“Take it back?”

Leon did not understand the meaning of that sentence for a moment and instinctively asked.

But this time, the Earl merely smiled without explaining, continuing on his own, “Knowing what you want is more important than possessing something. Desire is like a pair of fragile wings—they can shatter at any moment. The higher you fly, the more miserable the fall. That is the lesson I learned.”

Hearing the metaphor, Leon suddenly recalled a famous myth from his previous life and nodded in agreement.

“The sun will destroy those wings.”

“What?” This time, it was the Earl who was confused.

“It was a fable I once came across in an old book. It said that a master artisan, in order to escape an isolated island with his son, crafted two pairs of wings that could fly. The two of them crossed the sea with those wings. The father warned his son not to fly too low, or the seawater would dampen the feathers—but also not to fly too high, or the sun would destroy the wings.But the son, young and impetuous, lost himself in exhilaration and flew high into the sky. In the end, the scorching sun melted the sealing wax and burned away the feathers on the wings, and the son fell into the sea just like that.” Leon explained briefly.

It was the story from Greek mythology about the master artisan Daedalus, who built the Labyrinth that imprisoned the Minotaur, escaping Crete with his son Icarus.

It happened to coincide perfectly with the Earl’s metaphor, and Leon had naturally made the connection.

“Not bad. I like this story.” The Earl’s eyes brightened.

“Just as Bishop Beckett said, you are quite knowledgeable. It seems the Church’s examinations truly won’t be able to trouble you.”

“Please stop putting pressure on me.” Leon smiled helplessly.

The maid began serving the prepared appetizers and table wine to the two of them.

However, the Earl did not begin eating immediately.

Instead, he glanced out at the river scenery beyond the window and continued, “At this stage, there are some things you should come to understand. Do you know why I spoke to you earlier about the Witch Gathering?”

Leon shook his head lightly.

Earlier, when the Earl had mentioned his former supply sources, he had revealed that his long-term goods had come from an organization across the sea called the Witch Gathering.

At the time, Leon had felt that the Earl had disclosed slightly more than expected.

“Because this matter is somewhat related to you—especially now. You should have sensed it. The Witch Gathering is in Moirland. It is, in fact, the core organizational body of the Great Witches. Moirland’s state religion is the Abyss Church, devoted solely to Moilai. The Witch Gathering’s status within the Abyss Church is similar to that of the College of Cardinals within the Four Gods Church—though the structure differs somewhat.” The Earl looked at Leon as he spoke.

Leon nodded.

Moirland—the island nation beyond the Sea of Behemoths—was said to have been established by Princess Isis of the Islander Nation, the exiled princess of the fallen Islander Kingdom destroyed by the Empire.

As an Inquisitor, he was aware of that intelligence.

“How much do you know about the war with Moirland ten years ago?” the Earl continued.

“I heard that Moirland had secretly supported restorationist forces among the Islander people along the Empire’s eastern coast, inciting a joint uprising and harassing the Empire’s colonies established on the Eastern Continent. The royal family and the Church joined forces to suppress the rebellion and even launched an expedition against Moirland to intimidate them. Because the war spanned the eastern and western coasts of the Sea of Behemoths, it was also called the Maritime Conquest War,” Leon replied.

The war had not greatly affected the western regions of the Empire.

But in Leon’s memory, it had plunged many eastern areas into turmoil for nearly two years, altering the fates of many.

One of Hannah Weisland’s sons had died in battle, the other had been left crippled.

Caron Eso had earned military merit in the war and become an Intermediate Inquisitor.

Baron Turner’s son had also died in battle.

Johnny Wellman had participated in naval combat, been declared killed in action, and afterward defected from the Church.

Even the Earl himself had taken part in the war as a Fully Appointed Knight before retiring due to injury———

“Other than successfully intimidating them, that is roughly correct.” The Earl smiled.

“Was your cooperation with the Witch Gathering related to that war?” Leon ventured to ask.

The Earl nodded.

“Moirland has always smuggled Mana and Magical Potions into the Empire. It was one of their major sources of income. Initially, they relied on restorationist factions they had cultivated among the Islander people within the Empire. During that war, I formed a connection with a Great Witch. At that time, I was already engaged in smuggling, though not on such a large scale.By then, the war’s outcome was essentially decided. The Empire had nearly purged the resistance forces among the eastern Islanders. However, the Empire could do little to Moirland itself. The Moirland Archipelago was easy to defend and difficult to attack, and at one point inflicted considerable losses on the Imperial Navy. Correspondingly, having lost the Islander restorationists within the Empire, Moirland also lost its large-scale smuggling channels. At that moment, through that Great Witch, I proposed cooperation to the Witch Gathering. I established entry and exit channels with the Eastern Continent, purchasing large quantities of Mana, Magical Potions, and Magical Beast materials from them and smuggling them into the Empire.Relying on this unique channel, I defeated numerous competitors over the past decade—those who could only smuggle Mana on a small scale from scattered heretical forces in the south and west—and achieved what I have today.”

