Gospel of Blood

A subtle wave of magical power swept over Malda as she provocatively locked eyes with the young queen on the throne.

Golden specks of light spread in her pupils, adding a touch of allure.

Enchanting Eyes…

This was a rare innate ability among bloodbornes, aside from the royal bloodline of the Kirali Clan.

Moreover, it was one of the most powerful mental control spells of the bloodbornes.

Since awakening this ability, no one had been able to resist Malda’s mental control, not even a Blood Count.

Facing the young queen who hadn’t even reached the status of a Blazing Sun, she was confident in her ability to dominate her.

Of course, Malda didn’t intend to harm her.

Powerful mental energy focused in her eyes, penetrating the young queen’s pupils.

However, the expected mental feedback didn’t occur.

In Malda’s perception, her magic and mental energy were like pebbles thrown into the sea, receiving no response at all.

No…

It wasn’t a sea…

It was an endless, bottomless abyssal vortex!

Her mental energy quickly drained, and her magic was swiftly drawn away as if being siphoned.

In those sapphire-like eyes, Malda realized in horror that she had lost control of her mental energy and magic!

Time seemed to freeze in an instant, and everything around began to collapse.

The lights vanished, the human nobles disappeared, and the banquet hall dissolved.

Everything was swallowed by darkness, leaving only the queen on her throne.

At some point, the queen had transformed, no longer young. Her silver hair fluttered, her golden-red pupils deep and boundless, and her attire transformed into a black divine dress with mysterious and majestic crimson divine power surrounding her.

Terrifying pressure assaulted from all directions, making Malda feel like she was sinking into an endless abyss.

Gray mist spread from the darkness, and in her terrified gaze, twisted arms emerged from the shadows, reaching for her from all directions.

These arms were wrapped in eerie white mist, with mouths and ever-turning eyes on their palms, relentlessly tearing at her body, devouring her flesh.

“No… stay away! Stay away!”

Indescribable fear and soul-rending pain assaulted Malda’s mind. She screamed in agony and despair.

Yet, with her body out of control, she couldn’t resist, helplessly watching herself being torn apart, her flesh devoured, bones chewed.

First, her limbs, then her torso, and finally, her head.

In the midst of unbearable pain and endless terror, Malda watched herself being consumed bit by bit.

Her consciousness blurred, and finally, she faded away into oblivion.

In her last moment of consciousness, she seemed to see those monstrous arms lunging toward the figure on the throne, only to be engulfed by a crimson radiance…

…

“Malda? Malda?”

A faint call reached her, like a murmur in a dream.

“Malda? Malda?”

The voice grew clearer, gradually awakening her.

Malda shuddered slightly and slowly opened her eyes. The bright banquet hall came into view.

It seemed she had never fallen into darkness, nor had she been devoured by those “monsters.”

But the experience felt so real that she couldn’t stop trembling.

“Malda, stop kneeling. I did ask you to be cautious, but this is too much. You’ve been kneeling long enough.”

Yurst, standing beside her, reminded her helplessly.

Stop… kneeling?

Malda was bewildered.

In a daze, she looked down and found herself kneeling on the ground.

Her robe clung to her body, soaked with cold sweat, and her legs were weak, unable to support her.

The human nobles around whispered among themselves, casting strange looks at her.

“What’s wrong with her? Kneeling before Her Majesty for so long?”

“Is she trying to curry favor?”

“It seems even bloodbornes fear Her Majesty.”

Her… Majesty?

Malda shuddered.

She slowly looked up, once again seeing that petite figure.

The young queen still sat on the throne, looking down at her with playful and scrutinizing eyes.

The pain of being torn apart and the fear of falling into the abyss flooded Malda’s mind again, feeling so real, not like an illusion.

But besides the pain and fear, she felt like something had been stripped from her soul, making her feel lighter.

Reflecting on what she saw in the “illusion,” Malda vaguely realized something.

Her face showed terror, which quickly turned into panic.

Instinctively, she lowered her head, her mind filled with one thought.

“She’s not the Queen I saw yesterday! She’s definitely not the Queen I saw yesterday!”

“She… no, She is a God walking on earth!”

“She is the True Ancestor!”

“Oh True Ancestor, I almost… I intended to desecrate the True Ancestor! I must be insane!”

A soft laugh came from the front, and the girl on the throne smiled faintly.

“Alright, stand up. Take this as a lesson. Remember, don’t go to Luna Island anymore.”

Malda trembled.

She took a deep breath, prostrated herself before the throne, and said in a trembling voice.

“Thank… you, Your Majesty.”

A gentle magical force lifted Malda.

She struggled to stand up, no longer retaining her previous arrogance. Instead, she stood quietly by Yurst’s side, like an obedient kitten.

