Gospel of Blood

“Madam Castell, long time no see, and congratulations on becoming a direct vassal of the Crescent.”

In the drawing room of the Count’s residence, Count Yurst of the Nez Clan, dressed in black robes, bowed gracefully to Charlotte and said.

For some reason, Yurst’s attitude towards Charlotte seemed even more respectful than usual today.

Charlotte took the sweet milk from the maid’s tray and sipped it lightly, saying,

“Sir Yurst, long time no see. You still look as elegant and charming as ever.”

Then she leaned slightly forward and smiled.

“You didn’t come here just to congratulate me, did you?”

Yurst’s expression turned serious.

He glanced at the maids and attendants around Charlotte and remained silent. Noticing his gaze, Charlotte waved her hand to the others.

“You all may leave.”

The maids curtsied and left. The attendants looked at Yurst, then at Charlotte, hesitated for a moment, and also respectfully bowed and left.

Soon, only Charlotte and Yurst were left in the drawing room.

“Alright, there’s no one else now. You can speak.”

Charlotte said, taking another sip of her sweet milk.

After that, she smiled at him and said,

“If I’m not mistaken, your visit today has something to do with the Returning Star Plan, right?”

Seeing no one else was around, Count Yurst finally relaxed and sighed.

He nodded and smiled wryly.

“Madam Castell, I won’t hide it from you. My visit today does indeed relate to the Returning Star Plan.”

“The Nez Elder Council has already passed a resolution to launch a coup with the Starfall nobility to seize power. I’m here partly to congratulate you, and partly to seek your support, according to the alliance between Nez and Castell.”

Charlotte nodded slightly and asked.

“Has the specific date been set?”

“It has. It’s set for the 14th of next month, the second blood moon of summer, when our bloodline is strongest.”

“So soon? Weren’t you planning to act next year or later?”

Charlotte was a bit surprised.

Yurst sighed and said,

“The clan did plan to act next year or the year after, but two and a half months ago, lady Eugenia saw a new prophecy. We don’t have much time left.”

“Lady Eugenia?”

Charlotte’s curiosity was piqued.

Being called “Lady” by a Blood Count, Eugenia had to be a Blood Duke.

Charlotte had investigated the Nez Clan’s upper echelon before and had even probed its secrets through Yurst in her guise as the “True Ancestor.”

Apart from the suppressed “traitor” Elder Maxim, the Nez Clan had a total of eight elders, all of whom were Legendaries.

However, most of these eight Legendaries were old, weak, or incapacitated.

Two of them had been severely wounded by Legendary Clerics from the Holy Court in the last civil war of the Starfall Kingdom and had not yet awakened. Among the remaining six, three were heavily injured in the bloodborne civil war a thousand years ago, with their combat abilities only slightly better than that of a Blood Count.

In other words, while they boasted eight Legendaries, only three were truly combat-capable.

Moreover, none of these eight Legendaries was named “Eugenia.”

Noticing Charlotte’s curiosity, Yurst explained.

“Lady Eugenia was once a divine favored of Casey, and she was the closest to the myth among the Nez Clan.”

Casey, the Star-Gazer, was the mythical leader of the Nez Clan, like the Blood Demon Archduke Abaddon was to the Blood Demon Cult.

Unlike Abaddon, who occasionally responded to hisfollowers’ prayers and issued divine decrees, Casey had notsent any divine messages to the Nez Clan for centuries. It was due to this silence that members like Elder Maxim had defected to Abaddon.

As for Casey’s divine favored…

“Was she responsible for the clan’s large-scale prophecies?”

Charlotte asked.

Yurst hesitated before responding.

“She used to be.”

“Used to be?”

Charlotte noted his choice of words.

Yurst nodded and sighed.

“Yes, she was once the clan’s divine favored and savior, but later she betrayed her faith and made a blasphemous prophecy, losing the Lord’s favor.”

“But she remains our strongest prophet, able to see things even the Grand Elder cannot. She is deeply respected by many in the clan…”

“Therefore, after she made the new prophecy, the Elder Council decided to accelerate everything.”

Hearing Yurst’s words, Charlotte pondered and asked.

“Sir Yurst, may I ask what prophecy the Nez Clan received?”

Yurst hesitated briefly.

