Gospel of Blood

Much like the ultimatum issued by the Third Prince five days earlier, the parchment also contained a declaration of war.

No… Compared to the nominal “time to surrender” given by the ultimatum, the declaration on the parchment was more straightforward.

On it, Charlotte de Castell declared war on the Borde Duchy in the name of the Count of Castell and the Viscount of Northport. The goal of the war was Castell’s independence and the reclamation of the legally rightful Tulip territory.

If it had only been this, the Third Prince might have merely laughed mockingly.

After all, this wasn’t the first time in history that Castell had sought independence and the reclamation of the Tulip territory, which had been divided by the Borde family.

The Borde family had even taken advantage of the settlement ranking opportunity to elevate the Tulip territory to the rank of a county, even though its actual size was no larger than that of the Northport Viscounty.

Events of vassal lords seeking independence were not common among noble fiefs, but they were certainly not unheard of.

What truly changed the Third Prince’s expression was something else written on the parchment…

It was the reasons given for Castell’s declaration of independence and war—

The actual ruler of the Borde Duchy, the Third Prince Philip, was accused of colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking the Countess of Castell, instigating rebellion in the north, and attempting to forcibly annex Castell, thereby stripping all northern nobles of their titles!

These were very serious accusations.

Colluding with the Blood Demon Cult, attacking a noble lord, and forcibly annexing a vassal’s territory to expand his own—all of these actions severely violated the “Holy Code” and the political correctness of the Crescent Kingdom, offending the Holy Court, the kingdom’s lords, and the noble vassals, respectively.

Moreover, the implicit suggestion in the parchment, that Prince Philip intended to seize Castell’s territory to expand his power and thus position himself for the Crescent Throne, almost exposed the entire political situation of Crescent.

While King Louis V might not be satisfied with the current heir, he had not yet issued a decree to strip the heir of his rights (and many nobles would oppose such a move).

The conflict between the two Princes was essentially known to all but had not been openly acknowledged. Ultimately, the decision of succession lay with the Crescent King.

But Charlotte’s declaration changed everything.

By exposing the Third Prince’s intentions, it delivered a significant blow to his authority and legitimacy.

Most crucially, the accusations on the parchment were not baseless.

Count Gaston, formerly a commander under Borde, had confessed to many of these actions and provided a multitude of evidence.

Additionally, the captured northern rebel nobles also testified that the Third Prince supported the northern rebellion and indeed had dealings with the Blood Demon Cult.

All these pieces of evidence and accusations were sufficient to substantiate the Third Prince’s actions…

This was far more compelling than the Third Prince’s ultimatum, which, strictly speaking, did not comply with proper regulations.

Interestingly, the Third Prince’s ultimatum, in a sense, became evidence within the declaration of war.

“Bastard! Traitor! Ingrate! Overestimating bitch!”

After tremblingly reading through the parchment, the Third Prince furiously tore it apart, cursing.

Seeing Prince Philip in a fit of rage, his features contorted, Count Linte sighed and said,

“Your Highness, news has also come from my father. This declaration has already been sent to the capital by the Northern Mage Tower, causing a great uproar.”

“It’s said that conservative nobles have already lodged complaints with the noble council, demanding a thorough investigation of the accusations.”

“Even the kingdom’s nobles, who lean towards you, have expressed their concerns directly or indirectly.”

“Moreover, the Cardinal of the Holy Court has sent clergies to the noble council to inquire about this matter. If not for the royal exemption and the king’s usual disdain for the church, the Inquisition’s Judgment Knights would have been dispatched by now.”

Listening to Count Linte, the Third Prince’s face grew increasingly grim.

He stared at Count Linte, asking.

“So, my dear uncle, what is the stance of the Boite-Linte family?”

Count Linte sighed.

“Your Highness, by deciding to dispatch troops, we are already in the same boat with you.”

He continued seriously.

“Your Highness, the conservative nobles will not miss this opportunity to attack you. They are likely to unite and pressure the King, and the church may also intervene.”

“Though the King has tacitly approved our actions, if the nobles and the church unite, even the King will have to make concessions…”

Hearing Count Linte, the Third Prince’s eyes darkened.

He squinted at him, asking,

“So, my dear uncle, what do you suggest?”

Count Linte sighed again.

“From the family’s perspective, ideally, I would suggest halting our advance to avoid completely alienating the kingdom’s nobles.”

“Castell is merely a stepping stone. Our goal is to support you in inheriting Crescent, and to do that, you need the nobles’ support…”

The Third Prince’s expression soured.

“Stop the advance? Abandon Castell? Uncle, do you know how long I’ve prepared for today? If we abandon this opportunity, there may not be another!”

“Since you know the King has tacitly approved this, you should also understand that this is a test! If I can’t withstand the pressure from the church to take Castell and eliminate the northern territory’s chance of falling to the church, then… in his eyes, I’m out of the running!”

Count Linte sighed once more.

“I know, which is why I said ‘ideally’. In fact, as you said, we have no retreat. You are the second heir. Losing the conservatives’ support might not prevent you from seizing the throne, but losing the King’s backing certainly will.”

“So, we must act quickly.”

“Your Highness, time is not on our side. If we still want to take Castell, we must accelerate our actions and capture Northport before the noble council and the Holy Court can respond.”

“The longer we delay, the more variables arise. The noble council may bypass the King’s ban and assist the north, and the Holy Court might intervene. Even our nobles might waver.”

“Fortunately, we still have a chance. The northern army cannot compete with ours; victory is certain. The key is how long it will take.”

“However, your plan to uproot the northern nobles must be shelved. For a swift victory, we must avoid unnecessary losses and ideally gain their support.”

The Third Prince frowned in thought.

After a moment, he took a deep breath and asked.

“The contents of this declaration, the nobles in our army don’t know yet, do they?”

Count Linte glanced towards the army and said,

“They don’t know yet, but… each family has its communication methods. They will know sooner or later.”

The Third Prince thought for a moment and said,

“Block the news. Draft a response letter to Castell, refuting her accusations to buy us time.”

“Inform the northern nobles that, in my name, I promise those who pledge loyalty can retain their titles and lands, with taxes reduced by a third. Title revocation is limited to the Castell family only.”

“Rest and regroup. At dawn, we march!”

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