Chapter 114 – The Refining of Holy Oil
When the figures emerged from the forest, the crowd at the border of the Plague Zone erupted into cheers.
"They're alive!"
"By the gods—they actually made it out!"
"It must be the blessing of the Sun God!"
Family after family rushed forward, joy written across every face.
"Miss Sadie, it seems your waiting has been rewarded," said the High Priest in amazement.
He quickly counted the returning hunters—
not a single one missing.
Given the chaos that had unfolded within the Plague Zone, this was nothing short of a miracle.
"Faithful hearts will always be watched over," Sadie replied with a soft smile.
The High Priest nodded solemnly. "May the Sun God's light forever protect you."
He offered her a blessing and took his leave.
Watching his back as he departed, Sadie muttered under her breath,
"Actually, I was praying to the Lord,"
and stuck out her tongue playfully before hurrying off toward the approaching hunters.
"Gideon!"
Her face lit up with joy, and before she even reached him, she had already opened her arms wide for a hug.
"Hey—hey! Wait, hold it!"
Gideon raised a hand to stop her, his tone serious.
"You too! All of you, stay where you are!"
The others halted, confused.
"Coming out of a place saturated with miasma," Gideon said firmly, "the first thing you do is purification. Otherwise, you risk spreading the poison!"
"The priest is right!"
"Everyone, back up a little!"
The hunters all nodded in agreement.
Sadie blinked, astonished.
Just days ago, these people had been fighting over the Trait like rabid dogs—
and now they obeyed Gideon like devout acolytes.
Meanwhile, the priest began the final purification ritual.
Each hunter drank a dose of holy water as he chanted from the exorcism scriptures, reciting the verses several times to ensure the corruption was completely cleansed.
Only when he was certain that not a trace of miasma remained did Gideon finally nod.
"Welcome back."
Sadie didn't wait another second.
She lunged forward and threw her arms around him.
"I take back what I said earlier," Gideon murmured with utter sincerity, feeling the softness in his arms. "You definitely don't need to lose weight."
"You—!"
Sadie's face turned bright red. She gave him a light punch in the chest.
"I'm back too, you know!"
Rafe, standing nearby, looked at them with feigned indignation.
"Of course," Sadie said with a smile, pulling him into a hug as well.
At that moment, Rafe decided every near-death encounter had been worth it.
"But why did you all take so long to come back?" she asked, puzzled.
"With your holy relics, you should've left the Plague Zone long ago."
Rafe scratched his beard awkwardly, glancing toward Gideon with a complicated look.
---
Earlier that day
Outside the ruined fortress.
The seal had been reinforced, and the "gate" beneath the castle was temporarily sealed by ritual.
Still, a faint stream of poison mist seeped upward.
It was clear that the Plague Zone would persist for some time.
Gideon had attempted to close the gate entirely, but there was a force on the other side—
something powerful, sustaining the corruption.
Unless he stayed here indefinitely, the moment he left, the fog would rise again.
He sighed and set the idea aside.
Now, all that was left was to exit the zone and officially complete the commission.
As he began packing up, the hunters surrounded him.
"I can take you all out safely," Gideon said after some thought, "but in exchange—you'll help me capture a demon creature. Alive."
The hunters exchanged uneasy looks.
"That's… risky," one said. "They're dangerous enough as it is. Catching one alive?"
"Besides, we don't even know where to find them."
"Don't worry," Gideon replied with an easy smile. "I'll guide you.
If things get dangerous, you can pull back. That's my only condition."
The tone left no room for debate.
Under the priest's calm but unyielding gaze, they had no choice but to agree.
---
They began their hunt.
At first, the hunters expected this to be perilous.
But soon, they realized something was off.
"These demons… are running away from us?"
"Is it because of the plague's aftereffects?"
"No… look at them—they're terrified of the priest!"
Their confusion deepened.
But after they captured the first Hive Queen alive, realization dawned.
For the first time in their lives, they saw fear—true, human fear—on a monster's face.
Whenever Gideon approached, the massive creature would tremble and try to flee, only to find itself unable to move, trapped by his quiet authority.
"So… this is the power of the Church," one hunter whispered, awestruck. "Terrifying."
"I can't believe I'm saying this, but… I almost feel sorry for that demon."
And so their hunt continued.
The demons scattered at the mere sight of them. Sometimes, the hunters had to take long detours just to catch one.
