What witch? The Deadly Pharmacist!

Upon hearing Leon's voice, Weiss finished her work first before turning around to speak: "Leon, I just helped you improve the process..."

She stopped halfway through her sentence when she saw Lena next to Leon, a girl with her face covered like Leon's, standing almost shoulder to shoulder with him.

Weiss stared intently at Lena, then asked Leon with hesitation and surprise, "And who is this?"

"She is……"

Just as Leon was about to introduce her, Lena reached out and took his arm, saying, "I am his lover."

Weiss's eyes widened in surprise.

Leon glanced at Lena with some surprise, not expecting her to introduce the relationship from this angle.

He immediately understood that Lena's visit to Weiss was a subtle way of asserting her dominance, and couldn't help but chuckle.

Lena deliberately avoided looking at Leon.

For a moment, Weiss felt as if her heart had been squeezed, but she quickly forced herself to calm down and gave Leon a questioning look.

Lena secretly observed Weiss's reaction.

Leon turned his gaze away from Lena and then to Weiss: "Yes, this is my girlfriend and business partner. I'm sorry I haven't told you this before, but she's basically in charge of the operations within the maze. She heard you were going to use the maze, so she wanted to come and see you."

“…I see.” After a moment of silence, Weiss replied softly. After looking at Lena for a while, she suddenly realized something. “I understand. You are the girl who was detained before Hershey on suspicion of being a witch in Selene Hershey’s case, right? I remember her name was… Lena?”

She vaguely remembered the name that was briefly mentioned in the case file. When a small group of people in the church handled cases, they would omit the part about catching someone, clearing them of suspicion, and releasing them. But according to regulations, the entire case handling process should be recorded.

Aaron was quite serious about this at the time. Although he conducted targeted interrogations after capturing Lena and confidently applied for a supreme investigation order, which was later revoked, this was not a good thing for him. However, he still strictly followed the regulations and included it in the case file.

At the time, Weiss didn't pay much attention, so she didn't remember Lena's full name completely.

She was surprised to hear that there was someone else with Leon.

But after forcing herself into a rational state, she quickly sorted out some of her thoughts.

She had previously considered that the Cursed Blood was actually Leon's power, and that there might be another reason for Sally's imprisonment.

If the witch's blessing when Selene surrendered was a sham, it means she might not have been the witch in the first place, but rather Leon. In that case, Leon's decision to imprison Selene becomes very intriguing, because according to the case files, Aaron and Bishop Beckett didn't even target Leon at the time, but instead focused on a local girl as a suspect.

Now, Leon introduces this person as the manager of the labyrinth and a business partner, which means that she is the one who produces magic essence in the labyrinth. There is no doubt that she is indeed a witch.

That makes sense now; she is the girl Lena from the case file. The reason Leon orchestrated Selene's confession and imprisonment was to clear her name.

Lena was surprised by how quickly Weiss deduced the results, although she had expected Weiss to find out about it.

“Since we both know each other’s identities, there’s no need to cover our faces.” Lena raised her hand and took off her veil first.

Upon hearing this, Weiss also removed the protective mask she had worn during the experiment, and then pulled off her veil, revealing their true faces to each other.

"She is indeed very young, just like in the case file, only sixteen or seventeen years old." This was Weiss's first impression of Lena.

"Sigh, the church's saintess is indeed very beautiful!" Lena noticed the difference at first glance, and then compared their height and figure more carefully.

Why does it feel like we've been completely crushed? Lena suddenly felt a sense of loss.

After sighing inwardly for a moment, Lena spoke up, "You said before that the medicine to cure the saltification disease could only be made deep within the labyrinth, right?"

"To be precise, the magic element needed to make this medicine can only be obtained near the magic source deep within the labyrinth." Weiss explained, then suddenly realized something, "Wait a minute, could it be that the medicine was originally your research project?"

