Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 145: -133- Deity and Faith

Chapter 145: -133- Deity and Faith

Charlotte’s inquiry plunged Lotti into silence once again.

With a light sigh, she nodded her head:

"Yes, indeed, I have been thinking about them..."

"The Bold Duke was one of the masterminds behind the Flame Demon Disaster, and my father’s fall was closely linked to his support..."

"Perhaps his initial intention was not to bring forth the Flame Demon, but his indulgence brought too much suffering to the people of Bold."

"The Great Priest was even worse, being the highest-ranking clergy of the Bold Church, yet he became the protector of the Drunk Dream Saloon—even he himself... was a guest of honor at the saloon."

"I am not content... If I do not make their crimes known to the world, if I cannot see them receive the punishment they deserve, I will not rest..."

"The Broey family has done too many wrong things, and in the end, they suffered backlash and were punished..."

"It was our own doing."

"But I cannot stand idly by and watch those behind the scenes, those high and mighty protectors, still thriving in the light..."

Saying this, Lotti gave a bitter smile and said self-deprecatingly:

"You could say it’s also my sense of injustice."

Charlotte was moved:

"Do you want to personally reveal their crimes?"

Lotti nodded:

"Yes, as a witness to everything, I believe I have the responsibility and the duty to make the truth known."

"Although the ceremony that year failed, I did indeed survive, and later even gradually recovered from chronic frailty..."

"The Blood Demon Church did not completely deceive my father; I regained my health because I received the life force of those innocent girls who were sacrificed."

"During the years I’ve been in hiding, to gain the trust of the Tulip Count, I’ve also done many wrong things, watching those girls slide into darkness with my eyes wide open..."

"My very existence is a sin."

"All I can do is repent and expose those truths, to clear the names of those innocent girls..."

"That was my original intention when I joined the Holy Royal Court."

"I joined the Holy Royal Court not just to follow the Tulip Count’s orders to get close to the Great Priest, but with a heart full of repentance..."

Saying this, Lotti let out a long sigh:

"Of course, when I joined, even I did not expect that the Holy Royal Court, which persuades people towards goodness and upholds order and justice... was not so sacred after all."

"The power of clergy comes from the deity, from faith in the deities..."

"Yet, even though the Great Priest is so fallen, the Light of Faith upon him remains so dazzling..."

"I am lost..."

"I once thought I could cleanse the sins of my heart with holy faith, but today, even the meaning of faith itself... has become unclear to me."

Lotti’s expression was filled with desolation.

After hearing Lotti’s words, Charlotte set down her goblet, pondering:

"It’s normal to feel lost, but rather than a bestowed faith, I believe what’s more important is your own heart..."

"In my view, faith is merely a tool to clarify your heart, it’s the beliefs and values imposed upon you by the deity."

"If your heart is still clear, if your inner strength remains strong, what then if you are without faith?"

"Your heart, the beliefs within you, that is your faith."

Listening to Charlotte’s words, Sebastian, who was serving at the side, had his eyelids twitching wildly.

Good grief...

What a statement, that one does not need faith!

And that the heart and convictions are faith itself!

Such talk that disparages deity’s faith, probably only the Lady of the Dark Night could utter!

And... it was spoken in front of a priest from the Holy Royal Court!

Wait a minute...

If that’s the case, if everyone can be their own deity, then why the need for supreme deities?

But that’s not right either...

Transcendent power comes from the deity, from the deity’s original blessings upon the race and Ancestor... any True God can impose Divine Punishment and strip away the power of the Transcendent.

Without the faith in the deity, what is left for a mortal stripped of power?

Sebastian was confused.

Charlotte did not pay attention to Sebastian’s strange expression.

She mused for a moment, then continued:

"Don’t worry about the Duke and the Great Priest, they will receive the punishment they deserve. As for you, I think you should no longer be involved in this matter."

Saying this, she smiled slightly:

"Sister Lotti, when I entered your dreamscape, I also saw your memories. I know you have never lost your true heart, nor have you ever fallen..."

