The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 196 Awakening
When Eric woke up, he found himself surrounded by a circle of nuns, with a rough-skinned old woman standing in the middle, holding a white cloth covered with some dark green, grass-like bits of something.

Everyone stared at him in disbelief.

"Your Highness is awake!" one of the nuns exclaimed in surprise.

"Your Highness is awake! Your Highness is awake!"

As if afraid he would fall asleep again, the nuns kept repeating the phrase, while also passing on the message.

Eric looked down again and found that his clothes were open, and his chest was wrapped with several blood-stained strips of cloth, which were faintly emitting a herbal scent.

"Your Highness!"

Sophie pushed past the nun and sat down on the edge of the bed, looking at him with concern, "Are you alright...?"

Eric opened his mouth, only to find his throat felt like it was stuck together. He swallowed hard before managing to utter, "Is Simmagu dead?"

"..."

Sophie's lips moved, then she shook her head.

"Da...Xinmagu has escaped."

Eric closed his eyes, took a breath, and felt a sharp pain in his chest.

"Your Highness!" Sophie called out anxiously.

He opened his eyes again. "How many days have I been unconscious?"

"Today is the third day..."

After a pause, Eric asked, "How did Simmagul escape?"

A flicker of fear crossed Sophie's face. "He almost destroyed the entire cathedral... Nobody knows how he did it, but with a wave of his hand, he could unleash black fireballs that could burn a person to ashes. Nobody dared to stop him... And there were even a few knights who had betrayed the church who escorted him as he fled..."

She paused for a moment, fear streaming down her face.

"After Xinmagu left this area, a huge explosion occurred near the East Gate... Everything around it disappeared in the explosion..."

Eric remained silent for a long time, then turned to look at the nuns standing by the bed, especially the old woman in the middle.

Looking at what she was holding, he realized that she must have saved his life.

Because of the nature of his profession, "Unforgiving Mad Cultivator," he cannot accept divine spell effects from other sources, including healing.

While he was seriously injured and unconscious, the nuns probably tried everything they could to find this old woman who possessed traditional healing methods.

Sophie looked at the wound on his chest, "Your Highness, you are now..."

“Yes, I can heal myself now.” Eric thanked the nuns and the old woman, then grasped the Holy Spirit pendant placed on the bedside table, and with his other hand pulled back the strip of cloth wrapped around his chest, he began to cast a healing spell on the wound.

Seeing the divine light fall on his wound, Sophie's tears also fell.

“When we were treating Your Highness, the divine magic bounced off your body as soon as it touched you… Some people even said that Your Highness was abandoned by the gods… Waaah…”

Eric didn't say anything, but gave her a reassuring look.

A little while later, Eileen rushed into the room.

"Eric!"

Seeing that he was treating her, Eileen knelt down by the bed and stared at him intently.

The apostate knight's sneak attack pierced his chest from behind, narrowly missing his heart, and the treatment process took a long time.

Three days have passed, and the negative effects of those buffs have all disappeared, but Eric still feels somewhat weak, probably due to excessive blood loss.

The wound gradually shrank under the effect of the divine magic. When Eric lowered his hand, his face was still pale, but the wound that ran through him had basically healed.

He sat up, smiled at Eileen, and asked, "Where's Elise?"

“She and Molly kept watch here all night and are resting now,” Eileen said, hugging him tightly. “I was so scared.”

Eric patted her on the back twice. "It's okay, I'm still alive."

Before Eileen could say anything more, Eric released her, indicating that he wanted to get out of bed.

He realized that he wasn't in Lutia Cathedral, but rather in the room of some nobleman. "Where am I?"

“My home,” Sophie said.

"Your home?" Eric asked, somewhat bewildered.

"The cathedral and the surrounding buildings were cut open by Simagu... Not long after His Highness fell into a coma, most of the church collapsed."

Eric suddenly recalled the black shockwave that covered his entire field of vision before he lost consciousness.

"What about the casualties?"

“When the church suddenly collapsed, many people were injured, and several were crushed to death.” Sophie pursed her lips. “The knights who rushed to the second floor were all cut in half at the waist… none of them survived.”

"..."

Eric, who had just stood up, felt a mixture of heat and coolness at the back of his head, and the room in front of him seemed to be spinning.

After a moment, he composed himself and then remembered some urgent matters. "Have you sent a letter to the Black Ice Great Wall? Have you received a reply?"

"Your Highness..."

Sophie's voice remained relatively calm, but a look of bewilderment and panic surfaced deep in her eyes.

"A letter has arrived from the Black Ice Great Wall. The demon army has already reached the city walls. Her Highness the Princess is holding the line, and the demons have not yet broken through."

Eric pursed his lips. "Let me see the letter."

“The letter isn’t here.” Sophie brought him some clothes and helped him put them on. “Your Highness, please go to my father’s study. Some of the letters that have been delivered in the last couple of days are all there.”

The nuns were ushered out of the room, and before they left, Eric expressed his gratitude once again, especially to the old woman who had truly saved him.

"Give her some gold coins."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Eric came out of the room to find everything unfamiliar. Sophie led him to the study.

