Gospel of Blood

After leaving the side hall and returning with the help of the maid to change into another set of backup formal dresses, Charlotte finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the High Priest was very kind, very gentle, and his attitude was very friendly, for some reason, Charlotte always felt uneasy when she was with him.

This feeling was completely different from when she was with the old priest, Raoul. Charlotte had spent a lot of time with Raoul at the church hospital, but she never felt this way.

Perhaps it was because the High Priest was a high-ranking person, which made this puny Bloodborne feel intimidated. Or maybe it was because of his invitation for her to drink milk, which subconsciously reminded her of the crazy old lady at home, triggering a bit of PTSD.

Anyway, after leaving the side hall, Charlotte felt much more relaxed, and her whole body felt much lighter.

The rest of the banquet was not very meaningful. The girl, having tasted various delicacies, was already full, and she used the excuse of feeling unwell to skip the latter part of the dance party.

In fact, even if Charlotte had attended, with the declarations made in the first half, it was unlikely that any young noble would dare to invite her to dance for fear of being misunderstood by the church.

If anyone dared to invite her, it would probably only be the Duke himself and the High Priest.

But the old Duke was quite old, and he probably couldn't bear to lose face, and the High Priest had also gone to rest.

Sebastian, on the other hand, looked on eagerly from a distance, obviously wanting to do something, but after some hesitation, he eventually obediently became invisible in the corner.

Charlotte was quite satisfied, this guy was still sensible. Now that no one dared to approach her, if the president of the Rose Society came over, it would be obvious that something was amiss.

With no one inviting her, Charlotte was happy to be alone and ran to the outdoor viewing platform to enjoy the breeze.

Anyway, she hadn't danced any social dances before. Even in her original memories, due to age and limited outings, she didn't learn much.

It was the black cat, Nice, who had somehow come over again.

Its attitude was surprisingly enthusiastic, like a clingy cat, bringing milk for the girl and fetching fruit for her.

"Weren't you chatting and bragging with Dean Raoul and the others? Why did you come to find me again?"

The girl looked at Nice strangely.

"Meow! What are you saying? You are my current master. After finishing the church's business, of course, I had to come back to you."

Nice said righteously.

Charlotte nodded slightly, her gaze sliding over the crowd.

"Where are Dean Raoul and the others?"

"They've already left. There's another case at the church hospital, and Kara went with them."

Nice said.

"Captain Kara? Has something happened again?"

Charlotte's heart stirred at the thought of Knight Captain Kara's identity.

"Yeah, just when things quieted down for less than two weeks, there's another Blood Bemon Cult case."

Nice sighed.

"Blood Demon Cult case? Where?"

Charlotte's raised goblet paused in midair.

"It's a household in the outer city, a fallen noble family. The details aren't very clear, but it's said that almost everyone was wiped out, and three daughters went missing. Only one servant survived and is being treated at the church hospital."

Nice said solemnly.

"Wiped out, missing..."

Charlotte's gaze slightly hardened.

She waited for Nice to continue, but found that the other party didn't continue, instead looking at her with a hesitant expression.

Charlotte felt somewhat strange, but soon understood, her face darkening.

"You're not thinking of asking me if this has anything to do with me, are you?"

"Cough, cough, how could that be! You have a grudge against the Blood Demon Cult! It's just..."

Nice stammered.

Charlotte's expression turned cold.

"Spit it out."

Swallowing a gulp of saliva, Nice said.

"At the scene... there's your symbol."

Symbol?

Charlotte paused. But soon she reacted.

"Thorn Rose?"

Nice nodded.

Charlotte frowned.

She knew that both Nice and Sebastian regarded her as the resurrected evil god, and they even considered Thorn Rose as her symbol.

Although it was just a pattern she casually copied from carved furniture, combined with the personal information in the Gospel, the Thorn Rose had indeed become her symbol and established a mysterious connection with her.

Charlotte even suspected that if she truly became a God one day, this pattern might actually become a genuine symbol!

And now, this symbol appeared at the scene of a bloodborne incident, which was somewhat intriguing.

"Is it a sacrifice formation?"

The girl asked.

"No, it's not. This time, it's different from the incident at Castell Manor. It's more similar to the other Blood Demon Cult cases in the past six months. They all involve killing others and the disappearance of underage girls..."

"The church suspects that the Blood Demon Cult has never given up and intends to continue summoning the Flame Demon."

"Just that, this time, the symbol left at the scene changed from the Blood Demon Cult's emblem to... Thorn Rose."

Nice said.

After speaking, it hesitated for a moment and looked at the girl.

"Miss Charlotte, do you think... the Blood Demon Cult has also discovered your resurrection and is deliberately testing it?"

Discovered my resurrection?

No, that was just a piece of furniture pattern...

However, considering that even Sebastian and Nice regarded her as a god of evil, perhaps the Blood Demon Cult also thought that Borde had resurrected a God related to the Bloodborne, so they took action...

