Book 1 Chapter 1022

1022.

Leo made a slightly surprised expression at Chloe's question.

“I thought it might be, but it’s true?”

Chloe, her face filled with astonishment, gazed at the magic circle Leo was drawing.

A moment later.

Chloe’s face lit up.

It was an unknown magic she had never seen before.

But within the magic formula, she saw herself.

With just that, countless possibilities came to Chloe’s mind.

Those possibilities were originally imaginations close to delusions.

But the existence of the magic before her eyes turned those delusions into possibilities.

The essence of a magician is the exploration of the unknown.

And Chloe, who was closer to an essential magician than anyone else, couldn't help but be excited upon seeing the magic circle before her.

“Leo! Hurry and draw the rest! Hurry!”

She wanted to see the completed magic more than she wondered how this magic could exist in the current time period.

Swept by such an impulse, Chloe urged Leo.

At her reaction, Leo began to finish drawing the magic circle.

Chloe, who had been sitting opposite him, came and sat right next to Leo.

With her eyes unblinking and her full attention on the magic circle, Chloe soon leaned her face even closer to the paper once the magic circle was complete.

Naturally, her body pressed against Leo's, but she seemed too excited to notice such a thing.

“Wow!”

Chloe gasped in admiration and beamed.

Chloe's eyes were usually bright.

But at this moment, they sparkled to an incomparable degree.

Her blue eyes resembled sapphires.

At her expression, Leo lifted the paper with the magic circle drawn on it.

So engrossed, Chloe, as if possessed, only turned her head and followed the magic circle with her eyes.

‘Sometimes, when I see her, her reason gets excessively paralyzed because of magic.’

Chloe was a very smart person, even in Leo's eyes.

But sometimes, like now, she would become strangely clueless.

Leo handed the paper with the magic circle drawn on it to Chloe.

“Here, take a good look.”

“Thank you! Ah?”

Chloe, who had eagerly received the paper Leo handed her and smiled brightly, suddenly froze.

It was because she belatedly realized that she was too close to Leo.

Around them, Seiran students were whispering.

“Isn't that the student council president and vice president of Lumen?”

“See? Lumen students are so open-minded.”

“Expressing affection so passionately! It seems romantic.”

Chloe's face turned beet red upon hearing the murmurs of the elf students.

Chloe subtly moved away from Leo and returned to her original seat.

Then, *ahem-!* She cleared her throat and looked at the paper.

“This magic circle, you see.”

“You’re holding it the wrong way.”

When Leo pointed out that Chloe was looking at the side where the magic circle wasn't visible, Chloe gasped in surprise and turned the paper around.

“Ahem!”

Chloe placed the paper on the table and stared intently at it.

Her embarrassment at not knowing what to do lasted only a moment.

With a serious expression, Chloe focused on the magic circle, then picked up the pen Leo had been using.

Leo pulled out an empty notebook from his subspace and gave it to Chloe.

“Thank you.”

Chloe began to rapidly decipher the magic formula in the notebook.

Leo watched her silently.

After about thirty minutes of continuously writing something in the notebook without a break, Chloe's hand abruptly stopped.

Then she reached out, picked up a cup, and took a sip of coffee through a straw.

“Whew.”

Chloe sighed deeply and fell into thought.

“How should I describe my future self… Hmm…”

Leo smiled faintly, watching Chloe roll her eyes around, trying to define her future self.

“She seems like a pervert, doesn't she?”

“Oh, right! She seems like a perv—Leo!”

Chloe bristled, about to agree with Leo.

Leo chuckled, watching Chloe yell back with a beet-red face.

“It seems you become a great magician. Just as I expected.”

“You expected me to become a magician of this level?”

“Yes. Because you're amazing.”

At Leo's sincere words, Chloe turned her head slightly and let out a soft groan.

“But how did you know that the magic was created by your future self?”

At that, Chloe answered as if it were nothing.

“I have a pattern when I devise magic formulas. Do you remember when we fought Chuval in the past?”

“That was a memory, too.”

“Come to think of it, it was.”

Chloe let out a soft laugh.

“You created the Ice World on the spot back then.”

Chloe’s unique magic, Ice World.

Usually, unique magic is like a symbol of that magician.

Of course, if a new magic is created to replace an old unique magic, it's common for the old one to no longer be used.

However, Chloe’s unique magic, Ice World, was special.

‘It falls under the category of Grand Magic.’

There are field magics too, but this magic was in the realm of Grand Magic from the very beginning of its creation.

It’s not simply talking about the power of the magic.

Ice World was a magic that revealed Chloe’s inner world.

As such, as Chloe grew as a magician, the magic could also grow with her.

In a sense, it was magic that was like Chloe’s eternal symbol.

Whether intentionally created or not.

To complete such a level of magic, with overwhelming lack of experience and knowledge, in her first year.

And to complete that unfinished magic in such a desperate life-or-death situation was truly remarkable.

“I’ve been using my unique formula pattern from back then continuously until now. And it seems I’ll continue to use it in the future as well.”

“Oh? What kind of formula pattern is it?”

“I can’t tell you that.”

“Is it a trade secret?”

“Something like that.”

Chloe said with a faint smile.

In truth, there was nothing special about it.

It was just a simple pattern connecting formulas.

However, a secret was hidden within that formula pattern.

‘How can I tell him that if you combine it with runes, the word ‘Leo’ is completed? It’s too embarrassing.’

Chloe pouted her lips, looking at Leo.

