What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

The hotel's basement housed a luxurious party hall, but the people gathered there were not the celebrities invited by the count, but a team of fully armed knights patrolling the hall, their aura appearing even more elite than those outside.

Unlike the guards outside, even after the count and his entourage entered the venue, they merely turned their heads to look at them, without any intention of bowing.

Only one burly middle-aged knight strode forward to greet the count: "You've finally arrived."

“Uncle Johnny, it’s been a long time,” Ophelia greeted him.

“Hello, Miss Ophelia,” Johnny replied casually.

"It's rare that you don't smell of alcohol today," Earl Foley teased Johnny.

"With that big witch in my sights, how could I dare to drink?" Johnny glanced back; the door to a private rest room at the far end of the venue was tightly shut.

“You don’t need to be so nervous, Uncle Johnny. Our teacher is our ally, at least for now,” Ophelia said with a smile.

Johnny merely glanced at Ophelia, offering no comment, then stared at the Earl and said, "Mustan, I'd like to speak with you alone."

"Just say what you have to say," the count replied calmly.

Johnny stared at the Earl for a long time with a serious expression, then took a step closer and spoke in a low voice:

“I still hope you reconsider. This kind of revenge is neither safe nor honorable! And that woman, Alexia, she's one of the radical types in the witch gathering, completely uncontrollable. Doing business with her is one thing, but making this kind of deal with her could backfire!”

“Johnny, I helped you set up a clean charitable foundation. How you subsequently distribute money to the families of your fallen brothers is none of my concern. Here, I also hope you just do your job well. What I do is my business,” the Earl said expressionlessly.

Seeing that his persuasion was ineffective, Johnny shook his head helplessly, silently stepped aside, and watched the Earl walk towards the private room.

Bishop Beckett stepped forward and opened the door. The Count and Ophelia entered the private room. A glamorous woman dressed in a black dress and wearing a black veil sat on the sofa, holding a wine glass filled with red wine. She smiled when she saw the Count and Ophelia.

The Great Witch, Alexia.

“Isaac Mustang.” Alexie put down his wine glass and looked the count up and down. “You’ve aged so much over the years.”

“But you are still as radiant as you were then, Lady Alexie.” The Count nodded in response.

The Count and Alexia first met ten years ago.

Ten years have passed, and the count has gone from his prime to middle age, but Alexia has not changed at all.

Alecne, who had already held a high position in Moilland more than twenty years ago and was involved in terrorist activities within the Empire, must have been older than the Count.

Legend has it that becoming a witch grants eternal beauty, and in fact, it is possible to extend one's lifespan and significantly slow down aging.

This is why some people believe in the immortality potion made from the magic essence refined by witches, and some even become witches for this purpose.

“Teacher, it’s been a long time.” Ophelia greeted Alexie.

“Ophelia,” Alexie looked at her former student, “How is it? Have you mastered the ability to transform into a demon?”

“I’m afraid this will disappoint you. I’ve been so busy with business that I haven’t had much time to practice. I’ll need the help of potions now,” Ophelia replied.

"Hehe, simply sacrificing to the Church's blessed recipients is not enough. You need to stay in the labyrinth for a long time to increase your magic level. Unfortunately, there probably won't be many opportunities in the Empire."

After speaking, Alexia shifted her gaze away from Ophelia. Their master-disciple relationship was merely a transactional one, devoid of any real affection. Ophelia showed little interest in the witch's faith and the advancement of her power, and Alexia's guidance and advice were only superficial.

Alexia turned to the Count: "Have you prepared everything for the trade?"

“Of course, the gold, intelligence, imperial warships, and blueprints you requested are all ready on a certain island. Once you have done what I asked, Johnny Willman will set sail to escort them to your territory.” The Count and Ophelia sat down opposite each other in Alexia.

"Can I trust your credibility?" Alexie stared into the count's eyes.

"You can trust your own authority; I'm not going to risk your wrath just to save a little money," the count replied calmly.

