Chapter 432: Norway

When York finally met with everyone, the outcome was overwhelmingly positive.

Although a few elderly men had died, and about a dozen young people had perished from exhaustion, the vile demon was ultimately dealt with perfectly.

It's safe to say that if it weren't for the talismans specially prepared by York, most of the priests and priestesses would have perished.

Even Janet, whose spiritual energy had been almost completely depleted and had not recovered, had to expend some of her life force.

After all, the vile demon was a legendary spectral entity, affecting nations in its scope. It might have seemed trivial to York, but it was considerably formidable to ordinary people and had many tricks up its sleeve.

With the matter concluded and York's return, Eileen and John Wick did not linger to clean up the aftermath.

Both knew that York had no particular affection for this country. His only reason for intervening was for the Higa sisters; otherwise, he was merely a spectator watching the island nation struggle through the spiritual storm.

Everyone followed York back to what was temporarily named the Pluto Church, including an extra tag-along, Makoto Higa.

York found the whole process exasperating, unsure how to handle Makoto Higa's enthusiasm. Finally, with Arlesa occasionally rolling her eyes in annoyance and Eileen's assistance, York managed to handle the clingy Makoto.

Seeing Makoto being reluctantly pulled away by Eileen, York couldn't help but touch his forehead, wiping away the non-existent sweat.

Makoto was no longer the little girl she once was; she was now a college student who had matured in many ways, making her enthusiasm a bit too much for him to handle at times.

He wasn't without desires, but he had restrained himself so far, primarily because of the values and logical thinking he had developed in his past life.

"Hmph!"

Hearing a snort, York looked aside to see Arlesa with her arms crossed and glaring at him, her mouth pouted as if she could hang an oil bottle from it.

He never quite knew why she always seemed to grind her teeth and roll her eyes at Makoto in secret.

"There, go to sleep," York managed a smile, patting Arlesa's head as usual, turning to see John Wick approaching from outside.

He knew why John was here—aside from Makoto, there was also Janet, quietly waiting inside the church.

"Uncle York!" Arlesa blocked her head with both hands, seriously saying:

"I've grown up now!"

York paused, realizing that Arlesa had grown taller, her height now above his waistline.

He finally acknowledged that Arlesa had indeed grown up a bit.

"Yes, you have grown," York said gently, still patting her head.

"But, you still need to go to sleep, I have some things to handle."

Hearing this, Arlesa glanced at the main door as John Wick opened it and stepped in.

"I'm not sleeping! I'll go find Aunt Hannah."

Arlesa usually didn't refuse what York said, but occasionally she had her moments of defiance.

York watched Arlesa head upstairs before turning to face the approaching John Wick.

"Bishop, Sister Janet is waiting for you in the church," John reported formally.

"Mm."

York nodded and passed by John.

"John, thank you for keeping watch. It's been hard, get some rest soon."

John slightly bowed, his face showing a hint of a smile.

"Yes, Bishop, I will."

York waved and walked away from John, heading toward the church.

Passing through the spacious backyard under the clear moonlight, he thought to himself, "Indeed, being back in this familiar world feels better." He shook his head and stepped through the back door of the church.

The church was as it always was, lit only by candlelight on a nearby stand, illuminating a figure sitting in front of the pews.

Janet was no longer in her exorcism attire but was wearing the kimono he had seen her in before at the izakaya.

Seeing her open her eyes and look his way, York smiled and approached.

"Still not tired of that kimono?"

When Janet saw York, her breathing became slightly heavier, touching her kimono and whispering.

"Because I like it."

"Is it because it was a gift from me?" York stated the obvious, sitting next to her, looking at the image of Jesus he hadn't seen in a long time.

Janet was silent for a moment, then whispered, "I have other kimonos too, this one is just comfortable."

York grinned, as he had never seen her in another kimono, despite having seen this one countless times.

"Tired?"

"Not tired."

"Your face is as pale as a dead person, and you've used up nearly all your spiritual energy. Are you sure you're not tired?"

"It's all part of my plan."

"Oh, does your plan include sacrificing

 your lifespan?"

"This mere spirit is not worthy of me sacrificing my lifespan!"

Listening to each rebuttal, York chuckled, watching Janet's rigid yet defiant expression suddenly reached out and tapped her head heavily with his hand.

Janet was stunned, instinctively covering her head, staring at York with wide eyes, her usually cool demeanor breaking into one of disbelief.

"This is your lesson," York said with a smile, gently adding, "You shouldn't do this again. Even if you don't want to rely on Bishop Pedrillo or his power, isn't there still me? If Eileen hadn't happened upon you and offered help, you might have really ended up sacrificing your lifespan."

York continued, "I left so many talismans for you to use. Are you being foolish? To this extent, still stubborn. I thought it was just your mouth that was stubborn, but your body too? Am I still a stranger to you? Can't you ask for help?"

Janet touched her still sore head, watching York's incessant chatter, her eyes softening along with the scars around them.

"It's not like that, thank you, Nisan."

Janet's attitude had completely changed, leaving York surprised and impressed.

She no longer had the cool demeanor she used to, instead appearing like a precious family gem.

"Willing to call me Nisan now? Next time, don't let it happen again, or you'll face my hand again. And trust me, it hurts," York said, avoiding her gaze somewhat awkwardly.

"Okay," Janet replied softly.

