The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 204 The Demon King's Messenger

As the sun gradually sank, the western sky seemed to burst into flames, its colors constantly shifting, from an initial bright yellow like gold to a blood-red expanse covering the earth.

To most people outside the city, the tall and majestic Lutia soon appeared as nothing more than a deep shadow.

Because he was so far away, Eric could only see the distant western sky, where the blood-red sunset reflected on the earth and fell upon his face as well.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually grew louder and clearer.

“They’re here,” Edward said softly.

Concealing himself among the trees, Eric looked north toward the direction from which the sound of horses' hooves was coming.

To be precise, it was the sound of sheep's hooves, slightly different from the sound of horses' hooves, but the rhythm was almost the same, like drumbeats striking the earth.

Tap tap, tap tap—

At one point, Eric found that his heartbeat seemed to be in sync with the sound of sheep hooves pounding the ground.

The demon cavalry, numbering over three thousand according to the Winged People, suddenly appeared on Hero Avenue, a couple hundred meters away, galloping past against the blood-red setting sun.

Eric quickly accepted the winged man's explanation.

Three thousand cavalrymen... perhaps more.

Why do the demons still have so many cavalry, and why have they only arrived in Lutia now?

Could it be that they chose the eastern half when attacking the Black Ice Great Wall?
The sky grew increasingly dark, and soon visibility was reduced to nothing, but the sounds of the demon cavalry galloping past remained clear.

After an unknown amount of time, as the last group of demon cavalry gradually disappeared into the distance, the wilderness finally quieted down.

Eric felt his body briefly lose temperature as the sun set, and his hands and feet felt a little cold, but he quickly remembered that it was the height of summer.

“These demon cavalry… are they here specifically to deal with us?” Edward asked with difficulty.

Eric shook his head.

He didn't know, nor did the winged man. By the time the latter noticed the approaching demon cavalry, they were already close to the massive mountain range that stretched across northern Lutia.

"Whether they came specifically to deal with us or not, now that they've come to Lutia, we probably can't move around as freely as before."

Eric raised his fingertip, activating a personal illumination spell. Edward, standing beside him, looked grave: "Your Highness, the situation has changed. Perhaps we should return to Lutia as soon as possible before those cavalrymen truly come into play."

"We should go back, but not now. Who knows where they've stopped."

Eric looked at the winged man beside him, "When it gets dark, even the demons need to light lamps. You should at least be able to tell where there are more demons gathered, right?"

The winged man nodded. "But our night vision is limited, Your Highness. This is all we can see."

“I know, after all, we’ve been working together for several days now.” Eric patted him on the shoulder. “From now on, you’ll have to come down and deliver the intelligence yourself.”

“I understand, Your Highness.”

The winged people quickly took off. Before returning to Lutia, Eric told the knights to eat and drink as usual to conserve their energy and prepare for the journey back to the city, which could take an unknown amount of time.

Night had fallen, and to point out the winged people's location, Eric had a campfire lit in the woods. It was not easy to see from the outside, but it was easily visible from the air.

"When you were on the Black Ice Great Wall, what was the approximate size of the demon army on the other side?"

Eric questioned the knights who had previously guarded Natalie Adam. They returned feeling ashamed, believing they had failed the saint's mission, but Eric still allowed them to follow him.

The group looked at each other. "A lot."

"It seems to stretch on forever."

"There must be at least tens of thousands of people."

“Hmm…” Eric frowned. “It seems that when the Demon Clan attacked the Black Ice Wall, it was half on the east and half on the west? The western half, having achieved early success, quickly moved south, while many of the eastern half probably chose to detour to the west and follow the main force south. Those who arrived today are likely the remaining part?”

The group could neither confirm nor deny it, because when they left, the demons, who were blocked on the other side of the eastern section of the Great Wall, were still waiting for the ice-free bay to freeze over.

"Your Highness, let us continue our search for Princess Natalia in the north."

