Gospel of Blood

In the southernmost guest room of the Count’s mansion.

The maids cried out in surprise and retreated, while the arriving mansion attendants drew their swords, looking as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Inside the room, a black-haired girl who appeared to be about fourteen or fifteen glared at them with a fierce expression.

She let out a beast-like roar while grabbing a decorative sword from the wall to protect herself. Her wary posture was like that of a cat with its fur standing on end.

The room was already in chaos, as if a storm had just passed through. Furniture and decorations were overturned, and even the bed was dismantled into pieces.

“Drop your weapon and back off!”

The leading knight commanded the attendants to surround the girl while sternly warning her.

Looking at the thoroughly wrecked guest room, no one would believe that this girl, devoid of any magical power, was an ordinary girl. The level of destruction was far beyond what an ordinary person could achieve in such a short time, not to mention her beast-like fierce gaze and growls.

The atmosphere in the room was tense, with a fight seemingly about to break out at any moment, until a crisp voice came from the door.

“Even after having your magic sealed, you can still cause such a commotion. It seems Sebastian made the right decision to bind your power.”

Hearing this voice, the guards quickly made their way, slightly lowering their weapons and respectfully greeting.

“Countess…”

The black-haired girl looked up to see a beautiful girl about thirteen or fourteen years old, dressed in a black noble dress, entering the room surrounded by people.

Behind her was a red-haired elf and a plump cat with his tail held high.

The black-haired girl immediately focused on the newcomer.

Her expression became even more cautious, and she instinctively stepped back as the beautiful girl entered, reversing her stance with the guards as if facing a major enemy.

Seeing her wary look, Charlotte smiled slightly.

Her gaze swept over the devastated room before she spoke softly.

“Miss Eudoxia, did you know that this room might be older than you? The furniture and decorations you destroyed… from a human perspective, each piece is either an antique or an artifact.”

“In terms of value, these damaged items are worth around three to four hundred thousand gold tana.”

“And that decorative sword in your hand was awarded by the Crescent King to the Champion of the Borde family. On the market, it would fetch at least a hundred thousand gold tana.”

“Destroying so many of my belongings, I can’t just let that go.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the girl couldn’t help but look at the decorative sword in her hand, her fierce demeanor instantly weakening.

Charlotte’s heart stirred. She glanced at the attendants and maids around.

“You may leave.”

“But Countess! She’s dangerous!”

The knight warned.

Sebastian, standing beside Charlotte, smiled slightly, patting the knight’s shoulder and said,

“Rand, for Master, there is no danger within her territory.”

Even the black cat Nice chimed in.

“Hey, that’s right. All of you together couldn’t take on Lady Charlotte.”

The knight opened his mouth, glanced between the three and the cat, and finally nodded, signaling the attendants to withdraw.

Soon, only Charlotte, Sebastian, and Eudoxia remained in the room, along with the black cat Nice, who had sneaked past Yurst to join the fun.

Eudoxia’s expression became increasingly wary.

Especially when Charlotte took a step forward, Eudoxia instinctively stepped back, her muscles tensing as if ready to jump and resist at any moment.

“Do I really look that scary?”

Charlotte touched her face, surprised, seeing the girl like a scared wild kitten.

Eudoxia stared intently at Charlotte, her voice cold and filled with fear.

“Who… are you?”

“Allow me to introduce myself. I am Charlotte de Castell, Lord of the North, Countess of Castell, and the target of those you assist, the Blood Demon Cult and the Lagrisse family, been trying to overthrow.”

Charlotte smiled slightly as she spoke.

However, her response did not relax Eudoxia, it made her even more cautious.

“Who… are you, really?”

Now Charlotte was a bit taken aback.

But she quickly understood the situation after some thought.

She had once entered Eudoxia’s mental world and used her power there. As one of Myria’s most powerful magical creatures, dragons are highly sensitive to magic and auras. Although Charlotte had used blood divine power then, she hadn’t hidden her aura while inside Eudoxia’s mind, inevitably leaving some traces.

The mental world easily reveals the essence of things. Even though Eudoxia was nearly unconscious at the time, she retained a sliver of awareness.

It was clear that Eudoxia had recognized Charlotte’s aura, realizing she was the mysterious entity that had entered her mental world while possessing Nice.

With this realization, Charlotte gave a slight bow, and Sebastian naturally presented a chair for her to sit on.

Charlotte sat down, accepting the carefully prepared milk tea from Sebastian and taking a sip before saying,

“Who I am is not important. What’s important… is who you are.”

With that, she extended her hand, and Sebastian respectfully handed her a scroll of parchment.

Charlotte unrolled the parchment and continued.

“Eudoxia… or more accurately, the Black Dragon Eudoxia.”

“Thirty years ago, the mercenary city-state of Kemia in the Eastern Yunette Blacklands was attacked by an unidentified black dragon. It’s said… that black dragon seemed to appear out of nowhere, launching a frenzied attack on the city-state…”

“Although the mercenary alliance of the Eastern Yunette Blacklands eventually repelled the dragon, Kemia had been reduced to ruins, with tens of thousands dead or injured…”

“And later, that black dragon vanished, and its last known location was the border of Castell, at the junction of the Crescent-Eastern Yunette Blacklands.”

