Time Healer Ceres

“N-No...”

...This is awkward.

Good grief. Of all people, she had to speak politely to Kainel? It felt uncomfortable.

After clicking her tongue inwardly, Ceres turned to bring out the stew.

She ladled the stew into a bowl and carried it out herself.

“I’ll do it, my lady.”

“It’s fine.”

Jay reached out, saying she would take it, but Ceres just shook her head.

Will I ever get another chance like this?

A chance to see him from this close.

Probably not.

She didn’t know why he had come here, but while she still could, she wanted to look at him at least once more up close.

Clack.

“Please enjoy your meal.”

As she placed the bowl in front of Kainel, he quietly stared at the food.

What is it? What are you looking for? Is something wrong?

Ah.

Could it be...

“Don’t leave the bell peppers.”

“Hey, what are you picking out?”

“Bell peppers.”

“...I chopped them so fine they’re like grains of sand now. But you can still see them?”

“I can.”

“Just eat them.”

“No. I won’t.”

“Fine. Starting tomorrow, everything I make will have bell peppers.”

“G-Grace? That... I don’t have to eat it too, right?”

“Of course you do, Artia. Do you think Grace would only give it to me and not you? Idiot.”

“Damn it! Who do you think this is all because of? Why are you so proud of yourself, you moron?”

Since childhood, Kainel had particularly hated bell peppers. She had tried in every way to make him eat them, but it had never worked.

“......”

When Kainel lifted his spoon, his gaze returned to Ceres.

“...Bell peppers?”

“Ah, you like them? That’s a relief.”

Ceres clicked her tongue again. Back then, he would’ve picked them out immediately, so why is he not doing that now? Has his taste changed?

Only after speaking did she realize she had said something unnecessary while reminiscing about the past. An awkward smile formed on her lips.

“......”

Kainel looked at her for a moment, then without saying anything, he moved his spoon again. Before long, he began pushing aside the visible pieces of bell pepper.

This guy...

You are doing this on purpose, are you not? Just to show me.

Your personality has become even more twisted than before.

Haah.

Three hundred years. What exactly have you been doing all that time? You haven’t even changed your taste.

Suppressing the urge to grab the spoon and feed him herself, Ceres sighed quietly.

Jingle.

“Huh? What is this? Why is it so quiet today?”

At that moment, someone stepped inside. It was Cheion, the Master of the Magic Tower. He tilted his head as he looked around the unusually empty shop.

“Well, at least I don’t have to wait in line today.”

“...Is that something you should say in front of the owner?”

“Oh, come on. You know what I mean.”

Seemingly in a good mood, the corners of his lips lifted despite Ceres’s remark.

“At this rate, is the shop not going to fail?”

“And what about the Magic Tower? Is it not going to collapse first?”

Is it really alright for the Tower Master to leave his post like this every day?

Ceres had grown used to Cheion showing up so often, yet she still couldn’t understand his reason. It wasn’t that he disliked the stew, but he never seemed to enjoy it quite as much as the other customers did. So why did he keep coming?

“Don’t worry, don’t worry. The Magic Tower runs better without me.”

“......”

...Is that really something to say with that pleased look on your face?

Well, I guess.

For someone who was supposed to be the Tower Master, not many people actually recognized Cheion. Even though he went as far as putting his face in a book, he still wasn’t particularly well known.

If anything, that just meant he rarely showed himself in public.

Though Julia seems to like him.

A Tower Master who is only popular with children.

“Are you going to eat stew?”

“Yeah!”

After watching Cheion with a sympathetic look for a moment, Ceres turned back toward the kitchen.

“Huh?”

Cheion, who had been smiling as he watched her leave, turned his head and finally noticed Kainel. His eyes lingered in confusion for a brief moment before widening.

The next second, he shot to his feet.

“Frozen man!”

At that shout, not only Kainel, but even Ceres who had just stepped into the kitchen turned back to look at him.

“Haah.”

A sigh slipped out again. Ceres shook her head.

Does the Magic Tower pass down some kind of naming tradition or something?

“Shut it, frozen man!”

Artia used to call Kainel that too, back in the day. How is it that every Tower Master ends up using the exact same nickname?

