What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

They went to great lengths to seize power and authority, but at this point, Leon felt that whether or not to use it depended on his mood.

This made Freyd vaguely realize that Leon still had fundamental differences with her in some of his ideas.

"I pursue power because power brings me more freedom, freeing me from the constraints of all sorts of things and the unpredictable nature of fate. Freyde, do you think conquering the world and ascending to godhood constitutes a kind of freedom?" Leon asked.

“Doesn’t that count?” Fred asked.

To become the ruler of the world, to sit on the throne of a god and look down upon the world—how wonderful that would be! Freyd had truly imagined such a future when she was a teenager.

It's not that she's forgotten her original thoughts, but she's gradually accepted reality. Even becoming a saint like Astartes, who could unify the empire with an iron fist, is still an unattainable dream for her.

Leon gradually turned this unrealistic idea into reality, which Fred actually admired quite a bit.

Leon has a unique talent for bestowing blessings, and Fred didn't feel it was unfair. After all, her background was vastly different from Leon's. She believed that if she had started from the same point as Leon, even if she had that kind of talent, she probably wouldn't have been able to reach the level Leon is at today.

But if she had the chance to be in Leon's current position, she would definitely climb to the top at all costs. Whether it's the ruler of the world or the throne of a god, she wouldn't let go of anything she could get her hands on.

“The freedom I envision is the ability to choose this path, or not to choose it. If you turn this into a necessary task, what’s the difference between that and going to work? How can that be considered freedom?” Leon replied calmly. “If you can’t control your own heart, even if you sit on the throne of a god, you’ll only feel restless.”

Freyde carefully considered Leon's words, and then tried to ask, "In your opinion, is the power at the pinnacle of the world, the supreme power of the throne, really that unattractive?"

“Power and strength are tools that give people freedom and allow them to please themselves. If they can’t even do that, then they have no value as tools.” Leon paused as he spoke. “Of course, I still need them right now. We need to make good use of the cards we have to restrain the church.”

“Since you conquered this diocese, your reputation for apostasy has probably spread to all the dioceses of the four major churches.” Freyd nodded. “Even Pope Zehn would have doubts about you.”

“We’ll silence their doubts soon enough,” Leon replied with a smile.

Thanks to Freyd, the Church of the Mystic Gods temporarily became Leon's ally. However, Leon did not reveal his plan to seize the Blood of Moirai and the Remains of Astartes to them. As part of the Church, the Church of the Mystic Gods would not tolerate his outrageous behavior.

However, once he acts first and reports later, his position with the church becomes completely different. If he is powerless to resist the church's judgment, then he is a heinous sinner. But if he has the power to inflict heavy casualties on the church or even shake its foundation, and at the same time he can show the church the value that can be won over, then the four major churches will naturally be willing to sit down and talk with him.

"That sounds pretty exciting," Fred smiled knowingly.

One of the fundamental reasons she used to find inheriting the throne uninteresting was that she understood the weight of the church in the country. The royal family could not do without the church and was also controlled by it. She herself was supported by the Mystic Church and did not have enough power to interfere with other churches. Even after sitting on the throne, she would still have to deal with the four major churches. She had personally witnessed her father's helplessness on the throne, so she naturally understood how boring it was to be an emperor.

So she was genuinely looking forward to seeing what kind of reactions Leon would make the popes of the four major churches.

“You see, what you’re looking forward to isn’t the power itself, but what that power can do.” Leon looked at Fred and smiled. “Since you like it too, why don’t you join me? After all, the cards I’ve got are partly thanks to you.”

Friede looked back at Leon absently, a subtle smile on her face, as if she were deep in thought.

Fred felt she finally understood what it was about this man that attracted her. Leon had similar thoughts to her, but he had gone much further than her, because their perspectives were completely different.

With her originally predictable life, the world was nothing more than a fishbowl in her eyes. No matter how hard she swam, she could never escape the four walls of the fishbowl. But this man broke through the fishbowl she was in, turning the framework of class and background into shards of glass, and letting her see the possibility that there was an ocean beyond the fishbowl.

“Alright, now we should go up and check on the remains of Astartes. Hopefully, they're still intact,” Leon said, pointing towards the labyrinth entrance.

