Gospel of Blood

“Miracle from a year ago?”

Cardinal Joseph frowned slightly.

The Crescent Diocese is vast, with dozens of reports of miraculous events each month. While most are dismissed as false, a significant number are considered genuine.

Unlike other dormant Gods, the Creator God’s power continues to influence the world even while He sleeps. This unintentional dispersion of divine power can manifest as supernatural phenomena in the real world.

Moreover, the Gods once walked the earth, leaving numerous traces. These traces, when discovered, often bring about various phenomena, both major and minor. Such occurrences are considered miracles.

But referring to a specific miracle from a year ago…

Cardinal Joseph frowned.

There were so many.

About sixty or seventy reports surfaced in his mind, and he wasn’t sure which one the Grand Inquisitor referred to.

The Grand Inquisitor didn’t keep them guessing. He paused briefly and then continued.

“It was when the statues lit up. On the 6th Day of the 6th Month last year, all the statues of our Lord in the churches glowed simultaneously, lasting almost a minute.”

Cardinal Joseph’s expression showed realization.

“You mean that event… If I recall correctly, it wasn’t just the cathedral in Lutecia, right? Reports of statues lighting up came from various places soon after.”

Grand Inquisitor Bernard nodded slightly.

“To be precise, nearly all the statues of our Lord in the entire Crescent Diocese lit up…”

Cardinal Joseph’s interest was piqued.

“Sir Bernard, you were in charge of the follow-up investigation, correct? Did you discover something?”

The Grand Inquisitor nodded.

“Strictly speaking, it was while reviewing the records of Charlotte de Castell recently that I found something interesting.”

He looked at his colleagues.

“Do you know? The Countess of Castell’s birthday is the 6th Day of the 6th Month, and at that exact moment last year, during the lighting of the statues, she was in a church in Borde, attending her coming-of-age ceremony.”

“The Borde Church has corresponding records. After some searching, I found that she was called the ‘Saintess’ of our Lord from that time.”

Cardinal Joseph was stunned, then widened his eyes.

“Wait… Sir Bernard, you mean that the statues throughout the Crescent Diocese lit up because of her?!”

The Grand Inquisitor hesitated for a moment, then said gravely.

“Perhaps it could have been considered a coincidence before, but combined with today’s test, maybe… she really is under the Lord’s watch.”

He then looked at the Crescent Archbishop, his gaze unreadable.

“Archbishop, do you think… the Lord might have bypassed the oracles of the Saintess Palace and directly chosen a wild Saintess?”

His tone was serious, his expression earnest, mixed with some inexplicable emotions.

Archbishop Charles looked at him.

“Are you implying that our Holy Court has lost the Lord’s favor?”

At these words, the prayer room fell silent.

Archbishop Charles sighed slightly.

“Sir Bernard, all division begins with self-doubt and denial. Please refrain from making such remarks.”

“Perhaps the Holy Court does have corrupt clergy, but as long as the Lord’s light remains, we are still His messengers…”

“As for whether Charlotte de Castell is a Saintess… let time reveal the truth. If she truly is the chosen Saintess, that too is the Lord’s decision.”

Hearing the Archbishop’s words, cardinal Joseph couldn’t help but say,

“Archbishop, does this mean you don’t intend to bring her into the church to further verify her identity as a Saintess?”

Archbishop Charles sighed.

“A Saintess not ordained by an oracle will not be recognized by the Holy Court, and supposed miracles won’t convince the central cardinal group.”

“And if she truly is a Saintess, as Sir Bernard suggested, the Lord bypassed the Saintess Palace in His choice, meaning He didn’t intend for her to join the church…”

“So, our invitation or verification is irrelevant.”

“Besides, being able to project the power of creation in an illusion doesn’t necessarily mean she is a Saintess, she might simply possess something related to our Lord.”

“Perhaps a fragment of the Lord’s artifact, or the divine power left in the world after the holy wars… Although these items are difficult for mortals to obtain, there are always exceptions. Some are naturally attuned to holy power and become the lucky ones.”

Listening to the Archbishop, cardinal Joseph fell silent.

