Exorcist of the American Nightmares

Riley and her son embraced each other, crying tears of joy.

Kris and Tuck exchanged glances, both looking towards the elderly woman standing quietly in front of them, merely smiling as she watched.

"Ellis, aren't you going over?" Kris whispered.

As Ellis's assistant, he knew how much she valued being a non-staff member of the church and admired that young bishop.

That bishop, whose reputation had already spread within the industry during his priesthood, was someone Ellis had seriously introduced to them when they were new.

"I'm not going." Ellis seemed to sense Kris's thoughts, recalling past events with a smile.

Ellis remembered the bishop's instruction to take his written proof to any church for registration. She instinctively picked up the certificate that the bishop had casually written and her eyes filled with a touch of envy.

"But, I really do envy the Warrens a bit, being able to connect with the bishop like that. Who wouldn't want to connect with him?"

Kris and Tuck looked at each other, puzzled.

...

Outside the house.

"Bishop York, what are your plans recently?"

York stood at the courtyard gate with the Warren couple.

Rolin said, "If possible, I would like to take Judy to visit you."

York, watching Hannah and Eileen talking while moving the mysterious toy house back into the car trunk, raised an eyebrow.

He remembered baptizing Judy, the daughter of the Warrens, among the children he had baptized during his priesthood.

Thus, York glanced at Ed next to him.

Caught off guard, Ed coughed awkwardly, admitting that indeed, he was planning just that.

"I suppose I'll be staying at Pluto Church for a while," York said calmly.

He had resolved the imminent rift that was about to erupt.

Now, except for some fluctuations in Japan, everything else was calm, stable, and unaffected.

"If you have time, bring Judy over. I haven't seen the child for a long time," York said.

Ed and Rolin smiled.

"Bishop York, you might not know this," Ed said proudly.

York looked at him curiously.

"Judy recently won first place in a violin competition." Ed's face beamed with pride for his child.

"She keeps talking about showing you the award, but unfortunately, we haven't been able to find you for the past year."

With that, Ed actually pulled out a photograph from his pocket, which had been there for who knows how long.

"Bishop, look, Judy has grown so much."

"Heh," York chuckled, not pointing out Ed's thoughts, and took the photo.

He still remembered Judy well, being one of the four children he had baptized.

After all, it is common for a priest who baptizes a child to become the child's godfather.

So, these four children really should call him godfather.

Of course, they were just nominal relationships, not as solid as the relationship between Archibald and Gabriel, who had entered the chamber.

Gabriel had baptized Archibald and had taken on the responsibility of overseeing his religious education.

At that time, Gabriel had ensured Archibald's safety and success in his final priesthood exam.

Now, it seemed Gabriel had other motives, like tying Archibald to him. If Archibald faced difficulties later, with Gabriel's connection, it would be hard for him to refuse.

This is the exchange of favors in society, not just about fighting and violence, but about the exchange of human emotions.

And him...

Well, better left unsaid.

York shook his head for the first time, feeling embarrassed by his own laziness.

Collecting his thoughts, he looked back at the photo of the Warren family, his eyes softening.

Ignoring the beaming Rolin and Ed, York looked at the girl standing between them, holding a trophy, her shy smile suggesting bashfulness.

"She's grown so much," York remarked.

"Judy seems to have shot up even more since then."

Rolin responded with a smile, "Bishop, children grow up so fast, it feels like they change every day."

"Indeed." York looked at Judy again before returning the photo to Ed.

"Bring her over when you have time. I'll be at Pluto Church waiting for you, I happen to be free lately."

Ed and Rolin exchanged a glance.

"Okay, Bishop."

"Well, I'm off."

Though as he said that, York added, "Of course, if there's a difficult paranormal event, you can also tell me about it,"

Watching Hannah wave, he walked towards the pickup truck.

"Although I'm not supposed to intervene now, Sister Eileen is free anyway, and I even have a new monk who is idle."

With that, he left the Warrens puzzled.

"Bishop York is still as righteous as ever," Ed watched York's broad back recede, both impressed and admiring.

"He hasn't changed at all."

Rolin smiled in agreement, "If Bishop York changed,

 then he wouldn't be Bishop York."

Ed chuckled at the double meaning.

Just then, a shout came from behind.

"Wait... wait! Bishop York!"

Turning around, the Warrens saw Josh running out of the house, his expression anxious.

Understanding Josh's intent, they turned back to see that the truck had already started moving away.

Josh, seeing this, was distressed, but by the time he reached the Warrens, the truck had gone too far.

To stop it now would be unnecessary and somewhat impolite.

"Mr. Josh, if you're really grateful, you might as well shout now. Bishop York can probably still hear you," Ed said, unable to bear seeing him so troubled.

Josh paused, then shouted.

"Bishop York, thank you for helping our family! Thank you!"

His voice carried on the wind.

Still responsible for driving, York's mouth curved into a small smile.

Sitting in the passenger seat, Hannah turned to look at York, sensing his happy mood.

She thought seriously and said, "Father, it seems quite nice to be thanked by people, doesn't it?"

York laughed, "Of course, it's nice. If possible, I'd hope you'd come out of your room and experience the real world, not just stay online collecting paranormal events for me."

Hannah remained silent, not responding.

York shook his head, knowing her well. If Hannah took action, she might be even more formidable than the experienced Ellis.

