The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 269 Rusty

Having not eaten or drunk anything all day, Rusdy felt a little dizzy when he looked away from the deep purple crystal in front of him.

He stood up, stretched his aching and weak body, and his gaze fell on the cold food beside him.

This food was delivered by a nearby tavern. He didn't want to waste time walking back and forth, so after settling here, he asked the tavern owner to deliver food twice a day, at noon and in the evening.

Although he often forgot to eat, especially after Simagu brought him that charming little gadget...

No.

Rusdy struggled to look away from the crystal on the table; if he continued to be so absorbed, his body would break down.

Has the evening's portion not been delivered yet?
Rusdy glanced out the window; it was already dusk.

It wasn't completely dark yet, and he might have to wait a while longer, but after not eating or drinking all day, his stomach was already growling.

Although the food was cold, it wasn't inedible, especially since he was a mage.

Rusdy opened his palm, and a ball of flame rose up and pulsed steadily.

He picked up a piece of roasted lamb chop and grilled it over the fire.

Just then, an announcement came from outside.

"Master Rusdy, dinner is here."

Rusdy immediately abandoned his idea of ​​further processing the information and said, "Come in."

A short while later, a hooded figure with sallow skin entered the hut carrying a food box and placed dinner in front of him.

As his gaze swept over the deep purple crystal hanging on the table, a hint of fear flashed across his face, and he subconsciously pulled away a little.

“Master Rusdy, you’ve been staring at this fragment of soul crystal for over a month now.”

He brought up the suggestion he'd made countless times before, saying, "Come back to the Demon Realm with us now. Master Xinmagu has already prepared countless crystal fragments for you to study."

"Don't bite off more than you can chew. Do you demons understand the meaning of this saying?"

Rusdy looked at the demon sorcerer disguised as a dark elf in front of him and said, "I haven't even figured out how to study this small piece of crystal yet. What use would it be to give me more?"

The demon's face turned cold. "If it weren't for Xinmagu's insistence that we not use curses on you, you probably wouldn't have dared to speak to me in that tone just now, and you wouldn't have even dared to have that thought."

"Don't make it sound like you're being too polite to me."

Despite being threatened face-to-face by a demon, Rusdy showed no fear. "What you're doing now is no different from imprisoning me."

The demon sorcerer looked at him coldly: "This is not imprisonment, but a reminder not to waste your time. Stop your useless research and come back to the North with us."

Rusdy leaned back. "Then you wait."

"..."

The demon sorcerer pointed at Rusdy, black energy billowing from his finger, but he managed to restrain himself from throwing the curse in Rusdy's face.

"—Is it ready yet?"

The tavern waiter who brought the food was urging them again, "Just take out the food box, we'll clean up whatever's left inside, or you can let me in to clean it up."

"If you urge me again, I'll kill you!"

The demon sorcerer roared outside, grabbed the lunchbox that had been delivered at noon, and prepared to go out.

"Wait a minute," Rusdy called out to him.

He turned around, and Rusdy tossed the roasted lamb chop he was holding onto the food box.

"..."

After another period of difficult endurance, the demon sorcerer carried the food box out and threw it directly in front of the tavern waiter who was running errands.

The waiter didn't dare say anything more, picked up the food box and the food scattered on the ground, and walked out along the increasingly dark alley.

Before he could even leave, he suddenly cried out in surprise.

"what!"

The sorcerer squinted, looking towards the corner of the alley, wondering if the demon warriors who had come with him were trying to scare him again.

He was getting annoyed guarding Rusdy inside, and they had been standing guard outside for over a month, so their moods weren't much better either.

—Especially since the other demon warriors were fighting bloody battles on the front lines, striving for military merit and honor.

But after waiting for a while, there was no further movement outside.

"Azaria!" the sorcerer called out the name of one of the demon warriors, but received no response.

"Kalebo!"

Still no response.

"You'd better know your place and who you can joke with." The sorcerer's voice turned cold as he walked over.

After walking a few steps, a strong stench of blood filled the air.

He was startled and turned to run. In the instant he turned, he caught a glimpse of a figure with a golden light shining on its face appearing around the corner.

Before he could react, the figure had already appeared in front of him and swiftly severed his hand holding the staff with a single sword strike.

"what!"

The scream lasted only a brief moment before a heavy punch landed on his chest and abdomen, causing him to almost convulse and collapse in agony.

After he fell to the ground, he saw four or five more figures rush into the alley.

"Check the surrounding area."

As Eric gave his instructions, he also quickly scanned every visible corner, searching for potential demon guards.

"Yes!" Several knights who had followed also rushed into the alley.

“Leave someone to watch over it.”

Eric kicked the demon sorcerer on the ground again, and was about to say something when a person walked out of the small house in front of them, staring at them in disbelief.

"Who are you people...?"

“Rusdy?” Eric had already guessed his identity.

"Who are you people?" Rusdy asked again, but his voice was now more wary.

But the figure in the darkness uttered a name he hadn't expected: "Molly sent me to rescue you."

