Charlotte didn't know that she had "sucked blood" along with the "Sacramental Ceremony" and disturbed almost all the statues of the God Lord enshrined in the Holy Royal Court.
However, relying on the keen perception of the vampires, from the surprised expressions of the priests, and the low-pitched discussions of the guests, she soon learned what had happened to her just now.
But unlike the priests and guests, she knew very well that the holy light in her body was not a divine being.
If you really want to say it, the vision just now was actually more like the wrath of God.
The dazzling holy light came on a large scale not to bestow divine favor on her, but to purify her, an "evil heretic".
It was only Charlotte who absorbed the holy light that purified her, so that everyone could not feel the destructive power contained in the holy light, but only witnessed the brilliance and holiness of the holy light.
"It seems...you should be more careful when encountering magical rituals related to sacred light in the future."
Charlotte thought secretly.
Among the priests present, the highest-ranking one was Raoul of the second level of Silver Moon.
If there really is a blazing sun or even a priest with legendary strength here, maybe he can see the truth about the arrival of the Holy Light just now.
After the sacramental ceremony, the atmosphere in the hall obviously became a little subtle.
The priests looked at Charlotte with more and more dazzling eyes, as if they were treasures. Even the old priest Raoul could not restrain his excitement.
As for the nobles watching the ceremony, their views were much more complicated.
There is curiosity, wonder, enthusiasm, emotion, contemplation, and worry...
Especially those representatives from Castells territory.
With her keen sense of spirituality, Charlotte noticed that most of the envoys from the vassal nobles almost all became serious.
"Charlotte, it seems that your compatibility is really in line with the Holy Light. I have been ministering sacraments to people for more than thirty years, and this is the first time I have seen such dazzling divine favor. Do you really not consider joining the church?
?”
The old priest Raoul couldn't help but ask again.
Charlotte smiled slightly:
"Thank you for the invitation, Grandpa Raoul."
"However, I am a noble after all, and I still have my own responsibilities and obligations..."
Her family knew her own affairs, and Charlotte could still figure out whether the coming Holy Light was divine grace or divine wrath.
There are always capable people in the Holy Royal Court that have lasted for thousands of years who can see her problems. If she really enters the church, she will be dancing on a tightrope, repeatedly testing on the edge of danger...
Even if she wanted to pluck wool, she wouldn't be so crazy looking for death.
Wouldn’t it be nice to stay in your own territory and go to church quietly at any time?
Seeing Charlotte's polite refusal, the old priest nodded regretfully:
"I understand...but, again, if you are willing, the door of the church will always be open for you."
After saying that, he smiled slightly:
"Okay, let's carry out the final succession ceremony!"
After the coming-of-age ceremony is over, it is time for the succession ceremony of the title.
The succession ceremony of a title can be large or small, and generally speaking there are two steps.
The first step is to receive the scepter that symbolizes authority and status from the family elder or lord, 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 allegiance to the lord under the witness of the divine light.
Because Charlotte is the only person left in the Castel family, and the Duke of Bold is currently lying in bed and unconscious, it is still the old priest Raoul who holds the succession ceremony for the girl.
Charlotte knelt down on one knee, took the scepter engraved with the Castel family emblem from Raoul, then faced the Bolde family emblem temporarily hung on the wall of the hall and swore allegiance.
Well, although she doesn't like Duke Bold, she still has to go through the process.
As for returning to the territory after swearing allegiance, the sky is high and the emperor is far away, and no one can control her.
Perhaps because the previous vision of the sacrament was too shocking, the succession ceremony seemed much more low-key and ordinary.
After the ceremony, Charlotte finally officially succeeded the territory and became the Earl of Castells.
It doesn't matter whether the Duke of Bold admits it or not, the church has already recognized it anyway.
The succession documents have also been written, and no matter how depressed the bedridden old Duke is, the Earl of Castells has finally welcomed her new lord.
From today on, others will no longer call Charlotte Miss Charlotte, but Earl of Castells.
…
News of Charlotte of Castells's official ascension to the throne quickly spread throughout the streets of Boulder.
As the leading noble in the Principality of Boulder, the news of this kind of title handover has always been a hot topic among people.
In addition to the succession of titles, there is the "miracle" in the sacramental ceremony.
