What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

Leon understood that taking a heavily guarded corpse out of the Inquisition was no more difficult than secretly releasing Lena and sneaking out; it would be impossible without the ability to control the entire Inquisition.

"How about making the 'corpse' undetectable and difficult to handle? For example, using some trickery to make it look like she's constantly emitting poison gas?" Leon continued to think of ways.

“How would you possibly have legitimate access to a corpse in that situation? Besides, there are always people in the church who can handle this.” Father Auden interrupted him mercilessly. “Don’t even think about it. That’s impossible. The church will definitely keep her alive or dead. A fake death is never as good as a real death! If you have a way to fake her death and then get her out, you might as well just break her out of prison and take her out!”

“A prison break…” Leon hesitated for a moment.

The idea of ​​creating chaos with fire and toxic fumes flashed through his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

The Inquisition conducts annual drills to prevent arson and poisoning; he alone could not possibly cause the entire Inquisition to descend into chaos capable of capturing prisoners.

"You're actually starting to consider it?" The priest stared at Leon, unsure whether to call the guy crazy or stupid.

“What if they hijacked the convoy that was being transported to the capital?” Leon suddenly asked.

“That’s a supreme investigation order. Do you think the Church will allow anything to go wrong in this process? The prisoner will be escorted by a team of regular knights. It’s probably more realistic for you to try to storm through the Inquisition right now,” Father Auden said coldly.

“Well…” Leon was still racking his brains, “They used so many connections to get that investigation order, they definitely can’t afford to risk a false alarm. If a ‘real criminal’ turns themselves in, the investigation order will definitely be overturned, right?”

“What are you planning to do now?” Father Auden frowned.

“Don’t you always try to get people exonerated? Find someone to take the fall for you. I have all the key evidence now!” Leon suddenly fixed his gaze on Father Auden.

“This isn’t taking someone else’s place in prison; it’s taking someone else’s place in death!” Father Auden corrected. “In times like these, the person taking the blame must die in prison as soon as possible!”

"Can't you buy lives through your channels?" Leon asked.

“It’s not enough to just be willing to die! The people who have taken office now can investigate both Potter and your people. Do you still think they’re fools? You think they’ll believe just anyone who confesses? This person has to be believable as a witch, have a motive, have the right conditions, and be willing to die! Where do you expect me to find such a person in five days?” Father Auden retorted.

“Then…” Leon was still trying to think of a solution.

“You want to save that witch? I’ll tell you the only way.” Father Auden interrupted Leon impatiently, “Go and turn yourself in! Tell them that everything the witch did was forced upon her by you, and that you will die in her place.”

The witch might have a chance to survive, but she'll have to live under the church's supervision from then on. Do you think it's worth it? Take my advice, kill that witch! If you hesitate now, you're finished, Fenrir! Only one of you can live, her or her!!

Chapter 70 The Sacrifice That Must Be Made

Leon was speechless.

He had considered this possibility before; he had even discussed it with Lena.

"Next, I'll use my connections to help you confirm whether the application for the Supreme Investigation Order has truly been sent to the central government. If it has, then you should face reality! In the end, you're just a magic element dealer from a small town. You're facing the top forces of the church and the biggest giants of the underworld. No matter how crazy they are, what storms can they stir up? You're already lucky to have escaped unscathed. What more do you want?"

Father Auden continued to persuade Leon, "You're doing a death sentence; you're trying to salvage gold from bloodshed! That witch is doomed. Kill her now, settle everything, take your million, and enjoy your victory. By the way, aren't you quite interested in that mother and daughter? I'm still handling their debts; you still have a chance to buy them."

Upon hearing the last sentence, Leon, who had been standing there in a daze, finally reacted: "The Potters are dead, but does the Hershey family still have debts?"

“If his debts could disappear with his death, then the line of people who want to kill him would stretch from here all the way to his winery. A man like him should, of course, make plans for what happens after he dies. After he dies, his assets will be inherited, and his business will be taken over by a group. Those debts are no longer in his name; they have been legally transferred to other interest groups. His death will not prevent people from collecting the debts,” Father Auden replied.

"So the money you handle won't have any problems, right?" Leon asked.

“If there were any problems, I would either be arrested or on the run after Potter’s death, and I certainly wouldn’t be standing here properly. You may not believe me as a person, but you don’t need to question my abilities in this area.” Father Auden answered the question with great confidence.

“Is that so…” Leon’s gaze shifted elsewhere, his expression inexplicably calming down.

