The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 89 Flow
After coming out of the Saint's Abbey, Alena hurried to the Saint's Courtyard and had no time to watch the snow falling again at the end of the year.

When she arrived at the Holy Maiden's House, she went straight to where Sister Gabi was. As soon as she entered, she saw several female officials holding files and waiting for her to review them.

Gabi looked up and saw that her face was solemn. She paused for a moment, then waved her hand and asked the female officials to put down the files and leave.

"The Saint is ill," Alena said, and Gabi was startled. For her to come so anxiously to inform her, it had to be something serious.

"What's the situation now, Your Highness?"

Alena frowned, "Unconscious."

Gabi took a deep breath and her body shook. Some uneasy suspicions quickly grew in her heart, and she prepared to rush to the Holy Maiden's Monastery immediately.

"Your Highness...His Highness Eric, do you know about this?"

Alena shook her head. "He fell ill suddenly. His Highness even asked after the Saint this morning."

"He should be in the tower, go and inform him." Gabi instructed.

"Yes."

The elder sister left in a hurry. Alena took a deep breath, calmed herself down, and walked towards the Tower of the Holy Maiden.

It’s winter again, and the New Year is approaching...

Last winter, the previous Pope returned to the Kingdom of God around this time.

The saint is already too old, so it is normal that she cannot survive this winter.

Arriving at the bottom of the tower, while waiting for the magic ladder to descend, Alena's uneasiness continued to ferment in her heart, and she unconsciously hugged her left arm.

The saint is no longer her patron, but who in the monastery can say that they are not under the protection of the saint?
Deep down, she was more reluctant to see the old man leave.

The floating ladder reached the bottom, Alena stepped on it, and then slowly rose up with the ladder.

I reached the top of the tower, turned a corner and came to the small room. Sure enough, the quasi-saint Eric was there, and with him was the nun Sophie.

"..."

Eric sat behind his desk with a serious expression, but his expression was a little listless, while Sophie faced sideways to him, facing the window, and rarely took the initiative to greet him.

There is a strange smell in the room.

Alena frowned, not having time to think about it, "Your Highness, the Saint has fallen ill and is now in a coma."

Eric seemed to be unresponsive, his mouth opening and a wooden "What" in response.

Just as Alena was about to repeat herself, he had already flashed from behind the desk and stood in front of her, his eyes wide open. "The Saint is unconscious?"

"...Yes, Your Highness."

She glanced at the hand on her shoulder, which was pinching her so hard it hurt.

"When I went to greet her this morning, the Saint was still joking with me..."

"Sorry." Eric quickly came to his senses. Seeing her frown, he reacted immediately and let go of his hand. "Let's go back to the temple."

Alena nodded.

"Sophie, you... go back to your room first." Eric said to the little nun who had been silent.

Alena saw her throat move, as if she swallowed something, and she completely avoided her gaze, not daring to look at her.

"Yes, Eric... Your Highness."

Having said that, the three of them still went down from the top of the tower together.

It's okay for two people to stand on the magic floating ladder, but it seems a bit crowded for three people.

Eric stood in the middle, his eyes fixed. Alena glanced at his side. Sophie was leaning against him, almost too close.

She didn't want to think too much, especially when there were more pressing things to do right now.

The three of them separated outside the Saint's Abbey. Sophie returned to her room alone, and Alena followed Eric, who was walking faster and faster, towards the Saint's Abbey.

"Your Highness... Your Highness..."

Alena could hardly keep up.

Eric stopped, walked back a few steps, grabbed her hand and ran forward.

She had never seen him so uneasy.

And Alena understood even better that deep down he had the same wish as hers.

Returning to the Saint's abode and arriving at her room, several nuns were surrounding her bed, casting a light magic that made people feel warm.

In the midst of the bright white divine light, the old man was lying there quietly.

Eric walked over slowly and looked at the senior nun Gabi who had arrived earlier. "How is Your Highness?"

Gabi knelt beside the Saint, holding her hand, and shook her head at Eric.

"..."

Eric only felt a buzzing in his head, and he didn't hear anything about what Gabi and Alena said next.

