The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 171 A Glimmer of Light
Holding the old man's hand, Eric cast a spell, infusing him with life force.

The saintess simply watched him quietly, and after a while, she squeezed his hand. "It's no use. You won't die anytime soon, but you won't live any longer either."

Eric pursed his lips and cupped her hands in his own.

The saintess gazed at him, lay down for a while, then patted his hand, "Help me up."

Eric helped the old man sit up against the headboard. The saintess let out a heavy sigh, and even this simple action took her a long time to recover before she could speak again.

"Alena told me that you've been on the ancient battlefield for the past six months."

“Yes.” Eric nodded. “There is no better place to improve my strength. I am now a seventh-level warrior, and no one can easily subdue me with force.”

The old man looked at him. "Do you believe in yourself more than power, Eric?"

Eric pursed his lips. "Personal strength is like power. You only realize how much you need it when you lack it, but there's rarely a chance to regret it later."

The saintess shook her head without commenting. After a while, she spoke again, asking him to talk about his experiences over the past six months.

"After leaving Lutia, I first went to Castelfeld..."

The old man shook his head.

“Not here, let’s start from when you went to Lutia.”

Eric paused, then began again, omitting unimportant details and going into as much detail as possible about what the saint might be interested in.

The old man spoke occasionally, but most of the time he just looked at him, expressing his attitude with a frown or a smile.

But the prospect of living to over eighty years old was too much of a burden. After sitting on the edge of the bed for a while, she didn't even have the strength to smile.

Eric tried to help her lie down again, but the old woman stubbornly refused.

"I don't know how long I'll be lying down in the future. While I can still sit up... I want to get up and walk around and soak up the sun... Sigh, it's been snowing a lot this winter."

Winter was almost over, and she hadn't been able to leave this room for a long time.

Eric said in a hoarse voice, "If there's no wind tomorrow, I'll push you out to the courtyard to bask in the sun for a while."

The saint forced a smile and slowly nodded.

"Then I must live to see tomorrow."

Eric couldn't laugh; he wiped his eyes.

After resting for a while, the saintess asked him to continue recounting his experiences over the past six months.

Eric sat by the bed and told her the story until Alena came over.

it's getting dark.

"Your Highness..."

Alena stared at him for a long time before bowing to him and the saint on the bed.

“Alena.” Eric glanced at her, then turned away, looking at the saintess again. “Your Highness, would you like something to eat?”

The saint didn't speak, seemingly not hearing his question. Just as Eric was about to ask again, she spoke up, "Can I still eat?"

She seemed to be asking him a question, but also seemed to be asking herself one.

Eric forced a smile. "Have something to eat."

The old man closed his eyes and nodded.

Alena immediately got up to prepare food that the elderly could eat.

A little while later, Sophie came in.

"Your Highness."

The two looked at each other, and Eric nodded.

Sophie sat down on the edge of the bed and took the saintess's hand. "Your Highness, Sophie has arrived."

The saintess blinked, as if in response.

A moment later, Alena returned with food—a small bowl of finely cooked porridge. The old woman could no longer eat anything other than liquid food.

The saintess couldn't finish even this small bowl; she only took a few sips before saying she couldn't eat anymore.

Alena and Sophie stayed for a while before leaving, while Eric stayed until the saint closed her eyes and fell asleep.

After confirming that the saintess was merely asleep, he stood up, whispered a message to the nun who remained to attend to him, and then left.

Alena and Sophie were waiting for him outside.

"Your Highness..."

Eric gave the two of them a brief smile. "I'm back."

Back at the neighboring house, Eric removed his weapon, which Alena took and set aside. She then came over to help him remove his armor.

The two were close again after a long time, but neither of them had any other thoughts. One was taking off his protective gear, while the other just watched wearily.

Once the armor was completely removed, Eric said, "This is a complete set of magical armor. No need to clean it; just hang it somewhere."

"Yes." Alena left temporarily, carrying her protective gear.

