The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 37: Drinking Too Much and Causing Mistakes
Squinting at the sun, now at its highest point in the clear blue sky, Leslie lowered his head and rubbed his eyelids with his hands. After a few steps, he pressed his other palm against the side of his forehead, squeezing slowly and firmly several times in an attempt to dispel the drowsiness and headache brought on by the hangover, but the effect was always less than expected.

It must be because his hands were too hard, Leslie thought, looking down at his calloused palms and scratching them unconsciously, recalling some soft comfort that had become vague in his imagination.

Leslie swallowed. Shortly after leaving the City Lord's Mansion, he felt his mouth dry from the sun.

After walking a little further under the sun, someone in front noticed him, stopped by the roadside, bent slightly and waited.

"Isn't this Captain Leslie? I haven't seen you for several days."

Leslie didn't say anything, but raised his hand and patted the man on the shoulder as a greeting.

However, he failed to control the strength well this time, and the man slapped him, causing him to groan and lean forward, looking like he was about to fall. Leslie grabbed him, but then he felt his wrist become weak and he felt like he had no strength to lift his hands.

He really drank too much these past two days.

The day before yesterday, at the celebratory banquet in that small town, he got extremely drunk and didn't wake up until noon the next day. It was already afternoon when he returned to the city. The Earl gave the guards two days off, and that evening, he was dragged out drinking by several guards until late at night. The maid the young master had sent to look for him almost woke him up.

Leslie couldn't remember the last time he indulged himself like this... more than ten years ago when he was still an adventurer and mercenary?
"Hiss... Ouch, Captain Leslie, if you use even a little more strength, I won't see the sun tomorrow..."

The man on the road was still making noise. Leslie had a headache and was too tired to pay attention to him. He patted the bag on his waist, indicating that he had something else to do, and walked away.

He didn't lie to him. If he didn't really have something to do, he wouldn't go out in such a hungover state.

Leslie felt the contents of the bag through the cloth. It felt rough and hard, something he would never be able to use in his lifetime.

"Hmm? What's wrong with you? Did you go drinking again last night?... If I'd known, I would have called you later... It's okay, uncle gave you the day off so you can relax... I'm fine too. I found some loot in the underground mines, but I have no use for it. You can take it and sell it. You can share the money with everyone else."

That is, spoils such as weapons and equipment found in underground mines.

Of course the young master would not pick up scrap metal. What he brought back were all usable equipment, and some of them were useful to the guards, and were sent to the armory. What he was going to deal with now were a few magic wands that no one could use.

And one of them is even a magical equipment, which can be sold for at least a dozen gold coins!

Leslie sighed, thinking that he had not misjudged the person. The gold coins he earned from this trip with the young master were equivalent to his salary for several years. He did not expect that he could have extra income after returning.

He would follow the young master for the rest of his life, Leslie swore in his heart, no matter whether the young master planned to stay here as his lord or become the heir to the saint.

Seeing a horse-drawn carriage parked on the side of the road ahead, Leslie rubbed his temples, quickened his pace, lifted the curtain and sat in.

Although it was the young master's idea, he didn't dare to use the City Lord's Mansion's carriage to make extra money. As for those running on the road, that was another matter.

"Where are you going... Hey, Captain Leslie! Where are you going?" The coachman turned around casually and his attitude suddenly became respectful.

"Let's go to that...what..." The alcohol was still taking effect. Leslie raised his hand and hovered for a long time, but he couldn't remember the name of his destination. He had no choice but to lift the curtain again and look into the distance. "That tower! Let's go to that tower!"

"That tower..." the driver looked over. "Candle Courtyard?"

"What do you mean by 'Candle Courtyard'?" Leslie was stunned for a moment, but following his nonsensical name, he remembered the true name of the towering wizard tower. "It's called the Candlelight Courtyard!"

"Well, it's all the same." The driver smiled. "Please sit tight, we're off."

