They are all characters I control.

This heretic is from the neighboring northern kingdom, and has never been from the empire.

The Church of the Goddess in the Northern Kingdom also wielded immense power, and thus consistently suppressed heretics.

The cult of life has always operated only in its stronghold in the northern kingdoms. When did it come to the empire? His Majesty Darion's suspicions at this moment are not without merit.

“This is also something I need to confirm.” Bishop Augustine did not avoid His Majesty Darian’s gaze. “Before last night, I also thought that the Church of Life’s activities were mainly concentrated in the north. Now it seems that their reach extends further than we anticipated.”

His Majesty Daryan did not respond. He picked up the teacup in front of him, then put it down again, as if the tea was no longer at a suitable temperature to drink.

He turned his head and focused his gaze on Bishop Simon on the other side, his meaning clear.

How did you, the people who have been handling church affairs, manage to overlook these situations?

Bishop Simon felt the weight of that gaze, but he did not respond immediately. After all, as someone who had previously controlled the Empire and presided over the Church of the Goddess, he had indeed not found any trace of the 'Church of Life'.

This attack was clearly not something that was arranged after Bishop Augustine arrived in the Empire.

Ronan, who was rescued from prison, didn't arrive in the empire during Bishop Augustine's time. If anything, Bishop Simon does bear some responsibility.

But bringing up this issue now is undoubtedly His Majesty Daryan shirking responsibility.

After a while, Bishop Simon spoke: "Ronan, the Keeper of the Books, was previously managed by the Royal Academy. His file is not in the Church's internal system; we only know that he exists, but we have not had any direct contact with his specific affairs."

His Majesty Darian tapped the table lightly: "He was taken from the Royal Academy. The affairs of the Academy have always been jointly managed by the Church and the school. Now that he's gone, leaving behind a hole in the wall that was blown up, someone has to answer how he was infiltrated."

“Your Majesty, you are right, someone does indeed need to take responsibility for this,” Bishop Augustine calmly continued. “But I would like to confirm one thing first: before Ronan was taken away, did he have any direct contact with anyone?”

Bishop Simon shrugged; he was now in a sinecure. Even his trusted subordinates and relatives had been arrested as targets of investigation for heresy, so he naturally had no idea who Ronan had been in contact with before his arrest.

His Majesty Darian did not dwell on the topic, but his gaze lingered on Bishop Simon's face for a moment longer. "A mere bookkeeper can cause an explosion. What is it about him that we don't know?"

Bishop Augustine's fingers paused lightly on the table: "This is exactly what we need to confirm now. I have already sent people to review Ronan's file again."

"Based on the clues we have obtained so far, he has been in possession of some banned books for a long time and has indirect connections with the North."

"His identity is not just that of a bookkeeper; he may also be a liaison point for the Church of Life in the central part of the continent."

"This also shows that the infidels have infiltrated the empire more deeply than we thought."

His Majesty Daryan was silent for a moment. He picked up the cup of tea, which was no longer steaming, but did not drink it. "So what do you plan to do next?"

"I will intensify the search of the area surrounding the church, and at the same time send people to the north to find out what is going on there," said Bishop Augustine.

"The archives and records currently kept in the diocese under Bishop Simon's jurisdiction may also need to be re-examined. Not necessarily for the purpose of assigning blame, but simply to confirm whether there are any other cases like Ronan's that have been overlooked."

Bishop Simon's hand paused on the edge of the table for a moment, then slowly withdrew. "I can cooperate with the verification on my end, but don't look at things that shouldn't be looked at. Right now, the most important thing is the heretics, isn't it?"

His voice wasn't loud, but the composure after the pause clearly outlined Bishop Simon's bottom line, more so than any rebuttal.

He certainly didn't want this investigation to bring up his past.

At that time, all the things that are dug up will become charges against him.

His Majesty Darian stood up and straightened his collar: "This attack is no small matter. I will not interfere in your church's internal affairs for the time being, but if there is another explosion like last night, I will not sit here waiting for explanations."

He paused at the door without turning back, saying, "If the church can't find out for itself, the royal family will find out in its own way."

Then Darian pushed open the door and went out.

The meeting hall was quiet for a moment. Bishop Augustine did not get up immediately; he remained seated, as if he was also processing the words left by His Majesty Daryan.

There is no doubt that the current Church of Goddess has been diminished in status because of this attack by heretics.

