The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 129 Losing the Horse
Kicked off his horse and rolled several times on the ground, Luca, an ordinary man, fainted on the spot.

When he woke up again, he saw Eric with one hand pressed against his chest, performing a divine spell to heal himself, with blood still on the corner of his mouth.

He was hit squarely by the palace guard that the demon warrior hurled at him with all his might. He didn't seem to have any external injuries, but it was unknown how many internal injuries he had sustained.

In his pursuit of Luca, he had no time for treatment and ran several more miles. His internal injuries worsened with the strenuous exercise, and as a result, he vomited blood violently as soon as he stopped, prompting him to treat himself immediately.

"Just what is the strength of those demon guards? Are they eighth-tier warriors or ninth-tier warriors? They shouldn't be ordinary people within the demon race; they must be guards of the Demon King, right?"

Eric stood right next to Luca's head, treating him while bowing his head and asking him questions like an old friend.

Luca fell from his horse and landed on the ground with his face covered in blood. The side of his face that had been kicked swelled up rapidly, and he didn't know how many bones were broken. After opening his eyes, he was dazed for a while before gradually regaining his senses.

When he opened his mouth, blood started to ooze from the corner of his mouth. Eric was afraid he would die on the spot, so he treated him.

His body convulsed from the intense pain, Luca's head lolled to the side, and he vomited a mouthful of blood mixed with dislodged teeth. "Eric, who exactly are you...?"

“I am a descendant of Chimino, and a prospective saint of the Holy See.”

Eric stopped treating him and instead focused on healing his own internal injuries, saying, "Now it seems I'm your nemesis too."

Tormented by excruciating pain and unable to move, Luca was too weak to even muster a fierce expression. "How much do you really know about us? What did Iris tell you?"

"She didn't actually tell me much, that's the truth."

Eric looked at him, then at the main road ahead.

The horse that Luca had ridden ran a little further after he fell off, but gradually came to a stop when no one was controlling it, and now it was slowly running back on its own.

"Then how did you know?" Luca asked.

"The gods told me."

“God…heh…” Luca grinned coldly, his teeth stained with blood, and unusually, he didn’t doubt his words like others did. “It seems your god is afraid too.”

Eric frowned. "What are you talking about?"

Luca didn't speak, his eyes fixed on the sky. After yesterday's torrential rain, today's weather was exceptionally clear; he couldn't even see a single cloud.

This was probably the last time he saw the sky.

"Once the Demon King's army conquers Lutia, he will erect a sword monument here to commemorate my contributions to the demon race."

"Why are you already giving your last words? It's not time yet."

Eric crouched down. "What did you say to Simmagu?"

Luca gazed at the sky for a while before shifting his gaze back to Luca's face.

“Because of you, I haven’t even seen him, and all my plans after arriving in Lutia have fallen through. I should have killed you when I saw you yesterday.”

“I almost killed you yesterday too,” Eric said calmly. “But the outcome is about the same now. You had more people yesterday, and I have more people today. It’s fair, isn’t it?”

Luca closed his eyes and sighed deeply.

"It was my carelessness that I let someone who had intended to kill me go."

Eric ignored his sentimental remark, which seemed more like a change of topic, looked at him for a moment, and said, "You must have met Simmagu. It's because you achieved that goal that you became less cautious due to your relaxed state of mind."

Luca didn't speak, and his expression remained unchanged.

“Fine, even if you don’t tell, Kiraya will,” Eric said again.

Luca opened his eyes. "You've already captured Kiraya?"

"Capturing her is much easier than capturing you, Prime Minister Luca. She's also easier to deal with than you."

Luca stared at him for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "Trying to trick me? You're still too young. You can only fool a stupid kid like Kiraya."

Before Eric could speak, he continued, "I suspect you don't know us that well either, which is why you tried to kidnap Kiraya yesterday to extract more information from her."

He's truly cunning and shrewd...

Eric nodded calmly, but only acknowledged the last part of his statement, "That's why I can't let her go."

"Can you still move? Your horse is back, and you'll be able to see Kiraya soon."

Luca tilted his head slightly, watching the horses slowly approaching from the upside-down world.

This was originally his hope for survival.

Eric's internal injuries hadn't fully healed, and even getting up caused him to grimace in pain. As the horse approached, he reached out and took its reins.

Seeing that it was snorting and restless, he stroked it twice to soothe it.

"Judging from your reactions, you must have already planned to escape? Let those demon guards escape first to draw attention, and then leave one person behind to cover your escape with Kiraya, the two most important people. But you're not so lucky. If you had ridden my Riel warhorse just now, I definitely wouldn't have had a chance to catch up with you."

Luca sneered, "It's already in your hands, what's the point of saying anything more?"

He seemed to have given up hope.

“Let’s just chat. I feel like we have a lot to talk about.” Eric used his calming magic again to try and soothe the horses.

At that moment, Luca suddenly mustered all his strength, pounced on the hind legs of the warhorse, and bit down hard.

The already restless horse was suddenly startled and instinctively kicked backward.

