The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 247 West Wind City

Before dawn.

Kasha, who goes to bed early and wakes up early, transformed into an owl, flew out of the window, quickly turned a corner, and flew into the room next door.

Eric lay sprawled on the bed, reeking of alcohol, and it would probably be a long time before he woke up.

She returned to human form, turned him over, kissed him on the cheek, and flew out of the window again.

After a brief pause, she flew into the other window next to his and looked out. Natalia wasn't in bed; instead, she was lying on her desk with a letter in her hand.

Like Eric, she reeked of alcohol.

The owl landed on her shoulder and glanced at the letter in her hand.

Aunt Natalia, when will you come back...?

It gently pecked her shoulder, trying to get her to go back to bed, but she didn't respond.

With a little force, Natalia only turned her head slightly.

Kasha had no choice but to revert to human form, cast a power-enhancing natural spell on herself, and drag her onto the bed.

"Well……"

Natalia was half-awake in the middle of the night. She opened her eyes, looked at her, tilted her head, and fell asleep again.

After placing her on the bed, Kasha cast a spell on her to relieve her hangover headache before leaving her room.

Oh, and Eric too...

Never mind, let's talk about it when we get back. He's still not awake.

Kasha held onto the windowsill, leaped upwards, and his body transformed back into a bird mid-flight, gliding down from the high-rise building.

Because transforming into a ground animal in the city would attract too much attention and occasionally scare people, after Eric reminded her, she would basically only transform into an owl or a crow in crowded places.

Recently, especially after talking with the druid navigator on that big ship, she found herself genuinely enjoying the feeling of flying.

She also shared her feelings with Eric, who said he was envious, but she sensed he was more disappointed.

With a flap of her wings, she flew out of the governor's mansion. Kasha then flapped her wings repeatedly, rising into the air and looking around at the city below, which was still unfamiliar to her.

She decided to first go to the port where she landed yesterday.

Gliding straight through the air, Kasha landed on the shoulder of the tall statue of the sea goddess standing in the harbor.

The sun had not yet risen, but the port was already bustling with activity, with sailors, vendors, and merchants moving about everywhere.

The land was not dark; two huge, bright streetlights illuminated the harbor, even obscuring shadows.

Kasha looked more and more closely and felt that the two dazzling orbs of light were very similar to the illumination spell cast by Eric. Upon closer inspection, she found that they were indeed replenished in real time by the clergy of the Church of Yela, and there were just ordinary stone pillars underneath.

However, the streetlights only illuminated the port and docks; the sea remained dark, but there were quite a few small boats shuttling back and forth, most of which carried only a single oil lamp that couldn't illuminate very far.

Kasha flew over and landed on the bow of one of the small boats.

"Oh ho! Uncle, look, an owl!"

"Watch out ahead! If we crash into someone's boat, I'll either drown you or I'll kill you!"

"……Yes."

The young boatman turned back, glanced at the owl that had just landed on the bow, and then looked at the dark but noisy sea in front of him.

Kasha didn't move his body, but turned his head to look at the few people on the small boat: a young boatman, a middle-aged man, and another person who was dressed much better than them, probably a businessman.

There were also two wooden crates on the small boat, which looked quite heavy because the boat was drafting deep.

She seemed to smell a unique fragrance, so she flew to the wooden box and took a closer sniff.

“You startled me… Mr. Kepper, it seems this owl is also interested in your spices.”

"If it brings me a gold coin, I wouldn't mind giving it a small spoonful of spices."

"Haha! But this bird is quite rare. Did it fly in from somewhere else with the ship?"

"I knew it! This owl..."

"Damn it, look ahead! How many times do I have to tell you?!"

"……Yes."

Humans always seem to argue over the most trivial and inexplicable things...

Oh, she's human too.

Kasha lost interest in the spices in the chest and the small boat. He flapped his wings and flew up again, landing on the mast of a large ship next to him. He then discovered that many sailors were asleep on the deck, snoring loudly.

She didn't stop, but continued flying towards another large ship further from the shore, where she found the scene to be completely different. The sailors were not resting, but were busy hoisting boxes of cargo from the small boat.

The small boat where she had briefly stopped was also waiting in line on the outside.

Kasha stopped on the figurehead and watched them busy themselves. A moment later, a huge seabird landed behind her and stared intently at her.

It is a sister sect of the natural religion.

She thrashed to the bow of the ship, reverted to human form, and chatted briefly with the druid navigator who had also reverted to human form, explaining that she was just passing by and had no other intentions.

Which ship did you come on?

"Hmm...The Empress?"

"...Does this ship even exist? So far, only one empress has appeared."

"have it."

After chatting for a while, Kasha noticed that some crew members had taken notice of the bow of the ship. Not wanting to interact with strangers, she quickly said goodbye and flew away as an owl again.

After circling the numerous ships docked at Westwind Harbor, Kasha flew back to the port as the sky gradually brightened.

The sun is about to rise.

