They are all characters I control.

[Lia: Guiding God! She wants to borrow my notebook! What should I do? Should I grant her request?]

Claire: Yeah, promise her you'll need time because the content is fragmented, and you'll have to organize it into a book yourself.

[Lia: The God of Guidance could write a notebook like that? You know so much about the Evil God Emperor! Even the Acting Saintess didn't question you! What is your relationship with the Evil God Emperor?]

Claire: Don't ask questions you shouldn't. Why are you so curious? I'll just tell you about the Evil Emperor.

[Lia: Oh~]

Lia had always been very curious about this 'God of Guidance'.

The more you get to know the 'Guiding God,' the more mysterious he seems to become, and the more he appears to know.

However, since the 'God of Guidance' had said so, Lia responded to Isabes in accordance with the teachings.

"I need some time to organize that notebook."

This was undoubtedly the best answer, and Isabelle's eyes lit up, but she quickly regained her composure.

"Uh, I'm not in a hurry." Her voice remained steady, but her pace was noticeably faster. "I'm already very grateful that Miss Lia is willing to help."

She paused, then added, "We can keep in touch more often in the future."

"Yes, it's my honor!" Lia nodded quickly, secretly relieved.

[Lia: Guiding God! She agreed! And said she'd keep in touch!]

Claire: Hmm, very good.

[Lia: But... I don't have any notes at all... What if she asks about it later?]

[Claire: If asked, just say it's still being organized. Drag it out, wait until the time is right.]

[Lia: When?]

Claire did not answer.

He looked through the screen at Isabelle's dignified and holy face reflected in the light.

The more someone wants something, the less you should give it to them. It's best to keep them wanting it and occasionally give them a little treat.

"By the way, Miss Lia."

Isabelle's voice interrupted Claire's thoughts.

Her tone seemed casual, but Claire noticed that her fingers tapped lightly on the table—a sign of nervousness.

"Does your notebook at home... contain any record of... what kind of wine the Evil God Emperor likes to drink?"

Lia was taken aback.

[Lia: My guiding god! She asked the evil god emperor what kind of wine he likes to drink?]

This Great Mother of the Cart, as always, has an excellent memory.

She will keep what she says in her heart and will not forget it.

Claire's smile deepened as she looked at the comment.

Claire: Tell her that the Evil Emperor likes the Empire's beer. The kind brewed with malt, honey, and hops, and it must be brewed with water from the capital. Water from the Holy City won't do; it won't taste right. This place has the right kind.

Lia was completely confused, but she still did as she was told.

"That...that says...the Evil God Emperor likes the Empire's beer...brewed with malt, honey, and hops...and it has to be made with water from the capital...the Holy City's water won't do..."

Isabelle nodded seriously; it was the same as she knew.

While this wasn't exactly a test to see if Miss Leah really knew about Claire, it made her even more convinced that Leah possessed a notebook about Claire that even the church didn't know about.

"I see."

After a slight hesitation, Isabelle made a request: "Miss Nalia, could you please help me prepare that kind of wine?"

Lia was stunned again. Would the church's acting saint drink alcohol?

She had heard that the 'Saintess' of the Goddess Church did not need to eat or drink. Although Lady Isabelle, who was acting as the 'Saintess', would not go without food or drink, she probably wouldn't drink either.

“I prepared these for my attendants, but of course, part of it is because I want to do research,” Isabelle added, noticing Lia’s curiosity.

"Yes, I see." Lia nodded in agreement.

Although she still felt a little strange, even she knew she shouldn't question anything in front of Isabelle.

Of course, there's no need to specifically ask the 'God of Guidance' about this.

"I understand, I'll prepare it right away, but how should I give it to you?"

“Oh, that’s alright, I’ll have my servants fetch it.” Isabelle looked at Leah and gave her a special instruction. “I hope our conversation won’t be known by anyone else, including the purpose of the wine, is that alright, Miss Leah?”

"Yes! I understand, Lady Isabelle!"

Lia clenched her fist and nodded vigorously.

Isabelle has done everything she wanted to do and asked all the questions she wanted to ask.

Looking at Lia before her, she maintained the demeanor of a substitute saintess as she bid her final farewell.

"I apologize for disturbing you today, Miss Lia. I look forward to our next contact."

"Me too! Lady Isabelle!"

The light curtain dissipated.

Isabelle disappeared from sight, and Lia slumped into her chair and let out a long sigh.

Claire was overjoyed, as she was finally able to leave the dungeon.

Chapter 8 No need to pretend anymore

For Lia, a tense situation was finally over.

The conversation with the acting saintess Isabelle made Lia very nervous, as it was the first time she had spoken with such a high-ranking person.

Moreover, the Acting Saintess Isabelle exuded such a commanding presence when facing others, such as His Majesty Darian and Bishop Simon, who were at the pinnacle of power in the new empire.

She was just an insignificant figure in front of His Majesty Darian and Bishop Simon, so how could she not be nervous when facing the two acting saintesses who were of even higher status?

Fortunately, the acting saintess Isabelle did not press her for anything else, only asking about the evil god emperor.

"Guiding God, why do you know so much about the Evil God Emperor?" Lia asked curiously, voicing a question that had been puzzling her for a long time.

