The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 140 Good Brother

Seeing Eric ride back on horseback, Elise, who had been idly leaning against the window, also got up and went downstairs.

It's lunchtime.

“We’ll have to wait another five or six days.” As soon as he saw her, Eric told her the results of the day. “But the person has been found, and work has already started. We just have to wait.”

"Great! What do you want to eat?"

Eric opened his mouth, then realized he was starving.

"let me see……"

If you want to keep things simple, there aren't that many options. The two of them had dinner at the pub next to the hotel, and the menu there only had a few items.

Sitting down at the table and waiting for the food and drinks to be served, Eric said, "If you get tired of this, we can go somewhere a little further away tomorrow."

“That’s too much trouble, let’s forget it.” Elise said casually. Seeing that he was speechless, she paused and added, “But if Your Highness wants to go, I will of course accompany you.”

She became more and more casual around him.

Eric shook his head, unconcerned. "Let's talk about it tomorrow."

After a satisfying meal, Eric returned to the hotel and, perhaps due to the effects of alcohol, slept exceptionally well that night.

Five days is neither a long nor a short time; it's enough for him to go to a slightly farther place and come back.

However, Eric was too lazy to travel, so he stayed at Xingyuan Academy. During the day, he would wander around the academy, watching the monks argue and fight. In the evening, he would go out to browse the roadside stalls, trying to find some talent in the desert.

Unfortunately, the alchemy master NPCs he remembered were already famous and no longer needed his sponsorship to boost their favor.

Another day has come to an end, and it was already evening when I left the academy.

"You go back first, I'll look around here a bit more."

"Okay." Having been bored out of her mind at the hotel, Elise had finally decided to spend the whole day with him, and she was already exhausted.

Eric wandered around alone until he reached Molly's stall, where he greeted her.

The female mage looked at him and asked bluntly, "Do you want to pay?"

"...Spend some money."

She got up and took out a small stool. "Please sit down."

"..."

Eric sat down behind the stall, looked at the mages and alchemists coming and going outside, and then looked at Molly.

Why haven't I seen you at the academy?

“I’m not in there?” Molly looked at him strangely. “I’m not a student at the academy.”

Eric was taken aback, because the concept of a student at Xingyuan Academy was actually quite vague. Attending classes there was enough to qualify someone as a student, and obtaining a badge, regardless of the method, would grant entry to the academy. If he had to say, he had already attended classes for several days and could be considered a student of Xingyuan Academy.

"You don't want to learn any magic at all?"

The female mage used a flame flicked from her fingertip to tell him that she had just asked a rude question.

“I learned all my magic from my teacher. He’s not here now, so what am I supposed to learn?”

Despite being a master of soul research, Rusdy is currently only a student at Xingyuan Academy, not a professor.

However, Eric guessed that even if he went out to lay low, he must have made arrangements for Molly to learn magic, but the latter was just more interested in money.

Molly stared at him for a while, then asked, "Are you a mage? I can't tell at all. How did you get in?"

Eric pulled out a handful of badges, and Molly's eyes widened.

"Who are you?"

Eric thought for a moment, "I guess it's a case of connections with the college leadership."

"Are your parents inside?"

“My aunt and uncle are there.”

“This is incredible…” Molly looked at him. “This is incredible. You have so many badges and you’re such a nice person. Why don’t you just give me one? I want to go in and learn magic too.”

Eric turned and looked at her for a moment. "Aren't you going in to set up a stall and sell your wares?"

"That's just incidental."

"It's hard to say which side is the main one and which is secondary."

Molly did not deny it.

Eric shook his head. "You should give up on this idea."

Molly wasn't giving up. She looked around and moved closer. "Give me a badge, and I can tell you a shocking secret that only my teacher and I know right now."

Eric stared into her green eyes for a moment, then looked away. "Speaking of secrets, I know a lot of secrets too. I can exchange them with you."

Molly wasn't interested. "I want the badge."

“Then at least tell me what the secret is about,” Eric said.

