The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 4: A Seat at the Stake

Eric guessed that the letter in the little nun's hand should be sent to the Holy City of Lasil.

Sister Alena cannot make the decision on such a major matter as changing the candidate for the Saint's successor. Whether agreeing or rejecting, the final decision must come from the Saint's Monastery.

Although Laselle was thousands of miles away, correspondence didn't take long. Expedited letters could even arrive in more than a day, so she could definitely afford to wait.

"Miss Sophie, are you sending..."

pat!

As soon as Eric spoke, Sophie came to her senses, turned around and hid back in her room, closing the door.

"..."

Would he try to snatch the letter?
Eric shook his head, looked at the closed door, and asked the head maid, Ms. Winnie, who was serving outside: "Is this Miss Sophie's room?"

"No, this is Sister Alena's room," the head maid replied. "Miss Sophie's room is next door."

"Is the head sister awake yet?"

"No movement."

Ms. Winnie glanced at the door and shook her head, unable to give a definite answer. "Only Miss Sophie showed up and asked for paper and pen."

Eric understood.

Now that he was there, he raised his hand and knocked on the door, "Miss Sophie."

There was silence inside the door, no response.

He knocked again.

After a while, Eric seemed to hear a slight sigh, and then the voice of Sister Alena sounded.

"Sophie, go open the door."

The door opened, and the little nun and Eric looked at each other, then lowered their eyes and made way, but they held the letter in their hands even tighter.

Eric walked into the guest room. Alena was leaning against the head of the bed. She didn't look weak at all, and her eyes looking at him were also very calm.

...As long as it can be pretended to be similar, it won't be completely unlike him.

"Sister Alena, you're finally awake."

Eric tried to gauge the other person's attitude and stopped at a suitable distance. He was there to discuss, not to cause trouble. "How are you feeling now? Are you feeling okay?"

"I'm feeling better." Alena didn't avoid his gaze. "I'm sorry to have troubled Mr. Eric and the Count."

"do not mind."

It looked like we could chat. Eric smiled and got straight to the point: "Miss Sophie seemed to be planning to mail a letter just now?"

"It's a letter I wrote to the Convent of the Holy Virgin."

This letter had to be sent, and Alena had no intention of concealing it. "An accident occurred during the handover of the token. It's a matter of great importance, and Her Highness the Saint must be informed. Any decision can only come from Her Highness the Saint."

She looked at Eric, waiting for his reaction, and also thinking about countermeasures and words. After all, she defined everything that happened today as an "accident" rather than the "miracle" he expected.

The young master of the City Lord's Mansion just nodded, with an expression that looked as if it was a matter of course.

"Such a big thing should be made known to Her Highness the Saint."

Alena couldn't help but frown.

She wasn't afraid of him doing something naughty, she was just afraid that he wouldn't do anything naughty - he had already made such a big noise in the square, why was he pretending to be an obedient child at this time?
The not-so-honest young master of the City Lord's Mansion did indeed quickly put forward his own request:

"Sister Alena probably didn't forget to mention me in her letter. I'd like to take this opportunity to write a letter to Her Highness the Saint, just to express my regards. Is that okay?"

Sure enough, he still came.

Alena sat up straight, ready for the potential challenge. "No problem, if it's just a greeting."

There was paper and pen in the room, so Eric sat down at the table, picked up the quill, dipped it in ink, and began to write quickly.

After writing a few greetings and finally writing his name, Eric picked up the letter, blew the ink dry, folded it, and handed it to the little nun Sophie.

"……Give me?"

The latter took it blankly and looked at the head nun again.

"Mr. Eric, I need to check the contents of the letter."

Alena looked at Eric. "While I have no doubt about your piety, excessive enthusiasm can sometimes be a violation... and a saint must not be desecrated."

Eric expressed his understanding and let her check it out as she pleased.

Alena took the letter. It was just a few lines of text, which could be scanned in a few seconds, but she looked back and forth for a long time.

"Is that some code word?" She looked at Eric.

"code word?"

The latter was startled, then quickly shook his head, "No, I only meant it literally. I don't think these words will offend Her Highness the Saint."

It’s hard to say…

Alena said nothing, looked at it a few more times, and handed the letter to Sophie.

"Hmm..." The little nun took it and looked at it, muttering softly, "Is this a poem?"

Is that also poetry?
Eric couldn't help but smile, and found that the two nuns were staring at him nervously, as if they were on guard against an impending conspiracy. He coughed lightly to cover up, feeling a little helpless in his heart.

After all, he was a descendant of the founding knights and a nobleman known for his honor. These two nuns were too wary of him.

“I think the focus of a greeting is the content, not the form,” Eric said.

Just these few greetings, there is really no offense or blasphemy in them...

Alena glanced at the young master of the City Lord's Mansion who seemed to feel wronged, and then thought again:
If there really was some malicious intent that she could not see but the Saint could understand, then it would be direct proof of Eric or the Kimino family's arrogance and disrespect, not her responsibility.

...After all, since the saint has entrusted this matter to her, she cannot escape responsibility in any way.

Alena took a deep breath, suppressing the slight headache she was feeling. She motioned for Sophie to take Eric's letter along with her. "Let's mail it together."

Sophie put the letter away, and Eric turned and called out to the outside of the room, "Ms. Winnie, find someone to take Miss Sophie to mail the letter."

"Yes, Master."

The head maid responded and waited outside the door. Sophie looked at Alena, who nodded before she followed her out.

There were only two people left in the room for the time being.

"Is it convenient to talk here?" Alena asked, looking at the open door.

Finally we can get to the point.

"Of course it's convenient." Eric breathed a sigh of relief, went over to close the door himself, and then turned to look at the head nun on the bed.

