Crimson Servant

"We have to find a way, there will definitely be a way..." Storm said, his tone more like talking to himself.

"Storm, that is the future that has been determined..." Francis hopes that he can change something this time, and hopes that he can muster the courage to agree with Storm's words.

But... the dark elf has seen this kind of conversation hundreds of times, and this time is no exception. The dull air seemed familiar, the despair was like a drowned body in rotten water, and Francis' familiar smell was revealed, as if everything was walking on the thread of destiny.

Storm ran her fingers through her hair, brushing it back along the hairline on her forehead, again and again. He sat back in the captain's seat, straightening his back and not stopping the movements of his hands.

"Tell me more about my prophecy, Francis. I need more information, and this is not enough for me to find a way."

Storm's firm eyes slightly eased the sadness in Francis's heart. The captain was stronger than he thought. He would always make the best choice at critical moments. This was one of the reasons why Storm was trusted. one.

Francis recounted the scene in his memory.

"I saw you kneeling on the beach, wearing this leather coat, but the coat had become old and rotten. You were looking at the sea, with empty eyes, and tears streaming down your face. You were the only one, and this image reappeared in my mind many times. Every time, you are always the only one..."

For Storm Norbrion, a highly respected and loyal family captain, such loneliness was undoubtedly a hellish sight.

"Maybe there is still a chance. You see, that's just about me. Maybe their ending is not bad. Their future has not been determined yet..."

Francis bit his lip, the sound almost coming out of his teeth. He tilted his head, not daring to look into Storm's eyes.

"Next is Duhen, who will die this October, and the sorrow of Norbrion will begin then..."

Storm's body shook, and his fingers pressing on the table made a sound.

The captain lowered his head and asked after a long time.

“If the prophecy is broken, will the future be restructured?”

"The future has been determined..."

Francis' eyes widened, and he saw a hint of madness in Storm's eyes.

"If you change the future of [I Will Live], will the future become better?"

The dark elf slammed his fist on the table. He was angry at the idea of ​​his friend despising his life so much, but when he thought that all the pain Storm was facing now came from himself, Francis's back dropped a little.

"...A future without you can't be better for them. It's the same for me."

The captain's eyes widened at the dark elf's true feelings, and he began to cough violently in surprise, which eventually turned into a series of laughter.

Storm stood up, walked across the table to Francis, and tapped him on the shoulder.

"There has to be a better option than death, and we will find it."

…

October.

Rockets set fire to the boat offshore, and in a funeral of rosin and grease, Duhen remained in the Norberion's past.

Francis returned to the captain's cabin, where Storm had been silent for an hour.

The dark elf took off the scimitar from his waist, and the rune-engraved blade shone on the table.

"Fraz's Evil Blade. This is the magic weapon that is useful to us. It has an evil ritual engraved on it that will irreversibly erase the target's memory. Storm, this is a weapon that can kill The weapon of your 'identity'."

Storm Norbrion nodded. The thick black eye sockets and the gaunt and thin face have completely subverted the former temperament of the King of the South Sea. The captain gave a comforting smile.

"Very good, but in these days, I have also discovered something."

He showed some of the personnel lists of the Norbrion's crew, many of whom had left.

"During the time you were gone, I kept looking for the possible reasons for their death, and then, I discovered something that I had ignored."

"The casualty rate of the Norbrion fleet has always been high. I used to think that it was because our route was the most extensive and we needed to face more dangerous challenges than other fleets. But I thought carefully about the identities of those who died. The message is that they are all the best water masters selected by me, and they should not have lost their lives due to low-level mistakes or even coincidences.”

"The causes of their deaths are all related to me. Tuono was bitten by a spider demon when he rescued me. He left the final antidote to me who was poisoned by eating poisonous eggs... Duheng was cooking food. , Dillon accidentally touched the shoulder and mixed the poisonous thorns into the chowder. It was supposed to be my lunch, but the old water dog always retained the habit of testing poisons himself, and Dillon, at that time, he just listened to me. Instructions passed through the kitchen…”

"I seem to bring misfortune to those around me, Francis."

