Chapter 219: An Unexpected Gain and a Messenger of the Church
For a thousand years, the true power of the Church had always been controlled by the ancient families of the Holy Land.
Within the College of Cardinals, not a single red cardinal came from the lower ranks.
That alone was proof that these people had long treated the Church as private property.
Yet according to divine revelation, the authority of the Holy Son stood above all existing Church institutions.
This was clearly not something those old men wanted to see.
Gideon couldn't help but wonder whether Jolan's invitation carried the same hidden danger.
It seems I still need to investigate further, he reminded himself.
He then turned to Silas and said,
"Instead of fleeing immediately, you went out of your way to abduct a girl. What's that about?"
"You… believe me?" Silas asked, momentarily dazed.
Gideon raised an eyebrow. "What's wrong?"
"N–No, sorry. It's nothing." Silas lowered his head and blinked. "She's my younger sister—Clare Roscher."
"The Church has already begun arresting members of the Roscher family. Clare is likely in danger."
Gideon immediately understood.
So this was a request for safekeeping.
But then confusion flickered across his eyes.
"I remember your parents are still alive. Why did you only save your sister?"
Silas lowered his head.
"When I returned home, the place was already surrounded…"
"Clare has a constitution resistant to corruption. Father had her cultivate separately, planning for her to undergo spiritual awakening once she was older."
"But now…"
The former Bronze Cross cleric let out a long sigh.
With him branded a traitor, his sister would never again be able to enter the Church.
"Before escaping, I obtained some evidence of the Church's crimes. As long as I'm not captured, Father and Mother should be safe."
As he spoke, Silas handed over a tome.
Gideon took a step back.
"You'd better keep that evidence yourself."
He was honestly startled—was this man trying to drag him down with him?
Silas froze, then hurriedly explained,
"You misunderstand. This is payment—for asking you to look after Clare."
He opened the book.
After this upheaval, Silas had clearly matured.
Gideon nodded approvingly—
but that didn't mean he intended to take on this trouble—
Wait.
His brows suddenly rose.
He took the book from Silas and flipped it open.
Inside was a yellowed parchment, its upper edge marked with crimson characters:
Holy Codex.
"This contains some ritual configurations," Silas said hesitantly.
"I know you're skilled in this field, so I thought…"
His confidence wavered.
He had been in a hurry when fleeing, and this item just happened to be on the table.
He only knew it might be valuable—he wasn't sure whether Father Gideon would care.
A moment later—
"Leave your sister with me. You can go in peace."
Gideon looked up with a smile.
Silas froze.
"Th–This… is it useful to you?"
"Yes," Gideon nodded.
"It records some fascinating ancient rituals—perfect for advancing my research into formation arrays."
"That's… wonderful." Silas finally let out a breath of relief.
But in truth, Gideon was the one who had struck gold.
He had already checked—it matched what he had previously obtained in Louisiana.
This parchment was clearly one of the three fragments of the Holy Codex.
And its contents included additional materials related to the Angel Summoning Ritual, such as:
Ancient olive branches from Mount Sinai
A sacred silver insignia of an Apostle
A complete saint's relic
Purified salt from the Abyss of Hell
And, of course, hundred-year holy water
Aside from the holy water—which Gideon could produce himself—
the rest were either unheard of or extraordinarily difficult to obtain.
Summoning an angel was never going to be simple, he thought.
This would have to wait until he gathered more clues in the future.
---
With matters settled, Silas woke his sister and carefully explained everything to her.
"Don't try to save Father and Mother. As long as I'm not caught, they'll be safe…"
"Focus on theological cultivation. Only true strength can protect you…"
"And trust no one—except Father Gideon…"
Clare had been drugged by Silas earlier, so she still looked dazed when she woke.
Her sleepy eyes focused on the familiar face before her.
"Do you understand?" Silas asked solemnly.
Clare's pale blue eyes widened as realization dawned.
"Silas! Brother, you—mmph!!"
Before she could shout, Gideon covered her mouth.
"Next time you kidnap someone, use a lower dose," Gideon said flatly.
"And don't forget to gag them."
"Sorry… s–sorry," Silas muttered guiltily.
After a while, Clare finally grasped the situation.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Then she looked at her brother with teary eyes.
"Can I go with you…?"
"I—" Silas began, only to be cut off.
