What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

“If we keep being detected like this, there’s no way to escape. Is there no other way?” Leon said, panting.

Even if they shake off the pursuing knights, they can only gain a brief respite.

Bishop Beckett could also find out which area they were in by contacting the Great Witch, and with a thorough search, they would have nowhere to hide.

His physical strength has been greatly depleted, and if he is discovered again, he probably won't be able to break through.

Even if he hid Weiss in his carriage or his room, it would only expose him.

This parish must be under martial law now, and it would be difficult to leave the city without preparation.

Another option is to kill Bishop Beckett, which would temporarily slow down the pursuit.

However, this doesn't solve the fundamental problem of being targeted by the witch. The Count can still find Weiss's location, so it's unlikely he can expect to have only Bishop Beckett to carry out his mission. Moreover, if a bishop dies, the Church will be even more focused on martial law.

"Do you have any leads on the witch who framed me?" Weiss asked in return, inquiring about clues.

Since Leon knew that Bishop Beckett was an accomplice of the witch, he probably also knew something about the witch.

"Well..." Leon thought for a moment, "I'm not entirely sure, but the possibility of it being the Insect Princess Alexie is very high!"

He knew that the Count had smuggling business dealings with the Witches' Gathering, and the Great Witch who was invited to frame Weiss was probably someone the Count had invited from there, and it was even very likely that she was the Great Witch Alexie who had acted as a go-between for the Count and the Witches' Gathering.

Ophelia once told me that she was apprenticed to Alexie, a terrorist whose head was wanted by the Church for fifty million, and who was quite famous in the Empire.

“Alexia? Then this must be ‘parasitic infection’,” Weiss mused.

"Parasitic infection?" Leon asked instinctively.

"This is a blessing from the Great Witch Alexia recorded in the church, which allows her blood to invade the target's body and parasitize it. This blood will transform into a parasite, which will then absorb the host's blood to multiply. After a certain incubation period, the multiplied parasite will continue to hatch monster larvae, which will kill and eat the host. These larvae can also attack other creatures on their own, allowing the parasite to spread like a plague."

Alexia's monster form is that of a spider woman; the monsters hatched from her parasitic infection are spider larvae, which she uses to perpetrate numerous horrific assassinations and acts of terror.

Weiss's expression turned grave as she spoke of this, after all, she herself might be the one dying from such a horrific method of murder.

"In that case, wouldn't you be at risk of being killed by her at any moment?" Leon's eyes widened.

“The total amount of witch blood that has invaded my body is very small, and the incubation period from proliferation to hatching of the larvae should be quite long. But if we don’t find a way, there will still be danger,” Weiss said.

"Isn't there any medicine that can deal with this? Since it's a parasite, there should be a way to get rid of it, right?" Leon asked.

“If it’s still in the incubation period, I can prepare the medicine, but we can’t get the raw materials here, nor do we have the conditions to prepare the medicine, so it’s impossible to do it.” Weiss, who was getting nervous, subconsciously bit her nails. “Or, there is another emergency plan.”

"What emergency plan?"

“Use poison to force the parasite out. Parasites are living organisms too. Parasites in their incubation period aren’t very resilient. If they take a sufficiently potent poison, they will either die from the poison or be forced to escape their host,” Weiss replied.

"Poison will suffice?" Leon reacted upon hearing this.

“It’s not enough to just use poison. This kind of plan requires very high-quality poison. It has to be potent enough to kill the parasite, but at the same time, there has to be a way to detoxify it afterward. I can think of several, but none of them are poisons that can be obtained under these circumstances.” Weiss’s brows remained furrowed.

"Would the blood of the curse work?" Leon asked immediately.

“You mean Selena Hershey’s cursed blood? Theoretically, it’s possible, but Ms. Hershey isn’t here right now.” Weiss sighed.

Using cursed blood to force out the parasite is theoretically feasible. Although Alexie is a third-tier witch, Weiss didn't ingest much blood, so she's still in the incubation period. Theoretically, she should be able to suppress it by taking cursed blood. Even if there's a difference in the level of their abilities, they could win with an overwhelming dose.

However, the cursed blood only works when manipulated by the original owner, whether it's for poisoning or detoxification, and Sally is currently imprisoned in Hamel Town.

"You should have said so earlier!" Leon finally breathed a sigh of relief. "It's alright, I have the blood of the curse, and it just so happens to be inside you!"

"What do you mean?" Weiss didn't understand for a moment.

“My blessing is the blood of the curse,” Leon said, looking at Weiss.

"Your blessing is also... Cursed Blood!?" Weiss was stunned for a moment. She still thought that Sally was a witch with the power of Cursed Blood.

Logically speaking, the deadly killing ability of the Cursed Blood is quite rare.

Leon didn't bother to explain further. He used his claw to prick his fingertip, drawing blood, and activated his ability to demonstrate to Weiss.

