What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

“I just want to remind you that it is these lies that have made you who you are today. The reason you have been able to get to this point with this pure sense of justice is because the people around you have used these lies to keep you from getting your hands dirty,” Leon said.

"So all these lies of yours are not for yourselves, but to protect me?" Aaron sneered loudly.

“For me, it’s more like protecting myself. You’re already very lucky, Aaron. You were born into a world of lies but were unexpectedly protected by those lies. As for someone like me, without this method, I don’t even have the right to live with dignity.” Leon suddenly gave a bitter smile.

"Is this your justification for your crimes?" Aaron questioned.

"Then what do you want me to do? Be honest with you the first time we met, tell you I'm a potion dealer, and let you burn me at the stake? Is that the life I should have lived?" Leon retorted.

"Then why do you sell potions?" Aaron asked instinctively, completely unaware of why Fenrir had chosen this path.

"Back then, I had an old injury from a monster's poison during a mission. The church had no way to treat it, and the cost of using holy water was prohibitively high. If I didn't have a way to make a fortune or find a magic potion to cure it, I would have been dragged down by illness for the rest of my life. Once I embarked on this path, there was no turning back."

To be honest, I don't actually dislike it; in fact, I like it. It makes me... truly feel alive. Ultimately, I don't think the law is right; I'm just doing what I believe is right..." Leon said.

"Is it right to let Ms. Hershey die in prison with a crime that wasn't hers?" Aaron suddenly interrupted Leon, grabbing the case file from the ground and showing it to Leon. "Only you could make her do this. You made a deal with them. Do you think that paying off their debts is enough?"

"Mrs. Hersh is not dead. I replaced her with an assassin sent by the Earl. Have you forgotten who provided the medicine for treating salination in the Royal Hospital? If I had caused Mrs. Hersh to die in prison and prevented Melissa from seeing her mother one last time, why would she be willing to stay by my side now?"

The person who developed the antidote was Weiss Rogers, but the Earl wanted to harm her because of a personal grudge, and that's why I broke ties with the Earl." Leon simply laid everything out with Aaron.

Aaron was shocked and speechless.

“Then let me ask you, Aaron, what do you think is the right thing to do? Uphold the law like you? I put Mrs. Hershey in jail, but what did you do? Weren’t you the one who let Mrs. Hershey die in prison? Is it enough to just ask someone to take care of Melissa? With your conservative approach, who have you saved?” Leon stared at Aaron and questioned him in return.

Aaron lowered his eyes upon hearing this, his brows furrowed as if he were deep in thought.

“I did deceive you about many things, but those lies, once exposed, will only make us enemies, and I have no choice! The person you know isn't entirely a lie. I've also thought about saving others and making the world a better place. The money I made to open a hospital, innovate technology, and the proposals I made with you—these were all my genuine wishes.”

Now that things have come to this, your confrontation with me shows that you haven't been completely honest with the church about everything. I'm here to talk to you because I still hope we don't reach a point of no return, and that all depends on you.

At that moment, Aaron suddenly became alert, raised his face and stared at Leon: "Life or death... you've been preparing your methods to deal with me all along? I remember very clearly, you were already planning to kill me back then, weren't you?"

“You wanted to kill me back then…” Leon reminded him.

"But I didn't even know it was you back then!" Aaron glared at Leon. "Answer me, you've been thinking about this all along, haven't you?"

He suddenly realized that Leon had actually been considering killing him for a long time.

Even now that he knows Leon is Fenrir, Aaron hasn't seriously considered how to deal with Leon after confirming it. He's only thinking about how to face this reality, but Leon has been thinking about killing him for a long time.

The friendship he valued seemed worthless to Leon; in fact, they viewed their relationship in completely different ways.

“Yes, I’m sorry about that, Aaron. Unlike you, I live in a world where you can’t survive without being prepared,” Leon said, looking at Aaron. “You may not understand, but even if you just see this as a negotiation, I hope you will consider it carefully.”

