Chapter 187: Their Origins
Seeing the scene unfold, Jenny hurriedly spoke up.
"You've misunderstood! Gideon didn't abandon me."
As she spoke, she tugged at her collar and pulled out a cross.
A soft white glow still lingered upon it.
Then she rolled up her sleeves and pant legs, revealing holy relics bound around her joints.
"He gave all of these to me beforehand. Thanks to them, I wasn't contaminated by that black mist."
Jenny recalled the perilous moment just now.
When the black fog had wrapped around her head, it had been stopped by an invisible energy barrier.
Hearing this, Leia froze on the spot, her face flushing crimson a moment later.
She wished she could crawl into a hole and disappear.
"I—I'm sorry. I misjudged you."
Leia bowed deeply to Gideon.
"Please forgive my rudeness."
Then, remembering that the priest had also saved her life, her face burned even hotter.
I'm so stupid. This is a disgrace to the spirit of the Holy Knights! she scolded herself inwardly.
With that thought, she straightened up and offered her cross-shaped sword.
"Please stab me once, as punishment for my despicable conduct."
Jenny covered her mouth in shock, then looked pleadingly at Gideon, shaking her head slightly.
Gideon wore a strange expression.
Are all knights this… psychologically unbalanced?
He recalled another knight he had met before and sighed inwardly.
Still, seeing Leia's sincere remorse, he waved a hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it."
He then turned his attention back to the cave entrance.
Gideon had deployed this exorcism array many times before and was well aware of its limits.
Yet just now, it had erupted with power far beyond anything he had previously witnessed.
If he hadn't forcibly suppressed it, the formation might have spiraled out of control.
That was clearly abnormal.
"The mountain folk mentioned Cardinal… and even the Pope…" Gideon narrowed his eyes.
With Gideon's current status, he was nowhere near qualified to even request an audience with such figures.
Still, he knew how unfathomably deep the Church's foundations were.
Figures of that rank possessed power beyond easy measurement.
"And they also mentioned secrets about the Church…" Gideon's brows lifted slightly.
Some of what had been said about "the Lord" went far beyond heresy—
it surpassed even outright blasphemy.
Within the Church, such words would warrant public execution.
Yet that only made one possibility more likely.
Could it be… a true Name was spoken?
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.
Only beings of that level could have interfered with his formation.
Gideon swallowed lightly. Thankfully, he hadn't misspoken.
When he sensed an external presence earlier, he had clearly declared his stance without hesitation.
It seems I'll need to be even more cautious with my words in the future, he reminded himself.
Unless it's strictly necessary for an exorcism, I should avoid directly invoking the names of lords of Hell or angels in private. It's best not to attract unwanted attention.
He then turned to Jenny.
"May I see your hands?" he asked.
Jenny blinked in surprise, then extended her fair, delicate hands.
"As expected—there are traces of residual energy," Gideon nodded to himself.
He then asked, "How did you get lost in the forest in the first place?"
Jenny hadn't expected that question. Tilting her head, she thought for a moment before replying,
"My father originally brought me here for a hiking trip… but after we arrived, he asked me to survive alone in the forest for a while…"
Nearby, Leia also noticed the faint marks on Jenny's hands.
"You're a witch's descendant?" she asked curiously.
"Some witches are born with innate powers, but their descendants usually awaken them through external stimuli—often after experiencing a life-and-death crisis."
"I… I'm not sure," Jenny shook her head, clearly confused.
"My father never told me anything like that. But my mother did have some unusual abilities. I always thought it was just magic tricks…"
Based on Jenny's earlier display, Gideon understood immediately. At the same time, a spark of realization flashed in his eyes.
Back during the Annabelle incident, the demon had mentioned the Murder House. And now, the mountain folk had brought it up again.
If Gideon remembered correctly, that was the infamous house in American Horror Story where spirits could exist permanently—and where the Devil's Child would eventually be born.
That's it.
Suddenly remembering something, Gideon strode quickly into the cave.
All the incubation sacs hanging from the ceiling had already burst open. The embryos inside, unable to survive without support, had long since died. Gideon casually sprinkled holy water, completely purifying the remains.
He then walked to the deepest part of the cave.
The corpse of the Progenitor Mountain Dweller still lay there. After being scoured by holy light, the evil power within its flesh had long dissipated—its skin was even worn smooth.
Gideon stopped before its abdomen, which was sealed by a thick wall of flesh.
"It transferred all its power here before death, protecting what was inside," he murmured.
Just as he was about to act, Leia's voice sounded behind him.
"Father Gideon…"
Her tone was hesitant.
"May I have the mountain dwellers' brood nest? I'm willing to pay for it."
Gideon raised an eyebrow. "You know what this is?"
Leia nodded.
"It's an evil nest used to breed the Devil's Child. It's extremely important to our Knight Order, so…"
Remembering her earlier misunderstanding, she found it hard to continue.
Gideon rubbed his chin. He didn't particularly need the nest, though he was curious about its purpose.
Taking a deep breath, Leia finally spoke:
"According to the prophecies of our seers, the nest is one of the materials required to forge the Ancient Holy Sword—an artifact crucial for opposing evil on Judgment Day."
The Knight Order traced its origins back a thousand years, to the Knights of the Round Table who once repelled a demonic invasion along the Mediterranean coast.
But internal betrayal later shattered the Order, and it gradually declined.
Even so, the Knight Order remained one of humanity's key forces against demons and evil spirits.
"Though the spirit of knighthood still lingers across the world, most of it has been corrupted," Leia said softly.
"Demonic traps, the madness of ancient gods, the lingering obsessions of fallen saints…
Every knight who walks this path must endure such trials."
"When I one day become a Templar Knight, I too will—"
"I see," Gideon nodded. "Take the nest. Consider it a favor you owe me."
Leia looked up in disbelief. "R-really?"
Gideon stepped aside, clearing the way.
Since she sought to eradicate evil as well, he saw no reason not to help.
Besides—he wasn't short on money, and favors were far harder to repay than coin.
"Father Gideon, your noble character leaves me deeply ashamed," Leia said solemnly, bowing deeply.
"Noble character…?" Gideon scratched his nose, feeling that didn't quite sound like a compliment.
After that, Leia took out several rune-etched emblems and placed them around the Progenitor's body. It appeared to be some kind of summoning ritual—Gideon could feel the surrounding energy stirring.
When she finished, Leia coated her cross-shaped longsword with a strange liquid, then carefully cut open the Progenitor's abdomen.
An embryo was quickly removed, though it no longer showed any signs of life.
She then opened its chest and extracted a golden heart from within.
"Please accept this," Leia said, offering the heart to Gideon.