Perhaps Kainel was thinking the same thing, because he looked at Cheion with a rather strange expression.

“Excuse me!”

Cheion closed the distance to Kainel in an instant, his eyes sparkling. There was something he had always wanted to ask if he ever got the chance!

“By the way, have you seen my blue stone?”

“...Blue stone?”

Despite the look that clearly said, what kind of nonsense are you talking about, Cheion kept going without hesitation.

That Kainel guy... his tastes might be the same, but he has definitely learned how to curse with just his expression.

Feeling oddly proud of her old friend’s growth, Ceres was inwardly applauding when she suddenly froze.

“No matter how I think about it, it looks like something that came from the North where you live. It looks like this...”

At some point, a recording orb had appeared in Cheion’s hand. Just as he was about to activate it—

Thud!

“Aaagh!”

A hand shot out, snatching the orb away and hurling it to the ground.

“What are you doing?!”

It was Ceres.

Crash! Thud, thud!

She didn’t stop at throwing it. She stomped on it again and again until it was completely shattered. Cheion let out a horrified scream.

“Ah, sorry. My foot slipped.”

“...Could you at least try to make that sound believable?”

Cheion stared at the shattered remains of the recording orb in disbelief.

“What was that for all of a sudden?! Why would you do that?!”

What do you mean, why? I was stopping a disaster.

Ceres sighed, her foot still planted firmly on the broken fragments.

As soon as she realized that what Cheion was about to show Kainel was a recording of the mana stone she had intended to sell, she had no choice but to destroy it.

Why is this idiot suddenly pulling that out here?

If Kainel had seen it...

Damn it.

Just thinking about it made her head throb.

“I’ll compensate you.”

“Compensate?”

“Yeah. But you’re not planning to charge me the full price, right? It’s used. I’m sure you’re not that shameless.”

...Looks like Colin’s going to give me an earful again. This is not something ridiculously expensive, is it?

When Ceres frowned at the uneasy thought, Cheion, who had already stopped his fake sobbing, suddenly brightened.

“Forget the money.”

“Oh. Thanks.”

“No, no! That doesn’t mean I’m not taking compensation!”

At her immediate turn to leave, Cheion hurriedly grabbed hold of Ceres.

“Then what do you want instead?”

At her question, tinged with a hint of regret, Cheion broke into a wide grin.

“Just grant me one favor later.”

“No thanks. I’ll just pay you.”

“Why!”

“You’re definitely going to ask for something strange.”

“I’m not.”

“I’ll just find you the same thing secondhand.”

“But that one won’t have my blue stone in it!”

...That damn blue stone.

If she had her way, she would’ve pulled out the mana stone stored in her subspace and thrown it straight at him.

“Do whatever you want.”

“You mean it? That’s a promise.”

A promise, my foot. If he asks for something ridiculous later, she’d just turn back time and fix it.

With that in mind, Ceres gathered up the shattered pieces of the recording orb.

Wouldn’t it be better to just erase the recording altogether?

To think Cheion almost showed that to Kainel right here. Her gaze drifted slightly to the side.

“...Tsk.”

She had expected as much, but—

Even with all the noise right beside him, Kainel continued eating his stew in silence.

Watching him, Ceres shook her head again.

***

“Have you still not found my son and my wife?”

“We’ve expanded the search area and are making inquiries, but there are too few leads... I’m sorry.”

“Dave... ngh, my Dave...”

“Please hold on just a little longer. We will find them.”

Dave’s father, Knox, who had come to the guard post again early that morning, collapsed to the ground and wept helplessly.

“If something has happened to my wife and Dave in the meantime...”

His voice trembled as though the very thought terrified him. Those around him could only watch with pity.

“We will find them. Please try not to worry too much.”

“Yes... please. I’m begging you.”

After crying for a long while, Knox was helped out of the guard post by someone else. By now, everyone recognized him as he came by several times a day.

People couldn’t help but pity him. His wife had run off after an affair and took their son with her. And now, both of them were exposed to violence, even in danger of losing their lives.

The guards had been doing everything they could. But despite their efforts, there was still no progress.

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