Chapter One: Back to the Past - Part Six

After a while, the door to the reception room opened.

"Mr. Kent, please come in."

It was Mr. William who opened the door. He bowed slightly and invited the person behind the door to enter.

"William, there's no need to be so formal."

A man entered the room in response. Lijiedar and I stood up together, and it was then that I began to notice what Mr. Kent looked like:

Blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in an old-fashioned white suit from the early 20th century, looking around thirty years old. He appeared clean and neat, exuded a refined aura, and behaved with gentlemanly manners, a friendly smile on his face.

I straightened my clothes and looked at this gentleman.

"Why are you two standing? Please, sit down. There's no need to be so formal."

He spoke to us with a smile, completely devoid of pretentiousness.

But who knows? People's hearts are hard to read, and my vigilance didn't diminish.

"Alright, but I think I should introduce myself first. My name is Lijiedar."

Lijiedar smiled and extended her hand to him. I barely had time to marvel at her quick emotional transition as I also extended my hand to the gentleman.

"I am Will, Miss Lijiedar's assistant."

"Such polite individuals. My name is Kent, but you can also call me by my magical pseudonym, Eagle."

He smiled and shook our hands one by one.

Then, we sat down.

At this moment, Mr. William brought three cups of black tea, silently placing them in front of us, then exited the room and closed the door.

"Alright, let's get straight to the point. Miss Lijiedar, you said you know time magic? Is that true?"

"Haha, you're quite straightforward."

She picked up the black tea and took a sip.

"Yes, I can use time magic, and I am quite proficient at it."

She crossed her legs, a confident smile on her face.

I noticed Mr. Kent leaning slightly forward, his smile unchanged.

"Proficient... Miss Lijiedar, are you serious?"

"Yes. Do you need me to demonstrate?"

"Please, do."

She took off her gloves, exposing her delicate hand.

"Watch closely."

After she spoke, her hand began to change.

Her hand appeared to have scars and sometimes bled, but it all happened within milliseconds. I could see her hand shrinking, eventually becoming a baby's hand.

But soon, the previous scene reversed, and her hand quickly returned to normal after another round of changes.

She put her gloves back on, still with her legs crossed, resting her chin on one hand, slightly tilting her head to look at Mr. Kent.

"Do you believe me now?"

Mr. Kent's face was full of astonishment. I saw a thirst for knowledge in his eyes, but he sensibly restrained these emotions.

"I believe you."

Then, he turned to look at me.

"However, Mr. Will, you don't seem surprised."

How clever, using my reaction to Lijiedar's magic to question me, aiming to extract information.

"Yes, I don't understand magic."

"Oh?"

He glanced at Lijiedar.

"Why? Then why did you become Miss Lijiedar's assistant?"

"You can ask Miss Lijiedar. I'm not quite sure why she chose me."

Mr. Kent looked at Lijiedar again, who casually took another sip of tea.

"No particular reason, just because he won't randomly comment on my magical research."

She spoke so naturally that I couldn't help but wonder if she genuinely thought so.

"Hahaha, you certainly have a unique personality."

Lijiedar smiled at him politely.

"Thank you for the compliment."

Mr. Kent took a sip of tea, put it down, and then asked:

"I also heard from William that you can use air magic."

I felt the intensity in his gaze. He was very interested in the topic of air magic.

As soon as he finished speaking, my teacup floated up.

It remained steady in the air, the surface of the tea still, as if fixed in place.

Lijiedar merely pointed at it, and it returned to its original position.

"My goodness, the stability of this magic..."

He couldn't help but be amazed, while Lijiedar remained relaxed.

"Is that enough?"

"More than enough, Miss Lijiedar."

He adjusted his posture and then said to us:

"Although I have more questions, let's proceed with our business. How much do you want in exchange for teaching me the knowledge of air and time magic?"

"No."

Lijiedar quickly answered.

"We need you to provide and assist us with something."

"What is it?"

"Provide us with a livable place far from the city. As for the assistance... we'll tell you when the time comes."

"Sounds good, but I fear it won't be as simple as it sounds."

He smiled, and Lijiedar also smiled.

"So... what's your answer?"

"Why not?"

They shook hands, and the agreement was reached.

"However, I have one additional condition."

Mr. Kent said to Lijiedar.

"What is it?"

"You must leave a written or magical formation record of time magic."

"Of course."