Eric glanced at the group and threw the stick in his hand into the fire. "If it were an hour ago, I might have agreed, but sending you guys out to find a needle in a haystack is no different from sending you to your deaths."

He sighed, then frowned. "Natalia has returned to the vicinity of Lutia. Where is she hiding now... But her choice wasn't entirely wrong. If she had run into that group of demon cavalry, she definitely wouldn't have been able to escape."

About half an hour later, the winged people descended from the sky, following the light of the campfire.

"Your Highness, those cavalrymen were heading towards the demons' main camp outside the city. Also, when they arrived, it seemed like the entire demon camp was cheering, but I couldn't understand what they were shouting."

Eric thought for a moment and asked, "What about the road conditions?"

"Before I returned, I did not see any demons on the road from the north gate of Lutia to this side," the winged man replied cautiously.

"it is good."

Eric didn't hesitate. "Let's go back to Lutia now."

"Yes!"

The knights mounted their horses and left the forest, their speed slowed considerably compared to daytime due to limited visibility.

The winged man took to the air again to scout ahead for them, guarding against any demons that might suddenly appear—provided he could see them.

However, the demons seemed to take the few thousand cavalrymen who had just arrived very seriously. It took Eric and his party nearly two hours to return to the outskirts of Lutia City without encountering a single demon.

Upon arriving at the North Gate, the winged people who had landed earlier had already informed them of their return, and the drawbridge had been lowered.

They filed in and returned to the city. The knights went back to the cathedral, while Eric continued onward, all the way to the military camp outside the east gate.

"Eric, you're back."

Edgar breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him.

"There are several thousand demon cavalrymen..."

“I already know,” Edgar said. “That’s why I sent the winged people to find you and tell you to come back as soon as possible.”

Eric paused for a moment, then shook his head. "Looks like they weren't so lucky; they didn't find me."

Edgar didn't say much; he was just glad that Edgar was back.

Even though he already knew from the winged people about their harassment of the demon race's supply lines, he still asked again, asking Eric to give some more specific details. He praised Eric for the considerable damage he had caused to the demon race's supply lines, and together they regretted not being able to completely destroy them.

Then, the two returned to the topic of the several thousand demon cavalry who had rushed to the scene before sunset. Eric also shared his guess with his uncle, believing that the cavalry might have been left behind after attacking the eastern section of the Great Wall.

Edgar was more wary, believing this could be a sign that the demons were about to launch their next move, such as a full-scale attack on Lutia, a view Eric shared.

Before Eric returned to the city, he had already made many preparations. Eric went to inspect the front lines on his behalf.

The military camp was busier than ever that night.

Late at night, Edgar belatedly realized that his nephew had been running around outside all day.

"Go and rest. Even if the demons launch a full-scale attack tonight, we can at least hold them off tonight."

Eric returned to the city.

During the few days he was seriously injured and unconscious, he stayed at Sophie's house. Once the monastery behind the cathedral was almost completely cleaned up, he moved back to live there.

He heard from Sophie that the family still kept that room for him, perhaps to preserve the glory of the saintess who had been treated here when she was seriously injured. The bed was simply tidied up, and even the blood-stained pieces of cloth that he had changed out of, which could be called bandages, were left behind.

Eric remained silent, but he felt that the Horn family was quite optimistic about the situation—those who weren't optimistic would have already fled south with their families.

Back at the cathedral, Elise didn't know much, and she was both happy and worried that he was coming back today.

"Don't worry, at least tonight, the demons won't suddenly appear in the city."

"...It's hard for me to feel at ease when you say that."

Eric smiled. "The next phase will come sooner or later; we are not unprepared."

Elise sighed.

"Are you going to rest? It's getting late."

"Wait a minute, let me see what things are waiting for me."

By the time Eric lay down in bed, it was nearly midnight.

