They are all characters I control.

Claire did not pull her hand away.

He looked up at Isabelle, at her red eyes, her disheveled hair, and her holy robes.

"Sister, you've lost weight. Remember to rest more. Work is hard, but you still need to take care of your health."

These words immediately made Isabelle's eyes redder.

Ophelia sat to the side, watching this scene, her smile deepening.

She scooped Claire up from Isabelle's arms, held her close, and sat comfortably in the chair, gazing at Isabelle.

“This is quite amusing. Even the Acting Saint of Prayer can look like this.” Ophelia held Claire in one hand and teased Isabelle, “You don’t look like the Acting Saint of Prayer at all. If the archbishops saw you like this, they would think I was bullying you.”

Isabelle looked at Claire, who was being held in Ophelia's arms, and her gaze gradually shifted to Ophelia.

She was certain that the little boy was Claire.

Although I don't know why he turned out this way, it must have been Ophelia who did it.

The Tribunal for Heresy contained many things that even she, as the Acting Saint of Prayer, didn't know, so there must have been something used to turn Claire into the way she is now.

“Ophelia.” Isabelle’s voice returned to calm, but the suppressed anger still lingered in her eyes: “What did you do to his wine?”

"Wine?" Ophelia tilted her head. "What wine?"

“Stop pretending.” Isabelle took a step forward. “Those two glasses you gave me, and that wine—you tampered with them.”

“You turned him into this, and then, while I was away from the prayer room, you broke into the dungeon and kidnapped him.”

Ophelia raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any evidence?"

Isabelle bit her lip and remained silent.

“Don’t make things up without evidence.” Ophelia patted Claire’s back, as if soothing a kitten. “This child was captured by the inquisition nuns under my command. He is my prisoner and a subject of my inquisition.”

She glanced down at Claire and smiled.

"Ask him and see if he admits it."

Isabelle looked at Claire.

Claire leaned against Ophelia and said, "Go back and get some rest."

Isabelle was stunned.

She took a deep breath, looked at Claire, and then at Ophelia.

Since Claire didn't ask for help, she must have been blackmailed, perhaps because the collar around her neck had some kind of mechanism or she had some kind of antidote to turning her body into a little boy.

“Ophelia,” her voice was cold, “you’d better not do anything troublesome. Otherwise—”

Needless to say, the Prayer Acting Saint was not a lucky charm.

She has now given up on the idea of ​​taking Claire back immediately, and Ophelia will not let her go either.

Before that, Isabelle needs to make some preparations.

Chapter 32 I'm Just a Little Boy

The door closed.

Isabelle's footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor, and Ophelia narrowed her eyes slightly.

Ophelia was very unhappy with Isabelle's threat, but she had nothing to say.

Although the Prayer Agent did not have the same power as the Inquisition, she controlled the entire 'Holy City' and could set rules for it.

Everyone must comply, and there is a possibility that anyone may be expelled or imprisoned.

If things really come to that, it will be a very troublesome matter for Ophelia, at the very least they won't be able to stay in this 'Holy City' any longer.

However, it didn't matter if she didn't stay in the 'Holy City', Ophelia didn't care too much.

Besides, even if Isabelle didn't say it.

She won't do anything to Claire either.

"What do you and she usually talk about?" Ophelia asked, her voice languid, as if she were asking something trivial.

Claire leaned against her chest, listlessly staring at the ceiling like a pillow.

"Eating, drinking, and complaining about work."

"that's it?"

That's all.

“And what about the new system in the Holy City?” Ophelia’s fingers moved from his neck to his chin, pinched it, and turned his face toward her: “Who came up with those plans for medical donations, burial taxes, and training commoner clergy?”

His identity had long been exposed; both acting saintesses knew who he was in the form of a little boy.

However, Claire still adhered to her final bottom line.

I'll just deny it, but I'll still answer the questions I'm asked. "Didn't you already guess?"

“I want to hear what you have to say.” Ophelia looked at Claire slowly and deliberately.

Claire was silent for a moment. "It's me."

He paused, then added, “But Isabelle made it a reality. I only suggested the idea; she was the one who carried it out.”

“You certainly know how to speak up for her.” Ophelia stared at him for a few seconds, then laughed.

"I am stating the facts."

Ophelia did not refute.

She released her grip and changed Claire's position, letting him lie on his side on her lap, his back against her bent knees, facing the window.

The moonlight shone on Claire's face, somewhat dazzling, and he squinted.

"It seems that Isabelle trusts you for this reason. Your ideas are indeed excellent and can solve many problems for Isabelle."

Ophelia's voice came from above. "No wonder Isabelle had that feminine expression just now, but do you know why I need you?"

Claire did not answer.

“The Inquisition, sounds glamorous, doesn’t it? There’s no one we can’t arrest, no case we can’t try, across the entire continent.” Her fingers traced light circles on Claire’s shoulder.

"But you know, my power has limits."

"Border?" Claire looked at the Discipline Acting Saintess beside her with some surprise.

This crazy woman actually knows boundaries?

He thought this guy wanted to stab everyone to death.

