What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

But Leon's current situation means he can't afford to lose this job, which is already a rare find in this world. Without enough savings and a stable source of income, he'll eventually die a miserable death while suffering from this illness.

Despite working diligently and responsibly for the church, Leon ended up being continuously exploited by it. Now he understands that he's not working himself to the bone for 5,000 a month.

Taking it easy and getting something for nothing is the best way to live; handing over fines to a church like this is just feeding the dogs.

Not to mention, knowing his superiors as he did, he knew the fine would eventually be intercepted by the director, so it was better to just pocket it!

However, given his low-level position, the opportunities he could make were very limited, so today's situation was already considered extremely lucky.

People die for money, birds die for food. I never thought that after transmigrating to this world, I would be trapped by money just like the corporate slave in my previous life.

"Sigh, without cheat codes, how can anyone time travel?"

Muttering to himself, Leon tossed a few gold coins into his pocket and then went back to report.

After a day of running around collecting debts in the town, he returned to the Inquisition, where it was already dark.

He walked briskly down the corridor toward the delivery area, and as he turned a corner, he unexpectedly came face to face with two tall men in armor walking side by side.

Leon was slightly taken aback when he saw the emblem on the other's armor.

Before he could react, the knight who was closer to him forcefully pushed him to the side of the road, coldly leaving behind a "Excuse me" before walking away without turning his head.

Leon made no comment and politely retreated to the wall.

He recognized the other person by their attire and emblem; they were a regular knight with a rank and title within the church.

Within the church, the status of the Inquisitors was incomparable to that of these knights.

The chosen knights are the elite of the church, extraordinary beings blessed by the four gods.

The director of the inquisition in Hamel Town, Karon Esso, was also a blessed first-order transcendent. He had more than thirty lower-ranking inquisitors under his command, and his rank in the church was no more than that of the lowest-ranking regular knight.

Leon dared not speak, not only because of the two regular knights who had suddenly appeared in the Inquisition.

He glanced to the side and saw his superior, Caron, the head of the Hamel Town Inquisition, walking and talking with a short old man behind the two knights, with a smile that was unimaginable for the inquisitors working there, nodding and bowing from time to time.

The old man was dressed in a red priest's robe, embroidered with the emblem of the Church of the Creator, which consisted of a four-pointed star surrounded by regular geometric patterns; he was clearly a high-ranking bishop.

Behind the two was a young woman dressed as a nun.

She was exceptionally tall, and her pure white nun's dress was embroidered with the emblem of the Church of the Creator. Her ebony-black hair, as smooth and lustrous as ebony, was wrapped in a white veil and tied into a long braid at the back of her head, with long hair on the left side covering her left eye.

She held a thick book in her arms, looking like a secretary assisting a bishop with his clerical work.

But if you say she's a secretary, her attitude is a bit presumptuous.

She didn't join their conversation, and even when the old man spoke, she didn't seem to listen attentively, just looking around indifferently.

This was undoubtedly a visit from a high-ranking figure in the church.

Besides Leon, there were several of his colleagues in the corridor, all of whom stood respectfully against the wall, bowing to the passing old men and nuns. Leon followed suit without saying a word.

As he lowered his head, he didn't notice that the young nun turned her head and scrutinized him a few times as she passed by.

Leon had a guess in his mind: the two knights, whose status was equivalent to their superiors, were just guards. It was probably that some important figures from the Church of the Creator were passing through Hamel and were temporarily visiting the church's institutions.

After these important figures walked past them and disappeared around another corner with the director, Leon and the other judges finally raised their faces and breathed a sigh of relief.

An older judge spotted Leon, immediately beckoned to him with a stern face, and gestured for him to come over.

"What's wrong, Captain?" Leon walked over.

"Come with me, hurry up!!" The inquisitor, who was serving as the captain of Leon's team, urged him, leading him up the stairs from the other side.

Leon followed, puzzled, and saw the captain go upstairs to the director's office. After glancing around, he actually took out the office key and opened the door.

The captain gestured for Leon to keep watch outside, then quickly went in and came out again, carrying a bulging black cloth bag.

Then he shoved the dark cloth bag into Leon's hands and whispered:

"Listen carefully, hurry up and take this out of here, then deliver it to Shekou Alley in the east of the city. There's a secondhand shop at the very end of the alley, with an owl painted on the door..."

Leon's heart skipped a beat as he sensed something was amiss. Just as he was about to open the bag to investigate, the captain stopped him: "Don't look! You are absolutely not allowed to open it before we get there!"

"This is what we found on that prisoner this morning, right?" Leon asked in a low voice.

"Don't ask, just do it!"

The captain said in a commanding tone, "The shop owner is a skinny old man with a pointed beak. Tell him 'Roddy referred you,' and he'll understand. Give him the goods, and he'll give you the money. Bring the money back to me at seven o'clock tonight..."

