The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 190 Return to Lutia

After leaving Frostwind City, the saintess and her entourage continued south. With each stop, more and more elite knights from the church joined the group, until, not counting the knights Eric brought with him, there were nearly thirty of them.

These knights were all elites, with the lowest level being sixth rank. Eric himself did not expect to be able to get so many knights who had not yet returned to the Holy City. While he was happy, he also realized that the original assassination plan had become unstable.

Uncle Edgar originally planned to assassinate him in Gradia, where the main road is mostly lined with woodlands, making it easy to ambush and escape quickly after the operation.

But according to Eric's estimate, by the time he travels south back to Gradia, there will probably be fifty or sixty knights in his party. Even if his uncle were to fight him, he might not be able to escape—after all, he can't really fight.

He has already written to Edgar, temporarily halting the assassination plan. In any case, regardless of whether the assassination takes place or not, these knights will obey him until they return to the holy city of Lesser.

However, how to make these knights completely his power is still a problem to consider—even if he never returns to the Holy City, the Holy See will take notice of the knights' movements and force them to return.

As they traveled south, the temperature continued to rise, and Eric wore less and less clothing, even thinner than when he set out—he had set out in mid-April, and by the time he left Northria it was mid-May, which was early summer in most parts of the continent.

"We'll arrive in Lutia this afternoon."

Sophie has been preoccupied with this matter the past two days. Every time she sets off, she sits by the car window and looks out, not only because Lutia is the largest and most prosperous city on the continent, but also because it is where she was born.

Eric said that if their team were to be assassinated, she would definitely be the first to be hit by an arrow.

"Your Highness is talking nonsense. How could anyone dare to assassinate the Holy Maiden... Our current formation is so long that we can't see the end of it. Even if we didn't know it was the Holy Maiden's formation, we wouldn't dare to make any rash moves."

"Yes, that's a real shame."

Sophie looked back at him, because she realized that the regret in his tone seemed genuine.

"Does Your Highness find it not exciting enough?"

"I can't explain it to you, go have some fun."

"..."

Eric lay down, gazing at the ceiling of the carriage, continuing to ponder the problem that had been troubling him all the way.

"How can I make them completely devoted to me?"

Elise sat down beside him, touched his leg, and moved her hand upwards. "If Your Highness's target is a group of nuns, then I have a way."

Eric knew without even listening that it wasn't a legitimate idea, so he ignored it.

Elise continued, "Unless Yela herself descends and makes them obey you, the Pope's orders will always carry more weight than His Highness's."

“If Yera really treats me like that, then I’m her chosen spokesperson for God. What’s the Pope anyway? Those knights should be listening to me.”

“So Your Highness can just create another miracle yourself,” Elise said.

"Do you think those knights are country bumpkins who have never seen divine magic?" Eric sat up and stuck his head out of the window, looking around. They were at a bend in the road, with no end in sight on either side.

"Are we already here? It feels like we'll arrive in Lutia around noon?"

“You’re talking about the speed of riding a horse.” Elise’s gaze also fell on the somewhat familiar scenery of the main road outside. “But given the current size of our group, we obviously can’t run that fast.”

The burden was the few horse-drawn carriages in the middle.

"I wonder if Eileen and Molly will come to meet us on the way," Elise murmured.

"Neither you nor I wrote to them, so how did they get the news?"

"Too……"

They didn't see them at all until they officially arrived in Lutia around 3 or 4 p.m.

The Lutia Cathedral dispatched numerous clergy, including the archbishop, to greet the saint outside the east gate. Accompanying her were several ministers sent by the emperor—even if the pope himself were to arrive, the emperor would not personally come out to greet him—as well as a large number of nobles and commoners.

"Your Highness, it's been a long time."

The current Archbishop of Lutia is one of the two Apostolic Administrators sent by the Pope, Dorian, while the position of High Priest still belongs to the missing Sinmagus. The other Cardinal, Basil, who came to replace him, not only did not receive the title of High Priest, but also did the work of High Priest for Sinmagus, so his frustration can be imagined.

“It will be June in less than two weeks. According to His Holiness the Pope, the Papacy will relinquish the nominal position of High Priest,” Eric reassured Basil. “You will be able to return to the Papacy soon.”

Basil's lips moved, as if he wanted to say something but stopped, clearly not receiving much comfort.

He didn't get the title, but he did a lot of work. Now, after working for more than a year, he's back to square one. Basil can imagine the mocking faces of the cardinals in the Cardinals who don't get along with him.

"Your Highness... Your Highness, let's go into the city first and then talk."

Eric smiled and said, "Okay."

Before returning to the carriage, he had one of the guard knights sit in front of it and gave the horse to Elise—she was going to the academy to find Eileen and Molly.

Only Eric and Sophie remained in the carriage, the latter so excited she couldn't sit still and never calmed down.

"I never imagined I'd be riding home in the saint's carriage... I wonder what my father's reaction would be..."

"You'll see it soon." With cheers ringing in his ears, Eric watched the city walls slowly pass by outside the car window. After they passed, he looked up twice more, his brows furrowed.

