"Rumors? What rumors?"

Angus's words piqued Charlotte's interest.

"Countess..."

Angus glanced at the accompanying priest Lottie and several former demon hunters in the convoy, carefully choosing his words before continuing.

"The rumors say that you betrayed the family, betrayed Castell, and in order to successfully inherit the title, you sold out Castell's interests to the Church."

Charlotte: ...

Damn, how is it that even though she wants to refute it, she doesn't know how to do so?

"Is this because of the oath I took last year in Borde?"

Charlotte asked.

Baron Angus thought for a moment and said.

"It has some relation, but it’s not entirely because of that."

Charlotte was puzzled.

"How so?"

Baron Angus respectfully replied.

"Your promise in Borde last year is well known in Castell. It had a significant impact among the noble circles, with many families strongly opposing it..."

"However, when the High Priest of Borde was later arrested and tried by the Church’s Inquisition, everyone realized your promise was a bluff. So, gradually, no one mentioned it."

"But after you inherited the title, it was brought up again."

"But that incident isn’t the root cause. Perhaps the nobles care greatly about who their feudal lord is, but I think most of the common people don't care whether they are ruled by the Church or the nobility. After all, in many cases, the Church's taxes are even lower."

Charlotte said.

After speaking, she looked at Baron Angus again.

"Moreover, after I inherited the title, I also hinted to the envoys who came to the territory that the empty promises I made were just a tactic to balance the pressures from the duke’s family and other nobles."

"The problem lies in the fact that, to this day, most nobles, including myself, believe you don't genuinely intend to give Castell to the Church in the future, but the fact that you stand with the Church remains."

Baron Angus said.

Charlotte’s heart skipped a beat.

"Oh? So, the nobles and commoners of Castell don't want to see me getting too close to the Church?"

Baron Angus nodded.

"Yes, the fact that you departed from Borde with a priest appointed by the Church was relayed back to the county through magical communication as soon as you began your journey."

"And recently, a new narrative has emerged. It claims you don't truly intend to pledge Castell to the Church in the future but plan to bring Castell back under the Church’s religious rule..."

"Many people are saying that with your ascension, the Church will also re-establish religious control over Castell, reinstating the tithe tax, and that you will pay all the past taxes owed over the years in one go..."

Charlotte: ...

She knew what the tithe tax was. Similar to a historical practice in her previous world, it was a religious tax imposed by the Holy Court, requiring residents to give one-tenth of their agricultural products.

The "Sacred Code" clearly stated that paying the tithe tax was a duty for all residents under the Holy Court’s faith, with the amount set at one-tenth of their agricultural or pastoral harvest.

Incidentally, Borde Duchy imposed a tithe tax.

Not just Borde; every duchy or county she had passed through on her journey also imposed a tithe tax.

Paying the tithe tax had become a daily obligation for the people of Myria. In some theocracies, in addition to the tithe tax, residents had to pay land tax, trade tax, and various other taxes...

The Holy Court was not a charity, and the Church’s protection came at a cost.

But that wasn’t the main issue.

The main issue was the two implications revealed by Baron Angus's words.

First, Castell’s religious beliefs were not unified.

Second, based on this, the Holy Court likely hadn't enforced substantial religious control over the area for many years.

"Are Castel's beliefs not unified?"

Charlotte asked in surprise.

This matter was never mentioned in the documents at Castell Mansion!

"Yes, our Castell has always been on the periphery of the Holy Court’s religious control. When the first Count of Castell established the territory, there were indeed many Holy Court believers. But as the territory developed, more immigrants from the mainland and the north arrived, and most of those from the mainland were opponents of the Church, while those from the north were mostly non-believers and heretics."

"Today...the beliefs in the territory are quite mixed."

Baron Angus said.

Charlotte: ...

No wonder the Holy Court supported her as the ruler, despite her disavowing last year's promise. The real situation in Castell was that it was full of heretics!

Her grand “divine miracle” at the coming-of-age ceremony almost solidified her reputation as a saint, so it was no wonder the locals were hostile to her.

"How long has it been since the Holy Court collected the tithe tax in Castell?"

Charlotte asked again.

Baron Angus scratched his head.

"Probably... over a hundred years?"

Charlotte: ...

Compared to the Church’s supernatural protection, the tithe tax was neither too heavy nor too light.

But if the rumor suggested repaying it all at once, a hundred years' worth of taxes...was a bit excessive.

However, Charlotte had never mentioned anything about repaying the tithe tax. She didn’t even know that Castell hadn’t paid the tax for over a century until now.

Clearly, someone is fueling these rumors.

"This is completely baseless. This is the first time I’ve heard that the Church’s rule in Castel has long been non-existent."

Charlotte said, shaking her head.

Baron Angus visibly sighed in relief, breaking into a smile.

"Indeed, I didn’t think you would do such a thing."

Charlotte: ...

Your obvious relief shows you thought I might actually do that, didn't you?

Though Baron Angus was a noble, he was a straightforward, serious, and rather dull knight.

If even he couldn't grasp Charlotte’s true intentions, it’s no wonder the rumors spread throughout Castell.

Honestly, Charlotte didn’t take the tithe rumors seriously.

Such an outrageous claim of repaying a hundred years of taxes would collapse on its own.

Charlotte never even considered reinstating church taxes, as she wasn’t a genuine believer in the Holy Court...

However, she could clearly sense the malice behind the rumors.

