The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 285 Captive
As expected, the demon patrol cavalryman mistook him for a human traitor who had defected to Xinmagu or sided with the demons.

Eric remained calm, pondering his next move.

Xinma Gu was no longer fighting alone. Not to mention the large number of traitorous mages he recruited from the Star Origin Academy by the demons he sent, there were also many people within the empire who had defected to him in the past six months.

A significant portion of them were clergy from commoner backgrounds within the Jela Church. The vision promised by Simagu seemed to hold immense appeal for them.

However, according to the intelligence he had previously obtained, those people were still mostly active within the empire, either acting as guides for the demons or inciting others to join the Simmagus, which was also the area where the clergy truly excelled.

The humans appearing in the Demon Realm, or even deep within it... could only be mages or alchemists conducting soul research with Xinmagu.

So, the demon camp at the foot of the mountain is Xinmagu's current base?

Eric glanced back, his gaze lingering for a moment, before the demon cavalryman issued another warning: "Go back, human."

“I just got lost.” Eric turned his gaze back to the demon cavalry and said, “Is that the direction of the human empire?”

He pointed to the direction it had originally been heading.

The demon cavalryman frowned and stared at him for a moment before tumbling off the snow sheep and striding toward him. "Human, don't provoke me, or I'll kill you."

Eric raised his hands. "Don't get so worked up. I'm serious. I really can't find my way home."

The demon cavalryman stopped in front of him. "Don't leave, human. Don't leave."

Eric remained unfazed. "Just tell me if that's the south."

"Yes."

Eric cursed inwardly.

Damn it, we really went the wrong way...

The demon cavalryman suddenly noticed something and reached out to grab the snow sheepskin on his body. "Demon clothes are not for humans. Take them off."

"Don't pull so hard, will you pay for it if you break it?" Eric grabbed its hand with his other hand and quickly drew the curved sword from its waist, slashing it across its neck.

"Uh... ho ho..."

Blood gushed out immediately, and the demon cavalryman covered his neck in disbelief, but he was unable to stop the blood from flowing out from between his fingers.

Eric stabbed it twice more, laying it down completely, then dragged its body to the side of the road, dug a hole, and covered it with snow.

Although a long trail of blood was left on the snow track, by the time the demon camp below sensed something was wrong and sent people up the mountain to investigate, the bloodstains had already been covered by the wind and snow.

Riding the snow goat left behind by the demon cavalry, Eric headed straight down the mountain to his own snow goat, switched back to his mount, and then went to find Natalia, who was still waiting there.

The location he had chosen was indeed well hidden. The first time he ran under it, he didn't even notice the hole above. It wasn't until a while later that he realized something was wrong and turned back to find it.

"You're back so soon?" Natalia asked in surprise. "Any results?"

"We have the results. There was also an unexpected discovery." Eric briefly explained his experience to her.

Natalia paused for a moment. "We really did go the wrong way... But it wasn't a complete loss; we at least found Sinmag's base. Is he here right now?"

Eric shook his head. "I don't know, but it's most likely here."

Natalia looked at him. "What are you planning to do? Infiltrate and find an opportunity to kill him?"

Eric squeezed in next to her and sat down. "Let alone whether I can take him down now, even if I do succeed, I probably won't survive."

Natalia seemed relieved. "It seems you're still conscious."

“But I’m not entirely willing to leave like this,” Eric added.

Natalia looked at him silently.

Eric took her hand. "I want to investigate the situation here a bit. Sinmag is here studying the power left behind by the old demon king. Even if we can't kill him, it would be good to cause some damage."

After all, it's highly unlikely they'll ever return here after they leave.

Natalia sighed. "Are you sure this won't put us in danger?"

“That’s why I said to investigate first,” Eric said. “If there’s a risk, then forget it. My life is a hundred times more important than Sinmag’s, and your life is ten thousand times more important than his. I won’t let you take any risks.”

Natalia smiled, then sighed.

"What else can I say? I'll listen to you."

"Let's find a proper place to stay first," Eric said.

"Should we look around nearby?"

“Take a look.” Eric looked around. “It’s relatively safe here for now. You wait here a little longer, I’ll go take a look around and see if there’s anywhere that can be sheltered from the wind.”

Natalia could only continue to wait.

Eric wandered around the snow-covered forest at the foot of the mountain for a while longer, and then, in a direction far from the demon camp, he discovered a demon village.

Unlike the hollow village on the other side of the snow mountain, this village had quite a few demons. Eric guessed that this was the main area of ​​activity for the demons after they migrated north.

However, this also means that his and Natalia's actions here will be greatly restricted.

Eric observed from a distance for a while, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly saw a knight rush out of the village.

He quickly concealed himself, but the knight was heading his way.

Eric quickly ruled out the possibility of being discovered, guessing that the other party's destination was the demon camp on the other side.

He leaned against a tree and waited, and only when the knight riding the snow sheep passed by did he realize that the other party was actually a human.

