The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 174 Your sister-in-law
The carriages traveling from Dorntarin to Lutia traveled day and night, covering a considerable distance over several days.

While stopping in a city not far from Lutia, the church bells in the city suddenly rang out for a long time.

The carriage was on its way to the church at that time.

“It’s a death knell.” Elise, having lived in the church for nearly ten years, quickly understood the meaning behind the bells: “A great figure in the church has passed away.”

Molly immediately looked at her, "Is it the Saintess?"

Elise pulled back the curtain of the car window, glanced at the sorrowful expression on the face of the knight escorting her, and sighed, "It should be."

The carriage quickly arrived at the church, and several escorting knights entered the church. A moment later, they came out and told the two the exact result: Her Highness the Saint had fallen into eternal sleep yesterday evening and returned to the eternal kingdom of God.

Elise made a special gesture, different from ordinary prayer, to mourn the saint. Her movements were so perfect that even the escorting church knights couldn't help but take a second look.

In comparison, the gestures of the female mage next to her are clearly imitations.

Elise asked them if they should stop to mourn the saint, and the knight said they would pray in the church for the first half of the night to send their condolences, so as not to delay their journey tomorrow.

So Elise and Molly found another hotel and stayed there for the night.

The next day, they continued their journey and arrived outside Lutia in the afternoon.

Elise, who had been very opinionated throughout the journey, inevitably felt uneasy as they entered the city, almost tensing up as she listened to the sounds outside.

“We’re on the church’s carriage, so the guards might not even dare to check,” Molly comforted her.

“I’d rather they just interrogate me,” Elise said.

"what?"

She shook her head, said nothing, and took a deep breath.

The carriage went straight into the city without any hindrance.

“I knew it.” Molly smiled at Elise, but her attention was already far beyond the carriage.

She craned her neck to look outside, her gaze quickly becoming fixed.

"So this is Lutia..."

The carriage entered Lutia through the east gate and headed straight for the cathedral in the eastern district. Iris became nervous again.

After the carriage stopped, the two got off, and the leading knight asked Elise to wait a moment while he took a letter inside.

After a while, he came out of the church, the letter in his hand had turned into a roll of parchment, which he handed to Elise.

"His Highness instructed that a pass be issued to Miss Iris upon entering Lutia. This pass will be stamped with the cathedral's seal. Showing it to the guards at each city gate will prevent Miss Iris from being harassed."

"..."

Elise took the parchment, unfolded it, and read the contents. It stated that the Aramean was a member of the church and had nothing to do with the rebels, and asked for their assistance. She also recognized the seal on the bottom—the seal of Archbishop Lutia, which originally belonged to Simmagus.

The position of Archbishop of Lutia has long since changed hands, and I've heard that Simmagu has also left Lutia, but I don't know where he went.

Realizing she had worried for nothing, Elise breathed a sigh of relief, then felt a little resentful.

Since you've already made preparations, why not tell her in advance?
She quickly realized the reason: Eric had been mostly distracted by the message from Leselle, and she should be glad that he still remembered her.

She couldn't help but imagine how grief-stricken Eric must be at this moment...

"You're not going to return to Tallinn immediately, are you?"

“We will stay for a few days,” the knight replied.

"We'll come back tomorrow to collect the things from the carriage."

After thanking the church knights who had escorted her along the way, Elise pulled the stunned Molly away from the cathedral.

"How can there be such a huge church..."

"This is a cathedral, unlike ordinary churches."

"Even the cathedral in Tallinn isn't this big."

"This is Lutia, the jewel of the Breeze Plains, the only imperial capital on the entire continent." Elise was already very familiar with the roads in the eastern district, especially near the cathedral. She pulled Molly along without stopping.

"And there are even bigger churches than this one."

“Where?” Molly looked at her.

"Of course, it's the Holy City."

"Yes..."

As she walked, Elise glanced at a noble mansion she passed by a few more times, and even Molly, who was almost lost, noticed her gaze.

"Do you know anyone over there?"

"No... well, not exactly. I've lived here for almost ten years, and I know quite a few of the nobles in the neighborhood, but I'm not close to any of them."

Elise quietly pointed to the mansion, "This is the place your lover cares about."

Molly was taken aback.

“The woman Eric met at the convent is the young lady from this family,” Elise explained. “He asked me about her house's location a while ago.”

Molly couldn't help but take a few more glances.

"Hmm... although... they don't seem to be particularly powerful nobles?"

“The Horn family, a newly emerging elite in recent years.” Elise showed the information she had gathered. “The only one in the family who is truly capable is the old man Horn, who is about to pass away… oh, and perhaps we should also include his brave granddaughter.”

Molly looked at her and felt that her last sentence wasn't entirely sincere.

"So, are we going to stay at her house?"

"..."

Now it was Elise's turn to stare at her. "I don't understand what you're thinking, and don't try to explain it to me. I don't want to hear it."

"That's really harsh," Molly said, pulling her arm tightly. "So, where are we going now?"

