What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

After having an in-depth conversation with the Earl, Leon was surprised to find that Earl Frey was not as ambitious as he had imagined, but rather more calm and pragmatic.

He never intended to challenge the imperial order in a real sense, but preferred to exploit loopholes in the order to seize benefits while preserving it.

This approach is not actually contradictory. It is precisely because order exists that there are lucrative profits that coexist with risks within the loopholes of order. If the church had not prohibited it, the magic essence business might not have been so profitable.

The count seemed to genuinely appreciate his easy-going "lack of ambition," which makes sense upon closer reflection. Leaders generally don't like subordinates with excessive ambition; many who strive for advancement end up in power.

It seems that as long as someone can succeed him in the future, the count doesn't really care if he retires.

"By the way, once you've attained a position in the church, would you mind having someone inspect your working conditions on Arend Island?" the count suddenly asked.

"Would you like to take a look?" Leon asked.

“No, I want to send someone to help you improve your refining process. She received some guidance from the Great Witch at the Witch Gathering before…” The count said, a meaningful smile appearing on his face. “Well, I just want you to meet her. I hope you two get along well.”

Chapter 117 Visiting Seri

Two months later, in Hamel, at the Women's Ward of the Heresy Tribunal.

The female inquisitor, who was acting as a guard, was sitting at the table, propping her head up and dozing off, when suddenly a figure blocked her view.

The female guard was stunned for a moment before she realized what was happening. When she looked up, she saw a man in uniform wearing a badge standing in front of her.

"Ah! Sir, sir!" She jumped up and quickly saluted the person in front of her. "I was just..."

The person standing in front of her was none other than Judge Leon Seth, who had recently been promoted to deputy director!

She wanted to explain that she had been dozing off and hadn't noticed anyone approaching, but she couldn't find a suitable excuse.

In the Inquisition, the rank-holding director rarely directly commands or directs the lowest-ranking judges. For most junior judges, the deputy director is more like their immediate superior.

The female guard in the prison department had little contact with this Inquisitor Leon Seth in the past. She only knew that he had less seniority in the Inquisition than she had, yet he had been promoted to captain and then deputy warden in just three years. She thought he must have a powerful background or be truly capable.

"Damn it, I got caught dozing off while on duty. All these past few days have been for nothing," the female guard lamented to herself.

Based on her past experience, if she got caught doing something like this, she would definitely be fined and given a severe scolding on the spot.

"When did you start working shifts?" Leon suddenly asked.

"Huh?" The female guard didn't react immediately and replied cautiously, "Yes... the shift change was at six in the morning."

“I saw you were on duty here at seven o’clock yesterday too. You didn’t have time to get a proper sleep, did you?” Leon said.

"Well, that's how the shifts are done. Everyone's pretty much the same," the female guard replied softly.

“We still don’t have enough manpower. Who can handle thirteen-hour shifts a day?” Leon nodded. “Here’s what we’ll do: I’m about to go in. Give me the key to cell number nine, and then go to the duty room to rest for a while, okay?”

"Huh, this..." The female guard was a little confused, unsure whether Leon was genuinely concerned about her or giving her a sarcastic reprimand.

“I used to think when I worked overtime, what’s the point of exhausting yourself and not being able to do your job well?” Leon reached for the keys. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye on the hallway for you from inside. I’ll come out and call you later.”

When he takes charge of this place in the future, he will definitely need to find a way to recruit more staff.

"Oh... thank you, sir." The female guard finally breathed a sigh of relief and handed the key to Leon.

Leon took the key and walked straight into the corridor of the prison area.

The female guard didn't pay much attention when she saw that he was carrying a basket again.

Since Leon was promoted to captain, he often brought baskets or bags into the cell. The sergeant on duty had instructed all the guards on duty in advance that when he came, they should just let him through and not ask any questions.

Leon made his way to the innermost cell and peeked through the window. He saw Sally sitting by the iron bars, reading a play novel by the light streaming in from outside. She raised her other hand to tuck a strand of hair that occasionally fell onto the pages behind her ear.

“Mrs. Hershey,” Leon greeted softly.

Sally, who was focused on the book, finally snapped out of her reverie, looked up and saw Leon's face appear in the small window in the door, and immediately smiled: "Mr. Leon!"

Leon opened the cell door and went inside, placing the food basket on the small table by the bed: "I brought pan-fried pork chops and creamy mushroom stew today, eat them while they're hot."

“Okay, please sit here.” Sally carefully helped herself up from the chair, gave the seat to Leon, and sat down on the edge of the bed.

Leon didn't sit down. Instead, he looked around to check the cleanliness of the cell before opening the food basket. Inside were food wrapped in oil paper and stew in a covered bowl.

“What are these?” Sally noticed some side dishes next to the sliced ​​fried pork chop, as well as what looked like fried crispy chips.

She picked it up and took a small bite. The thin, crispy texture and the aroma of the caramelized potato combined with the saltiness spread in her mouth.

"This is actually quite delicious," she commented.