Eric quickly appeared and called out to him, "Wait a minute!"

The man glanced around blankly, not noticing Eric, dressed all in white, in the snow at first glance.

He called out again, and only then did the person notice him, stop the sheep, and look at him.

"Who are you……"

“Weren’t you sent by the High Priest?” Eric retorted, walking toward him.

"Yes." The man nodded slowly, still looking at him. "Who are you? I've never seen you before."

“I just arrived here today. The High Priest sent me to find you,” Eric said.

"Just arrived today?...Looking for me?" The man was even more bewildered.

"Hmm." Eric was now so close that he could crush the frail mage with his bare hands that he stopped pretending and drew his sword, pressing it against the mage's neck. "The High Priest suspects you are a human spy."

"..."

The man was completely dumbfounded. "No... I... what?"

“Don’t play dumb.” Eric pressed the blade against his skin. “State your name, your origins. If they don’t match, the High Priest has given me the authority to kill you outright!”

“Wait, wait… I am Toynbee, from the Alchemists’ Guild of Dorne-Tallinn…”

The man quickly got off the sheep's back. "Is there some mistake? I've known High Priest Simagu for over ten years. Why would he doubt me?"

He raised his hand, glancing at Eric. "Take me to the High Priest, and I can explain."

Eric stared at him silently for a moment, then sheathed his weapon and took the staff from his waist. "Come with me, Toynbee. Your life is spared for now."

Toinby breathed a sigh of relief at first, then paused in surprise, "The High Priest isn't in the camp?"

“You’re not the only one being suspected. Of course, finding a spy can’t be noticed by too many people.” Eric gestured for him to follow him. “There’s someone else over there who you wouldn’t expect. If you’re not the spy, then it’s him.”

Toynbee mounted his snow goat again and followed Eric with some skepticism, heading towards the foot of the snow mountain.

When they reached Natalia's location, Eric took her up with him.

"And who are you?" Toynbee stared at Natalia, never expecting to meet a completely unfamiliar woman. He then looked at Eric, "Where is the High Priest?"

"High Priest?" Natalia looked at Eric.

“It was a ruse to lure him here.” Eric looked at Toynbee and patted him on the shoulder with his longsword. “Sit down, we have a lot to ask you.”

"..."

Toynbee opened his mouth, realizing he had been tricked.

He wasn't surprised to be kidnapped in Casterfel or even in Tallinn, Dorne, but this was the depths of the Demon Realm. What kind of human could possibly come here to kidnap him?
Aren't they all in cahoots?
"Who exactly are you...?" "You'll probably find it hard to believe," Eric sighed. "Eric, the current Holy Maiden of the Yela Cult."

“Natalia, Grand Princess of the Delan Empire,” Natalia said, nodding to him.

"..."

Toynbee's mouth dropped open; he clearly knew their names, and because it was so unbelievable, he immediately believed it.

"How...how did you end up here?"

“That’s not your concern.” Eric patted his shoulder with the blade of his sword, reminding him that with a weapon at his neck, he should first answer the attacker’s questions.

"Tell me first, why are you here?"

Toinbi, unlike the clergy who were bewitched by Simagu, clearly cared more about his own life, and began to recount how he had come here at the invitation of High Priest Simagu to study the power of the soul together.

During this time, Natalia also learned from Eric about his capture.

"...After the Lutia incident, I, along with several other mages, alchemists, and some church clergy, were among the first to follow the High Priest to the Northern Demon Realm."

"The Lutia incident?" Eric thought for a moment. "Was it the time he tried to persuade the Emperor to surrender?"

Toinby looked at him and quickly nodded. "I saw with my own eyes the sword Her Highness stabbed the High Priest. The High Priest was seriously injured, but fortunately he was proficient in divine magic and managed to keep his life."

Eric hadn't expected that the sword he threw had actually caused significant damage to Sinmag. He shook his head and let Toynbee continue.

"After that, we followed the high priest to begin studying the Demon King's soul power."

"You know about this too?" Eric asked.

“I don’t understand, but I can provide assistance to the High Priest in other ways,” Toynbee said. “The High Priest’s research requires test subjects, and I can use alchemical potions to adjust the test subjects to the state he needs.”

Eric and Natalia both looked at him. "The experimental subjects you mentioned, are they the captured Imperials?"

"no!"

The two men looked displeased, and Toynbee immediately shook his head. "The test subjects are demons! There are demons everywhere here, there's no need to go to such lengths! The entire village over there are test subjects assigned to the high priest by the Demon King."

"The whole village is?" Eric was taken aback.

“Yes!” Toinbi nodded emphatically. “When needed, I will go and select the test subjects.”

"This time too?"

“Yes… the previous test subject died, and the High Priest needs a new one. The subject has already been sent to the camp. I have a house over there, and I rested for a bit. I didn’t expect to run into the two princes when I came out again…” Toynbee was full of regret.