Aaron stared blankly at Leon for a long time, then finally shook his head: "I can't understand you, not at all. I want to believe you again, even just once! But you just want a situation under your control. How can I convince myself to believe someone who has been deceiving me all along and could kill me at any moment?"

There was no longer any basis for mutual trust between them.

"Is that so?" Leon lowered his eyes and let out a long breath. He had expected this outcome. When he looked at Aaron again, his eyes turned cold once more. "Alright, Aaron, since you've made your choice, then... be prepared!"

Chapter 667 The Chief Inquisitor Put on the Fire

In the Eastern Diocese, at the headquarters of the Cardinals' Court, Edward Stuart pushed open the door to the long hall, looked at Cardinal Stuart sitting at the end of the long table, and said urgently, "Father, a message from His Holiness the Pope!"

Cardinal Levin Stuart sat there alone, deep in thought, his expression solemn and motionless, like a statue.

Even after hearing his son's report, he merely blinked, then raised his hand and waved it lightly, indicating that he should find a reason to postpone it first.

They even ignored the Pope's call?

The Stuart family's influence within the church is largely rooted in the Church of the Prophet. Even though the Pope is almost retired, he still wields considerable influence, enough to shake the Stuart family's position within the church.

Edward hesitated for once regarding his father's decision, but before he could ask, Levin Stuart, with his ability, saw through his thoughts and the question he was about to voice, and looked directly into Edward's eyes.

Do as instructed—this command immediately flooded his mind. The blessing of omniscience, besides reading minds, could also enable the interaction of wills, producing a certain spiritual influence.

Edward could only swallow back what he wanted to say, replying with "I understand" before leaving.

After calming down, he understood his father's reasons.

The Pope's call was no different from the previous ones; it was almost certainly about holding them accountable. They couldn't offer a suitable excuse, and their response wouldn't improve the situation.

The Stuart family, Marquis of Isenberg, reached the pinnacle of their history after Levin Stuart became Inquisitor, and should have continued to thrive thereafter.

Edward Stuart, as the chosen Son of God of the Prophet Church, has been promoted to Grand Inquisitor. If there are no setbacks, he will gradually rise to the position of Director of the Church's Discipline Council, then run for Cardinal, until he succeeds his father.

However, nowadays, various churches, the royal family, and powerful nobles of the empire are sending inquiries and letters to the inquisition.

Everything is due to Viscount Arend.

The night before, a group of people jointly filed charges with the Cardinals and the Council of Nobles, accusing the current Emperor Aaron II of conspiring with the Marquis of Veronia and the Marquis of Lorraine to murder another royal heir, Princess Frederick, before his accession to the throne.

The accusers include Pope Zen of the Mystic Church, Duke Gran, Duke Carne, Duke Occlesen, and Viscount Arend, as well as Princess Frederick herself, who should have been presumed dead.

It is said that Princess Frederick appeared directly at the cathedral in Southport County and met with representatives of the Cardinal Council and the Council of Nobles. She claimed that she had survived the assassination attempt thanks to the protection of Viscount Arendt, and that she had been keeping to herself ever since, with no intention of taking any more risks for the sake of power.

It wasn't until Viscount Arend's actions were reported that Aaron II sent someone to warn him to hand over the man or face disgrace. Only then did the princess have no choice but to step forward and accuse Aaron II of attempted murder and of illegitimate accession to the throne.

Meanwhile, at the Imperial Palace, almost simultaneously, Emperor Aaron II sent someone to the Cardinals to accuse Viscount Arend of being Fenrir, a powerful potion magnate who had been active in the Empire, of committing numerous serious crimes such as blasphemy, apostasy, treason, and murder, and demanded that the Church take control of him and conduct a thorough investigation.

