Wizard Of Cosmos

308 - I Don't Have Much Time

"Aren't you worried about that old man? Shouldn't we get rid of him?"

Amelia only brought it up once Hanna had drifted to sleep, still clinging tightly to her.

Jason didn’t look up from his papers.

"He isn't snooping around, is he?"

His hand moved smoothly, turning a page with practised ease.

The light from the magic lantern caught the fine lines of modern paper, not parchment.

A subtle sign of change.

One of many Earth-born advancements quietly seeping into Yuriel under his guidance.

Amelia brushed a soft strand of hair away from Hanna’s face, her eyes lingering on the child's peaceful expression.

"Hm. But none of your people can stop him."

Her voice was calm, but the edge beneath it was unmistakable.

Jason finally looked up and met her gaze.

"Let's wait and see," he said.

"I don't think he’ll stay long. He’s one of the Shadows. They carry out the Grand Wizards’ will. People like him don’t linger—they act."

He paused. The words that followed were slower. More thoughtful. He didn’t bother to participate in negotiations with the Brodice Kingdom after he made the decision to compromise. After all, it wasn’t like the Brodice Kingdom would stop the war. It was simply about removing the bounties on each other's heads. 

"What bothers me is why they chose to intervene now."

He leaned back slightly, fingers tapping against the wood.

"They should have let things flow naturally."

Jason knew what he was doing. He was the variable. The butterfly.

And someone out there had just tried to nudge the timeline back on track.

"Not anymore."

Amelia’s voice was low, distant—almost like she was talking to herself.

"If this keeps going... everything will explode before their planned time."

She looked up at him, eyes glinting in the dim light.

"And Pioneer is not something to be ignored."

"What is Pioneer?"

Jason’s voice carried a sharp note of curiosity, his interest clearly piqued.

"What brings you here, of course?" Amelia’s answer was calm but cryptic.

"Huh? What exactly is that?"

Jason frowned. This was the first time she’d ever mentioned it.

Amelia turned her gaze away.

"Something you're too weak to know of."

Her voice was flat, final—like a door slamming shut on further questions.

"It’s not something to be messed with."

Jason exhaled softly, the sting of her words sinking in.

"I just have to learn a few more spells to improve," he mumbled, more to himself than to her.

"That is pathetic to call powerful." Her tone sharpened.

"Unless you can maintain your mutated form, even that isn’t enough to be considered."

"Really?" Jason looked up, surprised.

It wasn’t like Amelia to explain this much. In fact, she rarely offered unsolicited insight.

But something was off.

He watched her more closely, his thoughts drifting back.

‘Wait… she’s been on edge for a while now.’

He thought back to the underground cavern raid. Since that day, Amelia had changed subtly, but clearly. More aggressive. Less tolerant.

Normally, she wouldn’t have cared about a Master Wizard watching them from the shadows.

Today, she’d suggested killing him.

And not just that. She’d let slip things—like Pioneer—things she normally wouldn’t speak of.

Jason’s expression turned thoughtful.

‘Is something troubling her? Why does it look like she’s… rushed?’

"What?"

Amelia’s eyes narrowed the moment she noticed Jason’s gaze fixed on her.

"Eh... What is bothering you?"

Jason hesitated. He knew Amelia wasn’t someone you could just read like a book, let alone question without care.

"Me? What makes you think that?"

She raised a brow, her expression unreadable—but her tone carried the kind of challenge Jason had come to dread.

It was the tone she used before an argument.

"Well... You are in a bit of a hurry..."

He chose his words carefully, but it didn’t help.

"Hurry?" Amelia’s voice snapped like a whip.

"Hurry? I am not in a hurry. I’m just worried about what would happen if I weren’t here. Who is going to take care of Hanna?" Her volume rose, and with it, the storm in her tone.

"You are so weak, and you know nothing at all."

Each word struck harder than the last. She wasn’t angry at him—at least not only at him. This was fear, bleeding into frustration, tangled with something else Jason couldn’t quite name.

"Mhm!"

A tiny, sleepy sound escaped from Hanna as she shifted in Amelia’s embrace.

The moment Hannar stirred, Amelia’s voice fell into a hushed tension—still simmering, but now under control.

Jason didn’t respond immediately. He simply stared at her, a silent question written all over his face:

‘But... I didn’t do anything....’

"But you are here... Right?"

He whispered, trying not to push her further. His voice was soft, both in reassurance and confusion.

But Amelia didn’t answer. She stared down at the sleeping Hanna for a long moment, as if grounding herself.

"Just get your things done. There are so many things you have to learn."

Her voice was low now, but it trembled slightly, as though she had just swallowed something too heavy to say aloud.

"You have to become strong as fast as possible."

Jason didn’t speak again. But now, he knew for certain.

Something was bothering her.

"I can improve much faster if I can get these eyes off me."

Jason’s voice was low, but firm, tinged with the weight of hidden frustration.

He wasn’t just talking about pressure. He meant the players.

There were too many of them. Watching. Recording. Reporting.

And worst of all, they didn’t even know what they were looking at.

He had secrets, dangerous secrets. Things that didn’t belong on livestreams or message boards or clipped into flashy reels back on Earth. As long as the players had unfiltered access to Light Shone, those secrets were at risk of leaking. If anything slipped, his life outside this world would never be safe again.

Even here—in this otherworld he had begun to call home—he couldn’t breathe freely.

But he had a plan.

All he had to do was trigger the war.

And the current developments? They were moving faster than expected. Jason could feel it—the flames were close to catching.

Once the war began, Light Shone would have the perfect reason to lock its gates. Foreigners would be expelled, neutral zones reclassified, and territories sealed. That meant the players would be pushed out. Their cameras, their chatter, their curious eyes—gone.

"Then get it done."

Amelia’s whisper floated to him like the dying embers of a fading fire.

She didn’t look at him this time. She just held Hanna closer, eyes distant.

"I don't have much time." The words slipped from her lips so softly, they never reached Jason's ears.

But the ache in her chest? That was something only she could feel.