Bang.

The door of the Sorrent security quarters burst open. As usual, the chief, who was sleeping on his desk during work hours, jolted from his seat in a panic.

"I wasn't dozing off, Sir Leonard!" Nowadays, he has been having a difficult time because of Kyle Leonard, who visited every evening of the day.

The head of the capital's security department. Indeed, Kyle Leonard was too superior and powerful that any officer could dare not make eye contact. In addition, he was more terrifying than the rumors paint him to be, and they call him the 'beast'.

The chief shut his eyes, awaiting Kyle Leonard's dreadful lambasting.

"Get out of the way."

"Yes?"

Unexpectedly, however, the chief officer did not receive any reprimand and scurried to the corner clearing the way for the head investigator. It seemed Kyle Leonard was occupied with an urgent matter. He sat on the chief's seat, and hurriedly switched on the video port on the corner of the desk.

"The capital Tezeba Investigation Security Agency."

Immediately after he dialed, the mainspring began to turn and after a beep, a transparent screen emerged above the machine.

"Yes, this is Tezeba Investigation Security. What do you need?" The man who appeared on the screen responded dryly without glancing at Kyle Leonard's direction.

"Paul, transmit all the profiles of lady Eleonora Asil. The transmission location is here, 10th District Sorrent."

"Oh, boss?" The face of the man turned pale in an instant upon recognizing the voice.

"I want you to send me all the records of lady Eleonora's past record, detailed profile, and the case log in the lady's name. Right now."

"Yes! I'll send it right away!" The man named Paul knew Kyle Leonard was not a patient boss who repeated the same words three times, and immediately answered, his hand gesturing a salute.

After issuing his command, Kyle turned the video port off. And in less than a minute, the office's printing presses began to print out the documents Kyle had requested.

He placed a nearly inch-thick of papers on the desk and began to flip through the pages quickly.

Eleonora Asil.

Kyle Leonard has been feeling strange ever since he laid eyes on Sorrent's witch.

Contrary to his hatred and contempt for Eleonora Asil, Kyle Leonard almost knew nothing about her except her body sizes which include personality, speech, eyes, and furthermore minor hand movements, gait, and stride size, even the thickness of hair and direction of the swirl of fingerprints. It was only natural that he had that information because he had been assigned as a special investigator for Eleonora Asil for five years.

Yet, when he met the witch who had been hiding for two years, she was different from before. Something must have changed, Kyle Leonard thought, but they were trivial things.

For instance, a woman whom he deemed as impeccably clean suddenly has had her house in shambles. The mischievous glint in her eyes has disappeared and her fearlessness no more. She had lost weight and resembled dry firewood. But when he held the witch's arms unnoticed, familiarity surged in him.

Eleonora had escaped Kyle Leonard's chase for more than he can remember, and there wasn't a single time when he wasn't hit by the cunning witch. Consequently, Kyle Leonard found it strange when he showed up on the witch's front door at the crack of dawn and the first thing he didn't receive was a blow.

It was only until he attempted to use force to bring her with him for investigation. "So this damned woman finally came to her senses," he thought.

But again, it wasn't enough to silence his pestering questions. A few days ago, when he interrogated Eleonora Asil, he had mentioned 'Lady Eleonora Asil with 15 previous convictions', and it took her by surprise.

Why would it shock her? Kyle mused. As many as fifteen times, she was dragged into jail by his hands.Did she forget?

Kyle Leonard stopped flipping through the stack of documents, and glared fiercely at the sheet of paper he held. It was the list of names of Eleonora Asil's accomplices in her second, seventh, eighth and twelfth crimes.

Adrian Rossinell.

"Have you had any recent contact with Adrian Rossinell?"

"Uh, who?"

"Adrian Rossinell."

"Who's that?"

Kyle Leonard's memory flashed back to his interrogation.

When he uttered the name of Adrian Rossinell to her, the witch was no more less than clueless. It was at that moment when strangeness peaked and doubts intensified. For him, it absolutely made no sense for such a response to come out because Adrian Rossinell, Laurent's youngest minister of magic, was the former lover of Eleonora Asil.


Two years ago, Adrian and Eleonora had a massive fight in front of the entrance to Laurent's fortress, which was still remembered even today.As a result, no one doubted that the infamous witch actuallystormed out of the capital; it was only natural after breaking up with a lover of four years.Hence, Eleonora cannot react as if she did not know the existence of Adrian Rossinell.

Kyle Leonard began checking the transcripts he had sent from Tezeba.It was recorded when he interrogated Eleonora Asil himself.

"It's just a mousetrap. It's a trap for rats. This is so unfair, really."

"There are dozens of victims who have had their ankles cut off by this mousetrap, and you are still so brazen to come up with such a lie. You'd better be honest if you want to be released as soon as possible, lady. What kind of magic did you put on this thing for it to chop off ankles like crazy?"