Moreover, though the tithe tax issue seemed the most critical due to its direct impact on the commoners, it wasn’t the real danger.

The true threat was the rhetoric that positioned her against her subjects by aligning her with the Church, the deeper implication behind the tithe tax rumor, and the notion of "bringing Castell back under the Church’s religious rule."

Charlotte initially intended to operate under the banner of the Holy Court.

But now, she might need to reconsider her stance.

On the bright side, the chaotic state of Castell’s faith could be advantageous for Charlotte, allowing her to exploit the situation.

She wasn’t aiming to preach for the Holy Court but rather to spread her own beliefs.

Therefore, she also needed to investigate who was behind the rumors.

If she were a devout "saint," such rhetoric would be a direct attack on her Achilles’ heel.

As the saying goes, to identify your enemies, you must consider who benefits from your misfortune or whose interests are affected by your arrival in Castell.

Though the mansion’s archives had records, the details were insufficient, given that the documents were over a decade old. Charlotte needed more information.

She had a gut feeling that the nobles in the territory were involved.

After all, spreading rumors across Castell required considerable resources.

The convoy continued forward.

Despite sensing the indifference and even hostility from the locals, it hadn’t escalated to the point where people blocked their way.

Besides Baron Angus, Charlotte didn’t encounter any other nobles along the journey.

Castell was noticeably more urbanized than both Borde and even the Moonshield Duchy, especially as they traveled further north.

Towns of various sizes were almost everywhere, and the population density seemed to surpass that of the two counties directly under the kingdom’s ducal authority. There were also many petty nobles.

Many small nobles visited along the way, but apart from inviting Charlotte to banquets, none accompanied them like Baron Angus.

Charlotte could clearly sense it.

Though she had successfully inherited the title, she lacked authority and control in Castell, appearing more like a figurehead.

However, this situation improved significantly upon entering the directly governed territory of the Count of Castell.

Indeed, the directly governed territory.

The Count of Castell had a directly governed territory.

Besides the three viscountcies and seventeen baronies, Castell retained one-fifth of its land as directly governed, about 26,000 square kilometers, with a population of around 1.8 million, accounting for one-third of the county’s population.

Honestly, this was a significant area, enough to be a prosperous county in the Crescent Kingdom.

This territory was divided into two parts, located at the obtuse angles of Castell’s triangular shape, one to the left and one to the right.

The left area, in the northernmost part of Castell, included the capital, Northport, also known as Northport Viscounty.

Yes, a viscounty.

Strictly speaking, Charlotte held the title of Viscount of Northport in addition to Count of Castell.

Northport Viscounty covered about 16,000 square kilometers, roughly the size of the capital of China, concentrated in Castell’s most prosperous region, with a population exceeding 1.5 million, which was Charlotte’s destination.

The right area was the Castell Silver Mine District on the border, about 10,000 square kilometers, mostly hilly lowlands, with a population of around 200,000.

Unlike Borde Duchy’s directly governed land with baronial vassals or the Crescent Kingdom’s ducal territory with count vassals, Castell’s directly governed land had no noble lords with ranks of baron or higher.

In this area, the territory was directly governed by the Castell family through city officials and court nobles without fiefdoms. They only had administrative authority, no land ownership, and no military authority.

Of course, they owned personal land, but it was limited to some estates.

Northport Viscounty was visibly wealthier than other parts of Castell. The public roads resembled city roads in Borde’s outer district, travelers were better dressed, and the roads were filled with carriages.

As soon as Charlotte entered the directly governed territory, she was warmly welcomed by long-awaiting city officials.

It was a truly warm welcome, making Charlotte instinctively think of inspections in her previous life, with many officials present, and even a large number of onlookers.

Moreover, there were soldiers on both sides, well-equipped, with a significant number of extraordinaries, indicating Northport’s armed forces.

Looking around, the welcoming party for Charlotte probably numbered three to four hundred people, and with the onlookers, it likely exceeded a thousand.

It seemed not everyone believed the rumors, or perhaps in the directly governed territory of Castell, the people had more trust in the Castell family.

And this was just at the entrance to the directly governed territory, not yet in the capital, Northport.

Leading the welcoming party was Northport’s mayor, Madoc Orlan, a city official of common origin.

Madoc appeared to be a middle-aged man around fifty, with quite a bit of gray in his hair.

He looked more like a businessman than a mayor, chubby and always smiling, resembling a Maitreya Buddha, reminding Charlotte of Duke Borde's chubby steward.

As soon as he saw Charlotte, his eyes lit up, and he, along with the other officials and nobles, rushed over, delightedly saying:

"Lady Charlotte, you’re finally back. It’s been years, and you’ve become more beautiful."

Great, another familiar stranger.

Not to mention Charlotte’s inherited memories were incomplete; even if they were complete, the people she met as a child would be hazy after so many years.

Charlotte could only smile and nod in greeting.

"Lady Charlotte, after your long journey, the count’s mansion in Northport is ready for you to move in at any time!"

Madoc said cheerfully.

Then he took the reins of the carriage himself, personally driving it for Charlotte.

Surrounded by the crowd, Charlotte’s carriage continued north.

After about half a day, Charlotte finally reached her ultimate destination, the capital of Castell County, the economic and trade center of the northern lowlands, one of the super cities in the Crescent Kingdom with a population exceeding half a million, known as the Pearl of the Sea—Northport.