If a group of heretics can inflict such a heavy blow on the Church, then wouldn't the royal family be able to do the same so easily? This is the reason why His Majesty Daryan is being so assertive at this moment.

Then, Bishop Augustine realized that the Church of Goddess had to get serious.

Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to maintain his current position in the empire as a bishop.

Chapter 162 Imperial Winds

News of the attack on the Church of Goddess spread faster than expected.

Lia was sitting in the living room of the Earl's mansion in Orlando, holding a cup of tea that had stopped steaming.

When the maid Anna pushed open the door, she wasn't carrying a tray, and her expression was more reserved than usual.

"Miss, something's happened at the church."

Lia put down her teacup. "What is it?"

“Last night, someone broke into the church’s interrogation room and took away the librarian. They also blew up the east wall of the church. Knight Commander Karl chased after them and fought with their men, but couldn’t stop them.”

Leah's finger paused on the rim of the glass. "Ronan was taken away?"

She witnessed Ronan being captured at the Royal Academy yesterday, and was indeed surprised to hear that Ronan had been rescued.

However, he then became worried, since Ronan had been in contact with him before.

“Yes.” Anna’s voice was not loud, but every word was clear. “I heard that those people are not ordinary heretics; they came specifically from the north.”

The North? That's completely outside of Lia's field of vision.

Lia didn't ask any further questions, but just looked down at the water in the teacup that had stopped steaming.

After a while, she stood up and went straight to Earl Orlando's study. The door wasn't closed properly, and when she pushed it open, Earl Orlando was sitting behind his desk, holding a letter that he hadn't opened yet.

"You've heard?"

Seeing Liya enter with a tense expression, it was obvious why she had come.

“I heard.” Leah sat down across from the desk. “Ronan was taken away; those people came from the north.”

Earl Orlando set the letter aside and looked at her: "Are you worried he might say something about you?"

Lia was silent for a moment. "Well, while I don't think he'd likely tell the Church of the Goddess about the 'Guiding God,' I'm not sure if he'd tell those heretics?"

Earl Orlando leaned back in his chair, as if pondering the question for a moment, before saying, "Do you think he'll speak?"

“I don’t know,” Leah said softly, “but I’ve always felt that the books he’s guarding aren’t just books. He probably knows more than he says.”

She felt a familiar fluctuation of consciousness, and then the voice echoed in Lia's mind, carrying a hint of mockery that was not completely concealed.

Claire: You're finally starting to have doubts. You were half right about Ronan.

Leah's body tensed slightly. She didn't lower her head or look away, but silently asked herself, "What is the other half?"

[Claire: Those people were from the Church of Life. But the one who actually ordered them to come and fetch him wasn't from the northern branch, but from their Pope.]

Lia's brow twitched slightly: "The Pope?"

[Claire: That's right. Since she can fight Karl, who is at the level of a Knight Commander, to a standstill without being at a disadvantage, it can only be the Pope of the Church of Life, and the strongest one.]

[Claire: The other members of the Church of Life up north don't have that kind of power.]

[Claire: The so-called three high priests are all targeting the Northern Kingdom's own 'Holy Lance Knights,' and their abilities are not at the level of Knight Commander Karl, who can fight head-on.]

This was something Claire could be absolutely certain of, as she controlled Eleanor's body to play the role of a church knight in the Northern Kingdom.

After all, he was teammates with both Mel and Dorothy, while Eleanor was raised by Sister Martha.

These three are the three 'priests' of the Church of Life.

Their abilities mostly involve research, the use of the Philosopher's Stone, or poison. These guys could actually stand against the Knight Commander of the Church of the Goddess? That's absolutely unimaginable.

[Lia: I see. Well, if it's a heretical female pope, that's certainly possible. A female pope sounds very powerful.]

Count Orlando noticed the change in Lia's expression and changed her form of address: "Your 'God of Guidance' is watching too?"

Lia nodded. "He said the person who took Ronan away was the Pope of the Church of Life."

Earl Orlando's fingers paused on the table, as if briefly reassessing the weight of the case. "Then her coming to the Empire in person means that Ronan is more than just an ordinary contact to her."

Claire: The forbidden books Ronan guarded weren't just his personal collection. They constituted a complete, deliberately fragmented record. He was waiting for someone to piece together that record.

Lia was silent for a moment, then repeated these words to Earl Orlando.

