The potions laboratory was filled with jars and bottles, yet it didn't look cluttered.
Clutter was the natural enemy of a potions master. You could neglect your own appearance if you wished, but dangerous potion ingredients could never be left lying around carelessly. Otherwise, they would explode right in front of you.
When Midgard and Leonard entered the potions room, Damocles was sitting at a table, busy with something, while several Werewolf wizard apprentices were practicing potion brewing on their own.
Seeing Midgard and Leonard, the Werewolf wizards did not stop what they were doing. Brewing potions was not something you could pause whenever you liked.
Midgard didn't interrupt them either. She simply waved a hand to signal that they should continue working, then quietly walked with Leonard to stand behind Damocles.
At that moment, Damocles was hunched over his desk, writing and sketching rapidly. His notebook was packed with densely written notes detailing potion properties and their effects.
"Busy, Mr. Belby?" Midgard said after watching for a moment and noticing nothing unusual.
Damocles jumped in surprise and hurriedly turned around. When he saw that it was Midgard, a flustered expression appeared on his face.
"Oh, it's you, Madam Greyback. What brings you to my potions lab today?" Damocles asked with an awkward laugh.
He cautiously glanced toward Leonard's disguised figure, a thin line of cold sweat sliding down his forehead. Then he quietly closed his notebook and put it away.
Damocles knew that Midgard kept a mysterious person by her side, someone she trusted deeply. Judging by the height, the figure was either a dwarf or possibly a Goblin.
But that wasn't important.
What mattered was that this person was far more troublesome than Midgard herself and possessed considerable skill in potion brewing.
He absolutely could not let this man figure out how far his potion research had progressed.
However, the mysterious man didn't seem interested in his notes at all. Instead, he was casually looking around the potions room and had even stopped at his workbench, examining something.
"Oh, I got injured recently, so I came to see if you had any potions that could help with healing," Midgard said casually.
"Oh, healing potions? That's easy, no problem." Damocles quickly opened the pouch at his waist, revealing it stuffed full of potions. He selected one meant for internal use and handed it to Midgard.
"Oh, thanks." Midgard accepted the potion but showed no intention of leaving. Instead, she stared at Damocles with a thoughtful look.
Damocles froze slightly and asked cautiously, "Is there something else, Madam Greyback?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering why you're being so agreeable today. Usually your attitude is quite arrogant." Midgard tilted her head slightly. "I actually prefer the rebellious version of you."
"Ha… ha… well, I was a bit immature before, wasn't I?" Damocles laughed awkwardly. "After all, I'm working for you and getting paid by you now. Of course I should be a bit more polite."
"I see…" Midgard said, nodding in sudden understanding. "Since Mr. Belby has become so enlightened, I assume you've been working very diligently lately. So, how's the progress on the Wolfsbane Potion?"
"The Wolfsbane Potion…" Panic flickered in Damocles's eyes. "There hasn't been much progress yet…"
"No progress?" Midgard raised an eyebrow.
"You have to understand, improving a potion isn't something that can be done overnight. It requires a tremendous amount of work. Lately these apprentices have been helping me run experiments, and we've been staying up very late every day."
Damocles spoke with a look of deep distress.
...
While Midgard was chatting with Damocles, Leonard wandered around the potions room.
He stopped at Damocles's workbench. The surface was spotless and gleaming. Leonard ran a finger across it, but not a trace of dust stuck to his skin.
Leonard raised an eyebrow and examined the other items on the bench.
Cauldrons, charcoal burners, grinding mortars, cutting boards and knives for slicing ingredients, along with bottles of auxiliary materials, were all neatly arranged within easy reach.
Cleaning the workbench was a mandatory task for every potions apprentice. Whether the bench had been used or not, it had to be wiped down every evening to prevent dust from settling.
A workbench like this seemed unlikely to leave any clues behind.
Still, Leonard glanced at the auxiliary ingredients before turning toward the apprentices who were currently brewing potions.
One apprentice had just finished his work and was carefully pouring the potion into a bottle.
Leonard waited beside him until he finished before speaking.
"Robert?"
The Werewolf wizard apprentice in front of him was the same Werewolf boy who had escorted him to Hogwarts the year before.
A year was enough time for a Werewolf youth to change significantly. Their physical growth far surpassed that of ordinary teenagers, and Robert's current height already made him look like an adult.
"Mr. William?" Robert looked at Leonard respectfully. "Is something the matter?"
"Have you been busy lately?" Leonard asked.
Robert scratched his head, looking somewhat simple and honest.
"It's been alright. But this job really drains your energy. Back when I used to carry crates, I never felt as tired as I do now."
"Oh? The work is exhausting?" Leonard asked.
"Not exactly exhausting. It just makes you sleepy. Mr. Belby said it might be because we're using too much mental energy. He said we'll get used to it eventually," Robert replied with a cheerful grin.
Leonard nodded and asked, "How has the potions lab's output been lately?"
"Everything's normal. We're all pretty skilled now. While brewing the Wolfsbane Potion, we also make some potions that sell well and hand them over to Mr. Wilder to handle the business side," Robert said.
Wilder was the Werewolf wizard responsible for managing trade with other Werewolves. He had originally been a merchant. After being injured by Fenrir, he fell into despair for a long time. Eventually, with Midgard's help, he returned to his old profession. He was an experienced merchant starting over again.
"Sounds pretty good. By the way, you've been keeping records of the potion ingredients for the lab, right?" Leonard said. "Bring them over. I'd like to take a look."
"Of course." Robert nodded and quickly brought Leonard a thick ledger.
Ordinarily, something as confidential as this wouldn't be shown to just anyone.
But Leonard was different.
Every Werewolf wizard studying potion brewing knew that this Mr. William was the person Midgard trusted the most. He was the one who had changed the miserable fate the Werewolf wizards used to endure.
Midgard had personally given the order: no matter what Mr. William said, they were to follow it.
Even if his instructions conflicted with her own, they were to obey him first.
With the boss personally backing him up, looking through a ledger was the easiest thing in the world.