They are all characters I control.

However, given the current situation in the Northern Kingdom and the fact that it is completely controlled by the Nora family and Bishop Augustine, if we don't seize this opportunity, we may never have another chance.

Then the keeper of the book becomes a sacrifice that can be made.

Ronan sat in a chair with his hands chained to the armrests and his feet shackled.

His hair was a little messier than before, with gray strands hanging over his forehead, but it didn't obstruct his vision. This loyal follower of the evil god emperor sat there quietly, neither looking around nor bowing his head to avoid attention.

"Miss Rosemary, please have some tea."

The Marquis Rothschild stood beside Rosemary, attentively pouring her tea.

He hadn't expected that Rosemary would have him serve as a juror instead of Knight Commander Karl.

Even so, the Marquis of Rost agreed without the slightest hesitation. He was dressed more neatly than before, and his posture was much straighter than when he was first released, but he still looked somewhat unnatural standing in the interrogation room.

After all, not long ago, he himself was one of those sitting in the chair being interrogated. Along with his family's house and mansion, all their property was confiscated, and to this day, the Marquis of Rost can only live in this knightly office.

Seeing others being interrogated like this now reminds the Marquis of Rost of his past.

He was only able to see the light of day because of the forgiveness of Bishop Augustine and Rosemary. However, his second daughter, Elena, was imprisoned by this same Miss Rosemary and is still in jail.

Therefore, the Marquis of Rost could only nervously pour tea, playing a dispensable supporting role.

"Do you know Lia von Rost?" Rosemary's voice was not loud, but every word was clear enough to confirm her intention.

Ronan didn't answer immediately, as if he was judging something.

But the Marquis Rothschild, standing to the side, felt his legs tremble. He became tense and couldn't understand Rosemary's thoughts at all.

Even though Leah has left the Rost family, she is still undoubtedly a member of the Rost family at heart. Why would Rosemary ask such a question at this time?

Lord Rost, standing nearby, was trembling with fear. After a moment, Ronan spoke up: "I've seen her a few times. She's read books in the library."

What books have you read?

"Ordinary books".

Rosemary glanced at him, but didn't press the matter. Instead, she changed her gaze and asked, "Who put those books you hid behind the bookshelves on the east side of the library?"

Ronan's gaze lingered on the chains for a moment before shifting away, but he remained silent.

Clearly, this bookkeeper was quite stubborn.

Although he was surprised that Rosemary knew about the forbidden books on the shelf, Ronan, who loathed the new empire and the Church of Goddess, remained composed.

The interrogation room fell silent for a moment. The Marquis of Rost cleared his throat. "It's best to tell the truth, lest—"

"What can't be avoided?" Ronan's voice was calmer than expected.

His gaze swept over the Marquis of Rost indifferently. "What I know, you've already found out. What I don't know, you won't be able to get out of me even if you ask."

This made the Marquis of Rost somewhat embarrassed.

Originally, she wanted to salvage her image a little, and Rost was there.

After all, Rosmarie had just asked Ronan if he knew Lya, which made Marquis Rost eager to prove his innocence, but the scribe's words in front of him silenced him.

"You still don't know what you've done wrong..."

The Marquis of Rost was about to speak again when Rosemary raised her hand to signal him to stop.

She closed the interrogation record, seemingly in no hurry to extract more information from Ronan.

This surprised the Marquis of Rost, but he dared not say anything. Ronan, the keeper of the books, was naturally happy to be left alone, without being tortured or interrogated, so he simply closed his eyes.

At that moment, the interrogation room door was pushed open from the outside, and a knight stepped in sideways, saying in a low voice, "Knight Commander Karl has arrived."

Knight Commander Karl also knew Ronan; he had met Ronan when they were at the Royal Academy.

At the time, it was to investigate Lia's affairs, and it was later confirmed that Lia had learned forbidden magic.

However, when the report was submitted to Bishop Simon, he paid no attention, so Knight Commander Karl had no way to continue investigating where Lydia had learned those forbidden spells.

They had obviously heard about Ronan's arrest, and their purpose in coming here at this time was quite clear.

Rosemary glanced at the church knight and asked, "Is he up there?"

"At the door. They said they wanted to sit in on the conversation."

