They are all characters I control.

Prince Alvin's fingers gripped the edge of the chair's armrest. "And what about Commander Karl? Surely he's upright?"

Bishop Simon chuckled upon hearing the name, a laugh that wasn't mocking, but carried a hint of coldness: "That madman Karl, if he accepts even a small bribe, he'll label the person a heretic. He doesn't need evidence, he needs an excuse. All these years, he's been keeping Karl in check, preventing him from acting recklessly. Now that Augustine has loosened his reins, what do you think he'll do?"

"Check everyone."

“Wrong.” Bishop Simon leaned back in his chair, his voice low. “He’s investigating whoever he wants to investigate. Anyone Augustine wants to get rid of, Karl will find a charge against. Whether those charges are reasonable or not, he doesn’t care.”

Prince Alvin remained silent for a while, as if processing these words.

Much later, he said, "Augustine wants to hold the entire imperial parish in his hands."

“Yes.” Earl Orlando continued, his tone calm, as if stating something already certain. “And we can’t stop him now.”

Prince Alvin sat there, learning of this situation concerning the empire from such close proximity for the first time.

Originally, it might have seemed that Bishop Augustine was simply too strict, which did indeed bring down many people and was a bit excessive.

It now seems that Bishop Augustine wants to usurp his father's empire again?

Chapter 149 His Majesty Daryan's Considerations

Prince Alvin sat in the corner, looking at the cup of tea that had stopped steaming.

Although the meeting between Leah and Bishop Simon has ended and they have already left the church.

But he remained seated, his mind still replaying those words.

Augustine is replacing people, Karl can be bribed, and the bones of the empire are being pulled out piece by piece.

This was happening right under his nose, right before his eyes, and the empire that his father, His Majesty Darian, had painstakingly built was being dismantled step by step by Bishop Augustine.

This is definitely not what my father would want to see.

Even though Prince Alvin was well aware that his father's relationship with Bishop Simon had broken down, the fact was that the new Bishop Augustine was even more thorough than Bishop Simon.

Even the previous Bishop Simon did not attempt to control the entire empire with such force, but the current Bishop Augustine is replacing the empire from top to bottom.

With these thoughts swirling in his mind, Prince Alvin felt incredibly heavy-hearted.

Just as 'Lia' said before, as the prince of this empire, he should understand and be clear about the state of his empire.

If it weren't for 'Lia's' words, Prince Alvin would still be in a daze and at a loss.

Now that he knows the crisis facing his empire, Prince Alvin knows what he must do.

If you do nothing, you are not worthy to be a prince of this empire.

He didn't return to Earl Orlando's mansion with Leah and the others, nor did he say much. He simply nodded slightly in Leah's direction before turning and getting into the carriage. When the coachman asked him where he was going, he paused before answering, "Back to the palace."

The wheels rolled over the stone-paved road, passed through several streets and alleys still patrolled by knights, and gradually approached the area where the royal palace was located.

The atmosphere in this area was quieter than in the outer city. There were fewer patrolling knights, but the guards were stationed in more fixed positions, with someone standing at almost every gate.

This recent purge by Bishop Augustine has caused panic not only among church members and nobles, but also among ordinary people. Initially, there may have been some joy, but this quickly turned into fear and dread.

When Prince Alvin got out of the car, it was already close to evening.

He walked along the side corridor into the palace, passed through two doors, and was about to head to his quarters when he was stopped by a sound of footsteps.

A man dressed in dark court attire emerged from the shadows of the pillars, his steps unhurried, his back ramrod straight, but the straightness was not effortless, as if he had maintained this posture for a long time.

It was his father, His Majesty Daryan.

The emperor of this empire, though old, still maintained peace within the empire.

His Majesty Daryan did not show any surprise when he saw Prince Alvin, as if he had been waiting for him to return.

He didn't ask "Where did you go?" or "Why are you back so late?" He just stood in the middle of the corridor, looking at his son.

"What have you been doing? I heard you've been with Miss Leah all day?"

As emperor, His Majesty Daryan was naturally well aware of his son's every move.

Prince Alvin used to hang out at the Royal Academy every day, so His Majesty Darion didn't care.

