The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 257 Talks a Lot
After leaving Danvers's study, Eric left the governor's residence and went to the cathedral.

"Your Highness, you're back again?"

The church members were not so aware of their movements, so when Archbishop Norfolk saw Eric return, he was initially surprised.

After all, just over half a month ago, the Holy Maiden and her entourage left Westwind City amidst the cheers of the entire city's residents.

"Yes, I'll leave tomorrow."

"..."

Norfolk was even more bewildered, but Eric showed no intention of explaining. "Tell me about the situation in the Holy City. How many more days can it hold out?"

"Of course we can hold out until the demons are defeated!"

When faced with matters of principle, Norfolk did not dare to be ambiguous in the slightest.

Eric chuckled and continued, "I heard from the Governor's Office that all the church knights stationed in the dioceses across the continent have been urgently recalled to Leslie."

"Yes……"

"The knights I brought were also sent away by the archbishop?"

"...I was merely relaying the Papacy's orders to them." Norfolk's imposing manner unconsciously weakened. "Protecting the Holy City is the duty of the Church's knights."

"You didn't leave me a single one?" Eric looked at him. "My safety isn't important to you then?"

Norfolk wiped his brow, "Look at you, what danger could you possibly be in here..."

Eric looked at him without saying anything.

"...Of course, some church knights are still stationed in the cathedral as a precaution. Your Highness may take some with you when you depart for White Horse City."

Eric smiled. "That's what the Archbishop said."

Norfolk looked utterly helpless.

“Now tell me in detail about the situation in Lesser,” Eric continued. “I just don’t understand why, when there was only one demon army, they didn’t try to eliminate them. Now that demon reinforcements have arrived, how exactly does the Holy See plan to resolve this crisis?”

Norfolk sighed. "Your Highness, this is not the time for idle talk. All the believers are anxiously watching what's happening over there."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "According to the battle report sent yesterday, the demons have approached the outer city of Lessier. The church knights stationed in the Holy City have fought bravely and repelled three attacks by the demons in succession."

"How are the believers in the outer city doing? Have they entered the inner city, or are they still outside?" Eric asked.

“Those most virtuous and courageous believers voluntarily stayed in the outer city of Lessier to fight alongside the church knights against the demons’ attack,” Norfolk replied.

Eric thought for a moment and concluded that no matter how shameless the Papacy was, as long as the Church Knights' forces were intact, they shouldn't force unarmed civilians to help defend the city.

"What about the demons? Have they settled down outside Lesser City?" he then asked.

Norfolk couldn't explain it clearly and told him to look at the intelligence sent from Lesser himself.

"Your Highness, please sit here." Norfolk told him to sit in his seat and then brought him a large stack of intelligence.

Eric glanced at the latest battle report that had been sent yesterday. It was similar to what Norfolk had said: the demons were already closing in on Lesser, and all three of their attacks had been repelled.

He started reading the intelligence from the day he left Westwind City, proceeding chronologically.

After turning two pages, he suddenly thought of something.

"Princess Natalia is still waiting for me outside. Please ask the Archbishop to invite her in."

Norfolk hesitated, "This..."

"I think that at this time, it is far more important to protect Leslie with the help of the Empire than to protect some so-called church privacy."

"……Yes."

Soon, Natalia also arrived at the archbishop's office and looked at church intelligence with Eric.

After reviewing the information for a while, and combining it with the intelligence they had gradually gathered on the island, the two gained a clearer understanding of the specific trajectory of the battle in Tebuniti during this period.

"Raissier is not the one we should be paying attention to right now..."

Norfolk's eyelids twitched as soon as Natalia spoke. He had only let her in to see some information that was still classified by the church because he believed that the Empire's power could help Leslie.

"What's really important is how this large demon army bypassed the winged human scouts' sight and wasn't discovered until after crossing the Qifeng Mountains."

Natalia held several intelligence reports in her hands. "Before this, there was absolutely no information related to their movements."

