[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 212: A Letter Of Chaos

Almost three months had passed in relative peace, and Xion let himself believe that the world would stay quiet a little longer. Maybe until he died of old age.

Just then, like a stone hurled at glass — shattering it — a letter arrived early in the morning.

It bore the red seal of the territory’s lord.

Xion had only met him once when he came to Faymere. Lord Varnehold was an old man with a good heart if not a particularly sharp mind.

That was most likely why the ministers had banished him to the borderlands in the first place.

But from what Xion had gathered, the lord hadn’t minded the so-called demotion at all. In fact, he’d treated it like a promotion. He was far from the political mess of the royal court, and he could spend his days surrounded by family.

In his own words:

"It’s heaven for me, yah know? I’m glad I ended up here, met a talented young lad like yah."

He spoke with a thick accent and a booming voice that always reminded Xion of Old Man Berry.

He found himself wondering how Berry was doing.

Even if he had heard the news about Ray being the cool undefeatable knight and Allen being the famous Alchemist who could snatch the dead from the king of hell, there hadn’t been many talks about Berry.

If Darius was well, his people likely were too. freёnovelkiss.com

But as Xion opened the letter, his casual amusement vanished.

The contents written in the dark ink stunned him.

An unknown disease had begun spreading through several southern regions, including the territory Xion was living in.

It started innocently enough with simple headaches and mild dizziness. But after a week, the fever would set in. Soon after, patients would begin vomiting blood.

Not the normal red, but a dark, almost black blood.

Once that began, no one lasted more than two weeks.

The strange illness had been quietly creeping across villages and towns, with a pattern that seemed to be moving eastward, toward the royal capital itself.

For the past three months, the court had dismissed the symptoms. They ignored the warnings just as they would ignore the floods wreaking havoc in the other areas.

The reasoning was simple enough. It never affected them.

And with the generous funds allocated for "emergency management," many lords simply abandoned their sick fiefs and relocated elsewhere.

But now, with the sickness brushing against the edges of their own marble walls, panic had finally begun to set in the hearts of the royal city.

The lord’s letter didn’t just inform Xion of the broader crisis — it also came with a warning.

Due to Xion’s unparalleled skill in healing, he might or might not be summoned to the capital.

They would politely request, as the letter put it, to serve as the royal healer.

But both Xion and Lord Varnehold knew exactly what that meant.

It would be a direct royal order, inked on a silk decree.

For someone who ran so far away from the capital on his own accord, this was nothing but a cage of gold wrapped in a false facade of courtesy.

Xion sat there, staring at the ink scrawled over the pages one more time. It must have taken almost three days for the letter to arrive at his side.

In three days, everything could change. The timing of his decision, the lives of the people working under him, and his future.

"Just when I thought there was nothing to worry about..." Xion folded the letter and asked the servant to deliver it to the lady of the house.

He wasn’t good at navigating politics, nor did his brain work when he had to play sweet-tongued snake with the higher-ranking aristocrats.

If anyone could point him in the right direction now, it would be her.

At the breakfast table, Xion sat stiffly, his eyes locked on the lady. Despite his obvious eagerness to speak, his dear aunt remained utterly calm.

Serena was sipping her tea with the kind of grace that made it seem as though even if a volcano were erupting outside, she wouldn’t so much as flinch until she’d finished her breakfast.

In this case, he was the volcano, and he was very, very close to erupting.

"Aunt," Xion said at last, his voice tight with impatience, "say something. Please. What should I do if they come here?"

Noxian, with an egg roll sticking halfway out of his mouth, stared at Xion and Serena with a frown.

After swallowing thickly he asked, "What’s going on? Who is coming?"

Serena finally set her cup down with a soft clink.

"A royal decree," she said as if she were commenting on how nice today’s weather was. "Which I presume is already on its way."

Xion groaned and let his head drop against the table. "Why didn’t you tell me earlier?"

"And? What would you have done?" Serena smiled, crimson lips curling with amusement while her pale eyes remained fixed on the view outside the window. "You can still run away, you know."

She tilted her head slightly. "Take your horse and leave everything behind. If you go now, you might just miss the royal decree. Want to do that?"

Do I want that? Xion pondered all the things he had read in the letter. Even if he ran away using some excuse that would still implicate all the people working with him.

It wasn’t just them, the villagers might also get caught in the crossfire. Not to mention those people dying from some disease.

Even if he ran, where would he go? How long could he hide before the crown found him?

Sooner or later, he would be caught and by then he might not be a healer. No, he’d be a criminal who defied royal authority.

And that, he knew well, was a sin punishable by death.

But... but! I really don’t want to go to the capital!

As if hearing his silent scream, Serena chuckled. "What are you worrying about when I’m with you?"

"I am too!" Noxian shouted, though the little knight had no clue what they were even talking about.

Xion finally raised his head. There was a glint in his eyes as he stared at Serena, "So, I don’t have to go?"

"I never said you have to," Serena said, taking another sip of her tea.

Even if it had been years, Xion’s nightmares had only increased. Though they were hardly from his past life anymore.

Some were born of the memories left behind by the dead Xion, but most were from what he had lived through in this world.

And Xion had no wish to relive those nightmares by going to the capital.

Xion let out a deep breath and patted his chest. "Oh, thank the goddess. As long as I don’t have to go east, I’m fine treating any deadly plague."