Now, however, Bishop Augustine is asking Prince Alvin to stay by Lya's side, which His Majesty Darion does not quite agree to, but reluctantly agrees because of the alliance with Bishop Augustine at the time.

Now, naturally, more attention is being paid to Prince Alvin. His Majesty Darian is also worried that if his only child is blackmailed by that unpredictable young lady, Lia, it will be a big problem.

Prince Alvin paused for a moment, then said, "Yes, as you have instructed, I serve as Miss Lia's bodyguard."

His Majesty Darian turned to the side, gesturing for Alvin to follow him.

This son is much more mature than before, and he no longer fawns over other people's daughters.

Although he was now following Lia instead, at least he wouldn't have to run around making a fool of himself for the sake of the second daughter of a fallen noble family.

The two walked down the corridor into a smaller side room, the door closing gently behind them, with no one else present.

His Majesty Daryan sat down in an armchair, without offering tea or any preamble: "What did you see today?"

Prince Alvin stood beside the chair, somewhat surprised that his father's attitude had softened so much.

Previously, this father had always scolded him for lacking ambition.

It seems that following Lia and listening to her advice to seriously fulfill his role as a prince was the right thing to do.

“Augustine is replacing people. From the middle-level church officials to the managers of the merchant guild, and even the nobles of the southern district, they are all being replaced. Anyone who is targeted by a man like Sir Karl will not have a good time.”

“You’re talking about the process, not the conclusion,” His Majesty Daryan said, looking at him. “What do you think he ultimately wanted to achieve by doing this?”

Prince Alvin was silent for a moment before saying, "He wants to control the entire Imperial diocese."

“It’s not about wanting to.” His Majesty Darian’s voice was calm, yet it sounded like he was stating something that was already certain and happening. “He’s already doing it. What you’re seeing now is the result, not the process.”

Prince Alvin asked somewhat agitatedly, "You knew all along? Then why didn't you stop it?"

"What's the use of knowing? We knew from the moment he was nominated as a candidate." His Majesty Daryan's gaze remained fixed on him.

“But I couldn’t stop him. The archbishops supported him, and the Acting Saint did not explicitly object.”

"If I publicly express my opposition, it's the same as publicly opposing the church. Do you understand the difference?"

Prince Alvin's fingers clenched slightly.

It's not that he didn't understand; he just felt that if he knew all along but did nothing, it was no different from not knowing at all.

"Is there really no other way?" Prince Alvin asked.

His empire was being replaced and controlled step by step, and his father, the emperor of the empire, could only watch helplessly.

This was clearly unacceptable to the hot-blooded young Prince Alvin.

His Majesty Daryan looked at him for a while, as if he saw his former self in the boy.

The previous new empire's queen also lived a long life, and His Majesty Daryan also ascended the throne very late, but his mother did not do as well as he did.

Faced with his young successor, His Majesty Daryan said, "There's nothing I can do. He wants to replace me now, and I can't stop him; he wants to purge, and I can't stop him. All I can do now is watch."

This was a perfectly normal response from His Majesty Daryan, but Prince Alvin could not accept it.

Chapter 150 His Majesty's Patience

"Don't try to fight against someone who is at their strongest right now; a head-on confrontation will only lead to your own destruction."

"True wisdom should mean first and foremost ensuring one's own survival."

"Sometimes, just a slight retreat can yield completely different results."

After His Majesty Darian finished speaking, the side hall was quiet for a moment.

The sky outside the window was darkening, and the lights in the corridor had not yet been turned on. Only the twilight shining through the window illuminated the two of them, leaving some unspoken words in that gray-blue light and shadow.

Prince Alvin did not respond immediately.

He stood by the chair, looking at his father and listening to his father's teachings. He felt that the phrase "can't do anything" was not like admitting defeat, but more like another form of patience.

At least, his own father was well aware of the current state of the empire.

Therefore, even if the decision is made now to let things develop as they may, it is acceptable to Bishop Augustine arrest whoever he chooses.

But is this right? Prince Alvin couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong, but he felt that if they continued to wait like this, what they would get might not be a turning point, but rather the end of the operation.

“You are waiting,” Prince Alvin said, his voice lower than before, as if confirming that he was right.

This was the first time he had sat down and talked with his father about such a topic.

Therefore, he always seemed somewhat restrained.

