Chapter 218: Turmoil in North America
Inside the House of Rest.
Gideon handed Bente a cup of holy water.
"So—what exactly happened?"
Bente had calmed down considerably.
"Zal and I took on a commission—an abnormal disturbance in a residential community. The risk rating wasn't high, but we followed the methods you taught us before…"
"At first, everything went smoothly. But while collecting the evil materials, I accidentally triggered an ancient seal."
His voice trembled slightly.
"Zal shoved me away, but he was engulfed by the corrupt aura himself. To prevent being taken over by evil… he chose to end his own life."
After finishing, Bente buried his face in his hands.
Gideon let out a quiet sigh and placed a hand on Bente's shoulder in comfort.
In a world surrounded by danger, vigilance was essential at all times.
Even the smallest oversight could become a fatal mistake.
"And Silas?" Gideon asked, steering the conversation away.
Bente took a sip of water, his expression turning solemn.
"The last time I saw him was five days ago."
"He was boasting in front of Zal and me—said he'd caught the attention of a major Church figure in Washington and was about to be transferred to a seminary there."
"But when I returned with Zal's remains, I was told something else entirely."
Bente clenched his fist.
"They said Silas colluded with an evil faction and assassinated a bishop."
"The Church has already issued a bounty order. He's to be captured and sent to Vatican judgment as a traitor."
Gideon narrowed his eyes.
Based on his understanding of Silas, the man was vain—but also intelligent, and deeply obsessed with power and status within the Church.
Someone like that murdering a superior?
It didn't add up.
"What do you think?" Gideon asked.
"Silas isn't that kind of person," Bente said firmly.
"I even went to his apartment. Though it's under Church supervision now, all the important belongings were still there. That doesn't look like a carefully planned escape."
Gideon nodded.
There were too many inconsistencies.
The Church's hierarchy was rigid—especially in high-ranking institutions. Gideon had seen this clearly at the Exorcist Division before.
With Silas's abilities, assassinating a bishop in such a place and escaping unscathed was nearly impossible.
As for relying on evil powers? Even less likely—he would've been detected by defensive formations long before getting close.
"What else did the warrant say?" Gideon asked.
"They claim Silas stole a priceless holy relic," Bente replied grimly.
"And because of that, his entire family is to be put on trial."
Bente tightened his fists.
"I was interrogated several times as well, but they released me once it was confirmed I wasn't involved."
Gideon's gaze grew thoughtful.
"And Joran?" he asked. "Was that related too?"
Bente shook his head.
"The archbishop was taken away because he allegedly collaborated with evil forces while investigating another case."
"There's been no news since. Matthew has temporarily taken over as head of the seminary."
At the mention of "collaborating with evil forces," Gideon felt a flicker of guilt.
But then he frowned.
"That's all? Just that?"
Bente nodded.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
That made things even stranger.
As a Vatican envoy, Joran wielded enormous authority in the local diocese.
From Gideon's understanding of the Church, if someone of that stature truly fell from grace, the matter would be handled quietly—to preserve institutional prestige.
Besides, with Joran's temperament, he had likely done such things before.
As long as results were delivered, the Church usually turned a blind eye.
Putting an archbishop on trial for that reason alone?
Gideon didn't believe it—at least not eight times out of ten.
He also ruled out political infighting.
The recent interrogation of Bishop Julius was still fresh in his mind.
If this were merely factional slander, the position of dean at Dey Seminary would already be the center of fierce competition.
Gideon himself, as a visiting professor, would've been removed.
Yet Matthew—well known for his indifference to power—had been appointed instead.
All of this led Gideon to a single conclusion:
This was deliberate misinformation.
Why the Church would do this, he didn't know.
But with frequent personnel transfers across various churches—and Silas's sudden "betrayal"—
Gideon had an uneasy feeling.
Something big was brewing.
"Maybe I should hide out at a community church for a while…" he thought.
Whatever the Church was planning, low-ranking clergy like him would be nothing more than expendable pawns.
But then another thought followed—
As long as he remained within the Church system, true escape was impossible.
"In the end, only strength matters," Gideon decided inwardly.
"Power is the only real guarantee."
He resolved to take on more commissions as soon as possible.
---
Bente soon departed—he still needed to pray for Zal.
Gideon took the opportunity to return to the seminary.
He wanted to gather more information about Joran and return the token from the recent commission.
The result was exactly as he had expected.
All matters related to Archbishop Joran were classified.