She had all the protections he had given her: the cross, and even the talismans and magical circles he had tried making. Thus, even if she encountered a powerful evil spirit, she could at least ensure her own safety.

Moreover, her skills with firearms might even surpass those of Eileen, especially in modifying weapons and bullets.

"I don't care, I just want to stay by your side now," Hannah suddenly burst out.

"Unless you give me that toy house that can seal evil spirits."

"You wish," York retorted.

"Give me back the sculpted hand first."

York glanced at the sculpted hand Hannah was holding, somewhat helpless.

"It does have a spirit-calling effect, but it could attract powerful beings. Don't mess up and make me clean up after you."

"Don't worry, I'm not a novice, and I still value my hard-earned life," Hannah retorted, then her eyes gleamed mischievously.

"Did you bring this sculpted hand to catch some evil spirits to put in the toy house?"

As these words echoed in the car, Eileen was struck by a thought.

"What? You need help?" York didn't hide his intentions.

It was all a bit different from what he had expected.

With him there, even if it wasn't him but someone else using the sculpted hand for spirit communication, no evil spirits came out to talk.

This puzzled him; perhaps the evil spirits could sense his presence, or maybe the sculpted hand itself had a protective effect.

"Can I try it alone?" Hannah asked.

"I've noticed that spirit communication seems to fail with you around."

York pursed his lips, thought seriously, and finally said only one thing.

"Be careful."

"Yay!" With approval, Hannah cheered, her excitement evident as she flapped her thighs.

"Father, I'll catch a few more evil spirits for you."

"You just want to watch a battle of evil spirits, don't you?" York laughed.

"You really think I don't know what you're up to?"

"Humph," Hannah didn't respond, just picked up the sculpted hand to examine it.

...

Stanford City.

A 24-hour convenience store.

A taxi slowly arrived and finally stopped.

After a while, Hillery got out and paid the driver.

He looked different from before.

Now, Hillery was dressed in very simple clothes.

But the clothes' configuration and the style that indicated his identity were clear.

He was a church clergyman.

"Goodbye, Monk Hillery," the taxi driver called out, waving.

"Goodbye, Hunter," Hillery smiled, watching the taxi that had brought him leave.

This driver, named Hunter, was a devout believer who often took his children to church for worship.

When he recognized the message conveyed by Hillery's clothes, he thought about giving him a free ride.

"How could I let you give me a free ride," Hillery chuckled. "I am a monk under Bishop York."

After saying this, Hillery looked up at the convenience store in front of him.

A year had passed, and the convenience store had not changed at all.

Every plant and tree remained the same.

Whether it was because he was home or because he was about to see his father, Old Mike, a smile hung high on his face.

"I'm back," Hillery said softly to the sign marked [Maxi Convenience Store] before slowly walking towards the store.

As he reached the door, a familiar voice greeted him.

"Welcome."

Hillery's smile did not

 fade as he looked towards the cashier.

Standing there was a real church monk, a dark-skinned, strong-looking man who added, "Welcome back, Hillery."

Hillery approached the counter and said with a smile.

"Todd, nothing's changed, right?"

"Nothing's changed," Todd replied, glancing at Hillery's attire.

"I'm still not used to seeing you like this."

Hillery laughed, even happier.

"Todd, you're not jealous of me, are you?"

This dark-skinned man was none other than Old Mike's personal monk, Todd, who chose to stay with Old Mike when he retired, working as a real convenience store cashier at Maxi Convenience Store.

"What do you think?" Todd's expression remained unchanged as he scrutinized Hillery's clothes again before adding.

"You're not by Bishop York's side to protect him; what brings you back this time?"

"I haven't seen you in a year, Todd, and you're still so cold," Hillery shrugged.

"Can't it just be that I wanted to come back? To see all of you?"

Todd didn't respond, just frowned, his gaze sharpening.

As a former personal monk, he had always taken pride in his monk's identity, strictly adhering to a monk's duties, so he was somewhat displeased with Hillery's unilateral actions.

This was clearly evident to Hillery, who immediately surrendered, saying helplessly.

"I've changed, Todd. You can't look at me with the same disdain you had for trash."

With that, Hillery protested.

"This is a vacation that Bishop York gave me to come back and see you all."

Todd was taken aback, realizing he had misunderstood Hillery. His gaze shifted away from Hillery's, slightly embarrassed.

"See, you've always been like this, silent about anything not in your favor," Hillery spread his hands, grabbing a chocolate bar from beside the cashier.

"I'll take this as your apology. You can't charge me for it. If you charge, it should be your money, even if you complain to the old man, I still have a point."

Saying this, Hillery unwrapped the chocolate as he walked toward the wall-mounted cashier.

"Besides, the bishop didn't just give me a vacation to come back and see you, he also asked me to bring a message to my old man."

After saying this, Hillery popped the chocolate into his mouth, then said.

"Todd, open the door for me."

Hearing this, Todd inside the cashier finally acted, silently pressing the switch to open the hidden door on the keyboard.

The wall immediately split and retracted to reveal an elevator.

Hillery stepped in nonchalantly.

But before the door closed, he heard Todd's voice.

"I apologize, Hillery. I'll pay for the chocolate."

Hillery smiled and replied.

"Thank you."

As his words fell, the elevator doors closed, cutting off both sides, then swiftly descended...

___________________

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