Leaving Park Noah bewildered by his previous statement, Kyle Leonard forced himself to utter a word. "There is only one way."
"What is it?"
"Improve your physical strength."
Still unable to comprehend the investigator, Park Noah only stared at Kyle Leonard. "What?"
"Didn't you hear the doctor?" Kyle Leonard snapped, clenching his jaw. "You will have to restore your mana back to its full potential. I will assist you, and you must not do anything carelessly lest you waste mana."
"What? You don't have to do that." Stunned, Park Noah thought Kyle Leonard had gone crazy. But his violet eyes, which gleamed vibrantly, expressed profound sincerity. Clearing her throat, she asked, "What's the matter with you?"
"It's part of the investigation!"
Indeed, the male lead, Kyle Leonard, was far from kidding. From the next day on, he began knocking on the witch's door every morning.
***
What am I doing here?
Somewhere in the kitchen of the witch's house, Kyle Leonard stood in front of a huge pot with a ladle in his hand, stirring stew.
He had been cooking for Park Noah and had served her breakfast in her bedroom ever since the doctor's visit. And during bedtime, the sly woman was embarrassed by her groveling, so Leonard forces her to lie down on the bed and covers her eyes with a blindfold, which makes her asleep almost immediately.
Every time Kyle Leonard brings her food, Park Noah would refuse. As their bicker would go on endlessly, Noah would concede and empty her fill.
Kyle's thoughts diverted to the baby dragon. He never showed little care toward the curly-haired boy. He thought, "What's so nice about a baby dragon who steals mana?" Yet, underneath his cold façade, Kyle Leonard seemed to bear affection for him.
"I guess he's worth all the work." Kyle muttered as he rummaged through the cupboard for the pepper can, while his other hand gripped the ladle and stirred the chicken stew. Unfortunately, the can was empty.
I have to go grocery shopping tomorrow. He clicked his tongue in dismay.
"….."
Suddenly, the investigator came to a halt; a deep sense of realization enveloped him. What am I doing here? Kyle's routine had been the same for the past two days: cooking for his nemesis, Eleonora Asil. He was stuck in the witch's territory unless the dragon would leave her, which seemed far from reality.
Kyle turned around, revealing a curly-haired child with glaring eyes, a tiny flame emerging from his wriggling wrist. He seemed eager to fry the investigator who stood before him.
Ugh.
In actuality, Eleonora Asil would regain her strength once the imprinting process is finished. The imprint of a dragon is a resonance between two beings. If the child properly imprints on the witch, its power will permeate in Eleonora's body, thus restoring her mana.
However, they had to stop it to avoid further consequences as the witch was not the rightful mother of the dragon. Eleonora had to recover quickly before the dragon successfully imprints on her.
Kyle Leonard glared back at the sullen child who was forcibly taken away from her master. He was playing with his fingers when all of a sudden a massive spark erupted.
"Didn't you promise you would cause no trouble, did you?"
"You told Noah to abandon me…" The child murmured softly, his dark red eyes glistening with tears. The flames grew bigger.
Who's Noah?
"You were supposed to help me imprint. You're a liar!" The curly-haired boy pointed his finger at the man across him, furious and betrayed. "…Noah only told me not to kill you…"