“Molly? Where is Molly? How did she know I was here?” Rusdy pressed.

“There’s no time to explain now.” Eric approached him. “There might still be demons nearby. We need to move immediately.”

The light in the room shone on his face, and Rusdy realized he was far too young. "Who exactly are you?"

“Eric. Eric Chiminno, the contemporary saint.” Eric sheathed his longsword. “Master Rusdy, please leave with me immediately.”

"...Saintess?"

Rusdy was taken aback, but quickly agreed.

"I have some things to take with me!"

Eric went in to help tidy up and immediately noticed the deep purple crystal hanging on the table.

Rusdy noticed his gaze and quickly put the crystal in a wooden box. Eric realized that he hadn't touched the crystal at all during the whole process.

"We also need to take some important research findings with us..."

Rusdy pointed to the bookshelf, which was full of books and notes.

"Take only the most important ones!" Eric grabbed a few books and shoved them into his hand. "I only brought five people with me; we can't handle too many demons, understand?"

"Give me three minutes!" Rusdy quickly started selecting from his notes.

A knight rushed into the room. "Your Highness, the surrounding area has been searched, and no other demons have been found so far."

"Maintain vigilance and prepare for evacuation."

"Yes!"

Eric glanced at Rusdy, who was busy tidying up, and went outside, ordering the knight to drag the demon sorcerer whose hand had been cut off over.

He drew his sword and pressed it against its neck. "How many of you are here?"

The sudden impact caused the sorcerer to faint for a short while, but he was roused from his daze. When Eric asked him questions, he just stared at him coldly without saying a word.

"Stop the bleeding."

Eric slapped it again, knocking it unconscious, and then ordered the knight to tie up the sorcerer and take him away.

Back in the cabin, Rusdy had already packed up the research notes he wanted to take with him.

"Let's go."

As Rusdy left the hut and walked out of the alley, he couldn't help but hold his breath when he saw the demon warriors lying haphazardly on the ground.

Although it was already dark, they couldn't stay in McPhee Castle any longer. Eric had Rusdy mount his horse, and together with the knights, they left the city overnight. After traveling for more than two hours, they finally found a relatively secluded corner in the wilderness to stop and rest.

They had been traveling all day, and their horses were exhausted. The knights quickly lit a campfire, glanced at the sorcerer who had been thrown to the ground—Eric ignored him for the time being—and looked at the preoccupied Rusdy.

"Master Rusdy, have you returned to your residence near Xingyuan Academy this past year?"

Throughout the journey, Rusdy hadn't uttered a single word, and Eric, busy on his way, hadn't spoken to him either. This master of soul research was still largely unaware of him.

Upon hearing his question, Rusdy looked at him and then said no.

"You'll never see the letter Molly left for you," Eric said.

Rusdy took a deep breath. "Holy Maiden... Your Highness, what is your relationship with Molly, and why did you come to save me?"

“That’s a long story.” Eric patted himself down and found a letter that Molly had left behind before they parted ways, then handed it to Rusdy.

"This is a letter from Molly to you. It has her magical mark on it. Read it first, and then we can talk."

Rusdy took the letter with some skepticism, then reached out to feel the magic attached to it; it was indeed from his student.

Looking at the content above again, he gradually frowned.

"'Trust Eric, put the big picture first'? Is that something Molly would say? How many gold coins did you give her?"

Eric paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

“People grow and change, Master Rusdy. You haven’t seen Molly for over a year now, and she has changed more than you can imagine.”

Rusdy looked at him, then looked at the letter in his hand again.

“The magic mark on it is indeed from Molly… Okay, I believe you are someone she truly trusts, and I should be able to trust you too.”

Eric bowed slightly, thanking him for his trust.

"Where's Molly? Didn't she come with you?" Rusdy asked again.

Eric paused for a moment. "She's at the Lutia Magic Academy right now, facing a little trouble, but she's not in danger."

Rusdy's eyes widened. "Could it be that she was also sealed in that academy?"

Eric was speechless.

It turns out he's quite well-informed even though he lives in this small town.

“Yes.” Eric quickly admitted, “I asked a moon elf archmage, and he can confirm that she is not in any danger, but we don’t know when she will be able to come out.”

Rusdy stared blankly for a long while before finally speaking: "Could this be some kind of mysterious magic created by the moon elves?"

“That’s one way to put it,” Eric said. “My sister and another friend are also sealed away in the Lutia Magic Academy. I wouldn’t joke about their safety, but that’s all I know.”

Rusdy looked up at him.

“Let’s talk about you, Master, first.” Eric’s gaze fell on the wooden box he had been holding.

Rusdy narrowed his eyes. "You already know what this is?"

“I don’t know,” Eric shook his head, “but I guess it was given to you by Simmagu.”

Rusdy nodded, glancing at the ground behind him. "He had this demon sorcerer bring it to me, saying I would definitely be interested, and using this as an invitation for me to go to the Northern Demon Realm to join his research."

"When did these demons find you?" Eric asked.