When the tinnitus gradually subsided, Gabi's voice finally reached his ears, "...I will stay here to guard His Highness."

Eric stayed too.

After winter comes, the daytime becomes shorter, and the old man's coma seems longer.

At midnight, the old saint finally woke up.

"..."

Her left and right hands were held tightly by Eric and Gabi respectively. She looked at the two people lying on the bed, and the nuns who were taking turns to cast divine spells, and slowly let out a long breath.

"I saw the gate to the Kingdom of God, but you guys pulled me back."

As soon as he heard the noise, Eric woke up and held the Saint's hand tightly, "How could Your Highness return to the Kingdom of God without saying goodbye?"

"I just came back to say hello to you one last time."

Seeing that he suddenly became nervous again, the saint smiled weakly and squeezed his hand.

"Good boy, don't be sad. From now on... I'll leave it to you."

After saying this, the old man closed his heavy eyes.

"..."

Eric opened his mouth, "Your Highness..."

The saint closed her eyes for a while, then opened them again.

"Strange, isn't it time for me to die yet? I just saw Ye La waving at me... Strange."

Perhaps because she had been lying down all day, she seemed more energetic. Eric wasn't sure if this was a last gasp of lucidity, so he could only wait by her side with increasing anxiety.

On the other side, Gabi has also woken up. She is also not young, with tears streaming down her pale face, like the saint's unfavored old daughter.

It was dawn again. Eric and Gabi were exhausted, and the old saint had returned to her usual state.

Only then did the two of them feel almost certain that the Saint had survived another difficult hurdle.

Gabi was helped to rest. Eric yawned and continued to chat with the saint for a few words at dawn before she sent him to bed.

Before leaving, the Saint suddenly asked, "Eric, what year is it now?"

"It is the 729th year of the Gregorian calendar, Your Highness. In a few days it will be the 730th year."

"729 years..." the Saint murmured, "So, I haven't been back to Lutia for almost twenty years."

Eric resisted the urge to sleep and asked, "Your Highness, do you want to go back and take a look?"

"If I don't go back now, I'm afraid I won't have another chance." The Saint stared at the ceiling for a while, then looked at him, "Eric, you make the arrangements."

"Yes." Eric perked up. "When does Your Highness plan to leave?"

"After the New Year." said the saint.

Eric thought for a moment and said, "Let's wait until spring comes and the weather gets warmer before setting off."

The Saint looked at him and asked, "Can I still hold on until then?"

"Of course." He yawned, sat back down beside the bed, and held the old man's hand. "Your Highness managed to get through this dangerous time."

The Saint smiled and said, "Then let's wait until spring."

After surviving the thrilling coma in the dead of winter, the saint's body did not become healthier - the old woman's body was already too old - but it did not deteriorate either, at least she did not fall into a coma again.

Eric nervously attended all occasions where the Saint's presence was required, such as going to the Holy Mountain for thanksgiving prayers at the end of the year, or attending the cardinals' meeting in the Apostolic Palace, and actually deciding certain important matters of the Convent.

The cold days passed one by one, the ice and snow gradually melted, spring was getting closer and closer, and the saint really survived.

According to her wishes, Eric was busy arranging the saint's return to Lutia.

——This is more like an assessment: Gabi, who is familiar with the process, is only allowed to assist from the side, and everything has to be planned from scratch.

From food to lodging, from clothing to transportation, Eric realized for the first time how complicated and troublesome it was for the Saint's procession to travel far away.
The Saint was old, sick, and frail, and her diet was very particular. She could only travel by carriage, and the speed was limited. The Knights escorting the Saint naturally had to accompany her throughout the journey. Besides those directly caring for the Saint, the team also had to bring along some nuns to maintain appearances and enhance their presence. Thus, the problems of food, clothing, housing, and transportation for everyone along the way were greatly magnified...

After planning a time-consuming and costly itinerary, Eric's biggest feeling was that the position of the Saint was indeed a tool for making money and a parasite of the church - all the expenses for the Saint's travel to and from Lutia came from generous donations from devout believers.

Of course, this is just a plan on paper now.

“…It should be about the same.”

