~Chapter 02~
“Oh, no way. This can’t be real. Yeah, maybe it’s just a dream.”
Slap! I smacked my cheek hard right then and there. It hurt. Then I pinched my other cheek. That hurt, too. I pinched my hand, thigh—anywhere—and pain followed every time.
“Haha, it hurts? It hurts? Why does it hurt?”
The child in front of me blinked with wide eyes.
“Uh, unni…?”
“Or is this a hallucination?”
Just to be sure, I reached out and touched the child’s face. A warm, soft cheek fit perfectly in my palm.
“Ooh, squishy…”
It’s real! She’s real!
As I stood there, silently panicking, the little girl stared at me and then placed her tiny hand on my cheek.
She smiled brightly.
“Hehe, unni’s cheek is squishy too!”
Half in a state of panic, I was forced to face the awful truth.
This is probably…
I summoned my past self…
“Nyaaaaagh!”
The moment I realized it, a scream burst from my throat.
Some time later.
‘Haha…’
I finally accepted the situation.
‘I’m screwed.’
The time-reversal magic I attempted with all my might had failed. And not just a small failure—an absolute disaster.
‘I was trying to go back in time, not summon my younger self!’
This kind of outcome wasn’t part of the plan at all.
Whether it succeeded or failed, I had prepared thoroughly to erase any traces of the forbidden spell.
I disrupted the surrounding mana flow and even intentionally damaged part of the spell formula so the caster couldn’t be identified.
‘But now, there’s physical evidence just standing here!’
What would happen next was obvious.
Tampering with the timeline is taboo among mages. Once this comes to light, the royal court will immediately fire me. The Mage Association will expel me, and all the rivals who’ve been waiting for a chance to take me down will come swarming like dogs.
The worst of all is the Dawn Tower.
Mages who break taboos have their mana cores destroyed, so they can never use magic again. That means my rival, Aska, will get the honor of personally crushing my core.
In short, I’m totally screwed.
“Um, unni? The headmaster’s probably looking for me. She gets worried if I’m late…”
Snapped out of my thoughts by the voice, I looked down. Little Relshiz was gazing up at me with innocent eyes.
‘Right. I just need to send her back. If I can return her exactly to her original timeline, everything will be fine, right?’
But how?
A chill ran down my spine.
Right—I have no idea how to send Little Relshiz back. How could I have expected her to pop out like that?
“Uh, just… stay right there, okay? Don’t go anywhere.”
I turned to dig through my files, desperately looking for any clue on how to fix this.
Ding-dong.
The doorbell rang upstairs.
“…Huh?”
Both I and Little Relshiz froze in place.
It felt like a cold wind blew through the room, making every hair on my body stand up.
Something’s wrong. Really wrong.
And, just as I feared—
“Rel, it’s me.”
A voice came through the magic intercom connected to the front door.
I froze in shock.
It’s him.
‘Aska Willovis!’
Magic shall guide us to the dawn.
Under the great vision of its founder, Rosanak, the Dawn Tower stood at the very center of the magic age, basking in unmatched prosperity.
But where there is moonlight, there are always shadows.
The mages of the Dawn Tower had to endure an intense workload— so intense that even the highest-ranking mages weren’t spared.
“What’s the point of fame if I’m drowning in work?”
Jared, the personal aide to the Tower Master, muttered tiredly as he flung open a door.
“Aska-nim!”
Inside the neat office stood a man. Sunlight streamed through the curtains and poured over his silver hair.
“There’s an unusual reading from the timeline monitor…”
Jared stopped mid-report and just stared at the man.
Aska Willovis, head of the Dawn Tower, was as breathtaking in appearance as he was powerful in magic.
His pale violet eyes were especially striking— a rare shade like the sky just before sunrise.
No wonder his nickname was “The White Rose of Dawn.”
He could enchant anyone, regardless of age or gender.
Even the famously picky Royal Theatre troupe was rumored to be obsessed with him. People still found it strange that someone with a face like his didn’t have a lover.
“Aska-nim, I—”
“Jason, what is it?”
“There was a strange reaction in the time-line monitor… I need you to review the report.
Also, my name is actually—”
Jared paused before correcting his name.
He suddenly noticed Aska picking up his coat from the hanger.
“You’re leaving already?”
