What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

"..." Upon hearing this, Weiss's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.

Now we're completely stuck in a difficult situation.

After struggling for a while, she could only stare blankly back at Leon and give a curt reply: "Um, thank you."

……

The following morning, at the St. Healing's Hospital in the Southeastern Diocese.

Leon walked into a hospital room carrying a bouquet of flowers. Bishop Beckett, who was sitting in a chair, put down his notebook and looked up at him.

"How are you feeling, Commander Beckett?" Leon casually placed the flowers aside and asked with concern.

After being injured while on duty yesterday, Bishop Beckett led a search party into the night. He was finally admitted to the Holy Healing Order for examination and rested there until the next day, only after being ordered by his superiors.

Both morally and logically, it was necessary for Leon to visit the parish before leaving.

“I don’t want anyone to see me in this terrible state.” Bishop Beckett gave Leon a self-deprecating smile and showed him his bandaged upper arm. “The werewolf’s scratch was just a superficial wound, but the healer insisted that I be hospitalized for observation, saying that the wound might have been infected with poison or heretical blood samples, and that I needed to be observed.”

“That definitely needs to be taken seriously. If you get your hands on a witch’s blood, the problem could be very serious,” Leon said, feigning concern. “Will the Holy Healing Cult detect anything?”

The visit to Bishop Beckett was not merely a formality, but also an attempt to ascertain the extent of his investigation.

“Currently, the Church has no means to detect the blood sample of a witch in the incubation period. Otherwise, a blood test would be enough to identify the witch,” Bishop Beckett said helplessly. “However, the possibility of me being infected is basically nonexistent. Staying here is just a waste of time.”

"What evidence do you have for this?" Leon asked.

“If that werewolf’s claws had been stained with poison or witch’s blood, I would have been poisoned long ago.” Bishop Beckett shrugged, then suddenly lowered his voice, “By the way, did the Earl tell you?”

“Yes, he was very frustrated.” Leon also lowered his voice. “Are you being blamed for this?”

“Unnecessary criticism will only dampen the enthusiasm of our subordinates, and the Earl would never do such a thing. The problem is that the plan has failed, and everything we arranged has been in vain.” Bishop Beckett sighed. “By the way, I heard from the Earl that you weren’t at the club at the time. Where were you?”

“I heard the bells and went out to check on things,” Leon replied briefly.

"Did you run into anyone you knew?" Bishop Beckett asked.

“No.” Leon shook his head.

"And nothing suspicious was found?" Bishop Beckett then asked.

Leon shook his head again.

“After letting that werewolf escape, we’ve been completely stumped,” Bishop Beckett sighed again.

"The church mobilized all its members to search all night, but still found nothing," Leon said.

“The werewolf appeared very suddenly, and it probably has a disguised identity in the parish. However, it won’t be so easy to move around with Weiss Rogers in tow. If we continue to search the city, we still have a chance,” Bishop Beckett said.

It seemed that the Earl's camp had no clue whatsoever, but Leon dared not let his guard down. What Bishop Beckett told him was not necessarily all the information they had, and there was even a possibility that they were trying to deceive him.

"Does the Count have any further instructions?" Leon then asked.

“Pursue Weiss Rogers at all costs. That’s all,” Bishop Beckett replied.

"Is there anything I can do for you?" Leon asked.

“You don’t need to get involved in this task for now. You have your own responsibilities, don’t you? The surrounding counties are all relying on your goods. Your supply is very important to the Earl’s business. Go back and take care of your business in your territory as soon as possible.” Bishop Beckett smiled.

"You're right."

“Go ahead and get your travel plans sorted out as soon as possible. If you try to leave the city now, you might have to wait in line until evening,” Bishop Beckett advised.

"Alright, then I won't bother you any longer." After saying goodbye to Bishop Beckett, Leon left the ward.

Bishop Beckett watched silently as Leon's figure disappeared on the other side of the door, and it took several seconds for the smile on his face to slowly fade.

He pulled out the notebook he had been looking at, reopened it, and found a new note inside with a list of names, including Leon Seth's.

This is a list that Beckett commissioned someone to find from church records. The five people on the list are all church members who attended Holy Spirit Day and also possess the blessing of "time acceleration".

Based on the werewolf's bizarre movements, Bishop Beckett was almost certain that it had used a time-acceleration blessing ability. Now, Bishop Beckett would thoroughly investigate any potentially suspicious individual.

