Crimson Servant

Even after fighting all night, Carl was still able to leave the camp refreshed the next morning. Because he has young and vigorous energy, long-term training of the body and purification skills.

Karl walked out of the adventurer camp and headed in the direction of the sun, entering the eastern forest. The early morning fog has not dissipated, and even in the outermost circle of the forest, the water vapor hitting the face can make people shiver.

Karl ignored the natural obstacles and followed his body's instinct to find warmth. He closed his eyes and felt the fire-like energy in his body more clearly. He found the direction and walked towards that place on the moist soil.

Stepping over a fallen log, Kal found his arakkoa friend. A bundle of feather arrows was enshrined on the primitive altar stacked with hewn sticks. Lightning sat on a stone and roasted his prey, a wild boar, on a simple stand.

The arakkoa's eyes narrowed in comfort, and he used his knife to cut neatly arranged incisions into the meat. His movements were smooth and rhythmic, more like carving works of art. Karl did not disturb him and squatted on the spot, waiting for the arakkoa to complete its unique prayer. The divine aura rose around his body with the arrival of the sunrise, and the hissing sound of burning grease and the beeping sound of burning matches formed a sweet hymn in the sunshine.

Lightning raised his head, put down the knife, and made a sun ritual gesture with his fingers in front of his chest. He turned to look at Karl, his hoarse voice filled with a sense of pleasure. Karl blinked his eyes, and he saw in a trance that the Crow Man's eyes were sacred gold, and disappeared into the dark pupils in the blink of an eye.

"Good morning, Carl."

"Good morning, Lightning."

The arakkoa cut off a hind leg from the barbecue and shook it at Carl.

"did you have breakfast?"

"Thank you." Karl took the barbecue. He had already felt the emptiness in his stomach. This hunger reached a climax after witnessing a wonderful performance. "However, we generally don't touch meat and fish after prayers. It's greasy." Hands can easily affect the peace of mind.”

Lightning heard Karl's tactful advice, and the arakkoa laughed twice, cutting the pork chops indifferently, holding them in his hands and eating them.

"The god of the Crow people also said that life is the most sacred blessing. Only when you are full can you have the strength to be pious."

Karl finished the food in twos and twos. He took out a flannel and wiped his palms and lips carefully. At this time, he heard Lightning's question.

"Is John back?"

"Yes, he came back intact, and he seems to be a little stronger." Karl recalled the returning warlock and came to the conclusion he felt.

At that time, Lightning was not in a dying coma like Jurgen. He witnessed the changes in his companions and witnessed them killing the red dragon. John's explosion, the entangled red mist and bloody chains around him, Lightning subconsciously touched his chest, and his expression returned to calm.

"Just come back."

Lightning leaned forward and reached out to touch the altar. Those arrows showed a sacred silvery white color in the sunlight, and the sharp tips seemed to be completely integrated into the light. The arrows of sunshine and the arrows of the arakkoa have been successfully enchanted. Lightning put out the fire and pushed the remaining meat over, letting the roast fall to the ground.

"The beast will take care of it, let's go back."

"One more thing, lightning."

Karl stopped the arakkoa who was about to leave, took off the shield on his back, and uncovered the cloth wrapping the shield. Loti's Shield shone brightly in the sunlight, its shiny appearance resembling flames. It was obvious that Karl had rubbed it carefully, and the texture and corners of the stone shield were polished as smooth as a mirror.

The arakkoa looked at the shield and looked up at Carl's face, which was full of pain.

"You said that it represents your hometown. I am very grateful that you lent me this sacred power at that critical moment. Now, I will return it..."

"Give it to you."

"...Original owner, huh?" Karl doubted his ears.

The Crow Man smiled and said slowly and word by word: "I gave it to you, Karl. Didn't you say that? Ask me if you can exchange my life-saving grace for my stone. If it weren't for you and John working together , that red dragon will definitely kill us all, of course this can be considered a life-saving grace, I agree."

"No, no, no, I didn't mean to say this, Lightning." Karl looked at the shield in his hand and the flowing light, his mood became calmer and calmer, "I used to be a conceited person. I thought I would be the protagonist. A leader who guides everyone to accomplish their lofty mission. I see myself as noble, so I say those stupid things. But the truth is exactly the opposite. I am not perfect. Compared with you, I am full of shortcomings. Each of you has. I have qualities worth learning from. It was Jurgen, John and you who told me, and this adventure told me that I need the support of my partners, and I need you to tolerate my mistakes."

"Lightning Spear, my sincere friend, please forgive me for my offense. I should not have taken away my friend's only concern, let alone this sacred and precious equipment. It belongs to you, it should be yours. "

Lightning looked at the shield in Karl's hand, his eyes narrowed into a thin line, and what was revealed was the emotion of touching blessings. He did not take the shield, but looked at the tall paladin and raised a new topic.

