Tome of Blood

Chapter 516 -15- We don’t need help

Horcos Holy Land, deep in the central castle complex.

The ancient stone gate connects to the underground, and is inserted into a huge underground ruins through a stone tower engraved with runes.

Deep in the ruins, a tide of monsters roared and roared, rushing towards the stone tower leading to the ground from the high platform.

Their whole body was pitch black, their appearance was ferocious, exuding an aura of darkness and depravity, and they were clearly like crazy blood demons one after another.

Around the stone tower, the vampires in black robes looked serious and were arranged in a regular array.

Magic power surged from their bodies, manipulating the dark red magic barrier and wrapping the stone tower within it.

The afterglow of sword skills and the light of magic continued to shine, and the vampires wearing armor sometimes turned into bats, sometimes into black mist.

They shuttled inside and outside the magic barrier, either slaying monsters with long swords, or using magic to crush monsters into pieces.

Under the stone tower, monster corpses had piled up into a hill. The black-red blood had already dyed the ground a deep black, and the rich smell of blood filled the entire ruins.

And deeper in the ruins, dense blood demons are still pouring out of the darkness, countless, as if there is no end under the dim magic lamp.

Suddenly, a series of crazy roars sounded, and several monsters that were far more terrifying than other blood demons jumped up from the "tide" and rushed towards the stone tower.

The outermost vampires were severely injured by these monsters after just one encounter. Even the defensive barrier protecting the stone tower was shaking violently under the attack of the monsters, and it seemed that it would collapse in the next moment.

Seeing the unstoppable monster, the defending vampires all changed their colors:

"No! It's a lost person approaching the Blazing Sun!"

"Retreat! Strengthen the barrier!"

However, just when those monsters were about to rush into the stone tower, dark red light fell from the sky, and blood arrows smashed into the ground, piercing them one after another.

"Great Prophet!"

Seeing the figure appearing above the stone tower, the vampires were refreshed.

"How is it going?"

Mago, the great prophet of Hortosh, glanced at the blood demon in the ruins and asked calmly.

The vampires looked at each other, bowed to the great prophet Mago, and said:

"It should be that one of the Duke's seals was loosened, which caused this abnormal movement."

"I'm very sorry...for alarming you and all the adults. We will quickly clear away the monsters."

The Great Prophet shook his head:

"It's not your fault. Even the fallen vampires who have lost their minds still have the instinct to seek advantages and avoid disasters. It was only because I took away the main force of the legion that they became ready to take action."

After saying that, she looked at the vampire warriors who were following behind her and continued:

"The Blood Legion obeys the order. Viscount and above will continue to stay in the forbidden area to maintain the seal and suppress the fallen vampires. There is no need to continue pretending to be high-level vampires above the earl."

Several count-level vampires who were chasing after them looked at each other and said worriedly:

"Lord Prophet, we have left so many 'high-level vampires' at once. Will the banquet...not reveal our true nature?"

Great Prophet Mago said:

"I will handle the banquet. Maintaining the seal is the most important thing. After all, this is the task entrusted to us by Her Majesty the Queen. We must fulfill our responsibilities before Her Majesty the Queen succeeds."

"They have become stronger and stronger in the past two years. You should not be careless. This is for the sake of Her Majesty the Queen and for the future of our Hortosh clan."

"Her Majesty is at the most critical moment. When Her Majesty succeeds, we can be freed from the curse."

"Everyone, keep fighting, everything... is for the future of the Vampire Clan!"

"For the future of the vampire clan!"

The vampires raised their swords and said in unison.

…

Queen's Palace Ballroom.

Beautiful music flowed slowly, and the elegant vampires talked and laughed.

Charlotte leaned in front of the VIP seat, slowly opened her eyes, looked out the window in a certain direction, thoughtfully.

The last trace of spiritual power attached to the vampire warrior has been broken.

But in her mind, she still recalled the scene she had perceived before her mental power was cut off.

Stone towers, seals... and ruins.

Blood clans, monsters... and battles.

"I see, there are corrupted high-level vampires sealed under the Hortosh clan's holy castle complex..."

"Sigurd's memory also mentioned that the Hortosh clan has been fighting against the curse of the fallen vampires, but because he was only a guard of the palace, there were no specific details of the confrontation in his memory."

