The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 222 +1?

When the strange woman who had just arrived looked at her, Eileen forced an awkward but polite smile, then glared at Eric.

"this is my friend."

Eric explained that he pulled out a chair for Kasha to sit down, and instead of sitting back behind the desk—which would make Kasha nervous—he sat with her and Eileen.

“Miss Kasha, the forest ranger from Grandia.”

Eric then looked at Kasha, “This is my twin sister, Eileen.”

The two introduced themselves to each other, their gazes lingering on each other's faces for a long time, each filled with a different kind of surprise.

Eric spoke up: "Miss Kasha just said that you came here more than a month ago, how come I didn't receive the news?"

Kasha looked at him, a hint of confusion flashing across her face.

“When I first arrived, the housekeeper here said he would write to you and I would get a reply soon. I waited for a few days and didn’t hear anything, so I left.”

Eric pondered.

If the butler Dion wanted to appease her, he wouldn't have mentioned writing to her; he would have dealt with the matter more subtly.

Eric is inclined to believe that his hometown did indeed write to him, but he didn't see the letter a month ago, when the siege was at its most intense.

"I must have missed it."

Kasha looked at him, nodded, and chose to believe him. She then recounted how she left Gradia.

A little over a month ago, she went into town as usual to sell the harvest she had collected in the forest recently. When she went to the Earl's mansion to pay the money, she saw them hurriedly packing their things, preparing to leave.

"The demons are attacking! Lutia can't hold out any longer, and the demons will soon reach Grandia! This place is too far from Kilan City, and the governor won't come to our aid. You'd better run too."

Kasha, who had always stayed in the woods she guarded and rarely interacted with people, only then learned of the demons' southward advance.

“Stay in the forest? I advise you not to do that. The demons won’t let go of any land they’ve occupied. You can come with us to the south, or head east to Tebuni! ... But the area outside the Holy City is probably already packed with people. We can’t get in. Sigh.”

Having been frightened and forced to prepare to flee, Kasha was reminded of Eric from the Holy City.

At that time, she still did not know his identity. She only heard that she could not enter the Holy City, so she decided to go to another place he told her about to find him.

It took her half a month to arrive in Ori City and go to the city lord's mansion.

"Wait, did you walk here by yourself?" Eileen asked.

“Run,” Kasha said to her, her gaze still intentionally or unintentionally comparing the differences between her and Eric’s faces. “We’ll fly for a while now and then, but I don’t like the feeling of leaving the ground.”

"Fly?" Eileen asked in surprise.

“Miss Kasha is a nature druid,” Eric explained. “She can transform into animals.”

"Ah, I see!" Eileen exclaimed in realization. "No wonder I always felt there was something...something special about you."

Eric already knew some of what happened after Kasha found the city lord's mansion.

"Where did Miss Kasha stay during this time?"

“In the forest outside the city,” Kasha said. “I’m not used to living here. Since I couldn’t hear from you, I left and went to live in the forest… I built a wooden hut out of dry branches, without cutting down any of your trees.”

Eric shook his head. "You saved me and helped me a lot. It would be worth it even if we cut down all the trees over there."

Kasha tilted her head to the side, a look of bewilderment on her face.

"Let's talk about that later. How did Miss Kasha know I was back?"

Kasha looked out the window; the sounds of preparations for the banquet drifted in from time to time.

“This morning, your men came to the woods to hunt, and that's when I heard you were back. I helped them find some good game, and then I came with them.”

Eric smiled. "It seems the food at today's banquet will be more plentiful than usual."

"If you need more meat..."

“That’s enough.” Eric looked at her. “What I mean is, please invite Miss Kasha to the party as well.”

Kasha nodded slowly.

And then... that's a problem for later.

Eric leaned back.

Kasha came to him specifically to seek refuge, and she had once had feelings for him...

Their eyes met, and Eric quickly updated the information in his mind.

Not only in the past, but it seems to remain so now.

He looked at his sister, "Eileen, go and see how the banquet preparations are going. Don't wait until the banquet starts to tell us there's nothing you like to eat."

"I'm not that picky about food," Eileen muttered, but still got up.

It was only when she was about to leave the study that she suddenly realized what was happening.

"—You're not trying to get rid of me by saying something you don't want me to hear, are you?"

“Always speaking your mind directly shows you’re still a child,” Eric said calmly. “Children should listen to adults. Now, get out. Close the door behind you.”

Eileen raised her staff.

Eric glared at her, and she glared back. They remained locked in this stalemate for almost half a minute before she snorted and left the study, leaving the door open.

He looked at Kasha again, who smiled and whispered, "You never told me you had a sister."

“She’s the reason I left here.” Eric looked at her. “But it’s complicated, I’ll tell you in detail later when I have time.”

Kasha nodded.

The two were silent for a while.

“How much do you know about me now?” Eric asked.

Kasha looked at him. "All I know is that Eric is a saint of the Church of Yela, and also the master here... the next master."

"Hmm... that's about right."

