Time Healer Ceres

“He found them?”

“Yes.”

“......”

Duchess Elkein was speechless at the news Duke Nora had brought. She frowned deeply before letting out a long sigh.

“Is this really something we should be happy about?”

They had finally discovered the culprit even if it was much later than expected. The death of Ren, Duke Schweiss’s younger brother, had affected all of them in many ways.

That was when it started.

When they saw that young boy return as a corpse, they all came to the same realization: anyone close to them could suffer the same fate. That was why they had made it seem like they had cut ties with Ceres’s parents. They couldn’t bear the thought of their friends dying because of them.

Even their decision to take in the children after losing their two friends was influenced by Ren’s death. In the end, they chose to watch over the children from a distance while quietly helping them whenever they could.

However, that choice only brought the children more pain.

Everything had begun with Ren’s death. And now, they had finally found the people responsible for it.

“He’s probably half out of his mind by now.”

“Not completely losing himself is actually very like him.”

They had known Duke Schweiss for a long time, so they understood him better than most. They knew how much he had loved his younger brother and how desperately he had wanted to find the person who took him away.

“I heard our Ceres helped him find the culprit.”

“Really?”

The two, who were wearing grim expressions moments before, immediately looked toward Ceres with sparkling eyes. They looked like they wanted to pat her on the head and give her a “well done” stamp.

“I heard you had a magic potion?”

“Oh?”

...It wasn’t a magic potion. It was just water.

Ceres, who was quietly sipping her tea, smiled awkwardly and avoided their gazes.

Ah, my conscience... When did you come back? Why are you suddenly poking at me like this? I thought you’d run away for good.

It was an ordinary day, no different from any other. After finishing her academy classes and stopping by Kainel’s place, Ceres found the two dukes already waiting in the drawing room and enjoying their tea. They came so often that Butler Colin and the rest of the staff had grown used to their visits.

At first, everyone were so tense that they acted like members of the imperial family had arrived.

“It was something a friend I knew long ago gave me. It worked surprisingly well.”

“They sound like an incredible friend. I’d love to meet them someday.”

“They’re dead.”

“Excuse me?”

“They died a very long time ago.”

“Ah.....”

...There was no need to look at me with such a pitiful expression.

That person had died three hundred years ago, after all.

Ceres gave another awkward smile. Noticing her discomfort, the two dukes kindly chose not to bring up the matter again and returned to their tea.

“But dear.”

“Yes?”

After taking a sip of tea, Duchess Elkein’s eyes sparkled. She looked just like a child who had discovered something fascinating.

“Who’s that?”

“Indeed.”

Duke Nora also looked in the same direction with a curious smile.

“......?”

...That?

Feeling a strange sense of unease, Ceres slowly lowered her gaze. A long sigh immediately escaped her lips.

[Buu?]

At some point, Sooty had slipped out of the shadows and was making his way toward the table. There was no doubt about what he was after.

The cake.

I told him to stay in my room.

Ceres had warned him several times to stay hidden while guests were around and not cause any trouble.

[Buu!]

He even confidently raised his paw and promised he understood.

You little menace!

You shouldn’t have answered so confidently in the first place.

Ceres picked Sooty up and tapped his nose in reprimand.

[Bbu!]

Sooty protested, asking why she was hitting him. Ceres gave him another tap before placing him on the table. Since things already came to this, she would have to give the two of them a simple explanation.

“He’s a creature who lives with me.”

“Could it be...”

“...a dragon?”

The two carefully examined Sooty and asked in hesitant voices. The more they looked at him, the more he resembled the dragons they had seen in old books. Of course, since he was only the size of a palm, believing him to be one of those legendary creatures was a little... no, a lot of a stretch.

“I don’t think so. Maybe.”

“......”

“......”

...Dear, what was that uncertain answer?

The two looked at Ceres with uneasy expressions.

“A friend of mine left him with me. He’s not dangerous, so please don’t worry.”

[Buu?]

Dangerous? Who? Me?

Sooty stared at Ceres, his eyes filled with disbelief. But his attention quickly returned to the cake.

Chomp!

Before long, Sooty threw himself onto the cake placed in front of the two dukes and started devouring it.

...Why is it always me who ends up feeling embarrassed?

Unable to watch any longer, Ceres covered her eyes with one hand.

“What a strange appetite. It eats cake?”

“Could it be a monster?”

The two dukes looked at Sooty with even more fascination. They had never seen a creature like this before. It wasn’t a carnivore or a herbivore, but a creature that ate cake.

Tap tap tap!

Smack!

[Bbuuuu!]

But then, something appeared to save Ceres from her embarrassment. A small rabbit came rushing over and delivered a swift kick.

[Ppi!]

Airien even saluted Ceres as if saying she would handle it. Then, she grabbed the fallen Sooty and dragged him away, disappearing from the spot in an instant.

“......”

“......”

The two dukes stared blankly at the two little creatures.

“Come to think of it...”

“Hm?”

Ceres quickly changed the subject before their attention could remain on Sooty. Explaining him would mean bringing up Artia, and that would eventually force her to reveal lies about herself.

Besides, there was something I wanted to ask them.

Ceres looked at the two of them.

“Uncle, Auntie. I heard you both ordered medicine from House Ellesia.”

At her question, the two dukes immediately avoided her gaze, their eyes shifting away for the first time.

“It’s good medicine.”

“It’s well known for being incredibly effective.”

The excuses came one after another.

“I heard you offered more than twenty times the original price.”

“It’s worth that much.”

“Exactly! We could’ve paid thirty times more.”

...No wonder they’re friends.

How can all three of them answer in exactly the same way?

Not long ago, Ceres received another message from Herion. After Duke Schweiss’s household, the other two ducal families also placed medicine orders one after another.

Just like Duke Schweiss, the other two dukes ordered the medicine after learning that the medicine sold by the Ellesia family was connected to Ceres.

“Please buy it at the regular price.”

“Come on, that’s not fair. It’s medicine made by our Ceres.”

“Buying it for that little would be an insult to the medicine.”

“We could’ve paid forty times more, too.”

“Of course.”

“Of course.”

...Why is everyone around me rich enough to throw money around except me?

Seeing that the two refused to listen to her at all, Ceres sighed inwardly. All three of them really seemed to have no sense of money whatsoever.

Come to think of it, I used to be the same.

It was enough to make her reflect on herself. Perhaps this was how her disciple had felt while watching her back then.

Well, setting the medicine aside...

Ceres nodded as she remembered another matter related to the three of them. It was something she needed to take care of first.

I wonder if my aunt is doing well.

***

CRASH!

A loud crash echoed from Marquis Merial’s study. The servants passing by outside flinched and quickly moved away from the area.

“Mirror was discovered?”

After slamming his hand onto the desk, Marquis Merial muttered in disbelief, his hands trembling.

A report just arrived moments ago. The assassination guild Mirror, which had secretly carried out his orders for years, had been destroyed.

An entire guild vanished from the world in a single day.

“How could he...?”

The person who destroyed Mirror was none other than Duke Schweiss. The moment he heard that, Marquis Merial felt a chill run down his spine.

He felt as though Duke Schweiss could appear before him at any moment, bringing death with him. The sight of his own head and the heads of everyone in his household being cut off flashed before his eyes.

“Twenty years have passed...”

There was only one reason Duke Schweiss could have targeted Mirror. He must have found out the truth about his younger brother’s kidnapping and murder.

What troubled Marquis Merial the most was how Duke Schweiss uncovered the truth. For more than twenty years, they failed to find even a single clue.

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