There was the sound of horse hooves, and the carriage started shaking. Leslie held the carriage and looked through the window at the tall tower pointing to the sky.

Although he didn't know magic, he knew exactly where to get the wizard's weapons - of course, the Spellcaster's Guild.

It would take some time for the process to pass. Leslie took off the cloth bag from his waist and took out one of the ghostly staffs to take a look at it.

The young master said that these are the staffs used by necromancers, and reputable places may not be willing to buy them, and even if they do, they will probably lower the price significantly.

Leslie made up his mind that he could lower the price of the other rotten wood, but he would never buy the magic equipment-level staff unless he had twenty gold coins.

At worst, during his next holiday, he could go out of town and look for some shady places where he could sell his good stuff.

The carriage drove on the street for a while. Without the help of magic, the carriage was shaking. Leslie, who was still hungover, lowered his head and raised it again, and he didn't know how many times he fell asleep.

Waking up from another start, looking out the window at the tall tower where he had to stick his head out to see it, Leslie knew he was about to reach his destination. He rubbed his face vigorously to cheer himself up.

Da da da.

The sound of horse hooves slowed down, and the carriage stopped. The driver turned around and said, "We're here, Captain Leslie."

Leslie jumped out of the carriage and said, "Wait here."

"okay."

Standing at the foot of the tower, looking at the diamond-shaped black slate hanging above the gate and the candles surrounded by various incomprehensible patterns, Leslie thought it was no wonder that the coachman called this place the "Candle Yard".

The Candlelight Court, the continent's most important spellcaster management organization, commonly known as the Mage Association, not only provides guidance and services to spellcasters, but also establishes internal rules and regulations for spellcasters, clarifies the responsibilities and obligations of spellcasters, and stipulates the scope of spells allowed to be used.

Leslie had no connection with magic, but he had heard about the origin of this organization from his mage teammates when he was adventuring outside.

It is said that magic was originally the exclusive property of the Moon Elves, with no other races being able to learn it. Humans' introduction to magic began when the legendary mage ancestor Os accidentally stumbled into the Moon Elves' territory. Because of his magical talent, he was taken in by the Elves to be taught the art of magic.

The noble elves do not allow humans to see their faces. They only light a weak candle in the ruins of a dark courtyard and teach spells without revealing their faces.

The authenticity of the legend cannot be verified, but "Candlelit Courtyard" has been passed down as the name of the Spellcasters' Association - this was extended by later wizards to mean that the world of magic is dark and boundless, and the Spellcasters' Association is needed to illuminate the way forward like a candle.

"It doesn't matter whether it's real or fake, as long as they can accept my staffs, it's a good place..."

Leslie paused at the door, touched the cloth bag at his waist, and then stepped into the hall of the Mage Association.

"Is there no one here? Why is it so deserted?"

Unexpectedly, there was hardly any one to be seen in the Mage Association at noon - in the past, when he passed by, he always saw people wrapped in robes coming in and out, even late at night.

Leslie looked around and walked inside.

This was not his first time here, and he roughly remembered the structure of this place. The ground hall was a place to receive ordinary mages and ordinary people, the underground was a laboratory, and going up along the tower were places where books were stored. At the top of the tower was an observatory, which was said to be the exclusive space for the most experienced mages.

It was not until he reached the reception desk that he discovered a person squatting inside, buried in the books piled on the floor, muttering something.

"There's no stargazing record from 235 years... No, not here... Nosilia, yes, Nosilia..."

Leslie coughed, but the wizard inside remained indifferent and seemed not to hear.

He had no choice but to knock on the table and greet people. This was one of the few places in the city of Orei where he could not show off his power, and he had to follow the rules.

The mage on the ground finally heard it and looked up, looking annoyed at being interrupted. "What?"

Leslie didn't bother to care about his attitude and dumped all the staffs on the stage. "I have a few staffs here. Do you want to take them?"

"No." The wizard glanced at it and lowered his head, continuing to flip through the book. Suddenly, he raised his eyes and stared at one of the staffs for a while, then stood up.

