They are all characters I control.

Even members of the Nolan family did not know how to obtain those forbidden books; only Ronan, the keeper of the books, knew.

The Nolan family was also quite helpless about this, because Ronan, the guardian of the book, was the only one who knew how to break the seal.

Of course, there's one more person now.

That was Lia, but Lia who was 'possessed'. In other words, the evil god emperor Claire who controlled Lia's body had personally opened the seal of the forbidden book and taught Lia about the forbidden book.

This is also one of the reasons why Rosemary and the Earl of Orlando further confirmed Claire's identity.

Now that Claire herself is present, Ronan the Keeper of the Books is clearly a pawn to attract attention, as he is, in any case, a true heretic.

Moreover, because she can use forbidden magic, Lia has also become a target of Knight Commander Karl.

The reason why Knight Commander Karl hasn't imprisoned Lia yet is entirely because Rosemary and Bishop Augustine are keeping him in check.

“He had contact with Leah,” Rosemary said. “Leah went to the library a few times, and some of what she learned seemed to be related to the contents of that library.”

Bishop Augustine did not press for details, but simply said, “That’s enough. A person doesn’t need to actually associate with pagans, as long as he associates with Leah, and Leah is now with Bishop Simon, that makes sense.”

In order not to be overshadowed by the heretical incident in the Northern Kingdom and thus miss the opportunity to be promoted to archbishop.

Or, if the major incident orchestrated by the heretics of the Northern Kingdom caused the Goddess Church to change its attitude towards the Empire, then it would be necessary to first ignite some problems on its own side.

Only in that way can the empire retain the initiative.

Bishop Augustine would have the opportunity to rise to a higher position, and the Nolan family could more easily and effortlessly place their own pawns to control the empire.

It's all beneficial and harmless. Although capturing Ronan, the keeper of the book, will also expose the Nolan family's involvement, the Nolan family will be the ones interrogating them.

Therefore, no matter what questions are asked, nothing harmful to the Nolan family will be revealed.

However, it might also reveal some things that the Nolan family doesn't know. Although Ronan, the Keeper of the Book, received favors from the Nolan family, he did not obey any of their orders.

Naturally, Ronan didn't reveal any other information he knew to the Nolan family.

The Nolan family had long been dissatisfied with this, and Ronan was a perfect target. They could teach Ronan a lesson and, incidentally, use him to expose those who truly supported the evil emperor Claire.

At that time, these believers connected with the evil god emperor can be said to have achieved their greatest merit.

No matter how much trouble the Northern Kingdom caused, Emperor Claire, the Evil God, remained the greatest threat to the Church of the Goddess. No one would forget the impact this Evil God Emperor had on the Church of the Goddess; he not only instigated a campaign of rebellion but also killed an archbishop.

Nowadays, whenever the Evil God Emperor is mentioned, the archbishops will immediately pay attention to this matter.

After all, they could lose the Northern Kingdom, the diocese under their jurisdiction, but their lives were gone forever. The name of the Evil God Emperor Claire was of absolute importance to the archbishops, regardless of the era.

Rosemary's gaze fell on that area on the map, looking at the Royal Academy. "Are you planning to send someone to arrest him directly, or do you want to find something related to him first?"

“Search first.” Bishop Augustine’s voice was not loud, but steady. “Arresting him is the simplest step, but simple things often leave the most traces. If we can find something related to him that points to ‘heretic activities’ before arresting him, then even Leah won’t be able to interfere.”

Rosemary kept that sentence in mind, then changed her perspective: "But what if he does have dealings with infidels? That would be more than just a matter of making things easier for us."

Bishop Augustine's gaze paused briefly in the candlelight, as if he had thought of something.

"If he does have connections, then this wasn't something we planned, but something we discovered ourselves. That makes things much easier."

Rosemary didn't ask any further questions, and she also agreed with the plan.

All of this is for the Nolan family; sacrificing the believers that his family previously took in is no big deal.

Now, under the control of Bishop Augustine and the Nolan family, they can ensure their safety from being implicated while also uncovering more information.

A mere bookkeeper, he's dead, so be it.

If we can uncover information about other heretics, it will ultimately benefit our side.

The initial plan was to gradually erode the territory, but unexpectedly, the Northern Kingdom caused a great disturbance caused by heretics. Affected by this situation, it was impossible to continue the current slow pace of advancement.

As for the cooperation with the evil god emperor Claire, there is no need to worry about that.

