Gospel of Blood

Charlotte’s welcome banquet ended in a rather dramatic fashion.

Before the banquet, she was merely a queen in name, acknowledged only by the parliament nobles and one of the contenders for the Starfall throne. But after the banquet, she had become the sole heir to the throne.

The instigators, led by Duke West and his cohorts, had been taken away.

They would face trial by the Kingdom’s Parliament on severe charges—treason.

Attempting to murder the queen, colluding with fallen bloodbornes, and trying to overthrow the kingdom… though adding the term “fallen” in front of “bloodbornes” seemed odd, the charges against Duke West and Viscount Camden were clear-cut and backed by solid evidence.

The nobles from the Lilac faction looked conflicted.

Even the most stubborn members of the Lilac faction had to admit that when Duke Aecia bowed to Charlotte, their side had already lost.

It wasn’t that they couldn’t abandon Duke Aecia and choose a new heir to the throne, but deep down, they all knew the true strength that gave them the confidence to challenge the parliamentarian nobles came not from their own power, but from the support of the bloodbornes.

Furthermore, the decision of the three Legendary figures of the Starfall Kingdom to remain neutral in the succession was also tied to the bloodbornes.

The nobles were not foolish.

Even though Duke Aecia adamantly denied it, anyone slightly aware of the current situation could realize that while Duke West’s guilt was certain, his accusations during the banquet might have struck at the truth—The reason Duke Aecia abandoned his claim to the throne and bowed to Charlotte could only be because of the bloodbornes.

The Castell had reached an agreement with the bloodborne regarding the throne succession.

More precisely, the Holy Court had reached an agreement with the bloodborne.

If it weren’t for Charlotte’s subsequent Holy light judgment on Bishop Campbell, many might still suspect that the Castell family had really aligned with the bloodborne, prompting the Bloodborne to withdraw their support for Duke Aecia and back Countess Castell instead.

But clearly, the “judgment” of the holy light was undeniable.

Moreover, after “judging” the fallen bishop, Countess Castell even received divine favor from the Lord, which undoubtedly further solidified the legitimacy of the girl.

The royal power of human nations stems from divine authority, and the authority of kings must be granted by the Gods.

Even if Charlotte openly collaborated with the Bloodborne, and even if the Castell family had once had secret agreements with the bloodborne, under the radiance of the Lord’s light, everything could be attributed to divine will, and everything would be legitimate.

It was the Lord who guided the Saintess to inherit the throne, and it was also the Lord who guided the Saintess to cooperate with the bloodborne.

Is it absurd?

Indeed, it is absurd.

After all, the Holy Court was established to overthrow the rule of the bloodborne, and to the Holy Court, bloodbornes are evil.

But so what?

The will of the Gods cannot be questioned, and the thoughts of the Gods are not for mortals to speculate.

Since the Lord bestowed divine favor upon Countess Castell, it means the Lord also approved of Countess Castell’s actions. Everything Countess Castell did was in accordance with the will of the Gods.

If you can’t understand, then keep trying. If you still can’t, just accept it as the will of the Gods. After all, the Gods must have profound reasons, and the Gods are always right.

And a miracle witnessed by all is not something that can be faked.

At this moment, even the two bloodbornes, Albrecht and Yurst, looked at Charlotte with a strange gaze.

As Charlotte’s blood thralls and familiars, they knew her true identity.

It was precisely because they knew Charlotte’s true identity that they were shocked by this turn of events.

However, amidst the shock, they weren’t too puzzled.

Though the Holy Court attributed the creation of the world to the Lord and proclaimed that the Lord awakened from ancient times, while there were many legends of the Creator God from ancient times… the bloodbornes, with their own heritage and experiences from the rise of the Holy Court era, often regarded the Lord as powerful but not necessarily as the Creator.

Some texts even equated the Creator God with the founder of the Royal Bloodborne Kirali Clan.

Of course, these “unofficial histories” handed down from who knows when were not believed by many bloodbornes themselves, and none of the bloodbornes who lived through the Myth Era ever confirmed such claims.

But although these unofficial histories were unacknowledged, they shaped the bloodbornes’ perception of the Creator God.

The Creator God is a God.

The True Ancestor is also a God.

Both are true Gods, so there’s no reason to think one is superior to the other. The doctrines meant to deceive believers won’t fool the immortals.

If it came down to it, the Lord might even have to address the True Ancestor as a senior.

From this perspective, if the returning True Ancestor and the Creator God reached some kind of agreement, it might be understandable.

After all, in the era when the True Ancestor dominated the continent, there was no trace of the Holy Court, and though the origins of the Creator God are mysterious, they might just be juniors to the True Ancestor.

Albrecht and Yurst, with their minds racing, quickly attributed today’s events to a possible secret agreement between the True Ancestor and the Creator God.

However, as the focal point of all this, Charlotte knew it wasn’t as they imagined.

Moreover, in truth, the final “miracle” might not even be a gift from the “Lord” but an independent act of the Lord’s “artifact.”

Charlotte remembered the description of the Gospel of Blood’s divine ritual counter.

The spell caster wasn’t the Lord Himself, but the supreme artifact of the Lord, the Genesis Arbiter.

As a Demigod, Charlotte had a fairly professional understanding of the operational mechanism of the faith network.

In this era where most Gods have retreated, Gods rarely respond directly to their followers. Blessings, promotions to sacred orders, and the like often operate according to preset mechanisms.