"Head investigator, I really don't know anything. I've made it right, and if you want to destroy it, I'll give you the honor. How many hours have this dull conversation been going? In this tiny place!"

Kyle Leonard remembered the daring woman in the recording room whose eyes blazed as fiercely as a lion. The look on her face was different from the woman living in the messy cabin now. Kyle continued to study meticulously every transcript of the recordings, not missing one.

The investigation has taken a sharp turn.Kyle Leonardsnapped his pen down on the desk.With countless possibilities in mind, and after compiling all the given facts, a conclusion was drawn.

The investigation was misdirected in the first place.

"Stupid…"

Kyle Leonard rose from his seat, took the uniform coat which was sprawled on the desk, and threw it to the freezing man in the corner."If you doze off one more time during work hours, you'll have to be ready to take off your badge off, chief."

"Yes, sir!"

And without further ado, he immediately left the office, his steps brisk with no hesitation.The destination was none other than the house of Eleonora Asil.

"Baby, where are you?!"

The strange sound that echoed inside the house disappeared, prompting Park Noah to search the entire house all over again.Fortunately, however, after a few minutes, a small rustle was heard again. Park Noah put a hand behind her ears to locate the origin of the sound.

"Where are you, baby?"

The door to the warehouse, which she merely skimmed earlier, was half open.Don't tell me you're a thief.Park Noah stood in front of the door, pressing gently on the knob, and took a peek. Inside was junk piled up like a mountain.

She entered the storage room cautiously and slowly approached the pile of junk which was almost the twice of her height. Suddenly, a noise erupted from beneath the junk.

"….?"

Park Noah examined closely the mountain of junk when a gasp escaped her lips.

"Little boy, you!"

A little tail protruded from the pile of junk—an arrow-shaped tail, covered with black, smooth scales.Dragon.It was dragon.A small dragon, the size that would fit perfectly in her arms.Immediately, Park Noah recognized at once that the tail belonged to the child she was looking for.

The dragon opened his mouth when he saw her.The long pupils shook, and the dragon hesitantly crept out of the clutter.

"If I call you, you have to answer!"

He straightened his feet and stretched out his hands, flapping its wings as it swung its sleek, scaled arms around Park Noah's neck and hugged it.

"I called! Why won't you answer?"Her heart still throbbed unstable.She was extremely distressed that she burst into a fit of rage."I was so worried! I thought someone took you away! I've been worrying about you since you've been sulking lately, and you're making my heart drop like this!"

With a dragon clutched tightly in her arms, Park Noah felt utmost relief that the baby was back to her again.


You…even if you really want to go, say goodbye to me first before you leave! Of course I've tried to send you, uh, five times, but…I've had a lot of affection for you!"

Park Noah gasped for breath as she talked; she couldn't tell whether her voice trembled because she exerted too much energy looking for him or because of the relief that the child was found okay.

The dragon flapped its wings harder and harder. Eventually, as the creature relaxed in the witch's arms, the dragon transformed into a curly-haired boy.

"Why didn't you answer?" Park Noah asked, looking at the child who began to sob quietly, bowing his head low.

"I didn't hear you…"

"You didn't hear me calling you?"

"I was sleeping…then there was a sound of someone walking around."

"So?"

"I thought it was Uncle Kyle…" The red-eyed child mumbled faintly, fumbling his tiny fingers.

"What's wrong with him?" Park Noah was surprised to hear what the child had just said.

"Noah… I'm scared he'll make me leave if he sees me in a dragon form…"

"What?" At loss for words, Park Noah held the boy tightly in her arms. "Then you just have to stay this way, why did you change into a dragon?"

The child didn't answer, looking away from Park Noah's gaze. Suddenly, as if to answer her question, Park Noah felt the mana being drawn out from her body, which stopped in an instant. At the same moment, the child changed back into the shape of a black dragon.

"What…" Park Noah stuttered, realizing her stupid mistake.

The baby dragon broke free from Park Noah's embrace and slowly backed away, and hid behind the mountain of junk. He stuck his head out and looked at Park Noah with his big round red eyes.

"Oh, come on." She groaned softly.

After all, it was only possible for the dragon to humanize by drawing out her mana. Therefore, as the child spent less time with Park Noah, it was harder for him to maintain the human form as he did not have enough mana. A young dragon, which was practically depending on the witch's mana because of an incomplete imprint, to suddenly become malnourished is only natural.

Yet, the child remains distanced from Park Noah despite the urgent pleas of his body to imprint.

Is it because he doesn't want me to get sick?

In an instant, tears brimmed Park Noah's eyes, her sight beginning to look blurry. She mutters in a weak voice, "Hey, what do you like about me so much? You won't even imprint on me…"

The continent was inhabited by humans who qualified to become owners of dragons, even if not necessarily the heroine Lenia. Even Kyle Leonard alone was capable of taking full responsibility for the dragon child.

