They are all characters I control.

Claire: What is it now?

[Lia: Acting Saintess Isabelle is contacting me! Should I answer now? Last time, Lady Isabelle said I could speak with her alone, but... but I'm scared!]

Claire raised an eyebrow.

It's finally here; it was only a matter of time before Isabelle contacted Leah.

This contact should have happened sooner and faster, but Isabelle delayed it until now, probably because she was also investigating Leah behind the scenes.

After figuring out Lia's situation, communicate with her privately.

Claire: I understand. You can answer it. I'll stay here and watch.

This was the chance Claire had been waiting for to escape.

He borrowed the new tax system proposed by Lia, as well as the new regulations for the 'Holy City' that guided Isabelle to promulgate.

Now that they've clashed, Claire doesn't expect Leah to achieve great success, but she can still do a lot.

[Lia: Okay! Okay!]

Through the screen, Claire could clearly see Leah's tense, deep breathing.

She was currently in Earl Orlando's mansion, and the room she was in was clearly specially prepared for her by Earl Orlando.

Count Orlando and his maid Anna had already left the room, leaving Leah alone as Isabelle had requested.

Meanwhile, the Philosopher's Stone that Isabelle had contacted was shining brightly.

[Lia: Um! Guiding God, what should I say to Lady Isabelle when we connect later?!]

After taking a while to catch her breath, Lia suddenly asked this question again.

This made Claire roll her eyes in exasperation.

This guy is as slow and inefficient as ever.

[Claire: Just greet her directly. Hurry up and answer the call. If you don't answer the magical communication, Isabelle might think you're playing her, deliberately ignoring the call and making the acting saintess of the Goddess Church wait. Lia's got guts.]

[Lia: Oh no! I forgot!]

Claire: ...

Claire sighed helplessly, looking at the screen of the system function [Mental Bonds]. She saw that Lia had finally channeled her magic power into the magic stone in front of her.

The light screen then unfolded in front of Lia, and Isabelle's figure appeared in the study in front of Lia.

As always, in Lia's eyes, Isabelle was a holy figure radiating holy light, while in Claire's eyes, she was like a seductive and sexy succubus, a daringly dressed saint.

Isabelle, in the light screen, smiled and looked down at Lia in front of her, her pink lips slightly parted as she uttered a gentle voice.

"It's a pleasure to see you, Miss Leah..."

Chapter 6 Is this the duty of the acting saintess?

“It’s a pleasure to see you, Miss Lia.”

Isabelle's voice came through the light screen, gentle yet firm, with an approachable quality that made people unconsciously want to lower their guard.

Lia nervously gripped the hem of her skirt, trying to keep her voice from trembling.

"I...I am also very happy to meet you, Lady Isabelle."

"Just call me Isabelle." The acting saintess in the light screen smiled slightly: "At the banquet last time, there were too many people around, so it was inconvenient to say some things. Today, it's just the two of us, so we can have a good chat."

Lia nodded vigorously, her palms sweating profusely.

[Lia: Guiding Goddess! She's started! How should I respond?]

Claire: Don't panic. Just listen to what she says. If you don't know how to answer, ask me.

[Lia: Okay, okay!]

Isabelle also tried to ease the tension by picking up the teacup on the table.

Although the divine magic within her was so powerful that she didn't need to drink water, she still took a small sip, her gaze never leaving Lia.

“Miss Lia, to be honest, I’m quite interested in those new taxes you proposed last time: healing magic insurance, burial tax, and indulgences.”

She put down her teacup, clasped her hands together and placed them on her chest, trying not to appear aggressive.

"I'd like to know, where did you get the inspiration for these ideas?"

Lia's breath hitched.

coming.

How would she know about any new tax? It was all come up with by her own 'Guiding God', so naturally, Lia asked that 'Guiding God' at this time.

[Lia: My Goddess of Guidance! She asked me how I came up with the new tax! What should I say?]

Claire: I told you I saw it in an old notebook at home.

Lia took a deep breath and tried to make her voice sound steady.

"Yes, I saw it in an old notebook at home..."

“Old notes?” Isabelle raised an eyebrow slightly. “What kind of notes?”

“It’s…it’s a very old notebook that’s kept in the corner of the study,” Leah stammered. “It has some…some thoughts on taxes and relief written in it…”

"Oh?" Isabelle leaned forward slightly. "What's written in that notebook?"

Lia's mind went blank.

[Lia: Guiding God! She even asked me! What did I say?]

Claire: Tell her that there are also some things recorded about the evil god emperor Claire.

Lia was stunned.

Evil God Emperor?

She didn't understand why the guiding god would ask her to say this, but she did as he said.

"It also... it recorded some things about the evil god emperor Claire..."

Isabelle's eyes lit up noticeably, clearly having heard what she most wanted to know.

Before that, she spent some time learning about the Rost family, to which Leah belonged.

Logically speaking, the Rost family were the heroes who helped the church defeat Claire, but after the establishment of the new empire, the Rost family was sidelined by the power of the archbishops.

