The accompanying therapists were military doctors temporarily reassigned from the Second Legion, essentially August’s subordinates.
In a situation like this, they were naturally far more attentive than the therapists at the treatment point. After all, their boss looked ready to tear them apart. If anything happened to the young master under their care, they’d all be done for.
Clarens’s condition wasn’t exactly severe, but it certainly wasn’t light either. How could someone in a deep coma be considered a minor case?
Yet, after examining him, they found his condition was much better than expected. The person who first treated him had done an excellent job. Although he hadn’t received further treatment for a prolonged period, leading to excessive blood loss, Clarens’s injury seemed to have been kept as stable as possible. There was no secondary or tertiary damage to the muscles or bones, only a slight strain in the lower part.
Considering the chaotic battle inside the arena, which they had learned about beforehand, this seemed almost unbelievable. Clarens’s leg injury was at least several star-hours old, not a recent wound.
Yet, he had endured the entire ordeal with such an injury for hours in the chaos and came out unscathed… It was impossible that he escaped on his own two legs. Someone must have helped him, preventing his leg injury from worsening directly.
Clarens’s current condition involved a significant leg injury with torn muscle tissue and a source infection caused by exposure to radiative building materials affecting his bones and flesh.
Even though Jiang Hui had applied the highest-level treatment techniques she learned from Zhou Xiuwen, and despite the responsible soldier and the treatment point’s therapists who later intervened, Clarens’s infection still required proper medical facilities for treatment. His shock also needed urgent attention, as the combination of infection and shock could lead to serious complications.
The military doctors didn’t have antigen agents or advanced treatment equipment on hand. Those would have to wait until they reached a hospital. Being anxious wouldn’t help, so using the lifesaving equipment at the treatment point was the best option for now.
The therapists worked to stabilize Clarens’s vital signs while quietly reporting the boy’s condition to August.
August didn’t understand medicine, but he could grasp such straightforward explanations. Knowing his brother was temporarily out of mortal danger, he finally had the mental space to gather his thoughts.
There were no signs of forced movement in the muscles or bones near the injury, and there was a strange displacement in the tailbone… In such a situation, it was obvious who had helped him.
He had noticed the girl rescued alongside Clarens. She was nearby, watching the situation unfold, and he was aware of her presence.
But everything had happened too quickly. The rebels, with their brazen attitude, showed no regard for the Empire, causing relentless chaos. Even his own family had been dragged into this disaster, their fate uncertain. Now, though he had found his brother, Clarens was battered and bruised. August Clarens was filled with a burning rage and resentment—not only toward the enemies who caused this but also toward certain “armchair strategists” chasing fame and profit.
Look at what they’d done!
For the sake of their so-called “reckoning,” they’d resorted to unscrupulous means, dragging their own people into the fray and implicating countless innocent lives.
And was it even worth it? It seemed to have some small effect… but the resulting catastrophe was equally immense, with a tremendous cost. In hindsight, it felt like robbing Peter to pay Paul—hardly a brilliant strategy, more like self-deception.
August’s mind was a tangle of emotions, leaving him no room to focus on anything else. Now that he had calmed down, he finally thought of the friends who had been with his brother—or rather, the friends his foolish little brother had unwittingly pulled into this vortex.
Theophilus, that little idiot—look at the mess he’d made! The only son of that figure, a reserve personnel whose position even the military couldn’t pin down, and the youngest son of the Xierman family… He’d dragged these people into this. If they’d all perished, the backlash would’ve been inevitable, and the Clarens family likely wouldn’t have been able to maintain their standing in the capital.
Fortunately, they were fine in the end, though this kid had the worst luck and was still unconscious. And it was all thanks to a good friend who supported him, allowing them to escape alive. Only because of that could August stand here now, quietly cursing his brother.
August was naturally grateful to Jiang Hui and had a good impression of Xierman, who, even after escaping, still worried about his brother.
He felt that Theophilus’s impulsive decision to leave the Central Star Zone to study in this resident star system wasn’t entirely pointless. He’d actually managed to make some good friends—though their identities were a bit too complicated.
But that was fine. Associating with them was far better than dealing with certain fools in the capital. Those people had been spoiled rotten by their noble families, with no real skills yet acting superior. Not only did Theophilus have no interest in them, but even August, as his older brother, couldn Angrily refused to let those people get close to his upright younger brother.
If their mother and eldest sister got angry and wanted to drag Theophilus back to the Central Star Zone, August figured he’d put in a good word for him.
The boy had been too lonely in the capital. His family, who should have been there to guide and protect him as he grew, were all tied up with their respective duties and unable to stay by his side. This allowed certain opportunistic people to take advantage, and for that, they felt deeply ashamed.
Just then, Jiang Hui and Xierman were discussing their escape from the arena. August signaled the others to continue monitoring the situation and quietly approached them.
Neither Jiang Hui nor Xierman noticed that the special visitor had shifted his position and was now standing nearby, as they continued their conversation.
Jiang Hui had no reason to hide what happened inside the arena. Despite the lingering fear and discomfort of narrowly escaping death, speaking about it somehow made it feel lighter, almost insignificant. After all, no matter how harrowing it was, they had survived—and that was the best outcome.
“So… you didn’t carry Clarens the whole way, did you?” Xierman asked, keeping his voice low to avoid drawing attention. Though it was a guess, he was already certain of it.
Even though Jiang Hui appeared spirited and relatively unharmed, she was visibly exhausted. Her face was pale, and her elbows, hands, knees, and exposed ankles bore numerous bruises and scratches. Her joints were wrapped in medical corrective bands for recovery and realignment, indicating that her limbs had endured intense activity and sustained varying degrees of strain.
Thus, the only reasonable conclusion was that Jiang Hui had carried Clarens out.