They are all characters I control.

"Oh? Have you thought of anything?"

Ophelia, instead, relaxed her hand that was touching Claire's neck and looked at him with a smile.

“Not at the moment.” Claire rolled over.

He did not shy away from it, but faced Ophelia directly.

Regardless of whether Ophelia would refuse, he moved his body and hugged Ophelia.

Since she's being held captive anyway, there's nothing wrong with collecting some interest, right? Claire also had to admit that Ophelia's figure was more slender and curvaceous than Isabelle's.

If we disregard her identity as a saintly figurehead and the head of the Inquisition, she could be considered a beauty capable of captivating a nation.

"Hmph, then remember to tell me when you think of it."

Ophelia looked at Claire, who was using her as a pillow, and said with a smile, but her hand grabbed Claire's shoulder without any mercy.

With a 'crack', Ophelia dislocated his arm joint.

Seeing Claire's dislocated shoulder and out-of-control arm, the glamorous and dangerous woman chuckled and withdrew her hand, continuing to look down at Claire.

"Okay, I understand. I'll let you know when I'm going to break out of prison," Claire sighed.

They willingly accepted imprisonment and received some benefits, yet they were still punished.

Ophelia is all show and no bite.

Having had enough of arguing with this woman, Claire closed her eyes.

"How amusing." Ophelia looked at Claire, who was sleeping soundly after being put to sleep, and gently curled the corners of her lips.

Who would have thought that the little boy who wanted a hug but was being punished would be the evil god emperor?

I have to say, it is indeed quite cute.

She also understood to some extent why Isabelle had been given a magnetic appearance.

However, Ophelia is not Isabelle.

No matter how innocent and adorable Claire appears at this moment, she will not forget that this is the Evil God Emperor. Even if this Evil God Emperor seems to obey her every word, isn't that just a form of deception?

The Evil God Emperor undoubtedly wanted to leave the 'Holy City', but there was no place for him on this continent a hundred years later.

Even if she escapes, Claire will be caught again.

Even if this evil god emperor seems to have some method to prevent the seal on his body from activating, his ability to escape the dungeon where Isabelle set up a magic circle is enough to prove that Claire can use magic.

For the past few days, Ophelia had been keeping a close watch on Claire, trying to figure out how he had broken the sacred seal left by the saintess on his body, but to no avail.

On the contrary, that idiot Isabelle actually thought that she was the one who released the evil god emperor.

However, Ophelia did not give up. She did not find out how Claire broke free of the holy seal left by the saintess, but she did notice that Claire's condition was obviously wrong.

No matter what time of day it is, he always seems to space out or fall asleep for a while before waking up.

This evil emperor is undoubtedly plotting something in secret.

But what exactly was it? Ophelia didn't know yet.

Unable to sleep, Ophelia walked barefoot to the window, her bare feet touching the floor of her room. A note was then handed to her.

To ensure that the Inquisition does not miss any events, the Inquisition nuns who obtain information will wait for the right opportunity to report to Ophelia at any time.

The markings on the report in front of us are from the 'Northern Kingdom'.

Ophelia opened the note, which contained the report from the black-robed nuns of the Inquisition.

“William Redgrave is still alive, imprisoned by Mother Martha in the dungeon beneath the cemetery. His daughter, Eleanor, is behaving erratically…”

William? Ophelia looked at the name, then at Claire on the bed.

The priestess in charge of discipline frowned, then looked at the report describing 'Eleanor's' unusual behavior, before relaxing her brow and smiling.

She seems to have gotten some answers.

Chapter 75 The New Bishop

The weather in the capital is unusually good today.

Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the clouds, bathing the entire city in a pale gold hue.

The streets were spotless, and every household had its windows wide open, as if welcoming some grand festival.

The carriages of nobles poured in from all directions, forming a long line in the square in front of the palace. The shouts of the coachmen, the neighing of the horses, and the greetings of the women mingled together, creating a scene as lively as a market.

But everyone knows that today is not a holiday.