"Break into smaller groups, move through the jungle, and then regroup before breaking out of the Qifeng Mountains?"

Eric guessed, "After all, when winged people are gathering intelligence, it is difficult for them to remain undetected. And because of the targeting by demon archers and sorcerers, they usually don't fly too low, so their reconnaissance capabilities are inevitably limited in places like forests."

Natalia frowned. "Then they may have already hidden themselves in the mountains and forests in the north. The mountains are difficult to traverse, and it would take at least a month to march from there to Tebuni.

Eric brought out a map. "Or it's another possibility: they 'borrowed' a route through Varane. Because the demons seem uninterested in the three northeastern kingdoms, our winged scouts basically don't fly there; they only focus on the main roads in the north that lead directly to Lutia."

Natalia looked at the massive mountain range on the map that stretched between the Kingdom of Varane, Grandia, and Tebunet, and thought, "The people of Varane must have noticed something."

Eric looked up at her. "Lutia won't be indifferent to these suddenly appearing demon forces. They've definitely considered the possibilities we can think of. Perhaps the new winged people they've sent out to investigate are already on their way. Let's wait for their news."

Natalia nodded.

The Archbishop of Norfolk finally found an opportunity to interject: "Before that, Your Highnesses cannot ignore the situation in the Holy City."

"Don't worry, Lessier will lose face big time, but it's impossible for it to fall."

Eric gave his conclusion directly: "The two demon forces combined are not large enough to take down Lesel, not to mention that it is the holy land of the believers of Yera on the continent. The resistance of the ordinary believers alone is enough to give the demons a hard time."

Natalia's expression darkened for a moment, though she quickly recovered and said, "Besides, the demons won't really fight to the death in Lesel. According to the Lutia Military Council's speculation, their real target is the Empire's granary, Gradia."

“Then for the safety of Grandia, the Empire should send troops to drive out or eliminate the demons currently harassing the Holy Capital,” Norfolk said.

"Come on, I didn't say I wouldn't come."

Eric glanced at him. “But it takes time to mobilize a large army, and the main force of the demons stationed in Lutia is still watching us closely. Although we are currently in a ceasefire, they will definitely launch an attack as soon as Lutia is vulnerable… In short, just wait and see.”

Norfolk sighed deeply, "How could the situation have developed to this point so quickly!"

Eric raised an eyebrow. "You're not serious, are you?"

Norfolk could already guess what his serious answer would be, and he hummed twice, unable to refute it, but sighed inwardly.

How could a saint of the church despise the church to such an extent!
He didn't look like this when he was a prospective saintess in the Holy Capital.
They were still too young after all...

Natalia remained silent, staring at the intelligence report in her hand.

Eric sat for a while, then picked up the intelligence reports. "You should all have backups of these, right? I'm taking them."

Norfolk opened his mouth, but ultimately couldn't stop it.

"Your Highness, please take care..."

"Ah."

Eric waved casually, then stopped and said, as if remembering something, "I should have said earlier that I'm leaving Westwind City tomorrow morning for White Horse City in Cogano."

Norfolk paused, then said, "Then tomorrow at the cathedral will be for His Highness..."

“No need to see them off.” Eric shook his head. “However, those church knights I’m taking with me should prepare for a long journey.”

"……Yes."

It was already dark when we left the cathedral.

Even though they had only been gone for a little over half a month, the night wind was much cooler than when they had participated in the Sea Spirit Festival here before; it was even a bit cold.

Eric rubbed his arms. "Does Your Highness feel cold?"

Natalia snapped out of her daze and shook her head. "It's alright."

"Still thinking about the war in Thebuni?"

She pursed her lips, then nodded: "The appearance of that demonic reinforcement is hard to ignore."

Eric took a deep breath of the damp, cold harbor air. "It's hard to deny that when the demons proposed a ceasefire, we inevitably became a little complacent."

