Chapter 250 – A Choice
Meryl led Gideon out of the Rental Office and toward another facility.
It was the Evil Materials Processing Area.
After all, not many customers were capable of handling evil materials on their own. So the Guild had established this dedicated area for those in need—anyone could use it, so long as they paid a service fee.
---
Meanwhile, at the Entrance of the Trading Hall
Two figures—one tall, one shorter—walked in.
Doria looked exhausted.
"1 p.m. is the perfect time for a nap. You're the one who told me that," she muttered, stretching as she let out another yawn.
Catherine lightly tapped her on the head.
"You only woke up at eleven!"
"That… that just proves I woke up early!" Doria replied, blinking innocently.
Catherine shook her head helplessly.
"You can sleep after we get back. First, come with me to find that gentleman from yesterday."
"The one selling holy artifacts?" Doria looked puzzled. "Didn't you just buy holy water yesterday? You haven't even used it all yet."
"That's exactly why I need to buy more!" Catherine knocked her lightly on the head again.
---
After returning yesterday, Catherine had used the bottle of seven-year-grade holy water she purchased.
The results had far exceeded her expectations.
The holy power contained within was exceptionally pure, and the spiritual particles were unusually active.
Such qualities only appeared in holy water crafted with rare materials.
In fact, it was even superior to the holy water blessed during the Grand Festival—nearly on par with the private reserves of Cardinals.
She had once been fortunate enough to encounter such quality before, which was why she could tell the difference.
At the time, Catherine had nearly jumped in excitement.
Holy water of that caliber would be worth twice the price.
The purification process afterward went smoothly as well.
Once applied, the negative effects of her forbidden spell were immediately suppressed.
After calculating carefully, she realized the bottle's effectiveness was nearly double that of what she used to purchase.
At her previous consumption rate, she would have needed to replenish again within a single day.
But now…
She could last far longer.
If she used the bottle currently in her hand, she could probably last thirty days… no, no.
Catherine decided to stay conservative in her estimate.
At the very least, it would last twenty-five days.
When she did the math, seven thousand Resentment Points was not expensive at all. In fact, she would be saving quite a bit.
Because of that, she secretly cursed Beron for quite some time.
After completing the purification ritual, Catherine immediately decided to stock up on more as backup.
That very night, she returned to the trading hall.
Although the hall was open around the clock, the stall had already closed by the time she arrived. With no choice, she had to go back.
Early the next morning, she returned again to wait.
But the gentleman from yesterday was nowhere to be seen.
The other stalls were exactly the same as before—none of the holy artifacts for sale exceeded five-year quality.
Catherine felt discouraged, but she quickly reassured herself and rallied her spirits.
"I'll wait again this afternoon! If he still doesn't show up, I'll give up!"
Worried she might miss him, she even dragged Doria out of bed to help keep watch.
---
Back to the Present
Just as Catherine was about to head toward the materials section, she spotted a familiar figure from yesterday.
Her eyes lit up instantly, glowing with excitement.
"Come on!"
She grabbed Doria and ran toward him.
When she got closer and was about to greet him, she suddenly noticed something unusual.
That manager…
"I've seen her alone with Beron before," Catherine thought.
"Could it be…?"
Her eyes widened.
Combined with yesterday's unpleasant incident and Beron's usual behavior, realization dawned on her.
"No! I have to warn him!"
But she didn't dare rush forward.
Nothing had actually happened yet. If she spoke without proof, he might misunderstand—and that could make things worse.
Biting her lip, she hesitated for a moment before deciding to follow quietly.
"Doria, I've changed my mind. Let's not look for him anymore. I still have holy water left. Why don't you just go shopping with me?"
She turned with hopeful eyes.
Doria froze.
"Mi—Miss Catherine, in that case… I've decided to follow your previous advice and go catch up on sleep. Yes! Sleep is very important! It keeps you energetic, improves your mood, and also—"
She kept talking while backing away, her voice fading until she disappeared at the entrance.
After Doria left, Catherine's smile faded.
"There might be danger ahead. Better not let her follow," she thought.
Pulling her hood lower, she quietly followed the two figures down the corridor.
---
Inside the Guild
Meryl led Gideon down a long hallway. Aside from a few staff members, there were no other exorcists in sight.
According to Guild service principles, compensation was not handled like this.
Gideon was almost certain the manager had ulterior motives.
Yet he sensed no abnormal energy fluctuations from her.
Aside from the scar on her wrist—its faint evil aura was so weak he could "purify it with a splash of holy water."
They were still within Guild grounds. If she or whoever stood behind her made a move, others would surely notice.
That was why Gideon hadn't acted.
After all—what if this really was compensation?
Still, he wouldn't entrust his safety to speculation.
After a brief silence, he spoke.
"I suggest you keep your distance from that thing."
