Gospel of Blood

Quiet.

A complete silence.

As Charlotte looked at the old priest ahead of her and shyly confessed her allegiance, the entire banquet fell into an eerie silence.

"You you you... Castell! Do you know what you're saying!"

"He's a priest! And an old one at that!"

"Are you out of your mind!?"

A young nobleman widened his eyes and couldn't help but exclaim.

Upon hearing his words, the girl also widened her eyes, her azure blue eyes filled with puzzlement and disbelief, her slightly flushed cheeks tinged with embarrassment.

"Your Grace... What are you saying, Sir Yale? That's quite impolite!"

After speaking, Charlotte looked ahead again. She clasped her hands together, her expression devout and sincere, her gentle and innocent voice filled with the simplest aspirations and fervor.

"What I mean is, my heart has long belonged to the Great God, to the Supreme Divine..."

Seeing the girl glance at him again, Raoul twitched his eye. However, when his peripheral vision swept towards the wall behind him, he suddenly felt a stir in his heart and quickly made way without a sound.

Charlotte's gaze, however, remained unchanged. As the nobles followed the girl's gaze and looked carefully, they discovered that she was not looking at the old archbishop Raoul, but rather at the mural behind Raoul!

More accurately, it was a religious mural depicting the God Harald creating a new world after the Great Flood.

The young nobleman who had tried to stop the girl was immediately dumbfounded, his face turning red in an instant, wishing he could find a hole to crawl into.

Meanwhile, Charlotte made the sign of the cross in front of her chest in a standard manner. With a happy and devout expression, she reminisced.

"That night, when I encountered such a thing, I was really frightened, and afraid... and desperate..."

"It was the knights of the church who rescued me, bringing light to me in the darkness."

"When I was in the church hospital, Sir Raoul and Lady Lottie would accompany me and chat with me every day."

"In the process of communicating with them, in my confusion, I deeply felt the greatness and sanctity of the God..."

"I think... it must be because the Castell family has committed too many unforgivable sins, so as the heir, I have suffered such a terrible calamity."

"However, even so, God is still willing to forgive me, still willing to accept me, still willing to save me..."

"After being discharged, I would communicate deeply with the priests every day, discussing the teachings of our Lord."

"And with deeper understanding, I increasingly feel the majesty of our Lord and the vastness of HIS divine radiance..."

"From that time on, the black and white world had new colors, I saw the light, I saw the future, I saw my true belonging..."

"My heart... has long belonged to the great divine."

Saying this, the girl bowed slightly towards the God Harald depicted on the mural, her childish voice filled with reverence and sincere gratitude.

"Praise be... to the divine!"

The light of the crystal chandelier shone on her, making her look dreamy and colorful.

The beautiful girl in the white dress appeared devout like a celestial angel bowing to her Lord.

Seeing this sacred scene, the priests were also moved, showing expressions of reminiscence, as if recalling their first worship under the divine light, that kind of inner longing and awe, piety, and fervor.

The elderly priest sighed slightly, extending his hand as well and drawing the sign of the cross in front of his chest.

"Praise be... to the divine."

The other priests also followed suit, drawing the holy emblem and speaking with devout and firm voices.

"Praise be... to the divine!"

The nobles fell silent.

Watching the priests show signs of reminiscence under the girl's influence, seeing the pure and flawless eyes of the girl and her happy and satisfied smile, although feeling extremely absurd, many couldn't help but have one thought.

She... is serious!

And many more nobles, who had been paying attention to the girl who had experienced the bloodborne incident at the Castell Manor, fell into contemplation. After recalling, they did find many details.

After being rescued, Charlotte had indeed been quite enthusiastic about various activities of the church, participating fully in worship and various religious ceremonies at the church every day. Even after returning home, she still spent a lot of money inviting priests to the estate...

These things were not secrets and could be verified with a little effort.

The Duke of Borde frowned.

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He glanced at the nobles below, and an old count immediately understood, stepping forward and looking solemnly at the praying girl.

"Miss Castell, are you serious?"

"Please don't forget, you are the heir of Castell. If you choose to join the church and become a priest, it means becoming an ascetic, unable to marry or inherit the land."

"That means you will voluntarily relinquish your inheritance!"

Upon hearing the old count's words, Charlotte smiled slightly, gracefully bowing.

"Count Gaston, thank you for your reminder."

"I do intend to join the church and indeed intend to dedicate everything to the divine, but I have not forgotten my duty as a member of the Castell family."

The old count frowned.

"Do you mean you want to become a noble priest who doesn't serve in the church?"

"But forgive me for being blunt, noble priests can still marry, so that's not a reason for you to refuse Duke's proposal."

Hearing the count's words, Charlotte looked apologetic.

"I apologize, Count Gaston, I didn't make myself clear."

"What I meant was that I intend to dedicate everything to our great Lord, not only myself but also the land I am about to inherit."

"As we all know, although the Northern Duchy successfully expelled the orc tribe, the entire country is still in a state of religious confusion and needs the divine to bring light to them."

"But in the north, our Lord has always lacked sufficient power."

"I want to contribute to our Lord."

"I am a member of the Castell family, so I must shoulder the responsibility of inheriting the family."

"But equally, in order to dedicate everything to our Lord, I will not marry in the future."

"I will live for the subjects in my limited life, be loyal to the lord, be a loyal subject of Castell, and fulfill the responsibilities and obligations of Castell."

"At the same time, I will fulfill the responsibility of a devout believer, spreading the radiance of our Lord to the north as much as possible!"

"I promise that when I return to the kingdom of our Lord in the future, I will dedicate everything to the Lord. The divine flag will replace the eagle flag and fly over Castell!"

Listening to the girl's words, the nobles in the hall all changed their expressions.

"Are you saying... you want to offer Castell's territory to the church?!"

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! The... King will never agree! This violates the provisions of the Sacred Code!"

The old count said angrily.

Other nobles also echoed, either rebuking, cursing, or accusing, but they all said the same thing, that what the girl wanted to do was illegal and unacceptable.

It wasn't until a solemn voice sounded that everyone quieted down.

"Why... not?"

It was the high priest who spoke.

This old man, always with a kind smile, the highest religious figure in the Borde Duchy, for the first time, put away his smile.

He glanced faintly at the angry nobles and slowly said.

"The Sacred Code indeed stipulates that the church cannot encroach on noble land."

"But it does not stipulate that devout believers cannot dedicate their land to the church."

"Furthermore, that is a matter for the future. Even if the church obtains land, it is only to establish a theocratic barony, not to annex them and become part of the ecclesiastical state."

"The theocratic barony still pledges allegiance to the lord, still belongs to the duchy, and even the kingdom as a whole."

"Do you all forget? Among the twelve duchies under the Crescent Kingdom, three of them are theocratic duchies."

The voice of the high priest was gentle and calm.

The angry nobles fell into silence collectively. Their eyes fell on the sacred girl, and for a moment, they couldn't be sure whether she had truly become a fervent devotee of the divine, or was just using the church as a shield...

"Alright, let's continue the banquet. These are all matters for the future. Today's protagonists are our Duke and Lord Leno. I haven't performed the sacred ceremony for Lord Leno yet."

The high archbishop smiled faintly and said gently.

Performing the sacred ceremony is a sacred ritual that every noble must undergo when they come of age, representing the recognition of their status by the divine. For illegitimate children, it also represents the legalization of their status.

Seeing the smiling high archbishop, the old Duke's expression became ugly for the first time.