Upon closer examination, if Selene wasn't a witch when she went to prison, then it's unlikely that she was the one developing the medicine to cure the saltification disease. The medicine requires magic essence as its raw material, and also requires some knowledge of magic potions to prepare.

Thinking about it this way, the original drug before her improvement was very likely made by this young witch in front of her.

“Yes, I made it,” Lena replied.

“You’ve achieved something truly remarkable,” Weiss commented to Lena.

"That's still not as good as you. You've created a cure..." Lena wasn't pleased by Weiss's praise; instead, she sighed.

In terms of appearance, ability, and even research achievements in this area, she felt that she was completely outshone by Weiss.

"My achievements are still very limited, and I've only made some minor improvements on your work, using high-purity magic elements to maximize the effect. You achieved a breakthrough from zero to one, while I merely added to your work in a simple, incremental way," Weiss commented objectively.

Lena looked at Weiss and pondered for a moment before tentatively speaking, "Anyway, I still appreciate you helping me break through the bottleneck that I couldn't overcome. I know it might sound a bit shameless, but I still want to ask if you would be willing to tell me the formula for that medicine? Developing a cure for halogenation disease has always been my goal."

If she had been able to obtain the medicine developed by Weiss back then, her grandmother could have been saved.

If this medicine can be further improved to the point that ordinary people can use it, then her goal of completely eradicating the saltification disease from the world after she becomes a witch will at least have a feasible foundation.

So she wanted Weiss's findings. However, she didn't have high hopes for it. Not every researcher is willing to share their hard-earned results for free, and from Weiss's perspective, as long as she had the drug's formula, Leon and she would need her in this matter.

But to her surprise, Weiss answered without hesitation: "Sure, I've been thinking about discussing this with the drug's developers for a while now."

"No...conditions required?" Lena was a little incredulous at Weiss's quick agreement.

“Research requires exchange to progress. The castle of truth cannot be built by one person alone; everyone’s research is based on the work of their predecessors. Since my research is developed based on yours, I am of course willing to share my results. In fact, if you are willing, I can also teach you some of my other previous research findings.”

As Weiss spoke, a hint of melancholy flashed in her eyes as she looked at Lena. "I can no longer return to the church, and the materials I left there may be confiscated. If I die one day, my research will likely disappear from this world. If possible, I hope that a suitable person can inherit them."

Leon and Lena exchanged a glance; neither of them had expected Weiss to agree so readily.

"You want me to be your apprentice?" Lena was taken aback.

“It’s just an equal academic exchange,” Weiss replied.

"I... I've only researched medicine for salinization disease, so I'm afraid I won't be able to share anything with you." Lena became nervous.

Weiss is a key researcher at the Church Research Institute. She graduated from a prestigious university, is highly knowledgeable, and has the support of the Church's resources. Considering that she can refine magic essence with a purity of over 95%, even as a witch, Weiss should be a highly skilled expert.

How could a seventeen-year-old country bumpkin like her possibly be qualified to engage in academic exchanges with others?

“Miss Lena, at only sixteen years old, you have advanced a research project on treating rare diseases in others to such an extent. Not everyone can do that. I believe you have the qualities of a researcher, and I also believe you have the heart to make good use of the research results.”

"I'm glad you took the initiative to see me and bring up academic exchange. If you don't mind, we can do research together in the future," Weiss said sincerely, looking at Lena.

Upon hearing this, Leon recalled the enthusiasm that Weiss had shown when she specially invited him to the St. Rosalia Institute and discussed academic matters with him, which seemed completely different from her usual cold demeanor.

Weiss truly values ​​the pursuit of knowledge, and she probably genuinely believed that Lena was there purely for research purposes, unaware of Lena's ulterior motives towards her.

Leon smiled and glanced at Lena to observe her reaction.

Lena stared blankly back at Weiss's sincere gaze, and after a moment, she felt a wave of shame.

Weiss thought she was there simply for the research of the drug, but in fact, she had some other ulterior motives.