“That’s quite convincing,” Alexie smiled. “And what are your plans?”

"In another month and a half, it will be the Feast of the Holy Spirit, commemorating the death of Saint Astartes..."

Halfway through the count's sentence, Alexie suddenly burst into exaggerated laughter: "Haha, Astartes, the so-called saint who foresaw the destruction of Eland but couldn't foresee his own death on Eland's land? Are you planning to cause trouble on his death anniversary?"

Saint Astartes prophesied the demise of the heretical nation of Eland three hundred years ago, and his prophecy became the catalyst for the Empire's large-scale invasion of Eland.

As he predicted, Eland was destroyed by the Empire. However, when the Eland royal family evacuated, the priests of the Earth Mother Goddess Cult activated a large labyrinth on the land of Eland through a sacrificial ritual, causing a continuous stream of monsters to pour out of the labyrinth and triggering a severe abyssal disaster.

Finally, Saint Astartes personally led the Church's elite forces to seal the Great Labyrinth, sacrificing himself in the process of sealing it.

“That’s right.” The count nodded.

“Although you only mentioned a time, I’ve already fallen in love with this plan. Let’s continue.” Alexie’s smile widened, his eyes gleaming with excitement, even a touch of mania.

“Every year on the Feast of the Holy Spirit, the church holds a grand memorial service at the place where Astartes was buried, which is the Southeastern Archdiocese. This year marks the 300th anniversary, so the ceremony will be even grander and more solemn than ever before. According to tradition, the saints of the four major churches will also preach and give sermons in front of the four churches in the Southeastern Archdiocese, and Weiss Rogers, who was elected a saint last year, is no exception.”

The count's expression grew even colder as he mentioned the name. "We've already arranged an inside man, and all the preparations are in place. We'll just need you to make your move on her at that time."

Chapter 140 The Fake Witch Becomes the Real Witch

On the same day, deep within the labyrinth of Arend Island.

“This way, Mrs. Hershey, watch your step.” Leon gestured for Selena to follow behind him.

“Okay.” Seri walked cautiously along the passageway between the breeding pools, peering into the pools with a mixture of fear and curiosity. Looking at the monsters crammed inside, she couldn’t help but shiver.

In order to ensure that Selene could safely use the medicine provided by Weiss, they decided to make Selene a witch.

The conditions for becoming a witch are to complete a ritual at the altar of Moirai in a place where the magic of the labyrinth can be absorbed, and then drink a potion made with magic essence.

The labyrinth in Hamel Town, which is relatively close by, could also be considered, but since the magic there is almost depleted, it's uncertain whether it would affect the success of the ritual.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Leon decided to bring Selene to the labyrinth on Arend Island. In preparation for the ceremony, he had already cleared the area in advance, and all the people working there had been temporarily reassigned to their posts outside.

As for Sally, he used his authority as director to go through a cross-regional interrogation procedure to temporarily take her out of prison, and he personally escorted her, accompanied by other inquisitors who were also his subordinates.

"These are all raised by you, Mr. Leon?" Sally was shocked by the scale of the farm.

Raising so many monsters, I wonder how much magic essence they can produce. How many times should Mr. Leon be sentenced to death?

Moreover, there were also fortified villages outside. Although she only glanced at them from inside the carriage, they seemed to be quite large.

These all seemed to belong to Leon, and even the seemingly menacing gang members were bowing and scraping to him.

“There’s no need to be afraid. After the ritual, you’ll have the ability to control them,” Leon joked.

“Ha, this…” Selena forced a smile.

For an ordinary person like her, witches and monsters should have been distant and taboo. After contracting the saltification disease known as the "Moirai Curse," this taboo deepened. It wasn't until she learned that the medicine that improved her condition was a magical potion made by a monster, and that it was made by a witch, that she began to re-evaluate it.

Even though she chose to impersonate a witch for Leon's sake, she never imagined that she would actually get involved with these supernatural forces.

