Time Healer Ceres
Chapter 26
Because she had to go inside the shop.
“…Excuse me.”
A faint voice reached her just as she was about to open the door.
The voice was devoid of any strength, enough to stir pity in anyone else, but—
“No food left.”
To Ceres, it was simply a nuisance. In fact, there really wasn’t any food left.
When was there ever food remaining?
Just today, that man who claimed to be the Black Guild Master had sprinted in right before closing and swept up every last scrap.
And as if that wasn’t enough, he had left with such a lingering, regretful look in his eyes.
“Excuse me.”
As she tried to open the door again, the man stealthily grabbed the hem of her clothes.
He had been hanging his head low, but now he slowly looked up at Ceres.
“…….”
Meeting the man’s eyes, Ceres clicked her tongue.
A youthful face in his early twenties.
A young fellow with all his limbs perfectly intact, out here begging.
“There’s something I’m looking for.”
Ceres furrowed her brows, wondering if he was being picky about food even in his state, but her eyes blinked at the words that followed.
“By any chance, have you seen my Blue Stone?”
“…Blue Stone?”
What was this? This strange yet familiar name?
Only then did Ceres examine the man more closely. Soon, she realized his face was quite familiar.
He was the man drawn on the very first page of the 3-gold book Yulia had picked out today.
‘…The Magic Tower Master?’
Chapter 8. Magic Tower Master Cheion
“What about Cheion? Still no word?”
“Yes. He is still missing.”
“Tsk.”
Crown Prince Aseraian clicked his tongue repeatedly.
On the other hand, the expression of Luca, Cheion’s secretary sitting across from him, was as calm as ever.
“Let’s be honest. He’s not missing; he’s been slacking off for days.”
As if he had no intention of refuting Aseraian’s words, Luca quietly picked up the teacup set before him.
“Luca.”
“Yes.”
“Luca.”
“…Speak.”
Recognizing what he wanted, Luca’s tone naturally became informal.
Luca Tuhasel.
He was a long-time friend who had been with Cheion and Aseraian since they were children.
“Where do you think that guy is right now?”
“Probably crawling around on the ground somewhere looking for his magic stone.”
From the day Cheion discovered that the magic stone he had long yearned for was lost, he had locked himself in his room for several days and wailed.
‘My, my Blue Stone… Uwaaaaaah…….’
‘Lord Luca, here is the invoice for last month’s Magic Tower maintenance. Please soothe the Tower Master and get his approval by next week.’
‘I’ll have it done by the end of the day, so don’t worr—Cheion-nim, go cry over there.’
The desperate sound of wailing echoed through the walls of the Magic Tower like a round song, but not a single person cared. They simply cast noise-canceling magic on their ears and focused on their work.
So, of course, no one noticed the moment Cheion’s wailing stopped.
By the time Luca looked up, only a small note reading, ‘I cannot accept this parting with Blue Stone,’ was fluttering in Cheion’s seat.
Ah, just thinking about it makes my blood boil again….
Luca vigorously massaged the stiff muscles at the back of his neck.
“At least he finished the production of the Black Forest alarm items before he left.”
It seemed he feared the consequences of abandoning that, so luckily, he left detailed instructions on how to make the alarm items, and there were no major issues with the first distribution.
“What is it about that magic stone that causes such a fuss?”
“You know that bastard loses his mind when he gets obsessed with something. Among us, he’s second only to the best when it comes to being a lunatic.”
“There’s someone worse than him? Who’s the first?”
“You.”
“…….”
Aseraian couldn’t find a word to refute the blunt reply, which sounded as if he were asking something obvious.
“Why on earth did you crawl in under a guy like that? You even rejected my offer to become my adjutant.”
“Because he’s the one who needs looking after more than you. You know it well. He’s an idiot who won’t even drink water for over a fortnight once he’s immersed in research.”
He couldn’t exactly let his friend starve to death.
“Besides, if I had gone to you instead of Cheion, would you have liked it? Honestly?”
Luca knew better than anyone that Aseraian was the one who cherished Cheion the most.
Who wouldn’t know that he grumbled on the outside when he heard Luca was going as Cheion’s secretary, but was secretly relieved and happy?
