They are all characters I control.

"My lord," came the knight's voice from the doorway. "Sir Karl requests your presence."

Marquis Rost put down his teacup, stood up, and straightened his newly changed clothes.

He was dressed in a dark blue tuxedo, with the Rothschild family crest pinned to his chest, and his back was ramrod straight. He walked to the door and nodded to the knight standing there.

Although he had been released, the Marquis of Rost still harbored fear of these church knights.

Following the church knight through the corridor, Marquis Rost arrived at Knight Commander Karl's office.

Karl's office was twice the size of his, with maps of the Imperial parishes hanging on the walls and thick stacks of files on the desk.

The knight commander sat behind the table, clad in silver-white armor, his face stern, a longsword drawn from its sheath beside him. He looked up at Marquis Rost.

"sit."

The Marquis of Rost sat down opposite him and said softly, "Knight Commander, what are your orders?"

"The first batch of names for investigation is out." Carl pushed a piece of paper in front of him. "Take a look."

The Marquis of Rost took the paper and glanced at it.

The list contained more than a dozen names, including merchants, nobles, commoners, and even two low-ranking clergy.

The charges varied, including alleged association with infidels, harboring infidels, and spreading heretical ideas.

"You want all of these people?" Marquis Rost asked.

He was glad that he wasn't on the list, but rather one of the people looking at it.

“We need to investigate everything,” Karl corrected. “Whether or not to arrest depends on the evidence.”

Marquis Rost nodded. He put down the list and looked at Karl. “Knight Commander, I have a question.”

"explain."

"Is the scope of this investigation... too broad?"

Karl looked at him. "Are you scared?"

“It’s not fear,” Marquis Rost shook his head, “it’s worry. The capital is only so big, and the nobles are deeply entrenched; a single move can have far-reaching consequences. If the investigation is too intense, it could easily provoke a backlash.”

Karl was silent for a moment. “A counterattack is inevitable. Rather than waiting for them to be ready, we should strike first before they react.”

The Marquis of Rost said nothing more.

He knew Karl was right, but he also knew that the news of him being Karl's second-in-command had spread throughout the capital.

The way those nobles looked at him had changed; it was no longer contempt or mockery, but fear and wariness. In their eyes, he had gone from a down-on-his-luck good-for-nothing to Karl's lackey.

"Is there anything else?" Carl asked.

The Marquis of Rost stood up. "That's all."

"Then you can go ahead and get busy."

The Marquis of Rost turned and walked to the door, about to open it, when the door was pushed open from the outside. The Marquis de Margrave rushed in, her hair disheveled and tears streaming down her face. Seeing the Marquis of Rost, she grabbed his sleeve.

"Sir! Elena...she's been locked up again!"

The Marquis of Rost frowned. "What is it now?"

"She...she went to Leah to demand an explanation. But a nun named Rosemary, who works for Leah, ordered her arrest!" The Marquise Mara's voice trembled with tears. "My lord, you must save her! She just got out of prison, and now she's back in? She can't take it!"

The Marquis of Rost looked at her and remained silent for a moment. "What is she going to do with Leah?"

"She...she wants to ask Leah why she hurt us..."

"Harmed you?" Marquis Rost's voice turned cold. "Did she provoke Leah herself, or did Leah come to her?"

Marquise Mara paused for a moment. "It was...it was Elena who went on her own..."

"Then who's to blame for her arrest?"

"But...but what right does Rosemary have to arrest people? She's not a bishop! She's just a nun..."

“She is Bishop Augustine’s agent,” Marquis Rost interrupted her. “I’ve had enough of locking up Elena, you and me, let alone you.”

Marquise Mara's face turned pale. "What...what can we do? Sir, you can't just abandon her! She's your daughter!"

“Of course I know she’s my daughter,” Marquis Rost said calmly. “But do you know who I am now? I’m the second-in-command of Knight Commander Karl, in charge of purging heretics.”

