I, the wizard, the foolish Buddha.

Roland's statement, "You are my subjects who have come to me following the guidance of the Kingdom of Heaven," was actually intended to show Richard a clear path:
Ovilia is a staunch supporter of the Palais faction, while the Crusaders are now at risk of becoming scapegoats for the Orbis royal family and the Papacy.

If Prince Alaye, whom Ovilia intends to protect, dislikes them, then they will naturally only have one fate left.

So Roland was telling them that they only had a future if they clung to his coattails.

Richard and the others naturally understood these words, but they also grasped the deeper 'divine will' within them.

Or perhaps it was fate.

This divine intervention stunned Richard and the others.

As believers, Richard and his ilk were very superstitious and believed that everything was guided by God.

Therefore, after the defeat, Richard and his men's faith was on the verge of collapse.

Are we not devout enough? Why have the gods abandoned us?

Why were we defeated by a group of faithless people (revolutionaries)?

Richard and the others were utterly devastated upon learning that the Revolutionary Army had O'Reilly's support.

Because they are clearly children of God, yet, by the arrangement of fate, they stand on the opposite side of God!
For Richard and his followers, this fact cast a shadow over their entire world.

On a spiritual level, Roland's words guided Richard toward a path of light.

Now, Richard finally understands why fate has arranged things this way.

This is the will of God!

They were not abandoned; it was the Church of Light and Shadow that was abandoned!
The Church of Light and Shadow has lost God's favor, so the Holy Crusade has stood on the opposite side of God and suffered a defeat.

But the gods still looked after their children, so the angels brought them to Roland's side.

They became the facilitators of peace talks and supporters of Alaye, and Alaye, the son of the gods, protected them on behalf of the gods.

Everyone present was a believer and worked for the Vatican, so they were all very capable of understanding 'divine will'.

Therefore, after being enlightened by Roland's words, they immediately understood why fate had arranged things this way.

The pent-up frustration that had been building up in everyone's hearts for days suddenly found an outlet. In an instant, everyone present prostrated themselves on the ground, tears streaming down their faces, and sang praises to the gods.

Seeing these guys suddenly kneel on the ground and sing praises to heaven, Roland's smile froze slightly.

As an abeliever, Roland found it hard to understand the thought processes of these guys whose brains had been corrupted by the gods.

So at that moment, he couldn't help but have a strange feeling—'You've all been abandoned by God, I'm the one who can save you, so why aren't you clinging to me? What kind of God are you thanking?'
But Roland was a very perceptive person. So he quickly understood the group's actions by putting himself in their shoes.

Roland thought to himself, 'I'm about to become a spokesperson for the gods, or rather, I've already started impersonating one.'

I need to adapt to the role of a charlatan as soon as possible.

Although he knew in his heart that he needed to adapt to this role and integrate into this group as soon as possible, Roland still had no interest or patience in singing hymns with them.

He tossed the pamphlet into Richard's arms, interrupting the man's self-indulgent reverie.

Seeing Richard wiping away his tears with a puzzled look on his face, Roland pulled him up from the ground and whispered to him, "Richard, now is not the time to pray to the gods. Let's solve the gods' current problems first, and then we can convey our wishes to them."

“Sir, God doesn’t suffer; God only tests us.” Richard muttered to himself, drawing a V sign on his chest before flipping through the booklet in his pocket.

After glancing at it twice, Richard's body stiffened slightly. He looked at Roland with suspicion and uncertainty, not understanding Roland's meaning. But from Richard's eyes, one could tell that he seemed somewhat uneasy.

It turned out that Roland had just used a little magic trick to split the booklet containing the list of bribes and gifts in two, turning it into a booklet containing only the list and a complete booklet.

The booklet Richard is holding now is the one that only contains the list.

And Richard's name was prominently featured in this booklet.

Besides Richard's name, there were many other bishops' names listed. As a member of the Vatican, Richard was well aware of who might have opinions about Alaye.

A list filled with people who disagree with Roland's succession. Isn't this a blacklist?
Coincidentally, the page with Richard's name was almost entirely filled with people who opposed Roland. So after glancing at it, he panicked.

Richard was clearly mistaken.

This booklet doesn't contain a blacklist, but rather a list of victims.

