Time Healer Ceres - Chapter 24

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

“What crime have I committed?”
Now he finally understood why his seniors always cast Sound Blocking Magic over their ears whenever they entered the Magic Tower Master’s chambers.
He himself longed to do the same every time the Master came calling.
These days, just hearing Cheyeon’s voice from a distance was enough to make him break out in hives.
“Cheer up. That’s why I brought you here. The stew at this place really does wonders for recovering your strength. I come here often myself.”
The man offered words of comfort as he quickly ordered stew for both of them.
Not long after the kindly server disappeared with their order, they could see someone approaching their table with food in hand.
“Hey, wake up. Food’s here.”
“Uuuuugh…….”
Lina, who had been held captive by the Magic Tower Master until just before arriving here, hadn’t managed a proper breakfast.
At the news of food’s arrival, she lifted her head with a groan.
Thunk.
Watching the server set down two bowls of stew at their table without a word, he offered his thanks out of habit.
“Thank you……?”
But the moment Lina looked up at the server, her mouth fell open.
She rubbed her eyes frantically.
Excuse me? What are you doing here……?
Has he tormented her so much that she’s seeing things now?
Have I really lost my mind?
“Wait, excuse me!”
As the woman turned to leave after setting down the food, Lina reached out desperately.
The woman turned slowly!
“The owner of the blue stone!”
At Lina’s cry, Seres’s brow furrowed.
“…Blue stone?”
What is she talking about? That I’m the owner of something like that?
“Don’t you remember?”
“…….”
“The Magic Shop!”
The Magic Shop?
“Ah.”
Now Seres recalled where she’d seen Lina before.
That Magic Shop she’d visited to sell the Mana Stone Kainel had given her.
So this was the woman who’d helped her there?
“The blue stone… no, wait! The Mana Stone? Did you sell the Mana Stone?”
At Lina’s suddenly excited outcry—as though her exhaustion had never existed—Seres’s eyes narrowed.
Why was she suddenly so desperate to find that Mana Stone?
“Why are you asking?”
“If you still have it, please sell it to the Magic Tower!”
“…….”
“Our Magic Tower Master wants that Mana Stone so badly! I’m sure he’ll pay a good price for it!”
The Magic Tower Master?
‘I took a video of it back then—did I show it to the Master?’
Having pieced together the situation, Seres clicked her tongue lightly.
“I don’t have it.”
“…Pardon?”
“I’m telling you, I don’t have it now.”
“Did you sell it? To whom? Which shop did you sell it to?”
“I lost it.”
“Gasp!”
Lost it? That thing?
Color drained rapidly from Lina’s face once again.
“W-where did you lose it?”
“Why would I tell you that?”
“Are you serious? You really lost it?”
No. The Mana Stone was still safely stored in her Subspace.
She simply had no intention of retrieving it at this moment.
‘Kainel is in the Capital right now, after all.’
If by some chance he happened to see it—heaven forbid—his eyes would go wild searching for its source, and he might come after her immediately.
‘I’ll pass on that.’
Besides, if they found out that Mana Stone was in the hands of the Magic Tower Master himself, they’d go absolutely mad, wouldn’t they?
‘Just thinking about it makes me irritated.’
They might march straight to the Magic Tower and start a confrontation. The thought alone made the back of his neck tense.
“Tell the Magic Tower Master it’ll be hard to find now. I honestly don’t remember where I lost it.”
“Waaah!”
Faced with Seres’s resolute refusal to entertain any further questions, Lina finally burst into tears.
Thinking of the Magic Tower Master Cheyeon, who would surely whine endlessly once he heard this news, Lina slumped back down onto the table.
“Should I just disappear?”
Ugh… I really don’t want to go to the Magic Tower.
* * *
Knock, knock.
“Come in.”
At Kainel’s permission, Del, his aide, carefully opened the door and stepped inside.
In his hand was a small cup.
“Is there anything you need, sir?”
The residence they currently occupied was one used by members of the Persha Grand Duchy when they visited the Capital.
Of course, it had been a long time since anyone had stayed here after Kainel withdrew from public life.