“My daughter was just released and went to cause trouble for Leah, and she was even captured by Bishop Augustine’s men. How am I supposed to rescue her? If I go, what will people think of me? What will they say about me?”

“But she is your daughter!” Marquise Marla’s voice rose.

“If she weren’t my daughter, I would have had her burned to death long ago.” Marquis Rost’s voice was as cold as ice.

Marquise Mara was stunned.

She looked at the Marquis of Rost, at those cold eyes, and her lips trembled.

"How...how could you say that? She's yours..."

“She is my daughter, but I also have an entire family to manage.” The Marquis of Rost interrupted her. “Do you know how hard it was for me to get out of prison and to get this position?”

"If I lose my position as deputy because of Elena's stupidity, the Rost family will be finished."

The Marquis of Rost shook his head, turned and left, abandoning the Marchioness.

The door closed.

Marquise Mara stood in the empty office, tears streaming down her face.

She didn't know why she was crying. Was she crying for Elena? For herself? Or for this family that had become so corrupt?

She wiped away her tears and walked out of the office. In the corridor, Prince Alvin was leaning against the wall, waiting.

"Madam, are you alright?"

Marquise Mara shook her head. "I'm fine."

"I'll find a way to help Elena," Prince Alvin said in a low voice. "I'm already serving as Miss Lia's attendant. I'll look for an opportunity to plead for her."

Marquise Mara stared at him for a long time. "Why are you helping Elena?"

Prince Alvin was silent for a moment. "Because... I like her."

Marquise Mara reached out and took Prince Alvin's hand.

"Thank you."

Chapter 87 The Female Leads Are Hard to Raise

The Holy City, in the room of Ophelia, the Virtuous Actress.

Claire lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, the dark red gem on her necklace gleaming faintly in the sunlight.

The holy city had already awakened, and during the time he controlled Lia, Ophelia had already gotten up and left.

This time, the changes and negotiations following the arrival of the new bishop Augustine in the empire were confirmed, and the Great Purge was naturally unstoppable.

Although the Church's purges were aimed at those who rebelled against the Empire, there were perhaps also those who supported and followed it.

However, these people were not supported and nurtured by Claire, but rather supported by the Nolan family.

Now, the Nolan family has placed Earl Orlando in the Empire, infiltrating the power circle of the new imperial family, and is also secretly taking care of those who rebel against the new imperial family.

After gradually gathering these rebels together, why is there still a large-scale purge being carried out now?

This was naturally intended to sacrifice a portion of those who had not had deep contact with them, sending those who were unaware of the Nolan family's existence to Bishop Augustine, who was also trained by the Nolan family, as a performance indicator.

It can be said that the Nolan family had a much longer-term vision than it appeared, and had been making preparations for a long time.

Now that it's being used directly, everything is developing in a direction that benefits the Nolan family, and there's nothing Claire can do about it.

As for Ronan, the librarian of the Royal Academy Library, he knew about the existence of the Nolan family, had seen 'Lia' controlled by Claire, and knew about the forbidden books left behind by Claire.

Such a person would not be sacrificed by the Nolan family to become a meritorious figure. In any case, the one who presided over the Great Purge was Bishop Augustine, who could control all the movements of the Church of Goddess.

They can arrest whomever they want, investigate whomever they want, or let whomever they want go, all depending on the Nolan family's attitude.

No one could have predicted that the Nolan family would appear in the new empire in such a powerful manner. Even Claire now understands that the Nolan family's infiltration is unstoppable.

Just as Claire had anticipated when she purged them, this family posed a significant threat.

While they appear to be maintaining friendly relations with everyone through various marriages and appeasement, their actual strategy has always been to constantly try to infiltrate others.

You may be after the other person's money and connections, but they may be after your family's wealth.

Even though the Rost family had ostracized the Nolan family to such an extent, in the end, Lia's mother still managed to make the Nolan family's heirloom, 'The Keeper's Spy,' exclusively for Lia.

You might underestimate the Nora family's practice of sending people to marry into other families, but in reality, each person sent there was specifically chosen, someone who was best at draining your family's coffers.