Two of the names had been crossed out, and next to them was a note explaining their itinerary after 3 p.m. yesterday, which was also their alibi.

Next to Leon's name, Bishop Beckett silently picked up his pen and wrote down the word "None".

……

An hour later, Weiss, disguised and wearing a veil, cautiously walked out of the hotel and quickly boarded a carriage when no one was patrolling around.

The carriage was quite spacious, but it was still incredibly cramped.

Because there were four female sculptures in different poses and images, some fully nude and some half-nude, all made of white marble, placed neatly in the carriage.

Besides these sculptures, there are several oil paintings covered with black cloth, which are also mainly depicting the human body.

Leon, who had gone to great lengths to purchase all of this, simply sat down among the sculptures and nodded to Weiss.

"These are the statues you used to fish in troubled waters?" The carriage slowly moved along the road, and Weiss carefully found an empty spot to sit down, examining the marble sculptures closely.

“Yes, it cost quite a bit of money,” Leon replied casually.

"This craftsmanship certainly looks expensive; I didn't expect you to buy so much." Weiss blinked. "How much did you spend?"

“I bought it directly from the art gallery at the auction house. It cost around 500,000 in total,” Leon replied.

"You spent so much?" Weiss was stunned. To spend 500,000 for a little disguise was a bit too much. This amount of money was not small for her.

“Those truly masterful works can cost millions per piece. But these are made by some moderately famous craftsmen, which is already considered good. I have to ensure that the workmanship is exquisite enough,” Leon replied.

"You brought so much money?" Weiss was a little surprised.

“The Southeastern Archdiocese has a church bank where I have some money and gold deposited, which I can withdraw here. You know I made some money through investments in Hamel,” Leon replied.

“Those are just money laundering projects, right?” Weiss immediately said.

"You figured it out?" Leon wasn't surprised. Since Weiss had chosen to join, she would find out about his business sooner or later.

“It seems I won’t have to worry about research funding.” Weiss nodded, half-jokingly and half-seriously, and then observed the sculptures again. They were indeed exquisitely crafted. “These sculptures are quite similar in style.”

These sculptures are all exquisitely beautiful and have alluring figures.

“I chose a type that I like based on my aesthetic, and it’s similar to you, so it will be easier for you to blend in,” Leon explained. “Let’s get started now.”

Chapter 159 The Shy Girl

Upon hearing "start," Weiss immediately tensed up.

“Let’s start by studying the poses. Try to imitate the poses of these sculptures behind you, one where you’re covering your face, preferably seated. By the way, how about we tentatively call the theme ‘Shy Girl’?” Leon suggested, like an artist discussing something with a model.

"Does it need a theme?" Weiss was taken aback.

“You need to blend perfectly into these artworks, and of course we need to replicate the artistic creation process. Here, you can start by letting your imagination run wild.” Leon said, moving the sculpture to make room for Weiss.

"W-like this?" Weiss awkwardly covered her face.

“You’re too stiff. Relax a bit, make your joints more flexible. By the way, why don’t you try this position?” Leon said, demonstrating a position to Weiss himself.

Weiss glanced at it, her expression froze, and then she couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Because the poses were meant to showcase the graceful form of a woman, it looked comically awkward when performed by Leon, a physically strong man.

"I was demonstrating the pose for you, and you're laughing at me?" Leon smiled wryly at Weiss.

"I'm sorry..." Weiss covered her mouth and quickly suppressed her smile.

"Aren't you nervous anymore?" Leon asked.

"Hmm, much better." Weiss realized that she was indeed less nervous now.

“Now it’s your turn,” Leon said.

“Okay.” Weiss began to mimic Leon’s previous posture.

"Raise your hand a little higher, let me adjust it for you." He reached out and started to fix Weiss's arm and hair.

When Weiss felt Leon's touch, she was a little nervous at first, but she gradually got used to it.

Maintaining her face-covering posture, she observed Leon closely through the gaps in her fingers. Leon's eyes were very serious and meticulous, and he seemed to be very focused on helping her.

Gradually, Weiss relaxed and began to cooperate with Leon's manipulations.

"Hmm, this pose should be about right. Remember this feeling." Leon finally found a pose that he was relatively satisfied with.

He had Weiss curl up and sit slightly to the side, covering her face with her hands and protecting her chest with her elbows, making her look shy, which could both show her feminine beauty and cover some sensitive parts.

“Okay.” Weiss could tell that Leon had indeed put some thought into it for her.