But Fred didn't move immediately. Instead, she stood still and brought up another topic: "Didn't you just ask me what I was trying to do by getting close to you before you recovered from petrification?"

"Weren't you here to check the injury on my face?" Leon asked back.

"Such a lame excuse won't fool you, will it?" Fred said, taking two bold steps forward to stand in front of Leon and looking up at him, the distance between them clearly exceeding the appropriate limit. "Want me to tell you the answer?"

After saying that, Freyd once again tiptoed and moved her face closer to Leon. Just as they were so close that their breaths were almost touching and their lips were about to touch, Leon raised his hand and sealed Freyd's lips with his finger.

"What do you mean by that?" Leon looked directly into Frey's eyes.

Frey was silent for a moment, then raised her hand to grab Leon's wrist and move his hand away. She then leaned in somewhat forcefully and pressed her lips against his.

As they parted, Fred looked at Leon's slightly confused expression and laughed: "I'm so glad you didn't run away, otherwise my determination would have resulted in an embarrassing situation that I could never forget."

"..." Leon didn't speak, but continued to ask with his eyes.

“An invitation, valid for now. If you intend to bring this country under your control, then seriously consider the marriage proposal I mentioned to you before. I just want to let you know that my thoughts haven't changed, only my desire has become stronger, so I will probably be more cooperative. The decision is still yours,” Freyd said with a sly smile.

Before Leon could give a specific answer, she turned and walked towards the exit of the cave: "Aren't we going to confirm the remains of Astartes? Let's go."

Chapter 714 The Conditions of Astartes

In the ruins temple area, Leon stood at the place he had previously identified as a monster breeding pool, carefully examining the large vat that he had placed over Astartes' remains.

The walls of the room were still relatively intact, and the impact had lessened considerably when the flames of the red mercury filled the room.

Although the large vat was burned and developed many cracks, it is still well preserved overall.

If the protective outer shell is so intact, then the remains of Astartes should not have suffered much damage.

“I still think you should show some respect for the saint’s remains.” Although she had already learned about Leon’s actions through communication, Fred still felt a mix of emotions when she saw the saint’s remains covered by a large jar that had been picked up from somewhere.

You should know that this large vat may not have originally been used to hold water. If it had been placed in a breeding farm for monsters, who knows what might have been put in it.

“I have already shown him considerable respect, and I have gone to great lengths to preserve his remains,” Leon said, carefully lifting the large, cracked vat.

Beneath it lay the remains of Astartes, half-buried in the ground, like a small tree standing straight in the soil.

This reminded Leon of that classic joke, where a group of government officials held a meeting to discuss cost-saving measures, and someone suggested that bodies be buried upright to save land.

Then another person suggested that the body could be buried halfway and left half exposed, thus saving the need for a tombstone.

This idea made Leon laugh as he looked at the half-buried remains of Astartes. Then he picked up a shovel and, while digging around in the soil, said, "Actually, if I could, I would like to smash these salted remains directly. Firstly, I can find a container to put them in, and secondly, I can destroy the evidence."

"Can you call this respect?" Freyd raised an eyebrow.

"If Stuart and his group obtained some power from the remains, they probably wouldn't have much respect for them. To the Church, the relics are merely tools to bear power."

"If destroying the relics could bring forth new saints, I doubt the four major churches would hesitate," Leon said.

"I don't recommend you think that way. Taking Asta's power is one thing, but damaging the remains is another. Remains are just inanimate objects, but to the living, they are a symbol of that person's existence. There are always some true beliefs within the Church, and taking such an action will only make it harder for you to negotiate with the Church," Fred advised.

“I know, that’s why I said I wouldn’t do it if I could,” Leon replied.

Judging from the fact that it helped him increase his chances of winning against Queen Iris's avatar, the blessing power left behind by Astartes clearly still carries some of his will, and it is difficult to predict what consequences would result from damaging his remains.

Even in this world with extraordinary powers, the idea of ​​someone becoming a vengeful spirit after death is unheard of, but the remnant will of Astartes undoubtedly exists, and Leon has confirmed the existence of this "ghost."

