The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 270 Despicable Humans
Because they set off early and were more familiar with the road conditions, Eric and his group returned to the monastery around three or four in the afternoon, when the sun was still high in the sky.

Natalia was naturally surprised that Eric was able to find Rusdy so quickly and bring him back, but at the same time, she was also very relieved.

"Has he not been found by the demons yet?"

"Found him. We had to kill several demons to rescue him."

Eric pointed behind him, "They even captured a sorcerer."

Natalia looked over and saw the demon sorcerer on horseback, his hands and feet bound, his face ashen, and his mouth stuffed with a rag, coldly staring at them.

"Did you find out anything?" Natalia asked.

Eric shook his head.

Natalia looked at him. "Your Highness, do you intend to use holy light to redeem him?"

“Holy Light doesn’t seem to be able to do that…” Eric turned to look at the several monks staring in astonishment not far away, “but alchemy can.”

"alchemy?"

Eric glanced at the sky. "Those alchemists we met yesterday... the day before yesterday, they have a kind of truth serum that makes people tell the truth."

Natalia's eyes flickered.

“It works very well on humans; I’ve seen it with my own eyes,” Eric continued. “I don’t know if it will work on demons.”

“Give it a try. The demons deserve to die,” Natalia said.

Eric nodded. "That's what I'm planning to do."

"Is Your Highness going now?"

"Ah."

"Then I'll go with you."

So, not long after returning to the monastery, Eric took Natalia and headed to Ferdinand's mage tower.

Rusdy was also with them.

He and Ferdinand's group were old acquaintances, but he had gone into hiding because he couldn't bear the harassment.

But things are different now. With Eric around, Ferdinand doesn't dare to pester him—especially after he heard that Eric is now Ferdinand's biggest patron.

Eric told him that Ferdinand's research had made a breakthrough, and he wanted to see it too.

Before long, they arrived at Ferdinand's mage tower and met Rusdi. Ferdinand was stunned for a while, thinking he was dreaming.

"Mr. Eric...you actually brought Rusdy here!"

“He came of his own accord,” Eric cautioned. “He’s just here to take a look; I have no right to ask him to help you.”

"Ferdinand, how come you guys are still alive?" Upon meeting again, Rusdy showed no politeness. "I've heard that many people have their eyes on this place."

"If you come to help me, I'll die tomorrow!"

Ferdinand grabbed his arm. "You have no idea how much progress we've made in the past year or so. All we're missing is your theory of the soul!"

Before Rusdy could say anything, Eric called out to him, "No rush. I remember you have a truth serum here. I have a demon 'friend' who doesn't like to talk, and I want to get him to speak."

"Truth Potion?" Ferdinand paused, taken aback. "You mean the Truth Potion?"

Eric realized he might have confused it with another potion with a similar effect from his memory. "Any name is fine. Do you have any more? I need them now."

“We’ve already used it all up. We don’t have many opportunities to use this, and we haven’t prepared much… but we can prepare some now,” Ferdinand said.

"I am waiting."

"it is good……"

Since the boss had spoken, Ferdinand didn't dare to delay and went to prepare the medicine for him himself.

"This is a potion prepared for humans. Will it be effective against demons?"

Eric asked another alchemist, Nehm, who remembered that when he came here last year to rescue Molly from her kidnapping, it was Nehm who fed him the Word of Truth potion, which had a remarkable effect.

"Rest assured, Mr. Eric, the Truth Potion was never intended solely for humans."

Nehm replied, glancing repeatedly at Rusdy, "It works on anyone who can speak."

“That’s good.” Eric nodded, while Rusdy frowned.

"Nehm, you can go die too."

“I’m willing to die if we can create real androids,” Nehm said frankly.

"ill……"

Eric did not interfere with their conversation, but walked out of the mage tower and looked towards the sunset.

If they act quickly, they might be able to get back to the monastery before sunset.

After gazing for a while, he lowered his eyes and exchanged a glance with the demon sorcerer who was still lying on the horse's back.

Eric went over and put him down, tearing the gag out of his mouth. "Do you know Ezra? He's also a sorcerer of your demon race."

The sorcerer paused, narrowing his eyes, clearly having heard of the name before. "How do you know his name?"

“He was my prisoner in Lutia,” Eric said. “We worked together very well. I was curious about some things about the demons, and he answered my questions. In the end, I released him back to the demons in exchange for a hundred human warrior prisoners.”

His meaning was clear. The sorcerer looked at him for a moment, "But this is not the front line. If I fall into your hands, there is only one outcome."

“Don’t underestimate how much we value our warriors. If you have any value, I can send you to Lutia in exchange,” Eric said. “I guess you don’t want to die here.”

Although the potion of truth is already being prepared, the effect would be even better if the demon sorcerer could speak up.

After the medication was used, it became virtually impossible for the two parties to "cooperate" again.

"What do you want me to do?" the sorcerer asked.

