What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

He has hidden all the evidence. As long as Lena doesn't give in and holds out until the detention period ends, she can be acquitted!

Aaron took Leon's reaction as regret, after all, Leon had risked his life and been injured in order to solve the case, and finally caught such a suspect, but they were struggling to bring him to trial because they had no evidence.

He thought for a moment, then lowered his voice and said to him, "But you don't need to worry. Bishop Beckett has applied for the Supreme Investigative Order of the Prophet Church. As long as we obtain the Cardinal's guilty verdict, we will determine that the suspect is the witch."

Leon was immediately struck dumb: "What did you say? Doesn't the Church have no method to identify witches?"

"No, actually there is, but very few people know about it. I can't go into the details... Anyway, don't worry about the case, just focus on recovering."

Aaron reached out and gently patted Leon's shoulder, but to Leon, each pat felt like an immense weight pressing down on him.

Chapter 68 You've Already Won

Sally woke up from her bed, wearily propped herself up, and saw Melissa squatting by the stairs in the attic, carefully watching the movements downstairs.

"What's wrong, Melissa?" Sally said, getting up, then suddenly feeling dizzy, she slumped back onto the bed. "Ouch!"

"Mom!" Melissa turned around in surprise and quickly returned to her mother's side. "What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, I just felt a little dizzy when I woke up," Sally chuckled softly.

"Are you dizzy again?" Melissa asked worriedly as she reached out to check Sally's forehead temperature, but thankfully it wasn't hot this time.

After using the special medicine given by Bishop Leona, Selene's health improved significantly. Her legs became more agile, and her upper body regained its strength. The effects of the medicine over the past period of time have even caused the crystallized parts on her body surface to peel off again, and new, tender skin to grow.

But until their last consultation, Bishop Leona had been very serious in telling them that the current medication still couldn't cure the disease; it could only improve symptoms and prolong life, while the disease was still progressing slowly within the body.

In fact, at a certain stage, Celie's improvement reached its limit. Although her body regained its mobility, she was still extremely weak and would occasionally experience abdominal pain and dizziness, sometimes accompanied by fever.

Moreover, over the past few months, the symptoms have become more frequent, and it is clear that, as Bishop Leona said, the disease is still slowly eroding Selene's body.

Even so, for Sally, the past six months have been much better than the past when she was bedridden and living a life without dignity.

"It's alright, I'm not dizzy anymore. I'll be fine after sitting down for a bit. Please get me a glass of water," Sally forced a smile.

Melissa picked up the kettle and cup from the cabinet and poured a glass of water for Sally.

Just as Sally took the water, she suddenly heard a noise downstairs.

Is Mr. Leon still available at this time today?

Sally was a little surprised, as Leon would usually be at work by this time, or he would have stayed out all night.

“Brother Leon has a guest today, his boss, so we need to be careful not to let him know about Bishop Leona.” Melissa made a shushing gesture.

"Oh, I see." Sally immediately understood.

Just then, the sound of a door closing came from downstairs.

“It seems like they’ve left…” Melissa turned to look. “I’ll go check.”

Melissa walked down the stairs and found Leon standing in the entryway with his back to her. The door was closed, and it seemed that Leon had just seen his boss out.

"Brother Leon, has that person left?" Melissa asked.

“Yes, that’s right,” Leon replied in a deep voice.

For some reason, Melissa felt that Leon's tone and the atmosphere emanating from his back were a little different from usual.

She got down and put her apron back on, then suggested to Leon, "So you don't have to go to work, right? I'll make you breakfast."

Melissa went into the kitchen and began to take out the ingredients to prepare.

At that moment, Leon, who was standing in the entryway, said, "No, Melissa, I suddenly remembered that I have something to take care of right away."

Then the sound of the door opening was heard.

"Huh?" Melissa was taken aback. She turned around and walked out of the kitchen, only to hear the door close. Leon's figure had already disappeared from the entrance.

……

In the East Quarter Church of Hamel, Leon looked up at the emblem formed by the intertwining of hourglass-shaped lines and four-pointed stars. This was a prophetic church that primarily worshipped the Supreme God.

The four origin gods worshipped by the church—the Supreme God, the God of War, the Creator, and the Mysterious God—appear in mythology and church works as a prophet, a warrior, a craftsman, and a traveler, respectively. Among them, the Supreme God, who appears as a prophet, holds a higher status than the other three gods.

He is the apex of the four-pointed star, and the power he wields is time, the origin and end of everything. He is omniscient, knowing the past, present and future. He is all history, the embodiment of knowledge, and the guardian of all writers, scholars, poets, teachers and all those who write.

The Supreme God holds the highest position, but the Prophets' Church has the fewest number of clergy and priests among the four major churches, because the Prophets' Church has the strictest standards for evaluating its exclusive clergy.

There are actually ten churches in total in Hamel, but only this one is the Prophet's Church, and Father Raymond Auden is in charge of it.

Leon strode into the church courtyard. At this time, no one was in the church, and the doors to the main nave were closed. Only a young servant could be seen sweeping the ground in front of the door.

