The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 248 Before the Sea Spirit Festival
As Eric emerged from the monastery, he glanced back and smiled at the Archbishop of Norfolk, who was looking at him. "The Archbishop doesn't need to stay with us the whole time. We'll just wander around for a bit and then head back to the Governor's Palace."

Norfolk forced a smile. "If Your Highness isn't in a hurry, we can talk some more."

"I'm in a hurry."

"..."

Eric ignored him and looked at Natalia beside him. "Your Highness, would you like to pay your respects to Yela again?"

Natalia glanced at him. "I have prayed, for myself, for the Empire, and for Your Highness's sister and 'friends'."

Eric opened his mouth slightly, "...Then let's go straight back to the Governor's Mansion."

"it is good."

Upon arriving at the church outside, the two wandered around one last time, offering another prayer before the statue of Jera, before bidding farewell to Archbishop Norfolk and leaving the cathedral.

The church was sacred and serene, but once they walked a little further, the city's vibrancy embraced them once more.

“This old man keeps staring at me, so I can’t even whisper to the monks, nuns, or knights,” Eric sighed, his brow furrowing.

"What does Your Highness think of the Holy See's sudden offer of assistance?" Now that they were alone, Natalia asked directly.

Eric sneered, "It seems the Vatican is very confident in repelling the demons who invaded Tebuni, and also has a lot of confidence in us. They've even started to worry about the possibility of the demons being driven away by us and the Church's authority declining."

Natalia looked at him. "Your Highness once said that the Holy See seemed to be planning to remain inactive and play the role of a new 'savior' at the last minute. Is it going to give up now?"

“It seems so.” Eric frowned again. “The demons came with great force, which scared the Holy See so much that they dared not take action before. But after actually making contact, they found that the demons were not as terrible as they had imagined. They even felt that if they did not intervene, the demons would be driven back to the Demon Realm by the human alliance.”

Natalia's gaze remained fixed on his face. "Is Your Highness worried that the Holy See is underestimating the enemy?"

“Yes.” Eric nodded. “I have a feeling that the demons haven’t used their full strength yet, and our cooperation with the church is inevitable. If the church’s ideas affect the allied forces, that’s not a good thing.”

He paused, "Besides, we still have the situation of seeking help under control. Once the Vatican gets involved, it will be too easy to get out of control. Who knows how they will incite their followers in order to salvage their reputation?"

Natalia frowned. "That's what I'm worried about too. But our cooperation with the church..."

“Cooperation can take many forms, but in short, we can’t let them get involved in this for the time being,” Eric said. “Even if the Vatican directly sends a large army of knights to support the front lines, it would be more reliable than this.”

Natalia looked at him, "His Highness told the Archbishop that we'd discuss it after the Festival of the Sea Spirits..."

“Just talk, let’s stall for time.” Eric shrugged. “They’ll have to wait as long as I’ve waited in Lutia.”

She frowned and smiled slightly. "Your Highness didn't get the results while you were in Lutia."

Eric sighed, then clicked his tongue.

"Why is the church so annoying?"

Natalia's smile broadened, and she stopped looking at him, instead looking at the crowd passing by. "Who would have thought that the person who said those words was a saint from the church?"

“I am the Holy Maiden of the Empire, and only then a Cardinal of the Papacy,” Eric unconsciously uttered the words the old Holy Maiden had once warned him.

Natalia's lips curved into a smile.

“From Your Highness onwards, the Holy Maiden’s status in the Empire will surpass that of the Church itself.”

Eric gave a somewhat complicated smile. "What a big pie... but I'll eat it anyway."

"Pancakes?" Natalia looked around the bustling market but didn't see any pancakes for sale. "Is Your Highness hungry?"

Eric first shook his head, then nodded. "I am a little hungry. Let's go back to the Governor's Mansion."

"it is good……"

Before leaving, Natalia was still looking around.

Back at the governor's mansion, the two stayed in one room and continued to discuss how to deal with the church, or more accurately, how to cooperate to take the initiative.