“In theory, as long as the ritual to become a transcendent is performed again, and the source of the blessing power is changed from an ordinary holy relic to this holy remains, one can inherit the remaining power of Astartes,” Freyd said.

“But things shouldn’t be that simple.” Leon finally finished digging and put his tools aside. “Otherwise, the Church wouldn’t be unable to train even a single saint.”

“Your talent is different from theirs, and you are standing at the forefront of the world, where you can influence the fate of this country. You can control the future trend at any time.” Fred seemed to have great confidence in Leon’s ability to fully obtain the power from the remains.

“This is probably also related to the remaining will of Astartes. If it were me, I wouldn’t want my body to be used as a tool to gain power. Perhaps only by eliminating that resistance of consciousness can there be a chance,” Leon said.

"Gaining Astartes' approval? Like when you solved the test of Queen Iris's clone, he allowed you to move forward." Freyd was starting to understand. "Then what conditions would he have for taking the power from the remains? Don't the three who possess the Blessing of Omniscience know?"

“Perhaps they just know it, but can’t do it.” Leon said, reaching out to examine the texture of the remains to see if they were suitable for transport.

Then, the instant he raised his hand to touch the remains, a will suddenly entered his mind, as if someone was constantly speaking in his head.

As if receiving divine revelation, he understood the answer to a question.

"What's wrong with you?" Fred noticed the unnatural pause in Leon's movements.

“I think I know the conditions now; I feel the revelation from Astartes,” Leon said.

"What exactly are the conditions? Does it mean we have to actually defeat the Queen of Moiland?" Fred asked curiously.

However, without obtaining Astartes' full power, it would be quite difficult to defeat the real Queen Iris.

“A unified empire,” Leon said.

"What?" Fred didn't react for a moment.

“The will of Astartes wants me to reunite the power of this nation and take it into my own hands, just as he did back then,” Leon said.

Astartes unified the fragmented empire and established a dynasty for the current royal family. It is not surprising that he wanted to make the country a powerful center of the world.

"So that means when you hold supreme power in this country, the remains of Astartes will naturally recognize you?" Frey found this idea quite interesting. "Wouldn't that be a natural progression?"

She envisioned that Leon would eventually stand at the pinnacle of the country, so this condition was nothing to her.

"This is just the first step, don't rush," Leon said, already preparing to move the holy remains.

He had gained the power to counterbalance the church, but to stabilize the church and the nobles in various regions, and to solve the problem of Aaron who was now sitting on the throne, he had the opportunity to support Fred to ascend the throne. And he was in control of the power behind the scenes. The problems he had to deal with along the way were probably more than he had imagined.

The incompletely digested power of the saints is not enough. Fortunately, he has discovered the technology to use red mercury. He used this technology to deal with Queen Alice's clone, and now he can use it to deal with the church.

The first thing to deal with is the army of the Church of War, which is currently attacking his territory.

"Go out and tell them the good news, then it's time for the war council," Leon said, hoisting the holy remains onto his shoulder.

Chapter 715 Fenrir's Press Conference

In the conference room of the Southeastern Archdiocese Knights Command, Leon sat at the far end of the round table in the seat that originally belonged to the diocesan rector. The other seats, which originally belonged to the commanders of the various troops in the diocese, were replaced by people he had summoned.

Lena, Johnny, Freyde, Alicia, Lamia, Dorothy... Vess, who was originally staying in St. Rosalia Prison, also came here after receiving a call, because there was more important work to be done here.

Before the war council even began, all eyes were on Leon as he took his seat. Once everyone was present, Leon finally spoke:

"I believe Fred has already explained what happened before the meeting. But I'm sure you still have many questions, and considering we'll be busy soon, I think it's necessary for me to answer them. You can ask your questions now."

Just like starting a press conference, almost everyone in the room raised their hands after Leon's opening remarks.

“Let’s start from my left and proceed in order.” Leon looked at Lena, who was sitting on his left.

"I have nothing to ask. The fact that you came back alive means you've already succeeded. Anyway, you've been acting recklessly and won't listen to me, so what can I say?" Lena said this without any emotion, as if it were just a common occurrence.