“These are potatoes sliced ​​as thin as paper and then fried. I call them potato chips. I recently took over a pub, and this is what I had the kitchen try making as a snack to accompany drinks. You can sprinkle them with salt and spices, dip them in sauce, or put them on top of a fruit salad. They’re very popular with the customers, so business at the pub has been pretty good lately,” Leon said with a smile.

“A tavern?” Sally looked at Leon in surprise.

"The purchase was made to manage the cash on hand, and business has stabilized recently," Leon explained.

After delivering the first batch of goods to the Earl and earning a large sum of money, he followed Father Auden's advice and spent some of the money to buy the tavern near the East Side Church, where Leon had met with the priest several times before.

That tavern was essentially one of the businesses used for money laundering. After Potter's death, it was transferred to another businessman who had business dealings with Potter, following proper procedures as collateral for a normal debt. The priest handled the procedures very well, so the church couldn't find any problems.

Father Auden first falsified the tavern's accounts to show that it was poorly managed, and then had the merchant use this as a pretext to sign a low-price sales agreement with Leon. The money for the purchase ostensibly came from the profits of Leon's fleet and another loan.

In reality, the amount of money Leon paid to take over the tavern was consistent with the tavern's estimated value, and much higher than what was written in the contract. This unknown extra amount was essentially a way of distributing dirty money to the seller.

After buying the tavern, Leon renamed it Grey Wolf Tavern, hired chefs, bartenders and waiters, and used his knowledge of some dishes and cocktails to create some special menus and drink lists.

He selected a reliable guy from among his men to manage it, and also used it as a meeting and distribution point in Hamel.

Father Auden told him that the tavern could simply hire anyone to pretend it was open for business, even if it lost money. He could then do the accounting and pretend to make a profit, bringing in tens of thousands of pfennigs every month. This money could then legitimately become Leon's assets.

However, judging from the results of reopening, the tavern business was surprisingly good, and it has become a profitable business.

"I see..." After hearing Leon's explanation, Selena really didn't know whether she should be happy for Leon, so she could only reply like this.

"How have you been feeling these past couple of days?" Leon asked.

"I'm fine, I haven't had a fever in a long time," Sally smiled.

Leon could also tell that Selena's complexion was much better than before.

By purifying the magic essence, Lena's medicine has been able to halt the progression of late-stage salinization disease and stabilize her physical condition.

With his care in prison, Sally's living conditions were actually not bad. You have to understand that Sally used to live a life where she was unable to move in the attic, accompanied by bedsores and crystals on her skin.

Even so, because the damage to her body caused by the disease has not been reversed, Celie still faces the risk of dying from other complications.

“The weather’s been a bit damp lately, I’ll get you a new set of sun-dried bedding tomorrow,” Leon said.

“It’s not that complicated,” Sally shook her head repeatedly.

"Did you sleep well?" Leon asked casually.

“Everything is fine…” Sally paused here, glanced at Leon, and then looked away slightly.

"What's wrong?" Leon noticed that Sally seemed to want to say something.

"It's nothing, I just had a dream yesterday. For some reason, I dreamt that I was in my hometown when I was a child, and Melissa was living with me. She was the same age as me. It was really strange." Sally smiled.

In fact, she also saw Leon in her dream. Somehow, in her dream, Leon became a traveling merchant visiting the village.

Sally used to live in a very remote village. Every few months, traveling merchants would pass through and bring some goods that were not commonly seen in the village.

For the children in the village, the strange and wonderful toys and candies wrapped in pretty wrappers displayed by the traveling merchants were like treasures.

Some traveling vendors would perform magic tricks when they set up their stalls, and for the children, the days they visited were like festivals.

Sally remembered that in her dream, she and Melissa, along with many other people, stood around Leon's stall, excitedly watching him perform magic tricks and sell his goods. That day, Leon's business was booming, and his goods were almost sold out. He was very happy and scattered the remaining candy to the children.

When he heard her and Melissa happily thank him, Leon even used magic to conjure two flowers in his hand and gave them to them.

Dreams are always bizarre and fantastical, and she didn't tell Leon about this part, feeling a little embarrassed.

“There will be opportunities.” Leon thought that Sally was just reminiscing about the days she spent with Melissa after hearing Sally’s words.

"Life is unpredictable, and sometimes it's best not to have too high expectations," Sally smiled forlornly.

Leon couldn't refute it. He was silent for a moment, then lowered his voice and said, "I recently made some contributions. After reporting it, the church allowed me to apply for intermediate judgeship. In five days, I will be going to another city to take an exam, and I may not be back for three days. I will leave you some extra medicine then. Once I pass the exam, I should be able to be promoted to director here. At that time, I will be able to rescue you."

“Actually, even if you really have the means, I still think it’s too risky…” Sally said.

Selene was ultimately sentenced to five years in prison, which she was allowed to serve locally. The rest of the sentence was that of a witch under lifelong supervision, where she was allowed to live in a specific institution under the supervision of the church. Compared to prison, the management was only slightly more relaxed.