"First, go and greet Eric's family knights, tell them we've arrived, and borrow his horse. Then, head out of town to see Eric's sister, Eileen."

"Ok."

As the two walked through the East District, Elise, with her distinctive features, was unsurprisingly noticed by the patrolling guards and stopped.

Thanks to the pass issued by the cathedral, the guards did not give her any trouble.

“Now I understand why you were so nervous before.” Molly began to understand the situation and feelings of her alien companion beside her.

Elise forced a smile. "It's alright, he took all that into consideration."

She continued to lead the way, and after some time, they finally found the house Leslie rented in the South District, and luckily met him in person.

"...Miss Elise?"

Leslie looked at the Aran who had suddenly appeared at the door in surprise, then immediately went out and headed to the backyard, only to find that there was no one there. "Young Master is here too?...No, isn't he?"

"Eric has returned to the Holy City, and we are separated for the time being."

“I think so…” Leslie scratched his head. “I heard that the church’s saintess passed away the day before yesterday. Young master should go back no matter what.”

He asked Elise about her arrangements and whether he wanted to stay there. She said she wanted to borrow a horse and that she had other accommodations.

“No problem.” Leslie led out his horse, and Elise thanked him before mounting her horse and pulling Molly along.

"I need to find Eileen now. She should be at the academy, right?"

"Miss Eileen has always been at the academy."

After saying goodbye to Leslie, Elise pulled on the reins and galloped toward Westgate.

When she was leaving the city, she was stopped because of her very conspicuous hair color.

After showing the guards their passes, they remounted and quickly arrived at the main gate bridge of the Lutia Magic Academy.

"A magic academy built on an island..."

As Molly crossed the bridge, she kept looking down at the lake and the small island in the lake that supported the entire college. "It looks so crowded."

Elise walked forward, "It's alright inside. The classrooms and student dormitories aren't as crowded as you might think."

"Hmm...it doesn't feel as good as the colleges in the south."

“You could speak a little louder.”

After glancing at the young mages on the bridge dressed in uniform robes, Molly chose to keep quiet and quickened her pace to catch up with Elise.

Upon entering the college, Elise found her way around easily and went straight to Eileen's dormitory.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in her room, and Elise didn't know what class she was in, so she could only wait at the door.

Molly couldn't wait any longer, so she took advantage of the time to wander around and look at the internal structure of this magic academy, which was on par with Xingyuan Academy.

Elise leaned against the door and glanced at Molly, who was walking further and further away. "Don't get lost."

Molly snapped her fingers, and a small ball of flame emerged from her fingertip, flying towards her and leaving a thin trail of flame in the air.

"Follow the flames and you'll find me; I won't get lost."

Elise glanced at the small fireball that had stopped beside her, and when she looked up again, Molly was nowhere to be seen.

She exhaled a breath of cold air and stretched out her hand to warm it next to the floating fireball.

The sun is about to set, and it's still quite cold at this time of year.

On the other side, Molly turned even further away.

Although she had never studied magic at Xingyuan Academy, she had lived there for so many years and had been inside many times. In her eyes, the two academies were completely different styles.

After all, the former imperial palace is a magnificent and grand building, while the Lutia Magic Academy is like a complex and dilapidated building built piece by piece on a reef. It looks cramped from the outside, and the passages inside twist and turn like a sheep's intestines.

"It's amazing that they managed to pile it up so high and keep it so stable..."

As Molly passed a window, she stopped and looked down. The lake, which already seemed so high when she crossed the bridge, appeared even more distant, making her feel a little dizzy.

This is only the lower-middle part of the academy.

"Even ordinary mage towers aren't this tall," Molly muttered, turning her gaze away as she noticed a student in a standard mage robe walking towards her from the other end of the corridor.

Since it was someone else's place, Molly felt a little awkward being alone. She turned her gaze to the window and regretted leaving Elise to wander around on her own.

The person stopped beside her, looking at the trail of flames floating behind her. "You can't use this kind of magic in the hallway, you'll get kicked out if the teacher or administrator finds out."

Molly quickly turned around, about to explain, but her gaze faltered.

This girl looks just like Eric.

They look exactly the same face!
"You are... Eileen?"

"Huh?" Eileen was taken aback. "You came to see me?"

Molly nodded repeatedly.

"Then I absolutely can't use that kind of magic, I'm doomed if anyone sees it..."

Eileen muttered to herself, her palms flipping and rotating as she closed them up. Molly realized she had lost control of the path of the flames.

The next moment, the entire path of flames vanished as if it had never existed.

Molly was shocked.

She had never seen anyone take over another person's spells so easily.

"Who are you, and what do you want with me?" Eileen asked casually, more concerned about the visitor's identity. "Did some teacher send you?"

“Uh… Eric sent me.”

"what!"

“Elise is here too,” Molly added.

"Who is Elise?" Eileen asked.

"..."

got the wrong person?

Molly's first reaction was to doubt herself.

But there's no mistake about this face; she is Eric's sister.

