Gospel of Blood

Chapter 154: Official Army of the Kingdom

As soon as Charlotte entered the city, she saw the army escorting Prince Philip south.

This was the first time Charlotte had seen a professionalized official army of the kingdom since coming to this world. They were uniformly equipped with standard armor and all were extraordinary individuals. Although most were not of high rank, their equipment was exceptionally refined, and a significant proportion of them were first or higher-tier individuals.

Comparing them with her own armored knights, Charlotte quickly realized that her team was significantly inferior in both extraordinary strength and equipment.

Her knights wore chainmail and scale armor made of refined iron, while the kingdom's official army wore brighter, more reflective plate armor made of refined steel, with magic crystals and mithril embedded in their chest plates.

Having lived two lives, Charlotte knew a bit about the differences between plate armor and chainmail or scale armor. Chainmail was made of interlocking iron rings, each ring connecting with four others, forming a mesh; scale armor was made of overlapping metal scales; but plate armor was different, made of large, shaped metal plates and was considered top-tier protection, being more challenging to craft.

At the same weight, plate armor offered much better protection and flexibility compared to other types. Even on Earth, they were not of the same era; plate armor became common after the 14th century, while chainmail and scale armor had been around since before the calendar.

Moreover, the ranked officers in the kingdom's army wore even more impressive plate armor, adorned with intricate magical engravings and embedded with mithril, offering protection comparable to the physical bodies of Silver Moon knights.

In a direct clash, her side would likely be utterly crushed...

In short, it was very enviable.

Charlotte glanced at the accompanying flame elf, curiously asking.

Sebastian looked at the kingdom's official army patrolling the streets, pondered for a moment, and said.

"As long as it's not on the battlefield, of course, I can."

"Oh? You can't on the battlefield?"

Charlotte's interest was piqued.

Sebastian explained.

"On the battlefield, they form battle arrays and anti-magic arrays, receive blessings from mages, and become like an iron wall. They're often led by Silver Moon extraordinary individuals. Unless you're at the Blazing Sun rank, only a madman would fight them head-on."

"Anti-magic arrays?"

Charlotte was curious.

"Yes, master. Do you see those magic crystals on top of their armor? Those are part of the anti-magic array. These official soldiers form a walking magic array on the battlefield, capable of suppressing the extraordinary powers of enemies within a certain range, reducing the resonance and external projection power of the Silver Moons."

Sebas continued.

"The professional armies of the various kingdoms are among the few forces capable of overcoming higher-ranked extraordinary individuals on the battlefield, a nightmare for mid-to-low-ranked extraordinary individuals."

Charlotte pondered on Sebastian's words.

After a year in this world, she was no longer a novice regarding Myria's extraordinary system.

In Myria, there are four extraordinary ranks: Starry Sky, Silver Moon, Blazing Sun, and Legendary, corresponding to low, mid, high, and divine domain powers.

Leaving aside the Legendary rank, which involves law mastery, among the other three ranks, the low rank breaks the human limits, the mid-rank allows for power projection and resonance, and the high rank involves a qualitative change in mental power, directly affecting reality...

If the anti-magic array can nullify power projection and resonance, then a Silver Moon extraordinary would indeed struggle against these armored soldiers.

"Of course, if a Blazing Sun appears, they would have to retreat. On the battlefield, Blazing Suns are true calamities; all are ants beneath the Blazing Sun."

Sebastian added.

Blazing Sun...

Charlotte reflected.

Indeed, Blazing Suns are the true trump cards of many major powers.

She had seen the terrifying power of a Grand Knight of the Inquisition, who could easily destroy a town with a mere gesture, far more frightening than a Silver Moon.

However, Blazing Suns are extremely rare.

Since leaving the Borde Duchy, Charlotte hadn't encountered a single Blazing Sun on her journey.

"Also, due to the immense destructive power of Blazing Suns, they are prohibited from participating in domestic conflicts between lords within Myria's countries, only engaging as strategic forces during wars between kingdoms."

