Even if it's none out of nine, vmin

And, even if all nine end with unhappiness,

Taehyung considers himself to be a good witch hunter. He's found many witches on his duty that many of his colleagues have overlooked, and had them burned in front of the whole town — to show others how it would end if they continue to harm the people with their dark magic and evil intentions.

So, just like usual, on duty, he's carefully searching through the part of the woods he doesn't think he's gotten to. It's south of the city — a big area filled with trees and surrounded by many legends. And, since the witch-hunters only started their association a few years ago, they are only now getting to some parts of the edges.

Over the years, just from their existence and the first showcase of punishment towards the witches, the number of witches found in their later hunts decreased by a lot. But, a few who think they can get away and stay hidden remain.

So, on the search for those witches, Taehyung sets off to a part of the woods that his higher up, the head of the Witch-Hunting Association, Kim Seokjin, has assigned to him.

He himself uses a little bit of magic, but not the dark magic that witches use. The magic he uses is a higher form of normal magic, light magic, taught through special books that are hard to come by. Taehyung had luckily gotten to read one on his trip to his relative's home when he was younger.

But, the ones witches use are dangerous. They change the balance of the world, slowly ruining it so that it collapses in the end.

There's a rustle of bushes behind him, making him jolt -- he hadn't sensed anything? He quickly turns around to see what it is, but his eyes land on a soft little rabbit, who's looking at him warily.

Normally, the first reaction with civilians would be a sigh of relief, but as a witch hunter, Taehyung's eyes sharpen, using a little magic to sense something in the rabbit -- which was still looking at him.

He turns around, acting as if he ignored it, but keeping track of its movement. Trying to sense it is weird. There's nothing in the bunny. But, that's what makes it weirder. Normal living things have a spark of something in them, but it's almost like there's a barrier in this one. So, he knows, he knows it'll lead him to a witch. Putting a barrier around your inner spark is a very easy sneak spell, even Taehyung knows how to do it.

So, he walks away, and instead of tracking the spark, he's tracking the absence of it.

And, quickly enough, he appears in front of a hut hidden away in a clearing in the middle of the woods. And, without warning, his eyes land right on a little pot outside, boiling with some magical potion, no person around to attend it.

The weird thing is -- he can see it. But, he doesn't feel a thing out of place. His magic is telling him this is still a lot of woods, but he can see that it isn't. The camouflage spell is far better than anything he's ever seen, it's harder to master, though -- much harder than the concealing of a spark.

And, right then, the door to the hut opens, and a man walks right out, humming happily with a bowl of food. He comes to a sudden stop at the sight of Taehyung.

Taehyung doesn't leave any time to waste, he charges right up to the man -- ignoring the sigh of defeat that left him -- and puts him under a chaining spell -- the hardest spell he's ever learned, but he's one of the few who have mastered it. The man looks so defeated -- like he's accepted it.

"So, my turn has come," he just mutters, eyes cast down. "Am I at least allowed to request--"

"No." Taehyung voices sternly. He doesn't fall for these tricks. Witches are deceptive, willing to do anything to escape. "You won't trick me with that."

The man finally looks up at Taehyung, eyes glistening.

Taehyung is struck.

"I'll kill-- I'll--" What?