What Witch? This Alchemist is Breaking Bad!

Rena sat in front of the table, one hand cuffed in shackles, the other end locked to the table leg beneath the tabletop.

Two oil lamps were placed on the table, illuminating the cramped space.

Opposite her sat a masked Inquisitor, his entire body exuding a cold, oppressive aura.

“Rena Lothark?” the Inquisitor asked.

“Y-yes…” Rena replied uneasily.

“I won’t waste words. We already know that you are a Witch. According to Church regulations, you have committed the crime of heretical blasphemy. On top of that, you are also implicated in the large-scale production and sale of Mana, which is an aggravating circumstance. You may very well be sentenced to death.

“But if you cooperate now and truthfully confess all your crimes here, you still have a chance to receive lenient treatment. This is your only chance. Do you understand what I mean?”

The Inquisitor tapped the table lightly with his knuckles.

“I-I’m not a Witch!!” Rena shook her head with an innocent look.

“Wrong.” The Inquisitor across from her suddenly shook his head.

“How is that wrong again?” Rena frowned in confusion.

“When I said ‘we already know you are a Witch,’ you should have reacted with intense denial. That would have been the normal response,” the Inquisitor explained patiently.

“Ugh, this is so troublesome. I’m done playing, I’m done!”

Rena lost her patience and shook the shackles on her wrist.

“Hurry up and unlock this. I’ve got work to do.”

“I already said this isn’t playing—it’s training!”

Leon, who had been playing the role of interrogator, removed his mask and looked at Rena seriously.

This was training—training Rena’s counter-interrogation abilities.

After Director Aaron took office, he had quickly formed a task force to investigate Caron’s disappearance, which made Leon feel a certain degree of tension.

Although another week had passed since the task force was established, the investigation had made no real progress.

“Does this even mean anything?” Rena’s face was filled with complete incomprehension.

“Once you’re caught, isn’t it all over? What’s the point of training?”

She had no idea what had possessed Leon today to insist on dragging her into this so-called interrogation training.

Leon had her imagine being captured by the Inquisition and locked in an interrogation room, while he himself played the role of the interrogator.

But in Rena’s view, this was utterly baffling.

Once she was captured by the Inquisition, wouldn’t that mean she was completely finished?

What she should be training for was how not to get caught by the Church, not how to struggle on the brink of death after being captured.

“You don’t understand the process of heretical trials. Arresting you doesn’t mean you’ve already been convicted. It only means you’re suspected,” Leon said, pointing at Rena.

“Once I fall into your hands, isn’t it just whatever you want to do? You can just take some seized Mana and say it was found on me, then grab my hand and force me to sign the confession. Wouldn’t that be enough to convict me?” Rena muttered.

“That was two hundred years ago.” Leon shook his head.

“The Church has gone through many reforms since then.

The trial procedures are now much more complete. For a serious crime like receiving a Witch’s blessing, decisive evidence is required.”

“Decisive evidence?” Rena found the term strange.

Leon raised two fingers and began explaining.

“There are mainly two types. A public confession by the accused in court, or physical evidence that only a Witch could possess—such as a Moilai Altar. Simply finding Mana is useless. Any second-hand smuggler could be carrying Mana.”

“What about confessions? Don’t you just arrest people and torture them until they confess whatever you want?” Rena still wasn’t convinced.

“Using torture now requires approval from higher authorities, and it’s only permitted under certain conditions—such as when other evidence already strongly supports the suspicion, or when the case involves other major crimes that require urgent handling. Otherwise, if the tribunal’s medical inspection finds that the Inquisition used torture without meeting those conditions, the confession may be ruled invalid in court,” Leon said.

Rena was genuinely surprised.

This was completely different from the Church she knew.

She had always thought the Inquisition was a violent, authoritarian institution—once you were targeted, even if you weren’t a Witch, you’d be beaten into one, let alone someone like her who was the real thing.

“So now you understand why I’m specifically training you,” Leon continued.

“In fact, the Church has no method that can determine with absolute certainty whether someone is a Witch. Convictions rely on physical evidence and your own testimony.

