Chapter 44
In Edgar's opinion, Al has always been an excellent and obedient child, and he was raised by a devout priest. He should have been a more satisfactory candidate than Daphne and Abner. The bishop originally thought that the position of the Son of God must fall to Al or Daniel.
But over the years, Edgar gradually realized that Al almost never came back here on his own initiative, and he always had to be reminded by him before he was willing to come and stay for a day or two.
At first, Edgar thought that the child was busy learning knowledge that he was many years behind, so it was understandable that he temporarily neglected the Vatican.
But in the past two years, Al still seemed to have no sense of belonging to the Church - he was unwilling to return to this place where he could communicate with the gods, so how could he be called pious? This made Edgar, who had always been optimistic about him, very disappointed...
Especially after learning about the rumors from outside, Edgar was even more dissatisfied. He had never realized before that Al was a child who liked to fight for power!
The old man said sullenly, "Except Daniel, none of you have communicated with the gods for some time. Follow me to the temple and kneel down to worship the statue."
Their self-awareness is far inferior to that of their generation. How can the God of Light feel the sincerity of the human race? !
Elphis followed behind. In fact, he had always wanted to ask one thing: If their voices could really reach the ears of the gods, would they find it noisy?
Every time I stepped into the temple, I felt an oppressive feeling of being watched by a dangerous being.
Elphis used to think that the huge statue was too realistic and that was causing such psychological pressure. It was not until he learned that the will of God had descended here many times that he said, "No wonder" - it was normal for a prop that had been used many times by the legendary existence to be a little special.
Edgar led the candidates in reciting hymns. Elphis moved his mouth mechanically, complaining in his heart that if the gods were really watching this place through the eyes of the statue, He would definitely block this part - he was almost sick of reciting it, and others would definitely be even more impatient after listening to it for thousands of years.
After the ceremony, the old man sighed and said earnestly to the four children who had grown up under his care, "I said a long time ago that only children who strictly abide by the canons of the Church and have the most devout faith can be loved by the gods and chosen by Him as His Sons."
"I've heard recently that Ai'er is highly respected by the people and has even been recognized as the Son of God? I don't know why such rumors appear in the outside world, but the light and filth, truth and lies in this world, nothing can be hidden from the eyes of God."
"Al, you should stay in the temple today and repent. Think carefully about what you did to cause such a big misunderstanding."
Elphis: “…” He knew that sooner or later something bad would happen to a prince who was called “Your Majesty” by the people!
The bishop's face seemed to be certain that he had done something, but it was just staying in the temple for a while, not a big deal. He was too lazy to explain. More importantly, he himself didn't understand why he was so popular. He couldn't tell the bishop that he suspected others picked a candidate based on his appearance?
The silver-haired young man followed the arrangement without any change in expression. He was criticized in front of several people, but Edgar did not see any dissatisfaction or guilt in his eyes. If it were in the past, Edgar would have thought that Al was very well-behaved and obedient, but now... he could not understand this kid.
Edgar usually deals with documents sent from many places and mobilizes manpower to help in places suffering from suffering. He rarely leaves the Bishop's Court and does not know that the attitude of the Royal City and several neighboring cities towards Al is significantly different from that of the other three.
Until a few days ago, Daniel came to him to ask for help, and confessed his worries with a guilty look on his face, mentioning that Al was highly respected...
"I know that I should stick to my ideals and have a clear conscience. I shouldn't focus on comparing myself with others. But Your Excellency, it only took Al less than two years. Apart from the Holy Light Salvation Society you arranged, he hardly appeared in public. Even so, he is still very popular. People in several cities hope that he can be elected as the Son of God..."
"I don't care about such comments, but I can't help but wonder if I haven't done something good enough to be so popular. Your Excellency, do you think there is anything I need to correct? Please don't worry that I will be discouraged, just tell me directly. Daniel just wants to become a better believer."
…
After that conversation, Edgar did some research on what the outside world thought of several candidates. Al, as a latecomer, had not achieved any great achievements, but he received the highest praise in less than two years. This was obviously not right!
Edgar thought about it and soon thought of Al's family background.
The monarch wants to control the church, and the high-ranking officials of the church are well aware of it. The Lancaster family is the closest subject to the monarch. Once Al becomes the Son of God and becomes the Pope a hundred years later, the ownership of the church may not be in the hands of God...
The recent outside trend is that the royal nobles are building up momentum for El, but unfortunately their expectations are doomed to fail, and the God of Light will certainly not be deceived by such despicable means!
After all, he had really high hopes for Elphis. Edgar only hoped that the child was forced to do so and did not actively participate in those plots... As long as his soul remained pure and his faith was still sincere, the gods would see it.
At this time, in the temple, the old man looked at the calm and gentle young man with a complicated look and said, "No one else needs to stay. Let Al talk to the Lord God alone."
Daphne and Abner also heard the bishop's implicit meaning. It was obvious that he suspected that Al had done something wrong, but since Al was not in a hurry to explain, they didn't have to worry.
