Chapter - 72

Remus sat frozen in his high-backed leather chair. The smell of the spilled wine was sharp and acidic, mixing with the scent of his own fear-sweat.

He stared at the young man standing over him. A moment ago, he had thought he was holding the leash. He thought he was the wise, powerful High Priest manipulating a talented but naive commoner.

He was wrong.

The threat Leo had whispered wasn't a bluff. Remus could feel it in his old bones. The killing intent rolling off the boy was heavier than the stone armor of his Iron Saints. It was the aura of something that had killed without hesitation and would do it again.

Remus felt a warm, humiliating dampness threaten to spread in his robes. He clenched his muscles, forcing his bladder to hold. He was the High Priest of Auravale. He would not piss himself in his own study.

"I..." Remus stammered, his throat dry. "I understand. I... I overstepped."

Leo stepped back. The suffocating pressure vanished instantly, sucked back into him like a tide retreating before a tsunami.

The cold, dead look in Leo's eyes disappeared, replaced by a casual, almost bored expression. He dusted off his coat, looking around the lavish study as if he hadn't just threatened to murder the most powerful religious figure in the city.

"Good," Leo said, his voice light. "I'm glad we understand each other. It would be a shame to ruin such a nice office with your blood. That carpet looks expensive."

Leo walked back to the front of the desk. He leaned against it, crossing his ankles.

"Look at the big picture, Remus," Leo said, gesturing vaguely with one hand. "You're a man of god. A man of science. An alchemist. Why are you losing focus over who is screwing whom? That's petty. That's beneath you."

"You have bigger fish to fry," Leo continued. "You have an army of impotent nobles waiting for your miracles. You have gold to make. Why risk your neck making enemies when you could be making money?"

Remus nodded slowly, his hands still trembling as he tried to upright his wine glass. "Yes. Money. You are right. Business."

"Exactly," Leo grinned. "Business."

He reached into his belt.

THUNK.

He slammed a dagger onto the mahogany desk.

Remus flinched violently, jerking back in his chair. He stared at the blade.

It was one of the Twin Serpent Daggers. The steel was dark, etched with green venomous runes. The edge was still stained with dried, dark blood—the blood of the seven assassins Leo had butchered in the Great Hall.

Remus stared at it. He knew what that blade had done. He knew his Divine Blessing of Life, his holy barriers, meant nothing against the speed of the hand that wielded it.

"Relax," Leo chuckled. "I'm just clearing some inventory space."

He reached into his spatial storage again.

Clink.

He placed a small, glass bottle next to the deadly weapon.

The liquid inside was a vibrant, swirling pink. It glowed with a faint, inner light, pulsating rhythmically like a heartbeat. Even through the glass, a sweet, heady aroma began to seep out, smelling of musk and honey.

[Item: Elixir of Potent Lust]

"I was going to offer this to the Temple," Leo said, his voice smooth as silk. "As a tithe. A gesture of goodwill from the new hero in town."

He picked up the bottle, swirling the pink liquid.

"But..." Leo sighed dramatically. "It looks like the Temple is already swimming in donations. You have gold candlesticks, vintage wine, animated armor... you don't need my charity."

He set the bottle back down.

"So, why don't you be generous, High Priest? Why don't you buy this from me? Show me that you're serious about our new... partnership."

Remus looked at the bottle, then at the dagger, then up at Leo.

He was trapped. If he refused, he insulted the man holding the knife. If he accepted, he was playing Leo's game.

"What... what is it?" Remus asked, his voice raspy.

"This," Leo beamed, "Is the Elixir of Potent Lust. A rare concoction. One drop, and a man of eighty will feel like he's eighteen again. A whole bottle? Well... let's just say you'd need a harem to survive the night."

Remus's alchemist eyes narrowed slightly. He could sense the potency. It was strong. Stronger than anything he could brew with his current ingredients.

"And the price?" Remus asked.

Leo kept his smile fixed. Internally, he issued a command.

'Aiva. Valuation. Don't lowball me.'

[Item: Elixir of Potent Lust (Rare Consumable)]

[Market Value Analysis: Standard aphrodisiacs sell for 10-20 Gold. High-grade alchemical stamina potions sell for 50 Gold. This item is Unique-grade in purity.]

[Estimated Value: 100 to 150 Gold Coins to a desperate buyer.]

Leo hummed internally. 150 Gold. Not bad.

But he wasn't here to be fair.

"Well," Leo started, scratching his chin. "This isn't your standard street-corner stiffy pill, Remus. This is high-grade. Pure essence. No side effects... mostly. I pulled the ingredients from the heart of a beast in the Endless Forest myself."