"Is Father Auden here?" Leon asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, the priest just came out..." The servant said, raising his eyes, but suddenly stopped when he saw Leon.

He suddenly scrutinized Leon's face, his gaze instantly becoming sharp and intelligent.

Leon suddenly sensed something and tentatively asked, "Is the priest waiting for me?"

"Yes." The handyman suddenly straightened his expression, glanced outside again, put down his broom, and said in a low voice, "Please come with me!"

Leon followed the servants, bypassed the main church, and entered the monastery, which was only accessible to internal staff, along the side corridor. Finally, they arrived at a bungalow in the corner that looked like a warehouse.

The servant knocked on the door at a specific frequency and called out, "Father, the guest you previously instructed to come has arrived."

A moment later, the door opened, revealing Father Auden's aged face. He saw Leon and instructed the servant, "You can go now. Tell anyone who comes after me that I've left."

"Yes," the servant replied and immediately left the monastery.

At Father Auden's prompting, Leon entered the bungalow and discovered that it was not a warehouse, but a fairly tidy study with a desk piled high with documents surrounded by bookshelves.

“I was wondering when you would come to see me. You didn’t even tell me when Potter died.” Father Auden locked the door and walked past Leon.

"You already know he's dead?" Leon was a little surprised.

Potter was killed only yesterday, yet Father Oden had already received the news.

“I have my own sources. I know his estate was raided and then he died, but I don’t know how he died. You shouldn’t have any reason to kill him, right?” Father Auden asked.

“No, he was an assassin, an assassin blessed by the Starry Night God. When we arrived, he had killed everyone. Then, when Aaron Diaz caught him, he committed suicide,” Leon replied.

“A blessed assassin?” Father Auden frowned.

"Do you have a clue?"

“The only one I can think of is the Earl. Among Potter’s enemies, only the Earl has this ability, so I warned Potter a long time ago.” Father Auden shrugged.

“That doesn’t make sense. The Earl has the ability to put pressure on Potter directly through the Inquisition. The Inquisition was just one step away from taking down Potter. Wouldn’t sending assassins again just create unnecessary trouble?” Leon questioned.

"It is indeed strange, but we have no way of knowing what the situation is over there, or what other plans they may have. It's actually easier for us if Potter dies before he's caught; the key now is that we need to handle the aftermath properly."

Father Auden spread his hands toward Leon. "To be honest, I'm very busy right now. A lot of Porter's assets urgently need to be dealt with and transferred to avoid being investigated by the church. So, to get to the point, do you have any new developments to tell me, or do you want me to help you launder the money?"

They are all connected to Porter, and they have connections among themselves; in a way, they are now in the same boat.

“My men have been arrested,” Leon stated bluntly.

“Your people? Do they matter?” Father Auden immediately became alert.

If Leon's men's arrest implicates Leon himself, then he will have to do some extra security work.

“It was the witch who concocted magic essence for me. My alchemy room was raided at the same time yesterday,” Leon said in a deep voice.

"They even tracked down your place! How did that witch who can turn people into poison get caught?" Father Auden's expression turned serious. "Since you're still standing here, it means she didn't betray you, right?"

“She doesn’t have it yet; I taught her before. Then, before the church search, I moved all the evidence,” Leon said.

“You plan to delay her release for thirty days? Can she handle it? If Caron Esso were here, he wouldn’t care about so many rules,” Father Auden reminded her.

Torture to extract confessions requires an application, but not all inquiries into heresy fully comply with the rules. There will always be people who try to force confessions from the other party to find evidence to supplement the confession before bringing the case to trial and convicting them.

“But Aaron Diaz won’t do that,” Leon said confidently.

“That’s possible. If his identity is special, the achievements he seeks might require a very clean record, without any visible blemishes. Using torture without authorization would be problematic. But at the same time, they are even less likely to accept a case that can’t be closed. You’d better not be too optimistic if it drags on,” Father Auden cautioned.

“No, they went through a different process. Aaron Diaz told me they applied for a Supreme Investigative Order, saying it was the only way the Church could identify witches…”

Before Leon could finish speaking, Father Auden's eyes widened: "The Supreme Investigative Order!? Are you sure they're talking about the Supreme Investigative Order?"

"Do you know what that is?" Leon looked at the priest seriously.

He came to Father Auden specifically to find out what this supreme investigation order was.

Father Auden was lost in thought for a while before speaking: "Currently, there are three people in the Church of the Prophet, including the Pope, who possess the miracle of 'omniscience' recognized by the Church. They can use the magic of divination to find out key information about a person's past and can reconstruct the truth of the case that person experienced with 100% accuracy."

It is said that using a single miracle requires several months of recovery, which is very troublesome for busy cardinals, so very few cases can persuade them to participate. Conversely, however, with the approval of any one of them, the Prophet's Church can initiate a supreme investigation order, sending the suspect to the capital, where their verdict can become decisive evidence!

Leon was struck dumb: "Using divination to solve cases? Can such an absurd thing be accepted?"

