Time Healer Ceres

Seeing far more participants than she’d expected, Ceres kept wondering if there was some way to quietly slip away. Unfortunately, when her name was finally called, she had no choice but to step forward.

At least the crowd’s attention had already scattered. When Princess Nailia stepped up, anticipation had been running high. But after failure after failure, people were starting to lose interest and leave.

Of course.

Did they really think the owner of a Tamer Relic would show up that easily? She heard the neighboring kingdom hadn’t found one in over ten years.

Somehow, she doubted this bracelet will be any different.

“Please place your hand in the water.”

At the pope’s instruction, Ceres rolled up her sleeve and lowered her hand into the clear spring.

Oddly enough, even though the water didn’t seem deep, the bracelet the pope had tossed in earlier was nowhere in sight, as if it had melted into the water itself.

So, how long am I supposed to keep my hand in here?

About five minutes like everyone else? Honestly, it feels like she could pull it out right now...

Bzzzzz...

“...Huh?”

“Look over there!”

“That’s...!”

Fwoooosh!

No, wait. This can’t be right!

The spring, which was calm just moments ago, suddenly began to tremble with a low hum.

Then, a brilliant light burst from the water without warning. It was so bright that Ceres had to squeeze her eyes shut.

She wanted to yank her hand out immediately, but she couldn’t. Some powerful force had latched onto her hand and refused to let go.

Flash!

As soon as the light vanished, Ceres was finally able to pull her hand free. Looking down at her wrist, she laughed in disbelief.

Are you sure you picked the right person?

A silver bracelet now encircled her wrist. It was the Tamer Relic itself. Embedded in the once plain band was a single green gemstone.

Something inside the gem swirled and flickered like it was alive. Seeing it, Ceres could no longer deny that she had become the owner of the Tamer Relic.

It’s exactly like the family head’s ring.

The red gem containing Jubelios, the King of Fire Spirits, had flickered the same way, as though it were alive.

“Th-The owner of the Tamer Relic...!”

“That young lady...!”

The people who were left speechless by the brilliant light slowly came back to their senses. Their mouths remained hanging open as they stared at Ceres, who had withdrawn her hand from the spring with the bracelet now around her wrist.

“T-The relic has chosen its owner.”

Even the pope, standing closest to her, couldn’t hide his surprise. Before long, he offered Ceres a warm smile of congratulations.

“What power did you receive?”

At the pope’s question, Ceres glanced down at the bracelet. The instant it had clasped itself around her wrist, a single name had surfaced in her mind.

“Airien.”

When she spoke the name, a warm breeze swept through the area. The breeze was completely out of place in the middle of winter.

Fwoooosh!

“—!”

The crowd’s eyes widened even further. The bare trees surrounding the spring were changing before their eyes.

“The flowers...”

It wasn’t just the trees. The yellowed grass turned green, and flowers of every kind burst from the earth, covering the area in blossoms.

While everyone stood mesmerized by the sight, Ceres could only think one thing about her newly acquired power.

Should I open a flower shop?

***

“Lady Drow, I’d love to invite you to our estate sometime.”

“Miss Ceres! My daughter attends the academy with you. She speaks very highly of you.”

“I had the pleasure of meeting Baron Drow once.”

As more and more people gathered around her, Ceres found herself weighing her options.

Should I use the teleportation scroll Cheion gave me and get out of here?

She fought back the urge to open the subspace and continued walking. She reminded herself that magic was forbidden inside the temple.

Maybe I should’ve brought Kai after all.

If he were here, things wouldn’t have been this chaotic. Then again, she never imagined she’d end up becoming the owner of the Tamer Relic.

In fact, she’d specifically stopped Kainel from coming with her.

“Don’t come.”

“Why?”

“Because if you’re there, there’s no way I can keep a low profile. I’m planning to get through today without attracting attention, so don’t follow me under any circumstances.”

“.....”

Despite the very dissatisfied look on his face, she’d left him behind and come alone.

Well, this fuss should die down soon enough.

The Imperial Family already decided to keep the Tamer Relic and its owner out of the public eye as much as possible.

Until they understood exactly what it could do, they couldn’t risk attracting the attention of foreign nations eager to get their hands on it. They’d make sure everyone here kept their mouths shut.

“Here.”

Dodging the people trying to strike up conversations with her, Ceres made her way over to Princess Nailia. Then, she held out the bracelet.

The Tamer Relic might have chosen her, but the bracelet had belonged to Nailia from the start. If all went well, she could hand it back and quietly slip away.

“It’s not mine anymore. The bracelet chose you.”

Of course, it had been wishful thinking on her part. Once a Tamer Relic chose an owner, it was nothing more than a piece of metal to everyone else.

Still, this felt like a different situation.

“You said it was your mother’s keepsake.”

You weren’t supposed to give away something like that.

“It’s a Tamer Relic before it’s a keepsake.”

Nailia showed no hesitation as she pushed the bracelet back instead of taking it.

“The imperial family has no intention of allowing the owner to reject it.”

Crown Prince Aseraian, who had remained silent until now, spoke up.

With both royals refusing to budge, Ceres had no choice but to put the bracelet back on.

What a pain.

She looked down at the bracelet with all the enthusiasm of someone who’d just inherited something troublesome.

“Well, then.”

After giving Nailia and Aseraian a brief nod, Ceres turned around.

“...?”

Aseraian blinked.

“Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“...Home?”

“Is there something else?”

For a moment, Aseraian looked genuinely surprised. Then he laughed.

“No.”

“Then I’ll be leaving.”

Ceres gave another nod and promptly headed off before anyone could stop her. A chuckle escaped Aseraian as he watched her go.

She really isn’t happy about this.

A relic had finally found its owner after all this time, yet she seemed neither excited nor moved by it. If anything, she looked inconvenienced.

“You said she’s in your class, right?”

“.....”

Nailia’s brow twitched.

“Why do you ask?”

“Am I not allowed ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) to be curious?”

Aseraian smiled, his eyes curving pleasantly. Watching him, Nailia clicked her tongue.

Everyone described the Crown Prince as kind, capable, and generous.

But...

She knew better than anyone that her eldest brother was nothing like the image he presented to the public.

Then again, everyone in this family is the same.

Polished on the surface, impossible to figure out underneath.

Well...

There was one exception.

“She’s one of my people, so stay away from her.”

“One of your people?”

“You know I hate it when people meddle with those under my care.”

Unfortunately, Nailia wasn’t one of the exceptions.

After delivering the warning in an icy tone, she turned on her heel and walked away. Aseraian watched her leave with a faint smile.

“Seems our family has a habit of liking the same people.”

Then, remembering that he was here as the imperial family’s representative, he headed toward the crowd to bring the event to a close.

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