What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

Hearing Sally ask that, Leon thought for a moment before answering seriously, “I have been strictly keeping our agreement.”

He had assumed Sally was confirming the agreement they had made earlier that he would keep his distance from Melissa.

His current situation was far more stable than before, yet from another perspective, he had only sunk deeper and deeper into his Underworld enterprise. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

From an ordinary person’s point of view, now that he had become a cadre in the Underworld, he fit the definition of a dangerous figure even more than when he had merely been a Mana dealer in the past.

He regularly inquired about Melissa’s condition through the Reformatory, had sent her things, and had even secretly passed along letters from Sally.

But Leon had never once taken the initiative to contact Melissa directly, nor had he gone to see her.

If one had to be blunt about it, rather than keeping his promise to Sally, it was more that he himself did not quite dare to face Melissa.

Ever since he had told Melissa the truth, they had barely exchanged a few words.

Sally’s expression grew somewhat complicated. She set down her utensils, pondered for a long time, then spoke softly, “If you want to go see her, then go.”

Leon was startled, not understanding why Sally had suddenly changed her mind.

“Earlier, she sent a reply letter to the prison. In the letter, she asked about you. She asked how Brother Leon has been lately,” Sally said slowly.

Sally did not tell Leon that on that sheet of paper, there had been only that single question about him yet it had been crossed out and rewritten several times.

As a mother, she could see that Melissa still cared deeply about Leon.

“You can tell her that I’m doing well, but don’t directly mention in the letter that I brought you medicine, or the things I told you before. There’s no telling when these letters might be intercepted and examined midway,” Leon reminded Sally seriously.

The letters Sally sent to Melissa all passed through his hands. There was nothing in their contents that was particularly worrisome.

“I know that’s why I think perhaps it would be more appropriate for you to tell her about the current situation directly. Even if you wrote to her yourself, it might not be entirely safe, right?” Sally said.

“You don’t mind me seeing her?” Leon asked.

“At that time, I made that agreement with you because I thought we needed a clean break. But now, you’re taking such a huge risk for our sake. I owe you another debt of gratitude, and yet I was still making such demands of you. It really is.” Sally’s face showed clear guilt as she spoke.

“You don’t owe me anything, Mrs. Hesh. If you hadn’t agreed to our deal back then, we wouldn’t have made it this far.” Leon met Sally’s eyes earnestly. “Now that there’s a chance to save you, how could I not seize it? I’ll do everything I can! As for that agreement, I completely understand.”

“But no matter what, Melissa and I are still relying on you. That child has always liked you very much. To her, you’ve always been like a hero. I can feel that she must have thought for a long time before mentioning you in her letter. So if possible, go see her, Mr. Leon.” Sally paused, then added, “The day after tomorrow also happens to be Melissa’s fourteenth birthday.”

Hearing this, Leon felt even more hesitant.

Sally had given him permission to see Melissa but was that truly a good idea?

What did Melissa think of him now?

Sensing Leon’s hesitation, Sally added, “Of course, if you feel it’s inappropriate…”

“No, Mrs. Hesh. Actually, thinking about it carefully, what I’m about to do should be explained clearly to Melissa. She has the right to know.” Leon let out a long breath. “To be honest, I’ve been using our agreement as a shield. It’s really that I didn’t quite dare to see her. The day I confessed everything to her, I thought she must have been completely disillusioned with me. I’ve been afraid that if I saw her, I’d find out she still resented me.”

“You won’t know until you meet,” Sally said softly.

Leon fell silent in thought, then nodded. “Mm. You’re right. You won’t know until you meet.”

On the outskirts of Caster Town, at the Church Reformatory of South Harbor County.

“That’s all for today’s lesson. When you return, don’t forget to carefully review these two sections of the Holy Scriptures. I’ll conduct a spot check on your recitation tomorrow. May the Gods bless you.” The elderly nun stood at the lectern, instructing the more than twenty students of varying ages seated below. “Melissa, help me collect yesterday’s assignments.”

“Yes, Matron,” Melissa replied, rising to gather the homework from her classmates one by one.

After handing in their assignments, the other students bid the nun farewell properly, then assembled outside the lecture hall to line up for the dining hall.

The Church Reformatory fell under the Tribunal.

