What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

He has been renting here for two years, and this is not the first time this has happened. In fact, Leon has lent Melissa money several times under the guise of paying rent in advance, and has now covered half a year's rent. It can be said that he has done everything he could to help her.

He hasn't been working these past few days and has been staying outside, incurring expenses for food and lodging. He also bought some medicine once. After reaching a cooperation agreement with Lena, he invested in purchasing some things to set up the new studio. He's almost used up the eighteen Taylors he got from extortion earlier.

The business of selling magic essence won't generate revenue for at least another two or three months. After that, daily life, medicine purchases, and business investments will continue to incur expenses, while the debts owed by the Hersh family keep accruing interest, making it a bottomless pit. Despite his sympathy, he ultimately couldn't continue helping them indefinitely.

"No, it's okay!" Melissa suddenly seemed to have recovered. "I still have money to pay in advance! Can you wait for me at home for a bit? I'll be right back."

"I see..." Leon replied, though he was actually a little doubtful.

He knew that Melissa had dropped out of school long ago and was working several part-time jobs. She worked as a maid for Mrs. Kate's family at the end of the alley two days a week, and also did odd jobs at a bakery and a fabric store on the street. When she was at home, she would spin thread on an old spinning wheel in the house to supplement her family's income. But even with all her hard work, her income was still not comparable to that of an adult.

Where could she possibly get an advance of over four thousand yuan at a time like this?

"I'll go get ready first." After saying that, Melissa climbed back up to the attic. A moment later, Leon saw her come down again, carrying a comb and her mother's headscarf, and then she hurriedly went out.

Leon stood idly in the room, thought for a moment, then turned and stepped onto the narrow staircase leading to the attic, deciding to go up and visit Mrs. Hershey.

Most people who rent out their houses keep the main house for themselves and rent out the attic or basement. However, in order to rent out as much space as possible, Hersh and her daughter left him the more convenient main house and moved to the cramped attic, keeping only a small room downstairs to store their spinning wheel to supplement their income.

Leon pays them four Taylors a month in rent, which is a significant source of income for Hershey and her daughter these days. Leon also occasionally buys them daily necessities and food. When he is home, Melissa cooks and does laundry for him.

The floorboards creaked and groaned as Leon climbed the stairs to the attic. The attic was small, with a bed where Melissa's mother, Selena Hershey, lay on her side with her back to Leon.

Next to the bed is a rolled-up futon, which belongs to Melissa. Where the futon used to be, there is now a small table. Melissa would place the tableware and water basin here when she fed her mother, gave her medicine, or bathed her.

At the foot of the bed was an old wardrobe, where Melissa's and her mother's clothes were piled up together.

The small window in the attic was open for ventilation and to remove odors; the sun shone at the foot of the bed, and dust particles danced in the beams of light.

Seeing that Sally was breathing evenly with her back to him, Leon thought she was probably still taking a nap and he didn't want to disturb her. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard Sally call out to him in a weak voice: "Mr. Leon?"

“Mrs. Hershey,” Leon replied, “I’m sorry, did I wake you?”

“No, I’m not asleep. I’m just looking out the window to pass the time. If I fall asleep during the day, I won’t be able to sleep at night…” Sally paused for a while, took a few breaths to catch her breath, and then continued, “If you don’t mind talking to me for a bit, could you help me turn over?”

Chapter 13 Rapunzel

"Okay."

Leon stepped forward, reached out and grabbed the other person's shoulders and arms, his palms immediately feeling the rough, granular texture of the hard object through the clothes.

But he didn't mind, and just carefully helped Sally turn over.

"Ugh..." Sally groaned in pain as she rolled over on the bed, and with Leon's help, she turned around, from facing the window to facing the inside of the room.

"Are you alright?" Leon asked softly, while observing Sally's condition.

Selena Hershey was once a leading lady in a small theater troupe, a rare beauty in such a small town, but now she lies emaciated on her side in bed, like a withered rose about to fall.