She perched on the shoulder of the Ocean Goddess statue, watching the sun slowly emerge from the eastern horizon, casting its light in all directions.

The dock below became even more lively after dawn. Kasha felt that as soon as she looked up at the rising sun, the number of people on the dock instantly doubled, shoulder to shoulder, as if they had appeared out of nowhere.

In the bay, many small boats rowed towards the shore, carrying vendors or prostitutes;

On the shore, box after box of goods were loaded onto the docked large ships, or delivered little by little by small boats to those large ships that could not dock.

Some clergymen were lining up to board small boats to inspect a large ship that was about to dock, while a navigator's small boat, with bulging pockets on both sides, was passing by them.

Kasha felt she had stayed at the dock long enough, so she flapped her wings, took flight, and flew towards the other side of the city, towards the suburban woods that became clear after the sunrise.

She knew she wouldn't stay here, but seeing the more welcoming woods, she found it hard to resist the urge to go in and explore.

Flying over cities and city walls, and reaching the somewhat barren suburban forest, Kasha landed and immediately transformed back into a reindeer, landing on all fours and feeling the sense of security brought by the solid earth.

She ran wildly through the woods, from one end to the other, skimming through the leaves, stepping on stones and drinking from the stream, galloping around the entire area before finally stopping on a high slope, looking around regretfully.

The grove was too small; she ran around it and didn't see a single decent animal.

However, the forests around big cities are mostly like this, so although it was a pity, she was not surprised.

Sensing that Eric, who was drunk, was almost sober, Kasha transformed into a bird again and flew towards the city.

As she passed the tallest mage tower in the city, she deliberately circled the top of the tower, only to find a moon elf standing at the entrance, gazing at the entire city.

As she flew by, the moon fairy's gaze followed her, as if she could tell that she was no ordinary bird.

The moon elf archmage Eric met yesterday must be her?
However, she looked to be in her thirties or forties, but she was in a lifeless state. Kasha did not dare to linger or get close, and flew straight to the governor's mansion.

As she flew toward Eric's window, she saw from afar that he was already awake, sitting on the bed, covering his head.

She flew straight in.

"..."

Seeing Kasha burst in like an angry bird and then suddenly transform back into human form and pounce on his bed, Eric could hardly deny that he was startled by the unexpected turn of events, and even his hangover headache subsided a bit.

"……Good morning."

Kasha couldn't stop in time and rolled from one end of the bed to the other. Eric quickly reached out and grabbed her, preventing her from falling off the bed. She seemed to still have morning dew on her body; he wondered where she had gone so early in the morning.

After Kasha settled in, she first cast a spell to cure his hangover.

"Thank you... When I woke up, I was thinking that maybe I couldn't stop last night because I knew you would help me get rid of my hangover."

Kasha just smiled and then told him about what she had seen and heard during her morning walk.

"The port is so lively so early in the morning? ... It's probably because it's the Sea God Festival in a few days. It's said that the port is emptied on that day to pray and offer sacrifices to the sea god."

After Eric went to wash up, Kasha went back to her room.

Natalia didn't sleep too late when she woke up. When Eric saw her, she looked refreshed and didn't seem like she had drunk too much the night before.

"Has His Highness already met with Kasha?"

"No."

"Then how did you..."

“I don’t know either.” Natalia was quite bewildered, completely forgetting her brief awakening in the early morning.

"I guess once you drink a certain amount of alcohol, you'll awaken this kind of constitution," Eric started to speculate. "Being able to drink a thousand cups without getting drunk."

Although she knew he was joking, Natalia denied it.

"That's too dangerous, Your Highness. Do you remember what we said before the banquet started?"

Eric thought for a moment, "'Your Highness's formal attire is truly beautiful'?"

Natalia stared at him expressionlessly.

"Okay, I remember. I was the one who said I should drink less alcohol."

Eric coughed lightly. "But that's how banquets are. Unless you don't drink at all, once you drink the first glass, you'll drink the tenth... especially last night, when we were the center of attention at that banquet."

"It's good that Your Highness still remembers." Natalia walked to the window and quietly touched her flushed cheeks.

"But it wasn't all for nothing. We drank so much and closed quite a few deals... Damn it, am I a salesman?"

"What?" Natalia didn't hear the second half of his muttered sentence.

“I said that quite a few people have proactively brought up the issue of aid with us, which is a good sign,” Eric said.

Natalia nodded. "It's a pity we have to prepare for the Sea Spirit Festival these days, otherwise we could strike while the iron is hot and save a lot of effort."

"In that case, it seems we should postpone our landing by a few days."

"Hmm...that's true, but I don't want to stay at sea anymore."

The two looked at each other, then remained silent.

Nothing much happened these past few days. During the day, Eric and Natalia did what they had planned when they first arrived yesterday: to wander around Westwind City.

As one of the major cities in "Thorns of the Crown", Eric was quite familiar with this place. Although some places were different from what he had seen before, they still surprised Natalia a lot, making her feel that he had also set foot here last year.