Natalia wholeheartedly agreed, "especially the Church."

Eric sighed. "Now that the church members aren't here, let's not badmouth them. It's already embarrassing enough that the Holy City was besieged."

Natalia turned to look at him and gave a short laugh.

"Back to the Governor's Mansion?"

"You can also go for a walk in the port."

"I'm a little tired," she sighed softly.

"Then let's go back."

Back at the governor's mansion, he stayed in the same room as before. After a good night's sleep, Eric was woken up by the governor's maid before dawn the next morning.

"So early……"

Eric quickly regained his senses, thanked the maid who had been startled by his morning grumpiness, and hurriedly got up to wake Natalia next door.

Before the sun had even risen, the two had already ridden to the camp outside the north gate of Westwind City. The fishmen who had been transported here from the Archipelago Kingdom were preparing to depart.

The two made no other move, simply watching from outside the camp without even dismounting. The fishmen filed out of the camp in neat rows, marching towards Lutia.

The procession was escorted by fully armed Westwind City cavalry at the front, rear, and flanks.

“Given the current situation, I think we need to speed up the recruitment of merfolk,” Natalia said, her long hair fluttering in the morning breeze.

“We can’t rush things,” Eric said. “Haste makes waste, and the actual situation isn’t that bad.”

Natalia looked at him. "Does Your Highness think so?"

“Hmm.” Eric looked at her and nodded.

She felt more at ease.

Once the first batch of merfolk had all left the camp and marched far away, the two of them didn't linger. They turned around and headed back into the city.

By the time we returned to the Governor's Palace, the sun had risen.

After waking Kasha, making some preparations for departure, and saying goodbye to Danvers, the three of them left.

Upon arriving at the cathedral, the knights that the archbishop had promised to bring for him were already in place. They were basically the same men he had brought all the way from Lutia, but their numbers were reduced by half; those who had left were people who had joined along the way.

"Your Highness."

“Alright, at least you’re still here.” Eric looked at them. “Lessell is in danger, but not too much. I’ll go back to the Holy City, but not now.”

"Yes!"

The dozen or so knights had no objections and followed his orders without question.

"lets go."

Starting from Westwind City, it takes about four or five days to travel by horse to Whitehorse City in the province of Cogano.

As Eric once again rode along the Empire's Heroes' Road, he couldn't help but feel a little nostalgic. Natalia felt the same way. When they stopped for their first rest at noon, she said, "I remember when we first left Lutia."

“Actually, we are closer to Lutia now than we were a month ago,” Eric said.

“Really…that makes sense. We went on a long detour to the west and now we’re back.” Natalia’s mind conjured up a map of the empire.

Eric looked in a certain direction, "We're getting closer to Oren City now."

"Does Your Highness wish to go home for a visit?"

"That's not necessary."

After resting, the group continued their journey.

The entire province of Kus is mostly plains. A large river originating from Otville flows through this area and empties into the sea. Passing by the river signifies that they have moved from North Kus to South Kus.

The stone bridge over the river is nearly 100 meters long and has been weathered and worn. However, perhaps because it is close to Xifeng City and is an important trade route connecting other provinces by land, traces of maintenance can be seen everywhere on the stone bridge.

Eric slowed down slightly. "Your Highness, this is the great river we saw outside Heath."

"I remember."

Natalia looked down at the wide river below. "His Highness said that jumping into that river was the fastest way to reach Westwind City."

Did I say that?

Eric chuckled. "It's a pity that while the river is quite wide, it's rather shallow. Otherwise, with the development of inland waterway transportation, Heath City would be far more prosperous than it is now."

Natalia looked down and up the river, then down, and asked, "What if we dredge it and deepen the riverbed?"

Eric paused for a moment, then said, “That would be a huge undertaking. Once the demons are driven away, Your Highness can propose this to Her Majesty the Queen… Hmm, those retired merman mercenaries can be brought here for re-employment.”