Her eyes and cheeks were covered with crystals that looked like tiny diamonds stuck to them. These crystals were actually all over her body, with large pieces of crystal at her joints.

Saltification, also known as crystal disease, is a rare condition that Leon has only seen in this world. Patients will gradually develop clear crystals starting from their legs, while their joints and muscles will gradually stiffen. The condition then spreads upwards, eventually causing the patient to become practically paralyzed. The crystals that fuse with the skin also cause frequent pain. Seri, whose back is covered with crystals, can no longer lie on her back.

In the end, the patient will have difficulty breathing and chewing until death. After death, the patient's body will not decompose, but will undergo further transformation, eventually becoming a sculpture composed of crystalline particles, and then slowly turning into dust.

The cause of this strange illness is completely unknown. There are only rumors that patients only appear in areas where the maze has appeared, leading some to attribute it to the curse of the primordial witch Moirai.

"It's alright, it only hurts for a little while. Compared to the discomfort of lying down all the time, this is nothing," Sally replied, adjusting her breathing.

“Is that so?” Leon said, then fell silent.

He said he wanted to chat for a bit, but he couldn't find the words to say for the time being.

He should have politely asked Selena if she was feeling better lately, but seeing her like this, he already knew the answer in his heart, and asking would be inappropriate.

I still remember when he first moved in as a tenant two years ago, Sally only needed crutches, had some strength in her upper limbs, could take care of most things on her own, could sit in a chair to do chores, and could even comb Melissa's hair.

Back then, Melissa wasn't as haggard and gloomy as she is now. She dressed a little more elegantly, and her naturally smooth hair, inherited from her mother, was styled into various hairstyles by Selena's skillful hands. Sometimes, when Melissa smiled and leaned out of the attic window to greet Leon standing in front of the door, her beautiful long golden hair would always remind Leon of Rapunzel from the fairy tale.

But as the illness progressed, Leon witnessed firsthand how Selena gradually became unable to walk, then her hands grew stiffer day by day, until she was paralyzed in bed and cared for by Melissa.

As Sally fell ill, Melissa's life became increasingly difficult. She had to work to pay off debts while also taking care of her mother, and the smiles and hope on her face dwindled day by day.

Finally, it was Sally who spoke first: "Mr. Leon... what do you think is the meaning of life?"

Leon's heart skipped a beat upon hearing this, but he still offered words of comfort: "Don't say such things."

It seems Mrs. Hershey is in a low mood today, which is quite normal.

“My biggest regret is not committing suicide when I first got sick… As a result, I killed my husband and dragged Melissa down with me…” Celie said, tears rolling down her cheeks.

“Your life is very important to that child. Being able to live with you again is her hope, and carrying that hope with her is something only you can do,” Leon said, offering words of comfort that were not entirely sincere. He then took a towel from the side and wiped away Sally’s tears.

In this era, salinization is a clearly incurable disease. The current research progress of the Holy Healing Order on this disease is only to find that medicines made from a few holy waters can slightly slow the progression of the disease.

Most patients' families actually choose to give up treatment, but there are also those like Melissa who hold onto the hope that one day the church will be able to develop a cure, and continue to borrow money to buy medicine to prolong their mother's life.

But Leon always understood that this hope was actually very slim.

Especially after his conversation with Bishop Weiss, he became even more convinced of this. The St. Rosalia Institute and the Order of Healing in this country and this era are similar to pharmaceutical companies and hospitals, both of which are for-profit.

Even for relatively common monster venoms like chicken snakes, the church has no direction for developing effective medicines.

Salting disease is an extremely rare disease. It would be difficult to cover the research and development costs by developing a specific drug to sell, and the possibility of investing in research would be even smaller, unless some high-ranking person suddenly contracted this strange disease.

But Melissa was adamant about it, and Leon, being an outsider, couldn't really say anything.

"I'm already in this situation, it's impossible. I beg you, please help me persuade Melissa..." Sally looked at me with pleading eyes.

