Chapter~4

[And if the owner of a Tamer Relic eats it, its abilities will become even stronger.]

“So eating it makes the Tamer Relic’s abilities stronger?”

[Yep!]

“Just eat it already.”

“Ah, wait a second.”

Ceres stopped Kainel, who kept pushing the peach toward her mouth, and carefully examined the peach once again.

“All those abilities are really contained in a single peach?”

[Do you think it would be an item from the Divine Realm for no reason?]

Ceres’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Could she really trust that guy’s words? Of all people, it was Eliette saying this, so Ceres found it hard to believe.

[There’s another effect, too.]

Eliette lowered her voice as though this was the most important part and deliberately paused for effect. Then, with an unusually serious expression, she continued.

[It can reorganize a Tamer Relic.]

“Reorganize?”

[Simply put, it lets you freely adjust your contract with a Tamer Relic. You can even terminate the contract or give it to someone else.]

“You can give it to someone else?”

What was that supposed to mean?

[Exactly what I said. Of course, the person receiving the Tamer Relic also has to eat this peach, but as long as you have this, you can transfer a Tamer Relic you own to someone else.]

“Hm.”

[And there’s more. If you eat the peach and then touch a Tamer Relic that hasn’t formed a contract with anyone yet, your chances of being chosen increase tremendously.]

To become the owner of a Tamer Relic, one absolutely had to be chosen. There was no other way.

That was why there were more than a few countries that had discovered Tamer Relics but had no owner for them, leaving the artifacts stored away as nothing more than troublesome possessions.

‘But.’

What Eliette was saying was that with just this one peach, all those Tamer Relics could finally find owners.

What if this fact became public?

“So if I eat this and decide that I want to throw away my debt, my contract with you will be broken.”

Ceres stared at the peach in her hand with considerable interest.

Seeing that look, Eliette became anxious that Ceres might actually terminate their contract.

“Would the contract-reorganization function really be useful for anything?”

Ceres tilted her head.

She couldn’t think of much use for it. After all, who in the world would want to throw away their Tamer Relic or hand it over to someone else?

People were already going crazy trying to get even one more.

[That guy would need it.]

“Kai?”

At Eliette’s strange smile, Ceres also turned to look at Kainel.

This peach was necessary for that guy? Why?

“What do you mean?”

[The power that has been passed down through the generations of the three ducal families known as the Guardian Families—and the power that Kai has, too—is also a Tamer Relic.]

Eliette lowered her voice even further, as though she were revealing an important secret.

[It’s a special relic passed down from generation to generation to those connected by blood.]

“Hm.”

[…What?]

But Ceres’s expression remained as calm as ever.

Eliette, who had clearly expected her to be shocked, couldn’t hide her confusion.

[You already knew?]

“Roughly.”

[How?]

When the Temple Spring had been polluted before, the three Dukes had all lost their powers because they could no longer use the power of their Tamer Relics.

That had led Ceres to suspect that the powers possessed by the three Dukes might be some kind of Tamer Relic.

And at the time…

‘That guy had lost his power too, and he was in pain.’

Kainel’s body, which had always been as cold as ice, had suddenly burned with fever and changed into a state Ceres had never seen before.

[That’s right. That’s why everyone lost their powers back then. They were all people who had contracts with Tamer Relics.]

Eliette nodded as though Ceres’s guess had been completely correct.

“Are the powers of the three Dukes and Kai really the same?”

[Yes.]

“But…”

Then why Kainel?

Why was it that only the people from that guy’s family always died so young? Why did they have to suffer so much?

The three ducal families had no problems at all.

[Because the contract was made incorrectly.]

“What do you mean?”

A contract?

At Eliette’s explanation, Ceres’s brow furrowed slightly.

[Exactly what I said. The Tamer Relics of the other three families were contracted so that they would be properly inherited, but the contract for Kainel’s family was twisted.]

“Twisted?”

[Yeah. The power was forcibly transferred to the next heir once they reached a certain age. And the original owner would die as their heart froze over. On top of that, they couldn’t properly control the power, so they were constantly tormented by the cold.]

“……”

“……”

The two of them fell silent for a moment after hearing Eliette’s explanation.

