Gospel of Blood

Charlotte’s words ultimately succeeded in calming the panicked northern nobles.

Of course, it wasn’t the promise of “reinforcements” that reassured them, but rather Charlotte’s explicit strategy: they could afford to wait, but the Third Prince could not.

Northport, the capital of Castell, had withstood the Star-Moon Wars and countless magic beast tides and pirate attacks over the centuries. As the most renowned trade center in the north, it was also a fortress, evidenced by its tall coastal walls, large stone-throwing cannons, and towering mage towers.

Recent population growth and immigration had caused Northport to expand outward, giving it a less fortress-like appearance.

The northern nobles knew this, and their fear was mainly directed at the Third Prince’s powerful army. After Charlotte clarified the situation, they felt a glimmer of hope despite their lingering worries.

This became even more evident when Viscount Roman-Four arrived in the council hall.

At the sight of the notorious Viscount, the northern nobles visibly relaxed. Despite their general dislike for the pirate-turned-noble, they acknowledged the Roman-Four family’s formidable combat capabilities. The presence of the Roman-Four fleet undoubtedly strengthened Northport’s defenses.

“Countess, the entire Roman-Four fleet has docked, and all our extraordinary fighters have disembarked, pledging to fight alongside you until the end.”

The ever-black-clad Viscount Roman-Four said, kneeling on one knee.

Behind him stood several barons and over a dozen hereditary knights from the Roman-Four family. Charlotte recognized them from the roster she had memorized, noting with surprise that all the key members of the Roman-Four family were present—a commitment even greater than that of the Leon-Castell family.

Unlike Viscount Leon-Castell, whose family still had a small faction that had surrendered in the south, the Roman-Four family had fully committed to Northport.

“Good to have you back. We’ll rely on you for Northport’s naval defense.”

Charlotte said, nodding slightly.

“Rest assured, Countess. We’ve already fought the Borde-Violet fleet once. Though they are strong, with Northport’s defenses, we can resist them.”

Viscount Roman-Four responded solemnly.

Viscount Leon-Castell, after glancing thoughtfully at the “pirate viscount”, addressed the now-calm nobles.

“It seems everyone has settled down. Now that Viscount Roman-Four is back, let’s discuss how to defend Northport.”

This time, there were no objections. Under the Old Viscount’s lead, they began discussing Northport’s defense plans.

Most nobles only listened, occasionally offering suggestions. The actual discussion involved the higher-ranking viscounts and barons, who had both higher status and more military experience.

Charlotte, aware of her lack of experience, chose to listen quietly to the experts, understanding that while she would ultimately make the final decisions, it was best to let the professionals handle the planning.

Gradually, a defensive plan emerged, led by Viscounts Roman-Four and Leon-Castell, with input from other nobles.

The plan was straightforward: abandon the southern territories, fortify Northport and the Northport Bridge, control the Dorn River with small warships, and use Northport as the central defensive point to delay the enemy.

Thanks to the Dorn River, Northport served as the gateway to northern Castell. By controlling the Northport Bridge and the Dorn River, the Borde-Violet coalition couldn’t advance north or completely encircle Northport. This would allow Northport to maintain supply lines and avoid becoming isolated, enabling Castell’s forces to leverage the city’s defenses.

Victory would mean the enemy, unable to capture Northport after heavy losses, might retreat under pressure, giving Castell’s forces a chance to counterattack. Defeat would mean the fall of the city and likely the end of the Castell family.

Charlotte also suggested evacuating or relocating the poor from the outer districts of Northport into the inner city or the north. The nobles didn’t oppose this, viewing it as an act of mercy on Charlotte’s part.

While she did care about the welfare of the poor, her suggestion also had strategic motives. Charlotte had long considered expanding Northport, which would require demolishing the vast slums in the outer districts.

The city’s municipal reports often highlighted the difficulties and conflicts of interest involved in such a project. The impending war, however, presented an opportunity to overcome these obstacles. An attack and defense battle would silence the opposition.

Notably, the topic of reinforcements, which Charlotte had mentioned, wasn’t heavily discussed.

The nobles, while reassured by her promise, didn’t place much stock in it. They believed that the real reassurance came from the political situation in Crescent, Charlotte’s exposure of the Third Prince’s crimes, and Northport’s defensible position.

Many nobles doubted that the young girl from Borde, with no deep connections to other noble families, could muster any significant reinforcements. They assumed she could only hire some mercenaries, probably from the Eastern Yunette Blacklands.

While Eastern Yunette had powerful mercenary groups, hiring them was expensive, and such groups often demanded extraordinary resources rather than money. Castell, though wealthy, lacked channels to obtain such resources, except for their stores of mithril, which were limited.

With the northern rebellion cutting off contact with the Silver Mine City and the uncertain northern situation, the nobles doubted Charlotte could hire any powerful mercenary groups. They believed Northport’s extraordinary resources would be needed for the city’s defense, not for hiring mercenaries.

The defensive plan was finalized, with Charlotte making the final decision. The nobles then set about preparing for the imminent battle…

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