It seems the Discipline Acting Saintess isn't entirely irrational; the fact that she was able to capture me, who had just escaped from prison, demonstrates her intelligence.

“Yes, the border.” Ophelia’s tone became serious:

“If I arrest too many people, or arrest them too frequently, those archbishops, those kings, and those nobles will unite to resist me.”

“They will say that the Inquisition is abusing its power, they will demand that the Holy Council limit my power, and they will do all sorts of dirty tricks behind my back.”

"So I have to turn a blind eye. There are some things I know who did, but I can't do anything about them. There are some people I know are heretics, but I can't arrest them."

Claire listened without saying a word.

“Things will be different now that you’re here.” Ophelia lowered her head, her lips close to his ear, and smiled coquettishly: “You are the Evil God Emperor.”

“You are the most dangerous heretic on the entire continent. With you in my hands, I can arrest whoever I want, interrogate whoever I want, and ask anyone who objects, ‘Are you an accomplice of the Evil God Emperor?’ How about that? Isn’t it interesting?”

To put it bluntly, they're using you as a pawn.

This would enhance the status and authority of the Inquisition.

This can also be used as an excuse to counter any questioning of the Inquisition.

Isabelle simply wanted to hide Claire, to conceal him so that no one could find or know about him. As time goes by, whether Claire's existence itself is real will become an interesting debate.

This has always been the mission and practice of the Prayer Acting Saintess, and she has done the same for every emperor of the evil god Claire.

Ophelia, on the other hand, would not hide him away; instead, she would want to push him out into the world.

As long as the Evil God Emperor is in his hands, the Inquisition will be freed from all constraints, and no one will be able to stand in the way of the Inquisition guarding the Evil God Emperor.

If you do that, wouldn't you be a lackey of the evil god-emperor? The Inquisition is very interested.

Claire was silent for a moment. "That must have been tough. Why don't you announce it now? Are you worried about Isabelle?"

"Worried?" Ophelia tilted her head, as if Claire had said something amusing.

“I’m worried about her? Sure, the prayer agent is troublesome, but not to the point of making me afraid or worried.”

"What's giving me a headache is that you don't look like the Evil God Emperor at all right now. Judging from Isabelle's reaction just now, it doesn't seem like she actively turned you into this little boy."

"So, did you become like this because of a curse or some other method? You couldn't have turned yourself into this, could you? Or is this the price of your immortality?"

Indeed, no one would believe that a little boy was the evil emperor who killed the archbishop.

Even if this little boy is immortal, he is just a little boy who has obtained immortality through some unknown means.

What the Inquisition needs is a 'god-emperor,' not an immortal little boy.

Claire hadn't expected that her shapeshifting potion would have this effect.

"But I'm not in a hurry. I'll find a way to turn you back to your original state. Before that, I need to make some other preparations."

Ophelia's fingers landed on his chest, touching the holy marks.

It seems Claire can breathe a sigh of relief for now.

At least for now, Ophelia won't do anything to him, and as for how to remove the potion, that depends on Claire's mood.

If you want to remove the little boy's body now, you can withdraw it right now.

Claire certainly didn't want to revert to his original form; otherwise, Ophelia's attitude towards him might not be the way it is now.

Before that, he also needs to do something.

Chapter 33 Claire Doesn't Trust Her Family

Claire was woken up by being strangled in the morning.

It wasn't the cold, rusty kind of chain.

It was an arm, fair and slender, but ridiculously strong, wrapped around his neck like a snake, enveloping him in a soft, warm embrace with a faint floral scent.

He opened his eyes and was greeted by a world of pure white.

Ophelia is a terrible sleeper.

This was the first thought that popped into Claire's mind.

The priestess in charge of discipline was lying sprawled on the bed, her long silver hair spread out on the pillow like a messy spider web.

Her robe was open, the neckline slipped below her shoulder, revealing one rounded shoulder and a deep, bottomless scar below her collarbone.

Her arms were wrapped tightly around Claire's neck, and one of her legs was pressed against his waist, like an octopus.

Claire tried to break free from her embrace, but the moment she moved, the arms tightened around her even more.

His face was buried in her arms, and he almost suffocated.

"Don't move..." Ophelia mumbled indistinctly, tucking him closer to her chest before continuing to sleep.

Claire rolled her eyes.

With his current small frame, he can't even pry open a sleeping woman.

Her power was sealed, and she was surrounded by Sisters of Judgment. Isabelle must be watching this place all the time.

Given Claire's current strength, even if she forcibly breaks the seal on her body for a few minutes using 'The Guardian's Gaze,' she still wouldn't be able to defeat Ophelia.

The achievement title "Demon King" currently has negative effects and no positive ones.

Unless Claire can make the 'Light of Faith' primal weapon that Eleanor just acquired work its magic.

'Light of Faith' and 'The Keeper's Gaze' are both rewards for Eleanor's full Bond Points.

Therefore, there's no need to doubt the capabilities of the 'Light of Faith' primal weapon; it certainly won't be too bad.

After all, although the effect of 'The Keeper's Gaze' is limited before Leah's bond value is full, it can still help Claire break the seal of the saintess.