All this time, they had thought it was a curse upon the family.

But it was merely… merely because the contract with the Tamer Relic had been made incorrectly?

“…Hey.”

Flinch.

At Ceres’s quiet call, Eliette instinctively hurriedly took another step backward.

[Uh… O-oh my, sis. Why did you suddenly lower your voice like that?]

The person listening… no, the Tamer Relic listening found it terrifying.

Feeling the air around Ceres turn cold in an instant, Eliette forced herself to smile calmly, but her eyes kept darting around.

She knew Ceres was genuinely angry, unlike her usual self.

“Why are you only telling me this now?”

You definitely watched Kainel suffer horribly from that incorrect contract all those years.

“And yet…”

Even though you knew the reason all along, you didn’t give me so much as a hint throughout all those years?

“You watched me spend years running around everywhere trying to cure him, gathering every herb I could find.”

Didn’t you even dance that ridiculous dance beside me back then, telling me to keep trying?

You called it an encouraging song.

And then I hit you several times for it.

[No, I had my reasons too…!]

“What reasons?”

Why don’t we sit down and have a nice, thorough talk about what those reasons were?

Of course, it wouldn’t be the kind of conversation that only involved words.

[I-if I tell you, what difference will it make?!]

With Ceres looking as though she might smash the Red Fan—the Tamer Relic—at any moment, Eliette hurriedly continued.

[There’s no way! There’s no way to fix it! The peach from the Divine Realm is the only thing that can cure it, but there was no way to get one!]

No, I only danced back then because I felt sorry for him and wanted to cheer him on somehow.

And you hit me really hard back then!

“Are you really saying this one peach is enough?”

[Yes, yes!]

Feeling the ominous aura surrounding Ceres subside a little, Eliette vigorously nodded as though this was her only chance to survive.

[I told you earlier. One of the peach’s effects is that it can reorganize a Tamer Relic. Eating the peach can correct even an incorrect contract.]

“……”

Ceres stared at the peach with a completely different look in her eyes.

Then her gaze slowly shifted toward Kainel.

‘Really…’

Was it really enough?

Was this single peach truly enough to make all his suffering disappear?

She had watched him suffer and struggle against the cold countless times since he was young.

She had tried everything she could think of to stop the cold that pierced into his heart.

She had gathered and given him every herb known to raise body temperature.

‘Of course, none of it had been useful.’

And yet she was being told that everything could return to normal with just this one peach.

Ceres felt a little hollow.

But only for a moment.

Unlike her usual self, Ceres couldn’t suppress the excitement bubbling up from deep within her.

“Kai.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m asking just in case.”

“what is it?”

“You don’t hate growing old, do you?”

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Ceres’s lips as she asked the question.

She knew it was a pointless question.

More than anyone, she knew how much pain Kainel had endured from living alone for such a long time.

Still, just in case…

She should at least ask him directly, shouldn’t she?

“I only held on because it was a life you gave me.”

Kainel let out a small laugh as well.

“Then eat it.”

Ceres held out the peach she had been carrying toward him.

“……”

But Kainel didn’t readily take it.

He simply stared at Ceres for a long moment.

“What about you?”

“Me? What about me?”

“You said it was precious.”

“They say it’s really good for humans to eat.”

“…So?”

“You’re not exactly in good health right now.”

“Hey.”

…Are you kidding me?

Kainel’s gaze was quite firm, as though he was determined to somehow make her eat the peach.

Ceres cut him off and gave him an utterly incredulous look.

They had finally found a way to restore the power that had been passed down like a curse for generations.

He could finally break free from that miserable cycle!

“Do you really think my health matters right now?”

“It does.”

“Shut up.”

Even if I said I was going to eat it, I’d probably have to steal it from you and shove it into your mouth.

[Oh, please. You don’t know Ceres?]

[Do you really think she only brought back one peach?]

She had already heard everything from her younger brother, Gibrio.

‘I got everything taken from me.’

‘What?’

‘The peaches, and several other things from the Divine Realm… Sniff.’

‘You should be grateful they only took your things.’

‘Huh?’

‘At least you weren’t erased from existence, right?’

‘…What?’