What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

What had that just been?

A new Lord of the Labyrinth? Him?

Leon felt a little confused, yet everything that had flashed through his mind just now clearly conveyed a single concept to him:

At the very instant the Drake died, he had been chosen as the Lord of the Labyrinth.

He focused his mind again, and soon that sensation of his vision expanding reappeared.

He was able to perceive the condition of the surrounding area.

He had clearly never seen the interior of that Hall before, yet he still knew its general layout and could even sense the surging mana beneath the altar.

“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Johnny noticed Leon zoning out and shouted at him.

“That little bit just now wasn’t enough to scare you into wetting your pants, was it?”

Leon came back to his senses and replied to Johnny without changing his expression, “No. I was just considering how to arrange this place afterward.”

“You’d better start thinking about that quickly. Once I’ve delivered on the Earl’s request, I’ll send someone to collect the remaining payment from you—don’t forget. I suggest you don’t just focus on raising Magical Beasts. In a Labyrinth with mana this abundant, the efficiency of generating Magical Beasts will be very high. It might even suddenly produce something dangerous. You’ll need enough manpower to keep a tight watch on the deepest mana source.” Johnny reminded him.

“Thank you for the reminder.” Leon said this, yet his attention remained fixed on the churning mana within the vertical shaft at the center of the altar that he sensed in his mind.

He faintly felt as though he could control that mana.

In the depths of a Labyrinth, there were usually fissures and deep chasms that led straight down into the earth.

Moilai’s mana continuously overflowed from them, turning the underground space into a Labyrinth.

This mana accelerated the growth and reproduction of native organisms within the Labyrinth while causing them to mutate into Magical Beasts.

These Magical Beasts could also reproduce like ordinary creatures.

In some larger Labyrinths with vast reserves of mana, the mana could even gather deep within and directly create Magical Beasts from nothing.

Just as Johnny had mentioned earlier, the Lord of the Labyrinth could control this power and create new Magical Beasts.

For example, the awakened Drake had created those Petrifying Lizards to serve as its familiars and guard the temple with it.

If he had truly become the Lord of the Labyrinth, did that mean he could directly control this mana—freely create Magical Beasts, or perhaps calm it down so that the Labyrinth would only supply mana without generating Magical Beasts on its own?

After waiting for a long time and seeing no further movement in the Labyrinth, Johnny ordered his subordinates, “Go check the situation inside the temple.”

“Mr. Johnny, I have something I’d like to ask you.” Leon spoke up from behind.

“Spit it out!” Though somewhat impatient, Johnny was still willing to listen.

“Has there ever been a precedent of a Witch becoming the Lord of a Labyrinth?” Leon asked tentatively.

As a former Knight Order Commander, Johnny could be considered part of the Church’s upper ranks.

He was also highly experienced in dealing with Magical Beasts and had fought heretics before.

Leon believed he knew quite a bit about Labyrinths and Witches.

“You’re talking about an Apostle of Moilai?” Johnny asked in return.

“Apostle of Moilai?” It was Leon’s first time hearing this term.

“It corresponds to the Saints among those blessed by the Four Gods of Origin. In this world, there are always a few exceptionally gifted individuals. Among Witches, the Apostles of Moilai are the chosen ones. Legend says they can directly establish a connection with the mana flowing from beneath the earth from Moilai, becoming Lords of the Labyrinth like high-level Magical Beasts. In heretical nations that worship Moilai, once such a Witch appears, she is immediately appointed as a high-ranking and powerful High Priestess.” Johnny explained lazily.

“So there really have been Witches who became Lords of the Labyrinth before?” Leon pressed.

“Well, most records about Apostles of Moilai are just legends. Only one has been confirmed by the Church as unquestionably real.” Johnny said.

“Who?”

“The Princess of the Islander Nation three hundred years ago, Isis. She was an Apostle of Moilai. Historical records clearly state that within temples dedicated to Moilai—meaning inside Labyrinths—she continuously created Magical Beasts to defend the city against the Empire’s army. She was extremely troublesome.And because of that, when the Islander Nation fell, she still had many followers. She crossed the sea with them and established Moirland.” Johnny explained.

“The Princess of the Islander Nation?” Leon fell into thought.

In that case, was he like that Princess of the Islander Nation—an Apostle of Moilai, possessing this once-in-a-century talent to become a Lord of the Labyrinth?

Considering that he, despite being male, had still received Moilai’s Blessing, the possibility was not low.

However, he would have to verify it later to be completely certain.

That Princess of the Islander Nation had lived three hundred years ago.

Logically, she should be dead by now.

But not necessarily.

It was said that Witches possessed enduring youth and long lifespans.

There were even legends of immortality.

“You’d better not expect your own Witch to have that kind of talent.” Johnny misinterpreted Leon’s intention in asking about this information.

At that moment, his subordinates finished exploring the Hall and came out, raising their hands to wave at Johnny.

“Looks like there’s nothing valuable inside the Hall. Want to take a look?” Johnny asked Leon without surprise upon seeing the gesture.

