What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

“…” Alicia remained silent. She couldn’t fully trust Leon’s assurances, but she couldn’t really do anything to interfere.

Leon's gaze continued to shift to Dorothy and Lamia.

“I only care about one thing: are you willing to continue to keep the promises we made?” Dorothy asked.

"And ours too," Lamia added.

“The plans are progressing smoothly, and the promises remain valid.” Leon replied without hesitation.

“You said it yourself.” Dorothy smiled knowingly.

"If you complete the Blessed Advancement, are you confident you can defeat that person?" Lamia continued to press.

She still remembered Leon's simple and straightforward strategic direction: defeat her sister and force that person to give up their obsession.

It sounds naive and wishful thinking, but for Lamia, this is indeed the outcome she most hopes to achieve.

“The blood of the curse alone is probably not enough; it would be best to also obtain the power within the remains of Astartes,” Leon said.

Queen Alice actually possesses two blessings, the blood of new life and the blood of curse, and holds the power over both life and death; moreover, both blessings are at the saint level.

Having only one cursed bloodline reaching the Saint level is still not enough to guarantee victory. Leon believes that he will most likely need to obtain the power of Astartes to have enough confidence to challenge Queen Alice.

Only by personally taking control of the entire Norren Empire would he have the opportunity to challenge Her Majesty the Queen who ruled a kingdom.

Chapter 716 Using Force to Seize Power

“Well, at least the strategic direction is clear. It’s good that Norren is on your menu before Moilland,” Dorothy laughed.

"Assuming you can even get to the first step, have you really seriously considered the consequences of desecrating the relics of Astartes? You don't have the strength of the fallen princess Isis, nor the territory of Eland, yet you dare to challenge the entire empire?" Alicia suddenly spoke up.

"You've already passed your turn, Commander Knight," Dorothy reminded Alicia.

“That’s my turn, but my problem is actually similar to Alicia’s.” Johnny, who was sitting at the end of the line to Leon’s right, took over the conversation. “You’ve succeeded, kid, but things might not go as smoothly as you think.”

"Our troubles have only just begun after conquering this large diocese. You've gotten what you wanted, but you've also turned the neutral forces against you. Originally, neither the Church of the Creator nor the Church of the Prophets had expressed their opinions, but now, with what you've done, they'll likely side with the Emperor."

“The Church of the Mystic God is the same. Pope Zeen is supporting Princess Fred, not you. You’ve done something so outrageous that he’ll have his doubts. Don’t expect Princess Fred to convince him,” Alicia added.

Their concerns were not unfounded. The fact that the attack on Santa Rosalia prison followed by the open military assault on a major church district could be considered blatant apostasy.

Furthermore, with the infiltration of the Great Labyrinth and the removal of the Blood of Moirai and the remains of the saints, the neutral Prophets and the Church of the Creator within the Church will successively side with Emperor Aaron and the Church of the God of War. Even the Church of the Mystic God will have to think twice, since their cooperation does not include this part, and Leon's unilateral decision may be regarded as a betrayal.

When the church and the noble forces all become enemies, Leon will have to fight against the entire empire.

Even though Leon has obtained the power of the Saints, it is not necessarily possible for him to directly confront the world's strongest nation alone. Currently, he only directly controls the four southeastern prefectures, and his territory is the same as or even smaller than that of Eland. However, Princess Isis also possessed the powerful strength of fusing with the blood of Moirai.

Even so, Elland was still destroyed by the Norren offensive. Although Norren is no longer led by saints, its military strength is incomparable to that of more than three hundred years ago. In addition, the church has mastered strategic technologies including mercury.

Leon nodded after listening: "Since the topic has come to this point, let's take this opportunity to hold a war meeting. Next, we'll announce to the public the reasons for occupying the Grand Parish."

