The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 173 The Final Journey

Compared to the grand funerals of the Pope, the leader of the universal Church, the saint's funeral was much simpler. Although she held a special position, she was essentially just a cardinal of the Vatican.

However, compared to ordinary clergy, the final farewell was still quite solemn.

The ceremony was held in the cathedral outside the monastery and lasted for three days. During this time, in addition to the cardinals of the Papacy, devout believers who were recognized by the Church were also allowed to enter the inner city of the holy city of Lessér to pay their respects to the saint's remains.

The news of the saint's passing spread to various dioceses across the continent on the very night of her death. Since it was not the death of the pope, only some nearby dioceses sent people to convey their condolences; those further away simply expressed their remembrance through messengers.

"You actually left—you actually left—"

May God have mercy on me—May God have mercy on me—

The convent echoed with the nuns' chanting of prayers. Eric sat in the front row of the cathedral, watching in a daze as cardinals and believers from the outer city came to pay their respects to the saint's remains and offer him a few words of condolence.

"Your Highness Eric, please accept my condolences."

"The saintess simply returned to Yela's embrace."

"The saintess has attained eternal happiness..."

Eric mostly just nodded, only occasionally offering a word or two in response.

There was nothing for him to worry about; the saintess's funeral had already been quietly prepared at her own suggestion.

Around noon, a restrained commotion suddenly arose at the entrance of the cathedral.

Eric turned around and saw Pope Clement XI approaching, surrounded by several cardinals and a large group of monks.

He found it a bit noisy, but he stood up on his own and watched the Pope walk into the cathedral, stop beside the saint's body, and then let out a long sigh.

“I thought Her Highness could stay in this world a few more days,” the Pope said, then took the old man’s hand in the coffin, bowed his head and kissed it. “May the light of God always illuminate your path back to the Kingdom of God, and thus begin an eternal peace and happiness.”

Eric stood to the side, waiting for the Pope to finish conveying his condolences before turning his gaze to him.

“Your Highness Eric, the burden of the saintess now rests on your shoulders.”

Eric bowed deeply.

"I will never forget the instructions given by the saint and His Holiness the Pope."

Clement XI patted him on the shoulder, “Once the saintess rests in peace on the holy mountain, the ceremony for her succession will be held.”

Eric responded, but then he heard, "Your Highness Eric, you are different from the previous successors of the Holy Maiden. I should give you more assistance. Let the ceremony be held at the Papal Palace."

He looked up at the Pope, then lowered his gaze.

“Your Majesty, it is here that I received the qualification of successor to the saintess from the previous saintess. The ceremony of formally ascending to the saintess's throne should, according to tradition, the saintess's will, and my own expectations, be held in the Cathedral of Saint Sagittarius.”

The Pope, as if mentioning it casually, quickly replied, "In that case, let it remain the same."

Eric lowered his head slightly.

The Pope did not linger and left the cathedral with his entourage.

Eric escorted the pope and his entourage to the church entrance, watching them walk away. He then looked towards the inner city entrance, where the outer city believers attending the saint's funeral were sparse, but the procession never stopped.

He stood there for a moment, glanced at the towering Papal Tower, and then returned to the church.

After keeping vigil by the saint's coffin all day, Alena came over and asked him to rest after nightfall, as nuns and knights would continue to keep vigil at the cathedral.

Eric went to get something to eat, then returned to the cathedral and stayed there until midnight.

Back at the Saintess's Abode, Alena gently reminded him that the Saintess's former residence had been cleaned up and that he should move there.

"..."

Eric stood there for a moment. "Let's talk about it after the saintess is buried."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Back at his lodgings, he sat in his study for a while, then saw Alena bring in a pile of letters.

"My letter?"

Alena placed the letter on the desk. "A letter to the successor saintess."

When the old saint returned to the Kingdom of God, cathedrals, monasteries, and even nobles from various dioceses sent their condolences. Those that were nearby had already sent theirs. Alena had received these letters beforehand and first delivered them to the saint's room, but since she was going to stay there for a few more days, she took them over.

