Gospel of Blood

After Count Stafford finished his report, he bowed and left.

Charlotte waited for a while longer as black smoke quickly condensed in the room, eventually taking the form of Yurst.

Charlotte glanced at him and asked.

“Did you track them?”

Yurst nodded.

“Yes, it was indeed a merchant ship from the Lilac family. They were likely worried about the outcome of Kraken’s attack, so they were trailing us from a distance.”

“They thought you were unaware of their presence, so they didn’t hide. I easily controlled them using dark magic.”

“I conducted a preliminary interrogation. They admitted that while the warship was docked at Castell Port, they snuck underneath and smeared it with the ichor of the deep-sea devil squid. The ones who instructed them were supporters of Duke Aecia—Duke West of the Starfall Kingdom and Viscount Camden, the commander of the Royal Knights.”

Charlotte raised an eyebrow and said,

“Duke Aecia? The heir to the throne supported by the Nez Clan?”

“Yes.”

Charlotte chuckled softly.

“Keep an eye on them. Once we land, hand them over to the Starfall Kingdom’s Parliament for punishment.”

“As you command…”

…

The attack by the Sea Behemoth Kraken ended up being just an episode in their journey.

As Starfall Island gradually appeared on the horizon, the sailors’ lingering fear began to dissipate, and they breathed a sigh of relief.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the Starfall Kingdom, a secret meeting of the bloodbornes was taking place…

It was held in a dimly lit castle.

The flickering candlelight cast long shadows on the stone walls, making the figures hidden in black robes appear even more elongated.

In the darkness, Duke Robin, the Great Elder of the Nez Council, stood beside the throne engraved with constellations and blood moons, his expression unreadable.

Below the throne, the bloodbornes in black robes were divided into two distinct factions, facing off against each other.

In the larger faction, Duke Yorok wore an angry expression.

His crimson eyes glared at the nonchalant elven bloodborne on the other side, barely able to contain his fury.

“Alec! The Council has stressed that we should not act rashly before meeting with Castell! Why did your Luna Island act on its own, disrupting the Council’s plan?”

Among the other faction, the elven bloodborne Alec smiled slightly and said,

“Sir Yorok, haven’t you learned from the failure of the Roman Ceremony? Charlotte de Castell has clearly become a pawn of the mysterious prince. Trying to make deals and cooperate with the Gods in our mortal form will only result in us being devoured by the God.”

“Or perhaps… you truly intend to betray His Majesty Casey and become a vassal of the mysterious prince?”

Duke Yorok’s anger intensified.

“Alec! Don’t try to pin this on me! With the Divinity Descent Day approaching, we bloodbornes of Nez must avoid making more enemies. You’ve been hunting deep-sea devil squids and attempting to assassinate the God’s followers. Aren’t you afraid of provoking the wrath of the Gods?”

Alec chuckled softly and said,

“Sir Yorok, I understand you experienced the grand Mythic Era and your fear of the Gods is understandable, but… I must remind you that times have changed. This era belongs to mortals.”

“The prophesied Divinity Descent Day is indeed a calamity, but for the Gods, it is also a disaster. We need to remain vigilant and keep our distance from the Gods, but that doesn’t mean we must always be fearful.”

“Besides, the ones who attempted to assassinate Speaker Stafford and Countess Castell were from the Lilac family. What does that have to do with us?”

“If anything, if Charlotte of Castell were truly devoured by Kraken, it would actually benefit us by redirecting the disaster.”

“Alec! You’re insane! How dare you plot against the Gods! You’re too arrogant!”

Duke Yorok said, his face darkening.

The elven bloodborne shook his head.

“No, Sir Yorok, you are too timid. I think… even His Majesty Casey would likely agree with my view if he were here.”

“The myth behind Castell is clearly very interested in the Starfall Kingdom. The Roman Sword is not something just anyone can claim. For it to recognize the Countess of Castell so easily, there must be divine intervention behind it. And the Countess of Castell… is merely a mortal puppet in the guise of a divine agent.”

“Our current crisis may seem like a struggle for the throne, but in reality, it is the myths’ covetousness.”

“Don’t you think that if we let the Sea King Church and Castell clash, it would perfectly resolve the crisis we are facing?”

