Time Healer Ceres - Chapter 37

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Seres drew a short breath and gently soothed the tearful Julia.
“How could he… how could he do that to Dave…”
“Because he was insane.”
Yes, insane.
What else could you call a man who suspected his wife of infidelity and murdered their own child? It made no sense otherwise.
Suspicion had consumed him so thoroughly that he’d even begun to doubt Dave was his biological son, interrogating his wife about it day after day.
In public he’d played the devoted husband and father perfectly, but at home—that was another story entirely.
‘As if he could possibly know whether the boy was his or not.’
Even dragged before the Guard, he’d wept about how his wife’s infidelity had driven him to act on impulse—a claim that only made Seres want to laugh.
Dave, who lay dead, bore such an unmistakable resemblance to his father that anyone would swear they were family.
How could a man look at such a son and claim with certainty that they shared no blood?
‘Did suspicion blind him that completely?’
“I want to see Dave…”
“Later. We’ll go together, you and me. We’ll bring his favorite treats and flowers.”
Seres patted Julia’s back with quiet affection.
Nox had confessed to every detail of what he’d done with the bodies of his wife and son.
Little by little, over days, he’d carried them to the mountains nearby, and in the end, he’d buried them.
“I’ll take you there.”
Dragged before the Guard, Nox had been coerced into confessing his crimes, and a trial awaited him soon enough.
‘Death sentence is certain, at this point.’
Better not to dwell on it. It was irritating.
Watching Julia struggle to stop her tears, Seres said nothing more.
It would be strange to tell a grieving child not to cry over a dead friend.
And honestly, she had no real gift for comforting others.
But she could do this much—stay beside the girl until her tears ran dry.
-Eeeee-SHRIEK!
“…?”
In that moment, a bone-chilling wail erupted through the shop.
Even Julia’s sniffling stopped short, her eyes going wide.
“…What on earth is that?”
There was no mistaking that sound.
That strange Warning Device created by the Mage Tower Master Cheiyan was screeching away in the corner, relentless.
The moment they realized what was producing the noise, everyone’s faces went rigid.
-Eeeee-SHRIEK!
The Warning Device wailed on without pause, its hideous cry unrelenting.
When that device screamed, it meant…!
Clang!
Every mercenary in the shop shot to their feet, weapons flashing into their hands.
Their eyes blazed sharp as steel—nothing like the wary, watchful looks they’d been giving Seres moments before.
“So the Black Forest is finally showing up in the heart of the Capital?”
“Damn it, and I had the day off…”
“You were always unlucky, anyway.”
“Shut up, you bastard.”
Even as they traded quips lightly, the mercenaries’ grip on their weapons tightened. Without a word spoken, they bolted from the shop.
“Um, sister.”
Julia called out to Seres, her hands clasped over her ears, her voice small and frightened.
Seres gave the girl’s hair a gentle pat, then turned sharply to Jay.
“Write it all down.”
“Yes, I—what?”
Write it down? Right now?
“Check off everyone who just left without paying. Get them all.”
“Ah…”
These people thought they could just slip away without settling their bill?
Seres untied her apron as she mentally filed away the faces of each person who’d just rushed out.
“Colin.”
“Yes, miss.”
Beyond the window, darkness was creeping across the sky. The Black Forest was beginning to envelope this section of the city.
Those black trees, surging skyward in an instant to blot out the sun, were terrifying enough to plunge anyone into panic.
“Look after Julia for me. Everyone stays here and waits. Nobody leaves.”
“You’re not… surely you’re not planning to go outside?”
“You can’t!”
Jay and Mark rushed to stop her.
This building offered no guarantee of safety either, but stepping outside now would be suicide.
She’d never directly encountered the Black Forest, but she’d heard plenty about it.
From this moment on, the world outside would swarm with monsters.
The only way to survive was to barricade herself inside the building and hold her breath until help arrived.
“Well, I suppose leaving like this isn’t ideal.”
“Exactly!”
“Miss, it’s dangerous—please come over here!”
Crack!
Jay and Mark’s mouths fell open as they spoke.
Seres had just stomped a perfectly good chair to pieces.
“Hmm.”
This should do.
Seres picked up a broken leg and nodded with satisfaction.
