They are all characters I control.

Claire did not answer.

Ophelia was merely seeking a sense of superiority from him, a sense of superiority over Isabelle.

Although the struggle between these successor saintesses wasn't a brutal power struggle, it still felt like a battle between little girls vying for favor.

They always want what the other person doesn't have, or covet what the other person has.

However, it wasn't just the white-robed nuns looking for Claire.

"Ophelia! You come out here!"

In the corridor, Isabelle's voice pierced through the heavy wooden door, carrying an anger and urgency that Claire had never heard before.

Ophelia raised an eyebrow and turned to walk towards the door.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned around, planted a hickey on Claire's neck, and gently tapped her nose.

"Wait here for me, I'll get rid of that annoying idiot outside."

Chapter 30 Isabelle also has a position

The sounds of arguing in the corridor drifted through the heavy wooden door, sometimes loud, sometimes soft, sometimes near, sometimes far.

Claire leaned against the window frame, listening through the door to the sounds of Isabelle and Ophelia arguing.

At this moment, the prayer agent's tone was filled with unprecedented anger and urgency, which reminded Claire somewhat of the busty saint who brought him meals every day, listened to his teasing, and blushed with anger at his words.

This acting saintess is now going crazy all over the world trying to find him.

It's unclear how much of this is due to his status as the Evil God Emperor, a prisoner who should have been imprisoned in the dungeon by Isabelle, or Isabelle's personal feelings.

Claire didn't answer Ophelia's question just now precisely because of this.

There were personal feelings involved, too. This prayer agent would ask him about everything, and although he often teased her, Isabelle clearly took everything to heart.

Even if they seem not to care about your opinion on the surface, they will still remember every request you make.

Compared to Ophelia, Isabelle is practically an angel.

However, Claire had no choice; he didn't like staying in that dungeon all the time, and he wasn't going to resign himself to enduring those dark and dreary days forever.

Isabelle's idea was simply to protect him and to keep him in the dungeon forever.

This can be considered both a gesture of consideration and imprisonment.

At this moment, the arguing outside the door gradually subsided.

Claire listened intently for a moment, then the footsteps faded into the distance, and Isabelle's voice disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The door was immediately pushed open.

Ophelia walked in with a smug smile on her face, like a cat that had stolen a fish. She walked up to Claire, put her hands on her hips, and looked down at him.

"Sent off."

Claire looked at her. "She's gone?"

“What else can we do but leave?” Ophelia tilted her head. “She can’t really fight me. I’m the one who carries out the commandments, and she’s the one who carries out the prayers. If we fight, the archbishops will be overjoyed.”

She reached out and pulled Claire from the window, holding her in her arms.

She supported his waist with one hand and pinched his cheek with the other, leaning him against the recliner by the window.

“You are a truly sinful man.” Ophelia relished the feeling of dominating Isabelle’s ‘thing’ as she laughed. “I’ve never seen Isabelle like that before. Her eyes are still red, her holy robes are on backwards, and her voice is trembling. Tsk tsk tsk, for you, she has even abandoned the image of a substitute saintess.”

Claire shrugged: "Then should I go back?"

Ophelia stopped what she was doing, raised an eyebrow at him, and asked without any concern, "So how do you think she will treat you if you go back this time?"

"It seems we locked you in the dungeon of that prayer room before, right? Where will we lock you up next time?"

"How about I think of something for you? For example, I could lock you in a box, fold you up like a rag doll so you can't move. Or I could lock you under the floor so she can step on you all the time."

"So? Do you still want to go back? The more anxious Isabelle is to find you now, the more ruthless she'll be in locking you up next time. Do you still want to go back?"

Ophelia wasn't threatening Claire; she was telling the truth.

Once Claire escaped, there was no turning back.

Regardless of how Isabelle behaves now, it means that Claire will face something even worse later.

"Never mind." Claire had no regrets.

At least he was no longer in the dungeon and could see the sunlight outside.

Although Ophelia, this madwoman, is unpredictable, her antagonism with Isabelle is precisely what can be exploited.

Judging from Ophelia's current attitude, she clearly has no intention of restraining him, much less locking him up in a dungeon or inquisition.

Ophelia is a better fighter than Isabelle, and she also has the elusive Sisters of Judgment by her side, with plenty of informants. There's no need to use force to restrain Claire.

Of course, part of the reason was to compete with Isabelle.

Isabelle needs to lock Claire up, while Ophelia doesn't need to lock her up to still control her.

Once you understand the relationship between these two acting saintesses, everything becomes much easier.

Even if the acting saintesses quarrel with each other, they will not act for huge benefits like the archbishops.

"Very good, it's good that you know your situation. Since you don't want to go back to Isabelle's side, then you can stay here obediently and wait for Isabelle to finish her madness."

Ophelia curled the corners of her mouth, placed him on her lap, and played with him like she was holding a cat.

It wasn't that Ophelia had never seen a little boy before, nor was she particularly obsessed with little boys.

Rather, it's because the little boy in front of them is Isabelle's, and he is also very likely the evil god emperor Claire, so the little boy's value is undoubtedly only slightly less than that of the 'Saintess'.

Tonight, Ophelia planned to hold Claire like this for the rest of the night and have a good talk with him about what has happened to Isabelle recently.

But just then, a beam of light rose from the distance.

