The soldier seeking help was named Aika. Aldric remembered he and Torn were both from the Norrey clan, seemingly cousins.
Aldric followed him closely. "What happened?"
Aika answered urgently, "Just now, while Torn was collecting loot, a corpse on the ground suddenly jumped up and tackled him, stabbing a dagger into his right chest... right there!"
Torn was attacked on the main road of Purple Wisteria Village, very close to the square. It took only a few words' time to walk there.
Aldric strode to Torn. He lay flat on the ground, a short knife in his chest, bloody froth bubbling from his mouth and nose, rising and falling with weak breaths.
Silver Hand comrades surrounded him, looking at their wounded friend with sorrowful eyes.
No one believed he could survive. Impatient ones were already praying for him, hoping the Old Gods would favor him after death and let him return to his ancestors.
Why are you in such a hurry?
Aldric had no time for nonsense. He pushed away a few soldiers crowding too close, squatted to check the wound. Though blocked by leather armor, half the blade was sunk into Torn's chest. He turned back. "How long?"
Conrad answered, "Just happened."
"Where is the culprit?"
Conrad lifted his chin, pointing to a Wildling corpse hacked beyond recognition beside Aldric. "There, next to you."
Aldric glanced at it and frowned. "From now on, collecting loot will be done by designated personnel, distributed uniformly later. We'll discuss the plan later. First, heal his wound."
Conrad knew this meant Aldric was preparing to use Light magic. His eyes filled with anticipation; this was something Aldric had revealed to the officers after returning from beyond the Wall.
"Teacher!"
Kevin suddenly interrupted, "Should we call all the brothers over to pray for Torn together?"
Aldric's eyes lit up. Good idea.
Seeing the fanatical emotion in Kevin's eyes, he couldn't help but marvel at picking up such a talent. "Quick, gather everyone. Any later and it'll be too late."
Too late to watch my performance.
Kevin immediately turned to the remaining soldiers rummaging through corpses. "Brothers, come over! Torn needs your help! Now, immediately!"
As Aldric's disciple and Squad 2 Vice-Captain, Jon had prestige among the soldiers too. Hearing the summons, everyone gathered, tightly encircling Aldric and Torn.
Even Roland, Nicholas, and other village veterans directing corpse removal came to watch.
Seeing the soldiers assembled, Aldric shouted, "Torn is wounded! Stabbed in the right chest by a Wildling, standing on death's threshold!"
"He is our brother! I cannot watch him die before me and do nothing!"
"Whether you believe in the Old Gods or the Seven, pray with me to the Sun God now! Lend him your strength!"
Aldric knelt on one knee, clasped his hands before his chest, and loudly recited a prayer praising the Sun:
"Oh Sun God, Lord of Radiance,"
"Dawn appears, my heart prays,"
"Thank you for your light, dispelling darkness,"
"Bringing warmth, bestowing life."
"Guide my path, grant me strength,"
"To advance in adversity, brave and fearless,"
"May your brilliance shine in my heart forever,"
"Grateful, cherishing, to love and be loved."
"Praise the Sun God, grace everlasting!"
Every two lines Aldric recited, he paused. His fanatical fan Kevin used this gap to loudly repeat them.
In this urgent moment, the empathetic Silver Hand soldiers didn't care what the Heart Tree felt. They joined Kevin in repeating Aldric's prayer loudly.
When the prayer was repeated three times, finally becoming neat and loud, Aldric suddenly raised his volume, shouting, "May Sun God An'she bless this brave warrior!"
He yanked the dagger from Torn's chest, pressed the spurting wound, and spent one-third of his mana to cast Holy Light.
Amidst the loud prayers, a bright golden light appeared out of thin air, enveloping Torn, illuminating the faces of all onlookers.
Under the light, Torn trembled violently. Moments later, he struggled to prop himself up, coughed out mouthfuls of foul blood with all his strength, then touched the hole in his chest armor, murmuring in disbelief, "I'm healed... my wound is gone..."