Hearing this, Leon was completely convinced of what had happened.

That very morning, the Inquisition arrested a smuggler who was illegally selling monster materials. From the stall disguised as a stall, they found a batch of processed low-level monster corpses and a small piece of magic essence.

The church has explicitly prohibited the sale of monsters, especially the magic essence extracted from monsters.

Because monsters are the evil creations of the primordial witch Moirai, and magic essence is the crystallization of her evil power, only witches blessed by Moirai can extract it from monsters.

However, high-purity magic essence is said to have the miraculous effect of delaying aging, and many wealthy people secretly hire alchemists to continuously purchase magic essence in order to develop elixirs of immortality.

Magic essence can also act as a catalyst to activate the power contained in many magical materials, which can be used to create various magical potions and magical items. Ordinary people without blessings can also gain special powers through this.

Therefore, magic essence and other magical materials have always been in short supply on the black market. High-purity magic essence is comparable in price to high-quality gemstones and is sold by the carat.

No matter how explicitly prohibited, such exorbitant profits cannot stop some people from taking the risk, not only smugglers, but also some heretical inquisitors.

Karon, the head of the inquisition in Hamel, was one of them.

His embezzlement of stolen money and resale of stolen goods were no secret within the Inquisition; Leon's embezzlement of a small amount of fines paled in comparison.

It seems that after these stolen items were seized, they were not filed in the evidence room according to the normal procedure, but were instead sent to the director's office.

Then the director would send someone close to him to find specific channels to sell the stolen goods and bring the money back. It seems that the person responsible for running errands and selling stolen goods for the director was his superior, the team leader.

But the director probably didn't expect that such an important person would suddenly visit the Inquisition today.

To prevent important figures from seeing things they shouldn't see when they come to the director's office, he probably handed the key to the captain when he went to greet him, asking him to go upstairs beforehand and take the stolen goods out.

"Who...who came today?" Leon asked in a low voice.

"Archbishop Rogers of the Church of the Creator is reportedly running for cardinal soon. The woman is Bishop Weiss, who seems to be the current saint of the Church of the Creator... Stop asking so many questions, hurry up!" the captain urged impatiently.

"He really is an important person," Leon thought to himself.

The Cardinals are the common headship of the four major churches, composed of cardinals elected by each of the four churches from among their archbishops.

The term "saints" is just a common name. They are the representatives selected from outstanding young bishops by the four major churches. They are responsible for giving public speeches and preaching on various important occasions, and they will soon be promoted to archbishops.

"Captain, this is a bit inconvenient for me..." Leon tried to decline.

Just kidding! With such a high-ranking person visiting, there might be church knights patrolling the streets today. If you run into them and get questioned, you'll be in trouble!

"Consider it a favor I owe you! Those people are inspecting the area, and I can't get away while on duty! I'll pay you when I get back, okay?" The captain pressed down hard on Leon's shoulder.

Money—Leon was tempted by this. He had heard that the director had amassed a fortune through such means, and he figured the captain must have gotten a share too.

This might be an opportunity for me to get involved.

He desperately needed money; as for loyalty to this lousy church, he had absolutely none.

It's unlikely that the captain stole the keys, took these items, and then framed him. The director always carries his keys with him. If it were about stealing keys, someone of Leon's rank wouldn't have had much contact with the director, so it's impossible for him to do it. If they confronted the captain, he wouldn't be able to justify his actions.

"Okay, I understand." Leon thought for a moment and finally agreed. "But can I at least check it first?"

We still need to find out here whether the goods are not as described or if anything is missing, otherwise if someone has tampered with them, they will still be unable to explain themselves.

"Okay, hurry up." Seeing that Leon had agreed, the captain responded readily this time, and even cautiously kept watch for him from the front and back.

Leon opened the bag, confirmed that it contained the stolen goods seized that morning, and that the quantity matched. He then retied the bag and nodded to the captain.

"Remember, don't touch a single penny of the money you get. The amount has already been checked. Don't cause yourself any trouble! Take the stairs you just came from, and go out through the side door. Don't let anyone see you!" After giving his instructions, the captain gave some more details and then sent Leon downstairs.

Leon, carrying a large cloth bag with nowhere to hide, put on a normal expression as if he were just going to throw out the trash and walked towards the side door. He didn't run into anyone else along the way, but his heart still started pounding faster involuntarily.

He only felt slightly relieved when the side door of the courthouse appeared at the end of the corridor.

Since Director Caron sent the captain to take the stolen goods out, he would probably also take those important figures elsewhere to buy time. There's really no need for me to be so nervous...

Just as he was thinking this, a cold, unfamiliar voice suddenly rang out behind him: "Wait a moment."

Leon felt a chill run down his spine, and his heart, which had just begun to calm down, started pounding like a drum again.

"Damn it, am I really going to be this unlucky?"