"Tell me, we obtained secret intelligence from Lamia in the St. Rosalia prison: the sealed labyrinth beneath the Southeast Archdiocese is highly likely to break its seal and erupt. After warnings to the Archdiocese Head were ignored, I ultimately had no choice but to take drastic measures to take control of the Archdiocese to avoid catastrophic consequences," Leon said.

"Do you think anyone will believe your nonsense?" Johnny shook his head.

“Whether anyone believes us or not is not important. What’s important is to have a statement in the open and to buy some time. We need to deal with the inquiries from various churches first. If they want to launch a joint attack and try me, we will contact the scales of justice of the Church Discipline Council. Then we will need to go through an investigation process. I know how efficient the churches are. They can at least buy us five days,” Leon said.

"The balance mechanism?" Dorothy asked with great interest.

"Could you ask her to step aside for a bit? She's been gathering information." Alicia was somewhat displeased with Dolucy's probing.

“I know what that is. It’s the mediation body under the Cardinals that resolves disputes between different departments, especially between different churches, right?” Dorothy said.

“That’s right, we have to put my issues with Santa Rosalia Prison and the Southeastern Archdiocese on the scales of justice for them to investigate and process. Once the paperwork is done, the Cardinals and the Tribunal will have to wait for the mediation process to be completed before they can indict me,” Leon said.

“I see. The church’s paperwork is incredibly slow with its layers of approvals. Those office positions are full of useless people, and they’re wasting the time we’ve gained,” Johnny added sarcastically.

As a frontline soldier within the church, he actually looked down on the civilian staff in the rear, often blaming their work style for the church's internal corruption and inefficiency.

“That’s just your prejudice on the front lines,” Alicia corrected. “This method won’t work. If the Cardinals sense a crisis, the highest directive will be issued and the Church will immediately begin to act. Those procedures will no longer exist.”

"The mediation process is indeed just for show; the important thing is to leave a record so that everyone has a way to back down later. All we need to do is demonstrate our power to the church."

"Force can strangle power. Once we've seized control, we can make them listen to us. As long as they're willing to sit down and listen, there's always room for negotiation," Leon said.

In Aaron's world, black is black and white is white, clearly defined. But in Leon's view, who has navigated both sides of the law, people are actually willing to blindfold themselves when necessary to make it easier for them to blur the lines between right and wrong.

Like the counts of the past and blasphemers like him who were legally worthy of being tried and burned at the stake hundreds of times, they could also openly become powerful figures, mingling in the circles of nobles and the church, who were the ruling class that made the laws.

Therefore, when he wields enough power to shake the ruling class's position, the real threat will not be to him, but to the laws they have enacted—laws are not supreme, and red lines can be flexibly changed.

“You don’t have the power of a saint yet, and besides, are you planning to bring the power of a witch saint to the forefront?” Johnny asked.

Clearly, Leon's closeness to the Witch Saints and his control over the Holy Relics cannot be made public. If word gets out, Leon will be considered a traitor in the eyes of the public, leaving the Church with no room to negotiate with him.

The best course of action would be to negotiate with the heads of the four major churches and play our own cards, but getting the popes to heed Leon's call is easier said than done.

“So our next step is to make a name for ourselves on the battlefield. The Church of War should be approaching Arend Island by now, so we’ll go and take it back,” Leon replied.

“You’re planning to use…” Johnny had already figured out Leon’s strategic direction.

"We can produce the pure magic essence we need from the great labyrinth below. With the relics of the Grand Diocese, we can also produce red mercury. We need to create a sufficient quantity of precisely controlled red mercury weapons, and then we'll test them on the battlefield to let the Church see their effectiveness," Leon said.

Chapter 717 Reclaiming Arend Island

"Do you mean you want to burn several people with one use, or just set off fireworks on the battlefield?" Johnny suddenly asked Leon in an unusually serious tone.

“That depends on what level would make the church stop,” Leon replied.

“That would probably kill a lot of people,” Johnny continued to warn.

“How many people die is not up to us. It’s not us who are closing in, it’s them. As long as they stop, no one will have to sacrifice themselves. But conversely… Johnny, war needs two swords, and we don’t have to be responsible for the other one,” Leon said.

