The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 73 Holy Mountain
One foot was deep, the other shallow, stepping on the deep snow that covered most of his boots. Eric looked back at the long team following behind him and thought that he was only a pair of shackles away from being exiled.

What does it mean to endure hardship without suffering?

Starting from the Monastery of the Holy Virgin, he walked all the way to the foot of the Holy Mountain, then followed the mountain path opened by his predecessors, which had long been completely covered by heavy snow, and climbed to the Holy Mountain Cathedral on the top. This was the journey he had to complete during the day.

This is called eating without suffering.

Eric never expected that he, the chosen one who even predicted the meteor shower, would have to endure hardships to show his piety one day. He also found it hard to believe that the saint could complete this journey by herself before the age of sixty.

The only thing to be thankful for is that the holy city is at the foot of the holy mountain, so the journey there is not that long.

It's right in front now.

Eric looked up at the summit of the vast Holy Mountain. It didn't look high from the monastery, but when he got there, especially when he measured it with his feet, the height seemed quite steep.

The Holy Mountain is a sacred and forbidden place.

Devout believers can stay in the outer city of the holy city by spending more money, but no matter how much money they donate to the church, they will not be allowed to approach the holy mountain.

Only people from the church, or more precisely, only clergymen of the Holy See, are allowed to climb the Holy Mountain on certain days.

Eric looked back and saw that following behind him were some nuns including Alena and the monastery's guard knights.

After walking for a while, they arrived at the foot of the Holy Mountain. A group of knights guarding the mountain road were wearing silver armor and saluted Eric when he stopped.

The monastery team also needs to take a short rest here.

"Your Highness." Alena came up, puffing out white air from her mouth. "Are you still able to walk?"

"You underestimate me." Eric cast a magic spell on himself to increase his physical strength. "I am a warrior after all."

"Your Highness..." As the wind and snow hit her face, Alena frowned and smiled.

"But you and those nuns, are you okay?" Eric asked.

"It's all right, Your Highness," Alena replied. "When we can't walk anymore, the knights will tow us up on their sleds."

Eric looked at the knights protecting the religion, and indeed, he saw that some of the people at the back of the team were dragging something in their hands, and he was immediately speechless.

Could it be that he is the only one who has to endure this hardship?
"Can the Saint really still climb the Holy Mountain when she's in her fifties?"

Alena glanced around her, moved closer, and whispered:
"When Her Highness can no longer climb, she will stop and pray. Then, the Knights will 'go against' Her Highness's will and forcibly load her onto a sled. Two knights will then carry Her Highness up the mountain step by step."

"..."

Eric didn't know how to complain anymore.

"So will it work if I do this?"

Alena glanced to the side and said, "Your Highness, the knights who escorted us up the mountain today are the same ones who provide you with combat training every day..."

That's no hope.

These guards know his physical condition better than he does.

"Okay, I'm just saying that."

After a short rest, the group continued on their journey, with Eric still walking in the front, and the team following behind also became much more orderly.

Amidst the wind and snow, everyone looked solemn as they set foot on the holy mountain one after another.

The mountain path was steep and covered with snow, making every step crunch. Eric, energized by his long training, maintained a steady pace, slowly ascending the path, step by step.

He even had time to look at the mountain scenery on both sides that was almost completely covered with snow.

This mountain is actually quite ordinary. It has no strange peaks or cliffs, nor is it high enough to surprise people. The reason why it is called a holy mountain is simply because it is located next to the holy city of Lasir.

In a sense, this holy mountain and the Holy Mountain Cathedral on the mountain are also the last line of defense for the Holy See - the slightly steep mountain makes attacks from bottom to top difficult.

This mountain preserved the flame of human faith when the church was first founded and faced the attacks of demons. It also barely preserved the last dignity of the then Pope, who was determined to make progress and even intended to get involved in secular power, when he was surrounded by the imperial cavalry.

"Church history really dares to teach everything..." Eric couldn't help but sigh, and felt that this was the content intentionally left behind by the previous saints who came from the imperial aristocracy to remind the successors where the source of the saints' power lies.