Weiss stared in disbelief as the other's blood turned a shocking purplish-red, undoubtedly a blessing from the cursed blood!

Thinking about it this way, she realized something—she had just unknowingly drunk so much of Leon's blood, which was equivalent to voluntarily handing her life over to Leon!

Chapter 154 Hideout

Weiss's tension lasted only a moment before she quickly regained her composure.

Objectively speaking, it's undoubtedly a good thing that Leon possesses the cursed blood; it could even be said to have solved his immediate crisis. Even if she hadn't drunk the blood earlier, now that she knows Leon has the cursed blood, she would definitely choose to drink it without hesitation.

It's definitely better to entrust her life to Leon, who risked his life to save her, than to leave her life in the hands of a witch who wanted to frame her!

"So, do you think the dose you drank earlier was enough?" Leon asked Weiss to confirm.

"I think this should be more than enough..."

When this was mentioned, Weiss recalled the memory of holding Leon and sucking on him, and her gaze involuntarily shifted.

"Shall we begin then? Can we control the curse's onset and then undo it?" Leon asked Weiss for confirmation.

Weiss nodded and sat down in a relatively stable position against the chimney to avoid accidentally falling if her body stiffened.

Leon immediately began to activate the blessing of the cursed blood, as he wanted to remove this state of being targeted as soon as possible.

Weiss's breathing immediately became rapid, her whole body convulsed uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured from her forehead.

As a fellow second-tier transcendent being, she had some resistance to Leon's cursed blood, but the dose she had just drunk was too large, and the poison took effect very quickly.

Just a few seconds later, petrification began to appear on the surface of her body, and a sense of fear, stemming from a physiological level, welled up inside her.

Fortunately, as the petrification symptoms spread, she began to feel the parasite lurking in her body finally reacting.

A foreign body sensation rose rapidly from her chest to her throat, and Weiss suddenly coughed violently, coughing up a clump of dark blood.

The black blood fell onto the roof and immediately began to wriggle, then coalesced into a spider that swiftly crawled toward Leon—this was the parasite created by Alexie. Threatened by the cursed blood, it voluntarily detached itself from Vice's body, and then it would instinctively seek out its next host.

With lightning speed, Leon raised his boot and stomped on the spider that the black blood had transformed into, crushing it on the spot.

Just to be on the safe side, he pricked his finger and poured a few drops of cursed blood onto the writhing black blood. The black blood reacted violently for a few moments and then stopped moving.

"Is this okay?" Leon asked Weiss for confirmation.

"Hmm..." Weiss managed to utter.

Leon lifted the curse of the Cursed Blood, and Weiss's partially petrified body returned to normal. She slumped to the ground, panting heavily, sweat pouring from her body.

"Are you alright?" Leon reached out to help Weiss up.

"Thank goodness." Weiss grabbed Leon's hand and stood up. "We succeeded."

With the parasite expelled, the demonic impulse subsided considerably. As the parasite disappeared, the potion that had seeped into her body through it was also greatly reduced in effectiveness.

Although there are still some remnants, she has completely regained control. Now she can finally voluntarily relinquish her vampire form and return to her original appearance.

In that case, theoretically Alexia shouldn't be able to pinpoint her location either.

"Let's hope so." Leon sensed Bishop Beckett's location, not daring to let his guard down. "Just to be safe, we should leave here first!"

……

"Ok?"

Alecne, who was in hiding, noticed something and put down her wine glass.

“Madam, could you please point out the location of the target again?” Bishop Beckett’s voice came from the emblem once more.

“…” Alexie did not answer immediately this time, and put down her wine glass.

Bishop Beckett assumed she was concentrating on sensing her location and waited patiently, but received no response. So he called out again, "Madam?"

"I'm sorry, it seems I can't help you anymore," Alexie replied.

What did you say?

“I can’t find the saintess’s location. The parasite inside her has completely disappeared; it’s probably been disposed of. Or perhaps, the saintess is dead,” Alexie replied.

“How could this be?” Bishop Beckett was caught off guard.

“The saintess you are dealing with is a top-notch apothecary in the church, so it’s not surprising that she could come up with a solution,” Alexie replied.

"It was resolved so quickly; they probably used some kind of controlled poison," Alexie guessed.

She didn't mention this, as it was a weakness in her blessing abilities, and the fewer people who knew about it, the better.

“Don’t you have any other way to find her?” Bishop Beckett’s voice was tinged with anxiety.

“No, my work is done. You’ll have to solve this problem yourselves,” Alexie replied coldly.

"Please wait a moment, ma'am..."

“I’ve done my part, you’ve paid me, and our deal is done. Don’t try to bargain with me; I don’t want to repeat myself,” Alexie said.

“We can add more to the deal!” Bishop Beckett tried to persuade him further.