Mercy to the enemy means cruelty to one's own people. Leon knew that Johnny was no naive man; he was just asking to confirm the extent to which they were going to go.

As Leon expected, Johnny didn't offer any further opinions after asking the question. Instead, he explained some of the circumstances:

"Based on the results of Lena's interrogation, we have already searched the parish's relic treasury. It is very rich, but most of them are finished products rather than raw materials. To be honest, even if you demonstrate force, it doesn't necessarily mean you can suppress all the forces within the church."

Given our production efficiency and the resources we've seized, it's unrealistic to expect us to supply you until you win the war.

"As you just said, it's not necessarily possible to suppress all forces. But from another perspective, it's enough to win us some over.

"You've been in the church longer than I have, so you should know better than me what different churches and groups are really like when they're fighting for power. At the very least, we can use the church leaders we have connections with. Either way, if we're finished, they're finished too." Leon looked back and forth between Alicia and Johnny.

Alicia had nothing to say about it, while Johnny simply shrugged.

Although the four major churches appear to be one entity, their open and covert struggles have never ceased. The antagonism between the eastern and western groups, unlike the deep-rooted feuds between prominent families within the church, makes this conflict even more intricate.

Among these forces, there are those like Aaron and Reginald who cannot tolerate dissent and cannot accept Leon as a heretic who threatens the country's security and shakes its class order. But there will also be opportunists who expect a redistribution of power. As long as Leon shows enough strength to win, he will naturally gain supporters.

As for Leon's past crimes of selling potions and committing heresy, they are irrelevant. For those in true power, the law is merely a tool for rule. Once absolute power is obtained, the law can be tamed. How can these unscrupulous forces truly respect the law?

The so-called accusations of heresy were nothing more than tools for political struggle. The Chief Justice of Stuart could, for his own benefit, quickly put some people on trial or ignore others.

Even Saint Astartes, who unified the empire, was accused of many crimes by the other three major churches and other lords of the empire when he supported the Wolfgang family, which at the time only owned a duchy, on behalf of the Church of the Prophet. However, when he helped establish a new dynasty, those accusations naturally faded away.

No matter what, Leon, who has been running the potion business for so long, knows best how many people in the church's upper echelons could provide protection for the potion business for their own benefit, how many people were reselling holy relics, and how many treacherous individuals like Stuart were trying to exploit him. They have all committed serious crimes no less serious than what Leon has done, and these people alone are already inextricably linked to Leon's fate.

Leon himself had long been deeply rooted in the Empire's system, becoming a part of it and thoroughly understanding its rules.

“Although His Holiness the Pope has some doubts about Leon now, as long as Leon demonstrates absolute dominance over the war god's church and the eastern nobles' punitive forces, all doubts can be dispelled. At that time, the supply of red mercury will no longer be a problem,” Fred supported Leon’s statement.

"Is it too late? What was the situation at the Church of War while we were here?" Alicia asked Johnny.

"Their forces have arrived faster than we anticipated. The watchtowers along the River Valley have already spotted the fleet. They'll reach the undefended Arend Island within two days. No matter how you look at it, we won't have time to return and defend it. Once we get back, we'll have to deal with the Church of War entrenched on Arend Island. Even with Red Mercury, it'll be a tough battle," Johnny said.

“That’s all thanks to the lord of Arend Island who left them so many fortifications and the support of the territory.” Alicia nodded in agreement with Johnny, her words dripping with sarcasm towards Leon.

Previously, both she and Freyd had provided Leon with professional advice, helping him predict the possibility of the Church of War attacking his territory, and also telling him that if Arend Island were to be captured, it would be a problem for them, and they should not give it up unless absolutely necessary.

Arend Island is Leon's own territory, and there are limits to how much he can clear it out. Moreover, Leon has already used his own wealth to make Arend Island quite prosperous and has also equipped it with complete fortifications.

