Blood Holy Scripture: True Ancestor Charlotte de Castel

"Meow! Do you know how that vagrant died?"

"Drunk to death! He actually died of drunkenness! A poverty-stricken vagrant dies in a tavern due to alcohol!"

"Damn it! How is this any different from directly telling Master Cat that he was silenced by someone?"

"But, do you know what's even more outrageous?"

"Meow! Master Cat took a hand crossbow to the underground black market and discovered that the Duke's private soldiers were covertly selling hand crossbows there!"

"The special mark on the hand crossbow hadn't been erased yet. Master Cat quietly compared it and found it was exactly the same as the kidnapper's hand crossbow!"

Black Cat Nisi was filled with righteous indignation.

However, after hearing this, Charlotte's expression remained relatively calm.

"Hmm? Aren't you surprised, Miss Charlotte, ah no, great master?"

Seeing Charlotte in such a thoughtful state, Nisi felt a stir in his heart.

"What should I be surprised about? The vagrant's death or the hand crossbow coming from the Duke's Mansion?"

Charlotte replied indifferently, sipping her milk.

She was now somewhat convinced that becoming a Bloodline had also somewhat affected her heart; hearing about someone being silenced hadn't disturbed her much.

Even though… she had somewhat predicted it.

"Meow! I know you had some anticipations before you asked me to investigate, but don't you find it strange!"

"Do you think it's really such a coincidence in this world?"

"Master Cat had just started looking for people, had just found clues, and immediately afterwards, the person died!"

"As soon as Master Cat began the investigation, without even starting to exert effort, he stumbled upon the trace of hand crossbows being sold by the Duke's Mansion! And moreover, the Duke's Mansion's special mark hadn't even been erased yet!"

"Meow! Does the person behind this think Master Cat is a fool?!"

Nisi became increasingly agitated, and his cheeks twitched with anger.

"So… what's your judgment?"

Charlotte drank the last of the milk in her goblet and gently tapped the side of the glass.

Nisi immediately got the hint, hurriedly topped off her glass again, and then declared,

"Conspiracy!"

"This is a conspiracy!"

"Somebody is fabricating a fake scenario of you being kidnapped by the Duke's Mansion! They're framing and attempting to stir up trouble between you and the Duke's Mansion!"

After speaking, Nisi widened his amber eyes, looking expectantly at Charlotte, like a little cat seeking praise, only to find Charlotte's expression still calm.

His heart skipped a beat,

"No way! Did you already guess this?"

Charlotte glanced at him, not answering directly,

"From the time I was kidnapped to the abandoned mansion, to when the Demon Hunting Knights arrived, how long did it take?"

"About… half an hour?"

"And how far is it from the nearest Demon Hunting Institute's outpost to the abandoned mansion?"

"Uh… Based on our return trip's time, if you hurry, it's about fifteen minutes."

After speaking, Nisi paused.

His eyes widened, suddenly realizing.

Charlotte continued, sipping her milk,

"Fifteen minutes, round trip makes half an hour."

"However, that's the speed if one hurries…"

"Do you think, a vagrant who went to report, could possibly have used just that short amount of time to reach the outpost of the Demon Hunting Institute?"

"Without hesitating, without doubting, without any time difference, and also running so fast?"

"And coincidentally, Captain Kara and her team also arrived at that outpost?"

Hearing Charlotte's words, Nisi's face grew grim,

"Conspiracy! This is a conspiracy! A well-planned performance!"

"No wonder the kidnappers were such unreliable freelance mercenaries; perhaps the person behind the scenes never intended to successfully kidnap you!"

"Maybe not."

Charlotte slightly shook her head.

She touched the crossbow in her hand, murmuring,

"Everyone thinks I'm just a powerless child, and no one knew you were secretly following behind the carriage."

"Perhaps, the kidnappers were prepared for both outcomes. If the kidnapping succeeded, great; if it didn't, it didn't matter."

"Perhaps they were just trying to create a time difference, but when something went wrong and they realized they couldn't succeed, they naturally retreated and didn't keep following up."

"The lower-tier freelance mercenaries may be unreliable, but they wouldn't dirty their hands; these guys don't have the slickness of experienced mercenaries who leave traces to avoid being used as scapegoats."

Nisi unexpectedly gave the girl a glance,

"You seem to know a lot about freelance mercenary."

"Not really, I saw the son of the Duke and then studied relevant books in the Church Hospital."

Charlotte said nonchalantly.

"However, if that's the case, then it's interesting, meow. The kidnappers reacted so quickly... it seems... there must be an informer among the rescue team!"

