Gospel of Blood

The 13th Day of the 2nd Month, 1447 of the Holy Calendar, Starfall City.

For the Starfall Kingdom, which has existed for a thousand years, today is destined to be a day written into history.

Before dawn, royal knights dressed in armor and red cloaks were fully armed and took up positions along the main road connecting the Red Palace to the Starfall Dock, standing with their swords raised.

The citizens, who had received the news through various channels, gathered on both sides of the street, a sea of people curious and eager for the grand ceremony that might occur once in decades.

Roman Palace, outskirts of Starfall City.

As the starting point for the coronation ceremony of the Starfall Kingdom, preparations had been made here half a month in advance.

In the luxurious palace, Charlotte, who had already risen and been attended to by maids, had finished dressing in a grand gown specially designed and tailored for this coronation.

The gown consisted of a golden velvet aristocratic tight-fitting robe adorned with symbols of the Roman family’s lilac motif and the Castell family’s eagle crest. Over the robe was a similarly crafted cloak lined with white ermine, with a collar of red magic stones from Castell.

The right attire can significantly enhance one’s demeanor. After donning the gown, Charlotte seemed to have aged a few years, and with specially elevated high heels, she appeared not as a “thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl”, but rather a “sixteen or seventeen-year-old maiden.”

Looking at her radiant reflection in the mirror, Charlotte felt quite satisfied.

Despite being well aware of her outstanding appearance, she couldn’t help but think to herself, “I am truly beautiful.”

“Your Majesty, the fleet is ready, and the ministers are in place. According to the ceremony schedule, we should depart now.”

A respectful voice came from behind, belonging to the court steward, Marquis Howard, who was responsible for the coronation arrangements. He, too, was beaming with excitement, clearly anticipating Charlotte’s coronation.

Hearing this, Charlotte nodded slightly.

“Then… let us depart.”

Accompanied by her personal maids and guards, Charlotte left the palace. Outside, the kingdom’s high-ranking nobles, including the Legendary Sword Saint Duke Gale and Duke Aecia, who had renounced the throne, awaited her.

There were six dukes with their fiefs and more than a dozen counts. They represented the core of the Starfall Kingdom’s noble class and the leaders of various noble factions.

Notably, one of the seven great dukes, Duke West, was absent. Although not officially announced yet, it was certain that his title would be revoked and his lands seized due to his treason.

“Your Majesty…”

Upon seeing Charlotte, the high-ranking Starfall nobles bowed in submission, lowering their proud heads.

Charlotte nodded slightly. She glanced at the flagship of the royal navy fleet decorated with golden sails anchored by the dock and commanded.

“Board the ship!”

Amid the sound of ceremonial cannon fire, Charlotte and the nobles boarded the royal navy’s flagship.

The fleet, ready and waiting, fired salutes in unison and escorted the flagship towards the Starfall Harbor.

The ceremony… had officially begun.

The coronation of the Starfall Kingdom primarily consists of two parts.

The first step is the Roman Parade.

The new king will board a warship from the palace dock outside Starfall City, sailing along the coastline and eventually entering the inland port of Starfall City.

This is a tribute to the Roman Conquest.

Since the pioneering members of the Roman family crossed the Star-Moon Strait and conquered the Starfall Kingdom hundreds of years ago, every new king of the Roman family begins their coronation with a “Roman Parade.”

This symbolizes the Roman family’s pride and their supreme legitimate rule over the Starfall Kingdom.

Though Charlotte’s surname isn’t Roman, as a direct descendant of the Roman family, she inherited the Roman lineage. Thus, adopting the Roman ceremonial practices was natural.

Today’s Roman Parade is a simplified version. Hundreds of years ago, the parade would start from the Roman Duchy on the continental land, retracing the Roman conquest’s path, taking a day and a night on the ship.

With the majestic fleet surrounding the flagship “Roman Conqueror”, Charlotte stood at the bow, gazing at the kingdom awaiting her rule.