“Yeah. I just solved the problem I’ve been stuck on.”
Jerrod noticed that Aska was in a surprisingly good mood.
“What’s the problem you solved?”
Could it be… one of the seven greatest magical mysteries?
Jerrod looked at him with hopeful eyes, but the answer was unexpected.
“Hmm, just a security barrier around a mage’s house?”
“…Excuse me?”
Jerrod blinked at the absurd response while Aska finished getting ready.
He looked like someone heading out for a date—neat and polished.
“Do I look weird?”
“No, you look great.”
“Really?”
A faint smile curved on Aska’s lips.
It was rare to see such an expression on his usually expressionless face.
Jerrod suddenly realized something.
“Wait… Are you going to see Lady Relshiz?”
The Tower Master didn’t deny it.
Jerrod sighed inwardly. What a devil.
“Isn’t she currently under house arrest?”
Relshiz Baltain, the unfortunate royal mage, had been placed on probation after getting involved in an incident not long ago.
Something about a fight in the middle of the royal palace.
But really, that wasn’t anything new.
She was a sharp-edged stone, always causing trouble.
To the high-nosed royals and nobles, commoner-born Relshiz was nothing but an eyesore.
Lately, there were even rumors she’d be dismissed soon due to lack of results.
In short, she was not in a good place.
For the Master of the Dawn Tower to visit her now… it was like poking a volcano.
“That’s exactly why I should go. She must be bored.”
“Uh… I think she’d hate that though…”
Aska’s smile deepened, and Jerrod wisely stopped talking.
“I’ll deal with your report tomorrow, Jeremy. I’m heading out now, just so you know.”
“W-Wait…!”
Before Jerrod could say anything to stop him, Aska’s body vanished like scattering petals.
It was a high-level spell no one else in the tower could hope to imitate.
“…So jealous. Leaving work on time…”
Jerrod’s eyes welled up as he stood there alone.
Goosebumps ran all over my body.
Why? Why? Why him, of all people?!
There was no mistake.
That annoying voice definitely belonged to Aska Willovis.
Why the hell is he here?!
Did he find out?
Already? That fast?!
“Ugh, forget it. Just hide!”
“Huh? What’s going on? Why are you—mmph!”
I quickly covered little Relshiz’s mouth and looked around for a place to hide her.
But the basement was full of dangerous items for a child. There were magical tools everywhere, all within reach.
There was no safe place to put her.
“Mmph! Mmmph!”
The kid struggled with her mouth covered.
“Shiz, just a sec—Ow! Don’t bite!”
I decided to call my past self “Shiz” for short. It was easier that way.
“Shiz, please, can you hide in a room for a bit?”
She gave me a confused look, like, “Why?”
“This is hide-and-seek, okay? You can’t let the seeker find you. If you do, the punishment is really bad.”
Like… minimum jail time kind of punishment.
Suddenly, her eyes sparkled.
“Sounds fun!”
I could read her innocent thoughts like an open book.
“So you have to hide until I say it’s safe. If you get caught, we’re in serious trouble!”
She nodded.
I didn’t trust her much, but this wasn’t the time to argue.
I picked her up and quickly left the basement.
“Phew!”
Shiz gasped for air as we reached the second floor.
I opened the door to an empty guest room.
“Stay here until the seeker leaves, okay? Stay super quiet. Even if the sky falls, stay quiet!”
“If the sky falls, wouldn’t it be Boom instead of Shh?”
“It means don’t make a sound!”
I left Shiz hidden and ran downstairs to the front door.
The doorbell was still ringing nonstop.
He was disturbingly persistent.
I don’t want to open the door!
Should I just pretend I’m not home?
Maybe he’d go away?
Ding dong. Ding dong.
Nope. He wasn’t leaving.
He’d stand out there all night if he had to.
He might even break the door down. That wouldn’t be hard for him.
As I approached the door, the bell finally stopped—maybe he had heard me coming.
Hoo. I exhaled quietly.
Then, I slowly opened the door.
Through the gap, a striking face appeared.
Calm, silver hair.
Eyes with a cold glow.
A perfectly blank expression.
“…Aska Willovis.”
He bent slightly to meet my eyes.
“It’s been a while, Rell.”
He whispered in his cool, calm voice.
