Gospel of Blood

Southern Inner City, Borde Estate.

As one of the Nine Dukes of the Crescent Kingdom, the Borde family naturally had a base in the capital, Lutecia.

This estate, named after the family, was even larger than the one Charlotte had leased.

With the lord moving in, the usually quiet estate became busy, with maids and attendants bustling about, handling various affairs.

On the third floor of the mansion, on a balcony facing the street, Duchess Eleanor de Borde stood in a plain long dress, silently gazing at the bustling street.

Behind her, a demi-human maid stood respectfully, hands folded.

The street was lively, with carriages passing by and the hustle and bustle of prosperity, no trace of the recent “Great Purge” lockdown.

Occasionally, a luxurious noble carriage would pass, with pedestrians making way and bowing.

This was the Inner City, where nobles were in abundance.

When Charlotte used the faith network to project her vision over, this was the scene she saw.

Eleanor’s complexion looked relatively good, with her face still somewhat pale, but her spirits had clearly improved, markedly different from before.

However, Charlotte’s attention quickly shifted to the demi-human maid behind her.

It was a familiar face.

Charlotte remembered her name — Misha.

She had been Sebastian’s maid, reputedly trained in excellent culinary skills. During the raid on the Rose Society by the Inquisition, she had bitten off her tongue to keep Sebastian’s secrets and was later saved by Charlotte.

Charlotte recalled that Sebastian had specifically sought her help to heal Misha’s injury, and she had used her dark healing arts to regrow Misha’s tongue.

Later, after the true beliefs of the beastmen returned, Misha also became the True Ancestor’s believer and went to live in the Castell Mines with the Blood Wolf Tribe.

Now, it seemed she had been assigned as Eleanor’s maid during her recuperation?

Charlotte thoughtfully “observed” the two, not alerting them.

Soon, Eleanor spoke.

Her gaze fell on the cityscape, her expression tinged with nostalgia.

“This was my favorite place when I was a child. Every time I came to the capital, I loved to watch the streets of Lutecia from here.”

“Back then, father was here, brother was here. Father would tell my brother and me the history of the Crescent Kingdom, the past of our Borde family, the honor of the nobility, and the glory of the God Lord…”

“It was from that time that I vowed to become a responsible noble, to remember honor, treat my people kindly, be loyal to my liege, and be devout in faith…”

“But now… the scenery remains the same, but I am the only one left to view it.”

“Lady Eleanor, please accept my condolences.”

The demi-human maid Misha said softly.

Eleanor sighed and nodded.

“I’m fine. I just remembered some things from the past.”

Then, her gaze returned to the bustling cityscape, with a touch of self-mockery.

“Honor, responsibility, duty…”

“Father taught me these, yet in the end, even he couldn’t uphold them.”

“Father always said that nobles with extraordinary power are the darlings of the Gods, the chosen ones, the symbols of civilization, nobility, and power.”

“But now, besides having power, there is no civilization or nobility; underneath the veneer lies ugliness and hypocrisy.”

“Perhaps there was once honor, but now, it’s probably long forgotten.”

“The God Lord is the same…”

“Preaching light, guiding towards good, and advocating justice.”

“It sounds good, and I once made it my life’s faith, but now, it seems to be mere rhetoric.”

“Clerics who violate doctrines still receive holy power, and corrupt priests can even ascend to high ranks. The former ‘Holy’ Court is now rotten…”

“Nobles indulge in pleasures, oppress commoners, and revel in slaughter and torment; clerics vie for fame and gain, oppressing other races and beliefs, even labeling them as evil, even if these ‘evils’ are essentially innocent women and children…”

“Meanwhile, the true evils are ignored!”

By the end, Eleanor clenched her fists, her expression tinged with anger.

Behind her, the demi-human maid Misha sighed lightly.

“Falling is always easier than progressing. The doctrines of the Holy Court are indeed just and noble, but without divine restraint, losing oneself in power and corruption is inevitable.”

“The same applies to the nobles. Noble power requires rules to restrain it, which should be enforced by the church and divine faith with superior status. But if the church and faith can’t even control corrupt priests, they naturally can’t restrain the nobles.”

“In essence, the current faith is flawed. The Gods are at fault; fundamentally, the Gods don’t truly value mortals like ants. In their eyes, mortals are probably just tools.”

Eleanor was moved.

“Are these words also from her?”

The demi-human maid paused and said,

“They were taught to me by my former master, Mr. Sebastian, and Mr. Sebastian was taught by Lady Charlotte.”

“Lady Charlotte is a chosen one. She possesses rare qualities that other nobles lack. She can view every class and race equally and objectively. She is a force capable of changing this world.”

Hearing the maid’s words, Eleanor hesitated for a moment and said,

“She saved me, and I am very grateful to her. She is somewhat different from how I remember, not just in appearance, but even her personality is no longer that timid, introverted girl.”

“Since coming to the territory, she has done many things, especially for the commoners, and has severely cracked down on corrupt nobles.”

“She is a truly qualified lord.”

“But I don’t understand why you call her the force to change the world?”

“Isn’t she a Holy Court Saintess? She is a believer in the God Lord and has even received the blessing of the Holy Light. But didn’t you say our hope should be in our Lord?”

The demi-human maid Misha paused and said,

“I was fortunate enough to witness Lady Charlotte’s power, or rather, the power of our Lord.”

“Lady Charlotte is not a Holy Court Saintess but an envoy of our Lord, a true divine chosen.”

“Our Lord is undoubtedly a greater God than the God Lord. Just like a lower noble salutes a higher noble, the Holy Light’s blessing on Lady Charlotte is essentially the holy power’s awe of our Lord’s power.”

“I still remember that day of judgment. Charlotte declared us innocent in front of many inquisitors, and so… the Holy Light declared us innocent.”

“Lady Charlotte herself represents our Lord’s will, and only our Lord can change the current situation, change everything, and guide this increasingly chaotic world back on track.”

Charlotte: …

Who is she?

Where is she?

What is she doing?

What are these two even talking about?