Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel

Charlotte had long awaited the Blood Summon.

To be safe, she chose the manor's cellar as the location for her attempt.

This was her second visit to the cellar since her crossing.

The first time, she had been an offering, unable to control her own life or death; this time, however, she was the mistress of not only the manor but also the entire Castel family.

Such is life, ever so capricious.

The cellar had obviously been carefully cleaned, and besides a bit of dimness, it was empty and no different from the cellars of ordinary estates.

No one would think that just a few days before, there had been over a hundred living corpses here…

Lighting candles and locking the iron door, Charlotte sat down in the center of the cellar.

She closed her eyes, sinking into consciousness, and again projected the image of that ancient book in her mind.

[Blood Holy Scripture - Beginning Chapter]

[Master of Holy Scripture (activated), Blood Summon (available), True Ancestor Liberation (sealed)]

Seeing that the Blood Summon was fully charged in the Chapter of Origin, Charlotte no longer hesitated and commanded in her mind:

"Proceed with the Blood Summon!"

As her thoughts commanded, the [Blood Holy Scripture] suddenly radiated a crimson glow.

Charlotte felt a powerful suction force, and her consciousness began to soar rapidly…

The world was shrouded in crimson fog, and the surroundings were blurring and twisting like ink spilling on rice paper.

When everything became clear again, Charlotte found herself in that illusory ancient castle.

She was once again seated high on the Blood Throne.

Eerie crimson fog continuously diffused around her.

This time, however, whether it was the castle or the throne, both seemed much more substantial than at any time before.

Charlotte looked down to find that her body had become incredibly real, not at all like the illusion of the spirit world.

Her attire had also changed.

Gone was the white dress of reality, replaced by a black, gold-trimmed Gothic gown adorned with the intricate patterns of a thorny rose.

But that was not the most important thing.

Looking at the arc that obstructed her view, Charlotte froze almost instantly:

Goodness! Are mine…that big?

She almost subconsciously stood up from the throne—and indeed, she really stood up.

Her viewpoint seemed much higher than usual, and the weight felt much heavier.

Charlotte quickly realized something was off.

Her body…seemed to have grown suddenly!

A mirror…

I need a mirror!

This was what Charlotte thought to herself.

Then, something miraculous occurred…

As soon as that thought emerged, the crimson fog spread before her and slowly materialized into an ornate Gothic mercury mirror.

A thought becomes reality?

Charlotte was slightly startled.

But as her gaze met the mirror, she was transfixed.

No longer was the familiar youthful face reflected back at her, but a beautiful woman whose age was indistinguishable, with a tall and graceful figure.

She might have been in her twenties, or perhaps only eighteen or nineteen.

The beautiful, exquisite features were about eighty to ninety percent similar to that of Charlotte's memory of herself, equally breathtaking, but more mature and mysterious.

This…seemed to be an older Charlotte!

However, the color of her hair and eyes was different.

Her waist-length hair was not the brilliant gold of before, but a resplendent silver with a hint of pink, tied at the side with a thorny rose accessory, topped with a golden circlet.

Her blood-colored pupils shimmered with a golden light, red with hints of gold as if encompassing the entire starry sky.

As Charlotte admired her "new skin," the crimson fog in her field of vision spread slowly, revealing familiar words—

[We drink the blood, entwined with the dark]

[We have never died, nor have we ever lived]

[We forever walk in the Dark Night, and what we touch shall crumble into nothingness]

[Until…the day of the end]

[Blood Summon: As the source of all Bloodlines, the Master of Holy Scripture possesses the ability to summon to the Dark Night Ancient Castle any being whose veins pulse with the Blood Power and enter into a Blood Contract with them; upon concluding the contract, the summoned target will become a Blood Favored of the Master of Holy Scripture, and the Master will become their Blood Totem. The maximum number of Blood Favored is directly related to the degree of repair of the Holy Scripture.]

[Dark Night Ancient Castle (unlocked)]

[Blood Favored (unlocked)]

[Current limit of Blood Favored: 0/1]

[Great Master of the Holy Scripture, would you like to proceed with the Blood Summon?]

Summoning beings with the Blood Power coursing through their veins and forming a contract with them?

Does this mean…perhaps summoning other members of the Bloodline?

Charlotte pondered the description before her with a flicker of anticipation.

She wasn't sure if her interpretation was correct, but regardless, since it involved "Blood Power," the being she was to summon was surely related to the Bloodline.

This made her even more eager.

She had no idea how the Bloodline could enhance their strength, so summoning a Bloodline member capable of imparting experience would be more than ideal.

If there was a single thing she felt regret about, it was probably that the contract of the Blood Favored was only 'available' to be signed, and not signed immediately upon summoning.