However, Prince Alvin still revealed what he truly thought, and what he understood about his father's ideas.

"You're not waiting for Augustine to make a mistake. You're waiting for him to expose himself. Once he's replaced everyone and filled all the positions, he'll start moving on the people he shouldn't be moving, and then naturally someone will stand up against him?"

His Majesty Darian did not answer, but his gaze lingered on Alvin for a moment, as if to confirm whether the remark was a chance occurrence or if he had truly begun to understand.

After a moment, the emperor spoke: "The fact that you could think of this shows that you have indeed taken it to heart."

Prince Alvin did not relax because of this approval.

He paused for a few seconds, then said, "But you don't know how long it will take him to get to that point. Many people will get into trouble in the meantime, and besides, wouldn't that make the nobles lose faith in our royal family?"

“Yes.” His Majesty Darian did not deny it. “So what you need to do is not to stop him, nor to wait for him to make a mistake. What you need to do is to ensure that those who are replaced can still find their way home after they are replaced.”

Prince Alvin frowned slightly: "You mean—to prevent those who were eliminated by Augustine from completely disappearing?"

“It’s not just about not disappearing.” His Majesty Darian leaned back in his chair, his gaze fixed on the fading light of day outside the window. “It’s about ensuring that even after they’re gone, they still remember who they are.”

"You can't keep every position, but you can keep the people sitting in those positions. As long as the people are still there, the positions can be taken back sooner or later."

"Besides, even if they lose everything, as long as I can save their lives, then nothing else matters."

“Even Bishop Augustine wouldn’t insist on executing all of them against my wishes, would he? I can spare some of them; at least those nobles are absolutely fine. It just depends on their loyalty to the royal family.”

Prince Alvin understood the meaning of those words, but he also knew that doing so would not be easy.

Most of those who were replaced had already lost their positions in the church and the territory.

Even if they remain in the city, they have already lost their original resources and power.

For them to "not disappear," it means that someone must be willing to take them in after they are purged, and that person cannot be Daryan himself, or even the royal family.

Because if the royal family were to take action, it would be tantamount to directly breaking ties with Augustine.

Moreover, there must be some "losses" involved.

Surely some nobles will have grievances about the royal family's previous inaction in the face of danger, and in that case, the number of people supporting the royal family will only decrease.

This is something Prince Alvin would not want to see.

But now, Prince Alvin also hopes to help his father.

"So you want me to do this?" Prince Alvin asked. "To reach out to those people and let them know that they haven't been completely abandoned?"

His Majesty Daryan's gaze lingered on his face for a moment.

Instead of answering "yes" or "no" directly, he said, "Can you do it? Can you catch them without letting Augustine's men know you're doing it?"

Prince Alvin paused for a moment. “I need someone to help me identify people. I can’t tell who is capable of answering the call, or who has been infiltrated by Augustine’s men.”

“Then learn.” His Majesty Darian’s tone remained unchanged. “You can’t recognize them, so what you need to do now is not to approach them, but to find out if there are other people behind those people.”

"Behind every group of people Augustine replaced, there was usually a list. That list is what you should get first."

"Since you've already taken the initiative to adapt to being Miss Liya's bodyguard, then you might as well do these things as well."

"If you can do that, then I can consider asking you to help me."

Although he was his own son, His Majesty Daryan did not naively trust Prince Alvin completely.

This has nothing to do with father-son affection or anything like that; it's about the difference in ability.

Prince Alvin opened his mouth as if to say, "How do I get it?" but then stopped himself from speaking.

He realized that asking this question was like asking for an answer. And the answer wouldn't be given by someone else. He was silent for a moment, then nodded: "I understand. I'll figure out who those people are before I contact them."

His Majesty Daryan neither nodded nor shook his head, but simply leaned back in his chair, as if to give the conversation a peaceful ending.

Prince Alvin stood by the door for a moment, glanced back at his father sitting in the twilight, and then pushed open the door and walked out of the side hall.

The lights in the corridor had been lit, and the dim candlelight formed a thin line along the wall, illuminating his way back to his residence.

He didn't walk fast, but each step was more solid than before.

He knew that the decision he made tonight might lead him to some unexpected positions, but he also knew that if he didn't leave, those positions would eventually belong to someone else.