The riverbanks are incredibly wealthy, even more so than Maldock.

The higher the bishop's position, the more property he owns here.

This time, the wizards combed through the entire riverside land, turning the local nobles and bishops into impoverished people, while the elders behind them also suffered enormous losses.

These people naturally harbored great resentment towards Alaye.

Richard was also one of the victims, so his name is listed alongside those of these people.

Roland said, “Richard, as I just said, most of this wealth comes from the riverbank.”

As my subjects, their wealth and fiefdoms should naturally be returned to their rightful owners. Not only should they be returned to their rightful owners, but these lords and shepherds (priests) who lead my people to work diligently here should also be rewarded.

But as you know, many records about the Alaya dynasty have been destroyed by the Church of Light and Shadow.

Therefore, determining which families were legitimate nobles of the Alaya Dynasty became an extremely difficult task.

Richard suddenly understood what Roland meant, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Richard glanced at the pamphlet in his hand and said, "Sir, none of these are loyal subjects."

Richard paused, then changed the subject: "But with the wealth of Alayer and the wizards, anyone can be one."

Roland thought for a moment and said, "Richard, just as you said, I can fulfill all the wishes of the people in the world."

I can give every noble a fertile land, and every priest a pasture.

But Santa Darya is not a dumping ground; it doesn't need so many loyal subjects.

Richard's eyes lit up, and he immediately understood what Roland meant.

He wanted to recruit subordinates, but also make enemies, and carry out a major purge.

A massive purge. This is a good thing!

This is a good thing for Richard, and also a good thing for many in the church.

Because there are only so many dishes on the table—even if Alaye could make the cake bigger, if everyone gets a share, then she herself will get less.

Conversely, if the number of people is limited, then things are quite different.

Some people will be seated at the table, while others will only be on the menu. The dishes on the table will become more abundant, and a seat at the table will become all the more precious.

Richard looked at the treasure chests in the carriage and said, “Your Highness, I finally understand the significance of these things. They are not wealth returned by the royal family to its subjects; they are tickets that must be fought for to weather this storm. Their value far exceeds the wealth contained in these chests.”

It must be said that Richard was very perceptive. What pleased Roland even more was that although this guy was a believer, he was completely different from Count Barr, a madman who only had ideals in his heart.

Count Bal had no selfish desires whatsoever; he was a pure fanatic. His perspective and actions were guided by his beliefs; he was a madman who would follow a single path to the bitter end.

Richard, however, harbored many selfish desires and was not absolutely loyal to the Kingdom of Heaven. He was also able to see the situation more objectively and make the right choice.

Richard's beliefs would yield to his own interests; he was a clever man who was flexible with both his bottom line of faith and his moral bottom line.

Richard's interests are tied to Roland's, and he will cling to Roland's coattails tightly.

"Keep an eye on these tickets." Roland patted Richard on the shoulder and then turned and left.

Richard hurriedly followed and led the way for Roland.

Although church affairs were also important, Roland did not place them as his highest priority.

In his heart, Olivia was the most important person.

She is the most unstable factor.

If they can manage to get things sorted out with Joan along the way, half the battle will be won. And with this powerful bodyguard around, even if they encounter danger after arriving at the Holy Court, Olivia will come to their aid.

But if something goes wrong on her end, she will be the biggest danger.

Olivia's carriage was just one carriage away from Roland's previous position.

Many people were still putting their luggage, dressed as Roland, 'Aurelia (Joan)' and 'Helaka (Helena)', into the middle carriage.

Everyone heard Roland and Richard talking. Many people were still silently praying excitedly in the carriage when Roland stepped in.

If they hadn't known that the three goddesses were right next door, they probably would have been crying and singing hymns.

When they saw Richard leading Roland into the carriage, everyone excitedly stepped forward, wanting to kiss Roland's hands and boots.

In everyone's eyes, Roland had now become the spokesperson for God.

Seeing everyone's behavior, Roland suddenly realized that he had gone a bit too far.

He quickly waved his hand, signaling with his eyes that everyone should not disturb the goddess next door. The crowd then stopped and respectfully stepped aside.

Roland glanced at Richard beside him and asked, "What is Lord God doing in the carriage?"