On the other hand, Park Noah was not the powerful witch every living man feared. She was merely an unfortunate soul who transmigrated into Eleonora's body. She does not wield the same power as the original witch. Park Noah is merely not strong enough to sustain him.

The dragon flapped its wings, having seen Park Noah's somber expression, and lowered his head.

"…."

Park Noah stared at the dragon intensely for a long time when suddenly, the most absurd thought crossed her mind.

I can't organize my thoughts. I know I shouldn't decide something crucial in this state. I'm still not prepared for anything. I don't know when I'll die if I lose all my mana to him in the first place…

Yet the words flowed out of her mouth smoothly.

"Do you really want to live with me?"

You're crazy, Park Noah.


Are you sure you will live with me? I'm asking you if you're confident you won't regret choosing me as your owner."

The baby dragon, whose head was drooped, immediately raised his head to confirm if he had understood the words correctly. The deep red eyes blinked repeatedly, not able to believe what Park Noah had just offered.

"I'm not confident." Park Noah mumbled, her voice faint. She bit her bottom lip hard.

The dragon cooed.

"I'm really not confident I can do it. It's more so that I know exactly what's coming to me when I'm with you. I might regret it. And I can't guarantee you won't regret it."

The baby dragon tilted his head, wriggling his front legs as if he understood. Previously, the child had always said he wanted to live with her, but when he was actually given the chance, he was torn.

The same goes with Park Noah. But at this moment, there was only one thing she was certain. Taking a deep breath, she uttered, "But I can still be responsible for my choice."

Desiring a peaceful life, Park Noah has never made such an impulsive decision ever. But, however reckless her words may seem, she said it with every ounce of sincerity.

"I won't blame you for anything and I won't abandon you halfway. It's my choice. I'm responsible for my choice. That is, if you want." She continued.

The deep red eyes widened a little, its long pupils shook. Park Noah held out one hand to the baby dragon, determined to repress the deafening doubts in her mind. Not long, she spoke into existence the bravest and most daring decision she could ever make.

"Imprint with me."

Across her, the dragon's mouth hung open like never before, revealing his tiny sharp teeth. Somehow, Park Noah relates to the child's expression had she been in his place, causing her lips to curl.

What a crazy b*tch. You are going to die of overwork in this life. But the word "responsible" is real. I, Park Noah, would never betray my own word that I would do it.

The dragon looked at Park Noah's face and her outstretched hand alternately.

"The opportunity is only until now. If you don't hold my hand now, I don't know when my heart will turn upside down again." She waves her hand.

"Uh…" Still, the baby dragon stood frozen, unable to comprehend all that was happening at the moment.

"Are you going to take it or not?"

Finally, the child took a step forward with his little feet despite doubting whether Park Noah was being serious or not. The distance between the most powerful creature to ever exist and the witch who is despised by men, whose destinies were supposedly poles apart, draws near.

Upon reaching her, the dragon tapped Park Noah's hand with its mouth. She grabbed the dragon's black foot with clumpy claws and waved it up and down twice. Park Noah smiled at the clueless dragon that didn't know the meaning of shaking hands.

Soon, the dragon's deep red eyes glowed. Tears finally gushed like a river from Noah's eyes and embraced the baby dragon in her arms.

Imprinting wasn't a complicated process. Park Noah had read in the original plot the scene wherein Lenia gave this child a name, and the child accepted the name, and the two beings perfectly resonated.

Hence, the most essential in the process is the name—a name that binds the dragon to its master. The heroine named the black dragon "the darkest night", depicting its color that resembles the dark night sky.

However, Park Noah did not want to give the child the same name. Besides, it's awful to give such a gloomy name to someone who resonates with her, she muses.

Isn't there a saying that people's lives follow their names?

Park Noah believes that if she imprints with the dragon instead of the heroine, and gives it a name carrying a more hopeful meaning, her story might not end up as gruesome as it did originally. But, it was only wishful thinking.

The dragon has already transformed back into its human form. The child sat on his knees in front of her, looking up at her master with beaming eyes. Park Noah mumbled a name that crossed her mind, brushing his curly hair.

"Mu."

After a few pronunciations of the name in her mind, she made a decision.

"Muell, that would be good."

It was a combination of the few ancient words that she knew with the brightest meanings: "eheleu," which means blue, and "myui," which means clear water underneath.

Park Noah pronounced the repeatedly a few times. The child's face brightened when she nodded.

"Do you like it?"

"Yes!" Excitement erupted from the child's voice. "Muell…"

As soon as the child muttered his name, something rang in Park Noah's body.

"Muell." The child uttered the name again. Suddenly, the air changed. There was a delusion as if the wind were blowing. Something began to twirl around Park Noah and the child. Muell grabbed her master's hand. At the next moment, a gust of wind lashed around the room.

"….!"

