Chapter 152: Embark on a New Journey
Charlotte had no idea that her actions during the "Sacrament Ceremony" and "blood-sucking" had rmed almost the entire Holy Court and the holy statues worshiped there.
However, thanks to her keen Bloodborne senses, she quickly picked up on the astonished expressions of the priests and the whispered discussions among the guests, revealing the strange urrence that had just happened to her.
But unlike the priests and guests, Charlotte was very clear that the holy light on her body was not a divine blessing.
In truth, the recent phenomenon was more like divine wrath.
The brilliant descent of the Holy Light was not meant to bestow divine favor upon her, but to purify her, a "wicked heretic."
It was only because Charlotte absorbed the Holy Light meant to purify her that the onlookers couldn''t feel the destructive power contained within it, they merely witnessed its splendor and sanctity.
"It seems... I need to be more careful when encountering rituals involving the Holy Light in the future."
Charlotte thought to herself.
Among the present priests, the highest-ranking one was Raoul, a Second Tier Silver Moon.If there had been a zing Sun or even Legendary priest here, they might have discerned the true nature of the Holy Light''s descent.
After the sacrament ceremony, the atmosphere in the hall became noticeably subtle.
The priests'' gazes towards Charlotte grew increasingly fervent as if she were a treasure, and even the elderly priest Raoul couldn''t hide his excitement.
As for the noble guests, their expressions were far moreplex.
There was curiosity, amazement, fanaticism, contemtion, and worry...
Particrly among the representatives from Castell County.
With her keen senses, Charlotte noticed that most of these vassal nobles'' emissaries had be almost uniformly serious.
"Charlotte, it seems your affinity with the Holy Light is indeed remarkable. In my over thirty years of conducting sacrament ceremonies, I''ve never seen such a dazzling divine favor. Are you sure you don''t want to join the church?"
Dean Raoul asked again, unable to contain himself.
Charlotte smiled slightly:
"Thank you for your invitation, Grandpa Raoul."
"But, after all, I am a noble, and I have my own responsibilities and duties..."
She knew very well whether the descending Holy Light was divine favor or divine wrath.
The Holy Court, with its thousand-year history, certainly had experts who could discern her problem. If she truly joined the church, it would be like dancing on a tightrope, constantly flirting with danger...
Even if she wanted to take advantage of the church, she wouldn''t be crazy enough to court death so openly.
Wouldn''t it be better to stay in her own territory and discreetly leverage the church''s resources whenever she wanted?
Seeing Charlotte''s polite refusal, Dean Raoul nodded regretfully.
"I understand... However, remember, the church''s doors are always open for you."
With that, he smiled slightly.
"Alright, let''s proceed with the final session ceremony!"
After theing-of-age ceremony, the next event was the session ceremony for her title.
The session ceremony could vary in scale, but typically involved two main steps.
The first step was to receive the scepter symbolizing authority and status from the family elder or head, marking the official transfer ofnd management rights and bing a substantive feudal noble.
The second step was to swear an oath of allegiance under the witness of the Holy Light, pledging loyalty to their Lord.
Since Charlotte was thest remaining member of the Castell family and Duke Borde, the feudal lord, was bedridden and unconscious, Dean Raoul officiated the ceremony for the young girl.
Charlotte knelt on one knee, received the scepter engraved with the Castell family crest from Raoul, and then faced the temporarily hung Borde family crest on the hall wall to swear her allegiance.
Although she didn''t like Duke Borde, she still went through the necessary procedures.
After swearing allegiance and returning to her territory, no one could control her, as she would be far from the central authority.
Perhaps because the sacrament ceremony''s phenomenon was so shocking, the session ceremony seemed rtively low-key and ordinary.
After the ceremony, Charlotte was officially recognized as the Countess of Castell.
Whether Duke Borde acknowledged it or not was irrelevant, the Church had already recognized her.
The session documents were ready, and regardless of the old Duke''s resentment, the Castell County had a new Lord.
From today on, others would no longer address her as Miss Charlotte but as Countess Castell.
...
News of Charlotte''s formal session as the Countess of Castell quickly spread throughout Borde''s streets.