"That star."

Eric was taken aback. "The meteorite underground?"

“Who else could it be?” Molly raised her chin smugly. “See? I knew you’d be interested.”

Eric was genuinely interested. "Is it authentic? If you just made it up to fool me, then I'll be at a disadvantage."

“Of course it’s true!” Molly said immediately. “I swear to the God of Truth on my teacher’s honor and life!”

"..."

Eric glanced sideways. "You, on the other hand, have managed to clear your name cleanly."

“My life and reputation aren’t worth much,” Molly frowned. “Fine, then I’ll add myself to the list.”

As she spoke, she truly swore an oath to the God of Truth in the name and life of both master and disciple.

Having already expressed his emotions, and given Eric's genuine interest, he thought for a moment and then took out a badge for her.

"Your teacher has been around here for so many years, and he still hasn't managed to get you a college badge."

"Yes, but I sold it a long time ago."

"...He must be furious." Eric was even a little angry for Rusdy.

Molly pursed her lips. "I didn't mean to. I just wanted to see how much that badge could sell for... Later, when I wanted to buy it back, I couldn't find that person anymore."

Eric shook his head. "Tell me, what's the secret?"

Molly breathed on the badge, rubbed it a few times to make sure it was real, and gave him a bright smile. "Come closer, ear~"

Eric moved closer, and the female mage pressed herself against him, her chest pressing against his shoulders, her softness enveloping him from both sides.

"That star is absorbing souls."

Eric's attention was instantly drawn from the touch on her arm to her words.

"……what?"

"oops."

Molly looked around and continued speaking close to him, "That star not only absorbs magic, but it also absorbs a tiny bit of soul. Because the amount absorbed is so small, most people can't detect it. Only my teacher discovered this."

Eric turned and looked at her for a moment. "Why?"

"what why?"

Why did that meteorite absorb souls?

“You’d have to ask that star,” Molly said. “Even the teacher is still researching it.”

Eric paused for a moment, then asked, "If that's the case, why doesn't he tell anyone else? Wouldn't that be harmful to his soul?"

"It will not happen."

Molly shook her head, then raised her hand and used two fingers to indicate a negligible distance.

"As I said, it's just a tiny bit of your soul. As long as you're not so old that you can't move your legs, that little bit of damage will repair itself in less than a day. In other words, it's completely harmless."

Eric, who had just had a good time on that meteorite a couple of days ago, breathed a sigh of relief. Then he heard her say, "And if we tell others, no one will provide souls anymore. How can we observe the changes in that star afterward? The secret hasn't been figured out yet."

"...Your teacher is pretty confused too."

However, since it was harmless, he couldn't be too critical of it. Besides, he was also very curious about what secrets the meteorite held.

"Speaking of your teacher, don't you really know where he is?"

Molly looked at him and sighed, "With such a good opportunity to betray his whereabouts, do you think I would want to miss it?"

Eric smirked. "You're really shameless to say that."

The female mage snorted, "I only betrayed my teacher and brought him a better life because I thought you seemed like a good person."

"Does giving more money make someone a good person?"

“You look alike too,” Molly said. “Look at you, so fair and delicate, with such a pampered air. You must have grown up hearing about those noble qualities and being determined to uphold them for life. I’ve seen plenty of aristocratic young masters like you. You might turn bad in the future, but you’re still young and innocent now.”

"..."

Eric couldn't tell if she was genuinely praising him or mocking him.

"Good man, I still don't know your name."

“...Eric.”

“Brother Eric,” Molly put her arm around his shoulder, “what’s your relationship with those professors at the academy? Can you tell me?”

Eric got goosebumps. "Don't call me brother, I'm only eighteen."

“I’m only nineteen too.” Molly leaned closer to look at him. “Introduce me to your professor relatives, and we’ll be half-siblings.”

“I have a sister, the best sister in the world.” Eric shrugged and shook off her arm. “Don’t tarnish the weight of the word ‘sister’ in my heart.”

