They are all characters I control.

He stopped at the end of the corridor and glanced out the window.

The outline of the church spire in the distance was faintly visible in the twilight. That wasn't Bishop Simon's church; it was the one Bishop Augustine was currently using.

Chapter 151 Who is Family?

When night had completely fallen, the lights were still on in Bishop Augustine's study.

The windows face south, offering a view of the church courtyard and the cobblestone path leading to the main street. The lamp wick burns steadily, without any flickering smoke, as if its familiarity with this study has surpassed mere habituation.

Rosemary sat across the desk, the parchment in her hand already turned to the last page.

As Bishop Augustine's representative and the current highest-ranking official in the Nolan family, despite being about the same age as Lia, the responsibilities she shoulders far exceed those of anyone else.

At this moment, Bishop Augustine was also present, and Rosemary was next to confirm the 'purge list'.

Although Knight Commander Karl provided a considerable number and detailed list of names, these individuals still needed to undergo a selection process.

She put down the parchment in her hand, gently pressing her fingers along the edge of the paper to check if she had missed anything she had just seen.

“The list has been verified.” Rosemary’s voice was not loud, but it was clear in the quiet study. “Of the first batch of people released, seven were from Bishop Simon’s subordinates and three were from the noble families. Our people confirmed their whereabouts before releasing them, and there was no trace of them being picked up by others.”

Bishop Augustine did not look up; at present, the number of people being led out was very limited.

The bishop was not particularly worried about this.

He was looking at another document spread out on the table, his finger pausing at the end of one line of text, tapping the surface as if he were weighing something.

Seemingly without an answer, Bishop Augustine turned to Rosemary and asked, "What did Prince Alvin do today?"

To be honest, it was Bishop Augustine who arranged for Prince Alvin to get together with Lia.

The reason is quite simple: it seems to be arranging a marriage between Prince Alvin and Lia, but in reality, it's about completely breaking ties between Lia and the royal family.

But now, things don't seem to be going as Bishop Augustine thought, but he's not too bothered by it.

“I went to the entrance of the detention center this morning, but didn’t go in,” Rosemary replied. “Later, the carriage followed Leah to the side entrance of the church, where we stayed for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn. Bishop Simon was also there.”

"He went in to see Simon?" Bishop Augustine heard the name of his rival.

Although this competitor isn't particularly strong and isn't very competitive anymore, it's still a competitor after all.

As a cautious bishop of Augustine, he would not underestimate his opponent.

Moreover, even though Bishop Simon has completely lost his path to becoming an archbishop because he can't kill her, Lia still has the acting saintess Isabelle behind her.

Therefore, even though Bishop Simon was like a stray dog, devoid of any power, remaining in this imperial diocese was merely a formality. The archbishops, by not transferring him, probably intended to get rid of the abandoned Bishop Simon themselves.

But as long as Lia is still alive, and Isabelle, the prayer agent, is still standing behind Lia, then Bishop Augustine will not kill Bishop Simon.

This is why Rosemary was able to agree to let Lydia release some of Bishop Simon's associates and relatives.

"Yes, Prince Alvin stayed in the church after Leah and the others left."

Rosemary answered with ease that nowadays their people are everywhere, whether it's the Church of Goddess or the kingdom.

They knew everything about Leah's whereabouts, Prince Alvin's whereabouts, and even His Majesty Darion's whereabouts.

Bishop Augustine withdrew his fingers from the document. "What's been happening with Bishop Simon's men since they were released?"

“Bishop Simon’s men have been taken back and have not made any public appearances since. Several noble families in the southern district have not left immediately either; most of them are still in their residences and have not gone out to visit anyone.”

Rosemary's voice was devoid of any extra emotion, as if stating something she had already confirmed. "For now, they are still observing."

“It’s right to wait and see,” Bishop Augustine said with a gentle and steady voice. “If they rush around as soon as they’re released, it’ll only arouse suspicion.”

"The fact that they are not moving means that they have not been forced to act."

Rosemary watched as Bishop Augustine closed the document, then glanced at the stack of unprocessed letters and notes beside him, and remained silent for a moment.

Everything seemed perfectly calm, and the nobles behaved themselves without making any unnecessary moves.

Even without thinking, it's obvious that nothing pleasant is likely to happen. Both the nobles and Bishop Simon are keeping a low profile, but they're certainly plotting something in secret.

"His Majesty Darian has not made any public statement today. After Prince Alvin returned to the palace, he spent some time with his father in a side hall, but the specific content of their conversation has not been released."

