The Lord Demon King is Unfathomable!

Chapter 1144 - 344: A Funeral for the Late Prince Colin

And this also meant that she might really never see her good friends again...

This grand funeral stirred the body and mind of every citizen in the Holy City.

When the knights, escorting the coffin from the port, stepped onto the square in front of Saint Clement Church, whether noble or humble, wealthy or poor, all eyes turned to the Imperial Eagle Flag draping the coffin, offering heartfelt prayers and blessings to the respected Prince.

Praise be to Prince Nanfu Colin, who continued the Colin family's lineage, allowing the empire's glory on the Gana continent to endure.

Praise be to this great father, who raised a virtuous child, bringing the Colin family's honor back to the empire, extending the empire's interests over 7 million square kilometers of unfamiliar land!

Three somber chimes of the bell rang out.

The citizens laid white flowers on the ground and silently drew crosses on their chests.

Under sincere and devout prayers, a gentle light descended from the heavens, enveloping the holy church steeple.

That sacred light contained the power to cleanse souls, with all evil laid bare before it.

Unfortunately—

Even "Thoughts of All," surpassing the "Transcendent," cannot easily overcome the high walls within human hearts.

Bathed in the sacred light, Gregory IX continued to chant with a solemn voice, placing his wrinkled hand gently on the flag-bedecked coffin.

"...Let us pray for Prince Nanfu Colin, may his soul, guided by the radiance of Saint Sis, return to the land that bore the glory of his ancestors, may his soul find peace in the eternal Holy Hall, not drifting in the vast and boundless ocean."

This was the invocation of summoning spirits.

Luo Yan heard every word clearly, pondering in his heart, thinking this ritual seemed similar to those on Earth, summoning spirits for relatives who died in foreign lands.

As for whether Prince Nanfu Colin's soul had returned...

That was certainly impossible.

There were no remains in the coffin, only a box of ashes and an heirloom belonging to the late prince.

And those ashes were merely high-calcium soil that he conjured from bones randomly picked in the Great Graveyard.

After death, if one does not become a natural undead or is sealed within a special soul device, the soul quickly leaves the body, either dissipating in the wilderness or guided by faith to lands of Holy Blessing or Demon Blessing.

Simply put, carried into the church ascends to Heaven, dying in Hell descends to Hell, or dying in the maze would be absorbed into the maze's core.

This was a required course for Undead Mages, as well as for Priests in the Divinity School, and the reason most strong Transcendents avoid the front line.

Whether bestowing blessings or permanent captivity, the operational window for detaching a soul from the cycle of reincarnation is extremely brief.

Moreover—

Souls lack physical form; unless bound by strong causal ties, they remain unseen. And what ordinary people can see is not the soul, but more often a kind of ghost, a spiritual body of the Undead Clan.

This is why Gregory IX performed the ritual for the late Prince Colin, to bring his soul back from the Gana Continent.

As for whether that noble soul indeed returned, no one could know.

After so many years deceased, it's not impossible he reincarnated as a Lizardman or an animal in the forest.

Ultimately, funerals are ceremonies for the living.

Instead of comforting departed souls, they largely serve to resolve the obsessions of the living and encourage them to continue forward along their ancestors' paths.

Sprinkling Holy Water onto the coffin, Gregory IX tapped the flag three times with a golden scepter, completing the final ritual.

The church bell chimed, three ringing peals, startling birds perched on the eaves.

Watching the coffin being carried to the graveyard, Gregory IX paused amidst the mournful atmosphere, turning to the heavy-hearted Colin, offering comfort in a paternal tone.

"...Prince Colin, I believe if your father sees this beam of light, he will surely find the way home, no matter how difficult the journey."

"You may rest assured."

Holding the Holy Candle, Luo Yan nodded slightly, the Holy Light illuminating his pale, handsome face, adding a touch of sanctity to his heavy brow.

"Thank His Holiness the Pope for blessing my father... returning to the land of Holy Blessing was his only obsession amidst the suffering of illness, I believe he will surely return."

Gregory IX nodded slightly, tracing a cross on his chest with his index finger, his face showing a kindly smile.

"Guiding devout and noble souls is the vocation Saint Sis bestowed upon us clergy... if within your heart remains unresolved sorrow, come to find me, I am happy to be of service."

Though meeting this Prince Colin for the first time, he had a favorable impression of this young man.

Loyal, devout, merciful, and courteous... despite his noble birth, he lacked the arrogance of many Holy Light Nobles, and was polite to both priests and citizens alike.

Especially the initiative regarding the Holy Temple Knight Order, after hearing it he was quite impressed.

Many nobles donate to the church, but most have ulterior motives, and their contributions often consist mainly of gold coins.