Although he wasn't as calm as he appeared to Elise, he was exhausted after a long day's journey, and his physical fatigue was far more real than he had imagined before even landing. He almost fell asleep the moment he lay down, and the first thing he did upon waking was to listen carefully to the sounds outside.

As usual, there were no obvious sounds of fighting. The sounds that were heard in the monastery, like distant fireworks exploding and demons exploding, were not heard this morning either.

Eric had a peaceful morning.

Just as he finished breakfast and was wondering if he would have another chance to go out of the city to harass the demons, Edgar sent someone to find him, ordering him to go to the military camp immediately. Eric mounted his horse and went, and just as he left the city, several people came from the military camp.

As they passed each other, he glanced at them casually, and his gaze was immediately fixed on them.

"you……"

Eric stopped his horse and looked at one of the middle-aged nobles who looked somewhat familiar. "I remember you're from Frostwind City?"

The man paused for a moment, recognized him, and quickly lowered his head, his gaze darting away.

"Yes, Your Highness..."

“I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” Eric looked at him, then glanced at the guards behind him. “Did you just escape from the north?”

"..."

The middle-aged nobleman didn't speak, but nodded.

"You're lucky you managed to escape here alive."

He simply wiped the sweat that kept streaming down his forehead.

Eric said nothing more, and with a flick of the reins, went straight to the military camp.

Edgar's expression was grave: "Those several thousand demon cavalrymen yesterday were the Demon King's guards. They escorted the Demon King from the north."

"..."

Eric was stunned.

They had always speculated whether the Demon King had come to Lutia with the army, but none of their speculations had any concrete evidence.

Now, Edgar's guess has been confirmed.

"How did Uncle know?"

“The Demon King sent an envoy. He just saw me and is now going to see the Emperor,” Edgar said. “A captured nobleman from Frostwind City.”

Eric immediately thought of the middle-aged man he had met on the road earlier.

“In addition…” Edgar took a deep breath, “the demons have occupied Frostwind City, and Governor Forrest and a considerable number of nobles who followed him have died in battle.”

Eric remained silent for a moment.

"The envoy sent by the Demon King is here to persuade us to surrender?"

“That should be the case.” Edgar looked at him. “What concerns me more is that he also asked about your situation.”

“Me?” Eric asked, surprised.

Edgar nodded and continued, “His Majesty has never been optimistic about the course of the war and may be persuaded. In addition, given your situation, I hope you will go to the palace as soon as possible to see His Majesty with the envoy. I stopped their horses; you should still be able to catch up with them.”

Eric immediately left the military camp and rushed to the palace, where he soon caught up with the messenger sent by the Demon King.

"If you had told me you were the Demon King's messenger earlier, I wouldn't have had to make this trip."

Eric suddenly caught up and stopped beside them, startling the middle-aged nobleman who was walking in front.

"Your Highness, Your Highness..."

"You've been captured by the Demon King?"

"Yes……"

Even if he was relaying a message to the Demon King, Eric would find it difficult to blame him, as the Demons would undoubtedly be making threats against him, such as against his family.

“Tell me about the situation in Frostwind City,” Eric said, following on horseback.

The middle-aged nobleman kept wiping his sweat and told him that the demons had been surrounding Frostwind City, which had almost no defenses, for more than half a month before launching a sudden attack. They broke through the city in a single day, Governor Forrest was killed in battle, and he was captured.

“Donovan…” Eric thought for a moment before remembering the name of the nobleman who had approached him during the tour, “Count Donovan, did he also die in battle?”

The middle-aged nobleman paused for a moment, then said, "When the governor sent reinforcements to the Black Ice Wall, Earl Donovan followed the army north. On the way, he encountered the demons and died in battle along with his warriors."

"……Yeah."

Eric looked up at the distant sky and exhaled a long breath.

May he rest in peace. I will always remember his name.

The middle-aged nobleman lowered his head, looking ashamed.

"Did the Demon King send you here to persuade the Emperor to surrender?"

"……Yes."