Although the acting saintess Isabelle was very kind to her, several sudden inquiries about the evil god emperor startled Lia.

Fortunately, the 'God of Guidance' always manages to give Isabelle a satisfactory answer.

This also intrigued Lia, who didn't even know the name of the 'Guiding God' until now.

Claire: Don't ask questions you shouldn't. When you're preparing the wine for Isabelle, add something to it.

Lia pouted, the 'God of Guidance' remaining tight-lipped as always.

She paused for a moment when she heard that something needed to be added.

"Add what? Isn't that meant for the Acting Saintess? Add poison!? 'Guiding God,' you wouldn't be planning to assassinate Lady Isabelle, would you?"

Claire was impressed; sometimes she admired Leah's incredible imagination.

[Claire: Fool, it's that potion Count Orlando gave you, the Shapeshifting Potion.]

Lia's eyes widened in surprise.

A magic potion? While it's not exactly poison, it can still change a person's appearance.

That kind of potion added to the wine? Is it to change the appearance of Lady Isabelle or her attendants?

"Why? Those potions that change appearance require the person drinking them to decide what they want to become. If they don't want to, then it's okay to drink the potion, right?"

That makes sense, but Claire certainly wasn't planning to give it to Isabelle or her entourage.

Claire: Never mind that. Just figure out a way to get in there.

The mysterious 'God of Guidance' was always unwilling to tell her more, and Lia wrinkled her little nose.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

“Miss Lia, may we come in?” Count Orlando’s voice came from outside the door.

It was Earl Orlando. Lia quickly sat up straight and opened the door for the person outside.

As soon as the door opened, Count Orlando and his maid Anna were standing in the doorway.

They were clearly very interested in Lia and Isabelle's conversation and didn't go far outside the door.

"So, what did the Acting Saintess say?"

“She…she asked a lot of questions about the new tax,” Lia answered truthfully. “She even asked me where I learned about it, and I said it was from the notebook that recorded the evil god emperor.”

"Oh?" Earl Orlando looked up and glanced at Lia.

To be precise, they weren't looking at Leah, but at Claire inside Leah's body.

After a few seconds of silence, she gave a meaningful smile and asked, "How did you answer? That acting saintess must have asked a lot of questions, right? Did you answer them all correctly?"

"I answered, but I don't know if the answer is right or wrong. Judging from how satisfied Lady Isabelle seems, she also wants the notes I mentioned, and also asked me to bring some wine."

Lia spilled everything out, telling everyone she knew.

"Hehehe, that's really interesting."

Countess Orlando leaned forward slightly, entering her current favorite segment: 'The Great Unveiling of the God of Guidance's Identity'.

"Then your 'Guiding God' seems to know a lot about the Evil God Emperor?"

Lia nodded vigorously, and Anna, the maid beside her, also tilted her head to listen.

“Lia, don’t you find it strange? A ‘Guiding God’ of unknown origin knows everything about the evil god emperor from over a hundred years ago. He knows his deeds, his policies, his preferences—he even knows what kind of wine he likes to drink.”

"If they were people from the era of the Evil God Emperor, they might also know these things. But to know them in such detail is not something that can be achieved with ordinary 'knowledge'."

"Lia, your 'Guiding God' might be someone from the era of the Evil God Emperor."

"Moreover, he harbors deep resentment towards the Rost family. This can be seen from his attitude towards the Marquis's family."

Lia listened and nodded, finding it all very reasonable.

Instead, Anna, the maid, understood Earl Orlando's meaning: "So, Master is from the time of the Evil God Emperor?"

“More than that.” Earl Orlando tapped his finger lightly on the table. “I even suspect that he might be the Evil Emperor himself.”

The air in the room seemed to freeze.

Lia's pupils contracted sharply, and then she shook her head violently.

"No, no way!" Her voice held an instinctive resistance. "The Evil God Emperor would never be as gentle as the God of Guidance!"

Earl Orlando looked at her and smiled.

"How do you know the Evil God Emperor isn't gentle? Have you met him?"

"I...I didn't..." Leah's face flushed red. "But...but..."

"But what? Or have you met the 'Guiding God' in person?" Count Orlando stared curiously at Lia, or rather, at the 'Guiding God' who could control Lia's body.

“But the guiding god has always been helping me…” Leah’s voice gradually became firm. “He helped me find my aunt, helped me learn magic, helped me gain a foothold in the Rost family… He has never harmed me…”

She looked up at Earl Orlando.

"Why would an evil god emperor who has been sealed away by the church for over a hundred years help me?"

Earl Orlando laughed. "That's hard to say."

She stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the night view of the capital city outside. "Emperor Claire, the evil god, was once able to overthrow the great nobles and fight against the church. His thoughts are not something we can easily fathom."

She turned around and looked at Lia.

"However, whoever he is, it seems that he is indeed helping you."

Lia nodded vigorously.

“So, whether he’s the Evil God Emperor or anyone else—” Count Orlando walked back and gently patted Leah’s shoulder, “as long as he doesn’t have any ill intentions towards you, that’s enough.”

Lia nodded vigorously, while the maid Anna lowered her head.

"Yes, that's right! The 'God of Guidance' will definitely help me."

However, the 'Evil God Emperor' himself didn't care at all. Since things had already progressed to this point, there was no need to deliberately conceal his identity.