"[Congratulations on successfully completing a mysterious-level exorcism, you have obtained Reward: +250 points of general strength, +49 Spirit points, an increase in regenerative ability!]"
When Jackson completes a mission, it is more than assured that the Evil Spirit has completely disappeared, and with the elimination of this dark entity, the house will return to normal. After all, the existence of the main evil spirit is the source of everything malicious happening in this house, so all other evil spirits will vanish as if by magic.
In addition, ordinary people will notice evident changes in the environment, such as temperatures returning to normal, with the only exception being the basement, which is where the medium was located.
That place, where the demon had been possessing a human, would maintain its temperature constant up to a certain point, but just to be safe, Jackson would make sure to have Doug bless the area.
Wednesday approached Jonathan and asked him, "Anything?"
"Yes, can you try to obtain information?" Jackson wouldn't ask these things of Wednesday unless he were desperate for answers.
If the Dark Tower is the origin of this world, everyone was in serious trouble because of the Crimson King's desire, who by now should be trying to destroy the Dark Tower.
And if he is aware that he died, his world has little time left before being consumed by the creatures of the void.
Keeping that problem in mind, and now the distrust toward the Church of Healing, Jonathan needed to extend his influence in the supernatural world and find a way to reach Mid-World.
If he could control one of the portals, he would be able to enter Mid-World so that he and his forces could take the war directly to the Crimson King.
But he felt that he had time—enough to prepare, and with Wednesday's abilities, to find a very narrow path through which to pass.
"I see keys that grant mysterious powers. That demon used one of those keys to reach our world."
Jonathan nodded and said, "It's those keys. Prepare the report and find that key."
At this moment, after Jackson was healed by Wednesday, who had knowledge of nursing, he was ready to leave this place. He didn't want to stay here because there were many other cases that needed him, so after putting away unnecessary things, his aura changed completely into a kind light.
But there was something only he could do before leaving, so he went back down to the basement.
"Now you can breathe normally… I thought the smell would be worse, but it wasn't very strong in this place." Thinking about the smell that had been in the basement, Jackson realized this place was better than he expected.
After remaining silent for a moment, Jackson felt several pairs of eyes fix on him, so he knew exactly who they were. The lingering souls—those who had died—must leave on their own.
Even though he couldn't see much, Jackson knew exactly what was before him, and those spirits were four in total. Each and every one of them had been victims, so he believed it wasn't appropriate to attack.
"Show yourselves!" Jackson raised his gaze and could see four auras, not so intense in resentment. Soon, as he filled his eyes with the power of Light, he could see those four people.
"Priest…"
Along with a female voice, the four figures appeared before Jackson. Without the coercion of the evil spirits, these undead spirits had returned to their normal behavior.
Even though their eyes and lips were all darkened like ink, Jackson could see more aura of light than anything else in the hearts of those spirits.
He looked at a woman holding the hand of a little girl, then at the man accompanying the boy. They weren't expressive.
Jackson sighed, looked at those spirits, and murmured, "I'm so sorry…"
These four spirits never expected Jackson to apologize to them. All their eyes looked at Priest Jackson, and they could see something that not even Lorraine could—behind Jackson, they saw a pair of wings as black as ink, each of them so visible they seemed real. They saw Jackson as if he were a divine being.
None of the spirits moved, but somehow they were stirred.
The woman who was the most aware opened her mouth and in a ghostly manner said, "Priest, there is no need to apologize…"
Jackson felt he was speaking to himself, a being who had died long ago and was now paying for his sins. At the very least, he was sure that the spirits before him had a place in heaven secured. He envied them in a way and regretted everything they had suffered.
Taking the golden Grimoire, Jackson stood up and murmured, "Let me help you ascend…"
What was happening was not common, but it was known that prayers required deep Faith and unbreakable will. Very few had the ability to do it correctly, but Jackson, who was a man who had died and was now fulfilling his mission to cleanse his sins, had the ability for this and much more.
Jackson closed his eyes, immersed himself in the feeling of loneliness, and murmured, "May the noble souls, victims of evil, achieve a purifying ascension, freeing themselves from the chains of suffering. May they find comfort in transcendence, rising toward higher planes where goodness and peace prevail, leaving behind the shadows that darkened their earthly existence."
Jackson's recitation was serene. All the spirits before him could see some feathers of Jackson's wings turning white, so they now understood what was happening.
"May the spirits, freed from the weight of resentment, find serenity and peace in their new state. May the light of forgiveness illuminate their souls, allowing them to advance lightly toward eternal tranquility."
When the recitation ended, the basement, originally dark, became inexplicably brighter, especially around the spirits.
Jackson, who opened his eyes, was surprised. It was the first time he had done this, and he felt an incredible peace covering his body as he watched those lights in the form of small spheres.
The four spirits gradually lost their appearance, and in the end, their dark eyes recovered their shine, their clothing became colorful, and they returned to what they used to be.
Looking at these four people, Jackson still maintained his recitation posture, but as he said the final prayers, the spirits looked at him with a smile.
"Thank you, Priest…"
"Thank you…"
"May you rest in peace." Jackson closed the Grimoire and looked at the empty basement. He felt somewhat depressed for some reason. Speaking of that, he felt a little better than before.
"Why did you choose me, Lord?" Jackson looked at his hands as he asked this question.
After a few minutes of silence, Jackson climbed the stairs still not understanding why he had been chosen.
…
"All the cursed objects you have in your museum will be removed. I will take them all so this does not happen again," Jonathan said after having calmed down.
The situation surrounding him was serious, but he was a focused man.
Jonathan faced everything that came at him, never backing down. It was true that this time he needed to pay more attention to what the demon had told him, and for that he would assign people to work on it.
First, he would appoint a special team to take charge of finding that portal. Another group would investigate missing children in the city and check psychiatric centers to investigate the children taken there.
He would also review among the supernatural beings inhabiting this world to see if he could discover anything about those portals.
Meanwhile, he would continue working.