Time Healer Ceres

“A long time ago.”

Because she disliked riding in carriages, Artia had always used teleportation magic for her, so naturally she had grown used to it.

No... I’ve used it recently too.

Not long ago, she used a teleportation scroll to bring Julia back from the Recuperation House.

“Hmm.”

Cheion nodded. Ceres had mentioned knowing a mage before, so he figured that was how she had come across it.

“By the way, about the head of the Ellesia family...”

“The head of the Ellesia family?”

“How long has he been the head?”

“Why are you suddenly asking that?”

At the unexpected question, Cheion looked at her with curiosity.

“I’ve taken a bit of an interest in the Ellesia family.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

Just because...

Cheion swallowed the questions that rose to his throat and kept his mouth shut. He already knew that asking further wouldn’t get him an answer.

“It’s been a little under three years.”

“I thought so.”

“You thought so?”

“What happened to the previous head? Did they die?”

“Yeah. I heard it was an illness.”

“An illness? What kind?”

“I’m not sure. I only heard that they suddenly fell sick and passed away in less than a month.”

“A month...”

“It caused quite a stir for a while. The head of the Ellesia family dying from some unknown illness and all.”

“......”

At the very least, it wasn’t a sudden death caused by an accident.

However, the fact that they never told Creel where the real ring was meant that they had no intention of passing it down to him.

Three years...

By now, his insides must be burning. He must already know that the ring he’s wearing is a fake.

The Ellesia family holds a council every three years, where all the elders gather to evaluate everything the head has done during that time. One of the key matters they examine is whether the head is in possession of the family’s ring.

A fake would never fool them.

The real ring possessed a special ability, and not only the elders but everyone in the Ellesia family knew this.

No, it was something the entire nation knew.

He must be losing his mind.

As the date of the family council drew closer and the pressure from the elders loomed, he was left with a fake ring while the real one remained unknown. It was natural for him to be driven to the edge.

“What are you going to do about the request from the head of the Ellesia family?”

At the Imperial Palace, Creel Ellesia had asked Cheion to install a defensive magic circle across the entire estate. With the sudden appearance of the Black Forest in the middle of the capital, it seemed he had grown uneasy and requested a barrier capable of blocking monsters.

“This is why the rich are troublesome. The more they have, the greedier they get. Right, Ceres?”

“...Anyone listening would think you’re penniless.”

What kind of person casually pulls out 5,000 gold from their pocket? If anyone should be saying that, it should be her, the one drowning in debt.

“Tsk.”

Cheion clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“I don’t like it. Thanks to him, the workload just got bigger.”

Engraving a magic circle large enough to cover an estate of that size was no small task. It required a great deal of manpower, and the cost would be enormous as well.

“So you’re not going to do it?”

“Well, the person in charge will look into it first and submit a report.”

“But the final decision is yours.”

“Probably.”

“Hmm... if you do end up taking it, could you include me among the people going? I’ll handle whatever odd jobs there are.”

“Huh? Why?”

“Just because. I want to.”

“......”

What is it? Does she really have some kind of connection to the Ellesia family?

But Creel Ellesia didn’t seem to recognize Ceres at all.

Cheion studied Ceres with a puzzled look before eventually nodding.

“Alright. I’ll review it for now.”

***

SLAM!

“Damn it.”

Creel Ellesia couldn’t hold back the curse that burst from his lips.

In his hand was a crumpled document, an official notice from the council of elders stating that the family meeting would be held in two months.

“Where the hell did you hide it?!”

For nearly three years now, he had torn the entire estate apart, yet he hadn’t found the real ring. The pressure only made his temper worse by the day.

“That damned old man!”

To think the ring worn by the former head, his own master, was a fake.

Creel glared viciously at the red ring on his finger.

So he knew all along?

That Creel was planning to kill him? Otherwise, there was no reason to hide the real ring.

“Haa...”

The plan was perfect. The poison he used to assassinate his master had no antidote, and it was so refined that no one could recognize it as poison.