He thought to himself, trying his best to keep a straight face as he slowly turned around. He saw that the saintess dressed in snow white had appeared behind him alone at some point, staring straight at him.

Chapter 3 The Saintess's Diagnosis

At this moment, Leon felt completely numb. Just what he feared had come to pass!

He glanced around and saw no one else. This saintess had actually appeared here all by herself. Not to mention guard knights, she hadn't even summoned a heretic inquisitor to guide her.

Why is she suddenly wandering around the office alone? Does she need to use the restroom?

Although he broke out in a cold sweat from the fright, Leon quickly recovered and bowed respectfully to the other party, saying, "Your Excellency, how may I help you?"

Hurry up and ask where the toilet is, then get lost!

Leon prayed silently in his heart.

"What's in your bag?" Weiss asked, pointing to the bag in Leon's hand.

This saintess is really something else, she actually said this as soon as she opened her mouth?

Fortunately, Leon had already rehearsed this question in his mind several times, and immediately threw out the prepared answer: "It's some junk that we cleaned out of the storeroom, which we were going to take to a second-hand recycling shop to sell. It's very dusty, Your Excellency, please make sure your white robes, which represent the holiness of the church, don't get stained."

These important figures probably wouldn't be interested in opening a bag of junk and getting covered in dust. Since it's a bag of junk, it's not surprising that they would take it to a recycling shop. That way, even if they were caught and questioned on the way, their answers would be logical.

"I see." Weiss seemed to ask casually, quickly shifting her attention from the bag to Leon's face. "I actually noticed you just now."

“Me?” Leon was taken aback, not understanding what he had done to deserve the attention of someone of such status.

“Yes, you have a scent that I’m very familiar with…” Weiss said, taking a few steps closer to Leon and sniffing him carefully again.

This unfolding scene left Leon somewhat disoriented, his eyes filled with Weiss's exquisite, doll-like face, with her fair skin and luscious lips.

It must be said that the aesthetic sense of the people in the Church of the Creator is still on point. The saintess chosen as the face of the church is excellent in both appearance and temperament. Even when she is just looking at others with a blank expression, she can give people a sense of holiness like an ice queen.

The fact that a church saint, a figure with such a remarkable background, had inexplicably drawn attention to him made him wonder if his luck as a transmigrator was finally about to change, and if he was about to embark on his own main story.

But the Holy Maiden's next words brought him back to reality: "This potion smells like...you've used Holy Water Number Seven before?"

Leon snapped out of his daze. The Seventh Holy Water was the secret medicine he bought from the Holy Healing Order every month, spending a third of his salary to alleviate his symptoms.

“Yes, Your Excellency, it’s amazing that you recognized me.” Leon suddenly came to his senses.

There was no main storyline. The Holy Maiden simply recognized the scent of the potion on him and stopped him to ask a few questions. If it weren't for her sudden impulse, given the difference in their status, they would never have had a single conversation in their lives.

"What type of poison have you been poisoned with?" Weiss then asked.

"I'm sorry, I'm not entirely sure about that either. I was on a mission when a smuggler grazed me with a crossbow bolt, and I only found out afterward that the bolt was coated with a monster's poison," Leon answered honestly.

"Was there any scarring?" Weiss asked again.

“Yes, there is a purple scar that is still there,” Leon replied.

"Where is it located? Would you mind letting me see it?" Weiss then asked.

Could this woman be working at the Holy Healing Order?

Leon's heart skipped a beat. The Holy Healing Order, a subsidiary of the Church, served as a hospital in this country, and the Church's healing priests were equivalent to doctors.

Doctors vary in skill level, and in a small place like Hamel, one can't expect much from the priests' abilities.

If this Bishop Weiss is from the Holy Healing Order, wouldn't I be able to get a specialist appointment right here and now?

Perhaps there's a chance to cure these aftereffects!

Thinking of this, Leon immediately rolled up his sleeves, showing Weiss the purple scar on his upper arm: "Here."

Upon seeing this, Weiss immediately reached out and touched it, asking as she did so, "What symptoms do you usually experience?"

“When it flares up, it’s very itchy, extremely itchy, and scratching doesn’t help. If you don’t apply the holy water, it will become very painful after two days, like being burned by fire,” Leon answered honestly.

Despite having his arm touched by such a beautiful woman, Leon couldn't have any extraneous fantasies. Weiss's expression and tone were very serious, just like a professional doctor.

"Are you experiencing any symptoms of joint stiffness?" Weiss asked again.

"Yes! When it's cold, if you get chilled, your shoulders and elbows become as stiff as if they're rusted."

Leon was pleasantly surprised to hear this. Bishop Weiss's skill level was indeed different from that of the priests in small towns. When he first saw her, the priests never mentioned this situation. When he mentioned it to the priests when the symptoms appeared in winter, they simply dismissed him with a suggestion to use more holy water.

"How do you usually take your medication, and how effective is it?" Weiss continued to ask.