Time Healer Ceres

“Ah, there’s Julia.”

As Ceres turned her attention back to the play, Cheion also looked toward the stage.

A moment later, he lowered his voice and whispered,

“What are you doing after the play?”

“Me?”

“Yeah.”

“I have somewhere to be.”

“Somewhere? Where? The shop?”

“No.”

“Then where?”

Watching Julia trick the wolf and escape, Ceres answered casually,

“The cleanup tournament.”

“...What? Cleanup?”

Despite Cheion’s baffled look, Ceres remained focused on the play.

***

“Hey, look at their faces.”

“They’re nervous as hell.”

“The outcome’s obvious anyway, so what are they so tense for?”

The swordsmanship tournament was being held at the training grounds. Iron and the students of Group A snickered as they watched the students of Group B.

Honestly, it was ridiculous watching them act even more tense than usual.

“It seems they’re embarrassed about getting humiliated in front of everyone.”

Iron sneered at the restless Group B students.

They haven’t been training at the arena lately.

These were the same guys who had spent all this time avoiding Group A, yet they still showed up for the tournament. It was laughable.

“But why do they keep looking around like that?”

“Seriously.”

“Looks like they’re waiting for someone.”

The mood around Antonian and the others in Group B was strange. It wasn’t just nervousness. They kept glancing anxiously toward the audience seats as if searching for someone.

“Hey, Antonian. Is Ceres really coming?”

“Ugh, please don’t let her come.”

“If we mess up today...”

“We’re dead.”

“Urgh...”

The faces of the Group B students gradually turned pale as they recalled the conversation they’d had with Ceres a few days earlier.

“I heard the swordsmanship tournament is coming up soon. Is that true?”

“Yes.”

“You can do well, right?”

“Yes!”

“Good. You should do well if you want to live.”

“...Yes. Huh?”

“L-Live?”

“I trust all of you will do your best. I really hate having my expectations betrayed, but surely that won’t happen, right?”

“W-What happens if we fail...?”

“Oh my, why would you ask that? There’s no way you’ll fail.”

“B-But what if we do?”

“Then you’ll learn what it means to truly give your best. I’ll train you so hard you’ll wish you were dead. Though I’m sure it won’t come to that.”

“......”

“...She was joking, right?”

“Have you ever seen my sister joke before?”

Shake shake.

“...Damn it.”

The students, who had been anxiously scanning the audience, soon turned their eyes toward Group A. Watching those b*stards leisurely mocking them still pissed them off.

It reminded them once again why they had started training in the first place. Wasn’t it because they wanted to wipe those smug looks off their faces?

“Yeah. Whether we die here or over there...”

Nod.

A fierce glint rose in the eyes of Antonian and the rest of Group B. At the very least, they wanted to see those arrogant expressions shatter.

“The swordsmanship tournament will now begin.”

At the announcement, more people gathered around the training grounds.

“Are you guys really sure about this?”

Kold, the instructor in charge of Group B’s swordsmanship class, asked worriedly.

From the start, this tournament was basically a stage prepared for the students of Group A. A showcase for the wealthy parents who poured endless support into them.

What are they thinking all of a sudden?

However, Antonian and the rest of Group B had all insisted on entering the tournament.

“You want to participate in the tournament?”

“Yes!”

“Why all of a sudden? Even without you guys, there are plenty of students who can serve as stepping stones for Group A’s kids.”

“We still want to enter!”

“......”

He had offered that advice after giving it some real thought, but they refused to listen. What was so great about embarrassing themselves in front of a huge crowd?

With a sigh, Kold called the first student forward.

“Antonian.”

“Yes.”

Antonian stepped forward at the sound of his name. Seeing him walk toward the arena, Kold let out another long sigh.

The reason was simple. The instructor of Group A had sent out Iron as the first match. And Iron was the strongest student in the group.

He’s going to get completely crushed from the first round.

Kold sat down and closed his eyes without bothering to watch. There was nothing enjoyable about seeing his students get beaten down. He only hoped the match would end quickly.

