What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

Leon's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, and he quickly composed himself: "Is...is that so?"

"You couldn't even stop smiling!" Convinced that Leon had ulterior motives in this matter, Lena pushed Leon away, feeling both embarrassed and annoyed.

“Okay, I admit it, I admit it!” Leon raised his hand helplessly. “I was a little bit hopeful, but it was only to escape danger! Otherwise, do you really want me to go with that shapeshifter…”

Upon hearing this, Lena and Leon glanced at the shapeshifter that was being held down by the demon wolf. After being controlled by Lena, the shapeshifter became quite docile and did not move at all.

"..." The two fell silent, both of them somewhat resistant to the plan.

Lena certainly didn't want Leon to take that kind of risk; the idea that the shapeshifter was used to facilitate a solo ritual was just Leon's speculation.

Shapeshifters are monsters that approach humans in the guise of friends or family and then kill them. Who knows if they might suddenly do something dangerous during the ritual? Even if the shapeshifter cooperates, it's hard to say whether the close contact between humans and monsters might cause any adverse effects such as diseases or curses.

Even setting that aside, most people wouldn't accept their lover having sex with someone else in front of them, let alone a monster.

"Maybe, maybe there's another way?" Lena said as she pondered. "This shapeshifter was automatically generated in this room; maybe it knows other exits and rules?"

She stared at the shapeshifter, focusing her attention while commanding it, "Take us out of here!"

The shapeshifter reacted slightly upon hearing this, seemingly taking time to understand her instructions.

Then it began to rapidly change shape, gradually transforming into the likeness of Leon.

"...I think you really want to die!!" After a moment of silence, Leon suddenly drew his gun in a rage and aimed it at the shapeshifter's head.

After understanding Lena's instructions, the shapeshifter gave the same answer as Leon had guessed. However, after failing to transform into Lena's appearance last time, this time he chose to read Lena's memories and transform himself into Leon's appearance.

Although it was just a programmed response to a command, Leon thought this shapeshifter was really asking for trouble!

Sensing Leon's rage, the shapeshifter instantly reverted to its black, humanoid shadow form, emitting hissing sounds as if begging for mercy.

Lena glanced at Leon somewhat awkwardly. The shapeshifter's reaction further confirmed Leon's suspicions—the only safe way to get out of here was to complete the ritual.

Leon noticed Lena's gaze and turned away. After a moment of silence, he sighed, put away his gun, looked into Lena's eyes, and said, "Lena, I understand you're a little annoyed by being forced into this situation..."

"I...I don't hate it." Reina instinctively denied it upon hearing this, her voice trailing off. "I'm just...scared. This is...my first time!"

"Don't worry, leave it to me, I have plenty of experience..." Leon said in a reliable tone.

"You have experience?" Lena stared at Leon with wide eyes.

Of course, she couldn't help but mind this, and if Leon said he had been through countless battles before, the resentment would only grow stronger.

“…Theoretical knowledge,” Leon said, spreading his hands.

Lena stared blankly at Leon, not quite understanding what was happening. Leon, feeling embarrassed by her gaze, could only manage an awkward smile: "You're nervous? Actually, I'm nervous too."

Based on the knowledge he had accumulated in his previous life, he dared to say that he had mastered the skill of slaying dragons, but he just hadn't found a dragon yet.

Lena then realized that in the dim light, Leon's face was actually just as flushed as hers.

Realizing that the other person was feeling much the same way, Lena's nervousness lessened considerably. The two looked at each other and smiled sheepishly.

Then Leon became serious, looked at Lena, and said, "Lena, I..."

He felt he should say something, make vows of eternal love, or utter sweet words. Many options flashed through his mind, but he felt they were all a bit strange. Saying them under such special circumstances seemed like just laying the groundwork for taking advantage of the chaos.

Lena seemed to sense something. She hesitated for a moment, but finally mustered up the courage to gently raise her hand and cup Leon's face in her hands.

Leon looked at Lena in surprise. Lena was clearly more nervous than him, her eyes darting around like a timid kitten, yet she still stared at him intently. From this angle, the light reflected in Lena's pupils, making her eyes appear brighter than ever before.

Leon saw the determination in Lena's eyes, just as he had when Lena had mustered the courage to ask him to leave together. He suddenly realized that he didn't need to think so much.

A single glance is enough for them.

He silently put his arm around Lena's shoulder and slowly brought his face closer. Lena tensed up with nervousness, but finally obediently closed her eyes.

However, just as the atmosphere was getting better, the two suddenly heard a strange noise coming from the other side of the door.

