They are all characters I control.

If William were still alive, he might have a talk with the other party.

Although it was through Eleanor's body, it was still possible to see an old friend, but since the other party was most likely in the hands of the 'Church of Life'.

It seems his fate won't be good, and Claire won't have an easy time about that.

"Ophelia."

"Ok?"

“Keep investigating. Find out where William Redgrave is, find out all the correspondence between him and the Nolan family, find out where his acquaintances and friends are.”

Ophelia tilted her head. "Are you ordering me around?"

“No,” Claire looked at her. “It’s a request.”

Ophelia paused for a moment, then laughed. It was a radiant laugh, like a cat that had stolen a fish. "Evil God Emperor Claire, actually making requests of others? Interesting."

She reached out and patted his head.

"Okay. I'll help you look it up. But you also need to do something for me."

"what's up?"

"We'll talk about it when we need it." Ophelia smiled happily.

Chapter 61 Let's go pay respects to my father.

At this moment, Claire, who had just finished her bath, was being used as a body pillow by Ophelia.

He stared at the ceiling above him, oblivious to the contemplative saint beside him.

Now that we know about Eleanor's father, at least the information about William, Eleanor's biological father that Sister Martha mentioned.

That William was the church knight Claire remembered meeting before.

Now that we know the name of that church knight is William, and he is also Eleanor's father, as mentioned by Sister Martha, there is still one thing to prove.

Eleanor's father did exist, but whether the facts are truly as Mother Martha described is unknown.

Claire also considered William a friend.

William was initially a greenhorn, but after several encounters, he matured considerably, which was also the result of being defeated by Claire several times.

But Eleanor is William's daughter, and this is all Mother Martha's side of the story.

No one can prove that Eleanor was related to William, or whether they were actually related by blood, even though there was a cemetery, but William's body was not in that cemetery.

On the contrary, there is an underground entrance hidden beneath the tomb.

This forced Claire to be cautious and suspicious of Sister Martha.

Now, Claire also needs to seriously address Eleanor's problem, especially since Augustine, the new archbishop candidate, is about to travel to the Empire.

Bishop Augustine also had the support of the Nolan family, and the Nolan family's representative and Bishop Augustine's successor, Rosemary, also exposed Claire's identity.

The empire will now become a stage for chaos.

Two bishops emerged in one diocese, both vying for the same archbishopship. Furthermore, His Majesty Darian and the Nolan family, who were eager to challenge Bishop Simon, supported Bishop Augustine.

In contrast, Bishop Simon, who had a more amicable relationship with Claire and Earl Orlando, naturally followed Claire's advice.

The Nolan family was split up into two factions: Leah and Rosemary, while Earl Orlando remained neutral.

The two bishops are locked in a standoff, with Bishop Simon and Bishop Augustine vying for power within the Church of Goddess in the Imperial diocese.

The royal family and Lia have completely broken off relations, and the Nolan family and Rosemary's attitude towards Claire is not exactly friendly either.

Claire only truly trusts Leah, Earl Orlando is barely one, and Bishop Simon is just a lackey.

With this lineup, it's still somewhat weak.

Meanwhile, on the 'Holy City' side, Claire was still trapped with Ophelia.

It's relatively safe for now, but while Isabel had food and drink, here in Ophelia there's no food or drink, only bathing and being able to see the sun.

These days are clearly not worth reminiscing about, and it's about time to start preparing to flee.

However, to escape from the 'Holy City', one still needs strength.

Claire's sealed magical abilities are certainly not enough at the moment, and even with those rune magics, they are insufficient. Therefore, the 'Light of Faith' primordial weapon, which can be obtained by completing Eleanor's bond points, is Claire's goal.

Unraveling Eleanor's past will unlock 'Mental Bonds', significantly increasing bond points and bringing you one step closer to obtaining the 'Light of Faith' primordial weapon at max bond points.

Moreover, William, Eleanor's nominal father, is an old acquaintance of Claire's. For both personal and professional reasons, Claire wouldn't mind helping Eleanor find the truth, which would also be helping her find the truth for herself.

With things so clear, Claire had no reason to hesitate.

Claire glanced at the Discipline Acting Saintess beside her, who was already asleep but seemed ready to wake up at any moment, and quietly brought up the system interface.

He glanced at Lia, who was already asleep in bed, then switched to Eleanor's interface and clicked login.

When Claire opened his eyes again, he was no longer in Ophelia's room.

The first thing you see is a low wooden ceiling. Moonlight seeps in through the cracks in the window, drawing a thin silver line on the floor.

I heard snoring beside me. I turned my head and saw Grace sleeping on the bed opposite me, sprawled out like a frog on its back.

Megan, whose personality had become even more gloomy, huddled in the corner, clutching the withered dead cat in her arms, motionless and barely breathing.

These two fellow prisoners who escaped from the Knights' prison together cannot be called their own people, but they are much more trustworthy than others.

They are at least more trustworthy than their adoptive mother, Sister Martha.