"The Judgement Court is always harsh, and your identity is somewhat special, Charlotte," said Mary. "It’s not worth getting yourself in trouble for the sake of the Great Priest and the Duke."

"Consider the proposal of Miss Mary," Charlo added gently. "Perhaps my Castel Domain could use a just priest to preside over it..."

Upon hearing Charlotte’s words, Lotti paused for a moment, lost in thought.

Charlotte smiled and said, "Sister Lotti, let’s have a meal first. You can think about the proposals from Miss Mary and me afterward."

...

After dining with Charlotte, Lotti excused herself and left.

Charlotte did not try to keep her nor continue to persuade her.

She knew the priestess needed some time to think things over carefully.

She also knew that Lotti had realized there was something amiss with her identity.

However, from the question "May I address you as Charlotte?" she understood that no matter who she was, in Lotti’s heart, she would always be "Charlotte."

Perhaps it was Charlotte’s protection of the Castel family that had won Lotti’s acknowledgment.

Or maybe it was gratitude for saving Mary.

Regardless of the reason, Lotti’s acknowledgement was heartening for her.

As for Charlotte’s "Evil God" identity...

It seemed Lotti was not yet clear on that, or perhaps it was a protective instinct of the soul that made the details of the previous night hazy in her memory.

Sebastian explained that mere mortals simply couldn’t gaze directly upon the grandeur of a deity.

If a deity didn’t wish to leave an impression in the minds of mortals, they would even forget having encountered a deity in the blink of an eye.

Charlotte did not believe that she truly was a deity.

But in the form of True Ancestor Liberation, she had indeed wielded power akin to that of a deity.

The fact that Lotti’s memory of those moments was forgotten might well have something to do with this, considering that she was but a First Tier Transcendent among the starry ranks.

However, her conversation with Lotti had sparked another question for Charlotte.

In the world of Mireya, deities ruled everything, and all Transcendent powers originated from deities.

So what, then, was the true nature of the relationship between deities and Transcendents, deities and believers?

What was the connection between the strength of faith and the power of the clergy?

Doubts...

Charlotte truly had her doubts.

She had once believed that the power of faith was both the source of a deity’s power and that of the clergy, and even the Holy Code of the Holy Royal Court stated as much.

But now, it appeared it wasn’t so straightforward.

The biggest proof was that even a Fallen Great Priest could still receive the protection of the Holy Light.

It left Charlotte greatly puzzled.

The Black Cat Nisi had told her that deities only needed believers and didn’t care about the corruption of faith; deities were nothing more than parasites cloaked in deceit...

Yet the power of the clergy did indeed come from the gods.

Not only the clergy, but even the Nobles were powerful because their ancestors were Favored by the gods.

If deities didn’t care about the corruption of their believers’ faith, if they were indeed "parasites," then what did they want to extract from their believers?

What was the true standard by which the clergy’s strength was judged?

Was it truly as the Holy Code stated, that the more devout, the more powerful one became?

Or was there a different set of undisclosed criteria for selection?

Charlotte didn’t know.

But she felt that if she could unravel these mysteries, she might discover the greatest secret of the gods of the Mireya world...

And at the same time, perhaps this was key to her controlling the Blood Holy Scripture and ascending to the true Divine Throne like in the Mythical legends!

Of course, the secrets of the gods were not something she could uncover overnight.

Even with ambition, she must proceed step by step.

Over these days, Charlotte had read many Divine Enthronement myths of the Mireya world, and in every legend, the new deity that ascended to divinity first needed to possess Legendary power.

Even if she wished to become a true god, Charlotte would have to raise her actual strength to that of a Legendary first.

As for the relationship between believers and deities...

Charlotte had many ideas, many hypotheses, and even experiments she wanted to try, but all that would have to wait until she left Bold, returning to her own turf.

Returning her thoughts to the present, Charlotte went back to her study.

Sebastian followed at her side, seemingly wanting to say something but hesitating.

Charlotte sensed it and asked, "Is there something on your mind?"

Sebastian hesitated for a moment, then asked respectfully, "Master... are you considering making a move against the Duke and the Great Priest next?"

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