Moreover, every arrangement Gideon had previously made at the seminary remained untouched—there was no sign he had fallen out of favor.
During this time, Flora also shared several important pieces of news with him.
First—
A new faction had emerged in North America.
They called themselves the Lord Knights, claiming lineage from a monarchic empire north of the Mediterranean over a thousand years ago.
They openly declared that the Church's faith was the true evil flowing through the land.
Their mission, they claimed, was to expose Church corruption and strip away its sanctimonious facade.
To "prove" their accusations, the Lord Knights revealed a shocking scandal—
All clergy imprisoned in the Land of Suffering for violating Church law had allegedly been rendered into Sacred Oil to aid theological cultivation.
The Church, of course, denied everything, branding the claims as "heretical provocation."
A public war of words followed.
To outsiders, it seemed like mere spectacle.
But internally, the Church had issued clear instructions:
Beware assassination attempts from the Lord Knights.
Which suggested the faction was anything but weak.
The second piece of news involved another organization—
The Witch Association.
For over a thousand years, witches had been synonymous with evil. Only in recent decades had that perception begun to soften.
Even so, witches still lived in the shadows.
But now, the Association's current leader had stepped forward, calling on major North American factions to unite against an impending evil invasion.
The Witch Association offered to act as an intermediary—and even proposed sharing small-scale spells usable by ordinary people.
However…
Not everyone within the Association agreed with this course.
And internal dissent was already growing.
Rumor had it that several witches jointly opposed the leader of the Witch Association, declaring that such actions amounted to outright betrayal.
The blood debts accumulated by witches over the past thousand years could not simply be erased.
As a result, they formally withdrew from the Witch Association and established a new organization—the Order of the Rosy Cross.
This group openly accused the Church of committing atrocities across the land, crimes that had only been concealed due to the Church's overwhelming influence.
They swore that the Church would one day pay for its sins in blood.
At present, the Lord Knights had already made contact with the Order of the Rosy Cross, and the two factions were secretly drafting plans for a joint crusade against the Church.
---
The third piece of news concerned yet another emerging organization—the Light of Humanity.
Founded by a wealthy magnate, its members included scientists, spiritual mediums, and figures from various local communities.
They believed that supernatural powers brought nothing but disaster to mankind and that such forces had to be restrained.
According to them, advanced technology and scientific instruments were the true means of eradicating evil.
They openly called on citizens of every state to take up arms themselves, rather than relying on religious or supernatural authorities.
All of these organizations had now issued public statements, declaring their intent to actively participate in supernatural incidents across North America.
It was easy to imagine that the coming months would be exceptionally "lively."
---
The final piece of news concerned Demon Hunters.
After the conclusion of the previous sealing ritual, a new family had risen to prominence in Louisiana.
This family adopted an eye as its heraldic emblem, and within a short period of time, several Demon hunters wielding inherited weapons had emerged from its ranks.
Despite overtures from multiple factions—including the Church—the family made their stance clear.
"We only wish to protect the peace of the southern lands of North America," they announced publicly.
---
Gideon rubbed his chin.
He had only gone out on one commission—yet upon returning, it felt as though the entire world had changed.
The news about the Demon hunters was nothing new to him. In fact, the suggestion that they refuse to participate had come directly from Gideon himself.
Some time ago, Sadie had written to inform him that Allard had used his authority to support the rise of a new family.
Together, the two families had rapidly become the dominant forces in the southern regions of North America.
Coincidentally, various factions—including the Church—had quietly reached out to test the waters.
Unsure how to respond, Sadie had sought Gideon's advice.
Given the increasing frequency of supernatural incidents—and the fact that the new family had only just secured its footing—drawing too much attention would only invite trouble.
Remaining in the shadows while quietly building strength was the wiser course.
Now, it was clear Sadie had followed his advice.
The letter also mentioned that the head of the new family had wanted to personally visit Gideon—but Gideon had declined, citing "the demands of theological study."
If such a meeting were discovered, it would inevitably attract unnecessary attention.
After all, a figure courted by multiple factions choosing instead to visit a mere priest would be seen by the Church as a direct affront.
---
After returning from the seminary, Gideon happened to run into Lorraine, who had come to pick up Judy.
Ed had been discharged from the hospital long ago. After the incident involving Bishop Hans, the couple had refrained from accepting commissions for quite some time.
Thanks to their prior reputation, the Warrens were now employed as consultants on anomalous cases for the local police department.