"It seems, perhaps I should perform again."

The girl shook her head.

Gradually withdrawing her gaze, Charlotte hesitated no more.

She first used a scarlet mist to conceal her figure, then called out:

"Begin!"

A crimson radiance burst forth once again, spreading throughout the entire field of vision like an exploding supernova.

In front of Charlotte appeared a resplendent expanse of scarlet starscape.

Within the starscape, countless blood-colored stars twinkled.

Some were ethereal and dim, others were bright and dazzling.

They varied in size and distance, but without exception, all gave Charlotte a mysterious sense of closeness.

The larger the star, the stronger its glow, the more intense its aura.

The brightest among them, Charlotte dared not look at closely, for their aura was so overpowering that just a glance made her feel suffocated.

And in the distance, there were even five sun-like stars.

Their light was so dazzling it nearly blinded her, so Charlotte directly blocked them out.

Clearly, each of these stars represented a being that could be summoned.

"Perhaps... I should start with a weaker one; if the summoned is too powerful, even if I could summon it, I would have trouble containing it, let alone signing a contract."

"Moreover, this time it is not necessary to sign a contract. Familiarizing with the summoning mechanism and accumulating some experience will be enough. Currently, there is only one slot for a Favored, so I must summon a few times to choose the best and most suitable one."

Charlotte thought to herself.

She was quite aware of her limitations.

Now that she lacked rank, even in summoning, she had to proceed with caution.

After some deliberation, Charlotte selected a star that was among the closest to her and with a weaker aura.

"This should be good, the aura isn't too strong—in fact, it can even be said to be quite weak, yet not the weakest. It's perfect for the first-time practice of summoning!"

As Charlotte made her choice, that star immediately burst into a dazzling radiance.

But the next second, she felt an overwhelming and terrifying presence slowly descending...

...

This was a lavish bathroom.

Amidst the steamy haze of the massive marble-built bathtub, countless red rose petals floated and sank in the water.

A man with a slender build and handsome features lounged in the tub, exuding an air of leisure and comfort.

He had wine-red long hair and pointed ears. His left hand rested on the edge of the tub, while his right hand held a wine glass filled with red wine. Behind him stood two scantily-clad beast-eared girls massaging his shoulders.

The man took a light sip of wine, gracefully handed the glass to a beast-eared girl kneeling beside him, and then smiled at the stern-looking female knight standing on the edge of the bathtub:

"Miss Kala, let me reiterate one more time."

"The Rose Association has always been a law-abiding citizen, and although we have done business with Countess Castel, we did not partake in the activities of the Blood Demon Church."

"If you are looking to investigate the Blood Demon Church from me, I'm afraid you've got the wrong person."

The female knight on the shore was none other than Kala, the captain of the Demon Hunting Institute.

She looked at the man in the tub with an impassive expression and asked:

"Sebastian, where are the cursed pages sold by Countess Castel?"

"This question puts me in a difficult position. As you should know, the Rose Association never inquires about the whereabouts of the goods it sells. To break the rules so casually is hardly elegant."

The man opened his mouth, indulgently swallowing the grapes that a beast-eared girl had peeled for him.

"Have you ever seen this symbol?"

The female knight then produced a parchment from her bosom, depicting a pattern of thorny roses.

"A symbol? Ha, you jest. Isn't this the rose ornament from Coria's side? While its exterior is lavish, it lacks any true content, with no elegance to speak of."

The man said with a smile.

After finishing, seeing the stern look on the female knight's face, he felt a stir in his heart:

"What? Is there a problem with this pattern?"

There was a silver light swirling in Kala's eyes.

She didn't explain but instead looked deeply at the man, remained silent, and turned to leave.

"Hey, hey! Aren't you going to explain? Leaving things hanging isn't a good habit!"

The man beckoned with his hand.

But Kala's figure had completely vanished.

Watching the direction in which she departed, the man let out a soft chuckle:

"The Demon Hunting Institute, always so blunt and violent, not the least bit elegant."

After a moment's thought, he said to one of the maidservants:

"Go check if there have been any recent cases involving the thorny rose symbol."

The maidservant respectfully retreated.

The man took a sip of wine from the refilled glass, and with a glint in his hand, a blood-stained page appeared.

"Heh, the Rose Association never inquires about where its sold goods end up, a pity that the one who bought it is me."

The man murmured with a smirk.

Gazing at the crimson page, his eyes became increasingly profound:

"Cursed pages... Are you truly as the prophecy foretold, capable of solving my problem?"

However, at that very moment, an inexplicable sleepiness surged through him.

Before he could even make an attempt to climb out of the bathtub, the man's neck slanted, and holding the glass filled with red wine, he fell asleep.