I and the Witch of Time Who Seeks the Past

Chapter 2 – The City of Fog (2)

December 20, 1920 – 17:00

Two hours had passed since Anna and Jona told us about the trip to London.

Now, Lijedahl and I were in the warm cabin, each busy with our own tasks. She was writing, just as she had the past two days, while I took out my pistol, wiped it clean, counted the bullets, and checked the various tools I'd brought from 2030—things I kept on me in case of emergencies.

We had indeed received a good amount of money these past two days. Mr. Ken had kept his word. But with that money, we had only gone to the nearby town to buy some essentials. Lijedahl had bought two extra garments: a nightgown and a black robe. She seemed especially fond of robes.

Now she was wearing the nightgown, draped in the black robe over it. The combination made her look both petite and at ease.

Since the desk was across the room and she was still writing, I turned my head and asked.

"You really like robes that much?"

Lijedahl lifted her head, paused her pen, and glanced at me sideways.

"I'm just more used to sleeping in them."

Ah, of course.

"Oh, I see."

"And you, Will? What are you up to?"

"Ah, this."

I held up the small knife I was cleaning.

"I'm maintaining my weapons."

"... Will, why do you have so many... weapons?"

"Uh... haha. My old job was very particular. I quit, but this is a habit I kept. Besides, some of these tools already came in handy before, didn't they?"

"... I guess so?"

She tilted her head, showing she didn't quite understand but respected my answer.

"I won't ask what you did before."

"Thanks. I appreciate that."

She returned to her work.

"Oh, right, Lijedahl. There's something I've been meaning to ask."

"Hmm? What is it?"

She didn't look back, just asked absentmindedly. Maybe it was because she'd been acting as a teacher these days, but her tone now unconsciously carried a teacher's air—it felt oddly out of place to me.

"Uh, it's about time magic. Didn't you say you used the Chronomantic Clock to come here, taking the place of your present self? Then... what exactly am I? I can't quite wrap my head around it."

At that, Lijedahl finally set down her pen. She turned, resting her chin in her hand, and thought for a moment before slowly answering.

"You probably still don't really understand what the Chronomantic Clock does. Let me explain. You can think of it like a book."

She stood, picked up her notebook, and sketched a few lines on a blank page.

"Let's say this represents the things you experienced during a certain period. If you go back in time using ordinary means, nothing changes. The events remain as they are, and all you do is add extra threads onto the page. But if you use the Chronomantic Clock..."

With a sudden rip, she tore the page out.

"...it completely rewrites history. When I say I 'replaced myself,' it's because of the Clock—I replaced the me that existed in this period. You, on the other hand, came back from the future. While we're here, we can alter the past. But if you hadn't used the Clock, then the future me would coexist with the past me, and you—though still from the future—wouldn't leave a trace. Once we left, history would reset itself, unchanged, as if we'd only rewatched old events."

She set down the notebook, picked up a glass of water from the table, and continued.

"Of course, beings like us are sudden anomalies in time. Once we leave, the selves that belong here return to their rightful place. But the things we did will remain in people's memories."

Sitting back down, she glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"Any other questions?"

I still felt a bit muddled, and she seemed to notice. Patiently, she added.

"Think of it as a straight line. The line is the flow of events. Using the Chronomantic Clock is like redrawing the line. When we leave, the line keeps going. Without the Clock, though, we only deepen the stroke of the original line—no real change."

When I heard that, it finally clicked. The confusion in my head cleared away like fog. I was about to tell her I understood, but by then she had already returned to her work.

"Hah... alright then."

I chuckled to myself and went back to my own tasks.

Eventually, when we had both finished, she lay down on the bed while I took the sofa in the hall. Soon, we each drifted into sleep.

Still... right after she finished explaining the Chronomantic Clock, did her eyes turn pale yellow?

...

December 21, 1920 – 9:00

We were in the carriage with Mr. Ken, Anna, and Jona, on our way to London.

It had already been two hours since we left the Morory Manor. The carriage was steadier than I had imagined, though the horses weren't running fast.

To be honest, this was my first time riding in a carriage. After all, by 2030, carriages had long been phased out.

