What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

Then he suddenly started processing Lena's pending trial paperwork, and Bishop Beckett contacted him whether it was sending Selene to detention or sending Lena home, which made Leon feel deeply uneasy.

Leon then turned around and exchanged a glance with Reina, saying in a businesslike tone, "Let's go, Miss."

Lena cooperated and walked onto the street with Leon. Leon hailed a carriage, and they headed to River Mouth Village in silence.

They got off the bus on the village road in Hekou Village, walked through the village, and came to a deserted path. Lena was about to speak when Leon stopped her with a look.

Leon turned his head slightly to carefully look around. The view around the alley was fairly open, and he could not see anyone hiding nearby, nor any signs of being followed.

Upon entering the grove, Leon became even more vigilant. Instead of taking Lena directly to the cabin, he took a short detour to observe the area.

Finally, back in Lena's yard, Leon turned around and said, "We searched your house for our investigation, and some items were taken as evidence. Would you like me to accompany you to confirm them? Please let me know if you have any questions."

Lena understood what Leon meant; Leon was worried that someone was hiding in the dark eavesdropping inside the house.

“As you wish, Your Honor,” Lena replied cautiously.

"Let's confirm then. Here's your house key." Leon returned the key to Lena.

Lena opened the door to her house, and after the two entered, Leon began to lead Lena around to search for anything unusual, not just places where people were hiding, but also for any unusual objects or marks. After all, the church possessed some extraordinary powers that he was unaware of.

Lena's house wasn't big, and she didn't have many things. He quickly searched the whole place, then went to the backyard and cellar for a thorough check. Finally, Leon surveyed the area around the house one last time before he was fairly certain that there was no third person nearby.

He breathed a slight sigh of relief and returned to the room, looking at Rena: "So, Miss Lothark, is there anything you need to tell me?"

“No more,” Lena replied softly.

"That's good." Leon nodded.

The two looked at each other in the room, speechless for a moment.

After a while, Lena cautiously approached Leon, looked up at him, and asked in a voice only they could hear, "Is it all over?"

"Probably," Leon replied, though he was somewhat uneasy. But the fact that Lena had been released after going through the trial process meant that Aaron and Bishop Beckett had abandoned the Supreme Investigation Order, and there was no need to worry about Lena being sent to the capital for trial.

“Miss Selene…” Lena asked hesitantly.

“She’s been taken into custody. I’ll handle it,” Leon replied somberly.

Lena swallowed the rest of her words. Leon had told her about his plan from the beginning. She had considered it and hesitated, but in the end, she did not object.

She didn't want Sally to sacrifice herself in her place, but when she learned that Sally insisted on accepting the deal, she ultimately didn't voice her objections.

She didn't want to die, nor did she want to be under the church's supervision for the rest of her life. She wanted to live. In the end, she wasn't that noble. In this matter, she and Leon became accomplices once again.

This time, however, they committed an unforgivable crime for which there is absolutely no excuse.

"What should we do then?" Lena asked softly.

“Don’t do anything. Once the case is completely closed, everything should be fine,” Leon replied.

"I'm asking what we'll do after all this is over? What are your plans?"

Their business is now completely over, the entire transaction chain has been destroyed, and this territory will be taken over by a new underworld tycoon.

Their belongings, including the most important altar of Moirai, were also confiscated.

After regaining her freedom, Lena felt somewhat lost. She couldn't imagine what she should do now that everything had settled down, and she wanted to know Leon's plans.

"Do you still want to continue?" Leon asked Lena softly. "Mrs. Hershey said that if you intend to continue your research, she wishes you the opportunity to save others. Of course, it depends on whether you yourself are willing to continue."

“I…” Lena hesitated for a moment, then shook her head. “Without the altar, the research can’t continue, and I already…”

Having brushed with death, she no longer had the courage to go on. Fear of the church, guilt towards Sally—all of it weighed heavily on her, making it hard to breathe.

Leon scrutinized Lena and nodded gently: "It's alright, then give up. Take that money and live a good life. If it's all over, move to another place and forget everything that happened here. I'm sorry for making you go through all this."

He spearheaded this business deal, and the transaction with Selena was also his idea. Leon had no intention of touching the money that was originally promised to Lena.

Lena felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over her head. She looked up sharply and stared at Leon in disbelief.

"You...you want to continue?" Lena asked, staring at Leon.

“I’m not sure.” Leon looked into the distance. “Maybe if there’s an opportunity…”

The altar of Moirai, the source of the monsters, the customers, the territory... all of these are gone, but that doesn't mean there won't be opportunities to solve these problems in the future.

