[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 398

Chapter 398: The Explosion

The garden was too still for a summer afternoon. For summer in the North meant less snow and more cheerful shouts of the kids playing.

It was also normally the case with Talia and her group of friends, who, for some absurd reason, had been staying in Darkhelm Castle for the past month.

However, this time, they weren’t deciding what to play.

Not when Darius was standing opposite Silas Valaria, crown prince of the Empire.

For some absurd reason, Darius found the Valaria family loathsome. Their mere presence had him wrinkling his nose in disgust.

Once, when Silas Valaria offered him his hand with a smile, Darius had outright rejected the prince, earning the dislike of his mother and another lecture from his father.

Yet his hatred for Silas never lessened.

Raymond even joked that Darius had earned himself a rival.

A rival whom Darius wanted to destroy.

The sunlight shone on the faint curl of Silas’ lips. A smile that wasn’t kind at all.

Beside him, the dainty princess Talia tilted her head, her pale lashes fluttering with innocence.

Ethen lounged nearby, and Caspian — the newest addition to their little circle of elites — idly twirled a wooden practice sword.

"What are you acting crazy for?" Silas’ voice dripped with mockery. "Ain’t he just some kid? Let us all play together. It’s not like we’ll eat him or something. We aren’t like you, you lunatic."

Darius’ jaw tensed. His gaze was not on Silas, but on the dark slithers of malice curling around each of them.

They had become more visible to him since the day Xion had started ’curing’ him.

Talia spoke in her soft voice. "Brother Darius, why are you so bad? Maybe that’s why Auntie doesn’t want you. You should try to be more understanding, so someone will play with you too."

Her words were sugar sweet, but her golden eyes were cold little mirrors. As if she wasn’t the one to spread the rumors that he ate kids when annoyed.

That too, after he had given her his favorite flowerpot.

He could have endured it, really. After all, he had heard worse than this.

But then Silas’ royal guard appeared from the corridor.

In his arms, curled up like a sleeping bird, was his Xion.

The boy’s black hair looked soft under the sunlight. His lashes rested on pink cheeks.

After exhausting himself making a new ring, he’d collapsed into deep sleep. A ring that had the ability to amplify the lost mana.

Perfect match for the pendant that ate at this mana like some starved beast. It had helped Darius hide his newly gained power from his father’s eyes.

For that, he needed to thank Minato and the head priest.

However, even that couldn’t diminish his inherent hatred for the holy churches.

Maybe they were right when they called him a heartless devil.

But for Xion, he was just an Elf. And he had tried his best to play that role until now.

His nails dug into his palm as the kids gathered around his Xion.

Even now, when jostled, Xion only frowned faintly and slipped back into slumber. He was that drowsy.

"Oh my, he’s so cute," Talia cooed, clapping her hands.

Silas’ eyes narrowed at the tiny bundle. He stepped closer, squatting beside the kneeling guard, and reached out. His fingers brushed Xion’s cheek.

It felt soft and bouncy.

Before he could touch a second time, something inside Darius broke.

The shadows roared.

Mana slithered like serpents under his skin, burning hot, thick, and indestructible.

The pendant hanging on his neck strained against it, faint green light flickering — and then snapping out like a candle in the wind.

Suddenly, the ground trembled. The clear sky became dark as if covered by a black blanket.

And then, light and sound exploded into the world.

The blast was deafening.

A concussive wave tore through the garden, shredding hedges, splintering marble benches, and turning rosebushes into flying brambles.

The castle walls around them cracked like an eggshell, chunks of stone ripping free and crushing anything in their path.

Children screamed as blood sprayed in the air.

The royal guard who had carried Xion was flung back into a column. His bones breaking audibly before his body slid limply to the ground.

Darius’ new teacher, a seasoned mage, raised a shimmering barrier just in time to shield the prince and princess, but the backlash seared through his chest, and he collapsed.

By the time the dust began to settle, the garden was gone.

The west wing of the Darkhelm Castle smoldered, windows shattered into glittering shards.

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