"Ouch..."

Maybe he had been squatting for too long. After he stood up, he held his head and shook it a few times, then took two steps back before he could stand still. Leslie shook his head inwardly when he saw this.

What a weak mage...

"Where are you from?"

The wizard examined the magic equipment-level staff for a while, then looked up and asked him.

"The spoils of war," Leslie said, "my young master seized it from a necromancer."

"Sure enough..." the mage muttered softly, then asked, "Where's the necromancer?"

Leslie was stunned. "It's burned."

"Burned?" the mage glared.

"If they're dead, they'll just burn." Leslie said, "So you mages don't know anything about what's going on in Valais?"

"What's the matter?" asked the wizard.

"The undead have escaped from the mines."

"Oh, it's this. I heard a little about it. It's not important."

You actually said it’s not important…

Leslie rolled his eyes and didn't bother to say anything more. He pointed at the staff and said, "It was this necromancer who did it. It's an old monster from over two hundred years ago."

"More than two hundred years ago... no wonder it took this form."

The wizard touched the lines on the staff and came to his senses after a while. "This is something used by necromancers. According to the association's regulations, it is not allowed to be circulated within the empire. I have confiscated this staff."

“…confiscate?”

Leslie, captain of the guards of Orei City and chief guard of the City Lord's Mansion, felt extremely unfamiliar when he heard this word from someone else for the first time.

"It means you can leave." The wizard waved his hand.

Bang!

Leslie threw his weapon onto the stage and slapped the City Lord's Mansion badge on his chest. "Do you want to confiscate this too?"

"This is……"

The mage then noticed his identity. "The emblem of the Kimino family... Are you from the City Lord's Mansion?" Leslie snorted and leaned forward. "These staffs are spoils of war my young master risked his life for. If you want them, then exchange them for gold coins. If you want them, I can teach you what true 'confiscation' means. Don't forget whose territory you are on."

The wizard looked at him and shook his head.

"I simply suspect these staffs are of dubious origin. Well, since you're from the City Lord's Mansion, I believe what you say. These staffs have little practical value within the empire, but they're ancient enough to be useful for research, but that's all."

Leslie frowned, "Do I understand what you are saying?"

"Okay." The wizard sighed, "What I mean is that it's impossible for you to sell it for a high price. These staffs... well... are worth twenty gold coins at most."

"'The Most High God'?"

"Charon!"

Twenty Charen gold coins had already met his expectations.

Leslie breathed a sigh of relief, but frowned. "Too low. Add a little more, twenty-five gold coins."

"Impossible." The wizard immediately shook his head. "To be honest, the only thing of value is this staff."

"Then I'll give you twenty-one gold coins."

"..."

The wizard looked at him for a while, sighed, lowered his head, opened the cabinet, and began to count the gold coins.

"Twenty-one gold coins. Here you go."

After taking the gold coins and counting them again to confirm that there were twenty-one, Leslie smiled happily, and his impression of the sour-faced receptionist also improved a lot.

"Speaking of which, why is there no one here today except you?"

"It's all because of that meteor shower the night before yesterday. I've been studying astrology for who knows how many years. The observatory on the top of the tower is almost collapsing from the crowd."

As the wizard put away his staff, he said, "Some people are out in the wild looking for traces of falling meteors... Hey, everyone says seeing meteors is a good thing, but seeing so many falling from the sky all at once is always a little unsettling... God of Truth, please give me a hint, at least tell me which book I can find similar records..."

Thinking of that shocking meteor shower, Leslie was also a little dazed.

That was the first time he saw a meteor, and the shock it brought to him was no less than the miracle he saw in the square that day.

And last night while drinking, someone said that when the meteor shower fell, he saw the young master on the mountain with his arms outstretched, as if welcoming the falling stars.