“S-Seres? What are you…?”
“I thought I should have something I could use as a weapon.”
“I beg your pardon?”
What good was a mere stick against anything—it wasn’t even a blade?
They all stared at her in bewilderment, but she kept her gaze fixed on the darkening window beyond.
The monsters would emerge soon. There was no time to linger.
……
Just as Seres turned toward the door, she paused.
Seeing Julia still had her hands clamped over her ears, watching her with anxious eyes, Seres changed course and headed for the kitchen.
Why the kitchen suddenly?
Watched by the confused stares of the others, Seres returned outside moments later.
“Take this.”
“What is it?”
“A Defensive Stone.”
“A Defensive Stone?”
What Colin received was a small black stone.
“When things get dangerous, throw it and break it. A protective barrier will form. You’ll be safe for a while.”
Three hours was the limit, but that was better than nothing.
This too was something Artia, the former Master of the Tower, had made for her long ago.
‘I should have grabbed more back then.’
She’d thought it useless and said she didn’t need it, but Artia had insisted she carry at least one out of goodwill, so Seres had tossed it into her Pocket Space.
Just now she’d remembered it and quietly retrieved it.
Still, having only one was frustrating.
“Stay put.”
Three hours should be enough anyway.
Seres reached out and lightly stroked Julia’s hair one last time.
“You’re… you’re really going out there? Why? It’s safe here!”
With the Defensive Stone and all, why insist on leaving?
Jay shuffled his feet anxiously.
“I need to collect payment.”
“Payment?”
“I can’t collect if I’m dead.”
So I’d better make sure I don’t die, hadn’t I?
With that, Seres turned toward the darkened shop and stepped outside.
“Ah……”
As Seres walked out into the thick darkness as casually as if she were taking a stroll, they could only watch in stunned silence.
* * *
“What?”
“What did you just say?”
“The Black Forest has appeared near Delasi 1st Avenue, they say.”
“What do you—!”
Thump!
Cheiyan, the Master of the Tower, who had been sprawled in his office complaining as always that he didn’t want to work, shot to his feet at Luka’s words.
Prince Aserlian, who stood with him, went rigid at once.
“A Black Forest in the Capital?”
Delasi 1st Avenue—that was the heart of the Capital itself.
Recently, Black Forests had been appearing with unsettling frequency in areas adjacent to the Capital.
He’d been keeping a watchful eye, hoping it wouldn’t come to this, but the feared catastrophe had finally arrived.
“If it’s there…….”
Cheiyan, who had been murmuring absently, suddenly cast a spell.
“Cheiyan! Wait……!”
Before Aserlian could even reach out, Cheiyan had vanished. His outstretched hand fell uselessly to his side.
“What’s gotten into him?”
Even when Black Forests appeared nearby, that man rarely paid them any mind. So why this sudden panic? What had shaken him so thoroughly?
“It’s likely because of his favorite shop.”
“His favorite shop? Oh—you mean that stew restaurant?”
“Just as I thought you’d know.”
True to form for an older brother dealing with a foolish younger sibling, Aserlian already knew Cheiyan’s recent haunts without anyone reporting them to him.
“How remarkable can one place be? Why is he being so touchy about it?”
“I couldn’t say. The moment I show even the slightest interest, he hisses at me like a cat and warns me away, insisting I never follow him there.”
“The man acts like he’s feline.”
Something didn’t add up. Was there something more to that shop that Aserlian didn’t know about?
“Shouldn’t we hurry?”
“We should.”
Aserlian halted the spiral of his thoughts. There were more pressing matters to attend to first.
A Black Forest—the first ever to manifest in the Capital!
He had to rally troops immediately and minimize the damage. Unlike the frontier regions, a Black Forest in the heart of the Capital allowed no margin for delay.
The thought of how much destruction could occur in those precious moments made his head pound.
“I’ve prepared a transportation magic circle.”
“Thank you.”
Thanks to Luka’s swift preparations, Aserlian could move at once.
Aserlian gave Luka’s shoulder a light pat, then hurried after the mage who was waiting, departing the chamber with urgency.
“Hmm.”
Left alone in the office, secretary Luka gazed intently at the spot where Cheiyan had vanished only moments before.

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