Father Auden frowned and scrutinized him for a long time, but still couldn't figure out what Leon was thinking.

Without warning, Leon turned around and walked towards the door.

"Are you going to make your move?" Father Auden asked him from behind.

“I need to think about it,” Leon replied softly, his back to Father Auden.

"Consider?" Father Auden frowned even more. "You only have five days!"

“Yes, there are still five days left.” Leon said, then opened the door and left.

Leon returned to the vicinity of Hersh's house after leaving the church in the eastern district, but did not go straight in.

After checking that there was no one else in the alley, he took out another key and opened the door of the row house next door.

He stepped into the house, which was still covered in dust, with cobwebs covering the ceiling.

Leon went inside the house, found his lantern which he had placed nearby, lit it, and opened the cellar entrance to go down.

In the darkness, the light of the oil lamp illuminated the Moirai altar that had been moved there, the experimental tools that Lena had used, and the bottled potions—the only remaining batch of effective medicine to treat the saltification disease, which should only last for three months.

It was only when Father Auden mentioned Hershey and her daughter that Leon remembered this incident.

Whether Leona dies in prison or he surrenders himself, Bishop Leona will no longer prepare medicine for them.

He actually knew the formula for the medicine himself; Lena hadn't hidden it from him. But now that there was no magic essence or farmed monsters, it was no longer realistic to concoct the medicine. Once these medicines were used up, Seri would have to continue relying on holy water to prolong her life.

Bishop Leona being investigated and recalled to the church—whatever the reasons or excuses, even if it was somewhat cruel, he ultimately gave the mother and daughter some closure.

Leon stood there for a long time, then glanced around the cellar one last time, picked up all the medicine packets from the ground, and left the house.

He changed the key, opened the door to Hersh's house, and went inside.

Hearing the noise, Sally, who was sitting at the kitchen table, got up and came out: "Mr. Leon, you're back."

“Mrs. Hershey,” Leon nodded, “Melissa went out?”

“Yes, she went to work,” Celie replied.

At this time, Melissa should be working as a maid at Mrs. Kate's house at the alleyway.

"Oh, by the way, the child still left you breakfast. Would you like some?" Selena asked.

"it is good."

Leon answered absentmindedly and walked to the dining table, where bread and fried eggs were laid out.

"I'll get you some soup." Sally walked slowly into the kitchen and carefully poured the last bit of soup from the pot into a plate.

Leon placed the bag on the table, sat down, and casually forked a fried egg, taking a bite. The egg was already cold, but it was cooked to perfection for him.

He liked to fry the eggs until both sides were crispy, and Melissa always remembered his taste.

"Let me heat it up for you," Sai Li said, bringing the soup over.

"It's nothing," Leon replied blankly.

Mrs. Hershey noticed the items on the table and sat down at the table: "You went to Bishop Leona to get medicine? So much this time?"

"Hmm," Leon responded, staring at the stains on the opposite wall, lost in thought for a long time.

Sally looked at Leon with suspicion; she could tell that Leon seemed to have something on his mind today.

“Mr. Leon, what happened?” Sally asked with concern.

Leon finally made up his mind and slowly turned to look at Selene: "Mrs. Hershey, there is something I must tell you."

……

That night, in the Inquisition.

Lena huddled on the hard bed in the detention room, her arms crossed, feeling restless.

The two days following her arrest felt like an eternity to her.

During yesterday's interrogation, no matter how the bishop and the young man who looked like a knight tried to get information out of her, she remained tight-lipped.

Leon had told her that until evidence was found, the Inquisition would interrogate her intensively every day, and they couldn't rule out the possibility of torturing her despite the rules.

However, after yesterday's interrogation, she was sent to this separate detention cell at the end of the corridor and hasn't left for the entire day.

She couldn't see the outside world from here; the only light came from a lantern hanging in the corridor. She could only judge the approximate time by the food she delivered.

There was no interrogation, no punishment, but the unease that would build up inside someone in such a repressive, confined space would still continue to grow.

She suddenly remembered the time when her grandmother passed away. After all, it was an incurable disease, and she was mentally prepared. Whether she was watching her grandmother slowly pass away unconsciously by her bedside or watching her grandmother being buried, she was actually quite calm.

However, when she returned home and saw the empty room, realizing that the only family member who had been with her all this time would never appear again, a wave of loneliness suddenly overwhelmed her, and tears welled up in her eyes without warning. She was thirteen years old that year.

