Gospel of Blood

Chapter 416: The Entertainer

Albrecht was delighted.

Recently, he had been plagued with bad luck, everything going wrong. He was forcibly contracted as a blood servant and made to wear women’s clothing, filling him with pent-up frustration that he dared not express due to the True Ancestor’s intimidating presence.

But now, things were looking up. He had been itching for a chance to vent, and here it was, delivered right to him!

The two captors were somewhat surprised to see the composed and calm demeanor of the “girl.”

The masked mage appraised Albrecht and praised.

“As expected of the Lord of the North, staying so calm even in a situation like this.”

“You may consider this a kidnapping. If you cooperate, we are willing to avoid excessive violence.”

A woman?

Hearing the voice, Albrecht raised an eyebrow.

He indeed remained calm and unsurprised. This stemmed not only from confidence in his own strength but also because he had sensed the ambush within the carriage with his Legendary-level perception before boarding.

The royal guest carriage of the Starfall Kingdom had Legendary-level magical barriers for protection, but without a Legendary mage to control it, the barrier couldn’t hide from his experienced investigation.

Albrecht’s gaze swept over the two captors. Both were at the Blazing Sun tier, an impressive rank that would make them honored guests of any noble house, with quite refined concealment skills.

However, to Albrecht, an ancient Legendary Bloodborne, their movements were full of flaws.

Two Blazing Suns attempting to kidnap a Legendary?

Ridiculous. Even without using Legendary powers, Albrecht had a hundred ways to subdue them instantly. The only question was the degree of cruelty he wished to employ.

However, Albrecht didn’t act immediately. Although he longed to vent his pent-up frustration by thrashing these overconfident fools or torturing them with bloodline manipulation, he remembered the True Ancestor’s instructions clearly.

“Just follow my instructions and don’t disrupt my plan.”

Charlotte’s calm words echoed in Albrecht’s mind.

Albrecht squinted slightly. If he could notice the ambushers in the carriage, the True Ancestor certainly would have. Yet, despite this, the True Ancestor had him board the carriage incognito, indicating deeper intentions.

Albrecht didn’t know what the True Ancestor was planning.

But he knew the goal involved the Ancient Temple and the Faceless Statue, linked to the Roman Ancestral Recognition Ceremony. Therefore, directly dealing with the captors might not be the best option.

With this in mind, Albrecht glanced at the two captors.

They were strong but lacked etiquette. Even as kidnappers, they were too crude. These were likely extraordinary mercenaries, possibly famous, given their concealed faces.

Gaining access to a royal guest carriage of Starfall implied the involvement of the royal family. This kidnapping attempt must have been orchestrated by them. As for the two in front, they were probably just hired help, not the masterminds.

The Starfall Royal Family attempting to kidnap the Countess of Castell?

Were they out of their minds?

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What were they planning?

Albrecht was intrigued.

He looked at the captors thoughtfully. He had two choices: subdue them and extract information or play along to see their plan unfold.

Albrecht unhesitatingly chose the latter.

The Roman Family was still the Starfall Royal Family. He couldn’t be sure if a Legendary figure was involved.

Though it could be another force framing them, his intuition suggested otherwise. Such ancient human families often had deep roots. For caution and to avoid alarming them, playing along seemed the safest course.

Besides, he had no idea how much the mercenaries knew. Playing the role of Countess Castell properly seemed a more prudent approach. After all, any misstep could affect the True Ancestor’s plan, adding to his woes.

These thoughts flashed through Albrecht’s mind, solidifying his decision to observe and play along.

If he were the actual “Countess Castell”, with apparent strength below Blazing Sun, he wouldn’t stand a chance in this kidnapping, let alone escape or fight back.

From this perspective, the True Ancestor likely allowed him to board the carriage to go with the flow and uncover the plot.

With this, Albrecht set aside the notion of turning the audacious captors into live corpses, deciding to watch them perform instead.

Perhaps due to recent frustrations, he was content to be an observer, much like the True Ancestor at the Roman Palace banquet, seeing what tricks they had up their sleeves.

Ironically, Albrecht might never realize Charlotte genuinely didn’t expect captors on the carriage.

Noticing the ambush ahead?

Impossible. Without the blood divine power, Charlotte, an ordinary human with a “Demigod” title, couldn’t detect the anomaly in the carriage.

Albrecht thought the conversation between the two before boarding the carriage was a hint from Charlotte.

In reality, Charlotte had no such intention. She was merely worried he would slack off and not do his job properly.

Seeing that “Countess Castell” did not resist, the two kidnappers assumed she was intimidated and had heeded their threats.

They exchanged glances and nodded. The masked warrior pulled out a high-grade anti-magic rope, swiftly tying up the “girl” and stuffing a wad of cotton into “her” mouth.

The cotton was damp and had a pungent smell. Albrecht immediately recognized it as an alchemical sedative often used by mercenaries, potent enough to even knock out a Blazing Sun.