Witnessing this shocking scene, everyone involuntarily shut their mouths.
Everyone thought Aldric just wanted them to provide end-of-life care for Torn. They didn't expect the Grand Commander to save a dying man with mysterious magic. Everyone froze on the spot, overwhelmed.
Seeing this, Kevin quickly knelt on one knee. "Sun God, what a miracle!"
He loudly recited the prayer again. This time, the soldiers' emotions were much fuller. After all, the next one lying on the ground could be any of them.
Recovered, Torn looked at Aldric with confused and grateful eyes, excitedly saying, "Commander, I'm not dead! I'm alive!"
Aldric patted his shoulder. "Rest well, recover your body. Don't fail the Sun God's grace!"
Under everyone's reverent gaze, Aldric pretended to be exhausted and stood up weakly, walking toward the Sheriff's fortress—there were tables and chairs in the hall; he wanted to rest there.
As he passed the village square, a female prisoner with hands bound behind her back suddenly stood up and rushed at him, only to be tackled by the local militia guarding captives.
Though pinned down, the woman struggled to lift her face, shouting, "Wizard Lord! Please! Save my brother! I saw you use magic! Please!"
The village square was right in front of the Sheriff's fortress gate, and the place Torn was attacked was on the main road passing through the village. The distance wasn't far.
In the night, a golden light suddenly appearing in the sky was hard to miss.
Aldric stopped. "Your brother? What happened to him?"
The woman begged hoarsely, "His stomach was pierced. Please, save him, please!"
The guard was a reinforcement Nicholas brought from outside. Seeing the situation, fearing trouble, he intervened. "Commander Aldric, these Wildlings are murderers, rapists. They... don't deserve the Sun God's grace."
Nicholas seemed unwilling to see prisoners receive Aldric's healing.
However, Aldric already had plans for these twenty-odd prisoners.
If he could use Light magic to reduce their resistance, it would undoubtedly be a good thing.
So ignoring Nicholas's advice, Aldric turned to the bound prisoners squatting on the ground. "Who is this woman's brother!?"
A man with withered yellow hair and a gaunt face looked up. "It's me... Leader..."
His face was pale, body twisted, clearly enduring immense pain.
Aldric walked to him, placed a hand on his head, Holy Light gathering. He shouted, "Repent your sins to the Sun God!"
Repentance was a Paladin control skill that forced an enemy into a meditative state, incapacitating them for a time (e.g., 1 minute). During this, the target couldn't attack or move.
That was the game description. In Westeros, Aldric was curious how it would manifest.
Skill cast. The Free Folk man looked dazed, responding weakly, "Sins..."
Tears filled his eyes. "When I was young, I stole the family's last food. To feed the family, my father was forced to hunt in the snowstorm and was found frozen to death on the snowy plains... and..."
Aldric frowned. Effect is a bit too good. He had no time for stories. "After crossing the Wall?"
"After crossing? No... I hadn't participated in raids before Leader Gould brought me here."
By now, Silver Hand soldiers noticed the commotion and followed, even the weak Torn supported by Aika.
"Jon, strip his shirt. See where the wound is."
"Yes, Teacher."
Jon pinned the man down, opened his clothes, revealing a hole pierced by a longsword in his stomach.
"Teacher, looks like I stabbed that..." Kevin raised his hand.
"Doesn't matter."
Aldric stepped forward, hands on the man's stomach, addressing the other prisoners who were cowering or glaring. "If you want your companion to live, pray with me."
Aldric recited the prayer again.
Silver Hand soldiers immediately joined in loudly. But the prisoners were uncooperative; no one spoke.
Seeing the prisoners so stubborn, Aldric scanned their faces disappointedly. "So, these are the proud Free Folk? Proud enough to watch a companion die in pain rather than open your noble mouths to pray for his life?"
Hearing this, the woman cried out to a brown-bearded prisoner. "Relyea, please! Don't you remember when you were starving, my brother shared his food with you?"
She yelled at a thin youth, "Lars, forget who saved your life from Gould? Did you forget too?"
