[BL] Accidentally Becoming the Healer of the Deranged Archduke novel Chapter 304

Chapter 304: The Cost of Survival

Strange, Xion thought dully through the blurry haze of his consciousness.

He pressed his pale face deeper into the hard bed beneath him.

The buzzing in his head hadn’t stopped. Ah, no—it wasn’t buzzing anymore. It had evolved into a relentless, pulsing throb, as though his skull was being sawed apart from the inside.

His throat burned. There was a lingering metallic tang coating his tongue like rusted iron.

He gagged, or tried to, but his body was far too weak to even retch. A bitter taste sat unmoved on his breath.

He was drugged. The heaviness in his body told him at least that much.

The first thought that crashed into his mind after the realization was- Will he worry about me?

A weary breath slipped past his slightly purplish lips.

Darius would. Without a doubt, he would. And that was what alarmed Xion more than anything else.

I should have talked to him. Told him I was feeling tired...

His lashes, damp with both unshed tears and sweat, trembled faintly.

Then, like a bell chiming in a distant cathedral, a familiar voice rang through his skull.

[Host, are you awake?]

Unlike the previous times, the system’s voice was low and cautious as if afraid to startle Xion.

Nonetheless, it still made Xion’s drenched brow wrinkle together.

’What...?’

That was all Xion managed to say and the system immediately launched into the persona of a lost kid who finally found his parent.

[Host! How can you be so careless?!] The voice quivered, sounding on the verge of tears as it poured out its grievances. [Do you know how worried I was? I nearly short-circuited because of you!]

Somehow, the splitting pain in Xion’s skull lessened, just a bit. Enough to make the constriction around his heaving chest loosen.

As he lay there, his fingers curled into the rough fabric beneath him. Even through the layers of fabric, his nails left half-moon dents on his palms.

’Poison?’

Although he had a hunch, he still wanted to confirm it. The symptoms he had chalked up to being tired were related to this.

[Yes, exactly that. Poison. This poison nearly turned you into a cripple for life. I had to administer an emergency antidote.] The system told Xion while pulling the interface for him to take a look.

WARNING: Emergency Override Activated. Authority Breach discovered by the Mall System. Ability Lockout — 24 Hours.

It basically meant that due to breaking the code of conduct of Systems, the Mall System was now banned from using its abilities for twenty-four hours.

Xion was more than just surprised. He had read the rules before and was very well aware that the system was not allowed to act on its own violation. Only he, the selected host, was allowed to use it.

He was aware of how eager his system was to upgrade. That was why it had followed the instructions properly.

Yet, to save his life, the system broke the protocol. It even received its first ever penalty for it.

A sudden earthquake forced his senses to sharpen. The hard seat under him, the rough blanket on his body, the way he was curled up in the small space... he was not resting in his room!

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