[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke-Chapter 245: A Green Paradise

The teleportation array was unlike anything Xion had seen before. The walls glistened with veins of luminous red mana crystals.

A single shard of these would have powered a city for years. Here, there were thousands... no, tens of thousands.

It was a treasure trove that could ignite wars.

Inscribed into the stone floor was a gigantic circle crafted from rare northern-forged metal. Even if someone wanted to imitate it, it would be nearly impossible to smuggle this amount out of the border.

The array glowed faintly with a soft, pulsing light. Its rhythm echoed like a heartbeat through the floor beneath their feet.

Ancient symbols older than written language shimmered faintly as they encased the circle inside. freewēbnoveℓ.com

Xion didn’t fully understand how it worked, but he could tell. Each rune was a dense reservoir of pure mana.

Special blue mana crystals, the size of fists, were embedded at key points around the ring. They pulsed in perfect synchrony, drawing mana inward through winding paths of those red crystals.

At the very center of the array was a raised pedestal just high enough to step onto with ease, like the first stair of a shrine.

"This is the core that sustains the teleportation array," Darius said, his hand lingering at Xion’s waist. The healer was so absorbed in looking around that he didn’t even notice his sneaky actions.

Without changing his tone, Darius continued, "Allen refined these after I returned from the capital... thanks to your help."

Xion, still staring at those shiny crystals covering every inch of this gigantic room, shook his head, "Not me. I just gave some tips."

If Allen hadn’t been so gifted, the guidance would’ve gone to waste. Even knowing his talent, Xion hadn’t expected such a perfect refinement.

It was truly a miracle.

"The array drains their energy completely. Once depleted, the crystals shatter. We only use it when absolutely necessary."

And he’s using it for me... The realization left Xion dumbfounded.

He bit his lower lip, trying to shake the unease twisting in his gut. He was far too familiar with this feeling.

Guilt. That’s what always crept in when someone spent time or money on him. It was as if, deep down, he had convinced himself that he wasn’t worth any such gestures.

[Host.] The system’s voice rang in his mind, brimming with excitement.

[How about you pick one? Just one. With so many here, no one would ever notice! Look at that pretty orange one. Or that sparkly finger-sized one?]

Those words lessened the heaviness in Xion’s chest, but they also made his eyes twitch. ’No.’

[But—]

’I am not stealing anything,’ he repeated firmly, ignoring the greedy whine in his head.

To others, he simply looked like he was lost in some profound reflection whenever he spoke to the system. His slight frown made him look even more solemn.

So much so that when Darius called him, there was no response.

"Xion?" it was the third call, and that was also when Darius decided to take matters into his own hands. Quite literally.

"Ah!" Xion yelped, instinctively throwing his arms around Darius’s neck for balance. The sudden loss of gravity ultimately brought Xion back to his senses.

And now he couldn’t figure out what he was doing in Archduke’s arms.

"Y-your Grace, what are you doing?" Xion asked while clutching onto Darius’ shoulder for his dear life.

If he fell down now, he might land on those crystals, and he didn’t have that kind of money to compensate for the loss!

Darius, on the other hand, simply started walking forward. His feet touched the crystals, creating an echoing sound that sounded very harsh to Xion’s ears.

Despite knowing that crystals were strong and almost unbreakable like diamonds until they lost their energy, he still found his heart thumping loudly.

That was millions! The Archduke was casually strolling over the economy of some country like it was normal grass.

"You didn’t respond to me," Darius smiled at the person in his arms, "Let’s go to the special place. It might cheer you up."

Darius was very keen on how Xion’s emotions fluctuated. So, how could he not notice it when Xion looked like that?

The best way to get rid of sadness was to fill the heart with good things. Hence, he was taking Xion to a very special place.

Cheer me up... So he noticed. Xion stared at the side profile of Darius bathed under the red glow of crystals.

Bathed in crimson light, Darius might have looked frightening to anyone else. And yet, rather of cold it suddenly looked warm to him.

"Why are you watching me so intently, Xion?" A clearly amused voice rang in Xion’s ears. He, like a brave kitten who had cozied up to his favorite human, wasn’t afraid of being caught.

Instead, he generously admitted it, "Because you are very handsome."

Darius chortled with glee, "Do you like it? My face?"

They stepped through the doors into a wide, open space.

A floral fragrance hit his senses, and he subconsciously took a deep breath of the refreshing scent.

It took Xion a few seconds to realize it wasn’t just green space.

It was a huge garden, filled with various kinds of flowers, herbs and expensive decorative vines.

There was an invisible shield over the entire garden, protecting it from the heavy snow and rainfall. Like a perfect little green paradise.

As if to enhance the beauty, there was also a gazebo. One could enjoy the view while cozying up with some tea and books.

"I know you like plants so..." I built this for you.

Though Darius didn’t say it aloud, Xion wasn’t stupid not to understand that silence.

It must have taken a fortune to gather all these plants, then a painfully long time of struggle to properly plant them.

Just from the fact that they were so healthy and so beautiful, it was evident just how much effort the Archduke had spent on creating it.

Months if not years...

The heart in his ribcage was on the verge of exploding. Then suddenly, it stilled as if it had found its place to settle down.

Xion watched Darius lower him onto the chair under the gazebo.

Just as the Archduke was about to move back, Xion’s grip tightened on his neck, not letting him move.

"Huh?"

Xion gathered all the courage he had and finally spoke, "L-Like it very much."

A smile broke on Darius’s face. "I knew you would like this place. I am really glad you did-"

"Not that." Xion closed his eyes tightly, then opened them again.

With a slight blush coating his face, he stared right at those shiny green gems, so close to him that he could easily see just how much warmth was swirling in them for him.

"I like y-you. Your Grace, I like you very much."

Then, as if to make sure that his thoughts reached Darius, he carefully leaned in and kissed him on his cheek.