Eric opened two envelopes, but then lost interest in reading any more.

Regardless of the writer's true feelings, these letters are sincere and profound, capable of evoking a deep sorrow and grief that has been completely numbed in people's hearts with just a few words.

“Let the convent go back.” Eric leaned back, closed his eyes, and after a moment asked, “Is there anything that absolutely needs my attention right now?”

“No, Your Highness,” Alena replied. “You may rest now.”

Eric got up and went back to his room, only to realize after lying down that he hadn't washed up yet.

He thought to himself, "I'll lie down for a bit longer before taking a shower."

When he opened his eyes again, it was already the next morning.

The mournful hymns faintly drifted into the monastery, where the nuns took turns keeping vigil day and night; this was already the umpteenth time.

Eric got up quickly, took a shower, and came out to find Sophie waiting for him outside.

Upon seeing him, the young nun's eyes, already red, welled up with tears again. "Your Highness..."

“Sophie.” Eric hugged her and kissed her forehead lightly, then remembered that he hadn’t seen her all day yesterday.

"I was reciting scriptures in the chapel to mourn the saint, and I just got back."

Eric patted her back. "Go to sleep."

Sophie hugged him tightly before returning to her room to rest.

Eric didn't see Alena, but when he left the monastery, he ran into her hurrying back.

"Your Highness, you are awake."

"Hmm." Eric glanced at the sky; it was at most six or seven o'clock. He looked at her slightly wrinkled robe and suspected that she hadn't slept all night either.

“I overslept,” Alena said. “But I had some things to do at the St. Mary’s House, so I got up early.”

Eric paused for a moment. "What about Jabi? Is she still unable to get up?"

High Sister Jabi, who had followed the saint for decades, was devastated upon hearing the tragic news of the saint's passing and collapsed.

"Sister Jabi has gotten up and is now greeting mourners at the cathedral."

Eric nodded. "Then you can rest this morning."

Alena responded.

The two parted ways, and Eric went to the cathedral. To the strains of mournful hymns, he circled the saint's coffin once, and then sat down in the front row.

High Sister Jabi quickly came over and bowed to greet him, "Your Highness."

Eric moved to the side, gesturing for her to sit down as well, while Jabi insisted on standing.

"How is the High Priestess?" He looked at the elderly nun, who was also in her fifties. "The Holy Maiden has arranged everything. You can go and rest without any problem."

Jia Bi shook her head, indicating that she wanted to accompany the saintess on her final journey.

Eric didn't say anything more.

As the sun rose higher, cardinals, believers from outside the city, and even messengers from other places gradually came to pay their respects, in twos and threes, without forming long queues inside the cathedral.

Having personally experienced the funeral of Pope Sergio VI, Eric found it hard not to feel a sense of desolation.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but he wondered if the saintess herself would complain about being treated differently if she could still see it.

He could even imagine the old man's tone of voice as he complained, and he smiled nostalgically.

"—Don't let anyone else see your smile, Your Highness Eric."

Eric turned his head, and an old man walked past in the aisle and came to the saint's coffin.

"Otherwise, people would think you've been eager for the position of Saintess for a long time..."

He stared at the sleeping saintess for a while, then lowered his head and bowed deeply.

“I never expected you to leave without saying goodbye… Yera of the Divine Kingdom, I beg you to heed my words: Saint Morvina Toulus was indeed your most virtuous and devout follower…”

Eric didn't recognize him at first, but after he muttered prayers for a while, he remembered him.

This is Archbishop Scott of the Dorn Province.

He was one of the main candidates in the papal election at the beginning of last year, and Eric remembers that he came to see the saint several times.

"Archbishop Scott."

He had only rushed back from Dorne a few days ago, and the saintess had left the night before last. This old man couldn't have come hastily upon hearing the news of her passing.

After paying his respects to the saintess, Scott didn't leave as quickly as the others, but sat down next to Eric. "I set off from Tallinn two days earlier than Your Highness, but arrived in Leslie's several days later than you," the old man sighed. "If the Pope hadn't wanted to see me, I probably wouldn't have made it in time to send Her Highness off on her final journey."