As the royal fleet entered the inner river of Starfall City and docked at the port, cannons on both sides fired in unison. Huge magic crystal cannons roared continuously, bursting into splendid magical fireworks in the sky.

In the spotlight, Charlotte, dressed in her grand gown, stepped off the dock. The Starfall nobles, who had been waiting, knelt before Charlotte.

“Your Majesty…”

These were nobles who couldn’t accompany her but were qualified to attend the coronation. They represented the middle tier of the noble class in Starfall, with titles ranging from count to baron, forming the majority of the noble class.

They wore different attires and varied in age, forming a dense crowd of thousands. Besides the nobles, there were also foreign ambassadors.

Due to the tight schedule of Charlotte’s coronation, there weren’t many visiting ambassadors, mainly from the Crescent Kingdom, the Northern Grand Duchy, and the Luna Coast City-States Alliance.

The deafening chorus of salutes triggered a chain reaction among the crowd, resulting in waves of cheers and praises.

Clearly, half a month was enough for Charlotte’s deeds to spread through every street and alley of Starfall City. The Saintess recognized by the Divine Lord, the last direct descendant of the Roman lineage, the restraint of the bloodborne, the judgment of the fallen church, bringer of peace and prosperity to the Starfall Kingdom… The halo surrounding Charlotte was dazzling. Coupled with the cooperation and promotion by the nobles and the Nez Clan, even before her official succession, Charlotte’s prestige among the people had reached an unbelievable height.

Under the watchful eyes of thousands, Charlotte boarded the prepared royal open-top carriage. The procession, escorted by towering royal knights, paraded along the main road of Starfall City.

Wherever the procession went, cheers erupted. Streamers and flowers were thrown from both sides of the street, covering the entire road. Even though Charlotte had mentally prepared, she couldn’t help but feel a surge of emotion at this moment.

For this moment, she felt like the center of the world. She thought to herself, “So, this is the taste of power.”

Charlotte’s gaze fell on the cheering crowd, and she smiled gently, waving at them.

Seeing her gesture, the people were momentarily stunned, then erupted into even louder cheers.

“Long live Her Majesty!”

“Long live! Long live! Long live!”

In the deafening cheers, the procession moved towards the Campbell Cathedral in the northern part of Starfall City.

The second part of the coronation is the formal coronation ceremony.

In the continent of Myria, the human nations originated with the support of the Holy Court, and royal authority is bestowed by the divine. Therefore, coronation ceremonies are also held in churches.

Campbell Cathedral is the largest, oldest, and most famous church in the Starfall Kingdom. The coronation ceremonies of successive Starfall kings have always been held there.

Charlotte did not deviate from this tradition.

When the grand procession arrived at the cathedral, the clergy were already waiting outside.

Upon seeing Charlotte’s carriage, they drew a circle cross on their chests and then bowed respectfully.

The nobles accompanying her wore strange expressions.

The clergy of the Holy Court hold a transcendent status, especially in such a prominent cathedral where even the king must show respect.

On the day of the coronation, not even the lowest-ranking clergy need to bow to the king.

But now…

Seeing the clergy bowing even lower than themselves, the nobles were at a loss for words.

However, no one voiced any objections.

The reason being that the one being crowned today was not just the Queen of Starfall.

As a Saintess with transcendent status, Charlotte need not bow even to the Pope of the Theocracy. It was only natural for the clergy to bow to her.

Charlotte accepted their bows without false modesty and then entered the cathedral, surrounded by nobles and clergy.

In the main hall of the cathedral, the altar for the ceremony was already prepared.

First came the royal benediction.

With the assistance of the clergy, Charlotte took off her cloak, took the royal regalia from Marquis Howard, and placed each item on the altar.

These included the royal cloak symbolizing her status, the jeweled scepter representing power, the Roman sword representing lineage, the Starfall ring that could open the royal treasury and teleportation arrays, and the royal orb that enabled communication with magic towers throughout the land.

The clergy recited blessings from the Holy Bible and prayed to the divine to bless the royal regalia on the altar.