But Del, his aide, and all those who had served Kainel over the generations had maintained the estate so it could be used whenever needed.
When Kainel resumed his external activities, they hoped he could come here and rest comfortably at any time.
“…Nothing’s changed.”
Kainel’s eyes swept across the room with a strange sense of novelty.
Despite visiting for the first time in a long while, nothing had changed. It was almost remarkable that not a single ornament was different.
“We made every effort to preserve it.”
They had poured tremendous effort into maintaining the estate exactly as it was when Kainel left, so that his return would feel familiar and bring him some comfort.
……
Was that why?
‘Kai! Stop making Alti cry!’
‘Waaaah!’
‘…I didn’t hit him that hard.’
‘Yes, you did! It really hurt! Grace, punish that bastard!’
Memories flooded back with every turn of his head.
It felt as though at any moment he might open that door and ten-year-old children would come tumbling in.
“Here, some Herbal Water.”
Del set the cup down in front of him, unable to hide his worried expression.
“I brewed it a bit stronger this time.”
“I told you it won’t work.”
“But……”
A long sigh escaped Del’s lips before he could help it.
What he’d brought was a decoction made from various herbs with sleep-inducing properties.
It was a remedy he’d been prescribing for Kainel, who hadn’t been able to sleep properly for a long time, gathering recommendations from here and there.
Though Del had been watching over Kainel for more than twenty years, he had never once seen him sleep deeply.
Long-standing Insomnia.
He’d tried all sorts of medicines, but they would show a brief effect at first before Kainel’s body built up tolerance, rendering them useless.
“What about consulting with the physicians at the Elrsia Count House?”
It was where the most capable healers in the empire gathered.
Del wanted to ensure his lord received proper treatment while they were in the Capital anyway.
Who knew? Perhaps the Elrsia family possessed a medicine that could allow his lord to sleep peacefully.
“That’s enough. Leave.”
“…Yes. Rest well, sir.”
Seeing Kainel wave his hand dismissively, Del could say nothing more and quietly left the room.
……
Left alone, Kainel slowly scanned the room once more, then gently closed his eyes.
‘Kai.’
This was why he hadn’t set foot here even once during all that time.
Because she was everywhere in this place.
Her memories would become vivid, and eventually he would only long for her more.
‘Kai.’
Yet in the end, he had no choice but to come.
To envision her more clearly… more vividly than before.
* * *
-“Screeeeeeech!”
“…….”
“How’d you like that? There’s a second one.”
-“Shrieeeeeeek!”
“For what it’s worth, I think the second one sounds better.”
“…Cheyeon.”
“What? Why? You prefer the first one?”
“That doesn’t seem to be the actual problem here.”
Crown Prince Aseraiun pressed his temples hard, trying to manage the headache.
He’d hurried to find Cheyeon at news that the Alarm Device for the Black Forest was complete, only to find him like this…….
“There’s a third one too!”
-“Waaaaaaagh!”
“…….”
…And he was going to keep going.
“My point is, why do all the alarm sounds have to be monster cries?”
“So people get frightened and run away quickly, obviously.”
Watching Cheyeon’s bright, earnest eyes, Aseraiun exhaled another long sigh.
“You’re going to trigger seizures, you fool. Will people even be able to escape properly?”
“They’ll definitely wake up from sleep though, won’t they?”
…True, if anyone heard this in the middle of the night, they’d be terrified.
“Why didn’t you attend the last meeting?”
Cheyeon’s eyes grew wet as he continued to fidget with the palm-sized red Alarm Device.
“Sniffle—I can’t leave this place because I’m waiting for something.”
“Still going on about that Mana Stone?”
“Seres will come back to me, I know it!”
But it was never yours to begin with, what are you even…….
Aseraiun swallowed the words rising to his throat with great effort.
“Fine, fine. Everything’s great, but you have to attend tomorrow’s meeting.”
“…….”
Click-click-click.
He could hear the sound of Cheyeon’s eyes darting about.
Searching frantically for an excuse, Cheyeon casually held out the Alarm Device in his hand.
“I’ll let you take this as if it were me.”
“You absolute lunatic.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————