Free Web NovelOn the outskirts of Caster City, at the Reformatory.
The Reformatory’s director, the elderly nun Trane, sat in her office.
Across from her sat a rare visitor making his first visit.
Leon Set, Director of the Hamel Town Inquisition.
Leon’s expression was gloomy and unusually solemn.
Director Trane’s face was equally grave, her eyes filled with compassion.
“It was at dawn?” Director Trane asked for confirmation.
“Yes, at dawn.” Leon nodded seriously. “Melissa’s mother, Mrs. Sally Hesh, passed away from Saltification Disease.”
“A year has passed. It isn’t surprising, but... so suddenly...” Director Trane sighed. “She didn’t manage to hold on long enough to see Melissa one last time.”
“When her condition suddenly worsened yesterday, I happened to be away. The illness progressed far too quickly in the end. There was no way to stop it. By the time I returned to the office, Mrs. Hesh had already passed away. There simply wasn’t enough time to notify Melissa.” Leon wore an expression of grief. “I know this will be a terrible blow to Melissa, but she deserves to know.”
The previous night, Leon had carried out the plan to rescue Sally from prison.
First, he used the hypnotized Zona Mendes to forge a resignation report in Zona’s own name.
Then he killed Zona using the Cursed Blood.
He placed his own people in key positions within the prison and used his authority to move Zona’s corpse inside, secretly exchanging Sally with the body in her cell.
Using the Cursed Blood, he caused Zona’s corpse to exhibit severe Saltification.
He also damaged the face after Saltification had set in and had his subordinates fabricate a complete medical report describing Sally’s death from illness, including records explaining how advanced Saltification had damaged the body and face during preservation and processing.
Long ago, Leon had already planned to have Sally “die from illness” and then be replaced with a corpse.
According to regulations, after Sally’s death was reported, the Archdiocese was required to send personnel to recover and examine the body.
However, there would be a delay of two to three days between the death report and the arrival of inspectors.
Sally suffered from Saltification Disease.
Corpses of Saltification victims underwent extreme mineralization after death and gradually crumbled into fragments resembling coarse salt.
By the time inspectors arrived, if the face had already deteriorated beyond recognition, discrepancies in bodily details would be difficult to detect.
At that point, identifying the corpse would be nearly impossible.
Leon had consistently reported to the Church that Sally’s condition was steadily worsening.
Under normal circumstances, without continuous treatment from specialized medicine, her illness would indeed have deteriorated rapidly.
The Tribunal had originally handed Sally a light sentence precisely because they expected she would not live much longer.
Originally, Leon had intended to carry out the plan only after Melissa left the Reformatory.
But circumstances had changed.
He had to relocate both Sally and Melissa immediately to prevent the Earl from targeting them as tools of revenge.
The Church paid little attention to Sally.
The report was unlikely to attract scrutiny unless someone directly connected to the matter—such as Bishop Beckett—became suspicious.
But Bishop Beckett was now Leon’s prisoner.
The Earl had lost his surveillance network in South Harbor County and could not immediately learn of Sally’s transfer.
“Indeed,” Director Trane agreed.
“Director Trane, I heard from my former superior that he spoke with you before?” Leon asked cautiously.
“Yes. Sir Aaron. I once guided him,” Director Trane nodded. “He told me about Melissa’s situation, and he also mentioned you, Inquisitor Set. Though I never expected you would be promoted to Senior Inquisitor so suddenly.”
“Director Trane, I actually have a request. After the Diocese finishes examining the body, I intend to personally arrange Mrs. Hesh’s burial. So I was wondering if it would be possible to complete the necessary procedures and allow Melissa to leave the Reformatory temporarily under our supervision.
“At the very least, she should be allowed to attend her mother’s funeral and say goodbye.”
“Well...” Trane thought it over. “Procedurally, it should be possible.”
“I’ll take full responsibility!” Leon said earnestly. “And I’ll personally inform Melissa. Please consider her feelings. She was unable to see her mother one last time. At the very least, she shouldn’t miss the funeral as well.”
“You’re right. Making her miss her mother’s funeral too would be heartless.” Director Trane was persuaded. “You were recommended by Sir Aaron, and now you’re Director of the Inquisition. I trust you with this. I’ll arrange it immediately.”
An hour later, after completing the paperwork, Leon said farewell to Sister Trane with Melissa and left the Reformatory.
They boarded a carriage and returned all the way to Hamel Town.
Upon arriving at the Gray Wolf Tavern, Leon quickly led Melissa to a private room upstairs.
The moment he opened the door, Sally, who had been waiting inside, stood up.
“Mom!”
Although she had already been informed of Leon’s arrangements, seeing her mother standing there unharmed still made Melissa cry out in delight.
