The Holy Man of Another Century Gospel

Chapter 97 Rain

pat.

A drop of rain fell from the sky and landed beside Eric's ear, and his eyelids moved.

Patapapapapap——

The raindrops kept falling, soon hitting his face, cold as ice, and Eric woke up suddenly.

The sky was gray and dim, like before dawn.

Eric turned his head and saw that he was still lying on the cliff, with a long-haired woman lying on top of him, sleeping soundly.

So... not Sophie.

Memories flooded back in his hangover, and Eric finally remembered that this was the forest ranger lady he had just met for less than a day.

last night……

Eric quickly recalled his last memory before he fell down. The female druid transformed into a black panther and pressed on him. He did not push her away. Not long after, the alcohol took effect and he fell asleep himself.

Pat pat pat——

The drizzle in the early morning grew heavier.

Eric struggled to get up and pushed Kasha, "Ms. Kasha, Miss Kasha!"

The forest ranger's body trembled a little, but she was still not fully awake. Instead, she fumbled and hugged him tighter.

Eric was helpless, so he lowered his head and yelled into her ear, "The woods are on fire!"

"..."

Kasha suddenly woke up, looked at Eric and blinked, then looked around to see where she was, let go of him, stood up, and looked at the woods below.

"Where's the fire?"

"What's on fire?"

"I seemed to hear..." Kasha shook her head, pressed her forehead, and showed a somewhat painful expression, "Ugh, my head hurts."

"Maybe it's just a dream." Eric didn't bother to explain too much. "It's raining. We should go down."

"it is good……"

Kasha nodded and walked down the cliff. After a few steps, she turned back to look at Eric: "Did I bring Mr. Eric up here?"

"Yes."

The ranger muttered something and rubbed his aching head.

The rain quickly soaked them both, and Kasha walked for a while before finally remembering that she could turn into an animal.

"It's going to rain heavily. Mr. Eric, we have to hurry." After saying this, Kasha transformed into a reindeer again.

This made Eric, who didn't know how to start, feel relieved.

He mounted her and held on to her horns.

The reindeer galloped in the rain.

He didn't know whether it was because he could see more clearly at daybreak, or because the route she chose to go down the mountain was more dangerous, but Eric felt that every step she took made him shudder.

Running and jumping, the reindeer carrying a person is still agile, constantly shuttling between rocks and woods, descending all the way.

Back on the ground, she moved even faster, and in no time, she brought him back to her cabin in the woods.

The fire in the yard had long been burned out, and there were still wine barrels and some leftover food placed next to it. It was hard to say that before going "strolling" last night, Kasha had no intention of continuing to eat and drink after returning.

When they returned to the yard, Eric came down. After Kasha regained her human form, she let him into the house to shelter from the rain.

Eric helped move things from the yard into the house, especially the large barrel of fruit wine.

Kasha followed behind with the food, "Thank you, Mr. Eric."

Both of them were soaked by the rain. After they finished cleaning up, they looked at each other under the eaves and smiled.

Kasha invited him in. "It's so embarrassing that I finally met a clergyman from Lesir, and this happened."

“No, this is a very interesting experience for me as well.”

Eric walked into the cabin. When he first arrived last night, he'd only just glanced inside and hadn't gotten a good look. Only now did he realize the cabin was beautifully decorated, with everything you'd expect. A staircase in the corner led to the second floor, where the ranger's daughter was supposed to rest.

"Mr. Eric, would you like to take a hot bath?" Kasha suddenly asked.

"Is it okay?" Of course Eric wouldn't refuse if someone chose him.

"Wait a moment, I'll light a fire and boil some water."

"Then trouble you."

Eric was soaked in the river all day yesterday, and when he woke up in the morning he was soaked by the rain. He was already feeling very uncomfortable.

He took off his coat and went to the door to wring it out. Water dripped down and the rain outside was getting heavier. He quickly thought of something troublesome.

"With this much rain, the smell and everything will be completely washed away or covered up, right?"

"That's right." Kasha responded, "Mr. Eric, what are you looking for...ah!"

She remembered, "Mr. Eric's horse!"

Eric sighed, "I still don't know how far I drifted yesterday. I probably can't find it."

Kasha frowned and said nothing.

Although most of his wealth is in horses, what Eric regrets more is the horses themselves. Lille war horses are not something you can buy just because you want to, especially outside of Lesire and Lutia.

He began to understand the Saint's concerns before setting off: even after more than a year of training in the Knights, he still seemed immature in this vast, real and wild world.

If there had been a group of knights following yesterday, not only would the snake have fallen into the water, it would have probably been chopped in two before it even got close to him.

Of course, if that were the case, he wouldn't have had the chance to experience all this now.

Eric turned his head and looked inside the cabin. The female ranger was pouring cold water into a large iron pot.

After all, it was he who wanted to take a hot bath, so he went over to help.

"This place is quite far from the river, so it would be quite troublesome to fetch water."

"On the other side, there's a mountain spring stream not far away. But I also collect rainwater on a regular basis."

There was a sound of raindrops outside. The ranger opened a window and showed the guests a simple rainwater collection device he had made under the eaves.

"In a little while, we'll be able to fill a barrel."

"Why don't you prepare a few barrels?"

"Enough is enough." The female druid made a strange hand gesture. Eric had seen it several times that night and day and knew it was the gesture used by the Natural Cult to pray to the gods. "Wind, rain, thunder and lightning are all gifts from the God of Nature. We only take what we need. Greed will bring destruction."

Eric looked at her. "There aren't many people left who can understand and stick to this."

Kasha smiled and said, "We don't restrict others, we just need to do our part."

Eric nodded.

"Let me start the fire."

"Let me do it... then I'll trouble you."

Taking a bath is not like scalding a pig to death, so there is no need to boil the water too hot. However, Kasha didn't seem to think so. Even though Eric felt it was about enough, she still asked him to add more firewood.

He soon understood her intention: she wanted to wash herself too.

The bathtub was also made by Kasha herself. She poured half hot water into the bathtub and then added cold water. A large pot of hot water was just enough for two people.

Eric tested the water temperature and felt it was about right, so he took off his clothes and slowly sat in.

"hiss……"

"How's it going, Mr. Eric?"

"Very comfortable."

The hostess outside the door smiled, then pushed the door open and came in, bringing in a brand new wooden bathtub, and then began to pour hot and cold water into it.

"..."

Eric sat in the tub, soaking silently, his heart beating faster and faster.

Then Kasha pulled a rope between the two bathtubs and hung a thick linen cloth as a partition.

Eric slid down and began to wonder what he had been expecting.

The water temperature was almost adjusted when a corner of the curtain was suddenly lifted and a stack of clothes was handed in.

Eric took it, and it was a slightly rough linen robe.

"...Did Miss Kasha do this herself?"

A chuckle came from the other side of the curtain. "Mr. Eric thinks too highly of me. I got this in exchange from a passing caravan. There are still many pieces. Wear them after you take a shower."

"Okay..." Eric put the robe aside.

Soon, the sound of someone taking off clothes was heard outside, followed by the sound of someone slowly sitting down in the water, accompanied by unconscious soft breathing.

"When the rain stops, I'll go find a horse for Mr. Eric."

Eric was startled and looked at the curtain. "Can you still find it?"

"You can find it."

Along with the sound of rushing water, a woman's lazy voice came clearly from the other end, "It's nothing more than spending a little more time and covering more ground... Until then, Mr. Eric, please stay here."

(End of this chapter)