This wasn't the first time Selena had begged Leon to persuade Melissa to give up her treatment, or even to let her starve to death.

Sally had refused to take her medication and even went on a hunger strike, but in the end she couldn't resist Melissa's desperate pleas as she knelt by her bedside.

Leon lowered his gaze and thought for a moment, then looked at Sally seriously: "But even if you die, Melissa's situation won't be any better. Do you really think she can survive if you leave without leaving her any hope?"

"..." Sally couldn't speak, but started crying again.

"Don't think too much about it, just get some rest." Leon wiped away her tears and offered a few words of simple comfort.

Admittedly, the biggest problem for the Hersh family was not Celie's illness, but their enormous debt.

Melissa's father, Mr. Hersh, once brought his wife and children from the countryside to the city to set up a theater troupe to make a living. Selena was the leading actress in the troupe at the time. It is said that the troupe was doing quite well at first. Mr. Hersh bought this bungalow in the city and later took out a loan to buy an old theater to run.

But a suspicious fire destroyed the theater, and everything began to go awry. Mr. Hershey was in debt, and the troupe faced difficulties.

As if things weren't bad enough, at that time, Selena contracted salinization disease, which made it difficult for her to walk, making it impossible for her to continue performing, and requiring a large amount of medical expenses.

Later, rumors circulated that a gold mine had been discovered in a mountain range in the north. Mr. Hersh took a gamble and joined the ranks of gold prospectors. Soon after, the mountain range was transformed into a large-scale labyrinthine disaster, resulting in the deaths of many people, including Mr. Hersh.

Besides owing the church over 100,000 pfennigs, the Hershey family also owed a considerable amount in private loans. Leon didn't know the total amount, but he could roughly estimate that it wouldn't be less than 500,000 pfennigs. The interest alone was staggering every year, and the debt was probably increasing year by year.

Now that Mr. Hersh is dead and Selene has lost her ability to take care of herself, according to the laws of the Empire, debts are to be paid by the children. All the debts have now been placed on Melissa's shoulders. The IOUs that the church reconciles and updates every year have long been signed by Melissa, since Selene can no longer even sign them.

Even if Sally dies, Melissa's desperate situation will not change.

In fact, Sally herself knew that it would be useless for her to leave. If Melissa couldn't accept it, she might even follow her in despair.

Leon suddenly heard the sound of a door opening downstairs, and said to Selena, "Melissa is back, I'll go down and see."

After saying goodbye to Sally, he got up and stood up, feeling relieved that he could finally leave this oppressive place.

As soon as he went downstairs, he saw Melissa wearing a headscarf and froze on the spot.

"Brother Leon, I've managed to scrape together the money!" Melissa gave Leon a somewhat forced smile while holding a small bag of coins.

“Melissa…” Leon suddenly felt a lump in his throat, “Your hair?”

Chapter 14 Kindness ≠ Selflessness

Melissa's hair is gone.

Even with her head covered, Leon could tell at a glance that Melissa had sold her hair.

Naturally, the longer the hair, the more valuable it is. It looks like Melissa had her hair cut almost right up to her scalp; the outline of her head is visible under the headscarf, which can't hide the fact that she has no hair at all.

“I’ve been keeping it for a while, and I decided to cut it a long time ago. It’s just the right time,” Melissa said with a forced smile. “Actually, I’ve always thought it was a hassle to take care of, it was so stuffy and hot. This is so much easier!”

"..."

Leon was speechless; he couldn't think of anything he could say.

He didn't offer to help when Melissa was struggling with the money, so it seems a bit hypocritical for him to express sympathy now.

“I sold my hair and also withdrew some money from the bakery. This should be enough, Brother Leon. How much exactly?” Melissa put the money bag on the table, ready to count the money.

“Twenty-one Taylors is about right,” Leon replied softly.

“Just tell me how much it is, this is our family’s debt after all, we can’t keep letting you pay for it…” Melissa first pointed out two gold shields and one silver wolf.

