Gospel of Blood-Chapter 573 : Invitation from the Holy Court

The development of the magi-tech and alchemy industry had gone even more smoothly than Charlotte had anticipated.

Of course, Charlotte knew this was just the beginning.

Currently, the goal was to improve the financial situation of the Starfall Kingdom, but with the magi-tech industry revolution, a series of social changes would follow, which were even more crucial.

Moreover, with financial stability, the kingdom could officially start modernizing its military. A powerful extraordinary army was indispensable on the Myria continent.

Charlotte also needed to prepare for the Divinity Descent Day.

Her own strength was one thing, but even a true God wasn’t omnipotent. The extraordinary powers controlled by the secular world shouldn’t be underestimated.

Charlotte wasn’t sure how much power “Helios” had amassed in this era, but based on her observations, the enemy likely had infiltrated many forces on Myria, much like the Old Gods’ Alliance in her time-traveling experiences.

Charlotte might have to face enemies similar to the Old Gods’ Alliance in the future, and she had to be fully prepared for that.

The development of the magi-tech and alchemy industry was one of the two major changes in the Starfall Kingdom. The other was the transformation of its church.

During Charlotte’s three and a half years of absence, the Nightshade Cult, which worshipped the “God of Darkness and Order”, had grown significantly in the Starfall Kingdom.

With official and covert support from the kingdom, it had almost become equal to the Holy Court’s local branch, even subtly becoming the largest church in the kingdom.

As a result, even the Holy Court, which originally supported “Saintess Charlotte”, had sent seven protests and three warnings to the Starfall Kingdom over the past three and a half years.

If not for the Starfall Kingdom’s distance from the Holy Court’s core territory, the severe decline of the Holy Court itself, and the Nightshade Cult’s claim that “God Nyx” was also a member of the Holy Court, the church division in the Starfall Kingdom would have been targeted much sooner.

In truth, Charlotte was more surprised by the changes in the religious landscape than by the magi-tech industry’s growth.

She was amazed at how quickly her cult had developed, but even more so by the Holy Court’s inaction.

Honestly, before she fell asleep, one of her biggest concerns was the Holy Court intervening with the Nightshade Cult.

But in reality, the Holy Court’s response, despite multiple protests and warnings, was almost akin to “tolerance.”

Charlotte vividly remembered how the Holy Court dealt with heretics and pagans. She had witnessed it firsthand in the Crescent Kingdom.

In a way, the Holy Court’s reaction to the Nightshade Cult in the Starfall Kingdom was almost gentle.

“Has the Holy Court’s Inquisition not reacted?”

Charlotte looked at Nice and asked.

Nice, in a sense, was still an unofficial member of the Holy Court and had connections with several high-ranking clergies in the Crescent Kingdom. Charlotte knew he had private channels to understand some of the Holy Court’s internal secrets.

“No, they haven’t.”

Nice shook his head and answered.

“Technically, the Starfall Kingdom falls under the Crescent Diocese of the Holy Court, but in recent years, the Crescent Diocese has been too preoccupied with its own issues to have the energy to deal with us.”

“The Crescent Diocese of the Holy Court is preoccupied?”

Charlotte’s interest was piqued.

“Did King Louis V act against the church?”

Nice nodded.

“Yes, Louis V has been acting against the Holy Court’s influence in the Crescent Kingdom. Over the years, he’s not only subdued the nobility but also replaced the Archbishop of the Crescent Diocese with someone loyal to him, effectively making it a puppet of the Crescent Kingdom.”

“Oh, and the Holy Court protested this multiple times. The most influential faction of the Holy Court, the Western Yunette Empire, also reacted strongly. The new emperor, Ferdinand II, who ascended two years ago, even mobilized the Imperial Army to support the Holy Court in a crusade against the Crescent Kingdom’s royal family, mobilizing 150,000 troops.”

“However, the imperial army was no match for the Crescent Kingdom. Louis V’s Royal Knight Corps routed the Imperial Army, even chasing the fleeing soldiers back to the Western Yunette Empire’s capital, Yunette City. Six months ago, Ferdinand II had to sign a peace treaty under the Holy Court’s mediation, even ceding some border territories.”

Good heavens, the Crescent Kingdom even fought a war with the Western Yunette Empire?

Charlotte was astonished.

She finally understood why there had been no border conflicts between the Crescent Kingdom and the Starfall Kingdom in the documents Nice had presented, the Crescent Kingdom had been preoccupied with a war with its eastern neighbor.

It made sense. Before she fell asleep, one of Charlotte’s biggest concerns was the Crescent Kingdom’s ambitions towards Castell and Roman Duchy.