The Archbishop spoke the truth.

There were many instances in history where individuals rapidly ascended due to such extraordinary powers, sometimes linked to remnants of divine power or divine artifacts.

Even within the Holy Court, many high-ranking clerics started their paths due to similar fortunate events. Many cults also arose from the appearance of evil artifact fragments.

Earlier, when meeting the Countess of Castell, he sensed her power, at the peak of Silver Moon. A year ago, she was merely a noble without awakened bloodline power.

Although becoming a Saintess can lead to rapid power growth under the Lord’s favor, lucky individuals have shown similar rapid ascensions.

From this perspective, the Archbishop’s judgment seemed reasonable.

Finally, Cardinal Joseph calmed down and smiled wryly.

“Archbishop, you are right. I was a bit too excited.”

Archbishop Charles nodded slightly, then continued.

“Let time reveal the truth. Keep an eye on her, whether she is a Saintess or not, she is indeed connected to our Lord.”

“Even though she is dissatisfied with the church, she still donates money and prays devoutly, and has even received a response from the Holy Light…”

“She is worth our goodwill and recruitment.”

“Your Grace, what about the ‘God Nyx’ and the Blood Demon Cult?”

“Continue tracking them, but disregard the Blood Demon Cult’s letter of accusation. The power of our Lord is the purest and cannot be desecrated by any other Evil God’s power. If Countess Castell were involved, she wouldn’t be unscathed under the Eternal Sun.”

…

After leaving the Lutecia Cathedral, Charlotte returned to the manor at Riverside Street No.7.

By the time she got back, it was already dark, and Sebastian was diligently waiting at the mansion’s entrance.

After Charlotte entered the mansion and changed her clothes, the elf butler stepped forward and respectfully bowed.

“Master, I found out why no nobles have come to visit.”

“Oh? Why?”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow slightly.

Sebastian continued.

“While you were visiting the church, I investigated and found that it is related to the convening of the Central Council.”

“The royalty and nobility have an unwritten rule that in the week leading up to the council meeting, all private banquets and gatherings are forbidden…”

“Even the royalty must comply. It is said… this is to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the Central Council.”

Charlotte: …

She hadn’t expected this reason.

After all, Castell was a vassal of Borde before, and no one had informed her of the rules in the capital.

So, it turns out she was overthinking it before.

However, this was still somewhat troubling, because Charlotte now knew nothing about the Central Council or the capital’s protocols.

“Sebastian, since it’s an unwritten rule, how did you find out about it?”

Charlotte asked.

Sebastian smiled slightly, showing his white teeth.

“I caught someone spying at the gate of our mansion and got the information from him.”

Charlotte: …

“Which family’s person?”

She asked.

“Ha, it’s a small family called Field, members of the Third Prince’s faction. Not just them, I investigated a bit more and found that these secret observers come from various families and factions, including the royal family.”

Sebastian replied.

Charlotte raised her eyebrows.

“Oh? So we are quite popular, it seems?”

Sebastian straightened up and nodded slightly.

“Of course, you defeated the combined forces of two duchies. No one has invited you due to the unwritten rule during the council, but everyone is actually paying attention to us.”

“However… most of them likely bear no ill will and are more neutral or curious. Otherwise, we wouldn’t just be dealing with these minor spies.”

He added.

“Also, I found out what happened at the city gate. The noble family in charge of city defense these days is linked to the Third Prince. They temporarily replaced the original guards with uninformed ones.”

Charlotte was slightly stunned, then sneered.

“They only know how to play such petty tricks. That’s the extent of their capability.”

…

After listening to Sebastian’s report, Charlotte went upstairs and entered the mansion’s study.

Although she had returned from the church, the experience of being unknowingly drawn into an illusion left her with some PTSD.

Even though her return experience differed completely from the illusion and Sebastian had investigated the reason for no noble visits, Charlotte still felt uneasy.

She feared this breakthrough from the illusion was still her “delusion.”

Thinking this, Charlotte dismissed everyone else and then decisively sank into her consciousness, attempting to enter the Dark Night Castle.

Crimson mist spread, and the majestic and solemn castle gradually emerged.

