Gospel of Blood

After leaving the Moonshield Duchy, Charlotte quickened her pace.

The Castell convoy didn't stop in the two neighboring counties but continued heading north. After traveling for about ten more days, they finally entered the northern part of the Crescent Kingdom, arriving at the Violet Duchy, which bordered Castell County.

As they entered the Violet Duchy, the surrounding landscape changed noticeably. The vast plains disappeared, replaced by rolling hills and endless forests.

Under the azure sky, rivers like silver ribbons meandered through the hills and low mountains, flowing quietly and shimmering in the sunlight, reflecting fluffy white clouds.

Every now and then, they could see carefree deer and rabbits leaping out from the woods, drinking and playing by the streams. Large clusters of wildflowers dotted the bushes, attracting colorful butterflies.

Charlotte found it hard not to be captivated by such picturesque scenery, and similar beautiful landscapes were everywhere in the Violet Duchy.

However, contrasting with this idyllic beauty was the noticeably sparse population. Villages and towns were few and far between, making the area seem almost deserted.

Sometimes, they would come across old battlefield remnants.

Ruined and moss-covered war chariots, faintly discernible bones, and rusted pieces of armor or weapons…

Sebastian explained when he noticed Charlotte's curious gaze.

Charlotte nodded slightly.

During her time in Borde, she had read records about the Star-Moon Wars, which had spanned decades and nearly halved the northern population of the Crescent Kingdom, especially in Violet Duchy, the main battlefield.

Only Castell County had escaped disaster, protected by the kingdom's heavy garrison.

At this point, the importance of the mithril mine became evident. To prevent such a critical strategic resource from falling into the hands of the Falling Star Kingdom, the Crescent royal family had heavily invested, stationing an entire legion on the border between the Falling Star Kingdom's continental enclave, the Román Duchy, and the Castell County.

Decades of war had ravaged the north, but the Castell County, located slightly further north, had become increasingly prosperous, partly due to this reason.

With the chaos of war, it had received many refugees from the northern kingdom and was situated on key trade routes and crossroads. With its own mines, it was no wonder Castell thrived.

In contrast, the Violet Duchy, as the main battlefield, suffered considerably.

Its breathtaking, sparsely populated landscapes were enchanting, but they also signified poverty and backwardness.

War is never grand and heroic; it's cruel and filled with tragedy.

As they traveled, Charlotte occasionally saw the remnants of villages, including skeletal remains, evidently casualties of the war.

What surprised Charlotte was that despite the abundance of skeletal remains in Violet, she sensed almost no presence of the undead.

Battlefield ruins are often breeding grounds for the undead.

It's challenging for priests to perform holy rites for all fallen soldiers, guiding their souls back to the divine realm, so some spirits inevitably linger on the battlefield.

But on this journey, Charlotte hadn't encountered a single undead.

Not even at night—only the howls of magical beasts could be heard.

"Undead? Maybe they were all hunted down by mercenaries? The vast forests of Violet are a haven for magical beasts, and many mercenaries operate here. Of course, there are also plenty of bandits."

Sebastian speculated.

Magical beasts are feared by ordinary people but are seen as walking treasures by extraordinary individuals.

Violet's extensive forests are not only a paradise for magical beasts but also for mercenaries.

The Violet Duchy, Eastern Yunette Blacklands, and the Snake Ridge Mountains...

These three places are hotspots for freelance mercenaries in Myria.

However, Charlotte wasn't entirely satisfied with Sebastian's answer.

As a Bloodborne proficient in necromancy, Charlotte had a fair understanding of the undead.

Undead are special spiritual entities skilled at hiding and retaining some of their former intelligence. Such beings aren't easily hunted down, not even by mercenaries.

Moreover, upon entering the Violet Duchy, Charlotte noticed that the ambient magical energy was significantly higher than in other places.

Violet's numerous magical beasts were likely linked to this high magical environment.

Such conditions also favor the emergence of undead.

The magical energy in Violet was notably chaotic and mixed, further facilitating the birth of the undead.

Charlotte doubted mercenaries could hunt down wandering undead so thoroughly.

Unless... an organization like the Holy Court intervened, periodically "purifying" the entire region.

But Charlotte doubted the Holy Court had that much free time.

Though curious, Charlotte buried her questions.

She was merely passing through Violet.

Although strange and somewhat intriguing, it wasn't worth staying to investigate.

Due to the hilly and mountainous terrain, the roads in the Violet Duchy weren't particularly easy to travel. Nevertheless, the Castell convoy maintained a decent pace.

The pace wasn't due to an increased speed but rather the scarcity of settlements in Violet, including noble castles and cities.

With fewer places to stop and rest, and with Charlotte's orders to press on, the convoy naturally moved quickly.

Unlike the Moonshield Duchy and the Borde Duchy, the settlements in Violet Duchy, even the smallest villages, were often fortified with tall wooden walls.

Towns surrounding castles were surrounded by sturdy stone walls, resembling fortresses.

Charlotte knew this was another legacy of the decades-long Star-Moon Wars.

For Violet's people, only tall walls could provide enough security.

Charlotte could clearly see the scars left by the Star-Moon Wars on this duchy.

Many of the villages and towns they passed displayed deep caution towards the Castell convoy, tightly shutting their gates. Only after confirming the convoy's identity and gaining enough trust would they cautiously allow them in for rest.

However, once aware of the convoy's identity, the villagers became extremely hospitable. For the impoverished Violet, the prosperous Castell in the north was a place to aspire to.

The Violet Duchy was indeed much poorer.