In truth, it was something like a combination of a Church orphanage and a boarding school only with stricter management, more rules, and a firm prohibition against students leaving without permission.

Those who taught and patrolled here were mostly retired Delegate Officers from the Inquisition and the Church Disciplinary Order.

Some even held ranks within the Church. Managing a group of children’s discipline was more than manageable for them.

After the other students left, Melissa handed the homework to the elderly nun.

“Thank you.” The nun accepted it. “Have you been keeping up with the lessons lately? Is there anything you don’t understand?”

“Not at the moment,” Melissa replied softly, shaking her head.

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can always come to my office to ask. You study very diligently it’s just that you fell behind before. The workload may feel heavy, but I think in a year’s time, you should still have a chance to be admitted into the District Church School.” The nun spoke gently.

“Yes, I’ll work hard. Thank you, Matron,” Melissa said sincerely.

Among the twenty-five children in this Reformatory, Melissa could feel that she was the most special.

First of all, she was the only one sent here because her mother had been judged by the Tribunal as a Witch and convicted of the Crime of Blasphemy.

The other children’s parents had mostly been convicted for engaging in illegal trades forbidden by the Church actually not much different from Leon, except without the additional charge of the Crime of Apostasy, so their sentences had not been as severe.

Only two students were slightly different. Their fathers were said to have been Inquisitors in the Inquisition, arrested for dereliction of duty.

Logically speaking, in the eyes of the Delegate Officers here, her family background should have been the closest to the word “heretic.” Yet she could sense that she was instead the one most cared for.

The Matron in charge was especially patient with her and would ask from time to time whether she had encountered any difficulties recently.

Honestly, her life here was not bad at all. It was certainly much easier than before, when she had worked all day and still had to go home to take care of her mother.

At that moment, the elderly man serving as the gatekeeper hurried to the lecture hall entrance.

He glanced at the children lined up outside, then looked inside. After bowing respectfully to the nun, he called out to Melissa, “Melissa Hesh, you have a visitor.”

A few minutes later, a bewildered Melissa was led to the visitation room near the gatehouse.

When she saw Leon sitting inside, her eyes widened instantly.

The Reformatory’s visitation room was not separated by bars. There was only a table and two chairs nothing else.

The Delegate Officer serving as gatekeeper would normally remain inside during visits. But after Leon turned to the elderly man and softly asked, “Could you let us talk alone?” the man gestured ten minutes with his fingers and stepped out, closing the door behind him.

After all, Leon held some authority within the Inquisition at Church-controlled grounds.

He could command a bit of respect from ordinary Delegate Officers here especially since he had brought the man a box of decent-quality pipe tobacco upon arrival.

“Melissa.” Leon stood up, speaking as calmly as he could. “I came to see you.”

Melissa stared at Leon for a long time. Finally, she responded with a soft “Mm,” walked over, and sat down across from him, lowering her head without speaking.

The atmosphere was somewhat stiff, though in Leon’s view it was still within normal bounds. At least it was better than her turning away coldly at the very moment of meeting and refusing the visit.

Since she had sat down, at least she was willing to hear him out.

“The day before yesterday, I went to see your mother. You’ve probably already heard the result of the verdict. There have been some new developments recently that I want to tell you about”

Leon organized his thoughts inwardly, then began speaking in a voice only the two of them could clearly hear.

He roughly explained how, through certain dealings, he had obtained some authority that allowed him to look after Sally in secret and provide her with medicine.

When he mentioned that the current medicine could at least help stabilize Sally’s condition, Melissa suddenly lifted her head and looked at him with eyes seeking confirmation.

In her gaze, Leon once again saw hope just like when he had brought Rena to treat Sally before.

He nodded to her, then lowered his eyes, carefully selecting his words.

“Melissa, to be honest, I can’t give you an absolute guarantee. But right now, I still want to try to save your mother. I have some plans, though I can’t explain them in detail yet.” He hesitated, then let out a self-mocking laugh. “Well, perhaps in your eyes now, I don’t have much credibility left, but..”

As he lifted his face mid-sentence, he suddenly froze.

He saw that Melissa was staring at him with wide eyes staring fixedly at him as tears streamed down from those large eyes, rolling down her cheeks and dripping onto the table.

“Melissa?” Leon looked at her in shock.