Time Healer Ceres

Chapter 50: Our Big Brother?

“Heyna Ross. Death sentence. Carry it out immediately.”

“Ah... noooo!”

Swift and decisive. That was the only way to describe it.

After being recaptured as a murderer, child kidnapper, and fugitive, Heyna was put on trial soon after. Her execution followed almost immediately. There was no proper interrogation. Fearing she might escape again, they took her straight to the execution grounds.

In the square before a crowd of onlookers, Heyna stood before the guillotine, trembling despite having killed countless people.

The sight only fueled the crowd’s hatred. How could someone who had killed others as easily as crushing bugs be so terrified of her own death?

Stones flew at her from every direction. Once it became known that she was also responsible for spreading the epidemic, the people’s anger reached its peak.

How many lives had she taken? People had lost their children and their parents. Beloved family members had died without ever receiving proper treatment.

“I... don’t want to...!”

I don’t want to die like this!

Heyna thrashed wildly, doing everything she could to avoid being dragged toward the guillotine. The executioner showed her no mercy as he hauled her forward and forced her to her knees. She hurriedly looked around.

“Ah...!”

Then, just as despair was about to consume her, a glimmer of hope appeared in her eyes. She had spotted the person she had been waiting for in the distance.

Lord Veilks!

It was him! He finally came! He must have come to save her!

Just like back then...

Just as he had reached out to her when she was imprisoned before, she was certain he would save her again.

That was why she never mentioned Veilks even once during her trial. As long as he was safe, she still had a small chance of surviving.

Lord Veilks! Please save me!

Whoosh!

“...Huh?”

But her hopes were crushed in an instant. When Veilks met her eyes, he simply gave her a faint smile before turning away.

“Why... why...?”

Heyna stared at him in disbelief, her mouth hanging open. He coldly turned his back on her as if she no longer mattered.

Is he abandoning me?!

The realization sent another tremor through her body. Her last hope was gone.

I... I’m really going to die like this...? Just like that...? For nothing...?

“Ve—”

“Carry out the execution!”

“Aaaaaah!”

Her desperate cry for Veilks was swallowed by the roar of the crowd filling the square.

“No!”

She struggled and screamed to stay alive until the very end, but eventually, the executioner dragged her forward and forced her neck beneath the blade.

“Noooo!”

Slice.

“Aaaaaah!”

Heyna, the wicked woman who had killed countless children, finally met her end amid the furious stares and cheers of the crowd.

***

“We need to make sure those responsible for this incident are held accountable.”

“Agreed.”

With the situation surrounding Saintess Yuness somewhat settled, meetings were held at the Imperial Palace day after day.

Many people had died from the epidemic, and public outrage was growing over the Temple’s decision to make the very woman who spread it into a saintess.

“We have no intention of avoiding responsibility.”

“However, how do you plan to take responsibility for allowing a criminal to escape from prison?”

“Exactly. If the criminal were properly guarded, none of this would’ve happened.”

“We’re not trying to deny our own mistakes. We’re simply saying that we should take a closer look at who was truly responsible from the beginning.”

The Temple had a point of its own. They argued that the real problem was that a murderer had been allowed to escape from prison in the first place, adding fuel to the already heated public outrage. Neither side was willing to back down.

The tense standoff continued.

“Failing to recognize the criminal was certainly the Temple’s fault...”

Marquis Merial also sided with those demanding that the Temple take full responsibility. It was such a sudden change of attitude that it was hard to believe he was the same man who, until recently, had been the most vocal in praising the Saintess.

“Um...”

Yet, Merial found himself uncomfortable speaking up during the meeting. He was used to the three dukes picking fights with him at every opportunity and glaring at him menacingly. He had long since learned to let it slide.

But...

What is that supposed to be?

Today, there was one more person among the three.

Why is she here?

The daughter of Baron Drow, owner of the Tamer Relic and the person who had played the biggest role in exposing the truth behind the epidemic and the fake Saintess. Right now, she was staring intently at him.

“......”

“...Ahem.”

She wasn’t looking at him with the same hostility as the three dukes. Even so, Merial couldn’t help but feel conscious of her gaze. There was something about the Baron’s daughter’s indifferent stare that made him feel an inexplicable pressure.

Why is she staring at me like that?

He had never even properly spoken to her before. Was she trying to pick a fight with him simply because she was close to the three dukes?

Their eyes met again.

“Do you happen to know anything about the black egg?”

The question came out of nowhere.

“What?”

Merial’s brow furrowed at Ceres’s sudden question.

“...A black egg?”

Why was she asking him about that all of a sudden?

“You don’t know?”

“What is it?”

Marquis Merial was irritated by the exchange, but he kept his temper in check and tried to play along. He needed to know why she was acting like this toward him.

“Well, I’m asking because I don’t know either.”

Ceres had deliberately asked the question in front of so many people. She wanted to see how Merial would react.

He really doesn’t know.

From his reaction, it seemed he truly knew nothing about the black egg. Then why did Yuness... no, Heyna reacted that way when Merial’s name came up? There must be some connection.

“Are you... making a fool of me right now?!”

Merial was stunned when he realized Ceres had been testing him.

“How dare you—”

His voice rose. She might be the owner of the Tamer Relic, but for a mere baron’s daughter to toy with a marquis was beyond unacceptable.

“Did you just raise your voice at my daughter?”

“—!”

But once again, Merial couldn’t finish what he was saying. Duke Schweiss, who had spent the entire meeting silently watching him, finally spoke.

“Oh, come now. He surely didn’t mean to raise his voice.”

As always, Duke Nora quickly tried to smooth things over in his gentle tone. But...

“He’s not foolish enough to throw his life away, right?”

His gaze was no less cold as he stared at Merial. It was the first time Merial had ever seen the smile disappear completely from Duke Nora’s face.

“Leave him. I want to see what he does.”

Duchess Elkein was just as threatening. A dark killing intent lurked beneath the smile curling at the corners of her lips.

It was as if the three dukes had been holding back all this time. Now, they looked ready to turn on Marquis Merial at any moment.

How dare you raise your voice at our daughter?

“Heyna seemed to know you, Marquis.”

Ceres’s calm voice cut through the tension, easing the murderous atmosphere surrounding the three dukes.

“What...?!”

Her matter-of-fact words left Merial visibly shaken.

Everyone already knew that Ceres had deliberately allowed herself to be kidnapped by Heyna to gather information.

How the fake Saintess had used divine power, what had caused the epidemic, and what kind of power was contained in Heyna’s bracelet... Ceres was the one who uncovered it all.

And now, she just said something like that!

It was enough to make anyone suspect that Merial and Heyna were in league with each other.

“I must have gotten the wrong idea.”

“You...”

Merial’s blood boiled as Ceres casually took back her words, but with the three dukes watching him sharply, he couldn’t afford to lose his temper again.

Then, another thought suddenly struck him.

Could it be...?!

Was that b*stard Veilks behind this?!

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!