After a while, my mood began to improve. I then directed my gaze to the right corner of the table. There, Chrono-V stood upright, glowing softly beneath the magical lighting I had placed directly above the table.

A cube, white as snow, its surface traced with perfectly symmetrical black lines. At a glance, it seemed simple—elegant, even. But beneath that pristine exterior lay a hidden mechanism, a fusion of intricate magic and advanced technology—one I would never allow anyone to discover. Not even my own family.

This is my secret project. A project I have hidden from the world. A device to see the past. Not for nostalgia, nor to uncover trivial things.

No!

I created Chrono-V for a single purpose: to reveal the truth that has long been buried by time. For that, it requires extremely precise data. Without it, it is nothing more than a useless block of metal.

It has been more than three years since this project began, and I have yet to perfect it. Every time one problem is resolved, another emerges. Every time I think I am close to success, failure greets me once more.

In the records I have compiled over these past three years, Chrono-V’s success rate has not even reached 50% of all the experiments I have conducted.

Of course, seeing that harsh reality, I felt frustrated, so much so that I even considered abandoning the project altogether. But even so, I uncovered one crucial piece of information: the further back in time you try to see, the greater the price you must pay.

Even so, that was exactly where the appeal lay. The greater the challenge before me, the stronger my resolve to overcome it. I shifted my chair closer to the cube, my fingertips brushing against its surface... It felt warm against my skin. Its magic was still active.

I had deliberately left it that way. I wanted to see what would happen inside after yesterday’s experiment, which could be said to have been half a success, and half a failure.

The result? Aside from the warmth, I could feel strange vibrations from within it.

These vibrations… they must be coming from the main gear and its supporting mechanisms. "I see, leaving it active after the experiment actually caused damage to the gears, huh?" I murmured.

As I slowly lifted it, I noticed several small cracks along its underside.

This…

The moment I saw them, memories of yesterday’s experiment came rushing back

“I admit I pushed it too far yesterday. But… I didn’t expect it to have such an impact.” I continued, “Alright, my dear. Let’s fix you today.”

I opened one of the drawers on the table and took out a small gear made from Minirre Crystal—my own creation. Every tooth and curve was perfect, precise down to the smallest micron. It took three days just to perfect a single gear like this.

I opened its interior. One by one, I replaced the damaged parts. I bound them back together using binding magic. The cracked outer surface was also replaced with a new one. My hands moved swiftly, yet with utmost care. Every movement was the result of hundreds of relentless repetitions.

Once everything had been replaced, I pressed the top of the cube, right at the center of the circle. The lid opened, revealing a small chamber inside. I used the light from the ceiling to check if any liquid remained. And… it was empty.

I immediately opened the adjacent drawer—a special compartment for liquid materials. From it, I took a small, narrow-necked bottle, then raised it toward the light hanging from the ceiling above the table. The liquid inside resembled water, but was far thicker. When I tilted it, it rolled like slime, reflecting a soft, crystalline glow. This solution is called Elurine. It is my own creation, and it serves to reinforce and stabilize the flow of magic within this device. It took dozens of failures before I was able to perfect it.

Its base material comes from the root of T’lurea, which only grows in the Mistwood of Tarax, in the eastern part of Horsa Village, mixed with Mirell Crystal extract and a single drop of Garuda blood. The result is this transparent, viscous liquid.

I poured an entire bottle of Elurine into the opening at the center of the cube. Slowly, a faint purple light began to glow from within. It pulsed gently, as though its heart had begun to beat once more.

“Good, the response is just as quick as yesterday.”

After that, I channeled magic into my eyes to see the invisible flow of runes across the surface of the cube. And... yes, just as I expected, this part was the same as well.

Without wasting time, I began repairing the disrupted rune pathways. My fingers moved quickly, carving the rune lines back into place across the cube’s surface, which had twisted out of alignment like tangled threads. This part demanded absolute focus. But to be honest, it was the most irritating part. A single mistake could result in something fatal.

One by one, I restored the runes. I realigned their paths and clarified the flow of magic within them. Once the outer runes were complete, it was time for the internal structure. This had to be recalibrated to prevent magical interference upon activation. If it failed, the device could very well explode.

I took the magical magnifying glasses hanging before me, put them on, and adjusted the visor to 500x magnification. Then to 1000. Then increased it three more times in increments of 500. I synchronized the internal flow of magic with the rune pathways on the surface, forming a stable magical resonance. At the same time, I added a special layer of security within it—just in case someone tried to steal it, tamper with it, or use it.

Time seemed to pass unbearably slowly.

One hour…
Two hours…
Three hours…

It took hours to complete this part, so long that my shoulders began to ache from remaining in the same position for so long.

“Finally… everything is aligned into a single flow.”

I closed the cube, then slowly channeled a small amount of magical energy to manifest a magic circle for data input. I examined it carefully, and… found no issues. After that, I deactivated the device to ensure there were no internal disruptions. The result… Chrono-V fell silent without any complications.

