Chapter One: Back to the Past, Part Four

The car moved through the snowy landscape, the loud roar of the old-fashioned engine marking the era unmistakably. The scenery outside the window passed by slowly. In the back seat, the three young ladies excitedly discussed magic and mysteries, while Mr. William and I sat silently in the front.

I occasionally glanced at the falling snow outside the window, as if it was being carried by the cold wind, drifting wherever it pleased, with no one knowing where it would land or if it would journey to a farther place.

Some snowflakes gathered by chance, drifting inexplicably in the same direction.

Much like Lijetaer and me now.

I was sure we would encounter more events in the future. As old Mr. Reut said, our destiny was bound to be tumultuous.

Yet, I knew nothing about Lijetaer.

The more I learned, the more questions arose.

And Lijetaer knew nothing about me either.

So why had we ended up like this? In my original timeline, the church had already set its sights on me, and she was the only one I could rely on. She was closely tied to me because of my identity as the "fated one."

Was it because I wanted to uncover the truth of my "prophetic dream" that all this happened?

Thinking about it, everything I did, everyone I met, and every step of my life was related to this dream. My current situation had its reasons—I had even said so myself.

So that's how it was. I finally understood.

But I felt a bit strange. Lijetaer's personality seemed entirely transparent to me, yet when I thought about it, I couldn't grasp its essence.

I didn't even know what kind of existence she was.

And now, we had returned to the past, equivalent to entering an unfamiliar world where we could only rely on each other.

But we had only known each other for a short while—how did it come to this?

Was it "destiny"?

"Will, what are you thinking about?" Lijetaer's gentle voice pulled me from my thoughts.

"Huh? Oh, nothing," I replied hastily, a bit flustered.

"Your expression just now was very... serious. Could it be..."

I understood what she was implying—another enemy attack.

No, why did I understand her thoughts?

"No, I was just thinking."

I relaxed a bit, answering her somewhat awkwardly.

"Okay then."

Lijetaer looked slightly worried, her pupils turning a pale blue, but after hearing my explanation, they gradually returned to their usual black.

"Mr. Will, your expression just now was very... um!" Yona started to say something but was quickly silenced by Anna.

"Very dignified, yes," Anna said in her place.

Anna smiled at me awkwardly, making her thoughts obvious.

She really wasn't good at lying.

Ah... I actually understood. My face naturally looked a bit stern, and I could understand what they were trying to say.

"Ahem, Anna, not again!"

"Don't talk too much."

"What's the matter? I think Mr. Will wouldn't get angry."

"Sigh..."

Listening to their banter was quite amusing.

"Mr. Will was just thinking seriously, nothing more, ladies. You can continue your discussion on air magic. I find it very interesting," Mr. William said, diverting the topic.

Thank you, Mr. William, for shifting the focus.

Mr. William smiled slightly at me, and I returned the gesture.

The ladies resumed their conversation about magic, which I couldn't understand at all, leaving my matter behind.

Lijetaer might still have been concerned, though I wasn't sure why I thought so.

Maybe it was because I noticed a faint trace of pale blue in her gaze towards me.

Time passed slowly as I watched the snowy scenery and listened to the engine's hum, eventually dozing off.

...

When I woke up, it was still snowing outside, but the scenery had changed significantly.

The car was driving through a garden, now covered in heavy snow. Although the flowers weren't blooming, the snow covering the vast and intricate garden made it absolutely beautiful.

Something felt strange—where were the fences?

In the distance, a few European-style pavilions stood, and the road beneath the car was paved with certain pebbles.

"Mr. Will, you're awake?"

"Oh, yes... how long was I asleep?"

"About two hours."

"Ah... sorry about that."

"No problem. Look, the ladies are all asleep."

I glanced back and saw them sleeping peacefully, leaning against each other.

"They seem very relaxed."

"Yes, they were having a lively conversation and kept asking me questions. To be honest, I don't know anything about magic either," he said, smiling kindly.

"Yes, I feel the same. I don't understand Lijetaer's magic at all."

"Really? Aren't you her assistant?"