As one of Borde''s most prominent noble families, such a transfer of title was always a popr topic.
Besides the session, the "miracle" during the sacrament ceremony also became a subject of widespread discussion.
Regardless of the truth, a widely believed narrative among many of Borde''s priests began to circte in the streets—
Charlotte de Castell... was seen as a favored one of the God Harald, a pure saintess blessed by the Holy Light.
Particrlybining the sacrament ceremony''s phenomenon with her status as the sole survivor of the Bloodborne incident, this belief solidified. Because she was a pure saintess protected by the Holy Light, the evil Blood Demon Cult couldn''t kill her...
Charlotte found the whole situation absurd, yet somehow, these spectators managed to piece it all together.
It''s said that when the bedridden Duke Borde heard about this, he started coughing violently, spitting up a lot of blood before passing out again.
Rumors were spreading that Duke Borde had little time left and could pass away at any moment.
As Duke Borde’s condition worsened, the atmosphere and situation in Borde City became increasingly tense and unpredictable.
The nobles were keenly interested in the session issue of the Borde Duchy.
Considering that Duke’s illegitimate son, Leno, had voluntarily renounced his im to the inheritance to form a mercenary group in Eastern Yte, and the original heir, Count Tulip, had "died of illness," the new heir was Duke’s only daughter, Eleanor.
News from the capital stated that Eleanor and her husband, Prince Philip of Crescent Kingdom, were already on their way south to Borde.
Some opportunistic Borde nobles had even sent people north to wee and pay homage to their new rulers.
This was partly because Duke Borde had been excessively harsh over the past year through the use of the Dreaming Salon, leading to alienation and abandonment. As a result, the ducal residence had be increasingly deserted, with fewer nobles visiting.
It was foreseeable that the Borde family, which had controlled the Borde Duchy for 900 years, would likelyst only one more generation before everything reverted to the Crescent royal family.
However, Charlotte was no longer concerned with these matters.
Having formally inherited her title, she nned to leave, distancing herself from Borde and its power struggles.
She had decided to pay her contract taxes on time and provide troops as required by her vassal contract, but beyond that, she would stay out of the nobles’ intrigues and ensure they left her alone.
...
The next day.
Charlotte embarked on her journey back to her territory.
When she first arrived in this world, she bore the title of nobility but was alone. A yearter, her entourage now exceeded 500 people.
Among them, nearly 300 were from the Castell County’s escort team, with over 100 being armored extraordinary knights, led by Baron Sharon.
In addition, there were over 30 representatives of vassal nobles from her territory who had attended Charlotte’sing-of-age ceremony and would return with her.
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The remaining 170 or so were people Charlotte had recruited herself, including boys and girls from the outer city, members of the Rose Society, and a few Demon Hunter Knights.
Yes, Demon Hunter Knights.
After Kara left the Demon Hunter Bureau, many other Demon Hunter Knights, dissatisfied with the Church and the Inquisition, chose to resign and were recruited by Charlotte with a financial lure.
This group even included Chatham, a former squad leader of the Demon Hunters and an extraordinary Starry Sky knight, who had a good rtionship with Charlotte.
Seizing the opportunity amidst the chaos in the Borde Church, with Raoul bing the new High Priest, Charlotte dared to poach from the Church.
Additionally, Sebastian and Nice would apany Charlotte.
Sebastian was her trusted butler and primary bodyguard, essential to bring along.
Though the ck cat Nice was unreliable, it knew a lot and often had unexpectedly strong abilities. Charlotte didn''t n to leave it behind.
However, she left Casimodo in Borde City.
Casimodo wasn’t an extraordinary person and had never been to Castell County. He was more valuable in managing the family affairs in Borde City, overseeing the Castell Manor, and handling the family’s business interests in the city after Charlotte left.
Therge group of over 500 people, more than half of whom were extraordinary individuals, with over 20 being first tier or higher, set off.
Alongside the Castell family’s grand entourage were some armed merchant caravans seeking protection by traveling with Charlotte.
The journey from Borde City to Castell County was long and fraught with potential dangers, including bandits, robbers, and magical beasts in the forests, making the route unsafe.