“I’m sorry, Lena, but I still want to try my best not to give up. There are many uncertainties in the option of escaping,” Leon explained.

Lena didn't offer any further opinions, and Leon turned his gaze to Weiss.

"You've fused with the blood of Moirai, so... has your blessing power reached the fourth tier?" Weiss asked curiously.

"It should be said that we have reached the boundary of a breakthrough, but to complete the breakthrough, I'm afraid we still need to fulfill some conditions," Leon said.

"The blood of Moirai will etch this answer into your instincts. It should be the sacrifice of a third-tier Four Gods' Blesser, right? After Princess Isis merged with the God of War, a high priest of the God of War offered himself up."

Dorothy suddenly interrupted, disregarding the order of events, but no one objected, as her words essentially provided an answer for Leon.

“Yes, the fourth-tier advancement is the same as before. It requires the sacrifice of the four gods’ benefactors, as well as the sacrifices of the third tier, and then the absorption of a large amount of the labyrinth’s magic power.” Leon confirmed Dorothy’s statement.

The will of Moirai, which is opposed to the Four Gods, still permeates the blessing of ascension, and the closer one gets to the origin of Moirai, the clearer this will becomes.

After fusing with the blood of Moirai, Leon felt an instinct that compelled him to offer a high-level blessing from the Four Gods in the labyrinth so that he could fully unlock his potential.

“Oh, in that case…” Alicia deliberately looked at Johnny, “Even if we can’t catch any cardinals, at least we have someone to choose from.”

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Johnny frowned.

“You seem pretty devoted to your current employer, don’t you?” Alicia said sarcastically.

"Go to hell," Johnny snorted.

“Johnny is the key figure in our camp’s ability to produce red mercury,” Leon emphasized.

“You’re making it sound like you’d consider sacrificing me if I weren’t valuable,” Johnny protested.

"So what exactly do you plan to do?" Freyd brought the conversation back on track.

“It doesn’t necessarily require killing the opponent, but it does require crippling their abilities,” Leon explained.

"Is this even possible?" Alicia asked, somewhat surprised.

“Her Majesty the Queen could do that, but she hasn’t used it that way, at least not with the Imperials,” Dorothy said with a smile.

“Advanced cursed blood allows for more precise control, enabling the killing of only a portion of the opponent's body. It can cause a small part to die, deprive a certain sense, or even destroy the opponent's blessing power. I can now feel that I can do this,” Leon explained.

After fusing with the blood of Moirai, his blessing power has been significantly enhanced. Although he can no longer unleash the Death Domain without a medium as freely as Queen Alice, his operational precision is now completely different from his previous level.

Alicia frowned slightly upon hearing this. So, it seemed that she and Freyd could actually have their abilities removed by Leon at any time.

Freyd didn't seem to care much about this and continued to ask, "Even so, it's impossible to say that anyone would willingly sacrifice themselves for you."

The conditions for absorbing magic power are sufficient with the ancient Elland labyrinth beneath the Grand Parish. Even without the blood of Moirai, the labyrinth that was once activated by it is still the largest and most magically abundant labyrinth in existence.

The problem lies in this sacrifice; the entire church doesn't have that many third-order blessed extraordinary beings, and without exception, they are all cardinals at the highest levels.

Where should we choose a sacrifice for Leon?

“I have someone in mind, we can discuss this in more detail later.” Leon indicated that they should not start the topic yet.

Then he shifted his gaze downwards. If Fred had no problems, the next person in order would actually be Alicia.

“Now that you have the power to manipulate the empire, I’ve been wanting to ask you this question for a while: Is it enough for you to have Princess Frede on the throne and in control of the country?” Alicia asked Leon.

Now that she is no longer loyal to Frey, her focus has shifted to the potential consequences Leon might cause.

The civil war between the eastern and western noble groups, which was vying for power and profit, had already caused some damage to the country. However, Leon's actions could have a disruptive impact on the country, potentially causing huge casualties and losses, and even shaking the foundations of the nation.

"Are you worried that I'll turn this country into a bloodbath?" Leon saw through Alicia's thoughts. "Don't worry, at least I'm not a madman who enjoys causing pain. Even in the struggle for power, I won't go any further than you."