Time Healer Ceres

But when Kainel glanced and met Ceres’s sharp gaze, he quietly straightened up.

“...All right. I get it.”

Stop glaring. You’re scaring me...

“Hold up the paddle. Don’t put it down.”

“......?”

...Don’t put it down? Ceres gave Kainel a puzzled look, then raised the paddle again.

“2 million!”

The enormous bid came out of nowhere.

“T-Two million! Bidder number thirteen, 2 million!”

...He’s insane.

Ceres stared at Kainel in disbelief.

Why would you raise it that much all at once? You could’ve gone up little by little!

“3 million!”

“3.1 million!”

“3.2 million!”

But before the auctioneer could even finish, three people immediately started raising the bid, their voices ringing through the auction hall one after another.

That voice...?

Ceres instinctively looked toward the bidders who had just called out their amounts. The voices of the three people sitting huddled together were familiar.

After spotting the identical purple and silver rings on their fingers, she immediately knew.

...What are you three doing here?

They were none other than Duchess Elkein, Duke Nora, and Duke Schweiss. Even without the rings, Ceres would’ve recognized them.

“.......! T-Three point two million!”

“5 million.”

“—!”

Had Kainel recognized them too? He looked toward the three dukes with a sly smile and immediately raised the bid again.

“Gasp!”

“F-Five million...!”

“Good heavens...”

The staggering five-million bid drew gasps from all around the auction hall. Had an amount this large ever been bid here before?

“5.1 million!”

“5.2 million!”

“5.3 million!”

The three dukes immediately raised their bids as well. They were no longer paying any attention to the auctioneer. All three were staring straight at Kainel, their eyes fierce even behind their masks.

Shouldn’t someone stop this?

Even Ceres could feel that the atmosphere around the three dukes had changed. There was a murderous intent in the way they looked at Kainel.

“6 million.”

Kainel only smiled wider and called out another bid, seemingly determined to make them even angrier.

Whoosh!

Flash!

In an instant, powerful gusts of wind and streams of water erupted around Kainel. The floor seemed to tremble beneath them. Strangely, Ceres, who was standing right behind him, wasn’t affected at all.

“They attacked first, so I can fight back too, right?”

Kainel had blocked every attack with a wall of ice. His smile deepened.

“Hey, what are you doing? You can’t start fighting here—”

Crack!

Before Ceres could finish, a barrage of ice shards shot toward the three dukes. As if they had been waiting for this moment, Duchess Elkein and Duke Schweiss rose from their seats and unleashed their full power.

“Haa.”

This is a disaster.

Ceres pressed her fingers to her forehead, already feeling a headache coming on. She wondered how she was going to stop this.

“I don’t know who you are, but let’s move over there so you don’t get hurt, my lady.”

“What?”

A familiar voice suddenly came from beside her. Duke Nora had somehow slipped over to her, still wearing his half-mask as he flashed her a pleasant smile.

Ceres stared at him in disbelief. He was obviously pretending not to recognize her. She could only sigh.

“I’m just trying to buy that ring for my daughter! Who the hell does that b*stard think he is, getting in my way?”

“That guy.”

“The one in the robe? He looks shady as hell!”

There was no way Duchess Elkein and Duke Schweiss failed to recognize Kainel just because he was wearing a robe, but they took the opportunity to go after him with all they had.

They certainly were living up to their reputation as members of the ‘Ceres Appreciation Society.’

The three dukes had discovered this illegal auction house while investigating Marquis Merial. Once they learned that it was one of the Marquis’s sources of funding, they came here with the intention of shutting it down.

Then they happened to spot Ceres. A robe was hardly enough to hide her from them. They’d recognize Ceres anywhere.

So throughout the auction, they kept an eye on her, wondering if she was uncomfortable and what had brought her here.

Then Ceres showed interest in the ring being auctioned. At that moment, all three had the exact same thought.

We have to win that ring for Ceres...

But then, that annoying b*stard had to interfere!

Crash!

Since destroying the place had been their goal from the start, the two dukes had no hesitation about using their full power.

They had no reason to worry about anyone else in the auction house. Everyone here was going to be arrested and thrown in prison. The slaves being sold had likely already been rescued by their men waiting outside and taken to safety.

There was only one person here they needed to protect.

Protect Ceres well.

Don’t worry.

With Ceres in Duke Nora’s care, the other two turned their full attention to Kainel. They attacked him without restraint, taking the opportunity to vent their pent-up frustration and tear the auction house apart.

“Aaah!”

“W-What is happening?!”

“Those people...!”

The auction house descended into chaos in an instant. As water, wind, and ice whipped through the hall, everyone started running for the exit.

“10 million.”

“......?”

Just then, a low voice reached Ceres’s ears. She turned to find a man standing there with half his face hidden behind a mask, smiling faintly.

Is today some kind of special occasion? Why is everyone here?

Ceres couldn’t help but laugh helplessly. That laid-back voice, that impossibly beautiful smile... There was no way she could mistake him.

Why is he here too?

It was Crown Prince Aseraian. There was no doubt about it.

“Kyaaa!”

“Aaah!”

“It’s collapsing!”

Thud, thud.

While everyone else fled toward the entrance, Crown Prince Aseraian leisurely walked over to the auctioneer and snatched the contract from his hands.

Thump.

“10 million gold.”

“Y-Yes?”

The auctioneer had been cowering in fear, unable to escape the ice shards flying around him. He could only stare blankly as Aseraian placed a pouch of money on the floor.

“Of course, the state will be taking this money back soon enough.”

Still holding the contract, Aseraian chuckled and walked over to Ceres. Tilting his head, he asked with genuine curiosity,

“Do you like the boy, or is it the ring you want? It’s definitely not because his magic. You already have Cheion, after all.”

What is he talking about? Why is Cheion suddenly coming up?

Aseraian seemed to have recognized Ceres’s identity as well. She clicked her tongue and glared at the contract in his hand.

Am I really going to lose Arti’s ring like this?

How was she supposed to get it back?

That’s Arti’s ring. It shouldn’t just end up with some random person. Should she just pretend she didn’t see anything and snatch it back? If anyone asks later, she’d just deny it was her.

“Since flowers were never your thing, I wonder if you’ll like this gift.”

“......?”

Ceres, who was weighing whether she should simply take Arti’s ring back, was surprised when Aseraian suddenly held out the contract to her, a smile still playing on his lips.

...He’s just giving it to me? Why?

“Five minutes.”

“...Five minutes?”

Five minutes until what?

“If you don’t want any trouble, you should leave now. The imperial soldiers will be here soon.”

Aseraian had known for some time that this illegal auction house was connected to Marquis Merial. He only left it alone because he wanted to see what the Marquis was up to.

But when he heard that Ceres, whom he had been watching closely, had gone to the auction house, he decided it was time to make his move.

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