Naturally, armed merchant caravans wouldn’t miss the opportunity to travel with such a powerful group for temporary protection.
Of course, this protection came at a fee.
Charlotte weed the extra ie and didn’t turn any of them away.
Including these additional merchant caravans, the final group gathered at Borde City’s north gate numbered over a thousand.
From a distance, it resembled a small army.
Only a noble as prominent as the Castell family could muster such a grand escort to return their lord to their domain.
"Master, everything is ready. Shall we depart now?"
At the city gate, Sebastian, impably dressed in a tailcoat, bowed gracefully to Charlotte and respectfully inquired.
Standing under the ck parasol held by the maid Sherry, Charlotte, dressed in a ck and red gothic dress, looked toward the city gate and gently shook her head.
"Let''s wait a little longer."
As time passed, more and more residents gathered at the city gate to watch the Castell convoy.
When she couldn''t spot the person she was waiting for, Charlotte felt a bit disappointed and was about to give the order to depart.
However, just then, the sound of hoofbeats came from the direction of the gate.
Charlotte felt a stir in her heart and turned to look. She saw Lottie, dressed in clerical robes, riding towards her.
Charlotte''s expression rxed, and a smile appeared on her face.
Lottie quickly arrived in front of Charlotte and dismounted, speaking with a hint of apology.
"Sorry, Countess, I was dyed at the cathedral finalizing my transfer order."
"Just call me Charlotte."
Charlotte said with a smile.
"A transfer order? Is it to Castell?"
"Yes, after verifying some details, Lord Raoul found that there were several vacant priest positions in the Castell territory and arranged a transfer for me."
Lottie replied.
Charlotte''s face lit up with joy.
"That''s wonderful."
Lottie had been working at the church hospital, technically not a full-time church employee. Charlotte had nned to bring her to the territory as a privately hired noble priest.
But now things were different, or rather, even better.
With the transfer order, Lottie would officially be a church employee, transitioning from a temporary worker to a formal position within the church.
This development opened a potential path for Charlotte to gain influence over church affairs in Castell, enabling her to achieve true autonomy in her domain.
It goes to show, that having the right connections is truly beneficial.
With Lottie''s arrival, Charlotte no longer felt the need to dy. She gave the order to depart as the Countess of Castell.
At hermand, the knights mounted their horses, merchants and nobles boarded their carriages, and Charlotte, apanied by the maid Sherry, entered the most luxurious Castell family carriage at the center of the convoy. Eight Starry Sky knights surrounded the carriage to guard it.
The ck cat Nice tried to enter the carriage with Charlotte but was unceremoniously tossed out by the girl. It sighed and slunk into another carriage to findfort among the maidens.
Amidst the tter of hooves, therge convoy set off, raising dust as they began their journey.
Sebastian rode beside Charlotte’s carriage.
As he mounted his horse, he suddenly felt something and nced back at the merchants'' convoy.
"What''s the matter?"
Charlotte asked, lifting the curtain.
"Nothing… I thought I sensed something familiar for a moment."
Sebastian replied, uncertain.
In an inconspicuous carriage at the back of the Castell convoy, an elderly woman in a gray hood pulled a peeking young girl back inside, her expression serious.
"Rena, don''t look around. We’re following secretly. That person’s senses are beyond your imagination. Don’t get us discovered."
Hearing this, the girl tilted her head in confusion.
The old woman paused, shaking her head.
"No… I don''t mean Sebastian."
She looked toward the center of the convoy, a solemn expression on her aged face:
"I mean the one he follows."
...
Meanwhile, deep within the Yte Empire, in the heart of the Holy Court, at the Grand Cathedral of the Holy See''s capital.
In the brilliantly lit hall, the Pope of the Holy Court rose slowly, facing the solemn statue.
He gently ced the holy scepter in his hand aside and turned to the reverently waiting priests, his aged voice imbued with gravity:
"The reports from various regions have arrived. The phenomenon did not only ur at the Grand Cathedral."
"Investigate the source of these phenomena."
With their orders received, the priests respectfully departed.
The Pope turned back to the statue, devoutly drawing the circle cross.
"O the Merciful and Supreme Lord..."
"Are YOU about to awaken?"