I dont know the exact date, but I think its been over a hundred years. I answered without trying to withhold my smile.

It seemed he didnt like my answer. He sighed. I dont want to joke around. You may not be happy with this situation, nor am I. Please cooperate properly so we both can be done with this as soon as possible.

But Im cooperating wholeheartedly.

Then, please dont joke.

About what?

About the time. It doesnt need to be exact, but can you at least give me a rough estimate of how long it has been?

Kaichen had assumed that I was joking. Seeing him so flustered in a serious situation made me laugh even more. Its true! I am not joking. It has been roughly over a hundred years. I used to count the days when I was trapped in here, eagerly waiting for you for someone to come break the magic.

Do you mean that you have been confined here for a hundred years?

Yes! But it has been barely a day since the magic has been broken. Less than a day has passed in the original novel. Only a few hours, to be exact, not even half a day. But a full day had passed for me. I had checked the newspaper to be sure before I met with Angel. I knew that the passage of time here was different, but it had still shocked me.

Forbidden magic is maintained by the mental strength of the medium. Are you saying that you the medium, have been here for a hundred years?

Yes! I am not lying. I am telling I worked really hard to break it, but nothing worked. When I put my hands together as if I was asking him to believe me, Kaichens eyebrows twitched. He glanced at me for a brief moment in disbelief, then turned his head. He glanced around the room, into the air, and fell deep in thought as he pressed his hands on his temples.

I stared at him. He was so handsome that it was difficult to keep my mouth shut. It was fun teasing him. The fact that my body reacts strangely to him makes me think that Dalia and Kaichen must have shared a past. That was very troublesome.

I wanted to become an apprentice to Kaichen by actively cooperating like this. Being his apprentice would give me access to Julius, the protagonist of the novel. Even if that wasnt possible, I could be of help to Julius by helping his close friend, Kaichen.

I hoped that Julius would prosper and become an emperor as soon as possible. The novel can then be completed wholly, and I can live a simple, prosperous life after that. I had it all planned out, so it was important for me to be in Kaichens good graces, for which I needed to cooperate.

Unfortunately, I dont have Dalias memory. That was indeed unfortunate. Usually, people would have the memories of the body they possess. But I dont have any access to Dalias memories. I wonder if there were mistakes like mine where the possessor got a really bad body with no memory. I comforted myself in the fact that at the least I wasnt trapped in the body of a criminal soon to be executed. My life would have been short and miserable.

For now, Ill believe you, said Kaichen reluctantly. He had an indifferent face but if you looked closely, his dazzling golden eyes looked at me as though he had a lot of questions swirling in his mind. Id like to stay here for a while to investigate the matter, if you dont mind.

Why? Arent you going to your magic tower?

The magic manifested here. Theres no reason for me to go to the magic tower for now. Why?

I realized that I had it all wrong. In the original novel, Kaichen had taken Dalia to the magic tower because she had lost her mind completely. Kaichen had to use his private laboratory to get information from her. Kaichen had spent a lot of time with Dalia going back and forth between the magic tower and Acrab to get the whole information to do his research.

But, what about me now? I am sane and obediently cooperating, so there is no need to go to the magic tower. He looked unwilling to stay but he knew it was best to stay here and do his research. Perhaps he had thought a lot about it. Oh no

I licked my lower lips and bit it. It was a nervous habit of mine that I hadnt been able to get rid of. I will cooperate with your research if we do it at the magic tower.

Not everyone can enter the magic tower.

There must be a way. I cant do it here. I cant cooperate.

Werent you doing well a while ago?

I decided not to do it now.

This is not a matter that should be taken lightly. You know that its not the time to act as you please.

I did not back down. His cold words wont deter me. My heart was pounding, and my shoulders shrank as a reaction to his cold words. This time, I couldnt suppress my bodys reaction to his words, which seemed to shrink in fear.

Take it as you please, I said with determination, If you want me to cooperate to continue your Forbidden Time Magic research, please take me to the magic tower. It doesnt even have to be the tower, just out of here.