Chapter 91
Lortheran was somewhat irritable, even the dragon could tell. It looked at Veris, then at Sylvain, and seeing that their expressions were almost identical, it silently withdrew its head.
After Lortheran finished his long-winded speech, Veris continued, "Go ahead and do it if you want, but I can't stay with the army forever."
Lortheran, of course, understood this principle. He pondered for a moment, letting his anger dissipate, and then turned to Veris, asking, "Did you find anything in Salem?"
Veris nodded: "That's right, but I don't think we're in a hurry. Let's wait another two years."
Prince Phoenix will never amount to much. Regardless of who is supporting him behind the scenes, he is heading to the sea area where Phoenix County meets the Demon Forest to open the Ruins of Eros.
The dragon's wounds will heal in a day or two. Go to the Central Mountains or other places and catch more magical beasts to eat, and it will heal faster. It's just that the hairstyle will look a bit ugly, and the dragon will have a hard time accepting it for a while.
After visiting the dragon, Veris gave a few words of advice and got up to leave. Before turning around, he glanced at Sylvain, and the young man immediately followed him.
Lortheran sat on the edge of the bed, still frowning, seemingly lost in thought.
Outside in the corridor, Veris and Sylvain walked side by side.
The environment here is much quieter. Veris chose this place as the dragon's residence, also thinking that no one else would disturb the dragon... After all, what if the dragon got angry and burned down his great church?
A cool breeze is blowing, and the heat of early summer is beginning to show.
"How's the situation in District Four going?"
"Everything is fine. The Golden Chamber of Commerce used to be the only dominant force, but now there are three other strong chambers of commerce. Although the Golden Chamber of Commerce collapsed, its foundation is still intact, and the four chambers of commerce are still locked in fierce competition."
Sylvain's gentle voice rang out.
Veris frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and said, "Tell Hilda that whatever the royal decree is, cooperate fully."
The rest is enough to leave to Lortheran.
He turned to look at Sylvain, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Are you coming with me?"
The person in front of him was visibly stunned. Veris touched his nose and continued, "Going for a day or two is fine... but we can't stay outside forever."
Sylvain looked at him, and Veris blinked, wondering why he was hesitating for so long, when he heard Sylvain calmly say, "Have you forgotten my graduation ceremony?"
Veris: "..."
Sylvain then said quietly, "Tomorrow is tomorrow."
Veris's eyes widened. "So fast! How could you be so patient, not telling me at all!" He laughed guiltily as he spoke, as if he was the one who had been talking about this matter not long ago.
He chuckled, then realized it wasn't appropriate, quickly straightened his expression, coughed twice, and said, "I understand, I won't leave tonight... Wait, didn't you not finish your graduation summary?"
Sylvain said calmly, "The dean said it's alright, by the time you finish the trial it will be winter."
“This person is making fun of me again,” Veris said after a moment of silence.
At the annual graduation ceremony of the Royal Capital Academy, the only students who could attend without submitting a graduation summary were the students of Veris.
Otherwise, all that rambling, nonsensical account that Garcia wrote back then should have been dug up and sent back to be rewritten long ago.
Sylvain looked at him: "Are you going to attend as a teacher?"
Veris pulled him toward their lodgings, asking as they walked, "What do you think? I brought the Pope's full gear? They'll definitely be envious of you."
"His Holiness the Pope, who has not appeared for many years, showed up for the Holy Son's graduation ceremony," he said with a smile.
“Lover,” Sylvain suddenly murmured.
Veris slowed her pace and turned to look at him: "Hmm?"
"Is that alright?" He would much rather Veris come just for him than for those gazes that did not interest him at all or even displease him.
The other person looked at him with a smile in their eyes and agreed without hesitation: "Of course."
The Church of Orlando is not abstinent, nor does it restrict church members to remain unmarried for life. In fact, in the doctrines and legends of the god of love written by Veris, the god of love is always portrayed as someone who loves freely.
Of course, the Orlando Church emphasizes unique love and marriage between two people.
For about two hundred years, Veris had been in charge of the church, but he still couldn't understand how those self-disciplined people who adhered to the doctrine of not getting married came up. He wasn't a villain who forbade his subordinates from falling in love. After a period of spiritual practice, the pastors, priests, and bishops suddenly made up their minds.