The kick was incredibly powerful, cracking bones and shattering skulls. Luca's entire face was almost caved in, leaving him unrecognizable.

"..."

The startled horse continued to run forward, but Eric had no time to care about it and squatted down blankly.

Luca isn't completely dead yet, but with his head injured to this extent, he's beyond saving.

His hands were still groping around haphazardly, and once he grabbed Eric, he held on tightly, making incomprehensible noises.

After a short while, he gradually lost his strength and stopped breathing.

“You’re really ruthless…” Eric murmured.

Although the initial plan was to annihilate Luca and his group, he still wanted to spare his life temporarily, hoping to extract some useful information from him if there was a chance to leave him alive.

But Luca clearly didn't want to give him that chance, and ended his own life in such a tragic and painful way.

Eric sat down beside his body.

A short while later, several church knights rode up and greeted him, "Your Highness Eric!"

"I'm fine." Eric looked up. "Have those demon warriors all been eliminated?"

The leading knight glanced at Luca's mangled corpse and quickly replied, "All the demons have been killed. Due to their fierce resistance, no survivors could be spared."

Eric nodded; there was no point in keeping those demon warriors alive.

"Take this corpse and the corpses of those demon warriors back to Lutia, drag them around the city on a cart, and then deliver them to the palace."

The knights exchanged bewildered glances. "Your Highness..."

"Can't you?"

“We can’t make that decision,” the knight said.

Eric waved his hand and stood up. "Then let's drag it back first."

"Yes."

One of the knights gave him his horse, and on the way back to the same spot with his companion, Eric saw the same horse he had ridden, with two other knights performing magic to heal its broken foreleg.

"Divine magic is still the best... even a horse with a broken leg can survive."

"What did your Highness say?"

"It's alright. How are our casualties?"

The lead knight replied, "Four are seriously injured, and the others have some minor injuries."

Eric's expression turned serious. "Is it that serious?"

The knight looked ashamed. "I felt there was a chance to capture him alive, so I held back during the attack."

Eric then began to offer words of comfort: "The demons' methods are inherently unpredictable, and you have no experience with them. How are the seriously injured people doing now?"

"They won't die. They've been moved to a nearby hotel for treatment. Lutia will also send a more skilled healer."

Eric breathed a slight sigh of relief and then said, "I'm a little injured too. I'll have them take a look at me later."

"Your Highness?!"

"It's nothing, just a minor injury, you won't die."

Back near the inn, Eric immediately spotted seven or eight demon corpses piled together. The royal guard captain, Morse, sat slumped to one side, wounded and looking dejected.

"Captain Morse."

"Your Highness Eric..."

"Are you injured?" "It's nothing, those knights have already treated me."

Eric also asked about the casualties on his side, and Morse shook his head, "We tried our best to avoid fighting, but we still lost about ten people seriously. They were lucky to be alive."

It's quite lucky that no one died.

Eric patted him on the shoulder, then turned to watch as Luca's corpse was dragged over and thrown together with the demons.

“Your Highness, the Demon Princess is still on the run, and several brothers have already given chase on horseback,” Morse added.

Eric paused for a moment, then nodded. "I understand."

Kiraya rode her Lille warhorse, which was known for its endurance and speed. If no one intercepted her, it would be difficult for those palace guards to catch up with her.

The group rested there for a long time. By the time the clergy from the cathedral arrived and treated the injured, it was almost dusk when they returned to Lutia.

Judging solely from the battle results, the demons were almost completely annihilated, while they suffered no casualties, making it a major victory.

Eric rode at the very front, with carts pulling demon corpses behind him. He thought to himself that, judging by the casualty ratio, this might be the Empire's greatest victory against the demons in the coming years...

The afterglow of the setting sun illuminated the ancient capital as a group of people formed a long line and entered Lutia amidst countless astonished gazes.

Upon arriving in the Dongcheng District, more than twenty Papal knights left the ranks and returned to the cathedral.

Eric was still riding one of their horses, but it was just another horse, and the lead knight didn't mention it at all when he saluted him before leaving.

“It’s getting late.” Eric looked up at the magnificent sunset. “While it’s still light, let’s hurry and take a tour of the East and North Districts, so that the residents here can get a good look at what the demons look like, before we return to the palace.”

The church knights had some reservations, but these palace guards, appointed by the emperor, didn't care so much. This was their war achievement, so of course they wanted to show it off.

A group of people followed behind Eric and the demon corpses, making a large loop through the East and North districts, deliberately going through crowded areas to attract countless eyes, before finally returning to the palace.

The emperor sent his eldest princess, Natalia, to take a look. She praised the group highly and then ordered the guards to drag the demon corpses into the palace.

Morse was astonished, "Your Highness..."

“His Majesty entrusted this to me, so this is my decision. Any problems that arise are my responsibility,” Natalia said. “These demons are all dead, aren’t they? As long as they’re not in danger, that’s fine.”

This is an attempt to scare the emperor and force him to face reality… Eric thought to himself.

Morse couldn't stop the princess's decision either. After thinking for a moment, he bowed his head and obeyed, ordering the guards to drag the cart into the palace.

