"Sh-she... how... how did she manage to summon that arrogant book spirit just like that?!"

Seeing the spirit acting obediently and respectfully like a servant, the bloodborne girl widened her eyes, almost questioning her entire life. 

Heavens, she regularly fed it her essence blood, yet it always treated her with disdain, barely acknowledging her!

Charlotte, however, was not surprised by the spirit's appearance. 

Earlier, this entity had tried to invade her body, but she had directly siphoned off a significant portion of its power. She could sense that it now feared her immensely.

This was normal.

After all, Charlotte had the ability to destroy the Book of the Dead completely at any time!

Sacred objects like this were not unfamiliar to Charlotte.

Ever since she gained the power of the [Divine Blessing], she had spent the past half-year studying how to imbue items with divine power to create artifacts.

Though she hadn't managed to create a matching set of artifacts for herself due to the preciousness of her divine power and a lack of sufficient materials, her extensive research had deepened her understanding of both artifacts and sacred objects.

Like artifacts, sacred objects were also creations of divine beings and contained divine power.

Broadly speaking, since sacred objects were divine creations, they could be considered a type of artifact. However, many extraordinary beings in the world of Myria liked to categorize them separately.

Unlike artifacts, sacred objects always possessed a spirit.

This meant that sacred objects were intelligent weapons.

However, this did not mean that sacred objects were stronger than artifacts.

In fact, it was the opposite. Sacred objects were generally much weaker than artifacts.

This was because the power of artifacts came directly from divine power, whereas the power of sacred objects came from the offerings and sacrifices of their contractors.

In essence, artifacts were equipment crafted by gods for their avatars to use in the mortal realm. While mortals could also use them, it often came with a heavy price.

Sacred objects, on the other hand, were specifically made for divine agents. Although they also had a cost, it was within a mortal's ability to bear.

Sacred objects could not use divine power as their primary source of strength. For them, divine power was necessary to maintain the spirit within.

If a sacred object contained too much divine power, the spirit could be overwhelmed and consumed by it.

Conversely, if the sacred object lacked enough divine power, the spirit could fall asleep or even dissipate, reducing the sacred object to an ordinary weapon.

Charlotte was not sure if there were any artifacts with spirits. The texts she had read never mentioned such artifacts.

Having a spirit seemed to be a taboo for artifacts...

Therefore, Charlotte knew that if she wanted to destroy this book, all she had to do was drain the tiny bit of divine power within it.

Alternatively, she could inject divine power into it, polluting and consuming the spirit.

If she did that, the sacred object might even transform into a more powerful artifact.

Of course, doing so would cause the spirit to dissipate, which for an intelligent weapon like a sacred object would be akin to "death."

Charlotte knew this, and the spirit of the book, sensing her divine power of blood, knew it too.

The spirit's submission was understandable.

Of course, the bloodborne girl and the middle-aged knight were unaware of these intricacies.

They could only stare in disbelief at the once aloof spirit, now acting like a groveling dog.

"Retrieve all the undead."

Charlotte gave a casual glance at the spirit and commanded.

"O mighty one, as you command..."

The spirit bowed deeply to Charlotte, and the Book of the Dead emitted a deep, eerie glow. The tide of undead immediately collapsed, all of them turning into streams of light that flowed back into the book.

At the same time, the bound bloodborne girl turned pale, feeling dizzy and even weaker.

She widened her eyes, glaring at the spirit with a mix of shock and anger:

That vile, shameless, damned spirit!

It followed someone else's orders but used her power to retract the summoned undead!

Noticing the girl's gaze, Charlotte smiled knowingly.

She had studied artifacts and sacred objects extensively over the past half-year and knew that sacred objects required a contractor. She also knew that these two were trying to set a trap for her.

But with her advantages, the spirit was forced to turn on its contractor.

It was the girl's own doing.

Having resolved the issue of the undead tide, Charlotte closed the Book of the Dead.

The spirit, as if granted a reprieve, bowed to her once more before swiftly retreating into the book, seemingly afraid of staying out any longer.

Naturally, she handed the Book of the Dead to Sebastian for safekeeping. Charlotte then sat elegantly on a noble chair that Sebastian had conjured up at some point, crossing her legs.