“What can I do for you now? I can’t move freely here. Besides, I’ve already achieved my goal of making the Imperial Church lose face. I don’t care what happens to the saintess.” Alexie replied with little interest. “Of course, if you want me to kill a few more important figures, I’m always welcome.”

After speaking, Alexie put the badge aside, picked up her wine glass, and took a sip.

Bishop Beckett, standing alone on the street corner, heard no more response from Alexia through the talisman, and only felt his body grow colder and colder from head to toe.

This mission, which was of paramount importance to the Earl, was repeatedly disrupted by unexpected events, causing even a seasoned veteran like him to lose his composure.

"My lord," a knight cautiously stepped forward to report when he saw that the man was no longer speaking to anyone, "this area has been searched, but the target was not found."

"Expand the search to the surrounding neighborhoods and continue the search. Don't miss any corner," Bishop Beckett replied coldly.

……

Half an hour later, in Leon's hotel room.

Leon opened the door while keeping watch in the hallway and led Vivi into his room.

Weiss changed into a nun's robe and put on a veil, and followed Leon to his residence, avoiding being seen.

After the parasitic infection was cured, they hid for a while. After confirming that Bishop Beckett could no longer track their location as quickly as before, Leon first hid Weiss in a secluded place, then prepared a set of clothes for Weiss to change into, and then secretly led Weiss to his room.

After resolving the crisis of being located, their journey became much easier. Although there were knights patrolling the streets, the entire parish was in chaos, with a large number of people crowding the streets. They formed a crowd and moved towards the city gate, wanting to leave the parish as soon as possible.

The deaths that occurred during the sermons of the Creator Church have caused ordinary people attending the Holy Spirit Festival to worry about their personal safety.

However, the church could not let people leave the city at will. The entire city was under martial law, and church knights guarded the city gates, strictly prohibiting everyone from leaving the city, awaiting further instructions from above. This further exacerbated the chaos on the streets.

“This hotel isn’t…” Weiss looked at the slightly luxurious single room in front of her. This was the best hotel in the southeastern suburbs. It was a church-owned property and was quite expensive. Most of the guests here were wealthy people, nobles, and some church members who came to attend the Holy Spirit Festival.

However, she did not stay here; she went directly to the monastery of the Church of the Creator.

“This is my room; you can hide here for now,” Leon replied.

"Is this alright?" Weiss looked at Leon with some concern.

It was undoubtedly risky for Leon to hide her in his room; if she were discovered, Leon's help for her would be exposed.

"There's a bit of a risk, but upon closer inspection, there's really no better place than here. On our way here, I saw members of the Church of the Mystic observing the carriages along the way. Their basic blessing abilities can detect what's inside a carriage, and if someone is hiding inside a parked carriage and doesn't get out, they'll definitely search it. So I can't let you hide in my carriage."

Even if you were given a random hotel room to check into, the hotel could still be searched, especially if you suddenly check in that day. This hotel has many church-related people staying there, as well as some nobles and wealthy people, so the possibility of it being searched is relatively low.

"And look at these runes in the corners. They're supposedly a measure to prevent outsiders from spying on you with their mystical abilities, to ensure privacy. Normally, the entire church is looking for you, and no one would suspect you'd hide in a place where other church members live. The most dangerous place is actually the safest place," Leon explained.

“But, won’t it arouse suspicion if you suddenly bring a woman back to the room?” Weiss was still a little worried; it wasn’t like they were completely unnoticed on their way here.

"What's the problem? I've seen other church members living here bringing women back too. I saw the knight across the street bring two dancers into his room yesterday," Leon replied calmly.

"..." Weiss was speechless. She had actually heard that the moral constraints on church members within the church were not as strict as the outside world claimed, and that many people's daily behavior could be described as corrupt.

"In short, you stay here and absolutely do not go out or make any noise. Do not answer the door for anyone. I'm going out for a bit, and when I come back, we'll discuss how to leave the parish," Leon instructed.

As Bishop Beckett had told him beforehand, he was supposed to be waiting at that club, but he still needed to go back and show his face to avoid arousing suspicion. Moreover, he also wanted to make contact with Bishop Beckett or the Earl as soon as possible to find out their reasons for targeting Weiss.

He tried asking Weiss, but Weiss herself knew nothing about why Alexie and Bishop Beckett were targeting her, even when Leon suggested it might be related to her father, Archbishop Rogers. In that case, he would have to find out the information himself.

"You'll be back soon, right?" Weiss looked at Leon nervously. In this situation, she had unconsciously developed a dependence on Leon.

“I’ll try.” Leon looked into Weiss’s eyes and nodded.

Chapter 155 Making an Enemy of the Earl

Leon changed into his church uniform and returned to the lounge area of ​​the business club. It was nearly dusk, and more than two hours had passed since Bishop Beckett had asked him to wait there.

However, he sensed that Bishop Beckett was not nearby; he guessed that Bishop Beckett was either still frantically trying to find Weiss or receiving medical treatment.