Molly frowned. "What you said is really disgusting..."

After he shook her off, she didn't try to maintain the facade of their half-sibling relationship. "Then consider it a favor, since you already gave me this badge." Eric dragged his small stool to the side. "What exactly do you want?"

“Of course it’s about doing business,” Molly said. “Even if the professor doesn’t do it himself, his students still need to research this and that, right? They need to buy things like magic scrolls and alchemy materials, right? Instead of going out of the academy to pick them out themselves and getting ripped off, it’s better to just hand it over to someone trustworthy, don’t you think?”

Eric showed no mercy, "You're not trustworthy, judging people by how you price them. Take that piece of charcoal that cost eight silver coins the other day, for example. You could have asked for eight gold coins, right?"

"Nonsense! I price people based on how easy they are to fool, not on how much money they have," Molly retorted immediately. "Do you think those high-ranking mages in the academy are so easily fooled?"

She was quite frank, leaving Eric speechless.

“I’m planning to expand this business and make it more legitimate, that’s why I’m asking for your help,” Molly continued.

Eric looked at her for a while.

"You're wasting your talent. If I could cast a fireball in my lifetime, I'd be laughing in my sleep."

Molly looked at him for a few seconds, then suddenly sighed, leaned closer, took his left hand in her right, and raised her arm, pointing to the sky.

"Watch closely, boom!"

A fireball shot out from their clasped hands, soaring into the sky before dissipating at a certain high point.

She turned to look at him. "So you're the one who put it there. Happy now? Can you say yes now?"

"..."

Eric remained silent for a long time before finally sighing.

Even if it's just for fun, the emotional value she brings him is considerable.

"Whatever you want... just don't blame me later."

Molly was overjoyed, "Definitely not!"

Eric gestured with his eyes to the badge she was holding in her other hand. "That was given to you by the moon elf. I don't need to explain. With just that badge, you can move freely within the Star Origin Academy. As for persuading a few professors to join your business, that depends on your own abilities."

Molly paused, then looked at the badge in her hand again. "Given by the moon elf?...Really? You're not kidding me, are you?"

"Didn't you just say I was a good person?"

“Good people lie too.” Molly looked at him again and smiled. “But what you said is probably true. I believe you.”

Eric curled his lip.

"You and the Moon Elf are..."

Molly wanted to ask him how he came to be related to the moon elves, but when she noticed someone stop in front of the stall, she immediately looked up and greeted them.

"What do you want to buy...wait, an Aran?"

"..."

Looking at the two people who were pressed close together with their arms around each other, Elise's gaze shifted to Eric's face.

"I'm... inquiring about some things."

Eric didn't know how she had turned to this side again, so he pulled his arm away and distanced himself from Molly.

Elise glanced at the small stool under his buttocks, nodded, and remained expressionless.

"I was just passing by. Please continue."

She turned to leave, but Eric called after her, "Wait a minute, I've already found out. I'll go back with you."

Elise stopped and looked at the female mage who was staring at her. The mage blinked innocently.

After saying goodbye to Molly, Eric caught up with her.

The two walked side by side toward the hotel, remaining silent for a while.

“That female mage’s teacher is a master of soul research, which I’m somewhat interested in, but his whereabouts are currently unknown, so I asked her about him,” Eric said.

"Are you trying to find out by touching my body?"

"..."

"I apologize, it was unintentional. Please don't take offense, Your Highness."

Nobody believes that.

Eric took a breath. "People in the southern countries are generally more hospitable..."

Elise shook her head. "Your Highness, there's no need to explain. I believe you have your own plans. Your decision to have me return to the inn earlier must have been part of your plan."

"..."

Eric felt helpless, as if he couldn't explain himself anymore.

"Then why did you turn around again?"

“It was just a sudden idea to try something different for dinner with Your Highness tonight…” Elise said, “but it seems Your Highness has already found a more delicious ‘dinner’.”

"...Not at all. I'll try your recommendation anyway."