“No wonder the demons don’t like you,” Eric said. “You are a different race, and they even use you for experiments. Without the Demon King’s orders, you would probably have been torn to pieces by those demons long ago.”

Toynbee disagreed, "The Demon King's orders are above all else. No one is unwilling, otherwise the demons in that village would have fled long ago."

"So, to them, you are the embodiment of the Demon King's commands?" Eric asked again.

Toynbee nodded.

Eric and Natalia exchanged a glance; the latter was slightly startled, her heart beginning to pound.

“Let’s talk about that camp.” Eric suppressed a certain thought for the moment. “What’s its structure? How many demons are there? And how many of your people are there?”

“Your Highnesses…” Toinby looked at him and Natalia, “what do you plan to do?”

“Of course, it’s to assassinate Sinmagu. That’s why we’re here,” Eric said without changing his expression.

"..."

Toynbee's mouth dropped open.

"Don't worry, whether we succeed or fail, we won't expose you."

Eric looked at him. "But you can't go back and warn them beforehand. Don't you have a place to rest in that village? Go back and stay there a little longer."

"it is good……"

Toynbee stood up, but Eric grabbed him and pressed him back down. "Not now. Answer my question first."

Toynbee suddenly realized what was happening and immediately began to explain the situation at the demon camp to him.

"The rest area is upstairs, and the main laboratory is underground, including the place where I prepare alchemical potions... Why did we choose this place? It seems that it was chosen by the Demon King hundreds of years ago... Yes, this camp was built on the foundation left by the old Demon King."

"We are now able to extract soul power from the crystals derived from the Thorn Soul Crown. With slight modifications, we can create explosions more powerful than any alchemical product. The Demon King's army at the front lines has already used our research, and that's how the Black Ice Wall fell so quickly..."

"The High Priest's current focus remains on how to utilize this power to extend his lifespan, which is why the Demon King needs us. The old Demon King's era ended in turmoil, leaving only the Thorn Soul Crown; no records have survived, so we must start our research from scratch..."

"And the High Priest is researching how to completely transfer this power to himself, without being affected by the violent resentment within it. This is also the main reason why those experimental subjects are constantly being consumed. When those demons go mad while gaining immense power, the High Priest has no choice but to kill them..."

Toynbee's voice trailed off as he noticed Eric's face growing increasingly grim, a fact Natalia quickly echoed. "Eric?"

“…It’s nothing.” Eric snapped out of his daze and took a breath.

The state of the experimental subjects described by Toynbee was practically a replica of Eileen's witch-like transformation in his past life, making it hard for him not to be furious.

After calming himself down, he continued, "Sinmag has made some breakthroughs in acquiring that kind of power, hasn't he?"

As early as the Lutia Incident, Sinmag had already mastered the power to annihilate everything around him.

“Yes.” Toynbee nodded.

Eric was silent for a moment. "Then how should I assassinate him?"

Toynbee opened his mouth, "The High Priest never goes out and basically stays in the underground laboratory, so assassination would be quite difficult..."

"Can't I pretend to be one of your members and infiltrate the camp or even the underground laboratory?" Eric asked, and Natalia looked over.

Toynbee thought for a moment, “That would give us a slight chance, but the High Priest knows His Highness, so you probably have no chance of getting close to him.”

“That’s what I need to worry about,” Eric said, then stood up. “Alright, before I carry out the assassination, you can go back to the demon village over there and stay there.”

Just as Toynbee breathed a sigh of relief, he heard him say again, "We also happen to need a place to stay. Can you arrange that?"

"I...can."

Toynbee had already begun frantically devising excuses in his mind to absolve himself of responsibility afterward.

“The experimental subjects are constantly being consumed, and many of the houses over there are empty. I just found a place to stay. If you need anything, you can also have a demon woman serve you… Ah, Your Highness!”

Natalia placed the curved sword against his neck.

As a result, because he didn't control his strength well, he cut a small gash, and Toynbee immediately screamed.

“Stop yelling, you won’t die.” Eric gestured for Natalia to calm down, then wiped Toynbee’s neck with his hand, showing him the tiny bit of blood on his hand. “I’ll treat you when we get there.”

Toinby agreed with a long face, and Eric and Natalia rode on snow sheep and followed him back to the demon village on the other side.

The demons in the village peered at them. Toinby told them to go back inside and then led the two to an empty house.

Where did you live before?

"On...the other side of the village."

Eric glanced at the house next door. "Is this empty?"

"Yes."

"Then you can stay here for now, so it will be easier for us to keep in touch."

"All right……"

Eric followed him to the next house, then knocked him unconscious, gagged him, and tied him up.

Back on the other side, Natalia gripped his arm tightly.

"Demons are everywhere, you're going to kill me."

"Don't be nervous," Eric smiled.

Natalia looked at him. "You really want to assassinate Simmagus?"

“Just saying,” Eric shook his head. “The bigger our goal, the less impact it will have on the alchemist himself, and the more willing he will be to cooperate.”

(End of this chapter)