[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 216: To Open The Gates Or Not

People were rushing to the South. It wasn’t just the villages at the edge of Faymere even folks from the cities had begun to flee.

With all the fame the ’House of Healing’ had gained, it had become the major convergence point for the desperate.

It didn’t matter whether they came from the polished stone avenues of Highcrest or the moss-ridden pathways. They were all eager to step into Faymere.

After all, when sickness swept through the land, borders dissolved like paper in the rain.

When Xion stepped out of the lab, the sight made him stop mid-step.

There, along with Noxian and his trusted healers, stood the village head and Lord Varnehold.

Xion’s gaze landed on the lady behind her husband’s bulky form.

Unlike Lord Varnehold’s heavyset frame — one so broad it even obscured his eyes — the lady was petite, appearing too thin as she stood beside him.

"My lord, my lady," Xion greeted them with a polite smile.

Lord Varnehold breathed heavily and adjusted the overly tight sash digging into his generous waistline. "How are you, lad?" he asked with his usual gruff voice.

"I’m good, but... I presume something’s wrong?" If it weren’t an emergency, both the lord and the lady wouldn’t have come directly to the hospital without notifying him first.

Or maybe they had tried to notify him, and since he was locked in the lab, no one had dared interrupt. The way Noxian was wiggling his brows at the couple and him, made it seem so.

"You’re right, Xion. It’s my son." The lord fell silent for a moment as if mulling his next words. "We came as soon as we noticed the similarities. The moment the chill took root in my child’s chest, I knew this was no ordinary cold."

Xion nodded, though his eyes remained fixed on the woman behind him.

Lady Norva looked as though she was wilting beneath the shadow of her husband.

Her expression was plain, stoic. Maybe too still for someone whose child might be suffering from a deadly illness.

But Xion noticed the slight tremble in her fingers where they clutched the folds of her familiar-looking shawl.

Where had he seen it? He tilted his head in thought. "And how is he now?"

"He’s in the cottage too, brother," Noxian stepped forward and handed Xion a flask. "We’ve separated them, but... more people might arrive as per the guards."

Xion took a sip, the tangy sweetness bursting across his tongue. Orange juice. It was something he liked when he felt drained.

His foggy brain sparked awake with the glucose rush inside, making his lips curl up faintly. But clearly, that wasn’t the case for the people watching him.

Especially the village chief.

"I know it’s important to help others, my lord," the chief said with a faint restlessness, "but we can’t open our gates."

Reputation was a double-edged sword. If Xion said to close the gates, he’d be accused of turning away the poor sick people. But if he insisted on opening them, he’d risk the lives of the entire village.

No matter which side he took, someone would hate him for it.

"I understand," Xion said, taking another sip and giving the chief a reassuring nod. "Can you ask the people to tighten security? And also, pass along these instructions..."

Then came a list of warnings: to stay clean, avoid taking jobs from outsiders no matter how tempting the pay, and remember that anyone could carry the seed of the disease.

He also told them to avoid consuming heavy teas, potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, or any edibles that contained alkaloids.

The village chief exhaled in relief and hurried off to make the announcement.

Had Xion pressed on letting the sick in, the chief might’ve been forced to fight him and every noble who supported him — including Lord Varnehold. It wasn’t a battle a mere village head like him could win.

As he walked away, he glanced once at the gates of the Healing House.

He thought, to sell the land at a cheap price to Lady Serena was really proved to be the best decision I might have made.

Meanwhile, Xion and the lord and lady were making their way toward the cottage again.

"It’s been four days since the cold began," the lady said softly, "Then came the fever. We thought it would pass, but it didn’t."

Her voice was calm, but there was a faint tremor betraying her real flustered state.

"Did you give your son the same tea as your friend? I mean the merchant’s wife."

"Yes," she nodded quickly, eyes darting toward Xion. "Is there something wrong with the tea? I drank it too. And my lord—"

"Enough," Lord Varnehold interrupted. Both his tone and words were bordering on scolding.

But the very next second, he gently patted her thin shoulders, "What are you doing, turning a perfectly healthy person into a patient? I am fine."

The more Xion stared at the couple, the more the frown on his face deepened.

"What?" Noxian whispered in Xion’s ear, startling him enough to flinch.

"How many times, Noxian!"

He had told Noxian not to whisper near his ear. Never the ears. And yet this brat never listened.

Even now, when they were dealing with a deadly disease, Noxian had the nerve to grin at him like a fool.

"What?" the teen asked with fake innocence, "You were frowning, so I asked."

Xion smacked the back of Noxian’s head. "I’m worried, and you clearly aren’t."

Noxian groaned dramatically, of course — though it clearly hadn’t hurt. "Brother," he whined, "you were in there for almost two hours!"

"Yeah, so?"

"Whenever you’re in there for over thirty minutes, you always come back with an answer. And I know..." Noxian slung his arm over Xion’s shoulder and dropped his voice to a whisper, "You’ve already figured something out. So tell me — are you worried about the ingredients... or the people?"

Unlike others, Noxian knew Xion disappeared into thin air whenever he entered that lab.

He’d seen it once with his own eyes when he was hiding there to scare his brother. That had been years ago, and ever since, Xion had never let anyone near that lab, no matter how powerful they were.

Except him.

Noxian knew Xion trusted him. Why else would he be the only one allowed to clean the lab?

So of course he was curious about what was bothering his brother now.

Xion sighed. "Both," he said, gently pushing Noxian’s arm off his shoulder. The kid had grown stronger, and his arm felt heavier now.

"I’ll tell you later."

"Got it." Noxian handed him the bottle again. "You better finish it, or get scolded by Aunt. Just a reminder... I made her angry."

"Again?" Xion looked baffled, and yet not surprised. "You idiot."

Because when Serena was angry, it was like a silent cloud gathering in the sky — no one ever knew when it might explode.