“It seems that our Majesty is indeed quite prudent and does not like to reveal any flaws.” Bishop Augustine’s hand paused on the table, as if placing the sentence in the appropriate position.

"He can't stay silent forever. It's just that the more he talks right now, the more he reveals."

Rosemary nodded slightly. His Majesty Darion was currently the most threatening.

The purpose of the Great Purge was to completely overhaul the empire from top to bottom, with all positions being controlled by the Church of Goddess. Bishop Simon serves as a prime example; once you lose your position and future, the royal family will be the first to betray you.

What Bishop Augustine wanted was to firmly and completely seize power in the empire.

It doesn't matter whether Bishop Augustine becomes an archbishop or not; his fallback is the Nolan family. Now, all he needs to do is let the Nolan family infiltrate this imperial diocese.

Therefore, Bishop Augustine would not have to worry about his future either. Moreover, after the Nolan family took control of the empire, they could better cooperate with Bishop Augustine in boosting his performance.

The more people arrested, the more merits they could present to the 'Holy Council' in the future, and the more likely the Nolan family could truly return to the Empire.

Lia is also a member of the Nolan family, as is Earl Orlando, even though neither of them has any deep feelings or concern for the Nolan family.

But no matter what, they are the Nolan family. Even if they disobey and ruin our plans, it doesn't matter if they win.

As long as the bloodline of the Nolan family returns to the pinnacle of the empire, that's fine. At worst, the power of the Nolan family can be handed over to Lia and Earl Orlando.

Therefore, the biggest problem for Rosemary and Bishop Augustine remains His Majesty Darian.

Chapter 152 The Target of the Great Purge

His Majesty Daryan is currently calm and collected, even though he is certainly aware of what happened during the Great Purge.

But now that so many nobles who were originally loyal to him have been arrested, the emperor remains unmoved.

Even Rosemary admired his composure.

"What do you intend to do about His Majesty Daryan, Bishop Augustine?" Rosemary's voice remained calm, but her question was more direct than before.

Bishop Augustine did not answer immediately.

He reached for the cup of tea on the corner of the table, which was no longer steaming, picked it up, took a sip, and then put it down.

His movements were unhurried, as if he were pondering a decision before making it. "He won't actively oppose anything. Everything he does now is aimed at stabilizing the existing situation, not expanding it. But this also means that he will secretly support those who are replaced."

It appears that nothing is being done, but His Majesty Daryan will not remain idle.

Clearly, rather than saying it was impossible to exonerate everyone, His Majesty Daryan did what he could at least protect the nobles under his command to a minimum.

That is, to save the lives of the nobles, so that His Majesty Daryan could buy enough time.

"Should we intercept those people beforehand?" Rosemary asked after thinking for a moment.

“No need.” Bishop Augustine’s voice was unwavering. “He can only help a limited number of people. We can replace them with more people than he imagines. As long as we replace them faster than he can help, for every person he helps, we replace them with two.”

Rosemary remained silent for a moment.

She understood the logic, but she also knew that this strategy required sufficient manpower to execute.

Since it's unlikely that all positions could be replaced, His Majesty Daryan wants to retain the most elite group, but the positions of the other nobles would be taken.

In that case, even if His Majesty Darion manages to retain the elites at the highest level, they will still be unable to control the members of the Nolan family below.

Fortunately, the Nolan family has been operating in the Imperial Diocese for so many years, and they have quite a few people they can trust, including mid-level church officials, local minor nobles, and managers of the merchant guild.

His Majesty Darian is undoubtedly courting death, but Rosemary has no need to worry about him.

"What about Archbishop Nagrove? Any news lately?"

Rosemary then steered the conversation back to the archbishop, saying that if Bishop Augustine became the new archbishop, then no matter what His Majesty Darion did, it would be in vain.

For the Nolan family, having another archbishop is naturally a welcome development.

“He won’t intervene for now.” Bishop Augustine’s voice was low but steady. “He pushed me up here to expand his influence in the Holy Council. My position isn’t entirely secure yet, and he won’t withdraw his support at this time. But for that very reason, he won’t proactively help me solve my problems. I need to handle them myself.”

Rosemary nodded, as if she had expected this answer. "What about the other archbishops? Is there anything we need to keep an eye on regarding their activities?"

Bishop Augustine did not answer immediately. He seemed to weigh the question in his mind before saying, "The Eastern Archbishop will not move for the time being; his focus is not on the Empire."

"The south has been observing; as long as we don't cross their border, they won't cause trouble. As for the north..."

He paused, his gaze lingering for a moment on the edge of the candlelight on the table.