Sophie, who was standing to the side, quickly walked to Eric's side and hugged him tightly.

"..."

Eric's first reaction was one of estrangement and embarrassment, and he remained frozen in place.

Sophie looked up. "Your Highness?"

He then raised his hand and hugged her back.

"long time no see."

"Um……"

She lowered her head, hugged him tightly again, and buried her head in his chest.

"I miss you so much... I've been so scared lately."

Eric pursed his lips and hugged the little nun in his arms tighter.

He knew what she was afraid of, but there was nothing he could do to comfort her.

Birth, aging, sickness, and death are inevitable parts of life, and now, the saintess has reached the final stage.

“At least I’m back.” He patted Sophie on the back and let go of her. “Is there any food left? I’m still hungry.”

“Yes!” Sophie said immediately, then paused, “I’ll go check.”

"Ah."

Sophie left, and Eric wandered around the side room. Everything seemed the same as before he left, with no changes.

He sat down behind the desk, and after a short while, Alena returned after putting away his weapons and protective gear.

"Would Your Highness like to take a bath?" she asked.

"Yeah, I've been traveling all day." Eric replied, but once he sat down, he didn't want to get up. He had barely rested since he set off in the morning, and had even skipped lunch in order to save time.

“I’ll go prepare,” Alena said.

“No rush.” Eric shook his head. “I need to eat something first. Sophie went to get it.”

Alena stopped and simply stood aside watching him.

Eric paused for a moment, then asked, "Did the saintess's condition suddenly deteriorate?"

Alena shook her head. "As in previous years, things haven't been good since winter started, and this year it hasn't improved at all... A few days ago, Her Highness the Saint suddenly inquired about Prince Eric's condition and then asked you to come back as soon as possible."

“Like this…” Eric leaned back and looked up at the ceiling.

After a while, Sophie returned and brought him some bread, indicating that there was other food that she couldn't carry.

"Bread is enough."

Eric had been hungry all day, so everything tasted delicious.

After stuffing two pieces of bread down his throat, Eric took a shower and went back to his bed. It was already late at night.

He had just returned to his room when Sophie came in and stood there looking at him.

The separation of more than half a year made her a little more reserved.

"May I sleep with Your Highness?"

"..."

Since they were already there, even though Eric wasn't in the mood for anything else, he couldn't just let her go back like that, so he put her in bed with him.

She snuggled into the covers, hugged him tightly, buried her face in his chest, and greedily inhaled his scent.

"Ever since the Holy Maiden fell ill, I have been very uneasy... Thankfully, Your Highness has finally returned."

Eric turned and hugged her. "I understand how you feel."

Her chest became a little damp, and she hugged him tighter.

After letting her pent-up emotions release for a while, Sophie wiped away her tears and climbed up a little higher until her eyes were level with his.

"Your Highness has been gone for so long..."

"Is it a long time? It's only been a little over half a year now."

“Half a year is a long time!” Sophie looked at his face. “When I first met Your Highness, I felt that Your Highness was a completely different person. He was cold and his eyes were fierce.”

"..."

Eric was silent for a moment, "It's just that I've been on the ancient battlefield for too long and haven't adjusted yet... I hope the saintess doesn't feel that way."

He pulled her closer. "In short, I am still me." "Hmm... I believe you, Your Highness." Sophie closed her eyes and hugged him tightly.

The two lay there in silence for a while, until Eric was getting sleepy, at which point he finally spoke: "Go back to your room."

Sophie obediently responded without saying anything more, after all, it was a special time.

Eric got up and escorted her back to her room, taking a drink of water along the way. He noticed the light was on in the study and went over to check; Alena was tidying something up there.

Eric walked over, and she quickly heard the noise, "Your Highness..."

"What is this?" He looked at the things on the desk.

“Over the past six months, we’ve gathered intelligence from all over the continent,” Alena explained. “I guessed Your Highness might want to see it tomorrow, so I’ve compiled the more important parts for your convenience.”