No matter what the truth is, a statement that even many Boulder priests believe is gradually spreading in the streets and alleys——
Charlotte of Castells...is the favored one of the God Lord Harald, a pure saint protected by the Holy Light.
Especially when the vision of the sacramental ceremony is combined with the identity of the only survivor in the Blood Demon case, this statement is even more confirmed. Precisely because she is a pure saint, and precisely because she is protected by the Holy Light, the evil Blood Demon Cult
That's why I couldn't kill the girl...
Charlotte thought it was outrageous when she heard it, but she was actually reconciled by this group of fun-loving people.
It is said that after the old Duke of Bold, who was lying in bed, woke up and learned about this incident, he coughed violently again on the spot, coughed up a lot of blood, and passed out.
Rumors are circulating that Duke Bold's days are numbered and he may die at any time.
As the Duke of Bold's condition worsened, the situation and atmosphere in Boulder City became obviously unstable and strange.
The nobles were very concerned about the inheritance of the Duchy of Boulder.
Considering that the Duke's illegitimate son Lenore voluntarily gave up his inheritance rights and went to East Unite to form a mercenary group as a mercenary, and the original first heir, Count Tulip, also "died of illness", the first heir of Bold was
Became the Duke's only daughter Eleanor.
News has come from the royal capital that the Duke's daughter Eleanor and her husband, Philip, the third prince of the Crescent Kingdom, are said to have set off south and are on their way to Boulder.
Some Borde nobles who heard the news even sent people north to greet and welcome the new master's arrival.
It can be said that the Duke of Bold has suppressed him too hard with the Drunken Dream Salon this year. Not to mention the betrayal and separation, people also left the tea to cool down. After becoming seriously ill, even the Duke's Palace became much deserted, and fewer and fewer nobles visited him.
It can be foreseen that the Bold family, which has controlled the Bold Principality for nine hundred years, may continue for one generation at most, and everything will return to the Crescent Royal Family.
However, Charlotte no longer cares about this.
After officially seizing the title, she wanted to stay away from Boulder, a place of right and wrong, and no longer participate in the power struggle in the principality.
She has already thought about it. She will pay the contract taxes on time, and the levy soldiers can also be provided according to the vassal contract. As for the other things...these nobles will do whatever they like, just don't provoke her.
…
The next day.
Charlotte embarks on a journey back to her territory.
When she first traveled to this world, she was alone even though she had the title of a noble. But a year later, the number of people following her to the territory had exceeded 500.
Among them, nearly 300 people were escorts led by Castel, and more than 100 were armored extraordinary knights. The leader was still Baron Sharon.
In addition, more than thirty representatives of lower-level nobles from the territory who participated in Charlotte's coming-of-age ceremony will also return with Charlotte.
As for the remaining one hundred and seventy people, they were all the teams that Charlotte had pulled together. She took all the boys and girls she recruited from the outer city with her. In addition, there were some extraordinary people from the Rose Society, and a few demon hunters.
knight.
That's right, Demon Hunter.
After Kara left the witching house, many witching knights one after another chose to resign and leave because they couldn't stand the church and the tribunal. They were all defeated by Charlotte with a money offensive.
This even includes Chatham, the former captain of the demon-hunting knights who has a good relationship with Charlotte, and is a first-level extraordinary knight of the Stars.
That is to say, taking advantage of the chaos in the Boulder church and Raoul becoming the new high priest of Boulder, Charlotte had the courage to pry into the church's walls.
In addition, Sebas and Nice will also go with Charlotte.
Sebastian is Charlotte's handy butler and top hitman, so he must be brought along.
Although Ness, the black cat, is unremarkable, he knows a lot. Schrödinger's strength is often unexpected, and 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 Earl of Castells. Rather than following him to the territory, his value and role can be better demonstrated in Boulder City.
He will be fully responsible for the family's affairs in Boulder, take care of Castle Manor 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 more than 20 people were advanced.
In addition to the mighty team of the Castel family, there are also some armed caravans who hope to follow Charlotte and gain temporary asylum.
The road from Bold City to Castres is long, and it is inevitable to encounter bandits and robbers along the way. You may also encounter monsters when passing through the forest, which is not considered safe.
With a powerful convoy like Castel's presence, some armed caravans were naturally unwilling to miss the opportunity to hitch a ride and gain temporary shelter.