Given this situation, Claire's decision to remain silent and not intervene was the right one.

The Nolan family also remained vigilant and wary of this evil god emperor. The Nolan family's control over the Goddess Church was far weaker than Claire's, and they were also somewhat afraid of Claire's ability to always learn about the movements of the 'Holy Council'.

At this point, the Nolan family wisely chose to cooperate with Claire, maintaining a friendly relationship for the time being while first targeting and suppressing the royal family.

The royal family was originally within the church's sphere of influence, but the new royal family has long since begun to break free from the church's control.

Not only did he try to get rid of Bishop Simon, but he also attempted to climb up to the acting saint in order to force Lydia into marriage.

In fact, the new royal family had already begun to win over the nobles of the empire and had also established contact with Archbishop Grove through Bishop Simon.

This is all part of gradually expanding and developing the royal family's power. Although it may not seem like a big threat, the royal family's actions undoubtedly prove their ambition.

Moreover, the current royal family is at its weakest.

Naturally, he must be eliminated first, which will also make way for the next emperor.

Claire acquiesced to this, accepting the Nolan family's invitation to cooperate, and was not worried about whether the Nolan family would take over the royal family.

He controls Lia, who has a higher church network than Rosemary, is also a member of the Nolan family, and possesses the Rost family heirloom, 'The Keeper's Gaze'.

Earl Orlando is also Leah's aunt. This complex web of relationships ensures that the Nolan family wouldn't sacrifice such an outstanding family member as Leah just to target Claire.

Even if they were willing to sacrifice Leah, they still wouldn't be able to kill Claire.

The Nolan family clearly understood this; this family, skilled in calculation, would not make such a foolish and unwise choice.

In this way, Lia will not encounter any trouble after Bishop Augustine arrives in the Empire.

The next step is simply to monitor the developments of the church's purges and ensure that the situation doesn't exceed your personal boundaries.

Claire took a deep breath and rested for a while before closing her eyes. Negotiations with the Nolan family were indeed quite troublesome.

After all, the other party has already guessed his identity. Even though he has been hiding it for so long, he can't hide it anymore now, which is normal.

There are quite a few smart people, and as he takes control of Lia, the things he does gradually become more noticeable.

Now, besides Lia, there's another troublesome guy who has also activated 'Mental Bond'.

Claire brought up the system interface, and Eleanor's card floated in her field of vision, with a bond value of 71%, indicating that the Mind Bond had been activated.

The screen unfolds from this interface.

Then Eleanor's figure appeared on the system screen. This time, the Holy Mother Knight was not in a cave, but in a snowy field.

The sunlight was so bright that it shone on the snow, making it hard to open one's eyes.

Eleanor, dressed in a rather simple fur coat and holding a wooden sword, stood in the snow, panting heavily.

William was sitting opposite her.

The church knight who had participated in the battle against Claire was now an old man with white hair. He was also wearing a fur coat and holding a wooden sword, but his hand was trembling and the tip of the sword was also trembling.

“Relax your wrist,” William’s voice was hoarse. “A sword is an extension of the arm, not a tool. The more force you use, the less it will obey you.”

Eleanor took a deep breath, the wooden sword dangled in her hand, and then she steadied it.

William nodded and raised his wooden sword.

"Come."

Eleanor charged forward. The wooden sword swung down, but William dodged to the side, the sword lightly touching Eleanor's wrist. Eleanor winced in pain, the sword slipping from her hand and falling to the snow.

“You’re too hasty.” William sheathed his wooden sword. “Fighting isn’t about who’s stronger, it’s about who’s calmer. Every time you drew your sword, you revealed your intentions.”

Eleanor picked up the wooden sword and flicked her wrist. "How do I fix it?"

“Practice,” William said. “Practice until your body reacts before your brain does.”

Eleanor nodded and raised her wooden sword. The two began a new round of sparring.

Claire watched this scene with a slight smile playing on her lips.