"As for Legendaries... they probably only appear in annihilation wars."

Sebas continued to explain.

Charlotte nodded in understanding.

From this perspective, even if she returned to her territory and had conflicts with other lords in the kingdom, the highest rank she would face on the battlefield would be Silver Moon.

Even if other lords had Blazing Sun individuals, they wouldn't participate directly in battles. As long as they didn't, she should be able to handle them with the power of the True Ancestor.

The power of high-ranking individuals is heavily regulated in Myria's conflicts, determined by the extraordinary system rules.

Without such rules, Myria would have long been torn apart by high-ranking extraordinaries.

As a result, mid-to-low-ranked extraordinary individuals, when gathered in large numbers, form a considerable force.

Unless one possesses rule-breaking power, unless one can rival the civilization of Myria, one must play by the rules of the civilized world.

This led Charlotte to think about the Gods' rule over Myria.

In Myria, Gods are even more powerful, but they rarely descend to the mortal world.

Aside from their overwhelming power making it difficult for them to descend, perhaps there's also a reason to protect Myria from being destroyed by divine power.

"When I return to Castell, I must raise an army like this."

Looking at the well-equipped kingdom's official army, Charlotte said enviously.

"Then we'll need to find ways to earn more gold Tana. You know, the enchanted armor of these official soldiers costs tens of thousands on the black market, and the officers' plate armor is even more expensive. Being enchanted gear, their maintenance is also costly. The kingdom has a stable source of extraordinary materials, so their costs are relatively low, but we can only purchase them."

Sebastian said.

Charlotte: ...

Damn, suddenly I don't feel so rich anymore!

...

The Castell convoy was arranged by Moon Guardian Duke's envoy to stay at one of the most luxurious hotels in Anro City, while Charlotte was invited to rest at the ducal mansion.

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By the time the convoy was settled, it was already evening, and Charlotte naturally attended the duke’s banquet, accompanied only by Sebastian, Nice, and Lottie and Sherry, her attendant priest and personal maid, respectively.

The Moon Guardian Duchy, located in the heartland of the Crescent Kingdom, was much more prosperous than Borde, as evidenced by the more luxurious decor of the ducal mansion.

The banquet hall could easily accommodate a thousand people, with sparkling crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and exquisite murals and decorations adorning the walls.

Charlotte instinctively compared it to her own manor. Though her manor wasn’t much less luxurious, it was not nearly as large.

Not to mention the elite knights at the entrance of the duke's mansion; Charlotte had never seen any below the Starry Sky rank, all clad in standardized plate armor similar to that of the kingdom’s official army.

Black Cat Nice mentioned that the Borde Duchy and Violet Duchy were the two most impoverished regions in the north and south of the kingdom. Charlotte had already sensed Borde’s poverty to some extent.

The comparison makes everything clear: whether it’s the density of towns in the duchy, the appearance and infrastructure of the capital, the luxury of the ducal mansion, or the number of extraordinary individuals—all highlighted Borde’s shortcomings compared to the Moon Guardian Duchy.

Furthermore, as soon as Charlotte entered the banquet hall, the Gospel of Blood in her consciousness faintly alerted her...

There was a Blazing Sun individual present!

Charlotte immediately became vigilant, setting aside any thoughts of using her blood magic to sway the nobles' attention.

Just like at every banquet in the past half month, Charlotte became the center of attention as soon as she entered.

Being beautiful naturally attracted attention, and Charlotte’s beauty, enhanced by her half-elf lineage, was almost beyond compare.

The Castell family was known for their attractiveness, and Charlotte’s elegance, augmented by the Gospel, made her even more captivating.

Additionally, the noble dress chosen by Sebastian for his mistress accentuated her elegance and pure beauty to the fullest.

Once everyone learned of Charlotte’s identity, even more nobles gathered around, becoming increasingly enthusiastic.