“Remember, ever since His Majesty Casey fell into slumber, those believers of Sea King, like the Holy Court, have been coveting the faith of Starfall… If we can incite hatred between them, it would be ideal. This is a strategy that kills two birds with one stone.”

“For the Nez Clan, we not only need to regain autonomy over Starfall, but we also need to maintain the purity of Starfall’s faith before His Majesty Casey awakens. Only then can we consolidate Starfall’s power to contend with the Holy Court and other forces.”

After hearing Alec’s words, Duke Yorok fell into deep thought.

Although he was quite angry with the Luna Island faction’s unilateral actions, Alec’s reasoning did hold some truth.

However, he still felt uneasy. He couldn’t pinpoint the source of this unease, but he had a nagging feeling that he was overlooking something.

“Alec, aren’t you worried that Kraken’s attack might fail, exposing the scheme and provoking an even greater wrath from the myth behind Castell?”

He pondered and then spoke gravely.

“Fail? How could it fail? That is Kraken, a beast that has once devoured Gods.”

Alec laughed.

Duke Yorok was at a loss for words.

Just then, another bloodborne in a black robe hurriedly entered the hall, came to his side, and whispered something in his ear.

Upon hearing the report, Duke Yorok’s crimson pupils instantly contracted, and the suppressed anger flared up again.

“Alec! You… bastard! Yurst was also on that ship!”

He roared in fury.

The elven bloodborne Alec looked surprised.

“Was he? What a pity… It seems Yurst was just unlucky. Let’s consider it a sacrifice for His Majesty Casey’s cause. Our Lord will remember his contribution.”

Seeing Alec’s regretful expression, Duke Yorok became even angrier.

“Alec! Yurst is my most valued descendant! If anything happens to him, I will never let you…”

“Enough! At a time like this, such bickering is disgraceful!”

A rebuke interrupted Duke Yorok’s words.

Duke Robin, the Great Elder who had been silent, finally spoke.

A terrifying pressure swept through the hall, silencing all the nobles.

The Great Elder glanced at the furious Duke Yorok, sighed lightly, and turned to the throne beside him, respectfully saying.

“Lord Bardock, this matter requires your judgment.”

On the throne. A strong figure was hidden in the shadows. He was fully armored, dressed like a knight, even wearing an ancient knight’s helmet. The style of the armor was very different from the current trends in Yunette, leaning more towards elvish design.

The “knight” slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of crimson eyes. His gaze was abyssal and devoid of any emotion, like a machine.

“The faith of Starfall Island must not be tainted by other myths, especially an unknown bloodborne myth. Such an existence is even more dangerous than other myths.”

“Alec, although your approach is aggressive, I do not deny its rationale.”

“However… I have one question.”

As he spoke, the “knight” looked at the smiling Alec, his abyssal red eyes unwavering.

“Are you doing all this truly for His Majesty Casey?”

“Of course, Lord Bardock. Everything I do is for His Majesty Casey’s return. We must drive out all other myth forces from Starfall and prevent their infiltration. This is the only way to buy more time for our lord’s return. Conversely, if we allow Charlotte de Castell to reach Starfall, we may have to face the myth behind her directly.”

“Therefore… we must seize this opportunity to eliminate her. I arranged everything with this in mind. Once the Sea Behemoth Kraken is summoned, it will devour not only her, but even the unknown resurrected myth.”

The elven bloodborne spoke with respect and confidence.

The “knight” stared at him silently for a long time.

Until another bloodborne hurriedly entered the hall.

“Lord Bardock, Great Elder! There is an urgent report from Starfall City!”

All the bloodbornes in the hall turned their gazes.

“Speak.”

The Great Elder Robin signaled.

Under the scrutiny of so many powerful beings, the reporting bloodborne swallowed nervously and said tremblingly.

“We… we have confirmed that Charlotte de Castell… has just safely arrived at Starfall Port on the warship of the Kingdom Parliament.”

“Rumor has it… they encountered the legendary beast Kraken but managed to drive it away successfully.”

Upon hearing this, Alec’s expression froze, his eyes widening in disbelief.

“That’s impossible!”