The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 49 Alena

Alena didn't sleep well all night.

She tossed and turned in the first half of the night, and even cast several meditation spells on herself in the second half, but still couldn't fall asleep. When she gave up on trying to sleep and decided to lie in bed until dawn, sleepiness came over her. She closed her eyes tightly, ready to grasp this hard-earned sliver of sleep, but the monastery bells rang in her ears.

"..."

It's time for the nuns to get up.

Alena opened her eyes. The morning light was just beginning to appear outside the window. Looking at the still dim room, she had no choice but to get up.

She was no longer the head nun. Although she still lived in the same single room as before, she no longer had any other privileges. Even when she got up early to wash, she had to squeeze in with the ordinary nuns.

"Alena... Head Sister..."

Sophie saw her and subconsciously called out, but the last three words became increasingly quiet as she came back to her senses.

"Good morning." Alena responded calmly, as usual.

Sophie squeezed over, stared at her face, and whispered, "Didn't you sleep well?"

Alena forced a smile. "Can you tell?"

"It's obvious." Sophie nodded heavily, a look of worry on her face. "It's because of the Saint..."

"Shh." Alena raised her hand to her lips, "Don't talk about it."

Sophie could only nod.

"Go wash up first."

After washing up, Alena's complexion did not look any better. She knew the reason: not only last night, but also the night before, she had hardly slept a wink. She relied on the magic of refreshing to keep herself going during the day.

Fortunately, although today is a special day, it has nothing to do with her and she doesn't need to show up.

"I can't believe Mr. Eric actually became the Saint's heir." Sophie slept well and was very excited about this matter. But in the blink of an eye, she became gloomy again. "But if that's the case...

Alena didn't have the energy to comfort her, nor did she know how. After a moment's thought, she reminded her, "Remember not to mention the events of the past two weeks in front of anyone irrelevant to you. The mission His Highness has assigned us is now complete. If you talk too much, others will think you're showing off."

"Huh? Oh..."

Sophie responded, then suddenly thought of something. She looked around and came over to say:

"If you ask Mr. Eric to plead with the Saint, he will definitely agree, and then you can be restored to your Sister's status... "

Alena pressed her little mouth, with only helplessness on her face, "Don't mention this again."

"Woo..."

"Sophie—"

A tall nun walked quickly over from the other side and saw Alena with Sophie, with an embarrassed look on her face.

"Alena...don't worry about it. The Saint is probably just a little unhappy for a while. She will put you back to your original position in a few days."

Alena nodded and said nothing.

The visitor was the head nun of the Ninth Convent. After she was dismissed from her position as head nun, she temporarily took over the management of the nuns of the Seventh Convent, including Sophie.

"Sophie, come with me. We are short of one person for the ceremony. Come and help." said the tall nun.

"Ah? I see..." Sophie looked at Alena, not used to being controlled by a nun other than her.

"Be serious later and don't be distracted. Today is a very important day for Mr. Eric." Alena reminded.

Sophie nodded heavily, assuring her before leaving with the tall nun.

Alena, who used to be very busy when faced with such big events, had nothing to do today.

She is just an ordinary nun now. If there is no special arrangement from the superior sister, all she has to do is daily practice, pray on time, or make holy water to pass the time, just like most nuns in the monastery.

"What should I do..."

Alena hadn't felt this lost in years.

The last time was probably when she was about ten years old. At that time, her parents had just frozen to death in the bitter northern snow. She was the only one left in the family, and there were only a few people left in the entire village. The killers were not only the cold wind and snow, but also the constant hunger.

Should I go with my parents immediately, or leave here to find a way to survive, and then freeze or starve to death in the snow outside?
She stood beside her parents' bodies, dazed and faced with no choice, when the iron hooves of the Varane people suddenly stepped into the small village on the border.

She no longer remembered whether she heard the villagers' cries at that time, but she would never forget the sound of the cavalry rushing in and stabbing their knives into the bodies of her parents.

"Already dead? Then come with me!"

The cavalryman was dragging her out of the village when he was shot by several arrows. She lost consciousness in extreme fear.

When she woke up in an unfamiliar camp, a nun with a resolute yet gentle face appeared before her.

"Are you awake? I'm Dania, the Imperial Army's chaplain. Don't worry, those Varanes have been driven away. You're safe now."

It was then that she mustered up the courage to say that she wanted to follow the nun. For the next seven or eight years, she had been following her side, learning divine arts, healing the wounded, and even participating in sudden battles, stabbing a Varane soldier to death with a dagger... until she received a letter from teacher Dania recommending her to practice in the Holy Virgin Monastery, where she stayed for ten years.

During these ten years, she learned that Teacher Dania was originally from the Saint's Monastery. She was assigned to the army on the border between the Empire and Varane by the Saint's Convent to assist the Saint in managing the monastery's affairs.
She also learned that Teacher Dania, who was nearly fifty years old, had been stationed in the army for five or six times longer than the other chaplains, and still had not been granted permission to return to the monastery;
She finally learned that it was a senior lady of the Holy House who prevented it.

"As long as I am in this position, Dania will never be able to return to the Holy Virgin Monastery. Never."

Because of her outstanding abilities, that female official was deeply loved by the Saint, and no one could change the decision made in the name of the Saint's Court.

Unless, she can also climb to that position.

So she began to work hard to show herself and actively strive to attract the attention of the saint. After several successful tasks, she became the youngest head nun in the monastery at the age of 25, and was expected to enter the convent within a few years.

However, she remained stagnant in this position for four or five years. The more cautious she was, the more futile her efforts became. Finally, the night before yesterday, she fell back to her starting position.

it's all over……

When she came to her senses, Alena found that she had been standing in the deserted courtyard for a long time.

I could faintly hear the sacred hymns sung by the nuns, coming from the Cathedral of St. Sagittarius, which indicated that the ceremony was about to begin. After the ceremony actually began, only a few people were allowed to speak.

If there were no arrangements, an ordinary nun like her would not even be qualified to watch the ceremony.

The fatigue from not sleeping for two days made Alena feel dizzy and her body swayed involuntarily.

She bit her lips hard, the pain stimulated her to regain some consciousness and also stopped her falling heart.

Is this really how it ends?
Teacher Dania, is she destined to die of old age in such a bitter and cold border military camp... No, given the dangers over there, there's an 80% chance that she won't even have the chance to die of old age.

"..."

Suddenly, she smelled a bloody smell and realized that she had accidentally bitten her lip.

What flowed out was not only blood, but also her bright red unwillingness.

But what else could she do? Wait another ten years?

But the saint no longer favored her.

[“…For some things, it’s better to rely on him than on me. I gave you such a good opportunity, but you kept deceiving yourself…”]

In a trance, Alena suddenly understood.

No wonder among so many nuns in the monastery, she was the one sent to welcome the heir of the Saint.

When she suddenly fell, her vision was no longer blinded by the persistence in front of her, and Alena finally understood everything.

"Your Highness..."

On the only way from the Saint's Abbey to the Cathedral, she waited for the Saint's procession that was preparing to go there to attend the ceremony.

"Your Highness, do you no longer need Alena's loyalty?"

Looking at the nun kneeling on the ground, the old man was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled.

"Gabby."

The Saint looked at the female official in front of her and said, "I don't have much time."

(End of this chapter)