What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

“…No,” Aaron replied.

When he saw Melissa, he felt only sympathy. Even if he had seen Sally lying in bed, he probably wouldn't have suddenly suspected that she was a witch; he would have felt even more sympathy for her.

It's no wonder that Leon never had any doubts. Such a pitiful situation was like a protective shield, and no one would doubt that she was the witch who could produce magic essence worth millions.

"So, you've been taking advantage of Judge Seth's sympathy all along?" Aaron asked, looking at Sally.

“My lord, whether it’s illness or debt, it’s all real. In what way did I take advantage of him?” Sally retorted.

Aaron was speechless. After a moment, he continued to ask, "According to you, you were only responsible for producing magic essence, and all the other processes were handled by Henry Potter's people? You don't know anything about where the monsters are raised?"

“I don’t need to know these things for them,” Sally shook her head.

"The purity of the magic essence that Potter possesses has been increasing. Do you have any clue about this?" Aaron asked.

“I don’t know. The purity of the magic element has improved, it seems the raw materials have changed, but they didn’t tell me why. But before that, there’s something that’s been bothering me,” Sally said.

"What is it?"

"They had me purify the venom of a monster called the Chicken Snake according to a formula, and then tested it on animals after activating it with magic essence. After that poison was obtained, the purity of the magic essence extracted from the raw materials began to increase dramatically," Sally said.

Aaron fell into deep thought upon hearing this.

So, it turns out that Henry Porter risked opening a studio in the maze in order to protect his market?

How did Potter know the location of the maze's entrance? Could it really be related to Caron?

According to the former captain Martin's confession, Caron had been selling stolen goods through an informant who was a subordinate of Porter. When Caron disappeared, the informant also disappeared.

The examination revealed that Caron's body had been poisoned by chicken snakes. Therefore, Caron and Potter colluded to run a breeding business in the maze. Then, for some reason, they turned against each other, and Potter chose to assassinate Caron with poison.

Leon quietly observed Aaron's changing expression.

In his script, they pushed all the problems except the witch onto Henry Potter, including setting up a farm in the labyrinth and killing Caron, who was a dead man who couldn't speak anyway.

For Leon, a complete truth wasn't necessary; Aaron and the others could piece it together themselves. He only needed to weaken the suspicion against Lena as a witch, thus undermining the investigation order.

The interrogation room door reopened, and Bishop Beckett entered with a serious expression. He leaned close to Aaron's ear and whispered, "Sir, as she said, we've found the evidence."

Chapter 73 Unrealistic Fantasies

"Have you found the altar?" Aaron and Bishop Beckett confirmed.

“That’s right, it’s been completely confirmed. It’s an altar, along with tools for making magic essence and potions. Potions of the same color and smell were also found at the site of the labyrinth,” Bishop Beckett said.

Aaron recalled that some experimental rats had been found in the maze, some of which had salination disease, as well as some potions with a minty scent.

The investigators already had a hunch that the drugs were used to treat salinization disease.

For those who profit from producing magic essence, there is no profit to be made from the cure for the rare disease Saltification. However, it is a different story if someone actually gets Saltification, and Selene Hershey seems to be the key figure in that.

“In addition, I obtained information from the finance department that the debts owed by the Hershey family to the church have been settled. Just the day before yesterday, the money came from a charitable organization under a chamber of commerce related to Potter. This organization had appeared in the previous investigation into the flow of Potter’s assets,” Bishop Beckett said.

In other words, Celie's debts were resolved after Porter's death through Porter's money laundering methods, which seems to indirectly confirm the transactional relationship between Celie and Porter. This was probably resolved by the person who handled Porter's funeral arrangements.

Porter's money laundering methods were very sophisticated, making it extremely difficult to investigate and seize these funds as illicit gains.

"So that means she really is the witch who supplies Potter? Then what about Rena Lothark?" Aaron asked, puzzled.

The evidence gathered all seems to point to Selene as the witch, but the whole thing still seems to be shrouded in mystery, making it difficult to see the full picture.

Bishop Beckett thought for a moment, then turned to Sally and asked, "You've already paid off your debts through your work, so why did you suddenly turn yourself in?"

“Potter’s people left me an anonymous letter in the workshop, telling me that Potter is dead. After Potter died, I could no longer obtain the materials and magic essence for the medicine, so this is the end of it,” Sally replied.

“Life is at stake, aren’t you going to think of another way? Besides, don’t you still have some medicine left? Why not at least wait until those medicines are used up and spend your last moments with your daughter?” Bishop Beckett smiled slightly.

At that moment, both Leon and Selene tensed up, and Bishop Beckett seemed to have doubts about Selene's motives for turning herself in.

“I overheard Mr. Leon mention that the church had captured the witch… I don’t know the details, but I feel that if any innocent people are involved because of what I’ve done, I should personally settle things,” Sally continued.

