They are all characters I control.

"Huh?" Lia blinked.

“Because he needs to curry favor with the Acting Saintess.” Count Orlando put down his teacup. “He lost face in front of the Acting Saintess at the last banquet. Now that he has a chance to redeem himself, why would he miss it?”

Liya suddenly realized.

Looking at his innocent niece, Earl Orlando could only hope that the 'Guiding God' would give her some guidance.

If it weren't for the 'Guiding God' constantly watching over Lia, Count Orlando wouldn't have felt comfortable letting her deal with the Church of the Goddess.

Chapter 14 A Minor Earthquake in the New Empire

Bishop Simon returned in less than fifteen minutes.

A group of church knights followed behind, carrying an exquisite wooden box.

“Miss Leah, here is the wine you requested.” Bishop Simon gestured for the priest to place the wooden box on the table and opened the lid.

The crate was neatly stacked with wooden barrels containing beer.

The bottle is made of dark brown glass, with the mouth sealed with wax, and the label bears the imperial emblem.

“This is brewed with pure malt and hops, exactly according to the ingredients you just mentioned.” Bishop Simon picked up a bottle and handed it to Leah. “Take a look, is it to your liking?”

As Liya approached the wooden barrel, she smelled a strong odor.

She didn't know how to judge, so she could only look at Earl Orlando beside her.

Earl Orlando nodded.

"Okay, thank you, Your Excellency," Lia quickly replied.

“You’re welcome.” Bishop Simon’s smile deepened. “Miss Leah, please feel free to ask if you need anything else. I will do my best to assist you in any way I can.”

He paused, then added, "There's no need to mention me to the Acting Saintess; I'm not qualified to appear before her yet."

Lia paused for a moment, then nodded.

"I...I will."

Bishop Simon smiled with satisfaction.

Although he didn't know what it was about Lia that made the acting saintess value and admire her so much.

But the important thing now is to build a good relationship with her.

"I've had this batch of wine sent to the Holy City using a teleportation array reserved for the church. It's fast and safe, Miss Liya, so you don't need to worry."

"Then, Your Excellency, I'll have to trouble you."

Lia responded politely.

“No trouble at all.” Bishop Simon waved his hand, signaling the priests to carry the wooden box away. “Miss Liya, rest assured, the wine will be delivered to Her Majesty the Acting Saint today.”

Lia breathed a sigh of relief.

Having finished her business, she stood up, ready to take her leave, when she suddenly remembered what the 'Guiding God' had asked her to do.

The 'Guiding God' told her to put the Shapeshifting Potion into this wine too? But how can she put it in such a large vat of wine?

"Excuse me, Your Excellency, may I borrow something?"

After Lia replaced the wooden crate, the church knights carried the crate containing the beer onto the teleportation array.

A flash of magical light from the teleportation array, and the wooden crate and the beer disappeared.

“Then we should take our leave.” Count Orlando made a gesture as if to leave with Lia.

"Miss Liya, please wait a moment," Bishop Simon suddenly said.

Lia stopped and looked back at him.

Bishop Simon still wore a smile, but there was a hint of something more meaningful in his eyes.

"Miss Lia, there's something I'm not sure if I should say."

"W-What did you say?"

“Although the Acting Saintess holds a high position, she is, after all, far away in the Holy City,” Bishop Simon said slowly. “Miss Lia is in the capital. If she needs any help, she can come to me at any time.”

He paused.

"After all, we are closer."

Lia didn't know what to say, so she could only nod and thank her.

Leah finally breathed a sigh of relief after leaving the church and getting into the carriage.

"Your Excellency, what did he mean by his last sentence?"

Earl Orlando leaned back in his chair, a cold smile playing on his lips.

"The meaning is simple. He's telling you—although the Acting Saintess is powerful, he's closer to you. Offending him is more direct than offending the Acting Saintess."

Lia's heart sank.

"Then, then we..."

“Don’t worry.” Earl Orlando patted her hand. “He won’t dare to touch you yet. You have the label of acting saintess, he will only flatter you, not harm you.”

She paused.

"At least, not for the time being."

Lia nodded, but a vague unease lingered in her heart.

However, she also knew very well that she could not decide these things, but what made her more uneasy at this moment was that the 'God of Guidance' had not responded to her.

"By the way, Lia, was that Shapeshifting Potion in the glass you sent away with the barrel just now?"

Earl Orlando asked about what he had just witnessed.

"Yes, it was the 'God of Guidance' who asked me to do it. He originally said to add it to the drinks, but I was afraid that Bishop Simon would think I was poisoning them."

Lia's answer made Count Orlando's eyes widen slightly.

When that evil 'Lia' asked me for the shapeshifting potion, she clearly intended it for herself. Now, she wants to add it to the wine that Isabelle is asking for?

Could it be that the evil 'Lia' is in the 'Holy City'?

If that's the case, then everything makes sense! For example, the fact that the evil 'Lia' seems to know Isabelle very well, and that she had foreseen that Bishop Simon would not become archbishop, all make sense.

……

Bishop Simon stood at the door, watching the carriage drive away, his smile gradually fading.

“Karl.” At this moment, Bishop Simon’s voice sounded deep.

"Here." Knight Commander Karl stepped out from behind him, still wearing that silver-white armor, his hand on the hilt of his sword, his face stern.