"I'm sorry," Lena said softly.

Weiss blinked, then lowered her eyes with a hint of regret: "Still... not okay? Well, I understand."

“No! It’s not that I’m unwilling to study together. I apologize because…” Lena hesitated for a moment, but decided to tell the truth, “Actually, I heard about what happened between you two, and I was a little… a little suspicious of your relationship with Leon, so I thought of meeting you. I’m sorry.”

Weiss's expression stiffened upon hearing this, and she then awkwardly looked away: "No, you misunderstood. Those things were just... forced by circumstances..."

This time, Leon's expression froze, because he suddenly felt that Lena's grip on his arm had tightened.

He only gave Lena a general account of what happened, without mentioning details like biting necks and sucking blood or human sculpture. Knowing Lena as he did, he knew that if he brought it up, Lena would definitely throw a tantrum, even if she understood the reason.

As a result, Weiss let it slip right there. He hadn't expected Lena to come to see him on her own initiative, and he hadn't even rehearsed his story with Weiss beforehand.

"What circumstances forced you to do this? Can you explain in detail?" Lena gripped Leon's arm tightly while staring at Weiss, her gaze suddenly becoming sharp.

Chapter 164 Even if it's the abyss, I'll go with you

Seeing Lena's reaction, Weiss stared at Leon with wide eyes, and Leon could only respond with a wry smile.

Weiss then realized that Leon hadn't told anyone yet, and immediately understood her earlier self-incriminating behavior.

"What's wrong? Is it something that's hard to say?" Lena's expression grew even more gloomy upon seeing this.

Vess felt increasingly embarrassed under Lena's gaze. Whether it was her biting Leon's neck and sucking his blood, or her naked body turning into a statue for Leon to manipulate, these things were easy to explain. Everything had a reason, but if she had to say, she couldn't say that she felt nothing at all during her intimate contact with Leon.

With this in mind, she opened her mouth several times to speak to Leona, Leon's lover, but in the end, she still couldn't bring herself to say it.

After hesitating for a moment, she glanced at Leon and whispered to Lena, "Let him tell you."

Leon suddenly felt his arm being gripped tightly by Lena, and a sharp pain shot through him.

"Miss Weiss, are you really going to put me on the fire?" Leon looked at Weiss helplessly.

“I’m sorry…” Weiss’s gaze wandered.

"It seems you missed some really exciting details when you were recounting it to me earlier?" Lena leaned close to Leon and looked up at him, her eyes full of determination.

"I'll explain it to you properly when we get back." Leon also felt a bit awkward saying this in front of the person involved, in case Lena lost her temper in front of Weiss.

"Okay, then I'll definitely listen attentively later." Lena suppressed her anger slightly.

Leon sensed the approaching storm and could only pray that he would have a chance to go to bed tonight.

An awkward silence enveloped the scene. After a while, Weiss picked up a test tube and tried to change the subject to break the atmosphere: "I just improved the process of making some potions. This is mandrake oil. After refining it using my method, the concentration of active substances should theoretically increase by 20%. When made into potions, it should also have a corresponding increase in effect."

"Oh, so if we add some regular essential oil, the potion's effects will remain the same, and the yield will increase, right?" Leon chimed in, taking the test tube from Weiss and examining it.

Weiss was momentarily speechless.

At this moment, Lena finally controlled her emotions and calmed down a bit. She glanced at Leon and said, "The way you're talking now makes you sound like a shrewd businessman."

“We shouldn’t rashly increase the potion’s potency now, lest outsiders notice that we’ve added an ‘outstanding’ apothecary. Also, Viss, the magic essence you’ve refined can only be used to develop special-effect medicines. The process improvements here are mainly to make it easier for you to make special-effect medicines. If outsiders might see it in the future, such as during an inspection, we’ll have to find a way to revert the laboratory back to its original state,” Leon explained.

Weiss and Lena understood; this was to prevent the Earl's power from being discovered too quickly.

