Chapter 5

Chapter 5

I had to prove that I was the person he needed.

“I know about you. I thought it was over but.… I knew that if anyone came to save Acrab, it would be you.”

“…….”

The fierce energy became a little stronger. I could see the golden magic, which was more clearly visible because of the dark night, slowly forming. But that wasn’t enough to scare my strong heart that has been around for a hundred years. 

“Kaichen Tenebre, an archmage and old friend of his Highness’, the Crown Prince of the Kalhai Empire,” I continued quite dramatically in my emotional state, “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for you?”

The wind blew past. The sound of the pouring rain sounded particularly loud and strong in my ears in his silence.

‘Normally, when someone says this much shouldn’t you answer?’

Kaichen was still staring at me without even batting an eyelash.

At this point, I couldn’t help but feel a little awkward. “… shall we go inside for now?”

When asked to enter a mansion that seemed to be haunted, Kaichen responded for the first time. 

“Are you Countess Alshine?” His heavy, low-pitched voice penetrated the loud sound of rain and was stuck in my ears.

Destroying Acrab’s magic and finding the lady Dalia Alshine, who is in charge. The flow was the same as the original novel. So, without having to go all over the city to find him, he just came to this abandoned looking house where I lived.  The place I asked him to enter was the place where Count Alshine lived.

That’s why Kaichen figured out my identity even though I hadn’t introduced myself yet. After arriving in Acrab and destroying magic, the Crown Prince had told him to ask Count Alshain to help in magic research. In the end, Kaichen had no choice but to visit me.

“That’s Right!” As I answered with an excited nod, although very slightly, his eyebrows twitched.

I guess he didn’t like something. ‘Ah, I’ve been talking to myself for such a long time…’

I realized that I was using informal language with an archmage. I cleared my throat and used honorifics.

“Ah! Shall we go in?” 

Pretending to be fine, I lightly pushed the door, which was about to break, with all my might. Kaichen looked at me and the mansion with a cold gaze then moved slowly. Fortunately, instead of going back, he seemed to have chosen to follow me.

‘Let’s be cool-headed, Kaichen is a magic nerd who is crazy about magic. Someone with extreme mysophobia and sociophobia, a typical reclusive wizard!’

Moreover, Kaichen was a strong man who appeared like a prince on a white horse to save protagonist Julius when something happened to him, not someone else. I desperately needed Kaichen’s strength to realize my dream of ‘Safety first! Health and longevity!’ To be exact, not his strength but a magnificent shield that would make my existence like an ant passing by.

Look! The man with such a splendid and powerful presence that he might pierce the back of my head even though he is following silently from behind. I have to make him like me at all costs. And in order to do that, I have to show him the cards I have.

‘You’re in my palm now!’ As soon as I entered the lobby with this thought, I remembered something I have been ignoring for a long time.

How can one not curse at the stinky alcohol smell and at the sight of alcohol bottles rolling on the floor?

Habits are scary.  I knew that even if I cleaned, it would get dirty again anyway, so I just left it alone. So I didn’t think how terrible mansion state would be now, when the magic has been broken and I returned to reality. After a hundred years, I thought again that I was in the body of a really dirty and ridiculous woman.

At the same time, the thought came across my mind.

‘Ah… This jerk has mysophobia.’

I turned my head awkwardly. The first thing that I saw was Kaichen’s twisted face.

Ah, first impressions… goodbye.

* * *

After guiding him to a place that was embarrassing to even call a sofa, I realized that there was no tea in this house that could be given to guests.

‘There were a lot of things I had in mind, but all of them were meant to be done when I escaped time magic.’

I’ve known for a hundred years that Kaichen was going to be the first person to visit this house. I thought that if I escaped, I would tear down and fix the mansion first.

But who would have known? That as soon as the magic was broken, I’d face Kaichen.

“Uhmm.. you came to see me, right?”

I felt uncomfortable asking about something that I already knew. It was also embarrassing to stare at his face which did not hide his displeasure with suspicious eyes.

“Did you know that I would come to save you?”

While thinking about how to bring it up, Kaichen asked a question first. He didn’t even sit on the sofa. He was standing with his arms crossed and looking down at me, as if he had endured enough just by entering this unclean, filthy space.

“Yes…” I said truthfully, “ Because you’re the only great wizard I know.”

“… Do you know that forbidden magic has manifested in this place?”

“Oh… yes, that’s right.”

The sofa darkened with the rain water dripping from the body. Coldness grazed her body, calling for a hot bath right away, but now was not the time. I couldn’t deny that I looked like a wet mouse, but it was the same with Kaichen in front of me.

“How much do you know about time magic?” Kaichen didn’t know how to beat around the bush.

“I don’t know anything,” I replied.

“Are you the medium of time magic that Acrab was stuck in?” 

I laughed awkwardly at the direct question. “Seems like it!”