I remained silent throughout, observing the entire process.

We stood up, ending the conversation.

"Well, I have other matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave. Feel free to explore the Moroli Manor."

"Alright."

"Oh! And Miss Lijiedar."

"Yes?"

"You are very smart and quite surprising."

"Thank you."

After that, he left the room, leaving only the two of us.

"Well... I'll be off."

I said to Lijiedar, seeing that she didn't respond, I prepared to leave.

"Will..."

I turned around, and her expression was no longer as composed as before, replaced by an indescribable sadness.

"I thought you didn't have any more business."

"…"

I didn't understand her, but I vaguely sensed that she needed someone to understand her.

"So... what do you want to do?"

She slowly raised her head, her light green eyes gazing at me.

"You... don't want to avoid me anymore?"

She actually saw through my intention to avoid her.

"Uh... let's go, tell me what you're thinking."

I opened the door, waiting for her response.

"Alright."

...

We walked through the corridors of the mansion, which was vast and silent.

Through the classical-style windows in the corridor, I saw that the snow outside had stopped, and there were a few servants shoveling snow not far away.

"Lijiedar, let's go outside for a walk."

"Alright."

So, we went downstairs and headed towards the door.

As we descended the stairs, someone walked in from the hall.

"Eh? Where are you going?"

It was Yona, holding a piece of cookie, crumbs at the corner of her mouth.

"Nothing, just going for a walk. Look, the snow has stopped."

"Really?"

Yona looked out the window.

"Wow! It really has."

She turned excitedly towards the hall and shouted:

"Anna! The snow has stopped, let's go have a snowball fight."

As soon as she finished, Anna's voice came from inside.

"Don't even think about it. You haven't finished Mr. Kent's assignment yet."

"Oh, darn."

She immediately looked disheartened.

"Alright, alright, I'll do it right away..."

Then she said to us with a sorrowful face:

"You two go ahead and have fun. I'll go back to my work."

"Oh... alright."

She ran off, and we went outside.

The moment we opened the door, the cold air hit us.

I closed the door behind us, and Lijiedar walked beside me as we strolled outside.

But we remained silent, the atmosphere somewhat awkward.

Just like that time before, when her eyes turned blood red.

I didn't know what she was thinking. I looked at her and found she was also looking at me.

I quickly looked away, and she did the same.

"Uh, Lijiedar, say something."

I felt that someone had to speak, so I did.

"...I don't know what to say."

"...Then why did we come out here?"

"Wasn't it you who asked me to come out?"

I had no retort.

"Uh, let me ask you some questions then."

"Alright... I guess."

"Why do your emotions change so drastically?"

I turned to look at her, and she also looked at me.

"What?"

"Isn't it? You were just very... silent earlier, but when facing Mr. Kent, you were eloquent, confident, and efficient."

Her face turned a bit red, but her eye color hadn't changed.

"That's because... I was negotiating with him. Should I show the side of me you see?"

"...No, that's not what I mean. It's just that your emotional shift is too great. Most people can't do that."

"…"

She fell silent again.

But I couldn't remain silent; otherwise, the issue wouldn't be resolved.

"Lijiedar, I don't understand you. To be honest, we haven't known each other for long. I don't know what you're thinking."

She turned her face away, not ignoring me, but trying to conceal something.

"...Will, I don't understand you either."

"Yes, I know."

I paused, lightly tapping her arm.

She looked at me instinctively.

"So we should get to know each other, not stay silent."

Her eyes had a faint hint of yellow and blue.

"Silence is golden applies to strangers, not friends, Lijiedar. Even though we haven't known each other long, we've escaped together, traveled through time together. We're already friends, even

 if we're not close yet."

I bent down a bit, getting closer to her.

"So you don't have to be concerned. We're close friends."

"Will..."

I saw a complex expression on her face, a bit of relief and a hint of emotion, her eyes slightly tinged with yellow.

Finally, she smiled, and we both laughed.

"Haha... Will, how can you say such things? I always thought you were very serious."

"Really? Maybe it's because we're friends."

"So we weren't friends before?"

"Before, I didn't know if you considered me a friend."

"And now?"

"Now I know, do I need to say more?"

"Thank you... Oh, how many times have I thanked you?"

"I don't know, maybe more in the future."

She regained her previous cheerfulness, and I felt very happy.

Although I still knew little about her, perhaps that would change in the future.

December 17, 1920