However, Leon insisted on focusing his efforts on conquering the Southeastern Archdiocese. While they succeeded, it also led to their main force shifting to the Archdiocese and Redwood County, leaving their vulnerable eastern base vulnerable to being raided by the Church of War's naval expeditionary force.

Now, turning back to defeat the Church of War might not be so easy.

“I think you probably haven’t grasped the importance of your territory yet. You are still Viscount Arend, after all. Arend Island, and your named territory is your symbol. You need to demonstrate absolute military power to the Church, but you’ve lost your territory and can’t get it back. This first strategic step is a failure.” Johnny saw that Leon’s expression hadn’t turned serious yet, so he assumed that Leon hadn’t realized the seriousness of the problem.

“Johnny, you just said we have two days, so we still have a chance to get back. Our fastest ship can get back to Arend Island by sea in two days, you should know that best,” Leon replied calmly.

"That was only possible by using that sea dragon and the albatross compass together. How many troops could a single ship possibly bring back to defend?" Johnny reminded him earnestly.

“There’s another sea dragon like that in the spring of this great labyrinth, and Dorothy’s dragon turtle is near that labyrinth in Redwood County. We can bring three warships back,” Leon said.

“That’s not enough! How many warships do you think they have? Do you expect Pope Reginald to still look down on you now?” Johnny cursed.

"What if what we bring back is an army composed of high-level monsters?" Leon asked.

Chapter 718 I am the Calamity of the Labyrinth

Leon's words made Johnny and Alicia gasp, and even Dorothy and Frey looked on with curiosity, waiting for Leon to explain in detail.

They all understood how incredible it was for Leon to say this as a legitimate tactic; it was as if he were out of his mind.

"What are you thinking? Are you really going to openly send monsters onto the battlefield?" Johnny's eyes widened.

“Leon, you can use the excuse of internal monsters escaping from the St. Rosalia prison to deal with those few monsters, but controlling a large number of monsters on the battlefield…” Freyde also subtly reminded Leon that this was not appropriate.

“You’re handing over your weaknesses to them. You want to win over opportunistic forces within the church, but the biggest disadvantage is that you’re suspected of treason. The church has always been wary of your collusion with Moiland! If you use monsters on a large scale in battle, that will confirm your collusion with Moiland! As long as you show any signs of treason, there will be no opportunistic forces supporting you, and the entire church will be your enemy!” Alicia warned Leon with a solemn expression, her words being the most direct.

“That’s not bad, actually. This option was one of Mr. Fenrir’s trump cards all along, wasn’t it?” Dorothy suddenly interjected with a smile. “The Church of Norren should pray that Mr. Fenrir won’t side with us now, otherwise… can the current Empire really stop the two saints from joining forces?”

"Shut up, witch!" Alicia glared at Dolucy. "You're only staying here hoping to incite him, aren't you? Don't forget, your queen already sees him as a thorn in her side!"

"Wrong, Her Majesty's only thorn in her side is this country! She doesn't like Mr. Fenrir taking the blood of Moirai mainly because she's worried that he'll eventually become an enemy like the Empire."

"But what if Mr. Fenrir is also forced to the opposite side of the Empire? If the Empire can be destroyed, I think Her Majesty would absolutely not mind joining forces with him. After all, the Empire is at the top of her revenge list. As for their personal grudges, they can be discussed later after the biggest enemy is dealt with," Dorothy calmly retorted.

"That person is too controlling. Leon and he can't possibly get along!" Lamia glanced at Leon nervously after hearing Dorothy's words.

If Leon suddenly chooses to join forces with Queen Alice, Lamia's position will become very awkward. Even if she defeats the Empire with Leon's help, Queen Alice will eventually want to fight against Leon and will still intend to reclaim her power. If she attacks during the alliance, Leon may not be able to protect her at all times.

“But this option cannot be abandoned after all, because it is what the church fears the most,” Dorothy said.