Sebastian quickly presented her with a glass of sweet milk, served in a crystal goblet.

Charlotte accepted it almost instinctively, sipping with practiced elegance.

Only when she brought the goblet to her lips did she realize—when had she become so adept at this?

She couldn't help but glance at Sebastian, who returned a bright smile, standing respectfully by her side like a loyal butler.

Charlotte: ...

She felt like her behavior was increasingly influenced by Sebastian's over-the-top aristocratic style...

This whole scene left the bloodborne girl and the middle-aged knight dumbfounded.

Although they wanted to question why someone would carry a fancy chair and drink milk from a crystal goblet while traveling...

Admittedly, paired with Charlotte's unique aura, it did give off an air of distinct elegance.

Charlotte took another sip of the milk and then handed the crystal goblet back to Sebastian, who promptly offered her a neatly folded silk napkin.

Charlotte wiped her mouth gracefully and placed the napkin back on the tray Sebastian procured from somewhere. Only then did she leisurely ask.

"So, who are you, and why did you attack my convoy?"

"My time is limited, and so is my patience. You have one minute to answer."

She sat on the chair, legs crossed, looking down at the bound girl and knight.

Charlotte could tell these two were not members of the Blood Demon Cult.

Though they were Bloodbornes and wielded a sacred object left by the Bloodborne Archduke Abaddon, and although summoning them into the Dark Night Castle had attracted the attention of a Bloodborne prince, Charlotte did not sense the repulsive aura of Blood Demon Cultists on them.

She believed she would never forget that foul aura, the corrupt and fallen scent of souls tainted by blood sacrifices. Ever since unlocking True Ancestor's Liberation, Charlotte had become highly sensitive to it.

This only piqued her curiosity further.

Hearing Charlotte's words, the girl glared at her but quickly encountered Sebastian's innocent smile.

"Beautiful lady, if you continue to look at my master so rudely, I might just have to pluck out those pretty eyes of yours."

The girl hesitated, her demeanor instantly deflating.

She bit her lip and looked away.

The middle-aged knight, maintaining a solemn expression, stared at Charlotte and her companion. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"Mercenaries. We are freelance mercenaries operating in Violet."

Hearing his words, the girl glanced at him, bit her lip, and fell silent.

Charlotte, however, narrowed her eyes.

Her gaze lingered on the girl's dress, which, despite being washed to the point of fading, still showed signs of high-quality craftsmanship from a top-tier textile workshop. She also noted the knight's armor, though damaged, clearly of royal military style.

"Mercenaries?"

The knight noticed Charlotte's scrutinizing look and the amusement in her tone but remained composed, replying firmly.

"Yes, mercenaries."

"No matter what identities we had in the past, at least... now we are freelance mercenaries in Violet."

The past, huh?

Charlotte's curiosity was piqued.

To be honest, the girl and the knight’s attire greatly resembled that of fallen nobles, making her suspect they might belong to a family that had past grievances with Castell.

However, she did not delve deeply into this issue.

Since they claimed to be mercenaries, their meaning was clear.

Their attack on her convoy was not just due to personal grudges but because they were hired for a task.

Someone… didn’t want her to return to her territory.

“Who hired you?”

Charlotte asked.

This time, the middle-aged knight did not speak.

Charlotte frowned, and noticing her displeased expression, Sebastian snorted and snapped his fingers.

With his gesture, the anti-magic chains binding the middle-aged knight tightened, releasing a series of electric sparks.

The middle-aged knight gasped, his face instantly paling, and he almost collapsed.

“Sorry, this… I cannot say. It’s a mercenary’s code.”

He gritted his teeth and said, trembling.

“The Third Prince! The person who hired us to ambush your convoy is the Third Prince of the Crescent Kingdom!”

On the other side, the silent bloodborne girl suddenly spoke.

“Miss?!”

The middle-aged knight’s eyes widened.

The girl bit her lip and gave him an apologetic glance, then straightened up, her figure even flatter than Charlotte’s, and calmly said.

“Lahel is my blood servant. I am the one in charge here. If there’s anything, come at me.”

“Miss!”