Subsequently, the emperor issued an edict to remove Viscount Arend from his noble title and governorship, and issued a punitive order to nobles in various regions, listing Leon Set as the most wanted criminal in the empire. The entire Southport County and Arend Island were designated as enemy-controlled areas by the emperor's edict, and the nearby city garrisons and lords were obligated to send troops to reclaim the area and capture the criminal.

Soon after, the palace, under Aaron's orders, issued several more arrest warrants, including those for several individuals connected to Viscount Arend: Viscountess Adele Lovelace, the missing former Church of Creators Saint Weiss Rogers, Reina Lothark, a villager from Rivermouth in Hamel, the presumed dead former Church Navy Captain Jonathan Ruit, and Bishop Raymond Auden, who was promoted through Leon's recommendation...

The cardinals would respond to the emperor by suspending the handling of church personnel, including the arrest warrants for Bishops Weiss, Jonathan, and Oden, and demanding that the facts be investigated before proceeding. They argued that accountability for church personnel should be handled by the church itself, and that the arrest warrants for the three men were essentially presumed dead, making the warrants seem absurd.

However, the royal family insisted on their position, and instead accused the court of protecting Viscount Arendt's crimes, demanding that it be held accountable and that the responsible investigators and judges be replaced.

Chaos ensued, and the incumbent Chief Justice of Stuart was naturally thrust into the spotlight, with letters of accusation pouring in like snowflakes, keeping Edward extremely busy.

He didn't understand how things had turned out this way. After their attempt to curb Fenrir's westward expansion backfired and resulted in Norman Dawson's death, Fenrir had completely lost control and even dared to threaten them.

No, perhaps they never controlled this monster from the beginning. They thought they could use him for their own good in the matter of the heir to the throne, replacing Earl Frey. But at this point, Viscount Arend suddenly switched his support to Princess Frey, whom he had already assassinated, and ruthlessly betrayed the Stuart family, the Eastern nobles who had once allied with him, and His Majesty the Emperor.

Damn it, Father should have killed him the moment he found him.

Edward couldn't help but have this thought.

But he himself was well aware that when Cardinal Stuart discovered Fenrir's true identity, Fenrir was already a dangerous figure capable of killing Count Frye. Given his father's caution, he would not attempt to provoke this danger into himself without absolute certainty.

"My lord, there's a new contact!" A Holy Inquisitor rushed toward him.

"Dismiss all local communications and don't report to me," Edward replied to his subordinates, maintaining his usual composure.

They couldn't even respond to the Pope's questioning, so there was no need for them to care about anything else.

But the judge did not step down; instead, he said somewhat blankly, "It comes from Viscount Arend..."

Although the Church has not yet formally convicted Viscount Arendt of his crimes, those in the court know who is currently at the center of the storm.

Edward immediately became alert and turned around: "Take me there and get the liaison officer ready!"

The moment Edward entered the communications room, he saw Leon's projection standing in the center of the room. He instinctively clenched his fists, and countless angry shouts flashed through his mind.

This guy actually dared to come up to me face to face?

"It's been a long time, Grand Inquisitor Edward. I've come to see the Chief Inquisitor." Leon smiled at Edward. "Time is short, please inform him as soon as possible."

“…Yes, Your Excellency, please wait a moment.” After only a second’s hesitation, Edward loosened his fist, forcibly suppressed all his thoughts, forced himself to put on his usual smile, and gave Leon a polite reply.

No matter how much he disliked this man, the current situation was uncertain. With the support of the Church of the Mystic God and the Western nobles, the man held enough cards to make at least a third of the empire's power stand on his side. Before his father made his stance clear, he dared not easily offend Leon.

Chapter 668 Threatening the Tribunal

A moment later, the bishop in charge of liaison followed Edward to the long hall where the chief judge was located, bringing Leon's projection with him. Afterward, Levin Stuart asked everyone to leave, leaving only himself and Leon in the room.

Leon's visit seemed to be within the judge's expectations, and his first words were: "Your explanation comes a little late."

