Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke

Ray chuckled lightly, finding the crumpling face of the black-haired male funny.

"What's in for me, little one? I am not a fan of charity, you see."

Xion's priority was to leave, and his profession was the only thing he could bet upon. He didn't miss a beat while answering this time, "I'm a healer. A good one. Just take me out of here, and I can handle the rest. If you help me, I'll help you."

The words came out far more smoothly than he had anticipated, almost as if his subconscious mind was handling it for him. But, then again, that was one of the few things Xion knew he could trust.

Ray did not reply. His blue eyes shone with a glint as though he was appraising more than just the healer's face.

Bitting back his shame, Xion blinked his big, innocent eyes and tried to look as pitiful as possible. He was shamelessly trying to copy the actions of those anime girls.

"Please…" Xion whispered, pushing his limits with what he hoped was an unbearably pitiful look. "Just get me out of here. I promise I won't cause any more trouble…"

He was well aware of the charm his new body possessed. So, why should he not use this effect to his advantage?

The way Ray was looking at him with narrow eyes, albeit a bit, the special effect seemed to be working.

What Xion did not know was the real effect of his face that had forced Ray to recall an ancient legend.

He wanted to observe the doll-like boy more just to be sure of his guess, and when the boy said he was a healer, his doubts were already half-cleared.

Knight's sharp gaze lingered on his fluffy, curled hair. Black as midnight, an unusual color in the entire world, one that Ray had only ever heard in the old legends. A mythical tale his mother used to tell him when he was a toddler.

An angel was sent by the goddess Myrthia to fight the devil and protect all the creatures from the darkness. The angel absorbed all the dark magic until his pure hair turned black.

The angel did his best to fulfill his role as a protector. That was until the greedy humans got their hands on him. They demanded riches and power. With that, they plundered the lands.

When the angel realized that he had been betrayed by the very people he'd come to protect, he fell into anguish.

In a rage, he took away the blessings of the goddess Myrthia and cursed the land.

As a result, magicians lost their magic. The dungeons appeared filled with monsters and dark mana.

The goddess took pity on the innocent souls suffering in pain and left the mana crystals as their last resort. That was how people started using those shiny crystals to do magic.

"When a devil lifts his head,

filled with bloodlust and greed,

A black-haired angel shall descend,

burying sinners for their deed."

It was an ancient song the children of Eldoria Lunareth had grown up singing.

Up until now, Ray had only thought of the song as wishful thinking.

A way for the poor to curse the snobbish rich as sinners and be satisfied with their hard lives.

However, now, when he gazed at the barely adult boy looking at him with such innocence, he had to reconsider his beliefs.

Even if the boy was nothing as strong as the legends stated, it was better to have him under his own wing than to let those nobles use the boy for their greed and... pleasure.

By the looks of it, the poor boy might have already caught the eyes of such people.

"Name?" Ray asked at last.

Xion straightened up his slumped shoulders, "Aijawa. Aijawa Xion."

"Aijawa... strange name, but ok, I guess. So, little Aijawa-"

"It's Xion," Xion interrupted quickly, his voice just shy of panicked. "Aijawa is... well, it's a last name of sorts." He gave a sheepish smile, feeling a little out of place under the sharp scrutiny of the knight.

Though Raymond halted a bit but did not do anything more than to raise a brow at the fumbling kid. "So, Xion, you will be coming with us after the banquet ends. Until then, you can stay in my room. Plenty of time to gather your things, I suppose?"

Xion nodded his head like a chicken pecking the ground. His eyes shone brightly as he finally smiled, "Yes! Thanks, Mister- I mean, Ray! I promise not to cause any trouble!"

Ray laughed as if affected by the cheerful smile of Xion. Only then Xion was allowed to jump off the table. Well, it was more like Ray picking him up before placing him on the ground, but you get the gist.

They made their way to the door. Two pairs of eyes darted down the hallway, scanning for other people.

After making sure that no one was outside, Ray took Xion to the nearby room.

"That room was for His Grace. My master, I mean. Just a reminder. Never make Master angry. Or you are on your own, little one."

"Got it!" Xion would have even called this His Grace his master if that meant getting out of this godforsaken hell.

While hiding in Ray's room, Xion made a list of the things he might need on his adventure. He needed to say his goodbyes to Eli as well.

At that time, the silly Xion was unaware of the storm coming his way.

Black Box-

Xion sighed dreamily. "My future lover will be so gentle."

Meanwhile, Darius chopped the head off a corrupt minister without batting an eye.

Xion, "My baby will be soft like a fluffy teddy bear I can cuddle with!"

Ray stared enviously at Darius's eight-pack abs.

Xion, "My lover will be a very good person!"

Darius, coldly eyeing a growling wolfhound: "If it growls at you again, I'll personally chop it and feed it to the crows."