[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 31

Chapter 31: Only 69...

On the way back, Xion’s curiosity was piqued by some herbs growing along the path. He began picking a few, mentally noting their characteristics.

A soft ping chimed in his head as his Merit points ticked up by a small but noticeable amount.

Only 69... Xion thought with a shrug.

But it was better than the zero points he had received for picking the very common Mikosa Ribitiyon earlier. After all, even a small number could make a difference between life and death.

Humming happily, he skipped back to the campsite with arms full of herbs. The smell of dew and fresh plants filled the air as he placed his findings near the makeshift kitchen counter.

Xion decided to cook a hearty breakfast to start the day right. Pancakes, eggs, and even a side of tangy soup, enough to feed at least five people.

Another thing he liked other than the protection he had received was that he did not have to do the dishes!

No need to think about the money to spend on ingredients either!

What a wonderful thing it was to just cook and leave with a plate full of food.

By the time he had finished cooking, the sun had started illuminating the ground. The members, if not already awake, had started to stir from their resting places.

A boy who couldn’t be more than ten hovered nearby, his curious gaze fixed on the herbs Xion had brought. His freckled face lit up as he splashed water over them with both hands.

"Young master," the boy piped up, "are you really smart and brave?"

Xion paused, arching a brow. "Smart? I guess I’m okay. Why do you ask?"

The boy grinned, his dirt-smudged cheeks spreading wide. "You did not die after calling his grace by his name! That’s gotta mean you’re really smart, right?"

Xion, "..." I was really dancing in the minefields, weren’t I?

"That was a mistake. I won’t do it again," Xion clarified with a slight smile.

"Yeah, that too. No one survives after making a mistake twice. And it’s troublesome to bury the corpses," the kid shrugged as if what he said was not about murdering people but about how beautiful the weather was.

A chill ran down his back, and Xion shivered. I am never going to call Rael by his name!!!

Xion coughed lightly before motioning the boy toward the herbs. "How about you help me wash them?"

"Sure, leave it to me!" The boy nodded eagerly, his mop of matted hair bobbing with enthusiasm.

Xion glanced at the child whose hair had been covered with dirt until he could not recognize the original color behind the grime.

"What’s your name, child?"

"Ah, that," the child picked the herbs before carefully placing them in a water bucket, "Dirty boy. I clean the dirty things, young master."

The Dirty boy spoke with a smile on his face, and Xion felt something pressing heavily on his chest.

The boy who should have been studying in middle school was now washing the dirt off for others. How pathetic it all was.

While his thoughts were drifting away, an excited shout brought him back.

"Young master, is this Beirik Silk?"

The dirty boy looked at Xion with excited eyes, and only then did Xion notice they were not black. Instead, they were dark purple, filled with curiosity and innocence.

"Hmm, you know Beirik Silk?" Xion was a bit surprised. Now, it was not that Beirik Silk was too rare of a herb, rather it was so common that most people considered it just grass.

To them, there was no worth of this tiny green sprout. If there was no worth, there would hardly be anyone to know its real name and not just call it "grass".

"My grandfather used to teach me all kinds of medicinal stuff," the boy said softly, his fingers twitching around the herbs. "Before he sold me when I was nine. Guess I wasn’t worth keeping around for longer."

Xion’s hands stilled. The smiling glint in those purple eyes shone so brightly that it pricked Xion’s nerves.

He hummed softly while his focus shifted to the plate in his hands. As he carefully placed a small bowl of soup beside the steaming pancakes, his grip faltered, and the pancake wobbled dangerously close to the edge.

With shaky hands, he managed to steady it just in time.

Xion placed it near the counter where the boy was still washing the herbs.

"Here, eat this after washing your hands properly."

He did not wait for the reply before moving to the side. All his excitement from learning about the basics of mana had simmered down until his eyes could see the reality of the new world more clearly.