Of course, for him, it was insufficient. At best, it would make him sneeze. He didn’t show any of this, instead tilting his head and pretending to faint.

While pretending to be unconscious, Albrecht continued to observe the two through his senses, curious about their next steps.

In his perception, the Starfall’s royal guest carriage was openly traveling down the grand square boulevard.

According to the plan, the Countess of Castell would disembark in front of everyone and ascend the VIP platform.

“Is she unconscious?”

The masked warrior glanced at the “girl” and asked his companion.

The female mage checked “her” breath and nodded.

“She’s asleep, the dosage was sufficient. Even a Blazing Sun magic beast would be out for a while.”

“Good. Is the disguise difficult?”

“Not really. The dress is complicated, but restoring it with illusion magic isn’t hard. The perfume is high-end from Luna Coast-City, which I happen to have.”

“Hurry up, we’re almost there. Be careful, the maid on the carriage behind is quite strong, not weaker than us. Don’t get exposed.”

“Don’t worry, I’m a professional at this, or I wouldn’t have taken the job.”

After their exchange, the two kidnappers got to work.

In Albrecht’s perception, he was surprised to see the female mage transform into Charlotte’s likeness through a magical glow.

A doppelganger? Impressive.

As the carriage slowed to a stop, the disguised “Charlotte” stepped off.

Albrecht remained motionless, curious about how the black dragon in the following carriage would react. As expected, the True Ancestor’s black dragon retainer, like others of her kind, wasn’t skilled in magic and failed to notice the swap.

“Charlotte” ascended the VIP platform while the carriage, carrying the unconscious “girl”, continued onward, eventually reaching the Roman Palace.

Albrecht sensed being placed in a box, which was carried and eventually opened onto a soft bed in one of the palace’s bedrooms.

So, it was the Starfall Royal Family after all. How bold!

Soon after, he sensed someone entering the room—Count Corimo, a royal advisor, and Prince Henry’s confidant from the banquet.

“My Lord, as agreed, we’ve brought Countess Castell.”

The masked mercenary spoke in a deep voice.

Count Corimo frowned slightly at the sight of the roughly bound “girl.”

“Why is she bound so roughly?”

“For safety, after all, she’s an extraordinary. Even if just Silver Moon, caution is needed.”

“She won’t wake up soon, right?”

“Rest assured, the dosage was sufficient. She’ll be out for at least a day.”

“Well done. How’s the situation at the square?”

“Sally has taken the stage, the disguise successful and unnoticed.”

“Good! Your reward is prepared, but remember, today’s events must remain secret.”

“Of course. Keeping client secrets is our rule, and we’ve signed a soul contract with the Duke. Any breach would backfire on us.”

“Very well. The Duke trusts the reputation of your mercenary group. Your task is complete. Here’s half the payment, twenty thousand gold tana worth of magic crystals. The rest will be paid after the ceremony.”

“Thank you for your generosity.”

The masked warrior was delighted to receive the payment.

Count Corimo, looking at the “sleeping” beauty, swallowed and remarked.

“What a shame, she truly is as beautiful as rumored… such a pity.”

He glanced around and instructed the maids.

“Untie our future queen gently. Don’t hurt her. Before taking her blood, feed her anti-magic potions to temporarily seal her bloodline powers.”

The maids approached to untie the “girl.”

Albrecht decided it was time to end the charade. He opened his eyes, immobilized the maids with a spell, sat up, and spat out the cotton.

“No need, I prefer to do it myself. I don’t like being touched by inferior humans…”

Seeing the “girl” suddenly awaken, both Corimo and the mercenary were stunned.

“You… you didn’t faint?!”

The mercenary was shocked.

Albrecht ignored him, breaking the anti-magic rope effortlessly.

“Nice technique, but the rope quality is lacking. Use dragonhide next time.”

This time, he didn’t bother disguising his voice. Hearing a man’s voice, Count Corimo’s face changed.

“You… you’re not Countess Castell! Who are you?!”

Albrecht smiled.

“Who I am doesn’t matter. What’s important is finding out what the Starfall Royal Family is up to…”

He stood, not concealing his aura. Feeling the overwhelming extraordinary presence, Count Corimo was terrified.

He instinctively stepped back, falling to the ground, and shouted at the guards and mercenary.

“What are you waiting for? Take him down!”

“Oh? You want them to take me down?”

Albrecht suddenly appeared before Count Corimo, smiling.

Around them, all the guards and maids were frozen like puppets, their eyes vacant. Even the Blazing Sun mercenary seemed like a puppet, eyes dull.

Black threads surrounded them, connecting to Albrecht.

Albrecht summoned a chair, took a seat, and sipped tea offered by a puppet maid, looking down at the horrified Count Corimo with a devilish grin.

“Now… it’s interrogation time.”