Chapter 182: A Little Lesson
While communicating with the wraiths earlier, Gideon realized something important.
These spirits seemed able to share vision.
For example, when he asked about the Ancestral Mountain men, the wraiths reacted as if they had personally witnessed it. Yet through Redemptive Persuasion, Gideon knew they had never left the altar.
If his guess was correct, then by winning over the wraiths here, it might be possible for the spirits bound to other altars throughout the forest to defect as well.
So Gideon immediately put on a regretful expression.
"The Mountain men have harmed you far too deeply. You had families, friends, and countless unfinished wishes."
"But because of a single unfortunate encounter, those Mountain men stripped you of everything—then imprisoned your souls here to suffer endlessly…"
His voice was heavy with emotion as he condemned the Mountain men's atrocities.
Gradually, the wraiths began to react.
Fragments of happy memories resurfaced, making the cruelty of the Mountain men all the more unbearable. In an instant, mournful howls echoed throughout the forest.
At one distant altar, two Mountain men stood guard, noticing the abnormal agitation among the wraiths.
One of them looked confused.
The other waved dismissively, signaling that the spirits had simply gone too long without punishment.
It pulled out a long whip wreathed in black mist and lashed it viciously at the wraiths.
Back at the forest "classroom," the scene of abuse appeared before every spirit's eyes.
Their hatred intensified.
Sensing the shift, Gideon seized the moment, rallying the wraiths to oppose the Mountain men. He promised that afterward, he would personally offer prayers so their souls could finally find peace.
The response was immediate.
The wraiths answered one after another.
Leia, standing nearby, stared in shock, her mouth slightly open.
She looked at Gideon as if he were a monster.
Just who was this priest?
He had access to high-grade holy oil, possessed strength rivaling that of a Templar Knight, and now he was negotiating with spirits and monsters alike—taking hostages without hesitation.
No matter how she searched her memory, Leia could not recall anyone like this within the Church.
"My father once said the Church has been gathering believers lately…"
"Could it be done like this…?"
Meanwhile, having secured the wraiths' allegiance, Gideon moved on to his second task—teaching.
Among these spirits were victims who had died horribly in the Wrong Turn series.
And the reason for their deaths was simple: a lack of basic survival awareness.
The Mountain men deep in the forest were powerful. Gideon had no intention of letting a single wraith's carelessness ruin the entire plan.
He tapped the ground lightly.
"You died tragically—but that tragedy was partly of your own making!"
"The Lord gave you countless chances to escape, yet you squandered them all."
His tone was stern.
"For example, in a certain sanatorium, a man once managed to capture three Mountain men."
"But when he tried to burn those beasts alive, a woman stepped in to stop him, claiming it was too cruel."
"And what happened next? The Mountain men escaped, blinded the man, and sent him back to find his companions."
Gideon shook his head in frustration.
"But when the woman saw him, she mistook him for a Mountain men who had escaped."
"She hesitated for not even a second before killing him—leading to the total annihilation of all survivors."
"Isn't that sheer stupidity?!"
The wraiths erupted in furious howls, condemning the woman's actions. Some even began accusing one another, trying to identify who among them had been such dead weight.
This was no fabrication.
Gideon remembered that scene vividly from the original series—so vividly that he had wanted to jump into the screen and slap someone.
"I understand your anger," Gideon said, raising his hand to calm them.
"But I'm not saying this to blame anyone. We must learn from these mistakes."
"When we encounter Mountain men again, remember this."
"Unless I explicitly say otherwise, do not give them any chance to recover."
"Make sure they are truly dead."
The wraiths responded in unison.
After publicly criticizing several more negative examples, Gideon finally dismissed them.
Leia stood frozen, utterly speechless.
"We've barely entered the inner forest… and now we've gained an entire army?"
She had prepared herself for a grueling, life-or-death battle.
Yet now, this mission was starting to look almost… easy.
Thinking back on her past exorcisms—each filled with brushes with death—Leia couldn't help but question herself.
Was I just… doing it wrong before?
In any case, the two of them continued deeper into the forest, following the direction in which the Mountain men had taken Jenny.
Gideon also brought the Mountain man infant along.
If it couldn't be used to threaten the wraiths, then against the Mountain men themselves…
It would surely come in handy.
The Mountain men revered bloodlines above all else.
This infant was hideous beyond words—by their logic, that could only mean one thing: its bloodline was extraordinarily pure.
