What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

Jay saw the bottle of medicine and stood up on the spot, his face draining of all color.

“Uncle! Is it really necessary to go this far over something so small?” He glared at the Earl Foyle, his face filled with disbelief.

Although he had indeed taken action behind the Earl’s back, Potter had still been their competitor at the time.

Sending people to assassinate him could hardly be considered a betrayal of the organization.

Yet the Earl was now making him take poison and kill himself?

“Jay, what you need to do right now is take responsibility, rebuild the trust between us, and drink it.” The Earl Foyle replied calmly, without the slightest change in expression.

Jay looked at the bottle, his heart wavering violently.

So this was just a test? The Earl did not actually intend to kill him? As long as he dared to drink it, this matter would be over?

He reached out, picked up the bottle, opened it, and sniffed it.

A sweet, delightful fragrance entered his nose, and his expression abruptly changed.

“Uncle, this is… a mana solvent, isn’t it?” he asked, staring at the Earl.

“Yes. Drink it, take responsibility, and this matter will be settled.” The Earl nodded.

Jay’s eyelids twitched.

Potions configured with mana possessed all kinds of miraculous effects.

For example, longevity potions could slow aging and allow a person to return to youth.

However, the Church strictly prohibited potions.

This was not only due to hostility toward Moilai, but also because all potions—strictly speaking, mana itself—had severe side effects on those who had received the blessings of the Four Gods of Origin.

Once a blessed individual ingested a certain amount of mana, necrosis would occur in parts of the body.

Usually it would not be fatal, but the necrotic area might be blindness in one eye, deafness in one ear, the loss of a hand or a foot, or an irreversible pathological change in some internal organ…

And when the Earl had trained Jay in the past, he had personally arranged for him to receive the Blessing of the God of War.

This was the punishment the Earl had prepared for him.

Jay let out a long breath and set the bottle down.

“You’re not drinking it?” The Earl Foyle raised an eyebrow.

“Uncle, I know you’re very disappointed in me. How about this—I’ll give up the business here.” Jay spread his hands.

“If you’re dissatisfied with me, you can replace me. I’ll withdraw.”

He had already earned enough money in this position and had secretly accumulated his own forces.

It was more than enough for him to leave the Earl’s territory and live freely.

Crippling himself by drinking a potion in exchange for forgiveness was simply not worth it.

It was far better to withdraw outright and leave intact.

Staying by the Earl’s side in constant fear was worse.

He had long considered the possibility of the Earl calling him to account and had already prepared a contingency plan.

“Don’t say such childish things. In this line of work, there’s no such thing as quitting whenever you want. Be good, Jay. Drink it.” The Earl’s tone remained unchanged.

This response was exactly what Jay had expected.

As a core operative, he was deeply entangled in the business chain of River Valley County and held far too much information.

If he retired peacefully, that would be one thing.

But leaving under such unpleasant circumstances would make the Earl regard him as a latent threat who might betray the organization at any time.

“Sorry, Uncle. On this matter, I must refuse!” Jay’s attitude suddenly hardened, his voice rising sharply.

At that moment, there was a knock on the door.

A burly, middle-aged man with a full beard pushed it open and poked his head inside.

Jay recognized him as the attendant who had accompanied the Earl.

The attendant looked listless, even somewhat dejected, and Jay caught a whiff of alcohol on him.

“What is it, Johnny?” the Earl asked, turning toward the man.

“Uh… sorry to interrupt you, but a lot of people just rushed in outside. Did either of you invite them?” Johnny stepped aside and opened the door wider so the two of them could see clearly.

Through the half-open corridor outside, the courtyard came into view.

A row of soldiers holding steel shields had appeared, with another row of musketeers behind them.

Using the shield soldiers as cover, they had formed ranks and were aiming in this direction.

Johnny was standing squarely within firing range, yet he seemed completely unconcerned.

“……” The Earl said nothing and looked at Jay.

“Sorry, Uncle. My people are here to pick me up.” Jay straightened his clothes and poured the bottle of medicine directly onto the ground.

“Please rest assured, I have no intention of doing anything to you. This is purely for my own protection. I know that here and now, you could kill me easily, but whether those people outside would let you leave safely is another matter entirely.”

From the very beginning, he had secretly brought men up the mountain and set an ambush in the nearby forest.

When he shouted loudly, they would rush in to rescue him.

The Earl met Jay’s gaze expressionlessly.

Jay was still extremely tense.

He knew that the Earl Foyle had once been a Fully Appointed Third-Rank Knight of the Church and a powerful Transcendent.

That attendant also looked far from simple.

If a fight really broke out here, his odds of winning were actually quite low.

He could only gamble that the Earl did not want to take the risk and would choose to let him leave after weighing the pros and cons.

Jay had already made all the arrangements for his escape.

Once down the mountain, he would take his packed assets and leave the Earl’s territory for the western part of the Empire—or even leave the Empire altogether.

“Fine. If you don’t want to drink it, then go.” The Earl Foyle suddenly nodded, his demeanor still calm and composed.

Jay froze.

This was the outcome he wanted, but he had not expected the other party to concede so easily.

“Uncle, I’m withdrawing now. I only want to ensure my own safety. Unless necessary, I don’t want to betray you either. I hope you won’t push me too hard.” Jay said seriously.

“Don’t worry, Jay. Since you desire freedom so much, I respect your wishes. After all, you are my nephew. Safe travels.” the Earl replied.

Hearing this, Jay finally relaxed slightly.

He withdrew from the room into the courtyard, took cover behind the formation of soldiers outside, and then, escorted by his men, went down the only mountain path.