This was evident even in the noble banquets Charlotte attended. The overall impression was less grand than similar gatherings in Borde. Both the castle decorations and the banquet food appeared rather modest.

In contrast, Charlotte noticed that the martial prowess in Violet was much stronger than in Borde or even the Moonshield Duchy.

In the nobles' castles, the proportion of extraordinary individuals was high. Even a baron had followers who had stepped into the extraordinary realm.

The villages, too, were guarded by militias, almost all of whom were extraordinary individuals.

Charlotte speculated that this was related to the noticeably higher magical energy in the Violet Duchy.

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However, unlike the enthusiastic villagers, although Violet's nobles were very hospitable when inviting Charlotte, she could sense a certain distance beneath their cordiality during the banquets.

While they were outwardly courteous, Charlotte could feel that the nobles of Violet didn't truly welcome her.

However, she didn't mind. Passing through without being welcomed saved her from the hassle of socializing.

After bidding farewell to yet another lord, the Castell convoy continued northward, entering the northern part of the Violet Duchy.

This area was even more sparsely populated, and the forests were denser.

The northern part of Violet is covered by the Violet Forest, which spans the northern part of the Crescent Kingdom. Once they passed through this forest, they would reach the Castell territory.

As for Linte City, the capital of Violet, it was located further west. Charlotte, traveling northeast, wouldn’t pass by and naturally wouldn’t visit the Duke of Violet.

The Violet Forest was vast, and it would take several days to traverse it.

Fortunately, along the way, the merchant caravans traveling with Castell had gradually reached their destinations and parted ways.

By now, only a few merchant caravans headed towards Castell County remained, reducing the convoy to less than seven hundred people.

With fewer people and caravans, the convoy could move faster.

Even so, it would still take at least three days to cross the Violet Forest, meaning the entire convoy would have to camp in the forest overnight.

That night, the moonlight filtered through the dense trees, illuminating the forest floor.

The convoy, having traveled all day, set up camp, pitching tents and lighting bonfires around the wagons.

They scattered a circle of a spice called Avira around the camp, which repelled magical beasts and insects, ensuring the camp's safety.

Of course, the spice alone wasn’t foolproof. The forest was teeming with magical beasts, some immune to its effects. Thus, the extraordinary knights camped at the perimeter, remaining vigilant.

Ordinary people, including the accompanying merchants, stayed within the camp. The forest was cold at night, and they huddled around the crackling bonfires, warming their hands and listening to a traveling bard sing ancient ballads.

Occasionally, the howls of unknown magical beasts echoed from deep within the forest, startling bats and birds and making the forest seem even more mysterious and dangerous. This made the ordinary people in the camp shiver and huddle closer for comfort.

Charlotte, however, enjoyed the environment.

Night was the domain of the Bloodbornes, and as a natural magical being, Charlotte appreciated the high-magic environment of the Violet Forest.

She stayed alone in her tent, eyes closed in meditation, revisiting the various bloodborne magic she had learned.

Her body would occasionally transform into a cloud of black mist with a puff or turn into countless black bats with a swish…

The black mist was dark resonance's shadow magic and the bats were wild resonance's polymorph magic—she had truly mastered these abilities.

In the next moment, the bats coalesced back into the form of a girl, though this time with large bat wings on her back.

A flash of red crossed Charlotte’s pupils, and shadows enveloped her, blending her into the night.

With a leap, Charlotte flew out of the tent.

No one noticed her departure.

Only Sebastian glanced skyward, sensing a familiar presence before returning to his leisurely wine drinking.

Charlotte flapped her wings and soared into the sky, initially unsteady but quickly gaining stability, reveling in her bloodborne talent.

She usually had to conceal her identity, cautiously hiding her strength wherever she went. Only in the deep forests of Violet could she freely experience the might of the extraordinary.

Having mastered over ten bloodborne magic, Charlotte had significantly improved, even without tapping into the power of her True Ancestor's Liberation.

However, as she prepared to fly around the nearby woods, a piercing scream suddenly broke the night.

Charlotte's heart skipped a beat. She stopped playing around and descended to the ground.

Returning to her normal form, she headed to the camp’s edge.

There, several extraordinary knights had already taken up their weapons, ready to head into the forest.

"What happened?"

Charlotte asked.

The knights bowed respectfully to her before one of them explained.

"Countess, it's Daren. He went into the woods... to relieve himself and likely encountered a magical beast..."

"A magical beast? He didn’t take any Avira spice?"

Charlotte frowned.

The knights looked at each other, unable to answer.

The strong scent of blood drifted from the forest, making Charlotte’s heart race.

"Let’s go check."

She said solemnly.

With that, she led the way into the forest and the knights quickly followed.

When Charlotte reached the dense woods, she soon found Daren, the extraordinary knight, lying on the ground.

Unfortunately, he was already dead.

His death was gruesome and horrifying. His armor was torn off, his body covered in claw marks, and his chest and abdomen were ripped open…

A shadow shrouded in darkness was crouched over him, greedily devouring his flesh.

"Blood... Bloodborne?!"

Exclaimed the two extraordinary knights beside Charlotte, eyes wide in terror.

Charlotte's gaze sharpened.

"No… not a Bloodborne…"

Looking at the shadow, she squinted.

"It's an undead."

The clouds obscuring the moon dispersed, and silver moonlight pierced through the branches, illuminating the shadowy figure.

The knights could now clearly see the attacker.

It wasn't a monstrous Bloodborne but a rotting corpse clad in tattered armor.

Its eye sockets glowed with eerie green flames.

At that moment, more howls echoed from deep within the forest.

Countless green "lanterns" lit up and spreads across the dense woods…

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