Red, blue, yellow, green, gold, black. Countless streams of light began to sweep around along the violent storm. Park Noah managed to keep her eyes open, still seated at her spot, and looked down at the child who was holding her hand.

"Mu, what's happening…"

"It's imprinted."

Only then did Park Noah realize that all the brilliant colors that shone in the room were the magic of this dragon. All of a sudden, her wrist began to tingle. She lowered her eyes to glance at her wrist and saw a geometric pattern being carved.

"….!"

Written in the novel was the process of imprinting. When Lenia imprinted with the dragon, a mark, similar to Park Noah's, was carved on her wrist, symbolizing ownership of the dragon.

Park Noah felt a raging energy in her wrist. She looked up to her surroundings and beheld the spectacular sight of the fast, intensely rotating mana enveloping them.

"Noah is myrealowner from now on."

The child declared, his pronunciation crystal clear.


And I am now a dragon under Noah's authority."

On the child's wrist, the same mark that was carved on Park Noah radiated brightly. Park Noah vaguely repeated the child's words to herself.My authority.

"This mark binds the master and their pet and cannot be undone until one of the two dies."

The child's voice penetrated Park Noah horrifyingly, realizing that there was no turning back.Goodbye, my peaceful life.

"Thank you for imprinting with me…." However anxious she was about her decision, seeing the child with his deep red tearful eyes who looked at her as if she were a god, Park Noah could only heave a deep sigh, thinking, "What can I do?".

It has been exactly five minutes since the imprint had taken place and Park Noah decided to dismiss all worry and bitterness she felt moments ago.

"You should have told me earlier that imprints are so good!" She beamed. Park Noah's body was full of energy, a result of what was called the 'resonance of existence'. Imprinting allows the dragon's magic to be suffused to its master.

Park Noah has never experienced too much energy circling within her body. Her heart beat fast, feeling as if she chugged three cups of caffeine in a row.

She tried to calm herself down by pressing on the left portion of her chest, but it had no effect.Is it because too much energy filled my body at once?She muttered, her breathing different from before. "Wow, this is really…I think I can run a marathon right now!"

While staring intently at her palms, feeling the thumping pulse, a thud on the door was heard.

"Huh?" Park Noah broke free from her trance, her head swiftly turning to the door.

Knock, knock, knock.

Just by the sound of the restless thumping, she could already recognize the person behind the wooden door. Frantic, she looked around. Aside from the mess, the dragon's magic was still orbiting around the room.

If Kyle Leonard were to discover about what transpired only a few minutes ago, the baby dragon would be taken away! And now that the imprint has been done, no matter how much he tries to evade, the child will not be able to hide more from the merciless investigator.

"Let's just be honest…" Running out of excuses to say, Park Noah rose from her seat, heaving a sigh. As she was about to open the door, the knob twisted and the door flung wide open.

"Huh? I didn't lock the door…?"

Opening the door and entering the house was, as expected, the mighty and the witch's temporary butler, Kyle Leonard. Immediately, his eyes swept through the house. Park Noah could tell that he was observing the dragon's magic which was still present in the atmosphere, and not on the clutter left all over.

"Lord Leonard?"

The look on Kyle's was entirely foreign to Park Noah. It was neither a grimace nor contempt. Rather, it was a look of complete blankness. She has never seen such impassiveness from the investigator, especially recently.

Park Noah frowned. She has already oriented herself that her life would be not as easy anymore, but she didn't expect to be confronted immediately by life's very first obstacle.

She bit her lips and cautiously opened her mouth to speak. "Sir, I think we need to have a conversation. What do you think?"

As if her nervousness had been sensed by the child, the child hugged her leg and clung to her, glaring at the man across them.

The man's gaze landed on the child briefly. The next moment, he was staring intently at Park Noah.

Overwhelmed, Park Noah stood frozen. Still, there was no answer from the man. Suddenly, a deafening noise erupted in the room.

"……!"

A silver bullet flashed between Park Noah eyes, missing her by an inch.

"Leonard… Sir." Stupefied, she could barely utter a word.

"I'll ask you." With his black revolver still aimed at her, Kyle Leonard opened his mouth to speak, his eyes devoid of emotion.

"Eleonora Asil, is that you?"


Eleonora Asil, is that you?"

Kyle Leonard's voice echoed in Park Noah's ears, his words seeping the life out of her being. At that moment, she thought her life had turned upside down. It was a question that she never thought she'd hear while possessing the body of Eleonora Asil.

Still, she forced herself out of stupor and thought of an escape. However, Kyle Leonard's hand, as swift as a cheetah, pulled back the trigger of his gun and said menacingly, "Rebellion won't work. You remember what I did to your house."

"……." Park Noah bit her lips.Yeah, he cleaned up.

When Kyle Leonard became a temporary butler in the house, he seized and discarded all the magical items that were modified by the original witch, Eleonora, at the same time he was cleaning.

