[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 445

Chapter 445: The Weight of Waiting

It was easy to dwell on the past, to fixate on mistakes, and mourn the time when the pain began.

Easier still to let the relentless grind of time swallow the heart with guilt.

But grief, in truth, was only proof of love. Because without love, there would be nothing left to mourn.

With Berry’s clothes carefully placed inside the sealed coffin, Ray placed his hand on his chest.

He bowed in a solemn salute to the old man who had once taught him how to wield a sword.

"Teacher... I apologize for coming too late."

That was all he could manage before the sorrow choked his throat.

There would be no booming laughter in the barracks, no teasing of the old man.

With a last bow, the coffin was sent off toward the Darkhelm capital, where Berry’s family waited.

Swallowing the ache that threatened to burn his eyes, he stood there, watching the cart roll away until it disappeared from sight.

All Berry had wanted was to spend his old age with his family. Now, not even his body remained to return to them.

The blast of pure mana had seared all the corpses until nothing remained.

Nothing to even remember the soldiers who died for their land.

After forcing his thoughts into order, Ray returned to his room and slumped beside the bed.

Minutes passed, and he pulled the parchment with dark smudges on it.

"Dear Raymond..."

His fingers clenched tight around the letter.

"You bastard," he hissed under his breath. "You promised to ride my horse if I came back alive. I did it, Allen. So why won’t you open your eyes, too? Why are you all leaving me alone?"

The young man on the bed remained still. His stern face didn’t scowl, nor did his honey-brown eyes soften when he looked at Ray.

They remained close.

Ray tucked the letter inside his pocket, its edges frayed from the numerous times he had read it over the past couple of days.

Without making much noise, he climbed onto the bed.

The place was comfortable, but with two grown people on it, the bed became cramped instantly.

Not that the knight commander cared about it. Though he was sure Allen would scold him if he were awake.

After arranging the duvet properly, Ray touched Allen’s forehead. It was cool to the touch; no burning fever in him anymore.

He let out a slow breath and combed Allen’s hair back, untangling the soft strands with his rough fingers.

"You know," he murmured softly, all of a sudden, "I met our Aurilius. He’s a good boy. He is eleven, right? I told him I’d be his dad, but he just looked at me and ran away."

A short chuckle escaped him at the memory. Poor kid. Not that he could blame Aurilius.

"Well, I was covered in blood and the nasty brains of those Death Walkers. You might have to coax him yourself. I’m no good with kids, you know. Never have been. Hell, the first time I met His Grace, I—" He grimaced. "Bad history."

He wouldn’t tell that to Alchemist, ever.

If Allen did find out, he would never stop teasing him about it.

Ray shook his head, shoving the thought aside.

He propped his cheek on his fist, lying closer beside Allen until his body heat could get rid of the cold clinging to Allen’s body.

His gaze lingered on the pale face that refused to stir.

His thumb brushed the shadows under Allen’s eyes.

"I messed up, Allen. So you’d better wake soon and coax our kid. I bet he’s waiting for me to leave so he can check on you. But I don’t want to. I hate sharing the most."

As if on cue, there was a clatter outside the door, followed by quick running footsteps.

Ray chuckled softly. "See? Told you. Seems like he ran again."

He leaned down, lips brushing against Allen’s forehead. "Wake up, Allen. I don’t do well with waits. Please..."

It had been four days since the carnage at the border of Suniva’s capital city.

Both Xion and Allen still lay in deep slumber. Their lives hung by a thin thread.

Healer Bard—Xion’s student—insisted it was the plague’s aftermath.

Though the healing dust had purged it, Allen had worked his body to the bone. Now it was compensating for it, forcing Allen into sleep.

Xion was no better.

No human should’ve been able to wield that much pure mana. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Although he had no clue how such visions came to be, the way Xion had looked on the battlefield, he understood that those were real.

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