"What do you think of this Miss Lia?"

Carl was silent for a moment. "The subject of the investigation."

Bishop Simon turned around, glanced at him, and smiled.

"The person you're investigating? She's currently a favorite of the Acting Holy Maiden. Are you trying to offend the Holy City by investigating her?"

“Your subordinate wouldn’t dare,” Karl lowered his head. “It’s just that there are too many suspicious things about her. The source of the new tax, her relationship with Earl Orlando, and the sudden favor she received from the Acting Saintess… it’s all too coincidental.”

“A coincidence?” Bishop Simon scoffed. “It’s not a coincidence; someone is pulling the strings behind the scenes.”

He walked back to the church sanctuary, his footsteps echoing dully on the empty marble floor.

Carl followed behind him without saying a word.

“I don’t care who’s behind her,” Bishop Simon’s voice echoed in the hall. “As long as she can get in touch with the Acting Saint, she’s a pawn for me to save face.”

He stopped, turned around, and looked at Carl.

"So, what we need to do next is deal with the Rost family."

Karl frowned slightly. "The Rost family?"

“Yes.” Bishop Simon looked at the mural of the goddess on the church dome. “Do you know, Karl, something is already changing in this new empire.”

Karl shook his head. "I don't know. I'm only in charge of the affairs of the Church Knights."

“Then let me tell you.” Bishop Simon raised his hand and pointed in the direction outside the church, “His Majesty Darian summoned Miss Lia behind my back, right under my nose.”

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a hint of suppressed emotion.

"Did he think I didn't know? Or did he know I would find out but still decide to do it anyway?"

Carl did not respond.

“Unfortunately, he forgot one thing.” Bishop Simon continued to speak to himself with a cold laugh: “In this royal capital, there is nothing I, Simon, do not know.”

Karl had absolutely no interest in such power struggles.

"So, what does Your Excellency intend to do?"

Bishop Simon reached out and stroked the cold base of the icon: "Let's deal with the Rost family first. Doesn't the Rost family still have a marriage agreement with the royal family? Miss Leah has also left, so we can use her."

The last rays of the setting sun shone through the stained glass windows onto Bishop Simon's face, casting an ambiguous shadow over his expression.

Carl watched Bishop Simon's retreating figure, bowed in greeting, and then turned and walked out of the church, carrying the knight's sword at his waist.

Chapter 15 The Rost family's suffering has just begun

Today, things are not peaceful at the Marquess Rost's mansion.

The figures of church knights appeared at the Marquis's mansion, not one group, but three whole groups.

The church knights, dressed in silver armor and wielding cross-shaped swords, completely surrounded the Marquis of Rost's mansion.

Leading the group was a stern-faced knight commander. Karl himself did not come, but their presence, just as Karl's presence here, instilled fear in Marquis Rost.

These church knights were Bishop Simon's personal guard, specifically tasked with dealing with heretics and apostates.

"Gentlemen knights, what brings you here? I am Marquis Rost, a nobleman of the Empire." Marquis Rost stood at the gate, trying to stabilize the situation.

In any case, he was a marquis.

Even those with the title of marquis in this new empire, despite lacking real power, are marginalized, and their family fortune is gradually drained by other nobles.

However, he was a marquis, a marquis! This was the only thing Marquis Rost had to offer at the moment.

"Marquis Rost, by order of Bishop Simon, is to investigate all accounts, letters, and valuables of the Marquis's manor." The leading church knight stood in the center of the hall, his voice devoid of any emotion: "Please cooperate."

What's with all this talk about marquises? The church knights have raided marquisates' houses before, and dukes' houses have been raided countless times.

In their view, there are only two kinds of nobles.

Nobles of high status and power, and nobles without power.

It is not uncommon for dukes or marquesses to fall from grace, and the Rost family is no exception. A marquess without power is not as high-ranking as a baron who is currently in power.

The Marquis Rost stood on the stairs, his face ashen.

"You...what right do you have? I am a Marquis of the Empire! Without His Majesty's order—"

“This is a matter for the Church,” the Knight Commander interrupted him. “It has nothing to do with the Empire.”

He waved.

The church knights pushed aside the Marquis of Rost who was blocking the doorway and rushed into the study, bedroom, storeroom, and cellar.

The sounds of rummaging through drawers and cabinets came from various rooms, mixed with the crisp sound of shattering porcelain and the screams of servants.

"Be careful! That's an heirloom vase!" Marquis Rost rushed over, trying to stop a knight who was rummaging through the cabinet.

The knight pushed him aside and continued his flip.

“You—” Marquis Rost staggered backward and crashed into the wall.

"Master! Master! They've taken all the account books!" A maid ran out of the study, her face filled with terror.

"Let them move!" Marquis Rost gritted his teeth, his voice trembling.

The Marquise Mara burst from her bedroom, her hair disheveled and her makeup ruined. Holding a pearl necklace, she shouted at a knight, "This is mine! This is my personal property! You cannot take it!"

“Madam’s belongings also belong to the Marquis’s estate and need to be investigated.” The knight said expressionlessly, snatching the necklace from her hand and stuffing it into his bag.

"You robbers!" Marquise Mara screamed, trying to snatch it back, but was stopped by two knights.