Today is the day the new bishop arrives.

Bishop Augustine's name has spread like wildfire throughout every corner of the capital in the past few days.

The bishop of the Eastern Alliance diocese, the archbishop candidate strongly recommended by Archbishop Grove, and the acting saints did not object. After so many years of vacancy in the position of archbishop of the Imperial diocese, someone is finally going to fill it.

Despite being just a "candidate" and having a year-long probationary period, no one dared to neglect this bishop.

At least now that Bishop Simon has no chance of being promoted to archbishop, Bishop Augustine is the one with the best chance of becoming archbishop.

If he becomes the archbishop, the empire will welcome a new imperial diocese archbishop after a century.

The previous archbishop was killed by the evil god emperor Claire, and the position has remained vacant to this day. The common people don't quite understand what would happen if this archbishop were to become the archbishop.

However, the royal family and nobles were well aware that the main hall of the palace had been completely renovated.

The crystal chandelier was spotless, the marble floor was so reflective that it cast your image, and a long red carpet stretched from the entrance to the throne.

His Majesty Darian sat on the throne, dressed in a deep purple ceremonial robe, with the Imperial Medal pinned to his chest, and wore his usual warm and inviting smile.

Beside him sat Prince Alvin, the young prince dressed in a crisp military uniform, his back straight, his gaze fixed straight ahead, but occasionally glancing at a figure standing to one side of the hall.

Lia von Rost stood there.

She wore a light blue dress, her hair was styled in an elegant updo, and she wore light makeup, looking dignified and proper.

But she knew that the clothes were so tight she could hardly breathe, the shoes were so painful her feet were hurting, and the hairstyle was so tight it made her scalp tingle.

She'd rather lie in the garden of the Earl's mansion in Orlando, drinking tea in her pajamas, than stand here as a decorative vase.

[Lia: My God of Guidance, can you hear me?]

The barrage of comments surfaced in my mind, tinged with a hint of tension.

Claire didn't answer, probably because she couldn't be bothered to reply, or perhaps she was simply busy with something else.

Lia took a deep breath, trying to make her expression look more natural.

She knew that since the last banquet, she was no longer the young lady of the Rost family who could hide in a corner unnoticed.

As someone valued by the Acting Saintess Isabelle, someone whom Bishop Simon tries to please, and someone His Majesty Darian wants to win over, she must be strong.

Count Orlando stood beside her, dressed in a perfectly tailored men's suit, his hair neatly combed.

"Don't be nervous." Count Orlando lowered his voice: "You're just here to make an appearance. You're not the real protagonist. Besides, this Bishop Augustine is an acquaintance of your mother's family."

Lia nodded, even though Bishop Augustine was indeed a bishop supported by her mother's family.

The bishop's successor, Rosemary, had also met with him and had been staying at the Earl of Orlando's mansion for the past few days.

However, his own 'guiding god' did not want to support Bishop Augustine.

Therefore, Lia did not intend to obey the family. She was still somewhat nervous about Bishop Augustine and could not easily adopt the perspective of 'family' as Earl Orlando had suggested.

At this moment, another person was equally nervous; standing on the other side of the hall was Bishop Simon.

Despite having lost his future and facing an uncertain outlook, the bishop dressed up nicely today. Bishop Augustine was his rival.

When Bishop Augustine arrived in the imperial capital, it meant that there were now two bishops in the capital. How should these two bishops be distinguished in rank? The answer seemed obvious.

Faced with such a formidable competitor, Bishop Simon had no intention of admitting defeat.

He wore a deep purple bishop's robe, a tall crown, and held a scepter, an outfit that Bishop Simon always wore when attending important events.

But today, Bishop Simon felt somewhat bitter.

Knight Commander Karl stood beside Bishop Simon. This loyal church knight of the Empire was wearing a suit of silver-white armor, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face stern, but there was a hint of weariness deep in his eyes.

How could he not know about the power struggles among the bishops? They were fighting to the death for the position of archbishop.

