The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 68: “Hng! Ow, it hurts…”

After checking what the commotion was about, Caelius soon learned the cause of the disturbance.

The new healer Gideon had brought into the encampment had already caused trouble on his very first day of duty. The man was named Gwen, a commoner healer who worked under the sponsorship of the Hawthorne family.

From the start, Gwen had little patience for silence when it came to wrongdoing.

It was said that Gwen knew about Irlian’s involvement in putting his master’s benefactor in danger. Because of this, Gwen confronted him openly along with his words sharp and full of anger. What began as a tense exchange quickly turned into raised voices, drawing the attention of nearby healers and nurses.

For the past few days, Irlian had kept his head low.

With Arctelle gone, he had been careful not to anger anyone else, choosing silence over conflict. But this time, Gwen’s accusations struck too close to the truth.

Unable to endure it any longer, Irlian finally lost his composure.

He raised his voice and argued back, his restraint breaking at last.

The argument grew heated while echoing through the healer’s tent and drawing even more eyes toward them, until it became impossible to ignore.

Fortunately, Caelius arrived in time and handled the matter with calm authority.

He separated the two healers at once while speaking firmly enough that no one dared argue further. To prevent things from escalating again, he brought Gwen outside the healer’s tent, intending to introduce him to Soren and ease the tension.

What greeted them, however, was not what Caelius expected.

Soren was being dragged forward by the shoulder, offering no resistance at all.

His body swayed slightly with the force, yet he did not raise a hand or speak back but anyone who knew Soren would understand why. He would rather endure pain and humiliation than lay his hands on a noble.

"M-my Lord..." Gwen muttered under his breath, eyes widening. "What are they doing? That man looks uncomfortable..."

He took a step forward without thinking with concern written plainly on his face. Before he could move any closer, Caelius reached out and pulled him back.

"Don’t," Caelius said quietly.

Then his gaze had shifted to the left.

Not far away, Gideon and Cael were standing still.

Cael’s face was calm and unreadable, as if observing the scene from a distance. Gideon, on the other hand, looked tense with worry clear as he stood beside his captain knight, hands clenched at his sides.

"Stay where you are for now," Caelius said in a low voice. "Let them handle it."

Seeing Caelius remain still, Gwen had no choice but to do the same.

Even if Gideon had brought him into the encampment, he was still only a commoner healer. In a place ruled by nobles and authority, all he could do was wait and watch as those above him decided how the situation would end.

"You damn wretch!" Sylas roared. "How did you seduce my brother?!"

His voice rang across the encampment, loud enough to turn heads even though Alaric had already ordered them to stop but Sylas ignored it completely.

In the next second, he shoved Soren with all his strength making Caelius seeing the situation nearby flinch and the same goes with Cael who was now walking towards them.

Soren lost his balance and crashed to the ground with a heavy thud.

"The hell is wrong with you?!" Lyric shouted.

He then rushed forward at once while dropping to his knees beside Soren. "Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice tight with worry.

Soren winced but tried to shake his head.

Before he could say anything, Lyric gently took his hand while being careful and slow, as if afraid even a small movement might hurt him more. He helped Soren sit up, his touch soft and protective.

And that sight made Sylas snap.

He glanced toward Alaric, as if waiting for him to step in but Alaric merely stood there while watching in silence, his expression unreadable as his eyes followed Lyric and Soren.

Something inside Sylas broke.

His face flushed red with rage, his jaw clenched so hard it looked painful.

"Fuck!" he shouted. "I should be the one asking you that!"

Then he pointed sharply at Lyric, voice shaking with fury. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Suddenly, Sylas grabbed Lyric by the shoulder while stopping him from fully helping Soren up. His hand then fisted into Lyric’s collar with grip rough and shaking with anger.

Before the situation could worsen, Alaric gave a small nod.

At once, five elite knights moved in.

"L-let me go!" Sylas shouted as they seized him. "Brother, how dare you stay close to that filth?! Have you already forgotten what happened to our family? There is no point trusting a damn commoner! They are all the same, fuck!"

He struggled violently as the knights dragged him away while his voice was echoing even as he was forced farther from Soren and Lyric.

"What an amusing sight," Cael said as he approached with a faint smirk on his lips.

He then glanced at Alaric first, then shifted his gaze toward Soren with eyes turning cold. Seeing how easily Soren had caused a rift between the twins left Cael quietly irritated.

Lyric turned back to Soren at once. "Are you alright?" he asked softly. "That must have hurt."

He reached for Soren’s hand again with concern clear in his eyes. Soren, however, gently pulled his hand back, not wanting to cause more trouble.

"I am sorry, My Lord," Soren said as he bowed. "But I am fine."

He did not notice the small cut on his palm with blood still fresh from when he had been shoved to the ground. Caelius, who had just arrived, noticed it immediately.

"Hm. What a crowd," Cael said with a sigh. "Can this be cleared away? I have something to discuss with the Duke. My time should not be wasted on such trivial matters."

He did not spare Soren another glance as he walked past him toward Alaric.

"Duke," Cael added calmly, "His Lordship Hawthorne wishes to speak with you. Shall we?"

Gideon then took a step toward Soren with worry plain on his face, but stopped when he saw Caelius already moving to assist him.

Alaric nodded once. "Very well," he said. "Let us go inside, Your Highness."

After the three of them entered the tent, Caelius turned back at once.

Together with Gwen, he guided Soren away from the scene and toward the healer’s tent. Soren walked quietly between them with his head lowered and steps unsteady but obedient.

Behind them, Lyric was stopped in place.

Alaric’s voice had been cold and firm as he ordered him to behave and told him they would speak later so Lyric could only watch as Soren was taken away, worry lingering in his eyes.

Meanwhile, far away in the capital, Arctelle was locked inside his room.

Fresh wounds lined his back, still raw and burning.

He lay face down on the bed with his teeth clenched as pain pulsed through his body. Because he had failed to gain merit during the northern beast subjugation, his father had punished him without mercy with fifty lashes of the whip.

No healing allowed for two full days.

Servants came and went, checking his wounds to make sure he had not used magic or medicine on them. With eyes watching him at all times, Arctelle had no choice but to endure.

If he healed himself before the punishment period ended, the lashes would be doubled.

Then thinking how unlucky he is, he just squeezed his eyes shut, breath shaking.

"Fuck..." he muttered under his breath. "Where did everything go wrong?"

His nails dug into the sheets as rage mixed with pain. "This is all that filthy commoner’s fault," he hissed. "He should have died. Why won’t he just die?"

The room stayed silent, heavy with bitterness.

"Hng! Ow, it hurts..." he just murmured as he lay there while being trapped with nothing but his anger and the slow, burning pain on his back.