• T/N : Interrupting for a bit, I hereby bring you my cover fanart for this novel!! Thanks for all the supports!!

***

Retaining her usual witchy proud tone and expression, Roze bows deeply.

Harij, who opened the door, halts right at the entrance.

“This is the Love Potion you requested. Do confirm.”

Within the gap between her robes, she reveals a small vial. She places it on her palm and extends it towards Harij.

“In accordance with traditional methods, it’s specially formulated and infused with a certain magic. It’ll greatly stimulate the mind and body, thus increasing sexual desire.”

Closing the door with the back of her palm, she continues explaining gracefully to Harij, causing him to lift his eyebrows.

“But of course, the aphrodisiac effect is only a side effect. The one who take the Love Potion will be in love with their partner. This effect lasts for half a day. The illusion of true, deep love will permeate the heart, the marrows, the roots of the soul—it results in an unrestrained sex drive—“

“—I get it already, let’s switch to a better topic.”

Harij gets impatient and sits down in his usual seat. When he receives the potion from Roze, he immediately puts it in his bag without hesitation.

“You mentioned about the effect lasting for half a day—is the period supposed to be that short?” It’s apparent that Harij isn’t really satisfied with the long-awaited potion.

So, he doesn’t like the effect? Well, what can Roze say? He’s the one who requested for such an expensive potion without further confirmation.

“As I’ve said, for half a day, that person will fall in love with their partner—they’ll love their partner more than anyone else in the world. More than their crush; their marriage partner for many years; their blood siblings; their respected someone; or even their own children. While it will only last for half a day, I’m sure the memory will remain for eternity. It’ll forever be etched in their heart and body—it’ll exist and continue to grow.”

“I see… How does this work, precisely?”

“The intended target needs to consume the Love Potion along with the body fluid of the potion’s user—or to be more precise, the potion need to be mixed with the user’s body fluid for the effect to work. It’s common to put the potion in a glass that you’ve previously drank from and let the target drink it.”

“Noted. I’ll never accept a drink from someone in the future.” Harij jokes and laughs.

His smile that she sees today makes her so happy that she forgets about his previous annoying complaint.

Besides, this’ll be her last meeting with Harij.

In the last seven years, not even the greatest of luck could have allowed her to pass by him again in the Capital.

In the future, surely, they’ll never meet again.

Roze stands there with the firm conviction of separating with him.

She forces a smile and boosts her spirit—then, Roze fishes something out of the cupboard.

“If you’re worried about the potency, I have a test sample. The effect will only last the length of an hourglass.”

“I see. Will you drink it for me?”

“Eh!? Me!?”

Too surprised, Roze steps on her robe and almost falls because of it. She firmly holds the small vial.

“It’ll be useless for me to drink it.” Harij says, matter-of-factly.

Certainly, it would be strange for those trying to use a Love Potion against someone to test it on themselves.

It’s the first time she’s requested to be the subject of potion that’ll affect the heart…

Someone else might lie; and thus, the potion’s efficacy wouldn’t be confirmable.

Harij knows Roze won’t lie, hence, this is the best method to verify it.

“Well, it’s fine, still… it doesn’t make much sense for me…”

Roze isn’t sure what effect of the Love Potion would have on her—since she already loves Harij from the get go. Rather, if she is to be the tester, wouldn’t this be considered lying in itself? Roze begins to feel anxious.

“What? Does the potion have no effect on the witches?”

That’s not really the case…

Roze doesn’t respond and instead pretends to prepare the medicine. Harij watched Roze’s hands as she prepares the cup with great interest.

Even though she’s accustomed to preparing drinks, her hands seem to go crazy from tension.

When she finally finishes making the tea, she gives it to Harij—he looks dumbfounded for a moment…

“What?”

…Even though I went to great length to explain about how to use it…

“I have to, uh, ingest your saliva…”

After Roze tells that nervously, it seems like Harij finally understood. He probably never thought he’d be the one Roze falls in love with after consuming the Love Potion.

On the other hand, Roze is really shy. The cup returns to her—drinking from this is the equivalent of her kissing her crush—although indirectly.

She needs to do this fast—otherwise her calm façade will surely come crashing down.

Roze drips two drops of the medicine into the cup. After she turns the hourglass upside down, she drinks the tea without a care.

She realizes her own failure upon seeing the bottom of the cup—

“—Ms. Witch?”

She hears the voice of Harij—

—a low and sweet voice that makes even the thinnest hair on her body tingle.

She’s tasting her own skill and potion.

She never expects this—for her love, which was already there since the start, to be amplified to such a great extend…

—he’s such a wonderful person…

All of her suppressed feelings are overflowing.

—he’s always so thoughtful and gentle to the Witch me…

She always conceals her heart. In front of him, she pretends to be unseen, and when she’s alone, she convinces herself that, ‘this is fine’—that this unrequited love is enough.

All of those feelings are being bared due to the potion.

“…What happen?” Harij seems suspicious because he perceives no change in Roze.

But even such curt, short words melt Roze. She can’t keep her cheeks from making a wide grin.

Back then, she could have just rejected his request, but at the same time, she didn’t want to be seen as a useless witch.

Even if he is to see her as a Witch, at least she wants it to be a competent one.

“Look at me.”

There’s no way for her to do that—

—because there will be no way for her to hide these feelings afterward.

She has to let him know that the potion is working, but she also doesn’t want him to see her current face.

While Roze pulls on her hood, Harij holds the edge and place his fingers under her chin, and tries to lift her face.

—because I don’t want to say it—I never want to say it, that I like him…

Roze is too innocent and naïve to deny her own feelings.

All she can do is desperately protect herself to not get hurt, really.

She wishes she can lie and say it’s the potion’s effect—but she doesn’t have the courage to do so …since it’s the truth.

“I’m telling you, don’t hide from me.”

“N-no…!” Her voice is trembling to the point of absurdity.

She, too, is surprised at her own voice. Harij, who’s trying to lift her face, stops.

“Ah, I see. I understand now.”

The silence enshrouding them is terrible. The flow of time feels longer than it should. It’s so quiet she can even hear the subtle shifting of sand within the hourglass.

The burning sensation tells Roze that her entire body is bright red. Even her ears. Her whole body is gently covered by sweat. Just moving a little, the back of her stomach tingles with lust.

“…Ms Witch, right now, are you in love with me?”

---

*** T/N : ‘Dude, you make her drink THAT potion!? What are you planning to happen, you bastard!?’–is what I would usually retort because I won’t let this kind of thing pass, however, Author-san went through great length to show how genuinely kind Harij is. So, even if he makes Roze take an aphrodisiac, I truly believe that Harij won’t do anything to her. 

…Roze, on the other hand …( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

<Previous chapter

Next part>