Richard said respectfully in a low voice, "The three goddesses loaded all the scriptures collected by the Dracula family onto the train this morning. They should still be sorting out those old Heracles."

Upon hearing this, Roland felt much more at ease.

The three goddesses naturally refer to Olivia, Aurelia, and Heracles.

Richard's ability to utter a single sentence meant that Olivia had already come to regard Joan as O'Reilly.

After a pause, Richard asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, is that Miss Helena really the goddess Heracles?"

Roland shook his head and said, "That's a question for O'Reilly."

Speaking of which, Roland deliberately didn't change his appearance today, he just changed into the clothes that O'Reilly wore when she impersonated him yesterday.

However, Roland's first meeting with the church delegation took place after the incident at the Sacred Pool. And at that time, Roland had already used the Magic Mirror to impersonate Aurelia.

Therefore, in the eyes of others, the person sitting with Olivia yesterday was not Roland. This was because Roland always wore a magic mirror above his head displaying Olivia's name.

Therefore, when Richard asked Roland about Helena, Roland gave this answer.

Since the person who has been staying with Helena and Olivia at Greyfalcon Keep is 'Olirie,' not Roland, this matter should naturally be asked of Olirie.

Upon hearing Roland's words, Richard wore a strange expression. He said nothing more and respectfully withdrew.

As Roland was about to step into the carriage where Olivia was, he took a deep breath.

"I was a bit too assertive in the train carriage just now, which doesn't quite fit the unreliable image that O'Reilly usually portrays when she plays me."

However, Olivia had been focused on reading the Old Book of Heracles all day and hadn't been paying attention to this place with her divine sense, so there wasn't much of a problem.

All I have to do is play the fool in front of her for a bit.

Roland recalled how O'Reilly had portrayed him as an idiot and annoying, and gradually drew himself into the role.

The knights guarding the gate, who had just been about to kiss Roland's boots, naturally didn't stop him. When they saw Roland approaching, they respectfully opened the gate and let him in.

Unlike normal train carriages, this one only had a few seats. The rest of the space was filled with bookshelves that the church had brought in.

Judging from the books being sorted by some priestesses, these books appear to be documents collected by the Dracula family, many of which are Old Books of Heracles.

Olivia was standing in front of a bookshelf flipping through a book. Behind her, Joan and Helena sat in chairs, looking like junior apprentices who had just been scolded by their mentor.

Roland's heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding washing over him. But Joan and Helena didn't give Roland any warning glances, which made him even more puzzled.

Roland was not familiar with Olivia, and this carriage was where the three goddesses stayed. Roland was not qualified to stay here indefinitely.

But he had to come, because Prince Alaye was a servant favored by the goddess 'Oreli (Joan),' and the little servant had just finished his business outside and was coming in to report to the goddess.

I'll also get to know Olivia while I'm at it.

Normally, the knight at the door should announce the arrival first, and then 'Olélie (Joan)' would call Roland in and introduce him to Olivia.

Then, 'Olélie (Joan)' either drives Roland away or keeps this little follower by her side to serve the three of them.

But now, the Templar Knights guarding the gate simply opened the door and let Roland in without announcing his arrival.

Now Joan was also pretending to be well-behaved, which left Roland standing at the door feeling a little lost.

Roland thought to himself, 'Roland, Roland, you're so unprofessional. You're playing the role of a little prince, not yourself, sitting on equal footing with the goddess. How could you just barge in like that?'

In comparison to her senior, a professional Oscar-winning actress, Roland was like an extra, extremely unprofessional.

He's fine playing important figures, but when he plays ordinary people, he always seems unable to get into character. He always unconsciously adopts a superior attitude when communicating with others.

On this train, the real bosses are clearly the three goddesses of Olivia. Prince Alaye is just a minor figure.

Roland's behavior just now hardly resembled that of an insignificant person.

Olivia's men just knelt down before her!
Roland, his senior, Joan, Helena, and others had discussed today's scene for a long time last night and this morning. But he messed it up right from the start.

The thought only lasted a moment. Seeing that Olivia ignored him, Roland stepped directly into the carriage.

He didn't even greet Olivia, acting as if he were the real boss. (End of Chapter)