What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

An hour later, Leon boarded the carriage for the return trip under the exceedingly respectful—one could even say trembling—send-off of several bodyguards.

He glanced outside, and those bodyguards instinctively lowered their heads, not daring to meet his gaze.

This Fenrir—who had threatened the entire estate with his own life, poisoned Old Roddy to death in front of everyone, and then, with just a few words, incited their boss to execute Garcia, who had followed him for many years.

Even though they were all underworld enforcers who lived by the blade, they truly did not dare to have anything to do with this terrifying madman.

Even the coachman responsible for taking him back wore a tense expression, as if terrified that if he made even a single wrong move along the way, this man would kill him on the spot.

But just as the door was about to close, a deep, aged voice suddenly rang out: “May I hitch a ride? I’m also heading back to Hamel Town.”

Leon looked over in surprise.

Standing at the carriage door was Father Raymond Auden, dressed in a priest’s robe.

The coachman looked at Leon, then at Father Auden, momentarily unsure how to react.

Leon examined the priest with confusion and curiosity, saying nothing.

After meeting his gaze for a moment, the priest simply climbed into the carriage.

“You didn’t say no, so I’ll take that as consent.”

With that, he sat down directly opposite Leon and then gestured for the coachman to close the door.

Once the carriage door shut, only the light of the oil lamp remained inside.

The enclosed space was dim and gloomy.

The carriage set off from the winery.

Leon and Father Auden stared at each other in the swaying compartment, like two trapped beasts in a cage, wary of one another.

In the end, Leon broke the silence first.

“What exactly do you want?”

“I told you—just hitching a ride,” Father Auden replied calmly.

“Mr. Potter wouldn’t be so stingy as to not even arrange a carriage for you. Was it really necessary to squeeze into the same carriage as a poison gas canister like me?

“Aren’t you afraid I’ll seize the chance to kill you on the road? You were the one who incited Potter to kill me right in front of him. I haven’t forgotten.” Leon stared into Father Auden’s eyes as he asked.

He was far too curious about the reason Father Auden had deliberately chosen to squeeze into the same carriage as him.

“If you wanted my life, you should have put me on the list when you were negotiating with Potter, or simply killed me outright. You didn’t, because you knew Potter wouldn’t agree, and that it would ruin your business.

“You look like a madman, but in truth, you know better than anyone where the boundaries lie.” Father Auden stared straight back at Leon.

“So you got on the carriage just to show off that you’ve seen through me? Get to the point already,” Leon said.

What the priest said was accurate enough, but he still had not mentioned his true purpose for boarding.

“Fifty thousand Fenni per gram. You negotiated a very good price with Potter. I imagine that even on the Earl’s side, they wouldn’t offer such a purchase price.

“If nothing unexpected happens, you should be able to earn at least a mansion, a plantation, and even a ship capable of going to sea within a few years…” the priest said.

“Mm, that does sound pretty good,” Leon replied offhandedly.

But then the priest suddenly changed his tone.

“But the reality is that you can’t buy any of that. You can only bury the money in your cellar.”

Leon frowned slightly as he listened.

“If you only quietly spend some of it for your own enjoyment—eat well, play with women—there probably won’t be much of a problem.

But if you make any large expenditures or purchase any property, you’ll very quickly attract the attention of the tax officials, and then the Security Office will come sniffing around as well.

“Given your identity, the Inquisition will also set its sights on you.

When that happens, how will you explain this enormous income of unknown origin?” Father Auden asked patiently.

As he finished speaking, he took out a small voucher and handed it over.

“You just sold those samples for a hundred thousand.

I think you might be interested in this.”

Leon took it, examining it as he asked, “What is this?”

“A prize-bearing donation ticket issued by the Church.

This one is last week’s winning ticket and is still within the redemption period.

The amount is one hundred thousand Fenni.

You pay twenty thousand in taxes.

“You go to the Church to redeem it, and a record will be left behind. The Church can then prove the source of eighty thousand Fenni of your income. That eighty thousand, you can spend freely,” Father Auden explained.

Leon chuckled softly.

This thing was essentially a lottery ticket.

In the Empire, only the Church could issue them, and it was one of the Church’s main means of accumulating wealth, while the government profited by collecting taxes from it.

In this world, lottery jackpots were not that massive, but prizes in the hundreds of thousands were still possible.

“And how much does it sell for?” Leon shook the ticket in his hand.

“One hundred thousand.”

“Because I earned one hundred thousand, you’re charging me one hundred thousand?”

“I bought this ticket for ninety thousand Fenni, so there’s a cost of ten thousand.

Add my fifteen percent service fee, and it should originally be one hundred and two thousand.

“Considering this is our first business transaction, I can offer a bit of a discount and round it down.

“Of course, this is just the simplest small-amount solution.

If your sum is larger, aside from the service fee, there won’t be any additional costs,” Father Auden explained.

“So you’re trying to help me launder money?” Leon finally understood Father Auden’s purpose.

He then handed the ticket back.

“An hour ago, you were still inciting your boss to kill me.

Now you come knocking on my door, volunteering to help me launder money? Is there something wrong with your head?”

The priest calmly took back the ticket.

“Mm, compared to your methods of doing business, I think I’m quite normal.

“Think about it—there’s no one more suitable for you than me in Hamel Town.

“You do business with Potter. I not only happen to know about it, but I also handle Potter’s assets. If you need anything, you can come find me at the East District church at any time.

“If you or your people run into any trouble during an investigation, or end up in court before the Inquisition, you can also come to me.”

Leon studied him for a while, then offered his assessment.

“Just like the rumors say—you really are Hamel Town’s most profit-driven shyster.”

“In my impression, the rumors should be phrased even more harshly,” Father Auden replied indifferently.

“But it doesn’t matter. Compared to the truth, those rumors already count as embellishment.”

Leon actually agreed with that.

After all, the public only knew that he helped the rich oppress the poor for money.

They had no idea that Father Auden was also a long-term advisor to underworld leaders, and might even have been involved in crimes even more inhumane.

“Then, Father Auden, what does conscience count as to you?” Leon asked casually.

“Probably the most valuable thing I possess,” Father Auden answered without hesitation.

Leon was momentarily stunned, feeling that the old man was lying through his teeth.

But then Father Auden continued, “So I sold it.”

Leon gave a polite laugh at the joke.

Seeing how shameless the man was, he no longer intended to make any sarcastic remarks.

It would be meaningless.

Money laundering would probably be necessary for him in the future, but for now, he did not want to consider it, because he still could not trust Father Auden as a person.

After a long silence, Leon spoke again.

“Father Auden, do you still remember the Hesh family?”