What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

Ophelia’s question caught Rena somewhat off guard, but Leon quickly gave his answer

“She is my lover.”

When Rena heard Leon say this, her entire face flushed so red that even the veil could not conceal it. Publicly acknowledging their relationship in front of outsiders still made her a little shy.

“I see, just like them.” Ophelia raised an eyebrow and nodded.

Rena did not quite understand, but Leon knew that the “them” Ophelia referred to meant her parents.

Judging from Ophelia’s reaction, although she had deliberately asked, she did not seem particularly interested in the matter.

“That will be all for this inspection.” Ophelia lowered her head and examined her fingernails for a moment before suddenly speaking. “Don’t forget the two points I mentioned—expand production, and improve the extraction process according to these notes. Your output capacity still has plenty of room for improvement.”

Leon and Rena exchanged a glance, both unable to read Ophelia’s attitude. She had come for an inspection, yet she did not seem especially concerned about the situation inside the Labyrinth.

“Understood.” Leon observed Ophelia’s expression as he replied. “Then, do you have any further arrangements?”

“At this hour, accompany me for a meal,” Ophelia said, looking at Leon.

Rena looked at Ophelia in surprise, then at Leon.

“There are a few good restaurants in Caster Town. If you don’t mind—” Leon suggested.

“No. I don’t want to go somewhere that far. Southern cuisine isn’t particularly distinctive,” Ophelia replied indifferently.

“If you’re seeking something distinctive, we do have a few specialties here. But for Miss Ophelia, they might not be so easy to accept?” Leon said.

“What do you mean?” Ophelia raised an eyebrow.

“Magical beast cuisine. We’ve been experimenting with cooking magical beasts. The meat of a Head-Hunting Rabbit, noodles made from Slime Gel, giant scorpion shells with meat for soup stock, giant spider legs roasted with butter— I hired a chef specifically to research this. The surplus materials from slaughtered magical beasts are turned into dishes in the Dining Hall. They’ve been quite well received,” Leon explained.

“Mr. Fenrir, how could you let Miss Ophelia eat such things?” the elderly female attendant, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke.

Unlike the attendant, however, Ophelia smiled slightly. “That does sound interesting. Your people can accept eating magical beasts?”

In most people’s perception, magical beasts were inauspicious creatures, regardless of whether they were poisonous.

Using them as medicinal ingredients was one thing, but treating them as proper food required a bit of courage.

“At first, most people were unwilling. But after trying it, they accepted it quickly. If it can be made into a Magical Potion and drunk, why not cook it into a dish and eat it? Our dishes have undergone repeated testing. They’re very safe,” Leon said.

“It does sound rather interesting.” For the first time, Ophelia showed a trace of interest, but then her tone shifted. “Still, let’s forget it. I never intended to eat what you prepared in the first place. What I meant was that you should dine aboard my ship. I brought an excellent chef. Let’s go now.”

Leon realized that Ophelia had made her decision from the start and had left him no room to decline.

She did not trust him enough to eat food he had prepared, yet she expected him to unconditionally agree to dine in a place of her choosing. It reminded him of the meal the Earl had once invited him to. Father and daughter both seemed to enjoy using this method to assert their superior–subordinate relationship.

“I look forward to it,” Leon agreed.

With his Werewolf Physique, he possessed extremely strong poison resistance, so he did not need to worry too much about being poisoned. Moreover, he was now a cadre under the Earl, diligently working for the Earl’s forces and holding significant value to them.

Ophelia’s attitude was difficult to discern, but the likelihood of her acting against him was low. Inviting him to dine likely meant she had something to discuss.

He glanced at the somewhat nervous Rena, signaling for her not to worry, then left the Labyrinth together with Ophelia.

They returned to the pier. Leon followed Ophelia aboard the cargo ship, crossed the deck, and entered a room inside the cabin.

Although the ship floating on the water constantly rose and fell gently with the waves, once inside the cabin Leon found that the sensation of swaying disappeared entirely. It was as steady as an ordinary building. He did not know whether some special craftsmanship or some special power was at work.

They sat facing each other at a small square table. The female attendant initially stood behind Ophelia, but after the first dish was served, Ophelia dismissed her.

The attendant bowed and withdrew from the room. Ophelia then picked up her spoon first. “Try this. It’s a specialty of Moirland—sea turtle soup.”

Leon took a sip. The soup was indeed fresh and flavorful, with a rich and complex aroma of spices.

“I heard from the Earl Foyle that you once received guidance from a Great Witch of Moirland?” Leon began.

“Yes. I studied under the Great Witch Arachne, the Insect Queen,” Ophelia replied.

“The Arachne with a fifty-million bounty from the Church?” Leon asked after a moment’s thought.

