Time Healer Ceres

Well, I suppose it doesn’t matter.

No one seemed to care much about the identities of those around them. Once they had entered this place, they were all accomplices in one way or another.

“Then, let us begin the first auction.”

A moment later, the auctioneer announced the start of the auction. Everyone turned their attention to the stage.

“The first item up for auction is...”

As he spoke, a person bound from head to toe was brought onto the stage. The auctioneer had called it an item, yet a person was what they had brought out.

It was a boy who looked to be in his early teens, with delicate and feminine features. More people followed one after another.

In the Empire, buying and selling slaves or people was prohibited by law. But forbidden things only made people more eager, and so the illegal trade of people continued all the same.

Men, women, even young children...

“.....”

Standing quietly behind Kainel as his attendant, Ceres clenched her hands.

The sight of a little girl who looked to be about seven years old reminded Ceres of Julia. As the bidding climbed higher, the crease between her brows deepened.

“Shall I turn this place upside down?”

Kainel’s low voice reached her. He glanced back at her, as though waiting for her word.

“...No.”

Ceres sighed and shook her head. They hadn’t come here to cause a scene. They were here to learn more about Marquis Merial.

What was being sold here? Could they find any clue as to who was backing Marquis Merial? Those were the questions she wanted answered.

Of course, cutting off one of the Marquis’s sources of funding wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.

That would certainly get a reaction. He might try to find a new source of funding, or perhaps track down whoever had cut him off.

Well, maybe turning the place upside down wouldn’t be so bad after all.

If they stormed into the office now and took all the documents they could find, they might uncover something useful.

Still, Ceres decided to wait and see what else came up. She wanted to know what exactly was being bought and sold here.

They can’t only be selling people, can they?

Just as Ceres had expected, the auction picked up once the slave auction ended. Gemstones, sculptures, and paintings worthy of national treasures were brought out one after another. They were sold for sums far beyond what ordinary people could ever imagine.

“The next item is one you’ve all been waiting for. It is...”

The auctioneer drew out his words, deliberately building the anticipation.

“A Tamer Relic!”

“Ooh!”

“It’s finally here.”

...What?

Ceres could hardly believe her ears.

Did they really just say Tamer Relic? They’re actually auctioning one?

A necklace set with a blue gemstone was brought onto the stage. The crowd murmured in amazement at the revelation that it wasn’t an ordinary necklace, but a Tamer Relic.

They can actually sell something like that?

Tamer Relics were strictly regulated by the country. They weren’t something that could be traded privately.

Not just the Empire, but every nation on the continent was actively searching for Tamer Relics. It was even said that a single Tamer Relic could change the balance of power between nations.

Naturally, anyone caught illegally possessing an unregistered Tamer Relic faced severe punishment.

“Haha.”

Ceres let out a disbelieving laugh. Fine, they could buy a Tamer Relic illegally if they wanted, but...

How are they going to verify it?

Finding its owner was one thing, but authenticating a Tamer Relic required the holy spring water in the Temple.

And they’d have to report it to the Imperial Family to use that.

Which defeated the whole purpose of a secret transaction.

Of course, there are exceptions.

They were extremely rare, but some Tamer Relics possessed such a strong will that they chose their own master. In those cases, there was no need for the holy spring water. The relic could form a contract with its chosen master on its own.

But that almost never happens.

Normally, the Temple’s assistance was essential.

So what are they planning to do?

Were they buying it just to display it in their homes?

If not...

Ceres’s expression turned cold.

Does that mean the Temple is involved?

Ceres clicked her tongue. Could someone within the Temple be secretly giving the people here access to the holy spring? The thought crossed her mind. Otherwise, there was no point in buying a Tamer Relic at all.

“Yes, we have 200,000 gold. 250,000? Yes, 250,000...”

The Tamer Relic’s starting price was on an entirely different level from the items that came before it. The attendants’ numbered paddles kept rising and falling, while the bids continued to climb higher and higher without end.

“Now, for the final item.”

After countless items had been sold, the final one was brought out.

The word final immediately caught everyone’s attention. After all, the best item was always saved for last.

Whirr.

Part of the stage lowered with the help of a magic mechanism, then slowly rose again.

A person?

Was this another slave auction?

A boy who looked to be about ten years old stood on the stage, his head bowed as he stared at the floor. His blank expression caught Ceres’s attention, though she likely wouldn’t have noticed it if the stage hadn’t been raised.

“For this auction, I’d like everyone to take a good look at the ring the boy is wearing.”

A ring?

At the auctioneer’s words, Ceres looked at the ring on the boy’s finger. Her eyes widened.

“That’s...”

It was something she knew far too well.

“This is the ring of the legendary Archmage Artia!”

It was the ring Arti always wore.

Why is that here...?!

“I’m going to give this ring to someone who can inherit all my abilities.”

“All your abilities?”

“Yeah! The fact that you can even wear this ring proves you have an extraordinary talent for magic.”

“What did you do to the ring this time?”

“Hehe, something pretty incredible. I made it so most people can’t even touch it. If you can wear it, you’ll become my apprentice!”

“...Is there really anyone who can do that?”

“If not, then so be it.”

Artia had told her that he had enchanted the black-gemmed ring so that only someone exceptionally talented could wear it.

That ring should be in the Magic Tower...

So why was it here? Ceres’s grip tightened around the bidding paddle.

Arti’s things are being passed around like this? And in an illegal auction house, of all places?

“They say only someone with immense magic talent can wear this ring. No one has been able to claim it for a long time. But look! This child is wearing it!”

“Ooh!”

“Then that child...”

“They have what it takes to become an Archmage!”

The crowd erupted. If the auctioneer was telling the truth, buying the child meant owning someone with the potential to become an Archmage.

“That’s right. The child has already signed a blood contract. So you won’t have to worry about them running away or turning on you later.”

A blood contract.

These contracts were sold through the black market. Once someone sealed one with their blood, they could never act against its terms. Breaking the contract meant paying with their life. It was essentially a curse that bound the soul, making the contract impossible to break.

So even if the child eventually became an Archmage, they would have no way to escape or act freely as long as the contract remained.

“We’ll start the bidding at 100,000 gold! Number 13, 100,000.”

Before the auctioneer had even finished, someone thrust a bidding paddle into the air. When he called out “Number 13,” Kainel turned around and found Ceres holding hers up as high as she could. His brow creased slightly.

“Why the hell would I pay for that idiot’s things?”

Kainel clearly found the idea of paying money for something that belonged to Artia absurd. His displeasure was plain to see.

“Shut up.”

“.......”

“I’m not letting anyone else walk away with Arti’s ring.”

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