"Ughhh..." Duke was on a bed covered in bandages due to over-tearing his muscles looking like a fat mummy dumpling.
It was the 10th of Craving, Year 09-435, Afternoon. The Pendragon Supply Caravan has just arrived, led by Sir Derek Eclair taking along with him his adopted brother Caleb Eclair.
"Uhmm, good afternoon Lord Count, I see the battlefield has been pretty rough for you..." Derek tried to keep a straight face. But something about a Count already injured from head to toe before even the fighting started, covered in bandages like a dumpling mind you, was too much even for the business savvy Derek as he tried hard to keep a straight face.
"Ah yes, the battlefield... Haha" Duke went along with Derek's story, both knowing the injuries didn't come from the battlefield. But Derek couldn't exactly point it out and embarrass the Count now, could he?
And so, while the two Nobles kept awkwardly smiling at each other, the quiet natured Caleb was the one who went forth instead and began inspecting Duke's physical situation.
[How can he keep a straight face like that?!] Byran thought to himself, awed by Caleb's strong will and unflinching calm face.
In truth, if one was to describe the two brothers, one could say their expressions were polar opposites of each other, but personality-wise, one could describe both as cold.
Derek was the ever-smiling business savvy type whose cold business smile was too scheming and fake to let you feel relaxed, but at the same time, friendly enough to make feel you he can be trusted.
Whilst Caleb on the other hand had a serious down-to-business facial expression. If Derek's was a cold smile, then Caleb's was a cold frown. It wasn't that Caleb's face was unfriendly or anything like that. The expression Caleb showed was more like that guy whos too tired to deal with your bullshit, but in the end, would still probably help you deal with it anyway.
And deal he did as he went closer to Duke, not even changing his expression in front of the funny scene. Meticulously removing his bandages, accurately checking the torn up muscles, and finally quickly prescribing a local remedy composed of some mushed dried up herbs the Caravan luckily had along with them.
Duke's torn muscles were caused by his intense training. Duke had thought that as long as Aura quickly went in and out of his muscles that everything would balance out.
Sadly, Aura only quickened the natural healing our muscles already have, and, what do our bodies need to heal up? That's right, energy, and that sweet sweet protein.
And where do we get these you might ask. Well, obviously from food!
And even more sad was thanks to Duke's dieting along with the fact that Aura doesn't heal muscles a 100% of the time, only 80-95% at most, the situation put Duke in a worse state than he should've been originally.
The only way to combat this deterioration was to let the body rest naturally, for the temporary rest the body receives from Aura just wasn't enough.
But since Duke didn't listen to Bran, he was now in this sad predicament whilst his rival Bran was back to Aura practice... Much to Duke's envy.
"Milord, I suggest you rest for now as your muscles have been greatly torn due to overwork" Caleb calmly explained.
"So... No training?" Duke asked.
"Yes, no training..." Caleb replied with a stiff unchanging face.
"Even just a little bit?" Duke smiled, trying to be cute.
"No" Sadly, Caleb didn't budge.
[Ughhh, great! Whilst Bran's out there training and getting stronger, I'm here resting!] Duke lamented in his mind.
But sometimes one man's misfortune is another's opportunity. And Derek, ever the sly bastard, used this opportunity to introduce his brother to the Count!
Derek: "Sir Duke, how are the impeccable skills of my brother over here? Hmm?"
Duke: "Oh uhh, well, he's pretty professional that's for sure" [He didn't laugh at least, unlike those old Knights!... Hmph!]
"And that remedy was amazing too! My muscles already feel better after he applied it... Plus the quick way he diagnosed and understood my symptoms, it was pretty impressive..." Duke added as he continued rubbing the cool mixture of herbs on his body.
"Your words... honor me milord" Caleb answered in a forced monotone voice as if muttering a rehearsed reply. Due to Caleb's stiffness, Derek asked (forced) him to rehearse how he'd introduce himself and communicate with whoever was in charge of the Army.
"Ah, yes..." Duke replied, slightly feeling the awkwardness in the air due to Caleb's stiffness. Lucky for Duke, Derek was there as he continued the conversation:
"Milord, it's your lucky day! what if I tell you I'm willing to lend you, my brother, whilst on this trip? Hmm? Not a bad deal right?"