Hearing her compliant response, York continued, "But, the world rift here has been resolved by me. What follows are just minor issues. With the size of your shrine, swallowing these minor issues won't be hard. Take some time to rest."

"Mm."

Hearing her compliant voice again, York's expression softened, and he fell silent, just watching the image of Jesus in front of him.

Janet sat silently beside him, cherishing the precious time together.

Time flowed like a river, unstoppable.

It was unclear how much time had passed.

[Prayer: Daily Prayer (Completed)]

[Reward: Available Attribute Points +0.5 Issued]

Hearing the task notification, York turned to look at Janet's spot.

At that moment, Janet had her eyes closed, her face serene and peaceful.

Listening to her breathing, York knew she was deeply asleep and sighed, knowing Janet had indeed been struggling. The only one capable of dealing with such powerful spirits and ghosts was her. During the outbreak of the rift, her efforts had kept the small island nation stable, which was evident from her depleted spiritual energy.

"Let it be, I'll help out a bit."

York stood up, supporting her upper body with one hand and hooking his other arm under her knees to lift her in a princess carry. During the process, the sleeping Janet instinctively clung to his neck.

York glanced down at her, then carried her along the side path to the backyard, heading to his house. Upon reaching the second floor, a scan with the holographic display revealed all the room statuses except Hannah's room, clearly visible.

Makoto and Eileen were in one room, Arlesa's room was empty, which told York all he needed to know about Arlesa's whereabouts—probably with Hannah.

Glancing at Hannah's closed door, York smirked, then looked at the sleeping Janet and shook his head as he walked to his room.

Considering Arlesa's room was not an option, he was genuinely concerned that a furious Arlesa might harm Janet.

Currently, Arlesa was beyond Janet's ability to handle, and not just Janet, some demons couldn't stand against the current Arlesa either.

Given her guardian, Pyramid Head's, performance metrics, some demons would break a sweat facing him.

Without a countermeasure, his formidable regeneration, near-instantaneous speed, and explosive power reaching the force of thousands of tons were indeed monstrous.

Placing Janet gently on his bed, York pulled up the blanket over her.

"Mmhm."

Janet's eyes remained closed, but she murmured like a child and grabbed the top of the blanket, sleeping soundly.

York pursed his lips, stood up, and walked toward the door.

"I'll sleep on the downstairs couch tonight."

But as he stepped out, he was greeted by a somewhat amusing sight.

Hannah's previously closed door was now open, revealing a woman in pajamas that could barely conceal her voluptuous figure.

It was Hannah, holding a bottle of red wine and shaking it slightly at him.

"1945 Romanée-Conti, worth $550,000. Reverend, care for a few drinks?"

Her voice seemed a bit tentative, as if afraid he would refuse. York glanced behind her: "Where's Arlesa?"

"Asleep," Hannah turned to glance at Arlesa sleeping soundly on the bed.

"Sound asleep."

Hearing this

, York gestured downstairs and headed to the stairs. He didn't ask why Hannah was still up; her habit was to keep nocturnal hours.

Hannah's face lit up, following him.

"Why didn't you refuse me?" she asked.

"Because it's been a long time since we last had a drink together," York replied straightforwardly, causing Hannah's smile to broaden.

"Reverend, you're still human after all!"

But from what York could see in his holographic display, Hannah's smile seemed somewhat sinister.

Under the cold night sky, the final consequence of finishing the wine was that he now had another person to take responsibility for.

Knowing Hannah well, he suspected she really intended to cling to him for life. He couldn't just let her wait and waste her prime years.

But if she messed with the wrong person, she'd be doomed. York suddenly opened his eyes, looking at the stunned Hannah sitting above, and reached out toward the lamp—

A month later.

When Makoto Higa cried breathlessly in her sister's arms, Janet looked up as the airplane streaked across the sky and vanished from view.

"Don't cry. Didn't Nisan say you could visit him during your vacation?" Janet gently patted her sister's back, speaking softly.

"I...I...I can't help it," Makoto sobbed inarticulately.

"Wah!"

Janet kept patting her, but her thoughts drifted to the memories of the past month. In that time, her spiritual energy had recovered, but the entire island nation had calmed down under the control of a powerful hand.

"Thank you, Nisan." Janet watched the plane disappear into the sky, her face breaking into a brilliant smile.

On the plane.

York withdrew his gaze from the window and glanced at Hannah sitting across from him.

She was dressed in a white blouse and jeans, perfectly outlining her figure.

Seemingly sensing York's gaze, Hannah's face suddenly flushed red, and with a huff, she grabbed her notebook and fled from her seat to the back.

"Ha ha!"

York couldn't help but laugh inwardly, thinking, Let you mess with the wrong person, see if you can handle it.

A cow can plow a field tirelessly, but it can keep on plowing.

Standing in the aisle holding some documents, Eileen looked suspiciously at the suddenly fleeing Hannah, then turned to the calm-faced York.

"Bishop, these are documents from Norway."

"Mm," York responded nonchalantly, taking the documents.

After the island incident, the next closest world rift about to erupt was in Norway.

So, his final decision was to stay in Norway for a while, studying the world rift there and waiting for it to erupt.

___________________

(Support with power stones, comments or reviews)

If you guys enjoy this story, In support me on Patreon and get access to +200 advance Chapters

Read Ahead

Patreon.com/INNIT