As that thought crossed his mind, the Mountain men baby began to wail again.
"It might be… hungry," Leia said softly from the side.
She had once helped a friend look after a child, so she had some experience—though she had no idea whether such logic applied to Mountain men.
Gideon nodded, then calmly grabbed a handful of dirt and stuffed it into the baby's mouth.
"You—?!" Leia froze in shock.
"This thing can drink putrid sludge as food. A little dirt won't kill it," Gideon replied with complete confidence.
Leia's lips twitched. Annoyingly, she couldn't think of a rebuttal.
Once the baby's mouth was sufficiently packed, the two continued forward.
Guided by the dead spirits bound to nearby altars, they soon reached a camp.
Calling it a "camp" was generous—just a few crude tents set up around a bonfire.
Several Mountain men were moving about.
Compared to the towering brute they had fought earlier, these creatures were far more human-sized, though their limbs were grotesquely deformed—some even sprouted sharp bone spikes.
What they shared in common were the pustules covering their bodies, each one occasionally spewing black mist.
Several female Mountain men had swollen bellies—clearly pregnant.
By the fire lay several ordinary humans, likely hikers judging by their clothes.
Now they were nothing more than corpses.
Organs and intestines were piled carelessly atop wooden stakes.
Inside a boiling pot, a severed leg stood upright.
Gideon scanned the camp—then his eyes lit up.
In the corner, atop a wooden rack, lay a blonde girl.
Her features matched Jenny exactly.
Her hands and feet were bound, her eyes covered with cloth. She was curled into herself, trembling uncontrollably.
From Gideon's vantage point, Jenny appeared to be kept separate from the "food."
"Any plan?" Leia whispered.
After what she had witnessed at the altar, she had decided it was safer to listen to the priest first.
Gideon nodded inwardly—finally.
He immediately handed the Mountain men infant to Leia.
"You draw their attention. Stall for time. I'll make preparations."
"I—what?" Leia stared blankly.
"Ever seen a cop movie?" Gideon asked.
She hesitated, then nodded.
"Run out, hold the baby high, threaten them. Just copy what you've seen on screen."
"This… doesn't feel right," Leia said stiffly.
"If you'd rather fight them head-on, be my guest," Gideon shrugged.
She glanced at the snarling creatures below and finally nodded.
Gideon vanished into the forest.
Moments later, Leia spotted him at the edge of the camp. He gave her a hand signal.
Now.
She took a deep breath and leapt onto a small slope.
Raising the infant high with her left hand, she pressed her cross-shaped sword against its neck.
"Y-you monsters! If you don't behave, I—I'll kill this… this thing!"
It took all her effort to finish the sentence.
Part shame, part frustration.
When she watched movies, she focused on flashy combat scenes—not villain monologues.
What kind of respectable person memorized threat lines?!
She silently prayed:
Great Holy Spirit, I swear I'm doing this to stop cannibals. I'm not actually evil…
The Mountain men reacted instantly.
They may not have understood her words, but the blade at the infant's throat made her intent crystal clear.
And when they saw how grotesque the infant was—proof of supreme blood purity—their fury exploded.
Several creatures brandished weapons and charged uphill.
"Stop!"
Leia pressed harder.
A thin red line appeared on the infant's neck.
The Mountain men froze—though their murderous glares deepened.
Why do I feel like I'm the villain here… Leia screamed internally.
"Hurry up, Father!" she shouted desperately.
---
Meanwhile—
With all eyes on Leia, Gideon slipped to the wooden rack.
Jenny heard movement and began trembling harder.
"Please… no—mmph!"
Gideon clamped a hand over her mouth to silence her.
She panicked, struggling violently—so much so that even he was surprised.
She didn't look strong, yet pinning her down took real effort.
Just as he was about to explain, Jenny suddenly twisted her body, pinning his arm beneath her.
Warmth. Softness.
Gideon raised an eyebrow.
Didn't expect that.
Ironically, this gave him the advantage.
He leaned close to her ear and whispered:
"Don't move. Your father asked me to rescue you."
Jenny stiffened.
The familiar language. Her father's name.
"…O-okay," she whispered.
"I'm going to untie you. But you need to let go of my arm first."
Only then did she realize she was pressing her chest against him.
"Ah—s-sorry!"
She rolled aside quickly, her cheeks flushing bright red.