When he watched his master grow weaker day by day and die within a month, he felt nothing but satisfaction.

“Why would he try to hand the position to someone else... This is all his fault for scheming behind my back despite knowing how much I had sacrificed! None of this is my fault!”

To earn his master’s approval, he had thrown himself into research and work, barely sleeping more than an hour a day.

And yet, that very master had planned to pass the position on to someone else. When Creel learned of it by chance, he couldn’t help but feel so betrayed.

That was why he devised a plan to kill him.

At just the right time, people who knew everything approached him. The poison they gave him was flawless. Even the will they prepared—naming him as the successor—perfectly mimicked his master’s handwriting.

“If only the ring were real...”

If that were the case, it would’ve been perfect.

But the ring he ended up with was a fake. He had managed to keep up the lie until now, but once the family council convened, he wouldn’t be able to hide it any longer.

He would’ve to demonstrate the power of the ring no matter what.

“What should I do?”

He couldn’t tell anyone, nor could he ask for help. If he did, he might be stripped of his position immediately.

In the Ellesia family, the head’s ring carried immense power and meaning. Without it, he would lose his authority entirely.

Ugh...

If someone was behind the ring’s disappearance, he would never forgive them.

“Haa...”

Another long sigh slipped from Creel. Looking at the crumpled document, he pressed his brow as the headache worsened.

Knock, knock.

“Come in.”

At his call, the butler stepped into the room.

“What is it?”

“A message has arrived from the Magic Tower.”

“Really?”

The stiffness left Creel’s face in an instant. It must be a reply to his request. The decision had come sooner than expected

He took the document from the butler and began to read.

When he first realized the ring was fake, the first thing he did was expand his influence. He used every possible method to build ties with other nobles, and ran himself ragged everyday to establish connections with the imperial family.

If I fail to find the real ring in the end...

He needed something to persuade the elders. Even if the ring was gone, someone would still have to remain as head of the family.

Then...

Since things had come to this, he needed to build enough power to steer everything in his favor. Enough that they would’ve no choice but to say, “Fine. You remain as the head.”

And that plan was proceeding quite steadily.

If the Magic Tower lends me its support...

Then, he would be in an even stronger position. He had been trying for a long time to form ties with the Magic Tower, but it had never been easy.

It was all because of the Tower Master, Cheion, who refused to give him any opening.

No matter how many times he requested a meeting, it never once went through, always turned down with the excuse that Cheion was too busy.

The final card Creel played in order to create that connection was submitting a request to the Magic Tower itself.

The appearance of the Black Forest in the capital had given him the perfect excuse. It would cost an enormous amount of money, but with his position as head of the family on the line, that was a trivial price to pay.

“Hmm?”

As he reached the end of the document, Creel’s eyes slowly widened. He was already pleased that his request was accepted, but the contents went far beyond that.

“The Tower Master is coming himself?”

Cheion’s name was listed as the one in charge.

***

“Welcome.”

Creel Ellesia greeted Cheion and his group with a wide smile. He had never expected the Tower Master himself to personally come for this matter.

Cheion, in turn, wore a polite smile that looked like a mask.

“You must be quite wealthy.”

“Pardon?”

“Installing a magic circle isn’t something that costs a small amount.”

“Haha, it’s for the safety of my household. That much is only natural.”

“Ah, for your household, I see. You must be a very considerate head.”

“Haha, you flatter me. This way, please.”

Cheion followed behind Creel, still smiling as he walked.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

Ceres stepped closer and spoke under her breath.

“Why did you come along?”

She had only been told this morning that Cheion would be joining them. Not just her, but the others also seemed puzzled as to why the Tower Master would personally oversee something like this.

“Why is the Tower Master here? Is he sick or something?”

“Is there something interesting about this job?”

“We’re not going there to have fun, right? We are working, aren’t we?”

“If Lord Cheion is going, maybe it really is a trip...”

She barely managed to swallow the question that almost slipped out, wondering just how he had been living all this time.

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