She rushed forward and threw her arms around her.
“Melissa, thank goodness... Mommy missed you so much!”
Sally embraced her daughter and gently stroked her hair.
Thinking about nearly a year of separation, countless emotions welled up in her heart.
“Mom, your condition... has it gotten better?” After pulling back, Melissa carefully touched Sally’s arm.
The rough, hard texture she used to feel so often was gone.
Thanks to the specialized medicine Weiss had provided, Sally’s condition had improved dramatically.
“It has. I’m almost completely better now.” Sally nodded repeatedly.
“If you want to catch up, save it for the road,” Leon interrupted as he handed a bottle of medicine to Sally. “Mrs. Hesh, take this.”
“What is it?” Sally asked.
“Your medicine. This is the concentrated solution. It needs to be diluted before drinking. Follow the instructions exactly. I’ve prepared enough for nine months. Don’t lose it under any circumstances. Theoretically, it should be enough to cure you completely.
“Once you reach the hideout, you’ll find sufficient food, water, daily necessities, and some money I left there...”
Leon spoke rapidly, giving instructions one after another.
“Big Brother Leon, what... what are you talking about?” Melissa asked in confusion.
Sally looked equally bewildered.
Leon had only told them that circumstances required Sally’s rescue to happen earlier than planned.
He had urgently switched Sally with a corpse and then brought Melissa here for the reunion.
Yet Leon’s expression had remained severe the entire time.
There was even a trace of anxiety.
As though he were racing against time.
“Listen carefully. I’m going to take you to a hideout outside town that only I know about. Within five days, if nothing unexpected happens, I’ll come get you...”
At that point, Melissa suddenly sensed something was wrong.
“Will something unexpected happen?”
Leon’s expression dimmed briefly.
He turned toward Sally.
“If I haven’t come for you after five days, leave South Harbor County and head west. Any county in the western regions will do. Never return to the east. Find somewhere to live under new identities and disappear. Do you understand?”
“Mr. Leon.” Sally’s expression grew serious. She had already realized some emergency situation was unfolding. “Can you tell us what happened?”
“Someone wants to kill me. A war is about to begin. My enemies know about you. They might use you to retaliate against me, so you have to leave.
“If I win, then we’ll all be safe.
“But if I lose, this place will become far too dangerous for you.”
Leon summarized the situation as simply as possible.
“Remember this. All seven eastern counties are dangerous. Never come back. If you can, leave the Empire entirely and live elsewhere. Can you do that?”
Sally and Melissa stared at him.
Neither could fully process what they had just heard.
When Leon arranged this reunion, they thought everything was finally improving.
Instead, the first thing he told them was that they might be parting ways forever.
“Why is there suddenly a war?” Sally asked carefully. “Could it have something to do with us?”
She was perceptive.
Leon had previously mentioned making a deal with someone in exchange for an opportunity to help them.
He would never casually reveal their existence to others.
If his enemies knew about them, then those enemies were probably connected to that deal.
Perhaps the deal itself had gone wrong.
“I used to think I was doing this for your sake,” Leon said softly, suddenly smiling.
The smile was strangely relieved.
Because he finally understood.
Weiss’s life and Sally’s life had merely been the catalyst.
At the root of everything was the simple fact that he refused to yield to the Earl.
That was what had led things to this point.
He never cared about how much money he earned.
He was perfectly willing to wash his hands of everything because he hated living under the Earl’s control.
Given his nature, conflict between him and the Earl was inevitable even without this incident.
The Earl wanted to treat him like a dog.
Wanted to kick him whenever he pleased?
Then the Earl deserved to die.
To hell with the Earl.
“I don’t want that! I don’t want Big Brother Leon to die!”
The words burst from Melissa’s mouth.
Tears immediately followed.
Hadn’t everything finally been getting better?
Why was Leon suddenly talking about the possibility of his own death?
The idea of Leon dying was unimaginable to her.
What hurt even more was that she could do absolutely nothing to help him.
“Melissa...” Leon looked at her and realized how difficult all of this was for a child to accept. “Don’t cry yet. I never said I was definitely going to die.”
Seeing this, Sally pulled Melissa into her arms and comforted her.
Then she turned toward Leon.
“Is there anything I can do for you?”
Back then, paying off her debts and taking Rena’s place in prison had been a fair exchange.
But now Leon had rescued her.
He had even given her hope of curing her disease.
The debt of gratitude she owed him had already grown beyond repayment.
If the Witch’s power she now possessed could help Leon in any way, she would not hesitate—even if it meant risking her life.
“Your blood has already helped us more than enough,” Leon replied calmly. “You don’t need to take such risks. If I keep you with me, I won’t be able to focus on protecting you.
“You only need to hide.
“And pray that I win.”