Today, my primary focus was to repair it, refine its design, and add a new security system so that not just anyone could activate it. Because if Chrono-V were ever discovered by the outside world, people would surely resort to any means necessary to obtain this cube—perhaps even to the point of igniting a war.

Once the repairs were complete, I decided to inspect it once more from the beginning, just in case there were minor errors I had overlooked that could endanger tomorrow’s experiment.

I channeled my magic into it once again to activate it. The gears inside began to turn slowly. A few seconds later, a purple light started to glow—pulsing gently and softly. As the gears accelerated, signaling that Chrono-V was fully active, the light stabilized.

The cube began to levitate. The magic circle for data input reappeared above it. But I had no intention of entering any data. I simply held it, closed my eyes, and focused on the sensation in my hands—searching for vibrations, signals, any irregularities.

Ten seconds…
Twenty seconds…
Thirty seconds…

“No issues… good…” I murmured.

I felt nothing. No vibrations, no irregularities. All the gears within Chrono-V moved smoothly, almost without sound, like the calm flow of water.

After confirming that nothing unusual had appeared, I deactivated the data input magic circle while keeping Chrono-V’s core system active. I held the white cube close to my ear. Once again, I closed my eyes to better focus on my hearing. I wanted to make sure there were no strange sounds coming from within.

Ten seconds…
Twenty seconds…
Thirty seconds…

“This one… is the same…” I murmured.

Just like before, I heard nothing. No abnormal frequencies—everything was functioning as it should. I then proceeded to the final inspection, the most tedious part: the rune flow. I let Chrono-V float once more, then opened it to examine its interior. I adjusted my magnifying glasses again to inspect the deepest layers of runes one by one.

“Alright… everything is fine…”

“This part is perfect as well…”

“The middle layer… functioning properly.”

“The lowest layer… also fine…”

“The rune flow beneath the security spell shows no issues either…”

I removed my glasses and observed the rune flow on the surface—the outermost layer. And… there were no problems.

I let out a long breath of relief and said, “Thank goodness… no issues.”

I closed it and deactivated the magical system within. Chrono-V returned to its dormant state. I also checked the opening for the Elurine fluid—it still had plenty remaining.

“Hmm… you could say… this is perfect."

Realizing everything had gone smoothly until the very end, I let my body collapse into the chair. I had reached my limit. My muscles felt like rubber that had lost its elasticity. I rubbed my eyes—my vision trembling from forcing them to focus on such tiny runes for too long.

“Finally… it’s done…”

With sluggish movements, I lifted my hand to reach for the teacup on the table. As I tried to take a sip, my lips felt nothing but air entering my mouth. I frowned. “Hmm?! It’s empty…? Ah, right, I drank it while working. Ugh, I’m too lazy to go out and make another one.”

I was… truly too lazy to move right now. Even lifting myself from this chair felt like a burden, let alone walking to the front. For a moment, I considered asking Teddy-B to make me some tea, but… they would definitely do it carelessly, and the taste would never match my own blend.

I sighed, clicking my tongue softly. “What a pain.”

There was no other choice but to go and make it myself. I stood up reluctantly, walking just as sluggishly. I really had no energy left, fixing that problematic cube had drained me dry. I made my way out toward the counter. Once there, I immediately opened the box of Simona Tea powder on the table and began preparing a cup, hoping it would revive my exhausted body.

But suddenly—

*DING!*

The small bell at the door rang.

The moment I heard it, all the fatigue, drowsiness, and laziness within me instantly transformed into surging irritation.

Seriously?! Right now?! I’m dead tired, even my vision is still trembling. And now?! In this condition, I have to serve a customer?! Seriously?!

Wow, perfect! Just perfect! The sweet and adorable image I’ve worked so hard to build is about to crumble in an instant. Out of all the times… why does it have to be now, when I’m like this?!

Even my hand trembled as I held back my frustration. But, a moment later, my body slackened—I let it go. Complaining wouldn’t change anything anyway.

“Haaah… fine. Whatever happens, happens. After I serve this customer, I’m closing the shop,” I muttered softly.

I forced myself to smile—the sweetest smile I could carve onto my exhausted face. Then I glanced toward the door.

“…Hmm…?”

I maintained my smile, though my eyes widened slightly in surprise. There, at the doorway, stood four figures cloaked in black robes, adorned with neatly embroidered golden patterns. Three of them were massive—if I had to guess, over three meters tall. Thankfully, my shop was spacious, with a ceiling over five meters high.

As for the last one… he or she appeared normal, around 170 to 180 centimeters tall. I couldn’t sense any energy from that figure at all—unlike the three towering ones behind, who radiated an overwhelming, dense, dark aura.

That one felt like… an ordinary human?

Although I was suspicious—given their appearance resembled that of criminals—I never judged someone by appearances alone. I maintained my sweet smile and spoke politely.

“Seems like you’re new to Horsa. Is there something I can help you with, dear customers?”

They remained silent. Not a single answer.

Eh~ why are you all just standing there? Please, don’t make me scared.

The one who appeared human began walking toward me. When he was only a few steps away, he stopped. Then, slowly and calmly, he raised both hands and removed the hood covering his face.

The moment the hood came off…