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The building, known as the Temple, stood on a hillside about a kilometer southeast, downhill from the Cloud residence. Susie walked with Howard down the path to the Temple, passing fields of wheat on either side.

The temple they arrived at was not the majestic structure often imagined in fantasy settings; instead, it was a modest white building with no notable features. Unlike a church, it lacked a tall tower.

A large wooden door marked the entrance. Howard tapped the door’s knocker slowly, while Susie gazed up at the door.

(This doesn’t feel like a temple. Rather, it gives off public hall vibes. I wonder if this relief here is a sign of it being a temple?)

Susie thought¹ as she examined the carved relief above the door, which appeared to depict several pillars layered over one another. Moments later, the door opened with a heavy sound.

“If it isn’t Sir Cloud! How are you today… oh? And who is this lovely companion?”
“Susie, this is Henry. He’s the head of this temple.”
“Pleasure… meet… you… me… Susie.”

Howard introduced the man who had stepped out, encouraging Susie to introduce herself.

“Henry, this child is Susie. I took her after finding her in the forest today.”

Hearing that Howard had found Susie in the forest made Henry raise an eyebrow and look between the two of them.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Susie. My name is Henry Jameson. I oversee this temple. So, Sir Cloud, what brings you here today?” Henry greeted Susie with a smile, then turned to Howard.

“Apologies for dropping in unannounced, Henry. I’m here to request the use of the Soul Searcher for this girl,” Howard replied.

Henry quietly met Howard’s gaze before stepping aside and inviting them into the temple, saying, “Come on in.”

Henry Jameson appeared to be a man of poise and composure. His dark brown hair, streaked with gray, was slicked back, and he wore a neatly trimmed beard. Standing over 180 centimeters tall, he was quite tall and imposing from Susie’s perspective. He seemed to be in his mid-fifties.

(Am I really that small?) Susie thought while looking at Henry.

His attire—a white shirt and light gray slacks—was very different from what Susie had imagined a priest would wear. Around his neck, he wore a bow tie with a rose design rather than a traditional necktie and a pendant with the same symbol as the relief outside, perhaps signifying his affiliation with the temple.

Guided by Henry, Howard and Susie took their seats in the temple’s reception room.

“First of all, could you tell me what exactly happened?” Henry asked. In response, Howard briefly explained the events that had taken place in the forest that day before addressing the main issue.

“I want to find a way to reunite this child with her family. At the very least, I’d like to discover a clue about where her home country might be,” Howard said.

Henry closed his eyes in thought for a moment before responding, “I understand. You came without notice, so I’ll need a little time to prepare. Could you please wait here?”

“Of course. Thank you, Henry.” Howard replied.

After giving brief instructions to the temple staff, Henry turned back to them.

“It’ll take more than 30 minutes to start up the device and fill it with Mana. Since we have some time to spare, I’ve arranged for some tea to be brought. Let’s talk about that. It’ll also allow me to explain to Miss Susie what we’re about to do.”

Henry added, smiling at Susie.

◇◇◇◇◇

As Henry sipped the tea poured into his cup, he asked, “Miss Susie, do you understand the relationship between the physical and etheric body?”

(Etheric body? What with the occult stuff? I’ve heard of it, but I didn’t really know what relationship they have, so it’s not like I can give him a proper answer.)

“I… not… know… well…”
“That’s okay. In that case, let me explain a few basic things you’ll need to know about the device we’re going to use.” Henry said, offering Susie a reassuring smile.

“Henry was once a professor of theology and Magic at the Royal Capital University. He knows his stuff. You might want to listen closely.” Howard added with a smile.

“Professor…?!” Susie repeated in surprise.

“Haha. Yes, I suppose that’s what they called me. But it’s a thing of the past; it’s been close to 10 years since then.” Henry chuckled, taking another sip of his tea.

The human being could be divided into six parts, those being the physical body, the etheric body, the emotional body, the mental body, the psychic body, and the soul.

