Chapter 253 — An Unexpected Discovery
Gideon shook his head. "That guy was blindly confident in his setup. The evil spirits found an opening."
He gestured toward the pile of remains behind him.
Catherine stepped closer and clutched the silver bracelet in her hand, murmuring a short incantation.
A wave of clarity and refreshing comfort washed over Gideon.
"I just used a purification spell to check," she explained proactively. "There's no residual evil aura left on you."
"…Thank you," Gideon replied, slightly surprised by her attentiveness.
(Though, truthfully, he wouldn't have minded a little residue.)
"That's good to hear." Farlin let out a long breath. "Not long ago, Miss Catherine contacted us for help. On our way here, we learned what happened."
He bowed deeply.
"We sincerely apologize. Allowing someone so dangerous to infiltrate the Guild and threaten a guest's life is a serious failure on our part."
Gideon waved it off. "There's no need to take responsibility for a villain's crimes. Besides, I wasn't injured."
"He's not wrong," another demon hunter said coolly. "I've long said the Guild should tighten its screening process."
"Mr. Allard, perhaps Guild matters shouldn't trouble our guest, don't you think?" Farlin replied politely.
"Hmph." Enzo Allard snorted and began surveying the room on his own.
"This is Mr. Enzo Allard," Farlin explained. "A highly capable demon hunter and a two-star exorcist of the Guild."
"Allard…" Gideon's brows lifted slightly.
Is he connected to the Shadi family? Why has she never mentioned him? he wondered.
At that moment, Enzo spoke again.
"There were supposed to be a lot of evil materials stored here. Were they all purified by you?" He turned, studying Gideon carefully.
"Only part of them," Gideon replied smoothly—he'd prepared this explanation in advance. "Beron tried to protect himself with certain items after the backlash began. That destroyed a large portion of the spirits, but the remnants eventually devoured him. That gave me the opportunity."
"Is that so?" Enzo's tone was noncommittal.
"You must be quite capable, then. No wonder you managed to refresh the real-time leaderboard record."
Gideon frowned slightly.
First time meeting this guy. Why does he sound so sarcastic?
"Mr. Gideon, it's good that you're unharmed." Sensing the tension, Farlin stepped forward quickly. "Please leave the aftermath to the Guild. We will provide you with a proper explanation."
Lowering his voice, he added, "Mr. Allard… has some disagreements with the Church."
"All of which I heard," Enzo said flatly.
"…Apologies," Farlin replied awkwardly.
Gideon nodded thoughtfully.
After handing the scene over to the Guild, he and Catherine prepared to leave.
"Oh, Mr. Gideon," Farlin called after them.
"If you have time later, please visit the Guild's administrative building. Ms. Meryl has requested to see you."
"See me?" Gideon looked puzzled.
Farlin nodded. "She may possess information related to the incident. However, she insists she will only cooperate if she speaks with you directly. So…"
"No problem," Gideon agreed immediately.
After all, he had just walked away with quite a bit of evil material. His sense of moral restraint had… softened slightly.
"Thank you very much." Farlin bowed again.
---
After Gideon and Catherine left—
"Farlin, the Guild just lost that much evil material, and you simply let the kid walk away?" Enzo asked.
"There are only traces of Church formations left in the room. No powerful holy artifacts remained," Farlin replied. "The spirits were purified in an extremely short time."
"Both Beron and Gideon are connected to the Church. Do you really think this is as simple as it appears?"
Farlin shook his head.
"We investigated Mr. Gideon's background. It's clean. If the Church truly intended to strike at the Exorcist Guild, this method would be far too conspicuous."
"Besides, he did resolve a major crisis for us. If a full-scale evil manifestation had occurred, I'd have no way to explain it to the Guildmaster."
Enzo sneered. "There's nothing those Church hypocrites wouldn't do."
"But purifying that many spirits so quickly… Whoever did it isn't weak. At the very least, they're close to my level."
A flicker of surprise crossed Farlin's eyes. "You mean Mr. Gideon might possess two-star exorcist strength?"
"Who knows? Didn't he just say he didn't do it?" Enzo muttered, nudging Beron's remains with his boot.