Claire sat up and recalled what had happened during the day.

After he logged off, Eleanor regained control of her body. When she woke up, Sister Martha was sitting by her bedside with a bowl of honey water and gently asked her, "Did you have a nightmare?"

Eleanor shook her head and said, "No."

Sister Martha smiled, handed her the honey water, and then went to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

Mother Martha didn't mention the cemetery or the coffin all day.

She continued to cook, mend, and air out the quilts as usual, smiled at Grace and Megan as usual, and used that motherly tone to remind Eleanor, "Don't overwork yourself."

Eleanor was completely charmed by her and even thought that "Mother Martha must have some kind of trouble."

Claire sighed inwardly.

Foolish girl, Eleanor is just as foolish as Leah, the kind who gets sold out and still helps the seller count the money.

He lifted the covers, walked to Grace's bedside, and patted her face.

"Wake up."

Grace mumbled something and rolled over.

Claire patted him again. "Grace."

"Hmm..." Grace groggily opened her eyes, and was taken aback when she saw Claire's cold face in the moonlight. "Female knight? What are you doing up so late at night?"

"Go dig up the grave."

Grace stared at him for three seconds, then sat up and rubbed her eyes. "Are you serious? The one who dug up your dad's?"

“Seriously.” Claire nodded.

They had just discovered an underground passage beneath the cemetery in broad daylight, so digging up the grave at that point was only natural.

"Now?" Grace asked curiously.

"Now."

Claire nodded, regardless of the fact that it was pitch black outside.

Grace sighed and started putting on her shoes. "Okay, you're the boss. Where's Megan? Should we call her?"

Claire looked towards the corner of the wall.

Megan was awake, clutching the dead cat, her greyish-white eyes staring straight at him.

“Go.” Megan answered before Claire could even ask.

The three of them went out in the dark.

The moon was very large, shining brightly on the dirt road.

The village was quiet, with the occasional barking of dogs coming from afar. The light in Mother Martha's room was off, and the curtains were drawn tightly shut.

Chapter 62 Eleanor's Background

The moon was very large, shining brightly on the dirt road.

The village was quiet, with the occasional barking of dogs coming from afar.

Whether Mother Martha was asleep or not is not that important.

The three men made their way out of the village in the dark and up the hillside. The cemetery was still there, the tombstones were still there, and the empty grave still stood under the moonlight.

Claire walked to the coffin and knelt down.

"dig."

Grace pulled a hoe from her waist and began to pry open the coffin lid.

Megan squatted to the side, and the two worked together seamlessly, quickly opening the coffin lid.

The seal was still there, its pale golden light gleaming faintly in the moonlight, like a half-closed eye. But this time, the light was much dimmer than during the day.

"Can you open it?" Grace asked.

Claire did not answer.

He reached out and placed his palm close to the seal.

It's a bit difficult for him. If it were his own body, he could use the effect of 'Guardian's Spying' to break free.

But since I'm currently controlling Eleanor's body, I can't activate 'The Keeper's Sight' right now.

“I’ll do it,” Megan suddenly said, pulling a rusty knife from her pocket, the blade stained with dried dark red liquid.

She made a cut on her finger with a knife, and blood seeped out, dripping onto the seal.

The pale golden light flashed brightly for a moment, and then—it went out.

The seal has disappeared.

Claire couldn't help but look up at Megan, whose expression remained unchanged.

Although Megan had previously demonstrated considerable knowledge of the Church of the Goddess, or perhaps the lifespan of those with an affinity for divine magic, she was still able to break the seal in this way.

But he didn't press Megan for answers; Claire's attention was still focused on the hole in the ground that had appeared before her.

A downward stone staircase was visible at the bottom of the coffin, dark and bottomless. A damp, musty, and herbal smell rose up from below.

Grace's eyes widened. "How did you do this? You were hiding this trick?"

Compared to Claire, the straightforward Grace stared at Megan with even more curiosity.

The underground cave under the coffin was nothing compared to the surprise of his usually silent and quiet companion who had suddenly appeared before him.

Megan didn't answer. She put away the knife, hugged the dead cat, and was the first to walk downstairs.

Seeing how proactive and self-aware Megan is, it's hard not to suspect that she might have some connection to this sealed cave.

Claire followed behind her. Grace brought up the rear.

The stone steps were steep and slippery, and the moss made each step a delicate matter.

The further down you go, the more humid the air becomes, and the stronger the herbal smell grows. After walking about several dozen steps, your feet touch the ground.

Claire released a [sphere of light], its faint white light flickering in the darkness.

This is a dungeon.

It wasn't big, about ten paces square, and the four walls were made of rough stones.

Iron rings were embedded in the wall, and rusty iron chains hung from them. Dry grass was spread on the ground, with black stains on it, which were probably bloodstains.

In the corner was a dilapidated wooden bed, and a person was lying on it.

No, he wasn't lying down; he was chained up.

Claire, Grace, and Megan walked a little further in and found that it was an old man.