"This time?" Eric glanced at the wall clock; it was almost midnight.

Alena lowered her head. "I couldn't sleep, so I got up."

Eric glanced at her, said nothing, sat down behind his desk, and casually picked up a document to read.

He came out in his pajamas, and Alena went to get him a coat, but he stopped her.

Eric flipped through two intelligence reports and put them down. "Well organized. I'll organize them again when I have time. I probably won't have time to look into these things recently."

Alena nodded. "Yes, Your Highness."

He stared at the pile of intelligence on his desk for a while, then, somewhat dazed, he couldn't help but yawn. "Go to sleep, Elise..."

Alena raised her eyes and glanced at him.

"...It just came to me."

Eric realized his mistake and, using his embarrassment as an excuse, got up and said, "That's the name of one of my companions from the adventure."

Alena nodded without saying anything.

The two returned to their respective rooms to rest. Eric was already tired and fell asleep soon after getting into bed.

Alena, in another room, tossed and turned several times before falling asleep.

The next morning, Eric woke up in his own big bed and felt a little out of place.

He understood that he was used to being wild outside, and was also glad that he was not the type who could easily go from frugality to extravagance, or vice versa.

After getting up, he first went to the bedside and glanced at the sky. Seeing that it was overcast, his face couldn't help but darken.

It's a cloudy and windy day, so there's no way to take the saintess outside to bask in the sun today.

After Eric washed up, he went to greet the saint. The old woman was awake, sitting on the edge of the bed, and seemed to be in good spirits.

He prayed in his heart that this was not a final burst of energy before death.

"Your Highness."

"You've arrived." The saintess looked at him. "You look much better today. Unlike yesterday, when you looked like an illegitimate son who could only serve as a family guard."

"..."

Eric had changed out of his adventure outfit and put on the robes of the quasi-saintess he used to wear.

He sat down, took the old man's hand, and said, "I'll take that as a compliment to me, saying that I am both brave and have an aristocratic air."

The saintess snorted, but quickly smiled and asked him how he had rested.

“It’s much more comfortable than outside. Nowhere can compare to our St. Mary’s Convent,” Eric replied.

"So, will you still go out in the future?" the saintess asked, looking at him. "Don't lie to someone as old as me."

Eric forced a smile. "The longer you stay outside, the more you'll miss how good it is here."

"But it seems to me that you want to stay outside forever."

Eric neither confirmed nor denied it, but instead changed the subject to the weather, saying, "It's not sunny today, and it's windy. Let's go out tomorrow."

The old man looked at him for a while, then turned to look at the closed window.

"I knew it when I woke up... Damn weather, and I have to wait a few more days. The old man is already very tired."

"Once spring arrives, there will be plenty of sunny days," Eric could only console himself with this thought.

"Yeah."

The saintess slightly raised her head, her gaze passing over his shoulder, looking towards the spring that would never come.

"Eric."

"I'm here, Your Highness."

"Keep telling me about your adventures outside. Where were we yesterday? I fell asleep and don't remember."

Eric thought for a moment but couldn't quite remember, so he picked a general point in time, "It seems like it was about me preparing to leave Lutia to go to the ancient battlefield to improve my strength."

The saintess shook her head. "I've already said that."

“That means we’ve arrived in Dorne. There’s not much to say about the journey,” Eric said quickly.

"Hmm?" The saintess turned to look at him. "Didn't you go to see that female druid you met in Gradia?"

Eric paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Going to Dorn isn't on the way... and there's no need to go looking for her specifically."

The saintess looked quite disappointed, and after a while she raised her hand, signaling him to continue.

Eric spent the entire morning in the saint's room, his voice nearly hoarse from talking, while the saint remained energetic. It wasn't until noon that he was allowed to rest, have some water and food, and return in the afternoon to continue telling her stories.

"You see, you are also very interested in things outside."

"What, you still want to take me on an adventure?"