Overall, the court's sentencing of Sally was relatively lenient. On the one hand, Aaron specifically pleaded for her in his report; on the other hand, Sally was terminally ill and not long for life. According to common sense, she would not live for more than a few years. Therefore, there was not much difference between a five-year sentence and a one-hundred-year sentence.

However, Leon had other ideas. Once he became the director, he would be able to devise a plan to get Sally out of prison, but it would be best to carry out the plan after Melissa left the reformatory.

Melissa's term at the reformatory is one year, and there are still more than half a year left.

“I’ll figure something out, trust me,” Leon said earnestly to Sally. “This is the only way you can continue living with Melissa!”

Sally looked back into Leon's eyes, and finally smiled helplessly: "Okay."

Leon returned the smile. At this moment, Sally hesitated slightly before tentatively asking, "Mr. Leon, have you visited Melissa at the reformatory recently?"

Chapter 118 Melissa's Hero

Upon hearing Sally's question, Leon thought for a moment and then replied earnestly, "I have kept my promise."

He thought Sally was confirming with him the agreement she had made earlier about keeping her distance from Melissa.

His current situation is much more stable than before, but from another perspective, he is also getting more and more deeply involved in the underworld.

From an ordinary person's perspective, now that he has become a gangster, he is even closer to the definition of a dangerous person than the magic element dealer he used to be.

He regularly checked on Melissa's situation from the reformatory, delivered things to her, and secretly helped Sally send letters over.

However, Leon never took the initiative to contact Melissa directly, nor did they meet.

However, if we had to put it bluntly, it was less about keeping his promise to Selene and more about his own fear of facing Melissa.

Since explaining the truth to Melissa, they haven't exchanged more than a few words.

Sally's expression became somewhat complicated. She put down her cutlery, pondered for a long time, and then said softly, "If... you want to go see her, then go."

Leon was taken aback, not understanding why Sally had suddenly changed her mind.

“She sent a reply to the prison before, and in the letter she asked about you and how my brother Leon was doing,” Sally said slowly.

Sally didn't mention to Leon that the only thing Leon said on the letter was a question, but it was repeatedly rewritten several times.

As a mother, she could tell that Melissa still cared a lot about Leon.

“You can tell her I’m fine, but don’t mention in the letter that I brought you medicine or anything I told you before. These letters might get sent for inspection at any time,” Leon earnestly advised Sally.

The letters that Sally sent to Melissa all passed through his hands, and there was nothing too worrying about in their contents.

“I know… so I think it might be more appropriate for you to tell her the situation directly. Even if you write a letter to explain, it might not be a safe bet, right?” Celie said.

"You don't mind if I see her?" Leon asked Sally.

“At the time, I made this agreement with you with the idea that we should settle things once and for all. But now, you have gone to such great lengths for us, and I owe you a debt of gratitude once again. It is really too much for me to ask you for such a favor…” Sally said, a look of guilt on her face.

“You don’t owe me anything, Mrs. Hershey. If you hadn’t agreed to our deal back then, we wouldn’t have made it this far,” Leon replied, looking earnestly into Sally’s eyes. “Now that the opportunity to save you is right in front of me, how could I not seize it? I will do everything in my power! As for that agreement, I completely understand it.”

“But no matter what, Melissa and I are still relying on you. That girl has always liked you; you’ve always been like a hero to her. I can sense that she thought about it for a long time before mentioning you in her letter. So, if you can, go see her, Mr. Leon.” Sally paused as she said this, then added, “The day after tomorrow is also Melissa’s fourteenth birthday.”

When Leon heard what Selene said, he became even more hesitant.

Sally allowed him to see Melissa, but is that really a good idea?

What does Melissa really think of him now?

Sally noticed Leon's hesitation and added, "Of course, if you feel it's not quite right..."

“No, Mrs. Hershey, actually, if I think about it carefully, what I need to do now is to have a clear talk with Melissa. She has the right to know.” Leon sighed as he said this. “I’ve actually been using our agreement as a shield. I’m just a little afraid to see her. When I confessed to her that day, I think she must have been very disillusioned with me. I’ve been afraid that if I saw her, I would find that she still resents me.”

"You'll only know the answer when you meet them," Selena said softly.

Leon thought about it in silence for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, you're right, we'll only know when we meet."

……

Southport County Church Reformatory, on the outskirts of Castells.

"...That's all for today's lesson. Don't forget to review these two sections of the Holy Scripture when you get home. I will check your memorization tomorrow. May the gods bless you." The elderly nun stood in front of the podium and instructed the more than twenty students of different ages below. "Melissa, please collect yesterday's homework for me."

"Yes, ma'am." Melissa got up as instructed and collected the homework from her classmates one by one.

After handing in their assignments, the other students politely said goodbye to the nuns and then gathered outside the lecture hall to line up for the dining hall. The church's reformatory was under the jurisdiction of the court, and was actually a combination of a church welfare home and a boarding school, but with stricter management, more rules, and a strict prohibition against students leaving the reformatory without permission.

Those who teach and patrol here are mostly retired adjudicators from the Inquisition and the Church Discipline Council. Some even hold positions within the church, so they are more than capable of managing the discipline of a group of children.