After healing everyone in the room, even without rest from the journey, Soren felt a strange sense of achievement though he couldn't quite describe it. His stomach felt unexpectedly light, and for the first time, he found himself giving a faint smile, one that didn't go unnoticed by three of the patients.
They were a knight with a broken left leg, another with deep scratches across his back that revealed bone, and a third with a long gash near his eye.
"You look too pretty for a commoner. What's your name?" the knight with the injured eye asked, grinning. His heart raced, captivated by Soren's smile from just a moment ago.
"You can call me Soren, sir. How do you feel?" Soren asked, keeping his tone calm and steady.
"I'm feeling good now. Thank you so much for healing me… and you have such a beautiful name," the knight replied, holding Soren's hand for a moment.
Then Soren noticed the knight's gaze shift past him. Before he could fully turn his head to see what had caught the man's attention, two of the knights he had just healed seized him. They dragged him toward a storage room filled with herbs and first-aid supplies and shoved him inside.
The other knights, surprised by what had just happened, tried to intervene but a single glance from the three sons of nobles stopped them immediately. These were not ordinary soldiers because they were close companions of the captain, overseeing the performance against the beasts and so, everyone knew better than to interfere.
After all, the other knights were just commoners, trying to earn their keep and make a name for themselves. Even the nurses in the room averted their eyes, silently tidying up the scattered bandages and cleaning the mess left behind.
Inside the storage room, Soren was forced to the ground, held by his chin. The impact had been loud, but Soren didn't groan or flinch. Though he had sprained his ankle, he felt no pain.
"Look at how pretty you are up close," the knight with the injured eye said, circling Soren with a grin while glancing at the other two. "Even for a commoner, your skin is flawless. Your eyes, your long red hair… I wonder what's beneath these clothes. Should I check for myself?"
"Please… let me go, sir," Soren said evenly, his voice calm despite the situation. "I have to go heal the others…"
But irritation got the better of the knight with the injured eye. With a harsh yank, he pulled Soren upright and slammed a fist into his face. The impact sent Soren's back crashing against the herb cabinet, causing him to stumble but before he could fall completely, the two other knights caught him, holding him steady.
"What should we do now?" the knight with the deep scratch on his back asked, glancing nervously at the one who had just hit Soren.
Soren, however, wasn't as helpless as he appeared. Calm and collected underneath the ruse, he acted like a fool to stall for time. He understood exactly what was happening and that these men intended to harass him but he knew that by staying calm, he was only fueling their irritation further.
"Please let me go, sir. If you're still not feeling well, I can heal you again." Hearing this, the knights pulled him onto the table and forced his head down. One of them yanked down his pants, exposing his bare skin.
"P-please let me go, sir…" Soren struggled to break free as the others began to unbuckle their belts, revealing their bulges.
"Hah, look at this. Guys, check out how soft his buttocks are! Wow, who would have guessed he's a commoner? He could be a noble pretending to be a rat, right?"
One of them pointed to Soren's entrance with his bulge and added, "Don't worry, we promise to make you feel good, okay?" Soren winced.
One of them is kneading his buttocks, saying, "Ugh, so smooth..."
One even grabbed Soren's hand and put it on his bulge, saying, "Come on, touch me..."
Soren, running out of options just closed his eyes and tried to think of anything that could get him out of the situation. Just then, the door suddenly flew open, revealing Sylas as one of the twins who had also shown him hostility.
"What the fuck am I seeing right now?" Sylas exclaimed, stepping inside.
At the sound of his voice, the three knights jolted in surprise then they immediately removed their hands from Soren's body and hastily pulling up their pants and fastening their belts.
"W-who are you? Why are you here?" stammered the knight with the broken leg, realizing the gravity of the situation making Sylas' face twitched with annoyance as he watched Soren calmly straighten himself.
Soren wiped the blood from his mouth, left over from the earlier punch, and adjusted his clothing with a casual composure that only made Sylas smirk slightly.
"What did you just say? Who am I? What the fuck's wrong with you, you asshole?" Soren snapped, his calm tone sharp enough to make the knights shrink back in hesitation.
"Get your asses out of my sight before I cut you down. You're getting on my nerves right now…" Sylas said coldly while the three knights fell silent, immediately recognizing him by his clothing. With a final glance and smirk at Soren, they hurriedly exited the room.
Soren spoke up before Sylas could ask about the situation. "Are you injured, sir? Are you in pain? Should I heal you here?"
"Hah! Do you even realize what just happened? Those assholes tried to… and what? Why are you so calm?" Sylas asked, exasperation clear in his voice.
"It's not a big deal, sir. My apologies for causing such commotion," Soren said plainly that made Sylas sighed, frustrated, though he couldn't even tell himself why.
"Forget it. Drag yourself out of here, right now," Sylas snapped, turning to leave.
"I still have a lot to do, sir," Soren replied calmly.
"It can fucking wait until tomorrow, can't it?"
"Their wounds are severe, sir, as I was told," Soren said, his tone steady.
"Are you seriously talking back to me? Get your ass out of here and come back tomorrow, damn it!" Sylas barked.
After a brief argument, Soren finally sighed and trailed behind Sylas, following him to the Private Guest Suite where Lyric, the prince, and the Duke were waiting along with Captain Theron.
"Why is he here? It's not like he's needed in our meeting." Lyric asked in irritation seeing Soren's face.