The Substitute Healer (BL)-Chapter 73: “Damn it, Your Highness!”

After sending a message to Alaric via the messenger bird, warning him about the possibility of Soren’s kidnapping, Caelius immediately returned to his duties.

He moved among the others, healing wounds and offering guidance while also assisting Irlian and Gwen with their tasks. Kaine, on the other hand remained on high alert while keeping watch over the surroundings with his eyes scanning every shadow and movement.

As everyone gradually regained their footing, Kaine couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling in his chest.

The thought that his master’s benefactor might be in danger gnawed at him like a persistent weight he couldn’t easily shake. Yet he hadn’t reported it to Gideon, and the only contribution he had made was lending the messenger bird, which wasn’t even his made him felt almost insignificant, bruising his pride more than he expected.

Still, Kaine forced himself to look for the silver lining.

He reminded himself that in moments like this, action mattered more than ego.

He focused on what he could do in the present such supporting those around him, keeping watch, and ensuring that everyone received the help they needed.

It wasn’t much, perhaps, but it was the right thing to do, and that had to be enough.

Meanwhile, during the pursuit of the suspects, a messenger bird suddenly appeared while circling above Alaric’s group. Gaspar, quick to notice, called out to alert him.

A moment later, after Gaspar mentioned the bird making Alaric, Cael, and Lyric all looked up. The bird swooped down gracefully, delivering its letter into their hands.

As Alaric read the message, his eyes widened in shock.

Cael’s reaction, however, was far more intense with anger flared across his face as if the news had struck him like a physical blow. Lyric, instinctively, started to turn toward the direction Soren might be, but Alaric’s hand shot out, stopping him.

"What? Don’t tell me you’ll still stop me, brother! He’s in danger!" Lyric exclaimed with frustration and worry lacing his voice.

Alaric’s gaze hardened with tone suddenly authoritative, sharp as steel. "Lyric, you dare raise your voice to me? Me? Are you ready to face the consequences of what you just did?"

Hearing his brother’s serious voice, Lyric flinched since it had been a long time since he had seen his brother’s expression so unfiltered and so undeniably commanding. The weight of it pressed down on him, silencing the words he had almost spoken. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Then, Alaric’s eyes narrowed as he muttered under his breath while scanning the knights who awaited his command. "So... all of this was just a diversion. Their target is the healer so how did I miss that?"

The tension lingered in the air, thick and suffocating, as the realization settled over them. The stakes were higher than ever, and the moment demanded precise and decisive action.

After finalizing the plan, Cael and Alaric split up, each leading a group of knights in different directions.

Lyric and Gaspar formed another team of their own while spreading out to cover as much ground as possible.

Time was no longer a luxury they could afford, and every passing moment tightened the knot of unease in their chests.

Snow blanketed the land, thick and relentless while the cold wind cut through armor and cloaks alike.

Frost clung to lashes and brows, numbing fingers and slowing movements, yet not a single knight complained thinking that many of them had once stood at death’s edge and it had been Soren who pulled them back.

His hands had saved lives when hope had already faded and that debt alone was enough to drive them forward through the biting cold.

Despite the growing worry gnawing at them, they searched in silence while scanning every hollow and shadow. Footprints half-buried by snow, broken branches, disturbed ground or anything could be a sign.

Still, nothing appeared.

At last, they reached the next location outlined in the plan, the stretch of frozen water.

The surface looked solid at first glance, hardened by the cold, but upon closer inspection, the ice was thin and fragile enough to shatter under sufficient force.

Beneath it, dark water stirred slowly, ominous and unforgiving.

Then, after a while, one of the knights stepped forward as he addressed the two men leading them.

"We’re here, Your Grace... Your Highness," he reported while glancing between Alaric and Cael.

At the knight’s report, those positioned at the front immediately stepped aside, clearing a path for Alaric and Cael.

At first, nothing seemed amiss, only the quiet stretch of frozen water ahead with its surface pale and deceptively calm. But then, one of the knights stiffened with his hand rising in warning.

"Your Grace... Your Highness," he said in a hushed but urgent voice. "There are two suspicious individuals across from us."

He pointed toward a large tree blanketed in snow. Partially hidden behind it were two figures along with their hurried and rough movements. Between them, they were dragging someone along the ground.

