“Eh? Did Brother Fred fall for a girl?” Shikondell tilted her head curiously.

“Yeah, and he’s desperate, asked me to help him figure things out,” Winnie sighed.

“Brother Fred… Who’s the girl he likes?” Shikondell suddenly asked.

“Ah, well… I don’t know her. Never met her,” Winnie averted his gaze. “But from what he said, she should be pretty.”

“I see… What’s her name?”

“Forgot. Didn’t catch it,” Winnie pursed his lips.

“Oh…”

“By the way, Dell, here, take this.” Winnie handed Shikondell the ‘Love at First Sight’ potion he’d bought earlier from the Alchemy Cauldron.

“Eh? Eh?!” Shikondell was started. “Did you buy this for me, Winnie?”

“I saw you standing in front of the medicine cabinet for a while. Figured you might be interested,” Winnie explained. “Though honestly, I don’t really believe in this stuff. Even if it’s not fake, I’ve never been in love, but I think real feelings need to be earned, can’t rely on potions.”

“Eh?!” Shikondell felt a warm surge inside her.

‘Virtue + 50.’

‘Current Virtue: 1834.’

“Thank you, Winnie.” Shikondell hugged the beautifully packaged orange-red potion.

“Dell, are you really interested in this thing?” Winnie asked.

“Well… I just wanted to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?” Winnie didn’t understand.

“Just… confirm if it’s the same feeling.” Shikondell whispered so softly that Winnie didn’t catch it.

“Huh? What did you say?”

“Nothing! Thank you so much, Winnie.” Shikondell shook her head, hugging the potion happily as they headed back home together.

Winnie didn’t think much of it. This ‘Love at First Sight’ stuff might be unreliable, but it probably wasn’t harmful. If it were dangerous, that Alchemy Cauldron shop wouldn’t have survived, nor earned such a good reputation. Carillian Academy will never allow a shady operation to become a long-standing vendor.

It was probably just like sweetened water, tasty, with maybe some minor special effects.

When they reached the dorm, Winnie reached into his pockets to get his student card, but couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Ah, damn it! Did I drop it while we were running around earlier?!” Winnie groaned, rubbing his forehead.

That would be troublesome. He’d have to retrace his steps, and who knows who might’ve picked it up. If it fell in the alchemy shop, it’d be easier to find. But if it dropped on the road, it’d be nearly impossible. He’d probably have to report it lost and get a replacement from the student council later.

Winnie sighed. He told Shikondell to go inside and wait while he went to search. After hearing about the lost card, Shikondell offered to help, but Winnie figured she wouldn’t be much help, might even make things worse. So he told her not to follow.

“Ah, crap… can’t find it.” Winnie walked back and forth along the path they’d taken, asking several passersby, but no luck.

Could it have been left in the alchemy shop?

If not dropped during their playful chase, then it must’ve happened inside the store.

But if it was lost during the scuffle and someone picked it up, there was nothing he could do. He’d have to report it immediately and get a new one from the student council. The process was long, but if he asked Mirexia, it might go faster.

Winnie sighed deeply. That old lady from ‘Cauldron’ really had jinxed him, right after leaving her shop, disaster struck.

As he walked toward the shop, passing a small park, he happened to glance sideways and spotted a suspicious flash of gold darting into the bushes.

“Huh?!” Winnie hesitated. That shade of gold looked familiar, and the movement was strange.

Who was that?

Curious, he quietly followed and hid behind a large tree, watching the distant golden figure.

Could that be… Milian?

With her radiant golden high ponytail, pale pointed elven ears, and a figure that swayed enticingly with each step, plus being about the same height as Shikondell, Winnie recognized her instantly.

He clearly remembered, Shikondell and Milian were about the same height, both slightly taller than Aesphyra. Easy to remember.

But the biggest giveaway was the overwhelming ‘bratty little girl’ aura she exuded. Winnie didn’t know why, but it was unmistakable, she was instantly recognizable.

What was that golden brat up to?

Winnie grew even more curious. Why was she sneaking around in the bushes like she was doing something shady?

He stayed silent, not wanting to startle her, and continued observing Milian’s actions.

Milian rushed around cautiously, making sure no one was nearby. Then, she pulled out a bottle of orange-red potion, its color and packaging looked very familiar.

Wait… Could that potion be…?

Winnie stared, puzzled at first, then suddenly reminded, the so-called ‘Love at First Sight’ potion sold at ‘Cauldron,’ a holiday-themed scam product that preyed on people’s emotions.