[Only by offering our pure bodies to God can we achieve the salvation of our souls.]
Veris thought there was nothing wrong with what he said, but upon further reflection, he realized there was a big problem. To be fair, his mother goddess did indeed despise people who were promiscuous, as there are many examples in the legends of the goddess of love of punishing people who were unfaithful in marriage.
He's really not a bad guy who forbids people from getting married and dating!
But he can't exactly encourage everyone to fall in love, can he? Do these people even understand church doctrine?!
In the first few decades, Veris would often visit the homes of his bishops to bless newborns, but later, inexplicably, almost all of his archbishops became single.
Veris didn't understand. Even the rumors about the church's abstinence were impossible to dispel, and he felt helpless.
He and Sylvain were constantly entangled in their affairs within the Papacy, and people could only marvel at how close the Pope and the Holy Son were.
Only Granvard, the little old man, seemed to be deep in thought.
Veris became increasingly frustrated, and on the way back, he kept nagging Sylvain about it.
Sylvain: "They're probably copying you."
Veris's voice stopped abruptly, "Why are you copying me?"
"Because you are against marriage."
"No, Sylvain, that's without you."
"They don't know I exist."
"From now on, you will definitely have a place in the history of the church."
"I know."
“No, what I mean is, you are not just the Son of God, nor just the next Pope; you will be eternally recorded in the history of the Church as my companion.”
The person next to him suddenly fell silent.
Veris glanced at him: "Are you surprised?"
She poked his arm with her finger again: "Who's inside you right now?... Never mind, it seems you two have reached an agreement. What, you want to be my lover?"
The kind that can never see the light of day.
Sylvain pursed his lips, and his face indeed turned slightly pale.
Willist paused, then suddenly laughed, "Sylvan, you really are acting like a human now. You're worried about what others think."
Even after being reincarnated as a human, Sylvain still retained the indifference of a god. Veris made him the Holy Son to see if Sylvain would change when he saw all living beings from that position.
Although the result was not satisfactory, Veris was not too disappointed.
Now, to his utter surprise, Sylvain truly embodies all the joys and sorrows of humanity, and Sylvain begins to show signs of existing in human society.
Sylvain was worried that once their relationship became public, he would face criticism—no, that was a foregone conclusion, Veris thought, he would probably be portrayed as a wretched old man, and Sylvain as a young, handsome, pitiful lamb forced to submit to his tyranny.
Thinking of this, he laughed, but didn't feel angry.
Once outside the room, Veris, having finished laughing, pushed Sylvain back inside, saying, "Get ready for tomorrow's ceremony. I'll go with you."
Sylvain opened his mouth, about to say something, but Veris shut him down with a single sentence: "Be good."
It's unclear what nerve those two words touched, but as Veris watched the man become obedient, he turned and walked towards his room.
Lortheran did not stay at the Grand Papacy for long. Veris had just returned to his room when he sensed that Lortheran had left the Grand Papacy, presumably returning to the palace.
This must have given Lor'theran quite a fright. He left looking rather pale, probably because he was reminded of his past fate.
To others, it would have a completely different meaning.
They believed that His Majesty's hasty trip to the Papacy and his return with a grim expression indicated that the Church had given His Majesty a warning.
These discussions happened several days later. In the capital, the most talked-about topics now, besides the novel discussions that have become a regular occurrence, are the graduation ceremony of the Royal Capital Academy.
On the day of the graduation ceremony, the Royal Capital Academy opened to the public. The academy covers a vast area, with classical and exquisite buildings, and is also very safe. It seems like a great place for an outing.
Everyone was planning a spring outing to the Royal Capital Academy.
The following morning, Sylvain and Veris traveled by carriage to the Royal Academy.
Most of the students at the Royal Capital Academy are from wealthy and noble families, and a large portion of them reside in the Royal Capital. Today, many students have returned to the academy. Those families who are eager to go on a spring outing to the Royal Capital Academy will, of course, wait until the sun is fully up in the sky before setting off.
