What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

"What are you doing? I'm wearing gloves and a mask! You're not wearing anything and you're still touching it? Is it some kind of dangerous thing?"

Lena asked, puzzled, as she examined the two test tubes in her hand. One contained a transparent, pale yellow liquid, while the other contained a very small amount of a white, viscous paste-like substance.

"I'm conducting these experiments here to determine if these things are dangerous," Leon explained.

"What kind of medicine is this? You need to inform me beforehand if you're going to bring it into the experiment!" Lena said seriously.

She was in charge of storing and handling all the potions in the studio. If Leon brought in anything dangerous or that could react with the other potions without her knowledge, it would undoubtedly pose a threat to the studio.

“This is not medicine; it’s a biological sample ready for testing,” Leon said.

"What kind of biological sample? An animal? A monster?"

“Mine,” Leon replied calmly.

"Huh?" Lena was taken aback.

"My blood has been proven to possess special curse properties that I can control at will. Then I wonder if my other bodily fluids might have similar dangerous properties, and if so, whether the intensity would differ, and whether they could be controlled..."

Leon slowly explained, picking up a test tube from his hand, "Preliminary results indicate that these do not have obvious toxicity. Fortunately, at least I won't kill someone with a droplet I spray."

"Oh, I see." Lena understood, then belatedly widened her eyes and quickly put the two test tubes back on the rack. "Wait a minute, what are these two?"

“That one is urine, and the other one…” Leon hesitated for a moment, “You’re in the aquaculture business, you should know that, right? I don’t want to explain too clearly.”

Lena, who raises monsters, must know the principles of mating, so Leon felt there was no need for him to give her a sex education here.

Lena took a deep breath, her face turning bright red.

Then, with a pained expression, she turned and rushed to the sink, took off her gloves, threw them away, and began frantically washing her hands.

After a long pause, her shout finally erupted: "Idiot! Moron! Fool! What did you make me touch?! What if something goes wrong? Can you take responsibility?"

"These are just normal biological samples for research. Don't be so paranoid. Besides, I told you not to touch them, but you picked them up yourself. You were wearing gloves, and these things were all in test tubes. What could possibly go wrong?" Leon said casually.

"Why did you bring it in a test tube? Do you know how expensive these experimental containers are?" Lena said angrily.

These exquisite glass and metal laboratory instruments are still very expensive on the market.

“We’re not short of money right now, and I didn’t damage them. I can just wash and disinfect them and keep using them,” Leon said.

"How can I not feel uncomfortable? Let me make this clear first, I don't want any of that equipment! You keep it for yourself! Don't mix it with mine!!" Lena said angrily.

"Just write your own name on your things," Leon said nonchalantly.

Lena dried her hands, finally calming down a bit, but still glared at Leon and complained, "The rest is fine, but yours... is it really necessary to get it tested?"

“Why wouldn’t it be necessary? I need to thoroughly investigate the changes in my body after receiving the blessing. What if I accidentally kill someone I’ve found a partner?” Leon replied.

"Find a partner?" Lena blinked.

"I'm a guy, I like women, and it's normal for me to want to find a partner, right?" Leon replied while tidying up his equipment.

Lena's heart skipped a beat when she heard this, and she leaned closer to Leon, tentatively asking, "So, you don't have one yet?"

“No, why?” Leon asked in return.

"N-nothing..." Lena didn't know how to respond for a moment. She herself didn't understand why she suddenly asked this question out of curiosity. "I was just thinking, after doing all these things that could get you killed, what kind of partner can you find in the future? If you find an ordinary person, wouldn't you just be ruining their life?"

"It's okay. Once I have money and retire from this life, I'll find plenty of women. I can keep a few as many as I want, all kinds!" Leon casually joked.

Upon hearing this, Lena flew into a rage and kicked Leon, yelling, "Go to hell, you scum!!"

"Hey, that's dangerous!" Leon reacted quickly and dodged. "What are you doing? This is obviously a joke!"

“I don’t even feel comfortable listening to jokes!” Lena retorted firmly.

“This has nothing to do with you, so why are you so upset?” Leon frowned.

“I…” Lena was speechless for a moment.

Yeah, what does it matter to her how this jerk finds a partner or a woman in the future?

"Talking to you is a waste of time, get to work!" Lena changed the subject and turned back to her workbench.

Leon shook his head, somewhat puzzled, and continued with his work. Not far away, Lena glanced at him again.

Ever since Leon killed the Inquisition Director, Lena found herself, for some reason, glancing at Leon more often than not in the same space.

And occasionally, for no apparent reason, she would recall the scene of them hiding together in the maze, her fear overwhelming her, clinging tightly to Leon. In that moment, it was as if the whole world consisted only of the two of them, all other sounds faded away, and only their heartbeats remained crystal clear.

When Leon turned his back on her and left, she thought he had really given up on her, but in the end, he still chose to risk his life to protect her and fight to the death with that terrible inquisitor...

No, no, if he hadn't dragged me into this business, how could I have ended up in this danger?

Lena tried to straighten her mind.

