Holy Grandson?
Horn's heart skipped a beat.
Seeing everyone bowing to him, he finally realized they were referring to him.
No, Holy Father, Holy Tree, Saint Master—shouldn't I be the Holy Son by now?
Where did this grandson come from?
With his mouth half-open, Horn found himself unable to speak.
One must know, in matters of deception, rhythm is crucial.
If the rhythm is broken, letting them calm down, implementing the follow-up plans becomes difficult.
Strike while the iron is hot; it must be completed in one go.
Swallowing the words of explanation, Horn gritted his teeth, smiled, and nodded gracefully in agreement.
Taking a deep breath, he donned a calm and benevolent expression, helping up the nearly fainting Kosse.
"Pray rise, Priest Kosse. Such great courtesy is permissible to show respect to the Holy Father, but though I am, um, the Holy Grandson, we're all lambs of the Holy Father, differing status has no place here."
Supporting Kosse, Horn once again glanced at all present: "Do not fear, who can tell me what happened after my soul ascended?"
Before anyone could respond, the one-eyed man jumped out again, recounting the previous events to Horn.
Even though these were things Horn had witnessed himself, he feigned attentive listening.
"Oh, so the Holy Father descended while I was being resurrected?"
"The Holy Father is merciful. This isn't about forgiving your sins, but taking them upon himself."
"I'm ignorant, unaware of what 'the stars align, midland prospers' means."
"The Holy Father truly said that? Alas, how could I, a mere farmer, lead everyone?"
With wide eyes in amazement one moment, and drawing crosses happily the next, Horn insincerely listened to the one-eyed man's account.
To be honest, though the young man was in tatters, his speech was quite coherent.
Having heard the one-eyed man's story, Horn patted his shoulder: "What's your name?"
"My name is Jeska, Master Saint Grandson Pope."
Horn nodded gently, but said nothing further to him, instead turning his attention to the others present.
Clearing his throat, Horn announced loudly: "Everyone, I must inform you, yes, I did go to the Celestial Paradise Mountain and met the Saint Master Miseria there.
On Paradise Mountain, the Saint Master told me, 'Horn, the Holy Father has decided that you will be his eyes on earth to spread our gospel.'
I said how could I, a mere farmer, undertake such a heavy duty?
The Saint Master told me, as long as it is for bringing gospel to the faithful, even in death, it must be done, how can one evade because of fear of calamity?"
"Alas—"
Sighing deeply, Horn looked up to the sky and said in an anguished voice:
"My natural gifts are dull, unlike Mother, who rose pure from the mire, instead, I've been confused by the mundane, forgetting who I am.
It's indeed shameful that the Holy Father had to recall my soul from the mortal realm to awaken me to my mission."
Retracting his gaze from the sky, Horn lovingly opened his arms: "That mission is to save your lives, to bring you gospel!"
This evangelical tone, akin to that of a rural missionary old lady, quickly incited cheers from those present.
"Rejoice! A new chapter of history has begun!"
"The Holy Grandson has come, and fairness accompanies him, the Holy Grandson has come, and sins are redeemed!"
"Holy Grandson, we cherish you!"
The villagers jubilantly raised their hands.
Handing the dispirited Kosse to the one-eyed Jeska, Horn turned his gaze to Barnett not far away.
The next problem to solve was him.
After Priest Kosse's "betrayal," Barnett's expression gradually turned grim.
Since the descent of the Holy Father into Horn, until now, he hadn't uttered a single word.
This actually caught Horn a bit off guard.
He had expected Barnett to lash out when the Holy Father descended, yet till now, Barnett lingered in hesitation, watching as Horn swayed the villagers.
Does he think these villagers can't accomplish anything significant?
Behind Barnett, Jeanne held a pitchfork, standing foolishly, but Horn was too lazy to deal with her for now.
"Ahem."
With a casual cough, the villagers instantly quieted down, their looks making Horn shiver.
He had no doubt that if he were to say, "Barnett's head hits the ground with a thud, and the spirit of the fallen ascends to the Celestial Kingdom," they would charge fearlessly.
However, Horn couldn't resolve the issue so ruthlessly.
Setting aside whether they could overpower him.
Each villager was a precious blood bag and shield; once used, they're gone.
Rousing the villagers against the knights was Horn's last resort and a risk, something he wished to avoid if possible.
There were other means to address the issue, and as long as the price was right, knights were not beyond persuasion or bargaining.
"I heard, was it Faithful Barnett who chopped off my head?" At these words, the previously warm atmosphere grew considerably colder.
At Horn's words, all present simultaneously fixed their gaze on Barnett in the distance.
Barnett's hand stealthily tightened around the sword hilt.