The ruins were most likely a Temple of Moilai built by the Islanders, who worshiped the Earth Mother Goddess, following the structure of a natural Labyrinth.

The so-called Earth Mother Goddess Priestesses of the Islanders were actually Witches.

They had the ability to control the Labyrinth, tame the Magical Beasts inside it, and even build temples within it.

When the Empire destroyed the Islander Nation three hundred years ago, the Islanders on Arend Island had likely found a way to destroy the passages within the Labyrinth, putting it into dormancy and hiding the temple in the mountains.

It remained concealed until Viscount Arend purchased the land for development and dug mining tunnels in the mountain—accidentally excavating into the ruins and bringing the Labyrinth back into the light.

If that were the case, even if there had once been anything valuable inside the temple, it would have long since been moved away.

Leon and Johnny stepped into the Hall together.

Johnny’s subordinates had already lit torches inside.

The Hall was truly empty—nothing but rows of pillars and, at its center, a Moilai Altar as large as a plaza.

At the very center of the Moilai Altar was a hollow vertical shaft, only about thirty centimeters in diameter—no one needed to worry about falling in.

A faint column of light shone upward from the shaft, piercing toward the dome above.

It seemed to be an effect produced by highly concentrated mana.

Everything matched exactly what Leon had sensed earlier.

Now that he was closer to the altar, he felt the surging mana beneath the shaft even more clearly.

“A large altar of the Earth Mother Goddess. That’s quite rare.” Johnny suddenly grinned.

“There must have once been some rather exciting rituals held here.”

Leon looked at Johnny in confusion.

“You didn’t know? The Islanders worshiped the Earth Mother Goddess—Moilai—believing she governed reproduction. It’s said that in the past, the Earth Mother Goddess Priestesses of the Islanders—that is, the Witches—would select tribal heroes to enter the temple and revel with them through the night as a form of worship to the Mother Goddess.” Johnny spoke of the topic with evident relish.

“Is that true?” Leon asked casually.

“It’s something from a long time ago. It no longer exists now. But when the Church associates Witches with promiscuity in its propaganda, it’s not entirely slander.” Johnny swept his gaze around and ended the topic.

“Anyway, it seems there’s nothing worthwhile here. That’s that.”

Leon also glanced around, but his gaze was suddenly drawn to a recess in the wall deep within the Hall.

There were several such recessed designs along the wall, seemingly decorative.

However, Leon faintly sensed that there was something behind that particular recess.

He focused his mind and tried to retrieve the structure of the Labyrinth again.

The three-dimensional layout of the Hall slowly emerged in his mind once more.

Then he saw it—just as he had suspected.

Behind that recess was a narrow passage, and within it, a hidden chamber.

However, he could not clearly sense what was inside the hidden chamber.

He could only feel that a dense concentration of mana was gathered there.

Leon glanced at Johnny and the others behind him, who were already preparing to deal with the Drake’s corpse.

In the end, he said nothing and left the Hall with them.

Two days later, Leon and Rena stood inside the Hall deep within the Labyrinth.

After the Drake died, Johnny and the others had cut up the corpse and taken it away, leaving Leon only the parts that could be refined for mana extraction.

Leon hired additional manpower to thoroughly clear out the depths of the Labyrinth and brought in a large amount of equipment.

He personally processed the Drake’s brain and heart into reagents suitable for mana extraction before finally bringing Rena to the depths of the Arend Island Labyrinth to inspect the situation.

“You’re saying you can control this Labyrinth?” Rena asked Leon in astonishment.

Leon nodded.

He had told only Rena about this matter.

Only Rena knew that he had received a Witch’s Blessing.

He trusted her completely.

To discuss and verify this matter, she was undoubtedly the best person to seek help from.

“Yes. I intend to verify it, so I dismissed everyone else today. It’s just the two of us here.” Leon said.

“But how are you going to verify it?” Rena asked.

“I’m going to try creating a Magical Beast here.” Leon’s gaze shifted to the altar.

Beside the vertical shaft at the altar’s center stood an empty iron-barred beast cage.

“Is something like that really possible?” Rena looked surprised.

“We’ll find out if we try.”

“It feels a bit dangerous. What if you create a Magical Beast and it loses control—” Rena sounded worried.

“That’s why I need you watching from the side.” Leon pointed to the side.

Not far away, three Demonic Wolves—including the Pack Alpha—sat there on standby like well-trained hounds.

After repeated training by Leon and Rena, these Demonic Wolves had become quite docile.

Not only Rena, but Leon as well could now control them.

However, Leon’s precision and upper limit in number were still inferior to Rena when she used the Blood Pact ability.

He could only command the Demonic Wolves like hunting dogs, whereas Rena could control Magical Beasts almost as if they were extensions of her own will.

“All right… but be careful.” Rena still looked somewhat tense.

“I’m starting.” Leon said, then focused his will and began drawing upon the mana within the vertical shaft.