"Falsifying miracles was a crime punishable by burning at the stake a hundred years ago."

Alena's tone was calm, but her words were merciless. "Even a noble, a descendant of Kimino, cannot escape the punishment of the Church." "Really?"

Eric was stunned for a moment, then asked casually, "What punishment has been changed now, a hundred years later?"

"..."

The young master of the City Lord's Mansion seemed to have never considered this matter.

Alena looked at him for a moment before she said, "Excommunicate."

"The most severe punishment is 'excommunication'? Even for a noble, that's very serious." Eric smiled, as if it had nothing to do with him. What he was talking about at this time was just other people's anecdotes.

Could it be worse than death?

The head nun was not bothered by his attitude and continued, "Although I have never witnessed the so-called miracle that Mr. Eric performed in the square, I can be sure that it was a man-made magic."

"Of course it's divine magic."

Eric admitted it readily, "And I was the one who performed it. I wouldn't call it a miracle."

Alena stared at him. "But Mr. Eric publicly claimed that he heard the oracle, and the citizens in the square believed you without a doubt."

"Because it's not a lie, I really heard it."

As if recalling the scene at that time, Eric clasped his hands together and prayed.

"It was Goddess Yela who taught me the divine arts and gave me the power to perform them. Otherwise, how could a twenty-sixteen-year-old layman like me perform divine arts that even the Holy Maiden Messenger has never seen?"

The head nun rose from the bed and assumed the same prayer posture. "If this is the case, then please, Mr. Eric, use the divine magic bestowed upon you once more. Yella's followers have an obligation to spread her gospel to the world."

I can’t let go, the gospel is still charging.

What's more, the saint's scarf is not on him now.

"I can't use it now."

Eric shook his head and then lowered his head, his prayer posture becoming more pious.

"I'm just an ordinary believer. I can only successfully cast such a divine spell once. If I want to cast it again, I need to rest for a long time."

Seeing that he refused, Alena didn't say anything.

Her silent gaze lingered on him for a moment, then moved to the closed door behind him. She returned to the bed and sat down, clasping her hands on her long legs wrapped in a nun's robe, and exhaled lightly.

"Mr. Eric."

"Sister?" He lowered his hands and looked at Alena who had lowered her posture.

"You should understand that Sophie and I are merely messengers. Our actual duty is simply to deliver the Saint's token. We don't have the power to make any decisions ourselves."

"That's right," Eric said.

The head nun took a deep breath and pleaded solemnly:

"So whatever plans you and your family have, please at least don't make things difficult for us. Sophie and I are just ordinary nuns. We have little influence in the monastery and can't do anything. We have no intention of getting involved in any disputes with the nobility or the empire."

"……Um?"

As he listened, Eric's expression gradually froze.

It's a big misunderstanding, sister.

There is no such thing as any family plan or any turmoil involving the nobles and the empire!
He finally understood now. No wonder the two nuns were so wary of him. Did they think he was involved in a political conspiracy carefully planned by some noble?
Eric didn't know whether to laugh or cry, but he was helpless: the timing of his awakening of his past life memories was really "just right", otherwise he would not have chosen such an extreme method.

And that extraordinary performance, in the eyes of the Holy City envoy, naturally became the signal of some conspiracy - using miracles to win over the people. Taking it to the extreme, it is hard to say whether this is the beginning of the Kimino family's attempt to subvert the rule of the empire...

Eric was now finally beginning to understand the practical implications of counterfeiting miracles.

He really deserved to be burned at the stake.

"I'm afraid Sister Alena has misunderstood. What happened today was not planned. It was simply a spontaneous action after I sensed the oracle..."

Before the whole thing went out of control, Eric could only explain and comfort the overly sensitive nun in front of him.

He clasped his hands together and made a prayer gesture again:
"Regarding your concerns, I swear to the gods on my life and the honor of the Kimino family: this is absolutely not a political conspiracy."

Alena stared at him for a long time without saying a word. Finally, she lowered her eyes and slowly exhaled.

"...In that case, I believe Mr. Eric."

As for how much she believed it and which part she believed it, only she herself knew.

The matter has been reported to the Saint. No matter what the truth is, she is now the one waiting for instructions.

In a few days, there will be results.

"According to the original plan, when should Irene leave for the Holy City?" Eric suddenly asked.

"Two months left."

Alena answered truthfully. This was originally the information she wanted to share with the Saint's family. "The Saint gave us three months. We just need to return to the Holy City before the deadline."

"With you?"

"Yes."

"That still leaves plenty of time," Eric said. "Right now, there's a more pressing matter that Sister Alena needs to handle."

"……what?"

He told her about the discovery of the undead in the town of Valais. The head nun's brow gradually relaxed, and a hint of surprise appeared on her face.

So that's what happened...

"I'm not a combat nun. I just trained with a combat nun for a few years on the northern border... But that's not important. I can indeed solve the problem of the undead. I'll go over and take a look."

"The Saint's reply will probably come in the next few days."

Alena paused for a moment, then said to Eric, "I hope that when I come back, Mr. Eric will be able to face this matter more rationally."

"Ok?"

Eric was stunned for a moment, then shook his head. "How can we let the Holy City envoy face danger alone? The City Lord's Mansion will also send people to go with him, including me."

Alena frowned. "They're just some undead. There's no need to go to so much trouble..."

She was planning to go out and hide from him for a few days before the saint's reply arrived.

"—Those over there aren't just any ordinary undead, and they're more than just 'some'. If I don't go, Sister Alena and Miss Sophie might never come back."

"..."

"You'll get your head bitten off, and she'll die from her wounds."

Eric raised his hand and pointed to the invisible sky, and suddenly found that he seemed to have become accustomed to using the name of God.

"No kidding, Yela told me."

(End of this chapter)