Time Healer Ceres
Chapter 15
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“Paper and a pen.”
“Pardon?”
“I said, give me paper and a pen.”
“Ah!”
Mark hurriedly grabbed the paper and pen he had kept by the counter and handed them to Ceres.
Taking them, Ceres scribbled something down at lightning speed before striding toward the collapsed mercenary.
Slap!
Ceres slapped the paper onto the forehead of the still-unconscious mercenary with a resounding crack.
‘What is that?’
‘What’s written on it?’
‘Uh...?’
The surrounding mercenaries, who had been inching closer to see what was stuck to their comrade’s face, scrambled backward in an instant.
Then, as if by unspoken agreement, they began to casually set aside the weapons they had been gripping so tightly just moments ago.
Anyone who causes a di—
Anyone who causes a scene in this shop will be banned for one week.
The comrades who stood by and joined in without stopping the fight are also banned for one week.
It was a very swift disassociation.
“Ahem.”
The mercenary who had been clashing swords with the unconscious man also surreptitiously lowered his weapon and slunk back toward his table.
He picked up his half-finished bowl of stew and casually moved to a different seat, acting as if he weren't part of the unconscious man's group at all.
‘Hey, you’re one of them, aren’t you?’
‘Have you no conscience? Oh, wait, of course you don’t. You bastard!’
‘Look at him hiding his sword! Put it back in his hand!’
The others nearby glared sharply at the mercenary.
‘But...’
‘Who is she?’
One by one, the mercenaries’ eyes turned back to Ceres. Everyone was curious about the identity of the woman who had suddenly appeared to issue such a notice.
“Ah, this lady is...”
Sensing their gazes, Mark finally stepped forward. Glancing at Ceres, he introduced her cautiously.
“She is the owner of this shop.”
Chapter 5. Magic Stone
“You decided not to sell the shop?”
“Yeah.”
“Really?”
“Yep.”
“Why?”
After checking on the shop on Delasi 1st Street, Ceres had decided to postpone the sale for now. Antonion, who had been bracing himself and thinking they had no choice but to sell this time, was completely caught off guard by her decision.
“Because they listened better than I expected.”
“What?”
Ceres’s follow-up answer was even more out of left field. They listened? Who did?
“The mercenaries.”
“The mercenaries?”
A sanctuary for mercenaries.
A place for the soul to rest.
Their one and only soul food.
Ceres had gone there knowing the shop carried many such titles, but she hadn’t been able to hide her bewilderment when she actually stepped inside. Seeing the interior, which was a literal mess, she had seriously debated whether it was even worth maintaining such a place.
‘However.’
Could it be said that she saw a certain order amidst the chaos? Even in the middle of their brawl, she had seen the mercenaries blocking each other to ensure that no attacks or furniture flew toward Mark, the chef and sole employee who was trembling in fear.
Above all, the way they had all laid down their weapons immediately without a single complaint the moment she threatened to ban them—it suggested they had a decent foundation to work with.
“So, I’m not selling.”
“Ah...”
Antonion’s face brightened at the news. He knew all too well, having watched from the sidelines, just how hard their late parents had worked to protect that shop.
“The problem is this house.”
“The house?”
“As you know, all of Aunt’s people have left.”
When Agne was sent to prison, the servants she had brought with her also departed. It wasn't that they had been particularly good at their jobs, but the remaining staff were nowhere near enough to fill the holes left by so many people leaving at once.
‘It was already barely being maintained.’
The mansion was in such a state of disarray that it seemed it might truly become a ruin at this rate.
“Noona, what about calling Colin back?”
“Colin?”
Who was that again?
“The butler who worked here since Grandfather’s time.”
“A butler?”
“Yeah. Aunt framed him with a ridiculous accusation and kicked him out.”
‘It would be best if you didn’t do that, Ceres-nim.’
‘You shouldn’t borrow that kind of money...’
‘A sanatorium? You should look into what kind of place it is more thoroughly before...’
It was only natural that Agne considered him a thorn in her side, as he had opposed her at every turn. Once Agne succeeded in grooming Ceres to her liking, the first thing she did was get rid of Colin.