This step symbolized reporting the new king’s ascension to the divine and obtaining divine recognition of Starfall’s royal authority.

As the clergy prayed, holy light descended upon the altar, bathing the royal regalia in a platinum glow.

Charlotte bowed her head silently and then discreetly used divine ritual counter to remove the blessing.

There was no other choice.

She would need to use these items later.

Though the blessing was temporary and not harmful, holding them as a bloodborne would still cause her pain.

Of course, no one noticed her small action.

After the benediction came the anointing.

The holy oil, normally kept in the cathedral, was brought out by the clergy on the eve of the coronation.

Unlike on Earth, the holy oil in Miria truly contained rich divine power.

In this step, the clergy would apply the holy oil to specific parts of the new king’s body, symbolizing the connection between royal and divine authority and the divine’s blessing and recognition of the new king.

This was the most sacred step of the coronation.

However, the clergy responsible for anointing appeared nervous and hesitant.

In the past, this duty fell to the Bishop of Campbell Cathedral.

But now, with the previous bishop deceased and a new one yet to be chosen, the task fell to a high-ranking priest.

Though this High Priest held the highest status in the cathedral, Charlotte’s unique status as a divinely recognized saintess made him apprehensive.

From the perspective of royal authority, there was no issue with him anointing her.

But from the perspective of divine authority…

As a representative of the divine, no one had the right to anoint Charlotte.

Charlotte understood and did not insist. She simply took the holy oil and anointed herself.

This sight stunned the observing nobles, clergy, and ambassadors.

But they quickly recovered, realizing that while such an action would be blasphemous for any other new king, it was perfectly acceptable for Charlotte as a saintess.

Following protocol, Charlotte applied the holy oil to her head, chest, shoulders, between her shoulders, arms, and hands.

It stung. It stung a lot.

But with the Gospel of Blood slightly activated, all the divine power was absorbed.

After the anointing, the clergy breathed a sigh of relief.

Next, Marquis Howard handed the red royal cloak to Charlotte, which the clergy then draped over her shoulders.

The High Priest placed the Starfall ring on her finger, handed her the jeweled scepter for her right hand, and gave her the royal orb for her left hand.

As for the Roman Sword, it didn’t allow anyone else to touch it. It flew to Charlotte’s side, conjured a sheath at her waist, and sheathed itself.

With the royal regalia donned, it was time for the crowning and the oath.

The clergy soon brought the Starfall crown.

The golden crown, adorned with alternating crosses and lilac flowers, featured two arches and a purple velvet interior, studded with 777 red, purple, and blue gems, making it incredibly magnificent.

Glancing at the crown and then at Charlotte, the High Priest hesitated once again.

Charlotte met his gaze, chuckled softly, and reached for the crown, placing it on her own head.

This sight made the nobles’ expressions even more peculiar, but as Charlotte rose, they quickly bowed their heads in respectful obeisance.

Charlotte, crowned and cloaked in red, holding the royal orb and scepter, walked down the red carpet to the prepared royal throne.

Taking a deep breath, Charlotte recited the prepared royal oath, promising peace and justice, the protection of nobles and the church, and the maintenance of orthodox faith.

Of course, this oath was not a true “contract oath.”

Centuries ago, during the Holy Court’s peak, the new king’s oath was a binding contract. But with church power waning and royal power growing, the oaths of new kings had long become merely ceremonial.

With the oath concluded, the final part of the ceremony was complete.

Inside the cathedral, all the observing nobles and clergy bowed respectfully to Charlotte, chanting thrice.

“Praise the Divine! God bless Starfall! God bless Queen Charlotte!”

“Praise the Divine! God bless Starfall! God bless Queen Charlotte!”

“Praise the Divine! God bless Starfall! God bless Queen Charlotte!”

On the 13th Day of the 2nd Month, 1447 of the Holy Calendar, Charlotte de Castell was crowned queen in Starfall City, becoming Queen Charlotte.

Due to her status as a Saintess of the Holy Court, she was also known as the Divine Queen.