---
On the way back—
"Mr. Gideon… I didn't expect you to still be alive—oh! No!" Catherine quickly covered her mouth.
"I mean… thank you for saving me earlier."
Gideon waved it off. "By the way, I learned something about you from Beron."
Catherine turned to him, her bright eyes filled with confusion. "About me?"
Gideon nodded and explained how Beron had manipulated the supply of high-tier holy artifacts to control her.
"So it really was him…" Catherine's brows knitted together. "I always thought it was my fami—"
She stopped mid-sentence.
She suddenly fell silent. After hesitating for a moment, she seemed to make up her mind.
"I come from the Vatican Church. As for why I use witchcraft, I… I…"
"That's your private matter, Miss Catherine. You don't need to explain it to me," Gideon interrupted gently.
Someone who had fled from the very center of Church authority was bound to carry complicated trouble. He had no intention of walking straight into it.
"Since there's no danger now, let's part ways here," Gideon said proactively.
"Wait!"
Catherine hurriedly stepped in front of him.
"I still want to buy some holy artifacts from you."
Only then did Gideon remember. He felt a little awkward.
Earlier, he had casually claimed he still had high-tier artifacts—just to test whether Catherine might be plotting against him.
In reality, he had none left.
"Well… yes, I do," Gideon said solemnly.
"High-tier holy artifacts are extremely precious. I don't usually carry them around. After I meet with that manager, I'll go retrieve them and contact you."
Catherine's eyes lit up. She nodded eagerly. "Okay!"
The two soon returned to the Guild hall.
After bidding Catherine farewell, Gideon quickly disappeared into the crowd.
Making low-year holy artifacts is even more exhausting than purifying evil spirits. She'd better find someone else, he thought.
---
After resting briefly, Gideon arrived at the location Farlin had specified.
Exorcist Guild — Temporary Holding Facility
Gideon followed Farlin to a room.
Inside, Meryl sat alone. She was covered in dried blood, her hands restrained by a special binding device.
The door creaked open.
Farlin entered first.
Hearing the sound, Meryl lifted her head.
"Farlin… I said I'd cooperate with the investigation. But I must see that gentleman first."
Farlin sighed, then stepped back out and opened the door again.
A moment later—
"You wanted to see me?" Gideon entered and looked at her.
Meryl stared straight at him. "I know this may not matter anymore… but I'm truly sorry for what I did before."
Gideon paused.
"You chose not to bring me to the materials room back in the corridor. There's no need to apologize."
Meryl lowered her head. "The reason I asked you here… is because I need your help."
She told him about her daughter being tormented by an evil spirit.
"Winnie's condition is getting worse. The amulets they gave me are lasting shorter and shorter."
Gideon raised a brow. So that was the source of the injury on her wrist.
"So… I'm begging you to save her." Meryl looked up.
Gideon gave her a curious look. "Why are you so certain I can help?"
"After Winnie changed, I consulted many exorcists," Meryl sighed. "They either said she couldn't be saved or claimed a demon was trying to possess her…"
"For all these years… you're the only one who gave a different answer."
Gideon stroked his chin. "Just because my opinion differs, you're willing to let your daughter try?"
"I… have no other choice." Meryl covered her face. "If this drags on, things will only worsen."
"I thought the Church might be a hope… but…"
Gideon narrowed his eyes, saying nothing.
"If you agree… I'm willing to give you what my father left behind."
She looked at him steadily.
"You know—he was once a two-star exorcist."
"You can inspect it first. Then decide."
Gideon glanced toward the doorway. "The Guild is fine with this?"
Meryl's father, Royce, was a respected exorcist," Farlin's voice came through the room's speaker. "We will not confiscate his relic because of Meryl's actions."
Gideon couldn't help admiring that. The Exorcist Guild really does have a broad mind.
He nodded. "I'll agree to this. After I examine your daughter's condition—if I truly have a solution—we'll finalize the deal."
"Thank you." Meryl bowed deeply. "Farlin will take you to retrieve it."
---
Guild Private Vault
This was a secure storage facility. For a fee, members could rent lockers under the Guild's highest protection—an ideal place for exorcists to store "secrets."
In front of locker No. 702—
Beep.
