They are all characters I control.

It seems that Eleanor and William get along well.

Chapter 88 An Unfamiliar Father and Daughter

Eleanor's adoptive mother was Sister Martha, who was a pagan of the 'Church of Life'.

This heretic raised Eleanor from childhood, so he was indeed an important figure to her.

It wasn't until Claire took control of Eleanor's body and discovered Sister Martha's identity that Sister Martha's true nature was exposed.

However, this was something that Eleanor found difficult to accept.

Eleanor, who had lived with Sister Martha for so long, was suddenly told that her beloved foster mother had only been taking care of her in order to create the Philosopher's Stone from her blood.

Most people would probably find this unacceptable; the huge discrepancy would make it difficult for anyone to accept.

This is especially true for a saintly knight like Eleanor.

That's why Claire advised Eleanor to cultivate a good relationship with William, who is indeed Eleanor's father.

Compared to his adoptive mother, Sister Martha, William was the one with whom he truly shared blood ties.

Moreover, Eleanor's current talent is inseparable from William. If William himself were weak, he wouldn't have been imprisoned by Sister Martha and would not have created Eleanor.

Now, it's clear that Eleanor and William are getting along well.

Claire was also satisfied.

This way, there's no need to worry about him going back to Sister Martha or anything like that. Having a real family member like William is a huge comfort to Eleanor.

Moreover, William could play a greater role in Eleanor's life than Mother Martha.

Sister Martha is only good at talking therapy, while William is a church knight who participated in the Church of Goddess's great campaign against the Empire. He is experienced and has considerable combat experience.

He is a very good teacher; although he is old, his experience remains.

Eleanor is a good student; although she is not very bright, she is willing to learn.

At this moment, neither the father nor the daughter spoke; they simply practiced silently, the sound of their wooden swords clashing ringing out crisply in the snow.

However, both of them seemed to notice that the atmosphere was too quiet, and William soon broke the silence.

“You know that person,” William’s voice suddenly rang out.

Eleanor was taken aback. "What?"

"The person who controls you," William asked, putting down his wooden sword and leaning against a tree trunk to rest. "Do you know him? Or have you had contact with him somewhere?"

Eleanor was silent for a moment. "I don't know her."

"Then why did he help you?"

William's words silenced Eleanor; she knew that the evil god had been helping her all along.

However, it would be strange to say that it was simply about helping herself, as it wasn't Elinor herself who wanted help.

Moreover, the way she helped was too crude; Eleanor herself didn't like doing things in such a bloody way.

Eleanor shook her head. "I don't know."

William looked at her, and from the expression on Eleanor's face, he roughly guessed what she was thinking. "He has helped you many times."

"I know."

Do you hate him?

Eleanor remained silent for a long time. "I hate you, but not completely."

William did not ask any further questions.

He picked up the wooden sword and walked towards the cave. After a few steps, he stopped.

"No matter what that person did or how they did it, you are only alive because of them."

"Some people are like that; they are doing the right thing but they can easily cause misunderstandings. Of course, it cannot be ruled out that many people are deliberately targeting them."

"So for that person, all of this was just too much trouble."

Eleanor's pupils contracted slightly as she looked at William, who was speaking so casually, with curiosity piqued. "You know him?"

“I don’t know him, and I don’t know who’s controlling your body.” William didn’t turn around, but his tone carried a hint of reminiscence. “It’s just that a long time ago, I also encountered someone similar.”

"That person, like the one who controls you, has a rather forceful and direct style of doing things."

"I used to think he was an incorrigible villain, how cruel he was to other civilians."

"However, in reality, that person had many supporters who were willing to sacrifice their lives to protect him, and the constant battles made me waver as well."

“Who is he?” Eleanor asked William.

Judging from William's attire and his swordsmanship just now, it is certain that William is also a church knight.

He could even teach me, the vice-captain, and despite his advanced age, I could still benefit from training with him.

Therefore, Eleanor was certain that William was no ordinary person, and she was neither surprised nor doubtful of what William said at this moment.

William was silent for a moment. “That’s a person who shouldn’t exist in this era.”

Having said that, he went into the cave.

Eleanor stood in the snow, watching William's retreating figure in thought.

Judging from William's age, he must have lived a very long time ago.

"Hehehe, this father and daughter are quite interesting." Claire chuckled a few times as she looked at William and Eleanor on the screen.

William was not good at expressing himself, and neither was Eleanor.

Therefore, these two people would never reconcile their accounts. If they did, they might be able to guess his identity.

However, it seems that Claire doesn't need to worry too much about her identity being exposed by the father and daughter in front of her.

Just as Claire was amusedly watching Eleanor and William's father-daughter conversation, a beam of holy light appeared before her eyes.

That was Isabelle's contact.

Claire also remembered that she had asked Isabelle to investigate William.

The reason why Ophelia was already asked to investigate, and why Isabelle was also specifically asked to investigate, is simple: Ophelia only likes to compete with Isabelle.

Whenever Ophelia hears that Isabelle has also been entrusted by Claire to do the same thing, her competitive spirit is aroused, and she tries to be the first to provide better efficiency.

However, Claire would not reject Isabelle's findings.

After connecting to the magical communication of the holy light, Claire saw Isabelle's face.

Isabelle was clearly in her office at the moment, dressed in her simple white dress, holding a stack of documents. She saw Claire lying on the bed with her eyes open, a slight smile playing on her lips.

"Are you just waking up, Claire?"

Back in the dungeon, Isabelle naturally wouldn't have seen Claire so lazy as she is now.

