The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 224 Talking with Pets
While waiting for dinner, Eileen told Eric that she started playing with Kasha because she accidentally saw Kasha, who had turned into an owl, fly back from outside and return to human form. She even had Kasha turn into a reindeer and carry her around.

This made Eric start to reflect on whether leaving Kasha in the city lord's mansion had actually made her more lonely.

She traveled a long way to be here for him and stayed here.

So after dinner, Eric found Kasha and told her that she was free to do as she pleased, and that she could go back to the forest to spend the night if she wanted.

"...No, I'm not trying to get rid of you, don't overthink it. I'm just worried that Miss Kasha might be too bored here...After all, I'm very busy right now, and I don't have much time to spend with you."

After a moment's thought, Kasha said she could go with them to visit the nobles—mainly with him.

"...Really? Of course, no problem."

She barely left the banquet last night, leading Eric to believe she was somewhat shy or had a certain aversion to such aristocratic occasions. She wasn't as talkative as Molly, so bringing her along wouldn't be a problem.

So from the next day onward, Eric and Natalia would take Kasha with them when they visited the nobles in the city.

However, his guess was not entirely wrong. After a grueling morning, she appeared before the nobles only in animal form.

"To be honest... I'm still a bit shy."

Eric muttered to himself, glancing back at the owl perched on his shoulder.

The latter didn't move his body, but turned his head to look at him, blinking his bright yellow eyes.

Eric shook his head slightly to indicate that he was alright, and looked back at the nobleman opposite him.

The nobles were quite quick to accept that he brought his pet to discuss matters, treating it as his personal interest, of course, only when Kasha was in a small animal form.

When she chooses to transform into a black panther, even the most daring nobles can't help but turn their gaze to her.

Stroking the black panther's head, Eric continued, "..."

"So you don't need to have any concerns. The Military Council simply centralizes command and ensures that orders come from one place... To be honest, almost every nobleman with troops initially had such concerns, but they still chose to join in the end. What you are experiencing now is the same process of going from doubt to trust that they went through. I have a list here, and Viscount Florence should recognize all the names on it."

Eric looked at Natalia, who glanced at his hand that was constantly stroking the black panther's head, took out a list, and handed it to the nobleman opposite her.

“Viscount Floren, if you are worried that the names on this list are fake, you can write to them and ask,” Natalia said.

"No need, Your Highness."

Viscount Florence took the list, no longer caring about the black panther. He glanced at the names on it and said, "I also have my own sources of information, so I can confirm that what you said is true."

Natalia smiled, glanced at the black panther beside her, who was tilting its head back and squinting as it enjoyed being petted, and its constantly wagging tail, before looking at Eric.

He seemed to be unconsciously stroking the pet, without even lowering his head.

"Join us, Viscount Floren. The demons will soon be making a big move and urgently need your help on the front lines."

Eric leaned forward, looking directly into the viscount's eyes, and began to incite him with words.

"Your support will be forever remembered, the people of the empire will sing your praises, and the newly formed empire will reserve a place for you that will not disappoint you..."

Natalia, who was beside him, did not respond to his words.

Eric turned his head and saw that she was staring at the black panther's wagging tail.

"You agree, Your Highness Natalia."

Natalia looked up abruptly. "Of course."

The two looked at each other.

"..."

Eric glanced at Viscount Floren across from him, and Natalia quickly realized what stage the conversation had reached. She coughed lightly and continued what she had been saying.

"Just as Her Highness said..."

The promise was Natalia's business. Whenever the conversation reached this stage, it was time for Eric to rest. He leaned back and temporarily shifted his attention to the black panther beside him.

Its glossy black fur was incredibly smooth, with a unique feel to the touch. Its streamlined body possessed a wildness, yet she lay beside him, displaying only docility.

Even such docility can be a deterrent to others.

Eric continued to stroke it, and after a while, seeing the future reward from Viscount Florence, he finally made up his mind.

"You made an absolutely correct choice," he added at the opportune moment.

Viscount Floren wiped his sweat, glanced at himself and Natalia, then at the black panther between them, and forced a smile as he responded.

After leaving the Viscount's mansion, Kasha returned to human form, then transformed into an owl, perching on Eric's shoulder as he mounted his horse.

Although turning into a black panther would allow it to run faster, its rampage through the streets would inevitably cause panic among ordinary city residents.

“We’ll be able to visit all the nobles on the list by tomorrow.” Eric looked at Natalia on another horse. “More and more people are willing to offer support. Does Your Highness think it’s necessary to go back and visit those nobles who have ambiguous attitudes?”

“It’s necessary, but we don’t need to put in too much effort,” Natalia said. “They only deserve one more day of our time.”

Eric nodded, then exhaled and surveyed the street before him. "So, in a few days I'll be leaving here again."

Natalia looked at him. "Your Highness, you can stay a few more days. After all, you haven't been back for three years."

Eric shook his head. "I'm afraid the front lines can't wait."

It was just past noon, and the two of them had a difficult count to visit that afternoon, so they were too lazy to go back to the city lord's mansion and found a tavern by the roadside to fill their stomachs.