But remembering Charlotte’s status as the True Ancestor’s agent, he quickly resolved himself and sighed.

“Madam Castell, have you heard of the Divinity Descent Day?”

The Divinity Descent Day?

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

She nodded slightly and said,

“I’ve heard of it. It’s the day of the Eternal Blood Moon, when the Gods will awaken from their slumber.”

Yurst sighed.

“Indeed. The eternal night will descend, the Gods will awaken, and the saints will come. That is the Divinity Descent…”

“Long ago, when Lady Eugenia was not yet labeled a traitor, she made a prophecy about the Divinity Descent Day. Initially, other clans, apart from the Nez Clan, scoffed at it. But as time went by and one by one, the prophecy’s descriptions became reality, everyone had to believe it…”

“The Gods will awaken, the saints will come, and the Myria continent will once again become a battlefield for the Gods, with mortals reduced to mere pawns, even… Legendary.”

“The Nez Clan is eager to regain the Starfall’s power because the Divinity Descent Day is imminent. After all… even pawns have ranks.”

“According to the original prophecy, the clan would take twenty years to seize power, then gradually develop extraordinary strength to prepare for the future chaos. But everything changed two and a half months ago…”

With that, Yurst’s expression turned serious.

“Madam Castell, two and a half months ago, on 19th of the 5th Month of this year, lady Eugenia once again foresaw the prophecy about the Divinity Descent Day, and in this prophecy, the day has been advanced.”

“In the original prophecy, the Divinity Descent Day was at least twenty to thirty years away, but now… it’s probably less than ten years.”

“Although Lady Eugenia didn’t see the exact time, all previous prophecies have become blurred, as if some more powerful force has influenced everything.”

“Because of this, the clan’s council held an emergency meeting and decided to advance all plans.”

Hearing Yurst’s words, Charlotte was thoughtful.

The Nez Clan is a clan of insight, skilled in divination. Being able to preserve so many Legendary bloodbornes despite repeated conflicts, even though most have greatly diminished in power, indicates they have the ability to avert disasters.

After all, as long as one is alive, there are always ways.

She understood the urgency of the Nez Clan. Not just the Nez Clan, but even she felt tense upon learning about the Divinity Descent Day.

However…

“19th of the 5th Month…”

Charlotte murmured to herself.

She would never forget this date of this year either.

Because on this day, she merged with the Faceless Statue obtained from the Ancient Temple, causing the Holy Court’s Divine Warning Bell in Lutecia Cathedral to ring its alarm a second time.

And from that day on, she had stepped into the realm of “myth.”

Thinking of this, Charlotte’s expression became inexplicable.

Could the Nez Clan’s prophecy about the advancement of the day be because of her?

Because she became a “Demigod”?

Or… is there another reason?

But no matter what, Charlotte had a feeling that theadvancement of the day predicted by the Nez Clan was likely related to her.

Otherwise, everything would be too coincidental.

Forget it.

When soldiers come, a general blocks; when water comes, an earth dam. Whether the arrival of the Divinity Descent Day is related to her or not, the only thing she can do is to quickly strengthen her power.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte collected her thoughts.

“Sir Yurst, what do you want Castell to do?”

She asked.

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Yurst breathed a sigh of relief.

When the Nez Clan decided to form an alliance with Castell, he didn’t know that the God behind Castell was the Ancestor of the Bloodborne. Now, coming to seek help from Castell with a stiff upper lip, he was indeed a bit nervous.

After all, historically, the Nez Clan had betrayed the True Ancestor of Blood and was one of the two forces on the Myria continent that hunted royal bloods the hardest, along with the Holy Court.

But now it seems that the True Ancestor doesn’t care about the Nez Clan’s past betrayal and is even more merciful than he imagined.

Yes, merciful.

Compared to the bloodthirsty and ruthless True Ancestor of Blood in his memory, the current Ancestor gives Yurst the impression of mercy.

At least… after he was “forced” to become a blood servant, he was not punished nor forced to do anything against his will, and the True Ancestor did not use him to retaliate against the Nez Clan.

The returned True Ancestor… seems to have changed.

But Yurst thought this change was good.

Sometimes he even wondered, if the True Ancestor had never been bloodthirsty, would the blood clans have never betrayed? Would the Myria continent still be under the rule of the Bloodborne?