“Their ability to perform miracles is undeniable; every case they handle can be traced back to crucial evidence. If the church, from the top down, wanted to frame someone, there would be no need for such a farce. The most crucial point is that your person truly has a problem. Once the process begins, your person will inevitably be convicted, and you will also be investigated. It's best not to take any chances,” the priest said.

"The scale of this case is enough to warrant the issuance of an investigation order?" Leon was still somewhat skeptical.

“I was surprised too. The only explanation is that Diaz’s background is really something, that the cardinal would openly side with him.” The priest actually laughed at this moment. “You should feel honored, Fenrir. The Supreme Investigator’s Order, and that count… Now the highest forces in both the underworld and the legitimate world are targeting you at the same time.”

“What’s so funny?” Leon frowned.

“You should be the one smiling the most, because they couldn’t touch you no matter how hard they tried, you’ve already won! Let me tell you, the process of obtaining a Supreme Inquiry Order, which involves cardinals, takes at least five days to process, no matter how expedited it is. And you’re an Inquisitor for Heretics, with access to the imprisoned witch. Five days is more than enough time for you to resolve your worries!” Father Auden said with a smile.

"Solve what?" Leon's expression turned incredulous as he vaguely sensed the priest's meaning.

“That witch?” Father Auden looked back at Leon, puzzled.

Chapter 69 Only One Can Live

Father Auden was deeply puzzled by Leon's reaction.

When a key witness is caught, isn't killing the witness to silence them the most common practice in their line of work?

Especially for a man who kills without blinking an eye and is willing to risk his own life at the gambling table when he goes crazy, isn't this commonplace? He even killed the head of the Inquisition to silence him before!

Many people struggle with how to kill witnesses in prison, but Leon now has an unparalleled advantage. He doesn't understand why Leon looks like he just thought of it.

The problem is solved now as long as the witch dies in prison. Even if she possesses omniscience, her miracles only work on living people, and the church cannot trace her to the dead.

Countless witches have committed suicide by poison in prison. They can concoct all sorts of bizarre and magical poisons, and some even possess special abilities to use poison themselves, making it impossible for teachers to defend against them in many situations.

Leon's silence and contemplation lasted only two seconds before he shook his head at Father Auden: "No, it's not time for that yet!"

“What do you mean it’s not time yet? She’s about to be subject to the Church’s highest level of investigation. Do you expect the Pope to come and investigate her personally before it’s time?” Father Auden couldn’t understand at all.

“She’s still useful to me, I can’t just give up on her like this!” Leon said earnestly, staring at the priest.

“Potter is dead. This will be the Earl’s territory from now on. What use is she to you if you can’t do business here? Her only use now is to let the church find you through her! Even if she listens to you and can help you refine 85% magic essence, what’s the point? What are you hesitating about?” Father Auden frowned as he looked at Leon.

"..." Leon did not reply, but his eyes showed no sign of backing down.

Leon understood the priest's logic: poison Lena in prison so the Inquisition wouldn't be able to trace him through her. This was the simplest and most straightforward solution.

But he was deeply opposed to this approach; he couldn't even imagine it, let alone consider it.

“Oh no.” Father Auden suddenly realized something and shook his head as if he couldn’t stand it anymore. “You’d better not tell me that woman is someone like you who has a weakness!”

For Father Auden, it was certainly better to have the clues end with the witch than to have Leon caught. He was currently working hard to resolve the evidence related to his relationship with Potter. If Leon took any risks and got caught, it would increase the possibility of him being investigated, which would add a lot more work to his workload.

In the priest's eyes, the best option for both him and Leon was for Leon to eliminate the witch and escape unscathed, then entrust him with the million dollars in embezzled funds to launder and enjoy life.

Leon instinctively wanted to refute, but found that anything he said would be futile.

That's right, in the end he simply didn't want to kill Lena, he didn't want Lena to die!

It was only at this critical juncture that he truly realized that Lena was special to him.

In reality, he wasn't that afraid of death at all. His second life in this world was already terrible enough for him, and he didn't cherish it at all. When he was overwhelmed by the reality of this world, Lena became the key for him to change his destiny!

They went through life and death together, committed sins together, and were always accomplices with a shared fate. It felt as if even if they fell into hell, someone would be with them, and they would never be alone!

He led Lena down this path, and he caused her to end up in this predicament. His pride cannot allow him to let Lena bear the consequences of his actions. He even promised Lena that he would take full responsibility in this situation!

“Fake death,” Leon suddenly said.

"What did you say?" Father Auden didn't react for a moment.

"If I had a way to put her into a state of temporary suspended animation..." Leon pondered as he considered a solution.

"Oh, that's a great idea. If the Inquisition finds out a suspect is dead, they'll just let you take her out alone and bury her in the wild like a stray dog. Then you can easily revive her in a corner where no one can see her!"

Father Auden retorted sarcastically, "Don't forget that even if she died in prison, her body is still important evidence! Putting aside whether you can fool the coroner, how are you going to get her out of the morgue? Do you think none of those witches have tried the fake death potion? All bodies suspected of heresy are eventually cremated. Guess how many witches who pretended to be dead were burned alive and then burned to death again in the case files?"