The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 136 Running a Mission

With their path blocked, bandits emerged from the wilderness behind them, blocking their retreat as well. Eric glanced at Robertson, who was hiding behind the bandits, and said to Elise, "I suppose this counts as a kind of collaborator?"

Elise, riding her horse, was long-legged and beautiful. Most of the bandits' eyes were on her, and few could remain as calm as him, but they knew he had a solution.

"So, are you planning to pay with money, or something else?"

Eric, of course, chose to draw his weapon.

Seeing his reaction, Robertson clicked his tongue and said, "Young people don't value their lives... Well, if they obediently pay up in this kind of situation, can they still be called young people?"

The bandits ignored him and drew their weapons as well.

Eric dismounted, pushed off with his feet, and charged straight at the leader of the bandits, swinging his sword to strike.

Ding!
His sword slashed straight down, so straightforward that even Robertson, who didn't know much about combat, almost burst out laughing.

"You thought this was a friendly spar? You're just a greenhorn from a noble family... Don't kill him, spare his life and ask his family for money."

The next moment, his expression froze.

Eric's first sword strike was easily blocked, but he looked relaxed. He took two steps back and attacked again with the same move, only to be blocked once more.

Suddenly, he swayed to the side like a falling leaf, strangely bypassing the bandit's defense, and then thrust out a sword that was too late to defend against.

"Uh!"

The sharp blade pierced his neck, and blood gushed out instantly.

Eric didn't stop moving and pounced on the next robber. His sword strikes were no longer as straightforward as before. He slashed to the left to lure the robber into a defensive stance, then suddenly dropped the sword and quickly raised it again, aiming straight for a vital spot.

He turned back to block the incoming blade with his short sword, then twisted his wrist and pushed off with his feet. The short sword, against the blade, bypassed the bandit's defense and plunged straight into his throat.

puff-

Blood spurted from the robber's neck as he collapsed, emitting a hoarse hissing sound.

Within seconds, three people had fallen.

Eric glanced around, searching for his next target, while the other bandits also realized what was happening and scattered in all directions without looking back, with shouts and curses still faintly audible.

"Robertson, fuck your mother!"

"What kind of person did you bring! You're going to die!"

Robertson himself had already gone weak in the knees and collapsed beside the carriage, unable to move.

Eric looked back and saw that the bandits who had been blocking his path had also turned and fled. Elise, who was on horseback, breathed a sigh of relief. "Your Highness, you knew he was up to something all along."

“It’s not that early,” Eric said, putting away his weapon. “I only realized something was wrong when he didn’t take the crowded route.”

Elise looked up at the people hanging in the trees and frowned. "Those all look like real corpses."

“Of course it’s true.” Eric walked toward the carriage, lifted the curtain, glanced inside, and was stunned. The carriage was indeed loaded with a lot of goods.

"So you're just doing this as a side job... Well, that makes sense, there aren't that many easy targets to fleece on the road."

He then approached Robertson, whose face was filled with sorrow. "I just run a small business. Business is bad, so I had to resort to this desperate measure, 'borrowing' some money from passersby... I only wanted money, not to kill anyone."

Eric pointed to the people hanging in the tree.

"This has nothing to do with us!"

Robertson immediately defended himself, "Look how rotten they are! They've been hanging here for years. We're just using these corpses to scare people."

Eric chuckled without even looking up. "Given the temperatures here in the south, a corpse that decomposed like this wouldn't even need twenty days."

"..."

Upon realizing that he was not ignorant, Robertson was speechless.

That makes sense... He's so adept at killing, how could he not know about this kind of thing?

"Who exactly are you, hero...? I was blind. Please spare my life since you haven't lost anything."

“I’ll scare you to death if I tell you,” Eric sneered, stepping on Robertson’s leg. With a little force, a cracking sound rang out, followed by Robertson’s scream of pain.

"Get on your horse and continue leading the way to Xingyuan Academy, and I'll let you go."

Robertson endured the pain and got up, then struggled to climb back onto the carriage. He looked around, but the bandit brothers had long since disappeared, and none of them had come back to rescue him.

The three robbers on the ground were still convulsing, but they were not far from death.

Eric returned to his horse and looked at them again. "You might not believe it, but this is the first time I've ever killed someone, a living person."

Elise glanced at him. "Doesn't Luca count?"

"He was kicked to death by a horse, and it feels different from being killed by one's own hands."

"So how do you feel?"

Eric stared blankly at the three robbers on the ground, who were gradually ceasing their struggles, for a moment, then muttered, "I actually thought this was nothing... How terrifying."

Elise remained calm. "This is what a warrior should look like."

Eric shook his head. "Reactions are reactions, and feelings are feelings."

Without saying much, he drew his sword and threatened Robertson to continue driving and leading the way.

Elise followed him for a while, then looked back one last time at the three robbers on the ground.

"They're dead."

"Ah."

Robertson, the driver, assumed the woman was beautiful but wicked and was deliberately trying to scare him, so he kept waving the reins and speeding up.

Once the carriage and the two horses behind it had gone far away, the bandits hiding in the bushes came out, cursed at the distant figures, and then sighed as they collected the bodies of their companions.

