Chapter One: Returning to the Past, Part Three

After displaying everything, Liejiedaer waved the leaf and handed it to them.

The two girls' previous tension disappeared, replaced by wonder and excitement.

"Is this really time magic? It's amazing!"

The blonde girl was excited, holding the leaf and examining it closely.

Knowing it was now Liejiedaer's turn to handle things, I stood aside, silently observing.

"But... why can you use time magic? And you can use two kinds..."

The blue-haired girl asked Liejiedaer. At this moment, the blonde girl also looked at her.

Liejiedaer thought for a moment and replied, "You shouldn't know my identity, but I can use this spell, and I know time magic. Don't you think I should meet your teacher?"

The two girls hesitated, but the blue-haired girl, being more composed, asked Liejiedaer, "Why do you want us to introduce you to our teacher?"

"Why? Because I believe any teacher who teaches you not to use magic to harm others must be a high-level magician and specializes in air magic."

"How... how do you know?"

Liejiedaer smiled at them.

"Nothing special. I just know some magicians of this kind. So, what's your choice?"

They thought for a moment and then said in unison, "Okay."

Then they noticed me standing to the side.

"Um... Miss Liejiedaer, who is this gentleman?"

Liejiedaer looked at me. Her pupils turned a shade of brown I'd never seen before, and her expression... seemed a bit troubled.

What's that supposed to mean? Can't she come up with a story?

"Uh, I'm her assistant, Will."

Sensing her need, I quickly offered a way out.

"Yes, that's right. He's my assistant. Oh! I almost forgot to introduce myself. I'm Liejiedaer. May I ask your names?"

She swiftly changed the topic, and they seemed not to notice anything unusual.

"Oh, I'm Anna, and this is Yona. We're both magic apprentices."

The blue-haired girl was Anna, and the blonde girl was Yona. They seemed like close friends in their teens, which made me feel a bit guilty for threatening them earlier.

But there's no need to dwell on it. As long as I treat them kindly from now on, it shouldn't be too bad.

"Alright, if you want to know more about my magic, let's talk after we leave here."

Liejiedaer said while pulling me along. I knew she wanted to talk privately, but I decided to wait a bit, so I ignored her gesture.

"Then, this way, Miss Liejiedaer, Mr. Will."

They led the way towards the forest, and we followed. At this moment, I bent down to hear what she had to say.

"Look! I did it!"

She whispered joyfully.

"I don't get it. Are they really that naive?"

"Well, partly, but also because magicians are always eager to learn."

"Ah, I see. But there's one more thing: didn't you say time magic requires the Space-Time Clock? How did you use it just now?"

"Oh, that. I actually used your magic power."

"What?"

"Remember? The magic in your body is what I left behind, so it's reasonable for me to use it, right?"

"You can actually use my body's magic power? This is..."

"Actually, I was worried I wouldn't be able to use it just now. Luckily, I haven't regressed too much, or it would have been embarrassing."

She looked proud, and I found her quite adorable.

"Alright, alright. But how did you know their teacher uses air magic?"

"Ah, right. I haven't told you."

"What?"

"I created air magic, and the idea of not using magic to harm humans is my concept."

...Is she really that amazing? I always had a feeling she was a powerful magician, but to this extent... Could she be some legendary figure in the magic world?

Looking at this cheerful and proud girl before me, it doesn't seem like it.

...But thinking back to her stories and how she convinced Anna and Yona earlier, it's not surprising she's of such stature.

"You're incredible."

"Hehe."

Following Anna and Yona, it only took ten minutes to exit the forest. Their navigation skills exceeded my expectations.

Outside the forest, the snow-covered land stretched out, with not much change in the scenery. There was a car parked outside, an old-style one, though it must have been advanced for 1920.

A middle-aged man in a suit with slightly graying hair got out of the car and immediately ran towards Yona, saying, "Miss Yona, you've been gone so long. I was worried something might have happened to you."

"Oh, Uncle William, I've been gone less than half an hour. Look, I'm perfectly fine."

Yona turned around to show she was unharmed.

"Sigh, as long as you're okay. But besides Miss Anna, who are these two?"

"Oh, we met them in the forest..."

Suddenly, Anna covered her mouth and said, "We met them in the forest. They're also magicians and want to see Teacher Kent with us."

"Oh, I see."

Only then did Anna release her hold. Yona took a breath and asked Anna, "Anna, why did you cover my mouth?"

Anna pulled her aside and said, "You say things without thinking. If you mentioned Mr. Will pointing a gun at us, Uncle William would fight him to the death."

"Oh, right."

I felt a bit embarrassed and subtly lowered my gun further.

Analyzing the situation, Miss Yona should be from a wealthy family. After all, having a car in 1920 meant great wealth. Mr. William seemed to be her butler. Our progress looked quite stable, but the world of the wealthy often involves many troubles, especially in 1920. It's good to stay vigilant. The plan now should be to let Liejiedaer meet their teacher, then discuss the action strategy, and we should be on track.

"Will? What are you thinking?"

Huh? What happened? Why is Liejiedaer the only one beside me?

"Everyone's in the car. What are you thinking? Come on, you sit in the front."

Her tone made it seem like she was used to having cars around, but actually, I noticed her eyes had turned a light yellow. She was probably curious about the car.

I could only smile wryly.

"Alright."

I got in the passenger seat, and the car started moving slowly.

In the end, only a trail of tire marks remained on the vast snowy field.

The forest mansion continued to slumber quietly in the snow and woods.

...