The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 36 Feast
After using threats and intimidation to dispose of the plague toxins through the Alchemy Guild, Eric returned to the carriage and took the little nun Sophie on a real tour around the city of Ori.

A visitor from afar is a stranger, and this holy messenger was really unlucky. She encountered this accident on the first day, which disrupted the established arrangements. Then she was taken to a more remote place in the small town of Valais and lived in fear for half a week. Eric estimated that her attraction to him was probably due to the suspension bridge effect.

"Has Mr. Eric been anywhere else?"

Sophie felt very comfortable watching the street scene slowly receding outside the carriage. She hadn't been so relaxed for a long time.

"Other places? I've never left the Earldom," Eric said. "The farthest place I've been is a small town in the southwest corner of Dent County, where I was on patrol for my uncle."

"Really? But I feel like Mr. Eric seems to know a little bit about everywhere, as if he has been there himself."

He had indeed been everywhere, in his previous life.

“I read it all in books.”

"Is that so..." Sophie crossed her fingers, leaned forward, and stretched slightly.

Seeing that she unconsciously showed a trace of fatigue, Eric said, "Let's go back."

"Well... okay." The little nun seemed a little unsatisfied, but still nodded.

The carriage turned a corner on the street and did not return to the city lord's mansion. Instead, it drove directly to the south gate. After leaving the city, it rushed to the town of Valais at full speed.

After going back to the city and then leaving, it was already afternoon. The setting sun dyed the sky a warm yellow, and the light clouds were like silk. The clear weather lasted all day and would continue into this night.

Back in the town of Valais, it was dusk and Eric found that the banquet seemed to have begun.

The road from the town's central square to their camp on the northern slopes was beautifully decorated with colorful garlands of early summer flowers. The square was filled with dining tables, seemingly brought from the villagers' homes, piled high with a variety of food and, naturally, plenty of drinks. Villagers shuttled between them, carrying various food items, each seemingly busy.

"It looks like a feast."

As soon as the carriage stopped, Eric saw a child shouting something and jumping away.

Eric and Sophie got out of the car and took a closer look, only to discover that the food on the tables had remained untouched. Some villagers cheered and smiled at them, greeting them warmly. When Eric raised his hand in response, a bold villager shouted, "We've been waiting for you, young noble! The banquet is about to begin!"

It turned out that she was waiting for him.

Eric quickened his pace and found that a platform had been specially built a little below the camp, probably prepared for him.

"Head Sister!" Sophie was walking over with Eric. She was already embarrassed by all the stares on the way, and she ran over as soon as she saw Alena.

"Master, you are finally back."

On the other side, Leslie also came forward, "You have no idea how hard it is to just watch and not be able to do anything. These country bumpkins insisted on waiting for you to come back before they would start the banquet. Do you think the young master would care about such a trivial matter? There must be food and drink first before the party will be lively."

"Yes."

"Uh……"

Eric smiled and said, "Since you can't wait any longer, let's have the banquet."

The captain of the guards picked up the wine glass from the table next to him and handed it to him, pointing to the high platform not far away. "They are still waiting for the young master to say something."

It was indeed prepared for him. Eric took the wine glass, stepped onto the wooden platform, and looked back at the various gazes gradually converging on him from below.

I never noticed before, but there are so many residents in this small town.

in case……

If nothing had happened, he would probably have stayed on this land all his life. When his uncle grew old or didn't want to do it anymore, he would have taken over according to the procedures and become the next lord, and all the people in front of him would have become his subjects.

The villagers probably thought so too. Although their enthusiasm at this time was mainly out of gratitude, it was hard to say that it did not contain any flattery for the future lord.

The young lord used his sword and courage to save his subjects from the threat of the evil necromancer and the undead. This may become a topic of conversation that the residents of Valais will not lose for the next hundred years.

Eric also likes such legends.

It’s a pity that he has already seen the trajectory of fate, and there is no such if.

This is the western border of the empire. When the demons move south, although the war in the north cannot reach here for the time being, it is bound to have an impact on everyone's lives.

Eric suddenly realized that he couldn't even predict the final outcome of the war - due to long-term operational needs, the main storyline of the human-demon war in "Crown of Thorns" was almost stagnant, with only a small advancement in each major version. Before coming to this world, all he could see was the ending of himself and his sister.

