Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel
Chapter 51: -47- I will dedicate myself to God!

Chapter 51: -47- I will dedicate myself to God!

Quiet.

A hush fell over the room.

As Charlotte nervously declared her heart belonged to someone, an eerie silence enveloped the entire banquet.

"You... you... you... Castel! Do you have any idea what you’re saying?"

"He’s a priest! And an old geezer at that!"

"Have you lost your mind!?"

A young male noble’s eyes widened, and he couldn’t help but blurt out in shock.

Hearing his words, the girl’s eyes similarly widened, brimming with confusion and disbelief. Her blushing cheeks also betrayed a hint of embarrassment:

"Lord Jordan... what are you talking about? That’s so rude!"

Having said this, Charlotte turned her gaze back to the front. She brought her hands together, her expression one of devout purity, and her soft and naive voice was filled with a simple yearning and fervor:

"What I mean is my heart already belongs to the great Divine Lord, to the supreme sanctity..."

Seeing the girl once again turn her gaze towards him, Lawuer’s eyes momentarily twitched.

However, when he caught something out of the corner of his eye on the wall behind him, he swiftly and subtly shifted to the side.

Charlotte’s gaze, though, remained unchanged.

As the nobles followed the girl’s line of sight, they realized she wasn’t looking at the old priest Lawuer but rather at the mural behind him!

To be more precise, it was a religious decorative painting depicting Divine Lord Haral creating a new world after the apocalyptic great flood.

The young noble who had interrupted the girl was suddenly brought to a stunned halt, his face flush with embarrassment, wishing he could disappear into a crack in the floor.

And Charlotte, reverently making the sign of the Ring Cross before her chest, fondly recalled with a blissful and pious expression:

"That night, after encountering such an event, I was truly frightened... fearful... and in despair..."

"It was the knights of the Church who rescued me, bringing light into my darkness."

"During my time at the Church Hospital, Lord Laino and Lord Lotti would accompany me and talk to me every day."

"In the process of communicating with them, I deeply felt the grandeur and sanctity of the Divine Lord..."

"I thought... it must be because the Castel family has committed too many unforgivable sins that I, as the heir, suffered such a terrible calamity."

"Yet, even so, God was still willing to forgive me, accept me, and save me..."

"After being discharged, I engaged in deep conversations with the priests every day, exploring our Lord’s teachings."

"And as I gained a deeper understanding, I felt ever more strongly the greatness of our Lord, felt overwhelmingly the vastness of the divine radiance..."

"From that moment on, the black-and-white world had new colors; I saw the light, I saw the future, I saw my true destiny..."

"My heart... already belongs to the great sanctity."

As she spoke, the young girl bowed slightly, respectfully saluting the image of Divine Lord Haral on the mural with a voice full of veneration and heartfelt gratitude:

"Glory to... the sanctity!"

The crystal lights shone upon her, casting a dreamlike splendor.

The beautiful girl in a white dress displayed her piety, like an angel in service to the deity.

Witnessing this sacred moment, the priests were also moved, their faces reflecting remembrance, as if they were recalling the first time they knelt under the brilliance of the Divine Lord, their inner longing and awe, their devotion and fervor.

The aged Great Priest sighed softly, and he too extended his hand to make the sign of the Ring Cross upon his chest:

"Glory to... the sanctity."

The priests followed suit, tracing the Holy Emblem, their voices devout and resolute:

"Glory to... the sanctity!"

The nobles fell silent.

Watching the priests, reflecting on the young girl’s impact, seeing her clear, unblemished eyes, and her happy, content smile, they found the scene absurd yet many couldn’t help but think:

She’s... serious!

And even more nobles, who had been following the girl since the Blood Demon incident at Castel Manor, were sunk in thought.

Because upon reflection, they indeed noticed many details.

After being rescued, Charlotte was indeed very enthusiastic about all kinds of activities in the Church, attending services and various religious ceremonies in the church from start to finish each day.

Even after returning home, she still spent a significant amount of money inviting priests to the manor...

These were not secrets; they were verifiable by anyone interested.

The Bold Duke slightly furrowed his brow.

He glanced at the nobles below him, and an old count understood the cue, stepping forward with a serious expression looking towards the praying girl:

"Miss Castel, are you serious?"

"Please don’t forget you are the heir to the Castels. If you choose to join the Church as a priest, it means becoming a monk, unable to marry, and unable to inherit any land."

"That means you’ll be voluntarily giving up your right to inherit!"

Upon hearing the old count’s words, Charlotte smiled slightly and made an elegant bow:

"Count Gaston, I appreciate your reminder."

"I indeed have the intention to join the Church and dedicate everything to the Divine, but I have not forgotten the obligations as a member of the Castel family."

The old count frowned:

"You mean to say you wish to become a noble priest without a real position in the Church?"

"But allow me to speak frankly, noble priests can also marry, so this is not a reason for you to refuse the Duke."

Having heard the count’s words, Charlotte replied apologetically:

"I’m sorry, Count, I did not express myself clearly."

"I said I would dedicate everything to our great Lord, and that includes not just myself, but also the territory I am about to inherit."