Nisi's eyes narrowed slightly.

Charlotte noncommittally chuckled,

"Maybe."

The human and cat exchanged glances and then fell silent, a certain figure emerging in their minds.

"Go and investigate him."

Charlotte said coldly.

"This time might be a bit troublesome; after all, he is a noble."

Nisi scratched his head.

"Hmm? Is that a problem?"

Charlotte gave it a brief glance, the light of the Low-Tier Majesty Skill flashing through her pupils.

"Uh...meow, no, nothing..."

The Black Cat, who had initially wanted to seize the opportunity to play the sympathy card to beef up its own suffering score, instantly shut its mouth.

However, it quickly resumed a solemn expression:

"Miss Charlotte."

"Hmm?"

Charlotte squinted at it, her presence formidable.

"Uh...no, Master, Master."

Nisi quickly corrected himself.

"Speak."

The young girl nodded in satisfaction, taking a delicate sip from her cup of milk.

Nisi took a deep breath and looked seriously at the seemingly innocent but actually immensely evil old specter before him:

"Forgive my directness, do you really plan to attend the banquet at the Duke Mansion next week?"

"I know that the great... um, distinguished you will one day reclaim what's yours and restore past glory."

"But, for now, your power hasn't fully recovered, and no matter the truth, this kidnapping can't avoid being linked to the Duke Mansion; I think it's best to be cautious!"

Hmm?

Since when did this creature start caring so much about my "Evil God" recovery of strengths?

Charlotte looked at the Black Cat, somewhat bewildered, feeling a sense of misunderstanding.

"It's no hassle; rather than waiting for the opposition to act, we should strike first. After all, open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to defend."

Charlotte spoke.

"Open attacks are easy to dodge, hidden arrows are hard to defend..."

Nisi chewed over these phrases, feeling that they were not just casually spoken and thinking to note them down for use elsewhere.

While one girl and one cat were conversing, suddenly, the silver bell connecting to the manor gates rang.

Charlotte stood up and looked through the window, noticing seven or eight carriages at the entrance of the manor, each emblazoned with the Castel family crest.

Watching the carriages filled with servants, she smiled slightly:

"Casimodo is back."

"Let's go, tidy up and have a look; he seems to have brought back quite a few new faces."

...

"Master!"

In the manor hall, upon seeing Charlotte descend from the upstairs, Casimodo, who was instructing the new servants, lit up.

He trembled as he bowed to the young girl, saying respectfully:

"Master! Casimodo has not failed your expectations, successfully recruiting twenty new personnel!"

Meanwhile, the new servants, already dressed in the Castel family uniforms and lined up behind Casimodo, also clumsily bowed to Charlotte, their voices buzzingly saying:

"Master!"

Casimodo's face turned embarrassed and he bowed his head in shame:

"Sorry... Master, they may not be quite what you expected..."

"That's fine, quite good."

Charlotte seemed rather satisfied.

Although somewhat chaotic, for newcomers, it was acceptable to not demand too much.

"Are their backgrounds clean?"

The girl, having had her fill, waved away the new glass of milk offered by the sycophantic Black Cat and asked.

"Clean, all are clear and clean, I checked them one by one, also body-searched them; all are safe."

Casimodo spoke respectfully.

He hesitated for a moment and added:

"However, they all previously worked as temporary servants for small shopkeepers and small nobles, and have no experience working in a major family; they might need some time to become competent..."

"No matter, take it slowly."

Charlotte smiled.

She stepped forward, inspecting the newcomers one by one.

Some bowed their heads out of fear, some appeased with facial expressions, some looked curious, and some respectfully bowed.

Charlotte's steps suddenly halted.

She looked again at the newcomer who had just respectfully bowed to her, pensive.

Noticing the new master's gaze, the bowing servant quickly lowered his head further, his posture even more respectfully standardized.

Charlotte's smile instantly faded.

"Lift your head."

She commanded coldly.

The servant hesitated for a moment, then slowly lifted his head, his complexion somewhat pale, apparently nervous.

Charlotte quietly watched him, a gleam flickering through her pupils.

Majesty Skill instantaneously bestowed, the young girl chuckled lightly, her seemingly weak voice carrying a soul-piercing pressure:

"Your manners are commendable."

"Tell me, where did you learn them?"

Casimodo and the new servants' faces went pale.

Facing the young girl's unfathomable gaze, sweat began to form on the servant's forehead.

He trembled all over, suddenly gritted his teeth, took out a dagger gleaming with cold light from his chest, and roared as he thrust it towards Charlotte's heart:

"Cursed demon of Castel! Die!"

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