It wasn't moonlight, it wasn't starlight, it was holy light.

Pure, refined, and imbued with an oppressive sacred aura, it shot straight into the sky from the direction of Isabelle's room, illuminating the night sky of the holy city as if it were daytime.

Claire's pupils contracted sharply.

The holy marks on his chest began to glow.

It wasn't a pale golden glow, but a blazing white light, as if it were about to burst into flames. Heat emanated from the stigmata, spreading along his skin to his limbs and bones, as if something had been activated.

“This is…” Ophelia’s expression also changed.

She stood up, put Claire on the ground, and quickly walked to the window.

The beam of light continued to rise, higher and brighter. Then, it began to spread, like dandelion seeds scattered by the wind, turning into countless tiny specks of light that drifted in all directions.

The stigmata on Claire's chest shone even brighter.

He looked down at the beams of light and felt a familiar, warm aura, tinged with a hint of reproach.

It's Isabelle.

It wasn't her magic, nor her voice—it was the mark she left within the stigmata. The seals of those holy cross swords were transformed into stigmata in her hands, but she didn't erase them completely. She left behind her own presence.

And now, that aura is responding to her call.

The moment the light fell, the space in front of Claire began to distort.

A figure emerged from the light.

Isabelle.

She was wearing that white robe with gold trim, but it was on backwards, the collar was crooked, and the belt was tied haphazardly. Her hair was disheveled, her eyes were red and swollen, and her lips were pale.

Her gaze passed over Ophelia and landed on Claire.

But her eyes were something Claire had never seen before.

Chapter 31 Kings against Kings, Luck against Luck

Isabelle's gaze passed over Ophelia and landed on Claire.

Those azure eyes held shock, anger, and heartache.

There was something else Claire had never seen before, something like the resentment of being betrayed.

She looked at the black collar around his neck, at his pale skin and thin body.

Her lips were trembling, and one could probably guess Isabelle's feelings at that moment.

“Ophelia,” Isabelle’s voice was low, very low, as if squeezed from the depths of her throat, “who is this child?”

Ophelia leaned against the window, arms crossed, watching her with a smile. "My new little pet, isn't it cute?"

Isabelle ignored her teasing. "What's that collar around his neck?"

“Of course, it’s a pet collar.” Ophelia tilted her head. “What else? Have you ever seen a pet that doesn’t wear a collar?”

“That’s not what I’m asking.” Isabelle took a step forward, holy light dancing around her. “What’s with the stigmata on his chest?”

Ophelia's smile remained unchanged. "Stigmata? Those are marks left by a sacred seal, what's so special about them?"

“That’s no ordinary holy seal.” Isabelle’s voice grew even colder. “It’s a seal left by the saintess. Even for us acting saintesses, it would be extremely difficult to use such a seal.”

"Oh?" Ophelia raised an eyebrow. "So? You know everyone who's been sealed by the Holy Seal? This child is related to you? Can't I be the one who left the Holy Seal on him?"

Isabelle stared at her without saying a word.

Ophelia wasn't in a hurry.

She put one hand on Claire's shoulder, pulled him closer to her, and looked at Isabelle provocatively.

"Isabeth, you don't actually think this child is the evil god emperor Claire, do you?"

Isabelle's pupils contracted slightly; she was clearly enraged.

This was exactly the result Ophelia wanted. She smiled and played with Claire's ear while casually answering, "Who is Claire? She was the emperor of the empire more than a hundred years ago, killed the archbishop, and was sealed away by the saintess herself."

"He should be locked up in some dungeon right now, half-dead. Haven't you been hiding him all this time, Isabelle?"

"What? Isabelle, you've caused such a commotion, coming all the way here looking for someone. Could it be that the evil god emperor you're guarding has disappeared? Has he escaped?"

"This is not a good thing, Isabelle. If you do something wrong to the Evil God Emperor, you'll be going to the 'Holy Council'."

Isabelle did not respond to Ophelia's provocative remarks.

Her gaze fell on Claire's face, on those deep brown eyes.

She recognized those eyes.

In the dungeon, in the darkness, on that pale face bound by chains.

Every time she visited him, he would look at her with those eyes, sometimes teasing, sometimes joking, and sometimes serious.

At that moment, those eyes were looking at her from a childlike face.

“Who are you?” Isabelle asked.

Claire looked at her and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he pulled his hand away from Ophelia's arm that was draped over his shoulder, picked up a handkerchief from the side, and handed it to Isabelle.

"Wipe your face." His voice was soft and calm. "You look like you're having a hard time."

Isabelle was stunned.

She looked down at the handkerchief, then looked up at Claire.

In those deep brown eyes, there was no teasing, no mockery, only a familiar, earnest light tinged with a hint of heartache.

Her heart skipped a beat.

That's right, the little boy in front of me is definitely Claire. Not only is his eye color similar, but his behavior is too.

Moreover, he makes no attempt to hide his concern for himself; he hardly seems like a little boy or other prisoner that Ophelia might have randomly grabbed.

Isabelle reached out and took the handkerchief.

When her fingertips touched Claire's fingers, she didn't let go but instead gripped his hand tightly.

This was a 'friend' she had known since childhood, a friend who had been unable to speak or respond to her, and who had only recently regained consciousness a few months prior.

I thought we would continue to be together like before, but I never expected to be face to face like this today.