I and the Witch of Time Who Seeks the Past

Chapter 4 — Magical Fluctuations (1)

December 25, 1920 — 20:00

I returned to the room, and to my surprise, Lijedahl was still awake — she was waiting for me.

"Looks like you have something on your mind, too."

"Mm."

She sat on the sofa with her head bowed, hesitant. Her lips were bitten lightly; her fingers fidgeted together.

"... Lijedahl, I know what your Round Table members said before the meeting started."

"Eh?"

She lifted her head, looking at me in disbelief.

"Mr. Ken told me. No need to be so surprised."

I took off my coat and hat and sat down beside her.

"You're a true mage. I'm not a mage myself, but I admire you — I admire your resolve."

I said it earnestly, then poured two glasses of water.

"Will..."

She still kept her head down; her bangs hid her eyes.

What was she still thinking about?

I didn't want to guess. Today's meeting had exhausted me mentally; I felt unusually drained.

"Lijedahl, if you have something to say, feel free. We're in the same boat — we share the same fate."

I tried to joke, but my tone was too tired to be playful.

"Will... I've thought it over and over. I don't quite understand — why do you help me so desperately?"

I was about to sip my water when her words stopped me.

"..."

"The magic energy I left made you a vessel for my power, changing your fate. It dragged you into this abyss of time travel, and I presumptuously asked you to help me find Frisse ... yet you don't hate me, you don't complain about me. I even hurt you when I lost control of my emotions, but you've always been so forgiving... Why? I... I just don't get it..."

I couldn't see her expression. Her confusion was understandable — most people would hate someone who stole their destiny, would rage, or lash out at the one who forced them into an irreversible current of time. They'd feel helpless and angry, and they'd direct that anger at her.

But I didn't think that way.

"Haha, really? After all this time, you still think about that?"

I answered casually. She looked up slightly, clearly not understanding my line of thought.

"Lijedahl, my fate did change because of you. Ever since that night of the prophetic dream, my destiny has seemed to move with you. You probably think that, right?"

She glanced at me, then turned her face away.

"Mm..."

"No. That's not it. Lijedahl, I've told you — all of this was my choice."

I smiled and took a sip of water.

"You said that before... but I still don't quite get it."

"You don't need to understand."

"Eh?"

She could no longer hide it; I finally saw her deep, clear blue eyes.

"You've always thought I followed you because you made me. You're wrong. I chose to follow you. The prophetic dream only pointed me to you — if I hadn't had that dream, and I'd still met you, I would have made the same choices. I would still have chosen to time-travel with you and help find Frisse."

"Why?"

She leaned closer, perhaps genuinely unable to comprehend.

"Because I wanted to. That's all."

She paused, unsure how to interpret that answer.

"Not everything in this world comes with a matching reason or justification. Lijedahl, following the dream to find you was my choice. Helping you search for your sister was my choice. There’s no deeper reason—only that I wanted to help. If you need a reason, then fine: I was curious, and I considered you a friend. That’s it. As simple as that."

I drained the glass in one go.

...

"Any other questions?"

Lijedahl held her glass of water, thought for a moment, then smiled knowingly.

"You really are a strange person."

"Don't overthink it. Aren't you tired?"

"Hmm... Will, you helped me so much at the meeting that I actually feel energized."

"All right, then I'll continue and tell you a few of the meeting's suspicious points."

"I'm all ears."

"That Sophia... she's hiding something deep."

"Her? I noticed that too."

"Not only that — I feel like she's waiting for the right moment. We may have already fallen into her trap."

"How so?"

"She obviously has intelligence on the Academy of Sciences and the Magic Association's military strength, and she has rhetoric to match anyone, yet she waited until the second meeting — only revealing her hand after we'd made big moves. And that whisper she told me... I can't make sense of it."

"Hm. Makes sense, but I don't think she's necessarily trying to set a trap."

Lijedahl's face grew serious; I asked.

"What else could it be?"

She looked at me and voiced her suspicion.

"I've been watching her words and actions. I don't think a scheme that hasn't been thoroughly analyzed is her style. I think she's more likely trying to sow confusion."

... Only then did I realize that possibility.

"Not impossible. Otherwise... why would she whisper those words to me and openly paint a target on you?"

Since I'd already told Lijedahl about what she had said to me, she knew what I meant.