Natalia laughed. "I'll remember that."

“Since this river originates from Otwell, let our Chimino family take on this project. The Imperial Central Government only needs to allocate the funds.”

"If we dig it into a canal, all the benefits will be yours?"

"Your Highness, what are you saying? What we have belongs to the Empire."

"Will 100% of the revenue generated by this canal be handed over to the state?"

"It's possible... but how much revenue we make each year is up to us, just like how the various provinces dealt with the imperial family before."

"...Your Highness Eric, you're talking too much."

The river reflects the sky, and the forests on both sides, having shed their lush greenery of spring and summer, are now a riot of colors.

"It suddenly occurred to me that Lutia's prosperity might simply stem from its very nature."

"All roads lead to Lutia. Although there are no canals, the Hero's Avenue, which connects every corner of the empire, originated in Lutia, so its prosperity is inevitable."

After crossing the stone bridge, the group picked up their pace again.

When we stopped again, it was already dark, and the stars were visible overhead.

"Fortunately, there is a place to rest here, otherwise we would have had to sleep in the wild on the first day after leaving Westwind City."

The service area offered food, drink, and lodging. After having dinner, Eric and Natalia found a tavern where winged people were staying to inquire about information, or rather, just listen.

"Nothing has changed."

"Ah."

The two stood outside the crowd and listened for a while before Kasha returned.

The service area is right next to a forest, and after dinner, she went in alone to enjoy nature.

Eric removed the red leaf from her hair, held it in his hand, and looked at it. "Are the animals in the forest all preparing for winter?"

“Some of the small animals have already started hibernating,” Kasha said with a smile, and Eric guessed she had already told them.

"Hibernating so early?"

“Do you want to go take a look?” Kasha took his hand. “In some places, the fallen leaves have piled up, and it’s very comfortable to lie on. We can sleep there.”

Eric glanced at the silent Natalia beside him and said, "We can go check, but let's not go to sleep. If they suddenly find out I haven't returned to the inn in the middle of the night, the knights will be worried."

Kasha tilted her head, as if to suggest that she greet them first, but she didn't say anything.

"Would Your Highness like to come along and take a look?" Eric asked Natalia.

She clearly hadn't expected Eric to invite her. She glanced at them, then looked towards the dark area outside the light. "Now?"

"Your Highness doesn't need to wander through the forest by yourself; Kasha will guide you."

"And what about His Highness himself?" Natalia asked.

She was suddenly startled, because a golden light flashed in Eric's eyes.

“I can keep up.”

In a secluded corner outside the tavern, Kasha transformed into a reindeer. It was Natalia's first time riding one, and holding her antlers, it was hard for her not to be nervous.

Eric offered a few words of comfort and told Kasha not to run too fast, then followed them into the forest.

Darkness enveloped her, the wind whistled in her ears, and soft, delicate branches brushed against her arms. Natalia crouched low and glanced back. Eric followed closely, seemingly still having energy to spare.

After running for a while, Kasha stopped in the woods and turned his head.

"Come down, Your Highness." Eric helped Natalia down, and at the same time turned on the illumination spell.

Kasha reverted to human form, quickly climbed up a nearby tree, rummaged through a hole in the tree, and then quietly jumped down to show the two of them.

"A squirrel?" Eric looked at the small animal sleeping peacefully in her palm, but it didn't quite seem like it.

“The spotted dormouse,” Kasha said, “one of the small animals that begins to hibernate at this time of year.”

The tiny dormouse passed from her palm to Eric's, and then to Natalia's.

"Won't it wake up if we play with it like this?"

"It won't happen if you're asleep."

After playing with the dormouse for a while, Kasha returned it to its tree hole and then led the two to a place where fallen leaves had accumulated.

Lying down on the soft fallen leaves, gazing at the starry sky above her, shattered by the branches and leaves, Natalia felt as if she were dreaming.

(End of this chapter)