In any case, the alliance is only targeting the royal family together, and it does not mean that the two sides cannot undermine each other.

As long as Leah isn't touched, Claire shouldn't be too angry.

Ronan, the Keeper of the Book, and his followers, including the evil god emperor, have never seen Claire, and Claire has never revealed her identity to them.

That proves that the evil god emperor Claire doesn't care about these followers, so it's okay to capture some of Claire's followers as achievements.

Chapter 154 A Long-Awaited Visit to the Academy

As the morning light slanted in through the window on a new day, Lia had already changed her clothes.

She stood in front of the mirror to make sure the collar and cuffs were straight, then picked up the college badge from the table and pinned it to her chest.

The edges of the bronze badge have darkened somewhat; it's not as shiny as it was when it was first issued.

After all, Lia had been wearing this badge for several years, so it was bound to look old. Even though she hadn't been to the Royal Academy during that time, ever since she left the Rost family.

This was only natural, as at the time, Lia was being forced into marriage by His Majesty Darion. She came into contact with Isabelle, the acting saintess of the Goddess Church, and incredibly, she became inseparable friends with Lady Isabelle.

Now, people from their hometown have arrived, and the Nolan family is beginning to forcefully intervene in the empire.

The arrival of Bishop Augustine and Rosemary, supported by the Nolan family, immediately triggered a massive purge that is still ongoing in the Empire.

This massive purge caused widespread panic, and many nobles were affected.

In this somewhat chaotic situation, Lia indeed didn't go to the Royal Academy very often.

Today, however, she had no choice but to go to the Royal Academy, which made Lia realize for the first time that she was still a student at the Royal Academy.

Lia glanced down at it, straightened it, and then pushed the door open and went out.

Prince Alvin was already waiting downstairs. He was dressed in dark hunting attire, without a sword, but with a badge at his waist similar in style to Leah's.

Seeing Liya come downstairs, he nodded slightly without saying anything more.

Today, the prince remains a compliant bodyguard to Daliyah.

Lia glanced at the sky outside the window and said to Anna, the maid who was waiting beside her, "Let's go, we can't be late today."

The carriage traveled through the morning streets, heading towards the Royal Academy.

There were fewer pedestrians on the street than a few days ago. The patrolling knights were still lined up at the street corner, but they were quieter than before, as if they didn't want to attract too much attention.

The wheels rolled over the stone slabs and, after a short but steady time, came to a stop in front of the stone steps outside the side gate of the Royal Academy.

When Lia got out of the car, the guard at the door glanced at her, then at Prince Alvin behind her, and did not immediately move aside.

Even though he was from a lower class, he had heard that Miss Liya's status was extraordinary, but he never expected that Prince Alvin would be following behind her.

Prince Alvin had always been with Lia's sister, Elena, a fact known throughout the Royal Academy.

Prince Alvin now appears to be of a lower status than Lydia, and has taken a half-step back.

The college was quieter than I remembered.

The windows on both sides of the corridor were still open, and the morning breeze blew in from outside, carrying the scent of grass and earth from the courtyard.

Occasionally, a few students would pass by from the other end of the corridor. When they saw Liya, they would slow down, their gazes lingering on her for a moment before shifting away, not daring to look at her for too long.

In the past, when people saw her, their eyes were mostly filled with disdain and contempt; now, those gazes are more of a scrutiny and assessment.

Lia neither deliberately avoided the topic nor deliberately responded.

She simply walked down the corridor, as if she no longer needed to prove anything to anyone.

As she walked through the front yard, she saw a familiar corner—the bench under the old tree, a place she had spent many times alone before.

Back then, she would always sit there reading or lost in thought. People didn't usually approach her, and she wouldn't initiate conversations. She glanced at the bench, but didn't stop, continuing to walk forward.

I returned to the academy this time for the annual assessment, a comprehensive evaluation for senior students that included not only theoretical knowledge but also several magic tests.

Leah could have chosen not to participate, and she didn't need to prove anything through this, but she still signed up at Earl Orlando's suggestion.

The count's original words were: "You don't need to prove anything, but the fact that you went there is itself a statement."

Lia understood what she meant. She went and stood among the students, wearing the college uniform and the college badge.

That means she still belongs here. She hasn't left the system, nor has she been abandoned by it. In the current situation, such an attitude is itself a stance.

Perhaps it was also out of consideration for Lia's personal feelings, even though Lia now holds a very high status.

But most of those identities and places were brought by Claire, the 'God of Guidance,' and Lia occasionally needs to find her own rhythm.