"She... Will, maybe she's trying to attract our attention — or someone else's attention?"

Us? Someone else?

"But there's nothing about us that should draw the interest of such a powerful person, right? I'm just an ordinary assistant; you're a penniless mage who suddenly appeared out of nowhere."

"So it's..."

"Someone connected to us..."

"And someone worth her attention..."

Ken!

"It's Ken..."

"Mr. Ken!"

We said it almost at the same time. So the person she'd fixed her sights on was Ken.

"I should have thought of it sooner — she's after Mr. Ken."

"Will, should we tell Mr. Ken?"

Lijedahl glanced at the window; she seemed worried.

"I think... if we go out now, it might spook things. Also, Mr. Ken and Jona are probably asleep already; leaving now would disturb them. Let's wait until morning."

"... I'll follow your lead."

Silence fell between us.

"... Lijedahl, why did you suddenly go quiet?"

I asked awkwardly.

"Uh... I said everything I wanted to say in one breath. I don't know what else to say."

"All right...?"

But her expression didn't look like someone with nothing to say — it looked more like someone hesitating to speak.

"Ha, what's up with you today? You're dithering. Say whatever's on your mind — I can tell you're holding back."

My head felt a bit fuzzy; sleepiness was coming on.

"Are you... really not a scholar? Or some kind of negotiation expert? I just don't think you're an ordinary person."

I was startled, then immediately adjusted my tone and tapped my forehead.

"Haha, you think I'm not ordinary?"

"Eh?"

She widened her eyes at me.

"I told you I'm a translator. An international translator's training covers a lot — psychology, history, linguistics, and even quasi-operational training. I just didn't go into detail. In my day, those were the basic skills a senior translator had to know."

"Ah... I see."

Her expression was subtle; I couldn't quite read it. But when her pupils shifted to brown, it was clear she was troubled.

"What's wrong? Expecting me to be some hidden master? Disappointed?"

I teased lightly.

"Aiya! You're really annoying sometimes!"

Though she said that, the smile on her face made it obvious she'd understood my joke.

"All right, I'll go take a bath first. My head's spinning — we can go over today's matters in detail afterward."

I stood, ready to go wash.

As I turned toward the bathroom—

"Will... thank you for everything you've done for me."

She said it in a gentle voice.

"..."

I said nothing and opened the bathroom door.

...

The bath cleared my head considerably.

Water ran from my hair down my back, over the three scars there, and along the grazing mark on my left shoulder where a bullet had nicked me.

I have many marks like that. At some point, I began hiding them beneath my clothes; I never let anyone see them. Only when night falls and I wash myself clean do those buried memories come back to me.

I... didn't lie to her.

But I didn't tell her about my past. I don't want to speak of those things anymore.

I shook my head, trying to cast the memories off, but they wouldn't go.

"... Damn it."

...

When I stepped out of the bathroom, I found Lijedahl still sitting on the sofa, her back to me.

"I thought you'd be asleep by now!"

I said, wiping the water from my face.

She didn't answer.

"Lijedahl...?"

Still nothing.

No way... could it be what I feared?

Panicked, I hurried to her side.

I reached her and was about to grab her when—

"Eh?"

She wasn't doing anything—her eyes were gently closed, her lips slightly parted in a soft pink line, and her hands resting quietly on her thighs. Her head tilted a little to the left, and a steady breathing drifted into my ears.

... She'd fallen asleep.

I jumped, then inwardly laughed at myself. Only then did I notice she hadn't changed out of her clothes.

I couldn't leave her sleeping there like that, and plopping her into bed without changing seemed wrong, too.

So I gently shook her.

"Lijedahl, wake up. Change your clothes before you sleep."

"... I just fell asleep—Wiell—"

She mumbled, half-awake, shaking her head.

"No, it's Will!"

I corrected.

... Too late to change it now, I thought.

"... Just change your clothes first."

"All right~"

I carried her to the bathroom. After she changed, she seemed so sleepy she could have nodded off while walking, so I lifted her into bed, pulled the covers over her, and in no time she was asleep.

Really—at moments like this, she's like a child.

After I tidied up, I turned off the light and climbed into bed.

"I wonder if she remembers that the source area of the magical fluctuations has been narrowed down..."

I closed my eyes and fell asleep.