Thinking of this, Charlotte's expression gradually became serious.

The Blood Demon Cult probably did come for her. Or rather, they came for the existence symbolized by Thorn Rose.

However, she didn't know what the other party's purpose was.

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Regardless, considering the strange connection formed by Thorn Rose's symbol with herself, Charlotte had a feeling that she couldn't ignore this matter.

Is the incident located in the outer city...

Charlotte pondered, thinking of a good candidate to investigate the matter.

"I see, I'll send someone to investigate this matter."

The girl nodded lightly, saying calmly.

Nice looked somewhat puzzled.

"Send someone to investigate? Do you have other manpower in the outer city?"

But soon, it realized something and almost instantly jumped up.

"Wait! You don't intend to let Sebastian investigate, do you?!"

"Great Miss Charlotte! That guy Sebastian is Borde's most infamous underworld leader! He's full of secrets!"

"This guy... not only betrayed the Luna Island but also offended some major forces in the dark! He's nothing but trouble!"

T/N: Moon Goddess Island -> Luna Island

"Moreover, back then, he was the one who was responsible for you to be hung on the cross..."

Charlotte gave Nice a cold glance, and it shut its mouth, not continuing the second half of its sentence.

Meanwhile, the girl took a sip of milk and calmly said.

"Everyone has secrets. He has his, and I have mine."

Saying this, she looked at Nice again, her gaze meaningful.

"So... do you not hide any secrets?"

"Me?"

Nice paused for a moment, then its eyes immediately became evasive as it looked elsewhere.

"Meow! What are you talking about! What secrets could I possibly have! I'm just a little cat who can speak and perform some small tricks! Meow meow meow~!"

"Oh? Small tricks, referring to contract magic and dark summoning magic, perhaps?"

Charlotte glanced at it.

Nice instantly felt guilty.

"Alright, speak up. As a 'big shot' of the church, how did you meet Sebastian? And how long have you known each other?"

The girl smiled at the black cat.

As she looked at the girl's radiant smile, Nice's scalp instantly went numb.

"Cough... probably... it's been a long time? At first... um... I think we met at a banquet?"

Poor Nice completely failed to realize that it had intended to pry into the girl's secrets, ask about the bloodborne incident, and also inquire about how she knew Sebastian. The result was that it found itself being "interrogated" instead.

"Forget it, if you don't want to say, then don't."

Seeing the stuttering black cat, Charlotte didn't press further.

She lightly tapped her high goblet, implying something as she said.

"In the future, you can speak when you're ready to. Alright, I'm a bit tired now, go find other pretty ladies to cling to."

With that, the girl issued her dismissal.

Nice: ...

Its expression gradually became awkward.

But as it looked at the girl's indifferent expression, it quickly realized something and felt conflicted again.

Nice understood Charlotte's implication.

Only when it could honestly talk about its own affairs would the girl truly accept it, rather than just treating it as a servant bound by a contract.

Nice hesitated. After a moment of hesitation, it sighed and respectfully bowed to Charlotte.

"Great Mistress Charlotte, as you said, everyone has their own secrets, and Nice also has its own difficulties."

"However, since we have a contract, Nice naturally cannot betray you."

"So... Nice will take its leave for now."

Watching the black cat's departing figure, Charlotte sighed softly.

It seemed that there were more secrets on Nice than she had imagined.

To completely subdue this fellow, it seemed she still had a long way to go.

...

The Duke's birthday banquet continued into the late night.

After the banquet ended, the Duke's mansion tried to retain the guests, having already prepared guest rooms for those who wished to stay.

However, after so much had happened, Charlotte didn't feel like staying at the Duke's mansion any longer.

She politely declined the invitation and chose to return to Castell Manor.

Upon seeing her master, the old servant, Casimodo, seemed hesitant, as if he had many questions to ask.

Charlotte's heart stirred, guessing that it was probably related to her declaration at the banquet.

Presumably, by now, rumors must have already spread throughout the Duke's mansion.

However, in the end, the old servant didn't ask anything but instead busied himself with preparing the carriage.

Late at night, the bustling and lively Borde City became incredibly quiet, devoid of the daytime clamor.

The carriage traveled through the darkness, heading towards the western district.

Nice lay in the corner of the carriage, sound asleep, occasionally smacking its lips and smiling in its sleep, as if it was having a good dream.

Meanwhile, Charlotte leaned against the window, enjoying the moonlight outside.

She felt a bit thirsty, perhaps due to the night's influence, and her bloodlust was beginning to rise again.

However, at this moment, the carriage suddenly slowed down, and Casimodo, who was driving, tapped on the window.

"What's wrong?"

Charlotte's heart stirred.

"Master..."

Casimodo's expression was serious as he leaned back slightly and whispered through the window.

"There's a carriage following us from behind."