Charlotte didn't know that her "blood-sucking" during the "holy ritual" had alarmed the statues of the gods enshrined in almost the entire Holy Royal Court.
However, with the vampire's keen perception, she quickly learned about what had happened to her from the priests' surprised expressions and the guests' whispered discussions.
But unlike the priests and guests, she was very clear that the holy light on her body was not from the divine scroll.
To be honest, the vision just now was more like God's wrath.
The massive descent of the dazzling holy light was not to bestow divine grace on her, but to purify her as an "evil pagan".
It was only because Charlotte absorbed the holy light that purified her that everyone was unable to feel the destructive power contained in the holy light, but only witnessed the brilliance and holiness of the holy light.
"It seems... I have to be more careful next time I encounter a divine ritual related to the Holy Light."
Charlotte thought secretly.
The highest-ranking priest present was Raoul of the Second Order of Silver Moon.
If there really was a priest of blazing sun or even legendary strength here, perhaps he would be able to see the truth behind the advent of the holy light.
After the liturgy, the atmosphere in the hall became noticeably more subtle.
The priests looked at Charlotte with increasingly passionate and dazzling eyes, as if they were looking at a treasure. Even the old priest Raoul could not contain his excitement.
As for the nobles who were watching the ceremony, their views were much more complicated.
There is curiosity, amazement, enthusiasm, emotion, contemplation, and worry...
Especially those representatives from the Castel territory.
With her keen spiritual perception, Charlotte noticed that most of the envoys of these vassal nobles became serious almost at the same time.
"Charlotte, it seems that your compatibility is really compatible with the Holy Light. I have been performing sacraments for more than 30 years, but this is the first time I have seen such a dazzling divine grace. Are you really not going to consider joining the church?"
The old priest Raoul couldn't help asking again.
Charlotte smiled:
"Thank you for the invitation, Grandpa Raoul."
"However, I am a noble after all, and I have my own responsibilities and obligations..."
Family members know their own business. Charlotte is clear about whether the descending holy light is God's grace or God's wrath.
In the Sacred Royal Court that has lasted for thousands of years, there are always capable people who can see her problems. If she really enters the church, it will be like dancing on a tightrope, repeatedly testing the edge of danger...
Even if she wanted to take advantage of others, she wouldn't be so crazy as to seek death.
Isn't it nice to stay in your own territory and go to the church quietly anytime to grab things
Seeing Charlotte decline, the old priest nodded regretfully:
"I understand... But, as I said before, if you are willing, the door of the church is always open to you."
After saying this, he smiled again:
"Alright, let's proceed to the final succession ceremony!"
After the coming-of-age ceremony, it is time for the succession ceremony to the title.
The succession ceremony to a title can be large or small, and generally involves two steps.
The first step is to take over the scepter that symbolizes authority and status from the family elders or lords, which means that you have officially taken over the management of the territory and become a fiefdom noble in the true sense.
The second step is to swear an oath of allegiance to the lord under the witness of the holy light.
Because Charlotte is the only one left in the Castel family, and the Duke of Bold is currently ill and unconscious in bed, the old priest Raoul is still the one who performs the succession ceremony for the girl.
Charlotte knelt on one knee and took the scepter engraved with the Castel family emblem from Raoul, then swore allegiance to the Bold family emblem temporarily hung on the wall of the hall.
Well, even though she didn't like the Duke of Bold, she still had to go through the necessary procedures.
As for returning to the territory after swearing allegiance, the emperor is far away and no one can control her.
Perhaps because the vision of the previous sacrament was too shocking, the succession ceremony seemed much more low-key and ordinary.
After the ceremony, Charlotte finally officially inherited the territory and became the Earl of Castel.
It doesn’t matter whether Duke Bold admits it or not, the church has already acknowledged it.
The succession documents have been written. Even if the bedridden old duke is depressed, the Earldom of Castel has finally welcomed its new lord.
From today on, other people will no longer address Charlotte as Miss Charlotte, but as Earl of Castel.
…
The news that Charlotte of Castel had officially inherited the title quickly spread throughout the streets of Boulder.
As the most prominent noble in the Duchy of Bolder, the news of the transfer of titles has always been a topic of conversation that people enjoy.
In addition to the succession to the title, there is also the "miracle" in the sacrament ceremony.
Regardless of the truth, a rumor that even many priests of Bolder believed firmly began to spread in the streets and alleys.
