Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 316: Sincerity

Chapter 316: Sincerity

"Oh? Not enough? Then could you tell me what terms would suffice to obtain the Castel family’s support?"

Count Yulster furrowed his brow and asked.

Charlotte paused for a moment and said,

"Lord Yulster, to speak frankly, the terms you’ve presented were already sufficient to persuade me, but unfortunately... considering the Falling Star Bloodline’s past conduct within the Castel Domain, I find it difficult to trust you."

"The fact that you are willing to share all cooperating nobles’ data with us indeed shows sincerity, but on the other hand, had it not been for the Nais Clan’s intervention, my Castel family’s relationship with the local nobles would not be this delicate..."

"As for what you called ’losing the trust of the Northern Territory nobles,’ trust between nobles is mostly non-existent under normal circumstances. It’s all about interests. As long as the interests are significant enough, there will always be someone who takes risks, so it doesn’t really explain much."

"What you’ve already offered is not even sufficient to compensate for our own losses, and the things you promise are illusory and lack a foundation for mutual trust between us."

Upon hearing this, Count Yulster’s brow smoothed, and he smiled, saying,

"Lord Castel need not worry about that; our presence here already signifies our sincerity. If you have doubts, we can sign a contract."

Charlotte shook her head:

"Empty words cannot really earn trust, and as for contracts... any contract could have loopholes. Rather than promises, I’d prefer to see actions."

"Oh? Lord Castel, what kind of actions would you like to see?"

Count Yulster asked.

Charlotte paused slightly and replied,

"Lord Yulster, thanks to your efforts, the internal situation in the Castel Domain is currently not stable. To be honest, perhaps because they believe that Castel can’t afford to be distracted, there have been rather troublesome characters stealthily making small moves around the Northern Territory recently."

"While they are but jumping clowns, they are indeed annoying. If your side truly has sincerity, why not show me your power first?"

Count Yulster raised his eyebrow:

"Are you referring to those lords near Castel? You want our Nais Clan to step in and intimidate them?"

Charlotte smiled:

"Since your side intends to overturn the Falling Star Royal Authority, it shouldn’t be impossible to deter a few New Moon lords, should it? To my knowledge, the forces you have arranged in New Moon aren’t limited to just the Castel front."

"If you forgo nobles from Castel, as well as those surrounding it, then I could truly believe that you are indeed extending goodwill towards us."

Count Yulster looked surprised:

"You seem to know a lot."

Charlotte smiled silently.

Of course, she knew a lot, having observed an entire long-distance meeting of the Nais Clan, with most attendees being from the Bloodline Clan involved in underground activities in the New Moon Kingdom and its surroundings.

Not just Castel, many neighboring lords and nobles were their targets for persuasion, but it seemed that Castel was the most important one.

After a brief contemplation, Count Yulster nodded decisively:

"No problem. Since you wish to see sincerity, we will show it. I can guarantee that in the coming time, those lords near you will not have the energy to bother Castel anymore."

Hmm...?

That straightforward?

Seeing Count Yulster agree so readily, Charlotte felt a bit surprised.

Noticing her expression, Count Yulster laughed and said,

"You needn’t be surprised. Compared to Castel, the courting of surrounding nobles was only incidental."

"If gaining your support means giving up the support of other New Moon nobles, it’s worth it."

"However..."

Count Yulster’s expression gradually became serious, and his crimson eyes deeply gazed at Charlotte:

"I hope you understand, our willingness to extend an olive branch and use the Romany Duchy as a bargaining chip is not merely to curry favor with Castel but also with the ’thorny rose’ that symbolizes Your Majesty behind you."

Count Yulster stressed the term "Your Majesty."

Charlotte looked at him somewhat surprised; she hadn’t expected the Blood Count to suddenly leap to their suspicions about the "Thorny Rose."

No, it couldn’t be called suspicion anymore.

Various signs indicated that the Nais Clan truly believed in the existence of a deity symbolized by the Thorny Rose behind Castel.

Watching Charlotte’s surprised expression, Count Yulster laughed:

"Count, you needn’t be surprised. The Nais Clan knows more than you might expect."

"But rest assured, we have no intention to interfere or threaten; rather, we prefer to coexist peacefully."

"The Romany Duchy represents not only a vast territory but also millions of potential Believers. I believe that’s crucial for any great Mythical being’s resurgence. For us, Nais, exchanging a duchy sure to be relinquished in the future for the friendship of a grand being is quite the bargain."

"Meanwhile, to deceive a Divine Power that has already awakened in Mireya for hundreds of years... such a cost is not something the Nais Clan is willing to bear."