Kasha reverted to human form before Eric went inside. While waiting for the food to be served, Eric suddenly had a whimsical idea.

"If Miss Kasha eats enough food in her owl form, will she feel hungry after reverting to human form, or will she feel the same way as in her owl form?"

“I’ll be hungry,” Kasha said.

"Well……"

Natalia glanced at the two people sitting opposite her, then looked outside the tavern.

In the afternoon, the two men and the bird went to visit the difficult nobleman as scheduled.

The verbal exchange went back and forth, with the count on the other side becoming increasingly aggressive and his words becoming more and more impolite, especially towards Eric.

Eric and Natalia were used to this kind of negotiation and wouldn't let the other's words affect their emotions. They understood that he was just trying to overpower them with his presence.

However, Kasha clearly couldn't accept his constant attacks on Eric and suddenly lunged forward.

"Goo!"

Eric reacted quickly, grabbing the bird's leg and pulling her back.

Unable to fly away despite its fluttering wings, Kasha fell to the ground, where he caught her with his other hand and brought her back to him.

"Stop making a fuss, be quiet."

When Natalia saw that he had a handful of feathers in his hand when he let go, she couldn't help but look worriedly at the owl in his arms.

"..."

Eric noticed it himself, his lips twitched, but he could only pretend not to see it for the time being. He put the handful of bird feathers on his lap and then looked at the startled count across from him with a smile.

"It seems even my owl can't stand it anymore, Earl Nelson. But rest assured, I'm not that petty."

The middle-aged count glanced at the large bird still staring at him in his arms. "Your Highness's pet... is quite intelligent; it can understand human speech."

"Of course she understands. She can even deliver messages for me. She goes wherever I tell her to go and never gets lost. She flies faster than a pair of winged people."

Eric bent down and stroked the owl to soothe it, then slowly released it. "I used this bird to contact the church."

Count Nelson suddenly realized that the young man in front of him, who was not even as old as his son, had been hanging out with the Grand Princess recently, like her follower, but he was also a saint of the church.

Some of the things he said just now were indeed a bit too much...

He suddenly recalled the Saintess and the Grand Princess's experiences in Heath, especially the Marquis who was blocked at the door and cursed by the church members.

Earl Nelson had more sweat on his forehead.

The church wasn't very powerful in Oren, with only one monastery, but that didn't mean it was willing to be verbally abused by some old nuns.

“Your Highness is so magnanimous, I thank you for your forgiveness,” Nelson said, bowing his head.

When did he forgive him?

Eric rolled his eyes, looked down and touched the owl in his arms again, and the owl suddenly quieted down, lowered its head and looked at the tuft of feathers on his leg.

Then, look up at him.

"..."

Eric quickly raised his gaze and looked at Natalia, signaling with his eyes that it was time for them to launch a verbal counterattack.

Natalia glanced at the owl on his lap and nodded.

“I also want to thank Her Highness, whether it was assisting in the defense of Lutia months ago, or your selfless defense two months ago, or now accompanying me south to actively seek aid for the front lines…” She looked at Earl Nelson, “Therefore, I cannot accept what you just said. If that is truly your opinion, then there is no need for us to continue this discussion. The front lines are indeed in a critical situation, but we don’t need your help.”

"Your Highness! Your Highness, please calm down..."

Count Nelson stood up. “I did go too far, please forgive my incompetence. Your Highness need not doubt my loyalty to the Empire. I merely heard some unpleasant things secondhand and misunderstood Her Highness. Now the misunderstanding can be cleared up.”

Natalia still looked angry, but seemed willing to listen to him continue.

“I believe what Earl Nelson said, Your Highness,” Eric added. “Of course, Earl Nelson also needs to show his sincerity. You’ve heard so much from us, don’t you have any thoughts at all?”

"Or are your words attacking the saintess just now your true intentions?" Natalia immediately replied.

"of course not!"

Earl Nelson quickly denied it, then took a deep breath.

In my opinion...

Even at this point, Nelson was still going in circles with them.

Eric couldn't help but realize that his idea of ​​persuading him in an afternoon was somewhat presumptuous, even though Natalia had warned him beforehand that Nelson was very difficult to deal with.

However, he also commanded a fairly powerful army, making it worthwhile for them to spend a day or even two trying to recruit him.

The negotiations had not yielded any substantial results by evening, and Eric suggested to Natalia that the matter should be called off for today and that they should come back tomorrow.

The latter wanted to persist a little longer, and Eric did not object, leaning back and letting her do as she pleased.

Meanwhile, Kasha, the owl, had already returned to stand on his shoulder.

As for the handful of feathers he plucked, they disappeared on their own not long afterward, seemingly transforming into some kind of energy and returning to Kasha's body.

The setting sun shone through the window into the living room, falling on the slightly yellowed walls. At one moment, a huge shadow blocked the light, and the room became dark.

Eric looked up, but the owl on his shoulder remained motionless, turning towards the window.

They are winged people.

Eric quickly came to a conclusion, and then a servant from the Earl's mansion brought in the winged man. "Your Excellency, there is an emergency at the front."

