With his magic robe stained from the bloodshed of the previous night, Xion had no choice but to settle for a simpler garment.
He wondered if he should buy a new grey robe for his use. But he did not want to waste his merit points for now.
Draped in a plain blue robe that curiously mirrored the hue of his eyes, he made his way toward the door.
Xion looked at the shiny doorknob in his hand and suddenly remembered that, just a day ago, he had patted Rael's head.
How afraid he had been to even step out of the room? However, forget punishment, Rael did not even scold him.
His gaze drifted to the boy, still fast asleep on the bed. His cheek was smushed against the pillow, his soft, pouty lips slightly parted. All of it made him look so innocent, so adorable.
The sweet angel's peacefully snoring sight made Xion almost coo at him.
Without disturbing the boy, Xion slipped out of the room only to catch sight of a figure pacing furiously in the middle of the hallway.
Ray, dressed in his dark blue uniform, was circling in front of his room as though the world would end if he stopped moving.
Weird déjà vu... He mused, trying to decide if he should slip away unnoticed or speak. Then, he sighed.
"Umm, good morning?" Xion honestly was not sure how to talk with this sometimes friendly and sometimes glaring knight.
Ray's head snapped toward him, his icy blue eyes narrowing before he zoomed in front of him, "How is His Grace? Where is h-"
Before he could finish, Xion pressed a finger to his lips, gesturing the knight to speak lowly, "Shhh. Rael... I mean, His Grace, is asleep. Don't speak loudly."
And this time, it was Ray's turn to feel a strange sense of déjà vu. Howbeit, the command to lower his voice didn't come from his master, but the one who was sleeping at that time.
Ray stared at him, unblinking, before he gave a stiff nod. It was enough to let Xion relax.
Even though Xion knew that there were magic runes painted to make the room soundproof, he still did not want to take any risk.
The sweet child had been through so much. He should get a proper rest.
He carefully closed the door before turning back to the weirdly stiff knight.
"Maybe... come with me?" Xion asked after a pause. "I'm going to cook something for him. You can help if you want."
Despite his preference to work alone, the thought of leaving Ray to pace like a restless beast did not sit well with him.
One of these days, my sympathy is going to get me killed, the silly healer thought helplessly. Nonetheless, he still smiled at silent Ray.
Turning around, he strode down the corridor and toward the kitchen. There were heavy footsteps following behind him, and that made Xion think about last night's gruesome sight.
In his impulsiveness, Xion almost blurted out the question that had been eating at him since last night: why wasn't Ray by Rael's side, protecting him when it mattered most?
It was not as though the knight lacked the skills or the strength. No, Ray was clearly capable, perhaps too capable.
But the words caught in his throat.
His hand moved on the edge of the clean kitchen counter as reason clawed its way back into his mind. What good would come from asking?
Whatever the answer, it was not his place to pry, especially when he was not even planning to stay with them for longer.
Fumbling with the small orange crystal, he threw his questions at the back of his mind.
By now, he had become quite adept in using mana crystals. All he had to do was channel a very small amount of mana into the crystal and let the shiny thing do its magic.
Xion was not aware that the tiny amount of mana in his mind was the maximum amount any average person could muster.
Only the magicians at the magic tower and the healers at the church were able to use mana freely, but even they had restrictions.
On average, a top-class healer was able to treat three to five patients a day, unlike him, who had been treating anyone who came to him for help.
Of course, his knowledge as a doctor came more than just handy.
To Xion, it was not anything special. It was simply doing what he could with what he had.
Unbeknownst to him, his consistent efforts and apparent boundless abilities had put him in a very bright and rather dangerous spotlight.
All of this had resulted in him having a secret bodyguard in the face of Berry though Xion remained blissfully unaware of this newfound protection.
As far as he was concerned, he had more pressing matters to attend to like looking for the right vegetables.
All this while, the knight did not utter a word. He remained oddly quiet. His broad shoulders were stiff, his gaze trained somewhere distant.
Even as Xion rolled up his sleeves and began washing ingredients, Ray stayed rooted to the spot.
Xion had just started preparing the porridge when Ray finally broke his silence. "So… His Grace is still asleep? At this hour?"
"Yeah," Xion replied without turning back. He evenly stirred the steaming pot while eating the chunks of raw vegetables near him.
Who made him sleep hungry last night?
"And… he really slept the entire night?" A low voice sounded again.
"Yes. Why are you so surprised? He's a child. He needs more sleep than adults." Xion turned around. A frown etched on his forehead hidden under the robe.
Ray opened his mouth to speak but snapped it shut while running a hand through his tousled blonde hair.
When the knight did not speak further, Xion sighed.
From what he had observed, Raymond was loyal to Rael to the point of being overzealous about it. He must be feeling guilty for not protecting the kid last night.
Sure enough, everyone is fighting their own problems, he thought.
"Here." He ladled out a portion and handed it to Ray, who took the bowl with surprising care.
"I… thank you," Ray muttered.
Xion tilted his head. His gaze fell on his red ear lobes. The sight brought a smile to his lips.
He poured the perfectly cooked porridge with extra toppings in two bowls, "You are welcome. And can you call lady Nazia?"
His question finally shook Ray back to his senses. The ever-composed knight seemed to regain his usual poise as he glanced at Xion and raised an eyebrow. "For what?"
"To check if the food is okay. I want to bring it to his grace." He was not willing to take any chances with the child's safety- or his life.
To his surprise, instead of calling the lady, Ray tasted the porridge himself. "Yeah, it's good. Go ahead."
His sudden, gentle behavior made Xion wonder if this knight had some bipolar problem.
I am no expert in that field!
So, he quietly nodded to the knight who was gulping another spoonful and went back to his room.
However, when he was about to enter the room, a thought occurred to him. Is porridge too bland?
Now, good porridge with rich ingredients might be a luxury to him but that could not be the case for someone rich like Rael.
He wondered what could be the best thing to cheer an eleven-year-old kid. Then his eyes shone with a smile.
He opened the system mall and ordered hot chocolate. With his experience with the mall system, he knew it would taste excellent.
Two bamboo cups appeared on the big silver tray he had been holding. They emitted a rich aroma, making his mouth water.
As for how he made it? He could just say he had a last bit of chocolate powder he bought from some merchant.
Perfect! With that thought he knocked on the wooden door and silently waited.
The silence stretched longer than expected.