Eric realized that he really didn't have any other identity; everything he did in Lutia was done as a saint.

“What I’m trying to say is that I won’t be staying here forever this time.” He looked at Kasha. “I’ll be leaving in a week, maybe a few more days at most.”

Kasha looked at him. "Where are you going?"

“Throughout the continent,” Eric replied. “I will, in my capacity as a saintess, unite all available forces on the continent to resist the demons.”

Kasha thought for a moment, "You mean you want to take me with you?"

"..."

Eric opened his mouth slightly.

“What I mean is… well, that’s an option too… I mean, if you want, you can stay here, either in this manor or in the woods outside the city.”

Kasha looked at him. "I came here to find you."

Before Eric could speak, she continued, "If you find it inconvenient, I'll stay here... I mean, the forest outside the city. I can look after that forest for you, just like I do with the woods outside Ina."

Eric was silent for a moment, then said, "Miss Kasha, you still don't know enough about me right now. You can make a decision when I'm ready to leave."

Kasha looked at him and tilted her head to the side.

"Sure."

The two were apart for far longer than the brief time they spent together due to the accident. They weren't really familiar with each other and soon fell into a silent void where they had nothing to say to each other.

Then, Eric broke the silence again, telling her about the beginning of his adventure last year, and the various things he experienced in the year after meeting her and parting ways.

"Thanks to Miss Kasha for that bottle of Moon Dew, otherwise I might have died on the walls of Lutia."

Kasha looked up at the ceiling of the study and thought for a moment, "The full moon has just passed, so I can't collect moon dew for you for the time being."

"That was not what I meant."

Eric shook his head, about to say something, when Natalia appeared outside the study.

“Your Highness Eric, I heard… Excuse me, do you have any guests?”

She initially thought Eric was entertaining a guest, but quickly realized something was amiss: he wasn't sitting behind his desk, but rather with the guest—a gesture usually made to appear friendly.

“This is my friend, Miss Kasha from Gradia.”

Eric stood up and introduced Kasha to her, “Last year, on my way from the Holy City to Lutia, I met Miss Kasha by chance. Due to the war, she has lost her job and has come to stay with me.”

They really are friends...

Natalia nodded to Kasha, her gaze sweeping over her face before pausing slightly. "I am Natalia."

“The Grand Princess of the Empire,” Eric added.

“…Hello.” Kasha also stood up and nodded to her, looking slightly awkward.

Eric returned to his desk and sat down. "What has Your Highness heard?"

Natalia's gaze swept over the chair he had just sat in, suppressing her inexplicable resistance. "I heard that a nobleman came to see Your Highness."

"Yes, Earl Russell, he just left not long ago."

Eric smiled as usual. "He's willing to provide some money and supplies for the front lines. It's not a lot, but it at least shows that the impact of our operations in Heath City is spreading outwards, which will save us a lot of effort."

"Just as Your Highness said, things will get better and better."

“Earl Russell said he only wanted to support the soldiers at the front, not for power, money, or land, but I think he should at least be given some honorary reward?” Eric added. He couldn’t decide on Natalia’s material reward, but he believed she wouldn’t overlook it.

“Of course we should repay them. Although it is nominally the duty of nobles, times have changed…” Natalia nodded quickly, thought for a moment, and added, “Perhaps we can give them honorary rewards earlier.”

"Should we have the winged people announce this throughout the empire as a reward?"

"Hmm... let me think about it. We can't ignore the nobles in Hiss who promised to provide aid."

Natalia pondered for a moment, and Eric remained silent, noticing that Kasha hadn't sat down since Natalia came in, but had just stood there watching them.

He then realized that Natalia hadn't sat down either, but was just standing on the other side of the desk.

Eric got up and walked to the window, glancing down at the banquet preparations in the courtyard.

"Tonight's banquet may yield even more results. Your Highness and I must be careful not to drink too much."

Natalia smiled and turned to see him gesturing for Miss Kasha to sit down. She looked at him with trust and a deeper look in her eyes, then nodded.

They both sat down, and Natalia also sat down, next to Eric.

"What does Miss Kasha do in Gradia?"

“The forest ranger,” Kasha replied.

“The job of a forest ranger is…” Natalia looked at Eric again.

“To manage and care for a certain forest on the lord's territory, and to regularly supply the forest's produce,” Eric explained. “I remember there are several forests outside Lutia that belong to the royal family, Your Highness. Haven't you had any contact with them?”

Natalia shook her head and said, "There's nothing left there now."

“The land will eventually return to the royal family, and the forests on it will grow back,” Eric comforted her.

Natalia chuckled softly without saying a word.

Eric was speechless for a moment, and the silence between the two became a silence between the three.

The silence gradually turned into an awkward silence.

His chair was placed in the middle, and when he looked up, people on both sides looked over, waiting for him to speak.

"...Perhaps we should go down and see how the banquet preparations are going."

Kasha nodded, and Natalia added, "Okay."

