The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 160: Mixed Reviews
The next morning, when Eric woke up, Elise and Molly were talking about the New Year.

"...In the place where I was born, every New Year's Eve morning, people go to the beach to offer white flowers to the sea, which is said to be the favorite thing of the sea goddess Nansh. If the flowers drift away with the waves, it means that Nansh has accepted your sacrifice and will continue to protect you in the coming year." This was Molly's voice.

Then Elise asked, "Were you born by the sea?"

"Yes, the Kingdom of Gaton. Because the Jedi Mountains are sloping, the Duchy of Gaton, located at the southernmost part of the mountains, is also the easternmost country on the continent."

"Really... I don't really know anything about that area."

"That was a long time ago. I wandered to Castelfel when I was very young. When I got there, the way the mages celebrated the New Year was much stranger. The rich would burn mannequins made in their own likeness, while the poor would cast fireballs into the sky. Guess why?"

"why?"

"Because it is said that the god of nature was born from fire, and to become one with fire like him represents a rebirth in the new year."

Elise shook her head. "Most people really can't understand this."

She paused for a moment, then said, "We Arameans worship in the direction of our distant former capital on the first day of the new year, to strengthen our belief in never forgetting our homeland."

"Speaking of which..."

Molly looked at her. "I've wanted to ask you for a long time: are you Aran people really colluding with the demons? I've heard countless rumors about you over the past six months."

Elise was silent for a moment, then glanced at Eric before speaking, only to find that he was awake and had his eyes open.

"Yes."

"Wow..." Molly exclaimed, then fell silent. She then noticed that Eric had woken up and greeted him.

"morning."

Eric yawned and glanced at the dry biscuits roasting over the fire. "Why are we suddenly talking about the New Year?"

“We were just talking about that,” Elise said. “We’ve been awake for over an hour.”

Eric glanced at her. "You two?"

"...I didn't go to sleep until dawn."

"It's okay, we're all still alive anyway."

Elise sensed his sarcastic tone, gave him a glare, and then continued, "The New Year isn't far off, is it?"

Eric stretched lazily. "Yeah, it's been so long since we last met. This time last year... um."

He trailed off as he spoke, and Molly looked at him, "What? This time last year you were still living like a pampered young master at home?"

"Pretty much. I was used to having everything done for me, living a very comfortable life... although I was never idle."

Elise shook her head and turned her face away.

Molly still doesn't know about his other identity. It's not that Eric intentionally wants to hide it from her, but there's just no particular time when he needs to explain it—if he suddenly brought it up, she probably wouldn't believe him anyway.

Eric thought about it carefully. In a few days, it would be the day he went to the Holy Mountain to give thanksgiving prayers on behalf of the saint, but he wouldn't be there this year. He didn't know how the convent would arrange things.

In any case, they won't let the Holy Maiden go up the mountain herself...

Molly said, "Why don't you just stay at home and be a pampered young master? Why come out and take risks?"

“Young Master is tired of his current life and wants to experience some hardship,” Elise said.

"So you were his maid?" Molly asked.

"..."

Elise's face darkened, and she said no, which almost made Eric burst out laughing.

"What do nobles do when they welcome the New Year?" Molly asked again.

“A banquet,” Eric said. “A large banquet and a small banquet, to entertain all kinds of people, to connect with various forces in the vicinity, and to continue to maintain friendships in the new year.”

“Yes, just as I imagined.” Molly nodded. “All the nobles do all day is eat and drink, and prey on the common people.”

Eric chuckled, too lazy to say more, tore off a piece of the softened biscuit, and stuffed it into his mouth.

After filling their stomachs, he and Elise went outside to take a look. There weren't as many undead wandering around anymore; it had almost returned to its previous random distribution.

After observing for a while, the two felt there was a chance to escape, so they went back to get Molly, climbed out of the ruins, and carefully moved towards the outskirts of the city.

As they traversed ruin after ruin, the three spent far more time hiding on the road than actually moving.

The ruined city is extremely dangerous, and few people dare to enter. There has never been a fixed route in and out of the city; it's always a matter of luck.

Judging from the results, they were quite lucky, but looking at the process, their luck also had its low points.

After dodging a whole troop of demonic undead cavalry, the three of them had just taken cover behind a wall when they saw a fresh corpse lying on the bricks and rubble inside, with several small ghouls tearing at the body next to it.

Before they could even figure out who the unlucky guy was, Eric and Elise rushed at him together.

Although these creatures are small in size, they move quickly and usually act in groups. Their ability to entangle and pester is not to be underestimated. If you encounter one, you should take it down as soon as possible.

Elise was fast enough, but Eric made a huge leap and landed right at the top. Not only his forehead, but also both cheeks had similar golden marks, and his eyes were filled with a thick layer of bloody light. Judging from his appearance at this moment, it was hard to say whether he or the ghoul was more frightening.

Even though she had gotten somewhat used to his behavior over this period, Elise still couldn't help but feel her heart pounding.