“I’m sorry, I thought you wanted me to improve the potions you make.” Weiss thought she had done something unnecessary.

“No, if we have the opportunity to deal with the Earl in the future, we will need these techniques to seize the market.” Leon handed the test tube back to Weiss.

When he said this, both Weiss and Lena looked at him with surprise.

Leon noticed their gazes and was completely bewildered: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

“Leon, what did you mean by ‘dealing with the Earl’?” Weiss asked cautiously.

“No, you should understand this, right, Count Frey? Now, he’s going to great lengths to find you. If you want to be truly safe in the future, what other way is there but to kill him? Didn’t I say we’d work together to deal with the Count?” Leon said, spreading his hands.

If you really want to talk about it, Weiss should have had a stronger motive to kill the Count than he did, so Leon subconsciously felt that even if he hadn't specifically discussed the plan to kill the Count with Weiss, she should have been able to understand.

But Weiss looked at him with a puzzled expression: "But killing the Earl is no easy task. Why are you already thinking about what will happen after you kill him? Did you and the Earl have any conflicts in the past?"

When Weiss learned that she had been framed by the Earl, she could only think about how to protect herself and worry about her father. She did not seriously consider how to retaliate against the Earl, let alone kill him.

Because reason tells her that this goal is very difficult to achieve.

But Leon suggested killing the count even more naturally than she did, and then casually asked what would happen afterward, as if this had been on his agenda for a long time.

"I wouldn't say that. He pushed me to the brink before, but he let me go in the end. He invested in me because of my value, and I worked for him and achieved outstanding results in return. We don't have any grudges now, it's just a transaction."

"But now his revenge on your father has affected this deal, and I didn't have much time to think about it back then. Now that we've made our choice, we can only consider the possibility of the Earl finding out. In that case, we'll have no choice but to kill the Earl, won't we?" Leon replied, looking at Weiss.

“That’s true…” Weiss blinked, “but I don’t think most people would be that decisive.”

Even with her rational thinking, she couldn't fully follow Leon's train of thought. Rather, she sensed something amiss in Leon's motives.

Ultimately, the fact that Leon was able to consider everything so quickly means that he must have already thought about the consequences when he saved her.

So what was his motive for going to such lengths to save her, even at the cost of putting himself in a position where he had to consider killing the count?

"Leon, why did you go to this extent? Is it really just for the medicine I developed?" Weiss looked at Leon with disbelief.

“Isn’t it also to save you? I’ve already said that our previous friendship wasn’t fake. You’ve helped me before, so of course I don’t want to see you framed for no reason,” Leon replied.

Upon hearing this explanation, Weiss's slightly furrowed brows did not relax; she still felt something was off.

Lena looked at Leon's face with a complicated expression. She released Leon's arm and suddenly spoke in an unusually calm tone: "Leon, so you've already figured out that after killing the Count, we'll never be able to get away, right?"

Once the count is killed, it means they will become enemies of the count's stakeholders. Some may want to avenge the count, while others may vie for power after the count's death and see them as the most threatening opponents.

In this situation, they can only ensure their ability to protect themselves and fight back by continuing their business. In a sense, they have cut off their chance to retire from this business.

When Leon said he had killed the count, she herself was not actually aware of it.

But now it seems that Leon actually wanted consequences.

But he didn't hesitate much.

"I'm sorry, Lena, I..."

Before Leon could explain, Lena raised her hand to interrupt him: "So, you don't actually intend to find an opportunity to retire from crime in the future, right?"

“No, of course not! That’s really what I think. I don’t even care how much money I make right now,” Leon said firmly.

"Is that really what you think, or is it because you'd rather follow my wishes than live under the Earl's control?" Lena stared intently at Leon.

Leon was speechless at this moment, feeling as if Lena's gaze was piercing straight into his heart.

Lena got her answer at that moment, and as if she had given up on something, she smiled helplessly: "I knew it, you're just that kind of person."