"The Holy Royal Court may be powerful, but its core strength is far in Eastern Yonette, while Castel... is our near neighbor!"

"Lord Castel, having said this, you must believe in our sincerity now, right?"

"Not only that, but we can also promise that if we succeed in taking the Falling Star Kingdom, our Nais Clan is willing to offer methods and resources that could help a deity recover their Divine Power quickly!"

Well, what do we have here?

The method and resources for restoring Divine Power?

Charlotte’s eyelids twitched wildly, and she nearly lost her composure.

Indeed, this offer was sufficiently sincere.

To think, the Bloodline Clan, with their thousands of years of history, even possessed the means and resources to aid a deity in regaining Divine Power...

The other party’s words were almost an outright admission that they knew of a "resurging deity" behind the Castels.

Although Charlotte had long been aware from the remote meetings of the Nais Clan that they knew quite a bit about her own affairs, the significance was entirely different when they openly addressed it at this moment.

At this juncture, Charlotte realized another issue.

It seemed that the Nais Clan sought not only the support of the Castels but also that of the "deity behind the Castels"!

No, or perhaps not support, it might be more of a gesture of goodwill, or even an investment.

Of course, only she knew what this so-called "deity" truly was.

But what puzzled Charlotte was how the Nais Clan had come to know that she, as this "deity behind the scenes," was in dire need of means and resources to restore Divine Power?

And moreover... what was this about being awakened for hundreds of years?

Looking at the Blood Count before her, who bore an expression as if to say, "We of the Nais Clan indeed know everything, you need not continue to pretend to be a believer of the Holy Royal Court," Charlotte couldn’t help but feel that there had perhaps been some kind of misunderstanding.

Regardless, a duchy that complemented the Northern Territory, along with ways to help restore her Divine Power... Truly, Charlotte was completely tempted.

But she knew she had to keep her composure.

The other party must have misunderstood something, assuming that there was a powerful, secret deity by her side when only she knew that she was a counterfeit with a sixty-second cheat.

Even her cheat was of legendary status, bearing the position of a Mythical figure yet lacking the power of one. She could at most bully those Bloodline individuals susceptible to Bloodline Suppression.

After pondering for a moment, Charlotte said:

"Count, your intelligence system is indeed surprising, but... the thoughts of a God are beyond Mortal comprehension. I am merely the lord of the Castels, and I cannot promise anything on His behalf."

"However... I have indeed seen the sincerity of your offer, and now it’s time for action."

Count Yulster nodded, smiling:

"That is enough. You will soon see our sincerity, and I hope we will have pleasant cooperation in the future..."

With that, he raised his goblet filled with mead.

"Let’s hope so."

Charlotte also smiled slightly and likewise raised her goblet, which held a milk-based drink.

The two exchanged glances and downed the contents of their cups.

"Oh, right."

Charlotte set down her cup, suddenly adding:

"Since we are being frank with one another, there is one more thing I believe I should convey."

Count Yulster’s demeanor shifted slightly:

"Yes? Please, speak."

Charlotte paused before saying:

"Since you have investigated my background, you should be aware that I have unresolved issues with the Blood Demon Church..."

"The Blood Demon Church? Please rest assured, Count. Although we are both of the Bloodline, we actually do not get along either. In fact, I’ve always disliked those who act without any scruples."

Count Yulster blurted out subconsciously.

Charlotte raised an eyebrow:

"Oh? But are you aware that, during your infiltration into the silver mines owned by the Castels, there was a shadow of the Blood Demon Church behind that?"

"The shadow of the Blood Demon Church?"

Count Yulster was momentarily taken aback.

It seemed he had made some connections, and his expression grew increasingly serious as he asked:

"Are you... certain?"

"It appears you were unaware? And here I thought, Count, that you had already established a deep cooperation with the Blood Demon Church! It’s just that... it doesn’t seem like the relationship between your two parties is as good as we had imagined. At the very least, a few days ago, our people discovered signs of a clash between your men and the Blood Demon Church in the northern part of Castel Domain."

Charlotte feigned surprise.

Count Yulster’s expression became more solemn.

After seeming to ponder something and growing somewhat uncertain, he gave Charlotte a bow and spoke:

"Lord Castel, thank you for the information. We will demonstrate the sincerity of the Nais Clan without delay and look forward to the day when we collaborate with the Castels and Your Majesty behind you!"

"I shall report the negotiation details to the Duke promptly, and please await my good news..."

With that, Count Yulster promptly excused himself.

As Charlotte watched his grave departure, a thought struck her:

It seems... there might be some undercurrents between the Blood Demon Church and the Nais Clan that she was unaware of?

...

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.