"Explanation? What do I need to explain? By now, Your Excellency the Chief Inquisitor should fully understand what happened, shouldn't you?" Leon replied calmly.

"I cannot understand your reasons for going to such lengths. You are leading the empire toward division! The struggle for the throne has finally come to an end, and you actually hid Her Highness the Princess during the assassination attempt!" The chief judge glared at Leon.

"It was just a safety net, and it proved to be necessary. Aaron found out my identity and was furious. To deal with His Majesty the Emperor's wrath, the only option was... to change the emperor." Leon spread his hands.

"Do you know what you're saying?" The chief judge frowned.

“It’s just playing with power. Hasn’t Your Excellency the Chief Justice been doing the same thing all along? To influence the succession to the throne, you even tolerated one…” Leon first held up one finger, then added another as he thought of something, “No, it was two criminals who were doing very well in this country.”

Levin Stuart had previously turned a blind eye to Earl Frey, and later began to use Leon, all to ensure that the throne would not fall into the hands of Duke Gran.

“You have already won power! You have successfully supported the emperor and gained his trust! You have even obtained the military strength of a prefecture, but you still want to expand your businesses that collude with Moiland. Have you not thought about which side you are on in the eyes of the Church? They are our common enemy, I have emphasized this to you!” Stuart stared at Leon and questioned him.

"My identity was exposed because the witches' gathering forced me to take sides. I refused, so they wanted to cut off my escape route and further pressure me. I kept refusing, which led to them completely abandoning me and revealing my identity to His Majesty the Emperor. You actually suspect me of colluding with Moiland?" Leon's reaction was as if he had heard a joke.

“You’ve taken too many things, and you’ve even gotten your hands on red mercury, the Church’s secret weapon! It’s no wonder they’re after you!” Stuart scolded.

“You know perfectly well how dangerous the Queen of Moyland is. With your intelligence, how could you not understand that I could not possibly side with them?” Leon’s smile faded as he spoke. “You’ve even read my memories and know what kind of person I am.”

“I know you are dangerous, and I have to keep an eye on you. Now it has been proven that you are a menace, and I regret letting you go,” Cardinal Stuart said firmly.

"Enough with the pretense, Levin Stuart!" Leon's tone hardened. "I know what kind of person you are. I know your true colors. What you value is neither responsibility nor the country, but your own status and interests. You don't want to risk provoking a madman like me, but you want to control me; only then do you feel safe!"

You just felt threatened because you thought the power I held would get out of your control, so you wanted to control me. However, you didn't even want to take the risk yourself and wanted to use the Imperial Guard. As a result... things suddenly got out of control. Norman Dawson's death was partly your fault, and now that I've been forced to do this, you are equally to blame.

So many people are now holding you accountable, demanding an explanation for their past reliance on me. Do you think it's all my fault? No, the truth is you neglected your duties for your own benefit. You thought you could control the situation, but you messed it up! You don't have that ability, Your Honor!

Levin Stuart stared at Leon, his expression still blank, but his eyebrows twitched slightly.

After a long while, he spoke: "I can still represent the Inquisition and acknowledge that Aaron II's accusations are true. The Church of the Mystic God may side with you, but the Church of the War God will fight you to the death. The remaining churches will support the current emperor because of the Inquisition's actions. Don't tell me you don't care; isn't that why you came here?"

“Yes, I’m here to remind you not to do that, but… I probably don’t need to remind you anymore. You haven’t said anything yet, which means you won’t,” Leon said with a smile.

"Where do you get this confidence?" Stuart asked.

“This isn’t like you, Your Honor. When you immediately acknowledged Aaron’s accusations, you admitted to knowing my identity yet still letting things go unchecked. Even if I’m dealt with afterward, you still won’t escape accountability. And if the situation were reversed, and I won, I don’t need to elaborate on the retaliation your statement would bring, do I? This is a losing proposition for you, so why would you choose it?” Leon laughed.