"I think we can't drag this out for too long. Given the church's base of believers on the mainland, it would be very easy for them to incite something."

Natalia sat on the other side of the desk, her fingers interlaced, her hands slightly clasped, resting on her chin, and continued, "Just as Your Highness guessed in the monastery, if the Church launches a fundraising campaign directly under the guise of supporting the front lines, or even claims to be 'doing the same thing as Her Highness the Saint,' I think many people will not be able to distinguish the difference. It is very likely that before we even leave Westwind City, resources from all over the world will be flowing into the hands of the Church."

Eric thought for a moment, “Based on my understanding of the Vatican, especially the cardinals, they wouldn’t dare to be so direct.”

Natalia looked at him, waiting for his explanation.

Eric continued, "If they really do that, it's blatantly taking our resources. Although I don't think the Military Council will react immediately, they probably don't think so themselves. After all, the shadow left by the Imperial Army's attack on the Holy Mountain and the near annihilation of the entire Papacy is too great."

Natalia was taken aback. "I didn't know the Empire could have such a deterrent effect on the Papacy."

“Back then, you didn’t… cough, I mean, in the eyes of the Vatican, the allied forces now gathered in Lutia represent the will of the Empire. Now that the front lines have ceased hostilities, those troops could be deployed to Lessier at any time, repeating the events of that year. This is also the main reason why the Vatican wants to obtain some kind of authorization from the Empire through us.”

Natalia gazed at him intently for a moment before saying, "So, Your Highness means we don't need to worry for now?"

“We have to worry,” Eric sighed. “I’m just saying the Vatican won’t dare to openly seize resources for the time being, but who knows what other ways they’ll come up with to consolidate their authority.”

Natalia's lips moved slightly, but both of them fell silent.

Outside the window, the afterglow of the setting sun gradually enveloped the port city, and another day was about to end.

“Perhaps Your Highness should return to Lesser first?” Natalia said after a moment.

Eric looked at her, thought for a moment, and said, "It's one way, but at this time, it's very likely that once I go back, I won't be able to get out again."

Natalia was taken aback. "They dare to imprison His Highness?"

“Imprisonment is an exaggeration, but there are plenty of excuses for house arrest, especially now that the demonic soldiers are arrayed on the border of Tebuni,” Eric said, shaking his head. “If they won’t let me leave the city, do you think I can just fly out?”

Natalia pursed her lips. "We still need to resume communication, otherwise our suspicions of each other with the Vatican will only deepen."

Eric let out a breath. "After the Feast of the Sea, let's have a detailed talk with the archbishop here. With His Highness and me against that old man, it's two against one, so the advantage is on my side! At least we can get a glimpse of the Vatican's plans."

Natalia chuckled to herself.

"Ok."

The two chatted for a while longer, and then it gradually got dark.

Eric rubbed the holy flame in his hands and lit a lamp on his desk. Suddenly, there was a noise outside the window.

Kasha has returned.

She flew into his room, then returned to human form and greeted the two of them.

"Where did they go?" Eric asked.

“The port,” Kasha said, walking behind the desk and kissing him on the cheek. “It’s lively over there.”

Natalia, who was sitting on the other side of the desk, looked away and turned to look out the window.

"Yeah."

Eric noticed her expression and didn't get too intimate with Kasha. He squeezed her hand briefly and then let go.

"Natalia and I have been out all day and just got back. Didn't you see us?"

“I saw you,” Kasha said, looking at him. “You just didn’t see me.”

"Owl form?"

"Ah."

Eric chuckled. "Then you'd better say hello, otherwise how am I supposed to see you? Call out a couple of times, or throw a poop..."

Kasha covered his mouth.

"Too vulgar."

Natalia rolled her eyes as she looked out the window.

"The banquet at the Governor's residence should be ready. You may leave now."

The three of them went downstairs together, ate for a while in the restaurant, and met Governor Danvers, who was in a hurry.