"Now it seems...the underground ruins should be the main battlefield for the Hortosh clan to fight against the fallen vampires, right?"

"Unlike the Ness clan, the Hortosh clan has not participated in any large-scale wars on the mainland, but it seems that its true state is even weaker than the Ness clan..."

"They seem to be more prone to 'corruption', and the vast majority of their high-level vampires... seem to have already fallen."

"The sober Hortosh clan is engaged in a 'civil war' with the fallen high-level vampires. The restrictions covering the northern border may not only be to suppress the power of the gods, but also to delay their own corruption."

"The Hortosh clan is obviously in trouble. Combining the scene just now and Sigurd's memory, it is obviously becoming more and more difficult for them to fight against those corrupt vampires."

"But even so...Scarlet Queen Rowena doesn't seem to take action."

"Is it true that, as the great prophet of the Hortosh clan said, his canonization of gods has reached the most critical moment?"

"Or...is there something wrong with Him?"

Charlotte's consciousness turned and she was thoughtful.

"Your Majesty Charlotte, what are you thinking about? How about trying the blood wine, a specialty of our Hortosh clan?"

A familiar voice sounded, interrupting her thoughts.

Charlotte came back to her senses and saw Sofia, the captain of the palace guard of the Hortosh clan, walking over with a goblet in her hand. There were also cautious eyes on her in the hall.

Charlotte glanced over casually, and the vampires who were looking at her all looked back.

Although they retracted quickly, Charlotte could still feel a hint of tension from their bodies.

Charlotte chuckled.

She looked around, and wherever her eyes moved, the vampires would look away. Finally, her eyes fell on Sophia, who was obviously more nervous in front of her, and even felt a little bit like she was facing a formidable enemy.

"Nothing, I'm just curious about what the Great Prophet did."

Charlotte gracefully took the goblet from Sofia's hand and took a sip.

Sophia stiffened slightly.

She smiled reluctantly and said:

"It's just some private matters within the clan. Some clan members are causing trouble after drinking too much. It's not a big deal."

"Oh? Can something like this alarm the Great Prophet?"

Charlotte looked surprised.

"Well... they are some senior guys. Only the Prophet can control them."

Sophia said stiffly.

"A guy with a higher seniority..."

Charlotte looked confused.

Seeing Charlotte's playful expression that seemed to see everything through, Sophia's heart sank.

She hesitated for a moment and was about to change the topic when she heard Charlotte say:

"Your Excellency Sophia, I came here with goodwill and an olive branch. I wonder...when can I really see Her Majesty Rowena?"

Sophia's movements paused slightly.

She took a deep breath and repeated:

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty Charlotte, Her Majesty the Queen is meditating deep in the palace. I'm afraid I can't accept your visit for the time being."

"Oh? For now? I don't know...how long do I need to wait?"

"This is decided by Her Majesty the Queen. When the time is right, Her Majesty the Queen will show up."

"Are you showing up... Your Excellency Sophia, I wonder when was the last time Your Majesty Rowena showed up?"

"this……"

Facing Charlotte's gaze that seemed to be able to see through lies, Sophia suddenly felt pressured.

She only felt that in front of the other party, all her thoughts were invisible, and the invisible pressure made her almost breathless.

The last time she had a similar feeling was when she received the baptism of blood after her birth and faced the blessing from the queen's crown.

Eyes focused on Sophia and Charlotte.

In the banquet hall, the conversation among the Vampires stopped at some point. They stared at the two people silently, and an indescribable tension slowly rose.

"Haha, Your Majesty Charlotte, it is indeed inconvenient for Her Majesty the Queen to show up. If you want to cooperate with the clan, just discuss it with me."

An old voice sounded, taking Charlotte's question and breaking the sluggish atmosphere.

Sophia perked up.

She turned around and saw the figure reappearing in the banquet hall. She breathed a sigh of relief and then saluted respectfully:

"The Great Prophet..."

Seeing the returning Great Prophet, the vampires in the banquet hall also breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty Charlotte, for keeping you waiting."

The Great Prophet apologized to Charlotte again and said.