"You have no ability right now," Gideon said calmly.
"You'd only be a burden to him."
"And dawn is only a few hours away. You should leave soon."
Clare buried her face in her knees, looking deeply hurt.
Silas said a few more words to her before solemnly bidding Gideon farewell and departing.
Since there was now a guest, Gideon gave up the resting room and returned to his workshop.
---
The next morning.
At dawn, Clare knocked on the workshop door.
"I… I need to complete my morning anointing practice," she said softly, not daring to look at Gideon, her hands twisting together.
Gideon froze.
So this was Silas's real plan.
"Sending his sister to freeload… impressive," Gideon thought darkly.
Still, considering the incomplete Holy Codex fragment, a few bottles of holy oil were a small price to pay.
Just as he was about to get up, Clare suddenly produced a glass bottle.
Then, in a barely audible voice, she asked,
"So… may I use your restroom?"
Gideon blinked.
Only then did he remember the bundle Silas had left behind—likely Clare's belongings.
"Of course," he nodded.
Her mood visibly improved, and she left with light steps.
Not long after, she returned again.
"I… normally at home, I anoint myself with holy oil first, then recite scripture, then…"
She carefully listed a long, complicated routine.
"So…" she hesitated.
"So?" Gideon asked, spreading his hands, waiting.
Clare took a deep breath and gathered her courage.
"So… I might use a bit more purified water. Is… is that okay?"
Her voice grew smaller, her cheeks flushing.
Gideon stared at her in disbelief.
That's it?
Just more water?
I thought you were about to ask me to personally anoint you!
And why are you blushing?!
It's just water! Anyone would think you were proposing some forbidden deal!
Gideon inhaled deeply, suppressing the scream in his mind.
Clare spoke again, timidly.
"I'm sorry… am I bothering you?"
She had clearly sensed his emotional shift.
"At home, Mother always taught me that if you use someone else's things, you should ask first, so…"
When Clare mentioned her mother, her eyes reddened again.
By then, Gideon had already calmed down.
Unexpectedly well-mannered, he thought.
"It's fine. You're free to use anything in the shop," he said.
"Thank you!" Clare wiped her eyes and forced a warm smile.
"Oh—by the way," Gideon added, "I'll be taking you to stay with a friend later. Get ready."
There was no way he could openly let Clare live in the shop—it was far too conspicuous.
Besides, Gideon often had to leave on field assignments.
He planned to place the girl with Lorraine for now. As for her long-term arrangements, he already had something in mind—it just wasn't time yet.
Not long after, the workshop suddenly became very quiet.
Gideon's heart jumped immediately.
This silence… this is the calm before disaster when kids have messed something up.
He quickly opened the door.
What he saw made him freeze.
Two figures sat facing each other at the counter.
Judy stood there with her arms crossed, her gaze sharp and interrogative.
Opposite her, Clare sat stiffly, head lowered, not daring to speak.
The moment Judy saw Gideon, she grabbed a towel from the counter and marched over.
"You let her use my favorite towel?" Judy's eyes were full of grievance.
"…Uh."
Gideon was momentarily speechless.
Clare had no toiletries the night before, so he had casually given her one.
Only now, seeing the towel with the ghost-pattern print, did he remember—
Judy had bought it with her own money and never used it.
"I—I'm sorry," Clare said quickly, her face burning red.
"I wanted to wash up before sleeping, so I just—"
She had never encountered anything this embarrassing in her life.
Judy stared at her in disbelief.
She immediately ran into the resting room—and when she came back, her eyes were already brimming with tears.
"You…" Judy's voice trembled,
"You let her sleep in my bed."
"…Uh."
Gideon swallowed hard.
For the first time in a long while, he felt a genuine life-threatening crisis.
"Well—she only slept there for one night," he said carefully, word by word.
"I can buy you a new one."
Judy wiped her eyes and whispered softly,
"But… I bought that bed with the money we earned from commissions…"
With that, she quietly went back into the resting room and shut the door.
Gideon's head instantly started throbbing.
"No… absolutely never again," he vowed internally.
"I can never let two women be in this shop at the same time."
At this point, he didn't even dare mention sending Clare to Lorraine's place.
Otherwise, Judy might be heartbroken beyond repair.
"I caused trouble for you… didn't I?" Clare said quietly, full of regret.