Bishop Beckett glanced at Leon, then nodded at Selene with a forced smile: "Not bad, a very noble idea. But the evidence is all here with you, and the Church wouldn't wrong an innocent person."

Aaron looked at Bishop Beckett in surprise, noticing that Bishop Beckett seemed to have some doubts.

Although he held a higher position, Bishop Beckett had more experience in handling cases.

However, Bishop Beckett did not continue to press and interrogate her, but instead said to Sally, "So, do you have anything to add regarding the case?"

Sally thought for a moment, then turned to Aaron instead of Bishop Beckett and asked, "Sir, does your previous promise still stand?"

Before giving her statement, Sally brought up Melissa's matter, claiming that Melissa knew nothing about it and asked Aaron to assure her that Melissa would not be implicated because of her. Aaron agreed.

“Before you are convicted, we will place her in the church’s welfare home, where she will be taken care of. After you are convicted, she will only need to attend a reformatory for a period of time, and there will be no repercussions,” Aaron replied.

“Okay, thank you.” Sally nodded.

“Don’t you care about your fate? Don’t you want to know what kind of judgment the Church will give you?” Bishop Beckett said.

“I’m about to die, my fate is sealed, destiny has already judged me, and the gods have never shown me mercy,” Selene said with a sorrowful smile.

Aaron felt a sudden tightness in his chest upon hearing this.

“The gods are indeed merciful, but the form of their mercy is not easily understood by mortals.” Bishop Beckett said, turning to Aaron, “Sir, since she has nothing to add for the time being, let’s end the interrogation here and go check the evidence.”

“Okay,” Aaron nodded in reply.

“Judge Seth, could you please move the suspect to solitary confinement cell number four?” Bishop Beckett handed a set of keys to Leon.

Leon was somewhat surprised, but he still reached out and took the key, replying, "Yes."

Leon walked over, unlocked Sally's handcuffs from the chair, and put them on her wrists before leading her out of the interrogation room.

Only Aaron and Bishop Beckett remained in the room.

“Bishop Beckett, what do you think?” Aaron asked for his opinion.

“I’m thinking…” Bishop Beckett replied thoughtfully, “we can close this case here.”

"What?" Aaron was quite surprised. "I thought... you still had doubts about this matter."

When Bishop Beckett questioned him, his skeptical attitude led Aaron to believe that there was definitely more to investigate.

Unexpectedly, the other party's conclusion was to close the case immediately.

“There are indeed some details that are not entirely clear, but they are nothing compared to the mysterious killer who murdered Porter—that case may warrant a separate investigation, and I am more inclined to believe it might be aimed at you. But regarding the case of Henry Porter’s trafficking of contraband and the death of Caron Esso, with that evidence, we have already pieced together enough truth to close the case, Your Highness!” said Bishop Beckett.

Potter and Caron conspired to raise monsters in the labyrinth and forced Selene to become a witch in an attempt to produce magic essence locally. They may even have fed the monsters with corpses they had murdered. Later, the two turned against each other, and Caron was assassinated by Potter, his body used to feed the monsters, which led to the production of increasingly pure magic essence in the area.

Such a truth is complete enough for the case closing report submitted to the central government, and is enough to be considered an achievement for His Highness the Prince.

As for the killer, it can be explained as an assassin targeting His Highness the Prince. The church may or may not open a separate case, but in any case, this will not be a negative factor for Aaron's handling of the case; on the contrary, it may even improve his evaluation.

With Sai Li surrendering herself and providing crucial evidence, they have achieved their goal of closing the case.

"What about Reina Lothark?" Aaron suddenly asked.

“Release her…no, let’s put her under investigation first,” said Bishop Beckett.

"Investigation pending trial" means that no coercive measures are taken against the suspect or key witness. They are only required to report regularly to ensure that they can cooperate with the investigation at any time until the case is closed.

In other words, this is actually releasing Reina.

Aaron was taken aback: "Are you sure she's alright? You caught her when you sealed off the mountain. Do you really think she was just gathering herbs?"

Bishop Beckett had previously been extremely suspicious of Rena, even to the point of applying for a supreme investigation order, but now he seemed to have suddenly dismissed all his suspicions and easily overturned all his previous deductions.

"Perhaps she has a problem, perhaps she's a pharmacist hired by Potter, but we have no evidence left, and there's no need for us to waste any more energy on her. The longer we detain her, the worse it would be for your reputation if we couldn't convict her in the end."

Bishop Beckett said solemnly, “Your Highness, we must report and supplement this matter in a timely manner as required. The Supreme Investigation Order is no longer possible. It would be a farce to make Cardinal Stuart waste his energy on such an unnecessary matter. We cannot afford to take that risk, nor do we need to! It would be best if I took the initiative to contact the authorities to withdraw the order and release Reina Lothark.”

“Bishop Beckett, do you only care about the evaluation I will receive, and not the truth?” Aaron vaguely felt that there was something wrong with Bishop Beckett’s way of handling cases.