The study was quiet for a while, and Earl Orlando did not rush to comment on the information.

She is the person who has had the most contact with Ronan and knows the most about his actions so far. If Ronan is waiting for some piece of the puzzle, that is, the greater legacy of the God Emperor, it is indeed possible.

With the forbidden book in his possession, Ronan did indeed have the opportunity and the right to have a relationship with the heretical female pope of the Church of Life.

However, when it comes to the legacy of the Evil God Emperor, the Evil God Emperor Claire is right before our eyes at this very moment.

Just as Earl Orlando was about to say something, a knock came from the direction of the living room: "Miss Rosemary has arrived."

Lia and Earl Orlando both looked toward the doorway.

Before they could agree or be allowed to enter, Rosemary pushed the door open and came in, her coat still carrying the scent she had brought from outside.

She didn't sit down, but stood directly in front of the desk, glanced at Lia, and then turned to Earl Orlando.

“The Church has decided to expand its investigation to the north.” Her voice wasn’t loud, but her tone was clear. “It’s not just about tracking Ronan’s whereabouts, but also about tracing the entry routes, supply lines, and communication points of that group. The Augustinian Bishops’ Council will launch a new list within three days, with a broader scope than before.”

Earl Orlando looked at her: "What do you want us to do?"

“You don’t need to do anything.” Rosemary’s gaze lingered on the edge of the desk for a moment. “But you’d better keep an eye on the people around you during this time. The fact that those people were able to plan such a large operation means they’ve already laid out a very large net throughout the Empire.”

After she finished speaking, she didn't linger and turned to walk towards the door. She paused at the door, but didn't turn back: "There's one more thing—Lia, if you know anything about Ronan, you'd better think carefully now about what you can and cannot say. Someone will verify everything."

Then she pushed open the door and went out.

The study returned to silence.

Leah remained seated, exchanging a glance with Earl Orlando. They both understood that an even greater storm was brewing.

Chapter 163 The Real Great Purge

The sun came out earlier than expected on the second day.

The news of Rosemary's departure acted like a taut thread, pulling people who were scattered in different places back in the same direction.

The entire empire is now in an uproar over the attack on the Church of the Goddess and the abduction of captured heretics.

The previous mass arrests of nobles, church members, and commoners by the Church of Goddess had already caused a great uproar in the empire.

Now we hear that heretics have broken into the Goddess's Church and even damaged the church.

Such an event naturally made the outside world, which was full of complaints, very gloat.

Although they were not heretics, they had always been treated as so. Now that real heretics had arrived, the Church of the Goddess was unable to withstand them.

This situation caused outside voices to spread rapidly, with many people mocking the Church of the Goddess.

But no one could have predicted what would happen in this empire in the future.

Because of this, Liya barely slept, and heard noises downstairs before dawn.

When she changed her clothes and came downstairs, Anna was already waiting at the bottom of the stairs. "Miss, someone from the church has come. They say they hope you and the Earl will go there today to help verify some information."

Lia glanced out the window and saw that there were already more people wearing church uniforms on the street.

The church members did not gather together, nor did they leave; they simply stood scattered, like some kind of inconspicuous but not overlooked marker.

This was probably an instruction from Rosemary; she must have given prior notice.

Instead of church knights arresting heretics, other church members arrived, which reassured Lia.

"Where is Earl Orlando?" Lia breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"They're already waiting in the lobby."

The maid Anna responded.

With Count Orlando present and the 'Guiding God' watching over them, Leah wasn't too nervous.

By the time Leah and Earl Orlando arrived at the church, it was just getting light.

"Don't be too nervous. Those guys won't dare to do anything to us. They might ask some tricky questions, but that's okay." Earl Orlando walked beside Leah, comforting her with unhurried steps.

She had long anticipated this day, but it came a little earlier than expected.

After all, the Earl of Orlando and the Nolan family really did have connections with the heretic Ronan, so it's not surprising that they were arrested.

As long as the Nolan family is involved, all the interrogations by the Church of Goddess are merely a formality.

“I understand, Your Excellency,” Lia replied with a smile.

Actually, Lia was more worried about her 'Guiding God' than herself.

After all, the 'God of Guidance' is the real evil god emperor Claire, and Lia doesn't want to accidentally expose Claire's existence.

But what was bound to happen, happened anyway.