The two stood in front of the big church. Since Haya's church was designed based on the structure of the Eternal Tree, one would see a tall bell tower in front of the building's facade, then the walls would narrow and taper to the top, the back of the building. The building bulged out like a canopy of trees—what an odd beauty!

As the sun began to fall, they entered the church hall. The light from the stained-glass windows cast a warm glow on the marble statues of virgins that stood guard around the room. The hall was of moderate size, corresponding to the Cathedral of a small city. Tapestries with legends hung next to the windows, their intricate designs catching their gazes.

"Beautiful." Brahms exclaimed. The boy took in his surroundings with curiosity, but he focused mostly on the objects in the center.

"This is just normal for them. I'll show you more beautiful places when we return to the capital."

The boy nodded and began to take a closer look at the architecture of the place.

In the middle of the hall stands an altar, its surface polished to a high shine. Behind it is a bas-relief of the Goddess, her golden hair cascading down her back. She is crowned with wheat and carries a sickle in one hand. The bas-relief is surrounded by a mural of the eternal tree, each branch exuding abundance and prosperity. Under the tree is the harvest field, where the souls of believers will come after their earthly deaths. After they entered the church for a while, a young priest greeted him, saying, "Welcome brothers! May eternal life be with you all! And what harvest brought you here?"

Althur listened to the Haya church's recognizable greeting. He took off his hat, nodded to the young priest, and said, "Have a nice day. I'm Althur, the new exorcist sent to this town. I wonder if Bishop Henry is here at the moment."

The priest raised his eyebrows and nodded quickly. "A newcomer, ... I also received a message that someone will come to take over James's case".

"Father Colby is in the office. If you come later, he will go to sleep."

"So early."

The priest sighed. "His favorite tree is drying; something happened, but we still have not found out. He's really upset. You should know that trees mean a lot to us. Thanks to the Goddess when life can grow in this land." He said it devoutly.

"Follow me, and I will take you to him."

He quickly took the young man to the back of the church, where there was a classic spiral staircase leading up to the second floor. The priest knocked on the door of the only room there and said in a respectful voice, "Father Colby, the new exorcist has arrived." He looked at Althur, waited until a voice called, and then retreated.

Althur opened the door and went inside. It was a professional workspace, with many files and papers on the table. The icon of the church is hung opposite the desk, and there are a few plants on the balcony behind it. The most remarkable thing is the yew tree pot. It was beautifully molded, a testament to the grower's efforts. However, the leaves began to turn yellow as the ground below dried up like a thirsty desert.

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When Althur entered the room, the middle-aged bishop rose from his desk and extended his hand to greet him, then invited Althur to sit down on the reception bench. He began, "I am Bishop Henry, in charge of the diocese in Calico Town; I also sent the report on James' case."

"Yes, Father." He assessed the priest opposite. It was a middle-aged man with a pale appearance, unlike the usual brimming of vitality from Haya's servants.

"What makes you think James's death is abnormal?" Althur asked directly.

The bishop sighed, "Because he died so naturally, however, that he had previously performed a successful exorcism, clear signs of purification appeared, which were reflected by his helper; however, three days later he was found dead in his bedroom. I have checked by myself in a personal way; there is no sign of demonic possession, no sign of corruption or loss of control; it was a natural death from cardiac arrest."

"And all natural deaths are unusual for us," Althur replied.

Indeed, people with supernatural abilities often have better physical and health conditions than ordinary people. He knows some news about James; he is an exorcist in this town and a person trained by the association. According to what he knows, even though he is an alcoholic, he was not ordinary. If it was a case of loss of control, there would have to be unusual signs around the corpse; however, everything was just a dead body due to cardiac arrest. How could an extraordinary person's heart stop beat like that? What is the cause of death?

"Have you checked the case of exorcism before? I have no information on this matter." Althur asked.

Father Colby said, "I learned a lot from the woman's story. She was possessed by a wandering spirit. She accidentally strayed to the town cemetery, then tripped over a skull. Because she was so scared, she ran home, and a few days later, her husband often discovered her wailing and creaking in the middle of the night. stuck in the attic. After checking, the woman showed signs of going crazy, so the husband ran to find James. Jamse then performed the exorcism and returned home. After a few days, his helper came to check on the house and found that James had already died.

'"What about his core? Is there any sign of his soul?" Althur asked.

The priest's voice sounded annoyed as he repeated, "As previously stated in the letter, the deceased appeared to have died of natural causes. Upon my arrival, the body had already undergone rigor mortis. And the meal in his gut has started eating him."

In other words, nothing supernatural happens after James dies. "Strange," Althur muttered as he thought back on the passing of his esteemed mentor.

Could this be a clue as to whether there is a connection between this death and the death of his mentor? He did not dare draw a conclusion for himself. He decided to investigate some more issues, hoping to find a way forward.

"What are you thinking?" asked the priest when he saw Althur's reflection.

"I'm just making some connections. What is the connection between this and James' death? Or did he have something worse?"

"That's what we call an investigation."

"Something worse. You guys are always worse. Am I wrong?"

"I do not know, Father."

"That's why I'm here talking to you. Should the Church help us and bless their kindness for being?"

"We do, brother. Should I call you brother or not? Like a mother's hug, the goddess provides spring and warmth. The tree that embraces everything and breathes life into it is like a guardian of the land. The Goddess will bless all humans, even after their deaths, whether they believe in Her or not."

"Yes, Father, I don't mind what you want to call me. Everyone in the church is really generous, I had to say."

Although Althur had decided to go to Calico for convenience reasons, he agreed to take this mission. Because he accepted the setting of the mirror. And now he has noticed another clue to his mentor's previously unknown paranormal symptoms. He can't pass up any clues or opportunities to explore. Of course, it was also necessary to investigate James' death, a double job.