Chapter 17: The Young Masters from Above
Gideon Black kept a close watch on Teresa's actions.
As she approached, he maintained a calm expression, but his hands moved quickly.
He removed the paper with the holy water drops and immediately placed a clean sheet on top of it.
Without drawing attention, he moistened the new paper slightly with his own saliva, putting on a troubled, discouraged look.
When Teresa arrived, she saw only a faint watermark on the paper and immediately understood that he had failed as well.
"Don't lose heart; failure is normal at the beginning. Try focusing more on the recitation during the process," she encouraged.
Gideon acted thoroughly moved and prepared to try again.
Nearby, the deacon who had started earliest noticed Teresa stopping by Gideon and assumed he'd succeeded too.
He started to come over, but as he neared, he overheard Teresa's remark and realized his assumption was wrong.
After Teresa left, Gideon ensured no one was watching before discretely balling up the blue-stained paper and stashing it away.
He also quietly poured the prepared holy water down the front of his robe, letting it soak his clothes.
After emptying a cup, he rinsed it with pure water, ensuring any holy water residue also ended up on his clothes.
This way, should anyone else use this cup later, there'd be no evidence of what he'd done.
"Whew..."
His damp clothes were uncomfortable, but Gideon felt relieved.
Who would have thought that the holy water he had made so casually would turn out to be of such high purity?
"Judging by the color, it's probably close to ten years old," Gideon mused to himself.
In the past, when making holy water, he would only use it after letting it sit for a long period, or he'd use water left behind by the old priest—so he was always careful and frugal.
He never expected that his starting point was already on par with a ten-year vintage!
A bit of thought told him this was due to his [Holy Water Blessing] ability.
At the same time, Gideon realized something else:
From what Huang Ren and Teresa had said, high-vintage relics were extremely rare.
So, what about the crosses or amulets he'd made himself? Were they just as unique?
"If that's the case..."
He thought of the ones he'd previously sold or given away.
"Looks like I'll need to make preparations—just in case."
As for handing over such items in exchange for status or recognition...
For an ordinary priest to possess such things would immediately raise suspicions—people would wonder if he'd acquired them from some ancient deity.
That would be heresy.
If Gideon ever made such an artifact in front of others, it would shake up the entire church.
Promotion aside, jealousy would surely follow.
So Gideon's instinct was to keep what he'd made hidden.
Besides, anyone who could casually make holy water of this quality would be seen as a walking treasure trove.
He could already picture spending the rest of his life locked away somewhere, forced to work day and night as a holy water-making machine.
"That was close."
...
The half-day exorcism training soon ended.
In addition to the earlier deacon, several other people stood out.
Next, Teresa would take the best of them to the diocesan academy for the next round of selection.
She was well aware that such a short training could never teach very much—exorcism was less about theory and more about experience.
To truly master it, they had to attend a higher-level academy, like Wheaton College in New York.
The remaining trainees didn't get to relax, though.
Soon, senior church officials would arrive with new assignments, and the local staff would have to accompany them throughout.
An hour later—
Two young people arrived at the nursing home, and Gideon as well as Huang Ren were specifically called out.
Gideon sized up the new arrivals—a young man and a young woman.
The man was a priest, strikingly handsome, and about twenty years old. He entered with a frown, clearly displeased by the environment.
The woman's attire marked her as a nun of about the same age.
Even without makeup, her delicate features and calm expression projected an air of unapproachability.
Though the wide nun's habit concealed her figure, Gideon could still see her graceful build as she moved.
Without drawing notice, Huang Ren nudged Gideon, giving him a knowing look.
"So it's just the two of you?"
Luen Clauso (Lu En-Klauso) straightened his back, radiating an air of superiority.
"Prepare us a private room. For dinner, we'll need salami, whole wheat bread, and red wine..."
Luen, as the illegitimate son of the cathedral's archbishop, was a true "child of privilege."
Though he had only recognized his father in private up to now, after the revelation of the Holy Word, his father had formally acknowledged him.
This paved the way for a future in the Vatican and a chance to become an archbishop overseeing many dioceses.
To build his résumé, he accepted this assignment—coming to this "backwater" to burnish his credentials, as people liked to say.
The task itself was hardly difficult—particularly since his father had even given him a sacred relic, a crucifix used in a Vatican fasting ceremony.
With that in hand, dealing with demons or evil spirits would be child's play.
Luen was brimming with confidence—there was plenty of time, so he thought he'd just relax and enjoy himself, completing the assignment before heading back.
The person that truly caught his attention, though, was the girl next to him—
Olivia Guerrero, daughter of a cardinal; this was someone with real Vatican connections.
Before coming, Luen's father had specifically told him to befriend her, or better yet, win her over.
If he managed that, perhaps the Clauso family could climb even higher.
As for whether the Vatican would later hold him accountable, Luen wasn't worried at all; as long as nothing came to light, his father would cover for him.
So, in his gentlest tone, Luen asked, "Olivia, is there anything you would like to eat? I can have them make it for you."
For once, he put on a polite, "gentlemanly" smile.
Olivia, face expressionless, merely replied calmly, "Whatever he's having is fine."
Internally, Luen was elated.
She wants what I want—that's a sign of trust!
He felt his relationship with her moving closer.
He promptly ordered, "Two of everything, then."
Gideon, watching, realized Luen was treating this place like a restaurant and immediately understood the type of person he was dealing with.
"Now things are going to get complicated..." Gideon thought.
In his experience, situations like this often ended in a few ways:
The pair would think highly of their own skills and insist on taking the lead, dragging everyone into danger and possible disaster.
On the way, the nun might show him and Huang Ren a little warmth, arousing the man's resentment and turning him into an enemy.
Or, the duo would prove incompetent, leave the hard work to Gideon, and he'd end up covering for everyone.
Any way you looked at it, danger was coming.
Gideon was already considering how to keep his distance from these two.
Meanwhile, Huang Ren was all smiles at Luen's requests.
"No problem at all—leave it to me!"
...
Thanks to Huang Ren's arrangements, everyone stayed at a church he was familiar with.
Originally, Luen intended to spend a week relaxing before taking on the mission. Unfortunately for him, Olivia disagreed.
So, the group decided to rest one night and set out for the assigned town the next morning.
That night, after a full dinner, Luen finally revealed the details of their assignment.
"The Church has received word that a small town called Ravens Fair hasn't held any religious services for a very long time..."
Recently, there had been frequent accidental deaths there,
and in every case, the victim's tongue had been ripped out. The town's population was dwindling.
Their mission: travel to the town, investigate whether an evil spirit or demon lurked there,
and restore church rituals so that the Lord's light would once again shine on Ravens Fair.
As Gideon listened, the story started to sound familiar.