Gospel of Blood

Viscount Leon-Castell soon met the leader of the reinforcements.

He was an exceedingly handsome young man, dressed as a mercenary, yet carrying himself with the grace of a nobleman, entirely lacking the roughness typical of mercenaries.

The young man approached Charlotte with elegance and bowed.

“Beautiful Countess, we meet again.”

His voice was gentle, with a slight accent from the Starfall Kingdom.

Given the galleys anchored in the bay, the Old Viscount quickly realized that the leader was likely a noble from the Starfall Kingdom.

So… the Countess’ reinforcements are actually from the Starfall Kingdom’s noble army?

Viscount Leon-Castell’s thoughts raced.

He couldn’t help but glance at the young countess, his gaze shifting between her and the young nobleman.

The young man’s courtesy and subtle respect towards the young countess were evident, though not obsequious. This respect seemed to come from a deeper place rather than from a mere difference in status.

Reflecting on the Castell family secrets he knew, Viscount Leon-Castell quickly formed a hypothesis.

Could it be… that the young nobleman represents those Starfall nobles who had ties with the former countess?

The more he thought about it, the more he believed it to be true.

Yes, only this could explain why they disguised themselves as mercenaries.

After all, the Starfall Kingdom was a longtime enemy of the Crescent Kingdom. Openly participating in Castell’s war as noble forces from the Starfall Kingdom would undoubtedly provoke strong reactions from all Crescent nobles.

On the other hand, participating as mercenaries would be much more convenient.

The more Viscount Leon-Castell thought about it, the more he felt he had discovered the truth.

Of course, he didn’t know that Count Yurst’s respect for Charlotte was actually because he saw her as the worldly representative of the True Ancestor.

“Captain, thank you for your support of Castell. Without your help, Castell would have been in grave danger this time.”

Charlotte smiled at Count Yurst.

Count Yurst glanced at the nobles accompanying Charlotte and also smiled.

“The Nightwalker Mercenary Corps is Castell’s most loyal ally. Naturally, we will fully support Castell in its time of need.”

After speaking, he pointed to the tent behind him.

“Countess, we captured a special captive in the enemy camp last night. I think you might be interested.”

“Oh? A captive?”

Charlotte became interested immediately.

Viscount Leon-Castell also looked towards the tent Yurst pointed at. Seeing the heavily guarded soldiers outside, his eyes widened.

“Could it be… the Third Prince?”

Yurst glanced at him and shook his head.

“The Third Prince is missing, most likely escaped.”

“However, these two captives might be even more useful for Castell.”

“Oh? Two captives?”

Charlotte was intrigued, her curiosity piqued.

Even Viscount Leon-Castell turned a questioning gaze towards the tent.

Following Count Yurst, they soon entered the heavily guarded tent.

Inside, two cloaked mercenaries were guarding a blood-soaked young knight. His face was pale, his eyes closed, seemingly unconscious.

When Viscount Leon-Castell saw the knight’s appearance and the emblem of the Purple Lion on his chest, he exclaimed.

“Count Linte?!”

“Viscount Leon-Castell, you know him?”

Charlotte asked curiously.

The Old Viscount nodded respectfully.

“Countess, I attended Duke Violet’s banquet years ago and met him once.”

“He is the eldest son of Duke Violet and the primary heir to the Violet Duchy, a Silver Moon extraordinary knight.”

“Countess, this is indeed a valuable captive for Castell!”

“He is Duke Violet’s most favored son. His value alone is comparable to all those captured Violet soldiers, potentially earning us a huge ransom! Maybe even land!”

Charlotte’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Count Linte, now seeing a walking mountain of wealth.

But her gaze quickly swept around the tent again as she continued.

“Captain, there’s only one person here. Where’s the other captive?”

“Countess, the other captive is in poor mental condition and has been placed separately.”

Count Yurst said.

Then, he glanced at the many nobles following Charlotte and said,

“It’s best… not to have too many people go in.”

Charlotte nodded and looked around.

“The rest stay here. Viscount Leon-Castell and Vincent follow me.”

The Old Viscount and Vincent respectfully complied, following Charlotte and Yurst into the inner tent.

Inside was a simple bed, but it was empty, only a messy blanket remained.

In the corner, a scantily clad woman was curled up.

Seeing people enter, she hid behind the bed like a frightened animal.

“Eleanor?”

Charlotte was surprised upon seeing the woman’s face.

Viscount Leon-Castell and Vincent also exclaimed,

“Eleanor? The Duchess of Borde?!”

Realizing her identity, both nobles’ eyes lit up.

This was the true ruler of Borde.

Philip, the Third Prince, waged war on Castell not by his royal title but through his power as the Duchess of Borde’s husband. All his authority in Borde stemmed from his wife!

In other words, capturing the Duchess of Borde meant the war could be declared over.

The Old Viscount and Vincent were elated, but Charlotte noticed the scars and bruises on the woman’s body.

She frowned.

“Captain, what happened to her?”

Count Yurst shook his head.

“These injuries were there when we found her. She seems to have been abused for a long time.”

“Abused?”

Charlotte was startled.

“Yes.”

Count Yurst nodded slightly.