The questioned brown-beard hesitated, then shouted, "Morse, I owe you nothing now!"
His rough voice joined the Silver Hand's orderly prayer.
Gradually, prisoners joined one by one. Until all prisoners began praying to the Sun God, Aldric cast Holy Light again. Light bloomed, outshining the torches around the square.
Free Folk Morse gritted his teeth, craning his neck, watching his wound heal rapidly under Aldric's spell, dazed. "If... if Lina were here..."
Who is Lina?
Aldric didn't know or care.
Everyone has a past, regrets they can't let go. People can only look forward.
Seeing everyone still immersed in the solemn atmosphere of joint prayer, Aldric quietly stood up, continuing his act of exhaustion, staggering toward the fortress hall.
Jon, who had been on the periphery, walked over and put Aldric's arm over his shoulder. "Teacher, I'll help you in..."
Inside the empty hall, Aldric took out the crystal vial from his waist, uncorked it, took a few sips, endured the bitter taste, and felt the fullness of replenished mana. He asked relaxedly, "Jon, first time seeing me use Light magic?"
"Yes, Teacher. I heard from Uncle Benjen you saved him with magic, but I didn't expect it to be so... incredible."
"Honestly, I didn't expect it either... Maybe the people of this continent have lost the Light's illumination for too long."
After a silence, Aldric asked, "Jon, I feel a barrier between you and me, and other comrades. Can you tell me your thoughts?"
Jon's eyes widened, denying in panic, "No, Teacher, I have no thoughts!"
Aldric chuckled, looking at the black beams of the hall. "Do you feel abandoned by your father, thrown to the Wall where the Seven Kingdoms dump trash, then abandoned by your uncle, thrown to a baffling charlatan like me?"
Jon fell silent. Didn't admit, didn't deny.
Long after, he asked dryly, "Teacher, am I a superfluous person? I never felt anyone needed me. Maybe I shouldn't exist in this world."
Aldric shook his head. "I don't know Westeros traditions, but in my hometown, no one is born superfluous."
"One cannot choose birth. That's parents' choice."
"What can a crying baby who only knows to ask for milk and hugs understand? What should he bear?"
"So people have no natural sin. If any, it's their parents' sin."
Jon was agitated. "But I'm still a bastard!"
"Bastard? Remove 'Snow' from your name now, who knows you're a bastard? In this team, who cares if you're a bastard?"
"Idiots who discriminate against you for being a bastard... do you really need to care about their thoughts?"
"Jon, who you are, whether you are superfluous, whether you are needed, is decided by your own actions, not by the people who birthed you."
"This is the true meaning of 'Liberty' in Sun God's teachings."
Pausing, Aldric told a story. "Did I tell you about a great monarch from my homeland named Julian Diamond? He founded the Radiant Empire..."
He briefly told the story of a beggar monk becoming an Emperor. "Jon, is a bastard not more noble than a commoner forced to become a monk, begging for food, with no land to bury his parents?"
"Emperor Julian never hid his impoverished past all his life, yet he is regarded as one of the greatest heroes of that era, one of the greatest monarchs in history."
"Jon, think about what kind of person you want to be. Next time we form a new squad, go be a vice-captain. Live with real commoners. See how your past life compares to their suffering."
"...Understood, Teacher."
After wiping out the attacking Wildling bandits with zero casualties, to the people of Purple Wisteria Village, the Silver Hand was no longer a group of armed strangers who might turn to looting, but a group of friendly and powerful friends.
On the second night after the battle, Purple Wisteria Village organized a grand feast for the victory.
Originally, Nicholas and Roland planned to feast only Aldric and the officers. But at Aldric's insistence, Nicholas lowered the food standard, changing the small gathering in the fortress hall to a large bonfire party in the square.
When the news was released, villagers were enthusiastic. When the bonfire was lit, men, women, old, and young dressed in their best clothes came to the square to drink, eat meat, sing, and dance with Silver Hand soldiers around the fire.
At the climax, old Gage, supported by his daughter Anya, stumbled to Aldric.
