Chapter 73
“Haa, I ate well today too.”
“I’ll come again tomorrow.”
“Let’s go.”
It was already getting dark outside.
One by one, the mercenaries stood up from their seats and headed out.
“Check, please.”
Even the Black Guild Leader Skal stood up and asked for the bill.
“Reserve the same date next month for the guild dinner.”
“Ugh! Again here?”
“Vice Guild Leader, please do something!”
“…Can you guys just shut up for once.”
Despite their grumbling, the mercenaries smirked when they heard they’d be back here next month.
Vice Guild Leader Rot sighed deeply as he watched them.
They’re doing this on purpose, aren’t they?
“This is on the house.”
Ceres handed the Guild Leader a rather large pot—filled with stew.
He really liked it the last time she gave him one.
“Book the month after next too!”
“Thank you, customer.”
A bright smile also appeared on Ceres’ face for the first time in a while.
She hoped Skal would remain the leader of the Black Mercenary Corps for a long time.
“You both did great today. Go on home.”
“Yes.”
“You too, Miss Ceres. Head home early.”
Once the customers had left and the rough cleanup was done, Ceres let Jay and Mark clock out first.
“Yulia, is it good?”
“Yeah!”
“You could’ve eaten at home, you know.”
“But I was hungry.”
“See, that’s why I told you to go home first.”
“I wanted to go home with you.”
At one side of the restaurant, Yulia was eating her delayed meal.
After the customers left, the child had said she was hungry, so Ceres quickly prepared something for her.
“Should I give Mister some too?”
“No.”
Kainel, who was sitting across from Yulia, silently looked at the spoon she was holding out to him.
“Didn’t you stay because you were hungry too?”
“No.”
“Hmm, guess not.”
Yulia, apparently still very hungry, busily moved her spoon again.
“But…”
Kainel, who had been watching quietly for a while, turned his gaze toward a corner of the shop.
“Someone you know?”
Even before Ceres could answer, Kainel exuded a quiet but deadly aura, as if ready to strike.
“Yeah. Someone I know.”
Ceres quickly stopped him.
She had already guessed who Kainel was glaring at.
“Ugh… what is with everyone I meet lately?”
From the shadows, a grumbling figure appeared—it was Ben, a member of the Sky organization.
‘Maybe it’s really time for me to retire?’
Why is everyone so good at detecting my presence these days…?
“What’s going on?”
Ceres asked immediately.
Ben wasn’t supposed to be here at this hour.
She had asked him to keep an eye on the children in her stead.
“There’s been a bit of trouble. One of the kids got hurt…”
“Hurt? How bad?”
“It’s not serious, but… I think there might be a broken bone…”
Crack!
Ceres ran out of the shop immediately.
Ben quickly followed her.
“Kai! Watch Yulia for me!”
Ceres called out as she ran, disappearing in a flash.
“Wow, my sister runs so fast, right?”
“……”
Kainel, still sitting in place, slowly nodded at Yulia’s comment.
His eyes were fixed on the spot where Ceres had vanished.
Kai.
A name he hadn’t heard in such a long time.
“Mister.”
At that moment, Yulia’s voice rang out again.
The child had finished her meal at some point and was now staring at him blankly.
“Mister, what are you good at?”
“…Me?”
“Yes!”
“……”
***
“Ugh…”
“Don’t move. Your bones are completely shattered.”
“C-Completely shattered?”
The children were gathered closely in front of the rocky mountain inside the training ground.
Among them, one child was lying on the ground, unable to move.
“Yep. Oh—do you not know what ‘shattered’ means? It means your bones are broken into little pieces. Really small bits.”
“Uwaaah! Stop, stop! I get it!”
Just hearing that makes it hurt more!
At Ceres’ overly kind explanation, the injured child clutched his ears in misery.
“How did this happen?”
“Well… I tried to climb up there…”
To Ceres’ question, Antonion replied in a slightly trembling voice.
He seemed quite shaken as well, his complexion pale.
“Why would you climb that cliff when there’s a perfectly fine path?”
“You said we’d be climbing that eventually…”
“I said eventually, not now. You guys really have no fear.”
Who gave you permission to climb that steep cliff?
Ceres clicked her tongue softly.
‘They probably wanted to test their abilities.’
By now, they must have realized for themselves. Their physical abilities had changed significantly.
They probably made a bet to see who could climb the cliff first… but kids, you’re still a long way off.
“Ugh… ngh…”
The torn wounds were already healing quickly, as usual.
However, even in this magical training space, resetting a broken and misaligned bone to its original form was difficult.
Ceres excused herself under the pretense of going to get herbs and opened a subspace in a hidden corner away from the kids.
From there, she took out a few medicinal herbs.
‘Not like I really need these, but…’
She still needed some kind of excuse.
She crushed the herbs and applied them evenly on the injured child’s leg.
At the same time, she quietly used her ability—
The ability to rewind time.
Just enough to return the leg to right before the injury.
“Ngh… H-Huh…?”
The child, who had been moaning in pain, suddenly wore a blank expression.
Because the pain vanished in an instant.
“Try standing.”
“Pardon?”
“Try getting up.”
“But my leg just broke, noona.”
“You’re fine now. No need to fake it.”
The child stared in bewilderment.
They knew this place made wounds heal faster… but this injury shouldn’t have healed so easily.
“What are you doing? You’re healed. Get up.”
“Ah, yes!”
The pain was completely gone…
Though still skeptical, the child finally got up at Ceres’ firm tone.
“Huh?!”
His eyes widened as his leg moved perfectly normally, as if nothing had happened.
The other kids were just as shocked.
“What? You can walk right away?”
“Seriously? You’re really healed?”
“Wow!”
“Noona, what kind of herb was that? It healed a broken leg instantly!”
The children were amazed, assuming it was the herbs Ceres used that had such incredible effect.
‘There’s no such thing in the world, kids…’
But of course, she couldn’t tell them the truth.
She quickly changed the subject.
“So, what were you doing while the kids were up to this?”
Once things had settled down a bit, Ceres called Ben over to ask about the situation.
She had clearly asked him to keep a close eye on the children so they wouldn’t get hurt.
“Well… it was break time…”
Ben ran a hand through his hair roughly.
He remembered her instructions clearly and had no excuse for what happened.
Even if it was a break, the truth was that he had neglected his duty.
As usual, after the shuttle runs, he had given them some rest. He too took a short break.
Who could’ve known that during that brief moment, the kids would start a cliff-climbing contest and end up like this?
“I see.”
After hearing the gist of the situation, Ceres nodded and looked toward the kids huddled together.
“Now I know very well.”
“Huh?”
“You guys don’t need breaks, do you?”
“Wha… What?!”
“From now on, no more breaks.”
“Eeeeeeh?!”
Ceres pointed toward the snowy hill.
“What are you waiting for? Run. You know what happens to the last one.”
“Aaaah!”
Without waiting for further instruction, the children ran forward—
Determined to make the one who suggested the cliff climb finish last, no matter what!
—
‘It’s later than I expected.’
Checking the time, Ceres quickened her pace.
After leaving the kids to Ben and heading out, she returned toward the shop.
Yulia was still waiting there for her.
‘Well, Kai is with her, so…’
She wasn’t particularly worried. Kai wouldn’t hit a kid, after all.
Ding-a-ling.
“Yuli—”
WHACK!
“There too, Mister! Freeze that part too!”
WHOOOSH!
“Wow! Now over there!”
WHACK!
“……”
…What is this? A Frozen Kingdom?
Stepping into the shop, Ceres was rendered speechless as she looked around—
At the now completely frozen interior.
—
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