203: What is a Leader? (Update)

Chapter 200: What It Means to Be a Leader (Catch-up Update)

Sariya was a rugged woman, with broad shoulders and a stature taller than most women.

Years of combat had made her body quite sturdy, with hardly any excess fat.

Her skin was the deep russet color characteristic of a Tiefling, gleaming under the moonlight like quenched metal.

She wore leather armor, its surface covered in battle scars of all sizes, marks of her past struggles.

Arthur had personally witnessed Sariya's combat skills.

She was accustomed to fighting with a shield and short sword, always charging at the forefront of the team during battle.

Yet, after tearing through enemy formations, she wouldn't blindly slaughter like other vanguards; instead, she would quickly adjust the team's positioning and tactics to prevent them from falling into a passive state.

Arthur followed the Commander as she inspected the last sentry post.

Afterward, the two found a flat rock and sat down.

"My Lord, you seem troubled," Sariya broke the silence, "Is something bothering you?"

"Did Flora send you to inquire?" Arthur countered.

The Commander didn't evade, nodding frankly: "She did ask me to inquire, but I also genuinely want to know what exactly you are worried about."

"I don't want to be mysterious, like a riddle-teller making you guess," Arthur said, "But some things, even if I explain them, you probably wouldn't understand.

"It would only add to your worries for no reason."

"I believe you have your reasons for not speaking," Sariya said, "But is there truly nothing we can help with?"

Arthur was silent for a moment before slowly speaking: "I am worried about the battle in the vineyard.

"I'm thinking about how to avoid casualties in the team.

"But I know very well that this is a naive idea.

"Because even I cannot be sure if I can resist the corrupting power of the phylactery.

"People are always full of fear of the unknown, and I am no exception.

"So what troubles me now is fear."

Sariya listened quietly, and after a long while, she spoke: "In my previous impression, you were always an untouchable, high and mighty existence.

"Now it seems that this might have been our misunderstanding."

She paused, as if organizing her thoughts, then continued: "My father was a soldier and eventually died on the battlefield.

"He left us only a rusty short sword.

"My mother was just a common laundress.

"When I was twelve, she died of a cold, and my siblings left with her.

"Almost overnight, I lost all my relatives.

"At that time, I was probably like you are now, full of fear for an unknown future.

"It wasn't until later that I picked up the sword my father left behind and left the village.

"I ran errands for mercenaries, doing almost everything, just to secretly learn a bit of their combat skills.

"Slowly, I found my goal and began to actively take on simple tasks.

"Killed the first person, got the first commission.

"Then the second person, the third person—

"Until later, I could lead my subordinates to complete an entire mission independently and earn a large commission."

At this point, Sariya let out a soft breath, and the white mist from her mouth was quickly scattered by the night wind, "I originally thought my life would continue like this forever.

"Like those muddled mercenaries, living a life of debauchery every day until one day I died in some unknown corner, killed by some monster or enemy.

"Until Bruce and Jessica found me and gave me a new purpose.

"But even so, I still felt fear—not fear of death, but fear of dying meaninglessly.

"Afraid that everything I'd been doing was wrong, afraid that none of it was worth it.

"Then, you appeared."

The Commander turned to Arthur, "You showed me a new path.

"Initially, I also had doubts about you.

"Worried that you were just like the higher-ups of those fanatical organizations, offering us false hope?

"But later I gradually realized that you are different from them.

"The biggest difference is that those who shout 'justice' and 'fight for the weak' are usually very far from us.

"But you are very close to us; you get lost like us, you fear like us, you are at a loss like us.

"You are not like an untouchable saint; you are more like a friend, a teammate, a true companion."

Sariya stood up, bowed solemnly to Arthur, and then asked: "May I offer you a suggestion?"

"Go ahead," Arthur nodded.

"My Lord, do you know? As your companions and friends, we never worry about our own lives, but we do worry about the safety of our companions around us.

"Therefore, we are grateful for your concern.

"But as a leader, you should not be overly concerned about our lives.

"I dare say that every single person in the squad is not afraid of sacrifice," she said, "So, you should share some of this burden with us, instead of bearing it all by yourself."

The Commander's words made Arthur ponder for a long time.

As a leader, he still had much to learn.

His past experiences prevented him from being hard-hearted.

And as a priest who could cast divine spells to save people, he couldn't bear to see his own people die before him.

"I will consider your suggestion," Arthur said.

Meanwhile, a dark carriage stopped in front of an abandoned village in Qingfeng Valley.

Elizabeth, dressed in black, stepped out of the carriage.

Crows in the village cawed and flew towards this cold intruder.

The vampire impatiently snapped her fingers.

Flames erupted from her hands, instantly incinerating the crows.

She gave a cold snort and walked directly towards the oddly shaped hut in the ruins.

The hut's door slowly opened, like a terrifying beast opening its gaping maw.

She smelled a familiar scent—blood.

This stirred her desires.

The vampire suppressed this urge and stepped into the house.

She quickly understood the source of the bloody smell.

Three bodies hung from the rafters of the house, with a giant cauldron below.

Blood dripped from above, falling into the cauldron.

The bodies had no skin. Muscles gleamed in the firelight, covered in blood and sinews.

On the exposed flesh, angular markings like runes were visible, carved into the bodies and oozing congealed blood. "You filthy beasts."

An old voice came from the other side of the room.

"As soon as you smell blood, you reveal your true nature."

Elizabeth noticed one of the bodies twitch.

A gurgling sound escaped its mouth.

The sound was chilling, a pure shriek of agony.

Its remaining limbs convulsed wildly.

They were still alive, the female vampire thought.

She found these works to possess a raw savagery, far from elegant.