Gideon raised his head, his excitement plain on his face.
The knights behind him dropped to one knee as well.
"We've been waiting for the Duchy's banner, my lord!" Gideon's voice trembled with the emotion of a man who had survived disaster.
Veylin helped him up.
"Your bravery deserves recognition. I promise you that the Klein family's banner will fly over the Southern Isles again, and every territory the Raging Tide Knights' Order lost will be reclaimed."
His promise rang with conviction, giving the knights a sense of the confidence behind his words.
Veylin turned to Kale.
"Take me to Elias."
The air inside the cave was stale and damp. Veylin followed Kale through a narrow passage.
The cavern was packed with people. When they saw Veylin's party, their numb eyes filled with wariness and hostility.
This looked less like a military outpost than a refugee camp.
They passed through the crowd and reached a medical area partitioned off with canvas.
A low chant drifted out from within, carrying a strange rhythm.
Leg stood guard outside. Seeing the people Kale had brought, he straightened nervously.
"Lord Elias is inside."
Veylin lifted the canvas flap. The scene inside matched Kale's report.
Seven or eight wounded people lay on dry grass. A young man in coarse linen knelt beside one of them.
Elias held his palm above a wounded man's thigh, where a cutlass had left a gash of mangled flesh.
The young priest had his eyes closed, chanting strange syllables.
There was no Holy Light, no sacred fluctuation, only a faint current of life energy flowing slowly.
The stream of data in Veylin's mind began processing at high speed.
``` [Elias]
[Level: Level 4 priest]
[Bloodline: Fountain of Life (silver tier) 49%, mixed bloodlines 51%]
[Ability: Life Guidance]
[Overall assessment: Possesses