Unforgivable rampant cultivation...

Eric had explained to them the origin of his state, and Elise herself had seen monks similar to him in some secluded spots in Lutia Cathedral, although the latter seemed much more fanatical than him.

They are the church's blade in the darkness, willing to risk their lives to remove any obstacles in the church's path, even if they will never receive the church's public recognition and may even face open resistance.

Even though they've spent so much time together and know each other almost inside and out, Elise still sometimes feels like she doesn't really understand him.

A promising prospective saintess of the church, who could also be the future heir to an entire earldom if she so desired, would actually choose this path that almost no one would approve of in pursuit of power...

Although the power he gained was indeed terrifying.

Eric landed and swept his sword across the ground, cleaving the two closest ghouls in two. Before she could even see what was happening, he was already in front of another ghoul, using the short sword in his other hand to decapitate it, before hurling it at a ghoul further away.

Just as Elise rushed to the nearest target, Eric also flashed over, the bloodlust in his eyes having subsided considerably.

After killing the first little ghoul, all the negative effects of the buffs were removed, so Eric didn't try to steal the kill from her and instead went to pick up the short sword that had been thrown out.

He had practiced throwing this knife for quite some time, and his accuracy was quite high. This time, he didn't miss either, and the knife pierced right through the little ghoul's forehead.

After glancing at the surge in their attributes, Eric returned to the two of them. "Let's go."

As he moved to the next ruin where he was hiding, the golden mark on his cheek faded.

As his superhuman form faded, Eric staggered, a pang of regret in his heart. He wished this superhuman state could last forever.

However, once you reach the seventh tier and continue to increase the class level of [Unforgiving Mad Cultivator], you can unlock a new class trait: after achieving a kill or removing a negative status effect, the duration of a positive status effect will be doubled.

Hiding and groping their way forward, the three of them finally saw the outermost city wall of the ruined city after most of the day, and even discovered an adventurer team that was infiltrating the city.

“It seems safe over there,” Eric said. Adventurers are most cautious when entering a city, and they must have been observing for a long time. “Once they’ve passed, we’ll go out that way.”

That's why they avoid each other when they're most cautious and nervous, to avoid misunderstandings.

“Okay.” The two nodded, waited a while, and then Eric made a gesture. The three of them left the ruins together and moved in that direction, finally managing to leave the city safely.

Once they reached the outskirts of the city, all three breathed a sigh of relief.

Although they were still quite a distance from North Town, their three-person team was already capable of handling most of the undead and living people outside the ruined city.

After passing through a hidden stronghold in the ruins outside the city, the three rested briefly inside, leaving behind extra food before leaving—it was dry rations, and the ground was relatively dry, so it wouldn't spoil easily.

"With this food, we could live underground for a month or two without any problem."

"You're just eating dry rations, don't you drink any water?"

"Then set up a few more plates outside to collect dew to drink, since it's foggy here anyway."

"Then we have to go out..."

Although it was past noon, they did not stay there and continued on their way back, not returning to Beizhen until midnight.

Eric went to the church as usual to ask if there was any letter for him. When he learned that there wasn't, he was about to leave when he noticed a person lying on the ground staring straight at him.

Eric glanced at him, recognizing him but unable to place him. It wasn't until the other man spoke up, "Eric, where are Hubbard and the others?"

Oh……

Eric remembered.

This is a former teammate of the group that went in with them. He was injured and had to stay here for treatment. He came to visit them before they left.

"died."

"..."

The man closed his eyes, his face filled with despair. "I warned them all. People like you aren't trustworthy, but they wouldn't listen... You killed them, didn't you?"

"They listened."

Eric crouched down. "When we got to the city of ruins, that wood elf archer in your party fired a whistling arrow at me, and ten thousand undead swarmed around me. Unfortunately, I survived, and I also managed to kill a few of your teammates in the process."

The man shook his head, his face showing only regret, without any sense that his teammate's actions were inappropriate.

"You devil will be punished sooner or later."

“You idiot, you believe a few words of gossip and nonsense. Treating you would be a waste.” Eric stood up. “You’d better get out of Northtown while I’m not looking. No one who speaks ill of me to my face has ever survived.”

"..."

The man's face turned pale. He didn't want to show weakness, but he dared not be stubborn either. So he simply turned his head away and shut up, refusing to look at him or say anything more.

"Don't treat him anymore."

Eric shouted to a few nuns not far away, "He doesn't look like he'll die, just get him out of here."

He couldn't help but sneer, "Who do you think you are..."

The next moment, the nuns all responded with a "yes" and continued with their work.

"..."

Ignoring his still-healing wounds, the man struggled to his feet and looked at the nuns in shock, only to find that no one paid him any attention.

“Remember, you have to run for your life as soon as possible.” Eric patted him on the shoulder and walked out of the church.

"Is it because we made money on the ancient battlefield and didn't treat those adventurers to drinks that so many people are talking badly about us?"

Molly spoke up, saying that both she and Elise had witnessed the entire incident.