Eric was talking to Robertson at that moment.

"How many years have you been in this line of work?"

"...Are you referring to running trade routes, or what happened earlier?"

"Tell me everything."

"It's been almost five years. The merchants who fled first were robbed several times, losing everything. They had to find another way..."

Eric glanced sideways. "You call this another way?"

"That's just how this place is. If I don't do it this way, others will, otherwise they won't be able to survive."

Robertson wore a long face, feeling utterly unlucky today. Not only was his leg broken, but he also had to endure immense mental stress. It was uncertain whether he would even survive once he arrived at Xingyuan Academy.

“This place is called the ‘Land of Chaos’ for a reason…” Eric shook his head.

Castelfeld was the first of the southern states to establish a unified government, even before the establishment of an empire.

But the empire lingered on for over five hundred years, while Castelfair's first and only kingdom did not last even fifty years.

After its destruction, the entire country fell into endless chaos, which continues to this day. Even the Delan Empire, which attempted to occupy the area at its peak, failed to gain any advantage.

“Even saints turn into madmen when they come to Castelfell.”

This is a proverb in the church, and this is also the place with the most "heretics" in the Yela Church, especially those active in the palace of that long-vanished kingdom.

The kingdom was destroyed, but its vast palace, which it built, survived the ravages of time and remained intact. Over the course of nearly a thousand years, it changed hands several times, and the last people to occupy it to this day are a group of mages.

They studied magic in the palace without any taboos, and passed it down through generations, transforming the former royal palace into the largest magic academy on the continent, namely Xingyuan Academy.

Currently, the academy is actually controlled by a few moon elves who are nearing the end of their lives, but they don't really care about anything and are more like waiting to die in this place with a relatively strong magical atmosphere.

After driving Robertson for most of the morning, Eric could finally see the prominent royal palace complex in the distance.

Over the years, the buildings have not only not collapsed, but have become even more solid under the continuous reinforcement of generations of monks, and even at the midday sun when the sunlight is strongest, they faintly emit different colors of light.

No wonder the church people call them heretics, Eric thought to himself. Even the holy city of Lessir isn't this dazzling.

"You see that? That's Xingyuan Academy, the largest magic academy on the continent!"

Even in his current state, Robertson first showed pride in front of the outsiders for a few seconds, then seamlessly switched to a humble mode, "You can see the way ahead at a glance, can you let me go now?"

“Don’t rush.” Eric wasn’t in a hurry at all. “You’ve been around here for so many years, you should know a lot of people. Help me find an alchemist.”

"Please feel free to ask."

Eric pulled out the small piece of paper. "Do you know an alchemist named McKin Campbell?"

"To be honest, I haven't had much contact with mages or alchemists, but I know where to ask for your information."

"Then let's just go there."

Eric put away the note, then, as if remembering something, added, "Don't tell me you have accomplices here. Whether I can beat them or not, I'll kill you first. You can bet on which side moves faster." "..."

Recalling his agile movements, Robertson paused for a moment, "Then we'll have to change direction at the next intersection and turn left."

Eric's eyes widened. "There really is one?"

“Look at what you’re saying…” Robertson sighed, having given up hope. “There’s not a single honest person here. People who do this kind of thing always have to have some backup plans.”

Eric remained silent, already thinking about finishing this as quickly as possible and leaving this place.

Elise, who was standing next to her, gave a silent laugh.

The carriage turned left at the intersection and continued for a while, making several turns, until the three of them stopped in front of a fairly bustling market.

Robertson, with half a leg broken and unable to get off the carriage, pointed out a shop to Eric. "Don't be fooled by its appearance as an ordinary alchemy supplies shop. The owner is very famous near the academy and has dealings with everyone. If he can't find someone, you certainly won't be able to find them by asking anyone else."

Eric also remembered the shop—in the game—and therefore immediately believed him.

He left Elise outside to watch over Robertson while he went to find out what was going on.

This place is a bit far from the academy and isn't the busiest spot outside Xingyuan Academy, but Eric had frequented this area in his previous life because of this shop—this NPC shop sells the most complete range of alchemy materials.

The shop owner is also an alchemy master. Once you've maxed out your intermediate alchemy skill, you'll need to take on quests from him to level up to advanced.

What's even more remarkable is that, in the chaotic land of Castelfel, the shopkeeper has a kind heart and is therefore highly regarded. Even the most irrational NPCs are willing to say a few good words about him.

Eric entered the shop and, among a group of alchemists, quickly spotted the alchemy master, who was explaining something to someone who looked like an apprentice.

He wandered around the shop for a while, and when the owner was available, he immediately squeezed over and said, "Master Cameron."

The old man nodded to him. "Young man, what do you want to know?"

Eric was taken aback. He hadn't even spoken yet, so how did Eric know that Eric was there to inquire about something rather than to ask about alchemy?
Cameron even noticed his confusion. "The people who come to my little shop are either here for alchemy or to ask for information, but in your eyes, I only see a clarity that has not yet been affected by alchemy."

"..."

Is it just foolishness that hasn't been tempered by alchemical knowledge?
However, after considering the old man's character, Eric guessed that he probably wasn't swearing.

