Gospel of Blood

Chapter 177: Gikode's Letter

Nez?

The Insight clan, Nez?

Charlotte's eyes flickered.

She hadn't expected that just two questions would directly implicate two bloodborne clans!

Charlotte knew a bit about the Nez clan, especially after reading the information provided by the Witch of Prophecy, Anna.

This is the most low-key and mysterious clan among the six major bloodborne clans, possessing a bloodline that masters the insight path, often active in the Falling Star Kingdom and Luna Island.

Yes, Luna Island.

Due to their unique embrace mechanism, any intelligent life form could become a bloodborne, and Luna Island, home to the Elf Alliance, also has bloodbornes with legitimate elven bloodlines.

As a result, the Nez clan is divided into two branches: Falling Star Kingdom and Luna Island.

Both branches believe themselves to be the most authentic Nez lineage. The branch in the Falling Star Kingdom is more enthusiastic about infiltrating the human world and is more active, while the branch on Luna Island is more influenced by the elves, relatively more reclusive and indifferent to worldly affairs.

They have a relationship of both competition and cooperation, each having their own bloodborne duke, yet they all revere the same bloodborne prince - the Stargazer Casey.

Externally, especially when contending with other bloodborne clans, they unite and act as one.

Recalling Gikode's surprise at recognizing Sebastian's elven identity, Charlotte's heart stirred, and she asked.

"Is the Nez clan behind you from the Falling Star Kingdom? Does the Nez branch on Luna Island also participate in the affairs of the Castell Mithril Mine?"

Hearing Charlotte's question, Gikode trembled even more but did not deny it.

Charlotte knew she had asked the right question.

Recalling what she knew about the bloodbornes, she continued to ask.

"Why is the Nez clan intervening in the Castell Mithril Mine?"

Upon hearing Charlotte's words, Gikode trembled, foaming at the mouth.

"Nez... Nez has taken a fancy to Castell's Mithril... They... they need Mithril... a lot of Mithril..."

Charlotte frowned slightly.

This was obvious. Intervening in the mithril mine was certainly for the mithril, but the crucial point was their underlying purpose.

"Why do they need so much mithril? To what extent have they infiltrated Castell? What is their ultimate goal?"

She asked again.

This time, Gikode convulsed more violently but did not answer.

Charlotte's frown deepened.

She knew this reaction meant her question had touched on taboos within the opponent's soul contract.

If she continued to press, it might directly lead to the other's death.

The soul contract on Gikode didn't seem to belong to divine ritual, as Charlotte hadn't received any information indicating divine ritual counter activation.

For now, she couldn't deal with this contract and had to stop with this line of questioning.

After thinking for a moment, Charlotte changed direction and asked.

"The Vadállat clan holds a transcendent status in the Coria Kingdom, always disdainful of joining forces with other bloodbornes, let alone being subordinate."

"Why are you, a Vadállat, working for the Nez clan?"

The Vadállat clan is one of the two bloodborne clans with the greatest influence in the civilized world.

They mainly operate in the Coria Kingdom, secretly controlling the real ruling power of the kingdom, referred to with awe by knowledgeable nobles as the Blood Court.

Although the Coria Kingdom also falls within the Holy Court's sphere of influence, the Holy Court's faith only exists among the populace, having long lost its influence within the actual ruling class.

Strangely, whether it's due to the Blood Court's cooperation with the Holy Court's spread of faith or some unknown agreements between the two, the Holy Court has always turned a blind eye to the affairs of the Coria Kingdom.

Charlotte knew these details from Sebastian.

Back when this elven butler traveled through the Coria Kingdom, unaware of the true situation, he offended the Vadállat's Pure White Witch at a bloodborne gathering and was hunted by the entire Vadállat clan for over a decade until he fled to the Crescent Kingdom...

One could say that Vadállat is the strongest and most assertive clan among the six major bloodborne clans.

Charlotte looked at Gikode, waiting for his answer.

Gikode, showing pain, trembled and said:

"I... am an exile from Vadállat..."

Exile?

Charlotte frowned.

"Exile is what Vadállat calls its banished members. He must have committed some betrayal or become a victim of internal political struggles. In short, he should be a disgraced and banished Vadállat bloodborne."

