[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 191

Chapter 191: Mana Chemotherapy and Transplantation

Xion knew this was going to be difficult. Convincing Darius was one thing, but Allen and especially Ray?

That was an entirely different beast. Still, they didn’t have any other choice.

"I know what you’re thinking." Xion glanced between the two men. "And that’s exactly why I’ve been working so hard to put some flesh and strength back into him," he said while pointing to the lethargic archduke.

Just remembering all the effort he’d poured into preparing nutritious meals for His Grace, only to end up here, made Xion’s lip twitch in frustration.

So much so that he dropped the formalities and snapped, "I cooked all that for nothing, and now you are still this weak."

"But teacher ... it is not feasible at all."

The alchemist had always believed in Xion’s talents. But when it came to the archduke’s life, Allen wasn’t willing to place any reckless bets.

"It is." Xion glanced directly at His Grace, who, despite clearly understanding the weight of the situation, was still lazily watching him.

"Your grace, we have to follow two courses. One is to drain all of your mana, and the next is to infuse it with purified mana."

"Okay."

One word was said with so much calm and certainty that the tent fell silent.

Xion, who had mentally prepared a dozen arguments to persuade him, ended up swallowing them all in stunned silence.

But of course, Ray wasn’t as easily silenced.

"What the hell do you mean by draining all his mana?!" he burst out, looking ready to lunge at someone. "You want to drain the only thing keeping him alive. How is that different from murder?!"

His fists clenched. His voice cracked under the weight of worry. How could he not be scared? He understood the risks better than most.

Mana flowed like blood. It was directly tied to life itself. If drained past a critical threshold, the body would suffer. Internal collapse, coma and then... death.

And Xion had just said it so casually. All of it.

"I won’t kill him. I would never." Xion sighed. "Look, if we don’t do that, his grace will die anyway. At least let me try it. Or do you have a better way?"

Ray stayed silent. If he had a better way, he would have done so a long time ago.

"How are you going to do that?"

Darius asked, and both Ray and Allen could only keep their mouths shut. As long as his grace wished to do something, no one could stop him.

Xion’s hand paused over the parchment, but he didn’t look away from his grace.

"If my mana connects with someone else’s, it’ll explode," Darius continued, tone almost bored despite the deadly truth behind his words.

"And we don’t have enough reserved mana either. So how exactly are you planning to make this work?"

He wasn’t wrong.

The mana sealed within the pendant was only just enough to maintain the fragile barrier protecting his organs. What little extra it held was being used to keep him alive from moment to moment.

If that ran out... there wouldn’t be anything left.

However, Xion had been preparing exactly for this moment.

He’d been collecting Darius’ corrupted mana in small, manageable portions and then using the pendant to clean it.

After purifying, he stored it in his ring which would amplify it. He had been repeating this process again and again.

"Leave it to me." That was all Xion could say to the three men staring at him.

Then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "But first, you need to sign this." Xion tapped the parchment cluttered with notes and scribbles.

Beside him, the water in the bath had long since lost its medicinal potency. The blue had faded into the lightest shade, almost mingling with the colorless water.

Time was ticking.

As Darius stood up from the bathtub, Xion almost squawked like a silly little kitten.

Internally though, he cursed. Couldn’t he have given a warning first? What if I got a heart attack?! And worse... a nosebleed?!

His wide blue eyes, very much against his will, trailed downward like a guilty thief.

They skimmed over the lean, wet chest, over pale skin that glistened with droplets, down to the outline of abs that were, in his honest opinion, unfairly nice.

Especially compared to my non-existent ones, Xion thought bitterly.

His gaze continued downward... past the defined mermaid lines... until the droplets vanished into ...

Trousers?

Xion blinked, staring blankly at the soaked cloth clinging to Darius’ lower body.

His heart, which had been hanging by a thread, snapped right back into place.

Why the hell did I think he was naked?! Of course, he’d wear something underneath!

He really wanted to smack himself. Unfortunately, his body agreed before his brain could veto the motion.

And before his logical reasoning could stop him, he did it, right into the edge of the tub at that.

Smack!

"Ow—"

Meanwhile, Xion was silently combusting. Why the hell am I still looking?!

No blood.

Smack!

Systemic mana collapse. Organ fatigue. Neurological tremors. Rejection of the mana transplant...

Darius raised an eyebrow. Rejection? Was that not obvious enough?