"Your Highness?" Sophie was excited, but she still noticed his expression.

"I'm thinking, when the demons reach Lutia, how will such low walls stop their attack?"

“This is short?” Sophie had lived in Lutia for over ten years and knew exactly how tall the walls were without even looking. “You can’t compare it to the Black Ice Great Wall.”

Eric shook his head.

"Your Highness, many people are calling for you outside. Aren't you going to greet them?"

“I’d forgotten all about it if you hadn’t mentioned it.” Eric leaned closer to the window, showing his face to the worshippers who were constantly calling out from the side of the road. He would wave and smile from time to time, which would elicit excited shouts of “Your Highness!”

Lutia has a large population and even more believers. As the capital city under the emperor's feet, it offers far greater emotional value than Frostwind City.

The convoy entered the city, made a sharp turn, and after a short while, arrived near the Lutia Cathedral.

The knights passed the church without entering, continuing on their way to make way for the saint's carriage.

Eric stepped down from the carriage and was greeted by the cathedral, which he had visited several times before. The archbishop and a group of clergymen were waiting to greet him outside the cathedral.

After completing the formalities, Eric went directly to the Archbishop's office, where Dorian and Basil were both present. "After Simmagus disappeared, there hasn't been a single word from him?"

“No, Your Highness, His Holiness the Pope has been sending people to look for him for so long, but there’s still no news,” Basil replied helplessly.

"With the Church's power, only the Demon Realm cannot penetrate it. If we can't find anyone, there's only one possibility left."

Eric looked at the two of them and said, "So my suggestion is to find a secluded corner outside the cathedral and set up a powerful alchemical ballista. If Sinmagg shows up again, we can snipe him before he can release his shield."

"..."

The two cardinals looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Your Highness means... that Xinmagu has already sided with the Demon Clan?"

“Last year, more than a dozen demons penetrated deep into the empire and even attempted to assassinate the queen on the outskirts of Lutia. Xinmagu disappeared for an afternoon that day, which means he must have come into contact with the demons around that time.”

Eric sighed, "Unfortunately, I didn't have concrete evidence at the time, nor did I have the ability to kill him, which gave him the opportunity to escape."

The two cardinals exchanged another glance. "So, do you have evidence now?"

“He’s all gone, where am I supposed to find evidence?” Eric laughed. “But I’m a saint now, I have the right to kill him, evidence is no longer important.”

“…Unless Your Highness stays in Lutia and personally orders the killing of Sinmagus when he appears, I cannot kill the High Priest casually,” Dorian said.

"Does what I say now not count?" Eric asked. "We can have a written agreement."

The two old men opposite each other exchanged a glance, their faces full of bitterness.

"Your Highness, our Holy See rarely kills people directly..."

Eric raised an eyebrow. "You never seem to have been polite when dealing with heretics and cultists before."

“Nahimmagu is not a heretic or a cultist... He was the Archbishop of Lutia a year ago.”

"If we don't kill him directly, we're giving Simmagu time to react. Do you think we can still kill him then? Or do you think he'll obediently let you tie him up and take him back to the court for interrogation?"

"Your Highness..."

Dorian wiped his brow. "In short, this matter can only be carried out with His Highness's personal order. The Lutia Cathedral cannot bear this responsibility... Or should I consult His Holiness the Pope?"

“Then set up the ballistae first, and hope that Simago will suddenly appear in the next few days,” Eric said.

He gave Natalia the same instructions before leaving the Black Ice Wall, and she was much more decisive. After a moment of surprise, she had someone make the arrangements.

The two cardinals whispered among themselves for a while and decided to just muddle through the next few days first.

Regardless of whether Simagu will appear or not, what kind of talk is it to set up ballistae outside the cathedral? How do you explain it if the believers see it? This is Lutia, after all.

Dorian, fearing he might say something more, quickly changed the subject, "What are Your Highness's plans next?"

"Didn't the ministers sent by the emperor say they wanted to see me? I'll go see him tomorrow morning, and we'll talk about the rest tomorrow."

"Then please go and rest, Your Highness. The banquet is already being prepared."

Eric nodded and returned to the resting place arranged by the Archbishop. Not long after, Elizabeth arrived with Eileen and Molly, and Leslie followed them.

"Your Highness—"

Eileen knelt on the ground, almost prostrating herself.

Eric looked at the back of his sister's head without saying anything.

After a while, she looked up and asked, "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"I thought you were just lying there for fun."

"Humph!"

Eileen got up by herself and jumped onto him.

Eric caught his sister and patted her on the back. "I'm so sorry I couldn't be here to celebrate your birthday with you."

He had planned to have Ellie bring gifts to Eileen on their journey north, but in the end, the trip didn't go through.

“It’s been more than half a month, what are you still talking about…” Eileen leaned on his shoulder, patted his back, and then let go. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Elise said that a lot of people came to greet you when you entered the city.”

"forgotten."

"Hmph, perfunctory."

Eric then looked at Leslie and Molly, asked a few questions about the former's recent situation, and then his gaze lingered on the latter for a long time.

“…What?” Molly glared at him.

