They are all characters I control.

They were led to a more orderly room on the east side of the church, which was connected to the interrogation room.

The person in charge of the questioning sat on one side of the long table, on which was a blank sheet of paper and a sharpened pen.

Knight Commander Karl was also in the room. He did not sit down, but stood by the window, his gaze fixed on the wall outside the window that had just been repaired but still bore traces of its original condition.

It's clear that Knight Commander Karl doesn't care too much about Lia.

However, the fact that he appeared here means that he obviously remembered Ronan and Leah's contact in the library before.

Rosemary sat at the other end of the long table, without a pen or paper in her hand, just sitting quietly, like a character who was present but would not directly intervene.

The questioning began calmly.

The other party first confirmed the number and time of Leah's contact with Ronan, then the content of the contact, and whether there were any other people present.

Lia answered without hesitation or elaboration, each answer addressing only the part that was asked.

It's not surprising that Leah, who frequents the library, had contact with Ronan there, and there's no way to explain or cover it up. Therefore, Leah answered the questions as Rosemary had instructed her to do the day before.

When asked, "Do you know who Ronan has been in contact with?", Leah paused and shook her head: "I don't know. He spends most of his time in the library and rarely leaves."

The atmosphere in the room did not change noticeably, but the invisible density seemed to increase slightly at that moment.

Carl turned from the window, his gaze falling on Leah's face, and said, "As far as we know, the last time you saw him was the morning he was taken away."

“Yes,” Lia answered without hesitation, “I was taking an exam at the academy that day, and I saw him being led out of the library when I passed by.”

Karl's gaze lingered on her face for a moment before shifting away.

Rosemary's voice came from the table, not loud, but clear enough: "Sir Karl, is there any other question?"

Carl didn't answer immediately. He paused for two or three seconds before saying, "Not for now."

Although it was suspected before that Lia might have actually come into contact with heretics, it is unlikely that Lia is now involved in the heretics' plan to attack the capital.

Therefore, even Knight Commander Karl could not find any fault with it at this time.

The questioning did not last long.

Afterwards, Rosemary didn't linger. She simply nodded in Leah's direction and then turned and walked to the other end of the corridor.

This investigation is just one part of a larger search for clues.

For Leah, it was just a formality, especially with Rosemary by her side.

Knight Commander Karl heard nothing of interest and left through the side door without lingering any longer.

The knight commander is going to be very busy; he has a lot to do.

Leah and Earl Orlando walked out of the church, through the front courtyard, and had not gone far from the side door when a figure emerged from beside a pillar.

The Marquis of Rost wore a coat that was neater than usual, but there were still some marks on the cuffs that weren't completely clean, making it look like he had just come from somewhere.

He slowed his pace noticeably when he saw Liya, as if he only realized he hadn't figured out how to start the conversation when he got there.

"Lia." His voice was lower than usual, as if he was still searching for a more suitable tone. "I heard you were being questioned inside just now, are you alright?"

After asking that question, he paused for a moment and watched Liya's reaction.

Lia stood a short distance away and said, "I'm fine, you take care of yourself too."

Marquis Rost opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately did not speak.

He stood there, watching Lia's departing figure.

Chapter 164 Ask the Emperor

The news of the attack on the Church of Goddess spread like a stone thrown into water, the ripples spreading faster than anyone expected.

By the morning of the third day, the atmosphere on the streets had completely changed.

The church knights who were originally just standing guard have now put on full armor and formed a neat patrol formation.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the stone pavement was louder than usual, and the sound of sword sheaths striking leg armor was particularly clear in the morning light.

Lia stood by the window, watching the procession of knights passing by outside.

Even she, a young lady who always stayed at home, could feel the tense atmosphere in the air; the Church of the Goddess was now completely serious.

The church knights were in groups of about twelve, spaced about thirty or forty paces apart, their horses' hooves making a rhythmic sound as they trod on the road.

There were significantly fewer pedestrians on both sides of the street than in the previous days. Most of the shop windows were closed, and only a few shops had their doors open, but the shop owners stood inside looking out before quickly retreating back inside.

If the previous purges were only aimed at nobles or arresting corrupt church members...

But now, the Church of the Goddess has been attacked.

That would be a completely different matter; the Great Purge was a purge of those in power.

The current arrest of true heretics is aimed at almost everyone, and it will be an interrogation and a great flood regardless of identity.

The maid Anna came in carrying a cup of tea, and followed her gaze to look out the window.

Looking at the church knights mobilizing outside, she put down her teacup and lowered her voice than usual: "Another team was added this morning. The north gate is already sealed off; everyone entering and leaving is being checked."

This is what the maids are all talking about: the church knights have completely sealed off the entire capital.

Leah didn't turn around. "What about the librarian who was rescued?"

Ronan, the keeper of the books, may seem insignificant, but no one expected that this would lead to an attack on the Church of Goddess.

Of course, even Lia didn't expect this.

“No,” Anna said softly. “Knight Commander Karl’s men have gone out to chase after them, but there has been no progress yet.”

Lia nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

She picked up the cup of tea, but didn't drink it; she just held the cup and felt the warmth of that small piece of it.

A short command came from the far end of the street, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps turning into another street and gradually fading away.

Meanwhile, in the holy city of Spera.

Ophelia's room also welcomed a visitor.

Claire was sitting on the windowsill, looking down at the back of her hand. The dark red gemstone on her necklace shone faintly in the morning light, as if it had just gathered the last trace of warmth from a long dream.

The door was pushed open a crack without him knocking. He didn't turn around, but he could feel the light. Pure holy light, carrying the aura of the acting saintess, poured in through the crack in the door.