Unfortunately, history cannot be changed.

Fortunately, although history cannot be changed, it can be looked forward.

Yurst thought, if it’s the current True Ancestor of Blood, perhaps… they could really start over after the Divinity Descent Day.

Thinking of this, Yurst was not as resistant to the mission given by the True Ancestor to “infiltrate” the Nez Clan.

If… if it is the current True Ancestor, and if Lady Eugenia’s blasphemous prophecy comes true… he believes the True Ancestor has the hope of becoming the new protector of the Nez Clan after the Divinity Descent Day.

As for now, let’s start with the “cooperation” of the Returning Star Plan.

Taking a deep breath, Yurst said,

“Madam Castell, we need your cooperation to stage a play.”

“A play?”

Charlotte was a bit surprised.

“Yes, a play. Our original plan was to use Castell’s wealth to gather enough troops to stage a military coup and seize power in the Starfall Kingdom. However… now we’ve found a better way.”

Yurst said.

“A better way? Let’s hear it.”

Charlotte was immediately interested.

According to her previous agreement with the Nez Clan, Castell would provide financial aid for their coup, blockade the Star-Moon Strait with the Castell fleet, cut off the Starfall Kingdom’s sea routes, and use diplomatic means to prevent possible reinforcements from the Holy Court.

But now, it seems they have found a better way.

Yurst cleared his throat and said,

“It all started three months ago. In late spring of this year, His Majesty the King went to northern Starfall for the spring hunt but was attacked by a dragon during the hunt. Although the dragon was eventually slain, His Majesty was seriously injured…”

“Three months have passed, and His Majesty’s condition has not improved. Even the Holy Court’s clerics are helpless, and his days are numbered.”

The King of Starfall, Edward III, is critically injured?

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

This was news to her, Starfall had kept it well under wraps. However…

“Was this the work of the Nez Clan?”

She asked calmly.

Yurst replied.

“Partially. Although His Majesty is not a Legendary figure like ‘The Great’ Louis, he is still an experienced Blazing Sun and usually has powerful extraordinaries protecting him, making it difficult to get close.”

“His injury was indeed an accident. He underestimated the dragon’s strength, eager to undergo the bloodline ritual to break through and become a Legendary, only to be severely wounded…”

“The Nez Clan did intervene during his recovery, bribing the physicians responsible for treating him and switching his medication.”

Yurst sighed.

“His Majesty’s usual cruelty earned him many enemies among the nobility, and this move was tacitly approved by many Starfall court nobles.”

Charlotte’s heart stirred, and she squinted.

“So… you plan to eliminate King Edward III? But forgive me, even if Edward III dies, the subsequent succession won’t fall to the Nez-controlled Red Lilac family, right? Starfall isn’t without a crown prince, and the Purple Lilac family isn’t extinct.”

Yurst smiled slightly at Charlotte’s words.

“Madam Castell, you are well-informed about the Starfall royal family.”

Charlotte shook her head.

“The Red Lilac, the Purple Lilac, the Lilac War—it’s all well-known.”

Yurst nodded and said,

“Ordinarily, that would be the case, but unfortunately… the King’s heir is rather special.”

“Special?”

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

Yurst nodded and said,

“Although His Majesty publicly declared secrecy, the Nez Clan discovered through investigation that the current Starfall Prince, Prince Henry, is nominally His Majesty’s legitimate son, but that’s not the truth.”

“It’s a result of the human close-knit marriage problem. His Majesty and the Queen are both of the Lilac family bloodlines and were cousins. Over the years, the Queen had several pregnancies, but all the children were stillborn.”

“Prince Henry is the only surviving offspring of His Majesty, but he is not the Queen’s child as publicly stated. In reality, Prince Henry is the son of the Queen’s maid and the King, only claimed to be the Queen’s child.”

Yurst continued meaningfully.

“Madam Castell, the successor to the Starfall Kingdom, Prince Henry, has impure blood and does not meet the two Lilac families’ agreement to merge through their heir’s bloodline. According to the rules, the Red Lilac family has the right to deny Prince Henry’s succession and designate a new heir from their direct line.”

“This… is the Nez Clan’s opportunity to seize control of Starfall!”