, Index held onto Su Mo's hand as they walked out of the living room and stepped into the courtyard. The silver-haired nun, mustering all the courage she could, glared fiercely at the pursuer before her.