Park Noah glanced sideways around the living room, and none of the magical items she knew how to operate were nearby. She realized that Kyle Leonard was inherently capable and he had no need of the magical tools Eleonora possessed.

Ever since the investigator had infiltrated the humble abode of Park Noah, little did she know that the house wasn't entirely in her hands anymore.

Did he plan everything beforehand? She balled her fists so hard that her nails pierced through her skin.What a scary man!

The man spat out in a harsh voice. "I'll ask you again. Eleonora Asil, is that you?"

"……."

"I won't ask three times."

Park Noah's heart was pounding erratically.What's his purpose for asking?Streams of thoughts clouded her mind in that moment.

Kyle Leonard is an excellent investigator who earned the title of the youngest general manager. This man probably knows the truth already so it's more dangerous if I lie to him upfront.I don't want a bullet hole carved in my forehead…

After a moment of silence, Park Noah replied, grabbing the child to her back.

"No."

"What is your real name?"

As soon as she answered, she received the second question right away. 'He already knew,' she thought.

"Noah. Park Noah." Carefully, she told Kyle Leonard her name.

The third question immediately followed. "Original age, gender and origin."

Park Noah took a short breath and exhaled deeply. "I'm twenty-seven years old here. Gender is originally a woman. And from… Seoul. But you wouldn't know even if I told you. It's not in this world."

"I will be the judge." Kyle persisted.

"…Seoul, South Korea."

Facing the deadpan Kyle Leonard, Park Noah knew he had no intention of taking this matter lightly.

"What's your original job?" He continued his series of questions.

"Just a normal office worker. It was in a trading company."

Still, Park Noah was held at gunpoint. She shuddered at the thought of this man's impeccable skills that never missed his target.

Now, the information I'm spitting out is being stored in a new file in his head called "Park Noah." Is that good or bad for me?

Despite discovering the shocking truth, Kyle Leonard remained inscrutable. Neither a frown nor twitch can be seen in his face. At that moment, Kyle Leonard was an investigator who interrogated who he perceived as a criminal.

Meanwhile, Park Noah's head was spinning under extreme pressure.

The man stared fixedly at her contorted face, and then opened his mouth again to speak after a moment's silence. "Where is Eleonora Asil now?"

"She… is dead."

"Dead?"

"When I… found this body, her soul was already gone. I don't know who killed her or how she died." Park Noah chose her words cautiously. It was enough to be accused of theft; she had to be careful lest she be accused of murdering Eleonora Asil.

"Then where is your original body?" Every question Kyle Leonard asked, he emphasized.

"She's dead, too." Noah responds with a sigh.

"…."

"I died of overwork. Maybe it's because when you die, you wander in between different dimensions for a long time before finally ceasing."

"Why does it have to be that body?"

"I don't know that." Park Noah had been wandering as a soul when she was sucked into an empty shell, which belonged to the deceased witch, Eleonora Asil.

"Are you not after the magical powers of Eleonora Asil?" Kyle Leonard's queried Park Noah sharply.

"If I had, I would have used magic."

"You mean you can't use magic?"

"Of course I don't. I don't know how. All I can do is deal with magical items with manuals." Truth to be told, there wasn't much she could get by becoming Eleonora. There were only a few things including the translation magic, the magic that was inherent in Eleonora's body, and a journal containing instructions on how to use her inventions.

Park Noah only knew Eleonora through the novel. Anything beyond that, she was ignorant of. Perhaps she was the most unacquainted to the witch whose body she possessed.

"Noah…" Her agitation seemed to have reached the little dragon, Muell, as he was persisting to get out of her back. But, Park Noah desperately kept the child from coming out in front of Kyle Leonard.

If you defy this man, a high-ranking official of the royal family, you will end up as a fugitive.


Dead… Eleonora Asil is dead." Kyle Leonard muttered to himself. He stared deeply into the eyes of the woman across him, searching for a lie.

Both stood frozen in their places, their heartbeats audible in the noiseless room. Soon, the man asked Park Noah monotonously. "Will you cooperate?"

With a gulp, Park Noah nodded. The man's eyes glanced around the room, perhaps sensing the dragon's magic that was still evident in the atmosphere. Currently, Park Noah was no longer Eleonora Asil, the witch with 15 previous convictions. But, she remains a suspect for stealing the dragon egg.

Park Noah mustered her courage and opened her quivering mouth to speak. "I'll cooperate. I promise I won't rebel. You've seen me the closest for almost a week now. You are aware of how lazy I am. You already know that I'm the kind of person who would rather get caught than rebel."

"…."

"So now…that gun…"Mister, could you drop the gun, please?

There was a moment of silence. Kyle Leonard remained vigilant, his violet eyes glaring coldly, showing no signs of conceding. The woman's pleas seemed to have not eased his suspicions. Then, slowly, he lowered his revolver without uttering a word.