He didn’t know what others thought, but to him, it was pure nonsense. He didn’t believe any magic potion could make someone fall for you.

After double-checking, Winnie confirmed that Milian was holding the very product that the old lady had so enthusiastically recommended. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

Seriously? What does this golden brat want with that thing? Are elves not exposed to such gimmicks, or is she just trying something new?

He couldn’t think of any other reason.

As for whether Milian had someone she liked and wanted to get closer to, Winnie had considered that too. But now, he doubted it. Why? Because the potion was meant to be given to someone else, not drunk by the user.

While Winnie was thinking, Milian had already uncorked the bottle. Her olive-green almond eyes narrowed with determination, and she chugged the potion down in quick gulps.

What on earth is she doing?

Watching Milian down the potion until the bottle was nearly empty, Winnie remained utterly confused.

After some thought, the only explanation he could come up with was that she was thirsty and curious about the novelty.

Yeah, it was a stretch, but it was the most reasonable thing he could think of.

Ugh, why was he even bothering to spy on this brat? What did her actions have to do with him?

Winnie realized he was just being nosy. He had better things to do, like finding his lost student card and reporting it missing.

Deciding to leave, he turned around,

But fate had other plans. The grass was thick, and he didn’t notice a dry branch underfoot. His next step snaps it with a loud crack.

Crap!

Winnie froze, immediately turning toward Milian.

“Who’s there?!” As expected, Milian’s sharp elven senses caught the sound instantly. She turned her head toward Winnie’s direction.

Seriously? She can hear that from far away?

Winnie thought he’d been careful and kept his distance.

But stepping on a branch like that, such a sound would be noticeable even to a human, let alone a highly perceptive elf.

Milian’s eyes locked onto Winnie, and at the same moment, Winnie looked up at her. Their gazes meet in the air.

“I-It’s… you??” Milian’s expression froze. Her voice was oddly hesitant.

‘Virtue + 200.’

‘Current Virtue: 2034.’

Winnie sensed something was off. When Milian spotted him, he knew he was in for trouble. But he hadn’t expected her to act… strange?

And why was the Virtue increase so huge? Milian had never given him such a massive boost before. At this rate, it felt like Mirexia was nearby.

Normally, Winnie expected the brat to explode instantly, calling him names like ‘Flathead’ or ‘Stalker’ or ‘Disgusting creep.’ But today, she stayed silent, stunned.

Maybe… he was in the clear?

Haha, then he’d better leave before things got weird.

Just as he turned to go,

“Wait! You! Wait!” For some reason Milian’s voice was trembling with intense emotion, stopping him.

Winnie halted, turning back with a resigned look.

Great. Looks like he wasn’t getting out of this easily.

Then he saw Milian walking toward him, her steps oddly awkward and hesitant.

Winnie’s expression grew even more puzzled.

What’s wrong with this golden brat? What’s with her weird behavior today?

‘Virtue + 50.’

‘Current Virtue: 2084.’

Wait, why is her walking giving me more Virtue?

Winnie was even more baffled. Nothing makes sense.

Why was she suddenly so generous with Virtue? This was way too abnormal.

“Ah, well, I was just passing by. Didn’t mean anything,” Winnie said, clearing his throat and spreading his hands, playing dumb.

“Passing by?” Milian panted, her cheeks flushed with a suspicious blush. Her olive eyes locked onto Winnie, filled with a mix of embarrassment, anger, and… something indescribable.

“You expect me to believe that?”

“Believe what you want. I didn’t see anything,” Winnie said, turning his head away with a ‘I didn’t see your little secret’ look.

A dead pig is not afraid of boiling water.

“You saw everything, didn’t you?!” Milian said, embarrassed and angry.

“Hey, if we both know, why not just let it go? Don’t say anything, and we can all pretend it never happened,” Winnie said with a sigh.

“How can I pretend I don’t know? What are you doing here?!” Milian demanded.

“I told you, I was passing by! Just a coincidence! Okay?” Winnie knew this was going south fast.

“I don’t believe you.” Milian pouted, her pink lips jutting out.

“Fine. Believe what you want.”

“You… You’re going to blackmail me later, aren’t you? Make me do things I don’t want to do, things that are way too much!” Milian accused, blushing furiously.

‘Virtue + 60.’

Current Virtue: 2144.

“Damn it, Milian, why so much imagination?” Winnie stared at her strangely. “And keep your voice down! What if someone actually hears you?!”

“See! You really were planning that! I just exposed your true, despicable thoughts!” Milian said, more convinced than ever.