"Are you crazy? It's all over! We barely escaped death, and you still want more?" Lena felt that this was a bit unreasonable.

“Yes, I escaped death. So, now I need to figure out how to survive, so… I need money, but I have no money left.” Leon shook his head slightly. “Don’t worry, this time I don’t need to involve anyone else in my affairs.”

After making the deal with Selena, he didn't have much money left, and he wanted to leave the rest to Melissa as promised.

He survived, but his injuries still require a large sum of money, and Lena no longer has the resources to help him research medicine.

In just a few days, he lost everything he had accumulated. He was like Sisyphus in the myth, who was punished by the gods for fooling them and had to keep pushing a boulder up a mountain. Every time he got close to the top, the boulder would slip back down and return to the starting point, making all his hard work in vain.

But Leon didn't actually gain nothing. He now possesses the witch's power, although he can't use it as effectively in business as Lena, but he still has a basic advantage.

He has mastered all the techniques from raising monsters to refining magic essence. If he could gather all the other necessary conditions, he could actually support the business on his own.

Of course, he doesn't have to stick to the magic essence business; he's willing to try any business that can make money.

He had once been prepared to die, but now he feels that it doesn't matter if he continues to risk his life.

Since Lena had no intention of continuing, he didn't intend to force her.

The thought of saying goodbye to Lena completely made his heart ache, but if Lena wanted to live a peaceful and safe life, it would be best if she had nothing to do with someone like him anymore.

After thinking it over, Leon couldn't think of anything else to say. Finally, he nodded to Lena and said, "Goodbye, take care of yourself."

Lena stared blankly as Leon turned away, his face filled with sorrow. She seemed to see a thin thread connecting them, now about to break.

In the empty room, an overwhelming sense of loneliness seemed to catch up with him once again.

Suddenly she reached out and grabbed Leon's hand.

Leon turned around in surprise.

“I still have money!” Lena looked into Leon’s eyes, her lips trembling. An uncontrollable thought suddenly rose in her mind and finally burst out of her mouth, “Leon, let’s… leave here together!”

“Us?” Leon repeated instinctively.

“Yes, us! Once it’s all over, we’ll leave this place together! You can use the rest of the money to do whatever you want, just don’t take any more risks! We…we…” Lena’s voice suddenly choked up, “Let’s…stop this together!!”

Chapter 75 The Method to Save Everyone

Looking into Lena's tearful eyes, Leon froze on the spot, forgetting even to blink.

As they looked at each other, he finally understood that Lena actually felt the same way he did.

For Lena, he was the only person in the world who shared the same sins as her.

What has happened cannot be changed. Until time heals the pain of this ordeal, only he can share it with her and offer each other warmth and comfort.

Leon cast a questioning glance at Rena as he slowly raised his hand and tried to stroke her cheek.

The girl's face trembled slightly in my palm, but she did not resist.

“Alright, let’s stop.” Leon’s voice trembled involuntarily. “Once all this is over, we’ll leave this place!”

"Yes!" Upon hearing Leon's reply, Lena nodded repeatedly, tears welling up in her eyes.

……

No more! I don't want any of it!

Leon stood once again at the entrance of the Inquisition and strode inside.

The position of Inquisitor, the power of the witch, the business of salvaging gold from blood... none of these were needed for him anymore. He and Lena would both completely withdraw from these pursuits.

Just as he was about to give up and continue his trek through the abyss, Lena pulled him back from behind and gave him a future they could share—no more risks, no more hurting others, leaving this place behind and letting time heal everything…

What more could someone like him ask for than to receive such redemption?

But before that, he must wait patiently for the case to be settled and for everything to come to an end.

He returned to his team's duty room to prepare the final report on Lena's interrogation process. At this time, all the other team members were out on missions, and he was the only one sitting at the table in the large duty room.

Leon let out a long breath, composed himself, and was just about to start writing when he suddenly heard footsteps stop at the door.

He turned his head and saw Bishop Beckett appear in the doorway again.

"Sir?" Leon quickly stood up and saluted, trying to remain calm as he asked, "Is there something you need?"

Upon seeing Bishop Beckett, he tensed up. This was the second time the bishop had suddenly appeared before him today, and something was clearly wrong.

"Nothing, was the person sent back?" Bishop Beckett asked.

“Yes, I took the suspect to her home in Hekou Village,” Leon replied.

“Is that so? That’s good.” Bishop Beckett nodded calmly, then suddenly stepped into the guard room and closed the door behind him. “I have a few words to say to you about the witch Selene Hershey who turned herself in today.”

"Please speak." Leon's heart started racing.