Finally, Park Noah exhaled a deep breath she didn't realize she had been holding. Her nerves relaxed a little, relieved that there was no revolver aimed at her head anymore. However, the calm only lasted for so long.

Kyle Leonard began to walk toward her without batting an eyelash.

"….!"

Reflexively, Park Noah took a step backward, almost hitting her head against the wall; the child sandwiched between her and the wall. Feet apart and his finger still on the trigger, Noah's breathed hitched in her throat. She mutters a curse inside her head.How long are you going to hold on to that…!

Suddenly, Leonard raised her arm, revealing the mark on her wrist. "Is this the dragon imprint?"

"…Yes." Park Noah mumbled.

"You told me you had nothing to do with the dragon's egg disappearance. Was that a lie?"

"I've never lied."

Behind her, the child growled faintly but Park Noah couldn't look down to him. She was beginning to gasp for air and her heart, which had been pounding like a hammer since earlier, now roared like an engine.

Her head began to spin and her legs began to lose its strength. Feeling a bad premonition, she tried to reason out to Kyle Leonard as quickly as she could. "I possessed Eleonora's body two years ago, and immediately came down to this place. I have never been in contact with anyone she's known before…uh…also…I didn't steal it…"

"Wait." Kyle Leonard interrupted Park Noah's gabbling. He noticed that her breathing had become ragged. Frowning, he asks her, "You…why are you breathing…"

"…!"

A clank was heard from the floor. The black revolver fell to the ground as Kyle Leonard hurriedly grabbed Park Noah's collapsing body. She had blacked out.

After a minute or two, Park Noah regained her consciousness. She awoke to a pair of worried round red eyes and tiny hands clutching her shoulders.

"Master, are you alright?"

This time, she could not even complain about being called 'master'. Park Noah slowly leaned her head against the wall and shut her eyes.Wow, the stars do twinkle brightly.

Kyle Leonard grazed the back of his palm over her forehead, cheek and behind her ears to check her temperature. Park Noah instantly opened her eyes, startled at the cold sensation. She was surprised to see an embarrassed Kyle Leonard crouching in front of her.

"My voice, can you hear it?" He asked.

In return, Park Noah barely nodded. She felt as if she would vomit if she opened her mouth to speak.

Kyle Leonard looked at her with dismay. "You said you were imprinted. Why would you…"

It's because you pointed a gun at me, you nut!

Her agitation seemed to have flowed directly to the little dragon because he screamed at the man instead. "It's because you bullied Noah!"

Muell was gripping his master's hand, his eyes brimming with tears as he glared at Kyle Leonard. Park Noah, too, followed suit and shot the investigator a resentful look.

A heavy sigh escaped Kyle Leonard's lips and massaged the temples of his forehead. The brute persona of his has disappeared; he was back to being the Kyle Leonard Park Noah knew.


Let's get you to your bedroom. We can't stay here forever."

You'll make me drink the medicine!

Park Noah wanted to argue, but it was true that she needed her bed. Instead, she bargained. "Then, uh, give me the gun." She needed to be sure that the man who had just pointed a gun at her head won't attempt to do it again.

Kyle Leonard immediately frowned and distanced the revolver from her. "It's dangerous for you to hold."

"It's more dangerous if you hold it." Noah shot back.

Two pairs of eyes glared at each other with tenacity to win the noiseless war. After a moment's silence, it was Kyle Leonard who surrendered. "Let's put it on that table over there. I can't hand it to you because it was customized for me. What if a bullet suddenly goes out of it?"

Without hesitation, Park Noah snatched the revolver from his grasp and grabbed the man's collar. Her grip was feeble but Kyle Leonard was unexpectedly carried along. They were face to face.

"Take everything out of your clothes." Park Noah demanded, clenching her jaw.

"I don't trust you either. Disarmament is a difficult…."

"I'm in a state where I cannot attack you right now… Can you not see?" Tears dripped down Park Noah's cheeks all of a sudden. Taken aback, Kyle Leonard flinched a little.

"And I'm not Eleonora with 15 previous convictions! I didn't steal the dragon's eggs either, so instead of a suspect, let me be a witness!" Park Noah burst out, her cheeks flushed red and her eyes brimmed with tears.

"Please talk to me!" Muell followed through, welling up with tears also. Strangely enough, although the words he spoke were incomprehensible, Park Noah understood and was even encouraged.

As both of them glared at Kyle Leonard with teary eyes, he heaved a sigh, uncomfortable with his current situation.

"…yes, I see. All right, stop talking. I'm out of strength." In the end, he surrendered all his weapons. He took out a silver dagger hidden behind his coat and another revolver latched on his belt.

"Are you ready now?" He asked, having dropped four or five weapons at a distance.

"Take it off, just take it off."

"What?"

"Take it off, that uniform!" Park Noah yelled, exasperated. Kyle Leonard eventually took off his uniform top and threw it aside.