“Just answer a few questions,” Eric said.

The sorcerer looked at him. "Ask away."

"Tell me about your mission in Castelfel."

The sorcerer remained silent for about half a minute before answering.

According to him, it was Xinmagu, who has already returned to the Northern Demon Realm, who dispatched a group of demons, led by him, to search for Rusdi's whereabouts on his way north.

Following the address given by Simmagu, they easily found Rusti, who was living in seclusion at the Bardo Lodge in McPheeburg, but he refused to leave with them.

Because of Xinmagu's request, they could not use force against Rusdi, nor could they forcibly take him away. For the time being, they could only let things be and wait for the next group of tribesmen to arrive.

“Another group of demons?” Eric quickly thought of the demons who had appeared at the Star Origin Academy, and the human mages who were siding with the demons. “Is their target also the person that Simmagu is looking for?”

“That’s right. But the level of importance we place on it is different. The demon warriors I and those you killed were only fighting for Rusti.” The sorcerer said.

"How many of them are there?" Eric continued, "and where are they now?"

The sorcerer looked at him without saying a word.

"Don't worry, I will definitely kill them all."

Eric stated, "When you're sent to the Demon King, what happens here will be entirely up to you. Just blame the dead for the exposure."

"..."

The sorcerer immediately looked humiliated.

But after glaring at Eric for a while, it still spoke up: "The warriors of those inferior tribes are not worth dying for, but how can you guarantee that you won't spare their lives as prisoners of exchange, just like you did with me? There is also a sorcerer in the other team, and he is of noble status."

“You don’t believe me? Then you lead the way yourself,” Eric said quickly. “We’ll attack wherever you point, and we’ll wipe them all out right in front of you.”

"...You are truly despicable, human."

The sorcerer shook his head but agreed, truthfully revealing the hiding places of the other tribesmen.

"Then tell me about your demon race's invasion plan."

Eric then asked, "For example, where to attack, when to attack, how many people to send, and which route to take."

The sorcerer stared at him in disbelief. "Who do you take me for? How could I possibly know such top-secret information!"

Eric nodded. "That's true."

A few minutes later, Ferdinand came out with the freshly prepared Power Potion.

“I’m really sorry to have cut off your hand. This potion can make your hand grow back. Drink some.” Eric said, ignoring the sorcerer’s objections, he grabbed his chin and poured half a bottle of potion into his hand.

Ferdinand stood to the side, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.

"what happened?"

"A few drops are enough..."

Eric paused, then turned to look at him. "What happens if you pour too much?"

“The dazed state will last longer, and the side effects of being unable to move and being almost paralyzed will be more intense,” Ferdinand replied.

Eric was silent.

"As long as no one dies... it won't have a chance to move on its own anyway, so it'll be fine if it's paralyzed for a few days."

He looked at the sorcerer, who did not object, but rolled his eyes, opened his mouth slightly, and shook his head.

“Now, tell me everything you know about the demons’ marching plans,” Eric asked again.

"The Demon King... is going to attack the human empire's food production areas...Gradia..." the sorcerer answered in a daze.

"Anything else?" Eric continued. It was practically an open secret that the demons planned to attack Gradia during the winter.

"The Demon King... plans to conquer the holy capital of the human church... and destroy humanity's faith..."

Eric frowned.

This is not some unknown intelligence.

According to this sorcerer, the demons attacked Lesel not to draw fire, but to take down the Holy Capital.

Based on current performance, the demons' deployment in Tebnit does not seem capable of taking down Lesel.

"Explain in more detail, what is your specific plan?" Eric pressed. "How do you plan to take Lesser?"

"Uh...I don't know...uh..."

The sorcerer shook his head and then uttered a string of incomprehensible demonic language.

Eric sighed and looked at Ferdinand, who had been waiting beside him. "Is it no use continuing to force-feed him the medicine?"

“Yes,” Ferdinand replied, “If we continue to force-feed him, it could completely destroy his mind.”

Eric had no choice but to give up.

He quickly remembered that the sorcerer had just mentioned that the leader of another group of demons was also a sorcerer, and of high status, so he should know more and more detailed information than the sorcerer.

“Keep it here with you for now,” Eric said to Ferdinand.

He wasn't lying; he genuinely didn't intend to kill it. Captive sorcerers were very valuable on the front lines.

"Yes, Mr. Eric."

Ferdinand had his assistant drag the demented demon into the mage tower.

“Furthermore, Mr. Eric…” Ferdinand’s gaze was earnest, “could we also allow Rusdy to stay with us?”

“No.” Eric refused outright.

"..."

“But we’ll be staying here for at least five, six, seven, or eight days. During that time, he’s free to do whatever he wants.” Eric looked at him. “You can persuade him, but you can’t force him.”

Ferdinand nodded heavily. "I'll try again."

As a result, Rusti, who had previously been very resistant and even went so far as to go out and avoid them, easily agreed.