Eric stared at him for a while.

The latter's head drooped lower and lower until he spoke again: "Now you've seen Lutia's defensive situation. Do you think we can stop the demons?"

The middle-aged nobleman remained silent for a while before finally saying, "We can hold them off for a while, but not for long... unless more reinforcements arrive."

Before Eric could ask anything more, he added, "But after His Majesty conquered Frostwind, he did not massacre civilians and was quite disciplined with his subordinates. Apart from those who fought to the death, he treated the other nobles quite well..."

He couldn't continue, because Eric suddenly leaned down and stared intently at him: "Which emperor are you talking about? I only know the Emperor of the Empire and the Pope of the Church."

"..."

The middle-aged nobleman avoided his gaze. "Surrender may not be a bad thing. The Demon King promised that as long as we lay down our resistance, we will not be harmed. But war really does bring endless slaughter... Your Highness, you should also consider the civilians. How many people will be displaced after the war breaks out..."

"I'm about to throw up. To hear a noble like you talk about caring for the common people. Even if I cut off your head right now, it seems like even the Demon King can't do anything to me."

"..."

He immediately dared not say anything more.

Eric stared at him coldly for a moment, then said, “Go back. His Majesty the Emperor has sworn to live and die with Lutia and will not surrender.”

The middle-aged nobleman immediately knelt down.

"Your Highness—the demons have captured my family! If I don't see His Majesty the Emperor, not only will I die, but my family will perish too! My youngest daughter is only seven years old—"

Eric looked at him from horseback. "Why don't you just say you've met the emperor?"

He lay prostrate on the ground, "Your Majesty... no, no, no, the Demon King will definitely ask for details. If I can't answer, my family and I will still die..."

Eric frowned. "Do you really believe the demons' promises?"

“I…no, I don’t believe it…but I have no choice, Your Highness. If it were just for myself, I could stay in Lutia and not leave. But my family…”

Eric took a deep breath. "You'll all die sooner or later."

“Then I… would rather die with my family,” the nobleman on the ground said, shrinking back yet resolute.

Eric said no more, but reached out his hand to him, "Get on the horse, I'll take you to see the emperor, and come back quickly."

“Okay…uh, no, Your Highness, no need…” the middle-aged nobleman hurriedly refused.

"Stop talking nonsense." Eric pulled him onto the horse, leaving the guards behind, and galloped towards the palace.

He no longer needed to wait to see the emperor; the emperor had already been informed on his way in and was waiting for him in the council hall.

"Holy Maiden, I heard you went out of the city to fight as a guerrilla. Did you bring me any good news?"

Eric thought for a moment and decided to deliver some good news to strengthen the emperor's will to resist.

"Yesterday we went out of the city and cut off the demons' timber transport route, which greatly slowed down the demons' progress in building large-scale siege equipment, Your Majesty."

"Good, good." The emperor was pleased, but soon noticed the middle-aged nobleman beside him. "What does this man do?"

“The Demon King sent him to persuade us to surrender,” Eric said. “You don’t need to take his words seriously. Demons are cunning; any promises they make are false. They just want us to lay down our weapons so they can kill us more easily.”

"His Majesty--"

The middle-aged nobleman immediately knelt on the ground. "The current Demon King is an unparalleled and brilliant ruler. He is diligent and hardworking, keeps his promises, and after heading south, he has his heart set on the continent. He is unwilling to destroy everything that the empire has worked so hard to create over the past few centuries with war! I came from Frostwind City. There were only a few die-hard resistance fighters there, but everything in Frostwind City is still fine!"

The emperor was taken aback, and Eric raised an eyebrow.

But he hadn't finished speaking.

"The Demon King doesn't even need you to surrender the city immediately. Just send the Holy Maiden Eric, who killed the Demon Prime Minister, to the Demon King's army, and the Demon King guarantees that he will stop the attack for the next month and open the defenses so you can leave!"

(End of this chapter)