"…Uh."
After a moment of thought, Gideon decisively pulled out his phone and dialed Huang Ren.
"There's a life-or-death matter I need your help with…"
---
After finally calming both girls down and escorting them together to Lorraine's place,
Gideon at last enjoyed a brief moment of peace.
Then—someone knocked on the shop door again.
"Father Gideon! Thank goodness you're here!" Flora said, panting.
"What happened?" Gideon handed her a cup of holy water.
"Thank you." She took it, then continued,
"Two clerics have arrived at the seminary. They say there's an important commission and want you to join them."
"Oh! Right—" Flora added quickly.
"They're both from diocesan-level churches, and this mission was assigned directly by the Vatican."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
"Aren't Richie and the others still around? Why come to me?"
"You're the only one who's returned from fieldwork recently…" Flora said.
Gideon blinked.
"Then tell them I just left again."
As he spoke, he grabbed his backpack.
Sudden missions like this were always suspicious—who knew what kind of trap might be waiting?
"No!"
Flora hurriedly blocked the doorway.
"The two envoys are still waiting. Please come with me immediately."
---
Dey Theological Seminary
At Flora's signal, Gideon pushed open the commission room door.
Inside stood two figures.
One of them was familiar—
Snow-white skin, emerald-green eyes.
It was Bettice Mason, the beautiful nun from St. Peter's Church whom he had met during the Commemoration Incident.
When Bettice saw Gideon, her eyes lit up.
She smiled and was about to stand up—then glanced to the side.
Standing there was a priest dressed in black.
He stood upright, his robe adorned with subtle black jacquard patterns.
The fabric was lustrous and refined—clearly no ordinary garment.
A delicate silver cross hung on his chest, and a silver insignia gleamed at his cuff.
Sensing movement behind him, Wilton Mills slowly turned around.
He had a typical Western complexion, thin lips, and deep-set eyes.
With his right elbow hovering slightly before his abdomen, he spoke coldly,
"You are Father Gideon?"
Gideon nodded.
Wilton walked toward him, his gaze icy, radiating immense pressure.
Gideon simply looked back calmly.
Wilton narrowed his eyes and stopped beside him.
"As a cleric, you should be mindful of your appearance," he said.
"Remember—you represent the Church at all times."
Gideon lowered his head and realized he was still wearing his workshop clothes.
Just as he was about to speak, Bettice stepped forward.
"This is Father Wilton from St. Carlo Church in Rome," she said tactfully, subtly hinting at his status.
Because of its proximity to the Holy Land, the Roman Church held exceptionally high standing within the Church hierarchy.
She was warning Gideon—not to offend this man lightly.
But Gideon merely smiled.
"Scripture records that the Holy Son was born in a stable and lived as a wanderer for a time," he said calmly.
"Yet hardship never weakened His faith."
"Though my status is low and I dare not compare myself to Him, I still understand this truth."
Wilton's brow immediately furrowed.
He had intended to rebuke Gideon for daring to place himself alongside a holy figure—
—but Gideon had already "reflected on himself," cutting Wilton off before he could speak.
For a moment, Wilton was left speechless.
Seeing this, Gideon continued,
"Since I clearly fail to meet the expectations of the two envoys, I shall take my leave."
He crossed himself, turned, and walked toward the door.
"Gide—"
Bettice tried to stop him.
But before she could finish a single word, Gideon was already at the doorway.
She panicked inwardly, a mix of frustration and embarrassment rising in her chest.
How could he ignore me too?!
She hurriedly stepped in front of him.
"Father Gideon, Father Wilton didn't mean it that way. Please don't misunderstand."
Then she turned to Wilton.
"Father Wilton, this time we are acting under a Vatican mandate—"
Wilton narrowed his eyes, then spoke evenly,
"I spoke out of turn."
Bettice finally let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Afraid the two might clash again, she quickly explained the mission.
"Three days ago, Germantown Friends School on Elm Street in Philadelphia held a graduation ceremony."
"However, all 333 teachers, students, and parents present that day have since gone missing."
"According to reports from the local police, they appear to have fallen into a deep sleep—but innocent people continue to die at intervals."
"There are also eyewitness accounts claiming they saw a pair of leather blade-gloves…"
"At present, forces such as the Lord Knights and the Wizard Association have already dispatched personnel to investigate…"
---