"Want to know about our arakkoa sun god?"

"The god of crows, Loti. He is the fairy spirit of the sun, the more powerful one among the beast spirits and fairy spirits. He has thousands of incarnations, and each of them is Him, just as the sun is everywhere. Every god is A faith, like that of Mithras, the god of the sun and judgment, whose faith was in contract and keeping promises.”

"Lotti's belief is self-sacrifice. He encourages those who stand up in times of crisis and blesses every brave person. He will send blessings so that those who pass the test will receive the promised rewards. Unfortunately, although We all understand the nobility of sacrifice, but when it is our turn, we often hesitate to move forward."

"Karl, I'm actually a deserter."

"Trade exchanges with foreign races have become more frequent over time. However, the special appearance of the arakkoa often causes discrimination and disputes. My people have fallen under this unusual treatment. Like prejudice, they have become cunning and insidious crows. Just like our skin. This trend of thought returned to my settlement with close communication, accumulated over time, and now threatens our very foundation."

"After the previous generation of chiefs fell, his two children started mobilizing for war in order to compete for position. The eldest prince was a militaristic supporter of tyranny, while the second prince was an unscrupulous conspirator. Their power was evenly matched for a while. So I turned my attention to my father, the traditional sun priest who assisted the chief, eager to gain his support and legitimize his side."

"My father maintained neutrality in the battle, but this conservativeness did not last long. The contradiction became more and more acute, and this depression has affected the entire arakkoa tribe. My brothers and sisters began to choose sides between the two princes, and I did not like any of them. One side.”

"I ran away, taking my father's sun stone with me. I deceived myself into thinking that as long as I took away this sacred sacrificial item, neither of them had the right to initiate a war. I sneaked into the dungeon and joined the group of adventurers. Here, I bring with me the sun stone I stole, the concerns of my hometown, and the cowardice in my heart."

"You are right, Carl. This adventure has taught us a lot. I saw my heroic companions were not timid in the face of the dragon, I saw my selfless companions bravely braved the fire just for protection, I saw my sincere companions for Companions bring out the darkness within. I am not brave, but I am in the company of brave men and have forgotten timidity.”

"That arrow is not only a help to you, but also a salvation to me."

"In a foreign country, with the encouragement of a group of unique friends, I completed Loti's trial."

"I have fulfilled the high duty of sacrifice. I have become a dependent of the Crow God, his Sun Priest."

"I have understood that hiding cannot solve the problem. After this adventure is over, I will go back, to my hometown, to the homeland that has been impacted for a long time and is divided. If the leader is unethical, then I will become the voice of the people. The future of the arakkoa should be in the hands of the arakkoa themselves."

Lightning pulled out a small cloth bag from the feathers on his chest and placed it where the sun stone had been.

"Look what this is, the Raven God compensates for every sacrifice."

Carl watched Lightning open the bag. Inside was sand, glowing like golden sand.

"It's much worse than the brilliance of the Sunstone." Karl answered honestly.

"You are right, but this is the faith I picked up on my own. In a short period of time, it is certainly not as good as my father's accumulation. This is the fine sand on the fourth floor of the underground city, the sand that witnessed our suffering. I originally I plan to collect some scorched earth under the dragon's breath, but Loti doesn't like the smell of other evil flames in the token material that I will live in. I will take these sand grains back and use them to make the inheritance sacrificial vessels for the new generation of the Sun Priest. "

Carl learned the story of Lightning, and he was happy that his friend was taking a step further on his own path. He knew that his friend had embarked on a road full of thorns but full of light.

"Then you should take this shield back, Lightning. Two copies are better than one."

The arakkoa smiled and refused.

"This shield is Loti's affirmation of you, Karl. If I take it away from you, it would be a blasphemy against Loti's will. It is you who should accept it, and you are only a handful. There are countless foreigners accepted by Loti. It is best to let the shield of Loti shine in your hands."

Having said this, Karl could not say anything more. He repeatedly promised to Lightning that he would never live up to the blessing of the Crow God, and he swore an oath under the witness of Mithras. These were all trivial matters that he loved to hear.

The two Sun Walkers walked back to the adventurer camp. On the way, Carl held his beloved Aegis and was still mumbling.

"But I still feel like I owe you."

Lightning looked at the small sandbag in his hand, his eyes filled with a gentle smile.

"That's what you don't know, I got more."

"Sacrifice for one person is also a noble sacrifice. The Crow God told me many secrets of the Sun Priest. We are noble and ordinary."

Grandpa, he is actually not the third fledgling to fly...

He just took a step forward for his sweetheart...

The foolish thought of letting the person you like live for a few more seconds...

Became the first sun priest of Loti...