Eric paused for a moment. This old man should have known all along that he had been training on the ancient battlefield.

"Perhaps this is the arrangement of the gods, allowing you to see the saintess one last time."

Scott followed his words with a prayer, then said, “Her Highness the Saint has been a friend of many years. To be precise, she is more like a guide. Before leaving Leslie and going to Dorne, I often came to Her Highness for advice, and she always answered my questions without reservation.”

Eric nodded and listened in silence.

Scott reminisced about many things from the past, then abruptly changed the subject, reminding Eric not to agree to any suggestions the Pope made regarding the initiation ceremony of the saint.

Eric raised his eyes. "You mean?"

Scott glanced behind him. "Your Highness Eric should know that the current Pope is conservative and reveres antiquity."

Eric nodded, which was evident from His Holiness the Pope's choice of "Clement" as his title.

“But you probably don’t know that he’s admiring something from hundreds of years ago,” Scott said, looking at him. “That is, the Church before the existence of the Holy Maiden.”

After a brief silence, Eric asked, "Does His Holiness the Pope intend to abolish the title of Saintess?"

"He didn't dare."

Scott chuckled coldly and coughed, trying to conceal the attitude that had slipped out.

"Ahem... Even if the Pope has this intention, he won't take too big a step all at once. In short, from the information I've received, His Holiness the Pope intends to take more than ten or even several decades to eliminate the special status of the position of saintess."

Scott paused. "If I'm not mistaken, the first thing he'll do is move the consecration ceremony from here to the Papacy, thereby emphasizing that the saint's power comes from the current pope's appointment, rather than from the succession of the previous saint."

"..."

Eric pursed his lips. "Actually, His Holiness the Pope mentioned this yesterday when he came to pay his respects to the saintess."

Scott immediately sat up straight and looked him in the eyes. "I suppose His Highness Eric did not agree to his request."

Eric nodded.

The archbishop patted him on the shoulder and smiled, but quickly remembered that this was in front of the spirit of the saint and immediately composed himself.

“For the sake of the saintess, Your Highness cannot compromise... You must be vigilant. In the future, the entire monastery will rest on your shoulders alone.”

At this point, Scott couldn't help but sigh.

“I had a similar experience when I was young, so I understand Your Highness’s feelings all the more: no one will be there to shelter you from the storm anymore.”

Eric felt as if his heart was being gripped and squeezed mercilessly, forcing out the deepest sorrow he had hidden.

“I have heard about Your Highness’s experience on the ancient battlefield. You are indeed worthy of being a descendant of Chimino… However, I look forward to your growth within the Holy See.”

Scott patted him on the shoulder one last time, stood up, gazed at the saint for a moment, and then left.

Eric took a moment to compose himself before he could ponder the old man's intention in speaking to him.

However, Archbishop Dorn had no vested interests with their St. Mary's Convent. After thinking for a while, he felt that Scott was more likely just trying to annoy Clement XI because he failed to win the papacy last year.

As he pondered this, more and more people came to offer their condolences.

By the afternoon, the number of people paying their respects had increased significantly.

Eric quickly realized the reason: those who had received the news of the saint's passing and were able to get here in time had arrived around this time.

This also made him much busier in the afternoon, because there were always people who wanted to chat with him, the soon-to-be saintess who had in fact succeeded to the saintess position, even if it was just to say "Your Highness, please accept my condolences." He didn't have much time of his own to grieve.

The number of mourners gradually decreased by evening.

As the sun set once again, Eric stood outside the cathedral in a daze for a while, then went to get something to eat.

He stayed up until midnight, then returned to his lodgings to rest. No one disturbed him, but he still couldn't fall asleep for an hour or two.

When dawn broke again, Alena went into his room and woke him up early.

"Your Highness, it's time for you to get up."

The drowsiness and confusion vanished the moment Eric opened his eyes. He sat up and glanced out the window.

