Chapter 1 — Return to the Past (3)
Lijedahl finished the demonstration, waved the leaf, and handed it to them.
The nervousness that had hung over the two girls vanished, replaced by wonder and excitent.
"Is this... ti magic? Amazing!"
The blonde girl was thrilled; she held the leaf and fidgeted with it, examining it from every angle.
I knew it was fine to leave them with Lijedahl, so I stood to one side and watched silently.
"But... how can you use ti magic? And two kinds at that...?"
The pale-blue-haired girl asked Lijedahl, and the blonde looked up at her as well.
Lijedahl thought for a mont and said, "You shouldn't know my identity, but I can use this formation, and I also know ti magic. Don't you think I should et your teacher?"
There was a flicker of hesitation in the girls' eyes. The pale-blue-haired girl was steadier; she asked, "Why do you want us to introduce you to our teacher?"
"Why? Because any teacher who teaches that magic must not be used to harm others has to be a high-level mage — and one who studies air magic."
"... How do you know that?"
Lijedahl smiled faintly at them.
"Nothing special. I just happen to know a few mages like that. So, what's your decision?"
They thought for a mont and then answered in unison.
"Alright."
Only then did they notice standing nearby.
"Um... this lady, who is this gentleman?"
Lijedahl glanced at ; her irises shifted to a brown I had never seen before, and there was a hint of worry in her gaze.
What did that an — was she struggling for a story?
"Uh, I'm her assistant. My na is Will."
I offered her a convenient way out.
"Right. Yes, he's my assistant. Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Lijedahl. What are your nas?"
She smoothly changed the subject; the girls didn't seem to notice anything odd.
"Oh — I'm Anna, and this is Jona. We're both mage apprentices."
Anna was the pale-blue-haired girl; Jona was the blonde. They looked like inseparable teenagers, which made a little ashad that I'd threatened two kids.
But there was no ti to dwell on it. If we treated them kindly from now on, things should be fine.
"All right. If you want details about my magic, we can talk after we leave this place."
Lijedahl said this while giving my sleeve a little tug.
I knew what she ant — she wanted to whisper sothing to . I decided to ignore it for the mont.
"Let's head this way, Miss Lijedahl, Mr. Will."
They led the way toward the forest; we followed behind. I bent in close to hear her.
"See? I did it," she whispered, voice brimming with quiet joy.
"I don't get it — are they really that innocent?"
"That's part of it. The other part is that mages are all hungry for knowledge."
"Oh, I see. But one more thing — didn't you say ti magic needs the Chronomantic Clock? How could you use it just now?"
"Ah, that. Actually, I used your magic."
"Huh?"
"You forgot? The magic in your body is what I left there. It's only right I should be able to use it."
"You can use the magic inside my body? That's—"
"Oh, I was worried when I perford the demonstration that I might not be able to pull it off. I'm glad I haven't gotten rusty, or that would have been embarrassing."
She looked proud, and I thought she was adorable.
"All right, fine. But how did you know their teacher uses air magic?"
"...Huh? Oh, right. I never told you."
"What?"
"Air magic is my creation. The idea that magic should not be used to hurt people — that was my idea too."
... So she was that powerful. I'd suspected she was a formidable mage, but this level... could she really be a major figure in the magic world?
I stared at the bright, self-satisfied girl before . It didn't seem to fit at first.
But then I rembered her earlier stories and the way she persuaded Anna and Jona. Given that, her claim didn't seem so far-fetched.
"You really are amazing."
"Hehe."
Following Anna and Jona, it took us barely ten minutes to walk out of the forest. Their sense of direction was far better than I had expected.
Outside the woods, the scenery hadn't changed much — open fields, snow blanketing the ground. But at the forest's edge, a car was parked. It was an older model, but in 1920, a car like that would've been considered advanced.
At that mont, a middle-aged man in a suit, his hair already showing streaks of gray, stepped out of the car. He rushed straight toward Jona and said,
"Young miss, you've been gone so long. I was worried sothing might have happened to you."
"Oh, Uncle William, I was gone less than half an hour. See? I'm perfectly fine."
Jona twirled around lightly to prove her point.
"As long as you're safe... But, aside from Miss Anna, who are these two?"
"Oh, we t them in the forest—"
Suddenly, Anna clapped a hand over her mouth and quickly added,
"We t these two in the forest. They're mages as well, and they're coming with us to see Teacher Ken."
"I see. Understood."
Only then did Anna release her, and Jona exhaled, a little flustered.
"Anna, why did you cover my mouth?"
Pulling her aside, Anna whispered, "You speak without thinking when you're around Uncle William. If you told him about Mr. Will pointing a gun at us, he would've fought him on the spot."
"Ah—right."
I couldn't help but feel both amused and awkward. Quietly, I lowered the pistol further down at my side.
Thinking it through, Miss Jona was most likely from a wealthy family. After all, owning a car in 1920 was already a clear sign of considerable wealth. And Mr. William must be her butler. For now, everything seed to be going smoothly. Still, the world of the wealthy often hides storms—especially in 1920. Better to stay cautious. All right, the plan was simple: first, get Lijedahl in front of their teacher, then discuss our next move. That way, things could progress steadily.
"Will? What are you thinking about?"
Eh? Huh? Why was it suddenly just and Lijedahl?
"Everyone's already in the car, and you're still daydreaming? Hurry, sit in the front."
Her tone made it sound like she was used to cars, but her eyes — which had shifted to a pale yellow — betrayed her curiosity. She was clearly fascinated.
I could only smile wryly.
"All right."
I took the passenger seat as the engine rumbled to life.
Soon, only a pair of tire tracks remained on the endless snow.
The Woodland Manor slumbered quietly, wrapped in forest and snow.
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