Time Healer Ceres

No. Why is the one who acknowledged Herion as the family head responding to her voice?

Does he still think I’m contracted to him?

[Why the hell are you only calling me now?! I’ve been sending signals telling you to summon me this whole time!]

As soon as Jubelios revealed himself, he burst into an angry roar.

Ever since entering the council hall, he’d been furious watching the nobles gang up on Herion. He had repeatedly made the ring glow, urging Herion to summon him immediately, but she had failed to notice.

Fwoosh!

Flames swept through the air.

“Gasp!”

“Hk!”

Jubelios swept through the hall in one grand circle. Scorching heat instantly flooded the room.

The nobles, who were already stunned by the sudden appearance of the Fire Spirit King, recoiled in terror as the blazing heat threatened to burn their skin alive.

Only after receiving those fearful, horrified stares did Jubelios seem satisfied. He lightly landed on Herion’s shoulder.

[How dare they...]

His burning gaze swept across the nobles. Several people sharply sucked in breaths.

So, this is the Spirit King they only spoke of in rumors...!

Just being in the same room as him made it hard to breathe. No one dared to speak. Unlike earlier, not a single person could meet Herion’s eyes directly anymore.

Right. This is exactly how you’re supposed to use him.

Herion still wasn’t capable of dealing with those old political snakes on her own. As a healer, she was qualified to lead House Ellesia, but politically, she had a long way to go.

You could say she’s still too inexperienced.

However, Ceres wasn’t worried. Jubelios was here, after all.

Now then, let’s see them try spewing the same nonsense.

[.....]

“C-Cough.”

“Ugh...”

Jubelios seemed to be thinking the exact same thing as Ceres. He continued glaring sharply at the nobles without backing down.

“Lord Jubelios, Lady Ceres says she has something she wishes to ask you.”

[Really? What is it you wished to say, Gra—]

“Tsk.”

Shut up, you stupid bird.

Jubelios, who had nearly called her by her old name, flinched at Ceres’s fierce glare and hurriedly changed his words.

[Ask whatever you wish. I shall hear you out.]

Carefully watching her mood, he pushed off from Herion’s shoulder and flew toward Ceres.

Just as he was about to land on her shoulder—

[Huaaagh!]

Jubelios abruptly shot back into the air.

[Y-You!]

He finally noticed Kainel’s presence.

[Frozen Human!]

“It’s been a while, you half-roasted chicken.”

[How many times have I told you not to call me that?!]

Kainel remained seated with his arms crossed, responding to Jubelios’s protest with nothing more than an indifferent glance.

[Why the hell are you here?!]

“If a chicken can be here, I don’t see why a human can’t.”

[Grrk! You rascals are exactly the same as you were back then... Mmph!]

Shut up, shut up, just shut up already!

‘Rascals’? What do you mean, ‘rascals’?!

Ceres quickly smacked Jubelios across the beak before he could say anything else.

Quit spewing nonsense!

“How long have the two of you known each other?”

Ceres paused when she noticed Kainel watching them closely.

“Us...? Back when I visited House Ellesia with the Second Prince.”

“That was all? You only met briefly then?”

“That’s right.”

After speaking casually for a while, switching back to formal speech felt strangely awkward.

“You seem rather close.”

“...Now that you mention it, we do.”

Hey, hurry up and get back to your master already! Why did you even answer my call in the first place?! Are you going senile?

Ceres waved her hand in annoyance, trying to shoo away Jubelios as he repeatedly attempted to perch on her shoulder.

Though reluctant, Jubelios eventually fluttered back to Herion with his beak sticking out.

“......”

Even after that, Kainel’s gaze remained fixed on Ceres. She could only pretend not to notice it.

***

“Lady Ceres!”

...She really is cheerful every time I see her.

Even after everything that happened in the council hall, she’s still bursting with energy.

A chuckle escaped Ceres as she watched Herion run toward her while waving enthusiastically. The Fire Spirit King, Jubelios, sat proudly on Herion’s shoulder.

