The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 78 New Year Has Not Arrived
On the last morning of the New Year, Eric stood in the small room at the top of the Tower of Santa Maria, watching the group from the Apostolic Palace walk out of the Holy City and head towards the Holy Mountain.

After staring for a while, he couldn't help rubbing his eyes and crying.

"Wearing all white on a snowy day, is it a lucky charm? ...I'm almost blind."

Although the group of people who went to the Holy Mountain to give thanks and pray on behalf of the Pope did not intend to let him wait and see.

Eric stopped looking closely and watched from a distance until he could no longer see anything, then he looked away.

He just came to the Holy Maiden Palace today to do some things for the Holy Maiden, and went to the tower to see the scenery.

"Your Highness, are we still going out to play today?" asked Sophie, who came up with him.

Eric glanced at her and sat down in the Saint's seat. "Haven't you had enough fun these days?"

The little nun twisted her body, a little embarrassed, "Because it's almost New Year's Day."

The atmosphere in the monastery was quite relaxed these days, and Eric couldn't force her. "Are there any special New Year customs in Lutia?"

"Is it a New Year's custom?" Sophie thought for a moment. "On New Year's Eve, people dressed as demons parade through the streets, specifically trying to scare children. It's said that if you're caught, you'll have bad luck for the whole of the coming year."

Eric couldn't help but look sideways, "What kind of weird custom is this?"

"It's strange, isn't it?" Sophie laughed. "But it's said to have come from the palace."

Eric shook his head and said nothing more.

"Your Highness, are we going out again today?" Sophie asked the same question again.

Eric looked at the vast snow outside and said, "It's snowing so heavily, forget it."

The Saint had long since relaxed the restrictions on his going out. Now, more and more people outside knew the prospective Saint. It would not have a good influence if he took a pretty little nun to stroll around the outer city every day.

"Ok."

Sophie didn't force it. She was quite satisfied just being with him like this...

Eric stood up and said, "Go down."

"Ah..." She let out a disappointed sound. If the quasi-saint lady returned to the abode, she would no longer be able to follow her.

Eric ignored her and walked to the magic-powered floating ladder. "If you don't come over, you'll be jumped."

Sophie had no choice but to go over, stand on the circular disc-shaped floating ladder, and squeeze in with him.

She grabbed Eric's arm and moved closer. "Every time I step on this thing, I feel scared..."

"Then close your eyes." She always said this, and Eric was too lazy to expose her. He stepped on the raised piece in the middle of the floating ladder with his toes, and the ladder began to slowly descend.

Sophie suddenly leaned on his arm. Eric turned his head away. She closed her eyes, but the corners of her mouth slowly curved up.

"If anyone sees you, you'll spend the New Year in solitary confinement."

The monastery's control over the nuns in this regard was actually quite strict, so many beautiful young nuns only dared to look at him from afar.

Sophie suddenly opened her eyes and met his with bright eyes, with only a smile in them.

"Your Highness will definitely not watch me being taken away by the nuns."

She is the exception.

Relying on her status as a quasi-saint companion with the saint's approval, she was extremely arrogant in the monastery - only in her interactions with Eric.

Seeing him roll his eyes, Sophie was actually very happy.

This is the default!

Although she didn't know why, she could feel that His Highness's gaze had been lingering on her for longer periods of time in the past few days.

She tried to get closer to him, and judging by his reaction, His Highness was not averse to her getting close... Of course, getting too close was not a good idea either.

Sophie couldn't help but look forward to it, but she didn't dare to expect too much.

At least this New Year, she was in a happy and satisfied mood.

The floating staircase descended at a constant speed and soon reached the bottom. Sophie let go of Eric and distanced herself from him. She didn't know how many people were watching the Holy Maiden Palace below the tower, so she didn't dare to act recklessly.

Compared to usual days, the Holy Maiden Palace was much quieter today. The female officials also had their holidays, and only a few were still busy.

"Sister Gabi."

"Your Highness." Gabi stood up and saluted Eric. Even though it was not the first time they met today, she was still polite.

