Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 38: -35- Flame Demon Disaster and Rampant Rumors

Chapter 38: -35- Flame Demon Disaster and Rampant Rumors

"Flame Demon Disaster?"

Charlotte’s heart stirred.

She tried to recall earnestly, but could not remember anything concrete.

After crossing over, the memories Charlotte inherited were not very complete, especially those from her childhood. Memories from ten years ago seemed like a dividing line.

It was an unavoidable situation; humans are not machines, and memories naturally fade over time, retaining only some relatively deep impressions of far distant experiences.

It was the same in her previous life; as she grew older, her childhood memories faded, and by the time Charlotte herself was ready to start a family, only the old willow tree in her grandmother’s yard and the warm quilts her mother had sun-dried that carried the scent of the sun remained.

It was similar after crossing over.

In the memories Charlotte inherited, the impressions from her childhood included only fragmented experiences of visiting Duchess Catherine at the Duke Mansion with her parents.

Other than that, there were memories of running and laughing in the woods with playmates from her youth.

Huh?

Playmates?

At that moment, new fragments of memory flashed through Charlotte’s mind.

These seemed to be memories buried in the deepest part of her original self, which gradually surfaced as she delved deeper into her recollections.

She seemed to see a familiar grove, a beautiful garden, and a lovely manor, where a young Charlotte happily ran under the sun following two beautiful girls, playing hide and seek joyfully together.

But the next second, the beautiful manor turned into a sea of flames.

She heard someone crying in pain, someone screaming in agony, someone shouting...

She seemed to see the entire sky turn a fiery red, saw her father and mother pat Charlotte’s little head, softly instructing her to hide and not to run around, then they pulled out their magic wands, joined hands, and decisively charged towards a majestic red figure in the distance...

Hmm?

Am I crying?

In a daze, Charlotte suddenly found her vision blurred.

Those were not her tears.

Those were Charlotte’s.

Those were the instinctive responses of this delicate body when painful memories resurfaced, memories she did not wish to recall...

"It seems you have remembered," said Casimodo.

"Considering what you went through, such painful events—even if you tried to forget—how could you possibly forget them completely?"

Looking at the tear-stained girl, Casimodo sighed softly.

Charlotte: ...

No, I haven’t remembered anything, this is just the natural reaction of this body!

She wanted to say that.

Fortunately, it seemed that memories were also being invoked, and Casimodo soon began to speak to himself:

"Ten years ago, Count Broey, the great mage of the royal court of the Bold Duchy, invited small and great nobles to attend his twin daughters’ coming-of-age ceremony, including his good friend and colleague, my former master."

"My former master, the lady, and you, as a friend of Countess Broey, all attended."

"However, what no one expected was that the coming-of-age celebration was just a façade..."

"The true intent of Count Broey was to communicate with the Blood Demon Duke, using his own daughter’s body as a container to summon the most terrifying of the Dark Followers under the Blood Demon Duke—Flame Demon Vararoka!"

"He wanted to break through to legendary status, he wanted to gain the power of a demon!"

"He succeeded... The incarnation of the Legendary Demon descended, bringing endless disaster, and almost all the nobles who attended the ceremony perished, including your..."

Casimodo’s voice choked up, and he looked sorrowfully at the girl, unable to continue.

Charlotte knew he meant her original parents.

Perhaps inheriting the original self’s memories, inexplicably, a touch of sorrow emerged in her heart.

Charlotte quickly suppressed this flicker of sadness.

What happened in the past was in the past. If the original self had any regrets, as the successor, she was willing to smooth them over for the other party.

But what needed to be resolved now were the matters of the present and the future.

Count Broey...

This name sounded somewhat familiar, as if she had heard it somewhere...

Charlotte frowned slightly.

She soon recalled that it was the name of the owner of the abandoned manor she had been taken to last night.

Apart from that, she felt as though she had encountered this surname somewhere else after crossing over...

But she couldn’t recall where at the moment.

"But... what does this have to do with the assassin yesterday?"

The girl suppressed the doubts in her heart and continued to ask.

"That involves the secrets of the past. Although the Duke Mansion has been blocking the news to reduce the adverse effects, there are still many who know the inside story, including me," Casimodo sighed softly, then continued:

"The summoning of the Flame Demon by Count Broey was done through a ritual known as ’Pure Sacrifice.’"

"It is an evil sacrifice that requires the fresh blood of underage virgins."