‘You’re saying I embezzled public funds?’
‘The evidence is right here, isn’t it?’
‘...Sigh.’
It was a baseless frame-up, but Colin had seemed so exhausted by Agne’s harassment that he left without offering much of an excuse. Even as he left, he had been deeply worried about Ceres being manipulated by her aunt.
He had reportedly turned Agne’s stomach one last time by insisting that the master of the Drow Barony was the young lady and no one else, and telling Ceres to take good care of her health.
“A butler, huh...”
Antonion’s suggestion wasn't bad. However, would someone who had been framed and unfairly kicked out like that really want to come back?
“Well, let’s think about that slowly.”
The most important thing right now was still money. After all, you could only hire a butler if you could afford to pay his salary.
‘I should probably try selling that after all, right?’
After a moment of thought, Ceres tossed a question to Antonion.
“Is there a magic shop nearby?”
“A magic shop?”
Despite Antonion’s puzzled look, Ceres didn’t offer any further explanation.
* * *
Ting.
“Wel... come.”
Lons, the owner of the magic shop, started to give his habitual smiling greeting to the customer entering the shop, only to falter.
‘What’s this?’
It was because a woman dressed in incredibly shabby clothes had walked in. Since a magic shop was a place that sold expensive magic items and materials, most of the people who frequented it were well-to-do. Even a novice magician who had just awakened and joined the Magic Tower earned a salary dozens of times higher than an average person.
‘She looks surprisingly refined, though.’
Her clothes were worn, but the woman’s features were enough to draw eyes. She also carried a rather unusual aura.
“Is there something you’re looking for, customer?”
Lons spoke cautiously, still trying to guess her status in his head. After looking around the shop for a moment, the woman finally turned her gaze to him.
“I heard you also purchase magic materials here.”
“Ah, purchase?”
Lons’s eyes quickly scanned the woman from head to toe. He didn't know what she had brought, but he wasn't expecting much.
‘Tsk.’
People like this came by quite often. They would hold out a stone with a slightly unusual color or shape they’d found somewhere, asking if it was a Magic Stone. The woman before him seemed highly likely to be one of those customers—someone with no money, trying to find anything to sell to scrape together a few coins.
“Let’s see what you’ve brought.”
The kindness gradually drained from Lons’s voice and manner. He had judged that she wasn't a customer who would bring him any profit.
Thump.
The woman placed a small box in front of Lons.
“What is this?”
“A Magic Stone.”
“...A Magic Stone?”
Seeing the fairly high-quality box, Lons chuckled inwardly. She seemed to firmly believe that whatever she had found was truly a Magic Stone, given that she’d brought it in such a fancy box.
‘Nine times out of ten, it’s just a pebble rolled in from the roadside...’
Click.
“......”
Lons, who had opened the box with a light heart, felt his eyes tremble violently for a moment. As soon as he confirmed the small blue stone inside the box, he couldn't help but gulp. He could feel the powerful mana just by looking at it.
This was the real deal!
Like the businessman he was, Lons quickly smoothed his expression and broke into a bright smile.
“It is indeed a Magic Stone.”
At Lons’s confirmation, the woman—Ceres—nodded lightly. She knew almost nothing about Magic Stones or magic, but there was no way the item that guy Kainel had given her was a fake. She hadn't doubted for a second that it was a Magic Stone.
“Hmm.”
Lons, who had been examining the Magic Stone as its blue light swirled mysteriously, looked thoughtful for a moment as he prepared to haggle over the price.
“I’ll give you 200 gold.”
“200 gold?”
“For a Magic Stone of this size, 200 gold is by no means a bad price.”
“Hmm...”
She thought she’d heard that the monthly salary for an average knight was about 200 gold. In other words, this one Magic Stone was worth about a month’s living expenses for a middle-class family.
‘Isn’t that a decent price?’
It seemed like a fair amount for a pebble no bigger than a fingernail. There didn't seem to be any other magic shops nearby; should she just sell it?
“Ahem, I suppose I could be generous and give you another 30 gold.”
As she remained silent for a moment, lips pressed together in thought, the owner added more while watching her reaction.
“...50 gold?”