Charlotte smiled:

"It's nothing, but... Your Majesty the Great Prophet, you mean... can you sign an agreement with the gods on behalf of the gods?"

Great Prophet Mago paused slightly.

She shook her head and said seriously:

"I am not qualified to replace the gods, but Her Majesty the Queen has already entrusted me with all the clan affairs before meditating."

"If you want to discuss cooperation with the clan, just discuss it with me after the banquet. I will report any agreement to Her Majesty the Queen and leave it to Her Majesty's oracle to decide."

Charlotte nodded, looked around, and said with a smile:

"Okay, in this case, let's get to the point as soon as possible. This kind of performance banquet is actually a bit boring. I think the soldiers in the banquet hall don't want to waste time here? After all... they have more Important things to do.”

Hearing this, Sophia's expression changed slightly, and the vampires in the banquet hall also subconsciously stopped their movements, showing expressions as if they were facing a formidable enemy.

Looking at Charlotte's calm expression, the Great Prophet let out a long sigh.

She glanced at everyone and said:

"You... all step back first."

The vampires in the hall hesitated.

"Step back. Your Majesty Charlotte has clearly seen your true and false intentions. There is no need to continue wasting time here."

The Great Prophet repeated.

Only then did the Vampires take action. They bowed to the Great Prophet and then retreated.

Sophia hesitated.

But under the commanding gaze of the Great Prophet, she finally nodded silently and left the banquet hall with the other vampires.

Soon, only Charlotte and the great prophet of the Hortosh clan were left in the huge palace.

The atmosphere fell into an eerie silence, and a moment later, Charlotte's voice was the first to speak:

"Your Majesty the Great Prophet, I wonder...how long can the Hortosh clan persist in its current state?"

The Great Prophet paused slightly.

She smiled and said:

"Your Majesty Charlotte, I don't understand what you mean."

Charlotte shook her head:

"No, you can understand."

The Great Prophet frowned slightly.

She was about to say something, but Charlotte suddenly said:

"Seven Earls."

The Great Prophet was slightly startled.

She looked at Charlotte, who continued to report more numbers:

"Two hundred and twenty-three viscounts, five hundred and forty-three barons, in addition... there are four hundred and thirty-two attendants close to the barons... Your Excellency the Great Prophet, the number I mentioned is correct, right?"

The great prophet's expression suddenly became solemn.

Without him, the number reported by Charlotte was exactly the true strength of the vampires who had just attended the banquet in the hall.

"Your Majesty Charlotte, you are more powerful than I imagined. You are able to penetrate the restrictions and clearly see the strength of my Hortosh. It seems... the grace of the gods towards you is much stronger than I imagined."

The Great Prophet sighed and smiled bitterly.

After saying that, she looked at Charlotte again and said calmly:

"I admit that our Hortosh clan has encountered some minor troubles, but it is not a big problem."

"Oh? A little trouble? All the high-level vampires have fallen. There are fewer and fewer conscious clan members. The overall strength has plummeted. The power to fight against the blood demon is getting weaker and weaker. Even the strength of the team that has entered the Miria continent has declined. It can only be capped to Viscount, is this... considered a small problem?"

Charlotte said.

As she said that, she looked at the Great Prophet himself again, her golden-red pupils gleaming with a little brilliance:

"And you, how long can you... hold on?"

After hearing this, the Great Prophet's expression finally changed.

The atmosphere in the hall became tense again.

"Your Majesty the Great Prophet."

Charlotte continued:

"I can help you deal with the problem of blood curse and purify the power within the fallen vampires."

The great prophet's eyes narrowed slightly.

She was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled:

"Your Majesty Charlotte, you are joking."

"Most of our high-level vampires in the Hortosh clan have just fallen into a deep sleep. They will naturally wake up when the queen's meditation ends..."

"I can roughly guess which prince is behind you, but... it is not the Holy Court's turn to intervene in the affairs of our Hortosh clan. Since you have chosen another path, we have already parted ways. .”

"For the sake of our old friendship, we don't want to interfere in your fight with other clans, but we also ask you not to extend your tentacles into our sphere of influence in Hortosh."

"The Queen's anger... you cannot bear it."

"You have your way, and we have our way. We don't care about what you call 'purification'. You should keep it for your own use."