The physical body existed in the ‘material world.’ And the material world was something formed by the materialization of information from the spirit world. Ether, a type of semi-material and semi-spiritual substance, acted as a bridge for information between the spirit and material worlds.

The etheric body, in turn, was used to store the physical body’s information, and as such, both bodies existed alongside one another. Ether permeated everything, constantly relaying information into the material world.

The Ether containing all of the material world’s information was known as the Akasha. The Akasha stored records of all events, be they from the past, present, or future, and guarded them safely on the hidden side of the world.

It was said that accessing these records from the depths of the Akasha would reveal the world’s ultimate truths. However, ordinary people could not reach the records. Accessing them required immense Mana, or in other words, a powerful mind.

Even if someone could reach the depths, processing all the information—both physically and spiritually—would be impossible. At best, one might catch only fragments of the surplus information.

However, the etheric body could easily access the outer layers of the Akasha.

Just as one used one’s eyes to perceive physical bodies, so could one view the etheric body from a spiritual perspective.

“What we’re about to do now is an ether scan of your etheric body. Although it sounds important, all we can do is discern your name, age, and physical capabilities.” Henry explained, finishing with a light chuckle.

“We might also be able to find where you were born. I remember that Sir Cloud requested that one.” Henry said, giving Howard a look. Howard nodded silently in affirmation, while Susie watched Henry with a mixture of amazement and curiosity.

“What we can determine is the direction and distance of your birthplace from this reference point. It’s all essential information especially when identifying unknown people.”

(That makes sense. If we know a person’s name, age, and place of birth, then identifying them would be simple. I guess it can also be used to find my parents so that I can give them my respects. It seems just like the kind of work a temple would do. This is what the police or forensics would do in most places, but I guess roles and names are different in this world. Though, I can’t help but wonder what will happen when they use that on me. After all, I wasn’t born here. What kind of results will I get? I’m actually looking forward to this.) Susie thought.

“How was it? Did you understand what the etheric body is?”
“Yes… Very… interesting… Interested…”
“I’m glad. If you’re interested, we can discuss more about the emotional, mental, and psychic bodies, as well as the souls, next time. I only left them out this time since they aren’t directly relevant.”
“Yes… Please… Very… interested!”

Susie said eagerly. Just then, there was a knock at the door.

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. We’re ready to begin. It took a little longer than expected, but please, come this way.”

After being told the news, Henry led Howard and Susie to another room.

◇◇◇◇◇

The room was as simple as any other in the temple, with no excessive decorations. A window on the west side allowed the late afternoon sun to pour in, casting a warm glow across the space. Against the north wall of the 10-square-meter room stood a large, organ-like device, its top crowned with an array of brass-colored tubes of varying sizes, reminiscent of pipes. In the room’s center, directly in front of the organ, was a black leather chair, with a simple round table positioned across from it.

On the table was placed a peculiar stand resembling stacked blocks, supporting a stone slab about the size of an A3 sheet.

The slab, framed by a modest border, featured crystal-like transparent stones set into each of its four corners.

Narrow grooves had been carved into the floor, linking the chair and table to the organ. Inside the room, three young priests were present, meticulously inspecting the organ and the apparatus on the table.

“Place these on your hands and sit here.”

Henry instructed. Susie hesitated, eyeing the chair with uncertainty. Noticing her reluctance, Henry leaned in and whispered reassuringly into her ear.

“Don’t worry. Normally, we’d straight up use the magic circle on the floor, but we’ve prepared this leather chair especially for you, Miss Susie. And we haven’t used it for anything strange, so don’t worry,” he said, hoping to put her at ease².

1. Silva: Oh? Now this chapter is written in 3rd person?
   Jiro: Starting from Chapter 12 the author suddenly began to switch up writing in 1st and 3rd person. So you’ll see a lot of fluctuation in future chapters as well.
2. Robinxen: Not the most reassuring “this is not a trap” I have seen…

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