“She’s waiting outside your room. You’ll see when you get there,” Molly said.

"Ok."

Eileen walked ahead, glancing back at her as she went. "Are you Eric's friend?"

“I am his…woman.”

“Is that so…?”

Eileen stopped, dumbfounded, and began to observe Molly again.

"You said you're Eric's woman?"

Molly, who had been a little shy, became more confident after being asked the question again and nodded emphatically.

"He slept with me."

"..."

Eileen was speechless, staring at her for a long time before tentatively asking, "Are you here to have Eric's baby?"

Molly was puzzled. "...I don't have that plan for now."

"So that means they truly love each other?"

Molly nodded. "Of course."

"Sister-in-law!" Eileen grabbed her arm.

"..."

Molly's face flushed red.

"Where is Eric? He said he was going to the ancient battlefield for training. Hasn't he returned yet?" Eileen asked again.

"The saintess has passed away, and he has returned to the capital." Molly blushed and her heart pounded as she answered instinctively.

Eileen's face immediately fell.

"Has the Holy Maiden passed away? I've been staying at the academy these past few days and didn't even know... Eric must be very sad."

Although she had never met the saintess, Eileen could tell from their correspondence that her brother had a deep affection for the old woman.

The siblings lost their parents at a young age, and their grandparents had passed away even earlier, making any kind of affection or kinship precious to them.

Molly nodded.

Eileen sighed, then said, "So Eric has gone back to being a saintess? Is that why he sent you to hide here with me?"

Molly paused, then shook her head. "No, he just told us to come here and wait."

"you?"

"And Elise."

"Which Elise..." Eileen muttered, then took her hand again, "Let's go, we'll find out when we get there."

Upon arriving at her room, several dozen meters away, Eileen recognized the silver-haired woman standing at the door.

"Miss Alan!"

She ran over and circled around Elise. "Oh, it's you! How come you still have the name Elise?"

"This is my original name... but I've changed it back now."

Elise glanced at Molly, who had come with her, then looked at her. "It's been a long time, Eileen."

"long time no see!"

Eileen was delighted and opened her bedroom door. "Come in, A... uh, Miss Elise?"

“Just call me Elise,” Elise said with a smile.

“Okay.” Eileen smiled as well. “Please come in, Elise—”

She peeked out again, looking at Molly in the hallway, "And my sister-in-law."

"..."

Elise's smile froze.

She looked at Molly, who avoided her gaze and twisted her body to the side as she entered, trying to avoid her. However, Molly still managed to pinch the soft flesh on her waist.

"It hurts, it hurts -"

"What nonsense did you tell Eileen?"

Eileen looked at the two of them. "This young lady says she's Eric's woman."

“What’s the problem? He admitted it himself!” Molly shook off her hand and quickly hid in the room.

Elise took a deep breath and closed the door. "No one can be his woman. We are just His Highness Eric's followers. You are not allowed to say anything more."

Molly looked at Eileen, "But she's his own sister, isn't she?"

“What if someone overhears?” Elise looked at her. “Do you know how many people are in this magic academy?”

Molly was silent for a moment, then said, "I understand..."

“You can’t call her Eileen anymore. Just call her Molly,” Elise added.

Eileen glanced at the two of them. "Okay."

"You're really not jealous because she called me that?" Molly couldn't help but ask.

Elise looked at her and smiled charmingly, "Guess."

Molly immediately got goosebumps.

During this meeting, Elise and Molly didn't stay in Eileen's room for long. They chatted briefly and prepared to leave before dark, agreeing to meet again the next day. They also went to retrieve the things Eric had given her—which were still on the church's carriage.

Back in Lutia, the two encountered a minor problem while looking for a hotel, but they quickly resolved it thanks to the certificate issued by the cathedral.

The next day, Eileen entered the city, and Elizabeth took her to the cathedral, where she retrieved a large collection of mage supplies that Eric had collected and kept for her in the carriage.

Setting down a magic stone, Eileen picked up an amber ring. "So many! Did Eric steal one of those mage towers?"

“These are all things Eric specially collected for Eileen during his training over the past six months,” Elise said. “As for the sources… there are many.”

Eileen looked at Molly, "Miss Molly, don't you need this?"

“Eric gave me quite a few things too,” Molly said, glancing at the gifts with a hint of envy. “He said these things are most effective when they’re in your hands.”

"I don't need that many."

Eileen laughed, "I already have several of these magic stones, and this fire element condensation ring. My teacher gave me an even better one before. Take whatever you need."

So Molly didn't stand on ceremony.

Eileen didn't return to the academy that day either, but stayed in Elise's room and listened to her recount what had happened in the past six months.

The next morning, when the three went downstairs, they found a church knight waiting outside the hotel.

Upon meeting Eileen, he handed her a letter, saying it was from Leslie.

"Eric's letter..."

Eileen opened the letter, glanced at it quickly, and tilted her head to the side.

"He invited us to Lutia to attend his inauguration ceremony as a saint."

(End of this chapter)