He leaned in.

"Market price for something this rare? 200 Gold Coins."

Remus choked. "Two hundred? For a single phial?"

"Supply and demand, old man," Leo shrugged. "You said it yourself. The nobles are desperate. You could cut this with water, make twenty weaker potions, and sell them for fifty each."

"It would still be potent, and you would quadruple the profits in a night."

Leo's logic was sound, even if the price was extortionate. He was bullshitting, and he knew it. He was selling water to a whale.

"But," Leo added, his voice dripping with false generosity. "I like you, Remus. You have... character. You saved me from your own guards today. That counts for something."

He patted Remus on the shoulder. The High Priest flinched at the touch, his baggy robes quivering over his soggy, fat body.

"So, in light of our new friendship, and to show my good faith, I'm willing to take a heavy loss."

Leo placed a hand over his heart, looking pained.

"I value our connection, Remus. Truly. It's rare to find a man of god with such... practical... sensibilities."

Remus stared at him. He could see the bullshit. It was painted all over Leo's handsome, arrogant face. The boy was mocking him. He was taking advantage of the situation to rob him blind.

But what could Remus do?

The dagger was right there.

Remus's mind began to race. He was cornered now, yes. But he was the High Priest. He had spies. He had influence.

'Who is he?' Remus thought, his mind working furiously behind his fearful eyes. 'He wears common clothes but carries artifacts worth thousands. He moves like an assassin but talks like a merchant. He seduced the Lord's wife and threatened me in my own sanctuary.'

'He cannot be alone. No one is this bold without backing.'

Remus decided. He would pay. He would smile. And the moment Leo left, he would unleash his network. He would find out where this boy slept, where he came from, and who was pulling his strings. And then, he would have the Iron Saints crush him in his sleep.

"Very well," Remus said, reaching for his coin pouch with a shaking hand. "Friendship is... valuable. 200 Gold is steep, but—"

"Wait," Leo interrupted.

Leo watched the gears turning in the old man's head. He saw the shift in Remus's eyes—from fear to calculation.

He wasn't stupid.

He was Level 3. He had some good gear, yes. He had Predator's Instincts, yes. But he was one man. If Remus decided to send a squad of elite assassins, or worse, found a way to use the Iron Saints outside the church, Leo was dead.

His "mysterious background" was his only real shield. If the mystery died, if Remus realized Leo was just a transmigrated nobody with a fancy system, the plot armor would shatter. He would be meeting Goddess Lysara for a permanent performance review very quickly.

He couldn't just make enemies. He couldn't just face-slap everyone until they died. He needed to be smarter.

"You know what?" Leo said, his voice changing again. It became warm. Magnanimous.

He picked up the bottle of Elixir.

"Put your gold away, Remus."

Remus froze, his hand halfway to his pouch. "What?"

"I said put it away," Leo smiled. "I'm giving you a 50% discount."

Remus blinked, confused. "100 Gold?"

"Yup!" Leo nodded, but he continued, "But you know what, screw it. I will give you a 100% discount. It's free for you."

He pushed the bottle across the desk until it clinked against Remus's hand.

"Take it. Consider it a gift. A token of my... esteem."

Remus looked at the bottle, then at Leo. He was utterly baffled. First the threat of death, then the extortion, and now... a gift?

"Why?" Remus whispered.

Leo stood up. He grabbed his dagger from the desk and sheathed it in one fluid motion. He buttoned his coat, looking every inch the mysterious, powerful figure he was pretending to be.

"Because I'm a good person, Remus," Leo lied through his teeth. "And because I think you and I are going to do great things together."

He walked to the door. He paused, his hand on the handle. He didn't look back.

"Oh, and Remus?"

"Yes?" The High Priest breathed.

"Don't send anyone to follow me," Leo said softly.

He turned his head slightly, just enough so Remus could see the glint in his eye.

"Don't send your spies. Don't send your acolytes. Don't ask questions around town about who I am or where I come from."

Leo let his voice drop to a whisper that carried the weight of a mountain.

"My organization... we... value our privacy. If I see a tail, I won't kill him. I'll come back here. And I'll kill you."

He tapped the side of his nose.

"We will know."

'We!'

The word echoed in Remus's mind.

'Organization...' Remus thought, a fresh wave of terror washing over him. 'He's not alone. He's an agent. An agent of whom? The Empire? The Shadow Guild? The Royals?'

Remus pulled his hand back from the coin pouch. He wouldn't send spies. Not yet. It was too dangerous.

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