As I came out of the study and was about to go downstairs, Iris walked towards me, her gaze lingering on each of the three of them for a moment, but on Kasha for a longer time.

"Eileen said a friend came to see Your Highness."

Eric could only introduce Kasha again.

“Your Highness’s ‘friend’…is my friend.” Elise stared at Eric.

He remained calm and said, "I'm planning to take some friends to see how the banquet preparations in the courtyard are going. Would you like to come?"

“I went to find Molly… oh, she’s here too.”

Eric looked to the other side of the corridor, where Molly was peeking around the corner.

God knows what Eileen said to her...

“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her problem,” Elise said.

"..."

Elise went to intercept Molly, and the three of them continued downstairs. Before they reached the bottom, Eric heard Molly shout.

"Another one?"

Eric could only pretend he hadn't heard it.

Upon entering the courtyard, the servants, accustomed to the numerous banquets of all sizes held at the city lord's mansion, prepared with ease and without any panic.

Eric believed that even if he suddenly announced that the banquet would start two hours earlier, they would be able to adjust their pace quickly.

“I’ve only ever attended banquets in the countryside,” Kasha said to Eric. “Is there anything different about your noble banquets?”

“It’s bigger and more lavish, and the guests are richer and more hypocritical,” Eric laughed. “But Miss Kasha, just eat and drink as you please, and don’t worry about the others.”

Kasha nodded slowly.

Natalia glanced at the two of them.

After taking a quiet stroll around the courtyard, Eric called out to the head maid, "Ms. Winnie, could you please arrange a room for Miss Kasha?"

"Yes, Master."

Then he looked at Kasha, "Miss Kasha, you can stay here for the time being, instead of going back to the forest outside the city."

Kasha agreed and went to her room with the head maid.

After the two had walked a distance, Natalia asked, "Your Highness, did your friend live in the forest before?"

“She’s a nature druid, and she’s more accustomed to being close to nature,” Eric said.

Natalia glanced in the direction Kasha had left. "I've heard of them, but this is the first time I've seen people from the Natural Church in person."

“They are no different from ordinary people in their daily lives. You may have seen many of them in Lutia, but you just didn’t recognize them.”

Natalia seemed thoughtful. "Your Highness has seen them in even more unique forms?"

Eric smiled, "I've had the pleasure of meeting you a few times."

The afternoon passed quickly, and by evening, guests arrived one after another at the city lord's manor, where the banquet had begun.

Of course, it wasn't just the nobles who had fled from Lutia who were invited to the banquet; some local nobles and wealthy merchants from the surrounding area were also invited.

“Young Master Eric! No, now I should call you Her Highness the Saintess.”

"Long time no see, Baron Percy. You are still as robust as ever. Have you never considered leading a band of knights to Lutia to make a name for yourself?"

"Does going there make me a viscount?"

"That's not necessarily true. At least the Grand Princess beside me has made it clear that the Empire will reward all those who bravely resist the demons."

"Oh! You must be Her Highness the Grand Princess..."

Eric and Natalia were the center of attention at the banquet; wherever they were, they became the focus of everyone's attention, and people kept coming over to greet them. The two of them hadn't moved an inch for quite some time.

Standing on the balcony upstairs, looking down at the courtyard, Elise's gaze lingered there for a long time until another figure came to her side.

"Eileen?...Why didn't you go down?"

Eileen was still wearing that lake-blue robe instead of an evening gown.

"I don't want to deal with those people, Eric is enough." Eileen also leaned onto the balcony, looking down.

Elise looked at her loose blonde hair. "Eric said that when you were still here, you didn't attend many of these kinds of parties."

“That’s true…” Eileen turned to her and smiled, “but that doesn’t mean I’m interested.”

Elise smiled but didn't say anything.

After a while, Eileen suddenly nudged her arm, gesturing for her to look at the other side of the corridor.

Elise looked over and saw Eric's new friend standing alone on the other side of the balcony, looking down.

"Is her relationship with Eric like yours?"

"...I don't know. I think I heard him mention it, but it shouldn't have come to this."

Eileen clicked her tongue twice.

“It’s a mess.”

"..."

"Oh, I didn't mean anything by it."

"……I know."

The two watched Kasha from afar for a while longer, and Eileen gradually frowned.

"She's all alone, it's so pitiful. She's just standing there not eating or drinking. I'll go over and say hello... Do you want to come?"

Elise shook her head.

“I’ll just find out while I’m at it,” Eileen said.

Elise was startled and quickly grabbed her.

"Wait a minute, don't say anything reckless, you'll scare her..."

"Don't worry, I'm not a child anymore, I know what to do."

Eileen pried her hand away, gave her a mysterious smile, and then walked away.

"Hello, Miss Kasha."

Kasha turned around and saw the girl who looked remarkably like Eric, and immediately realized that she was his sister.

"Hello……"

"I am Eileen."

"Miss Eileen."

Eileen gave a reassuring gesture to Elise, who was watching her from a distance.

"Just to be tactful, are you also Eric's woman?"

(End of this chapter)