Crimson Servant.

Chapter 224 Courage
Francis never thought of himself as a good person, he just wanted to make himself special so that he would not be confused with his own people in the eyes of others.

He does not force the virtue of repaying evil with kindness. The martial arts he acquired in his dark childhood are used to shut others up when they are grinning. Francis cherishes friendship, but he is not afraid of hostility.

It was precisely because he was born as a dark elf that Francis felt even more disappointed with the possibility that his people might become better. He understood what kind of person an ignorant child would become after receiving education in a dark elf city. The twisted teachings in those dungeons that could be called brainwashing were enough to turn every newborn into their vicious counterparts.

Dark elves are slaves of the Spider Queen Rose from birth. This mark is deeper than the vast slave community in the dark elf society. Rose's malice flows in the blood of the dark elves, and it is extremely difficult to escape from this web.

Francis believed that if he had not seen a bright future with these eyes, he would have been like the rest of his tribe, numb and degenerate into a monster in the darkness. Those beautiful visions that were once untouchable seemed too dazzling at the time, and this desire became his motivation to escape from the dark region.

And this God-given blessing led him back here.

Francis would not take the initiative to attack the dark elves, just like he treated the dark elves in Dark City, but there was no legend of "Dark Expelling" in the Underdark. Francis believed that those arrogant fellows encountered his team and were not deterred by his military power in advance. Their arrogance of thinking they were in charge of the Underdark would lead to the scene becoming "bloody" as John said.

But as Francis often did, he would not stop the knife from hitting someone else's neck.

The two people who are quite confident in their personal strength have begun to plan and distribute the number of kills, while on the other side, Dalia, who is not very confident, is receiving psychological comfort from Lucien.

The hole leading to the underworld was like a ball of darkness that swallowed up Dalia's sight. As long as the children were a little older, they would be told by adults about the various evils of the underworld. A group of black-skinned elves would run out from the underground. They would be with the ugly goblin monsters and come to the surface only to bring blood and killing. Dalia remembered that when she was a child, she was scared by the "ghost stories" told by her mother and huddled in the quilt. Before she took on the responsibility of the Snow family, the monsters in the stories were what she feared the most.

The ghost story is true, and now she has to go deep into the devil's cave. This is the current situation that Dalia needs to face. She blames her missing brother for going to that dangerous place, and she is even more worried about his possible fate.

"Dalia." Lucien's voice came from the side.

"I'm not nervous!" The priest almost screamed. Dalia turned her head and looked at the illusionist who appeared beside her with a blushing face. He was maintaining his usual smile, and there was not much mockery in his eyes.

Dalia was the first to be defeated. Perhaps because he felt that his retreat was against the dignity of his family, the young priest could not help but shrink his neck, put his hands behind his back and played with his fingers.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lucien. I have been asking you to investigate the Red Ice incident and begged you to take me to join the team. But now you are showing such an unqualified side..."

Lucien looked at the young priest in front of him and keenly noticed the difference between Dalia and other adventurers. She was not confident enough and too shy, neither of which was conducive to teamwork. Lucien turned his head to look at the father and son who were discussing the killing spree, wondering if the performance of his colleagues put too much pressure on the fledgling Dalia.

It was hard for anyone to remain confident in front of the Veltis Warlock and the Dark Exterminator. It seemed that his previous pranks were not enough to break their impression of the strong in Dalia's mind. Excessive reverence was a negative trait for the adventure team. Adventurers' activities were about trusting each other and relying on each other to go deep into dangerous environments. Companions should not be bound by this special relationship derived from social hierarchy.

I have to increase my efforts.

The hand that was originally going to stroke the little priest's head clenched into a fist and gently hit Dalia's head, because Lucian looked seriously at his companion who still had a lot of room for growth.

"Do you know what the biggest difference between you and them is?"

"Strength?" Dalia grunted in her throat. Whether it was Francis' martial arts or John's knowledge reserves, she could not compare with them.

"It's courage."

The illusionist raised his head as if he understood something, so that Dalia, who was shorter than him, would not be able to see his gaze drifting.

"The Underdark is a dangerous place. The dangers it hides are enough to offset external factors such as the gap in strength. As for here, Dalia, you are in the same situation as John and the others. We must work together to survive. You are a priest... you can heal, right?" "A little." Dalia said unconfidently. She had forgotten when was the last time she healed a patient. Since she received education as an heir, her holy book had been put in the cupboard for several years.

"Here, this is your advantage. They don't know how to heal!" Lucien said firmly, not mentioning Francis's prophecy-level dodge and John's abnormal self-healing of flesh and blood. "If they encounter an accident, they will need your magic to save them. Everyone in this team is necessary."

Dalia nodded thoughtfully, believing the illusionist's encouragement, and her eyes slowly began to sparkle as she looked at Lucien expectantly.

"As long as you are no longer afraid of the Underdark, you will have courage. Or, from another perspective, your companions are your courage, Dalia. Aren't they enough to make you stand up straight?"

Following the magician's finger, Dalia looked at the dark elves and sorcerers who were watching with boredom. Although his back was facing them, Francis suddenly paused, then drew out his two swords and performed a gorgeous blade dance on the spot.

The sorcerer stood aside, confused by the dark elf's inexplicable improvisation. Under Francis's glare, he hesitantly raised his hand and clapped twice dryly.

Yes, they are powerful.

Dalia thought.

"But what if we separate? I will still be an ordinary pastor."

"Adventurers are not divided into different levels of strength. They are just ordinary people who explore the unknown. It is not shameful to seek help from others. It is common to face challenges beyond one's ability."

Lucien took out a beautiful ruby ​​brooch, the bright color in the center seemed to be dripping with blood. This was the trophy that the illusionist had taken from the vampire assassins.

"Here you go. This is a magic item that has the ability to charm humanoid creatures. It's enough to make up for your last shortcoming."

Dalia accepted the gift from the illusionist. She was thinking about how a charm item could make up for her own shortcomings in strength.

"Will this buy me time for your rescue?"

Lucien shook his head and smiled.

"This will allow Lady Mist Shadow Leila to bless you."

The illusionist's unique explanation suddenly disturbed the solemn atmosphere around them, and Dalia couldn't help but chuckle.

She put the brooch on her dress and said with a smile.

"Well, I've got the 'courage'."

"Thank you, Inlucian, may Lady Mistshadow bless you."

(End of this chapter)