"Have you found the dossier the Saint wanted?"

"Found it." Gabi handed over a file. "I wanted to send it directly to the Saint, but I remembered that Her Highness was still in the tower, so I stayed here."

Eric nodded, took the file, said hello to Gabi, and left the Holy Maiden Palace.

"Your Highness, will you be out later?" Sophie asked on the way back to the Saint's Abbey. Eric shook his head. "I don't think there will be anything to do today."

Sophie could not hide her disappointment, or rather, she deliberately did not hide it in front of him, and even took the initiative to exaggerate it.

"Then I have nothing to do today...it's still early."

"Go back to the nuns' dormitory and lie down." Eric said, flipping through the file in his hand. It seemed to be just the family history of a nobleman in Lutia.

Sophie curled her lips and followed him all the way back to the Saint's Abbey before finally giving up.

"Your Highness, see you next year..."

"See you next year." Eric waved his hand and hurried into the temple.

Looking at the nuns staring at her on both sides of the monastery entrance, Sophie didn't dare to be too presumptuous. She could only watch him go in and then leave regretfully.

Inside the monastery, Eric handed the file to the saint and then waited aside.

"Oh, so your name is Noel... Yes, that's the name."

The saint is already too old, and the memories that arise when she sees something can only be restored with the help of files.

She had specially asked Eric to make this trip because she was looking for this name that she couldn't remember.

"On New Year's Eve over sixty years ago, when the Saint's messenger came to our house, it was Noel from the Adams family who was visiting the Toulus family. He was the first to congratulate me."

The Saint threw the file onto the table. "I was actually a little attracted to him back then, but I never expected him to not feel the slightest bit of regret when he saw me become the Saint's successor. He deserved to die in his thirties."

Even though Eric was used to the old lady chatting with him about such private matters, he still couldn't help but complain in his heart.

After more than sixty years, this is no longer a faded first love, but a rotten first love...

The Saint's gaze turned to him again. "Before I sent the messenger, did Edgar arrange a marriage between you and your brother?"

"No." Eric shook his head.

The saint said, "Fortunately," and then muttered a few words that arrangements should have been made for the brother and sister long ago.

"I don't know which generation of ancestors influenced this, but in some ways, your family doesn't look like aristocrats at all, especially you two generations, uncle and nephew. Hmm... Anyway, it's okay. Bring me your family files."

Eric was helpless, not wanting to be confronted with his family tree. "Just talk to me directly."

"What can I talk to you about? You can't even remember your grandfather's grandfather's name."

"..."

Fortunately, the saint only mentioned it casually and did not really ask him to get his own files.

"Okay, send it back. I'm tired and need to lie down for a while. Come back in the afternoon... in the afternoon."

"Yes, Your Highness."

Eric picked up the file on the table.

thump—

The sudden ringing of a heavy bell stopped both the Saint and the Quasi-Saint in their tracks.

"Why are you ringing the bell at this time..." Eric immediately thought that this was also part of the New Year customs in the Holy City.

The saint shook her head slowly, but her eyes froze.

Boom--boom--

The bells continued to ring, one after another, coming from the bell tower of the Holy City Cathedral, echoing throughout the holy city and even reaching the holy mountain outside the holy city.

Everyone who heard the bell stopped what they were doing and counted the number of times the bell rang in their hearts.

One sound, two sounds, three sounds...

The bell rang more than ten times and still did not stop.

Everyone realized the meaning of the bell.

This is the death knell.

On the Holy Mountain, the team that went up the mountain experienced the initial panic and turned back;
Outside the holy city, countless believers flocked to the inner city walls, gathered outside, touched the walls and cried;

In the monastery of the Holy Virgin, Eric supported the old saint who suddenly fell to the ground, speechless.

The continuous death knell rang through the sky for a long time.

Pope Sergius VI, head of the universal Church and all Hierophants, has died.

When I wrote this chapter, I thought about the reality. I didn’t expect that Pope Francis would actually pass away before I even published it…

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(End of this chapter)