Elphis noticed that the bishop's attitude towards him had changed, but he didn't care. He was no longer the ignorant, lone low-level wizard who had left the town a few years ago. He no longer needed to gain the favor of others to obtain information and gain a foothold in a strange place - so it didn't matter if the bishop didn't like him anymore, he had no desire for the Holy See.
Just as Edgar was about to leave, the gentle young man with gray eyes spoke up: "Your Excellency the Bishop, I have to go to the abyss tomorrow to purify the polluted monsters. I won't be back for a while. Can I stay in the temple and talk to the Lord God? I will leave in a moment and won't disturb Al."
Edgar nodded with satisfaction, his expression finally becoming a little kinder, "Of course, my dear Daniel, your faith is pure and profound, and the Lord God will surely be able to feel your heart."
Elphis next to him lowered his eyebrows and said: It's so funny, I have never seen Daniel gather faith in the God of Light.
After most people left, the only two people left looked at each other and gave each other a polite smile.
Daniel crossed his fingers into a fist. To be fair, the picture of him looking up at the statue was quite nice.
His face is of a friendly and delicate beauty. Due to lack of exercise, he has no muscles, so he looks slender and gentle. He wears a plain and conservative divine robe. The words he wants to convey to the gods are spoken slowly but clearly, and the admiration in his clear grey eyes is moving. Compared with the silver-haired young man who is standing a few meters away and is distracted, Daniel is obviously more like His Royal Highness the Son of God who saves people from suffering in accordance with the will of God.
After a while, there was still only one person's voice in the temple. Elphis wondered if Daniel had forgotten that he was still here. Wouldn't it be awkward for him to talk to himself? Anyway, it was a bit awkward for him to just stand by and listen... Why didn't this guy leave? He was embarrassed to sit on the ground and read.
"Al, you know what?"
Elphis turned his head to look at the person who suddenly spoke to him, and felt that he had finally come... The young man couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Was he going to leave after the conversation?
Daniel smiled at him and looked forward again. "Twenty-two years ago, when I first walked into this place and saw this statue, I decided what I would believe in for the rest of my life. Over the years, I have followed the will of God, restrained my desires, cultivated myself to advance, purified the darkness, and saved the world. Every time I come here, I can feel that God is watching me. As a believer, I have a clear conscience, but... I don't know if God is satisfied with my actions."
Daniel smiled bitterly, "Al, I don't know how to bear the disappointment or indifference of the Lord God of Light. I hope I can become a qualified believer."
"By the way, everyone who has received help from the Holy See likes you very much. You must have very strict requirements on yourself to become so outstanding. In your opinion, is there anything I need to correct?"
Of course, Daniel didn't really want Elphis to correct him when he said these words, and he couldn't think of any shortcomings of his own.
Daniel just wanted to show piety and humility in front of the statue. What if the gods were really watching here?
Elphis did not guess his little thoughts, but he really wanted to suggest this colleague to sincerely believe in the God of Light. His inconsistency really made people worry - he was worried that the God of Light would look down on him when he came down to choose the Son of Light.
But if he really raised this point, the other party would probably just cry foul, so...
"Perhaps you can go back to your hometown to visit your parents. You haven't been back for a long time. However, many places need the help of light magic. I can understand that you have neglected your personal affairs for a while. The gods will surely appreciate your selfless spirit."
As a commoner, Abner had already brought his elderly parents to the royal city to take care of them. He heard from him that apart from sending money back home in the first few years after Daniel was brought in, the king had never shown any extra care for him. Therefore, Abner had never liked Daniel and felt that from this point of view, he was not a friend worth making friends with.
Elphis also sincerely wanted Daniel to become more perfect so that he could be favored by the God of Light, so he mentioned this matter tactfully.
As soon as these words came out, Daniel's smile froze, and he glanced at the statue guiltily, "Al is right, I really shouldn't have neglected my family affairs for the sake of my duties to the Holy See. After I deal with the pollution in the abyss, I will go back to visit my parents."
As if he was worried that Elphis would make another suggestion, Daniel found an excuse to leave.
At the entrance of the temple, Daniel looked back at his rival who was yawning leisurely, his slightly narrowed eyes revealing a hint of contempt.
No...how can he be considered an opponent? He has only studied magic for a few years, his strength is low, and his faith is insincere. From today on, he will no longer be valued by the bishop.
And he has been guided by the Pope for several years. The man who can summon gods will definitely introduce several candidates to the God of Light at that time. With his performance, he will definitely have an absolute advantage.
When Elphis was finally the only one left in the temple, he sat cross-legged on the ground without any ceremony, took out a book from his space ring and quickly started studying. When it got dark, he went out for dinner with a clear conscience - after all, the bishop didn't stipulate how long he had to reflect.
After the two-day vacation, Elphis happily rushed back to the college.
During the two days when he couldn't see his brother, Winster devoted his attention to study. He quickly memorized page after page of knowledge - his brother said that as long as he could pass the monthly written test, he would not have to stay in the classroom for some classes.