Sitting on the Blood Throne, looking at the manifested Gospel of Blood in her hand, Charlotte breathed a sigh of relief.

Being able to enter the Dark Night Castle meant her mental world had returned to normal.

Now, she truly had come out of the illusion.

“I still underestimated the power of the church. The church is more cautious and holds more power than I imagined. Even with the Gospel of Blood, I fell into their trap unknowingly. I need to be more cautious dealing with them in the future, especially with those Legendary holy officials…”

Charlotte murmured to herself.

She didn’t believe her recent “performance” would truly make the church regard her as a Saintess.

She had no interest in joining the church either. Joining an organization would mean being constrained by it, and the church was the enemy of the bloodborne. Even though God Harald’s stance was uncertain, rashly entering the church would only put her in danger.

Let alone the church, at times Charlotte even felt her noble status was somewhat of a hindrance.

As a kingdom’s lord, she had to deal with other nobles. Many of her plans had nearly reached a divine level, yet she still had to mingle with nobles.

However, Charlotte wasn’t dissatisfied.

Her noble status had brought her many benefits, and being a kingdom’s lord was indeed a convenient identity for developing power.

Charlotte was eager to wrap up the Central Council and return to her territory soon.

Although she had successfully passed through the recent events, she knew she would definitely be on the church’s radar. Her displayed “power” was enough to attract the church’s attention, bringing a sense of urgency.

“Once the Central Council ends and the supply of extraordinary materials is stabilized, I’ll return to the North to gather strength.”

Charlotte thought.

With this in mind, Charlotte prepared to leave the mental world.

But suddenly, she recalled her experience in the Eternal Sacred Realm…

“Wait, in the illusion, I attended the Blood Demon Cult’s banquet. Many nobles in Lutecia were actually bloodbornes. So in reality… how many bloodbornes are there in the capital?”

Charlotte suddenly grew curious.

She knew there were bloodbornes in Lutecia.

Moreover, from Eudoxia, she confirmed that the Blood Demon Cult even had a base here.

Of course, Eudoxia didn’t know the specific location of the Blood Demon Cult’s base. Only the now-dead Blood Demon Priest knew that.

It was ridiculous. This was the center of the Crescent Diocese, one of the strongest points of church power, yet there were traces of cultist activity.

But Charlotte could understand.

With Lutecia’s population nearing a million, the slums would be even larger than those in Borde.

And wherever there were slums, darkness existed. No matter how strong the church’s power, there would always be places their light didn’t reach.

Thinking of this, Charlotte pondered for a moment and then communicated with the Gospel of Blood again.

She used the blood divine power to initiate a Blood Summoning!

Crimson mist spread, and the sea of crimson stars representing bloodbornes appeared before her.

As expected, within a ten-kilometer radius of her, there were indeed some stars representing bloodbornes.

However, there weren’t as many as she saw in the illusion.

Moreover, Charlotte even noticed some clustered crimson stars in a particular direction, indicating an organized group of bloodbornes.

Charlotte’s heart stirred.

She used the blood divine power to sense those crimson stars and perceived a familiar aura.

“It’s the scent of the Shedite’s…”

Charlotte narrowed her eyes.

The Shedite clan’s bloodborne and the Blood Demon Cultists overlapped significantly. Under the observation of the crimson sea of stars, there were no fewer than twenty stars gathered there, likely a Blood Demon Cult base.

In her perception, one of the stars was quite prominent, likely possessing significant power.

Charlotte thought for a moment, memorized the locations of those stars, and planned to report the Blood Demon Cult to the church as payback for their accusation against her.

She even had a reason prepared: it was information tortured out of the Blood Demon Priest behind the Lagrisse family.

With this thought, Charlotte intended to exit the Dark Night Castle.

But as she was about to disperse the crimson sea of stars, she had another thought.

“Wait… During these days, the kingdom’s nobles are prohibited from holding banquets and gatherings. If I want to gather more information, should I start with these hidden bloodbornes in the capital?”

With this in mind, Charlotte looked at the crimson stars again.

She thought, perhaps she could randomly select a lucky individual.