“That’s just a secondary reason,” Eric shrugged. “The main reason is that we didn’t completely eliminate those scumbag teammates from the beginning, which gave them the opportunity to talk nonsense… Now, nobody knows where they’ve gone.”

“And jealousy,” Elise added. “Whether it’s the vast wealth you’ve discovered in the last six months or the rapid growth of your personal abilities, it’s incredible to others, and everyone is happy to talk bad about you.”

"Let them do as they please..."

Eric sighed. "I don't think I'll be staying here much longer."

Molly looked puzzled, while Elise seemed thoughtful.

“Mr. Eric, Ms. Elise, Ms. Molly, it is a pleasure to see you all back in Northtown safe and sound.”

After eating something, they returned to their lodgings. The innkeeper greeted the three of them respectfully. Their mixed reputation wasn't just among adventurers; business people didn't care about such things—money talks.

"Yes, good evening." Eric smiled and raised his hand in response.

The hotel owner turned around and watched them go upstairs.

Look how kind Mr. Eric is.

For the next period of time, none of the three went to the ancient battlefield to explore or train.

"No more fuss, let's have a good New Year."

Although the New Year is a relatively important holiday, Eric clearly attaches far more importance to it than others, even to the point that he seems to be doing nothing but waiting for the New Year to arrive.

Molly and Elise found it strange, but they were happy to have some free time, since Eric had been dragging them around fighting and exploring all the time, and they themselves weren't very motivated.

Before the New Year arrived, the three left North Town and headed to the nearest city, Tallinn, since big cities are more lively, especially around the holidays.

The three of them rode on two horses, with Molly sitting behind Eric and her arms around his waist.

Will anything be different for the New Year?

"no."

"Then what are you waiting for?"

“You don’t understand,” Eric sighed. “We’ll talk about it after the New Year. It’s a kind of aristocratic sentiment.”

Elise glanced sideways at the two people and one horse beside her, "I've never heard of that."

"Hmm...that's a traditional sentiment that only we old nobles, who originated from the early days of the empire, can understand."

"Go ahead and make it up."

It took more than a day to get to Tallinn. It was indeed much more lively than Northtown, which was mainly a place for adventurers, and the festive atmosphere was especially strong.

Human-shaped streetlights roam the streets—human bodies on stilts, heads hidden in clothing, each carrying a huge candle lantern atop a thin pole—a unique New Year custom of Tallinn: the candlelight lit by descendants illuminates the path to eternal rest for the souls of ancestors wandering this land of stars, especially on ancient battlefields.

Eric and his two companions stayed at the best hotel in town. In the two days leading up to the New Year, they could see human-shaped streetlights with various lanterns on their heads passing by the streets below every day, and they could see a different one from morning till night.

The last day before the New Year is also the most spectacular time for the human-shaped street lamp parade.

They set off from their homes, circled the city once or twice, exited through the west gate, walked a short distance towards the ancient battlefield, then turned back, returning to the city through the north and south gates. They gathered in front of the Tallinn Cathedral, prayed silently for a moment, left their lanterns, and returned home to await the arrival of the New Year.

On the first day of the new year, before sunrise, the Archbishop of Tallinn, who is also the Archbishop of the Province of Dorn, would pray to the gods for all the dead and their descendants amidst a sea of ​​candlelight.

Seeing Eric's interest, Molly asked him why he didn't participate.

“My ancestors aren’t here either. The lamps are just for wandering ghosts,” Eric said, though the real reason was that he was too lazy to bother with it. The human-shaped streetlights were clearly the result of a long preparation and couldn’t have been made casually.

"In Otwell?" Molly rarely remembered his hometown.

"Some of them are there, but most of our ancestors are in Gradia."

"what?"

"Our family fortunes declined, and we moved house two hundred years ago."

"Then your family moved quite far away..."

Nighttime is the liveliest time, with all the streets brightly lit, thanks in part to the lights that stay on all night and the countless human-shaped streetlights that illuminate the streets.

Eric was quite disappointed that none of the taverns in town offered New Year's Eve dinner packages. He could only lament the cultural differences while finding the tavern with the best view, booking a private room, ordering a lot of food, and having New Year's Eve dinner with Elise and Molly.

Of course, there will be plenty of wine too.

Cheers to the New Year!

Molly clinked glasses with the two men forcefully, splashing a lot of liquor, but she didn't care, because after a few glasses of strong liquor, she was already quite tipsy.

After finishing the drink, she collapsed.

Eric downed the drink in one gulp. Because he hadn't chosen the low-alcohol mead and hadn't restrained himself, he was already quite dizzy from drinking so much.

Looking at the streetlights moving outside the window, he murmured to himself, "If Eileen were here, she would definitely find it interesting."

Elise responded and touched her cheeks, which were gradually warming up under the influence of alcohol.

"Is my face..."

Before she could finish speaking, she heard him whisper something else.

"I wish Sophie were here too."

"..."

(End of this chapter)