"As everyone knows, although the Northern Territory Dukedom successfully repelled the Beastman Tribe, the entire Kingdom is still lost in faith, in need of our Lord to bring forth light."

"But in the North, our Lord has always lacked enough strength."

"I want to contribute my strength to our Lord."

"As a member of Castel, I must take up the responsibility of inheriting my family’s legacy."

"Likewise, in order to dedicate everything to my Lord, I will also choose not to marry."

"In the limited time of my life, I will live for the subjects, be loyal to the Lord, be a faithful vassal, and fulfill Castel’s responsibilities and obligations."

"At the same time, I will fulfill the responsibilities of a Holy believer, to spread our Lord’s radiance to the North as much as I can!"

"I promise, when I return to our Lord’s Kingdom in the future, I will dedicate everything to the Lord, and the Holy Emblem will replace the Eagle Flag, flying high over Castel!"

Upon hearing the young lady’s words, the expressions of the nobles in the hall changed dramatically.

"You mean... you plan to offer Castel’s territory to the Church?!"

"Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! The... King will never consent to this! It violates the provisions of the Holy Code!"

The old count said angrily.

The other nobles also echoed this sentiment with scolding, cursing, and accusations, all pointing towards the idea that what the young girl wanted to do was illegal and unacceptable.

It wasn’t until an elderly voice spoke up that everyone quieted down:

"Why... can’t it be?"

The Great Priest had spoken.

The old man, always with a kind smile and the highest clergyman of the Bold Duchy, for the first time put away his smile.

He glanced at the infuriated nobles with a calm demeanor and said slowly:

"The Holy Code does indeed stipulate that the Church cannot seize the lands of the nobles."

"But it does not stipulate that devout believers cannot offer their land to the Church."

"Moreover, that’s for the future. Even if the Church came to own the land, it would just form a Divine Right Earldom, not be annexed into the central Royal Court, becoming part of the Church Authority Country."

"The Divine Authority Domain would still be loyal to the Lord, still belong to the Duchy, even a part of the Kingdom."

"Have all of you forgotten? Of the twelve duchies under the New Moon Kingdom, three are Divine Authority Domanis."

The Great Priest’s voice was gentle and calm.

And the angry nobles fell collectively into silence.

That said, as one pole of Mireya’s secular world, the Church naturally also possesses land.

Perhaps deities do not care about the secular land, but only about faith; however, priests, who spread the deity’s grace, do care.

Priests need to eat, priests’ evangelism needs funding, priests are human, and being human means having one’s own desires.

The Church Authority Country and Divine Authority Domain were born in such an environment.

The Church Authority Country, located in the eastern part of West Yonette, was established with the support of the founding emperor of the first Yonette Empire, Charlemagne I, where the entire country is completely ruled by the Holy Royal Court and led by the Chief High Priest of the Holy Royal Court.

Meanwhile, it is also the central hub of the Holy Royal Court.

The Divine Authority Domain, however, is somewhat different, regarded as a special form of vassalage, often called a religious vassal by nobles. They are mostly established by ruling rulers of nations seeking Church support.

The lords of the Divine Authority Domain are not nobles, but priests, and according to the size of the land, they are commonly referred to as Earldom priests or Public Domain Chief Priests, mostly appointed by the Church.

In the world of Mireya, Divine Authority Domain is not uncommon, with large and small domains located within secular nations, where the rulers are almost always priests or Chief Priests appointed by the Holy Royal Court, yet they are still loyal to the secular lords.

Aside from their ruler being a priest, and half of the contract tax being turned over to the Church Authority Country, and the conscripted soldiers provided to the lords being halved, there aren’t many differences between them and other noble vassals; and because of the provisions of the Holy Code, the Divine Authority Domain will not participate in the lords’ battles or expand proactively.

Incidentally, there are also nobles beneath the Divine Authority Domain.

However, unless granted the authority to appoint religious vassals, most rulers of secular nations do not like Divine Authority Domains, not only because they pay half the taxes and provide half the conscripted soldiers, but also because the right to appoint the lords of the Divine Authority Domains lies with the Church Authority Country. This leads to monarchs lacking adequate control over the Divine Authority Domains and being unable to reclaim them by regular means like reclaiming noble lands.

The struggle between Royal Authority and Divine Right in the world of Mireya is often centered around the Divine Authority Domain.

And for this reason, when it comes to matters concerning the Divine Authority Domain, the usually indifferent Holy Royal Court would immediately be energized and stand its ground.

At this moment, the nobles were utterly silent.

Their gaze fell upon the pure young lady, and for a moment, they were uncertain whether she truly became a zealous Holy believer, or if she was merely using the Church as a shield...

"Well then, let us continue the feast. These are matters for the future, and today’s protagonists are none other than our Duke and Lord Laino, and the elder has yet to perform the Holy Rite on Lord Laino."

The Great Priest said with a slight smile, speaking gently.

The Holy Rite is a sacred ceremony that every noble must undergo upon reaching adulthood, representing the recognition of their nobility by the deity.

For an illegitimate child, it also represents the legalization of their formal status.

Looking at the smiling Great Priest, the old duke’s face turned unpleasant for the first time.