The reason is simple—it's only for a few days. He only needs to output; how much he can absorb is Ferdinand and his group's own business.

Moreover, the reason he didn't want to associate with these alchemists before was because their research was too anti-church; if they were caught, they would die. But now, their biggest patron is Her Highness the Church's saintess...

"But I must say, the progress you've made with absolutely no knowledge of the soul has filled me with both fear and excitement. I'm also eager to see just how far you can go."

Eric then left Rusdy at the Mage Tower, along with several church knights to protect them.

On his way back to the monastery, he remembered to ask Natalia about her progress over the past two days.

“The only reliable authority in this chaotic land is the Star Origin Academy,” Natalia said. “I plan to recruit there.”

She paused, then continued, "After Your Highness has dealt with the scoundrels who sided with the demons..."

Eric thought for a moment, "Then we need to start the operation to eliminate the demons there as soon as possible."

"Has that demon sorcerer confessed?"

“Yes, I already know their current hiding place.” Eric nodded. “Unless they happen to send someone to McFee Castle to make contact in the next couple of days, they should not know about the changes there.”

He then told Natalia about the other things the sorcerer had told her, including the purpose of another group coming to the Starry Sky Academy, and the demons' plan to destroy human faith by conquering Lesel.

Bathed in the blood-red sunset, Natalia was filled with worry.

The next day, Eric and Natalia returned to the vicinity of Xingyuan Academy and then split up. Natalia continued to investigate the situation inside the academy, while Eric concealed his face and figure and went to the place where another group of demons were stationed to investigate.

The information provided by the sorcerer was accurate, but it seemed somewhat outdated. Eric spent the entire day squatting down and only saw a few tall demon warriors, without finding any special demons who looked like sorcerers.

Thinking of the human mages who had sided with the demons, he suspected that the latter had already achieved their goal and left the place, or at least temporarily left.

He quickly realized that the sorcerers here might have gone to Miffy Castle in the north.

If that's the case, the other side will soon discover the change: they fled in such a hurry that they didn't have time to clean up the scene.

However, Rusdy has been rescued, and for them, the worst-case scenario is simply losing all trace of the sorcerer.

This is neither the Demon Realm nor an occupied area, so a few demons can't cause much of a stir.

Eric decided to wait and see for a while longer—Natalia's actions also needed time, and remaining still would allow him to control the situation.

The next day, he returned with several knights, and they split up to completely monitor the movements of the demon warriors.

"Your Highness, the demon I was watching went to see a mage from the Star Origin Academy."

“Your Highness, there are no special circumstances on my end. The demon I’m keeping an eye on hasn’t seen anyone.”

"Your Highness, the demons seem to have noticed Princess Natalia's actions within the Starry Sky Academy..."

After observing the orderly actions of these demon warriors for several days, Eric concluded that the demon sorcerer who commanded them would definitely return.

Meanwhile, Natalia tells Eric that some mages of unknown origin in the academy are inquiring about her identity, and some have even asked her directly if she is the Grand Princess of the Delan Empire.

“I said yes, and that person left without saying anything,” Natalia said when they met that evening.

"After leaving the academy, that person went to see a demon."

Eric said he was also keeping an eye on what was happening at the academy, “It seems our whereabouts have been exposed, but the demons haven’t discovered us hiding in the shadows yet.”

Hearing his words, Natalia felt slightly relieved. "Does Your Highness have any plans to deal with this?"

“Observe for another day,” Eric said. “If the demon sorcerer still hasn’t shown up by tomorrow, we’ll control the human mages who have been in contact with the demons.”

If they had more manpower, they could have wiped out all the demon warriors first, and then waited for them to come to them. Unfortunately, the biggest drawback of the church knights that Eric brought was that there were too few of them.

“I’ve been at the academy every day for the past few days, so they might take action against me tomorrow,” Natalia said, showing no fear on her face. “You have to protect me.”

Eric nodded. "I'll go with you myself tomorrow."

Natalia opened her mouth, hesitated for a moment before turning her words into a smile, and said, "Okay."

Since they were going to be staying here for the next few days, and it would take time to travel back and forth from the monastery, the two decided to stay near the college. The hotel they stayed at was the same one Eric had stayed at before.

After having dinner at a nearby tavern, Natalia returned to her room and, as usual, stayed there to discuss matters until it was time to rest.

“There’s hardly any moonlight tonight,” Natalia said, glancing out the window as she prepared to leave his room.

"No wonder it looks so dark outside..."

Eric paused abruptly as he spoke, then quickly extinguished the candle on the table.

The entire room was plunged into darkness, which only made the faint light from outside more apparent.

"Your Highness?" Natalia asked in a low voice.

“You guessed wrong.” Eric appeared beside her at some point. “Those demons can’t wait until tomorrow to make their move.”

Natalia breathed silently, and the faint smell of blood drifted on the night breeze into the upstairs room.

(End of this chapter)