It is really hard to say whether the war in the north will reach here and tear apart the tranquility of this small town.

Besides saving Irene and changing his own fate, how much more can he change the world...

"—Hey, hero!"

A middle-aged man with a red face nearby suddenly raised the cup in his hand and shouted, "You're really late. Everyone can't wait... burp!"

Eric came to his senses and saw a middle-aged woman next to him bumping him hard with her arm. She glared at him fiercely, but when her eyes turned to the platform, they seamlessly switched to a smile.

"Little lord, little earl, hero, you saved our town, so say something! The banquet is ready, and everyone is looking forward to it!"

She was right. Whether they were just waiting for the meal to start or expressing their gratitude from the bottom of their hearts, everyone looked at him expectantly, hoping that he would say something.

"..."

Eric suddenly smiled.

Yes, he is a hero.

Even if he couldn't prevent future wars, at least for now, he had successfully saved the residents of this small town and the two messengers of the saints.

He is already changing the world.

Yes, he is a hero!

Saving the world couldn't be accomplished overnight. He left the future to the future, and now, he wanted to enjoy the victory that belonged to the hero.

"Yela, for the love of—"

Eric raised his glass and glanced at all the villagers below, responding to every glance.

"I'm grateful to the gods for letting me be born here, and I'm even more grateful for the brave and hardworking villagers like you on this land. Disaster hasn't defeated you or me. Being alive is a victory. Life goes on, so enjoy it, celebrate it, and revel in it. This is our victory!"

In the afterglow of the setting sun, the young hero raised his glass high, and what responded to him was a warm and long cheer.

“Oh—oh—”

The celebration of victory begins here.

"Young Master has really grown up..."

Leslie gulped down a large glass of wheat beer and burst into tears. "You know, I've worked in the City Lord's Mansion for decades. I've been watching the young master since he was still crawling on the ground. He's really grown up now, and he's becoming more and more like the old earl... hiccup!"

"How many decades have you been working here? You're only forty this year, and didn't you come here seven or eight years ago when old Quet retired?" The guard, whose shoulders were covered with his tears and snot, said as he dodged.

"...Hmm? Am I remembering this wrongly?"

"You get drunk too quickly! ...Ah, Master."

Eric came through the crowd holding a glass of wheat wine, clinked glasses with the guards from the city lord's mansion, and drank half of the glass in one breath.

"Everyone, just relax tonight. We'll go back to the city tomorrow when we wake up."

"Yes, young master!" The guards were all very happy.

"Master, have another drink... Oh, Master, you drink so heartily! Another one!"

"No." Eric wiped his mouth. "I have something else to do later. I can't drink too much."

"What else can we do now?"

Eric just smiled, said nothing more, and went somewhere else.

He had never tested his alcohol tolerance, but it shouldn't be too bad. It would be no problem for him to have a few drinks with the guards and villagers, but drinking too much would cause trouble.

"Mrs. Alena, Miss Sophie."

Two nuns sat at a long table with delicious food in front of them, but they were the only ones sitting there. Occasionally, villagers came over to greet them, but they didn't dare to sit down.

"Mr. Eric." The head nun nodded to him.

He had noticed when he passed by before that although the glasses in front of the two people were poured with wine, they were always full.

"Can't you drink?" Eric sat down opposite. A middle-aged village woman passing by saw that his glass was empty, came over to fill it for him and gave him a smile.

"You can drink, but don't get drunk," Alena said. "But Sophie and I can't drink much, so we can't enjoy Mr. Eric tonight."

Eric didn't care and said it was okay.

"Hmm... Speaking of which, is there any magic that can help with hangovers?"

Alena thought for a moment and said, "Yes, there is, but the process will be uncomfortable."

"Really? It's better to be uncomfortable than drunk." Eric said with some interest, "Can you show it to me?"

The head nun nodded, then clenched her right fist, and light gradually emitted as she silently chanted.

"A punch to the abdomen will make you vomit out all the wine you drank with the help of divine power."

"...Are you kidding?" Eric glanced at her cup again to make sure she wasn't drunk.

"No kidding." Alena looked at him. "So the process wasn't very comfortable, but the effect was very good."

“…I understand.”

Feelings are a physical sobering up.