Even this time, as soon as he heard Cheion was looking for the magic stone, he was the one who mobilized all his subordinates in the capital.
‘The world’s greatest doting older brother.’
Since there was nothing to argue against this either, Aseraian just let out a long sigh.
“So? Are you finding him? Rumors are starting to circulate about the Tower Master missing consecutive meetings. Even I can’t keep blocking for him forever.”
“I’m looking.”
A long sigh finally escaped Luca’s lips as well.
“I’ll contact you immediately if a new beggar is spotted near Delasi 1st Street.”
Slurp.
“Excuse me.”
“I told you, there’s no food.”
“It’s not that.”
“The Blue… tsk, I don’t have the magic stone either.”
“It’s not that either…….”
“Then what?”
“Can I have some more honey?”
“…….”
There are people like this in the world. People who make you feel annoyed just by being with them.
Seeing him looking like he hadn’t eaten for days, she had made him a cup of tea, only for him to complain that he couldn’t drink bitter things and ask for honey.
Thump.
When she placed the entire jar of honey in front of him, Cheion smiled brightly and began scooped honey into his teacup with great excitement.
‘He’s actually eating that?’
She liked sweet things too.
But she liked things that were deliciously sweet; she absolutely refused that kind of horrific sweetness.
Slurp.
“Haa, this is great.”
…Well, as long as he’s happy.
“Get out when you’re done drinking.”
“There’s still this much left.”
“Drink it quickly and go. I have a lot to do.”
“But.”
“What now?”
“Why do you keep speaking casually to me? We just met.”
Ceres, who was headed for the kitchen, stopped dead in her tracks.
“Hey, beggar.”
“I’m not a beggar…….”
“Who let you into the shop and gave you free tea even though business is completely over?”
“You did.”
“Who gave you honey that costs 3 gold a jar?”
“You did.”
“And who is the one who should be staying quiet and making themselves scarce?”
“…Me?”
Giving him a look that told him to shut up if he understood, Ceres turned away.
“But.”
“What again?”
“Do you really not remember where you lost the Blue… no, the magic stone?”
“No. You know this is the tenth time if you ask one more time, right?”
It was her mistake to let him into the shop, unable to just send him away after hearing that he had been scouring the surrounding ground for a week to find the magic stone.
Did she really lose the magic stone, did she remember where she lost it—he asked the same questions over and over and over again….
“How could you lose something like that?”
“I know, right? I guess one can lose even something like that.”
Ceres didn’t say anything particular as she watched Cheion casually drop the formal speech. They weren’t going to see each other often anyway.
Deeming any further conversation meaningless, Ceres slipped into the kitchen.
He’d leave on his own once he finished the tea.
Thump, thump, thump.
Bubble, bubble.
“…Hmm.”
Cheion’s gaze, while sipping his tea, drifted toward the kitchen before he knew it.
The sound of something being rhythmically chopped and the sound of something boiling. And the savory scent slowly wafting out.
Even though it was late at night and the sun had completely set, Cheion sipped the rest of his tea with a smile like a cat taking a lazy nap under the warm sunlight.
“Did he eat nothing again today?”
“Yes.”
Dell, Grand Duke Persia’s aide, let out a short sigh as he watched the plate, with its food perfectly intact, being brought back out of the room.
He was originally a light eater, but lately, he hadn’t been touching his food at all.
He wasn’t sleeping well and was barely eating. He was worried the Grand Duke might collapse at this rate.
‘Though I know well he isn’t one to collapse easily.’
That was why he was more worried.
Because he wasn’t someone who paid particular attention to his own body.
Because Dell knew well that he was the type to not realize his body was broken to the limit unless someone took care of him.
“Is there no food that His Highness the Grand Duke enjoys?”
Seeing the food return untouched for days, the chef’s anxiety also deepened.
The Emperor of Devrica had even sent the head imperial chef for Kainel, who had returned to the capital after a long time, but it wasn’t particularly helping.
They might have captured the palates of the imperial family, but they were in a situation where they couldn’t whet Kainel’s appetite at all, which was a great concern.