Count Nelson, who was listening to Natalia's last-ditch efforts, suddenly stood up and apologized to her, saying, "Let the winged people in!"

The winged messenger obviously didn't have time to take notes, so he simply told them verbally that the demons had suddenly launched a large-scale attack, and the human alliance was being overwhelmed and could only defend, and the situation was extremely precarious.

"..."

Eric and Natalia exchanged a quick glance, their expressions contrasting.

After receiving his reward, the winged man quickly took off again to continue peddling this valuable intelligence. Count Nelson, after a brief silence, suddenly said, "I agree."

"Earl Nelson?"

"My men will be setting off soon to support the front lines. I cannot stand by and watch the last remaining resistance be wiped out by the demons."

Earl Nelson spoke with righteous indignation, but his face revealed barely concealed excitement: "The front lines need me, the empire needs me!"

Natalia and Eric exchanged another glance, then Natalia said, "That's wonderful. Earl Nelson is indeed trustworthy."

He then summoned a messenger in front of the two men and contacted the army in his territory, instructing them to prepare immediately to march on Lutia.

Eric and Natalia stayed until dark before leaving.

Mounting his horse, Eric glanced at the brightly lit Earl's mansion and whispered, "Nelson thought he had seized the opportunity to manipulate or even control the Military Council, which is why he agreed so hastily."

Natalia, however, was somewhat worried. "The problem is, we still don't know the specific details of this large-scale attack by the demons. Although His Highness reminded us a few days ago, can they really withstand it?"

"Let's go back and wait. Maybe we'll get more accurate information."

"Um……"

After transforming into an animal for a day, Kasha reverted to human form after leaving the Earl's mansion and sat behind Eric.

As they neared the city lord's manor, Eric remembered to ask, "I plucked your feather this afternoon, is it alright?"

Kasha looked at him. "It's not a big deal."

"That's a bit serious, I'm sorry."

"It's fine……"

Eric turned to look at her. "Words can't hurt me, and in terms of strength, no one here can match me. You don't need to worry. If you feel uncomfortable, just go for a walk outside for a while."

Kasha looked at him for a while, then suddenly said, "Let's go live in the forest together. We won't encounter these kinds of humans there."

Eric paused for a moment, then smiled and shook his head.

"I am human. You are human too."

Natalia, on the other horse, lingered her gaze on Kasha's face for a few seconds before turning her attention back to the war in the north.

Back at the city lord's mansion, Eric received a clearer and more accurate battle report from the front lines around midnight.

Natalia, of course, hadn't slept either. The two of them read the battle report together in the study, and then both breathed a sigh of relief.

The human alliance on Lutia's side was indeed overwhelmed by the sudden and fierce attack of the demons and could only defend, but that was all. The demons were unable to gain any further advantage.

“If I’m not mistaken, in a few days, when they realize they still can’t defeat this allied army, the demons will propose a ceasefire and peace talks,” Eric said.

Natalia nodded, her hands unconsciously clasped together, as if in prayer.

The ceasefire meant that the human alliance, which had been fighting continuously, could finally catch its breath, but it also meant that most of the area north of Lutia would soon be completely absorbed and utterly conquered by the returning demons.

Eric quickly guessed what she was thinking from her expression. He didn't say anything, picked up the battle report, looked at it again, put it down, and then Natalia took it back.

The two stared silently at the battle report until the wall clock struck.

"Go and rest, Your Highness. It's getting late."

“…Hmm.” Natalia snapped out of her reverie. “Your Highness should also get some rest. Goodnight.”

Eric was organizing the intelligence documents on his desk when Natalia left the study first. After taking a few steps, she noticed a black panther lying on the ground, almost blending into the darkness. She nearly stepped on it.

"...Ms. Kasha?"

The black panther looked up at her, wrapped its tail around her calf, patted it twice, and then quickly let go.

Natalia guessed that this was a greeting.

She didn't say much, just said "goodnight" and continued on her way.

She hadn't gone far when she heard Eric express the same surprise.

"Miss Kasha?"

She stopped before turning the corner and looked back.

The black panther on the ground leaped to its feet, reverted to human form in mid-air, and walked over with him.

She could hear Eric's voice more clearly.

"Hmm...it is quite tiring."

"Going out of the city to relax, at this hour? You're driving me?... Forget it, I have to meet a few nobles tomorrow."

"Where did this wine come from? Did Eileen find it for you? Well... um, I haven't been able to relax these past few days."

The two gradually drew closer.

"Your Highness?"

Eric finally spotted Natalia standing at the corner.

“I’m going the same way as Miss Kasha,” Natalia said, looking at Kasha. “Let’s go together.”

Eric nodded to the two of them. "Good night, Your Highness, Miss Kasha."

Kasha glanced at him, then at Natalia, and lowered her head.

"Good night."

Eric walked straight ahead to his room to rest.

The remaining two looked at each other. Just as Natalia was about to say something, Kasha transformed into a black panther again, leaping forward a few times and running away, completely disappearing into the night.

"..."

Natalia took a breath, rubbed her slightly throbbing forehead, and stepped into the darkness.

(End of this chapter)