“I’m looking for someone.” Eric didn’t hesitate and directly told him the name of the alchemist he was looking for.

Master Cameron thought for a moment, and before answering, he glanced at the sword hanging at his waist. The alchemist's keen sense of smell made it easy for him to detect the bloodstains on the sword.

"Child, tell me, did you come here to kill him?"

Eric raised a hand. “I swear to Yera, I have no ill intentions. I just want to buy some forging materials from him that only he can currently synthesize.”

Cameron stared at him for a moment, then smiled. "Alright, I believe you. But I'm too busy to get away, so I can only give you an address. Go find it yourself."

Running around here and there, running around there and then to the next place, it's starting to feel more and more like doing missions...

Eric thought to himself, but didn't show it on his face. He bowed his head and expressed his gratitude to the master.

Before leaving, he thought of another name.

"There is another person, not an alchemist, but a mage who studies the soul, named Rusdy. Does the master know where he is?"

Cameron paused as he wrote the note. "Rusdy? I heard he's dead."

Eric was taken aback. "Dead?"

“I’ve never even met him. I only found out about him because someone else asked me about him, and then I asked someone else to ask around,” Master Cameron said.

“Okay.” Eric didn’t ask any more questions. After Eric finished writing the note, he thanked him again and turned to leave.

Cameron stared at his retreating figure for a few moments, seemingly lost in thought.

"When he swore just now, he used a gesture that only people from the Church of Yela would use... Are even their people eyeing you, Rusdy?"

Eric was completely unaware of this. Once outside, he had Robertson lead the way to the place indicated on the note.

The carriage started moving again, and when it stopped, it was closer to Xingyuan Academy.

Robertson led him to a dense area of ​​shacks, simple and low, a stark contrast to the magnificent palaces not far away, but this was where most of the mages and alchemists near the academy lived... and their laboratories.

Eric dismounted, found one of the shacks at the address on the note, knocked on the door, but received no response.

He patted it a few more times, and the door next to him opened instead.

An alchemist who looked to be in his thirties poked his head out. "Are you looking for McKinney?"

Eric nodded. "Yes."

"He's gone out and won't be back for a couple of days. Why do you want to see him?"

“Buy some of his stuff,” Eric said. “I came from Tallinn. Do you know where he went?”

The man sized him up. "He didn't say. Come back in a couple of days."

Boom!
He closed the door and went inside.

Having traveled a long way only to find nothing, Eric inhaled, exhaled, and his lips moved.

Elise watched him from her horse, trying to decipher his lips.

"Mal, Le, Ge..."

Back on horseback, Eric said, "McGin went out and we don't know where he went. We'll just have to wait here for two days."

Elise didn't care; she was going to follow him wherever he went anyway.

Eric then looked at Robertson and asked, "Can you be a good person from now on?"

Robertson paused for a moment, then managed to say, "I've always thought of myself as a good person here."

Eric waved him away, telling him to get lost, "I'll kill you the next time I see you."

Dragging his broken leg, Robertson quickly drove away.

Eric looked around again, memorized the location, and then led Elise to find a hotel to stay in.

“I’ve been traveling non-stop these past few days, so I can finally rest for a couple of days,” Elise said on the way.

Eric neither confirmed nor denied the allegations.

As the two rode their horses, they gradually approached the Star Origin Academy. Along the way, they encountered more and more mages and alchemists, all in a hurry and with different expressions.

“The mages here don’t all wear the same robes like they do at the Lutia Magic Academy,” Elise said.

Eric shook his head. "There aren't many normal people here. It's a miracle they even go out dressed."

Elise smiled, "This is, after all, the largest magic academy on the continent, so there should still be some rules."

“Yes, but not many.” Eric glanced at the magnificent palace a few more times, then reined in his horse in front of a roadside inn. “Take a look here.”

The two went inside to inquire and found that there were still empty rooms, so they stayed there.

It was only afternoon, and Eric decided to go out for another walk to gather some information on the ground.

"Want to take a stroll around the academy?" Elise thought for a moment. "Are you even allowed in?"

Eric pulled out a badge and pinned it to his chest. "I'm a student."

"..."

Elise stared at the faded badge for a while, wondering where he had gotten it.

"Okay. But I'm not a student, so I won't go with you."

“You can stay here.” Eric unsheathed his short sword, leaving it for her to defend herself, and then pulled out a handful of gold coins. “If I haven’t returned by dark, I’m probably held up by something. Find a place to eat yourself.”

After spending so many days together, Elise had noticed that the prospective saintess was always very particular about her three meals a day.

“I still have money, lots of it.” She didn’t take his gold coins.

"Oh." Eric didn't say much more, put away the gold coins and left.

After closing the door, Elise looked at the short sword in her hand, drew it out, stared at it for a while, and twitched her nose.

"And there's a bloody smell too..."

She quickly put it away, feeling that he had gone to unnecessary trouble—with her limited abilities, a dagger couldn't solve the problem, and a short sword wouldn't solve it either.

She went to the window, and a moment later, Eric came out from underneath.

She leaned against the windowsill and waved as he turned around.

"True love of experimentation."

(End of this chapter)