The church knight responded respectfully.

Rosemary remained silent for a moment, without answering immediately.

She said, "Tell him that no one else needs to listen in today."

After the knight nodded and left, the interrogation room door closed again, restoring the quiet, enclosed atmosphere.

Rosemary looked at Ronan again, about to speak, when the candlelight in the room suddenly flickered and then dimmed for a moment. It didn't feel like the wind, but more like some kind of brief fluctuation of power.

Immediately afterwards, a muffled thud came from the depths of the corridor, like the sound of something heavy falling onto a stone slab.

Rosemary stood up and glanced toward the door.

It sounds like there's definitely some noise outside.

Just as the Marquis of Rost was about to step forward and open the door, Rosemary said to him, "Don't move yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, hurried footsteps came from the end of the corridor.

The interrogation room door was kicked open from the outside, and a knight stumbled in, bloodstains on his shoulder, no obvious tears in his armor, but blood was seeping from the edge of his neck guard.

"Someone has broken in, and they're heading straight in this direction."

Chapter 158 Heretic Female Leader

The silence of the church's basement corridor was abruptly broken by shouts and footsteps.

The interrogation room door was flung open from the outside, and a knight staggered in, a tear in his shoulder armor, blood trickling down the edge of his neck guard.

Upon hearing someone break in, Rosemary and the Marquis of Rost immediately realized that someone was attempting a prison break.

While it's quite unbelievable, it's not impossible.

It's important to understand that the Church of the Goddess has already arrested a considerable number of nobles and church members, so it would be unrealistic to say that no one wanted to resist.

Naturally, some people will resist, even though this empire has been peaceful for over a hundred years.

Rosemary stood up, her gaze sweeping over the gash on the knight's shoulder: "What are the characteristics of the other party?"

“Wearing dark cloaks, their actions are unlike those of ordinary believers. There are a few… whose movements are not quite normal.” The church knight slumped to the ground, using holy magic to heal himself.

The Marquis of Rost stood at the inside of the interrogation room. When he heard the words "not quite right," his expression changed slightly. He glanced subconsciously at the interrogation records that were still on the table, but did not reach out to touch them.

Given the current situation, it's unclear whether the other party is here to kidnap Ronan, the Keeper of the Books, or one of those people arrested by the Church of the Goddess before.

But now, the Marquis of Rost feels the less he knows, the better.

Then a muffled thud came from the depths of the corridor, like something heavy falling onto a stone slab. Immediately following was a burst of hurried footsteps, more chaotic than before, as if someone was rapidly approaching.

Rosemary turned to the side and stood inside the door frame, not to hide, but to find a different angle from which she could see both sides of the corridor.

Although she was a young girl, Rosemary was definitely not the kind of person who would let others protect her.

As Bishop Augustine's representative, Rosemary's success is not solely due to the support of the Nora family. Her ability to become the representative of the Nora family and Bishop Augustine's representative demonstrates her exceptional intelligence and competence.

Although the church knights had just said that Sir Karl had arrived and wanted to listen in on the trial of the scribe Ronan at the door, Sir Karl is not here now.

The sounds of battle were already rising from the other end of the corridor: the clanging of metal, low groans, and a dull thud like bones breaking.

Without a doubt, Knight Commander Karl must have heard the commotion outside and gone out to fight.

At this point, if the intruders' target is this place, then perhaps some magic will be needed.

Marquis Rost hesitated for a moment, then took two steps forward and stood outside the door.

At this juncture, as a nobleman and a pardoned man by Bishop Augustine, the Marquis of Rost still had to step forward. He drew his short sword from his waist; the blade was not long, but he held it firmly.

Soon, several figures dressed in dark cloaks rushed out from the corner of the corridor. Their movements were faster than ordinary people, their steps were irregular, and they had an unnatural rhythm driven by some force.

The one at the front charged straight toward the interrogation room without slowing down or dodging.

"Damn it," the Marquis of Rost cursed under his breath.

It seems the other side really is targeting us, but we don't know if it's Ronan the Bookkeeper or Rosemary.

Regardless, the Marquis of Rost had to take action at this point.

Marquis Rost raised his sword to parry, blocking the opponent's swinging arm with his first strike. However, the man's strength far exceeded his expectations, and the short sword was knocked out of his hand, instantly splitting open a bloody gash in his hand.