Of course, this kind of free ride requires payment.
Charlotte didn't mind the money, so she didn't refuse it.
After adding the small and medium-sized armed caravans accompanying them, the number of people heading north that finally gathered at the north gate of Boulder City exceeded a thousand...
From a distance, it looks like a small army.
Under the duke, only a noble like Castel would create such a big battle to escort the lord home.
"Master, everything is ready, shall we set off now?"
At the city gate, Sebastian, dressed in a tuxedo, gracefully saluted Charlotte and asked respectfully.
Standing under the black umbrella held by the maid Shirley, Charlotte, wearing a black and red gothic skirt, looked in the direction of the city gate and shook her head slightly:
"Wait a little longer."
As time passed, more and more residents gathered at the city gate to watch Castel's motorcade.
Charlotte felt a little regretful after not seeing her target for a long time, 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 and saw Lottie, wearing a priest's robe, riding over on horseback.
Charlotte's expression suddenly relaxed and she smiled.
Lottie drove her horse and quickly came to the girl.
She got off her horse and said a little apologetically:
"I'm sorry... Xia... Lord Count, I went to the cathedral to issue the transfer order, so I arrived a little late."
"Just call me Charlotte."
Charlotte smiled.
"Transfer order? Is it an order to transfer Castells?"
She asked again curiously.
"Yes, after Lord Raoul checked, he found that there were many vacancies for priests in the Earl of Castres, so he helped to issue a transfer order."
Lottie replied.
Charlotte suddenly beamed:
"This couldn't be better."
Lottie worked in the church hospital, and the establishment was not actually considered an official position in the church. Charlotte originally planned to be brought to the territory as a privately hired noble priest.
But now it's different, or better.
With the transfer order, Lottie had a formal church status, which was equivalent to becoming a civil servant of the church.
Taking this as a breakthrough, it is possible for Charlotte to intervene in Castel's church affairs in the future and truly achieve monopolization of power in her own territory.
All I can say is that there are still people who can do things easily.
When Lottie arrived, Charlotte had no intention of staying any longer.
She gave the order to set off in the name of Count Castells.
At the command, the knights got on their horses, and the merchants and nobles boarded the carriage. Charlotte, accompanied by the maid Shirley, entered the most luxurious Castel family carriage in the center of the motorcade. There were eight Starry First Orders around the carriage.
The knights followed and guarded.
As for the black cat Nice, he wanted to follow Charlotte into the carriage, but the girl picked him up by the scruff of his neck and threw him out. He had to sigh and get into the carriage behind to find some maids and ladies.
Amidst a series of sounds of riding horses, the mighty team started their journey with smoke and dust rising.
Sebastian rode beside Charlotte's carriage.
However, the moment he mounted the horse, his heart suddenly moved slightly and he couldn't help but glance at the caravan behind the convoy.
"What's wrong?"
Charlotte opened the curtains.
"It's nothing... maybe it's an illusion. I seemed to have sensed something familiar just now."
Sebastian looked away and said uncertainly.
In the caravan behind Castel's motorcade, on an inconspicuous carriage.
The old woman wearing a gray hood forcibly pulled the young girl in, and said with a serious expression:
"Rena, don't look around. We followed you secretly. That person's perception is beyond your imagination. Don't be discovered."
After hearing the woman's words, the girl tilted her head in confusion.
The old woman was stunned for a moment and shook her head:
"No...I didn't mean Sebastian."
As she spoke, she looked towards the center of the motorcade, with a hint of solemnity on her old face:
"I mean... the one he follows."
…
At the same time, in the distant hinterland of the Yunet Empire.
In the Cathedral of the Holy Capital, the center of the Holy Royal Court and the capital of the Theocratic State.
In the brightly lit hall, the chief priest of the Holy Royal Court stood up slowly facing the solemn statue of the god.
He gently put down the sacred scepter in his hand, turned around and looked at the priest who was standing respectfully, his old voice had a hint of solemnity:
"Reports from various places have come back, and it's not just the main hall where visions are happening."
"Go and investigate to find out what the source of the vision is."
After receiving the order, the priests respectfully resigned.
The chief officiant turned around again, faced the statue of the god, and devoutly drew the ring cross: