What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

It took nearly twice as long as it had taken to go in before Leon finally dragged the stiff Demonic Wolf all the way to a spot from which the mine entrance was visible.

By this time, Simon and his men had already finished surveying the other routes.

They were all gathered at the entrance, having lit a campfire and waiting.

When Leon’s heavy footsteps sounded, Simon and the others all stood up from beside the fire.

“Mr. Fenrir, it’s great that you’re all right! You absolutely wouldn’t believe what I ran into inside!” Simon personally walked over to greet Leon and said excitedly, “We ran into three Demonic Wolves! I swear, this was the closest I’ve ever come to death in all my years exploring Labyrinths.

If it weren’t for the lifesaving charm you gave us, we wou—”

Simon’s nonstop chatter halted the instant he noticed what Leon was dragging behind him.

When they realized Leon was hauling an enormous Demonic Wolf whose size was utterly astonishing, everyone present fell silent.

“What are you standing around for? Get over here and help!” Leon tossed the rope aside the moment he saw them and walked toward the cave entrance on his own.

He was already exhausted from dragging it.

“Yes, sir!”

Simon led his men forward.

At first, they were still somewhat wary of the Demonic Wolf.

Only after confirming that the monster was completely motionless did they grab the rope and drag it closer to the cave entrance.

Leon sat down beside the campfire to rest and took a long gulp from his waterskin.

Simon walked over and handed him a towel, asking cautiously, “Mr. Fenrir, how did you deal with that Demonic Wolf?”

Based on his past experience as a Labyrinth Hunter, a single adult Demonic Wolf was more troublesome than a bear.

Even two or three soldiers working together would find it difficult to take one down.

Without equipment on the level of full plate armor and long-handled weapons, it was basically impossible to kill a Demonic Wolf without taking injuries—and Demonic Wolves usually didn’t appear alone.

More often than not, when Labyrinth Hunters encountered a monster of this caliber, whether they lived or died depended entirely on whether they could run faster than their companions.

And this Demonic Wolf was even larger than an ordinary one, clearly resembling the leader of a pack, capable of taking on lions or brown bears one-on-one.

Simon truly couldn’t imagine how Mr.

Fenrir, acting alone, had managed to bring it down.

“I used a bit of a trick and got it to drink a Magical Potion,” Leon replied casually.

“Aren’t Demonic Wolves immune to poison?” Simon asked, puzzled.

If Demonic Wolves could be poisoned to death, Labyrinth Hunters wouldn’t need to fear them at all.

They could just toss poisoned meat into the Labyrinth and wipe out large numbers of them.

Unfortunately, Demonic Wolves possessed a constitution that rendered them immune to all poisons.

“What I used wasn’t an ordinary Magical Potion,” Leon responded briefly.

Then he gestured for everyone to gather around the campfire, took out the map, and began asking, “How did your surveys go?”

Simon and the others began reporting their findings one by one.

The terrain in the front and middle sections of the mine was generally consistent with what the mining map indicated.

The Magical Beasts encountered were mostly Bloodsucking Mosquito Bats, Slimes, and Giant Rats.

Someone had also seen a few wild goats in the tunnels—after all, the rich ecosystem of a Labyrinth sometimes attracted wild creatures from the outside.

The most noteworthy discovery was that two routes marked on the map as dead ends, only excavated halfway, actually connected to a spacious underground area within the mountain.

There were traces of man-made structures in that space.

The area Leon and Simon had reached seemed to be the same region, just from different directions.

And within that space, Demonic Wolves were active, apparently treating the ruins as their territory.

Leon drew a circle on the map at the depths of those two routes.

The space wasn’t particularly large—no matter how exaggerated, it wouldn’t exceed the volume of this mountain.

To take control of this Labyrinth, they would have to deal with the pack of Demonic Wolves entrenched in the ruins.

Fortunately, after this trial, he already had a rough plan in mind.

After a moment of thought, he asked Simon, “Simon, would you be willing to accept long-term employment? From now on, you’d work exclusively for me, like you used to under Mr. Griffin.”

Simon’s face lit up with delight.

He exchanged glances with his men and responded without hesitation, “Of course, sir! We’d be more than happy to!”

“Then let’s head back and plan things out. My business requires clearing this Labyrinth, and I’ll need more manpower.”

As he spoke, Leon stood up.

Managing an Active Labyrinth in the future would require people to be stationed there long-term for maintenance and Cleansing.

Simon and his handful of men wouldn’t be enough.

He needed more manpower—enough to form an armed gang!

“Mr. Fenrir, should we help you dismember this Demonic Wolf?” Simon asked, pointing at the half-stiff corpse on the ground.

Leon studied the Demonic Wolf for a moment, then shook his head.

“No. I have other uses for it. Transport it back intact. No damage, and don’t let anyone see it.”

“Yes, sir.” After responding, Simon began directing his men to take out black cloth from their packs and completely wrap up the Demonic Wolf’s corpse.

Once the survey work was finished, Leon strode out of the cave entrance and looked toward Father Auden’s position—only to suddenly frown.

He saw Father Auden standing where he was, facing two women.

One of them, a young woman dressed in hunting gear, was arguing heatedly with the priest.

“Set aside whatever you’re doing—something’s happening!” Leon called out to Simon and the others.

At the same time, Adele, daughter of Viscount Arend, was holding a contract and arguing firmly with Father Auden.