The middle-aged knight couldn’t help but try to get up, but the girl stopped him.

“Enough, Lahel. Surviving is more important for us than the mercenary code! I don’t want to see you suffer for me anymore!”

Hearing the girl’s words, the middle-aged knight opened his mouth, his expression complicated.

Charlotte, however, frowned.

The Third Prince?

Was it the Third Prince who didn’t want her to return to her territory?

To be honest, learning this answer didn’t surprise her much. Although she had only met the Third Prince Philip once, Charlotte instinctively didn’t have a good impression of him.

It seemed to be some kind of instinct…

Moreover, Charlotte was sure that her feeling about Eleanor, the daughter of Duke Borde, acting strangely that day was not an illusion.

The Third Prince… was not that simple.

Charlotte felt a bit of a headache.

She could roughly guess why the Third Prince targeted her.

Count Tulip was dead, Duke Borde could pass away at any moment, Leno had given up his claim, and her promise to the Church had become ambiguous due to the fall of the High Priest.

If one considered the current first-in-line heir to the Castell County, it would undoubtedly be Eleanor.

Thinking of this, Charlotte sighed softly.

It seemed Sebastian was right: the strategic position of the Castell territory was too important, and too many people wanted to take it.

Of course, she did not immediately believe the girl’s words and looked at Sebastian.

Noticing Charlotte’s gaze, Sebastian immediately understood. He picked up the Book of the Dead again and, imitating Charlotte’s tone, asked.

“Book Spirit, is what she said true?”

The Book Spirit didn’t respond.

Charlotte glanced at the book indifferently.

“Book Spirit?”

“It’s true, it’s all true.”

The book flickered slightly, and a respectful yet urgent voice came through.

Bloodborne Girl: …

Middle-aged Knight: …

Both of them widened their eyes, seemingly shocked once again by the shameless betrayal of the Book Spirit.

Having confirmed it, Charlotte squinted slightly.

She looked at the two and said.

“Where is your mission contract?”

For such a large-scale task as attacking a convoy, the two would certainly have signed a mercenary contract with the Third Prince.

Calculating the time, the Third Prince should have already arrived in Borde by now.

Borde was too far from Castell, and as a royal, Philip would certainly be protected by Blazing Sun Knights. Besides, her own territory likely had many issues that required her personal attention, so Charlotte didn’t have the energy to go after the Third Prince immediately.

But this didn’t mean she would let it slide.

Hiring mercenaries to attack other nobles was a serious taboo. While some nobles might do such things secretly, it could never be done openly.

Obtaining the mercenary contract and exposing this incident would be enough to trouble the Third Prince.

Hearing Charlotte’s words, the bloodborne girl bit her lip and finally said through gritted teeth.

“The contract… I put it in the storage ring.”

“Miss! You can’t!”

The middle-aged knight couldn’t help but change his expression.

For mercenaries, breaking a contract meant ending their career, and they would be blacklisted by the Mercenary Association.

The two didn’t seem to be living well off, clearly indicating that mercenary work was their main source of income.

“Storage ring? Where is it?”

Charlotte asked.

“In my backpack.”

The girl indicated the bag placed on the ground not far away.

Charlotte gave Sebastian a look, and Sebastian nodded, retrieving the bag.

After some searching, he quickly found a ring.

However, just as Sebastian took out the ring, the vampire girl suddenly shouted.

“Lahel! Now!”

With that, she suddenly collided with the middle-aged knight, who fell backward in the direction where Sebastian had just picked up the bag.

The two quickly fell to the ground, and the next moment, a dazzling light emerged from the ground.

In Charlotte’s surprised gaze, the two figures flickered and disappeared in an instant.

Sebastian’s expression changed.

He rushed to the spot where the two had vanished and, after a quick inspection, looked grim.

“Master, it’s a one-time long-distance teleportation array…”

“The bag on the ground was the trigger!”

An escape plan?

Charlotte was somewhat surprised.

…

At the same time, in a certain castle.

In a dark chamber, the ground shimmered with light, faintly revealing a large circular array.

Accompanied by a series of spatial fluctuations, the bloodborne girl and the middle-aged knight, both tied up, fell out of the light.