Eventually, they begged Gideon to stay farther away so they could actually do their jobs.
By then, their packs were overflowing with rare materials.
They offered to split the profits, but Gideon only asked for a portion of the money once it was sold — nothing more.
---
Days passed.
The chaotic aftershocks of the castle's collapse finally subsided. The entrance to the Plague Zone stabilized once more.
Adventurers and hunters began forming new parties, eager to explore the remnants of the cursed land.
And in the nearby taverns — especially the Dead Dog Inn — business was booming.
Everywhere people spoke of it:
how the southern plague was sealed,
how the Church's mysterious priest had single-handedly quelled the corruption,
and how the hunters who followed him came back rich — and alive.
In the taverns of Saint Fréyan, talk of the Plague Zone expedition had become the hottest topic of the season.
Aside from the usual exchange of bounties and commission rumors, every conversation eventually turned to one of two subjects — the Allard family, and the mysterious priest.
The Allards, of course, were the greatest victors of the ordeal.
They had secured the coveted Trait, gaining both prestige and influence across the southern territories.
Rumor had it the family even intended to sponsor a local tribe, and in the past few days, numerous factions had already approached them to form alliances.
The Coopers, however, weren't so fortunate.
After losing all of their hunting hounds within the Plague Zone, Zod Cooper was harshly reprimanded by his family elders — and stood on the brink of losing his position as heir.
Other families that participated in the expedition had mixed results.
Some gained valuable resources, others barely escaped with their lives.
Yet among all these tales, one name was mentioned every single night without fail —
Father Gideon.
Some praised his compassion — how he stopped the rampaging spirit that nearly turned the warehouse district into a massacre.
Others lauded his courage — how he single-handedly prevented a demonic breach in the depths of the cursed fortress.
And, of course, a few dared to slander him — whispering that he was the true mastermind behind the tavern poisoning and the traps scattered throughout the Plague Zone.
Those rumors were, naturally, met with swift outrage and denial.
Who would dare insult the man hailed as the savior of Saint Fréyan?
---
Meanwhile, Father Gideon himself was comfortably lodged in a lavish suite at the Allard estate.
Thanks to Sadie's assistance over the past few days, he had successfully completed his research — and refined his very first batch of Holy Oil.
The results were astonishing.
After extensive testing, he confirmed that his modified distillation method could increase the oil's spiritual maturity.
For example, the twenty-year Holy Oil he had received as a reward from the Church —
after refinement, its quality had risen to the equivalent of forty years.
A full doubling in potency!
When a sacred relic or substance reaches an age of fifty years or more, it officially becomes a Holy Artifact —
the kind of relic so rare that even the Vatican stores them in vaults, only brought out for grand ceremonies or divine festivals.
Encouraged by this success, Gideon experimented with lower-grade oils as well.
A freshly brewed vial of Holy Oil could be elevated by two to three years in quality after refinement.
The higher the base purity and age, the greater the amplification.
However, this only applied to organic-based oils — those derived from blessed herbs or purified animal essence.
Industrial or synthetic oils showed no improvement whatsoever.
Even so, Gideon was ecstatic.
After all, most Holy Oil sold on the open market had a quality lifespan of only a few days to several months.
Because of how quickly it was consumed in rituals and exorcisms, few batches were ever stored long enough to age properly.
This made aged Holy Oils incredibly rare — and extremely valuable.
Even a vial with a purity of just one year could fetch several times its normal price.
And with Gideon's method, he could refine a fresh batch into a two-year-grade oil in just one day.
In short—
a business that promised divine profit.
That realization planted a thought in his mind.
Maybe I should open a Holy Relic shop...
By controlling production and limiting supply, he could achieve what he jokingly called "Holy Oil Freedom" in no time.
As for materials? Those could easily be gathered from the remnants of the Plague Zone.
The Allard family had already offered a partnership — they would handle collection, while Gideon provided protection through his crafted sacred items.
Still, before he could commit to any enterprise, he had another matter to investigate.
From his satchel, Gideon carefully withdrew the aged, yellowed parchment he had retrieved from the castle's underground chamber.
He had finally managed to translate it.
The text was written in Latin, and though the ink had faded, the first line was perfectly clear:
"The Holy Chapter — The Descent of Angels."
Gideon's eyes narrowed slightly as he read the title.
Whatever this was, it wasn't merely a relic —
it was a record.
A record tied to the divine itself.
---