Leon and Rena's expressions changed, and they subconsciously glanced at the location of the stone door.

The door wasn't open, but the noise definitely came from there.

Besides the strange noise from the door, there were other rustling sounds in the room. The two looked in the direction of the sound again and were both stunned.

They saw that the demon wolf was no longer holding down the shapeshifter, and the shapeshifter had somehow transformed into a female demon wolf, nuzzling against the demon wolf.

Just as the two wolves were about to mount, Leon realized that the shapeshifter was still trying to carry out Lena's order to let them out. However, after all the previous plans were rejected, it tried the third plan—to complete the ritual with the wolves!

Judging from the sound of the door opening just now, this method seems to be really effective.

Once they've finished mating, the door will open automatically, and they can leave safely!

Without even thinking, Leon picked up the test tube containing his blood again, opened it, and was about to splash it on the two monsters.

This is outrageous! We've finally gotten this far, and you're going to ruin everything for me?

But then he noticed that Lena was staring intently at him, and he hesitated.

If there was still a sliver of hope before, the situation is now completely different; they no longer have any reason to complete the ceremony.

There's no point in forcing Lena if she doesn't agree.

Thinking of this, Leon stopped what he was doing and sighed softly.

Seeing him stop, Lena hesitated for a moment, then finally muttered softly, "You...you're not going to do anything?"

Leon looked at Rena in surprise, then understood and splashed his blood at the two monsters.

The wolf and the shapeshifter were still entangled in their lovemaking and, before they could react, were splattered with blood and let out a startled cry.

Taking advantage of the situation, Leon activated his power, turning the blood splashed on them into cursed blood, which also emitted large plumes of poisonous smoke.

With a piercing scream, the two monsters separated and rolled and struggled on the ground, while the shapeshifter reverted to its shadowy form.

Soon, the wolf and the shapeshifter froze and remained motionless.

The room fell silent again. Leon turned to look at Lena, who met his gaze briefly before looking away, then cautiously looked back at him.

Leon could no longer restrain himself and leaned close to Lena to kiss her. Lena wrapped her arms around his neck in response with a hug.

After a while, the stone door made a loud rumbling sound, and the secret chamber opened again.

However, the noise inside the house continued, and no one came out for a long time.

Chapter 106 Werewolf and Succubus

An hour later, Leon and Rena finally emerged from the opened secret room.

The wolf and the shapeshifter were both under a curse and petrified, so they wouldn't die anytime soon. Leon decided to leave them for now.

As they passed through the passage, Lena stumbled, and Leon reached out to support her: "Are you alright?"

"It's nothing, my legs are just a little sore." As Lena said this, her eyes began to stare straight at Leon, with a hint of resentment in them.

"What's wrong? Does it still hurt?" Leon asked cautiously.

"It's alright, it didn't hurt as much as I imagined..." Lena muttered softly, "But don't you think it took too long? The door was already open during the first round..."

"Sorry," Leon smiled apologetically, "but you didn't tell me to stop when I continued."

"Pervert," Lena muttered under her breath, then lightly kicked Leon's shin.

She thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something: "That's right, I need to hurry up and get the medicine ready!"

"What medicine?" Leon asked instinctively.

Lena hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's... the one used for contraception."

This world has not yet invented a universal contraceptive drug, but there are formulas among the magical potions that use magic essence to achieve this effect. Most witches and even some underworld apothecaries have mastered them. They are said to be quite reliable and have few side effects, but they are very expensive to make.

Despite its high price, market demand remains high, making it a flagship product in the potion trading market. After Leon inherited Potter's market, he also sold this product. Among the witch's information that Lena inherited from her grandmother, there are many potion recipes, and this is one of them.

Leon paused for a moment upon hearing this, still trying to think of what to say, when Lena sensed it and spoke first with a complicated expression: "Leon, there's nothing we can do right now..."

Leon felt a little uneasy after hearing this, but he knew that Lena was right.

He and Lena were undoubtedly truly in love. Although everything that happened in the secret room was due to a coincidence that led them to break through the final barrier, they both knew in their hearts that they would eventually take this step.

Reaching this point naturally leads to thoughts of marriage, children, and a future together. Leon is twenty-one years old this year, and Lena is seventeen, both of which are of marriageable age in the Empire.

But their current situation does not allow it. They are venturing into dangerous businesses, and instead of stopping, they are getting deeper and deeper into them. In this situation, if they have children, do they really have the means to give their children a decent future?