And as far as Charlotte knew, the Genesis Arbiter should be the core of the Creator God’s faith network, which was also recorded in many Holy Court texts.

The divine blessing she received came from the Genesis Arbiter, not directly from the Lord. This presents two possibilities.

One possibility is that her actions were mistakenly approved by the artifact. The other is that she truly has garnered the “Lord’s” attention.

Charlotte doesn’t know which is the correct answer.

However, based on her speculation about the identity of the Creator God, either outcome might not be a bad thing for her.

If it was an artifact’s mistake, it suggests that the Gospel of Blood is of a higher rank than she had imagined, comparable to the artifact of the Creator God, even capable of deceiving the dormant God.

If the Lord is indeed watching her, it implies that the Lord does not see her as an enemy, which could further validate her speculation about the Lord’s identity.

Regardless of the actual answer, the effect remains the same.

It firmly establishes Charlotte’s identity as the Saintess, legitimizes her negotiations with the Bloodborne, and solidifies her claim to the throne to a level that is difficult to dispute.

Charlotte thought even further.

With this divine halo, even if her Nightshade Cult is fully exposed in the future, and her covert preaching activities become public, she can use this as a banner of legitimacy.

Don’t ask why.

Just say it’s the Lord’s tacit approval. Say it’s to counter the Holy Court’s corruption. Say it’s the will of the great Lord’s favored one, Saintess Charlotte, who is utterly disappointed with the fallen Holy Court and has decided to establish a new faith under divine guidance.

Meanwhile, with this firm establishment of her Saintess status and the holy light judgment of Bishop Campbell, another immediate benefit is that Charlotte now has a

sufficient and reasonable justification to seize full control of the Holy Court’s branch in the Starfall Kingdom and eliminate the influence of the Theocracy within the kingdom.

Don’t ask why.

Just say that the Starfall Kingdom’s church branch colluded with the fallen bloodbornes. Say they have betrayed the Lord, and such crimes must be judged by the Saintess.

In short, Charlotte genuinely felt that this divine favor was simply perfect.

It not only enhanced the Gospel of Blood’s divine power but also indirectly resolved several hidden issues within the Starfall Kingdom, even granting legitimacy to her future preaching efforts.

She really was like Qin Shi Huang touching an electric wire… completely winning.

Of course, where there are winners, there are also losers.

As the ambassador of the Crescent Kingdom who witnessed the entire “miracle”, Duke Moonshield’s expression was quite complicated.

Watching Charlotte being surrounded and worshipped by the Starfall nobles, Duke Moonshield sighed and respectfully asked.

“… Your Highness, regarding the territorial conflict between our two countries, are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?”

Charlotte smiled slightly and said.

“Your Grace, as I said, I am the Countess of Castell, but equally, I will be the Queen of Starfall. As a queen… I cannot betray the interests of the kingdom.”

“Of course, my previous agreement with His Majesty Louis still stands, if… His Majesty Louis still acknowledges it.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Duke Moonshied fell silent.

He understood Charlotte’s polite refusal.

As for the agreement between Charlotte and His Majesty… that was a matter too far in the past.

Duke Moonshield knew his king well.

If Charlotte were still the Countess of Castell, His Majesty might be willing to honor the agreement. But if Charlotte became the Queen of Starfall…

His Majesty would never allow the Castell territory, rich in mithril, to become part of the Starfall Kingdom.

Not even for a few decades.

The future is already full of uncertainties, and an uncontrollable agreement would just become a piece of worthless paper.

“I understand. I will relay everything to His Majesty.”

Duke Moonshield sighed and said.

The banquet lasted until the early hours of the morning.

As the music ended and the guests departed, it was clear that the events of tonight would soon spread throughout the Starfall Kingdom, and even across the entire Myria continent.

The Starfall Kingdom is, after all, one of the major nations on the continent, and a change in its throne is naturally a world-class event.

Count Stafford was visibly excited.

His face was flushed, clearly having drunk a lot.

As the nobles left, he led the senior members of the parliamentarian nobles to Charlotte, speaking with excitement.

“Your Majesty, congratulations on receiving divine favor from the Lord once again. May the holy light always be with you! May Starfall always be with you!”

He took a deep breath and looked at Charlotte expectantly.

“Your Majesty, after tonight, the situation is settled. When do you plan to hold your coronation and ascend to the throne?”

A coronation…

Charlotte pondered.

Although she wasn’t fond of these formalities, she knew it was a tradition in Myria’s nations.

Since she had inherited the throne, a coronation was inevitable, marking her official ascension as the ruler of the Starfall Kingdom.

After thinking for a moment, Charlotte looked at Marquis Howard.

“Is there any specific requirement for the coronation date of the Starfall kings?”

Marquis Howard was slightly taken aback, then respectfully replied.

“Your Majesty, there is no specific requirement for the coronation date of previous kings, but… it is generally held on the second Friday of each month.”

“The second Friday of each month? The Day of the Blood Moon?”

Charlotte raised her eyebrows slightly.

Marquis Howard quickly said.

“Yes, the Day of the Blood Moon. It is a tradition left from the era of the bloodborne’s secret rule, influenced by the bloodbornes. Of course… you don’t necessarily have to follow it. In fact, the parliament has long intended to abolish this tradition inherited from the bloodbornes.”

Charlotte thought for a moment and said,

“No matter. Let the coronation date be the second Friday of next month, the Day of the Blood Moon.”