Even after the Emperor and Crown Prince entered the council hall, Jubelios had made no effort to hide himself. If anything, he looked more arrogant, as though humans finally worthy of his attention had arrived.

“The Fire Spirit King?”

“Ohh, it’s been quite some time since I last saw you.”

Both the Emperor and Crown Prince had shown great interest in Jubelios’s sudden appearance, especially since he never revealed himself after the death of the previous family head.

It was thanks to Jubelios that the meeting ended much sooner than expected.

[You idiots! Do you really think monsters would fall for such an obvious trick?!]

“W-Well, that’s...”

[You call that a strategy?!]

“T-That is...”

[You there. Which house did you say you belonged to? Eshule? That little whelp’s family?]

“.......”

Every time the nobles said something ridiculous, Jubelios openly mocked them without mercy, leaving everyone speechless.

“Are you leaving already? Stay a little longer and talk with me.”

Feeling saddened by how quickly they had to part, Herion held tightly onto Ceres’s arm.

“How’s life as the family head? Is it difficult?”

“Yeees...”

At Ceres’s question, Herion’s eyes drooped miserably. But it only lasted for a second. A bright smile soon spread across her face again.

“But it’s fun. I finally get to do all the things I’ve always wanted to do.”

“The things you wanted to do?”

“Yes! I’ve always hated how noble patients were treated first no matter what.”

“.....”

“I really hated making emergency patients wait outside for so long. I’ve been trying to change that.”

Herion pinpointed exactly what had angered Ceres the most during her first visit to House Ellesia.

“Of course there’s a lot of opposition... but what can they do? I’m still the head of the family.”

Even without seeing it firsthand, Ceres could easily imagine the situation. It seemed there were already a few people who had been bribed by nobles from other houses.

It was the same in the past too.

Many nobles had tried to bribe members of House Ellesia for their own convenience, whether to move up their treatment order or obtain rare medicinal herbs. Anyone caught was immediately expelled from the family, so very few dared to accept.

However, that alone was never enough to completely stop it.

If it was already like that back then, I can only imagine how bad it is now.

Even when she had strictly cracked down on it herself, incidents like this still happened often enough.

Pat.

Ceres patted Herion on the head.

“Looks like you’re going to have a hard time from now on.”

“Hehe.”

Herion’s eyes curved gently as she smiled.

Isn’t it strange?

Lady Ceres is much younger than me, but why do I keep wanting to rely on her?

She had felt that way since the moment they first met. Even she herself found it fascinating.

“Herion.”

“Yes?”

“If there’s someone who refuses to listen...”

“There is? Are you going to help me, Lady Ceres?”

“No. Tell him to peck them with that beak of his.”

Ceres pointed toward the Fire Spirit King perched on Herion’s shoulder.

[Exactly! That’s what I’ve been saying all this time! I seriously can’t understand why you keep letting those idiots push you around! I told you to call me whenever humans start acting up!]

As if he finally found someone who understood him, Jubelios nodded vigorously. He must have been bottling up his frustration for a while.

“Yes. But for now, I want to try handling things myself first.”

[What?]

“Master Ezley told me that whether I fail or succeed, I need to learn how to face things with my own strength.”

[Ugh, that damn Ezley. He said unnecessary things again...]

When Herion mentioned the deceased former family head, a trace of longing briefly flickered across her face before disappearing.

Jubelios looked much the same. Though he continued grumbling under his breath, the fierce look in his eyes had softened somewhat.

Pat, pat.

Ceres gently patted Herion’s head once more.

“Alright. You’re the family head, so do things your way.”

“Lady Ceres, please come visit our house again soon! There are so many things I want to ask your help with.”

“...Didn’t you just say you wanted to handle things yourself?”

What happened to all that confidence from before?

“Hng... just a little. There are still things I can’t do alone.”

“I’ll think about it later.”

“Really? Then it’s a promise! Before you go, won’t you at least stay for tea with me? There’s still so much I want to tell you!”

Holding tightly onto Ceres’s hand, Herion looked up at her with the pitiful eyes of a cat afraid of being abandoned.

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