"It's nothing, I'm just not used to seeing you in this robe." Eric looked at her lake-blue robe. "How was it studying magic at the academy in the north for a few months?"

Molly pursed her lips, and seeing that Eileen was also staring at her, she could only say, "It's not bad, it's very organized in every aspect, it's completely different from the academies in the South."

“Then stay here and keep learning. With your talent, you’ll become a great mage sooner or later,” Eric said.

As he spoke of talent, Molly glanced discreetly at Eileen beside her.

"Whatever, I'm not expecting anything anyway. Since it includes food and lodging, I might as well learn it."

Eric smiled and said nothing more.

Eileen wandered around his room, Molly leaned close to Elise and whispered something to her, while Leslie and Eric talked about some recent developments in Lutia.

"Where's Sophie?" Elise suddenly asked.

“She’s home,” Eric said without looking up. “Her home is around here, you know? I told her to go home and visit.”

"How many days will you stay here?" Molly asked Elise.

“The itinerary is scheduled for five days,” Elise said, “but it’s hard to say. Last time in Frostwind, we left a day early.”

“Oh,” Molly replied.

Elise looked at her. "Are you lonely here?"

Molly rolled her eyes, but still nodded.

“You can treat Eileen as Her Highness, since they look the same anyway.”

"But the key parts look different!"

“…I don’t want to ask which place it is, and you shouldn’t tell me.” Elise glanced at her sideways, then sighed again. “If you can’t stand the quiet of the monastery, then you can only endure this loneliness.”

“I didn’t say I couldn’t stand it.” Molly turned her face away.

Eric arranged for Eileen and Molly to stay at the cathedral for the next few days, while Leslie remained in her usual spot, though he didn't intend to miss the evening's banquet.

Elise had lived in Lutia Cathedral for ten years, and returning here felt like coming home. Although her feelings were complicated, she still felt very familiar with it. She took Eileen on a tour of the cathedral and the associated monastery.

Leslie stayed behind and chatted with Eric about Lutia for a while. She noticed Molly staring at her, and after a moment she realized what was happening and hurriedly left.

"This is the cathedral, don't do anything reckless."

“…I thought I should be the one saying that.” Eric reached out and took her hand as she walked up. “I’ve been so busy lately that I forgot to ask. Has your teacher returned yet?”

"..."

Molly's face turned cold, and she slapped his hand away. "After all this time, is this all you wanted to say?"

"I was just afraid you'd be embarrassed, so I started by talking about other things." Eric pulled her back. "Or do you want to get started right away?"

"I'm not in that rush..."

As Molly spoke, she lifted her robes.

The ice stands firm, the snow melts and flows; both sides are ready to enter and accept each other.

Has your teacher... come back?

"Why... are you still asking... no..."

"Sigh, I suspect he's already... um..."

Molly got up and pulled away, then sat down on his lap and sealed his lips with hers.

Eric could only focus on what was in front of him.

The long-awaited in-depth conversation began hastily, but did not end abruptly. By the time Eric collapsed onto the bed, both of their hair were soaked with sweat.

"It's so hot..." Molly murmured, lying on her back on the bed, panting, "How come summers are this hot in the north too..."

"This isn't the North... I just came back from the North."

Eric lay there for a while, then got up, grabbed a piece of clothing he wasn't wearing for the time being, wiped his lower abdomen and below, and put his robe down.

"Not going to continue?" Molly raised her head slightly, but only for a few seconds before lying back down.

"This is the cathedral, don't do anything reckless."

"Oh." Molly quickly sat up, hugged him, and chuckled for a while.

"Pack yourself up, we'll go get something good to eat later."

"Hmm~"

Just as she finished tidying up, there was a knock on the door, and then Sophie walked in, "Your Highness..."

She spotted Molly on the bed at a glance, sniffed twice, smelled a certain scent, and then looked at Eric.

"Your Highness, this is the cathedral!"

"Then speak louder, and call the archbishop and the knights and nuns over to see."

"..."

Sophie pouted, especially when she saw Molly raise an eyebrow at her.

"So, did you see your family?" Eric asked.

"I saw him." She smiled again, choosing not to look at Molly. "Grandpa was very happy, and Father doesn't dare to mention sending me back to get married anymore."

Eric paused for a moment.

In the original timeline, in another month, Sophie's family, the Horn family, and everyone near the cathedral, would be wiped out by Eileen's attack—Sophie, who would have finished her training and was unemployed at home by then, would most likely not escape this fate either.

"Your Highness?"

Eric shook his head and casually asked, "Did you invite your family to the dinner?"

Sophie's eyes lit up. "Is that okay?"

"Other nobles can come, why can't your family?"

“Then I’ll go talk to them!” Sophie left again.

Because of Sophie, Eric guessed that the cathedral had already invited his family, and that's what she would say when she returned.

"I'll give you a chance. Hold my hand and we'll go out later."

"...Really, Your Highness?"

"Just don't laugh too happily."

As dusk fell, Elise and Erin returned to the area, and Eric, dressed in his finest attire, attended his first grand banquet in Lutia.

(End of this chapter)