"I'm sorry, Your Highnesses, I don't have time to spend with you today."

“It’s alright, Governor Danvers. We are the ones who have suddenly come to bother you. With the Festival of the Sea approaching, you must be very busy right now.”

"Busy! Really busy!"

Danvers plopped down on a cushioned chair. "Everyone wants to moor their ship in the harbor as close to the statue of the goddess as possible on the day of the festival. These past few days, captains and merchants have been lining up to see me, and I can't refuse them."

Across the table, Eric and Natalia exchanged a glance. "Is there anything to say?"

“Hmm?... Oh, I forgot, Your Highnesses came from Lutia.”

Danvers picked up his glass, took a sip, and continued, "On the day of the Sea Spirit Festival, the ship closest to the goddess statue will be blessed by the goddess for the next year. It will not encounter storms, run aground, or have its captain's throat slit by pirates from the archipelago in the middle of the night."

Eric stopped pressing for more information about whether it was truly that effective, and smiled, "I see. Then everyone definitely wants that position."

“That’s why I’m having a headache,” Danvers said, his face full of worry, but it was the worry of having control. Natalia followed up by asking, “Has Governor Danvers made a decision yet?”

"It's still early. We have to give face to everyone, but there's only one seat..."

"--It's not like there can only be one," Eric said, dipping his finger in some wine and tracing the approximate shape of the harbor on the table. "With the statue here, if we put two ships on either side of it, wouldn't those be the closest positions to the goddess statue?"

Danvers, however, said with a serious expression, "Your Highness, you cannot deceive the gods like this."

“Alright.” Eric smiled, put down his knife and fork, and clasped his hands in prayer. “It was my rudeness. Please forgive me, Goddess.”

"..."

Seeing his typical Jellalist prayer gesture, Danvers' lips twitched, but he ultimately said nothing.

The dinner continued, and Danvers had barely taken a few bites when the butler rushed over again and whispered something in his ear.

"...He arrived after dark, he thought... Never mind, let him wait for me in the study."

"Yes."

"Fine, just bring him up now."

"Yes."

After apologizing to Eric and Natalia, Danvers and the butler hurriedly left the restaurant.

"Does the sea goddess really bestow blessings?" Natalia asked in a low voice.

"I don't know, we're not in the same system."

"Ok?"

Eric sighed, "I don't know."

Natalia had only asked casually, not expecting him to actually answer anything.

“Whether it’s a blessing or not is another matter, but at least in Westwind City, there should be a lot of policy benefits, such as no need to queue for port entry and tax breaks,” Eric added. “For the owners of those large ships, this is a real ‘blessing’.”

Natalia seemed thoughtful. "But to gain this qualification, one would probably have to invest a lot. For example, money, for example..."

She looked in the direction Danvers had left, "Time and energy."

"Well, it's just like an auction. You have to spend a lot of money, but you can't spend too much, or it will be a waste... Speaking of which, I wonder if the Queen Vermeer is among the competitors."

"I guess they'll come and join in the fun."

The governor did not reappear in the restaurant until the three of them had finished eating and drinking.

“Perhaps we should find a local and ask them about the details of the Hay-ling Festival,” Eric said as they strolled in the courtyard to digest their food.

Natalia agreed.

"Let's go to the port tomorrow."

"it is good."

The next day, the three of them, including Kasha, went to Westwind Harbor for a stroll.

The festival itself is easy to find out about; just stop any vendor, show him some gold coins, and he can tell you the origins of the Sea God Festival, starting from the creation myth of Yera.

"...Stop, don't talk about that, get to the point."

Eric has been quite sensitive to creation myths these past few days. Whenever someone mentions them, he thinks of the three people still sealed away in Lutia.

"Uh……"

The vendor paused for a moment, then said, "In short, the citizens of Westwind City have decided to hold the Sea God Festival to give thanks to the goddess of the sea."

“…You’ve omitted too much!” Eric glanced sideways.