“Uh... Huh? Whoaaa!”

But then—

“......?”

Not long after the match began, the noise coming from the arena sounded strange.

Startled by the sudden cheers, Kold opened his eyes. Has the match ended already?

“...What?”

The moment he looked ahead, he was met with a completely unexpected sight.

Iron was the one being overwhelmingly pushed back by Antonian.

***

This... actually works?

The person most shocked by the situation was none other than Antonian himself.

I can see it?

He could see everything. From Iron’s attacks, his swordsmanship, and every movement he made.

“Ha...”

Antonian swallowed the laugh that almost slipped out.

So this is the result of all that training?

Whoosh!

“Ceres! Aaagh! Stop throwing things already!”

“You think you can wield a sword when you can’t even dodge that? Your confidence is admirable.”

“What do snowballs have to do with swordsmanship?!”

Whoosh!

“Aaaagh! That really hurts!”

“If you don’t want to get hit, then dodge.”

At the snow mountain, snowballs came flying nonstop. At the rocky mountain, it was stones instead.

Quite a few students had been knocked unconscious after getting hit by things thrown from those frail-looking arms.

The worst part was that even if they passed out, they would wake up again only seconds later. There wouldn’t even be a bruise, so they couldn’t fake injuries either.

“Antonian, how is your sister so absurdly good at throwing snowballs?”

“...I have no idea.”

At the tearful question from his classmate, who got a bruise around one eye, Antonian could only shake his head vigorously.

Of course, the bruise vanished almost immediately. Before long, they were back to desperately dodging snowballs again.

Compared to those snowballs...

Whoosh!

“Hey! How long are you going to keep running away?!”

Iron finally snapped as Antonian effortlessly avoided every one of his attacks. Not a single strike was landing, and his irritation was reaching its limit.

“Then hit me. Or are your attacks just that slow?”

“W-What?! You son of a bi—!”

With his face twisted in fury, Iron thrust his sword forward again at full speed, only to falter in shock.

Antonian had disappeared from view.

Where the hell—

Swoosh.

As soon as Iron tried to spin around, a cold blade pressed against his neck.

“If this were a real fight, you’d already be dead.”

“Y-You...!”

Iron could barely speak. Antonian had gotten behind him, yet he hadn’t sensed his movements at all.

How could this make sense?

“Antonian wins!”

“Wooooah!”

The arena erupted with cheers. The students of Group B, especially, shouted themselves hoarse. Since enrolling at the academy, this was the first time they had ever beaten students from Group A.

“Looks like you guys will be cleaning the training grounds from now on.”

Tap.

After patting the still-dazed Iron on the shoulder, Antonian stepped down from the arena.

After that, the upsets only continued.

“That’s it? Ha! I’ve seen rocks fly faster than that!”

“W-What did you say?!”

“Dodging your attacks is easier than dodging rocks and snowballs!”

Boom!

“Ghk!”

The attacks from the other Group A students weren’t landing on Group B at all. The tense expressions on the Group B students’ faces gradually disappeared. With every match, their confidence grew stronger.

That’s because they could see their opponents’ attacks and movements. Everything was so clear it almost felt unreal.

Also, their bodies felt very light. Was it because they finally removed the heavy magic sandbags wrapped around their limbs before entering the arena? It felt like they could fly.

“What’s this, Ceres?”

“Magic sandbags. From now on, you’ll wear them even while sleeping.”

“E-Even in my sleep?!”

“An old friend made them for me a long time ago. They’re perfect for training. Wear them under your clothes and nobody will notice them. The nice thing is that the weight can increase endlessly. I’ll keep raising it little by little, so get used to it.”

“H-How heavy are you planning to make them?”

“Why ask something so obvious? Until you hit the limit of your limits.”

“.....”

From that day on, they had never once taken the magic sandbags off their arms and legs, no matter how heavy they became.

Today was the first time they were allowed to remove them before a match.

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