The dark elf couldn't believe that Storm would have such an idea. He thought that his prophecy must have troubled the captain and made him crazy.

"No, there are traces of all this."

"Christine was not my first child. My wife had suffered two miscarriages. When she was pregnant with Christine, she got seriously ill and I had to travel across the ocean to find and raise money for her medicine. , so I missed Christine’s birth. After that, I was busy going to sea. The surviving child made me miss my family all the time, but the increasingly prosperous business of the fleet meant that my time with her and them was quite limited.”

"The development of Norbrion was full of ups and downs. In the initial stage, we encountered a lot of troubles. I attributed those setbacks to the tests given by God, so I continued to encourage my crew and finally survived the difficult times. They trusted Me, because we have endured many difficult times together.”

"Suffering has made my crew, it has made my family, it has made me."

"And now, I understand that those misfortunes also stem from me."

"Francis, my success is based on the suffering of my friends, and my happiness is based on the misfortune of my family."

"I'm a problem, a big problem."

"That's why I deserve that kind of future. I should...stay away from the people I love."

"And you, Francis. I don't know, maybe I was the first person you met. Maybe it was because of my self-righteous recognition and kindness that you were full of kindness towards those damn ground people and had the desire to save them. The idea ultimately creates their ill will towards you.”

Francis held Storm's shoulders and forced him to look into his eyes.

"No, no one blames you, Storm. Even if they knew all this and agreed with what you said, I believe no one would resent you. They love you."

Storm opened his mouth.

"That's why 'Storm Norbrion' deserves to die, for all those who loved him."

"I've made plans to disband the fleet, Francis, and after that, it's just you and me. We'll leave the South China Sea, go to a place where no one will recognize me, and let Storm die."

Everything, executed as planned.

Frazz's evil blade inflicted horrific wounds on the captain.

"This will place a curse on you. You will forget yourself and those you love."

Storm Norbrion gritted his teeth and finally gave a forced smile.

"Then I will definitely forget you. If you can, please stay away from me and don't be tainted by misfortune."

"Farewell, my dear friend, Francis."

…

Francis drew out Frazz's evil blade, and the weapon entwined with evil power was revealed in front of Barnes.

Francis looked into the captain's eyes and realized that his sleeping friend was awake again.

Barnes coughed twice, pressed the cursed wound on his waist that hurt a lot, and pulled out an awkward smile.

"Does your curse require regular maintenance?"

The dark elf shook his head.

"This is what surprises me. This curse should be a permanent damage. Storm, you threw all your loved ones into the abyss, and with what kind of will did you get the memory back."

Barnes fell to the ground.

"I don't know, I always look for trouble. How many times have you found me?"

"The tenth time."

"Has my future changed?"

"No."

"Then I hope you don't find me for the eleventh time."

Barnes opened his arms, ready to be slaughtered.

"Have you never thought about going back and taking a look? Storm, they still remember you."

The captain shook his head.

"No, Barnes will only cause them more trouble."

It was then that Barnes realized why he was always in hell after each memory loss. That was the pit he dug for himself when he recovered his memory. As long as Barnes still bears the hatred of the devil, he will not have the courage to bring these disasters to his family and friends, and can only repeat the cycle of causing trouble.

You are truly worthy of me.

Barnes once again felt the pain of his body being torn apart by the evil blade and his memory being erased.

"Can't you stab him somewhere else?" Barnes screamed.

This conversation must have been repeated many times.

"One wound is enough. It's better to open one eye than two."

As he was dying of consciousness, the captain asked one last question.

"Are they...all doing well?"

Francis answered, even though he was sure the captain couldn't hear it.

"A captain attracts to them all the hostility in the world, and they are certainly happy."

"Barnes, you have always been their star. The same for me."

"Goodbye, hope never to see you again, my dear friend Storm Norbrion."