The security lock disengaged, and the compartment door opened slightly.
"If you need anything, call me," Farlin said before withdrawing.
Now alone, Gideon reached in and retrieved a wooden box. Carved upon it was a statue of angelic wings and several runic inscriptions.
The box looked old.
A small lock secured it; the key lay beside it.
Just as Gideon was about to open it, he sensed something unusual.
"The runes on this box… they're part of a small formation…"
His eyes widened as he activated the Ethereal Sight.
Sure enough, he detected traces of holy power—an isolation formation.
Curious, he opened the box.
Inside lay a silver cross. At first glance, it appeared ordinary.
But clearly, it wasn't.
Gideon carefully disabled the isolation formation.
Just before completing it, he paused—then quickly laid down three additional isolation arrays around himself.
Only then did he fully remove the box's restriction.
The next instant—
A blinding golden radiance erupted from his hand, flooding the chamber in light.
Holy brilliance drifted through the air like shimmering petals. A flawless white wing manifested upon the box's surface.
Feeling the terrifying holy power in his grasp, Gideon stared in disbelief.
"A… hundred-year holy artifact?"
The moment he lifted the cross, he felt an overwhelming purity—like all evil would automatically dissolve in its presence.
"If I'd had this earlier, those spirits would've been purified the instant they appeared."
He shook his head in amazement.
"I never expected the manager to possess something like this. Was her father from the Vatican"
If the Church discovered a hundred-year artifact was here, they'd likely send people the next day to claim it.
"And she just handed this to me… That's some serious trust."
This gain had far exceeded his expectations.
With this, he was one step closer to gathering the materials needed to summon an angel.
"Though… didn't the ritual require ten hundred-year artifacts?"
Regardless, Gideon had already decided to accept the deal.
He resealed the artifact, restored the area carefully, and left the vault.
---
One Day Later
Meryl, still under custody, was informed she would be escorted home.
Accompanied by Farlin, she saw Gideon again.
"I—"
"The deal stands," Gideon said calmly.
Meryl's eyes widened. "You mean—"
"Don't rush. The purification hasn't begun yet," Gideon replied. "You're here not just to witness it. I'll need your help during the process."
"I'll do anything," Meryl said firmly.
Gideon nodded.
"You mentioned you were once pregnant with twins. The 'evil spirit' attached to Winnie… is the other child."
Meryl's hands trembled.
"Every evil spirit carries an obsession. Only by resolving it can we truly purify them," Gideon explained.
"In a moment, you'll have to face that infant spirit yourself. I'll create the opportunity. But whether its obsession is resolved… depends on you."
Farlin's eyes flickered with surprise. He had studied many exorcism methods—but what Gideon described was something entirely new.
"I… understand!" Meryl clenched her fists.
Gideon stepped beside Winnie.
Under the spirit's influence, the girl's lucid moments were growing shorter.
He had already prepared the area beforehand. From his bag, he retrieved a brown face-mask artifact and placed it over the girl's face.
The next instant—
Winnie's eyes snapped open.
"Mum, why do you keep bringing strange men—mmph!"
Gideon calmly stuffed a clean handkerchief into her mouth.
"Don't worry. This is a normal phenomenon before purification."
Meryl hesitated, then nodded.
Gideon took out a Gospel Bible. Golden rings appeared within his pupils.
Channeling holy power, he projected it onto Winnie. Soon, a soul-form rose above her body.
He had drawn her soul outward using holy arts.
The moment it emerged, a surge of evil aura burst forth—but the surrounding formation contained it.
The half Beronging to Winnie herself lacked consciousness, tethered to her body by a thin spiritual thread—the effect of the Smiling Mask.
The other half manifested as an infant-shaped evil spirit, flailing its tiny arms.
Gideon examined it closely and soon noticed a thin crimson chain wrapped around it.
It radiated a deep red hue—the manifestation of the Sin of Hatred.
With the Ethereal Sight, he temporarily severed the connection between the two souls.
"Now," Gideon said quietly. "Miss Meryl… he hates you."
The words struck her like a nail driven straight into her heart.
Hands trembling, Meryl stepped forward to face the crimson-eyed infant spirit.
And met its gaze.