The vendor was on the verge of tears, saying, "I don't know which ones you like to hear and which ones you don't."

“Never mind.” Eric wasn’t that interested in the origins of the Poseidon Festival. “Just tell me what the festival consists of.”

This made things much simpler. The vendor explained it to him and the two people beside him who, though silent, were listening attentively. In short, it boiled down to two words: sacrifice.

Of course, it involves offering food, wine, or flowers to the sea goddess to express gratitude, rather than the living sacrifices commonly seen in cult rituals; otherwise, the Yela Church would have banned them long ago.

The governor would offer sacrifices first, followed by the city's nobles, and finally any commoner tourists who came to participate in the Sea God Festival. After the sacrifices, everyone could join in the carnival, singing and dancing until sunrise the next day.

"Does sacrifice mean throwing things into the sea?" Kasha asked.

The glint of the gold coins stopped the vendor's reproachful gaze in time.

“Although the result is the same, you can’t say that… Sacrifice is full of piety and reverence.”

Eric thought for a moment and asked, "I've heard that during the Sea Spirit Festival, the ships that are moored in the harbor closest to the goddess statue will receive the goddess's blessing. Is that true?"

The vendor gave him another look. "You seem to be quite well-informed. Do you own a boat too?"

"No."

"Well, that's true. To be precise, all ships will receive a blessing, but the closer they are, the more blessings they will receive."

"What are you talking about specifically?"

"In the coming year, shipping will be smooth and will not encounter obstacles such as storms."

"The ship closest to the Goddess Statue won't have to queue at Westwind Harbor for the next year; it can dock directly?" Eric interjected.

The vendor nodded repeatedly, praising him for being so well-informed, saying he must be a high-ranking figure, and that if he spent a little more money, he could get more down-to-earth information.

“You know a lot?” Eric looked at him.

The vendor spread his palm out, making a circular motion around himself like spreading a pancake, and said, "Not to mention faraway places, there's nothing in this port that I don't know."

“Then you don’t know him?” Natalia, who had been listening the whole time, couldn’t help but speak up.

The vendor looked at her, then at Eric, "You are...?"

“A country nobleman who just arrived a couple of days ago,” Eric chuckled.

The vendor was skeptical, but his attitude became even more respectful. Originally, it was because of the gold coins, but now it was out of awe for his mysterious identity.

"Is there anything else you'd like to ask?"

Eric thought for a moment, "How can I position my ship as close to the statue of the goddess as possible during the Hellen Festival?"

The vendor opened his mouth, "Your question is a bit too high-level... Perhaps it involves spending more money with the Governor?"

Eric chuckled.

"There are no other questions."

After saying goodbye to the vendor, the three of them continued to wander around the harbor for half a day. When they stopped by the sea to look out over the bay, Eric saw a small group of clergy in a small boat, preparing to go to inspect a large ship.

He straightened up. "I almost forgot about that person."

“Who?” Natalia asked.

"The duke's illegitimate son who came ashore with us."

Natalia paused, then nodded. "He should know quite a bit. Should we go find him?"

"He's either at the church or on some ship. If you happen to run into him, just ask him. There's no need to go looking for him."

After all, they were just a little curious.

The three of them did not see Duke Leo's illegitimate son at the port until they returned to the governor's mansion in the evening.

The following day, Eric and Natalia received an invitation from Duke Leo to visit them.

The two went to the appointment, and the Duke almost bluntly stated that he would fully support Lutia.

"Although the Leo family has accumulated some wealth over the years, I have suffered many hardships along the way, and there is not much left. However, I will give as much as I have to support Lutia!"

Natalia was pleasantly surprised.

"Of course, the future has driven away the demons... Little Natalia, your father and I are from the same generation, we watched you grow up, you can't let down the Leo family's efforts."

"of course not!"

Natalia made a confident statement, then glanced casually at the silent Eric beside her, only to find him frowning.

"Duke Leo, did you hear something from your second son who is in the church?"

(End of this chapter)