I Became the Villain Alpha's Omega (BL)

Chapter 292: The Discussion Ahead

Cherion’s entire body went completely rigid, his breath hitching in his throat as the High Priest’s words echoed in his ears. Beside him, Zarius moved instantly. The Duke stepped into a protective stance, his hand dropping to the hilt of his blade, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glare. Gillian, too, snapped out of his trance, his head spinning between Cherion and the unexpected religious authority.

Sensing the immediate hostility, the High Priest quickly raised his hands in a calm gesture. He took a half-step back, his expression entirely gentle and free of malice. "Please, rest easy, Duke Zarius," the old man spoke, his voice a soft, resonant murmur that carried a strange, anchoring warmth. "I am not here with dangerous intent, nor have I informed the imperial knights outside."

The High Priest then shifted his gaze toward the door, where Marielle was still frozen in shock, her hands clutching the iron handle. He gave her a polite, deeply apologetic nod. "And my sincere apologies for startling you, Lady Marielle. I know you were guarding the entrance with great diligence. It was rude of me to slip past it."

Turning back to Cherion, the High Priest let out a soft, tired sigh, his eyes filled with a deep, desperate sincerity. "To be completely honest, I was actually searching for you, Lord Cherion. I intended to find a way to reach you so I could ask for your aid regarding the Solaric princess. I never expected to encounter you already here, in her room." A faint, relieved smile touched the old man’s lips. "But I am profoundly grateful. This means you are truly willing to use your healing power to save her, correct?"

Cherion stared at the old man, his mind a chaotic mess of confusion and rapid damage control. Maybe the old guy had sensed the strange wavelength of his power... or maybe Cherion had been walking around unknowingly radiating a giant neon sign that said: Hello, I’m hiding a healing ability. But right now, analyzing the lore didn’t matter.

His eyes narrowed as a sudden, sharp memory flickered through his mind. Reaching deep into his inner coat pocket, Cherion’s fingers brushed against something remarkably cold. He pulled his hand out, revealing the small ice sculpture that Iryna had playfully gifted him earlier.

She was slipping away. Second by second.

Cherion shoved the weeping sculpture back into his pocket and dropped the unbothered, clueless act entirely. He looked the High Priest dead in the eye and gave a firm, sharp nod. "Yeah. I’m going to try."

He stepped right up to the edge of the mattress, turning his attention to Gillian, who was watching the exchange with wide, bewildered eyes. "Prince Gillian, we’re on a clock. Do it now."

Gillian didn’t understand what was happening, but the sheer urgency in Cherion’s voice snapped him into action. He stepped forward, his hands trembling as he channeled a thin, precise layer of Solaric fire mana over his sister’s frozen form. The thick, opaque crust of ice over Iryna’s chest let out a sharp hiss, thinning down under Gillian’s careful control until a clear, translucent path to her core was visible.

Cherion took a deep breath, hovering his bare hands over the opening. He looked down at her pale, flawless face through the remaining frost, murmuring a quick, quiet whisper. "I’m sorry for touching you, Princess, but this is an emergency."

With a sharp exhale, Cherion placed one hand firmly over her forehead and the other directly over the center of her chest core.

Instantly, the room was blinded.

A golden light erupts from Cherion’s palms.

Cherion closed his eyes. Focus, he told himself. She isn’t a bad person. She didn’t deserve to get dragged into this corruption. Live, damn it.

The moment his power pierced through her skin, a violent, terrifying reaction occurred.

A foul, pitch-black smoke begins to aggressively ooze out of Iryna’s body. The black substance coiled into the air like a striking snake, but the moment it came into contact with Cherion’s golden light, it reacted like a criminal caught by the guards and vanished without a trace..

"Look!" Gillian gasped, his eyes wide with awe as he stumbled a step back. "The ice... it’s melting on its own!"

With a soft, melodic chime, the remaining frost across the bed cracked into a million brilliant pieces, dissolving into harmless, sparkling silver dust that floated through the air. Almost instantly, the ghostly color left Iryna’s face. Her chest began to rise and fall in a steady, peaceful rhythm.

Cherion violently pulled his hands back, his breath coming in ragged, heavy gasps. He stumbled slightly, his knees buckling from the sheer volume of energy he had just expended, but Zarius was there in a split second, catching him firmly by the shoulder to keep him upright.

Wiping a thick bead of sweat from his forehead, Cherion looked over at the bed. The black smoke was entirely gone.

The High Priest stepped up, waving his hand over the princess to check her vitals. A bright, genuine smile broke across the old man’s face. "The poison has been entirely eradicated. It is gone, Lord Cherion. You did it."

Gillian dropped to his knees by the mattress, tightly gripping his sister’s warm, soft hand. Tears of pure relief finally spilled over his eyelashes, his shoulders shaking as he looked up at the priest. "She’s safe? She’s truly out of danger?"

"She is simply sleeping now," the High Priest reassured him gently. "Her body is resting from the strain, but her life force is completely restored."

Cherion leaned heavily against Zarius, his physical exhaustion immense, but his brain was already firing back on all cylinders. The crisis was averted, which meant the other danger was officially back on the table.

He straightened his posture, his expression turning sharp and serious as he looked at both the Solaric prince and the leader of the Temple.

"Listen to me carefully," Cherion said, his voice low but carrying a terrifying weight. "Both of you. You cannot tell a single soul that I was the one who did this. As far as the empire is concerned, I was never here."

Gillian frowned. "Why not? Cherion, you literally just saved the life of a Solaric royal. If the world knows what you can do, the rewards, the status..."

"I don’t care about status, Prince Gillian," Cherion cut him off bluntly, his eyes deadpan. "I have my own reasons for keeping my head down, and my survival depends on it. Please respect that."

Gillian paused, looking from Cherion to the silent, imposing figure of Zarius. Finally, the prince bowed his head deeply. "I understand. The Solaric Empire owes you a debt that can never be repaid. Your secret is safe with me."

The High Priest offered a smooth, reverent bow of his own. Cherion let out a slow breath, his eyes locking onto the old man’s face.

"Thank you," Cherion replied. "And now that the princess is sleeping safely... Your Holiness, I believe there are a few very important things you and I need to talk about."