Nearly four years have passed, and she has finally gradually adapted to being alone.

But now, sitting in this cell, that feeling has returned to her after so many years.

"Why haven't they arrived yet..."

Lena curled up in a ball, hugging her legs, burying her face in her arms, and thought sadly to herself.

The fact that the Inquisition did not seem to find the altar, which was crucial evidence, in her home suggests that Leon had already disposed of those items for her.

But after that, Leon never appeared in front of her again.

She guessed that Leon was probably busy working on her behalf, or perhaps he hadn't had a chance to contact her yet, but he would come to see her sooner or later, tell her what to do next, and encourage her to persevere.

At this point, she had no one left to rely on but Leon.

Just then, a series of barely audible whispers came from outside the detention cell, seemingly indicating that the guards outside were changing shifts.

Then came the sound of footsteps approaching. When it was time for the shift change, the person changing shifts would peek through the small window at the entrance of the detention room to check on her condition.

Lena slowly raised her face. Every time the guard patrolled to this spot, he would order her to look up and make eye contact with him to ensure that she was alright.

This time, however, it was Leon's face that appeared at the window.

Lena was startled and instinctively wanted to call out the other person's name, but Leon stopped her with a look.

Lena reacted quickly, suppressing her excitement at finally meeting him, and nodded silently to Leon.

Leon looked around again to make sure no one else was nearby. Lena slowly walked over and leaned against the door, tiptoed and brought her face close to the small window sealed by the iron mesh. They had to be close to each other to whisper.

“I didn’t say anything,” Lena whispered, looking into Leon’s eyes.

“I know,” Leon replied softly.

"As long as I can get through this, it'll be alright, right?" Lena looked at Leon with hope.

These thirty days will undoubtedly be very difficult for her. She needs Leon's reassurance, a word of encouragement, to tell her that as long as they can get through this, they will both be fine. She feels that she can hold on a little longer.

"..." However, Leon did not respond immediately, and for a moment, he even lowered his eyes to avoid her expectant gaze.

"What's wrong?" Lena vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

“They’re planning to use other procedures to send you to the capital and use the miracles controlled by the cardinal to directly determine your witch status. I never knew such methods existed,” Leon whispered to Lena, revealing the truth.

Finally, Father Auden confirmed that the application for the investigation order had been sent to the central government, and Lena would be transferred to the capital under the escort of church knights within five days at the earliest.

Upon hearing this, Lena's heart sank straight down.

“I’m sorry, Lena, I can’t think of any other way right now…” Leon said softly, looking into Lena’s eyes. “This time, someone has to make a sacrifice.”

Chapter 71 Surrender to the Police

Three days later, early morning, at the East District Church.

"Now that you've confirmed everything, I've taken care of everything you asked for without any problems. You've completely bought out the debts of Hersh and her daughter, and the money they owed the church has also been settled. It's all clean money that I've handled, with proper procedures and complete documentation. Even the church can't find any fault with it."

Father Auden, with his hands behind his back, said to Leon, "This kind of thing should have been done after you've settled all your worries. The witch is still alive, and doing all this is like handling her funeral arrangements. In the end, do you really intend to…"

"Alright, Father Auden, watch your mouth. This matter has nothing to do with you anymore." Leon interrupted Father Auden with his back turned, straightened his collar, and walked out the door. "Goodbye."

“It’s not worth it for you.” Father Auden shook his head at Leon’s departing figure. “Farewell, Fenrir.”

Leon hailed a carriage after leaving the church and rode all the way to the Inquisition.

He sat upright in the carriage, like a knight preparing for battle.

Today, he is going to put an end to this matter once and for all.

He stepped off the carriage, paid the fare, stood at the entrance of the Inquisition, suddenly turned and gazed deeply into the distance before striding into the Inquisition.

Good morning, Captain.

There were several colleagues in the hall, and one of Leon's teammates greeted him in a half-joking tone.

After the raid on Potter Manor, Aaron, with the authority of the director, revoked the punishment previously reserved for Leon and promoted Leon to captain of the third team. However, the atmosphere between Leon and his teammates did not change much.

"Good morning," Leon replied with a forced smile.

“Your injury hasn’t fully healed yet, has it? The director clearly approved your request to rest for a few more days. Is there any need to push yourself so hard?” the team member said.

“I have something I need to take care of today,” Leon said.

"What's up?" a teammate asked casually.

"I want to turn myself in."