Free Web NovelAfter a brief pause, the Earl's voice came from the other side.
“So you've figured out his motive?”
“That's right. It's the special medicine for Saltification Disease. Weiss Rogers has been secretly developing a cure for Saltification Disease. In the previous case, some of the confiscated medicine was sent to the Saint Rosalia Research Institute for analysis. It was probably at that time that he came into contact with Weiss Rogers.
“As for what motivated Bishop Weiss to begin the research, that's still unknown. But I suspect she achieved some kind of breakthrough, and Leon likely established a connection with her that we never managed to uncover. If there was also some personal bond between them, then Leon's actions in the Archdiocese make much more sense.”
Bishop Beckett explained his hypothesis.
“How confident are you in this theory?” the Earl asked.
“More than seventy percent.”
Even so, Bishop Beckett did not dare claim certainty.
He was, after all, a meticulous man.
His conclusion was not supported by any concrete evidence.
It was merely a complete hypothesis built upon the premise that Leon Sayte had possessed the greatest opportunity to commit the crime. He had attached a possible motive to Leon through a clue that might have been either coincidence or truth, thereby constructing a coherent theory.
There was no way to eliminate every unexpected possibility.
The only reason his confidence reached seventy percent was because of Bishop Beckett's faith in his own intuition.
But for them, that was already enough.
They were not a court of law.
Not only did further investigation require no evidence, even punishing Leon directly required none at all.
Before discovering a motive, their suspicion toward Leon had only been around fifty percent, perhaps even lower.
Considering the risk of damaging Leon's value, they would not have acted rashly.
But once their confidence exceeded seventy percent, the situation changed.
For them, the remaining thirty percent uncertainty could essentially be ignored.
After all, even if they turned out to be wrong and Leon became dissatisfied with the Earl's management, it would not be a particularly Sallyous problem.
The Earl fell silent, apparently deep in thought.
“You're still hesitating?” Bishop Beckett sensed the hesitation in his master's response. “I believe you should reassess his value. When he was merely a Lower-Rank Inquisitor, he poisoned and killed Caron Esso. The fact that you consider him lacking in ambition doesn't mean he's docile. The danger within him is already beginning to reveal itself.”
“He's dangerous to others, but not to us. Caron Esso wasn't his master. I am.”
The Earl's voice was low and calm.
“A dog that barks at its master can still be useful if it's properly disciplined. Break its spine and it will learn obedience.”
“Then you're still planning to give him another chance? Will you confront him directly and negotiate?” Bishop Beckett asked without questioning the Earl's decision.
Even though he considered Leon dangerous, he agreed that Leon posed no real threat to the Earl.
“Before that, we'll eliminate his motive. It will also serve as a warning.”
The Earl's answer immediately gave Bishop Beckett an idea of what he meant.
“You mean...”
“I don't need to teach you how to do it.”
The Earl's response was brief.
“Then I'll make the arrangements immediately. I'll need a few days to prepare.”
Bishop Beckett paused.
“But what if he discovers it in advance and interferes?”
“If he discovers it, so what?”
The Earl's tone remained indifferent.
“If he's already on guard, then our suspicions are essentially confirmed. In that case, we can simply observe how he reacts, can't we?
“If he proves unsuitable after all, we'll replace him.”
The thing they were about to do would ideally function as a warning, forcing Leon into complete obedience.
And if Leon resisted, then even a total breakdown in their relationship was not a particularly significant cost from the Earl's perspective.
Compared to something as important as using Weiss to exact revenge on Archbishop Rogers, such a price was insignificant.
Leon might be a highly valuable hunting dog.
But he was not irreplaceable.
His management model had already proven effective.
If necessary, they could simply cultivate another cadre to oversee the labyrinth.
At the end of the day, if a master suspected a dog of stealing food and kicked it once, what exactly could the dog do about it?
“Understood.”
Bishop Beckett bowed his head respectfully.
......
Some time later, Hamel Town Inquisition Prison.
Lower-Rank Inquisitor Petra carried a food tray through the cell block while humming a tune.
As she rounded a corner, another Inquisitor rushing forward collided with her head-on.
The other woman instinctively raised an arm to block the impact.
Unfortunately, her elbow struck the tray, causing it to tilt sharply.
The food slid off immediately.
“What are you doing!?”
Covered in bread, cured meat, and soup, Petra let out an enraged shriek.
“Sorry! I'm really sorry!”
The Lower-Rank Inquisitor who had crashed into her, Zona Mendes, apologized repeatedly.
“I was rushing to retrieve some archives. I didn't mean to!”
“Damn it! My uniform's soaked in soup! What am I supposed to do now? And all the food's spilled too!”
Petra felt as though the entire day had become a disaster.
“How about this? My spare uniform is still in the locker at the guard station near the entrance. You can wear that first. Go clean yourself up, alright? I'm really sorry!”