Elise pointed casually, "It's one of those vendors who push a cart and call out their wares."

Eric squinted at the figure ahead. "Roasted lizard?"

The southern climate is hot, and reptiles such as lizards are especially common. The most common snack outside the academy is roasted lizard sold from a cart. It has a strong flavor, is crunchy, and you can buy several skewers for a silver coin. It is a favorite of poor mages.

Elise frowned, clearly not wanting to try the reptiles. "There are other things too... I just saw some wraps with meat, and some local fruits."

“Let’s look for it then,” Eric said, walking beside her. “You can eat whatever you want, it’s on me.”

Elise glanced at him and smiled.

Before walking away, she looked back and paused.

“Eric, your ‘dinner’…it seems your friend is in trouble.”

Eric turned around and saw several people gathered in front of Molly's stall, all wearing robes, either mages or alchemists.

"They're just buying things, aren't they?"

Elise shook her head. "No, when I turned around, I saw one of them pointing his staff at her, but the other person stopped him."

“Is that so?” Eric frowned. “Could it be that she was caught selling overpriced alchemical materials and someone came to her door?”

"So, are you going to interfere?" Elise asked.

Eric watched for a while longer, and seeing that they were still just talking, he shook his head.

"It's good for her to experience the dangers of the business world... Learning magic honestly is definitely more promising than reselling alchemical materials."

Elise glanced at him. "Your Highness seems quite familiar with her."

"...We only chatted for a few more minutes. Let's go."

Just then, a carriage stopped in front of Molly's stall. The mages suddenly shoved her into the carriage and sped away.

The two people watching from afar were dumbfounded.

“E-Eric…” Elise watched the departing carriage. “Was this a kidnapping?”

This was clearly no longer an economic dispute. Eric said, "You eat first," and ran after them.

"What else is there to eat...?"

Watching him run away, Elise also turned and ran in another direction.

There were stalls on both sides and people on the road. The carriage was not fast at first. Eric chased after it for a while. As the carriage was about to leave the most crowded section of the road outside the academy, it would soon pick up speed.

Storm footwork!

Shadow Strike!

Eric used several dash attacks in quick succession, blinking and accelerating his pursuit, quickly closing the distance considerably.

Someone in the carriage had been peering behind him and quickly spotted him, throwing a few pebbles into the road behind him.

Eric spotted it immediately, "What is that..."

Bang bang bang!
The moment they landed, the black stones exploded together, quickly spreading into a large cloud of black smoke within a few breaths, completely blocking the view on the road.

"Cough, cough, cough!"

Eric was chasing after them so fast that he inevitably inhaled several mouthfuls of black smoke, and immediately felt as if his throat was being burned, which was extremely uncomfortable.

Holding his breath, he burst out of the smoke, but the carriage had already sped away.

He cast a purification spell on himself, but it had no effect, so he used a healing spell to cover his throat.

The light of the divine magic enveloped Eric's throat with his palm, and the burning sensation quickly subsided. Eric swallowed, but still felt a slight pain.

He looked ahead; the carriage was already getting further and further away.

This was clearly a premeditated kidnapping. Judging from the things that were just thrown out, the kidnappers seemed to be alchemists.

Eric guessed that they were the group searching for Rusdy's whereabouts, and since they couldn't find him, they had no choice but to target his students.

This unlucky kid...

Eric continued the chase, glancing at both sides of the road ahead. He knew he couldn't catch up by running like this, so he decided to borrow a horse.

He chased after the carriage for a while, but it had already disappeared from sight, and he still couldn't find any horses to borrow on the road.

Until a shout came from behind.

"Eric—"

He turned around and saw that Elise was riding up on horseback.

"Elise!"

She rode over on her warhorse, and Eric leaped onto it before she could stop, grabbing her waist and taking control of the reins from her as soon as he was settled, picking up speed again.

"You've arrived just in time! You haven't eaten yet, have you? Let's have a late-night snack together when you get back."

"..."

(End of this chapter)