She had even discussed with Sebastian, Nice, and others the strategies to deal with a potential war during her slumber.

Unexpectedly, the Crescent Kingdom had engaged the Western Yunette Empire instead.

However, these two countries had been historical enemies.

If the Western Yunette Empire’s internal cohesion had been stronger, the outcome might have been different. The empire, similar to the fragmented Holy Roman Empire in Charlotte’s previous life, was composed of semi-autonomous states with the emperor controlling only the Yunette Grand Duchy directly.

Incidentally, before her slumber, the third of Charlotte’s major concerns was the mysterious force suspected to be “Helios” on Luna Island.

According to Nice’s records, Luna Island had remained quiet and isolated over the years.

Charlotte speculated this might be related to “Helios’” own time-traveling.

Furthermore, she now understood why the Holy Court hadn’t acted against the Nightshade Cult in recent years.

The Western Yunette Empire, backed by the Holy Court, was entangled in a war with the Crescent Kingdom. With its attention diverted, the Holy Court had no extra resources to deal with the “heretics” in the distant Starfall Kingdom.

After all, to the church, heretics were enemies, and so was secular power usurping theocratic authority, especially in the Crescent Kingdom, which was the Holy Court’s core area.

But considering the war had ended with a peace treaty half a year ago, Charlotte now found the situation delicate.

For the Crescent Kingdom, the Starfall Kingdom was an enemy occupying northern core territories. For the Holy Court, the Nightshade Cult was also an enemy.

Even if God Harald, the leader of the Holy Court, was Charlotte’s disciple, it didn’t mean the Holy Court was friendly.

Even as an “officially recognized” Saintess, Charlotte understood that to the church, saints and witches were often a matter of perspective.

In other words, both the Crescent Kingdom and the Holy Court were potential enemies for Charlotte.

With both forces now at peace, the situation could become tricky for Charlotte.

Charlotte’s expression grew serious.

It seemed she needed to closely monitor the actions of both the Crescent Kingdom and the Holy Court.

Fortunately, the nearly two-year war had exposed a critical issue.

The decline of the Holy Court might be more severe than Charlotte had anticipated.

“By the way, Lady Charlotte, there’s another matter.”

Nice said, pulling out a beautifully decorated document with a ring-cross symbol, and handing it to Charlotte.

“The Holy Court’s Pope is about to be replaced. The official succession ceremony is three months away. The newly appointed Pope, Gregory XII, has sent an invitation, inviting you to attend the ceremony.”

The Holy Court’s Pope was being replaced?

Charlotte raised an eyebrow.

She opened the invitation and asked curiously.

“I thought the Pope was a lifetime position? Wasn’t the previous one, Benedict VIII, still quite young? Only in his fifties, right? Why the sudden change?”

Nice snickered.

“What else? He was ousted. The Western Yunette Empire’s defeat equated to the Holy Court’s defeat. After the treaty was signed six months ago, Benedict VIII ‘fell ill’ and passed away three months later.”

Charlotte: …

The Holy Court’s Pope, proficient in holy healing, dying of illness was darkly humorous.

However, this detail caught Charlotte’s attention.

Nice’s records showed that many of the Holy Court’s protests and warnings had occurred within the last couple of months, indicating the new Pope Gregory XII’s attitude.

Charlotte read the contents of the invitation.

“To the cherished child of our Lord, wise and benevolent Queen of Starfall, Saintess Charlotte de Castell—I will hold my succession ceremony at the Grand Cathedral in the Holy City on the 10th Day of the 10th Month, Year 1450 in the Holy Calendar. On behalf of all clergies and countless believers in the Holy Court, I sincerely invite you to attend the ceremony.

—Albino St. Gregory, 6th Month 23rd, 1450”

The invitation wasn’t long.

It was personally written by Gregory XII, bearing his private seal.

“Three months… Do they always have such long preparation periods for the Pope’s succession ceremonies?”

Charlotte asked, curious.

Nice answered.

“Pretty much. You know the Holy Court’s control over various dioceses is limited. To reinforce their authority, every time a Pope is replaced, all Dioceses’ Archbishop must make a pilgrimage to the Holy City.”

“Some dioceses are close, some are far. Even with the church’s internal teleportation arrays, it takes a long time. Plus, the delegation usually includes more than just the Diocese’s Archbishop, so the preparation period is generally long, with invitations sent two to three months in advance.”

After explaining, Nice looked at Charlotte curiously.

R𝑒ad lat𝒆st chapt𝒆rs at free𝑤ebnovel.com Only.

“Lady Charlotte, do you… plan to attend?”