This guy promised to protect her, and he should keep his word!

"Alright, I'll go inside again." Leon tidied up the lab table and picked up a pickaxe and shovel from the toolbox in the corner.

"What exactly have you been tinkering with in there since yesterday? Mining?" Lena couldn't help but ask.

“I studied the interior of the maze before and found that although one entrance was bombed, it was not completely collapsed. It was blocked by filling in the gaps. I want to dig out a new entrance.”

"This way, it'll be much safer for us to enter and exit the maze from there. Even if someone suddenly comes in from this entrance, I or you inside will have a way to escape," Leon explained.

After the incident of Charon's sudden intrusion, Leon realized that they were always at risk of being trapped in the labyrinth. The previous entrance they had been using was registered with the Inquisition, and if someone sneaked in through that entrance, those inside would be trapped in the labyrinth.

Therefore, he decided to dig up the old passage again and cover it up, leaving them another way out of the maze. Although the studio being shut down was a big deal, it was still not as terrible as being caught red-handed.

"Will we be found out here again?" Lena asked anxiously.

“We don’t know what will happen after Kalon dies. Nobody can say for sure. But we still have to keep the monsters in the labyrinth. We need to be prepared.” Leon said, taking his tools and lantern and walking into the depths of the labyrinth.

Chapter 55 You've been arrested

For the past two weeks since Caron Esso disappeared, Leon has been working at the Inquisition as usual, while keeping a close eye on what's happening inside.

For the first two days, Charon's disappearance did not bring about much change to the Inquisition. Everyone went about their work as usual, and the debt collection work and the cases that had been filed were progressing steadily as usual.

This is not surprising, as Caron doesn't usually handle many things personally at the institute, and there are even occasional times when he goes out to socialize and is not present at the institute.

The next day, Leon seized an opportunity and had someone use a key to open Caron's office and search it, confirming that Caron had at least not left any evidence in the office that could point to him.

But on the third day, when he couldn't find Deputy Director Caron to report on his work, he finally realized that something was wrong.

It was at this time that Caron Esso's butler, whom he had hired at his residence in Hamel, came to the inquest to report that Caron had not returned home for three days and wanted to confirm whether he was working at the inquest.

It was only at this point that the deputy director finally realized the seriousness of the problem, and he urgently summoned and questioned all the staff in the institute, and set up a special task force to try to contact Director Kalon.

The Inquisition became very busy in those days. Some were sent to question people at places in Hamel that Caron might go, and others were sent to question people at church facilities in the central town of Southport County.

Leon also saw his captain go to the deputy director's office alone to report something, and then he was immediately sent to a certain place in town.

Leon estimated that the deputy director must have known about the shady dealings that Director Caron was doing behind the scenes, and might even have been involved in them.

Caron got the information from the old shop owner. The deputy director and Captain Martin should both know about the old shop owner, so it was only natural that they would go to the old shop owner to ask him questions.

This is one of the reasons why Leon was determined to get rid of the old shop owner.

But now the old shop owner has disappeared. After Leon met Potter that day, Potter sent people to completely clean up the recycling shop, and that lead was completely cut off.

Leon guessed that when Caron got the information from the old shopkeeper, no one else was around, and he hadn't told anyone, otherwise he wouldn't have been there alone.

At that time, the deputy director and the captain discovered the problem of the recycling shop's inexplicable disappearance. After much hesitation, the deputy director finally decided to report the disappearance of Caron Esso to the church.

Ten more days passed. Apart from the fact that inquisitors from other towns were sent to assist with the work here and inquire about the situation in order to help investigate the whereabouts of Director Caron, there were basically no significant changes in the institute.

Other tasks continued as usual, but progress in contacting Director Caron was slow, since Caron Esso had truly vanished from the face of the earth.

Leon even began to doubt whether Father Auden's earlier warnings were exaggerated, as the church did not seem to react quickly to Caron's disappearance.

But on the fourteenth day, Leon and the other Inquisitors heard the urgent summons bell and gathered at the training grounds within the institute.

With a stern expression, the deputy director gave the order for them to stand at attention and line up. Then, he turned and saluted the high platform in the training field: "All personnel of this unit are assembled and in position. Please inspect us, sir!"

Leon and the others looked up and saw two figures appear one after the other on the high platform that only Caron would usually stand on, looking down at them.

Standing a little further back was a middle-aged man dressed as a bishop with a calm face. His gray priest's robe was embroidered with a four-pointed star emblem with a holy sword in the center, indicating that he was a bishop from the Church of the God of War.

The other was a young man of similar age to Leon and most of the judges, with a handsome appearance. He wore a white knight's robe issued by the church, and the church emblem on his chest showed that he was a regular third-tier knight.

Upon seeing such a display, the heretics inquisitors who had gathered there couldn't help but tense up.

Even disregarding their positions, the bishops over there were one rank higher than their director of the Karon, while that young man was two ranks higher.

A very important person from the church has arrived!

Upon seeing this, everyone, starting with the captain, bowed to the bishop and knight on the platform.