“…No, not at all.” Eric tried to laugh but couldn’t. “Of course, if you would like, I would love to take you to see different parts of the continent.”

“Look at him.” The saintess looked at the elder nun Jabi who had come halfway through the journey. “He has only been to a few places, and he’s already showing off in front of me. I have been a saintess for more than sixty years. Where haven’t I been?”

Jabi lowered her head. "His Highness Eric may want to take you on another tour from the perspective of his generation."

The saintess shook her head. "I'm not going anywhere else. Nowhere is as good as here."

She waved her hand, telling Eric to go and rest.

It was already noon, and after leaving the St. Mary's Abbey, Eric went to get something to eat.

As he sat in the restaurant, nuns kept coming over to greet him. Several of them mentioned Princess Natalia, and Eric then realized that these nuns seemed to be friends of the princess.

The two maintained correspondence for the past six months without interruption.

Since Natalia was assassinated by the demons, the emperor rescinded the exile order, which was already merely a formality, and urged her to leave the dangerous border and return to Lutia.

But Natalia refused, remaining stationed on the empire's far northern border, continuing to observe the demons' movements, and tirelessly asking the emperor, the governors of various provinces, and even the kings of the three northeastern kingdoms for manpower and money to improve the border's defenses—naturally, few responded.

Eric remembered that she mentioned in her letter that, apart from the Earl of Chiminor in Dante County sending a lot of supplies, only Governor Memphis of Guladia sent a small team of twenty men to be her personal guards.

"When I see Princess Natalia again, I will mention you to her."

Coming to his senses, Eric dismissed several noble nuns and noticed that Sophie and Alena had also arrived at the restaurant, so he called them over.

What are you all busy with right now?

“Sophie is still with me, familiarizing herself with things at the St. Mary’s,” Alena replied.

Eric remembered that Sophie had been an intern at the St. Mary's College ever since he arranged a priesthood for her before he left, and she would occasionally complain in her letters to him about how much she had to learn.

Even though the saint is on her deathbed, the work of the Saintess's House will not stop.

“Eat up. Eat first, and this afternoon I’ll go with you to the Convent of the Virgin Mary, then come back to keep the Virgin Mary company,” Eric said.

"How is Her Highness?" Alena asked.

Eric took a breath and slowly exhaled. "He's much more energetic than when I came back yesterday. He listened to my adventure stories all morning and even complained that some parts of them were too adventurous."

"Really?" Sophie's expression brightened. "It must be because Prince Eric came back, and Her Highness the Saintess's mood improved, so her health also improved... No, isn't that right?"

As she spoke, she noticed that Eric and Alena not only didn't celebrate with her, but their expressions became even more serious.

Both of them looked at her, and Alena sighed silently, “This is more like… a final burst of energy before death.”

Sophie froze, her expression turning somber.

"Is there really no possibility of improvement...?"

Alena didn't speak, but Eric tapped the table with his hand. "Let's eat first."

None of the three had much of an appetite.

After the meal, Eric followed the two to the St. Mary's Convent at the foot of the St. Mary's Tower, where he listened to the greetings from the ladies of the various ranks and learned about the things Sophie was currently studying.

After spending more than half an hour at the Convent of St. Mary, Eric climbed the Tower of St. Mary again, gazing down at the entire holy city and the Papal Palace on the other side of the square, a view he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Since the saint fell ill, has the Pope or other cardinals visited her?"

“The Pope has come twice,” Alena replied from behind him. “Other cardinals also come to visit occasionally.”

Eric didn't ask any more questions, and instead looked up at the summit of the holy mountain under the overcast sky.

Her Highness's true friend has been sleeping there for a long time.

Back at the St. Mary's Abode, the old man drank a few mouthfuls of porridge before he left, and still looked full of energy.

"Good child, continue your story."

The saintess grasped his hand tightly when he returned.

"However, you need to speak faster... I'm getting sleepy."

(End of this chapter)