Arachne was a very famous Great Witch within the Empire. It was said that twenty years ago, as the Great Witch and ruler of Moirland, she had maintained close ties with the Islander restorationists in the eastern Empire. She had planned and participated in several terrorist incidents in the eastern Empire and had assassinated six Church members.

During the war ten years ago, she had even appeared personally within the Empire’s borders, leading the Islander restoration army against imperial forces and slaughtering many imperial soldiers. This had placed her on the Church’s red bounty list, with a reward of fifty million.

After the war ten years ago, however, the Islander restorationists were destroyed, and Arachne largely ceased her activities within the Empire. Attempting to travel to Moirland to assassinate her was an extraordinarily difficult endeavor.

“That’s right. Perhaps my father told you—she was the first witch he connected with when he established contact with the Witch Gathering. Through my teacher’s introduction, my father opened relations with the Witch Gathering and proposed a trade. At the time, the Witch Gathering set a condition: they required my father to send me to Moirland for cultivation to ensure the success of the first transaction. In truth, it meant I would serve as a hostage,” Ophelia said.

“And your father agreed?” Leon asked.

“He did not. He tried to persuade the Witch Gathering to change the condition and was even prepared to abandon the deal if negotiations failed. But I volunteered to go to Moirland. My teacher also assured my father of my safety. This ship, the Purple Camellia, was the one I boarded when I first sailed to Moirland.

I served as my teacher’s apprentice for a time. After the first transaction succeeded, I stayed another two months. It wasn’t until my father’s fleet returned for a second smuggling run that I was brought back,” Ophelia said.

“The Earl truly values you, even willing to abandon business for your sake,” Leon commented.

“He simply didn’t want to experience something similar a second time,” Ophelia replied.

Leon could hear it in her tone. The Earl had once lost Ophelia’s mother and dared not risk losing his daughter.

“I was only thirteen at the time. You could say I was fearless in my ignorance. I didn’t think much of the risks. I simply believed nothing would go wrong and was curious about Moirland, so I persuaded my father to agree. That’s how the current business came to be.” Ophelia set down her spoon, wiped her mouth with a napkin, and looked up at Leon. “Mr. Fenrir, have you realized the true meaning behind my father sending me to conduct this inspection?”

Leon also put down his spoon and replied softly, “Forgive my dullness—”

He had sensed that Ophelia’s attitude was subtle, but he had not yet fully understood the reason.

“You can hardly be blamed. Most people wouldn’t guess. I am already twenty-three this year. By ordinary standards, I should long have been discussing marriage. Even someone like my father would be anxious about such matters,” Ophelia said with a smile that did not reach her eyes.

Leon frowned slightly and took several seconds to grasp her meaning.

So this inspection had actually been arranged by the Earl as a blind date?

“But—” Leon was caught off guard.

He had joined for barely half a year, and the Earl was already considering arranging a blind date between him and his daughter? If this was admiration, it was excessively so.

Who could have guessed?

“As you said before, my father intends for me to inherit the business he built with his own hands. He hopes to arrange someone to assist me. First, that person must be engaged in this industry, possess a certain status and capability, and ideally hold a respectable public identity—such as serving within the Church—to provide legal standing for an illegitimate daughter and a witch like me. After filtering by these criteria, there were really only two candidates by my father’s side: Becket and you.”

Resting her cheek on her hand, Ophelia continued, “Unfortunately, Bishop Becket is too old for me to accept. You, on the other hand, became a cadre and obtained rank in half a year. And for some reason, Uncle Johnny is willing to give you face. In my father’s eyes, your appearance is almost like destiny’s arrangement.”

Leon blinked after hearing this. In that regard, his qualifications did seem surprisingly fitting.

“But I am not so sure. There is something I must confirm.” Ophelia looked at him steadily. “I heard that in order to save that witch, you chose to sacrifice another woman with a terminal illness. I want to know—was that decision based on value judgment, or on emotion?”

Leon did not react immediately, so Ophelia rephrased, “In other words, when you say that witch is your lover, is it because emotional bonds allow you to better exploit her value, or because you truly love her? If it’s the former, I could reluctantly accept that. Let me hear your answer.”

Leon frowned. Her phrasing displeased him slightly, but since she had spoken frankly, he would respond properly and formally decline.

“My apologies, Miss Ophelia—” After some thought, Leon began slowly.

“That’s enough.” Ophelia interrupted him directly. “The fact that you did not answer immediately has already disqualified you.”

Leon was momentarily speechless.

“This is not about whether you accept or refuse,” Ophelia said expressionlessly. “I am the one selecting you. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” Leon replied calmly.

For him, Ophelia not choosing him was actually a good thing. Becoming her partner and assisting her in inheriting the Earl’s enterprise would have run entirely counter to his current objectives.

“Then please continue working diligently for our enterprise.” Ophelia lifted her wine glass and swirled it lightly as she spoke to Leon.