"Although it's only a few days' journey from there, we've never actually been here before... Looking back now, it was quite rushed. We went to Castelfel, then back to Dorne, and after that, it was basically just a straight line between Tallinn and the Ancient Battlefield. We didn't go anywhere else."

"Although it was only half a year, I can sense that Your Highness misses that time very much."

Eric thought for a moment, “Probably because during that time, besides improving my strength, I didn’t need to think about too many other things. The demons in the North were also being personally watched over by Princess Natalia, whom I trust most, at the border.”

Natalia glanced at him impassively. "Looking back now, I was just staring there."

"Don't say that. Without Your Highness or anyone from the border, the situation would be even worse... Let's not talk about that. Does Your Highness know who runs that artisan workshop up ahead?"

Natalia took a breath and brought her attention back to what was in front of her.

"Is Your Highness about to demonstrate your ability to foresee the future again?"

"Take a guess."

After wandering around Westwind City for almost a day, Eric deliberately headed towards the cathedral in the afternoon, and the two entered the church together as evening approached.

Even though the statue of the sea goddess instead of Yera sits on the harbor dock, there are still many believers who come to pray. Eric and his group are probably similar to the citizens of Sunset City, with the motto "I believe in everything."

Upon seeing the statue of Yera deep within the church again, Eric could hardly help but recall what the moon elf archmage had told him the day before.

"...Yera devoured another divine twin within her mother Nokot's body, and thus was born with boundless wisdom and limitless power."

"If 'us' heard this, it would be considered blatant heresy..."

Eric prayed before the statue for a while, and because of his sister, he prayed more earnestly than he had ever done on his journey south.

Whether it's true or false, let them come out as soon as possible...

Natalia watched from the side and saw that he had his eyes closed, his hands clenched tightly, and he was praying more earnestly than the ordinary believers. She was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood what he was thinking.

She sighed silently and began to pray again.

As he finished praying, Eric saw Archbishop Norfolk of the province of Cusí, smiling at him from the side.

He came specifically to visit the archbishop and learn about the current situation of the Holy See, especially the actual situation of the current battle against the demons.

"Your Highness, Your Highness the Grand Princess, you two have probably never been to our monastery before. Let me show you around."

"Yes, Archbishop of Norfolk."

Eric readily agreed, while Natalia was slightly surprised to be invited. Although she was of noble status, she had no connection with the church, and the two of them clearly seemed to have some private church matters to discuss.

She didn't refuse and followed the Archbishop of Norfolk, walking with Eric towards the monastery area behind the church.

"This must be the first time the two princes have come to Westwind City?"

"Not to mention Westwind City, even Kuss is here for the first time."

"Oh? I've heard about the reputation Your Highness made on the ancient battlefield last year. Didn't you take the opportunity to visit Kus?"

"..."

Even though Eric himself was a little proud of last year's results, the words sounded completely different coming from a high-ranking member of the church, leaving him speechless.

"Let's get to the point, Archbishop, was the Papacy's army in Thebuni utterly destroyed by the demons?"

"Cough, cough, cough!"

The Archbishop of Norfolk coughed several times, choked by his vulgarity.

"Look at what Your Highness is saying... The Holy See's army of knights is evenly matched with the demons, and it's only a matter of time before the invaders are completely wiped out."

"Is that so? Did the archbishop specifically invite Princess Natalia over just because he felt bad making her wait outside?" Eric asked again.

Norfolk paused for a moment, then looked at Natalia, "We have summoned Her Highness the Grand Princess because we have something to say to you."

Natalia looked at him as well, "Then please be direct, Archbishop."

Norfolk led the two to the quiet courtyard inside the monastery before speaking: "Your Highnesses went south to seek help and, although you have gained much, you must have encountered quite a few obstacles as well."

Eric paused, already guessing what he was about to say.

"Does the archbishop mean that the church can eliminate this resistance for us? Or, to put it another way, can the church mobilize its resources to raise funds for the front lines on our behalf?"

Norfolk was still not used to his bluntness, but he did not deny it.

"The specifics are not yet clear, but this is the general idea Your Highness conveys... As a saint of the Holy See, how could you forget to seek help from the Holy See at a time like this?"

"..."

Natalia saw Eric take a breath, his lips almost pressed into a straight line—a familiar sight to her, usually a sign he was about to unleash a very harsh insult.

She quickly spoke up, "Your Highness sought help from the Holy See many times while defending Lutia, but we did not receive your support until Lutia was almost lost."

"Times have changed..." the archbishop said vaguely. "Our church has its strengths and weaknesses, and what Your Highnesses need right now is precisely what we excel at."

“Since the Vatican has this intention, I will consider it.” Eric’s words were at least not swearing, and Natalia secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

The archbishop also breathed a sigh of relief, "Then..."

"Things change, and I'm busy too," Eric clicked his tongue. "Let's talk about it after the Sea Spirit Festival."

(End of this chapter)