Isabelle's voice came through a half-open door: "Something has happened in the Imperial Capital, did you know?"

Claire turned her head toward the door and saw Isabelle standing by the door.

She wasn't wearing the formal robes of a substitute saint today, but the soft halo still draped over her silhouette like an unchanging veil.

Looking at Claire, the prayer agent seemed to be confirming his reaction.

"Really? What happened?" Claire raised an eyebrow and asked.

Although he already knew about what had happened through Lia.

But in front of Isabelle, he still had to pretend that he knew nothing.

Isabelle glanced at Claire's reaction, then turned to the side: "The people captured by the church knights have been rescued, and the church has been bombed."

"Oh? Is that so?"

Claire's undisguised smile calmed Isabelle down.

Before coming, Isabelle was curious about Claire's reaction.

In retrospect, Claire's reaction was quite normal.

Isabelle looked at his expression, as if trying to glean some information she didn't fully grasp. After a moment, she changed her perspective: "So, what do you think the Church will do next?"

Claire jumped down from the windowsill, stood in front of Isabelle, and looked up at her.

"Next? They will first block all exits from the city to prevent people from having already escaped. Then they will expand the previous list and re-examine everyone who has had contact with Ronan. They will set up a special investigation team to screen clues and conduct a horizontal investigation."

Isabelle lowered her gaze slightly, as if processing those words.

Just as she was about to speak, another voice came from the open shadows in the room, not loud but clear: "He's right, and they've already started."

Ophelia was already standing in the room at some point, her long silver hair half-dry, as if she had just come from another room.

She leaned against the edge of a bookshelf, her gaze sweeping over Isabelle before settling on Claire: "Archbishop Grove is already pressuring the Holy Council to expand the investigative powers of the Imperial dioceses. He has added two more reasons to his push for Augustine—'stabilizing the situation' and 'eliminating infidel infiltration'."

Ophelia's voice wasn't loud, but it carried a composure that was difficult for others to imitate. "If things go smoothly, Augustine's position will be secured much faster than we previously anticipated."

Isabelle's brow twitched slightly: "Then it's not just cleaning."

“Yes.” Ophelia’s voice remained steady. “It’s a purge, an opportunity to complete a comprehensive power transition.”

Claire didn't say anything more.

He stood between the windowsill and the bookshelf, as if caught between two voices.

Isabelle's holy light was on his left, and Ophelia's words were on his right. Although they did not come together, they were discussing the same matter, which meant that Claire was currently capable of bringing these two acting saintesses together.

“What are your thoughts?” Isabelle asked.

You must know, the empire belongs to Claire.

Even though Claire is still imprisoned in this holy city, there is no doubt that she is still valued by Claire.

The reason the two acting saintesses discussed this topic with Claire was because the current Bishop Augustine represented the power of the archbishop.

Claire was silent for a moment. “You should start preparing for this. Grove’s actions are just the beginning. If the Imperial diocese’s investigative powers are expanded, then the Holy Council’s checks and balances also need to be prepared in advance. No matter who wants to use this matter to expand their power, it should not be allowed to be completely taken away by one person.”

Ophelia slightly curled the corners of her lips, as if she was not surprised by the answer.

Isabelle did not refute, her gaze fixed on Claire, who remained remarkably calm.

Chapter 165 Precursors to Change

The two acting saintesses disappeared into the corridor outside the door.

They were clearly there to see the male protagonist's attitude; the attack by the empire's heretics had put the entire Goddess Church on high alert.

After all, the peace that had lasted for nearly a century was now broken without any warning.

Even if they initially came only to arrest someone insignificant in the Royal Academy's library.

But no one could have predicted that such a thing would happen.

Although most members of the Church of Goddess were unaware that Claire, the evil god emperor, was still alive, the archbishops and others were well aware of this.

As for the acting saintesses Isabelle and Ophelia, they were even able to meet Claire directly.

Right now, they're naturally wondering if Claire did it.

Claire had always been in the 'Holy City', but Ophelia knew very well that Claire had not always been in the Holy City.

At the very least, Claire clearly has other ways to control the girls who are elsewhere.

Currently, there is Lia, the eldest daughter of a marquis family in the empire, and Eleanor, the vice-captain of the church knights of the northern kingdom, but Ophelia would not suspect Claire without reason.

At least when the Imperial Church was attacked, neither Lia nor Eleanor did anything else, nor did they collude with any suspicious persons.

The two saintesses came to Claire at this time simply to confirm something.

Of course, Claire was well aware of this as well.

Naturally, this satisfied the two acting saintesses, who gave a perfectly reasonable response.

The holy light and shadows faded away, and the room returned to the dim silence of the afternoon.

Claire didn't leave the windowsill immediately; he stood there, watching the door close again.

His thoughts were also very complicated at this moment.

According to what the acting saintesses just said, Grove is putting pressure on the Holy Council, Augustine's position is being consolidated at an accelerated pace, and the investigative authority of the Imperial Diocese may be further expanded.

It was a clear line, but Claire felt that it wasn't the whole story.

In other words, the situation in the Empire is spiraling out of control. It has broken away from Isabelle's original intention to suppress the archbishops through her own power and to curb their unchecked power within the Empire through Lia.

But now, at this time, the attack on the church has occurred at the Church of Goddess after a century.

If someone tries to dissuade her at this point, even if she is acting as the Holy Maiden, she will be in a very bad situation.

The Church of the Goddess is the strongest bulwark against heretics, and its creed prioritizes eliminating all beings hostile to the Church and the Goddess.

Therefore, even when it came to the campaign against the empire, the acting saintesses, though they disagreed, could only watch as the entire Church of the Goddess was drawn into it.