She realized that, at least when it came to escaping, she could trust the person in front of her, so all she needed to do was stay calm.

Then Leon took out a bucket of prepared white plaster solution and several brushes of various sizes, and said casually, "Now take it off."

At that moment, Weiss's ordinary thoughts soared to the heavens.

Even though her cheeks were burning and her body was trembling with nervousness, all she could manage to say was, "Okay."

Before wrapping herself in the white cloth and taking off her clothes, she thought of something.

"Leon, I hope you'll promise me something." With a blush on her face, she looked at Leon seriously.

"Don't worry, I said I wouldn't do anything strange, and I absolutely won't," Leon assured him again.

“No, that’s not what I meant.” Weiss looked at Leon with dull eyes. “If I’m exposed during the examination, please kill me on the spot and turn me into salt.”

If I were caught naked like that, I'd rather just die on the spot.

"..." Leon paused for a moment before replying, "At that time, I will lead you to fight our way out and escape."

If he were to be exposed by accident, the church would also find out about his hiding of Weiss. Once he was on trial, his crimes would be further exposed and would implicate Lena and others. At that point, it would be better for the two of them to work together to break out and then organize a mass escape.

Upon hearing this, Weiss felt a slight stirring in her heart, but then reminded herself that Leon was not doing this solely for her sake.

Leon spoke of this blatant apostasy backup plan so easily and naturally, as if he were already used to it.

“Leon, besides accepting Moirai’s blessing, have you ever committed any other acts of apostasy?” Weiss asked tentatively.

“Hmm…” Leon thought for a moment, a subtle smile appearing on his face. “I think I might be much more serious in this regard than you think.”

……

The southeastern diocese, south gate.

A long line of horse-drawn carriages stretched from the city gate all the way to the street.

The city gates were heavily guarded, every carriage was inspected, and every possible hiding place was thoroughly examined.

The Greater Parish usually sees a lot of traffic, so it will take some time to release tens of thousands of people stranded there at this efficiency.

Bishop Enrique Davidson led a search of a carriage, wiped the sweat from his brow, and muttered to himself, "Sigh, I should have never taken up a position in the diocese."

Everyone serving in the Southeastern Archdiocese these days is so busy they wish they had eight hands, especially the elected members of the Mystic Church, whose blessings, with their penetrating power, are incredibly useful at times like these.

Henry was not only a member of the Church of the Mystic God, but also held a position in the Southeastern Diocese, so he was naturally assigned the task of searching the city gates at this critical juncture.

He's been busy since dawn until the afternoon, and he'll probably fall asleep as soon as his head hits the pillow.

“Bishop Davidson, I’ll take over for you. You should go and rest,” a colleague from the Church of the Mystic God said to Enrique.

"Okay, thank you." Enrique breathed a sigh of relief, said goodbye to his colleagues, and prepared to leave.

“Wait a moment, Bishop Davidson. A mid-level inquisitor is leaving through the inner passage. Check him before you go.” A knight commander guarding the city gate suddenly used Teleportation Blessing to send a message to Enrique.

"Yes, sir." Enrique sighed and cursed his church colleague in his mind. Why did he have to come at the exact time of his shift change?

Besides those working in the greater diocese, the church staff for Holy Spirit Day included representatives from other dioceses and local personnel from five surrounding counties. They were now stuck here for an extra day, and if they didn't leave soon, many of their jobs would be affected.

Therefore, the Grand Diocese reserved an internal passage for church officials, so they wouldn't have to queue with the pilgrims.

Enrique, accompanied by two apprentice knights, moved to the small gate of the city gate, where a carriage was already parked. He was a little surprised to see the person standing next to the carriage. The church colleague he had just cursed in his mind turned out to be an acquaintance of his.

"What a coincidence, Bishop Davidson," Leon greeted Enrique upon seeing him.

"Judge Seth, are you ready to go back?" Enrique stepped forward and shook hands with Leon.

"I've only just taken office, and I'm always worried that my subordinates might cause trouble if I'm away for too long," Leon said with a smile.

"I really envy you, being able to leave now. I wish I hadn't taken up a position in the parish." Enrique gave a wry smile.

“No way, it’s more promising to stay in the parish than in the local area. So many people are desperate to get in,” Leon said.

“It’s uncertain what will happen after this. Who knows how much this incident will affect the entire parish?” Enrique sighed. “Right now, I’m incredibly busy. Anyway, I already regret it. I should have found a position in Castel City.”

"Are you on duty this morning?" Leon asked.