Some things are hard to say to others, but the two brothers know too many of each other's little secrets. When Elphis came back, he complained to Winster about how boring his life was in the past two days.
Winster couldn't understand why his brother didn't completely cut off ties. "Did the Vatican threaten my brother to stay and accept their arrangements?"
Elphis shook his head helplessly. How could the Holy See, a symbol of light, make such a threat? Moreover, even if it really meant to do so, with his current status, at the very least, he had a Duke's Mansion behind him, and at the most, the royal family was his backer. He was not someone who could be easily threatened.
His family didn't like him being associated with the Church, and they regretted many times why his talent was in the light system, but they never asked him to resign from his position as a priest. It wasn't that they wanted to use this identity to do anything, but...
"If I don't have the information from the Holy See, my life might be in danger, so it's better to stay there while my strength is low."
Thanks to the Church's ruthless pursuit of the dark side since its establishment, every light mage has become a target of the opposing camp.
This Pope has been in office for nearly three hundred years. It is impossible that a new round of elections for the Son of God has only started in recent decades after such a long period of time. There was a group more than a hundred years ago, but... except for one Bishop Edgar, they are all gone!
When Elphis knew that his job was so dangerous, he felt terribly disappointed. However, even though so many people had died, the Vatican's defenses and intelligence against the dark race were still far stronger than those of other forces.
Staying would be dangerous, leaving would double the danger. Elphis considered himself still a weakling and had no choice at this stage.
After hearing the simple explanation, Winster couldn't help but frowned: "I will always be by your brother's side to protect you. If your life is in danger, let Samuel come out to carry it."
“…Don’t make decisions for Samuel without authorization.”
——
Most of the time in the past few months was spent in the pure academy. There was nothing in this place that bothered Elphis except that Raymond was a bit clingy.
When Winster heard that Raymond wanted to become his brother's close knight, he would challenge him every time he saw him.
At the beginning, the two of them were able to fight to a draw, but to Raymond's surprise, the human kid improved so quickly! He was so ruthless, as if he didn't worry about accidentally killing someone... After half a semester, Raymond became the one who got beaten.
Winster didn't want anyone to snatch the identity of the close knight from him, so as long as Raymond was still pestering his brother, he would use the result of the challenge to prove to his brother - this guy was too weak and he was not worthy!
It was already the end of the semester, and Raymond had been visiting Elphis more often. He was holding his breath. If he gave up, wouldn't it mean that he was scared by that brat? ! Heh, anyway, he had thick skin and flesh, so it didn't hurt much after being beaten a few times.
It was just another ordinary afternoon, and the silver-haired young man stood in the audience and watched the two people fighting passionately.
Elphis finally felt that it was not easy for Raymond to persist until now, and he began to hesitate whether to agree to Raymond's request...
"Good day, Lord Elphis, may I ask if it is convenient for you to disturb me now?"
A tall and thin young man walked over, with neat gray hair reaching his shoulders, a cool and handsome face, and a calm and serious expression. He bowed slightly to the silver-haired young man.
Elphis chuckled and said, "I have seen you in Holy Light Salvation." After a pause, he added, "Many times."
He is name-blind, not face-blind, and this person has a special temperament, so he left a deep impression on him.
The young man curled his lips and did not deny his stalking behavior. "I want to know more about you, so I went to the Salvation Society you are in charge of many times."
"Understand me? Then what?"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Yarlin Brod, who is about to graduate. I want to be your close knight. I don't know what your requirements are for a knight. I will meet the standards as soon as possible and hope to get a chance."
Elphis sighed that this job application speech sounded much more normal than Raymond's.
He said with a smile, "After only observing me from a distance a few times, do you think you know me well enough to pledge your loyalty?"
Yaerlin nodded, his tone calm and firm, "Not only in the Holy Light Salvation Society, your performance at Rockefeller also impressed me. I don't need to know everything about you, as long as I know that there is something about you that is worthy of my loyalty."
Even though he was the one being observed and considered, Elphis did not feel offended. He admired such a serious and cautious character, which was more trustworthy than Raymond who rushed over directly.
It would be more convenient to use his own people while staying in the Church, so he did not hesitate for too long, and nodded with a smile to accept the job application. "When you graduate, you can become my knight. I don't have too many rules here. If you regret it in the future, I will let you go directly."
Yaerlin smiled on his cold face, put his hand over his heart again, and bowed, "Yes, thank you for your recognition."
He knew about Raymond's situation and thought it would take some time for him to get close to him, but he didn't expect to be recognized directly.
Elphis asked about his future bodyguard, but before he finished talking, Winster came over, followed by Raymond, who was covered in wounds and wanted to soften Elphis' heart.
"Brother, is this a challenge to you?"
"No, this is Yarlin, the close knight I just found. Winster must get along well with him and not fight." He didn't want his knight to be as miserable as Raymond all day long.
Winster’s eyes widened: “???”
Raymond's eyes widened even more! His shocked and confused eyes moved back and forth between the two of them, and he looked at Elphis as if he was looking at a scumbag!
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