The assessment was conducted in several classrooms on the second floor of the college's main building, and consisted of two rounds: theory in the morning and practice in the afternoon.

When Liya entered the theory exam room, many students were already seated.

Some people looked up at her and then looked away; others pretended not to notice her, but their movements were not very natural.

She sat down by the window. Prince Alvin didn't come in; he just stood in the corridor outside the door, like a background that wasn't too conspicuous but wouldn't completely disappear either.

When the test papers were handed out, Lia looked down and glanced at the questions.

It was simpler than she had expected; most of the content was things she had already studied, and some were even extensions of what she had seen in banned books. She picked up her pen and began to write, the movements going more smoothly than she had imagined.

When she finished and handed in her paper, she walked down the corridor and saw Prince Alvin still standing in the same spot, neither moving nor talking to anyone.

When Darwin saw Lydia come out, he simply straightened up a little and didn't ask any questions.

The afternoon practical assessment was held in the training ground behind the college. It was a semi-open square stone slab surrounded by a low wall and fence, with fine sand on the ground.

The students taking the exam were required to complete several designated magical operations within a specified time, ranging from basic to advanced. The exam was conducted by an older professor from the academy, with gray hair, a thin build, and wearing a not-so-new gray robe.

Lia stood in the queue, listening to the students in front of her take turns going up to operate the equipment.

Her turn came in the middle to late of the line, neither too early nor too late. When she went on stage, the surrounding gazes were more focused than in the morning.

She ignored those stares, took a few steps forward, and began operating the equipment as instructed.

The process was smoother than she had imagined, except that Lia was not using ordinary magic, but rune inscription magic.

Seeing Leah's magical abilities, the grey-robed professor's gaze lingered on her for a moment before he said, "That's enough."

The tone was neither overtly complimentary nor disparaging.

Even though the Goddess Church is currently arresting heretics, Lia still dares to use magic forbidden by the Goddess Church in front of so many people. This is probably because this young lady is different now.

At that moment, not only the professor, but everyone around him thought the same thing.

What they didn't expect was that Lia hadn't thought that far ahead; she simply knew this one kind of magic.

Just as Lia finished her test and was about to leave, she saw a group of church knights pouring into the Royal Academy.

Chapter 155 Prince Alvin chickened out

After returning to the Royal Academy, I took the test.

Just as Lia was about to leave the training ground, she heard hurried footsteps coming from the direction of the academy gate in the distance.

The footsteps were heavy, and everyone stopped and turned to look. They saw about a dozen church knights dressed in silver armor and wearing the insignia of Bishop Augustine walking through the forecourt and heading straight towards the academy library.

Immediately, hushed whispers arose from the surrounding crowd.

Everyone knew that the Church of the Goddess had been carrying out a major purge recently. But no one expected that these church knights would now actually break into the Royal Academy.

It's important to know that the Royal Academy is a place controlled and managed by the royal family.

Those who can enter this academy are either of noble birth or exceptionally talented commoners.

If you don't have a certain status or position, you wouldn't dare to speak loudly in this academy. No matter how high the status and control the Goddess Church has, it has never done anything outrageous in the Royal Academy before.

The reason is simple: when Bishop Simon was in power, he would have considered maintaining a longer-term relationship with the nobles of the empire.

Even if they were dissatisfied with certain nobles, they would not risk damaging their own image and the reputation of the Church of Goddess by publicly turning against them.

Most of the students at the Royal Academy are children born into nobility; they will all become nobles in the future.

Therefore, it is natural to build good relationships.

During this period, it was essential to prevent them from developing a sense of aversion towards the Church of Goddess. This was Bishop Simon's strategy: to integrate himself into the imperial system and coexist peacefully with the nobles.

But times have changed, and Bishop Simon has lost his chance to be promoted to archbishop.

Now a bishop named Augustine has arrived. It is clear that this bishop came to this empire to adapt to it and to become the archbishop of the imperial diocese.

Even though everyone was aware of the actions of these church knights, who were arresting nobles and church members everywhere, it was still surprising to see them even storming the Royal Academy.

Everyone was still surprised; this was a sign that the Church of Goddess completely disregarded the royal family.

“You cannot enter here! This is the Royal Academy, and the students are undergoing a very serious test!” An elderly academy professor stepped forward to stop them.

It's worth noting that even when Knight Commander Karl came before, he entered alone.

The church knights had never barged in like this before; they always waited at the entrance of the Royal Academy.