Sebastian explained.

Charlotte understood and nodded slightly.

She glanced at the piles of mithril in the cave and asked indirectly.

"Where are these mithril ultimately being transported to?"

However, this time, Gikode trembled more violently than ever.

His eyes rolled back, his whole body convulsed, veins bulging on his face, his throat making gurgling sounds, and his aura began to rapidly destabilize.

Not good!

Charlotte's expression changed slightly.

This was a direct touch on the deepest taboo of the soul contract, a sign of contract backlash!

In an instant, she flashed in front of Gikode, placing her hand on his forehead, attempting to counteract the restraints of his soul.

However, it was already too late.

"These mithril... are to be sent to... Castell's..."

Gikode convulsed a few more times, his eyes losing their luster, and he fell to the ground, dead.

Charlotte's eyes darkened.

The soul contract on Gikode was more domineering than she had imagined; just a slight delay had already resulted in his death.

"It's a true soul contract of the bloodbornes, one of the most domineering soul contracts in Myria."

The black cat Nice stepped forward, solemnly stating.

"Yes, I've heard of such contracts too, said to be as notorious as the Servant's Final Oath."

Sebastian nodded solemnly.

Nice: ...

The black cat's expression froze.

Sebastian, unaware he had touched on a sensitive topic, muttered in confusion:

"To sign such a true soul contract... Even as an exile, he is still a proud Vadállat. What did the Nez clan offer him?"

Puzzled, Sebastian shook his head and respectfully said to Charlotte:

"Master, it seems that the final destination of this mithril is the key to the Nez clan's scheme."

"The Nez clan's headquarters are already quite close to Castell. It appears they have taken advantage of the Castell family's decline to extend their influence deep into the county."

Charlotte nodded slightly, sharing the same judgment as Sebastian.

It was clear that Gikode, as an exile, had been recruited by the Nez clan.

Although his various reactions and answers didn't directly resolve her doubts, they indicated that the hidden force influencing the local nobles' attitudes towards her was likely the Nez clan.

The Nez clan had infiltrated Castell and might have even co-opted some of the local nobility.

They were probably plotting something in Castell.

Thinking of this, Charlotte narrowed her eyes slightly.

It seemed she needed to pay extra attention to the upcoming banquet in a few days and clean up the traitors within her ranks.

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Moreover, the Nez clan...

Charlotte's eyes flashed.

"Sebastian, when we return, thoroughly investigate the flow of mithril in the territory over the past few years, especially in the black market."

Although Gikode was dead, he had pointed Charlotte in the right direction.

Finding out where the mithril went might reveal the Nez clan's secrets.

The usually reclusive Nez clan's uncharacteristic intervention in Castell might be tied to a secret they were plotting.

And that... was definitely not just because Castell produced mithril!

"At your command."

Sebastian said, placing his right hand over his chest.

After speaking, he approached Gikode's body, retrieved the cursed page he held, and searched his pockets.

With Gikode dead, the last dragon scales on his face had fallen off.

When Sebas turned him over, a pale, handsome face was revealed.

Seeing this face, the kneeling young werewolf, Noah, couldn't help but exclaim:

"Ah! He is the chief steward of the mining workshop! He is Sir Kode, the chief steward of the mining workshop!"

The chief steward of the mining workshop?

Charlotte glanced at the young werewolf, her mind stirred.

As Castell's biggest money-maker, the appointment of the mining workshop's chief steward required a vote by all the nobles with dividend rights, with the final decision made by the Count of Castell.

Of course, the count's title had been vacant for many years.

Although Charlotte had been the titular young count for over a decade, her father had died in battle without naming her as his successor. Before she took over, her grandmother had interfered in the management of the county and was not recognized by the territory's nobles.

Her grandmother had clearly given up control of Castell County, likely not participating in the appointment of the steward, leaving this power entirely in the hands of the territorial nobles.

In other words, Gikode's appointment as steward indicated that the nobles of Castell had been infiltrated more deeply than Charlotte had imagined.

"Master, your gospel page."

Sebastian said, respectfully presenting the gospel page with both hands.