Zona continued apologizing.
“Well, the clothes are one thing, but what about my work? This is the special meal for Cell Number Nine! The Director specifically orders it every day!”
Petra still refused to let it go.
“If I go change clothes and then have another meal prepared, it'll definitely be delivered late. If the Director blames me afterward, are you going to take the punishment in my place?”
The prisoner in Cell Number Nine was Sally Hesh.
Leon had always insisted that she was a patient and used his authority as Director to ensure she received special treatment.
Her meals were prepared separately and delivered on time.
No negligence was permitted.
“I'll deliver it for you, alright? Dinner's on me tonight as compensation. Please, I'm sorry!”
Zona forced a smile.
Seeing how sincere she appeared, Petra finally calmed down somewhat.
“Then you're cleaning up all this mess too!”
“Of course!”
Zona nodded repeatedly.
“Hurry and change your clothes.”
Still grumbling, Petra left.
Zona quickly cleaned up the spilled food, then headed to the cafeteria and retrieved another meal.
Afterward, she made her way toward Cell Number Nine.
Halfway there, she passed through a corridor where no one else was present.
After checking both directions, she quietly took out a small paper packet.
Opening it, she poured all the powder inside into the soup and stirred it thoroughly with a spoon.
Then she calmly continued carrying the tray.
Passing through the guard station, she explained the situation to another Lower-Rank Inquisitor on duty and proceeded down the corridor toward the deepest cell.
“Cell Number Nine, your lunch.”
She pushed the tray through the slot in the door and called through the small observation window toward Sally, who was sitting inside reading a book.
“Thank you.”
Sally set down her book and walked over to place the tray on the table.
Zona remained at the window, watching carefully.
She wanted to personally witness Sally take at least one bite.
However, after setting the tray down and preparing to sit, Sally noticed that Zona had not left.
“Excuse me, is there something else?” she asked.
“No, nothing. Go ahead and eat.”
Not wanting to arouse suspicion, Zona immediately turned and walked away.
Listening to her departing footsteps, Sally ignored the food entirely and returned to her book.
It wasn't because she suspected anything.
Rather, several days earlier, Leon had specifically warned her never to touch any food unless he personally delivered it.
He had even prepared emergency rations and water in her cell.
Every meal and drink provided by the prison had gone untouched.
Whenever Leon arrived, he would dispose of them himself.
Leon's visits were irregular, though they usually occurred in the afternoon.
This time, however, less than fifteen minutes had passed after lunch was delivered when hurried footsteps echoed through the corridor.
Without warning, the cell door swung open.
Sally looked up in surprise and saw Leon entering with an unusually Sallyous expression.
“Mr. Leon?”
She blinked.
“You didn't eat any of that, did you?” Leon asked sternly.
“No.”
Sally nodded.
Leon visibly relaxed.
Walking over to the tray, he carefully examined the meal.
Then he quickly removed several containers from a bag and began separating portions of the food into them, as though collecting evidence.
“Mr. Leon, is there something wrong with the food?”
Sally became slightly nervous at his behavior.
“I don't know what's wrong with the food yet. But there's definitely something wrong with the person who delivered it. I need to have this examined.”
Leon looked at Sally.
“Don't say anything for now. If you see the person who delivered today's meal again, stay alert.”
Ever since Leon became Director, the Inquisition Office had effectively fallen under his control.
However, several personnel originally planted by Bishop Beckett during his tenure as Director still remained.
Zona Mendes was one of them.
After taking office, Leon had significantly expanded recruitment and quietly inserted several loyal subordinates of his own.
He had never publicly revealed which Inquisitors worked for him, meaning neither Bishop Beckett nor Zona knew which personnel were secretly under Leon's command.
After deciding to oppose the Earl, Leon had not only monitored Bishop Beckett's investigation activities but had also increased surveillance on the personnel Beckett had left behind.
He had likewise stationed people around the Reformation Institute where Melissa resided.
Sally herself was constantly surrounded by Leon's people.
Even so, he still forbade Sally from consuming any food except meals he personally delivered.
Because he feared the Earl might target her in exactly this way.
Then, just two days earlier, one of Leon's informants stationed at the Archdiocesan Archive Hall had sent an urgent report.
Bishop Beckett had suddenly visited the archive building.
Leon knew perfectly well that the files concerning Caron Esso and Henry Potter's cases from a year ago were stored there.
If Bishop Beckett wanted to compare information from those records against something he had recently discovered, then Leon's level of suspicion had clearly increased.
And if that was the case, action would likely follow.
Today, his people had finally detected Zona's movements.
Leon had kept his fishing line in the water and watched patiently until now.
At last, the fish had taken the bait.
“Mr. Leon.”
Sally looked at him anxiously.
“Are Melissa and I still safe?”
“I will ensure your safety.”
Leon glanced at Sally and answered firmly.