A young, wealthy, unmarried, beautiful countess—this was an irresistible combination for many.

Even though Charlotte had once made vows, many nobles still harbored romantic fantasies and hopes.

After all, the scandal with the Holy Court in Borde had spread throughout the kingdom, and who knew if the Countess of Castell would still align herself with the church?

If one got lucky, they wouldn’t just gain a renowned beauty but might also win half of Borde Duchy!

"Beautiful Countess, may I have the honor of a dance?"

"Lady Castell, you are as enchanting as the moonlight tonight. May I invite you to dance?"

The enthusiastic nobles vied to invite Charlotte.

The banquet at the ducal mansion was on a scale far beyond the banquets she had attended along her journey at the homes of counts, viscounts, or even barons. Here, one could easily bump into the heir of an earl’s family or even higher nobility.

The nobles surrounding Charlotte eagerly introduced themselves and extended invitations, with hardly anyone below the rank of count, and even two marquises who weren’t present in Borde Duchy.

Surrounded by a throng of nobles, Charlotte felt a twinge of frustration but managed to keep her composure.

Fortunately, she had gained some experience over the past weeks.

She displayed a regretful expression, her beautiful face showing visible fatigue, and spoke in a soft, charming voice, delicately holding the hem of her skirt:

"Thank you for your kind invitation, but... I am really sorry..."

"I’ve traveled a long way and am very tired today, so I fear I do not have the energy to dance with you."

Her tender and lovely voice, combined with her innocent and pure blue eyes, evoked a sense of protectiveness in the nobles.

Seeing her large, watery eyes and somewhat pale face, the nobles found themselves unable to press their invitations and fell silent.

Finally, Charlotte managed to free herself from the crowd.

Just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a commotion arose at the entrance of the hall.

Charlotte looked toward the entrance and saw Moon Guardian Duke, John de Anro, accompanied by a well-dressed man and woman.

Moon Guardian Duke appeared to be a somewhat slender middle-aged noble and was a Third Tier Blazing Sun individual, specifically a grand mage.

As far as Charlotte knew, he was one of the four legion commanders of the Crescent Kingdom and also held the title of advisor to the royal cabinet.

Incidentally, according to records in Castell Mansion’s study, the Duke of Moon Guardian had some ties with the Castell family.

This was linked to a bit of history.

During the Second Star-Moon War, Borde Duchy's army fought under the command of the Duke of Moon Guardian’s second legion. At that time, the Duke of Borde was not yet the kingdom’s military commander but the Duke of Moon Guardian’s deputy, and the Count and Countess of Castell were among their ranks.

Seeing Charlotte, Moon Guardian Duke immediately greeted her warmly:

"It’s Countess Castell, isn't it? Haha, it's been years, and now you’ve grown so... um, beautiful."

Charlotte: ...

Did he just hesitate before talking about my height and then change his mind?

He hesitated before speaking, didn’t he?!

What's wrong with being short?

Did I eat your candy or something?

She took a deep breath, gracefully held up her skirt, and curtsied to the Duke, looking up and smiling:

"Charlotte de Castell, at your service, Duke of Moon Guardian."

After her courtesy, Charlotte couldn't help but glance at the two nobles beside the Duke.

To the left was a handsome black-haired man wearing a splendid robe with the crescent emblem of the royal family, smiling and looking energetic.

To the right was a woman who appeared to be in her twenties or thirties, also smiling.

She wore a burgundy gown and had facial features resembling Leno's, with golden-brown curls and a pair of blue-gray eyes.

However, when Charlotte met the woman’s blue-gray eyes, her heart skipped a beat.

Despite the smile, Charlotte saw no emotion in those eyes, just an inexplicable emptiness.

That emptiness gave her a strong sense of déjà vu...

"Let me introduce you. This is the third prince and his lovely wife, Eleanor."

Noticing Charlotte's gaze, the Duke introduced them proactively.