They are all characters I control.

"Miss Nalia, are you aware of the Acting Saintess's stance?"

"Hehehe, are you alright now? If not, I'll be going now."

Claire didn't bother to answer His Majesty Darian's question, and ignoring His Majesty's expression, she simply got up and left.

Seeing his rude behavior, none of the nobles dared to speak out against him.

Chapter 50 The Royal Family Welcomes the New Bishop

Claire (Lia) disappeared at the entrance of the banquet hall, her footsteps fading into the distance in the corridor.

The situation is not looking good right now.

The original intention was to get Lia to agree to a marriage alliance with the royal family at this banquet.

As it turned out, who could have imagined that 'Lia' would be so decisive, refusing to back down, and even having Bishop Simon on her side.

His Majesty Darian sat on his throne, watching the door close again, his smile gradually fading.

His fingers were still lightly tapping on the armrest of the throne, and the nobles in the hall looked at each other, not daring to breathe.

Some people looked down at the tips of their shoes, some pretended to study the patterns on their wine glasses, and some secretly observed His Majesty Daryan's expression out of the corner of their eye.

It was obvious to everyone that His Majesty Daryan was unhappy.

Not only did he fail to achieve his goal, he was also mocked by a down-on-his-luck young lady from a marquis's family.

“Your Majesty.” A voice broke the silence.

That was the Chancellor of the Exchequer, an old nobleman with gray hair and a bloated figure.

He approached His Majesty Daryan, bowed slightly, and lowered his voice. "Regarding the new archbishop... have the acting saintesses truly not objected?"

This is the key question; 'Lia's' question just now was like a bucket of cold water poured on everyone's enthusiasm.

No one knows whether Leah is lying or telling the truth.

But no one would question Lia's worth; she had indeed earned the trust and appreciation of the Acting Saintess Isabelle, and it was none of those people who said that the Acting Saintess did not support the new archbishop candidate.

That's not an absolute certainty, but at least it's a 50/50 chance.

His Majesty Daryan paused for a moment.

"I don't know." His voice was calm, but the Chancellor of the Exchequer sensed the coldness in it.

The Chancellor's expression changed. "But..."

"I said it was Archbishop Grove who nominated him, and the acting saintesses 'reportedly' did not object." His Majesty Daryan interrupted him: "'Reportedly'—don't you understand what that means?"

The Chancellor of the Exchequer lowered his head, not daring to ask any more questions.

They went to great lengths to find out about this.

When Bishop Simon was currying favor with Archbishop Grove, the royal family gave him their full support, all in order to establish a connection between the empire and that archbishop.

Now that Bishop Simon is out of favor, the Empire inquired about Archbishop Grove's intentions and thus learned of the existence of a new archbishop candidate.

However, given the precedent of Bishop Simon, the imperial nobles and the royal family knew very well that Archbishop Grove was unreliable, and that spending some money to gather information was acceptable.

It is utter nonsense to expect archbishops in other countries to support the imperial family in breaking free from the archbishops' control.

For the empire, the only ones it can rely on are the benevolent and compassionate acting saintesses who have no conflict of interest with it.

Otherwise, if other archbishops were to provide support, it would only invite them to devour the archbishops.

Another nobleman approached; he was the chief administrator of the capital, younger than the finance minister, and also bolder.

"Your Majesty, if the acting saintesses object, can Bishop Augustine still become the archbishop of the imperial diocese?"

His Majesty Daryan was silent for a moment, then raised his face in thought.

“I don’t know, everything is unclear right now.” His voice was cold. “The position of archbishop is decided by the Holy Council. Archbishop Grove wouldn’t lie about such a thing, especially since we gave him quite a bit.”

“But Your Majesty…” the administrator hesitated, “the relationship between Miss Lia and the Acting Saintess…”

His Majesty Darian tapped the armrest again with his finger.

“Miss Lia’s attitude does not represent Isabelle’s attitude.”

"We have no way out, do we? Our relationship with Bishop Simon is now as you all see it."

"Now that things have come to this, all we can do is support the candidate for the new archbishop, and only when he becomes the archbishop will we have a better life."

The nobles looked at each other in bewilderment; this was indeed the truth.

When Bishop Simon was rebuked by the Acting Saint Isabelle, they all thought Bishop Simon was finished.

That's why they're trying to fight back; it's the only opportunity they've had in all these years—an opportunity to break free from the church.

But if we miss this opportunity, then we have no choice but to support the new archbishop.

"Besides, if this new archbishop candidate doesn't become archbishop, it's not a bad thing for us, right?" the finance minister said, trying to ease the tension.

These words did indeed relieve the nobles, and His Majesty Daryan stopped tapping his fingers.

Yes, they originally wanted to break free from the church's control.

Bishop Simon's power is now waning, effectively ending his prospects within the Church of Goddess. With the new archbishop candidate still unable to assume office, the Imperial diocese will remain in a power vacuum.

While the Church of Goddess continues its internal strife over the new archbishop, the Empire will have a considerable amount of breathing room.

"But we also need to address the issue of Bishop Simon." The administrator's words brought everyone back to reality.

Even though Bishop Simon lost the support of Archbishop Grove, he still holds office in this empire.

"Regardless of his character, if we go too far and provoke him too much, it will provoke a backlash from the Church of Goddess."

"At that time, we will only be purged again and will not be able to regain control of the empire."

The principle behind these words is something that everyone understands very well.

Even though they had confronted Bishop Simon face to face and were exchanging scathing insults.

However, this superficial peaceful coexistence is still necessary.