"For this, he secretly abducted or kidnapped a large number of underage girls over the years, reportedly more than a thousand, including some daughters of nobles... Some of the girls were even just four or five years old."

"Beast!"

Charlotte spoke coldly.

Casimodo sighed,

"Who can argue with that... and it also includes the daughter of that assassin last night."

"He wasn’t just any assassin; he was once a declining noble without awakened powers. His three daughters... were kidnapped and eventually died in an evil sacrifice."

"His entire family was exterminated by Count Broey over a decade ago while trying to trace his daughters’ whereabouts. Only he survived because he was out at the time."

Charlotte was confused,

"But what does this have to do with him seeking revenge on me? Even if it was for revenge, shouldn’t he be going after Count Broey?"

Casimodo shook his head,

"The Broey family was already disgraced on the night of the Flame Demon Disaster."

"It’s their own fault. The entire family, hundreds of people, all died at the hands of the summoned Flame Demon avatars, including the count himself and his daughter."

"As for why the assassin came to kill you..."

Casimodo paused, smiling bitterly,

"Because you are the only survivor of that disaster, and also the only survivor among all the young women used as offerings..."

"After that disaster, there has always been a rumor around Bold City claiming that Count and Countess Castel, who are the leaders and deputy leaders of the Bold Mage Group, were actually in league with Count Broey."

"They supposedly conducted the evil sacrifice together, and that’s the only reason you survived."

"Absurd! They were heroes fighting against the Flame Demon avatars!"

Remembering certain fragmented images in her mind, Charlotte furrowed her brows.

"Yes, but what does it matter?"

Casimodo sighed,

"Rumors are the easiest things to spread and the easiest for people to believe. When everyone is spreading the same rumor, it becomes the truth in their minds."

"Human nature is fundamentally evil... The Castel family is rich and powerful, and for the masses, what could be more thrilling than watching a noble family’s downfall, condemning a noble family’s evil?"

"In fact, if not for Lady Catherine’s repeated denials and the Duke’s strong support for the Castel family, the rumors back then might still be circulating today!"

Casimodo was quite angered.

Upon hearing his words, Charlotte was moved,

"So... the incident at the estate recently has caused this suppressed rumor to resurface?"

"That’s exactly right, and it’s escalating..."

Casimodo sighed,

"Although the nobles all know the truth, the public does not, and neither did the assassin last night, who is no longer a noble."

"He still believes that the Castel family was in league with the Broey family, and the resurgence of these rumors has completely ignited his fury."

"A tragic father who has lost his daughters, lost his family, and fallen into madness."

Charlotte thus characterized the man.

After speaking, she rubbed her temples, sighing,

"So... the resurgence of these rumors is also someone’s doing behind the scenes, right?"

Casimodo bowed,

"I believe so."

He said, gritting his teeth,

"This is a conspiracy against you!"

"The inheritance of titles requires the blessing of the Church, and if the rumors continue to spread, combined with the actions of the old lady... the Castel family may well be branded by the Judgement Court as colluding with the Blood Demon Church!"

"And once that happens, your claim to the land and title would be greatly weakened, even outright stripped!"

Charlotte remained silent.

She finished the last sip of milk in her highball glass and snorted,

"So... the Duchy’s nobles are also happy to see this rumor spread, aren’t they? They must have helped fan the flames."

Casimodo sighed,

"Indeed... once your inheritance rights are weakened, the Castel family, in order to keep their title and lands, must form alliances through marriage with other nobles to fortify their claim and seek allies..."

"And this, for those nobles who covet our family’s wealth, is the greatest opportunity."

Upon hearing this, Charlotte let out a cold laugh,

"Heh, I know this all too well. Marry me, and then let me accidentally fall from a horse in the future? Do they think I am Mary of Burgundy!"

Casimodo didn’t quite understand,

"Mary of Burgundy?"

"Never mind, just a hapless duchess who owned a vast and wealthy land but eventually brought fortune to others."

Charlotte shook her head.

Casimodo scratched his head and thought for a long time but couldn’t recall any Duchess of Burgundy, but he understood the gist of what his master was implying.

Simply put, it’s another form of severe exploitation.

"So... if I, the sole heir, were to die now, to whom would the Castel family’s titles and lands revert?"

Charlotte motioned for Nisi to refill her milk and suddenly asked.

Casimodo hesitated for a moment, swallowed, and said,

"The Castel family is a branch of the Bold family..."