Damned Healer

Cyaos was a young-looking human with white hair and a serious expression. Still, he didn't seem arrogant and politely greeted all the powerful figures that came up to him.

After a few minutes, his gaze froze, eyes widening when he saw someone sitting alone at the front. His clothes were ragged, but that figure... that figure was way too familiar.

Everyone around noticed the change, and then they saw who he was staring at.

"That beggar snuck in here, let me throw him out!" a family leader, already furious at Darian, roared quickly.

"Filthy human...!"

*BANG!*

That man didn't even finish the sentence before a sharp crack echoed. Darian moved like a ghost and landed a brutal punch straight into his face.

That beast in human form went flying, spitting blood, all his teeth shattered.

"You little bastard!" He shot up in fury, his power exploding like a volcano.

"Stop!" Cyaos roared, unleashing his power at the same level as that beast, forcing him to halt.

Seeing that, everyone was shocked.

Cyaos took a deep breath and quickly walked over to Darian. Soon, he bowed with a wide smile on his face.

"Brother Darian... it's been so long..."

Darian frowned, confused. "Sorry, do we know each other?"

"Forgive me. I was just a useless fool back then. But with your great guidance, brother, I actually managed to change." His voice didn't carry the slightest trace of irritation; on the contrary, it was glowing.

"I was one of the spectators who heard your preaching at the Young Sage Tournament, ten years ago. I remember every word you said that day. Later, you even answered one of my questions... and that completely changed how I lived."

The emotion in every word Cyaos spoke left everyone stunned.

Darian was, without a doubt, the most stunned of all.

Hudu's family group was in disbelief. Darian looked like a total mess... but...

From Cyaos' words, that dirty figure really was the one who had lit his path back then?! Everyone thought the same thing at once.

Darian sighed and shook his head. "You're being too polite. All I did was say a few words. Everything you achieved was your own merit."

Many quickly shifted their eyes toward Hudu. Others, who had wanted to drive Darian away earlier, swallowed hard, not sure how to react. After all, Cyaos was someone highly regarded in the universe, respected even by the royal family.

"If brother doesn't mind, I'd like you to sit with us," Cyaos said kindly. "Just like me, I know many others who changed their lives after that tournament. I know I might be embarrassing myself, but I'd really like you to hear my words."

Darian sighed. That was really unexpected. That tournament he had won... had actually ended up helping other people?

He looked into Cyaos' eyes, full of expectation, and didn't have the heart to refuse. Soon, he was guided by him to the center of the place.

When he got there, he noticed all the seats were taken, and everyone was staring at him coldly. Up front, two young figures were radiating a heavy draconic aura.

"Here, sir; I brought a chair. Please sit with us."

Suddenly, everyone was stunned at hearing the prince's polite invitation.

The young man looked barely older than twenty, and his face still carried a trace of immaturity, giving him the air of a grown-up boy. He had white hair, golden eyes, and darkened skin. But what stood out the most was a pair of black wings, very similar to Niara's.

He radiated a feeling of purity and innocence, like he could never hurt anyone. Even Darian activated his curse to be sure... and indeed, his karma was ashy, almost white. He was exactly what he appeared to be.

"Thanks."

Darian thanked him and moved, sitting down beside that young man, who had pulled a chair from his spatial ring and set it out for him. The moment he sat down...

"You're Darian?"

Suddenly, an extremely striking woman spoke up, staring coldly at him. She was one of the princesses of the royal family.

She was about six-foot-three, with long black hair, wearing a tight armor of black and gold scales that enhanced her strong feminine allure. Her skin, slightly dark, highlighted two small golden horns on her head. Her blue eyes reflected an intense determination.

Different from the prince, a cold arrogance marked her narrow nose and thin lips. From Darian's experience, that woman could only be a rose full of thorns. He had already gone through too much trouble dealing with an arrogant woman once... and he preferred to stay far away from that type again.

"Yes, that's my name." Darian answered flatly.