"But I don't know magic. Rather than an assistant... I'm more like a guard."

"Haha, me too."

The atmosphere was warm; this gentleman sounded very kind.

"Oh, by the way, may I ask how you and Miss Lijetaer met the young ladies?"

The question caught me off guard. I quickly thought and replied:

"Well, as you know, the young ladies are here to investigate time magic, and we had used time magic. We met them, and Miss Lijetaer had a conversation with them, then decided to meet their teacher."

Mr. William seemed a bit puzzled by my answer and asked:

"Why were you using time magic there? And time magic is said to be lost—how did you use it?"

"Well, we were conducting research in a secluded forest area. As for why we used time magic, I'm afraid I can't disclose that... Although I'm not a magician, a magician's secrets are not easily shared."

"I see..."

Mr. William seemed thoughtful, then casually said:

"I asked Miss Lijetaer earlier, and she said exactly the same thing."

Hearing this, I was startled—he was testing us!

I had let my guard down in this atmosphere...

It was also possible he was intentionally saying we matched. I immediately became more vigilant.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, Mr. Will."

His posture didn't change, his lips didn't twitch, and his hands remained still. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes didn't shift.

He wasn't lying.

I was lucky. If our stories had differed, it would have been difficult to handle.

I noticed calluses on his knuckles, and his habit of keeping his left foot forward and right foot back indicated he had extensive combat training. If I provoked him, my combat skills and marksmanship wouldn't suffice at such close range. I might escape, but Lijetaer would be in danger.

I controlled my micro-expressions to appear unchanged.

Now, I was more cautious of this clever gentleman and prepared for any upcoming challenges.

He must have realized I was more alert. Any mishap between Lijetaer and me would be hard to manage.

Since he stopped testing, I shouldn't make any sudden moves.

We continued chatting casually.

Time passed quickly, and we finally arrived at Yona's home.

No, it should be called a mansion. The house looked like a classic European estate, matching my mental image perfectly. But its grandeur wasn't in the building—it was in the "garden."

The garden wasn't just a garden; it was a sea of flowers, far larger than I had imagined. From the steps in front of the mansion, I couldn't see its end. What a spectacle!

Several winding paths marked different areas, with a central road likely leading to the estate's gate, though the fog obscured it.

The sight was overwhelming. If the paths weren't cleared and covered in snow, I would think there were just some European pavilions in a snowfield.

I realized the strange feeling—it was the garden's immense size.

I was stunned by the luxurious scene, beyond my imagination.

"Ladies, ladies?"

Mr. William gently called to the three ladies in the back seat.

"Mm..."

They woke up, sounding groggy.

I looked at them, especially Lijetaer, who looked as sleepy as when I woke her up before.

"We've arrived, ladies. Please get out of the car."

"Okay... Uncle William... Anna, help me..."

"Yona, you need to wake up."

Although Anna looked sleepy, her voice was spirited.

"Will?"

Lijetaer kept looking at me, eyes half-closed, still sleepy.

"Alright, alright."

I got out of the car and opened the back door, helping Lijetaer out.

"Wow... it's so cold outside."

"Yes, it is quite cold, and the wind is biting. Lijetaer, wake up a bit, and let's head straight into the mansion. You need to talk to their teacher."

"Right..."

Lijetaer was about to move when she realized the scene in front of her.

"...Wow... This is so magnificent, and it's a snow scene. It's even more beautiful than the woodland mansion."

"I agree. I also love snow scenes; there's a sense of purity about them."

I shared my thoughts, wondering about the effort it took to create this garden.

"..."

But Lijetaer suddenly stopped, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Lijetaer? What's wrong?"

She stood still, head down.

I moved in front of her to see what was wrong, and her expression surprised me.

Why did she look so sad?

Her blue eyes seemed ready to swallow me whole.

She looked at me, and the abyss-like feeling in her gaze gave me chills.

"Will, sometimes you really remind me of him..."

She spoke to me in an extremely soft voice.

The snow felt like needles, and the wind like knives against my face.

This winter snow didn't seem as it usually did;