Then, he reached out to her. "I have done everything you asked me to. Let's go up now."

"….!"

A pair of arms scooped Park Noah in an instant, along with the little child, leaving no time for her whines and complaints. Reflexively, Park Noah put her arm around his neck, scared she might fall.When they reached her bedroom, Kyle Leonard entered with a frown upon seeing the clutter inside the room.

If you nag me again, I'll kill you.

Park Noah glared at him. However, he did not seem to have any intention of giving her a lecture. Instead, he placed her and Muell down on the bed and turned to the counter beside the bed right away.

"Where did you put the medicine that was prescribed last time?" He asked.

"Uh…on the table."

However, everything on the table was jumbled because she was making a fuss earlier when she searched frantically for the child. Kyle Leonard sighed, picking up a medicine bottle that rolled over somewhere.

Soon, a pill was handed to her along with a glass of water. As her dizziness was becoming worse, Park Noah took her medicine without delay. The medicine gradually stopped her trembling.

When she finally calmed down, Muell, who quivered with her, also seemed to calm down a little bit. Park Noah hugged Muell closer. Glancing up, he noticed Kyle's expression which said 'What am I supposed to do in this situation?'

"Sit down. Let's have a proper conversation." She muttered.

Soon after, there was a sound of a chair being dragged toward the bed. Kyle Leonard sat down, heaving yet another sigh. Park Noah lifted her body to face him.

"I made it clear to you to treat me as a witness."

"…."

"I also promised to cooperate with the investigation. Don't point your gun at me now. If you do that again, I'll never cooperate again. I'm going to tell Muell to burn you down."

"You don't really think that was a threat to me, do you?"

"What? I'm dead serious."

"That's enough. I won't do it anymore, so just take a deep breath. In the meantime, allow me to organize my thoughts." Kyle mumbled with a tired voice.


I'm not the egg thief." Park Noah insisted, gritting her teeth.

"…."

"I thought it was just a normal egg. It was dumped around at the corner of the market, and I thought it was simply a big ostrich egg. I was even amazed. But when I woke up the day later, about to cook my omelet, a tiny dragon came out. And it seemed like the imprint immediately began…"

"Do you know what responsibilities a dragon's master has? I don't think it's merely a matter of sharing mana."

"I know…" Park Noah mumbled, feeling helpless. She was still upset at Kyle Leonard for suddenly barging in her house and aimed a pistol at her without any hint of hesitation or mercy. She had transmigrated out of the blue as Eleonora, and happened to stumble across the dragon egg Kyle Leonard had been searching for. Now, chaos was ensuing inside her once peaceful home.

Kyle Leonard and Park Noah stared at each other with narrow eyes and spoke at the same instant.

"How do you know? You're not from this world."

"Did you know? That Mu is a dragon?"

Immediately after, they shifted their gazes away from each other.

Damn it. Why does he never let one go easily? Should I tell you that this is the world from the book I read, the reason that I know almost everything about the original story?Or that I know all about you, even who your future spouse will be?

No, it's not like I have to divulge everything to him in one go. After all, I'm not a suspect anymore. Let's be optimistic, Noah.

"It's been about two years since I transmigrated… I know everything since then, of course. But when did you know that Mu is a dragon? I think you knew that imprinting shares the magic between the master and its pet…"

"…."

"Don't tell me you knew since the beginning. And you didn't tell me that imprinting would make me feel better?"

Kyle Leonard glanced at Muell who sat beside Park Noah and rolled his eyes at the investigator.

"What, are you two…" Park Noah was surprised to see the both of them interact at such a manner.What is going on between them?

"He said he'd help me imprint on Noah if I didn't make any trouble." Mu mumbled back, pouting his lips.

"But you will try to kill me if I didn't." Kyle Leonard shot back.

"I didn't want to kill you."

"Didn't you say with your own mouth, 'All I have to do is not kill?'"

The three-year-old and adult exchanged fierce glares. Meanwhile, Park Noah was dumbfounded. "Oh, so planned to restore my stamina so he wouldn't imprint?" she faced Kyle Leonard, her eyebrows arched.

Kyle Leonard's response came a beat late. "…You didn't complain anyway. In the meantime…"

"That means you knew."

"You also knew."

His retort rendered Park Noah speechless. "You said you didn't know anything, but you knew my name, my face, the existence of the dragon, and everything about the imprint of the dragon."

It's because you're the male lead of the novel I read and Mu is the heroine's pet dragon!

Uncomfortable with the confrontation, Park Noah attempted to change the subject. "That's enough. So, what are you going to do now? Are you going to capture me?"

"For now…" Kyle trailed off. "I'm going to have to change the course of the investigation. But before that, I'd like to check something out."

"What is it?"

"Excuse me." Suddenly, the investigator hovered over her. A large hand touched Park Noah's abdomen. Kyle Leonard closed his eyes as if he was feeling something.