“Then, supporting you is the same,” Stuart replied.

"So please continue to remain silent, claim that you are unaware of the matter and need time to investigate, and keep delaying. Or, to be more direct, resign on the grounds that you don't want to get involved in political issues, and avoid the storm. After all, the title of Chief Justice has become a hot potato now, hasn't it?"

"It's your choice which of these two options you choose. I only need to confirm that you will maintain your principles. As for me, I can guarantee that as long as you don't become my enemy, I won't do anything to you or your family," Leon said.

Levin Stuart remained silent, and seeing this reaction, Leon was fairly certain that the court would not immediately acknowledge the Emperor's accusations in this matter.

If the Tribunal does not immediately take a stand, the neutral Prophet Church and the Creator Church are unlikely to immediately become his enemies in this chaotic political landscape. After all, Aaron's accusations do not have sufficient evidence, and only the Church of War supported Aaron at the first moment.

"What exactly do you want?" Stuart sized up Leon.

He no longer had the ability to control Fenrir. Now he realized that even after reading Fenrir's memories, he still knew nothing about this person's intentions.

“This is unimportant to someone like you who only cares about yourself.” Leon bowed in farewell.

After the projection disappeared, Leon stood in the Southport County Cathedral, which he controlled, and turned to look at Bishop Auden who was waiting for him: "I've convinced them. At least the church won't immediately acknowledge the warrant for your arrest."

“Oh, then I really have to thank you properly.” Bishop Auden rolled his eyes. “But my bounty is still hanging in the capital.”

"Now you regret not running away in time?" Leon chuckled.

“I never imagined you were going to play this big. Do you want to steal this country?” Bishop Auden frowned.

“It’s probably even bigger than this,” Leon replied with a smile. “Alright, take me to give the arsenal a final inspection first.”

Chapter 669 Steam Engine and Factory

In River Valley, Leon followed Bishop Auden into a sugar factory built on the riverbank. The shop assistants, who were busy in the shop, quickly exchanged glances when they sensed someone entering. Everyone was on alert, and weapons were hidden under their aprons.

Someone casually glanced at the person who entered, and when they realized it was Leon, everyone present immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed to him.

Leon and Bishop Auden walked through the sugar factory workshops and went straight to the backyard, where there were mountains of sacks filled with refined sugar. People kept carrying sacks out and piling them on top of the pile.

Leon walked straight to the sugar refining workshop, where steam was constantly billowing from the chimneys. Inside, there were several huge copper pots with hot steam pipes, boiling thick syrup. The air was filled with a sweet smell, and workers were constantly stirring the syrup and adding lime for clarification.

Leon didn't glance at the production equipment. He followed the guide to a wall in the boiler room piled high with sacks. A group of workers surrounded him and quickly moved the sacks aside, leaving a narrow gap for a person to squeeze through.

The guide went in first, opened a hidden compartment in the wall, inserted a key to open the secret door, then stepped back out, bowing to Leon and Auden and gesturing for them to enter.

The two entered sideways, passing through a narrow, hidden door. Inside was another workshop, and a wave of heat hit them. Leon heard the hissing of boiling water and the sound of machines running. In the workshop, which was filled with a little steam, workers were working diligently and skillfully at their respective workstations.

One part after another fell from the lathe into the iron frame with a clanging sound. Every now and then, a technician would walk over to check the parts and measure their dimensions with calipers.

Leon looked at the two large, steaming machines that were driving these different types of lathes and punch presses, and a knowing smile appeared on his face.

The sugar factory outside is also Leon's property, operating under a fictitious money laundering identity. The refined white sugar produced here circulates and is distributed in several surrounding counties, and sacks filled with white sugar can be used to hide illegal goods such as potions.

Today, this sugar factory is also being used as a cover. A gun factory powered by a real steam engine is hidden inside the sugar factory, and the noise and steam in the workshop can be basically covered up by the sugar refining equipment.