As long as Bishop Simon is in the Empire, the Church of Goddess of the Imperial Diocese will never leave, and the Imperial royal family and nobles will always have a sword hanging over their necks.

"It's alright, we will do our best to support the new archbishop candidate."

His Majesty Darian stood up and glanced around at the nobles present.

"Regardless of what the acting saints think, the royal family will support Bishop Augustine."

"Whether it's targeting Bishop Simon, or just in case that Bishop Augustine really does become the future archbishop of the imperial diocese, or it's the acting saints' rejection of the new archbishop candidate, none of that matters."

"Our goal remains to ensure that our position and wealth in the empire remain unshaken. Surely you don't want to go back to the days when the church could raid your homes and you could be hanged at any moment, do you?"

“Go,” His Majesty Darian waved his hand. “Send a gift to that Bishop Augustine, curry favor with him, and if possible, even invite him to the Empire.”

After finalizing the next steps, the nobles took their leave.

His Majesty Darian sat alone on the throne, looking out over the empty banquet hall.

The lights were on, but his face was half in the light and half in the shadow.

He closed his eyes.

“Lia von Rost,” he murmured to himself, “who exactly are you?”

However, no one answered this question.

Chapter 51 I am familiar with the substitute saintess

As Claire (Lia) left the banquet, Bishop Simon followed her without much hesitation.

Unfortunately, Bishop Simon was too fat and couldn't keep up with Claire (Lia) and Earl Orlando.

When he caught up with the group, his hat was askew, and his scepter was dangling in his hand, completely devoid of his usual bishoply dignity.

"Miss Liya—! Wait!"

Claire stopped and looked back at Bishop Simon, who was catching up with her, panting.

Claire stood there, tilting her head slightly, as if watching an amusing circus clown.

That's exactly how it is. A bishop who controlled and restrained the empire for so long, once he lost the support and backing of the upper class, he turned into this lackey.

Although the person being curried favor with was someone who was close to the acting saintess Isabelle, the empire had been manipulated and controlled by this guy for more than a decade.

This left Claire, the emperor who had once led the empire in a major war against the Church of Goddess, with nothing but sighs.

Bishop Simon was indeed a fool, a spineless coward, and a sycophant.

And what about the empire? The empire after being sealed away is even more wretched. On the surface, His Majesty Darion is now fighting against Bishop Simon, but in reality, he only dares to do so because Bishop Simon can no longer become the archbishop.

These fools in the royal family and among the nobles are only thinking about how to curry favor with the more powerful and higher-ranking people; they haven't even considered how they should become powerful themselves.

They pinned their hopes on a more powerful figure, hoping to gain a better life by borrowing the emperor's power.

This is hopeless; we have to kill them all.

If one is left behind, he will likely become a capitulationist or a traitor, just like the Rost family.

“Miss Lia! Ha...haha...I'm sorry, Miss Lia, let me catch my breath.”

Bishop Simon finally reached Claire, bent over, panting heavily.

"Your Excellency, Bishop?" Claire's voice was calm. "Why are you running so fast? Aren't you afraid of falling?"

Bishop Simon straightened up, forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Miss Leah, please don't make fun of me."

He glanced around, even though Count Orlando and his maid Anna were both there.

There was no one else in the corridor, so he leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Miss Lia, are you... are you aware of the Acting Saintess's attitude towards the new Archbishop?"

Claire looked at him, a slight smile playing on her lips. "Bishop Simon, didn't you say at the banquet that you and Lady Isabelle were on very good terms? Why are you asking me about it now?"

Bishop Simon's face stiffened. He scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly. "Th-that's...that's..."

"Bluster?" Claire finished his sentence for him.

Bishop Simon did not deny it, but gave an awkward smile.

"Whether the new archbishop candidate can get the support of the acting saint depends on my mood," Claire said bluntly.

Earl Orlando and his maid Anna, who were standing nearby, were both taken aback.

Only the evil 'Lia' would dare to say something like that.

If it were the original Lia, she wouldn't dare say that.

[Lia: 'Guiding Goddess'! You...you can't say that! How dare I change the opinion of the Acting Saintess!]

Claire: How can you do anything if you're so timid?

[Lia: Whatever I do... I wouldn't dare say I can influence Lady Isabelle's opinion based on my mood! Especially something like electing a new archbishop!]

Claire: You can't do it, but I can.

[Lia: ...I see, that's a relief!]

Lia thought the guiding god was using her body and speaking in her own identity.

Now that she knows the guiding god was speaking in his own name, Lia finds it reasonable.

After all, the first reason they were able to come into contact with Isabelle, the prayer agent, was because of this mysterious guiding god.

At this moment, Bishop Simon was unaware of the telepathic conversation between Claire and Leah. He abruptly raised his head, a look of disbelief flashing in his eyes. "You... what did you say?"

He had certainly heard Claire's words clearly, but the information surprised him greatly.

At this point, he wanted to confirm it again.

Claire leaned closer, her voice soft but clear. “I said, the Acting Saintess has no interest in who becomes the Archbishop. But if I speak, she will listen.”

Bishop Simon's pupils contracted sharply, and he looked somewhat flustered.

If that's the case, then it means that the relationship between Lia and the Prayer Agent Saint Isabelle has exceeded her imagination.

He himself had boasted to His Majesty Darion at the banquet that he had spoken with Lady Isabelle, but that was just bluffing.

Bishop Simon did this simply to show His Majesty Daryan and the nobles that he was not actually hated or targeted by the Advocate Saint Isabelle.

This way, she still holds a position within the church of the goddess, which is also a way of saving face for herself.