“We do not possess omniscient miracles; we can only pursue the truth in the sense of the law. Your Highness, the truth obtained through legal procedures is the truth we need,” Bishop Beckett said slowly. “If you approve, I will go and take care of it.”

……

In cell number four, Leon led Sally into the cell, closed the door, and looked back through the small window to make sure no one else was nearby.

"When?" Sally asked Leon from the small window.

She asked Leon when she would die in the Inquisition, as she neither wanted to be burned at the stake nor suffer the pain of her worsening condition; she preferred a quick and painless death.

Moreover, the fact that she is a witch cannot withstand close scrutiny and must be resolved before anyone becomes suspicious and another investigation is conducted.

"Don't rush things; we don't know what they'll decide yet," Leon said softly.

There's no guarantee that things won't change before Lena is released, so we must wait until it's absolutely necessary before taking action.

“Okay.” Sally gripped the railing of the small window, her knuckles trembling. She suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, “Even though I’ve mentally prepared myself for my death, I still can’t help feeling afraid… I’ve already said goodbye, and now I want to see Melissa again.”

Leon lowered his gaze. This morning, when they said goodbye, Melissa cried her heart out in his arms.

Ever since Sally convinced Melissa that night, Melissa had been depressed and hadn't spoken a word to Leon since. The look in Leon's eyes when she first learned about their deal was something Leon felt he would probably never forget for the rest of his life.

“I can ask Director Aaron for help…” Leon said.

"No, no, let's not." Sally shook her head repeatedly. "Let's not cause that child any more suffering."

“Okay,” Leon replied.

“Mr. Leon, if Miss Lena intends to continue developing a medicine for halogenation disease after she leaves, please tell her for me that I wish she could save all the other people suffering from this disease,” Sally said softly.

"I see."

As Leon answered, a thought suddenly popped into his mind: Sally's confession stated that she was coerced by Potter, and if this confession were accepted, she might not necessarily be sentenced to death.

If Lena can continue her research on a cure for halogenation disease outside the prison, and if there's a way to secretly administer the drug to Selene in prison, perhaps...

Wait, what am I thinking?

Leon immediately abandoned his unrealistic fantasy. How could he possibly bring the medicine to Selene in prison? Selene was even less likely to withstand scrutiny. If Selene was found to be not a witch, all their efforts would be in vain.

Unless he sits in Aaron's position, this is simply impossible.

He and Selena had long been prepared for this.

"Wait for my message," Leon said.

Sally nodded and sat down in the detention room.

Leon breathed a sigh of relief, went out to keep watch for a while, and left the detention area under the courthouse after someone took over.

When he came up from underground, he was surprised to see that Bishop Beckett was standing at the top of the stairs, seemingly just about to go down.

Before Leon could react and salute, he suddenly smiled and said to Leon, "Judge Seth, you've come at the right time. Come and help me with the formalities. We need to conduct an investigation and await trial for the previous suspect."

"Investigation pending trial? Who?" Leon didn't react for a moment.

“Rena Lothark,” Bishop Beckett replied calmly. “After the proceedings are complete, could you please take her back?”

Chapter 74 Let's Stop Together

Lena stepped out of the Inquisition, the dazzling sunlight shining on her face, and for a moment she felt a sense of unreality.

Just three minutes ago she was in a dark and cramped detention cell, and now she has seen the light of day again.

She felt uneasy, but dared not turn around to look at Leon behind her, because Bishop Beckett was standing right next to Leon.

Leon had told her that he would take action today, but neither of them expected to be released so quickly.

According to Leon's original plan, even if the evidence and testimony provided by Sally could significantly reduce Lena's suspicion and obstruct the application for the Supreme Investigation Order, Aaron and Bishop Beckett would still detain Lena for a period of time and conduct several interrogations, possibly even for a maximum period of thirty days, assuming that their plan would not change.

As a result, on the same day that Selene was imprisoned, Lena was released from the detention room under the pretext of an investigation pending trial.

“Lena Lotharck,” Bishop Beckett called from behind Lena. “Don’t forget, this is an investigation pending trial, not a real release. We are simply choosing to believe you will cooperate with the investigation based on your attitude.”

For the next period of time, you cannot leave Hamel town. You must remain contactable. Starting the day after tomorrow, you must report here every three days until we close the case. Understand?

"Yes, sir," Lena replied, bowing her head.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask this judge. He will escort you home.” Bishop Beckett said, looking at Leon. “It’s up to you, Judge Seth.”

"Yes, sir." Leon bowed and watched Bishop Beckett return to his office.

Bishop Beckett didn't turn around, but looking at his back, Leon felt very uneasy.

He could tell that although Bishop Beckett's position was below Aaron's, Bishop Beckett led the investigation in their joint efforts.

Bishop Beckett showed a hint of suspicion while questioning Selene, but ultimately ended the questioning easily.