Charlotte nodded slightly, taking it with satisfaction and was surprised to find a small, exquisite wooden box with intricate thorny rose patterns along with the gospel page.

It was the same thorny rose pattern Charlotte had casually drawn when deciding her holy symbol...

But she was sure the pattern on the wooden box had nothing to do with her. Considering the origin of the thorny rose pattern, this should be an item from the Coria Kingdom.

"This was found on Gikode, tightly held to his chest, possibly containing key information."

Sebastian said respectfully.

Charlotte nodded and opened the wooden box.

The next second, a melodious tune started playing from the box, and two lifelike mechanical dolls appeared, dancing gracefully to the music.

Charlotte and the others were stunned; it turned out to be a music box.

The music box didn't contain any information, only a luxurious badge and a carefully folded, yellowed parchment.

Charlotte first examined the badge, which was a shield-shaped emblem depicting a fierce dragon.

"This should be Gikode's family crest. He was likely a noble in Coria."

Sebastian surmised.

Charlotte nodded, put away the badge, and picked up the parchment, discovering it was an unsent letter.

She opened it and read.

"To my beloved Cici,

As I write you this letter, I am far from home, in the deep of night when I miss you the most. At this moment, you are all I can think of.

Knowing you have been my luck, and the longer I spend with you, the stronger my attachment grows. I long for your warm embrace, passionate kisses, romantic walks, and the happiness of being with you...

My love, I have successfully suppressed the backlash of the black dragon's power... Wait for my return. Once I fulfill my agreement with Nez, I will return to Coria and reclaim what belongs to us.

All glory to Fekte!

Yours, Gikode."

After reading the letter, Charlotte put it away, feeling a bit emotional.

It seemed Gikode was a bloodborne with a story, but unfortunately, he ultimately lost himself in the black dragon's power, unable to remember who he was.

"Sebas, have you heard of Fekte?"

Charlotte asked, thinking of the name mentioned in the letter.

"Fekte? It sounds like the previous royal family's surname in the Coria Kingdom, but they were overthrown many years ago."

Sebastian replied with a frown.

Then he curiously asked.

"Master, what did the letter say?"

"It's not information, just Gikode's private letter. Perhaps his exile was related to political struggles in the Coria Kingdom."

Charlotte said, handing the letter to Sebastian.

Sebas read it and sighed.

"It seems he was a bloodborne supporting the previous royal family in Coria, possibly in love with a noble lady of the royal family. Cici... could she be Princess Cici of the former Coria royal family?"

Charlotte's heart stirred.

"Is the Fekte family human?"

"Yes, at least the vast majority are."

Sebastian replied, handing back the letter.

"Bloodbornes and humans in love..."

Charlotte said thoughtfully.

She didn't discard Gikode's belongings but instead kept them properly.

Then, Charlotte looked at the still-kneeling living corpses in the cave.

Estimating that the bloodborne girl Agnes on the other side of the Book of the Dead had likely been drained, Charlotte chose not to use the Book's power but instead called upon the divine power of blood, softly sighing:

"Your suffering... is over."

She opened her arms slightly, and delicate crimson light spread throughout the cave. The living corpses trembled slightly, the ghostly green flames in their eye sockets flickering with more life.

They all bowed to Charlotte, their bodies disintegrating into piles of bones.

As a breeze blew, Charlotte saw the souls of the miners slowly ascend and dissipate.

The living corpse miners, as forsaken beings, were not typical undead. Their souls had been desecrated, losing their sanctity and unable to return to the realm of the gods.

For them, returning to the earth was the best fate...

Young werewolf Noah, watching the dispersing living corpse miners, looked sorrowful.

He pursed his lips and said sadly.

"I didn't expect the chief steward of the mining workshop to be the mastermind..."

"So, the black dragon my brother believed in, the truth was like this..."

Black dragon?

Charlotte and Sebastian exchanged a curious glance.

Niss chuckled lightly.

"Black dragon? Hey, little Noah, he wasn't the black dragon your brother saw."

"Your brother likely didn't lie to you. There was indeed a dragon here, and it was a black dragon."

"The power of the black dragon... Just think, where did his black dragon power come from?"

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