Lijedahl sat on the inner side, chatting with the two girls beside her. Finally, their conversation wasn't about obscure magic but about Christmas.

Ah, right—December 25th was almost here. For adults, it didn't mean much, but they were still just girls.

Lijedahl looked a little awkward with the topic. She could only nod along before slowly leaning toward me, sitting at the far left.

"I'll talk with Will for a bit, just wait."

She tugged at my sleeve, so I leaned in to listen.

She whispered in my ear.

"What do I do, Will? I almost never celebrated Christmas. In the past, I was either buried in magic research or hiding from people. And after all these years, I've forgotten most of my memories... I really don't know what Christmas is like..."

I waved my hand.

"I don't celebrate Christmas either. Can't you tell by my looks? I'm Asian."

"Uh..."

She looked troubled, so I came up with a line for her.

"Just tell them you've always been busy with magic, and never celebrated Christmas. Simple."

"... Alright."

She turned back to chat with them. I didn't listen too closely, but I gathered Anna and Jona were planning to each give her a gift.

Well, just the kind of innocence kids would have.

What I found odd, though, was that Mr. Ken hadn't brought Mr. William with us. Wasn't he supposed to be his attendant?

So I asked the smiling Mr. Ken, who had been listening to the girls' chatter.

"Mr. Ken, isn't Mr. William coming along?"

He gave me a polite smile.

"He wasn't specifically invited by the Association, so he can't come. And if he came just to act as a coachman, that would be a waste of talent. He's better off at the manor, handling things in my absence."

I nodded in understanding.

"Don't you use an automobile, sir? It would've been much faster to reach London."

"Ah, that... I'm not very fond of new technology."

"Oh? Why not?"

"... So, you didn't know."

Mr. Ken smiled meaningfully, covering his mouth with his left hand for a moment. When he lowered it, his usual smile returned.

"With science and technology spreading everywhere, more and more people can easily and quickly learn to use them. Meanwhile, magic remains obscure, difficult, and known only to a few. Tell me—what kind of impact do you think that has on magic?"

After hearing that, I didn't say another word. That line itself sounded like a provocation.

But, as someone from 110 years in the future, I knew this kind of resistance to science would only harm magic in the long run. Still, each era had to go through its own course, so it wasn't my job to change history.

Mr. Ken seemed intrigued by the topic himself. Looking out the carriage window, he turned back to Lijedahl and said.

"Miss Lijedahl, your research in air magic has reached a remarkable level—I can see that. But, have you ever used air magic for something... ingenious?"

He asked with a smile. I could tell he was inviting her, so I tactfully leaned away.

"Oh? Something ingenious? Combined with tarot magic, perhaps?"

Seated between us, Lijedahl accepted his invitation.

"Then, please watch closely."

A breeze slowly stirred.

It wasn't very strong at first, but I could already tell something unusual was happening.

Sure enough, the wind grew stronger—but strangely, it didn't ruffle my clothes. Curious, I glanced at Mr. Ken.

"Let the wind gather in my hand."

I watched as wind condensed into his outstretched palm, so dense it seemed ready to tear through the air, yet sealed in place by the very air around it.

I understood then. The reason my clothes didn't move was that the wind had been collected by his magic. And the reason I still felt the breeze was only because of the brain's automatic response.

"Impressive indeed. But why collect so much wind? What do you intend to do with it?"

"Yes."

With that, Mr. Ken extended the swirling wind out the window.

"Like this—if you control the wind behind the horses, they'll become the fastest in the world."

Just as he was about to explain further, Lijedahl cut him off.

"I've already restrained the others with air magic. You can go ahead."

"... Haha, you truly are clever."

The carriage jolted as its speed increased, almost like we were in a car.

"Horses pushed by wind not only run faster, but they can also breathe easier."

It should've been dangerous, but with two master mages, the risk was minimized.

"That's indeed a clever application. I've learned something."

"Oh? Then it's my honor."

Perhaps this was the kind of pastime only powerful mages could enjoy—something ordinary people like me could never experience.

Thanks to this ingenious magic trick, our journey sped up greatly. In less than two days, we had reached London.