“Then why are you considering a new source of supply? You mentioned before that there were some problems with your cooperation with them?” Leon asked cautiously.

The Earl had touched on the topic previously without elaborating.

Bringing it up again now likely meant he intended to explain.

“The Witch Gathering is the core of Moirland’s Abyss Church.

The current ruler of Moirland, Queen Alice, is the leader of the Witch Gathering—hailed as the Queen of Witches.

It is she who has been orchestrating revenge against the Empire and the restoration of the Islander Nation,” the Earl said.

“But they did not succeed, did they? That was their approach ten years ago, and the forces they cultivated in the Empire’s east were wiped out,” Leon asked in confusion.

The Earl Foyle clearly did not concern himself with accusations of treason or apostasy—otherwise he would never have connected with the Witch Gathering in the first place.

What worried him should have been his own situation.

“To call it a failure would be premature. The war ten years ago was merely groundwork for them.” The Earl shook his head lightly.

“Groundwork? What are they still planning?” Leon pressed.

It sounded as if the witches were playing a long game—seeking to stir an even greater storm across the lands in the Empire’s east that had once belonged to the Islander Nation.

“At present, I do not know. But they did attempt to persuade me to join them, saying that with their power, I might have the chance to become Emperor of the Empire. Heh.” The Earl suddenly laughed, as if amused by the witches’ attempt to deceive him.

“Regardless, those lunatics will sooner or later overturn the table against the Empire again. And we must not be swept into that chaotic vortex. Our interests must be built upon the continued balance of the Empire’s existence.

That is non-negotiable.

Cooperation with them is destined not to last.

But before we sever ties, we must possess a new source of supply.”

“So that is why you supported my attempt to establish production within the Empire’s Labyrinths.” Realization dawned on Leon.

“Wait—if that is the case, if what is happening here becomes known to them———”

The Witch Gathering was currently profiting from smuggling into the Empire through the Earl.

If they learned that he had established a new source of supply within the Empire, would they not perceive it as a threat?

That would mean Leon, who managed the new supply for the Earl, might also attract the Witch Gathering’s attention.

A sudden sense of crisis surged within him.

Leon realized that this was the true meaning behind the Earl’s earlier words—“somewhat related to you.”

“Rest assured. At this stage, I will maintain my dealings with them. My influence is preparing to expand westward, and I still require a great deal of goods. They will not detect any problem. For now, we need only manage our domestic supply well. When they choose to take action, we will then sever ties completely. At that point, no matter what, there will be no possibility of cooperation between us and them. If they move against the Empire, they will not have much strength left to move against us,” the Earl said.

“Hopefully so.” Even after hearing this, Leon did not feel entirely at ease.

If the Witch Gathering wished to profit from Mana smuggling into the Empire, whether or not they had the Earl made little difference.

As long as enormous profits existed, there could always be a second Earl to smuggle for them.

But other production sources within the Empire would inevitably compete with them.

That was a fundamental conflict of interest.

“I am quite satisfied with the present situation. And to maintain it, the most important thing is to preserve balance on all sides.” The Earl raised his table wine toward Leon.

“Your fable was excellent. One must not fly too low, nor too high. It is important—for you, for me, for everyone.”

Leon raised his glass in response, and the two each took a sip of wine.

After speaking at length with the Earl, Leon unexpectedly discovered that the Earl Foyle was not as wildly ambitious as he had imagined, but rather more steady and pragmatic.

He had never intended to truly challenge the Empire’s order.

Instead, he preferred to preserve that order while exploiting its loopholes for profit.

In truth, the approach was not contradictory.

Precisely because order existed, its loopholes contained immense profits intertwined with risk.

If the Church had not prohibited it, the Mana trade would hardly have been so lucrative.

The Earl seemed to genuinely appreciate his lack of excessive ambition.

Upon reflection, leaders rarely favored subordinates with boundless ambition.

Many people advanced and advanced—only to end up donning the yellow robe.

Seen in that light, as long as someone could eventually replace him, the Earl likely would not care much if he chose to wash his hands of everything and retire.

“Oh, by the way, once you obtain your Church rank, would you mind if someone were to inspect your working environment on Arend Island?” the Earl suddenly asked.

“You wish to take a look?” Leon asked.

“No. I intend to send someone to help you improve your refinement techniques. She once received some instruction from a Great Witch of the Witch Gathering—” The Earl’s expression turned meaningful as he spoke.

“Well, in truth, I simply want you to meet her. I hope the two of you get along.”