He staggered backward, his back hitting the door frame. Before he could regain his footing, a second person was already in front of him.

Rosemary raised her hand, and a pale golden holy light shot from her palm, forming a thin yet sturdy barrier in front of the door frame.

The barrier blocked the second person's impact, bouncing him back against the corridor wall.

The man's cloak slipped down to reveal dark red lines on his skin. Then, a third person collapsed at the corner of the corridor, caught from the side.

Knight Commander Karl walked through the disrupted shadows, his longsword still stained with damp, dark blood.

"All done." Carl's voice was low as he stepped over the fallen figure and walked towards the interrogation room door. "How many are left?"

Rosemary lowered her hand, and the golden barrier vanished into thin air. "It's gone here, but there's more ahead."

Karl's gaze swept across the corridor ahead. "You stay here."

Without saying anything more or waiting for Rosemary's response, he gripped his longsword and walked towards the other end of the corridor.

The sounds of battle in the corridor gradually subsided. When Karl stepped over the last dark-cloaked figure lying on the ground, the blood on his blade was not yet completely dry.

He didn't stop, and quickly chased after them up the stairs.

Several broken weapon fragments and overturned candlesticks were scattered on the steps, and there were dents on the walls from blunt force trauma, with fresh marks extending all the way to the exit leading to the ground.

As Carl pushed open the iron gate leading to the side courtyard of the church, the night wind rushed in.

But the wind carried an unusual smell: burnt wood, burning cloth, and a pungent odor that only comes from firelight.

He looked up and saw not just the church courtyard, but a sky ablaze.

The capital city was now like hell.

Flames were rising simultaneously from multiple directions on distant streets, squares, and the rooftops of noble mansions. Thick smoke billowed in the night sky, and the firelight dyed the clouds a dark red.

The streets were filled with people; some were running, some were calling for help, and others were engaged in short, quick battles with no unnecessary movements.

Carl's eyes swept quickly across the area; he knew he had to catch the culprits behind this chaos as soon as possible.

The dark red trace of magic did not disappear.

However, Knight Commander Karl knew no holy magic, so he could only wander around searching with his own eyes. After passing through several narrow alleys illuminated by firelight, he came to a street corner on slightly higher ground.

Flames burned all around, and he could clearly see the figures of the man in black robes and a woman not far away.

The woman wore a dark robe with a dark gray cloak over it. She wore a mask that covered the upper half of her face, revealing only her jawline and lips.

Karl took a step forward, then drew his sword. The blade reflected a brief flash of light in the firelight.

The woman standing on the low wall turned to the side, revealing a clearly defined jawline beneath her mask. The curve of her lips remained unchanged, as if she wasn't surprised that he had followed her here.

She raised her hand, her movements slow, her fingertips tracing an arc in the air.

A dark red light shot out from her fingertip and quickly extended along the ground like a slender, silent snake.

Karl took a step back and raised his sword to block, but the light did not strike the blade. Instead, it exploded half a foot in front of his feet, turning into a fine force field that pushed him outward.

His boots slid a few steps on the cobblestones before he regained his balance.

There was no obvious damage on the blade, but the tingling and numbness in his wrist clearly reminded him that the force of Knight Commander Karl's attack was a suppression that used almost no extra power.

Chapter 159 The Rescued Prisoner

Chasing after the fleeing man in black robes, Knight Commander Karl finally found the leader of the attack on the imperial capital.

However, it was unclear what kind of magic the other party was using.

With just one strike, Knight Commander Karl was forced back, and the force was immense.

Karl regained his balance at the street corner, his grip on his sword tightening slightly. Realizing his opponent was strong, he didn't immediately advance again, but instead watched the woman on the low wall from a distance.

The magic just now didn't produce any magic circles or anything like that; the firelight flickered in the night wind, casting a long, thin shadow of the other person.

Even though they had just exchanged blows, the female leader remained standing in the same spot, not as if she was deliberately trying to stay calm, but rather as if she didn't consider the outcome of the previous exchange as a reason to adjust her calm attitude.

It was as if the person watching her at that moment was not a knight commander from the Church of the Goddess, but an ordinary passerby.