“When we can’t find physical evidence, we’ll do everything we can to make you confess. We’ll use all kinds of verbal tactics—telling you we already have conclusive evidence, that someone else has already turned you in, urging you to confess for leniency.

“We’ll also use non-violent methods, such as depriving you of sleep or applying psychological pressure. But you have to hold out. The more pressure an Inquisitor applies during interrogation, the more it actually shows that they don’t have decisive evidence and must obtain your confession.

“And according to Church regulations, if no new evidence is produced, the maximum detention period for arresting and questioning you is thirty days. Exceeding that period will also cause procedural issues. Once you endure those thirty days, the Inquisition won’t be able to do much to you for the time being.

“So remember this—you can’t be like when I first met you. I scared you a little, and you collapsed immediately, answering everything you were asked,” Leon explained.

“This is nothing like what I imagined. The Church is actually restricted by so many rules when investigating this?” Rena looked astonished.

“I think it probably has something to do with how prevalent Mana trading has become,” Leon said.

“Those with power and influence are the ones who most want to extend their lifespans. Mana is so expensive, and they’re the main consumers. Naturally, they want to limit the Church’s authority to investigate Mana transactions.

“Every year, related proposals are submitted to the imperial capital. There may even be people within the Church who, like Caron, have interests tied to illegal trade. In that case, it wouldn’t be strange for the Church to reform itself.”

“But if I’m controlled, then it’s only a matter of time before physical evidence is found in my house, right?” Rena thought for a moment and said.

“I’ll find a way. That’s the point of you cooperating with me. Likewise, if I suddenly can’t be contacted, you’ll have to find a way to destroy the evidence yourself,” Leon said.

“Then if we’re both caught, does that mean we’re definitely finished?” Rena asked casually.

“Pretty much… but…” Leon hesitated.

“But what?”

“But if it really comes to that, maybe we can preserve one person,” Leon said.

“How would that work?” Rena frowned.

Even without knowing the law very well, she understood that between the Mana and Magical Beast materials they had sold, and the fact that at least two people had died—one of them being the Director of the Inquisition—it was more than enough to send both of them to the stake to be burned together.

“When that time comes, you can say you were coerced by me. As long as I cooperate with your testimony, you should have a chance at a lighter sentence. As a Witch, you’d probably have to live the rest of your life under Church supervision, but that should still be better than being burned alive,” Leon said as he looked at Rena.

“You…” Rena froze for a moment, then narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“You’d really be that kind?”

“I chose this line of work knowing what I was getting into. Once I’m investigated for the crime of apostasy, it’s unrealistic to try and push all the blame onto you. But you have a chance. There’s no need for you to die with me.

“Being sentenced to death once or twice makes no difference to me. This is the most correct approach for us. Since I was the one who dragged you into this, taking on a bit of responsibility at that time is only right,” Leon said calmly.

Rena stared at Leon’s face for a long while before coming back to her senses.

She turned her gaze away.

“You make it sound nice now. Who knows—if you get caught alone, maybe you’ll rush to turn me in to earn credit for yourself!”

“The probability of me getting caught is still lower than yours. You should think more about how you’ll deal with it,” Leon said, putting his mask back on.

“Let’s do it again. To make you take this seriously, we’ll add some punishment this time.”

“Y-you—what are you planning to do?” Rena immediately became alert, holding her hands in front of her chest.

“I’m warning you, don’t do anything weird! If you dare touch me randomly, I’ll get angry!”

Just hearing Leon mention “punishment” had already made her mind flash with images that made her face heat up.

“I haven’t even said anything yet. But punishment only works if it’s something you dislike. Since you brought it up yourself, we can try it,” Leon deliberately teased her.

“I didn’t! No, absolutely not! Hey—you’re joking, right?” Rena was both annoyed and amused.

She stood up, trying to escape, but her hand was still firmly cuffed to the table.

“If you don’t want to be punished, then be more serious. We’re starting over now,” Leon said, placing the mask back over his smiling face.