Not to mention learning, Eric even wanted to take back what he had just said about wanting to understand more.

"Actually, I could use a little drink..." Sophie whispered, holding the cup.

"Sophie." Alena glanced at her immediately, a little helpless. "It's just a small sip, it shouldn't get you drunk." Eric picked up the glass and waited for the head nun to nod helplessly under the two stares before he held it out to Sophie and clinked his glass with hers.

Sophie only took a small sip, but she was already satisfied. "Thank you, Mr. Eric..."

"It's Miss Sophie I should thank for your kindness."

Eric didn't drink much either. He put down his glass, sat down next to them, picked up a huge, steaming leg of lamb and started to bite into it.

Sophie didn't know if it was the alcohol that took effect, but she felt both of her cheeks getting hot. She held her face and rubbed it gently, her eyes focused on Eric across from her.

"Oh my god, what a generous meal..."

Not at all like an aristocrat.

Eric couldn't stay here for too long because every time he stopped, someone always wanted to drink with him, and it was difficult to refuse while sitting.

He moved around the banquet, his eyes watching the sunset through the overflowing wheat wine, watching the night rise through the empty cup, and then watching the starlight scatter, and still drank a lot of wine in irresistible enthusiasm.

Although we should enjoy the moment, there is really no need to drink ourselves unconscious. Feeling that we had eaten and drunk enough, Eric quietly left the banquet, staggered back to the camp on the high ground, and looked out at the brightly lit town below.

"It's really lively..."

"Mr. Eric, are you okay?" Alena had returned here at some point and walked towards him.

"Sister Alena." Eric greeted her as usual to show that he was not drunk to the point of being unconscious.

There was a bit of wind in the night. The head nun walked closer and looked at him. "Do you need me to sober you up?"

"No need!" Eric immediately took a step aside, his arms subconsciously protecting his stomach. "I'm still awake."

Alena was stunned and burst out laughing.

"I'm talking about another way... forget it if you don't need it."

"Is there any other way?" Eric took a step back.

"Yes, but it can only make people more clear-headed mentally. The physical state cannot be changed." Alena said, and added, "So there is no pain."

Eric was interested. "Then let me try."

The head nun walked a little closer, raised her hand and pressed it on his brow, while with her other hand she held the Holy Spirit pendant on her chest, and silently chanted as she cast a spell.

My fingertips feel a little cold...

Eric looked up at the fingers pressed against his forehead until she pulled away. When he came to his senses, he found that he was indeed much more awake.

And then he found that his connection with his body seemed to have weakened, and he had a strange feeling that he was him and his body was his body.

"How does it feel?" Alena asked.

"I'm much more awake," Eric replied, "but my body doesn't seem to be my own anymore."

"This magic was originally used to relieve the pain of the injured... When this feeling gradually disappears, the drunkenness will also subside." said the head nun.

Looking down at his body, Eric muttered, "This is such a dangerous state."

Alena glanced at him. "Warriors seem to be very concerned about controlling their bodies."

"Because in a life-or-death situation, the only thing you can absolutely trust is your own body."

The head sister nodded without saying anything more. Eric followed up on her question, "Does Head Sister Alena seem to come into contact with people like us often?"

"I had more contact with it in the military more than a decade ago, but less now."

She didn't seem to want to say more, so Eric didn't ask any more questions and turned his gaze back to the town below.

The lights illuminated the night, and the crowds presented a variety of faces. The feast had already lasted for several hours, but there was no sign of it ending. The atmosphere was lively, with people eating, drinking, chatting, making noises, getting drunk, or pretending to be drunk, all busy in their own way.

Eric had attended countless banquets of all sizes since he could remember, but he didn't have much impression of even his coming-of-age ceremony just a few months ago. However, he felt that he would remember today's banquet for a long time, because the people attending the banquet seemed more like real people.

"What a wonderful and real world..."

Eric sighed unconsciously. Alena turned her head to look at him and was about to say something when she suddenly caught a glimpse of a streak of light passing across the sky.

meteor?

She looked over quickly, but there was nothing there.

It flickered for a moment, so brief that it seemed like an illusion. That's what Alena thought - even if it was real, she had already missed it, so it made her feel better.

Because they are so rare, meteors have been artificially given many meanings on the Gaia continent. For example, merchants believe that meteors bring good luck, while farmers hope for a good harvest in the coming year.