The splendor of the Holy Son's carriage was second only to that of the Pope. It created a spacious area within ten meters in front and behind. The magical beast pulling the carriage was of high quality, a snow-white lion with a single horn on its head. It was considered a large magical beast among the various types of magical beasts, and the carriage was quite fast.
A group of priests were supposed to accompany him, but Sylvain did not arrange it.
Even though those two lions moved slowly, they were still much faster than other people's carriages.
Inside the carriage, Veris leaned against Sylvain, pressing his temples, looking somewhat tired.
Sylvain was dressed in a formal suit and adorned with a ton of jewelry, all handpicked by Veris. She pinned him down and started comparing various clothes to him, brimming with excitement.
After getting on the bus, I felt tired again.
He wore a long robe with a stand-up collar, and his jewelry was also plentiful. Upon closer inspection, it could be seen that these decorations were part of a set that Sylvain was wearing.
Sylvain was in a good mood. When they arrived at the Royal Academy, the reception staff at the gate immediately led the lion beast inside. The other carriages in line watched and started to murmur among themselves.
"I thought Sylvain wouldn't come."
Will His Holiness the Pope attend today?
"It's hard to say, you know about those rumors."
"Shh, how dare you spread rumors without any evidence!"
"..."
The carriage was parked in an open space. This large area was probably used to park carriages, since there were carriages, and there were also carriages like the Sylvain's, but none could compare to the Sylvain's magnificent carriage.
There were quite a few people standing here, and some monster-themed vehicles were already parked in the distance. Most of the people watching over the vehicles were students from the Beast Taming Academy, who were very experienced in calming monsters.
They cautiously observed the Holy Son's carriage. In truth, they felt it wouldn't matter if someone else stood guard; the two lion beasts pulling the carriage were eighth-tier magical beasts! Just standing there, any other magical beast would be considered to have backbone if they didn't kneel down.
However, what they were more curious about was whether His Holiness the Pope would come.
They watched as the Holy Son got out of the carriage, but instead of turning around and leaving, he turned back and looked inside the carriage. Then another hand lifted the curtain.
Anyone else? Who can get on Sylvain's chassis?!
The students of the Beast Taming Academy widened their eyes in excitement—this was firsthand news! Who was the Holy Son Sylvan? It was said that since entering the Royal Capital Academy, no one had been able to get close to him!
They watched as the curtain was lifted, and a white-haired young man in a white-blue robe stepped out. Sylvain carefully helped him down, and the young man smiled and said a few words.
Damn it! It's too far away, I can't hear anything at all.
The students of the Beast Taming Academy were still feeling regretful when they witnessed a scene that seemed to cause the sky to collapse and the earth to split open.
All that could be seen was the white-haired youth naturally kissing the aloof and distant Holy Son on the cheek, and then the Holy Son's face instantly turned bright red.
Students: "!!!"
The students standing guard nearby looked at each other, and they all saw the confusion in each other's eyes.
Was I hallucinating from the sun?
After the two figures disappeared into the distance, someone swallowed hard and said, "Sylvain, what's going on here..."
"Sigh, they're in a relationship now," someone nearby sighed. Is this what it means to be a winner in life? Not only is he of noble birth and exceptionally talented, but he's also handsome, and his partner is just as good-looking.
"The Pope won't kill him?" A square-faced student frowned, his words slightly rough.
The student sighed and said, "Sylvain came openly with his men; he must have gotten past the Pope."
"Isn't the church supposed to be abstinent?" someone whispered.
Square-faced student: "Yeah!"
After a moment of silence, the student who had initially sighed with envy hesitated and said, "Although I'm not a member of the Orlando Church, I remember that the church's doctrine doesn't include this, right?"
He looked to his left and right: "Don't you go to the Papacy to pray every week?"
On the left is a square-faced student, and on the right is a student who talks about the asceticism of the church. After hearing those words, he couldn't help but start recalling the dogmas and doctrines that he had memorized by heart.
In the end, it turned out that... no abstinence had ever been mentioned.
So why do people think the church practices abstinence?
The sun was setting overhead, and the students remained silent, when suddenly a chill ran up their heads.
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Author's note: Starting tomorrow, I will try my best to return to 6 days a week...
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