Gospel of Blood

Chapter 207: Pretend now to Strike Later

Count Castell's Estate, Meditation Room

Agnes, now dressed in a brand-new maid's outfit, fidgeted with the lace hem of her skirt uncomfortably. Despite her cute face, her expression was wooden and stiff, making one wonder if she might suddenly rip off the black and white headpiece with Castell's emblem and stomp on it angrily.

Similarly, Lahel, the middle-aged knight who had donned the Castell's standard knight uniform but stubbornly kept the Veillet family crest on his chest, watched his young mistress with a hesitant look.

"What's the matter, Lahel? Do you have something to say?"

Agnes asked, glancing at him.

Lahel scratched his head.

"No, nothing much. It's just... You just sternly refused Count Castell's offer, so I thought you were planning to keep opposing her. But now... you seem to have changed your mind so quickly."

Agnes: ...

The girl’s expression became slightly unnatural. She pursed her lips and said.

"I just suddenly figured it out. Even if I reject her offer, she’ll just keep us locked up. And as long as we’re locked up, we’ll never have a chance..."

"Instead of that, it's better to pretend to submit..."

"Charlotte de Castell can activate the encrypted crystal of the Nez clan, which means she must have a big secret. We don't even know if she is the real Charlotte."

"Facing an enemy who is much stronger than us and has secrets, we might as well pretend to join her, lie low for now, and find her weaknesses while building up our own strength."

"We can’t fight her now, but I don’t believe she is without flaws! Given enough time, we’ll find her secrets!"

"When we uncover her secrets, find her weaknesses, and wait for the right time... we’ll strike and defeat her!"

"Just like when we endured and retaliated against Count Hol!"

"Then, I will make her taste the suffering our Veillet family has endured!"

Agnes said through gritted teeth.

The girl was visibly agitated, but the middle-aged knight seemed thoughtful and hesitant.

Agnes noticed and asked.

"Lahel, do you have something to say?"

Lahel hesitated for a moment, choosing his words carefully.

"Miss, I’ve been thinking about something."

"Countess Castell is different from Count Hol. She has many followers and a vast, prosperous territory. She knows about our past revenge on Count Hol and seems more composed and less arrogant than Count Hol..."

"In this situation, even if she accepts our 'submission,' she definitely won’t let her guard down."

"Our every move will likely be under her surveillance..."

"Also, after meeting her this time, I felt her aura was even stronger than when I first saw her. I suspect she might have some method of increasing her power."

"I’m worried... that over time, instead of closing the gap, we might fall further behind. Not to mention, once she fully controls her territory, opposing her will become even harder."

"In this case, can we really find an opportunity to strike back?"

After listening to Lahel's words, Agnes clenched her fists, her expression uncertain.

After a moment, she said.

"I don’t believe anyone is without flaws. I also don’t believe her power and influence will grow indefinitely..."

"Bloodbornes are notoriously difficult to advance in power, and when they do, they enter a period of deep slumber. She’s currently only a Starry Sky tier, not even a Silver Moon. We will have our chance!"

"Besides, we’re bloodbornes, and if there’s one thing we have, it’s time. We can wait. If a month isn’t enough, then two months, if not two months, then three months, or even a year, two years, three years..."

"We’ll wait until she enters deep slumber, until we find her weakness!"

Agnes grew more determined as she spoke, her initial hesitation turning into firm resolve, as if trying to convince herself.

However, Lahel still seemed hesitant.

He remained silent for a long time before sighing.

"Miss... actually, I’ve thought about it, and her proposal isn’t completely unacceptable for us."

"From the beginning, our goal has been to revive the Veillet family. If she can truly help us rebuild, reconciling with Castell might be an option."

"You’re right, we are bloodbornes and can wait, but our scattered kin cannot. They might remember the Veillet name now, but in a generation or two, they’ll forget. By then, the Veiillet bloodline might be lost..."

"There’s no grudge between nobles that can’t be resolved. Though it was Castell’s inaction that led to our defeat, it was ultimately the King who stripped us of our title."

"The Duke died not just because of the battle but was also ambushed by a Starfall's Legendary during the retreat..."

"Instead of dwelling on revenge, it might be better to focus on rebuilding our family."

Agnès's expression changed instantly. She angrily slammed the table.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"

"Castell is our enemy. We can never reconcile, never!"

"Lahel, don’t say that again! Remember! Even if we temporarily submit, it’s to bide our time! Today's endurance is for tomorrow's victory!"

"Rebuilding the family and revenge are equally important!"

Seeing the girl’s unwavering determination, Lahel sighed.

"Alright, I’ll follow your lead."

"Let's not discuss this further. Lahel, why do you think Countess Castell suddenly wants to recruit us?"

Agnes asked, changing the topic.

Lahel thought for a moment and said.

"Since she mentioned impersonating Count Hol, it might be related to the communication crystal. When we were released from the dungeon, I saw many imprisoned nobles and a few Northport officials. Something must have happened to Castell while we were locked up."

Agnes nodded.

"I think so too."

After thinking for a moment, she said.

"The Nez clan's plan at the banquet must have failed. Not only that, but the little Countess of Castell probably used the banquet to expose many of their people. Maybe... just like the previous times, the Nez clan activated the communication crystal prematurely."