On the high tower, Eric looked through the itinerary in front of him, and listed everything he could think of, including food, clothing, housing and transportation.

"It's so complicated." Sophie leaned on his shoulder, her face against his. After taking a few glances at the densely packed text, she lost interest and wanted to be closer to him.

"Don't move." Eric held down her groping hand, "or I'll remove you from the list of nuns accompanying me."

Sophie hummed softly, bit his face twice, wiped some saliva, and hugged him tightly from behind. Their current relationship started at the turn of spring and summer.

She bravely and recklessly took a crucial step forward. He said that he would send her to the stake, but his body honestly chose to accept it, and then he completely possessed her one night.

The tearing pain has now turned into sweetness that only we two know.

But sometimes, a hint of sadness would brew in the sweetness.

Sophie leaned forward and put her head close to his face. "Your Highness, will you really let me stay in the monastery?"

"It has come to this, how can I let you go?"

Eric didn't look at her. "If you go back to Lutia and tell everyone about my affair with the nun, will I send the Knights of the Church to arrest you?"

Sophie chuckled, "I'd be willing to be captured by His Highness."

"If it comes to that, you're really finished. I'll probably be finished too."

Eric took a breath and then looked at her. "Before the five-year training period is over, I will arrange a decent ordination for you in the monastery. You can use this as an excuse to convince your family. If that doesn't work, I'll intervene."

"Uh-huh!"

Sophie smiled happily and followed his instructions completely.

She nuzzled his face again. "Father asked me to come to the monastery to practice cultivation, just so that it would sound better when I got married in the future... Now that I'm staying in the monastery, does that mean I'm marrying His Highness?"

Eric pursed his lips and looked at her for a few seconds. "I told you before, unless I no longer serve as a saint, I can't give you any status other than that of a priest..."

"I understand." Sophie pouted and smiled, stopping him from continuing.

She got off him, walked to the desk, lifted the hem of her nun's dress with both hands, knelt down and bowed to him.

"I simply yearn for the divine light and am a follower of His Highness Eric."

Eric looked at her, and Sophie quickly looked up again, smiling brightly.

It was hard not to smile at it, and he leaned back, wrapping his arms around her small waist as she sat on him.

Smelling her body fragrance and feeling the soft warmth buried on his face, Eric took a deep breath and then pressed down her hand that was beginning to act recklessly.

"I didn't mean that."

"I have……"

The two looked at each other, Sophie bit her lip and seduced with pity.

Eric pinched her cheek and said, "It's because you seduce me every day that the Saint's itinerary is still uncertain."

"Well...it's my fault. Punish me, Your Highness."

Eric used both hands to lift her up and sit her on the table in front of him. Sophie realized something and instinctively clamped her legs together, then opened them again, shyly and expectantly.

Just as he was about to get under the skirt of the nun's uniform, he heard the peculiar low humming sound of a descending magic ladder from outside.

The future saint quickly emerged from under her skirt. The little nun hurriedly tidied up her clothes, got down from the table, and stood aside.

It was Alena.

The moment their eyes met, Eric subconsciously dodged, then continued to look at her as if nothing had happened.

The latter lowered his gaze and said, "Your Highness, Sister Gabi asked if the Saint's itinerary can be confirmed."

"almost."

Eric glanced at the itinerary on the table and found that the paper had been wrinkled by Sophie's sitting. He pretended to smooth it out casually and said, "I'll show it to Her Highness. If she has no objection, then it can be confirmed."

Alena nodded in agreement.

Sophie stayed at the top of the tower while Eric and Alena went down together.

The floating ladder slowly descended, with a short yet long period of darkness in the middle.

Eric turned his head and glanced at the mature nun who was silent beside him.

Even though his love and desire were poured into Sophie, it was still difficult for him to treat her as just a tool to manage the monastery on his behalf, even though there was actually no ambiguity between them in the past year.

Regrets are always inevitable, and excessive greed is a precursor to destruction... He didn't know how many times he had reminded himself of this.

Eric looked ahead, hoping the ladder would descend faster.

Alena glanced sideways at the silent quasi-saint beside her.