Because they are so rare, shooting stars have extraordinary significance even in the church.

Alena felt a little regretful that she didn't see the meteor fall, but Eric beside her suddenly breathed a sigh of relief.

"coming soon."

"What……"

Before the nun finished her long words, the sky suddenly brightened.

A huge meteor suddenly streaked across the night sky, leaving a bright trail, and before disappearing, it suddenly glowed, almost illuminating the entire sky.

"meteor……"

Not only did Alena see the shooting star this time, but it was so dazzling that she was so shocked that she even forgot to make a wish.

Suddenly, the person next to me clapped his hands.

She looked over and saw him clasping his hands and then opening his arms, as if showing her the wonders before him, and as if wanting to merge into the starry sky.

"Sister Alena, please bear witness—this is my greeting to the Saint."

……greeting?
While Alena was at a loss, the night sky became bright again, but it was no longer just for a brief moment.

One after another, countless meteors, as if responding to Eric's call, streaked across the dark night sky, weaving thousands of fine streaks of light. A flash of light was fleeting, and countless more followed, chasing after it, falling one after another, completely lighting up the entire sky.

"This is……"

The head nun opened her eyes wide and stared at the starry sky motionlessly, in disbelief.

"Meteor shower..."

In the small town at the foot of the mountain, the feast that seemed to last all night suddenly stopped, and everyone looked up.

In the manor of the City Lord's Mansion in Orei City, the Earl sitting by the window was also speechless at this moment.

The stars are scattered and their light illuminates the earth.

In the courtyard of the monastery, on the towering spire of the wizard tower, in the orc settlement in the wilderness, among the elven tribes deep in the forest, on the surface of the dark lake, and even in the sky where wings passed by, all intelligent life was in the unprecedented long gaze of the starry sky at the earth, and was shocked to forget themselves.

Thanks to the sobering magic, Eric was extremely sober and relaxed at this moment, because a huge rock that had been floating in his heart for a long time finally fell to the ground at the most appropriate time.

——The Dent County Meteor Shower, a landmark event marking the official start of the final closed beta test of "Crown of Thorns", finally came to him.

In his previous life, he and other closed beta players came into this world in such a context and began to save the small town of Valais, which had been almost completely occupied by the undead.

And now, this meteor shower witnessed by countless people, together with his so-called prophecy, will weave an irrefutable cloak for his identity as a person favored by God.

Before tomorrow's sun reaches its zenith, the meteor shower in Dent County will reach the ears of interested people in every corner of the empire.

——This of course also includes the saint far away in the Holy City.

On the side, Sister Alena was gradually overcome by another kind of shock.

She finally remembered what Eric meant by greeting.

[Your Highness, the Saint, the devout believer Eric Kimino sends his greetings to you and prays to Yela: May the Saint always be bathed in divine light, may the grace of God be everlasting, and may the blessings she receives be as bright as the stars.

The gods will also respond, stirring the night sky, scattering the stars, and bestowing supreme grace.

——In the greeting letter that Eric asked her to send to the saint, this unprecedented meteor shower was actually predicted!

The falling of the stars seemed to continue forever, but Alena could no longer maintain her attention on the night sky, so she turned to look at Eric.

The night wind was howling, and her golden hair was dancing wildly in the wind.

He had lowered his arms and was just looking up at the starry sky that was intricately woven into the white night. However, unlike the shock of the others, his face was so calm that no expression could be seen.

Another question popped up in Alena's mind.

Is this a prophecy... or is it the gods' response to his wish?

No one could answer her.

When the last meteor disintegrated and burned out, it bloomed the last brilliant light in the night sky. Everything returned to silence, and the night put on its original veil again.

"Things here are done. I'll go back to the city tomorrow."

Eric looked at the head nun beside him and said, "Head Sister Alena, why don't you stay in the City Lord's Mansion for a few more days and wait for news? I believe the Saint will soon have a new opinion on my replacing Irene."

The starry sky returned to its silent brilliance. Alena looked into his eyes for the last time, then slowly lowered her head.

"Yes...Mr. Eric."

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[The Holy City Messenger Chapter: End]

Big chapter, the first volume is finished.

I smell the scent of something about to pounce.

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(End of this chapter)