"I heard about you five years ago, on a special mission. On that mission, every planet with blessed ones sent representatives. There, I ran into two terrifying humans, with only six rings, who practically slaughtered all the annoying elves causing trouble. But there were almost a hundred enemies, all with seven rings and also blessed."

The woman spoke slowly, and Darian's eyes narrowed.

"They defeated them all, but got badly injured. Then the elves' allies tried to kill them. In the end, I liked them and gave them some help. Since they were so talented, I wanted to bring them to my house and accept them into the royal family after marriage. But... they said they only took orders from one person. Their clan leader and older brother: Darian."

Darian took a deep breath. Lucy and Lucius had really grown. Five years ago, they already had six rings... and they had also gotten fierce, striking without fear at those they disliked.

"Thank you very much for helping them." Darian quickly expressed his gratitude. "I'll remember this favor. If I get the chance, I'll repay it."

The woman looked at Darian with a hint of anger. "Truth is, I really don't like you. If it weren't for you, I would've brought those two terrifying young humans. That would've strengthened my side and given me a trump card in the fight for supremacy. That failure is your fault."

"What kind of logic is that?" Darian was dumbfounded. That woman wasn't just arrogant.

"That's my logic. Those two were incredibly important to me. Something that I, Tetoya, aimed for won't be given up so easily. So..."

"So? What do you want?" Darian asked, glaring at her coldly.

"Let's settle it the way warriors should. A fight to decide victory and defeat. If you lose, your whole clan will fall under my command." Princess Tetoya spoke in a heroic and noble tone.

"Pff... what an appetite." Darian almost laughed out loud.

Even though this woman was powerful, she was definitely crazy. The way she saw things and her mindset were completely childish. Compared to her, Remira had been much easier to deal with, since she already had a few hundred years of experience and wasn't so childish.

Darian was about to reply when the prince beside him suddenly asked with great curiosity:

"And if you lose?"

"I won't lose!" Tetoya replied with absolute confidence and determination.

"You can't be sure of that. What if you do lose?" the prince asked again, laughing.

She snorted coldly. "If I lose, I'll marry him, and everything I have will be his."

That answer shocked everyone present.

Hearing that, Darian's face sank. What kind of madness was this?

But soon he took a deep breath. This was just culture shock. He couldn't forget that those people were half-beasts, or full beasts.

For beasts, relationships were seen differently. They didn't need to be so emotional; if they found someone strong, who was at least minimally acceptable in personality, that was enough. To them, power was everything; and finding someone powerful to have powerful children with was also a major goal.

Seeing Darian's reproachful look, Tetoya got irritated.

"It's fair, isn't it? You lose, and everything you have is mine. I lose, and everything I have is yours. Do you dare to fight?" Tetoya said, showing clearly the power-driven mindset of those races.

"Sorry, I'm not interested in that bet. Even less in you." He replied, turning forward, indifferent.

"You're looking down on me?! I'm the princess...!"

Darian was about to shoot back more harshly when he noticed everyone suddenly go quiet.

He turned and saw a group of three people walking toward the center of the garden. They were pure humans. In the center, a man spoke:

"The Emperor decrees that Darian will have an audience with him!"

To his surprise, both the prince and princess stood up when the man appeared. It seemed his status wasn't something they could disrespect.

The man's arrival shocked everyone. Why would the emperor want to see Darian?! What the hell was going on?! Who was that beggar?!

Those who had threatened Darian earlier were now pale, horrified by their own thoughts. The emperor of the Empire wasn't someone just anyone could meet. Yet Darian had been specifically named to see him?

At that moment, the man in the center walked toward Darian. He had a strange smile that revealed a malicious gleam in his eyes.

The other two carried looks filled with innate arrogance. Even before the prince and princess, their faces stayed cold, not even glancing at them.

Then Darian's eyes flashed as he realized something.

"Oh? Wube family, huh?"

He threw out the bait. The three didn't change their expressions, but Darian felt their fluctuations shift ever so slightly. He'd nailed it: they belonged to that family. It seems the visit to this planet was destined for chaos.