The pay wasn't high, but with their previous savings, the family lived comfortably.
These days, the couple devoted all their attention to Judy's training.
For that reason, they repeatedly offered Gideon payment.
The Warrens knew very well that Father Gideon was an exceptionally powerful cleric.
Allowing their daughter to study under him was nothing short of a stroke of incredible luck.
But Gideon declined.
Not out of kindness—but because he genuinely intended to cultivate Judy into a capable assistant.
That way, if true calamity ever descended upon the land, he would have another reliable ally.
It was, in its own way, preparation for the future.
---
After seeing them off, Gideon retreated into his workshop to replenish the holy relics he had consumed.
Late at night.
Dey Merchant Street lay silent and empty.
Suddenly, a black-clad figure appeared at the corner of the street.
The figure carried a burlap sack, glancing around cautiously for some time.
After confirming there was no one nearby, the robed individual approached a small shop called House of Rest.
"Knock… knock."
After placing the sack on the ground and lightly knocking, the figure vanished into the shadows.
---
Inside the shop.
Gideon was already standing behind the door, holy relics in hand.
The fact that the robed figure could approach without triggering any reaction meant there was no trace of evil clinging to them.
Still—
What kind of lunatic dumped an unidentified object at someone's doorstep in the middle of the night?
I deliberately keep this place unrenovated just to stay low-key, you know!
Picking on honest people, huh?!
Gideon was visibly annoyed.
After a moment's thought, he opened the door anyway.
If whatever this was stayed until morning, it would definitely draw attention.
Better to deal with it now.
Thanks to his vision ability, he didn't turn on the lights.
But when he saw what was inside the sack, he froze.
It was a woman.
Long pale-gold hair spilled over her shoulders, her fair face youthful and delicate.
There was no doubt—she was beautiful.
But she was wearing only a nightgown and appeared to be unconscious.
Because of her seated position, her neckline gaped open toward the doorway—leaving nothing to the imagination.
Gideon stared for a long moment.
Then—
He hauled the sack over to the trash bins at the edge of the street.
Bang.
He immediately returned inside and slammed the door shut.
"Whew… that was close."
"Living together with a girl who just shows up at your doorstep? Only legendary shut-ins would believe that kind of nonsense!"
He shook his head.
In reality, this situation was far too suspicious.
---
At the same time, in a dark corner of the street—
The robed figure froze when the door actually closed.
They rushed to the trash bins.
The sack had been tied shut again.
A label was stuck on it:
"Dangerous Item."
The figure's mouth twitched.
After taking a deep breath, they hoisted the sack once more and returned to the shop.
This time, after knocking, they stayed put.
"Who is it?" Gideon asked warily.
"I've been watching," he added inwardly.
"Father Gideon… it's me."
The robed figure pulled back the hood.
Gideon raised an eyebrow, looked him over, then said calmly:
"Come in."
---
"That's the whole story," Silas said, holding a cup of holy water.
Because of his exceptional theological talent, he had caught the attention of Archbishop Cor Sado.
The archbishop hailed from the ancient Sado family of the Holy Land—former Temple priests with immense standing in the Church.
Even within the Vatican's College of Cardinals, the Sado family held seats.
Cor Sado privately approached Silas, expressing his desire to cultivate him as a key figure.
To Silas, it sounded like a once-in-a-lifetime blessing.
The very goal he had always pursued.
So he accepted without hesitation.
But the reality was nothing like he expected.
The archbishop did intend to "cultivate" him—
at a price.
Silas was required to sign a soul contract.
Under its terms, part of his soul would be surrendered to the Sado family, and he would swear eternal servitude to them.
There were many such clauses—each more oppressive than the last.
From the contract, Silas saw only one word:
Slavery.
No matter how obsessed with power he was, Silas Roscher would never sell his soul.
Doing so would not only disgrace himself—it would betray the Roscher family behind him.
So he refused.
That was when Archbishop Cor Sado revealed his true face.
Silas was told he would sign the contract—or else the Roscher family would be erased from North America.
And Silas himself would be rendered into a vial of holy oil.
Only then did Gideon realize—
The upper echelons of the Church had long kept a tight leash on gifted clerics.
Anyone with extraordinary talent would receive an "invitation."
Sign the contract, and all was well.
Refuse—and you became a traitor.
The outcome was obvious.
And the reason they did all this was simple:
They were searching for a candidate for the Holy Son.
---