What's more, Claire, who was originally an annoying adult, has now shrunk into a little boy.

Looking at Claire now, Isabelle didn't really regret letting Ophelia take Claire away. At least as the Acting Lady of Prayer, she couldn't possibly let Claire go.

Now that Ophelia has done this, it has nothing to do with Isabelle.

Isabelle was much more relaxed and natural around Claire now than she had been in the dungeon.

Chapter 89 Do You Still Want to Be Emperor?

Claire sat up in bed and pulled the collar up a little.

Compared to Ophelia's controlling and scheming nature, Isabelle is indeed easier to get along with.

That being said, following Isabelle means being locked in a dungeon forever, in a place where you never see the sun or the moon. Although Isabelle is kind, it's all in exchange for that.

It's not necessarily a bad thing that Ophelia has taken over now.

It's a win-win situation: getting some fresh air outside and getting Isabelle's help. The only problem with Ophelia is that she's too perceptive; at least Claire won't die.

"What? You got up early?" Claire asked casually, glancing at Isabelle on the screen in front of her.

Her face appeared somewhat hazy in the holy light, but her azure eyes remained clear.

“You seem to be doing well,” Isabelle said, her voice still gentle but with a hint of teasing.

The main thing is that Claire was basking in the sun like a cat, and even tugged at the bell on her collar? She looked so relaxed and carefree.

Isabelle felt as if this guy had been tortured in her dungeon.

It was indeed a form of torture, but Isabelle was still somewhat dissatisfied with Claire's relaxed demeanor in Ophelia's room.

Claire leaned against the headboard. "It's alright, although I can't drink much alcohol, at least I can get some sunshine."

"Ophelia is quite nice to you? She's the acting saintess of the Inquisition, aren't you afraid?"

Isabelle asked deliberately.

“She wants something from me, there’s no need to be afraid.” Claire remained calm and relaxed.

"Did you give it to me? What do you want?"

Isabelle's curiosity was piqued; she naturally knew what Ophelia was thinking.

But hearing it from Claire's mouth now still made Isabelle wonder if there were things she didn't know.

"Using me as an excuse, hoping to use me to find an opportunity to vindicate the Inquisition." Claire looked at her, then paused. "You wanted to see me about something?"

He had been talking about Ophelia the whole time, and he didn't want Isabelle to keep bringing up this issue.

Seeing Isabelle's somewhat displeased expression, Claire changed the subject.

Isabelle didn't press the matter further. She wrinkled her nose and then said without beating around the bush, "Bishop Augustine has been decided to go to the Imperial Diocese. It was Archbishop Grove's suggestion, and the other archbishops also agreed."

Claire already knew, but she pretended to be somewhat surprised.

"Why? To the Imperial diocese? Aren't there any other bishops in the Imperial diocese?"

“Because the situation in the Imperial diocese is too complicated.” Isabelle’s voice was calm as she observed Claire’s expression.

“Bishop Simon is fighting with the royal family, Knight Commander Karl is fighting with the nobles, and there are also heretics operating in the shadows. Grove said that a capable person is needed to keep things in check.”

"And what's your opinion?"

“I object. After all, I never intended for a new archbishop to appear. If we send Bishop Augustine to the Imperial Diocese now, it would be easy for him to lay the foundation.”

"Oh? You do have some brains. If you go now while you're just a bishop, it will indeed pave the way for you to become an archbishop in the future."

“That’s right. I suggested that Bishop Augustine go to another country, but the other archbishops did not support me.”

Claire shrugged, referring to the other members of the 'Holy Council' as having ulterior motives.

Archbishop Grove and his associates clearly wanted Bishop Augustine to lay the groundwork. Even if there were two bishops in the Imperial diocese, it wouldn't matter, as long as Bishop Augustine went to the Empire, it would pave the way for him to become an archbishop in the future.

Other archbishops were probably planning to deliberately cause trouble for Bishop Augustine, since Bishop Simon was already in the Imperial diocese, and they were sending a second bishop there.

This undoubtedly means expecting the two bishops to fight each other, and with Lia, who was specifically chosen by Isabelle to protect, there is also a three-way check and balance.

If Bishop Augustine wants to become archbishop, he must face the obstruction and dissatisfaction of Isabelle behind Leah, as well as the covert rivalry of Bishop Simon.

The other archbishops can sit back and watch the fight. Supporting Bishop Augustine to go to the Imperial Diocese is a way to force others to get involved. Why not?

It's impossible for them to support Isabelle and go somewhere else as Isabelle wants.

This also means that the power structure of the Imperial dioceses will become more complex. Bishop Simon will be further marginalized, Knight Commander Karl's position will become more delicate, His Majesty Darion will accelerate his efforts to win over Bishop Augustine, and Lya will be caught in the middle.

"What? What are you thinking about, Claire?"

Isabelle watched Claire with great interest, admiring the thoughtful expression on Claire's face.

"You're thinking about what your empire will become? You certainly don't want any archbishops in the imperial dioceses, right? And you also don't want too many people fighting each other there, causing trouble for your empire, right?"

Claire glanced at her. "That's not my empire anymore."

"But you still care, otherwise why would you think the same as me? You don't want any archbishops or so many bishops to appear in the Imperial diocese, right?"

Claire remained silent, allowing Isabelle to gloat for a moment.

Sometimes it's necessary to provide Isabelle with some emotional support, and this is one of them.

After all, he still considered the Empire his home and had been controlling its situation through Lia.

Isabelle smiled at the silent Claire and changed the subject. "You had Ophelia investigate William Redgrave, and you also asked me to investigate him. Why?"