The woman wore a complicated expression.
"She..."
"Was she really not possessed by anything unclean?"
"From what I can tell..."
The Eminent Monk smiled at the girl's mother. "No."
"She may have frightened herself."
Frightened herself?
The woman froze.
What did he mean?
"Sometimes people get frightened by a breeze or a falling leaf."
The Eminent Monk's lips curved slightly. "There's really nothing there."
"They just need to overcome their own fears."
"When she's afraid, you can tell her again and again..."
"There's no need to be afraid."
"The thing she fears doesn't exist."
"Of course."
"At first, it may be hard to make her believe you."
"But gradually..."
"She will believe you."
"Be patient with her."
"She'll overcome her fear."
The woman's lips trembled slightly.
But she didn't speak.
It was hard to tell whether she'd taken the Eminent Monk's words to heart.
The Eminent Monk followed the servant out of the residence.
The Eminent Monk had the servant accompany him to the inn.
He made sure the servant remembered where it was.
That way, the servant could find him quickly next time,
Watching the servant's retreating figure, the Eminent Monk furrowed his brow slightly.
The Eminent Monk stayed at the inn for quite some time.
The servant never came to find him.
He often went out, too.
Other worshippers had heard he was staying at the inn for the time being and came specially to ask for his help.
Then one day, on his way back to the inn, he came across a wedding procession.
There were many onlookers on both sides of the road.
The crowd was packed together.
People pressed shoulder to shoulder.
The Eminent Monk could barely move forward.
He wasn't in a hurry.
He