"...Is it still not dawn?"

“Soon,” Alena replied.

"I understand." Eric took a deep breath and got out of bed.

Alena brought him a formal suit of clothing. "Your Highness, you should wear this suit today."

Eric looked at it. "It's too thin. We need to add another layer underneath. I'm going up the mountain with His Highness's coffin."

Alena opened her mouth slightly, "Yes."

After changing clothes and eating something, we arrived at the cathedral.

Today is the day the saint was buried.

In the morning, the Pope, along with all the cardinals and those who had come to attend the saint's funeral, returned to the Basilica of Saint Sagittarius to participate in the encoffining ceremony.

Boom--boom--

The bells of the Holy City Cathedral rang again, but the nuns' chanting of the hymn of mercy gradually faded, becoming more mournful.

The successor to Saint Eric presided over today's ceremony.

"The light of Yela's blessing upon the world has now fallen upon this place. Enveloped in divine light is our paragon of benevolence and fervent faith, Saint Morvina Toulouse."

He read aloud a eulogy written by an unknown author, which recounted the saint's long and vibrant life.

She was chosen as the successor to the Holy Maiden when she was a teenager, but a few months later the previous Holy Maiden returned to the divine kingdom and she hastily succeeded to the throne.

The saint at that time was even younger than Eric is now, and after entering the convent, she did not have much time to learn from the saint's successor before directly succeeding to the throne.

But now that the saintess has returned to the divine realm, everyone must admit that Morvina Toulouse was not only the longest-reigning saintess, but also the most accomplished one.

The eulogy lasted for nearly an hour before it ended. Eric put away the eulogy, turned around and bowed to the saint's remains. Then, several monastery knights came forward and, together with him, carried the saint's remains into the cypress coffin.

The saint's belongings were also placed inside, and as the nuns suddenly began to sing loudly, the nuns of the convent lined up in a long queue, praying as they walked past the saint's coffin.

This process continued for quite a while, until finally, Eric announced the closing of the coffin.

As the coffin was lowered, faint sobs rose and fell in the church, followed by some slightly surprised murmurs—the successor Saint Erik, along with the other eleven monastic knights, personally lifted the coffin.

The coffin was carried out of the cathedral, slowly circled the entire convent, and then stepped out of the inner city, heading towards the holy mountain.

The nuns following behind formed a long procession all the way to the foot of the holy mountain.

Eric and the other eleven knights continued carrying the coffin up the mountain.

"Your Highness, let me take over the rest of the way," the knight he had replaced pleaded.

Eric slowly shook his head. "This is my final farewell to the Saintess. You follow behind; the Saintess will not forget you."

"……All right."

The group walked slowly and steadily up the winding mountain path until they reached the top and entered the crypt of the Holy Mountain Cathedral.

As the saint's coffin was lowered into the tomb and the tombstone was sealed, Eric and his entourage of knights paid their final respects.

Emerging from the tomb and seeing the light of day again, Eric looked up at the cloudless, clear sky and couldn't help but recall the blizzard that struck when the old pope was buried.

"What beautiful weather..."

He raised one hand, pointed to the sky, and unleashed a dazzling ball of light.

Boom--boom--

Down the mountain, the bells of the Holy City Cathedral rang for the last time in memory of the saints of the past.

Gazing down at the holy city, Eric stood atop the mountain for a long time, not in a hurry to descend. Turning back, the twelve knights who had accompanied him up the mountain simply watched him, awaiting his command.

He suddenly realized that he had become the only person these knights were loyal to.

Eric took a deep breath and turned around. "Let's go down the mountain."

"Yes, Your Highness."

When they returned to the convent, all those who had attended the ceremony had already left, but the Pope kept a few people behind to inquire about his subsequent plans.

To be precise, the question was when the ceremony for his formal succession as saint was scheduled to take place.

Eric looked up at the sun, which had already risen high in the sky.

"I'm very tired, let's talk about it in a few days. Of course, I won't forget to invite His Majesty when the ceremony is held."

(End of this chapter)