But this wasn't a big deal for Knight Commander Karl; at least he wasn't interested in the church's internal strife.

The reason for their fatigue was not only their annoyance at the impending chaos in the Imperial Church, fearing that the two bishops might turn the already relatively simple Imperial diocese upside down.

This was also because Captain Carl's interrogation had made little progress, and the questioning of the Rost family yielded no results.

During this period, His Majesty Daryan released the Marquis of Rost once, and then Bishop Simon moved the Marquis of Rost and his entire family to another place for imprisonment.

The fact that such important figures were coming and going made the interrogation much more difficult.

However, Knight Commander Karl still couldn't shake his suspicions, but rather than suspecting the Marquis of Rost who was desperately trying to climb the ranks, he was more interested in investigating Miss Leah of the Rost family.

This young lady has now broken away from the Rost family and is quite close to Bishop Simon.

Investigating this Miss Lia won't be an easy task, and as for the attitude of the newly arrived Bishop Augustine, Knight Commander Karl isn't quite sure either.

However, it seems that the Knight Commander also has another matter to worry about.

When both bishops are present, whose orders should he obey? It seems that either Bishop Simon or Bishop Augustine has the authority to command him.

This is also why Knight Commander Karl felt mentally and physically exhausted at this time.

"The new bishop has arrived!"

The servant's voice came from the doorway and echoed in the hall.

All eyes turned to the doorway.

Sunlight streamed in from outside the gate, casting long shadows of several people.

Walking at the very front was a woman.

No, saying "woman" isn't quite accurate.

She looked no more than twenty years old, but there was a maturity in her eyes that far exceeded her age.

No, calling her a "woman" isn't quite accurate. She was a young girl with light golden hair cascading over her shoulders, clear gray-blue eyes, and delicate yet understated features. She wore a well-tailored dark dress with a silver belt around her waist.

Her steps were steady and unhurried. Her gaze swept across the hall, lingering on Liya for less than half a second before moving away.

Rosemary, Lydia's heart skipped a beat.

Although she had known the girl for a long time, Rosemary's identity and demeanor were completely different at this moment.

The real protagonist is right behind Rosemary.

A man walked in from outside the door.

Chapter 76 The Empire's Winds Have Changed

The man who entered the palace was about fifty years old, slightly overweight, wearing a white bishop's robe with pale gold holy symbols embroidered on the hem, and a simple bishop's crown on his head.

His face was round with soft features, fine wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, and a gentle smile on his lips, like that of an elder looking at a younger person.

Those eyes were dark brown, bright, and warm, showing no signs of aggression.

This is Bishop Augustine.

In stark contrast to Bishop Simon's sharp and assertive manner, who seemed to want to wear the words "I am a bishop" on his sleeve, Bishop Augustine appeared more like a kind and approachable neighbor.

Of course, if you ignore the holy symbols on the hem of his robes that only high-ranking clergy can wear.

Rosemary walked to the center of the hall, stopped, and stepped aside. Bishop Augustine stepped forward, bowed slightly, his movements unhurried, exuding a relaxed ease that suggested he was accustomed to grand occasions.

"Your Majesty, may the goddess bless the empire and the royal family." His voice was gentle, neither too loud nor too soft, just enough for everyone present to hear clearly.

His Majesty Darian rose from his throne, descended the steps, and extended his hand. "Bishop Augustine, welcome to the Empire."

Bishop Simon was still standing nearby, but His Majesty Daryan was happy to show a warm welcome to Bishop Augustine.

Of course, the palace furnishings and hospitality at this moment were absolutely top-notch.

In front of Bishop Simon, His Majesty Darian made no attempt to hide his fawning attitude as he stepped down from the throne, as if His Majesty Darian would soon allow Bishop Augustine to sit on his throne.

This tactic was similar to what was used against Bishop Simon back then.

Seeing this, Bishop Simon's expression turned grim. It wasn't some trivial emotion like jealousy; he simply felt a clear and real sense that the empire no longer welcomed him.