Nowadays, they have to think twice before even getting married, let alone having children.

Sally is still incarcerated at the Inquisition, and Melissa is still studying at the reformatory. Their cases are said to be closed, but if it were discovered that they were to have a public marriage, which would certainly arouse suspicion.

Lena once offered Leon the same option: to escape everything with her and live together forever.

If they had chosen that future back then, they could have truly gotten married, had children, and stayed together.

But Leon personally rejected that option, choosing instead the perilous path of risking everything to seize power and wealth in order to save everyone, and Lena chose to walk alongside him.

Now, looking back at his choices, Leon realizes even more clearly that the possibility he once had—the happiness that belonged to ordinary people—seems to be very, very far away from them.

But it's not entirely impossible to get it back.

“Once we get through this, there will always be a way,” Leon said softly.

Even those who work in this industry have a chance to quit and retire completely.

Once a choice has been made, there's no going back.

The choice made in the past may seem wonderful, but in reality, it also meant sharing the guilt of sacrificing Selena, waiting for time to heal it.

They've decided to work together to save everyone, so there's no turning back.

“Hmm.” Lena understood Leon’s thoughts and responded softly.

"What ingredients are needed for the recipe? Are any of them missing?" Leon asked Lena, adjusting his mindset.

“It’s okay, we should have everything here.” Lena frowned slightly as she said this. “Actually, ever since we came out of here, I’ve felt like something’s not quite right.”

"Are you still feeling unwell?" Leon asked with concern.

“It’s not my body, it’s magic,” Lena replied. “After I came out, I felt magic surging around me, and I couldn’t calm it down at all.”

"You do this too?" Leon was a little surprised.

"You too?" Lena looked back at Leon in surprise.

Once blessed by the witch, the recipient can begin to sense the presence of magic within their body and control it to a certain extent. The feeling is like an energy hidden in the consciousness, and once it is controlled, it is like a warm current flowing through the body.

Controlling monsters or activating blessing abilities requires the circulation of magic power, which is usually in a dormant state.

But now, both Leon and Rena felt the magic within their bodies surging on its own, as if the magic had appeared and made their consciousness restless.

At first, they all thought it was because their bodies and minds had not fully recovered from their first taste of forbidden fruit, but since they came out, this situation has not only not improved, but has become increasingly worse.

The two exchanged glances, both realizing that the situation was somewhat unnatural.

Leon noticed the Moirai altar not far away, and the pillar of light emerging from the center. He tried to shift his attention to his perception of the labyrinth, and the scene inside the temple immediately came to mind.

He now finds himself able to clearly perceive the situation inside the secret chamber, and the distribution of magic throughout the temple has become much clearer.

The magic of the maze originally came from the pillar of light emanating from the vertical shaft, which then circulated around the altar in a specific way within the temple before slowly spreading outwards.

But now, the distribution of magic has changed. Simply put, the magic surging from the pillar of light is concentrating in two places: him and Lena.

The magic of the labyrinth was flowing into their bodies on its own, which explained why the magic within them was beginning to surge.

"What on earth is going on?" Leon's breathing became rapid, and as the surge of magic power within him intensified, he felt his body begin to heat up.

This overwhelming feeling of magic wasn't bad at all; in fact, it was quite good. It made me feel like I'd been given a shot of adrenaline.

Could it be related to the ritual they performed in the secret room?

Thinking of this, he suddenly felt a tingling sensation spreading from his bones to his muscles.

His body began to tremble involuntarily, his joints started to crack, and then he was surprised to find that his field of vision had risen by nearly twenty centimeters. He subconsciously looked down and realized that it wasn't the ground beneath his feet that had risen, but rather that his body had grown taller.

At the same time, they heard Lena's surprised exclamation: "Leon!?"

Under Lena's astonished gaze, Leon's body began to grow at a visible rate, his bones elongating and his muscles swelling to become exceptionally strong, almost tearing his clothes apart.

His head began to elongate and deform, and soft gray-blue and white fur grew from his skin all over his body. His teeth grew longer and sharper, and he became similar in appearance to a gray wolf.

As Leon stared in astonishment at her, Lena also felt her body undergoing a transformative change, though not as intensely as Leon's.

“What am I…” Leon began, only to find his voice had become unusually rough.

He looked at his hands; his palms had become unusually thick and large, the backs of his hands and fingers were covered with gray-blue animal fur, and his nails had turned into sharp claws, which he seemed to be able to retract at will.

He touched his face again, confirming that his body had taken on the appearance of some kind of wild beast.