The person surrounded by the imperial army on the Holy Mountain was Innocent III, the first pope in church history who was almost taken prisoner.

During the period when the heroic king Wutu passed away and the princes' civil war broke out, he led the church to actively participate in the civil war in the empire, and deliberately continued the civil unrest, even directly participating in the conspiracy to assassinate the princes, until he successfully supported a prince who was close to the church to ascend to the throne, thus seizing a large amount of political power for the church.

However, this situation did not last for a few years. After the new emperor died unexpectedly from falling off a horse, the knights and nobles united and supported the only son of another prince to ascend the throne. They vigorously eliminated the influence of the Holy See and completely ended the civil strife.

Amidst the siege, Pope Innocent III abdicated on the Holy Mount and later committed suicide. The Holy See's armed forces, the Crusaders, were almost wiped out in this battle. After reconstruction, their size was greatly restricted and they were renamed the Knights Protectorate of the Faith. They could only be deployed when the Holy See was threatened.

Since then, no pope has chosen "Innocent" as his title when he ascends the throne.

"Come to think of it, Innocent II seems to be a 'talent' as well..."

While climbing the Holy Mountain, Eric reviewed the church history he had learned before in his mind. When he saw the Holy Mountain Cathedral in the wind and snow, he suddenly realized that he was almost at the top.

Looking back, the team had become longer. Except for Alena who was still struggling to hold on, the other nuns had already sat on the sleds pulled by the guard knights, leaving a line of black dots on the white snow-capped mountains.

Eric paused and waited a moment.

"..."

Alena's face was pale, her lips were trembling, and she wanted to speak, but Eric raised his hand to stop her.

"Don't talk, take a rest."

After the people at the end of the team caught up, the nuns got off the sled and rested for a while. Then Eric reorganized the team and set off again. Then he walked all the way to the solemn and holy cathedral and prostrated himself.

Then, the quasi-saint Eric stood up alone, walked into the church, knelt down in front of the statue of Yela, prayed, and thanked the god for his infinite grace to the church and ordinary believers in the past year.

The first stage of the journey to the Holy Mountain has finally come to an end.

It was already afternoon, around one or two o'clock. Eric had to return to the statue of Yela before sunset and pray until sunrise the next day.

From now until the prayer begins, it is time for him to rest and replenish his strength.

As a sacred forbidden place, the Holy Mountain Cathedral itself does not have any clergy stationed on site, so it is impossible for anyone to come out to receive them.

The knights, carrying the flags of the Holy Lady's Monastery, stood around the church and took turns on guard duty, while the nuns who followed them entered the church to clean up and prepared food for the group in the backyard.

"His Holiness the Pope will climb the Holy Mountain on the last day before the New Year and come to the cathedral to give thanks to God." Alena said to Eric.

"Looking at His Holiness the Pope's condition, he probably won't go up the mountain himself," Eric said. "Send a cardinal on his behalf?"

Alena nodded. "Yes, usually the Chief Cardinal."

After walking around the solemn and deserted cathedral, Eric came to the cemetery behind the church and saluted the many tombstones inside.

This is the most sacred place on the Holy Mountain. In the crypt of the church, there are sleeping popes and saints of all ages, including the Holy Prophet Raphael and his ten disciples, including the Holy Virgin.

"Don't bury me here when I die. Let me go back to the family cemetery in my hometown." Eric said to Alena.

A saint who comes from an imperial noble family can choose her own burial site - one of two options: if she is not buried in the family cemetery, she can be buried in the underground of the cathedral on the Holy Mountain.

Alena looked at him. "I would have remembered that if I hadn't walked in front of Your Highness."

Eric smiled, and suddenly remembered that he still had elven blood flowing in his body.

I don’t know if he has inherited the longevity common among the elves... Of course, the premise is that he can live to the end of his life.

Looking up at the snowstorm that seemed to be getting stronger and stronger, originating from the far north, Eric knew what he would pray to Yella tonight.

"Live a hundred years... No, live three hundred years."

At this moment, he sincerely hoped that he really had the power to communicate with the gods.

(End of this chapter)