“I’ll say it again, Father Auden. While it’s true my father owes you a massive sum, before the compulsory deadline arrives, this island is still territory under Viscount Arend’s name. If you’re landing on the island for the purpose of asset disposal, then legally speaking, you are still required to notify us in advance. You suddenly landing here gives me the right to ask what your purpose is.”

“Miss Adele, the creditor rights now belong to the Watcher Merchant Consortium, and I am the consortium’s agent,” Father Auden replied calmly.

“I have the right, as the creditor’s representative, to come to the island at any time to confirm the status of the assets, without notifying the debtor. Otherwise, transferring assets in advance would be far too easy.”

“Then may I ask what assets on this island could possibly make you suspect they could be transferred?” Adele demanded.

“Villagers said they saw the ship you arrived on—it had at least five or six people aboard. Where are those people now? What exactly are you doing on this territory? Aside from assets that cannot be mortgaged without permission, the operating rights here are still ours. You are not allowed to touch them arbitrarily. I have the right to demand a clear explanation for your landing here.” She glared at Father Auden as she spoke.

Father Auden sighed inwardly.

The current Viscount Arend was a useless waste who could be manipulated at will, but Viscount Arend’s daughter, Adele, was far more troublesome.

The previous Viscount Arend had once personally raised this granddaughter at his side and even sent her to the highest academic institution in the Imperial Capital to study law.

Adele had originally been staying in the Imperial Capital.

When she rushed back upon hearing of her grandfather’s death, she was greeted by the wreckage of a domain whose assets had become worthless due to natural disasters—and a father who had racked up tens of millions in gambling debts.

Unlike her father, who had completely given up, Adele was desperately trying to salvage everything her grandfather had accumulated.

From a creditor’s perspective, this was at least a good thing—if she wanted to save Arend Island, she would have to actively repay the debts.

But for an agent running around on behalf of creditors, Father Auden truly disliked dealing with Adele.

She was just as well-versed in the law as he was, and any disagreement during negotiations would inevitably devolve into a grueling debate.

This time, however, he really couldn’t afford to get entangled with her for too long.

Fenrir was exploring the Labyrinth, and when he came out, he definitely wouldn’t want any witnesses present.

So this time, he directly played his trump card.

“Miss Adele, I must remind you for the hundredth time: you are not Viscount Arend himself. You are not the debtor, nor are you the owner of the assets. If you wish to raise any questions on Viscount Arend’s behalf, please present a letter of authorization.”

“You privately reached an agreement with my father, allowing him access to those damned nightclubs of your consortium, just to prevent him from appointing me as his representative. Do you really think I wouldn’t be able to investigate that?” Adele glared at Father Auden, enunciating every word.

The group behind the priest had already pushed her family into a pit of fire.

Of course she had to remain vigilant against them continuing to prey on her family—especially when her father was a hopeless piece of trash who couldn’t be relied upon.

Now, she was the last line of defense for the Arend family.

“First, if you’re making a claim, then the burden of proof is on you. Second, even if that were true, we haven’t done anything illegal. Your father has the right to appoint an agent. If he doesn’t allow you to handle matters, that’s something you should discuss with him, not with me,” Father Auden said, spreading his hands.

Adele was so furious her brows shot upward.

Just as she was about to say something, the corner of her eye caught sight of several figures walking over from the direction of the mine.

The priest noticed it as well, and the two of them turned to look at the same time.

Leon, wearing a mask, was walking over with Simon and the others.

As the one in front, Leon first cast a questioning look toward the priest.

“It’s nothing, sir. Just a minor issue. I’ll have it resolved shortly,” Father Auden immediately replied to Leon.

“This is Miss Adele Lovelace, daughter of Viscount Arend. She has a few questions regarding our landing on the island.”

“Didn’t you say Viscount Arend wouldn’t interfere in matters here?” Leon frowned slightly behind the mask.

If someone came every day to interfere with his Labyrinth business, that would be a serious problem.

“He won’t, but his daughter is… a bit unfamiliar with the rules,” Father Auden explained.

“I assure you, I’ll make things clear to her very soon.”

At this point, Adele looked at Father Auden, then at the masked Leon, and quickly understood that Leon was the real decision-maker here.

Father Auden’s landing this time had merely been to lead the way for this man.

“Sir, may I have a word with you?” Adele immediately stepped around the priest, trying to speak directly with Leon.

She realized that persuading Leon would be more effective than persuading the priest.

“You can’t speak with this gentleman. If there’s anything, you must speak to me!” Father Auden hurried to block her.

“What’s so inconvenient about me speaking a few words with this gentleman?” Adele asked sharply, her instincts flaring.

Her voice rose at once.

“Are you hiding something? Could it be that you intend to do something illegal on our family’s territory?”

“Listen carefully, Miss Adele—”

Father Auden had just raised a finger, preparing to launch into yet another round of debate, when Leon’s hand suddenly came down on his shoulder, pushing him aside.

“Hey!” Father Auden protested.

“Are you willing to speak with me now, sir?” Adele, though nervous, still mustered her courage and lifted her head to meet the gaze behind Leon’s mask.

“—.”

Leon fell silent for a brief moment.

Then he suddenly drew his gun and aimed it directly at the center of Adele’s forehead.

In that instant, the air froze—and so did Adele.