“I give up. Can you stop being so dramatic? And what’s there to blackmail with? What am I supposed to say? ‘Milian secretly bought a special Festival of Amoriel drink’? I’d get laughing out of the room. People would just roll their eyes at me,” Winnie shot back.

“Besides, I don’t get why you’re hiding. It’s not like it’s embarrassing. Everyone’s curious. You drank it, so what? Why do you care so much?”

“It’s just a drink anyway. It doesn’t work.”

“How do you know that?! This potion definitely works!” Milian instantly argued.

“Wait… You didn’t buy this out of curiosity?” Winnie stared at her, suddenly suspicious.

“I…I didn’t!” Milian flustered, instinctively denied, though she wasn’t sure what she was even denied.

‘Virtue + 60.’

Current Virtue: 2204.

Her face burned red, as if she couldn’t control her overflowing emotions.

Wait… Could this potion actually be doing something?

Winnie began to doubt.

“Oh, I get it,” Winnie said slowly. “You didn’t buy this because you were curious. You actually thought drinking it would help you get closer to someone, right?”

He didn’t even need to check the Virtue, he could see the truth written all over Milian’s face.

And now he understood why she’d hidden to drink it.

“I…I” Milian tried to deny it, but for some reason, she couldn’t lie when faced with Winnie’s gaze.

“You actually believed it?!” Winnie stared at her, utterly incredulous. After a long pause, he finally spoke. “Alright, Milian. I apologize for underestimating you. Please give me your contact information.”

“W-What are you doing?!” Milian’s heart suddenly skipped a beat.

‘Virtue + 80.’

Current Virtue: 2284.

“What else? When you’re old, I’ll sell you health supplements,” Winnie said seriously. “Ah, wait, you’re a golden elf. By the time you’re old, I’ll probably be dust. Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

“You!” Milian was furious.

‘Virtue + 60.’

Current Virtue: 2344.

“Milian, I never thought anyone besides love-struck idiots would actually believe in that stuff.”

“So… who’s the person you wanted to get closer to? Let me guess, Shikondell?” Winnie rubbed his chin.

“W-What’s it to you?!”

“I don’t care. I just want to kindly point out, assuming you really believe this works, you used it wrong,” Winnie said, crossing his arms with an amused look.

“W-What are you talking about?!” Milian frowned.

“This potion isn’t meant for you to drink. It’s supposed to be shared with the person you want to get closer to,” Winnie explained.

“Wha—?!” Milian’s beautiful eyes broadened in shock.

Oh no.

At that moment, Winnie understood everything.

He’d been wondering why that alchemy shop charged so much, why not just rob people? Now he got it. Robbing is nothing compared to scamming fools!

“You tricked me!” Milian realized quickly.

“Do I need to trick you? If I remember correctly, the instructions were written right on the bottle. You should’ve read them,” Winnie raised an eyebrow.

“What?!” Milian immediately looked at the bottle, and sure enough, in small pink letters, the usage and effects were clearly stated.

“Ah… Turns out brains are a great thing to have. Too bad not everyone does,” Winnie shook his head, then noticed his Virtue had changed again.

‘Virtue + 200.’

Current Virtue: 2544.

Wait, what?! Why another huge increase?

Just as Winnie looked at Milian, he saw her expression, utterly devastated.

What was going on?

“It… it says…” Milian staggered, her voice dull with disbelief. She looked at Winnie, eyes wide with shock and something like… sudden realization.

Her voice sounded like she was about to cry.

This reaction left Winnie completely baffled.

What was wrong with her now?

“What does it say?” Winnie asked.

“It says… this ‘Love at First Sight’ potion… makes you fall in love with… the first person you see… after drinking it,” Milian whispered, her voice trembling on the verge of tears. Her beautiful eyes stared at Winnie, lost and helpless.

“…” Winnie fell silent.

“So… after you drank it, the first person you saw was…”

“Y-Yes… It was you.” Milian’s cute, playful face was on the verge of tears. Her voice was low, filled with despair and suffocation. “I… I was wondering why I suddenly felt so strange… why I felt my face heating up when I saw you… It’s because… because… NOOOOO!”

Milian finally broke down, sinking to the ground and bursting into tears.

“I… I don’t want to fall in love with you!”

“I don’t want to fall in love with you, you damn blue-haired human! If I fall in love with a human… I’ll… I’ll disappear! One day, I’ll vanish, turn into a lump of elven crystal! I don’t want to become an elven crystal!”

“Hey, wait, calm down! Don’t cry! Stop crying!” Winnie said, completely bewildered.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep