When the Witch is Imprinted

“Sir, this is Khan.”

Khan, who had been knocking on the closed door with a nervous expression on his face, was a little worried when he heard no answer, then carefully grabbed the doorknob and went inside.

“…….”

He was at a loss for words for a moment inside the disastrous interior that had just been organized.

Papers and broken ornaments scattered all over the floor. And the big scratches that the owner made while a beast because he couldn’t overcome the raging emotions.

Its original setting, which was neat and tidy, was nowhere to be found. And it was all because of the missing companion and the ambivalent imprinting.

“Did I tell you to come in?”

Carlyle, who had become extremely sensitive as he suffered from constant high fever, heat, and anxiety that gnawed at his stomach, glared at his aid.

‘Calm, calm down.’

Khan was choked with the creepy feeling of being torn to pieces, but he did his duty as he calmly puts the plate he brought on the desk.

“…… This is a newly acquired herb. They said you can chew it as it is.”

“…….”

Carlyle stood but stared at the pile of herbs on the plate with tired eyes.

‘This time, please, it should work.’

For a Winnington, a spouse is life. A wolf prisoner abandoned by his companion suffers a burning pain, which is accompanied by severe fever and goes into heat. In severe cases, it turns into a beast like Carlyle, showing aggression or howling.

It can be said that the current Marquis of Winnington has entered a state of emergency, since if he and his partner parted for any unfavorable reason, he would end up taking his own life. In fact, Carlyle’s father died in agony after losing his wife due to illness.

“Have you heard of her about her yet?”

“Currently, we are working hard to search the neighborhood.”

“…… Incompetent. Alright, go out.”

Damn it. Even if things are a little bit better, I’m going to go on my own.

Carlyle, impatient with the consistent results for the past two weeks, turned his back to Khan, who shook his head as if he was sorry, and harshly shoved the herb into his mouth.

Khan didn’t want to touch the heart of the lord anymore, so he quietly left the office without making a single footstep.

“Hey, Khan. Does His Excellency feel better?“

As he was walking down the hallway with a worried look on his face, Knight Captain Hawkins, who was just walking in the opposite direction, asked about the lord. Since the day Luce disappeared, the most talked-about story in the castle was about Carlyle.

“No, not at all. To be honest, I don’t expect much from this herb.”

“Huh…… wasn’t it passed down from generation to generation!”

We don’t know if your Excellency will get sick and die! When the excited Hawkins questioned in a loud voice, Khan, who grew serious at the same time, rubbed his tired eyes and said in a pleading voice.

“Actually…… I’ve been waking up all night and looking through the records, but I can’t find a situation like this anywhere.”

Cases of unstable imprinting were common. But they all had one thing in common. Unlike Carlyle, those had a companion next to them and had succeeded in imprinting in the end. According to the records, even if the imprint is unstable due to disagreement, if you continue to mix your body, you will eventually be tied up as a complete companion.

Naturally, most of the relationships formed that way did not lead to happy endings, but for those who were blind to their companions, it seemed more tolerable to force their companion to be tied up like a bird in a cage than a horrific parting. Even if it was a way to receive deep hatred from loved ones.

‘But the current situation of our Excellency is difficult.’

After all, finding the missing hostess even though you couldn’t feel the energy of your companion was like looking for a gemstone in the desert.

“The symptoms are getting more and more severe…… It no longer listen to herbs.”

“Damn, we’re in trouble.”

“Or not…… I’m thinking of getting some help from a potion.”

“Magic?”

At Khan’s new opinion, Hawkins asked, widening his eyes. Obviously, unlike those made by simply mixing medicinal herbs, potions with the power of ‘magic’ have different effects depending on the talent or skill of the maker, even if they use the same ingredients. Perhaps a potion that could calm Carlyle’s symptoms would be very expensive, but the wealth of Marquis Winnington was enough to cover it.

“Should I ask the pharmacists in the capital city right now?”

The problem, however, was that in order to make a potion, you had to be born with mana, and there were few such pharmacists, and among them, there were very few people who could make the best potion.

‘Is there any pharmacist like that in the estate?’

Khan pondered with a serious face.

“Ugh……. But, I don’t know if the potion can fill the mistress’s place.”

“I don’t want to go there. To request it in the first place, you have to reveal your true identity, right? I just want His Excellency’s nervousness to be resolved.”

Sigh. Is there any place that sells good potions? Khan muttered to himself as if in a headache and left.

‘Today was in vain as well. Was it possible to find it in the first place.’

Currently, Hawkins is currently investigating the woman who disappeared around the inn where Carlyle stayed that day.

‘You weren’t a tourist, were you? Then it gets really complicated.’

Anxious Hawkins scratched his short hair.

“Ugh!”

Let’s see if she wins or I win. Hawkins wanted to dig deep into the alley with a similar mindset, and then he found a small shop in a sparsely populated area and stopped walking as if possessed.

‘What kind of store is there in this place?’

Is there any business even though there are few people? But that question was temporary. When Hawkins saw the picture on the sign, he realized that this was a shop selling medicinal herbs and various potions, and widened his eyes.

‘Or I’m thinking of getting some potion help.’

Hawkins’ eyes lit up as he recalled the conversation he had with Khan yesterday.

‘It doesn’t look like they’re dealing with magic potions.’

He had a particularly good sense of humor, so he heard people around him say he was like a beast. Hawkins was skeptical when he saw the store placed in a remote place, but he couldn’t deny that he felt a certain kind of energy here.

‘Well, it’s okay to just look around for a while.’

Hawkins, who has a personality who thinking that if it’s good, it’s good, if not, never mind. Without hesitation, he pushed the small wooden door and entered the store. A chime, a clear ringing of a bell greeted him.

“Welcome.”

“Hmm.”

The owner of the store was a young man with long hair neatly tied, and was wearing a comfortable shirt. Unlike the knights he led, the white, skinny man had a calm and docile demeanor to the point of calling him ‘Nerd’ in common words. Hawkins nodded his head and looked around, thinking the man was a good fit for the overall small shop.

“Customer, is there any product you are looking for?”

“Ah, that.”

At the words of the owner who asked carefully, Hawkins, who was examining the pile of dried herbs, hurriedly turned to the left.

“That, I’m looking for some potions.”

At Hawkins’ words, Luce led him to the shelf on the right.

“Only from this side to that side is the potion showcase. There aren’t that many varieties.”

“Hmm.”

Headache medicine, fatigue reliever, tranquilizer, etc. As he said, there were only a few, but most of them were what Carlyle needed.

Hawkins looked at them with hawk-like eyes. According to the knowledge he picked up somewhere, the clearer the color of the potion, the better it is without impurities.

‘Ho-oh.’

But what? What is in front of me?

He looked around a little more, his eyes twinkling as if he had found a treasure. To his surprise, all the potions in this store were like that. Even at a glance, the clean contents that make you think it is beautiful were saying that it was made by a skilled person.

“It looks like a good quality product, but the price is cheaper than I thought.”

As Khan said, no matter how low-quality it is, it costs about three times as much as a normal potion because it contains mana.

‘…….Ike. I think they had raised the price in their own way.’

At the words of Hawkins who muttered to himself, Luce was wary of getting him interested in herself, so she made hasty excuses.

“The only ingredients that goes into it are common herbs like luffini.”

“The owner is a conscientious man.”

“Ah…… is that so. haha.”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to have any doubts about Luce’s words.

‘Well. Precious ingredients cost a lot, so it would be burdensome to handle in a small shop like this.’

Potions also have the advantage that they work faster than regular potions made with only medicinal herbs, so it would be perfect if they work on his Excellency. However, no matter how good the quality, the difference made by the ingredients could not be ignored.

‘No matter how good the quality, a potion containing luffini will not be able to calm you down.’

“…… if it’s alright with you, would you like to give it a try?”

Is it because the ingredients aren’t good enough? Having misunderstood the customer’s silence differently, Luce checked where Hawkins’ gaze was, then took a bottle of anti-fatigue from the shelf and handed it over to him.

“…… Is that okay?”

That’s a good-hearted owner. In fact, Hawkins, who was on the healthy side of his body, had never really needed any help from magic pills, but lately, he was tried from looking for the disappeared woman. should she find her missing or look at her sire? did.

‘I wonder if potions are that great.’

Gulp. With a determined face, Hawkins put his mouth on the spout of the bottle and emptied the contents quickly.

Gulp. The moment the potion went down his esophagus.

“……!”

The eyes that had been filled with fatigue cleared, and at the same time, his head became clear as if he had woken up from a deep sleep, and even his body became so light that he could go swinging his sword and run wild.

‘Isn’t this amazing?!’

“Haha. Fortunately, you seem to like it.”

Next to Luce, who was satisfied with his reaction, Hawkins groaned like a crucian, unable to speak properly.

‘This alone is very surprising, but how much better would a potion made with high quality ingredients be?’

Hawkins belatedly realized why Khan praised magic potions.

‘That’s great. Unfortunately, I don’t think it will be of any help to you, but should I buy Khan’s share? It’s a pity that I am the only one who knows this great thing.’

Did Luce’s potion lighten his wallet along with fatigue? Hawkins swept the potion like an excited pony. (TN: lighten his wallet = meaning he’s going to spend a lot of money so his wallet will get lighter).

‘You have big hands.’ (TN: big hands in Korean means that they can grab a lot of things so they can buy more/spend more/give more).

Luce, not knowing whose person he was, carefreely led Hawkins to the counter.

“Excuse me, maybe…….”

“Yes?”

While packing the medicine bottle so that it would not break, Hawkins asked a strange question.

“So I was wondering. Suppressing ‘heat’ among magic potions…… do you have one?”

“Uh…….”

Heat…… ? So suddenly?

Luce, embarrassed by this question she have never heard while running the store, asked, avoiding his gaze.

“That…… animal…… Are you talking about?”

“Huh? Ah, yes, yes.”

Come to think of it, if it was about a person, the story would be very strange.

‘After all, your Excellency is also half an animal.’

But then I would say something meaningless. I can’t tell the truth here. Hawkins coughed, shaking off his embarrassment.

“It’s not impossible…… What species would it be?”

“Species? Well, a wolf…… kind of”

“It’s a wolf……?”

Oh my gosh. I thought it would be a dog or a cat at best. I guess there are people who keep that dangerous beast as a pet. Surprisingly, it seemed possible enough given the client’s muscular physique.

‘I guess the wolf is having a hard time because it’s in heat.’

Luce exclaimed a little while looking sadly at the worried Hawkins, and suddenly remembered how she had struggled with similar desires for the past year. Was it because of that? Luce made an offer that she would never normally have made.

“It takes time, but if you personally request it, I will make it for you. It’s not difficult as long as I mix the herbs well depending on the species.”

It is possible? He’s a man who can’t really do anything.

“Thank you for the words, but uh, my friend and I are both looking after him so…… I’ll come back after discussing it with him!”

However, no matter what his skills were, it was obvious that the medicine that simply calmed the beast’s heat would not work with his Excellency. Currently, his excellency is not in an ordinary rut, but a complex problem of losing a mate.

‘But I have a good feeling. Wouldn’t it be possible to create a better potion by providing this owner with the ingredients for a superior product?’

Or did my intuition go wrong today? Let’s talk with Khan first.

“Yes? Yes…… Well then, goodbye.”

Seeing the customer leaving the store, Luce made a bewildered expression for a moment, but then stretched out with a light smile, saying,

“You are a unique customer.”

Like an idiot, I never knew what was going to happen to me.

* * * (MTL by Pink Grapes)

Knock knock-

“Sir, this is Khan.”

Come in. Khan entered the office only after hearing the most sensitive voice. Still, thanks to the clean-up, the interior became more like a place for people to live, but he knew from his past experience that it would be disorganized in a few days.

“This time it’s not grass.”

“Ah, you’re talking about that.”

Khan continued, looking at the medicine bottle on the silver tray. His eyes were shining a little differently than usual.

“This is the potion that Hawkins got while he went on a search. Hopefully, there is a place like this treasure in our territory.”

Hawkins had a habit of bluffing so much, so at first Khan didn’t really listen to what Hawkins said when he said that he had discovered something amazing. When he opened the cap of the restorative that he forced me to drink it, he was going to pretend to be deceived because he didn’t want it to get too noisy, but what was this? As Hawkins said, the fatigue accumulated in various parts of the body had completely disappeared like melting snow.

Khan spent 40% of his salary on potion purchases, so he tends to live with potions in his mouth all the time, but this worked much better than anything he’s been drinking. He couldn’t believe it was made using cheap medicine.

“Please try it.”

I don’t know if this will solve the problem, but it’s still better than not drinking it. With that in mind, Khan brought Carlyle’s share and handed it over.

“…….”

Carlyle had become sensitive enough to be tempted by the sound of the wind outside, but when Khan recommended it with shining eyes, he glanced at the potion.

“Your Excellency was in need of stability, so I prepared a tranquilizer for you.”

“…….”

“Aren’t you going to try it?”

“You’re noisy. Do not rush me.”

It seemed that he would continue to stick by my side while being noisy until he drank it.

Carlyle picked up the vial with an irritated look on his face.

He opened the stopper with the intention of telling him to go away if it was a prank.

“……!”

For the first time, the red eyes, which had been darkly submerged as if they had been dead the whole time, could not hide their excitement. A companion’s energy that came from the potion and could be felt deeply in the bones.

“Ruby!”

It was definitely her mark.