More than half a year ago, Sophie suddenly became much more honest, but she knew that it was not because she had become sensible, but because she had restrained herself after getting and being satisfied: there must have been some unspeakable taboo between the quasi-saint and the little nun of the same age.

His gaze, which he thought was hidden in the past, no longer lingered on her for long, and he completely ignored the restlessness in her heart that he had actively provoked, as well as all her struggles.

She should have understood that if she chose to become a nun, she shouldn't expect to violate such taboos.

She also gradually realized her position in his heart: another Gabi.

This was a heavy trust that no one else could obtain except her, and she should be satisfied with it...

Alena looked at the floating ladder below her feet, still hoping that it would descend more slowly.

Fast or slow, the floating ladder reached the ground.

After they both composed themselves, Alena leaned sideways and watched Eric walk away after he walked off the ladder.

After leaving the Saint's Palace, Eric went straight back to the Saint's Abbey and presented his itinerary to Her Majesty the Saint.

He originally intended to read it to the saint, but the old woman thought he read too slowly, so she took it away and read it slowly.

"When you slowly read something that can be understood at a glance, how long will it take?"

Eric saved himself the trouble and just waited nearby.

The saint looked at it for a long time.

She paused for a long moment when she reached the middle of the page. Eric's itinerary included a round trip, and that was the midpoint, the part where the Saint had just returned to Lutia.

The old man closed his eyes and sighed softly.

"Just pretend I've already been back..."

Eric was stunned for a moment, and still didn't understand the true meaning of the saint's words.

"Gabi must have put a lot of effort into planning this itinerary."

"Yes, there are some procedures I'm not clear about, so I asked the senior sister for reference."

The saint quickly read through the latter part of the journey, and after finishing it, she pondered silently for a while.

"Eric."

Eric looked at the old man, "Your Highness?"

"According to your plan, if we start preparing now, when can we set off?" asked the saint.

"Probably before May," Eric replied, "We'll be able to reach Lutia before the Demon Exorcism Day."

The Saint frowned, "What's taking so long?"

"Considering His Highness's physical condition, it's better to be absolutely sure."

The old man shook his head, but a relieved smile appeared on his face.

"There's no such thing as complete preparation, Eric. Accidents are everywhere, and it's impossible to be completely safe."

Eric lowered his head. "I understand, Your Highness. But accidents are accidents, omissions are omissions. I just want to eliminate as many things as I can."

The Saint looked at him and said, "You have missed a major point. Haven't you discovered it yet?"

Eric was stunned.

"I'm not going back."

"..."

"I have a feeling I don't have enough energy to make it back to Lutia and then back to Lesire... Don't worry, I'm not dying yet. I just... don't have the strength to go home."

The old man sighed softly, "I can't find any reason to go back. There's nothing special about that place except that it's where I was born, but that was over eighty years ago... Eighty years later, even the youngest members of my family no longer exist. What's the point of me going back?"

The Saint looked up and said, "When Yela summoned me, I still hoped to stay in this Saint's Palace and not leave with her in such a mess."

The trip plan that he had prepared for half a month was suddenly cancelled. Eric had no resentment, only unspeakable sadness.

"Don't look so sad." The Saint smiled, took his hand, and with her other hand tapped on his schedule, "This is what I prepared for you."

"..."

Eric raised his head, and the Saint continued, "By the time you set off, you will have been in the Holy City for almost two years.

"Two years is a long time. When you first came, I didn't think I could live this long.

"Although they always say learning never ends, you've pretty much learned everything you can here... If this itinerary is your final assessment, I can say I'm satisfied with your answer.

"While I am still alive, I will give you some unfettered freedom.

"Go, go out, leave the monastery, leave Lesire, go wherever you want, train yourself like your uncle, and make a name for yourself... This is the last bit of freedom you will have before you take on this heavy burden."

The true freedom that he had always pursued was suddenly given to him, and Eric felt a little confused and unreal.

"When should I be back?"

The saint let go of his hand, and her old eyes raised up, no longer looking at him.

"Silly child, do you even need to ask? When I hear your reputation in Lesire, or... when Yela calls me back."

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[The Twin Towers of the Holy City - End]

Two chapters in one, count as two chapters

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(End of this chapter)