But today, in order to cure her salification disease, she is about to undergo a ritual to transform from a fake witch into a real witch.

“Mr. Leon, is this really alright? We’re so far away from the prison, even if you’re the warden now…” Sally hesitated for a long time before finally asking the question that had been lingering in her mind.

“It’s alright, I forged a document for cross-regional interrogation,” Leon replied.

“This doesn’t sound like it’s okay at all…” Sally said with a worried expression.

"As long as we don't get seen by other church personnel, we'll be fine. Also, we can only leave for thirty-six hours. If you don't return to the prison after thirty-six hours, it'll likely be my turn to go to jail." Leon waved his hand. "So we'd better hurry."

“Okay.” Hearing this, Sally forced herself to look away from the other details of the maze and followed closely behind Leon.

“I’m sorry, it’s rare that you can leave the prison for a little while, but I can’t take you to see Melissa. If the people at the reformatory see us, we’ll be in big trouble,” Leon said apologetically.

Ultimately, using this procedure to temporarily remove Sally from prison is a rather risky move, even with the warden's authority, and should not be done unless absolutely necessary.

“It’s alright. By the time I see Melissa next time, I’ll probably be almost fully recovered.” Sally chuckled softly as she watched Leon’s retreating figure. “After all, that’s what you said before, Mr. Leon, and I’ve always believed you.”

"Having such high expectations puts a lot of pressure on me," Leon said with a helpless smile.

“Whatever the outcome, I’m mentally prepared. I’m very grateful that you’ve gone this far for us,” Sally said.

"Let's skip the usual platitudes and get down to business."

Leon led Selene into the deepest part of the temple, where Lena was already waiting near the altar.

Seeing that Leon had brought Selene safely to the maze, she breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although Leon had repeatedly assured her that he could use his authority as director to bring Selene out to complete the ritual, Lena was still worried that this bold decision might cause some trouble.

However, when she saw Selena's face, she couldn't help but tense up again.

"Hello, Ms. Celie..." she greeted Celie softly.

“Leo…” Celie almost mispronounced it, then quickly corrected herself, “Miss Lena, how have you been?”

Selene was a little nervous when she saw Leona. This wasn't their first meeting. Leona had previously treated Selene several times under the false identity of Bishop Leona.

They haven't seen each other since Lena was arrested and Celie took the blame for her.

Now that we've met, I feel a little awkward.

Leon looked back and forth between the two of them, then spread his hands and said, "Relax a bit, don't turn around and affect the ceremony. Or should we have Lena dress up as the bishop again? Mrs. Hershey is more familiar with that look."

“Wouldn’t it be problematic if I disguised myself as a bishop to perform a witch’s ritual?” Lena immediately retorted.

“Just kidding, I just wanted to say you don’t need to be so stiff,” Leon said. “Rena took out the medicine to save people, and Mrs. Hershey disguised herself as a witch to save people. You did nothing wrong. If you have to say something, the fault lies with me for making those choices. Blame me.”

“How could that be? Mr. Leon has already done so much for us…” Sally immediately denied.

"How can I blame you for this?" Lena said, explaining that Leon made the decision to save her.

"Alright, since you've all forgiven me, there's no need to dwell on the past. Let's look forward, ladies. The most important thing now is to cure Mrs. Hershey's illness. This is the shared wish of the three of us... Oh, and Melissa too. It's the shared wish of all four of us," Leon emphasized.

“You’re right.” Sally relaxed upon hearing this and looked at Lena earnestly. “Miss Lena, I have always been grateful for everything you have done for us. Thank you for your help this time as well.”

“It was I who caused you so much suffering to save me,” Lena replied earnestly.

“You’re mistaken. I’ve been doing quite well in prison. Mr. Leon has been taking good care of me. Compared to that, the days when I was bedridden were truly miserable,” Sally said softly.