"Things are indeed not peaceful in the north lately. The situation of the Holy Lance Knights has not yet fully stabilized, and the Church of Life's infiltration continues. This is both a good thing and a risk for us."

"The good thing is that their attention will be diverted?"

“Yes.” Bishop Augustine tapped his finger lightly on the table. “The chaos in the north will attract the attention of the Holy Council. The archbishops will be more concerned about what’s happening there than about us.”

"The risk is that if the North really gets out of control, the Holy Council might use the pretext of 'stabilizing the situation' to strengthen control over the Imperial dioceses. At that time, our room for maneuver will be compressed."

"Of course, if someone in the Northern Kingdom were to emerge at this time who could quell the situation effectively, they might be promoted for their achievements."

"In that case, perhaps we will have competitors for the new archbishop candidate."

Rosemary listened quietly, watching as Bishop Augustine pushed aside the document he had already read.

Only in a more chaotic and dire situation can one more steadily achieve the greatest merit. This is the case with the Northern Kingdom. Once chaos ensues, the 'Holy Council' naturally wants to stabilize the situation, and whoever can stabilize the situation will have a greater chance of success.

Thinking about it this way, perhaps he and Bishop Augustine were being a bit too hasty in returning to the Empire.

"Then what we can do now is speed things up here. Before they turn their attention back, finish changing all the positions that need to be changed, or accelerate the situation in the Empire even further?"

“Yes.” Bishop Augustine’s voice was brief and clear, though the usually gentle bishop’s expression was somewhat cold at this moment.

“We must speed things up. Even if His Majesty Darian or Bishop Simon create any obstacles, we can use them to our advantage and achieve even greater success.”

"If they give up resisting, then we will accelerate our control over the empire. At that time, regardless of whether we become archbishops, we will be able to maintain stable control over the empire."

“Before that, we need to get serious. The smaller players are mostly done, it’s time to bring in the bigger guys.”

"So, who should we target next?"

Bishop Augustine's finger hovered over the unopened letter, as if sifting through it. "The Chamber of Commerce has already taken action, and some nobles have been dealt with as well."

Rosemary looked up at him.

“While the previous charges were useful, constantly using the excuse of ‘having contact with heretics’ is just repeating the same thing over and over, and it will eventually arouse suspicion,” Bishop Augustine said calmly. “We need to find a different excuse that can continue the purge while making outsiders think we are doing the right thing.”

"Arrest the real heretics?" Rosemary asked.

"Yes. It's not 'suspected contact,' but 'confirmed signs of activity.'"

Bishop Augustine's gaze fell on the map on the table. "The chaos in the Northern Kingdom provides us with a sufficiently large backdrop."

“We can say that some people are using the Imperial parishes as a rear base for the infiltration of northern heretics.”

"In this way, the more people we arrest, the more it seems like we're doing the right thing."

Rosemary paused for a moment, as if rapidly unfolding the idea in her mind. "But this requires a sufficiently influential person to support this claim."

“Indeed necessary.” Bishop Augustine’s finger traced the edge of the map lightly before stopping at a spot. “And this person should ideally be someone related to your distant cousin.”

Rosemary's gaze shifted slightly. "You mean Leah's side?"

Chapter 153 Northern Incident

The night grew deeper, but the lights in the study remained on.

Bishop Augustine's finger stopped at a location on the map, not on the border of the Northern Kingdom, nor in the central area where the church was located, but in the direction of the Royal Academy, near the east side of the capital.

He didn't say the name immediately, as if waiting for Rosemary to come up with it herself.

Rosemary's gaze followed his fingertip to that area, and after a moment she said, "Ronan Barred, the Keeper of the Royal Academy."

Bishop Augustine withdrew his finger, neither nodding nor shaking his head, but the fact that he did not correct her was itself a tacit agreement.

Rosemary knew that this person was not someone she knew well, but he wasn't a complete stranger either.

She had seen him a few times in the Royal Academy library, wearing a faded old robe, not talking much to anyone, and rarely leaving that area.

Most students and teachers didn't pay much attention to him. But Rosemary had heard some rumors about him, saying that he had access to forbidden books and had interacted with some people who were not suitable to be recorded.

Of course, that is indeed the case.

It is a hospital owned by the Nolan family and is also related to the Earl of Orlando.

The Nolan family was naturally aware of Ronan's existence as the Keeper of the Books. They chose to protect Ronan in order to later obtain information and materials related to the evil emperor Claire from him.

In fact, it is true.

Ronan, the keeper of the books, knew a great many forbidden books, all of which were stored in the Royal Academy's library.