I'm Going Through Time to Meet You
Chapter 3

“Here you go, Eleanor.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Eleanor took the tea that Lily brought and sipped it, trying to push down the unease rising within her.

Everything’s too perfect. Too clean. The mercenary said this place was the best, so it must be fine. If not, too late to turn back now.

She’d already paid the deposit and could not back out now. When she had requested the fake ID, no better option had come to mind.

For now, though, she savored the warmth spreading through her hand from the cup. With a soft sigh, a languid smile appeared on Eleanor’s lips.

Tap, tap, tap, tap.

Some time later, the sound of footsteps coming down the hall, regular and steady, suddenly halted near Eleanor. People came and went through the hall often enough that Eleanor didn’t bother to open her eyes. She simply sank deeper into the chair, going over her lunch option after she registered for the exam at the Academy.

“Who’s this?”

If not for the low, masculine voice, Eleanor would’ve continued debating between beef stew and fried fish with roasted potatoes. But the man had stopped walking and asked, and his question was clearly directed at her. There was no one in the hall but Lily and Eleanor.

“A client, Master. She made a request concerning A-12.”

A strange sense of unease crept in as Eleanor opened her eyes slightly. Lily’s voice sounded tense, almost fearful—or, at the very least, highly nervous.

What’s going on?

Eleanor slowly raised her head, like prey sensing danger, her body tensing in case she needed to flee at a moment’s notice.

Blink.

Her eyelids fluttered as her icy blue eyes trembled slightly. Eleanor quickly sized up the man before her—jet-black hair, sharp black eyes. He was looking directly at her, too.

With a slight frown, he spoke again. “A-12?”

His gaze was firmly fixed on Eleanor.

Can’t back down now.

She didn’t break eye contact either, shrugging as if to say she had nothing to hide. She knew exactly what the alphanumeric code referred to—the fake ID she had requested.

Eleanor frantically searched her memory. What did that mercenary say again?

As soon as Eleanor had traveled back in time, the first thing she did was check the Academy’s registration deadline. And she had despaired. There wasn’t much time left until the deadline. It was the worst situation—too much to do and not enough time.

So, without hesitation, she had walked into the first tavern she could find, bought a drink for a mercenary, and asked him where to get a fake ID. The one-eyed man had grinned and given her an address. That was all.

She was surprised when she first came to the address. It was too large, too bright, and located on a bustling street—hardly what she imagined for an illegal operation. But Eleanor had no time to look for a shadier-looking place. She had thought she might as well take a chance, but perhaps that had been a mistake.

Maybe I should’ve found something more back-alley.

Eleanor regretted her decision for a moment under the man’s gaze. But there was no time.

Besides—

I’ve already given them the down payment.

There was no turning back. She cleared her throat and stood up.

“I’m the client who requested that A-12 or whatever it’s called. Is there a problem?”

A fake ID was obviously illegal, but they were the ones who had agreed to do it for money. Eleanor stood tall with her shoulders back.

Since Lily had referred to him as “Master,” it was clear he wasn’t here to arrest her. So there was no reason to be intimidated.

You agreed to do the job. Deal with it, Eleanor’s expression said.

“Problem? Of course not.”

The man’s face softened into a smile, but it only deepened Eleanor’s unease. A quick change of attitude was rarely a good sign. People like him were the most dangerous.

“Then, can I have my item now? Lily, it’s already noon—where is it?”

“Ah, well...”

Instead of handing it over, Lily looked nervously at the man, as if to say the decision was his. Sensing the odd tension, Eleanor held back a sigh and glanced back at him. He was still there, standing in the same place, staring at her like she was some kind of rare specimen.

That stare got on her nerves. She had never been one to back down from a challenge, and this was no exception. Eleanor smirked as arrogantly as she could and said, “I’ll pay the rest, so I assume it’s fine if I take it now? Master, was it?”

“Hah!” The man let out a small laugh at the way she addressed him, but he didn’t correct her. He nodded instead.

Finally, Eleanor got what she had come for—the fake ID she had been so anxious to get her hands on.

