The Healer Demands Payment! - Chapter 96.3: Star Lake (Iii)

"I hope my wife liked the arrangements... for the wedding night."

Shoved into the backseat of his father's car right after graduation, Riley Hale ended up marching toward a company building with a bagged lunch and a pen.Still in his toga, the fresh graduate never thought he’d land in the office of the continent’s top lizard, err, dragon, as his aide.And that would’ve driven any person wishing for a corporate career to tears. After all, who wouldn’t want to serve the fastest ticket up the corporate ladder: Kael Dravaryn, the infamously elegant, unhinged, and extremely overpowered Dragon Lord of the continent?Well, that would be Riley.The same Riley who didn’t expect to spend his days dodging fireballs, dressing his boss in robes more complicated than dark magic, and serving as a literal target during morning sparring.Now trapped in a job he never truly agreed to, the hardworking aide decided to hold out until it was time for his glorious resignation. But leaving a dragon’s clutches could never be easy, especially one with elemental mastery and a finger worth a private army.Yet, as Riley, who longs to quit, attempts to navigate ancient politics, wyvern threats, and other accidents (many of which are definitely not his fault), he might just hallucinate himself into seeing something beneath his boss’s arrogance and molten glares.Maybe he’d actually care if Riley got turned to ash.

In the fantasy world ruled by Matriarchy, Kael of the Ancient Moonstone House, was working as a guild receptionist. Throughout his life, he was protected by his mother and later, younger sister, who was considered one of the highest potential individuals in the Queendom of Elyria. One day, he hears that his sister has gone missing and his family has accumulated debts of over 127 million gold coins to the Bank. The Queen comes to his rescue, paying off his debts and in exchange, he has to marry her five daughters, who each excel in a domain of their own.Having the five imperial princesses and the Queen herself as the backing, Kael has become one of the most protected individuals in the Queendom. Little did his wives know that Kael had another identity. He is the most dreaded yet noble Assassin of the imperial city, “K,” one who hunts down the criminals who escape punishment either because of insufficient evidence or using their connections.Follow Kael's journey, as he navigates his life as the protected figure in the light and protector of justice in the shadows.

war, blood, and betrayal carved him into something else. A legend. A killer. A mercenary whose name struck fear into both criminals and so-called heroes alike.But now, the world had changed. Lines blurred between right and wrong, between justice and vengeance. Should he step into the light, wear the mask of a hero, and fight for a cause greater than himself? Or should he embrace the darkness that had always been his home, a place where morality was just another illusion?“Don’t box me in with your shallow ideas of good and evil,” he muttered, his voice calm but edged with danger. “I do what I want, when I want.”The air was thick with tension as he moved like a shadow through the dimly lit room. The writer had no time to react—one moment, he was scribbling nonsense about legends and myths; the next, a cold barrel pressed against the back of his head.The figure smirked beneath his mask, eyes gleaming with something between amusement and menace.“You wanna write fiction?” he whispered. “Then let me show you how real legends are made.”A single gunshot shattered the silence.As the writer’s body slumped over the desk, the man holstered his weapon, stepping into the faint glow of a flickering neon light.“It’s that simple,” he said, his voice unwavering. “I’m Deathstroke.”