Chapter 225: Kindness He Needed

When he heard that he was apparently surrounded by Dark Magic, he found himself accepting it without much resistance. A power so perfectly suited to him was almost laughable.

Qiu Nuoya had told him that as long as he did not use Dark Magic, he would not be swallowed by the darkness any further.

But those words also meant that Xiao Tao would have to seal away the one cheat ability he had gained after coming to this world.

What meaning does a Hero who cannot fight have?

If his mission was to defeat the Demon King and save this world, then what was the point of sealing away the very power that allowed him to fight?

Xiao Tao did not particularly want to fight.

But if he really had power...

"Xiao Tao, you look pale. Are you okay?"

Xiao Tao had been sitting with his knees drawn up, staring at his fingertips, when the voice made him flinch.

"Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you."

"No, it’s fine. I’m okay..."

The person peering into Xiao Tao’s face was Warren. Among all the members of the party, he was the only one around whom Xiao Tao could truly relax.

Xiao Tao knew that Igor was kind too. However, his imposing build gave him a certain intimidating presence, making Xiao Tao feel a little reluctant to approach him.

Xiao Tao had always been especially uncomfortable around people who seemed confident in themselves. There had simply been too many people in his past who initially treated him kindly only to suddenly turn on him, putting him down and hurling insults at him to make themselves feel superior.

Warren, on the other hand, seemed fairly ordinary, much like Xiao Tao himself. That was precisely what made Xiao Tao feel safe around him.

Xiao Tao had already shown Warren all kinds of embarrassing and pathetic sides of himself, yet Warren had never once made fun of him for it. That was another reason Xiao Tao’s trust in him had grown.

And, for some reason, Warren was also disliked by Viktor.

That gave Xiao Tao an unexpected sense of kinship with him.

When Xiao Tao raised his head, Qiu Nuoya had apparently finished tying his hair. He looked toward them and smiled warmly.

"Good morning, Xiao Tao, Warren."

Xiao Tao could hear Warren mutter so quietly that Qiu Nuoya would not notice.

"Tch. So those two made up after all..."

Xiao Tao lowered his gaze to the floor again.

He had only known them for a few days, but he already understood that Qiu Nuoya was the center of this party. Viktor’s feelings went without saying, and both Igor and Warren clearly cared about Qiu Nuoya as well.

What is it about him?

They were both come from the same world and had been dragged into another world against their will, so why was Qiu Nuoya the one who was loved by so many people?

No, it was not just Qiu Nuoya.

Shangguan Wan’er was being doted on by a prince who had money, power, and good looks, while she had even managed to find a boyfriend she liked. She was enjoying her life in another world to the fullest.

I wish I had been given a beautiful appearance like Qiu Nuoya or maybe if I could speak my mind as clearly as Shangguan Wan’er, someone would love me too?

"Hey, Xiao Tao. Are you really okay? Are you feeling sick or something?"

Once again, Warren spoke to him with genuine concern.

Xiao Tao felt like he was about to cry.

Would it be selfish of me to want that kindness for myself, even though I already know it belongs to someone else?

He already knew exactly who Warren was looking at.

Even so, was it really greedy for Xiao Tao to dream of becoming someone’s number one?

"...Stay with me."

"Hm?"

Apparently, Warren had not heard him. He leaned closer, as though trying to catch what Xiao Tao had said, and peered into his face.

He really was such a kind person.

"Ah..."

Xiao Tao covered his face with both hands so Warren would not see him crying and shook his head, trying to tell him that nothing was wrong.

He knew how pathetic he was being. He was sure Warren would eventually become exasperated with him and walk away.

But instead, Warren unexpectedly reached out and gently patted him on the head and the moment he felt that gentle touch, Xiao Tao could no longer stop his tears.

...

Xiao Tao had developed a fever and collapsed.

That morning, after Warren pointed out that Xiao Tao looked a little pale, Xiao Tao had suddenly burst into tears right in front of him. Warren had panicked and said that something seemed wrong with Xiao Tao, so Qiu Nuoya placed a hand against his forehead. The moment he felt the astonishingly high temperature, he realized that Xiao Tao had pushed himself too far, and Xiao Tao soon became bedridden.

Qiu Nuoya had an aptitude for Holy Magic, which included healing magic. Surprisingly, however, there was no magic within Holy Magic that could cure ordinary illnesses.

Well, saying there was none was not entirely accurate. Skills for curing illnesses were simply high-level Holy Magic skills, and Qiu Nuoya had not learned them yet. The same was true for Shangguan Wan’er, so neither of them could do anything to help.

Healing magic primarily consisted of skills that treated injuries and status ailments, essentially restoring a person’s body to its normal healthy state.

For illnesses, the high-level healing spell Extra Heal was apparently effective. However, even if it were used to cure an illness in someone who was naturally frail, that person would still have the same weak constitution afterward. It could not make them any healthier than their natural state.

A person’s basic physical constitution was unique to each individual, and even magic could not alter it. That was simply one of the laws of this world. Magic was not omnipotent.