Amidst the wailing and howling of the band members, "Boss, don't die!" and "Hold on, leader!", Kamlin nodded to the two Blessed Warrior beside him.
The two understood each other and simultaneously assumed different Incantations postures.
[ Order Healing ]
[ Erdtree Heal ]
They had already realized that the man's illness was no ordinary one—he had been poisoned, and moreover, he had inhaled the highly toxic substance known as the spores of the Sea of Corruption spore.
It's only because this guy is physically strong enough that an ordinary person probably wouldn't have lasted this long; they would have been ruptured in the lungs and dead beyond any hope of survival.
As the power of Incantations seeped into his body, wisps of purplish-black miasma could be forcibly expelled from his mouth and nose—the very lesions that were corroding his life.
A moment later.
The commander stared at his Reparo left arm and remained silent for a good ten seconds.
Now he was 1000% convinced that the three people in front of him weren't lying, and were even being overly modest.
This isn't just curing an illness; it's a miracle that can give someone a new lease on life!
Then he stood up and bowed deeply to Kamlin and the other two.
"I, Wawar, will never forget your life-saving grace."
Upon hearing the leader's words, the younger members around him, whose bruises and aches had miraculously healed from the Incantations, also knelt down on one knee.
"We, the Mercenary Corps of the Wind, are at your command!" the crowd roared in unison.
Kamlin waved his hand. "No need to thank me. The power to heal you and the will that guided us here all originate from the great Erdtree."
He changed the subject, his gaze falling on Wawar and Ashta: "Now, can you tell me who you are and why you've come here to cause trouble?"
The two regimental commanders exchanged a glance, their faces simultaneously showing deep embarrassment.
Wawar's lips moved, then he gestured to Ashta with his eyes.
Making him explain in detail how he made a stupid mistake is more painful than breaking another arm.
Upon seeing this, Ashta immediately understood; speaking up for the taciturn commander was simply his job.
He scratched his messy hair and said, "This—cough cough, actually this is a misunderstanding, it all started about six months ago."
"Our Mercenary Corps of the Wind " is a recent name change; it used to be called the Expedition Corps of the Wind.
2
"We are the only team that participated in His Majesty King Deus's last expedition to the Sea of Corruption, and the only one to return alive."
Upon hearing this, Kamlin was taken aback, not expecting that these guys were connected to Deus.
He had heard from his Yupa that the disappearance of the former king was one of the triggers for the series of chaotic events that followed in Pejite.
"Was the poison your commander contracted left over from that time?" Kamlin couldn't help but ask.
It's quite plausible that someone would accidentally become poisoned while venturing into Sea of Corruption.
"Oh, no, it was from the miasma attack a few days ago that I accidentally inhaled. If it were like what happened six months ago, the boss would have been much better off—"
His words came to an abrupt halt, and Wawar's gaze felt like a thorn in his back.
Ashta, sweat beading on his forehead, chuckled sheepishly, "Ahaha—it was my fault for being so talkative."
He quickly composed himself and continued, "Although the poison wasn't inflicted at that time, the boss's left arm was definitely left behind during that expedition to the Sea of Corruption."
"At that time, only the elite of the group went there. The journey went smoothly at first. We crossed the eastern edge of the Sea of Corruption and arrived at the ancient riverbed ruins of the Dalia River. According to the plan, we proceeded northwest along the riverbed."
"But soon, we were attacked." Ashta's eyes sharpened. "It was the Insect Tamer!"
Insect trainers! It's them again!
Kamlin was startled again. The previous crisis in the Valley of the Wind was related to the two insect tamers, and the chaos in Pejite was indeed inextricably linked to them as well.
"The situation was chaotic at the time. Among the insect trainers were not only highly skilled individuals, but they also commanded insects to attack the group."
"Commander Wawar was attacked by the carnivorous bull beetle while protecting his brothers, losing his left arm in the process, but ultimately managed to escape with all his might."
Ashta's face contorted with resentment. "This isn't over yet! After escaping, those bastards from the Explorers' Association actually used the mission failure as an excuse to refuse to pay the agreed-upon wages and compensation for the fallen brothers!"
"But the contract clearly states in black and white that the money was a deposit paid in advance by the royal family, and it should be paid to the hired expedition team regardless of the success or failure of the mission! They clearly want to pocket this money!"
At this point, Ashta clenched his fists so tightly they cracked, wishing he could tear those greedy bastards apart with his bare hands.
"And then?" Kamlin couldn't help but ask.
"And then?" Ashta's face lit up with pride. "Then, even before the boss had fully recovered from his injuries, he went alone with just a knife and stormed straight into the association headquarters."
"In front of all the association's top officials, he drove his scimitar straight through the president's desk and asked only three words: 'Money, will you pay?'"
"That skinny chairman was so scared he almost wet his pants, and he vomited up every last penny that afternoon."
"However, we've completely offended the Death Association and can no longer accept exploration missions. To make a living, the Expedition Corps of the Wind has become Mercenary Corps of the Wind that can take on its own commissions."
Ashta shrugged. He had long disliked the association, and it was much easier for him to work on his own.
"Later, internal strife broke out, and the capital was thrown into chaos. Our commander, who already had some prestige in the northern district, led the willing neighbors and brothers to the outskirts of the city and spontaneously organized to shelter the civilians who had fled there—"
He pointed towards the camp behind him, his tone filled with admiration for the commander. "The commander was accidentally infected with spores more than a month ago, and his condition is getting worse every day, but he refuses to use the regiment's savings for treatment."
"That money was reserved for paying wages to the brothers and buying food for the refugees."
"A few brothers couldn't stand by and watch, so they secretly pooled their money to seek medical treatment outside, only to be swindled out of everything by a group of charlatans. The miracle drugs they bought were completely useless."
Ashta sighed, his face full of embarrassment. "In a fit of anger, the commander made a rule that no swindlers or missionaries of unknown origin are allowed to cause trouble on our territory."
"When we heard you say those things before—those words, they were pretty much the same as what the people in the association and the swindlers said—we just assumed—"
After hearing these people's experiences, Kamlin understood.
At the same time, I couldn't help but feel a deep respect for the taciturn regimental commander in front of me.
Champion plunges into the Sea of Corruption, a tough guy who resists injustice, a leader who chooses to protect the weak even in dire straits, even at the cost of his own last breath—
Aren't these people just like them—truly "treating people as human beings," and helping others even when they themselves are down on their luck?
Kamlin stepped forward, looked solemnly at Wawar, and extended his right hand.
"Then, Commander Wawar, I invite you to become a subject of the Divine Tree, what do you say?"