"Faithful Barnett, you need not be anxious; you are a just knight. As it is said, everything is by the Father's choice, cutting off my head might have been the Holy Father's intention, a means to punish and awaken me."
At some point, Barnett advanced slowly, reaching a position five steps away from Kosse and Horn.
Horn couldn't decipher the expression on Barnett's face; it was like he was scrutinizing him, yet also seemed angry.
But no matter what expression Barnett had, Horn maintained a confident smile.
In this line of work, you have to love what you do. As a professional con artist, no matter if there's a drill in your backside or a Gatling gun spraying aloe juice, you have to stay composed.
Under Barnett's deeply invasive gaze, Horn's expression remained unchanged.
He knew that Barnett was most likely seeking reconciliation because he couldn't determine whether Horn's miracles were real or not.
He had heard that someone who had truly reincarnated as an "Angel" could become a Cardinal, so who would dare deny that this was a similar type of "miracle"?
Barnett and Horn were now like a stick beating a wolf, scared on both sides.
Barnett feared Horn might truly be the Holy Grandson, and Horn feared Barnett might actually be stubborn.
In Horn's view, if he took a step back, didn't pursue the past, and even offered a bit of sweetness and an exit, Barnett would most likely be willing to yield.
After all, identifying miracles is the Church's business, and even if Horn is truly the devil, that's Kosse's bad luck, not his fault for being deceived.
If Barnett and Horn truly went headstrong against each other, it would be a big problem if Horn was indeed the Holy Grandson.
After five full seconds, Barnett exhaled a large breath of stale air.
He lowered his proud head, sheathed his longsword, and made a respectful chest salute.
It was steady, completely steady now.
Horn couldn't suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth, revealing his white teeth.
"Since it's arranged by the Holy Father, then you are naturally guiltless. Faithful Barnett, please rise, I have important matters to announce."
After subduing Barnett, Horn had one final step to complete, which was to announce that the villagers could enter the forest to forage.
A renowned painter once said: There are only two things that can unite people, one is a common ideal, the other is a common crime.
Spiritual victory can hardly overcome the threat of materialism, especially for these superstitious villagers.
For his own safety, Horn had to maintain the presence of these meat shields.
To maintain these meat shields, they must form a community of interest.
With the flood raging, Horn couldn't conjure food out of thin air, nor did he know when the flood would cease.
Even if the Knights had provisions, how much could there really be?
With so many mouths to feed, it was never enough.
The only solution was to issue a decree allowing the faithful to forage in the forest.
"Faithful ones, indeed, the dream messenger received a divine edict from Jeanne, that the forest is indeed the treasury bestowed by the Holy Father unto the poor!"
Taking two steps forward, closer to the villagers, Horn loudly announced.
The villagers immediately knew what Horn was about to say and hugged each other in jubilation before he could finish.
They were blind but not foolish; given the chance to survive, no one would choose death.
As for the Church's side, let Kosse and Barnett suffer, I'll bear the brunt of the infamy.
Thinking of this, Horn laughed along.
This time, his laughter was genuine, not only because he finally had the chance to survive but also because this crisis of revival had finally been passed.
With this layer of Holy Grandson identity, choosing the path of the Priest after the flood recedes would be a good choice.
The position of the Cardinal now is Horn's goal.
He definitely wouldn't allow the "Holy Father" to descend again; if exposed, it would be over. A "Holy Grandson" and "Eye of the Holy Father" identity would be sufficient to live off for a lifetime.
The nerves that had been tightly wound finally relaxed, and Horn didn't notice in the least that upon hearing the announcement, Barnett's body began to tremble slightly.
"Since the woodland is church property, then it is also the Lord's property. I hereby decree that you are now granted permission to go into the fo—"
"Clang—"
While speaking, Horn heard an imperceptible hum from the longsword.
Not good!
Barnett's roaring shout erupted, even the muscles on his cheeks trembling.
"This is a devil!"
Barnett shouted loudly and lunged at Horn.
With the aid of breathing techniques, Barnett's skin turned crimson, and within the blink of an eye, he covered a distance of four steps, rushing in front of Horn.
The hideous and terrifying crazed face was so close it seemed as if Horn was his mortal enemy.
The blade sliced through the air, emitting a ghostly wail, swinging directly towards Horn's head.
Again?
Horn's smile froze on his face.
What kind of grudge, what kind of enmity is this, wasn't I tactful enough to let you be absolved? You admitted your fear, why are you overturning the table now!
You lunatic!
Or did he discover I was a fraud?
Impossible, where did he find out, was it due to some other reason?
At such close distance, Horn couldn't react in time, let alone evade—was he about to leave this world just after arriving?
The slanted raindrops, the flowing flood, the villagers' gaping mouths, Jeanne's terrified and desperate scream—all seemed to freeze at this moment.
"Boom——"
"No——"