"Your Highness Eric, are you injured?" Natalia then greeted Eric.

His internal and external injuries have been completely healed, but there is still a lot of blood on his body. "I was a little careless during the battle, but I'm fine now."

“Given your status, you shouldn’t be directly involved in the battle,” Natalia said.

“I am a warrior too.” Eric bowed and then looked up. “I value my life and will never die in vain, but when necessary, I will still personally throw myself into the fray.”

Natalia looked at him for a while, but didn't say anything.

Eric spoke up first, "This morning, I heard that His Highness seemed to be planning to go to the northern border?"

Natalia shook her head. "His Majesty disagreed and gave me a severe scolding after you left."

“It’ll be hard to say later,” Eric said, looking at the cart being dragged into the palace.

Natalia glanced at him, a sly smile appearing on her face, which she quickly concealed.

"What are Your Highness Eric's plans next?"

Eric nodded. "I will leave Lutia."

"Where are you going?"

"There are many places I want to go, but I haven't decided yet."

Natalia thought for a moment, "Then, Your Highness Eric, would you like to come with me to the North?"

To her surprise, Eric quickly shook his head and refused.

"The demons will definitely move south, and my going to the north won't change anything, especially with Princess Natalia there. I've done everything I could in Lutia, and now I want to improve my personal strength so that I won't always be in a passive position when I want to change things."

Natalia looked at him for a moment and said, "Perhaps it's just my imagination, but Prince Eric seems to be looking forward to the arrival of the demons."

“I can’t say I’m looking forward to it,” Eric shook his head. “They will definitely come, and I’m more familiar with what will happen after that.”

Natalia frowned, indicating her confusion, while Eric pointed to the sky.

"Hey, people from your church..."

Natalia didn't continue.

Before leaving, she asked him again when he would be leaving Lutia.

"Still considering."

“Alright.” Natalia smiled with a frown. “Your Highness Eric, I hope we’ll meet again alive.”

Eric immediately said, "Your Highness, you cannot die in the north."

In "The Crown of Thorns", Natalia only came to prominence during the Battle of Lutia and probably had no experience in the North. If she had died in the North, he really didn't know where he could find another leader who could unite people's hearts like her.

“I am also a descendant of warriors…” Natalia winked at him. “I value my life and will never die in vain, but when necessary, I will still personally participate.”

"..."

She was simply repeating what he had just said.

Eric pursed his lips. "Please, you should value your life more."

Natalia just smiled.

Eric thought for a moment and then said, “Since Your Highness is heading north, please take the opportunity to deal with the Aran people lurking near the Northria Cel Ice Lake. Now that they have sided with the demons, there is no reason to let them go unchecked. In addition, there is a high possibility that there are demon spies among the garrison of the Black Ice Wall. Please investigate carefully while ensuring your own safety. My family guard, Vili, is also secretly investigating there. Your Highness can trust him.”

Natalia's smile slowly faded, and she stared at him for a long while.

"Your Highness Eric, what exactly do you know?"

“I know a lot, but the key is whether anyone is willing to believe me,” Eric said. “I already asked my uncle, Earl Edgar, to speak to His Majesty about the warning that the demons are about to march south more than a year ago.”

Natalia was silent for a moment. "The North is too far away. The people of the Empire haven't heard any news from the demons for five hundred years. It's as distant as a legend. Your Highness's previous empty prophecy has not been fulfilled, so it's really hard to believe."

“Things are different now.” Eric’s gaze pointed into the palace; the carts dragging the demon corpses were no longer in sight. “I hope Your Highness can rouse His Majesty and get him ready.”

Natalia nodded slowly, then suddenly said, "When I get to the North, where should I send the letter if I want to contact Prince Eric?"

Eric paused for a moment, then said, "The Convent of St. Leslie. My people will find a way to get the letter to me."

“I understand.” The princess smiled again. “Although I actually prefer to keep His Highness by my side.”

Eric didn't speak, he simply bowed.

After watching Natalia turn and return to the palace, Eric mounted his horse and rode away to his residence.

"Young Master, are you injured?" Leslie asked anxiously as soon as he saw the bloodstains on his body.

"It's okay, I'm fine now."

“I already told him I could go with the young master.”

"Then you might already be lying on the bed by now."

"Ok?"

Leslie came over to take the horse, but once his attention shifted away from him, he realized something was wrong. "Young master, this isn't your horse."

"I know."

Where is your Lille horse?

"It was ridden away by the demons."

"..."

Leslie's words also reminded Eric, "By the way, could you help me find out where I can buy Lille's warhorses in Lutia, and buy me two more? Send one of them to Captain Morse of the Royal Guard."

"Yes, Master."

When Eric saw Elise again, he immediately told her that Luca was dead.

She paused for a moment, “He is the hope of all Arameans.”

“That kind of hope was always just a pipe dream,” Eric said.

Elise stared blankly, but finally nodded.

"in addition……"

Eric looked at her. "I'll be leaving Lutia soon. What are your plans? Stay here, or come with me?"

(End of this chapter)