"What?! You're selling me your brother?! Isn't that like slavery?" Duke shouted, completely misunderstanding the situation.
"What?! No! I meant as the army's doctor!" Derek sorted out whilst Caleb replied in the background: "Yes, this is slavery" indicating he was only coming along because he was being forced by his brother...
"Come on! He gets to have field experience, while you on the other hand get a free doctor! Isn't it a win-win for both sides?" Derek, seeing that Duke was somewhat intrigued by the offer, continued trying to convince Duke.
"I- Well, ok. I guess... I mean it would help to have a doctor in the army... That or I'm stuck with stuffy old men whose remedy for every injury is bandaging it!" Duke was convinced as he showed himself covered in bandages courtesy of the overprotective Byran and the other old Knights.
[Hahaha, great! I managed to convince him...] Derek thought to himself. Derek believed he had just landed his brother a great deal by convincing Duke to hire his brother as a military Doctor.
You see, the medical technology in Brune, although the most advanced when compared to its surrounding Kingdoms thanks to their annexation of the Philosophers, wasn't actually all that advanced yet.
In fact, Doctors have only been recently recognized by the Empire! And it was just during these recent years where after hiring some of the Medically inclined Philosophers as temporary lecturers, Medicine was made part of the curriculum of Brune's Imperial Academy (The Academy nobles go to, including Duke and even some of the male members of the Imperial Family like Varhys).
Although Caleb already graduated from the Academy with a degree in medicine, he was still considered a greenhorn by everyone, simply because he doesn't have experience with being a field medic yet.
This was due to the fact the most Brunesmen, especially the Nobles, trust more in what they already know and see than the words of some stuffy old men they've never met before like the Philosophers.
To the Knights of Brune, medics who have served for a long time in an Army who has tended to hundreds or even thousands of wounds was the only true physician they could rely upon, or Blessed Healers commissioned from the Church if you were rich enough to hire them.
Brunesfolk lack faith in the capabilities of Academies since so few of them are educated. And they also tend to question the validity of a diploma from these academies due to the fact that it was quite easy to forge a diploma.
Hence why Scholars, especially those not studying offensive type Magics, didn't have as much sway compared to Scholars who did study offensive magic and also acted as Warmages.
And so, by making his brother the field medic of the Pendragon Army, although a small and insignificant Army that would probably be put at the very back and would have almost no contact with enemy forces, it was still the position of an Army Physician nevertheless.
In fact, being the Doctor of the small Pendragon Army was actually the safest Medical Job one can have, well... at least that's what Derek thought at least.
You see, due to the circulating rumors about the Pendragon Count (Duke) being given a pardon in Military Conscription thanks to his close relationship to the Emperor (Varhys), his brother-in-law, Derek inferred that the Pendragon Army was never really meant to be deployed anyway and was only a show of support for the cause of retaking the North from the Barbarians by the lazy Count (Duke) and the conniving Emperor (Varhys) so they won't be questioned about favoritism, and how the Count was exempt from military service, denying the other Nobles a reason to complain.
"Very good milord! How about you confer my brother an official title so could have some sway in medical matters, hmm? How about let's say the Lead Field Medic or something like that" Derek insisted.
"An official title, huh? Well, I guess there's no harm in doing that. So from here on out, I name your brother, the official 'Lead Medic' of the Pendragon Army..." [Was there ever a position called Lead Medic in the Army???] Duke wondered as he relented to Derek's request.
[Good Good! I finally got my brother a nice and cozy field-medic position! After he gets recognized by Brunes Medical Community, I can finally start my pharmaceutical business selling mass-produced medicine! Muahahaha! Yesss, I'll call it, Pharmaceu- a Pharmacy! Yes, I'll call it The Pharmacy hohoho, the people will love it! Cheap medicine, endorsed by an Army's Leading field medic too!... Which army though, well. They don't need to know it was the Pendragon's Army Gahahaha. People might even think it was the Emperor's main Legion's Field Medic that endorsed 'The Pharmacy' Hahaha... Oh! What if I even get the Count's endorsement! Now that would really boost business!] Derek hyperactively thought to himself behind the calm business smile he had.
Little did he know, that Duke had big plans for the War... And the cozy position Derek was aiming for, was actually the most dangerous position he could have put his brother in...