“The hard times will eventually come to an end,” Leon said. “This is our first step. Let’s begin the ceremony.”

“The ritual requires Ms. Seri to come into contact with the rune on the altar that produces magic essence. If that’s the case, please lie down here.” Lena gestured for Seri to lie down on the protruding stone platform on the great altar. That platform was originally where the equipment for producing magic essence was placed, but she had temporarily cleared it away in preparation for the ritual.

“Okay.” Seri did as she was told and lay down on the altar.

Then Lena, holding a prepared notebook, carefully said, "Next, you will recite the prayer after me. It is the language of ancient Eland, and you may not understand it. Just imitate my pronunciation correctly."

“Okay.” Sally took a deep breath and steadied her breathing.

Lena began to chant, the strange sounds emanating from her mouth: "Lord of the Abyss, Mother of All Things, the umbilical cord of blood binds all beings. Primordial Witch Moirai, Great Mother, I call upon your name with the body you bestowed upon me. May I be fortunate enough to offer this body as a sacrifice to receive your grace. Grant me eternal life to serve you, endlessly, returning to the origin..."

She had a hard time reciting the ancient prayer in a foreign language with her grandmother, and she thought it would be a little harder for Selena as well.

To her surprise, after only a few adjustments, Selena was able to read along very fluently. Having been an actress, Selena's pronunciation and enunciation skills were quite remarkable.

Soon, Seri finished reciting the prayer along with Lena.

Then Lena gestured for Selena to sit up, and brought over a small cup of potion: "Please drink this."

Sally carefully drank the potion. The potion itself had no taste and had not been heated, but after it went down into her stomach, a warm feeling began to spread slowly from her stomach, circulate throughout her body, and then concentrate in her lower abdomen.

"Now close your eyes, clear your mind, meditate, and leave the rest to me."

After giving the instructions, Lena placed it on the altar and tried to circulate the magic power in the same way she created magic essence.

Leon stood by with his arms crossed, trying to focus his attention on the perspective of the Labyrinth Lord. He noticed that some of the magic power around the labyrinth was beginning to converge on Seri, just like when he and Lena received their demonic powers after completing the ritual.

Selene also began to feel the magic circulating, but at the beginning, the magic was not entirely under her control. It was rampaging through her body, making her feel dizzy. At the same time, there were faint whispers passing by her ears. This was the first time she had experienced such a supernatural feeling, and her nerves, which had finally relaxed, began to tighten again.

“Mrs. Hershey, are you alright?” Leon asked softly when he saw Selene’s rapid breathing. “If you’re feeling unwell, please let me know.”

This was also Lena's first time performing a ceremony for someone, and Sally had chlorination disease, so they couldn't guarantee that the ceremony would be completely accident-free.

“I don’t feel uncomfortable…” Celie replied, her lips trembling, “I’m just a little… scared…”

Her gaze darted around anxiously, and Lena, seeing this, comforted her, "Relax, everything will be alright."

"Could you please hold my hand?" Selena whispered to Lena.

Lena is only three years older than her daughter. She is much older than Lena, but right now she just wants someone to rely on, anyone will do.

"I'm sorry, I can't take my hands off the altar right now," Lena said, somewhat embarrassed.

“If you don’t mind…” Leon reached out his hand to Selena. He couldn’t help with other things during the ceremony, but he could still offer some care to the patient.

"Thank you!" Sally grasped Leon's hand with gratitude.

Chapter 141 Witch Selene, Professional Healer

Selene's magic surged uncontrollably throughout her body, as if her body were floating on water, constantly on the verge of being swept to the bottom, as if her body no longer belonged to her.

This reminded her of when she used to fall ill with a high fever and lie in bed, feeling dizzy, lightheaded, and in excruciating pain all over her body. She couldn't even move one of her hands. If she were alone at that time, it would truly feel like an eternity.

When Melissa is by her side, she will hold her hand tightly at this time, letting her know that she is not alone.