Time Healer Ceres

In the end, unable to figure out what to do, Herion dropped her head onto the table, looking utterly miserable.

Whenever she was struggling, there was always one person she thought of. The one who had always reached out a hand and found a solution.

Still... I can’t rely on her every time.

Sniffling, Herion returned to her research on the herbs. She tried to pull herself together, but with no end in sight, her thoughts kept drifting back to the same person.

“Ugh... What am I supposed to do?”

“Start over. From the beginning.”

“—!”

A familiar voice suddenly came from behind her. Herion spun around, her eyes widening. A bright smile soon lit up her face.

“Lady Ceres!”

***

“Urgh...”

“Hey. Where do you think you’re going?”

Duchess Elkein, who had been keeping watch over Duke Schweiss, frowned when she saw him trying to get out of bed. As the blanket slipped down, his blackened right arm came into view.

It’s worse than I’d heard.

She had only been here for a few days, but even she could tell the blackened area was spreading.

“Why are you getting up in that state?”

“Haa... haa... The communication orb.”

“...You moron.”

Now? You’re looking for the communication orb now?!

“Give it to me... Ngh... Move.”

“Haa.”

When Duke Schweiss stubbornly tried to sit up, Duchess Elkein let out a long sigh. She picked up the communication orb beside the bed and handed it to him.

She knew why he was looking for it, even in this [N O V E L I G H T] condition.

I don’t like seeing Ceres worry about me either, but... is that really what you’re worried about right now?!

Should she just knock him out?

While Duchess Elkein seriously considered it, she finally connected the communication orb.

“Uncle.”

“Yeah.”

The moment Ceres’s voice came through the orb, Duke Schweiss drew a deep breath before answering in an even tone, as though he weren’t in pain at all.

“You damn lunatic.”

He really was something else.

Duchess Elkein clicked her tongue, but when Duke Schweiss shot her a cold glare telling her to keep quiet, she fell silent and scoffed.

“Is everything all right?”

“Everything’s fine. Nothing to worry about.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Then... if I came over right now, you’d be happy to see me, right?”

“What?”

Click.

“You said nothing was wrong.”

“—!”

The words came from the doorway. Duke Schweiss slowly lifted his head, his eyes widening as he watched someone step inside.

“...Ceres.”

“......”

A heavy sigh escaped Ceres as she saw Duke Schweiss barely able to sit up against the headboard.

He’s been contacting me like this every time?

“.....”

Remembering how Duke Schweiss always spoke to her calmly, never letting on that he was in pain, Ceres let out another long sigh. She tried to calm the emotion welling up inside her.

“How did you...?”

“Sorry.”

At the sound of the familiar voice, Duke Schweiss turned toward the entrance again. A long sigh escaped him when he saw Duke Nora standing there, waving with an awkward smile.

He already had a pretty good idea of what happened. Nora must have told Ceres everything in the end, despite being repeatedly told to keep it a secret.

“Let me see your wound.”

“No. You don’t need to worry about... Ngh...”

“Just lie down first.”

Seeing that Duke Schweiss no longer had the strength to sit up, Ceres hurried over and eased him back onto the bed.

The color...

Ceres examined the wound and clicked her tongue. What poison does this?

Fever, discoloration, the way it was spreading... The wound was showing all kinds of symptoms associated with monster poisons.

“Uncle, get some rest for now.”

“Alright.”

As he tried to answer as casually as possible, Ceres gave his hand a firm squeeze, then immediately left the room.

***

“Ah... So this is what Stow’s poison does.”

“That’s right.”

“Then the Katura fruit...”

On that very day, Ceres had Herion go over the treatments she’d tried so far. She filled in the gaps and began working with her to find an antidote.

I could just turn back time, but...

Turning back time was definitely the quickest and easiest way to cure Duke Schweiss. It would solve everything in an instant.

The problem is...

Could she fool all three dukes if she used her power?

It would be like the last epidemic, when she’d cured everyone and claimed it was the power of the Tamer Relic...

Would they believe me?

They were far more experienced and perceptive than ordinary people. Could she really fool all three of them?

Uncle’s life is on the line.

If things came to it, she’d use her power without hesitation. Whatever happened afterward, saving him had to come first.

Of course, she’d have to explain eventually where this power had suddenly come from and when she’d gained it.

I’m terrible at acting, though. I’m not exactly good at making excuses.

Haa.

For now, the best option was to make the antidote in time.

But there’s another problem.

She could neutralize any other poison, but—

“Damn Arkt.”

“What is that?”

“It’s a damn monster that’s practically made of poison.”

Arkt was an S-rank monster found in the Black Forest. The monster itself wasn’t particularly strong, but its poison was deadly. The problem was that a certain herb was essential for making an antidote.

“Eskella.”

“Eskella? What’s that?”

Herion tilted her head at the unfamiliar name.

“A medicinal herb.”

It was essential for treating Arkt’s poison, but it was incredibly rare. Even when she was Grace, she’d only seen it once.

A silvery flower with a soft glow. She’d once tried to create a substitute, but she’d never managed it.

What do I do? Do I really have to turn back time?

She needed to explain to them, somehow, how she suddenly gained this ability...

Tap, tap-tap.

“......?”

Just then, a strange sound caught Ceres’s attention. She turned toward it, her eyes widening slightly.

“What is that?”

...A puppy?

A tiny white puppy stood by the window, something clutched in its mouth as it tapped on the glass with its front paws.

How did it even get up here?

Herion’s herb room was on the third floor.

...Wait. What’s that in its mouth?

No way...

Ceres jumped to her feet and hurried to the window, opening it at once. The puppy immediately hopped inside, as if it had been waiting for her.

Thump.

It dropped whatever it had been carrying at Ceres’s feet.

A silvery flower was glowing softly.

“...Eskella.”

It was the very herb she’d been searching for. Ceres stared at the white puppy in bewilderment.

[......]

Its blue eyes shone brightly against its white fur. The puppy gazed back at her without a word.

Wag, wag.

Its tail, however, was going nonstop.

“Who are you?”

Thump.

At Ceres’s question, the puppy nudged the Eskella flower toward her with its front paw, as though telling her it had come to deliver it. Then it sat back down and wagged its tail enthusiastically.

“......”

The puppy stared up at her, waiting for praise. Ceres sighed softly and reached down to stroke its head. The puppy leaned into her hand, rubbing its face against her palm.

Haa... I think I’m about to end up with another animal.

Am I going to have to build an animal pen at this rate?

Ceres let out another long sigh.

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