"Uh…"

At the touch of his palm, Park Noah began to feel a sensation similar to when the old doctor examined her. She sensed the flow of mana within her body vividly, a swaying almost of a stormy sea.

Kyle Leonard frowned, opening his eyes. "The flow of mana is still unstable. Your heartbeat is too fast. I think you're getting a fever."

"Yes… yes."

"Were you scared?"

Huh?Park Noah stared at the man in front of her, dumbstruck at his sudden question.What, does he have some attitude disorder?But, she realized right away that it was not out of worry or regret that he pointed a gun at me. Rather, it was for the investigation, as he has always said.

"Are you still treating me like a suspect? Didn't you hear what I just said? I told you I was an ordinary office worker! Wow, 'were you scared?' huh, an innocent individual accused of theft and threatened with a gun, scared. Does it still not make sense to you?"

"I mean, were you scared to the point of death?"

Park Noah was speechless.

Have you ever come across such a shameless human being?


At the current moment, Park Noah's mana was still unstable. She had defended herself against the accusations of the investigator and insisted that it was primarily because of his misguided actions, which traumatized her, led to the erratic changes in her mana.

However, deep within, she knew that her immense fear was not the only cause. In addition, the present symptoms were different from the last time she passed out. Back then, the mana in her was insufficient that the body collapsed. Now, it felt too much, like a pounding drum in her body.

"When did you both do it?" Kyle Leonard asked Park Noah sharply.

Unable to answer, the child answered in her place, grabbing her master's shoulders. "Just before you came."

"Then it must be the cause. I'll check again." Kyle grabbed Park Noah's wrist and examined it. The pattern tattooed on her wrist was smooth, as if glass was used to embed on it. However, it was distinctly different from the time when the dragon had just imprinted. The flesh around the pattern was flushed red.

Kyle Leonard's fingers swept against the pattern lightly. A tingling sensation was felt by Park Noah as if she had been electrocuted.

"Oh…it hurts." She gasped, her face contorted by the pain.

Looking at Park Noah's tearful eyes, Kyle Leonard brushed his fingers along her mark more cautiously. He stared at her wrist quietly for a while, and then placed his palm on her abdomen again. This time, Park Noah noticed a faint feeling of something flowing into her — a cold sensation that of ice.

But the feeling quickly subsided when Kyle Leonard removed his hands from her stomach. His violet eyes scrutinized Park Noah's reactions. At the same time, questions ensued.

"Did you give this dragon a name?"

Park Noah nodded her head. He let go of her wrist and reached out to Muell, who clung to her. The child was alarmed.

"Give me your hand. You seem to be the cause." Kyle said sternly.

"Me?" The curly-haired boy replied timidly.

"If your master is not such a weak person who faints at that type of interrogation, isn't it obvious that you are the reason? Your hand, come on, give it to me."

Pouting, Mu fumbled toward him where he placed his palm at his abdomen, just like what he did previously to Park Noah. Feeling a strange sensation, a wrinkle formed on his forehead. He looked at Park Noah again and said, "Move around."

"Oh, where?"

"Your body and the mana that filled this house. Dragon mana."

"You have to tell me how to do it."

"Try attacking me now." Kyle Leonard replied, straight-faced.

"Huh?" Park Noah blinked, unable to comprehend the man.

"Any shape is fine, whether it's a pillow, a stab or a puncture."

Grabbing the golden opportunity given to her, Park Noah asks unhesitating, "Can I slap you in the face?"

"Miss Park Noah, I mean, use your mana to attack me." Kyle Leonard spoke sternly, obviously displeased at her seemingly joke, which caused Park Noah to freeze momentarily.

"Uh…" She stuttered, appalled.Park Noah. It was my real name that came out of someone else's mouth after for so long. It feels…very strange.

Snapping out of her trance, she replied, indignant. "I don't know how to use magic. How many times do I have to tell you, sir?"

"…." Kyle Leonard's eyes narrowed, staring at the woman across her, countless theories possibly swarming in his mind.

Park Noah waited agog for a bomb to drop from his mouth. After what felt like eternity, Kyle Leonard said slowly. "I guess each of you has a problem."

"What?" Park Noah's mouth hung agape for the nth time. The investigator crossed his arms and began to recite his conclusions with articulation.

"First, if the imprint had become successful, you and this dragon's mana should resonate perfectly with each other. But, the mana flowing from this child to you is severed as if it were blocked by something. It's a violent force, but it's breaking off, and it's bound to cause a lot of abnormalities in your body."

"Uh…"

"And second, if the imprint had been perfect, you could have easily controlled the power of the dragon, regardless if you don't know how."

"….."

"Looking at your face, you must have really wanted to slap me on the cheek, and with that intense urge, it wouldn't be a problem detaching my head from my body." Kyle Leonard jested.