Along the way, a middle-aged man bowed to him and said, "Your Highness."

Eric nodded absentmindedly.

Sophie said, "This is my father."

"..."

He then stopped and focused his gaze on the other person's face. "Mr. Horn, thank you for providing accommodation."

"It is an honor for our Horn family that Your Highness can stay here... Are you alright?"

“It’s alright.” Eric smiled at him. “I’d like to use Mr. Horn’s study.”

"Please feel free to use it!"

The Horn family's study also had a small balcony. It was only when Eric stood on the balcony that he truly saw the damage that Simmagu had caused to the cathedral area.

Houses collapsed and buildings crumbled. The buildings surrounding the cathedral were all cut in half by Simmaguna's attack; most had already collapsed, and the rest were on the verge of collapse. The Horn family's house was spared because it was not so close by.

Eric turned his head and glanced at Eileen, who had followed him.

"Eric?"

The person who destroyed Lutia changed from Eileen to Simago, and the damage caused was much smaller than in the other timeline. He didn't know whether he should be glad that he had changed some things again.

"Aren't you hurt?"

“No. I came here because everything here was destroyed,” Eileen said. “But Elise and Sophie were both injured.”

He looked at Sophie, who raised her arm slightly. "It was just a minor injury, and it healed that same day. Elise had a leg injury, but she's fine now too."

Eric nodded, glanced at the cathedral again, and sat down behind his desk. Sophie handed him the various letters that had arrived in the past few days.

Eric was the first to open the letter from the Black Ice Wall. Judging from the time of delivery, it was not a reply, but rather an alarm and request for help sent from the Wall.

"Did the demons destroy the underwater magic array through self-destruction...?"

This is different from what he knew about directly creating a breach in the Great Wall.

He is now almost certain that the one who destroyed the Black Ice Great Wall in "The Crown of Thorns" was Xinmagu.

However, on the way back from the Demon Realm, Xinmagu did not take the opportunity to destroy the Great Wall, and the reason is unknown.

It couldn't possibly be to buy themselves time to persuade others to surrender...

Eric guessed that he hadn't fully mastered that power yet either.

Whether it's the terrifying power she's gained or the awe-inspiring demeanor she displays during destruction and slaughter, the current Simmagus is not much different from the witch-turned Irene.

"Has the church found out where Sinmaggu is?" Eric asked. Sophie was taken aback. "I only heard that the apostate knights escorted him north, and that's all I know... I'll go ask them now."

“No need,” Eric called out to her. “I’ll go with you later.”

"it is good……"

He remembered that before he jumped from the second floor, he had also seriously injured Xinmagu. They must have left some traces during their escape.

Eric continued to look through the letters that had arrived in the past few days. The border was far away, the travel time was the longest, and the information was the least. Most of them were letters from the Convent of St. Mary and his uncle from his hometown.

When the saint was assassinated, Alena almost couldn't resist rushing from the capital. Eric was glad she held back; he couldn't return to Leslie at this time, and someone needed to take charge of the monastery.

However, she sent dozens of nuns, who were already on their way.

Also on the road is my uncle Edgar from our hometown. Dante County is firmly in the rear, so there shouldn't be any emergencies for the time being.

Judging by the time, his uncle should have arrived in Lutia by now, during the few days he was in a coma.

"Eileen, do you know your uncle is coming?"

"Huh? I don't know..."

Eric thought for a moment, "Was it Leslie who contacted your uncle?"

"probably."

"Then Leslie will bring him over."

After quickly reading through the remaining letters, Eric wrote a long letter back to the monastery, giving some instructions. He also wrote a letter to the Pope and the Cardinals, stating that the demons had already marched south and urging the Papacy to provide assistance as soon as possible—whether there was any hope or not, he would try his best first.

After finishing his letter to the Papacy, he thought for a moment and then wrote another letter in the name of the saint to Governor Forrest of Northria, asking him to keep his promise and send troops to support the front lines as soon as possible, even though he estimated that the border garrison had already requested reinforcements from Frostwind City.

Finally, there was a letter to Princess Natalia.

He estimated that news of his assassination attempt had already reached her, so he explained the situation and told her that he was still alive.

Aside from some speculation about the demons' movements, he only said that aid was on its way, and made no other mentions. He was not on the front lines and could not make decisions for her.

"Have the church messenger deliver it as soon as possible."

"I understand, Your Highness."

After leaving the Horn family's house, Eric arrived at the cathedral, which was almost in ruins. Even though it was dilapidated, many church knights were still standing outside.

"Your Highness! You're finally awake!"

Upon seeing the charging Knight Commander Edward, Eric breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you're still alive."

Edward looked pained. "Your Highness, seven of our men... have died."

Eric took a deep breath.

“Find their bodies and send them back to the holy city for burial.”

"already arranged."

Eric patted Edward on the shoulder, "Recruit all the knights who are willing to join our Saintess Convent into your order of knights to replenish it."

"Yes, Your Highness. As for the scale..."

“Absorb as many people as there are,” Eric said. “This isn’t how I want to see it, but right now we must have as much power as possible in our hands.”