“A little over a month ago,” Rusdy replied.

It had been a month, and Eric was both relieved and somewhat surprised that he had managed to intercept Rusdy. "Master Rusdy, are you not interested in Simmagu's proposal at all?"

"Of course I'm interested, but I don't want to die yet."

Rusdy looked down at the wooden box he was holding. "Let me go to the Northern Demon Realm? What a joke. He'd be more likely to come here to find me himself."

A very realistic reason.

Eric couldn't help but reflect on why he had previously thought that Rusdy couldn't refuse Simagu's invitation.

His gaze also fell on the wooden box.

"Master Rusdy, do you know what this is?"

"A magical soul energy."

Rusdy opened the box, letting the deep purple crystal inside see the light again. The campfire flickered and reflected in it, and he looked completely mesmerized.

"Pure, violent, containing destructive power. I don't know where Sinmag got it from. What he wants me to do is remove the violent parts that drive people mad... To be honest, every time I look at this crystal, I can't bring myself to refuse Sinmag."

pat.

Eric reached out and closed the wooden box for him.

"..."

Rusdy paused for a moment, then came to his senses and said, "But once I'm fully awake, I'll have to consider my own safety."

"This is the soul power left behind by the old Demon King. Its source is naturally the countless beings he slaughtered during the Dark Ages, including humans, elves, dwarves, orcs, and so on," Eric said, explaining the real reason why the Demon King Rasimmagus joined his ranks and why Rasimmagus extended an olive branch to him.

"After all, in the study of the soul, Master Rusdy is at the forefront of the entire continent."

Just as Rusdy was about to say something, a series of rapid hoofbeats came from not far away.

He suddenly tensed up, and Eric immediately stood up, drew his sword, and said, "Prepare to fight."

The knights rose to their feet, ready for battle.

When the group of people approached on horseback, Eric realized that they were not demon pursuers, but a band of human bandits.

"...What do you people do?"

The bandits approached menacingly, only to discover that the group around the campfire was not a group of unfortunate merchants or travelers with nowhere to go, but a band of armed men who looked even more formidable than themselves. Their momentum immediately plummeted.

Eric opened his mouth, thought for a moment, but couldn't think of anything to answer them.

What came to mind were all the things he had seen and heard on his way into Castelfell.

Golden light appeared in his eyes.

"Eradicate all evil."

"Yes!"

Eric and several knights rushed out and surrounded the group of more than a dozen bandits.

A few minutes later, Eric spurred his horse and hacked down the last bandit who tried to escape. He then pulled on the reins and looked back at the campfire a few hundred meters away.

“Drag the bodies of these bandits to the campfire and pile them up.”

"Yes, Your Highness."

Back by the campfire, Eric looked at Rusdy and asked, "Where were we?"

Rusdy looked at him, then at the pile of bandit corpses that the church knights had dragged nearby. "You said... Sinmag needs me to help him study the power left behind by the old demon king, in order to help the current demon king prolong his life."

“That’s right.” Eric nodded. “So no matter what, I can’t let the demons get their hands on Master Rusdy. Let’s go somewhere else, somewhere the demons can’t touch right now, like Westwind City or Sunset City. You can continue your research there, including this thing.”

He gestured with his eyes to the wooden box he was holding.

"I will find someone to protect your safety and provide you with everything you need."

Rusdy looked at him, somewhat puzzled. "You also need my research? Otherwise, killing me directly wouldn't be the simplest and easiest option?"

"Your thinking is too Castelfair."

Eric shook his head. "No matter what, I am a saint and I would not kill innocent people indiscriminately."

Rusdy glanced subconsciously at the pile of bandit corpses that had already reached two meters high.

Eric pretended not to see it. "Besides, you are Molly's teacher and adoptive father. If I had a choice, I certainly wouldn't kill you."

He paused, then said, "And the master wasn't wrong, I do need your theories on soul research. To be precise, it's the mages of the empire who need them. I think you've figured out how to add soul impact to spells to cause deeper, more irresistible damage."

"..."

Rusdy narrowed his eyes. "Molly told you this?...No, she doesn't care about my research and has no idea about this. How did you find out?"

Eric simply looked at him and said, "Continue your research until it attracts the attention of the gods, and you will find the answer."

Rusdy fell silent, and Eric did not urge him.

After a long pause, he exhaled, "Since you said you would fully support my research, I can't think of any reason to refuse."

Eric smiled and said, "We will stay in Castelfel for a while to see if we can recruit some mages and alchemists to support the front lines in the north against the demons."

“Here, as long as you pay, there’s no one you can’t recruit,” Rusdy said.

Eric nodded. "I think so too. But we'd rather establish a stable process to continuously supply combat power to the north..."

That night, several more groups of bandits noticed the campfire, but when they rode over and saw the pile of corpses nearby, they all fled without looking back.

A peaceful night.

The next morning, Eric woke up early and, with Rusdy, the knights, and the demon sorcerer prisoner, headed back.

(End of this chapter)