At this point, Agnes' eyes flashed.

"Lahel."

"I'm here, Miss."

"Countess Castell doesn't yet know that both you and I can activate the communication crystal on our own. So, if she wants us to impersonate Count Hol, we'll tell her that both of us must participate."

"Both of us?"

"Yes, just like before, you’ll disguise yourself as Count Hol, and I’ll maintain the operation of the crystal..."

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Lahel's heart stirred.

"You mean..."

Agnes narrowed her eyes.

"Charlotte daring to let us disguise ourselves probably means she has a way to prevent us from leaking secrets to the Nez clan during the meeting..."

"Although I don't know what method she will use to monitor us, the communication crystal works through a remote mental connection. Even if she knows that you, disguised as Count Hol, will attend the meeting, she would never guess that the crystal operator can also secretly open a mental channel to communicate privately!"

Lahel's heart skipped a beat.

"You want to contact the Nez clan?"

Agnes nodded.

"Yes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Although I don't trust the insidious bloodbornes of the Starfall Kingdom, our goal of dealing with Castell aligns."

"I believe they wouldn't refuse a 'friend' who can secretly provide them with intelligence on Castell."

Smiling, Agnes continued.

"Lahel, you worry that the gap between us and Countess Castell will widen over time. But what if we can drag her down from behind?"

Seeing his mistress’ eyes light up, Lahel hesitated but swallowed his words. Honestly, based on past experiences, he wasn’t optimistic about her plan. He felt Countess Castell had a mysterious power and might have a way to completely prevent them from contacting the Nez clan privately.

At this moment, the door to the meditation room creaked open, and Charlotte entered gracefully in meditation attire.

The girl and the knight immediately fell silent.

Charlotte, eyeing them in their maid and knight outfits, nodded in satisfaction.

"Not bad, fits well."

Seeing her look at them like amusing toys, Agnes bit her lip, her fists clenched tightly.

"Countess, why have you brought us here?"

Lahel asked, stepping in front of Agnes.

Charlotte didn’t beat around the bush and bring out the flashing communication crystal.

"The Nez clan’s communication crystal has reacted. It seems they’re calling an early meeting. I want to join you in the meeting."

Join... together?

Both Agnes and Lahel were taken aback.

"You... will operate the communication crystal too?"

Agnes couldn’t help but ask.

"Me? No, of course, you two will operate it. I’m just an observer."

Charlotte shook her head.

An observer?

Agnès was even more puzzled.

She exchanged glances with Lahel and said.

"We can assist you in disguising yourself, but... for the best effect, one of us needs to operate the crystal while the other disguises."

"Okay."

Charlotte nodded.

So readily?

Agnes couldn’t help but glance at Charlotte. Charlotte hadn’t yet revealed how she would prevent them from leaking secrets while disguising, which made Agnes uneasy rather than reassured.

After all, Charlotte hadn’t even signed a contract with them!

But at this point, Agnes had no reason to hesitate. She exchanged a look with Lahel and nodded, starting to place her hand on the communication crystal, injecting magic to activate it.

The familiar power spread from the crystal ball, verifying their bloodline power. Gradually, the crystal ball emitted a dreamy glow, and Agnes felt her mental power connect with it.

Connection successful!

Agnes felt a surge of excitement.

"It’s activated. Lahel can prepare to join the meeting."

She glanced subtly at Charlotte and readied herself to open the secret mental channel.

However, just then, Charlotte interrupted them.

"Wait a moment."

She smiled slightly and closed her eyes. When she reopened them, her azure eyes had turned golden.

A terrifying mental force erupted from her, and in Agnes’ astonished gaze, the crimson brilliance engulfed the world in an instant.

Agnes felt a moment of disorientation, the world spinning. Suddenly, black stone walls rose, and steps ascended in layers through the crimson mist...

In an instant, Agnes found herself in a towering ancient castle. Charlotte sat regally on a majestic throne, her casual clothes transformed into an ornate black gown with thorn and rose patterns. Her blonde hair turned silver, and even her height seemed to increase slightly.

The communication crystal floated in mid-air, appearing somewhat ethereal, like a projection rather than a physical entity. Agnes and Lahel remained in their positions, touching the crystal.

Feeling the omnipresent mental power around her, Agnes’ eyes widened in disbelief.

A mental world!

This is a mental world!

She was pulled into the other’s mental world!

Damn it, who is this young countess, able to pull someone’s consciousness into her mental world?!

Isn't this something only Legendary can do?!

No, just being able to construct such a realistic mental world is already absurd!

Is she really just a Starry Sky?!

There’s no way to secretly contact the Nez clan now!

Looking at Charlotte, who sat high on the throne with a playful smile, Agnes was left speechless.

As the daughter of a Legendary expert, she knew well about mental worlds. In such a world, any minor actions of an outsider would be exposed, and even their life and death would be in the host's hands...

In other words, she and Lahel were now under Charlotte’s 360-degree surveillance, and she could sever their connection to the communication crystal at any moment.

"Alright, now... you can start disguising and join the Nez clan’s meeting."

Charlotte said, shifting into a more comfortable position, smiling.

Agnes: ...