Edward bowed his head and accepted the order.

"Go."

Inside the ruins of the church, the surviving monks and nuns were scavenging for belongings. Although the surrounding buildings were split apart by the shockwave released by Simago, the damage to the lower half was not severe.

A significant number of clergy still live here.

The area that was truly and completely destroyed was the area around the East Gate.

Eric had already seen what looked like the remnants of a meteorite crater ahead on his way there.

"..."

He stopped at the edge of the giant pit and heard countless cries coming from that side.

He had seen the same crater in Lutia in his previous life, but that crater was larger, deeper, and its center was not here, but in the cathedral where the city's residents were more concentrated, and it had caused more deaths and injuries.

"Your Highness, I am relieved to see you awake."

Eric turned his head and saw that Archbishop Dorian was standing there.

He was just about to look for him when he walked over and asked, "What's going on here?"

Dorian shook his head, his gaze fixed. "After Xinmagu escaped, several knights gave chase. When they reached the east gate, Xinmagu unleashed a spell... and this is what happened. I knew Xinmagu was a great mage, but I never imagined he could do something like this..."

He let out a heavy sigh, “Your Highness Eric, I really regret not listening to you... If we had just shot him dead with the ballista when he appeared, none of this would have happened.”

Eric pursed his lips, then shook his head.

"That was just my assumption."

Dorian looked on blankly.

"If a surprise attack with a ballista can succeed, then he would have even less time to react when I attack him at close range. However, that is not the case."

Eric took a deep breath. "Sinmagg obtained terrifying power in the Demon Realm that we can't even imagine. To be honest, I'm just grateful to have survived."

"Yeah."

Dorian was completely unaware of this and didn't ask further. After a while, he murmured with a sigh, "I'm afraid my time as Archbishop of Lutia is coming to an end. After what happened, I wonder how the Vatican will punish me..."

Eric initially didn't want to pay attention to his lament about his future, but then he quickly said, "If you make amends now, you might achieve far more than Archbishop Lutia did."

Dorian immediately asked, "What do you mean by that, Your Highness?"

"The believers in the Lutia diocese are now filled with anxiety and fear. It is time for the Church to step forward. You should mobilize all the Church's resources in Lutia to rebuild the damaged areas as soon as possible, especially the city walls, and gather all available forces near Lutia to defend the city."

Eric looked at him. "If the Black Ice Wall stops the demons' attack, the followers of Lutia will still remember your kindness. If it fails, then the walls of Lutia will be the empire's last hope, and everyone will remember that it was Archbishop Dorian who built the empire's last wall."

Dorian's pale face regained some color, but he quickly added, "The Papacy, especially His Holiness the Pope, probably doesn't think that way..."

“If the Papacy were to send someone to the border at this point, they would know the enormity of their mistake,” Eric said with absolute certainty. “The Church can no longer afford to remain in a corner of the world. The Empire is finished, and the Church will be finished too. Let Alberto dream of being a damn universal saint.”

"..."

Dorian shrank back, looking much shorter, and kept trying to cover Eric's mouth with his hands, but he still listened to him finish speaking.

"What...what are you saying?!"

He could only be thankful that no one around them heard what they were saying.

Dorian turned to leave, but gritted his teeth and stopped to ask:

"Your Highness Eric, do you really think the Black Ice Wall can't be held?... When I was young, I went to the far north. How could the demons possibly break through such high walls? As long as the reinforcements arrive, defending a bay should be easy, right?"

"The problem is that the support isn't getting there. The princess has been calling out at the border for a year, but how many people have paid any attention to her?"

Eric looked at him helplessly, "Now it's a race against time. If the reinforcements from the North, especially the troops and supplies from Frostwind City, can reach the border as soon as possible, we might be able to hold out for a little longer. Once the demons break through that line of defense, it will be difficult to stop them."

Dorian fell silent.

"archbishop……"

“Your Highness, there’s no need to say anything more.” Dorian looked at him. “You are the Holy Maiden, and I should listen to you. Since that’s your intention, I will do as you command.”

“…Say whatever you want.” Eric was speechless, but as long as Dorian was willing to take action, even if it meant raising the banner of anti-papalism for him, he would consider it and agree.

"Please, Archbishop, act as soon as possible."

“I understand, Your Highness.”

As Dorian prepared to leave, Eric remembered a question he had wanted to ask earlier: "Has the Church found out where Sinmagg is?"

Dorian shook his head. "No one dared to pursue him further, fearing he might unleash another devastating spell. All we know is that he fled north."

"Then they're probably going to flee back to the Demon Realm."

“Anywhere is fine as long as he doesn’t stay in Lutia,” Dorian pleaded sincerely.

Eric pursed his lips. "At least the people in the North should be informed of Sinmag's movements and what he's doing in Lutia."

"Your Highness, rest assured, I have already written to inform you."

Eric nodded, and the sound of approaching hooves came from behind him.

He turned around; it was Leslie.

“Young master, the Earl… no, Duke Edgar has arrived in Lutia.”

(End of this chapter)