Charlotte of Castel... is a disciple of the god Harald, a pure saint protected by the Holy Light.
Especially after the vision of the holy ceremony combined with the fact that she was the only survivor in the blood demon case, this statement was further confirmed. It was because she was a pure saint and because she was protected by the holy light that the evil blood demon cult failed to kill the girl...
Charlotte found it outrageous, but this group of funny people actually made it work.
It is said that when the bedridden old Duke of Bold woke up and learned about this, he started coughing violently again on the spot, coughed up a lot of blood, and fainted.
It is rumored that Duke Bold does not have much time left and may die at any time.
As the Duke of Bold's condition worsened, the situation and atmosphere in Bold City became noticeably more turbulent and strange.
The nobles are all concerned about the succession issue of the Duchy of Bolder.
Considering that the Duke's illegitimate son Lenno voluntarily gave up his inheritance rights and went to East Union to set up a mercenary group as a mercenary, and the original first heir, Earl Tulip, also "died of illness", the first heir of Bold became the Duke's only daughter Eleanor.
News has come from the capital that the Duke's daughter Eleanor and her husband, Philip, the third prince of the Crescent Kingdom, are said to have set out south and are on their way to Boulder.
Some of the Bolder nobles who heard the news even sent people north to greet and welcome the new master.
It could be said that Duke Bold had suppressed the nobles too harshly over the past year with his Drunken Dream Salon. Not only did he become deserted by his friends and relatives, but he was also ignored by everyone. After he became seriously ill, even the Duke's Mansion became much quieter, with fewer and fewer nobles visiting.
It can be predicted that the Bolder family, which has controlled the Duchy of Bolder for nine hundred years, will probably only last for one more generation at most, and then everything will return to the Crescent Royal Family.
However, Charlotte no longer cares about this.
After officially inheriting the title, she wanted to live a quiet life, stay away from the troubled place of Borde, and no longer participate in the power struggle in the principality.
She had already thought about it. She would pay the contract taxes on time and provide conscripts according to the vassal contract. As for the rest... these nobles could do whatever they wanted, just don't mess with her.
…
The next day.
Charlotte set out on her journey back to the territory.
When she first traveled to this world, although she had the title of a noble, she was alone. But a year later, the number of people who followed her to the territory had exceeded five hundred.
Among them, nearly three hundred people are the escort team of Lord Castel, and more than one hundred of them are armored extraordinary knights, led by Baron Sharon again.
In addition, there are more than 30 representatives of lower-level nobles from the territory who are attending Charlotte's coming-of-age ceremony and will return with Charlotte.
As for the remaining 170 or so people, they were a team formed by Charlotte herself. She brought all the young men and women recruited from the outer city with her. In addition, there were some extraordinary people from the Rose Society and several demon hunting knights.
That's right, Demon Hunter.
After Kara left the Demon Hunting Institute, many Demon Hunting Knights also chose to resign and leave because they could not stand the Church and the Inquisition. They were all conquered by Charlotte with money.
This even includes Chatham, the former captain of the Demon Hunter Knights who has a close relationship with Charlotte and a first-level extraordinary knight of the Stars.
It was because of the chaos in the Bolder Church and Raoul becoming the new high priest of Bolder that Charlotte had the courage to steal from the church.
In addition, Sebastian and Nice will also go with Charlotte.
Sebastian is Charlotte's capable butler and apparent number one fighter, so he must be brought along.
Although the black cat Nice is not very accurate, he knows a lot. Schrödinger's strength is often unexpected, so Charlotte has no intention of keeping it in the church.
However, Quasimodo was left in Boulder by Charlotte.
Quasimodo is not an extraordinary person and has never been to the Earldom of Castel. Rather than going to the territory with me, he can better play his value and role in Boulder City.
He will be fully responsible for the family's affairs in Boulder, take care of the Castle Estate after Charlotte leaves, and manage the family's business in Boulder.
There were more than 500 people, more than half of them were extraordinary people, and there were more than 20 people who had entered the realm.
In addition to the Castel family's mighty team, there were also some armed caravans who hoped to follow Charlotte and gain temporary asylum.
The journey from Boulder City to Castel is long, and it is inevitable to encounter bandits and robbers along the way. You may also encounter monsters when passing through the forest, so it is not safe.
With a powerful caravan like Castel's around, some armed merchant caravans naturally didn't want to miss the opportunity to hitch a ride and gain temporary shelter.