Charlotte paused slightly and put down the parchment. She looked at Eudoxia and continued.

“Later, there were rumors of a dragon appearing in the Castell mines…”

Eudoxia fell silent upon hearing Charlotte’s words.

After a moment, she asked.

“What exactly do you want to say?”

“It’s nothing much. I’m just curious about the past of this black dragon. After investigating, I found that this black dragon did seem to appear out of nowhere. Miss Eudoxia, aren’t you curious?”

Eudoxia remained silent.

After a moment, she said,

“I don’t remember my past.”

“I know you don’t remember.”

Charlotte replied.

She looked at Eudoxia, her sapphire-blue eyes seemingly magical.

“First, I must correct your misconception. The idea of reviving a soul that has dissipated is impossible. Even Gods cannot do that.”

“When a soul dissipates, it means the existence has completely vanished. This process is irreversible. Souls that remain or are taken to the divine realm might be recalled, but a dissipated soul cannot be recovered unless time reverses and history is undone.”

Upon hearing this, Eudoxia clenched her hands instinctively but eventually let them fall powerlessly.

Seeing the silent girl, Charlotte knew she had listened.

After a brief pause, Charlotte continued.

“Eudoxia, I’ve seen your memories. I know what you’ve been through and why you chose to help the Blood Demon Cult…”

“Of course, saying ‘helping the villain’ might not be entirely accurate. In the memories I saw, although you joined the Blood Demon Cult, you always avoided harming ordinary people in every action.”

“Furthermore, you only stood by as the Blood Demon Cult used the Lagrisse family as sacrifices because the Lagrisse family had kidnapped and force-turned Castell miners to become undead, crossing your bottom line.”

“Miss Eudoxia, although you often claim to be a ferocious and brutal black dragon in your memories, what I saw was more like a dragon who had grown accustomed to coexisting peacefully with humans and other intelligent beings.”

“This behavior is entirely different from when you first appeared in the Eastern Yunette. While it could be explained by amnesia or your experiences in the mines changing your attitude towards other intelligent beings, it still seems far-fetched to me.”

“You have a big secret, one you are aware of, or else you wouldn’t rely on the Blood Demon Cult to search for your past.”

“I must admit, as one of the oldest cults, the Blood Demon Cult excels in mental magic, second only to the Bloodborne Mental Clan, Szelem, and can help many with lost memories recover them.”

“But, frankly, you are different.”

“Regarding your memories in the Eastern Yunette Blacklands, as far as I investigated, they indeed seem ‘forgotten’ like any ordinary amnesiac, which might be related to your past injuries. But your earlier memories are different.”

“I didn’t see your earlier memories, but they undoubtedly exist. However… they are absent.”

“Not sealed, nor simply erased, but as if you never experienced them. Yet, various clues suggest you do have a past.”

“Your physical condition is also intriguing. To my knowledge, no dragon loses all their magic and becomes human. Yet, you did, as if the human form is your true shape.”

“However, I’m certain your body contains dragon blood. You are undoubtedly a real dragon by blood.”

“I believe I am correct, considering my authority on extraordinary bloodlines.”

“Miss Eudoxia, you are full of mysteries. I’m very curious about you, your identity, and your past…”

Hearing this, Eudoxia couldn’t help but look up.

“What exactly do you want to say? What do you want to do?”

Charlotte smiled, then suddenly became serious.

“Submit…”

“I want your submission.”

“I’m very interested in your past, you, and your power.”

“That’s why I had them bring you here.”

“I can promise you, following me offers a better chance of recovering your past than following the Blood Demon Cult or the Szelem Blood Clan.”

Eudoxia was silent for a moment before asking.

“This isn’t an invitation but an ultimatum, isn’t it?”

Charlotte was slightly surprised, then smiled.

“If possible, I hope it’s a friendly invitation. At the very least… I am sincere.”

Eudoxia was silent.

After a moment, she looked up, her crimson eyes filled with emotion.

“I… understand.”

Then, to Charlotte’s slight surprise, Eudoxia bowed stiffly, offering a gesture of submission.

“From now on, you are the one Eudoxia will follow.”

Charlotte was even more surprised.

She smiled and said,

“Miss Eudoxia, you are more straightforward than I expected. Honestly, this makes many of my prepared words unnecessary.”

“I’m curious, could you tell me why you agreed so readily?”

Eudoxia looked at her with a complex expression.

“Three reasons…”

“First, you are very strong. I know my abilities and my power. I cannot defy the will of a resurrected God…”

“Second, you feel very familiar to me. I suspect my past self might have interacted with you. You’re right, calmly considering, following you is more likely to help me recover my past.”

“Third, you saved me. If not for you, I would already be a mindless dragon corpse by now…”

Charlotte was slightly taken aback, then smiled.

“See, Miss Eudoxia, you are indeed not an ordinary black dragon.”

…

Eudoxia submitted, quicker than even Charlotte expected.

With the fusion of the ancient statue, Charlotte now possessed considerable divine power and was confident she could suppress a black dragon with adult strength without a contract. However, she still signed a contract with Eudoxia.

Not a slave contract like Nice’s, but a dragon’s submission contract.

Naturally, Charlotte’s maid team gained a new member.