Seeing Malda’s drastic change, Yurst was slightly stunned.

He glanced at Charlotte on the throne, then at Malda, who had become respectful and submissive, and seemed to realize something.

A look of understanding and suspicion flashed across his face.

Did Her Majesty reprimand her?

Her Majesty mentioned Luna Island. Could it be that she discovered something?

…

Malda’s “episode” was just a small interlude at the banquet.

In fact, aside from Yurst, no one else in the banquet hall noticed what had happened.

It was just an ordinary court banquet, but because it involved bloodbornes, the atmosphere had become somewhat tense.

However, the respectful attitude of the two bloodbornes towards the queen was enough to ease the situation.

The nobles knew that the Nez bloodbornes had reconciled with the royal family and the church. As time went on, they would appear more frequently in the kingdom’s public events.

Nobility titles as well—some bloodbornes becoming nobles of Starfall was likely inevitable.

This was the trend of Starfall, not swayed by individual wills.

When the banquet ended and Charlotte changed out of her formal attire and returned to her study, she finally had the opportunity to meet Yurst as a bloodborne.

“Praise the Darkness, praise the Order, Yurst, Blood Count of the Nez Clan… pays respect to the True Ancestor!”

Yurst bowed respectfully.

“Alright, no need for formalities, Yurst. Since you’re here, does that mean everything I asked Robin to collect is ready?”

Charlotte asked.

Yurst nodded and respectfully presented a ring.

“True Ancestor, everything is ready. The information about the Mythic Era is in this storage ring. These are original documents collected by the clan, but some have been damaged or become illegible due to age.”

Charlotte nodded slightly and used the Hand of Darkness to retrieve the ring.

She sensed that the storage ring contained many documents, categorized and clearly organized.

“Not bad, quite efficient.”

She praised.

Yurst smiled.

“That’s all thanks to Lord Bardock. Since his awakening, Lord Bardock has been searching for this information. The clan merely followed his orders to bring these documents to you after hearing your oracle.”

Bardock, huh?

Charlotte raised an eyebrow slightly.

It seemed that although the legion commander appeared indifferent to his lost “memories”, he cared deeply.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically collected this information.

Yurste hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“Additionally, True Ancestor, about Malda…”

Charlotte glanced at him.

“Robin sent her, didn’t he?”

Yurst nodded.

“Yes, Malda is our spy on Luna Island. No one knows more about the bloodbornes on Luna Island than she does.”

He hesitated again before saying.

“True Ancestor, please forgive Malda for her offense. Perhaps she’s picked up some unruly habits from the elven bloodbornes on the island, but please believe me, she deeply respects you.”

“She wasn’t always this presumptuous.”

Charlotte chuckled.

“Alright, no need to plead for your companion. I’m not blind.”

Hearing Charlotte’s words, Yurst breathed a sigh of relief.

“Then… True Ancestor, should I summon her? The Great Elder specifically called her back from Luna Island to report to you in person.”

Shaking her head, charlotte replied.

“No need, let her rest. I’ve already seen her memories. Tell Robin to stop sending people to Luna Island and cease investigating it. Don’t alarm those ‘elven bloodbornes.’ I will handle what comes next personally.”

Yurst was slightly taken aback and then asked, puzzled.

“True Ancestor, is there a problem on Luna Island?”

Charlotte didn’t answer directly. Instead, she gently extended her hand.

A crimson radiance gathered in her palm, forming a cage containing a mass of gray mist.

The mist struggled continuously, sometimes forming a grotesque face, other times transforming into Malda’s exact likeness, emitting low growls.

“This… what is this?!”

Yurst’s eyes widened.

“This is what I extracted from your companion’s soul. It’s been eroding her soul and body, even implanting a psychological suggestion in her consciousness.”

Charlotte explained.

She narrowed her eyes slightly.

“A suggestion to probe the Nez Clan and the Divine Queen.”

Yurst’s expression changed.

“You mean… Malda was already under mental control?!”

“Not entirely, but if you had delayed her withdrawal, she might have become a ‘puppet’ like Alec, or perhaps worse.”

Charlotte said.

“You were wise to bring her to me immediately. This thing is very peculiar, and I’m probably the only one who can handle it.”

“And Malda?”

Yurst hesitated.

Charlotte replied.

“It was discovered in time, so she’s fine. She just needs to rest.”

…

After meeting with Charlotte, Yurst withdrew.

His primary task was to report information about Luna Island.

Since Charlotte directly accessed the memories, his task was complete.

After Yurst left, Charlotte’s expression turned serious.

She summoned the crimson cage again, watching the gray mist inside.

“Alright, it’s just us now.”

“Can we talk now? The one who tried to take over my blood descendant’s body… Your Excellency?”