It was fake, yes, but still...

Better than nothing.

As she checked the imperial seal engraved on the round gemstone of the ID, Eleanor paid the rest of the fee. Without looking back, she left the building. She had to extinguish the most pressing fire for now and deal with whatever trouble came later.

“Did you check who she was?” the man asked, looking toward the closed door. The image of her was imprinted in his mind—the way her carrot-colored hair fluttered in the winter breeze as she left. Her curls reminded him of someone.

Lily answered, sounding regretful. “We couldn’t identify her. But she didn’t seem like a spy. If anything—”

“Sloppy.”

“Yes, should we investigate further?”

“Please do. And check if there’s any connection to the Kerion family.”

The Kerion family? A hint of confusion passed over Lily’s face. The woman’s hair did resemble someone from that noble house, but still why would a relative of the Kerions want a fake ID? It didn’t quite make sense.

But she didn’t question him. He had to have his reasons.

And so, within just three days of arriving in the past, Eleanor made a mistake she could not undo—forgetting the simple truth that one had to enter the shady underbellies of the world with great caution.

***

Eleanor’s mistake was inevitable. She was twenty this year. Having traveled back twenty-four years, Eleanor was in a world before she was born. To make matters worse, the empire wasn’t even her homeland. It would have been more surprising if she hadn’t made any mistakes.

She was well aware of this fact. In an attempt to minimize errors, she had collected every book related to the empire from twenty years ago that she could find. Yet, no matter how much effort she put in, there were limits to what could be done. It’s often said that experiencing something firsthand is worth more than reading about it a hundred times. It was a miracle that she wasn’t arrested by imperial soldiers before she got her fake ID.

“Registration, registration!”

Today was also the last day to submit her application to the Academy. Missing this chance would mean waiting another year, so Eleanor was naturally frantic. The clerk, who was about to take her lunch break, sat back down at the counter when she saw Eleanor dashing toward her.

Looks like she barely managed to scrape together the tuition, the clerk thought, clicking her tongue soundlessly. There were always one or two students like her every year who scrambled at the last minute to gather enough money to register.

The clerk’s heart softened slightly at the sight of Eleanor and offered a small, sympathetic smile.

“Please place your ID, registration fee, and application form here.”

The clerk’s gentle tone was pleasant to hear. If Eleanor had a little more time, she would have returned the smile and complained about how short the registration period was.

However—

“Oof… Just… give me a second… oof…”

There was no time for grumbling or smiling for Eleanor, the only duchess of Antre and the pride of the kingdom, who was presently clinging to the counter, gasping to catch her breath in the most undignified manner.

If her old friend the young king had seen her, he would have clicked his tongue, no doubt. He might have even mock her for rushing when the application was due at five in the evening.

But Eleanor couldn’t help but make a fool of herself. The empire twenty-four years ago was an entirely unfamiliar place for Eleanor. Everywhere she looked, nothing seemed familiar—not a single object or person. This constant tension left her more frantic than usual.

“Phew... Wow, I’m sorry. I really need to register this semester. If you knew how far I ran to get here, you’d be shocked.”

In twenty-four years, a tram would run through the central streets, but without it now, navigating through this town was a nightmare. All that time she’d spent memorizing the empire’s map seemed entirely useless.

As she caught her breath, Eleanor flashed the clerk a slightly strained smile, her hand hastily rummaging through her pockets for the required documents.

“Ah, here’s the application, the registration fee, and my ID.”

The freshly issued, still-warm fake ID sparkled, looking far too new.

Eleanor stared nervously at the overly pristine card.

She won’t notice, will she?

Contrary to her concerns, the clerk didn’t even glance at the ID, simply taking the documents and the fee into a small basket behind the counter.

“Everyone seems to be registering today,” the clerk said, as she scanned the ID into the system and reviewed the paperwork.

Noticing the clerk’s chummy tone, Eleanor asked in all seriousness, “Are there really that many applicants this semester?”

“This is a secret, but more students are expected to fail the first exam this year than last. Oh, are you applying to the magic department?”

“Yes. I’m interested in that field.”