"You know that witch, live under the same roof, yet you haven't discovered or suspected anything... Ah, of course I know that's a bit much to ask of people, and Director Aaron understands this very well, but if you write this in the report and submit it, the higher-ups might still hold you accountable."

"So we plan to go through the proper procedures and give you the minimum punishment in the report we submit. We hope you understand that this is to protect you," Bishop Beckett said kindly.

“Of course, I completely understand,” Leon nodded in reply, but he was not entirely at ease.

"This might still have some impact on your future performance evaluation, but only for a short period of time," Bishop Beckett continued.

“I don’t mind, thank you for telling me this, sir,” Leon replied.

"I'm glad you don't mind."

Bishop Beckett nodded with a smile, paused for a long while, then suddenly lowered his voice, "After all... you've already achieved your goal, haven't you?"

Although he had prepared himself mentally, Leon still felt as if he had fallen into an ice cellar the moment the truth was revealed.

Bishop Beckett indeed saw the problem and even pointed it directly at him!

"Sir, what are you saying?" Leon feigned confusion.

There is no evidence that he had Selena replace Lena. Even if there is suspicion, there is no way to find out anything unless Selena confesses, but Selena will not admit it.

“Just listen to me first…” Bishop Beckett smiled and raised his hand, signaling Leon to calm down. “I have always trusted my intuition. From the moment I caught Lena Lothark, the case outline in my mind had already taken shape. But even though I had used so many resources to take the initiative, I just couldn’t find the key evidence, which forced me to use all my trump cards, including the Supreme Investigation Order.”

However, Selena Hershey suddenly surrendered herself just as we were applying for the supreme investigation warrant, and the evidence came flooding in. This evidence pieced together a truth that completely overturned my preconceived notions. My intuition told me something was definitely wrong, but I couldn't see it immediately. Fortunately, when I reported to that official, he gave me a hint.

Upon hearing this, Leon felt a chill creep up his spine and spread throughout his body.

"Actually, we only need to make one assumption: that there is someone trying to mislead us. He must be connected to all the events. He is like a thread hidden in the dark, connecting every suspicious point."

Bishop Beckett looked at Leon and nodded as he said, "And you are the hidden thread. You have contact with the informant who disappeared with Caron. You have the means to transfer evidence before us. Director Aaron once told you about the investigation warrant. And Hershey, who turned himself in, happens to be related to you."

"Excuse my bluntness, sir, but if your premise is flawed..."

Just as Leon was about to defend himself, Bishop Beckett raised his hand to stop him: "It's alright. This is all just my speculation. There's no evidence. As long as no one suddenly names you, the Church's procedures pose no threat to you."

Hearing this, Leon's unease did not lessen; instead, it grew even stronger.

“But if it’s a force outside the Church, then no evidence is needed. For us, a mere suspicion is enough,” Bishop Beckett continued, his hands behind his back.

Leon felt a chill run down his spine as he suddenly remembered Father Auden mentioning that Bishop Beckett, like the priest and Caron, had been investigated within the church. He had suspected at the time that Bishop Beckett was not as clean as he thought.

A name he already knew could influence the church's power surfaced in his mind.

That force doesn't need to seek any evidence; they are inherently opposed to the law.

When suspicion falls on a particular target, that's enough to justify their actions; they can be more dangerous than the church!

Leon's heart sank, realizing with alarm that if these people turned their suspicious gazes toward him, then Lena would be in the same situation!

He was ready to fight in an instant, but on the surface he remained calm and did not show any hostility.

Bishop Beckett was undoubtedly an extraordinary being. The fact that he dared to stand in front of Aaron when he saw Sally holding the cursed blood shows that he had the means to deal with it.

However, Bishop Beckett may not know that the blood is actually his power. After all, it is quite counterintuitive for a witch to bestow her blessing upon a man. If he can make good use of it, there is still a chance to find a breakthrough in his deadly ability.

However, he still had a question in his mind: if Bishop Beckett represented that force, a mere suspicion would be enough to justify taking action against them. There was no need to confirm with him here; it would only create more trouble for them.

Bishop Beckett, with his hands behind his back, looked at him with a half-smile, showing no sign of tension.

"Do you want to save them?" he suddenly asked.

At that moment, Leon felt as if his heartbeat had stopped for a second.

"Them"? Does that mean not only Lena, but also Melissa and even... Selene?

He wasn't sure if Bishop Beckett was deliberately provoking him to reveal a weakness, or if there was some other purpose, but if such a possibility really existed... he wouldn't mind risking his life for it!

The future that Lena had described to him, the future they would spend together, gradually faded from his mind, replaced by a narrow, treacherous path stretching along the edge of a cliff, endlessly extending forward.