"Aren't you afraid that the amount I quoted is actually too high?" Leon asked.

“How could Brother Leon do such a thing?” Melissa shook her head repeatedly.

“Don’t trust others too easily, or you’ll suffer. I’ve taught you about interest; you need to learn to calculate it yourself.” Leon sighed. “It’s twenty-one tyrene and forty pennies in total.”

Melissa could hardly imagine that her "Brother Leon," who had always looked after them, would seize any opportunity to extort money from others and embezzle fines when collecting debts for them. Now, he was even collaborating with a witch and getting involved in the magic element trade.

"Alright, Leon, check it." Melissa handed the counted money to Leon.

“Hmm, perfect.” Leon carefully put the money away, then wrote a receipt and handed it to Melissa. “I’ll go back to work now.”

“Brother Leon,” Melissa suddenly called out to him.

"What's wrong?" Leon turned around.

"Will you be back for dinner tonight?" Melissa asked, looking up at Leon.

"No, I've been a bit busy lately, and I'm afraid I won't be back until very late," Leon replied.

From now on, in addition to handling the work of the Inquisition, he will also have to find time to continue his business of producing magic essence. This period will probably be the busiest time of his life.

A fleeting look of disappointment crossed Melissa's eyes, which she quickly concealed: "Oh, I see. Then you should take care of yourself and not forget."

Taking care of a seriously ill and depressed mother alone at home can be very stressful. In such situations, even having just one more person to talk to can make a big difference in the atmosphere.

Melissa felt quite lonely during the few days Leon was away.

“You should eat properly. I’ll try to buy some things this afternoon,” Leon said, patting Melissa’s thin shoulder.

He decided to buy some eggs and put them in the kitchen.

After saying goodbye to Melissa, Leon returned to the streets to continue his debt collection work for the day.

The plight of Hershey and his daughter is pitiful, but he himself is currently suffering from injuries and has little energy left to help others out of their predicament.

If he is still struggling to climb out of the abyss, then Melissa and her mother should have already fallen to the bottom. He doesn't have the strength to pull them up; all he can do is sprinkle some food down to the bottom so they can barely survive.

Kindness is not the same as selflessness. He could take care of the mother and daughter as much as possible in terms of his work and life, but in the end he could not do everything he could to help them pay off their debts.

However, if he truly possesses a fortune of several million or even tens of millions, and has a stable way to acquire such wealth, then even if it's just a few hundred thousand to help them get out of their debts, it wouldn't be a big deal, and he wouldn't mind lending a helping hand.

However, for Sally and Melissa, money alone was not enough; halophilia was ultimately an incurable disease.

Then he suddenly remembered what Bishop Weiss had told him—witches sometimes possess secret formulas that the church doesn't have.

Since the saltification disease is known as the curse of Moirai, is it possible that a witch has a way to cure it?

Leon didn't think that a young witch like Lena, who seemed so inexperienced, could possess such a secret formula or related clues, but...

Let me ask anyway, even if I don't have high hopes.

……

That night, at the former headquarters of the Knights of the Church in the Hamel region's labyrinth, Leon struggled to place a huge terracotta pot, which was tightly bound with rope, on the ground, panting heavily.

"Eight slimes can be this heavy!" he exclaimed, wiping his sweat.

The large terracotta jar contains the slimes that are being prepared for transfer to the maze for breeding.

Several bonfires he had installed on the wall burned brightly, illuminating the empty space.

Just last night, they finally managed to set up the workshop in the maze.

Leon dug a breeding pond here, which looked like a small swimming pool. That same night, Lena used her powers to move the headhunter rabbit from her cellar to the maze.

However, slimes crawl so slowly that they have to be packed in containers and transported over.

"Alright, now all the monsters have been moved. We'll observe them for a while, and remember to send over the necessary food every day according to the list," Lena said without turning her head as she busied herself mixing potions at the newly set up workbench.

"What have you been mixing all this time? Potions?" Leon asked after observing for a while.