"What did you say?" Meryl stopped, confusion flashing in her eyes.
He gestured toward her wrist.
She followed his gaze and instinctively grabbed her right wrist.
"I'm sorry if that startled you," she smiled faintly. "I was injured handling an evil material once. This is a leftover side effect. Don't worry—it won't spread."
She subtly tugged down her sleeve.
"You don't need to explain," Gideon replied calmly as he continued walking.
"A holy charm can suppress evil aura. But judging from your wrist, the corruption has already begun spreading."
"When it accumulates enough, even the charm will fail."
He turned back to look at her.
"When that happens, your body will become fertile ground for demons. Any evil entity could claim your soul. And the person closest to you would be harmed."
"You know that, don't you?"
Her body stiffened.
"Cl—closest… person?" Panic flickered in her eyes.
Gideon pointed to her collar.
A small cartoon teddy bear pin was clipped to the inner lining.
Only then did she realize she had accidentally exposed it while adjusting her sleeve.
"How embarrassing," she murmured, fixing her collar.
She caught up to him again.
"Thank you for the reminder. I understand the consequences. But…"
She paused, then changed the subject.
"This may be rude to ask, but… are you a Church exorcist?"
"Contracted exorcist," Gideon replied. "Signed with the Church to handle community cases."
"I see…"
She nodded.
"Then you must know quite a bit about purification?"
"Some."
She hesitated, heart pounding.
Finally, she clenched her fists.
"Have you ever seen a human soul fused together with an evil spirit?"
"Fused?"
"I once heard of a case," she forced a light tone. "A girl had two souls inside her. One of them was an evil spirit. As she grew older, the two became inseparable."
Gideon thought for a moment and shook his head.
"Unlikely."
"A soul fits its body perfectly. When an evil spirit invades, it must completely devour the original soul. Otherwise, it can't fully take over—and may even be expelled."
"The entire process takes no more than a month."
Disappointment clouded her face.
"But there is one exception," he added.
Her eyes snapped up.
"What exception?"
"If the girl was born with two souls from the beginning, the second one might not be an evil spirit."
Her voice trembled.
"What… do you mean?"
"If her mother originally carried twins, and one died due to complications, this could happen."
"Then… why would it appear evil?"
"That's only the surface," he said calmly.
"A newborn soul is pure. Even if it dies, it retains only neutral spiritual residue."
"Normally it would dissipate and reincarnate quickly."
"But… at that stage, the spirit can already sense its surroundings."
"If it's treated as an evil spirit and subjected to exorcism rituals, it could indeed be pushed toward corruption."
Her knees buckled, and she collapsed against the wall.
---
Eleven Years Earlier
Guild Private Lounge.
"Father, I don't want to become an exorcist. I don't want a license. I just want to live a normal life!" young Meryl declared.
"Don't be ridiculous!" her father scolded. "Evil incidents are increasing. Only becoming an exorcist guarantees survival!"
"Can you protect me forever?" she shot back.
"Even with my two-star license, if I die, the most I can leave you is a manager's position. Is that what you want?"
"I… I don't mind."
"You!"
She wiped her tears.
"I'm pregnant with Yude's child."
"What?!"
He was furious.
"I told you to stay away from that man! He claims to be from the Vatican, yet I can't verify anything about him. That's not normal!"
She ran, shutting the door behind her.
Later, at a hotel entrance, a gentle-looking man embraced her.
"I bought us a villa in the suburbs. At a huge discount."
She laughed through tears.
Then—
"An explosion occurred yesterday… one deceased… one injured…"
"Royce died protecting you…"
"There is no exorcist from the Vatican by that name…"
---
Back to the Present
"You okay?"
Gideon's voice brought her back.
"I'm fine," she forced a smile.
She handed him a key.
"Your compensation is in that room. Two items."
She bowed and walked away, unsteady.
Gideon watched her leave.
He sensed no evil beyond the door—but he still set up a precautionary formation.
Just as he was about to unlock it—
He turned.
"You've been following me for quite some time. How long do you plan to keep watching?"
A figure in dark red robes stepped forward.
"It's you."
Catherine removed her hood, awkward.
"I—I wanted to buy more holy artifacts…"
"You followed me here to buy artifacts?"
She faltered.
Finally, she told the truth.
"The manager knows Beron. I was worried…"
Gideon raised a brow.
"Still want holy artifacts?"
"Of course!"
He handed her the key.
"Go retrieve my compensation. I'll look for some for you."
Her eyes sparkled.
Inside were two silver canisters—thirty-year-grade evil remains.
Real compensation.
She extended her hand afterward.
"The holy artifacts!"
"Forgot to bring them," he smiled. "Come with me?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
They walked.
"Wait," she said. "The Guild hall isn't this way."
"Correct," he replied calmly. "There's one small matter left unfinished."
She hurried after him.
"Wait for me!"