When everyone quieted down, Sheriff Gage said to Aldric, "Commander Aldric, though my eyes are dim, I saw and remembered everything you did for our village these past ten days."
"When Roland sought help in Winter Town and no one extended a hand, you generously answered our request, helping us strangle these abominable Wildlings. I am very grateful."
"This is the payment Roland promised you on my behalf."
The old man took a plate from Nicholas and handed it to Aldric. It held ten Gold Dragons.
Then he took a longbow from a youth Aldric didn't know and handed it to Aldric. "This longbow was a prize Lord Rickard awarded me at a tourney. I gift it to you, hoping you use it to protect our Northern people in the future."
Old Gage was surprisingly lucid today. Aldric's gaze crossed his shoulder to Nicholas.
Nicholas smiled and nodded. Aldric knew the knot between father and son-in-law was untied in this battle.
To push Nicholas further, Aldric took the longbow and shouted, "This victory is not just the Silver Hand's credit, but also due to the trust Purple Wisteria elders gave us."
"It was everyone's full cooperation that allowed the enemy to be tricked into the trap so easily."
"In this process, I especially thank Mr. Nicholas Jenkins. If he hadn't risked himself to go alone to the Wildling camp and convey false intelligence, we couldn't have won with such small cost. Let us cheer for Nicholas Jenkins' courage! Nicholas! Nicholas!"
Aldric led the chant. Silver Hand soldiers followed, then Nicholas's supporters, and finally everyone at the bonfire party shouted his name.
Amidst the warm atmosphere and joy of victory, the bonfire party ended.
Early next morning, Aldric had his men pack and assemble outside Purple Wisteria Village.
The thirty-plus Wildling raiders killed in battle had been buried by villagers. The remaining twenty-plus survivors, starved for two days, were marched to the fields outside the village, wrists bound.
Aldric had prisoners stand in two rows, then pulled out two confirmed to have committed unforgivable crimes, forcing them to kneel facing everyone.
One was the Night's Watch deserter, Ashley, advisor to leader Jarbi, source of many bad ideas.
The other was a pervert who enjoyed torturing children. Aldric disdained remembering his name.
After announcing their crimes, "Executioner" Kevin Turner went online again, using the longsword "Ellie" Aldric forged for him to behead the criminals.
Aldric kicked the two rolling heads before the prisoners. "Their death is because they committed mortal sins in the Sun God's eyes."
"And you, since the Sun God let you live, I don't want to kill you easily."
"But I can't release you to leave here and gather again to harm Northern people."
"So I give you a chance. Follow me, join the Silver Hand as auxiliaries, serve me unpaid for three years."
"For three years, I provide food and safety. If you work hard, I'll give some extra pocket money."
"After three years, I will set you free. You can stay in the Silver Hand as paid mercenaries or choose to lay down arms and return to your homes beyond the Wall."
Then he threw a sword on the ground. "If you are unwilling to follow me, I give you a chance to continue the battle from the night before last."
"Pick up the sword and kill me, and I'll let my men release you."
Seeing the prisoners eager to try, Aldric added, "Of course, if you lose, you join those two."
A quick-witted Wildling shouted, "But you have only one life, and we have twenty people!"
Silver Hand soldiers laughed uproariously. A kind soul reminded, "Our Commander can beat a dozen of us alone. The rest haven't fought him because they didn't dare take the field. Weigh yourselves carefully."
Prisoners exchanged glances. Aldric seemed to hear static noise in his ears, but in the end, no one dared challenge him.
Instead, Morse, the Free Folk man Aldric saved personally, asked, "Messenger of Light, following you, can I listen to the Sun God's teachings?"
Seeing his sincere and fanatical eyes, Aldric nodded slowly. "In the Sun God's eyes, whether Free Folk, Northerners, Southerners, or even people across the Narrow Sea, all are his children, no difference."
The Free Folk man thumped his chest with both hands, shouting, "I, Morse of the Ratliffe Clan, am willing to follow you!"