Alaric and Cael’s gazes snapped in that direction.

In the next instant, their blood ran cold.

The figures shoved the struggling person forward with brutal force. The ice cracked loudly upon impact, splintering beneath the weight, and the body plunged through the frozen surface into the dark, icy water below.

"Soren!" Cael shouted with a tearing voice through the stillness as panic surged through him. Without thinking, he stepped forward only to stop short as reality slammed into him.

He then turned sharply to the knights with urgency blazing in his eyes. "Everyone, move and find another way!" he ordered. "Do not step onto the frozen water! If the ice breaks, we’ll all drown. Go!"

"Go, hurry! Move!" Alaric ordered, echoing the command as his gaze locked onto the shattered ice. Without hesitation, he surged toward Soren’s direction.

But it was already too late.

After Soren was thrown into the water, realizing that they found them, the two suspicious figures had vanished, retreating swiftly into the snowy forest, leaving only broken ice, churning water, and the aftermath of their cruelty behind.

The ice continued to groan beneath the sudden disturbance with fractured lines spreading across its surface like spiderwebs. Beneath it, the black water churned violently, swallowing Soren from sight as the danger of the situation became horrifyingly clear.

Meanwhile, deep beneath the freezing water, Soren struggled against the crushing cold. His lungs burned as he fought for breath with his bound wrists and ankles limiting every movement.

Thoughts of his mother also surfaced in his mind. Even as panic clawed at him, he did not resist the memories.

Instead, he held onto them.

Despite the agony, despite the darkness closing in, Soren made a choice.

Rather than turning his healing power inward, he released it outward into the water surrounding his fragile body.

His eyes slowly closed as a soft, golden light spread from his chest and flowed into the cold water around him. Bubbles slipped from his lips and floated upward as the light grew brighter, filling the water like warm sunlight.

Then the cold began to fade, and the dark water no longer felt so heavy, as if something gentle and alive was pushing it away.

’Am I going to die?’ he wondered calmly. ’If I am... it’s fine. Really. Mother... we can finally be together again.’

Unaware of what was happening above him, Soren’s light continued to expand while reaching not only the depths below but the surface as well.

Above the frozen water, the knights suddenly halted.

A golden light shone beneath the cracked ice, lighting it from below. The water, once dark and rough, slowly became clear and glowed softly as if it had been cleaned. Everyone froze in place while they’re staring in shock especially Cael, Alaric, Gaspar, and Lyric.

"W-what is that...?" someone whispered.

"H-how... it feels so calming," another said softly with his wide eyes. "Look, it’s coming from under the water!"

"W-what’s happening?" a knight asked in fear. "The water... it’s getting clearer."

The light flashed once more beneath the ice, gentle but powerful, as if it was answering a call that only it could hear.

’Shit... hold on a little longer,’ Cael muttered.

He told himself that he wasn’t worried about whether Soren would live or die but his actions said otherwise. Every step he took and order he gave was filled with urgency and fear he refused to admit and Alaric was no different.

Panic twisted inside him as well, yet he kept his face calm and his posture steady. On the surface, both men denied their concern while pretending control and certainty but beneath it all, worry was already taking hold.

Cael, on the other hand did not think twice. He jumped into the water and swam down right away and searched for Soren.

"Your Highness!" a knight shouted when Cael disappeared under the ice without any warning.

"Damn it, Your Highness!" Alaric swore in worry.

He then turned and glared at the knight who had been beside Cael just moments ago. Even so, Cael stayed calm beneath the water while forcing himself to focus despite the freezing cold.

He moved quickly with his eyes scanning the water as he searched for Soren.

At the same time, Lyric was doing something else entirely.

The three suspects they had chased earlier were now on the ground. Lyric struck them again and again, filled with anger and fear. He did not kill them but he made sure they could no longer fight back. When he finally stopped, they were barely able to breathe.

Lyric stood there, trembling with anger burned in him, mixed with disbelief.

How could anyone dare attack their camp while one of the most important people from the Imperial family, the Prince Cael was there? Even with the prince himself, Lyric couldn’t understand it.

The mission was clear and important, yet these people tried to poison everyone and ruin everything.

His hand was bloody, and the knights watched silently as he let his anger out. The three suspects, on the other hand was busy groaning in pain, but Lyric didn’t care about them.

All he could think about was Soren.