It was a pattern created unconsciously because she was so aware of Leo at the time of Ice World’s completion.

And that time was also the biggest turning point in Chloe’s life.

‘Even if I live my whole life, nothing will impact me as much as that moment.’

For Chloe, it was a moment like a beginning.

Recalling that time, Chloe, with a shy smile, asked.

“By the way, how do you know about this magic?”

“Because there’s someone from the future.”

Leo sighed and answered Chloe, who asked about the origin of the magic.

“Perhaps… is it related to what happened yesterday?”

“Yes.”

Chloe's face grew serious.

Leo quickly scanned the notebook with Chloe's interpretation and said.

“Chloe.”

“Yes?”

“Do you want to interpret this magic formula more?”

“I’d love to.”

Chloe nodded.

A moment later.

“…”

Chloe stared blankly at the people in the room.

There were familiar faces.

Elena and Lunia were prime examples.

But the other two magicians made Chloe tremble.

“This is Chloe Müller, the one who will create this magic in the future.”

Leo placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder, pushed her into the room, and then closed the door, saying.

“I brought her because I thought she’d be a great help.”

Despite Chloe’s arrival, Elena and Lunia didn’t speak to her.

Instead, they glanced at her once and then immersed themselves back in the magic formula interpretation.

Chloe’s gaze turned to one side.

A beautiful elf magician.

The hero of creation she had seen so many times in textbooks, history books, and magic tomes.

Seiran was there.

But that wasn't all.

‘Luna-nim?’

Chloe gasped in astonishment as she identified the elf girl who approached her.

But Chloe wasn't given time to simply be surprised.

Luna rapidly flipped through the formula interpretation Leo had handed her.

“Huh? Stop here for a moment?”

Then she spoke a few times into the air before nodding.

A moment later, young Luna placed a hand on Chloe’s shoulder and said.

“New slaves are always welcome.”

“Pardon?”

“Go over there next to Lunia and interpret the magic formula with her.”

At that, Chloe, without understanding why, sat next to Lunia.

“Lunia, what exactly are you doing?”

At that, Lunia, who had been interpreting formulas to the point her head felt like it would break all morning, said with a haggard face.

“I’m creating magic that goes to the past.”

Chloe’s eyes widened.

“Why would Future Chloe create such magic to torment her senior?”

At that moment, Elena, who was sitting opposite, looked at Chloe and said.

Chloe thought for a moment, then replied.

“Well… isn’t it because it’s possible?”

Elena’s eyes narrowed.

Chloe avoided Elena’s gaze.

“The one who misuses magic is bad, not Chloe.”

Lunia, unable to watch any longer, intervened.

Elena sighed and said.

“By the way, why isn’t Leo participating in this work?”

“Luna-nim told him to cool his head because he’d been interpreting formulas all night.”

Elena sighed.

Listening to the conversation, Chloe looked around the room.

Past and present.

Magicians with the greatest magic talent were being overworked.

‘Magic that goes to the past.’

A strange excitement gripped her.

Elena, without even glancing at Chloe, said.

“Chloe.”

“Yes?”

“You’re enjoying this situation, aren’t you?”

“…”

“Our junior is really a pervert.”

“Ah, no!”

***

Leo, having even roped in Chloe, headed to the dining hall to eat.

‘I didn’t originally intend to make a big deal out of it.’

He asked just in case, and Chloe realized.

If so, there was no reason not to use her.

‘I should eat and then join them.’

Thinking so, Leo entered the dining hall.

“Oh! Leo-nim!”

At that moment, a bright voice was heard.

It was none other than Eiran.

Lena was sitting in front of Eiran, who was waving her hand.

“Join us, everyone!”

Leo nodded at Eiran’s words and went to sit down.

“Speaking of which, Eiran, there was something I wanted to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Do you know about your ancestor named Annelie?”

“Of course, I do! She was the former head of the Ersar family who was active in the same era as Seiran-nim.”

As expected of Eiran, who loved hero stories, she was well-versed in her family’s history.

Leo thought for a moment at her answer, then said.

“Then, by any chance. Did that elf named Annelie have a child with a Lumen?”

“Pardon?”

Eiran’s eyes widened at the sudden question.

Lena also had a similar expression to Eiran.

“I’ve never heard such a story.”

Eiran shook her head.

It was then, as Leo was tilting his head at her answer.

“Oh?”

Lena looked out the window, her eyes wide.

Leo and Eiran also turned their heads, following her gaze.

And their eyes widened.

The northern continent is always struck by severe cold.

In winter, that cold becomes even harsher.

When Leo entered the dining hall, there was snow piled outside.

But now, there was no snow at all outside the window.

“What… is this?”

As Eiran made a bewildered expression.

“This year seems quite cold for winter.”

“Yeah. Will it snow this year?”

“They say the eastern continent is always frozen land.”

Unusual conversations were heard from the dining hall.

Leo’s eyes twitched as he heard the Seiran students’ conversation.

At that, Leo rose from his seat and approached the two students.

“I want to ask something. The eastern continent is frozen land?”

At his question, the elf students, who appeared to be first-years, made strange expressions.

“Pardon? The frozen land is our northern region.”

“What?”

“Leo-nim! The window!”

At Eiran’s words, Leo looked out the window.

Outside the window, it had already changed back to a snowy landscape.

Seeing that, Leo narrowed his eyes.

There was only one answer to this mysterious phenomenon.

‘Did the fragment of Erebus that went to the past start influencing the past?’