The reason is simply that the Rost family itself has no practical value; they were promoted from the lower nobility during Claire's time, and what they valued was their ability.

In Claire's case, having Claire's appreciation naturally leads to a high position.

But in a new empire, minor nobles like the Rost family have little value, no foundation or network of connections, and are naturally inferior to older nobles with a longer history.

Of course, it's also partly because the Rost family themselves were traitors.

No matter what kind of traitor one is, they will not be welcomed anywhere; no traitor is ever welcome.

However, all of this happened three generations ago. Isabelle doesn't look down on or despise the Rost family, nor does she admire them.

However, Leah, who knew some things about Claire, was very interested in the Leah in front of her.

Although Claire's affairs were also stored in the tower of the Church of Goddess, Ophelia's appearance and words last time made Isabelle very clear that her every move in the Church of Goddess was being watched by the Sisters of the Inquisition.

Therefore, Lia, who knows more about Claire, is a godsend for Isabelle.

"The Evil God Emperor?" Isabelle lowered her voice involuntarily so that Leah wouldn't notice her agitation.

"What was recorded about him in that notebook? Oh, it was about the evil god emperor Claire."

Isabelle almost gave herself away, so she unconsciously addressed Claire in a tone that sounded like a familiar old friend, and quickly tried to cover it up if Leah found out.

However, Isabelle was clearly overthinking things; Leah was currently agonizing over the question she had raised.

[Lia: Guiding God! She asked again! What about the Evil God Emperor? I...I don't know!]

[Claire: Tell her that the Evil Emperor likes all kinds of women, as long as they're pretty, whether they're married women or little girls, and he often throws parties at the Royal Academy.]

Lia's face flushed red instantly.

[Lia: Th-this...how could I say such a thing...]

As a lady, she would be too embarrassed to say such a thing.

Seriously, isn't this evil god emperor way too lecherous?!

Anything is acceptable? As long as it's pretty.

"Miss Lia?" Isabelle noticed the change in Lia's expression and a hint of confusion flashed in her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Lia quickly waved her hand, her blush deepening.

She gritted her teeth and said in a voice barely above a whisper, "That...that says...the Evil God Emperor...he..."

"What's up with him?"

“He’s a lecher…” Leah almost whispered, “He likes all kinds of women… as long as they’re pretty… whether they’re married women or… and he even throws parties at the Royal Academy…”

She couldn't continue.

But Isabelle understood.

The acting saintess's expression remained unchanged, but Claire could see through the screen that the tips of her ears were slightly red.

Claire: Well done. She believed me.

[Lia: Waaah... How embarrassing...]

Isabelle nodded, seemingly unsurprised by the answer.

Even when that guy was in the dungeon with me, he would occasionally say things like he wanted to drink milk.

Others might speculate that Claire was a womanizer because of his title "Emperor of Evil Gods," but no one knew that he frequently threw parties at the Royal Academy.

Isabelle believed Lia's words, and this matter was confirmed in the records kept by the church.

“Miss Lia, I have a favor to ask. Could you lend me the notebook you saw? I’m willing to give anything in exchange.”

This holy woman in the big cart, is she so eager to find out about me?

Claire was somewhat surprised to see Isabelle asking Leah for the notes.

Clearly, this should not fall under the duties of the acting saintess.

Chapter 7 Finally, we're going out!

During a conversation with the acting saintess Isabelle about how she learned about the 'new tax,' Isabelle expressed great interest in Lia's 'notebook.'

At this point, he even asked to borrow the notebook.

This put Leah in a difficult position, as she knew she didn't have any notes at all.

“Pen, notebook? This…” Lia looked at Isabelle in front of her in a panic.

The acting saintess's expression remained gentle, but deep within her azure eyes lay a seriousness she had never seen before.

It's clear the other party is serious. Regardless of whether she will return it to me, the problem is that I can't afford it.

However, since the 'God of Guidance' instructed him to do this, the 'God of Guidance' probably knows a lot about the Evil God Emperor, right?

“If possible, I would like to borrow it for a while. Of course, it won’t be for nothing.” Seeing Leah’s flustered state, Isabelle thought she was hesitating and quickly added, “Anything within my means is fine. I know that notebook must be something important to the Rost family, right?”

Outside, everything about the 'Evil God Emperor' has been edited or censored.

This was all done intentionally by the archbishops; they absolutely did not want others to know the true 'Evil God Emperor,' otherwise the Church's legitimacy would be questioned.

After all, if the church were to overthrow an emperor who wasn't so evil, then the church would be evil.

Moreover, the archbishops wanted to cover up what they had done and the secret of Claire gaining immortality after killing the archbishop.

Very little information about Claire circulates outside, and at least in Isabelle's view, the 'notebook' in Leah's possession is extremely valuable.

What one person considers insignificant may be a treasure to another.

Lia opened her mouth, more surprised than by the notes themselves that Isabelle was so eager to record the things of the Evil God Emperor.

Is it because she is a prayer agent saint of the Goddess Church?

“I…I don’t really have any requests, I…” Lia delayed while asking her 'Guiding God'.