“This card is only useful if he doesn’t do it. Not siding with Moirand is his biggest trump card against the Church. Once he actually does it, or is perceived as having done it, this card is completely useless!” Johnny suddenly stood up, his voice drowning out Dorothy’s, and then turned to Leon with a serious expression. “You’ve given me control of the army. I don’t agree with your self-destructive tactics. If you insist on doing this, I can’t accompany you to your death, nor can I accompany my brothers!”

To some extent, Johnny's control over the military was a form of insurance. If Leon made an unwise command, Johnny could stop it in time or even withdraw, making it impossible for Leon to find a replacement.

He is not only the most capable military commander Leon could find, but Leon's strategy revolving around red mercury also depends on him. Only his blessing ability can refine red mercury, giving Leon the ability to produce it independently.

"Can you guys calm down? I said we'd transport the monsters over, not send them to the battlefield," Leon shrugged. "If I were to send monsters to the battlefield, I'd have them pretend to help them attack us and throw mud at them."

"Don't show off this terrible idea! You're the one suspected of being a heretic, not them. Everyone knows who's more likely to control the monster!" Johnny roared.

"Just kidding. The origin of the monsters appearing on the battlefield is actually quite easy to explain, isn't it? The monsters must have come from the labyrinth," Leon said, spreading his hands.

"The Arend Island Maze!" Fred was the first to react.

"You're going to ambush the monster army there?" Alicia followed Leon's train of thought.

“That’s right, people who have learned from their mistakes react quickly!” Leon snapped his fingers at Alicia.

Alicia resisted the urge to roll her eyes at Leon. Leon was really bringing up a sore spot. She and Frey could immediately understand Leon's intentions because they had suffered similar losses at his hands.

In their quest to find evidence to defeat Leon, they forcibly searched the labyrinth of Arend Island, only to be ambushed by Leon, who wiped out their entire knightly order.

"The defenses on Arend Island are concentrated in the west, where the labyrinth is also located. Once the Church of War occupies that area, it will face a pincer attack from both our army and the labyrinth monsters!" Fred said.

“That’s right, the maze disaster on Arend Island has nothing to do with me. Moreover, the Church of War should bear the responsibility for forcibly occupying my territory and mishandling the situation, which led to the maze disaster!” Leon explained his purpose.

In this way, the Church of War, which has occupied Arend Island, will be at a tactical disadvantage, and the same will be true in the debate. Leon can openly shift the responsibility for the appearance of the monsters to the other party.

“But Leon, didn’t you say before that the labyrinth on Arend Island was exhausted? That labyrinth can no longer provide magic to support the monster army. If we carry magic essence to replenish our consumption, the cost will be staggering,” Lena whispered a reminder.

"And how will you control the monsters? Who do you plan to have guard the labyrinth?" Weiss asked worriedly.

Of all the witches present, whoever is sent to Arend Island to control the monsters may be driven into a dead end by the Church of War. This time, the Church of War has occupied Arend Island first, so they can no longer escape by taking the secret passage and then by ship as they did last time.

"You're not planning to let the monsters in the labyrinth act on their own and actually cause a labyrinth disaster, are you?" Alicia looked at Leon warily. "Are you going to sacrifice the innocent people of your own territory for this tactic?"

If we abandon manipulation and simply release a large number of monsters and magic elements, waiting for the Church of War to land on the island, the monster army will overflow the labyrinth and move freely. Most monsters will indeed prioritize attacking the church knights located in the west, but some monsters will probably still escape to other places, such as the inhabited areas on the east and south sides of the island. There are still residents living there, and they are all subjects that Viscount Arend is responsible for protecting. That would truly be a labyrinth disaster.

"Don't worry, I've already thought it through. First, we've confirmed that a sufficient amount of pure magic energy can activate the labyrinth and break the seal. Second, as for who will control the demon army... I can handle that. After all, I am the master of that labyrinth, and I will control the calamity that befalls it," Leon said.