Could it be that the meteor shower is also related to the young master?
When Leslie came to his senses again, the wizard at the front desk had already sat back on the ground, ignoring him and continuing to study those ancient astrology books.

He didn't stay any longer and turned to leave the Mage Association.

As midsummer approached, the midday sun stripped of color, becoming white and blazing, scorching the earth with an invisible, twisted heat. The dozen steps from the door to the carriage seemed far away to Leslie.

I have to go back quickly, he thought, report to the young master first, and then go to sleep, otherwise I really can't hold on.

wow-

As he walked into the sun, Leslie suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings, and then a shadow quickly passed over him.

He raised his head.

A pair of huge white wings spread out under the blue sky, gliding forward.

"That is……"

Winged people.

The holy white wings are the messengers of the church.

"This direction..."

Leslie lowered his eyes and looked. The winged messenger was not flying to the monastery. Rather, he seemed to be flying from the monastery.

Is this flying to another city?
Leslie stopped beside the carriage, his eyes following the wings in the sky as they gradually drifted away, and at a certain moment he suddenly fixed his gaze.

He wasn't leaving. He was descending.

The direction and location of his descent...

It’s the City Lord’s Mansion.

"Hurry!" Leslie jumped onto the carriage, "Go to the City Lord's Mansion, quickly!"

"Hey, okay!"

As the captain of the guards continued to urge, the carriage sped through the city, but no matter how fast it ran, it could not catch up with the wings that had already started to fall.

Before returning to the City Lord's Mansion, Leslie saw the church messenger who had delivered the letter flying over from that direction again.

When he rushed into the city lord's manor, he ran straight to the young master's room without thinking.

"Ha ha……"

After taking a breath outside the door and calming down, he asked the maid who had been staring at him for a long time to notify the people inside.

"Master, Captain Leslie is here."

"come in."

The maid opened the door.

Eric closed the notes on the table and looked at the captain of the guards at the door. He had heard the dog-like breathing outside a long time ago, and he didn't know what urgent matter Leslie had.

"You're back so soon." Eric asked, "Have you sold those things?"

"Ah? Sold it." Leslie walked into the room, took out the gold coins he had just received, and pushed them all in front of the young master. "I sold twenty-one charans. They're all here."

Eric hadn't forgotten what he had said over an hour ago, so he casually pushed it back and said, "You should break up with them."

"Thank you, young master. I'll accept it on behalf of my brothers."

Leslie put away the gold coins and looked up to quickly scan the desk. It was no different from when he came here before, there was nothing new.

Isn’t the church’s messenger here to look for the young master?

"Master, I just saw a messenger from the church flying over here."

"Church messenger?"

Eric suddenly raised his eyes, turned his head to look at the sky and the courtyard outside the window, then looked at him again, "Are you seeing right?"

"I do not……"

Leslie was about to confirm it when his heart suddenly skipped a beat.

Was he really seeing things? Could it be that the alcohol hadn't worn off yet, and the sun had made him feel dizzy?

Drinking really messes things up... Leslie felt his head ache again.

"I guess I'm not mistaken..."

He was carefully recalling what he had just seen on the road, thinking that he would not be mistaken twice, when the maid outside the door spoke again.

"Master, Sister Alena and Sister Sophie are here."

"Please come in."

Eric stood up and glanced at Leslie, "You're right."

The door opened and two nuns walked in one after the other.

"Mr. Eric."

Seeing that the captain of the guards was also in the room, Alena didn't care. She held a letter in her hands, and her eyes dropped as soon as they met Eric's.

"The Saint has sent a letter, asking you to depart immediately for the Holy City."

It finally came, and Eric's spirits lifted.

but……

"immediately?"

"Yes," Alena replied, pushing the letter toward him again, motioning for him to read it. "The Saint wants Mr. Eric and the person in charge of the Kimino family to go to the Holy City together. We have something important to discuss."

Eric took the letter, and the head nun's voice paused.

"The Saint said... her time is running out."

It is a big chapter
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(End of this chapter)