Of course, this kind of ride-sharing requires payment.
Charlotte didn't think the money was too much and didn't refuse it.
Including the small and medium-sized armed caravans that were traveling with them, the number of people heading north that finally gathered at the north gate of Boulder City had exceeded a thousand...
From a distance, it looked like a small army.
Below the Duke, only a great noble like Castel would make such a big scene to escort his lord home.
"Master, everything is ready, shall we set off now?"
At the city gate, Sebastian, dressed in a tuxedo, bowed elegantly to Charlotte and asked respectfully.
Standing under the black parasol held by the maid Shirley, Charlotte, wearing a black and red Gothic dress, looked towards the city gate and shook her head slightly:
"Wait a moment."
As time passed, more and more residents gathered at the city gate to watch Castel's convoy.
After not seeing the target for a long time, Charlotte felt a little regretful and turned around to give the order to set off.
However, at this moment, the sound of horse hooves came from the direction of the city gate.
Charlotte's heart moved slightly, and she turned around to look, only to see Lottie, wearing a priest robe, riding a horse towards her.
Charlotte's expression suddenly relaxed and she smiled.
Lottie rode the horse and quickly came to the girl.
She got off the horse and said apologetically:
"Sorry... Mr. Xia... Count, I was a little late because I went to the cathedral to issue the transfer order."
"Just call me Charlotte."
Charlotte smiled.
"Transfer order? Is it an order to transfer Castel?"
She asked again curiously.
"Yes, after Lord Raoul checked, he found that there were many vacancies for priests in the Earldom of Castel, so he helped to circulate a transfer order."
Lottie replied.
Charlotte smiled brightly:
"That's the best."
Lottie worked in a church hospital, but was not actually a full-time church position. Charlotte had originally planned to bring him to the territory as a privately hired noble priest.
But now it’s different, or better.
With the transfer order, Lottie gained an official church identity, which was equivalent to changing from a professional to a church civil servant.
With this as a breakthrough, Charlotte's plan to intervene in Castel's church affairs in the future and truly realize the monopoly of power in her own territory will become possible.
I can only say that it is easier to get things done when there are still people around.
After Lottie arrived, Charlotte no longer wanted to stay any longer.
She gave the order to set out in the name of the Count of Castres.
At the command, the knights mounted their horses, the merchants and nobles boarded the carriages, and Charlotte, accompanied by her maid Shirley, entered the most luxurious carriage of the Castel family in the center of the convoy. There were also eight first-level knights of the Starry Sky following and guarding the carriage.
As for the black cat Nice, he wanted to follow Charlotte into the carriage, but the girl grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and threw him out. He had no choice but to sigh and go into the carriage at the back to get close to the maids.
Amid a series of horse-drawn sounds, the huge team raised a cloud of dust and began their journey.
Sebastian rode on horseback alongside Charlotte's carriage.
However, the moment he mounted his horse, his heart suddenly moved and he could not help but glance at the caravan behind the convoy.
"What's wrong?"
Charlotte drew back the curtain.
"Nothing... Maybe it's an illusion. I seemed to sense a familiar aura just now."
Sebastian looked away and said uncertainly.
In an inconspicuous carriage in the caravan behind Castel's convoy.
The old woman in a gray hood pulled the curious girl in and said sternly:
“Reina, don’t look around. We followed them secretly. That person’s perception is beyond your imagination. Don’t get discovered.”
After hearing what the woman said, the girl tilted her head in confusion.
The old woman was stunned and shook her head:
"No... I don't mean Sebastian."
As she spoke, she looked towards the center of the convoy, her old face taking on a hint of solemnity:
"I mean... the one he follows."
…
At the same time, in the distant heart of the Yunite Empire.
The center of the Holy Royal Court, the capital of the theocracy, the Holy City Cathedral.
In the brightly lit hall, the chief high priest of the Holy Royal Court slowly stood up facing the solemn and dignified statue.
He gently put down the sacred scepter in his hand, turned around and looked at the priest standing respectfully, and his old voice was solemn:
"Reports have come back from all over the place, and it's not just the cathedral that's experiencing the anomalies."
"Go investigate and find out what the source of the anomaly is."
After receiving the order, the priests respectfully withdrew.
The chief high priest turned around again, faced the statue, and devoutly made the sign of the cross:
"O Lord, the Most Merciful..."
"It's you, are you going to wake up?"