Then, the young knight of the third rank spoke up loudly:

"I am Aaron Dias, a regular knight of the Holy Sword Knights of the Church of War. Starting today, I will temporarily replace the former director, Caron Esso, as the director of the Inquisition in Hamel Town, Southport County, in accordance with the order issued by the Cardinals. Beside me is Bishop Beckett of the Church of War, who will also temporarily serve as the deputy director of this institution in accordance with the Church's order. You will all see the official appointment announcement soon."

Leon's heart sank upon hearing this, and he finally understood that what Father Auden had said was true.

The church actually sent two people of higher rank than Karon to temporarily replace him: a third-rank knight and a bishop from the Church of War.

These two are likely extraordinary individuals whose strength is comparable to or even surpasses that of Karon, and they wield greater power within the church.

The new director looks ridiculously young, but to have such a high position at such a young age means he must either have exceptional talent, a very strong background, or... both!

Moreover, even if it can be concluded that he has no experience, he has a bishop who looks very experienced assisting him.

As Father Auden said, the arrival of someone like this to investigate Caron's disappearance is indeed a troublesome matter!

"I'm sure you all have already guessed that we were sent here primarily to investigate the disappearance of our former director, Caron Esso. But before that, there's one more thing I need to take care of before assuming my new post as director."

After speaking, the newly appointed director Aaron looked around at everyone present and issued the order in a calm tone, "Deputy Director Theodore Gorman, Third Team Captain Martin Bouvet, step forward."

The deputy director and Captain Martin, whose names were called, both looked somewhat surprised, but they quickly obeyed the order, stood at attention in front of the line, and saluted Aaron.

"Sir, what are your orders?" the deputy director asked Director Aaron.

"Theodore Gorman, Martin Bouvi, you two are suspected of three major crimes: embezzlement, bribery, dereliction of duty, and apostasy. I hereby declare you under arrest in accordance with church law!" Aaron announced loudly.

At this moment, not only the deputy director and Captain Martin, who were the parties involved, but all the other inquisitors present showed expressions of shock.

Before they could react, four masked church officials strode in, seized the two bewildered men, and put shackles on them.

Chapter 56 Walking into a Trap

The acting officers who arrested the deputy warden and Captain Martin wore black iron four-pointed star badges over their uniforms, signifying that they were disciplinary officers from the Holy Order of Discipline.

If the Inquisition was an enforcement force targeting the outside world of the Church, then the Church Discipline Council was an internal force, like military police in the army, directly commanded by the Cardinals, to arrest bishops, knights, and inquisitors who violated church law.

Leon realized that the newly appointed director had begun investigating Director Caron's disappearance before taking office and had learned of Caron's corruption in Hamel. It was likely that Captain Martin and Deputy Director Theodore had both secretly handled some of Caron's ill-gotten gains.

The investigation did not go through the inquisitors in Hamel, which means that the newly appointed director and deputy director have enough power to mobilize other forces within the church.

"Wait, sir, what's going on?" Deputy Director Theodore dodged the shackles that were about to be handcuffed to his hands and looked up to argue, "Isn't there some misunderstanding?"

Director Aaron remained silent, but Bishop Beckett, standing behind him, spoke up with a smile:

"We have apprehended your two informants at the Bourbon Street casino. They have given a full account of your receiving stolen goods and accepting bribes. We will now examine your assets, and we hope you will provide a reasonable explanation for everything."

Deputy Warden Theodore immediately deflated like a punctured balloon. The disciplinary officer put shackles on him again, and this time he did not resist.

Seeing this, Captain Martin gave up arguing and, looking ashen-faced, was also taken away.

"As you all know, the previous director, Caron Esso, has been missing for some time. The church has appointed me to investigate this matter in full." Aaron scanned the people present. "According to my preliminary investigation, Esso is suspected of embezzling funds, selling stolen goods, and harboring criminals on multiple occasions during his tenure. The two people who were just arrested were involved in this process. I hope you will all take this as a warning."

"Now, all captain-level judges, please stay and come with me to the director's office to help me understand the situation in the institute. The rest of the team members, please return to your posts. You may now dismiss."

Leon left the stage with the others.

As Martin was taken away, he had a vague feeling that something was wrong.

During the interrogation of the old shopkeeper, the old shopkeeper said that Martin was present when Caron approached him. Although he mentioned Leon's affairs, Martin was sent away.

Not long after, Caron disappeared. Captain Martin and the deputy director must have tried to find out through the old shop owner, but now the old shop owner has also vanished without a trace.

Caron and Roddy were both implicated in the matter of Caron using the old shop owner to sell stolen goods, and they probably didn't report this lead to the church for fear of being investigated.

But now they've been caught red-handed and may soon reveal this lead.

The old shop owner disappeared, and the new director could only find out that the matter was related to a local gang that sold magic essence through this clue, and Kalon was already involved in this industry.

What makes Leon nervous is that his first contact with the old shop owner was when he went to run an errand at Captain Martin's request, and if Martin brings it up, he will probably be investigated as well.