Johnny stood at the doorway, watching them disappear.

He pulled out a tin flask from his chest, opened it, and took a sip, then turned to the Earl.

“You’re really letting him go just like that? That doesn’t seem like you.”

“Everyone has their own choices.” the Earl replied, seated in place.

“You just seized South Harbor County, and now no one’s managing River Valley County either. With two such huge pieces of fat meat, which cadre are you planning to hand them to?” Johnny asked while twisting the flask’s cap.

“Those people already have enough territory. When wolves in the pack grow stronger than the wolf king, they start thinking about taking his place.” The Earl thought for a moment before answering.

“I think it’s time to cultivate some newcomers. Bishop Becket encountered an interesting young man in South Harbor County. He’s just like I was back then—he found a Witch, raised Magical Beasts in a labyrinth, and refined mana. I’m rather interested in him.”

“You still have so many promising young people under you. You’re really going to pick some suddenly emerged mana dealer?” Johnny did not quite understand.

“His conditions are simply too suitable. As for whether he can actually be used, that will depend on further observation. This trip, my main purpose is to meet him. Before that, South Harbor County will be handed to Becket to manage. Johnny, can you temporarily help me take over the business in River Valley County?” The Earl looked at Johnny.

For any cadre in the organization, suddenly gaining the profits of an entire county’s business—even temporarily—would be a cause for great joy.

But Johnny instead showed an expression of annoyance.

“Are you serious? If I leave, who’s going to manage the fleet?”

“Have your people temporarily handle transport at the entrances and exits. It won’t be a big problem.” the Earl replied calmly.

Johnny sighed upon hearing this.

After quite a while, he asked, “Then can we leave now?”

The Earl took out a pocket watch and glanced at it.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

The two of them left the villa one after the other and went downhill along the mountain path.

At the foot of the mountain was a small dock, where a large cargo ship was bobbing with the waves in the distance.

There was also a road leading to the urban area of Helenburg.

Both land and sea routes were convenient.

Just as they were nearing the mountain’s base, they saw a convoy of carriages blocking the road below.

People crowded around it—the fully armed soldiers Jay had brought earlier were still waiting there!

They were preparing to go up the mountain.

When they spotted the Earl coming down, the soldiers immediately formed ranks and once again took up aiming stances.

The Earl’s gaze swept over them, and beside the formation he saw Jay being supported by others.

Standing on the steps of the mountain path, Jay shouted down, “What is it, Jay? Didn’t you say you were leaving?”

“Uncle…” Jay’s face was deathly pale.

He clutched his stomach and forced out his words with difficulty.

“Was it you?”

The moment he went down the mountain, he began to feel unwell.

By the time he sat in the carriage, his abdomen felt as if it were being sliced apart, and his hands and feet went numb.

In an instant, he realized he had been poisoned, and that it was inseparable from the Earl.

He immediately ordered the carriage to stop and was just about to bring his men back up the mountain when the Earl came down again.

“Yes. You should know by now that there are my people around you. Poisoning you would have been very easy.” the Earl admitted frankly.

“You poisoned me from the very beginning? Why did you have to do this?” Jay shook his head weakly, gnashing his teeth as he stretched out a hand.

“Give me the antidote! Right now!!”

“I gave it to you. You poured it out.” the Earl replied expressionlessly.

Jay froze on the spot.

“That bottle of medicine mixed with mana also contained the antidote you wanted. If you drank it, you would pay a price, but at least you wouldn’t die. But you made your choice. I said it before—since you value freedom so highly… even above your own life, I respect your wishes. After all, you are my nephew.” The Earl raised one hand expressionlessly and waved it.

“You should have known the price of doing this long ago. Safe travels, Jay.”

Jay trembled with rage.

Suddenly his eyes split wide, and he screamed the Earl’s name at the top of his lungs: “Isaac Mastan!!!”

In the next instant, he was about to order the soldiers to fire in unison when distant cannon fire suddenly roared, drowning out his voice.

The moored cargo sailing ship swung its loaded cannons into position.

At the same moment the Earl waved his hand, it fired a full volley toward the mountain’s base.

Heavy cannonballs crashed down around the musketeer formation, throwing up clouds of dirt.

Two of the shots slammed directly into the ranks, sending flesh and blood flying, screams filling the air.

Amid the swirling dust, a beast-like roar rang out.

Then, the previously feeble Jay actually burst out from the dust cloud.

His entire body was soaked in blood, his muscles swelling until they nearly tore through his clothes.

The Blessing of the God of War allowed him to drastically enhance his physical abilities for a short time, even in a near-death state.

Sword in one hand and a long-barreled musket snatched up in the other, he aimed at the Earl.

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared him down.

Even if it meant death, he would take the other man with him!

The previously languid Johnny suddenly stepped forward.

At blinding speed, he raised his hand and snapped his fingers.

A bolt of lightning shot from his fingertips and struck Jay before he could fire.

Jay’s entire body went rigid as he was electrocuted, and he was flung several meters away.

He hit the ground, twitched a few times, and soon stopped breathing.

Johnny Wellman silently lowered his hand.

This time, the Earl had brought only him to the meeting, but as a former commander of a Church Knight Order, he was the Earl’s most powerful subordinate.

“So many corpses again…” Johnny put his hands on his hips and shook his head, then turned to the Earl for instructions.

“Same as usual, toss them all into the sea? Should your nephew’s body be buried separately?”

“No. Preserve all the corpses properly.” The Earl replied without hesitation.

“Tomorrow I’ll be meeting the young man Becket brought. I’ll give these corpses away as gifts.”

“What?” Johnny frowned.